Life in Mexico
Linda and I have been here in Manzanillo since the COVID pandemic began. A lot of our friends in Canada and the US would like to return to Manzanillo this winter, and they have been asking if it is safe. I am not a doctor and I cannot give medical advice, but here’s what we’ve learned.
You are not safe anywhere from COVID, either Mexico, Europe or North America. That said, most infections occur indoors, so you can spend a lot less time indoors this winter if you are in Mexico.
Probably the biggest risk you face when returning to Mexico is traveling on an airline, bus or train, as you are in close proximity to strangers. If you take proper precautions (PPEs, hand sanitation, social distancing, etc.), you can minimize exposure. Friends who have traveled by plane to NA and back the last six months on the major airlines serving Mexico have not become ill.
Once you are in Mexico, you can follow simple procedures to reduce risk. Most domestic staff travel by bus, and few people wear protection. We dismissed our house maid and do all house cleaning ourselves (the gardener cleans outdoors).
Few people wear masks at the Mercado and Saturday market, so we avoid them. La Comer, Sam’s and other major retailers follow strict guidelines in which everyone must wear a mask and have their temperature checked to gain entry. We prepare a grocery list and shop once a week (at an early hour, when it is least crowded).
Most restaurants are open, but adherence to precautions can vary widely. Oasis has a high standard of protection. We go during weekdays when it is not busy. You can also order take-out/delivery from your favorite restaurant.
If you feel you might have COVID, it is not easy to get a test in Mexico. Regardless, Doctor Tom treats patients in-home with medications that reduce symptoms and, if need be, can supply patients with oxygen. The key to recovery is early intervention, before symptoms become severe.
In conclusion, if you do not have high-risk factors (diabetes, COPD, etc.), it is my belief that returning to Mexico for the winter season is not likely to increase your risk, especially if you avoid large indoor gatherings and practice social distancing (we have the occasional lunch where we invite a small number of friends and dine outdoors).
Obviously, each individual is unique and has special considerations. If you have any questions, I am more than happy to respond. We look forward to seeing many of our friends return in the coming months!
Steak with creamy mushroom sauce
It’s not too late to BBQ, and this is an excellent harvest dinner! Easy to make and absolutely delicious, this recipe is perfect with steamed fresh beans and a baked potato.
Ingredients
8-ounce beef fillet
8 mushrooms, sliced
1 Tsp butter
1 Cup of cream
1 Tsp of cognac (or brandy).
1 t of salt
Pepper to taste
Directions
Allow the steak to warm to room temperature then grill over medium heat for 3 minutes per side (add another minute or two per side for medium rare). Tent and set aside for ten minutes.
Fry the mushrooms in butter until brown. Mix in the cream, cognac and salt. Turn the heat down to simmer.
Cut the steak into ½ inch slices, add a touch of pepper, and lay out on plates. Serve with the mushroom sauce, beans and baked potato.
Dead Man Cipher
Launch Date: November 1, 2020
Pre-order Here!
FBI AGENT JACK KENYON is squaring off against one of his most intractable foes.
Dev Patek, a renowned nuclear physicist, has been found lifeless in his backyard. All evidence points to suicide, until a letter arrives at Kenyon’s desk, to be delivered only after Patek’s untimely death.
But the dead man letter is in code, a cipher that requires the use of a mysterious manuscript to crack it. The message may reveal who killed Patek, or something far more sinister.
As Jack pursues Dev’s murder, he begins to uncover a comprehensive scheme to steal one of the world’s most valuable secrets, the blueprint to Baron Feargus Morgan’s nuclear engine.
Follow Jack from San Francisco to London as he pursues a host of spies, murderers and kidnappers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.
Movie Review
Jersey Boys
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Linda and I originally saw the Tony-award-winning Jersey Boys jukebox musical in the West End of London and were blown away by the songs and the staging. It tells the story of four down-and-out kids from New Jersey – Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio – who pull their lives out of the gutter and make a name for themselves as The Four Seasons.
The force behind their success was, of course, the amazing voice of Frankie Valli, who could sing magnificently over several octaves. Less well known is the contribution of Bob Gaudio, who wrote many of the hit songs, such as Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Rag Doll.
The story is told from each member’s point-of-view as they travel and perform over the course of a decade, going from rags to riches and back to rags. The narrative, often told directly to the audience, is often contradictory, but always engrossing.
The band is featured performing over a dozen of their billboard-topping hits; director Clint Eastwood cast relatively unknown stage actors, who performed the songs live. (If you watch closely, you’ll see Eastwood do a cameo when Frankie’s kids are watching the western TV show Rawhide from the 1950s on TV).
This is a great feel-good musical that is well acted, directed and filmed. I highly recommend Jersey Boys!
Book Review
Dark Matter
By Blake Crouch
As a teenager, I loved to read science fiction – Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein – but, like many things, my tastes evolved in adulthood.
It was thus refreshing to return to this wonderful genre when I downloaded Dark Matter. The tale is set in modern day Chicago, where an aspiring physicist named Jason is married to his college sweetheart and raising a teenage son.
But Jason becomes obsessed with ‘what if’. What if he hadn’t abandoned his ground-breaking work into quantum mechanics in order to raise a family? What if he had focused his sole intention on building a machine that allowed a human to travel to parallel universes?
As the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for’. Jason is kidnapped by that very version of himself and switcherooed so that he can, indeed, have his cake and eat it too. The trouble is that Jason the family-man quickly realizes that the life of Jason the Nobel-prize winner is devoid of love. He misses his wife and child and vows to return and set things right.
This leads to a universe-hopping adventure where the original Jason is pursued by a host of doppelgangers who are murderously intent on replacing him as well. Jason has to scramble to avoid death and dismemberment, only they know exactly how he thinks and reacts, so they’re always one step ahead.
The author uses the multiple-universe sci-fi trope to excellent effect in order to create a gripping thriller. I highly recommend Dark Matter!
Tommy (the bad boy) of the Four Seasons just passed away at 92!
Although not a doctor your Covid advice is sound, practical and easily understood. Wishing you and Linda continued good health and success in the land of the sun as I sit here watching the leaves change colour and fall to the ground.
Winter’s just around the corner!
Thank you for the feedback on Mexico & Covid. We have been watching the news and reading other expats remarks, and decided that it will probably be safer for us in Manzanillo. We can self isolate at the Condo, have groceries delivered for the first 14 days, even though one does not have to quarantine, as a Canadian. We just feel safer doing that until we become acclimated, weather etc. And be outside. Shivering and being exposed to flu and Covid here in Ontario, is not conducive to good health. We will certainly be getting our annual Flu shot before we come.
Keep up the good work, enjoy your newsletter !
Thanks for the kind words! Please pass the newsletter link along to others who are wrestling with the same decision!