Necesario?

I like to find restaurants full of Mexicans and then ask "what are they having?" Seldom disappoints.

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One more useful phrase:


Quiero comprar Immodium, por favor.

AlaskaProf said:

One more useful phrase:


Quiero comprar Immodium, por favor.

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No necesario, generador de agua.

We usually winter in LaPaz which has a very established expat boater community dating back to the 1960s. The advice you've been given above is perfect - especially "be kind and give it your best try". The effort is appreciated. Phone translators are invaluable but when off grid, which includes much of the Sea of Cortez, Spanish for Cruisers is a great resource.

Other tips for boating here: 1) boat costs, be they parts, service, or moorage, are close to California prices 2) winds in the Sea can be strong, unpredictable, and disruptive to boating plans 3) quality of work varies widely, and here, good Spanish helps 4) TIPs are a nightmare so make sure you have that squared away, and hire a local to help as needed. Good luck! Have fun!
https://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Cruisers-Complete-Spanish-speaking-Destinations/dp/0967590523

SeaStarDF50 said:

We usually winter in LaPaz which has a very established expat boater community dating back to the 1960s. The advice you've been given above is perfect - especially "be kind and give it your best try". The effort is appreciated. Phone translators are invaluable but when off grid, which includes much of the Sea of Cortez, Spanish for Cruisers is a great resource.

Other tips for boating here: 1) boat costs, be they parts, service, or moorage, are close to California prices 2) winds in the Sea can be strong, unpredictable, and disruptive to boating plans 3) quality of work varies widely, and here, good Spanish helps 4) TIPs are a nightmare so make sure you have that squared away, and hire a local to help as needed. Good luck! Have fun!
https://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Cruisers-Complete-Spanish-speaking-Destinations/dp/0967590523

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Thanks for this Seastar, very helpful tips.
We have visited La Paz by land and found what you describe.
The broker is going to help us with the TIP. The current owners have one which will need to be cancelled, as I hear it is a rats nest if that is not done. They will issue something called a Captains Letter which will allow the broker to cancel for them after closing when we get down to there so as to reestablish in our name as the previous is cancelled. We do need to be there in person as I understand it and that will be some time from now.
We have also noticed the wide variety of prices you can be quoted from the same guy for the same service. We will store on the hard during hurricane season at Guaymas and saw quotes on the haul ranging from 1500 down to 400 depending upon who was asking and how they balanced friendly and firm!
This will be interesting for sure, but we are looking forward to it!

As has been said, it goes a long way if you TRY to speak Spanish. My rule of thumb is to try to engage in Spanish. It's no secret my accent is heavy, and my Spanish is crap. If they speak English better than you speak Spanish, they will immediately be the ones to politely shift the conversation to English.

We always find it better if they would prefer us to speak in English, than if we 'expect' them to speak 'English'. People are funny that way.

Also, if you force yourself, you will find it a good way to practice and they will give you tips. Be gracious and appreciative with being corrected.

Much (all?) of coastal Mexico is a tourist zone. There's an interesting career path in Mexico. Young people find their way to the US and work as dishwashers or other menial jobs in restaurants. They learn enough English that when they relocate to a coastal Mexican town, they are highly employable at tourist-oriented eateries with decent salaries.

Stay flexible and you will have no problems. If you need to visit a specialty store, it may not go as expected - paint (pintura) and hardware (ferreteria) stores rarely have English speakers so it can be a challenge.

With exception of aforementioned Pemex Station green-suit-grifers, I do not recall being short-changed by a merchant or cashier despite my obvious language disability and difficulty recognizing the coins (in all fairness, I have the same problem when traveling in the UK or Europe)

I find Mexico a very comfortable place to travel despite my language barrier. Drug crime and corruption are a problem but a different matter. I have been consistently surprised at how gracious Mexicans are to tourists.

Peter

They learn enough Spanish that when they relocate to a coastal Mexican town, they are highly employable at tourist-oriented eateries with decent salaries.
You meant English?

Soo-Valley said:

They learn enough Spanish that when they relocate to a coastal Mexican town, they are highly employable at tourist-oriented eateries with decent salaries.
You meant English?

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Thank you. Corrected

mvweebles said:

A W30 owner with his boat in SE Alaska purchased a W40 in San Carlos, quite a ways up the SoC. He planned on bringing it to Alaska but ended up leaving the boat in San Carlos. He spends winters in the Sea, summers in Alaska. He prefers Alaska, but not by much I suppose. That was 10-years ago.

He turned me on to this use-group. Low activity but great on-ground information on the Pacific side of Mexico/Central America

https://groups.io/g/southbound-group

Peter

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I live in San Carlos, LOVE Willards, especially W40.
I am in La Paz now looking at my third Defever. Very interested if your friend might be willing to sell the W40.

Best regards, gracias por todo.

Darrin Jones MexicoEcoResort@gmail.com

Klee,
I have had three different boats in the Sea of Cortez over the last 8 years. I just returned to the USA in August due to Covid closures and regulations down there (the islands were closed to tourists even though nobody lives on them, no anchoring allowed at the fishing villages). Anyway, you will LOVE it down there. Plan on spending at least a couple of years exploring down there. As mentioned, the people are gracious and generous, the food is amazing, and things are pretty cheap. A beer in a bar is usually about $1.25-50 usd.

I also speak very little spanish, but get by just fine down there. With the vaccinations coming along, and the fact that I have already had Covid once, I am planning tentatively on returning to La Paz in the fall of this year. I can hardly wait

Enjoy, and keep us posted on your progress. BTW, that is a beautiful new boat
!

Cheers, Bill

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. kw. The MOST important words in any language, IMO, are "Thank you".

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Reminds me of vacation wife and I took to Cozumel a few years ago. I would never claim to speak Spanish (even after years of it in high school) but it took a few days to feel comfortable just saying things everyone knows like "gracias" and "buenos dias". What a stupid American tourist I was. Even just a few words in Spanish was appreciated by the locals but it obviously wasn't a requirement at a vacation resort.