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Dealing With An Emergency Here If You Don’t Speak Spanish

Expat911 is a smart phone app that was designed by expats for expats.  It is a service that covers you for all types of emergencies when at home, on the road or out for a night on the town.  It utilizes GPS location services which allow the operators to target your exact location.  Many of us may have the capability to say our home address to Mexico’s Spanish speaking 911 operators, but what happens when we are in an unfamiliar area?  How can you explain where you are when you have no idea what the names of the streets are in the area during your emergency?  Also, how will you explain in detail about the type of emergency you are having?

Expat911 is an app that works on Android and iPhone devices.  Within the app you have a profile with information that will speed up the process when reporting an emergency.  You have a basic medical profile which has your blood type, allergies and sicknesses.  There is also a contact area where users can add 1 US/Canada contact and 2 Mexico contacts.  Expat911 will notify these contacts after your emergency has been reported to Mexico’s 911 on your behalf.  This way your family back home will know about your situation and so will the people that you trust here in Mexico.  The Mexico contacts can be neighbors or local doctors that speak English.  Many times our neighbors can come to our aid while we are awaiting the emergency services to arrive.  The Mexico contacts can also be used for our insurance agents or medical air evacuation plans that we may have in place.

So how does Expat911 work during an emergency?  You only have to click on one of the 3 emergency buttons.  There is a button for Police, Ambulance and Fire.  Within seconds an English speaking operator will call your phone and verify the emergency.  If you do not pick up, then they will assume that this is a serious emergency and report to Mexico’s 911 on your behalf.  If you answer, they will verify some quick details about your emergency and then call Mexico’s 911 to report the emergency.  Once the emergency has been reported, they will then confirm this with the user.  At this time they will stay on the phone with you if you request them to, or they will start calling your emergency contacts.  So it is very simple to use during an emergency and all you have to do is click a button.  They will take care of the rest.  They also record all calls so that there is a record of the emergency being reported to Mexico’s 911 and the call with the user as well.

Expat911 does have a cost to use their service.  It is important to understand that this is a 3rd party service who worked directly with Mexico’s C4 and C5 offices around the country.  C4 and C5 are the agencies that handle all 911 calls in Mexico.  Expat911 has a direct line of communication with all local C4 and C5 offices nationwide.  It is also important to realize the value of this service.  An alarm in our home has a cost of 1,000’s of pesos to install.  Then we pay an average of 250 pesos per month to have the service in case our alarm goes off.  So the yearly fee of an alarm in Mexico is 3,000 pesos on average.  This alarm system will only cover your home and you while you are at home.  There is no translation services included with your alarm company and you are only covered for police emergencies.  This is why we see the huge value in Expat911 which has a cost of $ 99.00 per year.  That cost is under 2,000 pesos per year and will cover you everywhere within Mexico.  Plus Expat911 has the added benefits of being 100% English spoken and contacting your friends and loved ones during your emergency.

Expat911 has recently implemented a couples plan.  The first user pays the full amount upon registration.  They will then contact Expat911 to ask for a coupon code which will be used on their spouse or family members.  The user will be provided with a 50% off coupon code for any other family members that wish to use the service.  So it is not just limited to your spouse and can also be used for you children, brothers and sisters who may also be living here in Mexico with you.  All additional accounts have a fee of $ 49.50 which is 50% of the original rate.

Expat911 is already serving a large number of expats in Mexico.  They have active users in 11 states and are growing daily.  It is a great service for those of us who have not been able to develop a strong command of the Spanish language.  It is also great for those of us who do speak Spanish well enough, but might worry about the stress during an emergency hampering our ability to speak another language.  It is also a great aid when we are traveling to an area that is unfamiliar to us.

If you are interested in using this service, we highly recommend reaching out to the company.  You can visit their website here:  https://www.expat911.mx/ref/baja/  If you have any questions about the registration process or require assistance, then you can email them directly at info@expat911.mx.  You can also request a call from them by sending an email and setting up a time to speak with a representative.

Don’t Forget to Turn Back The Clock

Daylight savings time ends this Sunday, November 4 at 2:00AM, so don’t forget to turn back the clock one hour before going to bed on Saturday. You won’t want to miss an hour of your favorite Baja brunch buffet!

Northern Baja sets back the clock the same day as Southern California because of the huge commercial relations between the two areas. Almost every other city in the country already did it this past weekend (except for a few border towns).

Baja California was the only state in Mexico to observe the daylight savings adjustment for many decades, until 1996 when the rest of the country decided to join the party.

A new bill proposal in California’s Congress would give voters a chance to end daylight savings for good. If that goes through Baja would have to follow suit just as Sonora has done with Arizona since 1998.

National Survey for The Mexico City Airport Starts Today

From today and until October 28th, polls will be open in order for Mexican people to decide the faith of the deeply controversial new Mexico City airport.

