Attention Home Owners With Fideiocomisos

This was just published in the Baja Pony Express newsletter. If you have a fideiocomiso, it may pertain to you.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR US CITIZENS AND
THEIR IRS REPORTING.

a.  IRS ruling on fideicomisos - I am attaching the IRS ruling that Amy Jetel, a lawyer in Austin, TX, received last week. I had written a notice in the Baja Western Onion about it a month or so ago. It's a private letter ruling, meaning that only the taxpayer to whom it was addressed may cite it as authority in a court case. As a practical matter, an IRS agent is unlikely to contest it in a case involving another taxpayer. It will be published on the IRS website in a month or so.
*** Editor's Note: Link to copy of ruling in PDF

 Format:  www.bajawesternonion.com/documents/Redacted_PLR_Fideicomiso.pdf 

It's important because it means U.S. holders of fideicomisos are not required to file forms 3520 and 3520A. - John, john_g_brant@yahoo.com

b.  This is the notice that was posted a month ago:  Early this spring, Amy Jetel, a partner with the Morgan Adler Buxton Jetel law firm in Austin, Texas, requested a ruling from the Dept. of the Treasury that a fideicomiso is not a foreign trust that requires a taxpayer to file forms 3520 and 3520A. The Treasury advised Amy last week that it intends to rule in her favor. Amy expects to receive the written ruling by the end of the month. It may be a month or more after that before personal information is redacted and the ruling published.
     If the ruling is published as a Private Letter Ruling, as is more likely, it only binds the IRS with respect to the taxpayer who obtained the ruling. If published as a Revenue Ruling, it binds the IRS with respect to all taxpayers. As a practical matter, it is unlikely that the IRS will take an adverse position to a Private Letter Ruling issued by the Treasury.
     If you want your own ruling, you can reach Amy at 512-370-2750. The process is not inexpensive.
I have no connection, financial or otherwise, with Amy. John

I.G.F.A. Roosterfish Record May Topple!!

Jack Kautz of Lodi, CA may have shattered the 46-year-old I.G.F.A. twenty-pound line class record which was set on June 15, 1966. Although unofficial until the line is tested and other catch details are verified, the 101-pound 2-ounce monster hooked at 9:30 am, Friday, June 22, 2012 could shatter the existing 85 lb 13 oz record caught by Willard Hanson in La Paz back on June 15, 1966.

Why I Travel to Mexico by Peter Greenberg

Travel Detective Blog: Why I Travel to Mexico

FEATURED POSTS, MEXICO & CENTRAL AMERICA, SAFETY & SECURITY, TRAVEL DETECTIVE BLOG, TRAVEL NEWS — ON MARCH 22, 2012 8:16 AM 

This past week Peter was down in Ixtapa, Mexico to prepare for his upcoming radio broadcast. Even passing through Mexico City’s 7.0 earthquake on Tuesday didn’t to dampen his enthusiasm for travel within the country. Read his latest blog to find out why he is still traveling to Mexico and you should too.

Let me state something from the outset. I am not an unabashed apologist for Mexico, or its spokesman or an endorser. I am writing this as a veteran traveler to Mexico who has been going down there since 1973 without a single incident.

I am growing tired, and somewhat impatient with expressions of concern or worry — as well intentioned as they may be — about my traveling to Mexico.

Every time I am about to fly there — to Cancun, to Cabo, to Ixtapa, to Mexico City and many other locations — my friends, and sometimes even strangers advise me to “be careful,”, “be safe,” or worse…”watch out.”

Watch out for what? great people? great weather? great service? affordable, memorable experiences?

Most Americans share, as a group, two notable, and embarrassing traits: we are geographically ignorant and culturally insensitive. And, at every possible opportunity to travel, we embrace the worst four letter word that starts with “f”: fear.

It’s sad, it’s unfortunate, and at the very least, it’s embarrassing. Instead, we need to get out there and find a map. Then we need to study it to put things in proper perspective Yes, the drug cartel wars in Mexico have taken a terrible human toll. Depending on which figures you believe, upwards of 40,000 people have been killed in the last five years, as gangs fight other gangs. Often public displays of those deaths, those visually powerful images have created a serious public relations problem for Mexico and have allowed thousands of Americans to succumb to their fears.

Am I Safer Here in Baja than in the States?

Here is another excellent article about safety while traveling in Mexico published by the good folks over at Lonely Planet.  Let me know what you think about this opinion.

Read more:
Are Americans safer in Mexico than at home?

