La Manzanilla Memo - April 13, 2013

License experience

Getting a Mexican driver’s license was the most fun I’ve had with this country’s bureaucracy in the 13 years I’ve dealt it. My California license expired in January and, rather than try to renew on line from Mexico, I decided it was time to cut the apron strings. Securing a driver’s license in the State of Jalisco proved to be not only less complicated than the CA DMV’s electronic red tape, but a great deal more entertaining, as well.

The first step is to download and study the written test. I used www.iralafferty.net/driving test.html , only because that was the first option when I Googled “Jalisco drivers license.” The actual test will be in Spanish, but it’s helpful to download the English version, as well, if only for the humor value of the quirky translations.

For example, one of the English responses regarding what to do if you get tired while driving reads:  “To slow down, to descend a little the crystal of the side of the conductor in such a way that permit air intake and to light the radio to high volume.” In other words, slow down, roll down your window and crank up the music. While this has been my preferred practice for over 40 years, it is not the correct answer. One should stop and rest for 20 minutes and do some physical exercise. To each his own.

Residents of La Manzanilla can acquire a Jalisco State driver’s in Cihuatlan. Take with you the following documents: current FM or residency card, valid Passport, existing driver’s license, and proof of residence, i.e., electric or phone bill, plus one copy of each. Know your zip code and blood type.  

Make your first stop Recuadora #18 on Calle Reforma, a one-way street coming down the hill from Bibiana’s Pizza. Get there early – they open at 8:30 a.m. – because this is the office that collects payments for just about everything in the Cihuatlan municipality and it’s usually packed. Tell the cashier to you want a licencia para chofer, show him your passport and driver’s license, and pay your 515-peso fee.

It may seem foolhardy to pay in advance for a document you don’t have yet, but trust me. The employees at your next stop, Delagacion Sub Regional de Vialidad, around the corner and a few blocks to your right at Aquilles Serdan #70, across from Farmacia Similares on the main shopping street, are the friendliest, most helpful group of government workers I’ve encountered in any country.  Maybe the novelty of gringos applying for a Mexican driver’s license hasn’t worn off yet, or maybe that’s just the way they are.

Present your paid receipt, documents and copies to the receptionist, who will enter your information on a form for you to approve and sign. Next they’ll take your photo and electronic finger prints. Unlike your FM photos, you can smile for this one, although eyeglasses are still prohibited.

Now it’s time for the written test, 10 questions in Spanish on a touch-screen computer monitor. This is where the Vialidad staff is most helpful and accommodating. I’m not going on record to say it’s impossible to fail this test – no one I know has – but they seem genuinely interested that you pass.

A vision and driving test may also be required. My friend and I received our shiny, new lamininated licenses, good for four years, without either test, but we had left her car up by the Recuadora and walked down to the Vialidad office. Another friend who went through the process said her driver’s test consisted of getting into her car and fastening her seat belt.  

A valid Mexican driver’s license is legal in most countries, including the United States and Canada.  In most cases, it has no affect on your vehicle insurance from those countries, either, but check with your provider to be sure. Whether it gives you bonus points when you apply for permanent residency or get pulled over by police in Mexico remains to be seen.

Beach BBQ Bash

Chantli Mare restaurant and Inn by the Sea bade farewell to this year’s foreign-tourist season – and their first in La Manzanilla – with a beach-barbecue blow out that blew everyone there away. An estimated 150 persons paid to party at the pre-Semana Santa event which featured a return of the TallBoys Band to the Costalegre. 

Consistent with Chantli Mare’s overall ambiance, this was a professional, first-class affair. Linen-covered tables of well dressed clientele wound through the restaurant’s expanse of lawn, and uniformed wait staff hastened to provide top-notch food and beverage service. Jimmy, from Barra de Navidad, slow smoked his legendary ribs and chicken and fixin’s to complement Chef Greg Couillard’s chili and salsas. The TallBoys set up stage against a backdrop of gentle surf and an especially spectacular sunset, and there was just enough breeze to keep the senior set from overheating as they rocked out.

I don’t know if the TallBoys set a band record for playing their first two La Manzanilla shows in less than three weeks, but so far they’ve more than doubled their audience with each appearance. We’re big fans over here at the beach.

Chantli Mare owner Roberto Contreras says he plans to keep the restaurant and hotel open through the summer. He may revise that plan when he experiences just how empty and hot La Manzanilla is at that time. He and Chef Greg certainly made a good first impression, though, and can expect the continued patronage of the Costalegre.

We’re already getting a taste of that anticipated summer tranquility. Semana Santa and Pascua crowds are long gone, and the snow birds who haven’t yet migrated north are cleared for takeoff soon. The pace is slowing and the year-‘rounders are high-fiving each other for surviving another season. With nobody here and nothing to write about, it’s time for the Lois Lane of La Manzanilla to hang up her hat and say, “Adios!”