I went to see a couple of doctors to obtain said paperwork but soon found that you could only import contact lenses if you were a corporation which I was not.

Having failed at this endeavor I also noticed that the dust from the lake would get into my eyes and cause eye infections so I finally gave up on contacts. Also a friend of mine told me I looked 5 years younger wearing my glasses. The decision was made, vanity won out and I went back to eyeglasses, green eyeglasses but eyeglasses nonetheless.

Getting ones glasses fixed here was my next challenge. There was (and I believe still is) a small shop on the carretara going into Chapala with an eye above the door that could sometimes and sometimes not fix your glasses for you.

Next I found out that the Lake Chapala Society on Independencia in Ajijic had free eye exams with previous sign ups but, alas, no green glasses.

You can imagine my joy when two years ago I found an honest to goodness eye doctor on the carretera just east of Maskaras Clinic located at Hidalgo 77-2, Riberas del Pilar, Chapala.

I originally went to see Dr. Pinto for prescription sun glasses and was very pleased with the eye exam and the aforementioned sun glass frames I purchased for a very reasonable price.

Lately, I have noticed that I am using a magnifying glass for more than just the “fine” print and came to realize that perhaps it was time to retest my eyes and perhaps I did, indeed, need a new prescription.

I made an appointment for the very next day and went to see Doctores Pinto Opticas.

Dr. Pinto has expanded his facilities and has all the latest up-to-date technology and he tested my eyes thoroughly with a variety of tests and machines and determined that the good news was that my eyes were healthy but I did need a new prescription. He showed me what I was (or was not seeing) with my current prescription and what I would be able to see with my new prescription. I could not believe the difference.

Hopefully, they will be able to put the new prescription in my existing green frames but, if not, they do have an extensive array of frames in all colors and also have a selection of designer frames for those whom are so inclined.

I will have my new glasses in a week and in the meantime I am wearing my sunglasses which give me a mysterious aura or one of pretension. I am not quite sure which but I can live with either for a week.

Dr. Pinto also deals with diseases and surgeries of the eyes.

Doctores Pinto can be reached at 01 (376) 765-7793 for an appointment and the Emergency Cell # is 333 106 1634.

I did ask Dr. Pinto about contact lenses but he told me the dust from the lake plays havoc with contacts and besides the vision in my right eye was too bad to be a candidate now for contacts.

One way or another I will have green glasses.

Dr. Pinto also speaks fluent English.

We were concerned about this too when we moved here in 1994. Prior to making the move we had a tutor come to the house who was attending the University of Toronto from Vera Cruz and we tried to learn the basics.

Also we wanted out children then 10 and 12 to be able to enter school at grade level so we also got a tutor when we arrived here in June to get them up and running for entry into school in September.

We were successful and they did enter at grade level. I also wanted to sit in on the classes as I wanted to be able to help them with their homework. I also took lessons from a very nice lady in Upper Chula Vista for several months and used the book “Madrigal’s Key to Spanish” which was very easy and helpful.

The first three months in school was very stressful for the children even though they had English speaking friends to sit beside them and help. The school was supposed to be bilingual but was 90% Spanish.

They persevered and did eventually learn the language and by the time 6 months had passed they knew enough to be able to handle their school work with relative ease.

They are now fully bilingual and our daughter even thinks and dreams in Spanish and loves it because she says Spanish is a beautiful language and has so many more ways to express oneself.

I found it very exciting to be learning something new at this age and I still try to speak to everyone in Spanish but they usually answer me in English which I try not to find discouraging. The locals are just as eager to practice their English as we are to practice our Spanish.

The fact is that as there are so many ex-pats in Ajijic, Lake Chapala one can manage very nicely without becoming proficient in Spanish. I still think it is important to try to learn this beautiful language as we are lucky enough to be guests in this country.

I found that, at first, I learned most of my Spanish from our maid and gardener in order to keep the house running properly. Over the years we have developed a very efficient level of Spanglish which seems to get the job done. Also I found that after a glass of wine I am much more fluent.

When the children are here I find it is easier to have them help me with more difficult conversations but when they are not here I am able to get anything done that is required.

After 16 years of living here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala I feel guilty that I am not fluent but I continue to try and learn new words every day and look up any word I am not familiar with.

The best way to learn the language is to go into some deep immersion course in Guadalajara or marry a Mexican.