Photosynth App for Smartphones

This is my new favorite app. It was developed by Microsoft and is available for FREE! For Iphones, it is available from the app store. After you 'click to view' click and drag with your mouse on the photo to see the complete photo. This is 360 degrees and stitched automatically. The stitching made a funny blurred spot on the guy in the middle of the photo but he was moving. Check it out.  Great app.

Lord of the Winds - Day Three

Lord of The Winds day three saw some lighter winds but the committee was able to complete several rounds of course racing for all competitors. The water was beautiful, the air was warm and spectators came out to watch. This photo is of the Expert Kiters, just before their start . . and, just as I was wondering why they don't tangle kite lines, two kites twisted together bringing their riders down in a splash. But, being the experts that they are it was just minutes before the riders got them untangled while still in the water, and took off upwind heading to the mark. Tomorrow, wind willing, the big race will take place where everyone heads upwind almost all the way to the pyramids and then back to a screaming finish right in front of the contest site. I will see you there! Linda

PS The RoadRunner has some great baked stuff in their booth. Yum.

Colin at Roadrunner Open Mike

I have a confession.  You probably haven't noticed but I get real excited about our Wednesday open mic at the  Roadrunner Cafe in Los Barriles. There is a lot of talent walking around loose on the streets and we are lucky enough to harvest some of it. Forgive me for posting the open mic night so frequently BUT we had some really neat kids show up last Wednesday and Colin deserves some airplay. This young man is doin' it!

Is Mexico a safe place to RV? ~ Baja Good Life News

I've posted several articles related to safety for tourists in Mexico. The following post is from an RVer's perspective.

"What about the Banditos, Drug Lords and Gangs? We can never talk about RVing on Baja without someone raising these questions."
Click on the following link for the story.

Is Mexico a safe place to RV? ~ Baja Good Life News

Roadrunner Open Mic Photos

Another fun open mic night at the Roadrunner Cafe in Los Barriles. The Roadrunner hosts this event every Wednesday evening from late October until June. If you're in the area join them for dinner and entertainment. If you are a musician, bring your ax and a song and join in.

Mexico is Indeed Safe for US Tourists

  

DECEMBER 21, 2011
From "Baja Good Life News"

DESPITE THE HYPE,
MEXICO IS INDEED SAFE FOR TOURISTS

HSI's Craig Morganson is working to dispel myths and repair damage to Mexican Tourism and its impact on travel companies.

Click here to read the complete story.

Read a related article:

Los Californios Moto Club at the Roadrunner Cafe

The Los Californios Motorcycle Club has stopped and eaten at my wife's restaurant many times. These guys look like they are livin' large. What could be better than cruising the loop on a beautiful day in Baja California Sur with a nice bike and good friends? Not much in my estimation. Last Sunday they stopped for lunch and I went out to chat with them a bit. Fortunately many of them have great English so I don't have to embarrass myself with my below average Español! Yuri Lugo and I traded info and he emailed me the link to their site. Click here to see a slideshow from their ride.

Open Music Returns to the Roadrunner Cafe

It's official.  The Roadrunner Cafe will have its first open music for the upcoming season on Wednesday, November the 2nd.  I've kept track of many of our musicians this summer. There are several here already and many more coming.  Should be a great start!  If you've never joined us before, you're missing a real nice evening. There is always a variety of musical styles for almost any taste.  Well, we haven't had rap yet.  But we had sea chanties one night!

This year we will have happy hour from 5 to 7.  If you come early, you can watch Jon the sound guy struggle with the sound equipment while Bob follows him around offering absolutely the most un-sound (no pun intended) advice ever heard. Donna, Mayte and Co. will have appetizers and desserts to offer also.
Be there!
Questions:
624-156-2820   cell
124-8038          Roadrunner

Blood donors needed!!

Hi folks. Just got back from the states to find that our friend Susan Tucker is still in the hospital and needs blood. I also saw that Amparo's sister is in need of blood. Please check this link for more information. Thanks. Bob

Caduaño Water Park

Donna and I stay pretty busy with the Roadrunner Cafe and other activities. So we went to the water park at Caduaño for the day to relax. It's only about 20 minutes from los Barriles.  It was our 3rd or maybe 4th time. If you haven't been, let me tell you a little about it.  It's not just a bunch of pools and slides; there are hundreds of square meters of beautiful landscaping, a volleyball court and several areas where you can walk or rest quietly that are away from the noise and activity.  They have plenty of parking and snack bars with good prices. There are many employees keeping things orderly, there is a first aid station that I had to use the last time we went (Bloodied my toe on a rock) and nice restrooms. This is as good as it gets folks. Where else can you spend all day in such pleasant surroundings for 150 pesos per adult?

