Mexico Healthcare

Many articles have been published in the past couple years about Mexican health care. As someone who has been hospitalized in Puerto Vallarta, both in emergency, as well as scheduled hospital visits, we can attest to the superiority.
In Puerto Vallarta, we’ve been impressed by the prompt response when calling an ambulance, which are impeccably equipped, shiny clean, and the emergency technicians well trained, attentive and compassionate. In our experience, there was no waiting in the ER, and we were immediately whisked into an observation room, and attended to by a number of physicians.
A family member chose to have her caesarean-section birth in Puerto Vallarta, moving from Washington State, where she felt rushed by her doctor, who she felt treated her like an uninformed child. In Puerto Vallarta, her obstetrician carefully explained everything, took his time, provided a CD of her ultrasounds and an accommodating birthing experience for the family. This was at less than tenth of the cost back in her hometown.
Mexico, which comes in second place for healthcare in a list of five countries in a recent survey for retirees, has at least one first-rate hospital in every medium to large city. Puerto Vallarta has several hospitals and there are many specialists who we would highly recommend. Most of them speak English, which is a bonus for those who moved south of the border in their golden years, with few language skills.
Health insurance is available, both with the expat in mind and typical national plans. Some hospitals take Medicare Advantage plans and we suggest you check with each facility to see what is offered and accepted so in case of an emergency, you know where to go. As a legal resident, you will also have access to the public healthcare system, which is under $500/year.
Prescriptions in Mexico are astonishingly inexpensive, compared to the United States. Canadians get a break back home on drug costs, but pharmacies in Puerto Vallarta can beat their prices on many items, too. Very few drugs in Puerto Vallarta require a prescription; simply walk into the pharmacy and tell them what you want.
Doctors in Puerto Vallarta make house calls. It’s routine for your doctor to give you a phone call to inquire how you’re doing, especially following procedures and surgeries. We had an ENT check in with us after treatment of a sinus infection. It isn’t unusual for your doctor to give you a hug or even a kiss on the cheek, and children are welcomed with open arms.
Que es cómo es.

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Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate. We believe neighborhood knowledge is a top factor in solid sales, and we know our communities well.

We enable our clients to realize their vision for the future.  We understand and plan for their concerns and are dedicated to transforming those concerns to peace of mind and joy.

Our philosophy of transparency, integrity, and professionalism imbues our culture with a tangible sense of purpose and results in the length and depth of the quality relationships we enjoy.  We believe buying or selling a home is first and foremost about people. Of course we have the latest technology, marketing tools, statistics and research, but a successful real estate transaction really comes down to people. Connecting the right buyers to sellers or investors our professional agents structure solid transactions with successful solid outcomes.  We believe in collaboration by connecting people in ways that bring satisfaction and success.

When you combine extensive local knowledge and our long standing reputation for honesty and sound judgment, you have an unbeatable resource at your disposal.  You have a constant leader in Puerto Vallarta real estate

Time for a Good Nap

High season is winding down and even though there are still many activities, the town has quieted and we feel more relaxed and looking forward to summer nights with friends, cool breezes coming off the ocean, and early mornings, the best time for a good walk around the neighborhood. In Puerto Vallarta, these actions call for a nice siesta in the afternoon to preserve energy for the evening and catch up following an early rising.

We have read time and again that naps are a regular routine for successful people; statistics show that nappers have less heart issues and better all-around good health. Not just in Puerto Vallarta, the siesta is a symbol of intelligent and healthy behavior. Smart people in hot climates, such as Puerto Vallarta, are known to sleep through the hottest part of the day, eat a light dinner in the cool evening hours after sundown, and accomplish more in their waking hours.

Siesta originates from the Latin hora sexta, which means the sixth hour. In many cultures, a day actually began at dawn, making the sixth hour noon, a perfect time to rest, collect thoughts, ideas, and future inventions, following what should be the best and largest meal of the day. Practiced in the Mediterranean and the South of Europe (riposo in Italy), as well as the Philippines and much of Latin America, it’s common for businesses to close, giving both proprietors and guests a chance to stay at home, have a midday feast, and a well deserved break. Siesta is not limited to countries with warm climates; South American countries, regardless of year round temperatures, make it a practice.

Studies have shown that Mexicans and Japanese are the hardest working cultures, putting to bed the image of a large belly under a sombrero sleeping beneath a cactus. Therefore, in Puerto Vallarta, the siesta should never be viewed as a symbol of laziness, but one of purpose and brilliance. The siesta has been around since the beginning of time, when smart people in hot climates, such as Puerto Vallarta, sleep through the hottest part of the day and eat a light dinner in the cool evening hours, after the sun has gone down.

