GRINGO VOL. 4 ED. 08 • JUNE 12 TH , 2017 • NO BAD NEWS North Priceless .com Quality of Life in Baja More Than Merely The Cost of Living BY REN DRAKE HILL Rosarito real estate mo- gul Luis Bustamante sought the help of several Expat Ro- saritense to ask their opin- ions of the cost of living in Baja in comparison to that of the United States. Volunteers from Cruz Roja Primo Tapia Voluntarios completed a sur- vey questionnaire that com- pared previous surveys of Los Angeles and Ensenada. The volunteers were asked their views of price comparisons in the areas of housing, dining, clothing, entertainment, and personal care. Mr. Bustamante will deliver his results at a global sum- mit of foreign investors in Los Angeles, in hopes of per- suading them to expand their companies into northern Baja California rather than the US, to save costs. Bustamante’s goal is to prove to the world that people not only live in Baja on less money, but are much happier than their American counterparts. By more com- panies coming to Rosarito the City will receive better services due to the influx of money. But all agreed that living in Baja was a better deal finan- cially than continuing to live in California aſter retirement. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Helping Children With the Blues And have fun while you're at it BY MUDDY WATERS The 6 th annual Baja Blues Fest returns to the Rosarito Beach Hotel this August 18, 19 and 20. This end-of-summer musical event is one of the most popular events in Baja, and it’s all for a great cause… to help local children beat “the blues.” e Baja Blues Fest concep- tion was brought about by trav- els to the San Felipe Blues Fest. Co-President Marty Alameda believed that Rosarito was the perfect location to host this venue due to the large local pop- ulation and the proximity to the US border. Aſter several years with the Baja Image Committee, Marty thought this would be a perfect way to bring the people of north Rosarito and south Rosarito together, even though a survey taken in 2015 indicated that 82% of the attendees were from the United States. The Baja Blues Fest has grown from 1800 spectators the first year to 4000 attendees in 2016. 5000 music lovers are expected this year. For those of you not in the know, Friday evening is a not-to-be-missed meet-and-greet event with members of all of the invited groups jamming and generally having a great time together. Dancing is encouraged, but there is a limit of 650 allowed in the Rosarito Beach Hotel indoor venue, so don’t miss out. Order your tickets early. In fact, the only way to secure admit- tance to this premier function is to purchase your three-day pass early. Technically the evening shuts down about 11 pm, but anyone who knows musicians knows that the music ceases when the musician falls into a dead sleep, so little mini jams may be found just about anywhere. Musicians scheduled for this year’s event are the Grammy award winning Kenny Neal Family Band, Nick Schnebelen, Hola Soy Lola, Baja Blues Fest favorite Backwater Blues Band with special guest Mighty Mike Schermer, Blue Largo with spe- CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 An off-road racing truck blazes by an oceanside dirt road in Erendira during the Baja 500. Photo by: Enrique Botello
Transcript
GRINGOVOL. 4 ED. 08 • JUNE 12TH, 2017 • NO BAD NEWS
NorthPriceless
.com
Quality of Life in BajaMore Than Merely The Cost of Living
BY REN DRAKE HILL
Rosarito real estate mo-gul Luis Bustamante sought the help of several Expat Ro-saritense to ask their opin-ions of the cost of living in Baja in comparison to that of the United States. Volunteers from Cruz Roja Primo Tapia Voluntarios completed a sur-vey questionnaire that com-pared previous surveys of Los Angeles and Ensenada. The volunteers were asked their views of price comparisons in the areas of housing, dining, clothing, entertainment, and personal care.
Mr. Bustamante will deliver his results at a global sum-
mit of foreign investors in Los Angeles, in hopes of per-suading them to expand their companies into northern Baja California rather than the US, to save costs. Bustamante’s goal is to prove to the world that people not only live in Baja on less money, but are much happier than their American counterparts. By more com-panies coming to Rosarito the City will receive better services due to the influx of money. But all agreed that living in Baja was a better deal finan-cially than continuing to live in California after retirement. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Helping Children With the BluesAnd have fun while you're at it
BY MUDDY WATERS
The 6th annual Baja Blues Fest returns to the Rosarito Beach Hotel this August 18, 19 and 20. This end-of-summer musical event is one of the most popular events in Baja, and it’s all for a great cause… to help local children beat “the blues.”
The Baja Blues Fest concep-tion was brought about by trav-els to the San Felipe Blues Fest. Co-President Marty Alameda believed that Rosarito was the perfect location to host this venue due to the large local pop-ulation and the proximity to the US border. After several years
with the Baja Image Committee, Marty thought this would be a perfect way to bring the people of north Rosarito and south Rosarito together, even though a survey taken in 2015 indicated that 82% of the attendees were from the United States.
The Baja Blues Fest has grown from 1800 spectators the first year to 4000 attendees in 2016. 5000 music lovers are expected this year. For those of you not in the know, Friday evening is a not-to-be-missed meet-and-greet event with members of all of the invited
groups jamming and generally having a great time together. Dancing is encouraged, but there is a limit of 650 allowed in the Rosarito Beach Hotel indoor venue, so don’t miss out. Order your tickets early. In fact, the only way to secure admit-tance to this premier function is to purchase your three-day pass early. Technically the evening shuts down about 11 pm, but anyone who knows musicians knows that the music ceases when the musician falls into a dead sleep, so little mini jams may be found just about anywhere.
Musicians scheduled for this year’s event are the Grammy award winning Kenny Neal Family Band, Nick Schnebelen, Hola Soy Lola, Baja Blues Fest favorite Backwater Blues Band with special guest Mighty Mike Schermer, Blue Largo with spe-CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
An off-road racing truck blazes by an oceanside dirt road in
Erendira during the Baja 500.Photo by: Enrique Botello
.COM June 12th, 20172
Que Pasa in Baja?BY OLIVER QUINTERO
Tourist snaggers regulated. We can’t say we haven’t heard that before, this time Ensenada is the one that is trying to eradicate the annoying practice on the tourist streets of the city.
