"Geode" <leopoldo.perdomo@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:5d38fd34-e484-4f33-a338-c6b62b3e5247@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
4 feb, 18:03, Jose <pabl...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> OpEdNews, PA - Feb 2, 2008
>
> Diary Entry by Jim Scherrer
>
> As normal law abiding folks, we have been treated like friends, like
> family, almost like royalty ever since we began making our semi-annual
> visits to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 1984, when we purchased a condo
> in Mismaloya, about six miles south of Vallarta. Back in the 80´s, it
> didn't take much more than photo identification in order to get a
> Mexican FMT or tourist visa. Today, a pass****t or certified copy of a
> birth certificate is required for an FMT visitor visa. These visas are
> good for staying up to 90 days in Mexico; however you can ask for and
> often receive a 180 day FMT visa. There is no charge for these tourist
> visas and they are easily obtained at the departure air****t or at the
> Mexican customs office when arriving by vehicle. Upon entering Mexico,
> the immigration agents stamp your copy of the visa and record your
> entry into their computerized data base with information regarding the
> length of your stay and where you'll be staying. Upon leaving the
> country, you return your copy of the visa and your departure time is
> entered into their system. In other words, visiting Vallarta for less
> than six months is about as simple as it could be.
>
> Now, to put the above Mexican treatment of American and Canadian
> tourists requesting visas into perspective, let's compare it to what
> Mexicans must do to legally visit the US. This can be best done by
> telling the following story which is based on personal experience and
> is typical of American immigration practice throughout Mexico.
>
> For many years, we thoroughly enjoyed our vacations in PV, so much so,
> that in 1997 we bought a beautiful villa and decided to make Vallarta
> our permanent residence. We have had a lovely couple working in the
> villa for the past eight years. They are a kind, intelligent, clean,
> honest, and church going couple with two of their three children now
> attending the University of Guadalajara. As a bonus for their many
> years of hard work and loyalty, last year we offered the woman an all
> expenses paid one week vacation to visit us in the Lake Tahoe area
> where we spend the summers. She had never been to the States and
> needless to say, she was very excited and looked forward to the
> trip.
>
> We called the US Consulate in Guadalajara to determine the required
> procedure for Mexicans to visit the US. First, a current pass****t is
> required, so within a month, she had obtained her new pass****t. We
> were also informed that she needed a copy of her bank account
> statement in Mexico, a copy of her marriage license, a copy of her
> property deed, employment records, and a letter of invitation from us
> would be helpful. We wrote a half page typed letter of invitation,
> thanking her for the years of dedication and service, and then helped
> her assemble all of the required do***ents into a single file folder.
> Again we contacted the US Consulate, informed them that all of the
> required do***entation was in order, and scheduled an appointment for
> her interview.
>
> On the day of her appointment, dressed in her Sunday best, she took
> the folder full of required do***ents and the cover letter of
> invitation to the US Consulate in Guadalajara which is a five hour
> drive from Vallarta. The US Consulate was packed with hundreds of
> Mexicans and they put her in a line with about 50 others, probably all
> having the same appointment time. She indicated that not a single
> person of the 50 Mexicans ahead of her was granted a visa. Finally,
> after an hour and a half, she made it to the front of the line. They
> interviewed her for less than two minutes, said her letter of
> invitation wasn't notarized, and basically threw her out just like the
> previous fifty people. Of course, during our phone conversation, they
> never mentioned a requirement of notarization of the letter of
> invitation when they listed the requirements. In fact, the letter was
> not even a requirement, but only a helpful addition to her list of
> requirements. In all probability, the Consulate handed out very few,
> if any, visas for travel to the US that day. From what our friend
> witnessed during her two hours at the US Consulate, they granted zero
> visas that day.
>
> http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=5932
Hay una diferencia muy grande entre venir a un país con dinero o ir
sin dinero.
Si viene a gastar dinero no le veo el problema. Existe un negocio
llamado turismo que vive de este cuento, del afán de la gente ****
visitar países que le resultan extraños. No solo es bueno para la
gente de los hoteles, sino para otros que venden souvenirs y comida
**** diversos lugares. Hasta los ladrones se benefician de los
turistas, pues suelen tener la cartera bien llena de dólares.
En España me ha parecido que existe alguna gente que menosprecia a los
extranjeros pobres, pero estoy seguro que les hace una reverencia a
los extranjeros ricos.
De otra parte, el menosprecio **** los extranjeros es un fenómeno casi
universal, y afecta sobre todo a una minoría politizada de una manera
u otra. Tiene que ver con la proliferación de sentimientos
chovinistas y nacionalistas. En el caso de los mejicanos, tiene algo
que ver con un resentimiento del tipo ellos son ricos y nosotros
pobres, lo cual entronca en parte con criterios marxistas de desprecio
a los ricos. Pero, el desprecio que sienten los pobres **** los ricos
es muy antiguo y no fue inventado **** los marxistas.
Leopoldo
*****************
You make some excellent points. There is a big difference in going to a
country with money to spend and then returning home, vs going to a country
poor, with an appearance that you may be trying to illegally stay.
The original story was written by a rich man. He has residences in both
Puerto Vallarta and Lake Tahoe, and employs a full time housekeeper in
Puerto Vallarta. Who knows...maybe in Lake Tahoe also. The housekeeper
trying to get a 1 week visa was a victim of all those before her who had
entered on visas, but not returned home. In this case, "La Migra" could
be
suspicious that the rich person was trying to im****t his housekeeper.
Personally, I have been very well treated in Mexico by normal citizens,
particularly in places like Guadalajara that are not big tourist
destinations. But government agencies can be a little testy. I can't
imagine how bad it would be to get crossways with the Mexican police.
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