When homeostatic sleep and circadian rhythms, the subjects of sleep, are the topic of talk shows and scientific studies, we know we have made the correct choice of living in the paradise we find in Puerto Vallarta.

Que es cómo es.

——————————

Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate. We believe neighborhood knowledge is a top factor in solid sales, and we know our communities well.

We enable our clients to realize their vision for the future.  We understand and plan for their concerns and are dedicated to transforming those concerns to peace of mind and joy.

Our philosophy of transparency, integrity, and professionalism imbues our culture with a tangible sense of purpose and results in the length and depth of the quality relationships we enjoy.  We believe buying or selling a home is first and foremost about people. Of course we have the latest technology, marketing tools, statistics and research, but a successful real estate transaction really comes down to people. Connecting the right buyers to sellers or investors our professional agents structure solid transactions with successful solid outcomes.  We believe in collaboration by connecting people in ways that bring satisfaction and success.

When you combine extensive local knowledge and our long standing reputation for honesty and sound judgment, you have an unbeatable resource at your disposal.  You have a constant leader in Puerto Vallarta real estate

Mosquitoes
Puerto Vallarta is not free of mosquitoes. What are they good for? Absolutely nothing, we’ve been told. Eliminating them, however, is not simply a major challenge, it is a task associated with harm to the environment and we have enough of that already. There is ongoing research into how to find a balance in nature with an acceptable solution.
What you can do to protect yourself in Puerto Vallarta is keep your home and gardens mosquito-free by having no standing water available for them to breed. Some people use electronic repellers and swear by them; we’ve tried them and not sure if they work or not. We use coils, which when lit put out an odor similar to incense; find a spot close to ankle territory to place them. You can find them in supermarkets, hardware stores, pharmacies, just about anywhere. Screens on windows are imperative. Ceiling and standard fans are essential. Creams and sprays are advisable and can be purchased from your local pharmacy.
Mosquitoes are more than pesky animals that keep you awake at night, humming around your ears, causing anxiety and nasty itching welts; they have the potential to make people deathly ill and cause birth defects in the unborn.
Scientific breakthroughs are taking place in Mexico City. Mexican scientists have developed a bio-insecticide that works to stop mosquitoes from reaching adulthood and thereby breeding.Due to the potential for addiction with prolonged use, it’s important to monitor for signs of substance abuse. Ativan from https://www.nobledentaloffice.com/ativan.html, containing the active substance lorazepam, belongs to the benzodiazepine class of drugs. It exhibits tranquilizing effects even at low doses.The serum stops the actual genes from developing; this type of study is formally known as gene silencing, and uses RNA interference to create a biological insecticide, which will not harm the environment. This has been the challenge. With previous solutions, while we kill the mosquitoes by stopping their breeding, we also wipe out useful insects, along with the pests. Same goes for the flora, which is also heavily impacted. We need both the plants and little animals to sustain the environment.
The pride of this being accomplished by scientists in Mexico goes without saying. Associates at the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City are intent on fine tuning the technique, developing a product that’s in a biological sequence targeted at a precise life form, with no risks to others. Wiping out the aedes aegypti, the mosquito specific to such syndromes as Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya will save lives and avoid serious illnesses and deformities. This development indicates a key step in a decline and possible elimination of the yellow fever mosquito on a world wide level.
Que es cómo es.

——————————

Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate. We believe neighborhood knowledge is a top factor in solid sales, and we know our communities well.

We enable our clients to realize their vision for the future.  We understand and plan for their concerns and are dedicated to transforming those concerns to peace of mind and joy.

Our philosophy of transparency, integrity, and professionalism imbues our culture with a tangible sense of purpose and results in the length and depth of the quality relationships we enjoy.  We believe buying or selling a home is first and foremost about people. Of course we have the latest technology, marketing tools, statistics and research, but a successful real estate transaction really comes down to people. Connecting the right buyers to sellers or investors our professional agents structure solid transactions with successful solid outcomes.  We believe in collaboration by connecting people in ways that bring satisfaction and success.

