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A comprehensive list of downloadable ebooks available from Caribpro. Titles include:

Retire In Mexico: Live Better For Less. Live in Mexico and join the many other retires who have done their homework, which resulted in mexico where you can live better for less.

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OCTOBER 2 0 0 7 Issue 9 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR H O T O F F T H E P R E S S Events, announcements and news from around the region. Que Pasa? C O U N T R Y F O C U S : COLOMBIA San Andres : An Englishman's Home Banking : For a Pensionado Visa Medellin : A Hotel Restoration Eternal Spring : & Beautiful Women S P E C I A L F E A T U R E S Mexico :Property Discovery Weekend Roatan : Free Glittering Getaways Guatemala : Coffee and Berkeley Venezuela : Vino Novello & Pecorino Climate Care : Carbon for Water Sailing : Tall Ship's Medical Officer Trinidad & Tobago : A Biodiversity P I C K O F T H E M O N T H Costa Rica, Condos in Belen Fishing and Diving business Cozumel An exotic Colombian Villa for Sale

Discovering Real Estate Deals in Mexico

Learn how to invest safely and profitably in Mexico.Get a firsthand look at five of the most exciting new properties Puerto Vallarta has to offer. And take three days to experience this stunning port city for yourself while studying up on the hazards and rewards of calling it home, without spending a cent.

It can feel like you spend more time pushing papers than you do enjoying your investment.

...How much simpler would it make it if there were a way to find out everything you need to know before the process starts? What if all the resources you need were brought together in a single room? Now what if that room led out to a bar on the beach, gourmet food, a cruise on the bay? What if doing your homework felt like a vacation?

....Stop asking what if! Come down and find out for yourself. Food, lodging, education & entertainment are provided. A $2000 package, all compliments of Mexico Alive. Nothing this good lasts long. Take advantage of your opportunities today.

Corey Parlan decided to find out if the trip was as good as it sounds, and he writes about his experience on the latest Discovery Weekend in Puerto Vallarta.

Three days. It took me three days to figure out how to make the future mine. I’d always known what I wanted from this life. I just didn’t realize how enjoyable it would be to get it. And all it took was a weekend at the beach.

Puerto Vallarta, pronounced, pwér•to ví•yar•tuh, jewel of the Mexican coastline - sunshine, tropical temperatures, crystal blue seas. A generous landscape of rolling hills, exotic wildlife, stunning ocean views. A modern city paced to the tropics, full of culture, history, and adventure. The kind of place you visit once and never want to leave.

But after a few days, leave you must. Duty calls. Time to head back to the ‘real’ world, whatever you’ve convinced yourself that means. Or do you? Do you really have to go?

I decided the answer, for me, was no. And maybe you will, too.

Three days to soak up the sun, culture, and exhilaration only a place this dramatic can provide. A chance to hear from top experts in their field on exactly what it takes to make the move. And an exclusive look into one of the most premium chunks of coastal property currently under development in North America. All the while being hosted in luxurious accomodation, fed, and entertained with Broadway-style extravaganzas, all compliments of Mexico Alive. They even paint the town red for you.

In just three days a team of experts in real estate, law, taxation finance, and title insurance will guide you through the process of investing in your dreams. Off-plan investing at pre-construction pricing has emerged as the one of the most exciting and lucrative investment markets out there, and their professional expertise has helped to guide thousands of investors to the shores of profitability safely and intelligently.

But as you’ll know immediately, the real treat is the place itself. You will be given a tour of the relaxed but surprisingly sophisticated Puerto Vallarta so that you can experience all it has to offer - from beaches to museums, from hiking trails to high-end boutiques.

Sitting atop a coastal plain at the foot of Sierras Cuale and San Sebastián, at the mouth of the Bay of Banderas, Puerto Vallarta enjoys a near-perfect tropical climate with average highs hovering around 86º F (30º C) and average lows about 70º F (21º C). A mild rainy season extends from mid-June to October, mostly concentrated in the occasional storm, and insignificant precipitation on most days.

