HERE’S THE MAIL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSey_Xt0WRY&NR=1

What’s your new address?

We have been asked this question several times in the last couple days.  As with everything here in Mexico, there was no clear and simple answer.   And, like everything else we have been getting set up, as many people as you ask -that is how many answers you get.  Here’s what we came up with…

Option 1: direct to the house  (this may work for local Mexican mail but is not really trustworthy for any international mail)  The USPS might keep hiking up prices, but it sure it nice to pop something in the mail and know that usually in a couple days it reaches it’s destination safely.

Feeling adventurous?  Our house address is

Michael, Camille, Austin, India, Selena Enos
Raquet Club
Vincente Zarazua 4
San Juan Cosala
Jocotepec, Jalisco
MEXICO

Local Mexico Post Office

Option 2: rent a box at Mailboxes, Etc.  This costs $35/month and you still pay a pretty steep duty on packages from outside the country.  The way their service works is all the mail goes to a US address in Laredo, Texas and then each day the mail is trucked through Mexico to the different Mailboxes, Etc locations.  (very gringo)

Option 3:  make friends at the Mailboxes, Etc and pay by the individual package and weight.  Plus, customs duty on anything that is not a letter or magazine.

Local Mailboxes, Etc -5 minutes away

The Enos household receives lots of mail.  Just ask Elly.  This summer she started with keeping it in a neat little pile, then she realized she needed a basket.  Finally she ended up with a large laundry basket -which was filled up.
Mail is an important part of life.  We love to send out mail as much as we like to receive it.  We spent a lot of time these past months doing all we can to reduce the amount of extra mail we receive but there is still the fact that we own a home and a business.  Plus, we loved the convenience of ordering online.  Just the week before we left on this trip we were still getting ink for printer, electronic chargers, make up, clothes, meeting suits, shoes, flashlights, and webcams webcams webcams. (very important for skype)
Now we are trying to figure out the best way to handle mail.  So, for the time being we have mail go to our home in the States.  Elly puts everything in a flat rate priority box and it takes a week to get here.  Mikee has made friends with the person at the local Mailboxes, Etc (5 min down the road) and she calls us to let us know our package has arrived.  We pay for each package we receive (so, Elly tries to condense everything down as much as possible) and also a charge by the kilo.  Last month we paid about $12(US) for 3 priority packages.

This may not be our permanent way to receive mail, but for now it seems to be the most efficient and economical.

PS- Thank you Elly!