Are you safe?

johninajijic wrote:

gringal wrote:I'm trying to imagine living with the kind of anxiety expressed by at least one poster. I couldn't think that way and be happy. But that's just me.

If we were in that level of worrysnit, we'd pick up stakes, take our real estate losses, go NOB and move into one of those remote seniors' villages where nothing ever happens....and be bored to death. It's quicker that way.

I think there's more than one poster who lives in fear of NOTHING. This topic has run it's course with the opinions of these aholes. They are accomplishing nothing. If I were the mod, I would delete the entire thread, but I'm not.

So velly velly true....and we're all so velly velly thankful.

johninajijic wrote:

Chapalagringa wrote:

He might be a bit more expensive than some others but his work is good.

If he's on time & doesn't change the price, it's worth it.

He won't change the price. Mine for BOTH sides of the 8 foot long sliding window was $ 5,000. pesos. You can do one side only without covering the glass on the fixed side for about $ 3,200. pesos. Price depends on the length and height of the window. He will tell you the bars need to be spaced 5 inches apart so no skinny Mexican boy can enter.

mikey - The sliding gate has a track top and bottom. The gate runs on rollers. You slide it over in the daytime when not using it. If you have sheer curtains or curtains on one side of your window, you don't see it in the daytime.

Great info thanks!! Hopefully prices of metal haven't gone up or gone up too much. Been 2 years since we had work done & the metal worker drove us nuts with many mananas. But love his work!

Instead of an attack dog I'm going to get me one of these Trunk Monkey's:

hahaha!! That should work great!

How about a scare crow or cardboard person? There's a building or house right beside the libramiento w/a cardboard person in the window. Even after 5 years, I know it's not real but it always strikes me to think someone is there.

And don't forget a "Don't feed the snakes, they eat rats!" sign. In Spanish of course!

Only 2 months till you're here, right? That's enough time to train your dog to attack.

What my 7 lb Chihuahua? I would need 100 more so it would be like piranhas......LOL

john wont have bars. i wont have a dog. (makes me feel like a zoo keeper). lets have a big fight.

Thanks for the explanation john.

So you have bars spaced five inches a part on a track so you can slide them back and forth, and you are able to hide them with curtains so won't see them. So that makes it all good in your mind. You don't have bars, you have protective gates made of metal.

I call our bars decorative and architectural so that is good too.

I guess the folks in prison call their bars.....bars? But are they really?

mikey1953 wrote:johninajijic:
Are the houses in the gated communities "with an electronic gate and a guard" secured by some other means or is the community so "guarded" that locks, decorative bars, alarm systems, etc. are unnecessary on the houses?

Mikey: I looked at renting from Birds of Paradise and El Parque. I noticed that the homes on the perimeter of the development have a black wrought iron fence, but it would be easy for a young man to climb up and over and be on your patio. I think that even in a gated community, it is best to have good security on your individual home.

Even in Los Sabinos, west of Ajijic, which has an adobe/cement wall that is higher, there have been thieves that have gone to a part of the wall far away from the entrance/guard shack, and have jumped the wall and gotten inside. While the gated communities may feel safer, they should not give you a false sense of security. I think precautions are necessary.

I stayed in a gated community of townhomes in Queretaro that had the right idea. Not only did it have a guard shack 24/7 with roaming gaurds, and with a gate to stop cars from getting in without I.D., but the cement wall around the perimeter of the development was probably about 16 or more feet high, (like 2 stories), and made of thick cement. Very hard to get over. I felt very safe there, but I still kept an eye on things. Guards and maids don't make huge amounts of money...they can be vulnerable to corruption.

mikey1953 wrote:I hope that the dogs are trained well and know how to avoid bullets.

And, Susan is right about the poison, the dogs need to be trained not to eat food from anyone but the owner.

Where are the gun owners going to be trained on how to handle the guns responsibly? Having a license does not mean one knows how to use it properly.

David knows where the gun club is on the way into Guadalajara. Ask him how to get there. You can go there to learn how to shoot. There are guys around who have experience, and could take you to the club to practise. Ask around. Try the VFW and here on the board. Start a thread, and make some phone calls or visits to folks. There are ex-policeman that have retired lakeside as well. One guy-- I think --is on Lakeside Crime, who posts about security, can't recal if that is where I read his stuff. Lake Chapala Society may be able to direct you. There is Skip Waggoner who owns the B&B, is it called Las Flores? It's up in Las Salvias in Ajijic. He is a retired policeman, super nice guy. Sid Grosvenor of the Chapala Club is an ex-policeman. Those would be good guys to chat with. They may be able to give you information because they are retired police. Focus on Mexico group may have ideas. You are right, a person should receive good training and practise, practise, practise to become confident.