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The
Lighthouse Restaurant,
at km 58, opened on Nov 1st,
under new owner, George McCord, who has some great ideas,
some of which are already implemented. George has a new menu and
he serves quality food at very reasonable prices, and
service with a sports bar and innovative music from the Baja
region.
Their is a new chef who I have
to say has some good ideas. He is from Ensenada and
is connected with the culinary school there. The million dollar
view is the same one you get at La Fonda or the other
neighboring restaurants, with plenty of outdoor seating and a
new outdoor bar. Beer is also served now on tap as well as
bottled and there is a generous happy hour around the circular
bar. Wine is $2/glass!!
A 106" projection TV, and
high definition by the bar was already in place first thing so
people were able to watch the recent fight and other sports
events. Plans are already in place for a pool table and dart
board. The atmosphere is very warm ...you will be coming back
often!" S Mahalick
The Lighthouse can be booked
for events. (646) 155-0048
Bob Yourell ON TV ENGLISH NEWS IN ROSARITO
(Check out the links) is doing the first English-language
news and interview program in Baja, and they posted one of the programs on
their YouTube site. This is just some local news, if you'd get a kick
out of seeing what it's like, here's a link
www.Yourell.com/news_mexico
Take a stress break: Unique five-minute mindfulness meditation audio: www.Yourell.com/ShimmerSample.mp3
Robert A. Yourell 619/677-6970 Toll free: 877/266-8880
San Diego, California, USA Rosarito, Baja
Ca
Robert@Yourell.com Skype:
yourell Yourell.com
Another website by
COSMIC-Designs
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"Tis the season to be jolly....." As Fall begins to come to a close and the
world gets caught up in the HOLIDAZE, I find it a blessing to be living here
in northern Baja. There are no crowded streets, frenetic shopping in
noisy malls and people wandering around glued to their latest technological
toy. This part of Baja continues to enjoy the simple life.... being a HUMAN
BEING is much more valued than being a HUMAN DOING. There are many nice
restaurants where you can enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine...as well as many
other ethnic choices of food and drink. Along this 45-50 miles
immediately south of the US border, you will find several golf courses, many
sandy beaches where you can enjoy horseback riding, surfing, sunbathing or
just walking. Of course, if you want to shop, you will find that the
artisans portion of Rosarito Beach, just north of and across from
Baja Studios, to be full of quality handcrafted items for the
home. Have I mentioned that real estate buying opportunities here are
plentiful....at 30%-40% less than what you would pay in the US. LOW PROPERTY
TAXES too! (The average property tax bill is about $200/year) If you want to
rent...you will find many furnished homes and condos under $1,000/month.
The Mexican government is spending a lot of time & money to upgrade the
infrastructure and their roads. You will find the ride from the US border in
Tijuana to Ensenada (called the SCENIC ROUTE) to be very enjoyable! The FREE
roads are also getting widened and modernized. There is a new group made up
of Rosarito Beach natives and US ex-patriots who are on a mission to
BEAUTIFY ROSARITO...I am one of them. Hopefully Rosarito Beach will
soon have a fresh coat of paint on all of its storefronts and new
landscaping. There are many areas on the Blvd Benito Juarez, that have
wide sidewalks...suitable for sitting and enjoying the good life...much as
they do on the sidewalk cafes of Paris. I hope to be sending you "before and
after" photos of this transition to a newer, brighter Rosarito Beach. Peter
Fowler is heading up this movement and is working with Gustavo
Torres who has long held a vision for a new Rosarito Beach. Weekly meetings
are held at the Lizard Lounge, on Benito
Juarez (across
from El Nido). If you are interested in learning more about this or
are interested in donating your time, expertise, paint, plants, or money,
you can e-mail Peter here:
pfowler.mx85@yahoo.com.
I also had the opportunity to attend an exciting 2 day seminar on Nov 16th &
17th, The Baby Boomer
Market in Mexico,
at The Rosarito Beach Hotel in the
new high rise tower conference room with its majestic views of the beaches
and hillsides in this area. Being a "Baby Boomer" myself, and still
working, I was curious to learn what the business opportunities could
be. This event was sponsored by the Retirement Communities
Association in Mexico (AMAR) and the state of Baja.
"Our location is unparalleled with any other region in Mexico and considered
the next big retirement and expat destination in the country," said Javier
Govi, AMAR president. The two-day conference focused on the nature of the
Baby Boomer market and how developers and investors can better reach this
huge segment. Topics included pricing, design and services best suited to
the market, with an emphasis on the
health care and elderly care industry.
It is estimated that perhaps 100,000 retirees and expats live full- or
part-time in the area of the Baja Peninsula and the Sea of Cortez, with
500,000 to a million in Mexico. The city of Rosarito has an estimated
14,000.
"This is a very important conference and we are pleased to be hosting it,"
said hotel owner and former Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres. "With its
proximity to the U.S., very affordable standard of living and ideal climate,
Baja is perfectly positioned to be the retirement home for many Baby
Boomers." "This conference will help developers here better understand the
needs of Baby Boomers, including some who desire assisted living facilities,
and prepare to meet them well," Torres added.
Baby Boomers is the term applied to those born in the U.S. between the years
of 1946 and 1964, many of whom have reached retirement age or soon will. The
total number of people in this category is more than 75 million people.