There are just two options to vote from, one is to continue construction of the new airport in Texcoco and the other option would be to expand the current airport, the Toluca airport and build two more air strips in the military air base in Santa Lucia.

The construction is already ongoing or the Texcoco airport.
Construction is already ongoing on the Texcoco airport.

The poll is organized by Lopez Obrador or AMLO as he is better known, although he hasn’t stepped into office yet (he will do that on December 1st) he said he wanted to gain some time and ask people how they feel regarding the airport.

AMLO has been against the new airport from the start because, he says, it was just a monument to corruption since on the first phase the project was already over budget by over 5.5 billion USD. The total cost is said to be 15.5 billion USD.

The new airport was beautifully designed by Norman Foster, an internationally acclaimed architectural design group.

In Baja, several polls are installed in every municipality although the one in Rosarito was almost cancelled because the organizers were robbed of all the material from their truck a couple days ago.

Enrique Chiu Announced As Finalist In Global Arts Awards Dubai

Enrique Chiu, the Tijuana artist we featured on our last issue, has been named finalist in the second Global Art Awards recognizing excellence and innovation in art and design, and will be going forward to the grand final of the prestigious awards taking place at the FIVE Jumeirah Palm, Dubai, on November 21, 2018.

Enrique Chiu, whose work “Carnaval”in the painting category has been singled out for praise by the judges will be heading for Dubai in November in the hope of winning the award in its category.

He will also have the chance to be named The Best Global Artist of 2018, which is awarded to one outstanding overall winner, who will also win an exhibition in Abu Dhabi as well as the life-long title.

Dubbed “The Oscars for the Visual Arts”, The Global Art Awards celebrate the exceptional achievements of artists from across the globe. There are 16 visual arts categories, ranging from photography, street art, illustration and painting to awards recognizing individual artists, including Best Newcomer; Best Sculpture Artist Award; Best Innovative Artist Award as well as the highly illustrious Best Emirati Artist Award.

Regarding reaching the finals of the Global Art Awards, Enrique Chiu said: “I am very excited to be a finalist with my artwork Carnaval. This is an international art prize, very important for the artistic society of the world. I am the only Mexican in my category and I will proudly represent my country, my city and in honor of our brothers in our borders.”

“It’s a great honour to be named a finalist in the Global Art Awards and I am delighted to be able to join such a fantastic, roll-call of artistic talent heading for the awards in Dubai. These awards really do single out the best, most exciting artists working today, to celebrate their achievements, and I am honored to be among them.”

Joëlle Dinnage, Founder and Director of the Global Art Awards said, “We created the awards a year ago to establish an inspirational international art competition on a global scale. Artists who were successful last time have gone on to gain recognition and commissions, travel and attend exhibitions and receive a real boost to their careers.

“This year, standards have been exceptionally high and the competition has been fierce across all categories. Congratulations to all the finalists. We look forward to seeing them in Dubai.”

The awards ceremony takes place on the evening of Thursday 21st November 2018 at the 16th floor Penthouse FIVE Jumeirah Palm against the backdrop of the astonishing Dubai skyline.

If you have an extra $525 USD and you want to attend the event, you can get tickets here. Better have a couple thousand for the flight to the Emirates too or it’s going to be a long swim there.

More information about the awards is on http://www.theglobalartawards.com. Facebook: @theglobalartawards Instagram: @theglobalartawards Twitter: @globalartawards

Full details about the artist and their work are available here: http://www.enriquechiu.mx Facebook: @enriquechiu.arte Instagram: @enriquechiuarte Twitter: @enriquechiu

Van Of U.S. Murder Suspect Found In Baja

There was a break in the Colusa County murder case of Karen Garcia when investigators found the van her suspected killer/boyfriend escaped in, right here in Baja.

Unfortunately, the van was being driven by someone else, who said that had bought the van a while ago possibly from the suspect, Salvador Vaca Garcia Jr.

Colusa Police Chief Joshua Fitch said that the back is already back in Colusa County after being towed back to Northern California on Friday.

“It was on the Mexican side of the border…is my understanding somewhere near Tijuana,” Fitch said. “It was a small town near Tijuana.”

By his statement it can be deducted that the van was found either in Tecate or Rosarito, although Garcia is thought to have fled Baja already.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Salvador Vaca Garcia Jr or want to report any sightings call US 1-877-926-8332.

You can also join the JusticeForKaren Facebook page for more information regarding her case by clicking here.

Local Artists from Rosarito and Tijuana Do Murals In Greece

Athens is the city where the first “Mexico – Greece Youth Encounter” was carried out. The event is an space to encourage dialog and exchange between young artists from both countries during the month of October.

On an invitation from the Mexican Embassy in Greece, Jaime Carbó, the multi disciplinarian muralist from Rosarito, was invited to paint an urban mural in the Irini subway station. Irini translates as peace from Greek, and its the first station that gives access to the Olympic stadium in Athens.

From Tijuana, Alfredo “Libre” Gutierrez, part of the “Hecho en Mexico” graffiti collective, traveled there and painted a tram along with Carbó.

