dichosalocura

We ordered some nice bamboo chopping blocks on amazon, we plan on using the oil to keep them protected. I went to several pharmacies in Chapala today and nobody seems to have it. It is called aceite mineral de grado alimenticio. They tell me to check at a kitchen supply store. They sell it on mercado libre for around 160 pesos. I guess I will just order some. But thanks.

Ok thanks Angus. I asked at a small farmacia yesterday and they seemed clueless. I'll check with Ahuacatlan pharmacy this afternoon. And no, we don't need it as a laxative, eating lots of mangoes and pitayas, no problem there.

Hello, has anybody seen food grade mineral oil for sale anywhere in Chapala or perhaps in Ajijic? Thanks.

As of 2 am we are experiencing another heavy thunderous downpour in Chapala. Has the rainy season finally begun? It is a week early, I believe, because I always remember it occurring normally on the second week of June. But by all means, let it rain, let it rain!

We may get some occasional heavy rains starting at 6 pm or later and some at 7 or 8 am for a brief while. But the grand bulk of the heavy heavy monsoon type rains mostly come at night, fortunately for us. Every now and then, during a pacific hurricane, we may get an all day chipi chipi, light sprinkle type of rain, which is normally attributed to a passing hurricane. The days are sometimes sunny and often times overcast. Overcast days are much cooler, and the summer time temperatures in general hover in and around 80 degrees or so. Very pleasant, cool, and refreshing feeling on most days. A wonderful and welcoming change after our very hot and dry month of May!

I am surprised nobody mentioned the rain we had last night at around 1:30 am. It rained a good heavy steady rain for over 2 hours or so. ¿Será que esté empezando?

Just remember that scorpions are more common in the rural areas like many fraccs and in the newer built up areas that were recently in a wild state. They are less common in the towns. In downtown Chapala with my decent sized lot full of vegetation I might see one every two years. And almost never in the house. We put up rubber strips under each door which keeps most of them out. Definitely spend time in each area to experience their good and bad. Each area is unique!

Same in downtown Chapala.

Come on guys, we only have another week to two weeks with this acalorón or freakin hot temperatures. They call this a dry heat, but gosh, after feeling this, how could anyone every want to live on the coast, is beyond my comprehension. But once the rains arrive, it will cool things down quite a bit. I can´t wait! The good news is, is that our extreme hot temps last about a month or so...........in my North Carolina it lasts for about three months or more! OUCH! But at least there, most people have A/C.

Thanks Angus, and yeah I noticed the picture of the pitahaya instead of the pitaya right away. All they do is look for pictures on google to put in their articles, why couldn't they have just found a pitaya picture? We purchased a ice cream maker the other day on Amazon and made our first pitaya ice cream, it was delicious!

CNN.COM has an interesting article on the pitayas from Techaluta. I would post the link but my old ipod is not very user friendly any more. It prefers to always fight with me.

If arriving the second week of June, that is our official start of the rainy season here. Rain comes mostly late evening and early mornings, think heavy monsoon rain - have an umbrella on hand in the late afternoons. In all honesty, there are not a lot of sights and must do's in the area, apart from walking the gorgeous malecones, hanging out in the small but quaint plazas and checking out the restaurant scene. Carolina summed it up quite nicely. I would also like to suggest, while in Chapala, check out the magnificient train station and the leafy Cristiania Park, and perhaps take a boat ride ride out on the lake to Scorpion Island or Mezcala Island with the latter being the more interesting. The short day trips from the lake are fun. Check out downtown Guadalajara and beautiful Tlaquepaque. If you like high class and gorgeous zoos, there is none finer than the Guadalajara Zoo and its African Safari, one of the nicest in the world. You could also check out the archaeological park of Los Guachimontones, the only round pyramids in all of Mexico. Or just take a day trip driving around the lake and visiting the small towns along the way. There also old haciendas not terribly far away to explore. You could also hike up to the water falls of Tepalo, just above Ajijic. Have fun and don't feel rushed, it is a very relaxing area, it is nothing like spending a week in Rome with 200 must see sights to see in 7 days, hehehe.

