Wednesday, April 30, 2008

New Prison on Isla Mujeres!

Ok, so the title is a little misleading. I'm really talking about how my house, or the entrance to it anyway, feels to me now. The aluminum guys were here over the weekend and finished installing all the "improvements" we ordered. In brief, I HATE IT!!!!
Here's a view of the corner of my upstairs patio, facing the cabana next door. The distance between them is a meter, or a little over 3 feet.


You can see it better if you enlarge, but notice the dirt marks on the cabana wall, just below the "trip line" that I had put up myself. (and evidently did not work to trip anybody!) Those are dirty foot prints where the burglars jump from my patio to the roof of the cabana.

Here's what that corner looks like now:



That's barbed wire fencing. It extends up and out four feet, a little over a meter. Ugly, but let's see the assholes do some jumping now!


The front of the house is the worst. I have had to completely enclose the entrance staircase.




Looks like the entrance to a prison to me. Here's my view looking down the stairs.




I had to enclose this area also. The creeps would get on this roof, then the top of the carport and on up to the front patio. From there they had access to the back of the house and the cabana roof. Not any more.




I've never given my main house a name. Now I'm thinking of calling it Casa de Campamento de Prisioneros. I think you can figure out what that means!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

As they say (whoever htey are) better safe than sorry! It might look like a prison (like most of the other houses)but in the long run the peace of mind will be worth it!

Hollito said...

Uhhhmmm...you are right, it does not look "nice". :-|
However, we have a saying here in Krautland: "Was muss, dass muss!", which you can briefly translate with "What is necessary, must be done!".

So I just hope it works and the crooks stay away now. But, what if they just jump over the bars at the entrance stairs? Wouldn´t it have been better to close it completely, up to the ceiling (yes, this would look even worse :-|)?

Islagringo said...

Lisa - it does add some peace and mind. That doesn't stop me from jumping out of bed everytime I hear some kind of noise though. Maybe some day that will go away and I will be able to sleep through an entire night.

Holita - yes, they can still gain access to the front porch via the side. However, they can't get anywhere but on the porch. There are two windows there that face the street. They have alarms on them should anybody dare to touch them.

Anonymous said...

Wayne, I'm so sorry that you had to make "improvements" to your home that you don't like. It must feel good to be able to do something, however, rather than feeling helpless and like a target.

The only part that doesn't really look "nice" is the barbed wire on the terrace. Would it be possible for you to conceal that with an elaborate container garden with big plants? Just to make you happier when you look at it.

barry said...

Hello Wayne,Greetings from Texas,Looking at what you Had to Do ..I think it looks pretty Good all except the roof. It may work functionally but asthetically I think the Stalag 17 look may wear on you. To add to Heather's suggestion, perhaps a barrier using Cactus. I had a similar problem once and used Cholla .it is hardy,low maintance, blossums in yellows and purples,, can be pruned to allow it to grow away from the patio,and most important,scares the Bejesus out of Ladrones . Get some of those fantastic large Terra cotta pots and in a few months I dont think you will need to worry about that part of your home .I dont know if cholla grows on Isle but if it does and its legal to collect and you consider this ,I can tell you how you harvest them and not harm the parent plant.Best of Luck , Hasta. Barry/seapainter

Babs said...

Sorry you've gone through this.......damn, wish I had been there to give you some design ideas for the roof. My suggestion, IF you decide to change it and what people do in San Miguel - is have an ironworker make and install decorative spikes along that area and that way IF and when they jump, they'll NEVER be able to do it again.......Go to the library and get a book on old Haciendas and you'll see what they did and still do........Again, I'm sure you're fed up with the WHOLE thing.......

Anonymous said...

Wayne, we were robbed here in the supposedly "safe" gated neighborhood, Playacar. There is nothing worse than that feeling of vulnerability. I now live behing 12 foot cement walls in the middle of the city with three LOUD dogs. Ladrones...bring it on!!