Gutierrez will also work with a group of migrants to create an sculpture as a token of gratitude towards Greece.

The artwork will be donated to the Attica municipality that has been known for its support and acceptance of migrants.

T.G.I. Friday’s Causes Uproar In Tijuana

A bad choice in Halloween decoration caused uproar between clients of the Tijuana location of the american restaurant T.G.I. Friday’s this past week.

Users in social media showed their indignation after pictures of their choice of Halloween decoration, a black bag taped in the shape of a body that was placed on the entrance stairs of the restaurant, went viral.

One Facebook user said he thought that the decoration was in very bad taste, and a bad joke for the thousands of people that have lost a loved one to the growing violence in the area.

Others offered insults and accused the Tijuana location of being insensitive and even idiotic.

Some people said that they didn’t even know it was a decoration and thought that someone had left a dead body in there for real. Unfortunately not an uncommon sight in Baja these days.

After seeing all the controversy generated by the decoration, the restaurant decided to remove the decoration and publish a statement on their Facebook page:

“Friday’s is a franchise, and as every year, for the upcoming Halloween and Day of the Dead celebrations, there was a misunderstanding in one of the decorations we chose for our front door, regarding that we apologize in the name of everyone that works in T.G.I. Friday’s, and specially to the people that were bothered by it, it was not our intention and the decoration was already removed. Thank you for your comments and support.”

This is their original statement (in Spanish):

130 Federales Arrive In Baja


Just last week 130 elements of the Federal Police of the “Gendarmerie” Division, were deployed here in Baja mainly in Tijuana and San Quintin.

Juan Carlos Moran, head of the federal police in Baja, stated that the deployment of this group of police was in response to the increased requests from local authorities and the private sector regarding the increasing drug crime problems that have been going on.

Moran said that the Federal Police has been the only one in the country that has been able to increase their perception of trustworthiness and credibility between the population.

The Gendarmerie Division was created in 2014 by president Peña Nieto as part of his security strategy to combat organized crime in Mexico.

It has been widely seen as an effective police force by the general population since these officers are better prepared and better paid than almost all other police forces. In order to be accepted to the force, a candidate needs to have completed a bachelor’s degree.

Here is a promotional video of the Gendarmeria, we placed English subtitles in there for you this time, you’re welcome.

Watch Out For Those Mosquitoes

State health authorities, headed by Guillermo Trejo, warned citizens to be aware of possible breeding places for mosquitoes that can transmit dengue fever, zika and chikingunya.

David Ibarra, head of the vectors control program for Baja, stated that all actions taken are merely preventive, as no cases of any of these diseases have been reported yet in the current year.

He did say that because of the present climate change, temperature and humidity has become ideal for the proliferation of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which has already increased its population by 30%, although they haven’t been found to carry the diseases.

“It’s important to remember that tires, flower pots and any containers that contain water, are ideal for the proliferation of the mosquito, since it looks for clean water to deposit its eggs”, said Ibarra.

Ibarra also stated that his office has already installed 6,692 mosquito traps around the state and invited everyone to pitch in by not leaving any open containers with water around the house.

What To Do If You’re Stopped By The Police

Although not every policeman is corrupt around here, there are definitely many bad apples in the group.

People! Do not feed these thieves, you only make it worse for yourself and for everyone else. If nobody gives them money, they will stop asking.

If you are stopped, and you have actually made a boo boo, ask for a ticket and go down to the police station later on or the next day, or even the next week, and pay it. They will take your driver’s license to insure that you show up, and that’s OK. They do not want your license, and there is nothing they can do with it. You will get it back.

If you have not broken any law, just keep asking for a ticket. “Dar may un teeket por favor”. Be polite but be firm.

If they threaten you or get nasty, write down their name, or if they are not wearing their name badge, (mandatory, but still it’s common for them to stick it in their pocket), then haul out your phone and take their picture. That’s like holding a mirror up to a vampire, and they will jump in their car and scurry away like cockroaches when you turn on the light. They will let you go with some face saving mumble like, “just a warning this time”.

It’s extremely rare for them to write a ticket, and for sure they will not cite you when you haven’t done anything wrong. And, if you have broken a law, the ticket is ridiculously small. Man up and go down and pay it, don’t take the cowardly/lazy way out and throw money at the officer.

OK, once more now, altogether, “dar may un teeket”

This police extortion would stop in a week if everyone would grow a back bone and stand up to them. If it doesn’t stop, then it’s your own fault.

UPDATE: We heard that the police are now using the new “tinted windows law” to shake down foreigners. It is in fact illegal to have your windows tinted if they are dark enough that you can’t see inside of the vehicle. The law says that the officer should give you a chance to remove the film of the windows right then and there and you will not get a ticket, if you get the ticket you will have to remove it to get your license back anyway. If it’s too dark get rid of it! Better to comply with the law than to support corruption every week.,

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