Jorge Menchaca, head of the local chamber of com-
merce, said that they pressured authorities to do something about the growing problem.
Lot’s of tourists feel uncom-fortable, to say the least, in the presence of these individuals that try to get them in a cer-tain store, restaurant or bar by following them while reciting
their sales pitch and in some cases even grabbing them to try and stop them.
Authorities, in turn, said that they wouldn't tolerate the practice anymore stating that snaggers will be taken to jail and businesses that use them
fined.Menchaca also stated that
the local government had re-started their tourist police pro-gram that had been successful in the past, these police officers are bilingual and ride around the tourist areas in their bikes making them more approach-
ple months ago one of the local beaches landed in the list of most contaminated beaches in Mexico, in the first place.
If you’ve been reading our Facebook posts, you probably know by now that beaches in Ensenada are plagued with a microorganism called dinofla-gellates which make the water look reddish.
Experts say dinoflagellates are either toxic or biolumines-cent and this time we got the latter ones, making the waves in the water glow at nights.
Leave our land alone. That’s what Hugo Torres said regarding the ongoing con-
flict between Ensenada and Rosarito about the city limits.
It’s an exaggerated and op-portunistic claim by Ensenada that has no merit at all” said Don Hugo.
The chunk of land that Ensenada is fighting for rep-resents about the third part of Rosarito, while all of Rosarito’s (the whole 197 square miles of land) would be just about 1% of the land that Ensenada cur-rently has.
We’re with Don Hugo on this one, Ensenada already is the largest municipality in all of Mexico by land extension
able by people.On the right track. Mirna
Rincon, Rosarito’s mayor, an-nounced last week that it’s es-sential for her government to keep the city’s beaches clean. She stated this in the ceremony where the official committee for clean beaches was formed.
The committee was formed in part to be able to have Rosarito’s beaches Blue Flag certified, a certification that is given only to the beaches that comply with the highest levels of water quality and general cleanliness.
Federal Zone representa-tives announced that they picked up about 12 tons of trash from the Memorial Day weekend but that they were actually expecting more.
Let’s keep up people. Ensenada also launched their own committee to keep beach-es clean, which is especially needed there since just a cou-
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A sign of things to come? Mexico City signed an agree-ment with Airbnb that will charge travelers who book through the site a 3% occu-pancy tax.
The agreement is in re-sponse to complaints from hotels about Airbnb not hav-ing the same regulations as they do. Oh come on, they’re just scared that Airbnb is go-ing to take away their busi-ness.
And they should be scared. Airbnb has 5,500 hosts regis-tered in Mexico City, and helped 143,000 guests find places to stay, a 174% increase over the previous year.
Airbnb says it intends to expand the tax throughout
the region, which is now its fastest-growing market. Cabo Airbnb-ers, you’ve been warned.
Why not name it Donald Dump? A Mexican business-
man who was offended by the insults from Donald Trump directed at Mexicans is tak-ing advantage of a boo boo Trump made in registering his trademark.
Trump reg istered his name in Mexico in various sectors such as construction, tourism, hotels, real estate
and financial services but forgot about toilet paper. So now, lawyer Antonio Battaglia is about to re-lease a brand of toilet pa-
per called Trump, which advertises with slogans such
as "Smoothness without bor-ders" and "This is the wall
that we will pay."Battaglia's appli-
cation to brand his toilet paper was ap-
proved by the Mexi-can government. The pa-
per is expected to go on sale later this year and 30% of the proceeds will be donated to migrant support programs.
Battaglia says he respects the Mexican laws protecting Trump's trademark but there is no direct link between his t.p. and Donald Trump or his image.
Mexico wins! Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco won his third award at this year’s Cannes Film Festi-val, which just wrapped up. Bravo!
His film, Las Hijas de Abril (April’s Daughters), won the top prize in the Uncertain Regard category, which is for films that tell their stories in non-traditional ways.
April’s Daughter is a dra-ma about a 17 year old girl who has got herself in a fam-ily way, as they used to say.
Living in Puerto Vallarta with her half-sister, the way-ward girl has not wanted her long-absent mother, April, to find out about her, ahem, indiscretion.
Mexico wins again! An 18-year-old Mexican surfer earned the country its first individual medal at the World Surfing Games.
Jhony Corzo was crowned the men’s world champion surfer at the tournament, which was held recently in France. It was the first-ever individual medal for Team Mexico, and propelled the team itself to its first-ever medal, winning copper for fourth place overall.
Not too bad, consider-ing it was Corzo’s first trip to the International Surfing Association World Surfing Games. The kid’s been surfing for most of his life, starting at
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.COM June 12th, 20174
continued on page25
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Can A U.S. Corp. Own Mexican Property?It’s (kinda) like an individual owning property
BY ORLANDO GOTAY
A reader recently asked about what effect, if any, there is on a U.S. corporation own-ing property in Mexico. For this article, I’m talking specifi-cally about a corporation own-ing residential rental property. Know anyone who has some?
The first thing people need
to understand is that, for federal income tax purposes, U.S. corporations are just like any U.S. individual. They are subject to federal income tax on their global income, and subject to state tax in the state of incorporation (if it imposes any), plus any other states
where it is doing business.A deduction for depre-
ciation is available when an individual or corporation uses property for income producing purposes. The idea is to “recover” the cost of the investment over its useful life by way of a deduction.
