# Ruido etc.



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

Recently we had a short meeting with the president of the homeowners board and the contadora. We referred the president to the company that installed our solar panels and we are all happy. I had a concern that some of the houses in the community were listed on AidrBnb - at this meeting he declared that they had the lawyers research it and that would be shut down. (Taxis are not allowed into the community - they would rather we use huber). We had a concern about the use of pyrotechnics in the community and he said - there is nothing we can do about it - in Mexico a person can do whatever they want with their own land. I'm not sure how you can't rent out your house (your own land) and yet you can fire off pyrotechnics on the same land.

Last weekend there was a party about a 100 yards away which went on ALL Saturday night until 9AM Sunday morning. They were doing the karaoke thing - and they could not possibly have increased the volume higher. That didn't bother us so much because there were other houses in the way to block the noise.

Last night our immediate neighbor had a Christmas party which involved many many pyrotechnics. They started around 9PM and went on until 4AM. 

I felt compelled to mow my lawn this morning at 7:30AM - on Sunday - Christmas morning.

If it happens again tonight - I have a lot of weed-wacking to do tomorrow (early)...


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

Gatos said:


> Last weekend there was a party about a 100 yards away which went on ALL Saturday night until 9AM Sunday morning. They were doing the karaoke thing - and they could not possibly have increased the volume higher. That didn't bother us so much because there were other houses in the way to block the noise.
> 
> Last night our immediate neighbor had a Christmas party which involved many many pyrotechnics. They started around 9PM and went on until 4AM.


They sound like my in-laws who invade our place every Christmas, all 30 of them. Small house but a big sandy lot on the beach so they pitch tents. The place looks like a refugee camp. Big family parties are integral to the Mexican soul, so much sentiment, love....and noise. Most will be leaving today, then I can get some sleep.:amen:


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

You weren't invited to any of the parties?


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## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

joaquinx said:


> You weren't invited to any of the parties?


No - the few friends we have in the neighborhood head for their own families throughout Mexico for the holidays. These raucous neighbors here now spend most of their lives in Mexico City (gracias a dios). They show up for holidays and family events - mostly.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

perropedorro said:


> ... Big family parties are integral to the Mexican soul, so much sentiment, love....and noise.
> ...


Well said, Perropedorro. 

Gatos, based on many of your previous posts it seems there is much about Mexico that you really appreciate, and that you're not just living here for economic and weather reasons. 

But I must agree with the president of the homeowners board's response, both what he said and what he I suspect he left unsaid, out of Mexican politeness. "This is Mexico. This is our tradition. Do not try to impose your noise standards and your belief you should be able to regulate how your neighbours celebrate." 

I have been celebrating Christmas Latin American style since in my early 20's, i.e. eating a huge dinner around 11 p.m., including the requisite tamales, "¡Feliz Navidad!" at midnight and then ongoing celebration, singing, laughter until the wee hours. When celebrated in Canada (with friends from various Latin American countries), of course there are no fireworks and here we do have to adhere to noise regulations. But when we are south of the border for Christmas, it includes the works (although in Puebla, where my stepson and family live, there are tighter controls on fireworks, so it's a bit more muted than in some parts). 

You are a guest in a country rich with tradition. Just because some of the traditions interfere with your sleep from time to time does not make it any less petty for you to then "retaliate" by mowing your lawn or whacking your weeds early the next morning. When I'm woken in the middle of the night by noise in Mexico - whether it's by the barking of the 12 dogs kept by the neighbour across the road, or by Rufina the burra next door braying, or a rooster whose internal clock has gone haywire, I just remind myself how much I love Mexico, and all of these sounds are part of the country I love.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

ojosazules11 said:


> Well said, Perropedorro.
> 
> Gatos, based on many of your previous posts it seems there is much about Mexico that you really appreciate, and that you're not just living here for economic and weather reasons.
> 
> ...


I did a revenge thing to my next door nieghbor after many many times arriving at my house in Mexicali to have my driveway blocked by one of his 10 or 11 clunkers he and his brother next door to him had collected. I always arrived at 7:30 PM Friday after working the week in San Diego. This time he wasn´t answering the door bell which is on his gate but I saw movement in his house. I had a date to be somewhere and needed to park my car in my carport and wait to be picked up soon. I went to the corner and flagged down a Municipal Pólice truck. The cop ran his siren in front his house and got nasty on the loud speaker. He came out and pushed the clunker into the middle of the street. There was no room anywhere to park anymore of their clunckers.

The next morning outside I got the stink eye from 2 of my nieghbors across the street, that lasted about a month. The other 2 neighbors were happy I did it as they have some of their family living with them and have multiple vehicles and were annoyed with the situation also. The next door neighbor I got the cops after and his brother ignored me for about 6 months but then were friendly again. 

I regret doing it and should have parked on the next street over for the night and got him to move it in the morning.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

ojoazules roosters do not have an internal clock to go haywire..they take turn at making racket all night long... For the day of the dead I was invited to stay in Zinacantan, an indigenous community where a friend of mine has many chickens... The roosters kept me awake all night ..the night was short as the women started washing the streets and sidewalks at 3 am and making cooking the mixtamal at 4am.. We did go to bed early, like 9 pm but between the roosters and the women starting their chores at 3am, the night was really short..Everyone was trying to be quiet and there was no music but one hundrerd of women gather to make the tortillas or washing the street the tension is in the air and you are awake..of course the rooster go on and on calling out and answering their friends and foes miles around.. 
Better join everyone and party when there is a party or work in the middle of the night or relax through the whole thing and trying to get back at someone just does not work.
It sounds like Gatos has the typical situation of full times versus part timers from all over the world. Some people live in a nice place and city people have homes for family parties during the week ends or holidays and hell with everyone else. We had that probrlem in Geyserville Ca., Santa Cruz California, Ajjic and so on.. Unless it is France and they pass laws against noise after 10 and enforce them , forget about it, join them because you cannot beat them..


