CFE in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico

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 CNN while I check all my sites on my laptop. I put the milk in the microwave to heat up for my decaf cappuccino and naturally nothing happened.

Laundry was out of the question and this was the day I had earmarked to wash 2 rugs and our duvet cover for the bed as the puppies had been bathed yesterday.

The dishwasher usually humming happily in the morning was eerily silent as was the fridge.

I was crestfallen without all my gadgets that are so much a part of my morning routine. I called my sister in Canada as luckily we still had one phone in the house that was still in working order and complained happily to her about my non electrical plight and then prepared to go for my walk.

First I called the office of Chula Vista to see what was happening with the electricity. I had already, to no avail, tried to get through to the emergency number 071 of CFE. I was assured that the outage had been reported and service would resume as quickly as possible. In the past this has given me no feeling of confidence as it has sometimes been hours before service was restored.

So you can imagine my delight when at 9:45 am I looked up in the kitchen and the lights were on! I was elated and ran to turn on my laptop and commence my morning rituals.

It would appear that CFE now has a much better grasp of identifying and fixing whatever problems might arise during the rainy season. I, for one are delighted with their progress.

Telmex and CFE in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico

In those early days here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala bill paying was not such a snap. First you had to find your bill and look sharp about it as your service was cut off by a certain date if the bill in question was not paid. People would come to your house making scissor signs with their hands and you knew you were in trouble.

We were renting then had to find out the name of the person on the Telmex bill which may or may not be the person from whom you were renting. Then armed with the correct name you had to go to the post office in Chapala and, hopefully, speak enough Spanish to secure said bill. You then proceeded to the Chapala Telmex office and stand in a line that circled the block to have the opportunity to pay your bill in cash, of course.

CFE was a little easier although you still had to know the correct name on the bill. You had the option of paying your bill at the CFE office in Chapala and you had about a 2 hour window when they would kindly accept your payment. Then CFE had a wonderful notion of allowing you to pick up your bill at various outlets along the main carretara. Naturally, they did not tell you where your specific bill would be and so began the adventure of finding your bill through word of mouth, hopefully before the cutoff date.

Ah but a new day has dawned and both our Telmex and CFE bills come to our door. Well at least they are thrown over the gate or wall.

CFE is paid every two months and runs anywhere from $800.00 to $6,000.00 pesos for the average household depending on your array of electronic items. Although the electricity does go out frequently you can call 071 24/7 to make a report and service is usually restored within hours as opposed to the days it once was.

Telmex now has an office in Ajijic and the basic rate is approx. $150.00 pesos then, of course, all long distance charges and various other charges are added to that. Cell phone charges being the most expensive. We suggest either Skype or Vonage so your phone bill does not bankrupt you.

Unfortunately, neither of these companies have any competition so dealing with them can be tricky. If you do find a discrepancy on your Telmex or CFE bill (and you will) you can dispute it with a fluent Spanish speaking friend but I have yet to win any of those disputes.

These bills can also be paid on line or automatically through you Mexican bank which makes life much easier albeit less adventurous than in the past.