Some 40,000 people have been killed in Mexico over the past five years as the Latin American country's police and military battle powerful drug cartels that are also fighting with each other over smuggling routes. In spite of the dire headlines, hundreds of thousands of US citizens vacation in Mexico every year and many of them, especially those who are retired, have opted to buy property and live there. The warm weather and the lower cost of living are big draws.
在过去5年，墨西哥军警与强大的贩毒集团之间的战斗，以及贩毒集团之间为争夺贩毒路线而进行的内斗造成大约4万人丧生。然而，仍然有几十万美国公民不顾这些可怕的新闻，每年都要去墨西哥度假。其中许多人，特别是那些退休的人，甚至选择在墨西哥购买房子并且住在那里。墨西哥温暖的气候和较低的生活费用是吸引他们在那里买房的最大动力。
News from Mexico these days tends to be bad.
近来从墨西哥传来的往往都是坏消息。
Shootouts and grisly murders dominate media reports.
媒体报导充斥了枪战和恶性谋杀之类的新闻。
But some Americans are moving to Mexico looking for peace and relaxation.
可是，一些美国人却前往墨西哥寻找平静与休闲。
Michael Baldwin and Stephanie Villareal spoke to VOA via Skype from their home near the tip of Mexico's Baja peninsula. “We have been here almost a year now. We came from Houston, Texas. We came down temporarily last summer and made the decision to make it permanent and we actually drove from Houston to Cabo San Lucas,” Baldwin said.
迈克尔.鲍尔温和斯蒂芬尼.比利亚雷尔从位于墨西哥巴扎半岛顶端他们的家里，通过Skype软件对美国之音说，“我们在这里住了将近1年。我们是从德克萨斯州的休斯敦来这里的。去年夏天，我们本来是临时性地来这里玩儿，结果决定要在这里长住下去。实际上，我们是从休斯敦开车到卡波圣卢卡斯来的。”
Baldwin says they love the natural beauty and mild climate and that their improved lifestyle has also saved them money. “Houston versus Cabo, our expenses have been reduced by about 30 percent,” Baldwin said.
鲍尔温说，他们很爱那里的自然美景和温和的气候。另外，生活方式的改善也给他们省了钱。他说，“卡波圣卢卡斯与休斯敦相比，我们的生活费用减少了大约30%。”
Villareal says they also enjoy interacting with local people in a place where they have noticed very little crime. “We have lots of friends, they are very welcoming and that is one of our favorite parts of living here is the people,” Villareal said.
比利亚雷尔说，他们在一个很少能看到犯罪的地方非常喜欢与当地人交往。她说，“我们在这里交了很多朋友。他们非常好客。我们最喜欢这里的一个方面就是当地的人们。”
While resort areas have generally remained peaceful. other parts of Mexico have turned into war zones.
尽管这些度假胜地一般来讲仍然是平静的。但是，墨西哥其他地区却有暴力事件。
The U.S. State Department notes violent incidents in 14 of Mexico's 31 states.
美国国务院指出墨西哥31个州的14个州发生过暴力事件。
But Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete, chief operating officer of Mexico's Tourism Board, says the report does not take into account the vast areas untouched by major crime. “Out of the 2,500 municipalities we have in Mexico, the equivalent of your counties in America, 80 of those have witnessed episodes of violence,” Lopez-Negrete said.
不过，墨西哥旅游委员会的首席运营官洛佩兹.奈格雷特说，美国的这份报告并没有考虑到墨西哥绝大多数地区未受重大犯罪活动影响。他说，“在我们墨西哥的2500个自治市当中，只有80个市发生过暴力事件。我们的自治市相当于美国的县。”
He says U.S. citizens living in the principal resort areas provide their own vote of confidence. "In the major time-share developments, the major fractional developments or full ownership, more than half of those purchases are from Americans," Lopez-Negrete said.
他说，在主要度假胜地居住的美国公民为这些地方投下了信任票。他说，“在分时享用度假住房的开发当中，无论是部分所有权还是完全所有权，美国人购买了其中一半以上。”
Here in Houston, Chris Hill works with the Mexico Real Estate Coalition to help promote property purchases south of the border.
在休斯敦，克里斯.希尔与墨西哥房地产开发商联盟公司合作，帮助他们促销房产。
He says activity has slowed in the past few years, partly because of the recession, but also because of news reports about violence that is generally not near tourist zones. “All of these crime-related stories that we are hearing, drug-related, they have very little impact on a tourist or someone going to live in Mexico," Hill said.
他说，过去几年人们的购房活动减缓下来，部分原因是由于经济衰退，也是因为有关暴力事件的报导。然而，那些暴力事件一般来讲并没有发生在旅游区附近。他说，“我们听到的所有这些有关犯罪的报导都是与贩毒有关。它们对游客或者将要在墨西哥居住的人几乎没有影响。”
Another concern for many home buyers from the United States is the legal process and the security of their investment in a foreign country.
对于想在墨西哥买房的美国人来讲，他们关心的另一个问题就是，买房的法律手续以及他们在外国投资的安全性。
Hill says new procedures and legal guarantees make real estate investment in Mexico safer and easier. “If you use the tools, there is very little risk, just as purchasing a property here in the U.S," Hill said.
希尔说，新的买房程序和法律保障使得人们在墨西哥进行房地产投资更加安全和容易。他说，“如果你使用这些工具，几乎就没有什么风险。就像在美国买房一样。”
The Mexican constitution prohibits foreigners from owning property within 50 kilometers from the coast.
墨西哥宪法禁止外国人在墨西哥海岸线50公里之内的地方买房。
But foreigners can enjoy ownership privileges of a beachside home by purchasing part of a Mexican "real estate trust" through which they own a home indirectly.
不过，外国人可以通过购买一部分墨西哥房地产信托基金来享有一座海滨房屋的所有权。这些人是通过这个房地产信托基金间接拥有一所房屋的。
Chris Hill says Mexico provides a great opportunity for aging baby boomers in the United States to live better on their retirement funds. “We believe that, long term, Mexico is going to be a wonderful opportunity for retirees to live the cost of medical services and health-related issues, but also the overall cost of living in Mexico is far lower,” Hill said.
克里斯.希尔说，墨西哥为那些生于婴儿潮时期的上年纪的美国人提供了一个很好的机会，使他们可以靠自己的退休基金生活得更好。他说，“我们认为，从长远来看，墨西哥将为美国退休人员提供一个极好的机会，使他们可以住在一个医疗服务以及医疗保险费用很低的地方。另外，墨西哥的生活成本也比美国低得多。”
And many Americans now living full time or even just part of the year in Mexico have found that to be true.
许多目前完全或者部分时间住在墨西哥的美国人都发现这种说法是对的。 |