You should know that a residential income property located in the U.S. depreciates differently (over 27 and a half years) than one outside the U.S. (40 years). That means that comparable properties will be entitled to smaller depreciation deductions, and
over a longer period, simply for being located outside the U.S. Ouch. A similar thing happens to “personal prop-erty” that is part of the busi-ness. It takes longer to write it off. And if it is a widget used predominantly outside the U.S., you can’t write it off the year you bought it. Bummer.
Another important point is the “allowed or allowable” depreciation rule. When prop-erty is subject to depreciation and then later sold, the de-preciation is recaptured (and taxed as ordinary income) at the time of sale. Whether you actually took the deprecia-tion does not matter. It only matters that you could have taken it. If you did not take the deduction, you are leaving money on the table, because Uncle Sam will recapture depreciation that was “allow-able.”
Another thing to consider if whether the corporation has foreign bank accounts. Corpo-rations might have to file For-eign Bank Account Reports. And what’s better (or worse), shareholders and directors of those corporations might also have to file individual FBARs based on their ownership or control of a corporation that has foreign financial accounts. And if the corporation owns specified foreign financial assets, it too might have to
report under FATCA.The U.S. corporation will
most likely be considered a permanent establishment and subject to Mexican tax and regulations. If it owns real property within the border or coast zone, it also requires a fideicomiso (a trust). Ah, you thought corps were not required to have fideicomisos? Well, you were wrong.
Orlando Gotay is a Califor-nia licensed tax attorney (with a Master of Laws in Taxation) admitted to practice before the IRS, the U.S. Tax Court and other taxing agencies. His love of things Mexican has led him to devote part of his practice to the tax matters of U.S. expats in Mexico. He can be reached at [email protected],
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And most cited a much better quality of life while living in Baja; less stress, and not having the feeling of having to “keep up with the Joneses” were two
of the points cited most often. The results of the Rosarito
study illustrated that the popu-lation purchases some items in the US because they are either of better quality, or more to the liking of Americans. This was especially true for personal
QUALITY OF LIFE IN BAJA...
continued from page 1
cial guest Taryn Donath, Leilani & the Lost Ones, and special guest guitarist Anthony Cullins. But stay tuned to the Gringo Gazette and social media in case there are changes in the lineup.
Saturday is THE day with gates opening at 10:15 and mu-sic 12:00 – 8:30 pm. Bands play at intervals throughout the day and into the evening. Raffles will be conducted throughout the concert program, including a special raffle this year (again) for a Strung Junk guitar fashioned by Steve Kinney.
Sunday, 1:00 – 4:00 pm band members meet on the Hotel lawn to jam with one another. The public is invited to bring their musical instruments and jam with the performers, or merely sit and listen.
Last year the Baja Blues Fest donated $16,000 to five lo-cal charitable groups, plus the Flying Samaritans, Cruz Roja Rosarito, and Cruz Roja Primo Tapia. This year, the charities, chosen by their emphasis on education are The Los Angelitos Orphanage, providing educa-tion and a home for 30 girls aged 1-21 deemed DIF Wards of the Court in the TJ/Rosarito area; La Mison Children’s Fund, providing life’s basic needs and education to Baja youth, and use of a professional kitchen to help students prepare for training in culinary institutes; BECA (Benefitting Education & Community Advancement), providing care and education and scholarships to children in the La Mision community, including a specialty in Tour-ism Technology and culinary arts; and Friends of the Library, supporting the five Rosarito libraries with reading programs, educational and artistic outlets.
Tickets are avail-able online and at Baja’s
HELPING CHILDREN WITH...
continued from page 1
care items such as toothpaste and deodorant, and produce, which lasts longer than that purchased in Baja. Some items, such as household staples show little difference whether pur-chased in the US or Mexico.
In return for their par-ticipation, Mr. Bustamante
donated 1000 pesos per survey taker to the Cruz Roja Primo Tapia Voluntarios chapter of which he is a Lifetime Member.
Before appearing at the global summit, Mr. Bustaman-te will offer the same survey to Expat participants in Tijuana.
Results from all Baja towns surveyed will be calculated and results presented to prospec-tive investors from the US, China and other countries. ,
Click-On.Com at Puerto Nuevo (km 44). Advance tickets for the complete three-day event are $45; Friday night is $20 at the door, space permitting; Saturday is $25 in advance, $30
at the gate; and Sunday’s jam is $10 at the gate. The BFF organi-zation is a qualified US 501(c)(3), meaning that any donations made are US tax deductible.
Vendor booths for Saturday only are still available for $70, which includes a canopy, table, two chairs, and electricity. Inter-ested in becoming a sponsor for the event? Information is avail-able online for sponsorships ranging from $250 to $7500.
The seven members of the Board of Directors start plan-ning in November for the fol-lowing music fest, and they
need many volunteers, not only to work the three-day fest, but to work throughout the year, a few hours a month, on planning the next festival. Applications are now being accepted for vol-
unteers wishing to help out for a few hours during the three-day event. Applications are available online at www.bajabluesfest.org in the “Join Us” section. For information on the chari-ties being supported this year: www.losangelitos.org; www.lamisionchildrensfund.org; www.Beca4Kids.com; www.friensofthelibrary.com.mx.
For more information, to volunteer or to order tickets, please go to www.bluesfest.org; Email: [email protected]; US: 1-800-530-5471; MX: 661-614-0513. ,
.COM June 12th, 20176
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the young age of five.Mo re i mmig rant s i n
Mexico. The number of im-migrants sneaking into Mexico increased by 120% between 2000 and 2015, totaling 1.2 million.
Immigrants aren’t a large proportion of Mexico’s population, but their num-bers are growing at a sur-prisingly high rate. Well, we’re surprised.
Just to compare, Canada’s foreign population increased
by 42% during the same pe-riod, rising 5.5 million. The number of foreigners in the United States increased from 34.8 million to 46.6 million, a 34% hike.