I'm going to let you in on a secret. There is a beautiful pool that is pretty much exclusively used by groan-ups. I mean grown-ups. There are no slides, no spraying water tricks that lure the children. Wonderful place to hang out. And it's quiet!!! It's behind the kiddy pools. Check out the last photo in the slide show.

I always see someone I know there and this time was no different. This is an old friend Kelli Castiñeiras (and her boys), who has the MEX SUN day spa in San Jose del Cabo. I think Mr. Castiñeras was buying a bag of hamburgers at the time of the photo.



Here is a short slideshow to give you an idea of what goes on there. Below the slideshow, there is an individual photo that I had to bring to your attention. You can't come to Mexico without knowing what "baño" means but if you don't, you can surely tell by the graphic painted below the word "baños". If you have an Ipad that doesn't display the slide show, click here:

Enjoy.

Music at the Roadrunner

I haven't mentioned Donna's restaurant for a while. So I thought I would post a slide show of some of our memorable music nights for last season. We had many good musicians come through, some of whom I don't have a single photo. If you were one of the participants or came as a spectator, here's a short retrospective for you. If you click on the photo, it will enlarge and you can scroll manually.

Costa Brava Fire

The community sends her condolences to the folks in Costa Brava who lost their homes and possessions. The following report was written by Theresa Comber of East Cape RV and Awesome Sportfishing .


Note from Theresa Comber and photos by Bob Farmer
We had a VERY frightening situation this morning - 6 am and one of the palapa casitas at the beach front Costa Brava RV Resort caught fire - eventually with tragic results as I believe 6 units all along the north wall were completely destroyed, propelled along by exploding tanks, cars, boats, four wheelers, all melted to bare metal. Thankfully, none were occupied and no injuries. With flames 100 feet high, the cascading embers even covered our East Cape RV Resort and were all over the shore and in the water. The worst of it is that early mornings there is no water pressure in the entire pueblo. So, the poor, desperate folks at Costa Brava had literally no defense. With few residents, they did a stellar job moving cars, four wheelers, hustling hoses, eventually controlling what could have been a firestorm in that RV Resort full of palapas. The most important thing that happened was when Jose Luis Gonzalez, the dirt excavator, and his sons arrived with his two water trucks. Clearly they are the Los Barriles ad hoc fire department. They beat the Buena Vista Fire Department, which showed up about 45 minutes after the onset. There will be conjecture as to how it started - after speaking with 'Eddy', the RV park manager, he said he had turned off the electricity to all those units two weeks prior. It's been hot - perhaps spontaneous combustion with fluids; perhaps mice in a car or RV. Here are a few observations for any palapa/trailer situations. When leaving, disconnect the propane tanks so they can be whisked easily away from a flame. Disconnect batteries in cars, RVs, four wheelers. Dump any gas from any cans and boat tanks. Leave keys with a nieghbor so vehicles can be moved. Install a fire suppression system on the roofs - they are easy, inexpensive and could save assets in a fire. (We have them installed on all palapas at the East Cape RV Resort - stop by and we'll show you how they work.) The BIG problem remains - how to have sufficient water pressure 24 hours a day; having no pressure in the wee hours of the morning (which I believe is specifically by SAPA and controled at the pumps) proved tragic today. I invite an ad hoc group to visit with me to insist that SAPA come to their senses about this issue. Theresa Comber, East Cape RV Resort, combertheresa@hotmail.com, 14-10231.

Music Night

Thanks to those who skipped the ball game and joined us last night. We had a nice crowd and a truly unruly bunch of musicians.  The songlist was all over the map with country hick songs requested by yours truly to nice jazz standards like "girl from ipanima." This week our "band" lineup included  Maya (percussion, guitar, vocals, 3 or 4 other things), Jennette (guitar, percussion and vocals), Big Jim (guitar, standup bass, vocals and safety supervision), Ray (standup bass) Mary Mary (guitar and vocals), Mad Mike (drums) Vinnie (accordian and vocals), Easy Ed (harmonica), Dave (guitar and vocals), Rio (vocals).  (I think I left somebody out. If I did, email me.  I'll mention you twice next time.) There is lots of talent within our little community and lots of talent that passes through.   Huge thanks to the musicians. Great job. Only a couple of us practice together on a regular basis. 

Next week Roadrunner Cafe will serve dinner. The restaurant will be open to serve you at 6PM on Wednesday the 3rd.  I don't have the complete menu but the main course is spiral ham. We also have great desserts and cerveza, wine and well drinks.

Music will start about 7; we'll play until 9 or so.  Musicians: Please come a bit early if you can.

