More Liana

If this is any help to you, I need to have a lightweight package (4 scarves, 0.67 lb) sent from the States to Mexico City. FedEx shipping price is $85USD--not for overnight, just standard shipping. USPS Priority is $35USD. That's not duty--or what you called tax. That's just the shipping charge.

Walmart, in the egg section.

Thanks for the memory-jog, pappy! I used to see that sign all the time and loved it. Do you know Paquita La Del Barrio, the iconic Mexican singer? "Rata de dos Patas" is one of her most famous songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9obV__MFMaY

Telmex has reported that this outage affects the entire country and into the USA. Even the Telmex telephone lines aren't working. Some people are reporting that Infinitum comes up and lasts a few minutes and then goes back down. I doubt that this is much consolation, but it's not just you folks at Lakeside who are affected.

Joco, thanks for taking the time to look this up. As in many things, this is yet another that differs from place to place. At the Farmacia Similares in Mexico City where I shop, a prescription is required. YMMV.

Joco, one also needs a prescription for any controlled substance--whether it's something very strong for pain relief or whether it's a psychotropic drug taken for a mental health issue. Farmacia Similares does indeed sell controlled substances, including psychotropics.

Amanda mentioned that she has Asperger's Syndrome and doesn't make friends easily. Maybe one or more of you who have responded would like to meet Amanda for coffee. Amanda, I live in Mexico City so can't meet you. Best wishes in making new friends at Lakeside!

If you use Facebook, take a look at their FB page. Lots more much better looking furniture there. https://www.facebook.com/MarqCó-by-Covadonga-Hernandez-301094829937842/

I really like the designs that this Mexico City company produces. I've seen (and sat on and slept on) the furniture; the quality is excellent. http://marqco.com/beta/

Similar situation in Mexico City, arguably the most expensive city in Mexico. The woman who works for me arrives at 7:30AM and leaves at 3:00PM or sometimes later, depending on her own schedule here. I pay her the going rate for domestic workers: 400 pesos a day. No one here--as far as I know--pays domestic workers by the hour. She brings something with her from the street for breakfast (coffee and a pan dulce, usually) and prefers to go home for comida with her family rather than eat a meal here. We have a purely business arrangement: I don't know her family, I don't know her financial circumstances--although I know that she has other domestic work every day--and I don't loan her money, bring her gifts from any of my travels, support her two children's education, or otherwise treat her as other than an employee. She's worked for me for about four years; she's happy, I'm happy. When retired foreigners ask me why I'm not involved with her personal life, I usually ask, "Remember when you worked? Was your employer involved with your personal life? Did he or she support your children's education, or bring you gifts from his or her vacations? Did your employer loan you money?" The answer is generally no--you did your job, you got your paycheck, you had a business relationship with your employer. Friendly in the office or the plant, of course--but that was it. That's certainly how my work life was. YMMV.

Nope, not this one. The current gas shortage is being caused by other thieves siphoning off money.

CHILLIN, I'm curious to know where you buy "local fresh raised, farmyard chickens".

"Bone broth" has been known as (beef, chicken, fish) stock forever. "Bone broth" is only remarkable because it is so easy and such a throwback to making our own meals. I ALWAYS have a gallon or so of beef or chicken stock in the freezer--right now, I even have a gallon of shrimp and fish stock. I most recently made 15-hour beef stock: roasted marrow and other beef bones, small amount of herbs, celery, carrots, a leek or an onion, and bring to a boil. Skim stock to remove foam, turn down the heat to as low as you can get it, and simmer it (with the pot top tilted to allow steam to escape) for hours and hours. Remember to add hot water as the stock evaporates. Be sure not to let the pot simmer dry! The last batch of beef broth simmered for 15 hours; the last batch of chicken broth simmered for 6 hours. It's roasting the bones before simmering them that gives the broth the really deep flavor one wants. Once the simmering is finished, I partially cool the broth, remove all the bones and vegetables, then chill the broth until any fat congeals on top of the liquid. It's easy to remove the solid fat. Then I freeze the clear broth in gallon zip-lock bags, laid flat on a cookie sheet until frozen. Then stack the flat bags in the freezer--they take up very little space that way.

