Tag Archives: Cabo

Mexico – Safe & Sound

Mexico is safe - Baja International Realty - BIRCabo - BIR

MEXICO IS SAFE

Unlike what you read, hear and see in much of the media, Mexico is safe. Are you feeling doubtful? Then keep reading and let me present my case.

U.N. statistics – not sensationalistic and distorted news reports

Have you ever thought of Mexico as an unsafe travel destination? What about Switzerland? Did you know that Mexico is statistically safer than both Switzerland & Sweden, when you look at for example murder rates. This is according to U.N. data, collected by nationmaster.com. Have you ever felt like people should be warned about travelling to the U.S.? Did you know that the assault rates is as much as five times higher in the U.S., than they are in Mexico? This is even with under-reported crime being adjusted for in the statistics by prominix.com. Are you afraid of getting kidnapped if you vacation in Canada or The United Kingdom?  If you’re not, then there is certainly no reason for you to be in Mexico when you look at the statistics. These are good examples of the distorted and sensationalistic media coverage that Mexico is unfairly getting.  As howsafeismexico.com puts it: “There are warnings about kidnapping, even though the rate of kidnapping is dramatically higher in Canada than it is in Mexico and no such warning exists for Canada.”. They also compare the difference in how Washington D.C. & Mexico City is being portrayed: “The U.S. State Department in Washington issues warnings about Mexico, yet Washington D.C. is four times more deadly than Mexico City. Washington’s murder rate has been cut almost in half in the last 10 years, but it still averages 24 per 100,000 vs. only 8-9 per 100,000 in Mexico City. How do you suppose the U.S. State department would feel if the Mexican government posted travel warnings for the U.S. capital? Mexico City is a cultural treasure that is larger than New York, London or Paris. In fact, it is about the same size as London and Paris combined.”.  If you stay out of the drug trade, you are “statistically safer in Mexico than anywhere else in North America.”. The U.S. murder rates are lower than Mexico’s and still Mexico is yet again statistically safer for visitors and tourists than the U.S. It is more likely to become a victim of a violent crime in both the U.S. and Canada and many other countries that are regarded as safe, than it is in Mexico.

Mexico is safe - stats on violent crimes- Real Estate - Baja International Realty - BIR - www.bircabo.com

Mexico is safe - homocide rates - Real Estate - Baja International Realty - BIR - www.bircabo.com

Mexico is safe - comparison to US cities - Real Estate - Baja International Realty - BIR - www.bircabo.com

As can be seen above – Philadelphia has twice as many homicides as Mexico City and New Orleans city is almost four times more dangerous than the entire country of Mexico.

Is my point that we should all be scared of going to Mexico and the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland & Sweden? No, of course not! My point is: don’t buy into the isolated and sensationalistic news reports about Mexico being highly unsafe, just as you should not be scared of travelling to any of the other countries mentioned. When you visit Mexico use the same kind of common sense as you would in any other country or even any city in your own country and you should be fine.

The geographical facts

Another issue with media reports on violence in Mexico is that they often ignore such obvious facts as geography. Mexico is the 14th largest country in the world, that is even larger than the 19 U.S. states from Texas to Maine and Washington D.C. together.

Mexico is safe - geography - Real Estate - Baja International Realty - BIR - www.bircabo.com

Lumping all of Mexico together, even though it is a country the size of western Europe is a problem. Would you be afraid for your own safety going to Los Angeles because of reported gang violence in Las Vegas? Or put off a trip to Germany because of news reports in Latvia? Are you scared of travelling to Louisiana where the death rates are some of the highest in the United States? Millions of people still spend their vacations there and they don’t feel unsafe.  Equally the two British tourists that were murdered in Florida 2011, should not cause all of USA to be marked as unsafe, not even the state or the city of Florida in general (examiner.com).