In the evenings, a cooling breeze comes off the mountains. Prevailing winds and geographical obstacles tend to protect Puerto Vallarta from the damaging effects of hurricanes found along other parts of the Mexican Pacific coast.

The landscape lends itself to a variety of levels of athleticism. From steep bike trails to peaceful forest walks, windsurfing to tennis, yachting to shuffleboard, no one who seeks their ideal workout shall fail to find. Many of the developments you will see also include their own gyms, pools, and access to golf courses and private beaches.

..FULL OF TALES OF PEARL DIVERS AND PIRATES, MISSIONARIS AND REVOLUTIONARIES

The pleasant weather and dramatic physical features have contributed to one of the more colorful local histories in these parts, full of tales of pearl divers and pirates, missionaries and revolutionaries. And with the strong agricultural, mining, and shipping industries established here over the years, Puerto Vallarta has developed a unique historical flavor not often found in the typical 21st century resort.

The diverse architecture of outlying neighborhoods displays the many influences that have come and gone through this port city, while the recent arrival of the tourist dollar has brought every modern convenience to the sun-drenched plazas and old-school mercados.

Since 1950 or so, Puerto Vallarta has been one of the art world’s most beloved secrets. For years, artists from all over the world have gravitated to the spot for its tranquil beauty, relative isolation, and inspiring confluence of cultures. Now as the world has burrowed into their lair, they have found recognition delivered to their doorsteps.

Treasure hunters from as far as Paris and as close as Los Angeles hop on a plane and survey the local scene. With more galleries than anywhere in Mexico outside of the capital, Puerto Vallarta has become the spot for artists and collectors alike, providing a competitive yet unpretentious alternative to the big-city art scenes. Residents and visitors also look forward to the annual Puerto Vallarta Film Festival, founded by Danny and Angelica Huston.

As well a thriving modern scene, there exists yet another enduring tribute to this rare mixture of culture and commerce: the arts, crafts, and jewelry of the Huichol Indians. Descending from the Sierra San Sebastian where they continue to live as they have for hundreds of years, the Huichols invigorate and deepen the local art scene with their finely wrought tapestries, into which they weave the long story of their tribe in images and symbolic patterns.

THE FIRST TIME A HUICHOL ELDER TOOK THE TIME TO EXPLAINS THE DRAMATIC HISTORY BEHIND THE CLOTH IN HIS HAND, I NEARLY CRIED.

The first time a Huichol elder took the time to explain the dramatic history behind the cloth in his hand, I nearly cried. The second time, I suggested he write a book. The third time I bought the damn thing and now it hangs there above the fireplace in my condo, looking good.

While maintaining a strong connection with its past, the municipality spares no expense to stay connected to the modern world. Twenty minutes from downtown lies the Diaz Ordaz Airport, a fully functioning international hub servicing twelve commercial airlines as well as all local general aviation. National bus lines connect Puerto Vallarta to other popular destinations in the interior and along the coast.

And the town itself maintains an extensive municipal bus service, which operates into the night alongside a fleet of price-controlled taxis. Due to a parking shortage, automobile commuting to and from work is rare, thus traffic jams in the city are kept to a minimum.

The MexicoAlive tour also includes an on-site review of the developments in progress…. a series of sites guaranteed to meet or even exceed your creature comfort level back home.

Each development has a distinct style, offering you a specialized list of lifestyle options to best match your desires - choice of scenery, full-time and part-time residency, active healthy lifestyles rubbing shoulders with decadent pampering. From beachfront resort to mountain getaway, and all a short distance from town, all properties are guaranteed to provide you with the beauty, flexibility, and space to kick off your shoes in the direction you see fit.

THE BEST PART IS THAT THE LAND PRICES AROUND HERE ARE'NT GOING ANYWHERE BUT UP

The best part is (well, one of them) that the land prices around here aren’t going anywhere but up. Since development finally penetrated the coast thanks to the amending of Mexico’s Agrarian Reform Law in 1993, this previously isolated strip of land is becoming one of the most sought-after pieces of real estate on the West Coast of North America.