I remember when we were contemplating making the move to Ajijic, Lake Chapala and I was worried about bringing my children up in a foreign country, my wonderful mother-in-law said to me “At least you are giving them the gift of another language”. This has certainly been the case and our children are very grateful that they are multi-lingual (they were in French immersion in Toronto) which has and will continue to open doors for them around the world.

For us it would be great to be fluent too but it certainly is not necessary to enjoy life to the fullest in our beautiful village in the sun.

At that time my husband volunteered to go to Sear in Guadalajara to purchase said stove as we had always trusted them (Sears) in Canada.

Our stove lasted for some time but getting it serviced was always a challenge as everything had to be done in Spanish (I was far from fluent in 2000) and we had to wait sometimes weeks for a service call.

Finally, we took to having local electricians fix our stove for us, when needed, and when we were told it was no longer fixable we decided to buy a new stove locally.

We bought a Whirlpool stove in April of 2009 from Tio Sam which is located on the Libramiento Chapala-Ajijic # 132-9. Their phone # is 766-5664 and their email address is: lozexpo@prodigy.net.mx.

From the beginning we had nothing but problems with this stove. First getting it to fit into the space allotted for a stove in our kitchen was a challenge but we were able to deal with that by removing two side pieces that were of no apparent use according to the installer.

Secondly, the knobs fell off. We had this dealt with too. Service calls from Tio Sam are available Tuesday and Thursdays.

We also had problems with the movable racks in the oven which were designed to make life easier as they came out when you opened the oven door. This was not quite the case, however. We did not know that you were supposed to insert a small pole into a even smaller hole to make the unit secure. I am still haunted by my husbands screams as his freshly baked cherry pie was sliding out of the oven onto the floor.

The next thing that went wrong was the oven thermometer seemed to have no relation whatever to the temperature you had chosen on the oven dial. I found this out when it took me almost 4 hours to roast a chicken.

Now you might say “Why not adjust the oven to a higher temperature?” I did this and that worked swell for a while until all of a sudden the oven decided that it would respect the temperature I had selected and, subsequently, burned everything.

During this period we had multiple service calls to try and fix this temperature problem.

We tried an exterior oven thermometer. We got a new gas hose which was flexible and, therefore, not cutting off the flow of gas when it was bent behind the stove.

I was becoming close personal friends with the repairmen as I tried to follow all of their helpful suggestions.

I won’t even get into my husband trying to cook a brined (three day process) turkey for Thanksgiving. The legs were dry as dust but the rest was raw. Needless to say he was far from happy.

It was at that low point that my husband said “Let’s get them to replace this piece of …..!”

We called the person we had been dealing with at Tio Sam whose name was Claudia and began the long process of getting a new stove. Several repairmen came to assess the situation and at last it was agreed that we did indeed warrant a replacement. I was gleeful as I thought we would have our new unit before Christmas. Silly me!

I am very happy to say now, however, thanks to the dogged persistence of myself, all of my Spanish speaking children and Claudia at Tio Sam we now have a beautiful new stove.

Although this, to some might be perceived as a tedious process we achieved the desired outcome and I am not sure if we would have been so lucky had we not bought right here in Ajjic, Lake Chapala.

We will continue to shop for appliances at Tio Sam and will continue to deal with Claudia who was a saint throughout the entire process and was always on our side.

Attention All Smokers

On arrival to Ajijic, Lake Chapala there were no such restrictions in place and one could smoke freely anywhere as it were. Of course, you might run into the odd rabid anti-smoker but that was to be expected.

Now it would seem that last week-end federal officials closed several restaurants and bars in Guadalajara for not adhering to the General Law for Tobacco Control.

Many of these establishments in Jalisco still allow their patrons to smoke ever though the law states they must have separate smoking areas.

Although the details are still sketchy, a team from the Federal Sanitation Protection Commission ( Cofepris) is thought to have visited approximately 40 restaurants in the city.

To reopen, owners of the closed restaurants need to make their establishments 80% smoke-free with outdoor or enclosed smoking areas only and put up the appropriate signs or outlaw smoking altogether.

On the other side of the argument the National Chamber of the Restaurant and Food Industry (Canirac) is furious about the raids and suggests that closure over smoking are hurting an industry already badly affected last year by the H1N1 crises. They went on to say that they are victims of a very severe law that citizens still don’t fully understand.