Baja California Sur as safe as can be

When it comes to Southern Baja where we are located most of it is regarded as much safer than many cities in the USA. Baja California Sur is also considered one of the safest states in all of Mexico and have no travel advisory, along with the following states:

  • Campeche
  • Chiapas
  • Estado de Mexico
  • Guanajuato
  • Hidalgo
  • Mexico City DF
  • Oaxaca
  • Puebla
  • Queretaro
  • Quintana Roo
  • Tabasco
  • Tlaxcala
  • Yucatan

The only four states, out of Mexico’s 31, that the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory recommends avoiding are:

  • Chihuahua
  • Coahuila
  • Durango
  • Tamaulipas

If you want to be extra careful then stay away from the towns on the border to the U.S. and travel in any of the other 27 states. Just as you should probably stay away from Florida & Louisiana where the local drug gangs are part of the reason these two states have some of the highest death rates in the U.S. (examiner.com). You should also avoid the cities New Orleans, Saint Louis, Baltimore & Washington D.C. (howsafeismexico.com).

Here in Baja California Sur most of us cannot relate to the fear that many North Americans seem to have when it comes to travelling and living in Mexico.  As said by the Examiner.com Mexico and southern Baja is “offering some of the best jungles, deserts, beaches, coral reefs, pre-European cultures and some of the world’s most satisfying cuisine, not to mention proximity and value, Mexico remains a great travel destination with a very bad PR problem.”. They continue by stating that Cabo San Lucas & San Jose del Cabo may even be two of the safest cities in Mexico. 

 

 Conclusion

An important thing to know when it comes to media and their distorted way of making Mexico sound unsafe is that reports, for example from 2010 about a total of 18 Americans that died in three different areas in mainland Mexico where mainly caused by drowning, but that is not disclosed in the reports. Again would you postpone a trip to Miami, due to the city feeling unsafe, if you heard that an American drowned when swimming in the ocean? Mexico city has fewer deaths than for example both Houston & Phoenix. “Warning people to avoid Mexico is largely unfounded and misleading, as well as a bit  fear-mongering”, says Examiner.com. Even the violence that is concentrated in only a small amount of Mexico’s total of 31 states, is lessening . Ciudad Juarez for example has improved dramatically (economist.com).

To sum things up: The U.S. Assault rate is 5 times higher than Mexico’s. Mexico’s violent crime rates for assault, kidnapping and rape are substantially lower than Canada’s and yet the U.S. State Department issues no such warnings for Canada. The rate for Rape in the U.S. is more than double the rate in Mexico.

According to Lonely Planet Americans are on average less likely to face violence in Mexico than at home. So keep this in mind next time you read about Mexico and please come enjoy Los Cabos knowing that you are probably even safer here then you are at home.

 

 

Mexico is safe - Baja International Realty - BIRCabo

 

#Mexico #Safe #Safety #IsMexicoSafe #USA #Canada #statistics #UN #Traveladvisory

Whale Watching in Cabo - Baja International Realty - BIRCabo

WHALE WATCHING – ON EVERYONE’S BUCKET LIST

      By Nina Richmond                                                                          2014-04-02       

 

WHALE WATCHING – A DREAM COME TRUE & HOW WHALE VOMIT CAN MAKE YOU THE LUCKIEST PERSON ALIVE

 
In this post:
  • World class whale watching tours
  • How whale vomit can make you rich
  • Listen to a humpback whale song
  • The worlds loneliest whale
  • A marine life paradise

In a previous blog post I listed a number of questions that often accompany the thought of moving to a new area, the following blog post is indeed partly an answer to the question: what activities does the area offer. ENJOY!

 

 

WORLD CLASS WHALE WATCHING TOURS

Whale Watching off of the coast of Cabo San Lucas should be on everyone’s bucket list! We have some of the best whale watching tours in the world, which offers you close encounters with a number of different whale species. Clink on the following link to see a video, by Peak Travels, with our friend Abbie Moyer Sloan who is a biologist and tour guide for Whale Watch Cabo. Should this be on your bucket list? Take a look and judge for yourself:  WHALE WATCHING IN CABO SAN LUCAS, this video is created by Peak Travels.