Mexico’s migrants come from Central America, which
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS...
continued from page 3
Dear Editor: Regarding David Beyer’s article in the May 1st edition
of your fine paper, I must take exception to his asking for deported non American veterans who served in the U.S. armed services being let back into the United States.
One, they had every opportunity during and after their service to become an American but apparently that wasn’t worth their effort.
Two, by his own admission, they were all arrested for something. Who needs them back?
Three, his “guess” that many of them broke the law due to PTSD due to their service is a wild guess. Very few soldiers even see battle.
Four, he wants them to get free education, and to be offered jobs. They had the GI Bill, and it didn’t make them better citizens, so what makes us think they’re going to go back to school now? And, anyone who wants a job in the US can find one. Before they’re even in the U.S., he’s begging for free stuff for them.
Four, he wants them to be allowed back into the country until their status is sorted out. Their status was sorted out, and they were proven to be illegal and criminals to boot.
Five, it’s not the United States’ fault or problem that these people are sometimes treated badly in Mexico.
So let’s not spend any more time/effort/money on people who have made very bad life decisions and are likely to com-mit more crimes and who’s goal from across the border is to access more free stuff.
Sincerely,Richard FitzwellRosarito Beach
Dear Mr. Fitzwell,
This is a subject that definitely has polarized opinions, I agree with our writer regarding the main idea of the article.
I feel that if someone risked his or her life for a country, he or she should be able to continue living in the country, even if bad life decisions were made.
Readers, we would love to hear your opinion regarding this subject. Visit our website and comment there so we can know where you stand on this. http://www.ggnorth.com/letters
-Editor
is seeing a lot of gang activity lately.
Beach parks coming to Cabo. Did you know that al l of the beaches i n Mexico are pub- lic?
T h e p r o b -
lem is, big hotels a n d resorts that are built right on the beach try to privatize them by cutting off access to anyone who’s not a guest. But now, the federal tourism authorities are trying to turn the tables by creating public beach parks so everyone, especially Mexican residents who can’t afford hotel stays, can enjoy their own beach-es.
C anc un was the first city to bu i l d a publ i c beach park, which opened in Decem-ber. The park cost $ 7 5 0 , 0 0 0 U S D and has averaged 2 , 0 0 0 v i s i tors a week.
T h e p ar k w a s funded through a joint in-vestment by the federal Tour-ism Secretariat (Sectur) and the National Tourism Pro-motion Fund (Fonatur), Los Cabos is next on the list to get one too. No word if or when
we'll get one, but we’ll keep you posted.
CFE, a tough cookie CFE is the federal electrical util-ity, and they can only be pushed so far. Two weeks ago Cuernavaca, in the state
of Morelos, was cut off, and now it’s Coatzacoalcos, Vera-cruz’s turn.
The municipality has run up a debt of more than $2.7 million USD with the CFE, and so they have cut the line. As the hot weather arrives, neighborhoods have little or no A/C. Gasoline is pumped with electricity, so that will
soon be a problem. As will pumping water.
The municipal adminis-tration filed for an amparo, or injunction, against the CFE’s service cuts, claiming that access to the electrical grid was a human right. The government is also arguing that cutting off power will lead to a rise in kidnappings, extortion, theft and acts of torture.
Former governor Javier Duarte was supposed to have fixed some of the problems with an infrastructure project in 2014 but the water lines and wells drilled have proven defective. As Duarte sits in a Guatemala jail awaiting extradition for corruption charges, lines are collapsing and the wells are not func-tioning. ,
The guy who fell onto an upholstery
machine is now fully recovered.
.COMJune 12th, 2017 7
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QUE PASA IN BAJA?...
continued from page 2
so let’s just leave this teenie weenie piece to Rosarito, it means a lot more to them. Anyway, most of the people I’ve talked about that live in the area in dispute said they would rather be part of Rosarito than Ensenada since it’s closer to them.
More name madness. In Mexico we all have two last names; first we have our fa-ther’s last name followed by our mother’s. Until recently it wasn’t legal to register a child with the mother’s last name first if the father recognized the kid. That changed about two months ago when new regulations were passed for the local registration offices in Baja that allowed for the parents to choose which one goes first as long as they can agree.
Here’s the catch: The order
they decide on their first born child can’t be changed for the following kids.
A million new totoabas. About 2.3 million USD are being invested by the state and federal government in a program focused on producing about a million baby totoabas in order to restore their natural balance in the California Gulf.
Governor Kiko Vega stated that the program aims to make the Totoaba a sustainable spe-cies that could be also attrac-tive for sport fishing.
Although fishing for Totoa-ba is illegal at the moment, the exorbitant prices paid for their swimming bladders in Asian markets (where it’s used as a form of natural Viagra) makes them very lucrative for fish-ing outlaws. A pound of these guys bladders can fetch up to $4,000 USD.
The Totoaba has become infamous as one of the main reasons the vaquita is almost
extinct, as fishermen use gill nets to fish for them, catching vaquitas in the nets as well in the process.
Cashing in on the Baja 500. The state tourism office reported that during this year’s edition of the Baja 500 off-road race a 100% occupancy was recorded on Ensenada hotels.
About 4 million USD are said to have been brought in by tourists and visitors to Ensenada during that weekend by about 100,000 spectators that came to see or participate in the race.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Baja 1000 race, which is expected to bring even more tourists than the 500.
Popotla gets a revamp. About 2 million USD were in-vested by the state government in the Popotla fishing village in Rosarito. The money was used to pave the entrance to the vil-lage and now it has just been
announced that a merge lane to the free road is being started.
The city of Rosarito is also installing street lighting in the area to give area visitors a bet-ter sense of security.