Actually, the federal anti-tobacco law is quite clear:

- Public areas must be 100% free of smoke. (These include restaurants, bars, schools and public buildings.)

- Owners of bars and restaurants can construct outside areas for smokers, but they must also be isolated.

- Owners can be fined between around 5,500 and 550,000 pesos.

- Other punishments include a warning, temporary or permanent closure or up to 36 hours in jail.

Perhaps the problem with the law is nobody really knows who is responsible for enforcing it.

Jalisco Health Minister, Afonso Petersen, explained that until a Jalisco state commission for the protection of sanitation is set up, it will be the responsibility of the federal government to enforce the no-smoking law.

It would appear to me that this might be a swell time to consider quitting or stopping (no one likes a quitter) smoking.

It is becoming very difficult to smoke comfortably anywhere other than your own home (and even that can be difficult depending on your non-smoking family members) and no one wishes to put our restaurants or bars in jeopardy.

There are many ways to stop smoking but the latest and most successful method for some seems to be Chantix (or Champix here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala). This process allows you to gradually stop and even pick the day you wish to stop smoking.

So if someone in a bar or restaurant asks you to please not smoke or to go outside to do so please listen to them and put out your cigarette or move to the designated area.

We all want a healthy life here in our paradise of Ajijic, Lake Chapala and not smoking is a very positive step towards that healthy life.

A Slice of Paradise

I totally related to this as it took 10 years for my husband to talk me into making the move from Toronto 15 years ago.

As I have often said, I wish he had found the right words sooner as I have enjoyed every minute of every day since arriving in 1994.

This is not uncommon as many couples are not always on the same page as one party or the other is dragging their feet.

There are many reasons for this. Fear of the unknown is at the top of the list along with fear of language challenges.

Also leaving family, children and grandchildren, aging parents, homes lived in for many years and familiar surroundings give many pause.

I understand and have experienced all of these doubts along with the worry of raising our children (then 10 and 12) here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala.

Two things finally pushed me into agreeing with my husband to make the move. First was the coldest winter in Canada for over 50 years and second, the huge increase in our real estate taxes we were about to face.

It was my husband’s mother who put to rest of my fears about my children by telling me at he very least we were giving the kids the gift of another language.

This made a lot of sense to me as they were both in French immersion in Toronto so 3 languages seemed better than 2.

If you ask our children today they will tell you our moving to Mexico was the best thing that ever happened to them They both feel that many more horizons and opportunities have been opened to them.

As far as leaving family you will soon find they are more than happy to visit especially when the temperatures start to drop up north.

The new friends (in many cases like-minded as Mexico is not for everyone) that you will make will give you great joy and comfort. Your new friends will become your family away from home and you will spend holidays and birthdays with them and, of course, including your friends and family from home should they visit from up north.

So if you or your better half or three quarters are sitting on the fence about retiring or moving to Mexico sit no more. Jump in. The water is so much more than fine and better than you can possibly conceive of.

Also if one wishes to continue to work, the infrastructure is such in Ajijic, Lake Chapala that it affords you every opportunity of doing so.

Ajijic, Lake Chapala is a wonderful warm community full of happy people. The main reason for this,of course, is the unhappy ones go home leaving the rest of us to happily enjoy paradise.

Canadian Passport

After a few years however, we find that some friends and family have also scattered or moved down here and, in some cases of family, in with us and our visits get less frequent.

Also we can not always schedule our visits north to coincide with our Canadian Passports expiring.

This was the case with me and I found out from a Canadian friend living here for many years that we were able to renew our passports right here in Mexico

It is a very simple and efficient process and I will tell you exactly how to proceed with your Canadian Passport renewal should the need arise.

The first thing to do is send an email to: ana-lilia.bara@international.gc.ca in Guadalajara and she will tell you how to download the Adult Passport Application online complete with all the instructions or she will mail the application and instructions to you here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala.

There are 2 Photo Studios in Chapala that know exactly what photos you will need for your Canadian Passport application. They are: Foto Estudio del Lago on Av. Madero #238-C, Tel. (376) 765-3548 and email: malvagarmx@yahoo.com.mx and Estudio Zaragoza on Lopez Cotilla # 290, Tel. (376) 765-3495 email: jaime.zaragoza@sanmina-sci.com.