Whale Head Slap - Baja International Realty - BIRCabo

 

The Whale Watching Season in Cabo

Whale watch Cabo tells us: “The Cabo San Lucas whale watching season begins in December and ends mid to late April, depending on the variations in the Whales seasonal migration. Every year starting late November Humpback whales return to Los Cabos from their summer feeding grounds (California, British Columbia and Alaska) to mate and give birth. Gray whales also make the journey, pregnant mothers stopping in the northern Baja bays and lagoons to calve while many of the adult Gray whales continue down to Los Cabos arriving in January. During the Cabo San Lucas whale watching season we often see both Humpback Whales (December – April) and Gray Whales on the same tour (January through April).”. “The whale watching season in Cabo San Lucas marks the arrival of many species of whales to their winter mating and birthing grounds. The Pacific coast of the Baja peninsula and the Sea of Cortez become home to thousands of whales for approximately 4 months every year.”.

So why is Whale Watching so fantastic in this particular part of the world?

Whale watch cabo says: “Humpback and Gray Whales can be encountered with guaranteed regularity. During the mating season, whales are often observed performing magnificent feats of physical prowess to impress their potential mates.”. “As the Humpbacks are here to mate we are often treated to an array of surface behaviors, mating competitions and playful baby Humpback Whales.”.

Here’s a photo of a Tail Slap, would it impress you?

Whale Tail Slap - Baja International Realty - BIRCabo

 

HOW WHALE VOMIT CAN MAKE YOU RICH

How’s this for a fun fact: Sperm whale vomit is worth thousands of dollars per pound and up to $20 per gram. Why, you might ask? Who in his right mind would pay that much for whale spew? As a matter of fact, french perfume companies will. Does this mean that the sperm whale’s vomit is exquisitely aromatic? No, it smells just as bad as it sounds. Then why would these perfume companies pay thousands of dollars for it? It has nothing to do with odor, it’s actually used as a fixative. In other words it helps the perfume to stick to your skin. In Egypt they use it to scent cigarettes, candles and to make teas. Back in the days it was used as medicine for headaches. Is this starting to sound familiar? If it is maybe it’s because Herman Melville mentioned it in his famous book: Moby Dick.

This so called vomit, more accurately refereed to as Ambergris but often called floating gold,  is not really vomit.  describes it as “… a hard, waxy substance produced in the guts of sperm whales. It forms from bile and it is thought to stay in a whale’s intestines to help it break up anything hard that it swallows (like an octopus beak). It is usually passed from the whale’s body along with fecal matter, but in the case of larger chunks, the whale typically needs to vomit it out. This (along with the rather disgusting fecal smell it gives off at first) has led many to begin referring to it as “whale vomit” or “whale poop.” But I doubt anyone would refer to one of their gallstones (about the closest analogy to ambergris our bodies can produce) as their vomit or poop. Besides, “floating gold” is probably a better nickname for ambergris anyway.”. Discovery news explains that it is the salty water that gives it a sort of waxy texture.

The observant reader who remembers that I specifically wrote french perfume companies might be wondering whether or not they now need to check the ingredient list on all perfume bottles (if there is one), or only on bottles from France? The answer to that question is that in many countries, the US for example, it is illegal to use ambergris due to the sperm whale being classified as an endangered species. Therefore it is mostly french companies that keep this floating gold in stock and are willing to “upchuck” the big bucks for it.

If it is so valuable it must mean that it is nearly impossible to find, right?! It seems to be more a case of people not knowing what they have in front of them then of it  nearly being impossible to find. “A British man hit this smelly jackpot” – is the headline of an article about a man who found a 6 pound lump of ambergris and is now possibly going to cash in close to 180’000 USD. Another one of these success stories, to be read about, is a couple in southern Australia. They could get as much as 300’000 USD for their finding.

For all of you who wants to get out there right now and look for it, but are wondering what it looks like, take a good look at this picture.  This is a picture of the British guy who got rich thanks to his dog who clearly has a nose for a deal. However I ask you to finish reading this post before you run off to borrow your neighbors dog.