Time’s up on off-road mu-seum. The city of Ensenada has only this month to decide if they want the Off-road mu-seum or not, said officials for the state tourism office.
The Ensenada business council was the public entity chosen to deliver the decision, which is going to be based in a study of the acceptance of the project by the city residents.
Oscar Escobedo, head of the state tourism office, has said before that if Ensenada doesn’t want the museum, they can take it to any other city in Baja. The resistance for the project comes from the proposed land where it would be placed, which is right next to CEARTE. Opposers say that land would be better suited for
an expansion of the arts center.Although an expansion
of the local art center would be nice, it would help us a lot more to have a working muse-um of something we are actu-ally famous for internationally. Especially if we want more of
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.COM June 12th, 20178
ROSARITO BEACHEvery Sunday 4pm. Cultural Sundays in the park. Lo-
cal Mexican and American dancers and musicians. At the IMAC in Abelardo L. Rodriguez park, west of Banamex. Facebook IMAC Rosarito. Free.
Every Sunday 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the IMAC Central Park (behind the Banamex on Juarez) Dancing for seniors. Salsa and merengue (among others) tunes designed to not throw out a hip. www.facebook.com/IMAC Rosarito
Second Sunday of every month, Pet sterilization by the Baja Spay and Neuter Foundation at the Centro de Diagnostico Clinico Vetrinario, ave. Queretaro #2331-3, Col Cacho, Tijuana. 200 pesos, 661-124-3619, or Robin at www.BajaSpayNeuter.org.
Every Monday, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Beginning Spanish at Club Marena clubhouse, taught by Susana Schinkel. $6. [email protected].
Every Monday, 10:45 am, duplicate bridge at Baja Gold Bridge Club, KM 42 at the Rosarito Beach Christian Church. [email protected].
Every Monday, 1:00 – 2:30 pm, Advanced Spanish read-ing/comprehension class at Club Marena clubhouse, taught by Susana Schinkel. $6. [email protected].
Every Tuesday – Rotary Club meets at Rosarito Beach Hotel. 664-376-2620.
Every Tuesday. 9:00 am. Board Meeting for Yo Amo Rosarito at Ortega’s Buffet. See what events are under consideration or volunteer to help plan and run upcom-ing events.
Every Second Wednesday (except December). 10 am. Friends of the Library meeting at main library of IMAC building next to Abelardo Rodríguez Park. Promotes read-ing and literacy in Rosarito. www.friendsofthelibrary.com.mx. 661-612-3659.
Every second and last Wednesday, 1:00 – 3:00 pm Cruz Roja Primo Tapia bingo at El Pescador Restaurant, km 44. Raising money for an ambulance in Primo Tapia.
Every third Wednesday (except December), 10:00 am, Flying Samaritans General Meeting at Villas Del Mar Clubhouse. www.flyingsamaritansrosarito.org; Susan Smith @ [email protected]; US: 1-858-240-2360; MX: 661-100-6066.
Every Third Wednesday, 10 am, Meeting of Rosarito Sister Cities at City Hall, Fojadores Room, 2nd floor. Infor-mation and RSVP: [email protected].
Every third Wednesday (except December) 2:00 – 4:00 pm, Flying Samaritans bingo at California Fresh (across from El Nido). Bingo lunch specials. Parking in rear.. www.flyingsamaritansrosarito.org; [email protected], MX phone: 661-100-6066; US phone: 1-858-240-2360.
Every Thursday. 8:30 am. Local Board of Realtors (APIR) meets at Oceana Grill. Good place for buyers or sellers to find a Realtor
Every Thursday, 2 pm Drop-in Spanish learning op-portunity with PhD teacher Gilda Munoz. Learn Spanish while having fun and learning about Mexican culture. For learners of all levels. At The Coffee House (San Antonio del Mar toll road exit, between Plan B and Oxxo). Donation $8, includes coffee. 664-596-9940. www.spanishinbaja.com.
Every Second Thursday. 10 am. Cruz Roja volunteers general meeting at Rosarito Beach Hotel. www.cruzrojaro-sarito.org.mx. Paul Flowers, 661-612-3455.
Every Third Thursday. 10 am. General Meeting for
FRAO, Foreign Residents Assistance Office. Open to the public. Calaria Hotel (but confirm with FRAO office prior) Different speakers brought in. [email protected].
Every Fourth Thursday of the month, 12 pm, Baja Babes, the Rosarito Chapter of the Red Hat Society for ladies over 50 monthly luncheon. Each month a different restaurant. [email protected].
Every Friday. 4pm. Spanish class main library, by IMAC, in Abelardo Rodriguez park behind BanaMex. Free but donation appreciated.
Every Saturday, 10:00 am at IMAC Central park. Chess for all ages. www.facebook.com/IMAC Rosarito.
Every First Saturday. 10am. United Society of Baja California (USBC) general meeting at Casa Blanca Res-taurant, Rosarito Beach Hotel. Good info for the English speaking community of charitable, community service and social organizations. www.unitedsocietyofbaja.org. 661-614-1113.
Every Saturday 9 a.m. at the Playas La Mision Beach: Full body workout. Everyone works at their own level. $5 per class. Bring yoga mat & towel. North end of parking lot of the beach and look for the big purple ball.
Every First Saturday. Noon-sundown. Open Studio Art Walk, a free tour of galleries in Rosarito Beach Hotel commercial center. Meet artists at work in their studios. [email protected]
Every Third Saturday. 1pm. USBC, United Society of Baja California, monthly potluck dinner, at La Maroma sports bar, across from Burger King. Different theme every month. Usually live entertainment. Free. Membership $20 per year.
