The Internet in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico

When we first arrived in Ajijic in 1994 to say that internet servers were spotty would be an understatement. Things, thankfully, have improved over the years and now we have several competent servers to choose from albeit consistent internet on a daily basis is still a hope for the future. Of course, the frequent power outages are also a challenge consisting of rebooting and reconnecting various electronic devices.

The first thing I do when I get up in the morning, after feeding my three dogs of course, is sit down with my coffee at my laptop and being my day.

When my daughter first went to London, England in 2007 she set me up on Facebook so that I would be able to receive pictures and videos from her. I have since found Facebook to be a very valuable tool for many other features and networking.

I also have Skype which is not only a very cheap long distance program which not only has dramatically reduced my phone bill from Telmex but also has a chat feature much like MSN or AOL. Another great feature is that you can transfer funds to anyone who also has Skype. (If you had any funds to transfer.)

So the first thing I do is open the chat window of Skype to see if my daughter is online.

This morning my husband asked me (at 5:00 a.m). if our daughter was online so I said I would turn on the computer to see. She was not but by the time I got back to bed he was happily sleeping again and me not so much. She did come on soon after and we caught up on all the news just as we would when she was at home.

Then I check all my bank accounts. We have funds in Canada, the US and here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala and I can move these funds around and pay bills with the click of a mouse in all 3 countries with online banking. This is a huge asset here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala as bill paying can be somewhat of a challenge although things have greatly improved in this area since 1994.

Then I check my business websites and deal with anything there that is required. This is followed by checking email and sending and receiving any messages which make life so much easier than playing the time consuming and exhausting game of phone tag.

After checking several other daily news websites I do a few crossword puzzles and leave my Skype chat window open so if our daughter needs me I am here. That makes us both feel good.

Internet and Phone Service in Lake Chapala, Ajijic, Mexico

Here in Ajijic/Lake Chapala we have multiple servers to chose from. There is laguna.com.mx, prodigy.net and the cable television provider, Telecable, also have internet service. The rates are comparable and high speed wireless is also available. Almost all areas are eligible for service but it wise to check before you decide to rent or buy.

Telmex is our phone service but also available are options like Vonage and Skype for your computer making long distance charges considerably less.

These options were not available to us 14 years ago but now staying in touch by MSN or by phone is a pedazo de pastel. (Piece of cake.)

There are also many companies able to get you hooked up and look after all your technical needs at very reasonable price with speedy service available. One such company is New World Technologies centrally located in Ajijic. English, of course, is spoken.

So come on down to Ajijic/Lake Chapala and talking to your kids or grandchildren can be a daily activity.