I only know of one, but he AIN'T reliable, so I won't recommend him, and also he will nickle and dime you to death. His name is one of the few names that come up if you search for painters on this forum.

I'm not the most technological savy person around, I was only trying to provide other possible options. But, yeah, any texting app should do. Whatsapp is very commonly used in Latin America, Europe, and Asia, but not so much by Americans. Its, I think, the most popular texting app around the world outside the USA.

If you download the free app whatsapp, my guess is, as long as you have internet, you can text anybody in the world who has whatsapp, regardless of what country you are in. Just make sure whoever you are going to be texting, that they have whatsapp, if not ask them to download, it justs takes a second and its free.

Well, honesty is always the key. I am not involved in real estate, any local business, nor do I work for the local government. I don't get to decide how the municipio uses its money. Being a full time resident of Chapala, I am very happy that we are getting new smooth streets and sidewalks, I'm not going to lie. Don't forget that Chapala is the cabecera municipal. It ain't always fair, but that is the way it is. Chapala has been needing an upgrade probably for more than half a century, ever since Madero was widened in the 50's. Ajijic is still a very nice place, it is much more colorful and more quaint than Chapala. But it is really filling up of lately.

In Chapala we had that experience yesterday (Weds) at around 5 pm. Monsoon type rains with large hail covering everything, bouncing aroung like ping pong balls. Tonight all we had in Chapala was a steady shower with no hail starting around six ish.

Drew, I have always heard expats brag about how wonderful Costa Rica is, I have never been there before, could you please briefly explain why you are moving here and how would you compare or rate Chapala to living in Costa Rica. By the way, I would also recommend that you check out Chapala also. Living here is cheaper than Ajijic including rent, shopping, market, etc. Years ago, many expats living in Ajijic used to believe that Chapala was a dump and Ajijic was the crowned jewel of the lake. Well times are changing and Chapala has caught up to its little sister to the West. Over the past few years they have been replacing many of our broken streets and sidewalks with nice new and smooth paving stones. The restaurant and bar scene has improved and things in Chapala are starting to really shine. Most of the local tax money is being spent on Chapala's infrastructure first. Now it is the Ajijicans who are starting to get envious. By the way, they are just ten minutes apart from one another on the carretera or highway. Either way, both towns are fine places to live, both with their pluses and minuses, of course. Good luck with your new adventure!

If he is the same Raul, a youngish guy in his late 20's, that was suggested to us on this forum, I would not use him. Been down that road and done it, but never again, and for many reasons. Use Gustavo!

If in Ajijic, possibly check the key kiosko next to Salvadors, if in Chapala, the Aragon locksmith guy has them most of the time, he is on Morelos a block or so from the plaza if I remember correctly.

Just remember, Telecable is no longer Telecable, it has been bought out by Izzi Cable. They seem to prefer the easy and cheap, hence their name Izzi. The first thing they did was get rid of the US network channels coming in via satellite.

Could you post some pictures, it would be interesting to see how it differs from the standard mexican roof.

Between Ajijic and San Juan Cosala there is a cacti nursery. I have never been to it before, but I would think they would have a good selection of succulents, and maybe they could provide you with the information you need. Good luck. But if you have any specific questions in general, just post them here. Someone will have the knowledge to answer them, I'm sure.

Astronomy is fascinating, but urban environments like the Chapala area are not quite suitable to see the stars that good. Too many lights. Our elevation and dry weather here in Jalisco is a major plus but the sky is much more visible out in the country away from the city lights.

Thank you so much for your recomendations. We had each one come over and give us a quote and then we picked one to do the job. We chose Gustavo, his quote seemed more reasonable and we liked his knowledgeable answers to our questions. Thanks again.