I have blogged about the wonderful retirement opportunity in Ajijic, Lake Chapala but I thought it is well worth blogging about again.

There have been three things that lately have, to some, put a damper on travel and retirement in Mexico and I would like to address those three issues.

First, there was the global economic crisis that hit in September 2008. We opened Collins Real Estate in July 2008 and have received lots of comments about our brilliant timing. I am happy to say, however, that we have had a steady stream of clients and sales since opening albeit perhaps not as many as we might have had without the economic crunch.

People are still retiring in droves as the Baby Boomers move through the market. Good deals are available and people are still buying here even though there are some cheap deals in Arizona and Nevada it is still not Mexico and when the economy recovers even slightly as it already has our weather and cost of living will remain very attractive for those seeking ideal retirement locations.

Second, there was a lot of buzz about the “drug wars” on the border of Mexico and the U.S. Both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama have visited our Mexican President (more…)

When we were first here 15 years ago we were told to buy a Volkswagen or Nissan as it would be easier to get parts.

Things have changed for the better over the years and now all makes and models can be purchased and properly serviced.

For years anything to do with our cars was left to Spencer Shulman at S&S Auto on the carretera next to Puritan Poultry. (765-4800)

We bought a car from Spencer and were looked after beautifully and we still have our car insurance with him. If, God forbid, you do have an accident they are right here and look after everything for you. Spencer, of course, is fluent in Spanish and English. Spencer sells all makes and models of new and used cars and is extremely professional and knowledgeable about cars and motorcycles. S&S also rents cars.

S & S Auto used to do all of our maintenance and repairs to but they stopped (more…)

The Wimbledon Grand Slam tennis tournament for 2009 is underway in London, England. Unfortunately, we will not be watching it on TV due to the last round of the U.S. Open Golf which is being played today.

The U.S.Open has been fraught with bad weather but they are coming down the finishing stretch now with the favorite, Phil Mikelson 1 back of the leader Lucas Glover.

Roger Federer is looking for his 15th major title at Wimbledon this year and a return to the #1 player in the world status. He is currently #2 behind Rafael Nadal. Nadal had to withdraw from Wimbledon due to his knee tendonitis so Roger has a very good chance to realize both of these dreams.

The birth of Federer and his wife, Mirka’s, first child is imminent but he had refused (more…)

There are many benefits to living in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico. One of my favorites is becoming more familiar with the internet and all it has to offer.

It was not too long ago that all I could do was send and receive emails and do a letter. I very much wanted to learn more and I am happy to say I accomplished that goal.

Facebook.com is one of my favorite sites and I have reconnected with many friends and get in touch with them and family through shared pictures and updates. Everyday I log in to find out who is doing what to whom. It was a particularly useful site when my daughter was in London, England in 2007 and again earlier this year. She could send me pictures and videos which I loved.

Skype.com is another wonderful site which offers messaging much like aol.com or Windows Live Messenger but it also offers an extremely inexpensive long distance application which has saved me thousands of pesos every month. If you have a video cam on your computer you are (more…)

Well, as I wrote about on Monday, the rainy season would indeed appear to be upon us.

Last night we had another amazingly dramatic thunder storm which woke my husband, myself and the dogs.

When I woke up I was wrapped in a maze of white gauzy cotton because for some inexplicable reason my husband had lowered the mosquito netting we have suspended above our bed. I thought this was a lovely romantic touch for our bedroom but apparently my husband thought it had a much more useful role.

The electricity went out with a large bang in the middle of this storm and I thought the generator must surely be in pieces and it would be a long time before we had power restored as high winds had also caused electrical problems in Chapala.

The lovely fans we had throughout the house, of course, all went dead making going back to sleep a difficult proposition indeed.

The first thing I do in the morning is get my coffee and plop myself down in front of (more…)

April in Ajijic, Lake Chapala was very pleasant. Most of May was lovely too. However, it did start to get a little warm towards the end of May and June brought the heat with a vengeance.

I don’t know why I bothered to go to the hairdresser during this time as the heat had caused my hair to fall flat before leaving the salon.

In the past the hunt for fans was quite a challenge unless you went to Guadalajara as all the fans lakeside flew off the shelves. Now that we have Wal-mart (albetit still a contentious entity for some) purchasing a fan is as easy as going to the store and making your selection from many models available in all price ranges.

Although we do have overhead fans in most of our rooms which do provide much needed relief I still find free standing fans necessary for other parts of the house.

Fortunately our house is very cool as we have marble floors and a very large (more…)

Okay, so the title of this blog is misleading.
In a format like this you would expect it to be about the decision to move here or not.
Sorry but that’s really up to you.
What I want to talk about was my son’s decision to go into Guadalajara and catch some
professional wrestling action.

I have a friend who’s mother thinks pro wrestling is legit but is convinced they faked the moon landings. I think it needs to be said here that my son has not believed that pro wrestling was “real” since he was 5 years old so it was more of a lark than anything.
He really wasn’t expecting an athletic display of any kind.

He asked me to tag along and what I’m wrestling with is my emphatic decline of his offer. My general rule here is to go to anything and everything. It’s usually either fun or so (more…)

Recently there have been some changes in the Ajijic, Lake Chapala area. The malecons have been reconstructed in Chapala, Ajijic, and San Antonio as well as further west past Ajijic. I have lived here for many years and must say that it is refreshing to see some constructive work being done.

The malecon in Chapala has been completed for several months now, and the town has had several large events since. One of the events I attended was a flight show. Hundreds of people were gathered along the malecon and sitting on the beaches with their families watching men jump out of planes, helicopters doing loopty loops, and pilots flying inches from the surface of the water. It was a beautiful sunny day, everyone was enjoying picnics, children were playing in the water, teenagers were laughing with their friends, and couples were cuddled up on the beach together. It was very nice to see the townspeople out and about again now that there is a nice place to spend time with their families on the weekends.

For those of you who have lived here as many years as I have, I am sure you remember the Ajijic Park down by the lake. For many years it was left behind. The tables and benches were (more…)

What I’ve always loved most about Mexico is how warm and friendly the people are. The Mexican culture is very family oriented. In the United States and Canada children can’t wait until their 18th birthday, making them legally able to flee their homes and become independent. While there is nothing wrong with wanting some independence, I believe that children leaving home at such a young age lose some of their family values.

In Mexico, most children, especially the girls, stay at home well into their 20s. The family bond is very strong, and the children are brought up going to school and then working in the family business. It is a cycle. The children are born, raised, and looked after until a certain age, and then it is the children’s turn to look after their parents. It is a special sight to see.

Aside from the family life here in Mexico, the people are so warm and friendly. The Mexican culture is quite peaceful and harmonious. Everyone works together. Never have I lived in (more…)

Clean drinking water is a problem for many countries all over the world.

Here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala we are very fortunate to have many sources of clean drinking water.

When we were first here 15 years ago we were told that most companies that sold bottled water got their water from the lake. This, of course, was not good news but after extensive research we learned that Aga Pureza could be trusted and their water was pure.

We still use this company which is now called Bonafort and we still have bottled water delivered to our door for 25 pesos per large bottle. The water is Chula Vista is said to be potable but we feel safer using bottled water for drinking.

Also all fruits and vegetable should be soaked in drops for 15 minutes before using. These (more…)