Whale Ambergris - Baja International Realty - BIRCabo

Something to think about: just, maybe a trip to Cabo will make you rich as these sperm whales do travel past here…

Believe it or not but whale spew is not the only vomit that pays the big bucks. There is more than one artist out there that sells paintings of their own disgorge, for example: Millie Brown Vomits To Create Art, and is supposedly admired by no other than Lady Gaga.

 

LISTEN TO A HUMPBACK WHALE SONG

(I recommend listening to the humpback whale song as you continue reading)

Whale Song Comic - Baja International Realty - BIRCabo 

According to Whale Watch Cabo: “…both male and female Humpback whales do sing, the male is especially well recognized for its long and complex songs. The songs are believed to be primarily a method of attracting a suitable mate. Songs can be up to 20 minutes long and whales sing the same song in a given population, which changes over time.”

 

 

THE WORLDS LONELIEST WHALE

The story about the worlds most lonesome whale started when the U.S. Navy gave whale researches access to their hydrophone array recordings in the North Pacific, meant for recording submarines. 1989 researcher William Watkins noticed a whale vocalizing at the range of 52 Hertz (which is why the whale is known as the “52 Hz Whale“). Now, this is highly remarkable considering that most whales vocalize at the range of 17-18 Hz – which by the way is too low for the human ear to pick up. The media and public was quick to take the story “of a whale that was swimming through the ocean, calling out on a frequency no other whale was using, never hearing a response.” to heart. It quickly spread around the globe, what today would be refereed to as going viral.

What’s the cause of this unusual range? Researches don’t know yet, since there has been no visual of the whale – at least not any knowingly. Documentary maker Joshua Zeman went out on a quest to find the lonely whale. Did he find it? The documentary “” is expected to be released in 2015. This means that researches still don’t know what species the 52 Hz whale belongs to. It could be a matter of a malformation but it is still believed to be healthy since it has been recorded all these years. Bruce Mate at Oregon State University and Hatfield Marine Science Center was chosen to lead the Joshua Zeman expedition. He says “I don’t believe the animal we’re looking for is a new species, or the dying out of an old species, or anything that dramatic. It is much more likely the animal might be the equivalent of an animal with a lisp, that it has — I won’t call it a speech impediment, because it’s probably understandable to other animals, but it’s different.”.

Is 52 Hz really swimming the worlds oceans all alone? Until there is an actual visual of the whale it is hard to say, hopefully the documentary will be able to give us the answer. At least I sure hope so, as I am anxious to find out.

“In other words, whether the team finds the 52 Hz whale, and whether it turns out to indeed be lonely or surrounded by companions, the story will have a happy ending. It will have provided a platform for scientists to learn more about the baleen whales of the North Pacific than they might otherwise have been able to. And while the whale may be lonely, its cries have not gone unheard.”. 

Whale Watching Close Encounter - Baja International Realty - BIRCabo

 

A MARINE LIFE PARADISE

Book a trip before this season is over and cross it off your bucket list or make sure to book a trip for next season! Maybe you will be one of the few who catches a glimps of the 52 Hz whale. Whale Watch Cabo emphasizes that Cabo San Lucas is not only for the whale enthusiasts as it is also a paradise for the marine life lovers in general. Many other animals are frequently spotted such as: “… Dolphins, Orcas, Sea Lions, leaping Manta Rays, pelagic fish like Marlin and many species of Sea Birds (Frigates, Boobys, Cormorants, Osprey, Pelicans)”.

Dolphins Cabo - Baja International Realty - BIRCaboMobula in Cabo - Baja International Realty - BIRCaboBlue-Footed Booby in Cabo - Baja International Realty - BIRCabo

Are you interested in Real Estate in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico? We are a full-service Cabo real estate firm – a leading buyer, seller and developer agent for land, residential, commercial and business properties in the area. Visit our website for more information or stop by our office. We can offer you discount on whale watching tours and many other fun activities. Are you just on vacation visiting and need a rental, let us know as we can help out with that too.