Every day but one day at a time AA Grupo Gringo meets daily #16 Mar Meditteraneo (two blocks behind Del Mar Beach Club). Saturday, 3:00; Sunday, Monday, Thursday: 10:00 am; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 6:00 pm. Additional meetings in Cantamar (just south of the footbridge) Tuesday and Friday, 10:00 am. 661-614-1678.
June 13, Tuesday, 3:30 pm, Volunteers meeting for Mariachi Fest at Rosarito Beach Hotel.
June 15, Thursday, 10:00 am, FRAO meeting at the Calafia Hotel Titanic Room. Speaker: Rodulfo Figueroa Pacheo, delegate of the National Institute of Immigration speaking on Immigration procedures and amnesty. [email protected].
June 15, Thursday, 5 pm, Yo Amo Rosarito Social and Business Mixer at Sunio Beach Club at Hotel Castillos del Mar to benefit Baja Sand event. www.facebook.com/ YoAmoRosarito.
June 15, 16, Thursday and Friday, 7pm; June 17 & 18, Saturday and Sunday, 2pm: “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff ” at Rosarito Theatre Guild. All tickets $25. www.rosaritotheatre.org; 664-631-3320.
June 17, Saturday, 1 pm; USBC Members BBQ at Leo’s Restaurant. Not a member? Show up, join, and enjoy a free lunch. RSVP Judy at [email protected].
June 18, Sunday – Happy Father’s Day!June 21, Wednesday, 5-7 pm, USBC Restaurant tour
to Ochuna Restaurant (Office Depot Center). $15 (US) for salad, pasta or pizza and soft drink. Reservations required. Greg: [email protected].
June 24, Saturday, 10 am – 2 pm; Painting with Janine at Baja Calypso Ocean Bar and Restaurant (k 38). Re-vamp your old jeans (or shirt or jacket) with paint. $20 includes all artistic materials. Reservations required. www.Facebook.com/ Abstracts by Janine.
Calendar of EventsAll prices are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.
June 29, Thursday, 5 pm, Baja Sand Wateke Mixer at the New Rubens (just south of Happy Hour/Bahia Cantil-les). 1-619-581-7121.
June 30, Friday, Deadline to apply to volunteer at Baja Blues Fest, to be held August 18 – 20 at Rosarito Beach Hotel.
July 1, Saturday, 3 – 10 pm; 8th Annual Fourth of July Beach Party at Rosarito Beach Hotel benefiting the Flying Samaritans free clinic. Julio Acosta, Maryam Malak, Flash-back, dancing and more! VIP tickets (guaranteed seating under tent): $15; General tickets: $8. [email protected]; 858-240-2360; 661-100-6066.
July 1, Saturday, 3-8 pm, All The Pretty Horses Benefit & Miss Bones 10th Anniversary Summer Sizzler fundraiser. Live & silent auctions, raffle, live entertainment, horse show, BBQ dinner and sunset bonfire. Tickets available on line and at event. Tickets $15 – $25 (US). www.bajahorses.com or Facebook.com/AllThePrettyHorses.
August 4, Friday, 11 am – 4 pm, Cruz Roja Annual Fashion Show at Calafia Hotel Grand Ballroom. Tickets $25 (US) or 450 pesos. Includes luncheon, boutique, raffle, live and silent auctions, and live entertainment. Tickets available at Cruz Roja Rosarito Thrift Store. Seating is limited, and no tickets sold at the door. 661-612-3455.
August 18-20, Friday – Sunday, Baja Blues Fest at Rosarito Beach Hotel.
August 26 – 27, Saturday & Sunday, 9 am – 10 pm, Rosarito Baja Sand presents “La Mujer en el Arte” (Women in Arts). www.bajasand.org; Facebook: RosaritoBajaSand.
April 29, Saturday, Official launch of FORC – Friends of Rosarito’s Children at CEART Rosarito in conjunction with CEART’s 1st anniversary celebration.
August 30, Wednesday, 6:00 pm; Sabor De Baja End of Summer, White Attire Affair at Rosarito Beach Hotel. Culinary competition among 25 of Baja’s top chefs, paired with finest Mexican wines and artisan beers. Tickets: $85, reserved seating and 5:30 arrival; $70, general seating; $20, 8:00 pm entry, free cocktail and entertainment. Tickets available at Mi Casa Supper Club; [email protected].
Please send submissions for the calendar to Ren Drake Hill at [email protected].
ENSENADASundays, 11am; Bible Study with Mark Neafie, Direc-
tor of Agua Viva Ministries in Maneadero at the old UPS office (with CARE sign) in Cantu. Everyone is welcome. Info and directions - Mark: 646 141 7734.
Mondays and Wednesdays,10am. Hatha Yoga Classes in La Bufadora on Betty's ocean view patio. All levels. Mats available. Donation suggested 50-80 pesos. Monday with Ella, Wednesday with Betty. Contact [email protected].
June 17, Saturday, 12 – 4 pm; Companeros de Baja Norte invites you to Derby Daze. Enjoy the Derby with salads and cold cuts. $10. Proceeds benefit scholarships and less fortunate of the Ensenada area. RSVP Vicky: daisy.may1985Whotmail.com or 646-248-3079 or Trish: [email protected].
July 1, Saturday, 9am – 12pm; All the Pretty Horses 10th anniversary Rescue and Rides. BBQ; games, entertainment, and more. 619-581-7121.
Please send submissions for the calendar to Ren Drake at [email protected].
.COMJune 12th, 2017 9
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Fish Report BY GARY GRAHAM
Coronado IslandsRecently the water around
the Islands has been trying to clean up a little bit, with North Island having some clean 62-de-gree water at times, but South Island generally remaining dirty and off color green. Even in the clean water, though, there hasn’t been much sign of yellowtail –
only a few bonito.Tijuana Bull Ring and be-
lowThere are still a few yel-
lowtail and barracuda around. Look for the areas where the dolphin are feeding and then slow-troll a sardine or an X-Rap. Sand bass and sculpin fishing remains only so-so, but
if you are lucky you’ll catch a couple of fish.
