Not impressed

A few months ago a Juan Valdez coffee stand opened at the Wal Mart near the office. I tried it today.

Not impressed.

For one thing, it's even more expensive than Starbucks.

At Starbucks a grande cappuccino is worth 45 pesos (the exchange rate is about 18.5 pesos per dollar or so). The venti goes for 50 pesos. At Valdez, the medium, which is about on par with the grande, costs 51. Plus at every Starbucks I've ever been to in Mexico there's free WiFi, they print the user name and password for it on the ticket. Valdez has no WiFi at all at this location.

About the coffee itself, it was only so-so.

A better value is to get a cappuccino at the Comercial Mexicana supermarket near my house. The large, equivalent to the Sbucks grande, is 43 pesos, but it comes with two complimentary small pastries. The coffee is about as good as that at Valdez (still no WiFi, though).

The best value I've found yet, though, is a hole-in-the-wall pizzeria (really) at a small mall where I go to redeem the company's petty cash pay orders (there's a bank right outside). A cappuccino is only 35 pesos and includes a doughnut. No Wifi, and the coffee is good for the price. Parking is 36 pesos, but I can charge it to the company because I park there on business.

I thought Mexico was supposed to be a
bargain for US visitors. $2-$3 for a coffee
and $2 for parking sounds like no bargain
to me. They charge for parking at a mall?
I've never seen such a thing. The only
places here that charge are downtown
during the week, and who goes DT anymore.

Juan Valddez? That poor man must be in his nineties by now, still stooping over and hand picking beans. Amazing.

Quote: Evenbob

I thought Mexico was supposed to be a
bargain for US visitors. $2-$3 for a coffee
and $2 for parking sounds like no bargain
to me. They charge for parking at a mall?
I've never seen such a thing. The only
places here that charge are downtown
during the week, and who goes DT anymore.

It may indeed sound a bit pricey, but I've no idea of the circumstances. Some malls are in crowded areas where they have to charge for parking or all employees of surrounding business would park their cars there all day long. Also it may be park for a fee but get some or all of it rebated as you leave with a grocery receipt or something. It may be that those who go to the mall, have enough other errands to fulfill in the mall that it is worth it, such as post office, currency exchange, newspaper rack, fruit juice vending, etc.

Does sound a bit pricey but there may be reasons for it.

Quote: Evenbob

I thought Mexico was supposed to be a
bargain for US visitors. $2-$3 for a coffee
and $2 for parking sounds like no bargain
to me. They charge for parking at a mall?
I've never seen such a thing. The only
places here that charge are downtown
during the week, and who goes DT anymore.

I never found much of a bargain the few times I was there. I would bet the bargain places are non-touristy ones, where your safety may or may not be at risk. They know the average Gringo will just pay whatever, think it is a deal, then load up on some Rx before they go home.

Quote: AZDuffman

I never found much of a bargain the few times I was there.

Yet I see ads all the time that retiring
to Mexico is such a huge bargain. It
doesn't sound like a bargain to me.

Quote: Evenbob

Yet I see ads all the time that retiring
to Mexico is such a huge bargain. It
doesn't sound like a bargain to me.

Not with Mexico and their history of stealing land after they sold it to Americans. Then there are the cartels and crooked Mexican cops. Sure, some Americans do well enough, but there are better places, Belize to name one. Panama getting better all the time, too.

Retiring to t he real Mexico is probably a bargain and retiring to an American Expatriate Enclave in Mexico is usually a bargain solely due to exchange rates, but if you have to go to the police you must pay a transcription fee to have your name put on the list and you must present 'documents' to the police officer (20 dollar bills) and probably the guy who robbed you is his brother in law so don't expect much in the way of prompt action.

Same way in Guatemala, Panama particularly, etc. Spain used to be great but they ejected all British, French and Americans from their medical system, so payments are lousy.

Hospitals in Panama require prepayment irrespective of insurance and YOU must pay for hospital linens and food or do without. Even with Panamanian so-callled insurance, you still have to pay and upon discharge the insurance will re-imburse you.

Rio Dulce is something like 86 percent expatriates from Germany, UK, France, USA, Portugal, etc. rents are pretty high but you can usually move your yacht to a different location that is cheaper or more to your liking. Occasional gun shots but they don't shoot at tourists, just mine guards and terrorists shooting at each other.
Japanese and Chines are likely to be plain clothes guards, steer clear. Don't talk politics near them. Not ever. Always monitor channel 16 for help. No one else will ever help you, certainly not the police. Not ever. Expatriate dollars go a long way there but people with medical problems generally return to the states depite some medical tourism in the area such as David, Panama. Gets medical tourists from the USA but really sick people cant afford it and have to get back to the USA.

Mexico has strange laws on tourists so you can't admit to being there past a certain time limit... another reason to always have 'documents' upon your person.

All of this is second and third hand but from very reliable sources.

If you go to Panama, have night vision equipment and automatic alarm systems particularly those that work during intense thunderstorms. Ever been marooned seven miles from shore because the police chief's nephew stole your outboard motor and boat during an intense thunderstorm one night? Long shark filled swim, no cell service, no help from the cops once you do get there. And of course to even make the complaint you need documents.

I don't know anyone who has actually done it, but retiring to some of these countries with a modest retirement income is the way to live well.

But of course, you don't know how much the situation might change over the years, so it's somewhat of a gamble.