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## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

Well I'm going to expound a little. The noise/pyrotechnics doesn't just bother us (my wife and I). We have two close friends (different houses) in the 'neighborhood'. Maybe we form a triangle around the house of one neighbor who really makes too much noise. It drives all three of us crazy - and they are very well educated/affluent/classy Mexicans.

At the meeting I mentioned with the president of the HOA - he commiserated with us. We walk for a half hour or so most every morning. One Sunday morning at 7AM he was out pressure washing his driveway - in retaliation for a neighbor who kept him up all night long.

Our closest Mexican friend (the executor of our Mexican wills) - a Phd and renowned artista - has put her 'incredible' house on the market (16 million pesos) and moved out because of the noise. She has moved into a colonia closer to el centro where apparently there are restrictions.

The people who are bothering us all are not sweet little Mexican families. One guy is said to be mafioso. He has four armed bodyguards that live in the house with him. When they leave the community they go out in a caravan of three SUVs with him in the middle for protection. When he has a party there are as many as 30 cars in the street. Sure some of the 'guests' might be his family. His house is currently on the market for 3 million DOLLARS.

btw - the president of the HOA suggested that if we ever feel threatened by the pyrotechnics - that we call 'Protecion Civil'. We are not wimps - these fireworks displays rival fourth of July fireworks in large US cities - or DisneyWorld - and they last longer. 

Still I'm sure some of you are going to suggest that we are at fault - or that WE should move...


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Gatos, I'm not saying you are at fault or that you should move. But if the problematic neighbours are truly _mafiosos _all the more reason I would not retaliate. Personally I take Citlali's approach, either join them (maybe not a great approach with your neighbours in question) or just accept it as part of living in Mexico. I also know I'm much less noise averse than many from NOB. Any time I can't sleep - for whatever reason - I just try to remind myself "This too shall pass", because getting all worked up about it will just interfere more with my sleep.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

On further thought, regarding the discrepancy you mention between the HOA cracking down on the Airbnb rentals vs. saying they can't regulate fireworks. I presume the owners of the Airbnb homes are not _mafiosos_, so unlikely any serious repercussions for closing them down. Those _mafioso_ neighbours on the other hand....


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## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

ojosazules11 said:


> On further thought, regarding the discrepancy you mention between the HOA cracking down on the Airbnb rentals vs. saying they can't regulate fireworks. I presume the owners of the Airbnb homes are not _mafiosos_, so unlikely any serious repercussions for closing them down. Those _mafioso_ neighbours on the other hand....


Actually - one of the two AirBnb houses IS the mafioso house. It is still on the AirBnb site for $869 DOLLARS/night. He has two sons who also have homes here - one of whom is a nice guy and we run into a lot on our morning walks. The other son is the one handling the AirBnb rentals. We are also very friendly with this guys guards - who are always washing the cars every morning during our walks...

I had a run-in with Mr. Mafioso a couple months back. His bombs were literally landing only feet from our roof. I got in the car, drove over to his house and honked on the horn until he came out. We argued for a while and then he told me to move back to Florida.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

Gatos said:


> I had a run-in with Mr. Mafioso a couple months back. His bombs were literally landing only feet from our roof. I got in the car, drove over to his house and honked on the horn until he came out. We argued for a while and then he told me to move back to Florida.


Wow. I guess if Gatos ever disappears from the forum we can assume that Mr. Mafioso got fed up and helped him to go have a long sleep with some Gulf fishes.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

circle110 said:


> Wow. I guess if Gatos ever disappears from the forum we can assume that Mr. Mafioso got fed up and helped him to go have a long sleep with some Gulf fishes.


+1. I agree. Arguing with your neighbors in general seems like a bad idea since you have to continue to be neighbors. If the neighbors are involved in criminal activities, the idea of fighting with them sounds even more risky.


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## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> +1. I agree. Arguing with your neighbors in general seems like a bad idea since you have to continue to be neighbors. If the neighbors are involved in criminal activities, the idea of fighting with them sounds even more risky.


I guess I'll attribute it to my New Jersey upbringing 

In reality - my parents really didn't teach me much - but as a kid I lived on a dead-end street and I had to pass by a bully's house to get home. This guy beat me up time and time again. I got to the point where I would run through the backyards of houses to avoid walking up the street and encountering this guy. I complained repeatedly to my parents and at one point they said - you have to stand up to him - which I did. I gave him a whopping so bad that his father (an Olympian of some sort) rang my parents doorbell and complained that I had beaten his son. After that incident I could walk up the street - and later when we were both in high school I shined as a football player and you know - I don't think that kid ever played any sports...


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

These guys may simply can their enemies; in a barrel full of acid. If cheap, they just put the head and hands in a cubeta of acid, and the rest in a garbage bag on the side of a road. Others are even more creative.


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## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

RVGRINGO said:


> These guys may simply can their enemies; in a barrel full of acid. If cheap, they just put the head and hands in a cubeta of acid, and the rest in a garbage bag on the side of a road. Others are even more creative.


Kind of like Breaking Bad Sur ?


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