230 / 371 / Upper HiddenPlenty of bluefin around
but getting them to bite is the challenge.
They are all mixed up in size with spots of 20- to 30-pound fish being found next to spots of 100+ pound fish. Boats in the
area are flying the kite and using the yummy flyer and some are fishing the double-trouble rig. Both are having some success.
The bluefin are being found on sonar marks, breezers and puddlers and if you find a big spot of shearwaters just sitting on the water these very likely have bluefin under them.
EnsenadaIt started at 11:00 a.m. --
smooth seas at 21 miles above the Banda Bank aboard Tin Man when Lee Madding, owner and his team for the day, Steve, Mike and Captain Hando, used a lite rod with Penn 12LT, 60-pound test with bonito belly as bait, for what they thought was a mako shark until a swordfish surfaced with their bait in its mouth. The fight ensued for nearly seven hours all fighting the monster that they estimated to be 12-feet long; they had it alongside the boat seven (7) times but couldn’t subdue the thrashing fish.
Finally, the exhausted crew gave up and cut the line because of angler fatigue. Later back at their slip Madding observed, “If you weren’t there you wouldn’t understand how under-gunned we were with the tackle -- it just didn’t work out,” he concluded.
San QuintinVery quiet. Best catch re-
ported was a huge bat ray inside the bay.
Cedros IslandSeason is just getting under-
way and locals are raving about the excellent calico bass bite for fish up to 8 pounds.
Bahia de Los Angeles There is plenty of bait south
of town and in front of town. Windy conditions made it tough to make it out to the islands, so most boats stayed close to shore.
Down south below Barnaby Reef there are some gulf grouper and pargo. At least one boat found a yellowtail on the surface that bit surface iron.
When the wind subsided later in the week, the boats made it out to the big island and were rewarded with limits of yellowtail a few miles east of the southern tip using fly-lined mackerel that were caught close to shore. CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
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.COM June 12th, 201710
Cooking Like A MexicanBY ALEJANDRA SARACHAGA
Phone It or Text It InYou can call or text Oliver at (646) 179 4599 Mail It InYou can mail it along with your check to:Oliver Quintero, PMB-80 PO BOX 189003, Coronado, CA, 92178Make check payable to Oliver Quintero
How easy are those choices? Hint: Very easy.Cost is only 80 cents a word, and that includes posting your ad in our online version as well as the printed edition.We do take credit cards.
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FOR SALE BY OWNER oceanfront house/bed & breakfast 4173sq/ft $549k USD 6 bedroom 6 baths 4 kitchens & 2 car garage in Rosarito county Baja, Mexico. Salvador [email protected] US 619 467-0310 Mex. Cell 661 850-4517 photos link http://bit.ly/RosaritoHouseOCEAN FRONT 1br suite 800USD - Studio $600.00 USD with a 6 month lease fully furnished all utilities & DirecTV Included. Call Salvador US 619 467-0310 MEX Cell 661 850-4517 [email protected] Photos http://bit.ly/RosaritoHouseCARPET, UPHOLESTRY AND fine area rugs cleaned by the Ultra-Dry cleaning method. Residue free, work guaranteed, free quotes on site. Call 6616140526.CONDOS AND VILLAS FOR RENT Daily or weekly rentals, beautiful ocean views, just 300ft from the Puerto Nuevo exit in the free road. Call 661 114-6278 for more information.
DUMP TRUCK FOR HIRE Rock; Sand; Trash removeal; Anything? Good rates, Good references. Speak English & Spanish 001-619-940-2375 ; MateoROSARITO BEACH BIKE & SURF SHOP : Bike & Surfboard Rentals, Repairs,& Surfing Lessons; Go-Pro Helmet Cam's, Family Day, or Bar tour, Maps of Rosarito 001-619-940-2375.OCEAN, BEACH, COAST-AL VIEW IN LA MISION 2 BR 2 1/2 bath 18,00 sq ft Fur-nished, Dual pane windows, Granite Kitchen Counters, Tile Floors, Insulated Ceil-ings, Large 2 car Garage, Large Shaded Yard and Land-scaping. Only $139K. WOW! OTHER HOUSES, LOTS AND RENTALS AVAIL-ABLE. BILL'S BAJA BAR-GAINS 760 554 4238 MEX: 01 646 155 0029 [email protected] BILL'S FAMOUS grande garage sale coming in July in La Mision. Watch for it!
CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
I couldn’t have been more surprise when I read an article about Nopalea C, a beer that is made with Mexican nopales (as in cactus).
Nopalea beer is the result of a project that was started in
2012, by the Mexican business Nopalea, Prague University and the Czech Health System, and it is the first beer made from nopales. This drink is now being produced in the Czech Republic with nopal that is harvested in Mexico and exported over there.
The nopal is a member of
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the cactus family that’s grown here in Mexico. It is often seen in the form of bushes or plants. Wild populations of cactus can grow in almost all ecological conditions in our country, with variations in temperature and
rainfall. This cactus grows almost in every corner of Mexico but mostly in the states of San Luis Potosi, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Puebla, Michoacán, Aguascalientes, Baja California, Mexico City and Zacatecas.
According to experts, the first nopales date back about
5,000 years ago. In ancient Mex-ico, the juice of the leaves was spread on the wheels of vehicles to prevent overuse.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, when the Franciscans established missions in Baja and adjacent areas, they found that these cacti were useful as a source of “mucilaginous,” a material that was used as glue in the adobe bricks used to build the missions.
