Living in the Ajijic, Lake Chapala area there are many little side trips to some of the colonial cities near by, that you have to visit! I celebrated my birthday this Saturday and thought I would love to see more of my surroundings. I have lived in Mexico for a number of years now, and have yet to travel outside of my Ajijic box to see some of the charming little towns nearby.

Friday morning we packed our bags and we were off to Guanajuato! I had heard so much about San Miguel de Allende, what a beautiful town it is, and how nice the people are, that I decided I would like to visit the neighboring city of Guanajuato. Because we were only going away for the weekend, I thought San Miguel, with so much to see, would be too much to tackle in two days.

When we arrived in Guanajuato, 4 hours away, I didn’t know what to expect. I had never seen photos, or heard a lot about the area. I was once told it reminded them of little Italy and there is a great mummy museum, but that was the only information we (more…)

If you look out your window you may be lucky enough to see the heavy green mangoes on the trees with some already turning red with the sun.

June is the traditional onset of the mango season in Ajijic, Lake Chapala and is hugely anticipated by all.

The mango originated in Southeast Asia over 4,000 years ago and is the fruit most eaten raw. The mango is full of antioxidants known to stabilize free-radicals in the body which we now know cause all disease. Also they have wonderful enzymes which are excellent for good digestion.

There are many varieties of mangoes available in Mexico. The most popular being the Haden. Also there are the Kent (dark red color), the Tommy/Atkins (similar to the Kent), the Keitt (red and green) and the very popular Ataulfo (smaller, yellow and very sweet).

A couple of our favorite recipes for mangoes are (more…)

Neill James is an icon of Ajijic history who worked with the Mexican community for over 50 years. When she died she bequeathed her vast property at Calle 16 de Septiembre in Ajijic to house the Lake Chapala Society.

LCS is a non-profit organization which has legally operated in Ajijic for over 50 years.

For many the Lake Chapala Society Directory published every year alone is worth the price of admission. All expats are listed in this directory along with business and government listings very valuable to the newcomer and residents alike.

A very reasonable part time or full time membership offers many benefits:

Free mail service is an exceptional service.

There are free preventative medical programs and discounts on doctor’s visits, first-class restaurants and membership in a mega-store.

Also access to the LSC Library with over 20,000 English books and access (more…)

I have written before about the challenges of banking in Ajijic, LakeChapala.

Things, however, have come a long way in the 15 years we have lived here. One no longer has to sign over their first born to make a deposit.

Normally, I am now capable of doing all of our corporate and personal banking without incident and with a minimum of bloodshed.

Most of the banks here now have English speaking staff to help the expats complete their transactions and online there is English now available.

The wonderful English speaking person we have, however, is not actually located (more…)

President Filipe Calderon Hinojosa was born August 18th, 1962 in Morelia, Michoacan and is married to Margarita and has 3 children.

President Calderon has a Bachelor;s Degree in Law and 2 Master”s Degrees in Economics and Public Administration.

Because of his legislative leadership and performance President Calderon was awarded the “NAFTA Congressional Leadership Award” from the Mexico-U S Chamber of Commerce of the “World Leaders of the Future” of the World Economic forum from 1997-2000.

President Calderon has met with both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to discuss immigration reform, the drug wars affecting both countries and a myriad (more…)

Although 36 cases of H1N1 (swine flu) have now been reported in Jalisco the symptoms are still reported as no worse that the seasonal flu and those with suspected cases or who have come in contact with a person having H1N1 flu are given Tamiflu immediately.

If there is a positive to this outbreak it is the cost of flying to Mexico on many airlines has been reduced by up to 50%.

For those of you considering buying property in Ajijic, Lake Chapala or looking into retiring here this would be a very good time to come and see if this is the place for you.

Although we have been affected by the global economic crisis we (more…)

One of our best kept secrets from the snowbirds (people coming here from November to April) is the magnificence of our rainy season.

The word is out the first of the rainbirds have been heard by locals. These rainbirds, which are actually large insects, trumpet the onset of the rainy season in about 6 weeks. Having said that we did have a lovely thunder storm last week.

April was a wonderful month this year without the heat that is usually associated with it.

May on the other hand is warm but now that the rainbirds have been heard relief is on its way.

We are beautifully situated on Lake Chapala and those of us who are lucky enough to have lake views we marvel at the dramatic ribbons of lightening that run the length of the lake and we can (more…)

This amazing retreat is located about half way up the Raquet Club in San Juan Cosala. Even many of the locals and Ajijic Real Estate agents are unfamiliar with this hidden gem. Approximately 20 years ago, a local doctor had a vision. His dream was to recreate what our prehispanic ancestors had created many years ago, including pyramids, Mayan symbols, snakes, spirals, thermal waters, and by using quartz and obsidian throughout the grounds. What he created was a magical place to relax, appreciate the nature we are so fortunate to have here, and many take advantage of the tranquil atmosphere to meditate and regroup.

For many years Monte Coxala was left untouched, uncompleted. It wasn’t until about 6 years ago that the grounds were finished and turned into a spa. Monte Coxala is now fulfilling its purpose as a spa, where you have several different kinds of massages to choose from, various outdoor, (more…)

This morning I went about my usual chores of paying the phone bill, paying health plan fees, buying dog food and ,as usual, groceries.

When I came home I turned on CNN and was delighted to hear that, according to authorities, the H1N1 Virus (Swine Flu) was lessening in Mexico City. It is their belief that the worst is over and the number of confirmed cases has leveled off and is, in fact, on the decline. They went on to say that all businesses are able to reopen on Wednesday of this week.

Some schools will remain closed until inspections are complete but are expected to reopen next Monday.

This was music to my ears. Although the H1N1 Virus did not reach Ajijic or Guadalajara many steps were taken in an abundance of caution. Schools, restaurants, bars and all unessential (more…)

Many of you know that I am a fan of The Daly Show with Jon Stewart.

I have enjoyed watching Jon as a comedian on the Comedy Networkl for years but lately I have developed an even greater respect for him as an extremely intelligent and decent human being.

Last night his guest was Cliff May, the President of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and the subject was torture. Cliff opened the discussion by saying “how are you going to make this funny?” which sparked off a spirited debate that had to be edited for time. The full interview is available on Jon’s website www.thedailyshow.com

Cliff was defending the use of torture for some high level Al Qaeda operatives. He said “it is very carefully done with a doctor present to stop it so it cannot kill them or go over the line”.

A very adamant Jon said that any torture of any kind for any reason is not only un-American it is against the law and against the rules of the Geneva Convention. He went on to say we are no better than the terrorists if we torture prisoners and, therefore, there is no justification (more…)