Job Discussion Forums

[dixie]

Hi All! Mucho Gusto!

After lurkin' I'm finally registered and ready to question! question! question! y'all!

I'm movin' back to Mexico...this time to D.F! I have yet to experience it and am extremely excited! I was wondering if there is anyone out there who could give me some info about the Pedregal/San Angel area (including the differenece between each! Is one a zone and the other a neighbourhood within the zone or what?!!?).

Also, are there any items that you can think of that I MUST somehow squeeze into my suitcase because they are too difficult to get down there (with luggage reductions, packing what I all ready have listed will be nearly impossible enough!)

Oh! Almost forgot...how easy/cheap is it to get flea meds (the monthly pills or liquids..not shampoo) for dogs down there? I remember lookin' in Torreon and couldn't find any.

Thanks all for you advice/suggestions!

......dixie

[dixie]

Sorry..forgot one of the most important questions...how easy/cheap is it to get novels/poetry in English? (by novels..I mean something a little better than what Harlequin or Grisham put out..something that could win a GG!...although I've been known to endulge in the others too! )

gracias!

......dixie

[Guy Courchesne]

Pedregal and San Angel...both are zones or colonias. Both are known as higher-class, and expensive if you are considering renting there, with San Angel being the only slightly cheaper. Pedregal is something of the Bel Air of Mexico City, fresh prince.

I'm sure flea meds are easy to find...talk to a vet.

Sanborn's restuarants/stores are not bad for finding English literature. Otherwise, there a Ghandi bookstore down around Pedregal to check out.

[MELEE]

You didn't mention how long ago it was that you lived in Torreon. I've been in Mexico for 8 years and in the last 8 years the list of "things that are difficult to get" has wittled down to practically nothing. I'm amazed at what you can pick up at the corner stores these days. Even in my little town, not to mention a mega city like DF.

About the flea medicine, you might find you don't need it. Fleas are only a problem here a couple of months of the year and I'm at a lower elevation than Mexico City. An I've found what fleas my dogs pick up are very easy to get rid of (I suspect in the "developed" world we've developed a race of super fleas resistant to all the things we've pumped into them.) So all I ever need to do is give 1 simple bath in citrus oil shampoo (don't use this on cats) and voila fleas are gone. But if you do want to poisen your pets, there are two classes of vets in this country. The first type know about cesareans for cows and the ideal diet for goats. The second type specialize in upper class pampered "pets" and sell every imported dog medicine you can imagine as well as a full line of dog clothes. I take my dogs to a married vet couple, he is the first type and she is the second, I much perfer it when he's around, he has a much better way with animals than she does!

[Samantha]

For those bringing along dogs, I would suggest picking up some of those 3 in 1 or 4 in 1 flea and tick meds you can buy in Walmart or Kmart, prior to your journey. You can get them here no problem at the veterinarians but they are much more expensive. Dogs have a big tick problem in my area and those rascals are difficult to get rid of. I agree with Melee. There are many good vets in Mexico and an office visit doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

[Guy Courchesne]

Soft-body ticks are a major major problem in Mexico and have been for a long time. There is even a US 'Tick Patrol' to keep them out of the US.

In all the warmest parts of Mexico, you'll find these ticks. Never seen them in DF, so I imagine they aren't a problem at higher, cooler altitudes. Few medications or shampoos seem to work on these things, short of a harsh chemical bath like they do for livestock. Vets here offer a type of 'vaccine' but the damn thing only lasts three days they say.

No problem in DF but consider it when taking your dogs to the hot country.

And God help you if you get the ticks in your house. They go through three stages of development, and quickly, so that every three months you get an outbreak.

[dixie]

Hi All....thanks for the info. I figured that I would be able to get just about anything down there that I would need...I just wanted to double check! As for fleas and ticks...I know last year (which is when I lived in Torreon) I rescued a little pup (he was attempting to enter Sorianas!! ha) and brought him home. Bathed him up and while drying him....TICKS!! He continued to have them for the week that I had him (he was quickly adopted) and thos things were determined. My bigget fear was his age b/c I didn't know how many he had (as whenever I thought they were gone..I woudl then find more!) and feared he'd end up sick. But last I heard he was growing and doing great! As for my dog, Tequila was on the drops the 6 months I was in Torreon, although I never saw fleas nor did she come into contact with many strays. However, the idea of cleaning and bagging everything b/c of fleas doesn't much appeal to me...especially when we're sharing the bed! I'll likely just bring a summer's supply and go from there!