The nopal is intended pri-marily for human consumption, whether served fresh in salads, cooked as part of various dishes, or packed in brine, vinegar and jam. We Mexicans like to eat it with eggs, juiced and in many other ways.
The nopal also has healing properties. The Aztecs used it for many medicinal purposes: to control a fever they drank the juice; the cactus mucilage (or slime, for lack of a better word) was used to treat cracked lips; diarrhea was cured with the flesh of the plant; and the thorns were used to clean infections. They also used the leaves of the cactus to relieve inflammation, and the roots to treat hernias, liver
La Baja events will be held at San Luis Gonzaga, June 16-17
and will be based at Hotel Alfonsina’s, followed by the third at Bahía de Los Ánge-les, on July 21-22 at the
local launch ramp. http://www.pescalabaja.com/
All in all the wind in the upper portion of the Sea of Cortez still remains an issue, blowing intermittently. ,
FISH REPORT...
continued from page 9
QUE PASA IN BAJA?...
continued from page 7
those people aboard the cruise ships to get off the boat.
Baja manufacturing keeps growing. Baja just made it to the second place in the country in workers in the manufac-turing industry, this year the industry created 20,330 new jobs indicating a 7% grow from last year.
Manufacturing jobs have been heavily criticized in the past because they allow sta-tistics to show the state with a very low unemployment rate, but most of the times these are very low paid jobs.
Regarding this matter, Carlo Bonfante, head of the State Economic Development Office, said that there was also an important 5.9% growth in the average of salary paid compared to last year.
Huge development an-
nounced. Ensenada Mayor Marco Antonio Novelo an-nounced that the Marinazul Golf & Resort project located south of San Felipe is ready to be developed and that he has given the order to his people to facilitate the process so the developers can begin ASAP.
The project has been an-nounced since 2010, many times now, but it has been delayed because of several dif-ferent reasons.
The Spanish developers are investing 83 million USD in the first stage, which will include all basic infrastructure and 2,000 residential units.
The complete project in-cludes a total of 5,598 resi-dential units and 3,995 hotel rooms, a horse track, 27-hole golf course, commercial area and restaurants. The develop-ment is said to be a destination itself. ,
irritation, stomach ulcers and skin damage from sun exposure.
Nopal is also a great source of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, which helps cleanse the colon. Insoluble fiber can prevent and relieve constipation and hemor-rhoids, and at the same time help prevents colon cancer. Soluble fibers have been used in many conditions because their pres-ence retards the gastrointestinal tract and keeps nutrients from being absorbed too quickly.
COOKING LIKE A MEXICAN...
continued from page 10
Nopal can also help fight obesity. It has become somewhat of a diet fad to eat a cactus with orange juice or some other fruit. The large amount of fiber the plant has helps the body absorb nutrients. Also, the insoluble fibers create a feeling of fullness, helping people eat less.
The amino acids, fiber, and niacin contained in nopal pre-vent excess blood sugar that becomes fat, while at the same time metabolizing fat and fatty acids, reducing cholesterol.
Nopal is a natural antibiotic; it slows or stops the growth of
several bacterial strains. Both eating nopal and applying the “slime” from the cactus leaves have beneficial effects on wounds and skin infections.CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
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COOKING LIKE A MEXICAN...
continued from page 11
It also helps people with diabetes. The nopal helps sta-bilize and regulate blood sugar level. The hypoglycemic power of nopal has been scientifically proven as an effective treatment for the prevention of diabetes. Studies have shown that eating nopal before each meal for 10 days helps people lose weight and reduces the concentrations
of glucose, cholesterol and tri-glycerides in the body. (This has been seen only in individuals who are insulin resistant, or in patients with Type II diabetes.)
Finally, the nopal plant fibers and mucilage control excess gastric acid, preventing gastric ulcers and all sorts of stomach conditions. Nopal contains vita-mins A, B and C, and minerals like calcium, magnesium, so-dium, potassium and iron. Tox-ins from alcohol and cigarette smoke that inhibit the body's immune system are removed by the nopales.
The nopal’s tender and fleshy pads are sold as a vegetable; they can be pickled, cooked broths and soups, in salads or cooked in main dishes, such as appetiz-ers, sauces, beverages, desserts, jams and endless food uses that can be given to this plant so rich in properties. Nopales is so im-portant to us that, the Mexican flag has it as part of our national shield.
There is only one tiny prob-lem with nopales and it is that many people find the taste of the slimy part a bit unpleasant, and that making the smoothie stays
there. But there are ways to get rid of it, by frizzing, or to bake it, or use lime juice, while washing it after cut it in slices or dices. Another way, but only when you are going to have them as salad, is to boil them with salt. The nopal pills or nopal dehydrated powder has come to offer a solution to this problem. The benefits you can get from this Mexican trea-sure are worth the effort.
Nopales Salad6 pieces of nopales (you can
find these at Walmart)1 small onion2 serrano chiles2 small tomatoes 1 bunch of cilantro, washed
and disinfectedJuice of 1 lemonOlive oilOreganoSaltPepper1 ripe avocadoPanela or feta cheese, diced
(optional)
Procedure:1. Remove the seeds from the
tomatoes and the serrano chiles.2. Slice the nopales leaves,
onion, tomato and chiles into thin strips.
3. Place the onions and chiles in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and orega-no and let it marinate while you cook the nopales leaves.
4. Boil the nopales in salt water. Don’t overcook them; they have to keep a firm consistence. When the nopales are done, pass them through a sieve and rinse under running cold water, then drain well and place in a bowl.
5. Add the onions, tomato and chopped cilantro to the bowl with the marinated nopales, and stir everything.
6. Top with sliced avocado and diced cheese.
This nopales salad is a great side for grilled meat, fried fish, fish fillet or whatever you want.,