Let’s face it: ‘affordable coastal property’ is an oxymoron in the United States. Everything has been built up, overdeveloped, prices driven through the roof of the cheapest bungalows on the rockiest beaches out there. But these pristine sites haven’t even been developed yet. The pre-construction prices currently available are as low as this land will ever sell for again. Smart investors have been making a habit of buying in at pre-construction prices and turning over their properties for a sizable return before paying even 25% of their total value.

But given the quality of life around here, I don’t think you’re going to want to look at it just as an investment; I think you’re going want to live here for as long as you can.

Upon arrival in Puerto Vallarta you’ll be brought to the Hotel Riu Vallarta, where you’ll have the chance to mingle with the other guests, curious souls like you or others who’ve already discovered the joys of owning an escape plan. From there you’ll embark on a grand tour of the downtown, where the city’s charms will first begin to seduce you. Don’t be afraid to flirt back.

Afterwards, it’s back to the Hotel Riu Vallarta for a party on the hotel’s very own private beach, waves lapping at your feet as you sip your cocktails by firelight.

YOU'LL FEEL A LITTLE OVERWHELMED AT THIS POINT, LIKE YOU'VE JUST FINISHED THE PERFECT DATE WITH A TOTAL STRANGER

You’ll feel a little overwhelmed at this point, like you’ve just finished the perfect date with a total stranger. But conserve your strength - tomorrow’s when the real excitement starts.

In the morning, a gourmet breakfast buffet will be provided, alongside an educational overview, courtesy of MexicoAlive, of the current real estate conditions, US business culture, and recent development activities. Then the graphs and charts are put away in favor of real live experience, as you embark on a tour of the five developments in various states of completion. Return to the hotel for some lunch and R&R, because in the afternoon a stunning catamaran departs the Marina Vallarta, with you on it, for a scenic look at the azure waters and stunning vista view of the city, mountains, and Bay of Banderas, immortalized in the light of the setting sun. It is a sight that bears repeat viewing, to put it mildly.

Back at the hotel, an array of gourmet cuisine will be yours for the choosing, from local specialties including grilled marlin, ceviches, and huachinango sarandeado, to assorted traditional fare for the less gastronomically bold. Also waiting for you will be a host of local dancers, musicians, and performers, who have long inspired and found inspiration in this charming city. The Broadway revue they perform will melt away into a boisterous local-style fiesta, and only you can say where it goes from there.

More than likely by Sunday morning, you will be in need of a good cup of coffee, served alongside a hearty breakfast and some peace and quiet. All this you will get; school doesn’t start until well after your stomach is full and the plates are cleared. Then it’s back to the conference room, where experts will take you through every aspect of the otherwise arduous process of investing on foreign soil.

IT'S BEST TO PAY ATTENTION AND ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS HERE; NOT OFTEN DO YOU FIND ALL THE RESOURCES YOU NEED IN ONE ROOM

It’s best to pay attention and ask a lot of questions here; not often do you find all the resources you need in one room. Afterwards, a discussion will be held with a rental agent on the science of property management, or the best way to make a buck on your second home when you’re not in it.

By this time, your head will need a rest from all the spinning. So it’s back to the beach for a buffet and a live performance by a local mariachi, who at all times will maintain a respectful distance from your table. Here’s a good time to mingle and share impressions with the other guests. Questions often overheard by waiters at these lunches- Is this too good to be true? Could I really be this lucky? What’s the catch? But the facts, impressions, and memories of this place will already be your hands. Take some time to think. See you at dinner.

Under the stars at Casa Bella, farewell drinks and goodbye toasts as you prepare to depart from paradise. The President of MexicoAlive will give a speech, reminding you of things you already know, but confirming that your experience here really took place. Assuring you one final time that, if you so desire, you really don’t have to leave. There is a place for you here.

Author: Corey Parlan

To read more articles from this author, go to 'author' search options at the bottom of this page. You can also search magazine archives by subject, country or date.

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