When you combine extensive local knowledge and our long standing reputation for honesty and sound judgment, you have an unbeatable resource at your disposal.  You have a constant leader in Puerto Vallarta real estate

Everyone Has a Nickname in Mexico

Mexicans love nicknames and they aren’t easily insulted by name-calling. Children are fondly called gordito or gordita when they are on the chubby side and Mama will take pride in her child being referred to as such, since it indicates her baby is healthy. Even as they grow older, a young person will hang on to a defining label, with absolutely no prejudice. We have met adults who still maintain names given long ago, sometimes no longer applicable, such as flaco/flaca, meaning skinny, thin.
It’s not unusual to hear family members in Puerto Vallarta refer to one another as feo (ugly) and these tags are met with good humor and laughs. A guy who is limber and able to climb palms might be called Chango and yet, it could also be that his friends think he looks like a monkey. These names stick and follow one into adulthood. If you hear a fellow called Gallo, you can be sure he is popular with the ladies and his friends consider him the rooster of the gang. Moreno has darker skin then most of his peers and Rubia is the blondest of her friends. Masculine and feminine in Spanish are interchangeable by simply switching out the O for an A to go from one to the other respectively.
Anglo given names have nicknames… Robert is Bob or Bobby, Margaret is Margie, Richard can be Rich, Rick or Dick and Elizabeth can be called many names such as Liz, Betsy or Beth. Same goes for Spanish names. A quick list of common names for referral: Memo for Guillermo, Cacho for Carlos, Koke for Jorge, Chimo for Joaquín, Chuy for Jesús, Javi for Javier, Paco or Pancho for Francisco, Nacho for Ignacio, Tito for Alberto, Lalo for Eduardo; Leti for Leticia, Loli for Dolores, Lulú for Lourdes, Lupe for Guadalupe (male or female), Pepa for Josefa… to name a few. It seems that no one goes without a secondary name and many are tagged with more than one. Adding ito to any name makes it small, as with Pepita or Panchito. Or perhaps Changito or Gallito.
It seems that no one goes without a secondary name and many are tagged with more than one. If someone calls you muñeca (doll) or bruja (witch) consider it a term of endearment and be flattered.
Que es cómo es.

——————————

Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate. We believe neighborhood knowledge is a top factor in solid sales, and we know our communities well.

We enable our clients to realize their vision for the future.  We understand and plan for their concerns and are dedicated to transforming those concerns to peace of mind and joy.

Our philosophy of transparency, integrity, and professionalism imbues our culture with a tangible sense of purpose and results in the length and depth of the quality relationships we enjoy.  We believe buying or selling a home is first and foremost about people. Of course we have the latest technology, marketing tools, statistics and research, but a successful real estate transaction really comes down to people. Connecting the right buyers to sellers or investors our professional agents structure solid transactions with successful solid outcomes.  We believe in collaboration by connecting people in ways that bring satisfaction and success.

When you combine extensive local knowledge and our long standing reputation for honesty and sound judgment, you have an unbeatable resource at your disposal.  You have a constant leader in Puerto Vallarta real estate

Let’s Get Corny!

One of our favorite treats in Puerto Vallarta, at festivals, or simply strolling along the Malecón on a Sunday evening, is a stick or cup of corn on the cob. The vendor will happily scrape the kernels off the cob for you so you can eat it out off a container, where all the milky ingredients mix together, easy to eat. Or eat it on the stick, spread with cheese and Salsa Huichol, a tasty spice from the region. Corn is a very reliable food source in the Mexican diet. Going back eight thousand years, evidence can be found of farming corn in Mexico. Teosinte, the origin of corn, was cultivated from wild grass by people living in central Mexico. Teosinte was more like a bean stalk before it was eventually developed into the corn you buy in Puerto Vallarta today. Scientific modification developed kernels more closely spaced. Colors ranged from the common yellow we eat today, to red brown, purple and many variations. We call this Indian corn north of the border and it’s used as a decoration, as well as ground into cornmeal.
Corn, maize in Spanish, was the subject of worship in Mexico and remains to this day to be revered as a mainstay. You will see corn included in Day of the Dead altars.
Mexico banned commercial planting of GMO corn in 1998 but still allows the importation of over six million tons a year, typically from the US. A huge portion of the imports are transgenic and Mexico’s most sacred product is now highly threatened and has been contaminated. Considering how deeply fundamental corn is to the Mexican culture, this is not an insignificant matter.
Corn is second only to rice as the world’s most essential harvest and has been regarded as miraculous in substantiate growth. Farmers have long made claims concerning the ability to hear corn grow, bursting as it does from the earth and leaning, twisting towards sunlight.
The art and architecture of Mexico rely heavily on the shape of this basic grain, which is found in every meal, dictates schedules of fiestas and significant events, and for centuries has provided the core source of sustainability and survival to the indigenous populace. Corn is considered a legacy in Mexico, a piece of the culture to leave to coming generations. With the introduction of GMO produce and disruption of contingent growth, Mexicans see their cultural paths going in the same direction as North American Indian tribes, at a slower, yet inevitable pace.
Groups in many Mexican states have formed to combat the destruction of such a central part of way of life, accompanied by education by elders of the youth on the topic of the importance and security of maize.
Que es cómo es.