As for Pedregal/San Angel...I will not be paying my rent (thank god!) as the school supplies me with a furnished place although utilities are my responsibility. Will that be much?

thanks again!

......dixie

[Guy Courchesne]

For utilities, it depends on the size of the place. Your average three bedroom apartment in DF with 3 people living in it would carry the following costs.

Water - maybe 40-75 pesos every 2 months
Electricity - between 300 and 1000 pesos every two months (depends on lot on equipment of course)
Gas - for a stove and water tank, probably no more than 260 pesos per month.

There might be a maintenance charge, for building and/or apartment cleaning, security staff, etc.

A lot of people tinker with the electricity meter to get lower costs. Some people tinker with other people's electricity meters to merely transfer costs. Some people outright steal electricity from the poles. Probably not an issue in swanksville though.

So, uh, since you'll be living in what I think may be a PALACE, will you be inviting your Dave's friends over for parties?

Oh, and while on that topic, as you interact with local chilangos, it might be a good idea to not mention the part of town you live in. Don't want to alarm you, but some undesirables might interpret that you are of the super-rich class.

[dixie]

Ha! Seeing how I'm living alone with a big dog...I don't think it will be a palace! Thanks for the info though and I would definitely love to meet some of you in the area once I'm down there. I'll certainly host a meet 'n greet! As long as no one minds a little dog hair in their tequila/victoria....we'll be good to go!

Another question: temperature. How cold can I expect and for how long? Will a heater be something that I definitely should invest in so that I can stay comfortable?

[Guy Courchesne]

Springtime, year round. You may want a heater during the few weeks in December or January when it gets down to all of 1-5 C overnights, but if anyone in Canada found out you do that, they might disown you. Winter daytime temps are still in the 20s.

[M@tt]

screw the people you know in canada and get a heater. if your place is anything like my old apartment, the room will be around 10C every night in winter.

okay, okay, maybe that's warm for canadians? but i think that if you're living in those swanky neighborhoods, you're going to have big vaulted ceilings and marble floors. and gold bathroom fixtures. and modern electrical appliances!

[MELEE]

Do you let your dog sleep in bed with you? If you do, you probably won't need that heater! I live a little lower elevation than DF, so its not quiet as cold, but I find its not really cold until the sun goes down, then your building has to radiate all the heat it soaked up during the day, if you live in a low rise, surrounded by high rises, that won't be much heat. If your building is in the direct sun most of the day, it should stay warm until 4 am. With a nice warm blanket and a nice warm bed partner (be it human or canine) you'll have enough heat to make it through till morning. And you don't have to worry about where to store the heater the rest of the year.

[dixie]

Yes...Tequila sleeps with me and you're right...she is usually more than enough heat! Amazing how much they radiate! My biggest interest in a heater is for those cool mornings getting in/out of the shower and the nights relaxing/working in the house. I hate sitting wrapped up in a blanket and barely being able to see out let along accomplish anything!! I suppose I'll just wait and see how things are! (although I have to confess...having returned from Mty/Torreon a couple of weeks ago...this 6 degree CND weather isn't so fun! ) Plus, don't gold faucets need a constant temp. to keep their brilliance??

[samizinha]

My Canadian pride and stuborness kept me from getting a heater in the winter and I was really miserable in the mornings. Forget that next winter- I want the biggest one that the Comercial has got!

[Guy Courchesne]

Yeah, carpeting makes a big difference too, over stone or marble floors. Bathroom tiles get pretty chilly in the winter.

Going back to fleas...my dogs have never had a problem with them here or in Acapulco, though in Acapulco, the ticks might have simply beaten out the fleas for hide space.

evil creatures, called garrapatas in Mexican Spanish. If I have it right, it translates as 'paw-grabbers'