Do you have a story to tell about visiting or living in Los Cabos, about Ambergris findings or the 52 Hz Whale? If so let us know – as we love to collect interesting stories.

Whale Watching in Cabo - Baja International Realty - BIRCabo

 

The Green Trend in Real Estate

 

The Green Trend in Real Estate Solar Farm

The Green Trend in Real Estate The Green Trend in Real Estate - Sustainable Mansion in Pedregal, Cabo, BCS, Mexico The Green Trend in Real Estate - Sustainable Mansion in Pedregal, Cabo, BCS, Mexico The Green Trend - Baja International Realty

 See it as a PDF-file: The Green Trend in Real Estate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mexican gastronomy – a world intangible cultural heritage

When we plan to buy properties in a new region, let alone a new country, there is a lot to think about and many questions arise. Where do we want to buy our property? How much money do we want to spend? What is a wise investment for the future? These are all big and important questions to consider. However, big questions like these are often accompanied by a numerous smaller questions, which might also be of importance to us.  These can be questions like what’s the average rain falls yearly, what activities does the area offer and will I enjoy the local cuisine? By no means do I attempt to answer all possible questions one might have right here and now, but I will answer one of them – namely the latter.

Mexican gastronomy and food - BAJA INTERNATIONAL REALTY

“Mexican gastronomy is one of only two cuisines declared by UNESCO as a world intangible cultural heritage.” (UNESCO).

UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO was created to build lasting peace and “create holistic policies that are capable of addressing the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainable development.” (UNESCO).

Intangible cultural heritage – what does that mean you might ask? It is also known as living heritage and among other things refers to practices and knowledge that’s being transmitted from generation to generation, which provides communities with a sense of identity and promotes social well-being and creativity, while also generating income. The UNESCO convention for the safeguarding of the world’s intangible cultural heritages aims to ensure that this living heritage endures.

So what is it about the Mexican gastronomy that’s cause for this rare attention? The Mexican cuisine is more than just food “it expresses the identity of a people” and “ensures community cohesion”.  The food is present “at birth and at death, at planting and at harvest” (UNESCO). It is mixing tradition and the future as well as creating new ways of sharing its flavors with the world. The Mexican cuisine “is shaping the worlds tastes” (Mexico Today).

Mexico is the fourth most mega diverse and top three most culturally diverse country in the world. These are two contributing factors to the outstanding Mexican cuisine which is “a melting pot of ancient knowledge and agricultural products” (UNESCO).

The base or so called trilogy of the Mexican cuisine consists of corn (maiz), beans (frijoles) and chili peppers (chiles) and is an important part of Mexican rituals and ceremonies as well as a communal diet. Nixtamalization is a cooking technique, which was invented in Mexico thousands of years ago, used to process corn. It is the basis for making Mexico’s world famous tortillas, tamales and so much more. Nixtamalization makes the corn more easily digestible and adds nutrients. The chili is not just a fundamental flavor for the Mexican palate but plays an important part in the complete and balanced diet that the traditional Mexican food has always been. The chili pepper aids nutrition by making it easier for the body to digest the protein in both corn and beans.

Another celebrity on the food stage, we have Mexico to thank for, is tacos. According to Jeffrey M. Pilcher, who is a professor of history at the University of Minnesota, tacos was most likely invented during the 18th century by Mexican silver miners. In silver mines the word taco is a small explosive charge used to excavate the ore. Taco was later reinvented by the Mexican Americans and mass-marketed by Taco Bell’s own Glen Bell (Smithsonian).

It is safe to say that when it comes to food Mexico is a great country to be in!  This is not only due to the flavors that have the world spell bound, for example in most supermarkets in Sweden you can find a whole aisle dedicated solely to the ingredients necessary for recurrent tacos dinners, but also for its ways of bringing a community together and optimizing the nutritional value of the different comestibles. This is why UNESCO feels the Mexican gastronomy worthy of its protection and also one of many reasons why we think Mexico is the place to be. Why not come over here and experience it firsthand. We know everything you need to know about real estate in the Los Cabo region in Baja California Sur and we would gladly recommend a good cooking class in the area if you want to learn more about the ins and outs of the Mexican gastronomy.