Old photos of Baja California

While I was trying to find info about the subject of my last post, I stumbled across a great photo site. This photo purports to show the execution of one of the fellows involved in "Cabo Fierro."

Click here for more photos.

Storm Season

It's that time of year again.  There's a tropical storm below us that looks pretty harmless at this point. Check out progress at Wunderground among other sites.

However, now is the time to start thinking about storm shutters and preparing for hurricanes.  If you don't use storm shutters (many don't here in Baja) and you don't have a generator (see last parenthesis) at least do the basic things that will help make a storm a little more bearable.  I've been through several and never had wind damage that amounted to anything until JOHN.  Nasty storm. Took out 6 sliders and a couple of windows.

Bad things that can happen sometimes as the result of a hurricane:
1. We lose power
2. A bridge or critical arroyo gets washed out
3. A water main breaks
4. Stuff breaks including windows (think about water damage)
5. The gas stations run out of gas
6. The food stations run out of food
7. It gets hotter and more humid afterward than is bearable
Etc etc

On the bright side of this is that in the last few years, Baja California Sur has made big improvements to the infrastructure.  We have bridges over all the major arroyos.  We have many more gas stations than just a few years ago. The power company is taking a more active role in storm preparation.  We have many more grocery stores. More hardware, more everything. More cows on the highway. I just threw that last one in there for free. So recovery from a storm these days is in many ways, easier to handle.

But you could be stuck at your house with no gas, no electricity, no food, no flashlights or candles or A/C and so on. Picture this if you will:  It's 8pm.  There's no power. You have no lights, no refrigerator, no TV, NO A/C!  Waddya gonna do? It's WAY too hot to snuggle. You can't play cards in the dark. So picture clearly all these things and decide the level of protection you need and then the level you want and make some decisions.

Or buy airline tickets at the first sign of trouble.
Where's the fun in that you COWARDS!

Have some stuff ahead of time:
Gasoline:  Nothing worse than not being able to drive around after a storm and look at broken stuff. I think we won't run out of gas so quickly any more since the proliferation of gas stations in the area.  We even have 2 in Los Barriles now!   But remember: just because you're paranoid doesn't mean we WON'T run out of gas.
Food:  Same deal. We have enough stores around that if you have a car (and gas) you might be ok.
Propane:  If you're using a gas stove or gas water heater, check your gas NOW.
Electricity:  Small generators are getting cheaper and cheaper. A generator that costs under $1000 can even run an small A/C unit if you're careful.
Kayaks:  Several years ago, a bunch of enthusiastic Buena Vista/Los Barriles fellas lead by Steve Chism took their kayaks down one of the raging arroyos. Sounds like fun.......kinda........in a self-destructive suicidal way.  Forget the kayaks.

This is by no means an all-inclusive list but if you go to the National Hurricane Center site, they have a BUNCH of good stuff for you.

Get ready or not. Here they come.

The Best Bisbee East Cape Yet

In my opinion which is worth exactly what you paid for it, this was a great fishing tournament. There were plenty of fish caught, lots of fish released, and good stories too.

Congratulations to the Bisbee family and Clicerio Mercado. They put on a good show.

Thanks to the Spa Buena Vista Hotel and the Valdez family, Cabo Riviera for sponsorship and to all the participants. For the final results for the winners and winnings, go to the Bisbee's site.

Here's a few highlights:

Day one, Tom Lansing on the Dreamweaver weighed this monster 581# Black Marlin. It's right there in between the little girls with the blue jackets. Tom had a good tourney, check the photo at the bottom.

This young man whose name may be Jordan, sorry it's an age thing, while fishing on the "Awesome" brought in a nice 119 # Tuna to steal the prize from the boat who had already weighed a 118 pounder. The Awesome had the daily winner for about 45 minutes when Don Whittier (pictured below) brought in a 120# Tuna to take it from the Awesome. Wow. The thrill of victory 3 times and the agony of defeat twice. All in one day and in one category. That's fishing.

Don not only swiped the victory from the team on the Awesome, he won the Tuna class all three days. Hard fishing and a little luck. Congrats.

In case you don't recognize this illustrious threesome, on the left is the Governor of Baja Sur, Narciso Agundez who fished with Oscar Daccarett (in the middle and who has won a few tournaments during his fishing career.) And on the end is Martha McNab, a local Buena Vista girl who was recently accepted into the Royal Billfish Slam Club after catching all 9 species of billfish. She is one of only SEVEN ladies who have accomplished this.

Hey it's Tom again! Nice Dorado guys.

That's all folks. Can't wait for next year!