The standard for delivery of this new, more secure passport will require at least 30 working days. So it is recommended to apply well in advance of expiry.

You will need documentary proof of Canadian citizenship (originals only). This can either be your birth certificate (if you were born in Canada) or your certificate of Canadian citizenship. If you were born in Quebec, only a Birth Certificate issued by the “Directeur de l’etat du Quebec” after the 1st of January 1994 is valid.

Your previous passport, regardless of the issue date.

A clear copy of one piece of identification with photo and signature that matches the name requested on the application (FM2 or FM3 are accepted). The copy of your identification must be signed by your guarantor. A previous Canadian Passport may be accepted as supporting identification provided it is valid or has been expired for a period of less than one year from the date of submission of the new application and the name in the passport submitted supports the name to appear in the new passport.

Your marriage certificate if you want your passport issued in your married name and an ID showing the married name requested.

If you submit a passport application for a minor, one photo ID with signature is requested from both parents.

Your guarantor must be local and practicing. For example, I used Dr. Carlos Garcia at Clinica Maskaras for my guarantor.

The photo studios mentioned above know just what you need for your photos.

If you are a naturalized Mexican, send a photocopy of the naturalization paper. Whether you are working, studying or visiting be sure to clearly indicate where you can be reached in Mexico (address and phone #).

The fee for adult 16 and over is $100.00 Canadian or the peso equivalent for 5 years validity. It would be best to check with Ana Lilia Bara as to the conversion rate at the time of application. This payment can be made either by certified cheque (cheque certificado) or cashier’s cheque (cheque de caja) and made out to Embajada de Canada in pesos. You could also visit the Embassy’s website to confirm the peso equivalent at: www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/mexico-city/consular/assistance1-en.asp

The fees are not refundable if the application is cancelled.

You are responsible to send your documents to the Embassy. Your passport may be returned to you by courier if you include a prepaid waybill (for example, DHL, UPS, AIRBORNE etc.) at your expense.

To avoid delays in the processing of your passport application- please answer all the questions and mark those that are not applicable with N/A. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant.

The address of the Embassy to send your completed application is :

Embajada de Canada, Consular Section, Schiller 529 ,Col. Polanco, 11560, Mexico D.F.

Although these instructions may seem complicated I can assure you I received my new Canadian passport in a very timely fashion. I was a little worried about sending originals but the Embassy kept me posted, by email, as to the whereabouts of my documents and I was completely reassured and can recommend this as a very efficient process.

President Obama in Guadalajara, Mexico

Many things were on the agenda for the summit including money, drugs, H1N1, climate change and the new mandatory visas for Mexicans visiting Canada.

There has been a spike in violence and over 11,000 have been killed in Mexico due to drug related activities. The US has been more than willing to share the blame for this drug violence as the US provides the necessary market for these drugs and also has supplied approximately 95% of the guns used by the Mexican Drug Cartels. President Obama is reluctant to supply more support until he is assured that the Mexican police, military and government officials are committed to fight to make the Mexican people safe and secure in their own country.

There was talk of the continent coming together with mutual respect, bonding, and all parties are committed to reducing 80% of emissions by 2050.

Prime Minister Harper said that for the moment the mandatory visa requirement would stand citing the bogus refugee claims being unfair to legitimate refugees. He also said that the Canadian immigration laws were too weak which gave rise to this situation which is very unpopular in Mexico.

President Calderone said that he is willing to cooperate with Prime Minister Harper in getting to the root of the abuse and eliminating it so that their two countries could continue their excellent relationship.

Health and immigration reform were also discussed and questions were taken on both these subjects during the three person press conference today in Guadalajara. Obama did stress that immigration reform was in the best interest of the US. President Obama says that before the end of the year there will be a draft legislation on immigration reform.

All men seemed fully committed to working with each other to solve their mutual challenges and support each other however they can.

The summit was considered my most to be a successful exchange of ideas and a positive step forward in continuous and harmonious relations between the three countries.

Tapalpa, Jalisco, Mexico

One of our favorites is Tapalpa which is about 2 hours from Ajijic on the road to Manzanillo.

It is high up in the mountains and has many good things to commend it. First, and most important to some, is a golf course.