Contact:

don@bircabo.com

BAJA INTERNATIONAL REALTY

 

Sources:

UNESCO

http://bit.ly/UNESCO-bircabo

http://bit.ly/Traditional-Mexican-cuisine-bircabo

http://bit.ly/Intangible-Cultural-Heritage-bircabo

http://bit.ly/Traditional-Mexican-Cuisine-Video-bircabo

MEXICO TODAY

http://bit.ly/Mexican-Gastronomy-Video-bircabo

SMITHSONIAN

http://bit.ly/Taco-bircabo

For further reading:

http://bit.ly/Planet-Taco-bircabo

 

 

Mexico – The New Land of Opportunity

Are you thinking about moving to Mexico? Now is a good time!

The New York Times published an article, a couple of months ago, with the headline: For Migrants, New Land of Opportunity Is Mexico (Read the article here: http://bit.ly/bircaborealestate).

In the article you can read that “the number of Americans legally living and working in Mexico grew to more than 70,000 in 2012 from 60,000 in 2009, a number that does not include many students and retirees, those on tourist visas or the roughly 350,000 American children who have arrived since 2005 with their Mexican parents.”.

Why is that? New York Times lets one of the 70,000 American immigrants answer that question: “There is this energy here, this feeling that anything can happen”, said Lesley Téllez, a Californian whose three-year-old business running culinary tours served hundreds of clients here last year. “It’s hard to find that in the U.S.”. Domingo Dolores who moved here from France compares the two countries and says that in comparison “nothing is happening in Paris.”.

“Spanish filmmakers, Japanese automotive executives and entrepreneurs from the United States and Latin America arrive practically daily — pursuing dreams, living well and frequently succeeding”, then why not you too? 

www.bircabo.com

 

Land of opportunity and beauty

 

Best Condo Value Under $200K

As they say timing is of the essence. We have the absolute best condo value on a 3BR 3BA Penthouse condo in all of Cabo. This hot rod is priced at $198,000 with relatively low miles and has been owned by a couple in their 80s for the last 9 years and has never been rented.

Villa Domejean has been on the market for less than a month and will not last long. Priced well below market value the nearest comparable is priced $67,000 more.

Seller is now offering financing, 40% down, 15 year amortization, 5% interest, balloon over 4 years.

Follow this link to see the details:

Click to view listing(s)

Or contact Tony

TonyG@BIRCabo.com

Best Condo Value

Relax by the pool

Best Condo Value

Enjoy the gorgeous view from the balcony

Best Condo Value

Wake up to a beautiful morning

 

Best Condo Value

Enjoy the house from the pool

 

 

                                

PRIME DEVELOPMENT LAND – HOTEL LAND – CABO SAN LUCAS – CONDO LAND – BUILDING SITE

Best development land in Cabo! If you are looking for an absolutely prime, signature building site for a hotel site, condo project, this is it! In Los Cabo, today, it does not get any better than this land for a signature project. Perfect land for a hotel building site or a high end condominium project. Or?

Feel free to call for a preliminary discussion but details cannot be shared until we first confirm the financial ability of potential buyer to move forward on this prime Cabo land. Appropriate discloser agreements will be signed after approval of potential purchaser.

CONTACT: Don Weis

Email: don@bircabo.com    Mexican Cell from USA or Canada: 011 52 1 624 129 6245

Baja International Realty www.bircabo.com

Cabo San Lucas House for sale in Cabo Bello, 10 minutes from downtown Cabo

Villa for Sale in the private community of Cabo Bello, with 3/4 Bedrooms and 3 Baths, Great Ocean Views, 3,500 square feet A/C, only 5 minutes walking distance from a swim-able, private white sandy beach.

 

Giant roof palapa with a bar, outside BBQ and a pool.

Contact Rick: rick@cabobir.com, or call him on the U.S. line at 1-925-465-5373