Sweet corn is grown in Querétaro and available in season, fresh on the cob, in many Mexican supermarkets and tianguis. There are several brands, including Mr. Lucky.

Superama is a grocery store; it's the high end store in the Walmart stable. Lowest-end is Bodega Aurrera, middle is Walmart, high end is Superama. The easiest Superama to find in Guadalajara is on Av. Aztecas, just a few blocks north of Av. México. When you pass Plaza México as you are driving east, it's the first traffic light. Turn left and continue past the traffic circle. Superama will be on your right at the corner.

Sorry...Superama will not deliver to a place where they do not have a store. There are many Superama stores in Guadalajara, Morelia, etc, but none in Ajijic. Go to the Walmart website (http://www.walmart.com.mx) and try to register. The website will let you know if the Ajijic Walmart delivers.

Go to Superama's website. Register and choose the store you want to be 'your' store. Order what you need using Superama's drop-down department menus. You can pay by debit card or credit card (online) or with cash paid to the delivery man. For a small fee, they'll bring your order to your house. Because the fee is the same whether you order one item or a lot, I usually wait to order until I am nearly out of a bunch of staples. Superama's ground sirloin is excellent, by the way. Walmart will also deliver to your home. The process is the same: register, choose your store, and order what you need. Same choices for payment, but Walmart offers your first delivery free, and subsequent deliveries free if you purchase more than 1000 pesos at one time. Same excellent ground sirloin. Fair warning: items are sometimes in odd departments, but both stores have excellent search services. Both stores send you an email to confirm your order. Both stores call you to let you know if they are out of an item you want; you can change your order at the time they call, if need be. I tried ordering produce (apples, tomatoes, etc) from both stores and no longer do that. If you're not picky about what you get, you might be satisfied with what they send you. I'm picky, so I like to choose personally at a tianguis or market near me. Have fun! It's a wonderful service.

WELL! Today I was placing an order online with Superama. My wife the bread maker asked for a couple of bags of Tres Estrellas flour. I discovered that in the online flour 'aisle', Superama offers Le 5 Stagioni 00 pizza flour. I googled around and discovered that its protein percent is 11.5 or higher. Wife wants to try it, so I ordered a kilo. Mexman, you might want to check it out. http://www.superama.com.mx Click on the DESPENSA tab, then the HARINAS category is on the bottom line, third from the right. Click on 'De Trigo'. Then on the left you'll see brand names; just look for Le 5 Stagioni and put a check mark in the box.

If you look at the Munsa website, you'll see that the pizza 'flour' contains: harina de trigo, aceite vegetal, manteca vegetal, azúcar, sal yodatada y acondicionadores de masa. It's flour pre-prepared for pizza with a lot of extraneous ingredients, and is not the hard-wheat flour that the OP is seeking.

Most drugs in Mexico have the caveat that their sale requires a prescription. However, as far as I know the only drugs that actually DO require a prescription are antibiotics and controlled substances, including many psychotropic medicines.

What Travis Said.

No, it is not correct. The area code (LADA) for Guadalajara is 33. It is NOT 331. You need to separate the LADA from the telephone number. 33-1000-0000. I know it still 'seems' the same, but it is NOT the same. For example, if your dog gets out of your car and disappears in Guadalajara, a person in Guadalajara will not generally understand if the first numbers are 331. It's a TWO digit area code and an EIGHT digit phone number. The Guadalajaran will only need to call eight digits, without the LADA.

?? Two digit AREA CODES plus eight digit telephone numbers. My landline phone number in Mexico City, for example, is 55-5XXX-XXXX. Sr. Fulano's landline phone number in Ajijic is 376-766-XXXX. Sra. Fulana's landline phone number in Guadalajara is 33-3XXX-XXXX. Of course they all add up to 10 digits, but the configuration is different. I don't understand your point.

Mexico City (55), Guadalajara (33), and Monterrey (81) are the only three cities in Mexico which have two-digit area codes and eight-digit telephone numbers. Here's a list of 100 Mexican cities and their clave LADA (area code): http://www.claveladade.info/

Mamá Coneja, in the retail section of the Mercado de Abastos, has every extract you could possibly need for baking. The store also carries nuts of all kinds by the kilo, chocolate by the kilo, beans, seeds, and things you never thought you needed but won't be able to live without.