April 6th, 2010, a new INM office was opened in Chapala on Avenida Hidalgo # 271 in Chapala. This new 3 story office is two blocks east of the Monte Carlo Hotel on the mountain side. Business hours are 9:00 am – 1:00 pm Monday to Friday.

INM (National Migration Institute) will be able to process all your FM2 an FM3 needs without going in to Guadalajara.

English is spoken (about 60%) but the paperwork is in Spanish so you might need someone to help you with that. Many of the forms are available online to speed up the process. Their website is: www.inm.gob.mx
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We are very lucky here now in Ajijic, Lake Chalapa. We have several internet servers to choose from.

I would like to tell you about is Infinitum which is available from Telmex.

They have three packages to choose from depending on the speed you require and your budget.
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A post I saw on Facebook gave me an idea for this blog. A lot of people are worried at the moment because things don’t seem as good as usual in Ajijic, Lake Chapala.

The post said that although things are not so good here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala it is the same worldwide and this too shall pass.
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I know I have blogged about Laurent before but after last night’s dinner I wanted to blog about it again.

Laurent is the wonderful French chef at Laurent Cuisine at Hotel Casa Blanca in Ajijic on 16 de Septiembre # 29 across from the Lake Chapala Society.
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Now that we have the internet seeing a potential property to buy has never been easier. We have GIL (the equivalent of MLS) and photo galleries and virtual tours online of all the properties available in our area of Ajijic, Lake Chapala.

You can go online and search all the real estate brokers in the area and find the one that best suits your needs. Remember how it is to find someone that you trust and that will answer all of your questions about a new country with knowledge and patience.
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My husband and I are blessed with three children. We have two girls and a boy. It is difficult to explain to someone who has not had children, even by choice, how strong the bond of love is between a parent and a child.

Now that we have a grandson it has brought back the wonderful memories of when we had our children. When we first knew I was pregnant and later found out we were having a boy, my husband came home with flowers and a football. When we did have our son we felt like we were the cleverest people in the world and no one else had ever achieved such joy. My husband gave me a Cartier watch and slept in the hospital room with us. We were euphoric and the love we felt for our boy knew no bounds.
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There is a new cocina, arte, café on Colon # 41, in Ajijic and their telephone # is 045 331 071 0293. Their email address is ritchie88.cocina@hotmail.com

Ritchie’s is open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and at the moment they are closed on Mondays. After September 16th they are going to be closed on Tuesdays instead.

Ritchie’s specialize in breakfast, lunch, desserts, drinks, and cold and hot coffee drinks and they also serve beer and wine.
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This is a place that all newcomers need to know about. The reason for this is all houses in Ajijic, Lake Chapala seem to have a different key for every door and in the case of larger houses this can run to a very heavy key ring indeed.

Why it is necessary to have a different key for every door is something I have never been able to figure out despite extensive interrogation but there you have it.
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This is an expression I have used often in the past having had more than my share of personal and family illnesses.

Albeit Health Care in Canada is wonderful and free you don’t always get the information you want or need about your own body and the results of tests. One always has to wait for the information to get to your doctor and then you are given said information and results at that appointment. This process could take several weeks and now even months.
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THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC REALITY

First: A reality check on Mexico

Mexico is in a unique position to reap many of the benefits of the decline of the US economy. In order to not violate NAFTA and other agreements the U.S.A. cannot use direct protectionism, so it is content to allow the media to play this protectionist role. The U.S. media – over the last year – has portrayed Mexico as being on the brink of economic collapse and civil war. The Mexican people are either beheaded, kidnapped, poor, corrupt, or narco-traffickers. The American news media was particularly aggressive in the weeks leading up to spring break. The main reason for this is money. During that two-week period, over 120,000 young American citizens poured into Mexico and left behind hundreds of millions of dollars.

Let’s look at the reality of the massive drug and corruption problem, kidnappings, murders and money. The U.S. Secretary of State Clinton was clear in her honest assessment of the problem. “Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent the weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers and civilians,” Clinton said. The other large illegal business that is smuggled into the U.S.A. that no one likes to talk about is Human Traffic for prostitution. This “business” is globally now competing with drugs in terms of profits.
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