3rd Tour

DAY 18 - Rejas/ Bars

Gated homes - bars, gates, and 'Rejas' on the windows

Bars and gates are just part of life in Mexico.  Homes have bars on doors, windows and gates that lock at the end of the car port.  I have lived in a home that had bars on all the windows and on the front door.  I have also lived with high walls and razor wire, or broken glass on the top of an 8 foot wall.  It is just a fact of life that one expects living here.  It is done for a feeling of safety.  

When the Reimer's first came to GDL to scout out the land they made a choice to live in a gated community.  Our homes do not have bars on the windows nor on the front doors.  Each family lives in a 'coto' (gated community).  Ours has 75 homes within its walls.  I can walk up to my neighbour's front door without having to bang on a gate, hoping they come.  The original thought was that it would be easier to meet our neighbours and build relationships.  I have to agree.  I love the freedom i have to walk through my little community and greet my neighbours without fear and without bars.

Our street in our 'Coto' 

It is so much easier to relate to people on our street (pictured here) than on the other one pictured at the top.