According to a 2010 article in USA Today, Los
Angeles and Orange (CA) counties rank in the top five in the
U.S. for the largest number of Baby Boomers. "Because of the geographic
proximity of those counties to Baja and the fact that so many from that area
already have retired here and love the area, we expect many Boomers to look
very closely at this region in coming years," Torres said.
Seminar speakers included David Truly of IRM Research, Rick Jensen of
Northstar Senior Living and Jeff Stevens of Danielian Associates. Further
Information about this event and upcoming events & conferences is
available at www.amar.org.mx.
"The Joy of Baja" cookbook is ready for purchase! It will be delivered to
Rosarito around Dec.
3, just in time to gi ve
as gifts over the holidays.
Baja locals that
order it ahead, can pick it up at Click-on.com in
Rosarito, for no shipping charges.
It is a GREAT book! "The Joy of Baja" is over
300 pages, more than 300 recipes from over 125 residents plus several
wonderful restaurants here in northern Baja, beautiful photos of the
scenery, and bits and pieces of the local history and stories by the expats
that moved here and why they love our little paradise.
ALL proceeds go directly to the La Misión
Children's Fund, which provides resources to the Casa
de Paz orphanage, as well
as a nutrition center that gives basic food supplies to 300 needy families
(over 1200 children), and educational assistance to 100 children who
otherwise could not attend school.
Please go now to: www.lamisionchildrensfund.org
and
select the option to order the cookbook. It will warm your heart now to do
so, and later the recipes will warm your tummy.
Price for 1-4 copies is $14 each, but 5 or
more are only $12 each. That cost WILL go up on Nov. 17th by $3-4 per book,
so order NOW to save.
Thanks for supporting this effort to
benefit La Misión Children's Fund! Questions? Contact Katie
Morningstar
katie.morningstar@gmail.com
646-155-0278
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What a wonderful season December is in Mexico: Piñatas, Pastorelas, Posadas
..Very shortly after the fiesta for Our Lady of Guadalupe ends, the
preparation for the Christmas season begins. The first of nine posadas is
held on December 16. These are fiestas, which represent Joseph and Mary's
arduous pilgrimage on their way to Bethlehem, and there are nine posadas,
from the 16 to the 24
of December, because they symbolize Mary's nine months of pregnancy.
I must tell you that since we really enjoy fiestas and we like to start the
celebrations as soon as possible, we have what we call pre-posadas, which
are as you may imagine, posadas that are held before December 16!
The whole community is organized for the posadas . Beforehand they decide
which and how many houses will not offer a place where Mary and Joseph can
stay, and where they will finally find shelter, and break the piñata. The
community also decides how many posadas they will have. Some only hold one
or two of them during the season.
The posada begins with the procession of the pilgrims. At the head is
Joseph, holding Mary's hand as she rides on the donkey. Sometimes, instead
of having someone dress up as Mary and Joseph, and ride a burrito, a couple
of neighbors carry a nativity scene.
Following them are all the neighbors, carrying candles and singing
traditional songs to ask for posada, a place where they can stay. At the end
of the trip through the streets of the neighborhood they reach their final
destination. Doors open and the big party begins!
Afterwards we all enjoy the delicious food prepared: tamales, buñuelos -
sweet fritters- churros and chocolate caliente -hot chocolate.
During the Christmas season there are Pastorelas, which are theatrical
representations of the shepherds on their way to honor baby Jesus. They must
follow the star in the East to get there, but there will be many obstacles,
set by the devils, for them to overcome. The pastorelas are comedies of
course, and display a traditional sense of humor. Sometimes the characters
even get to deliver political jokes, which the audience obviously enjoys!
Although the custom of putting up a Christmas tree has become very popular,
the real Mexican tradition consists of setting up a nativity scene.
These scenes are set up on December 16, but the figure of the Baby Jesus is
not put into the manger untilDecember
24, and the Three Kings are added on January 5.
Christmas Eve, or Noche Buena as it is called in Mexico, is celebrated on
December 24. This is an essentially family day, which begins with the last
posada and ends with a delicious, sumptuous dinner. At midnight there are
masses that are called Misa de Gallo. After dinner the adults exchange
presents.
On December 25, children wake up early, to find under the tree the gifts
they asked Santa Claus for.
This is a relatively new, (some 50 years old ) addition to our Christmas
season. Before, gifts were only exchanged on January 6, Dia de los Reyes
Magos.
All Mexican children anxiously wait January 5, because this is when the
Three Kings, Los Reyes Magos, arrive with gifts for them! A few days before,
the children write their letters asking the Kings for the toys they want the
most. Accompanied by their family, they go to the town's plaza or zócalo, to
send their letters, attached to multicolored balloons that float up, taking
their dreams with them.
On the morning of January 6, all their dreams come true!In the afternoon,
family and friends gather to share the "Rosca
de Reyes" , which is a traditional wreath-shaped bread that is made only
during the first days of January.
The Rosca is served with chocolate caliente, and tamales. Hidden inside this
delicious rosca, are several small figurines, of Baby Jesus.Each person cuts
a slice of the rosca, and whoever gets the baby figurine has to invite
everyone present to a new party on February 2, Candelaria day.
On February second, Candelaria day, the many Baby Jesus figurines are taken
from the nativity scene to the church to be blessed. Practically all the
markets will restore, paint and dress these dolls for the occasion.
The nativity scene is put away on this date until the next year when the new
Christmas season begins.This marvelous season, filled with dreams and joy, ends on this afternoon in
a family setting!
Feliz Navidad!
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Baja
Market Place