There is a wonderful place to stay called Casa de la Mati which is a renovated original hacienda. The rooms have stone floors, and fireplaces and wood is delivered to your door. There are very comfortable king sized beds with fluffy duvets and are very quaintly appointed. If you think it would not be cold enough for an open fire you would be wrong. As the altitude is higher it is cooler, especially at night, and there are very aromatic pine trees everywhere reminding some of their northern roots.. When we were there Casa de la Mati had a very good dining room with a floor to ceiling fireplace and also a billiard room.

Tapalpa has a Stonehenge like structure which is a must see.

There is a very old church on the plaza. Upstairs from this plaza is a great place for breakfast serving excellent scrambled eggs and chorizo and delicious hot chocolate not from a package.

Around the corner from the hotel is a store called Girasoles (Sunflowers). It reminded me of my visit to Sundance in Utah with all kinds of interesting things to buy from clothes to home accessories. Girasoles is also a nice place to have lunch. It is very old again with stone floors, white-washed walls and heavily ornate carved doors very reminiscent of old Mexico.

Other possible places to visit are San Miguel de Allende, Queretero (in Queretero one would want to stay at the Casa de la Marquese) Guanauato, Morelia and, of course, Mexico City which is a fantastic historic adventure.

We have visited all of these places and thoroughly enjoyed each and another one on our to visit list is Oaxaca, an old colonial town, of which we have heard many great things.

Viva Mexico !!!

The reason for this aggressive campaign is threefold:  the global economic crisis, the US/Mexico border drug wars and the H1N1 flu scare out of Mexico City.

These three factors have dramatically affected tourism in Mexico over the last few months.

Although the economic crisis was and is real the other two factors are not as bad as once reported.

President Filipe Calderon has partnered with the US in sharing the responsibility for the border drug wars and is actively working both with President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton to get the situation if not eradicated then certainly under control.

H1N1, although, affecting over 30,000 worldwide is much less serious than the seasonal flu and is easily treated with Tamiflu in most cases.  It no longer is an issue in Mexico.

Mexico remains, as always, a wonderful place to vacation or retire.  The main reason to come to Mexico for a holiday is the virtually guaranteed weather and the breathtaking beauty of the landscape.

Retirement in Mexico is still a very economically sound option.  Many excellent deals are to be had in purchasing property and the cost of travel is at an all time low.

We have friends who retired here or even moved here to continue working (thanks to the accessibility of the world wide web) who have lived all over the world but chose Ajijic, Lake Chapala as the best place they could imagine to live.

Canadian newspapers who once ran headlines warning people not to go to Mexico are now recanting their views saying Mexico is again (and probably was always) a safe bet.

There are so many things to commend this country and particularly our village in the sun of Ajijic, Lake Chapala.  The weather, the warmth of the Mexican people, the low cost of living, the beautiful properties available, the access to a major international airport and the proximity to Guadalajara which offers everything in a city twice the size of Toronto, Canada.

Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico and is 30 minutes from Ajiic, Lake Chapala.

I think another important factor in choosing Ajijic, Lake Chapla is life style.  Here you will feel a definite return to kinder, gentler times and who would not like that.

So Viva Mexico indeed  Come on home.

Twitter.com

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 able to see the person you are speaking with. I could open Skype first thing in the morning and leave it open all day and if my daughter needed me I could respond to her immediately as if we were in the same room.

My new favorite is twitter.com First you have to learn the language of twitter, such as tweets, twitters etc. I like to know the latest news and so I follow CNN Breaking News and it gives me all the news in point form so I don’t have to spend as much time watching CNN and waiting for what I what to know about being aired. Also you can follow your favorite TV shows and find out what is scheduled for any given day so you can make an informed decision as to whether or not to watch it. You can invite people to follow you or block anybody following that you do not wish to have on your list.

My husband and I love old movies and often we could not remember the name of some person in the movie. This would bug us until one of us did remember or until we could reach our daughter who always seemed to have the answer we were seeking. Now no more sleep is lost as you can google anything at google.com and get an immediate response to any question. In fact google is now a verb in the latest dictionaries.

I think what I love best is learning different ways to use the internet. Ajijic, Lake Chapala is largely a community of ex-pats of retirement age and there is not any better way to stay mentally alert than to use your mind everyday. Mental exercise is just as important as physical exercise is in maintaining a healthy mind and body. As my father used to say “you have to keep moving”. So log in and have fun.