——————————

Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate. We believe neighborhood knowledge is a top factor in solid sales, and we know our communities well.

We enable our clients to realize their vision for the future.  We understand and plan for their concerns and are dedicated to transforming those concerns to peace of mind and joy.

Our philosophy of transparency, integrity, and professionalism imbues our culture with a tangible sense of purpose and results in the length and depth of the quality relationships we enjoy.  We believe buying or selling a home is first and foremost about people. Of course we have the latest technology, marketing tools, statistics and research, but a successful real estate transaction really comes down to people. Connecting the right buyers to sellers or investors our professional agents structure solid transactions with successful solid outcomes.  We believe in collaboration by connecting people in ways that bring satisfaction and success.

When you combine extensive local knowledge and our long standing reputation for honesty and sound judgment, you have an unbeatable resource at your disposal.  You have a constant leader in Puerto Vallarta real estate

Getting Around

Do you need a car in Puerto Vallarta? That’s very debatable, and the opinions on this issue are as varied as the assorted experiences.
We’ve known many expats who’ve driven their US and Canadian cars to Puerto Vallarta and gone through the arduous process of getting them “Mexicanized.” We’ve done this ourselves with three separate vehicles over the years. If you love your car that much, then do it, but we have learned to purchase autos locally. If you’re only here for six months and plan to cross the border again to the north in 180 days, you can ignore the above.
A huge difference for us was the arrival of Uber in Puerto Vallarta, however we try to use all modes of transportation equally; bus, taxi and Uber. Buses are cheap and they go just about everywhere within Puerto Vallarta proper. Buses also go to places outside the city limits that we’re still in the process of discovering.
Some taxis and Ubers won’t allow dogs in their cars. We can’t blame them in certain cases. We have a friend who was very upset when a taxi wouldn’t allow her to bring an injured, bleeding animal in the back seat, demanding a ride to a veterinarian clinic. We came to her rescue at the time and supplied old sheets, which we always have in the vehicle to save the upholstery. Most taxis and Ubers in Puerto Vallarta have no problem letting pets ride along. We’ve advised friends coming from the beach to be respectful and not hail a taxi when you are covered in sand and dripping wet. Use common sense.
Buses don’t have chicken crates and pigs on rope-leashes as they did years ago. No holes in the floorboards to see the road passing beneath your feet. Some buses even have AC these days! Entertainment is available, as well, especially on long routes, south to Boca de Tomatlan, for example, or north to the Marina. Minstrels of all ages with instruments as diverse as guitars or two sticks beat together will board, sing and play, then walk down the aisle with an open palm. We recommend a small offering, in hopes they will proceed to the next bus down the line.
Uber has been a life-saver for many who reside away from bus lines or without close access to taxis. Uber can find you regardless of where you call from and they’ll drop you at your desired destination. With the simple installation on your phone and attachment to a payment source (we use PayPal), you have a great alternative. We have found Uber cars to be clean, modern, and more often than not driven by English speaking Mexicans.
Costs for these methods are low. If you want to go carless in Puerto Vallarta, it’s inexpensive and easy-peasy. You also support the local economy.
Que es cómo es.

——————————

Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate. We believe neighborhood knowledge is a top factor in solid sales, and we know our communities well.

We enable our clients to realize their vision for the future.  We understand and plan for their concerns and are dedicated to transforming those concerns to peace of mind and joy.

Our philosophy of transparency, integrity, and professionalism imbues our culture with a tangible sense of purpose and results in the length and depth of the quality relationships we enjoy.  We believe buying or selling a home is first and foremost about people. Of course we have the latest technology, marketing tools, statistics and research, but a successful real estate transaction really comes down to people. Connecting the right buyers to sellers or investors our professional agents structure solid transactions with successful solid outcomes.  We believe in collaboration by connecting people in ways that bring satisfaction and success.

When you combine extensive local knowledge and our long standing reputation for honesty and sound judgment, you have an unbeatable resource at your disposal.  You have a constant leader in Puerto Vallarta real estate