pedro malo

Thank you for your always, good information!

Go to the Registro Civil's office on the main plaza in Joco.  If one or both parties are US citizens, or US citizen marrying Mexican, you will need a permit to marry.  Don't know if English is spoken.  

My Mexican wife and I were married there in 2012.  But the paperwork we had to get took about a month to gather for a US/ Mexican matrimoño.  You aren't approaching this with enough time unless things have changed.  Possibly you don't need the permits if 2 foreigners getting married.  Back then a blood test of both was required.

Dr. Eloy Barragan, the best Dentist I've found so far Lakeside.  

This from a dental technician with over 40 years experience who is the only qualified critic of a dentist work (other than another dentist) based on a dentist's clinical/technical ability.  

As posters mentioned Tequila is great but consider visiting its neighboring town Amatitlan with the Tequila Express Train.  They have live Mariachis playing in the isles and tequila flowing with no end that leaves from Guadalajara and tours Hacienda Herradura with folkloric performances and an incredible banquet with huge variety of Mexican dishes to try.  Hacienda Herradura is the last old Hacienda where the tequila is still made on site since 1870.  The others are produced in modern facilities off site from their respective old Haciendas.  It's touristy but also a blast and you better have someone to pick you up at the train station on the return since no one will be in any condition to drive!

When I got married years ago I took my visiting family and wedding party and we just had a blast.  Tickets can be bought locally in Ajijic.  Used to be at the Chamber of Commerce at the Ajijic Plaza but don't know if that even exists anymore.  My favorite part were the Mariachis playing in the isles there and back!

Thank you ajijicbound!  I think this is the program I had heard about.  Will put the family in contact.

I had heard that the expat community had a scholarship program for local students that needed help paying for their studies.  We know of a wonderful Mexican family with two incredibly bright daughters with perfect marks that need financial help with their schooling.

Can anyone provide contact information for this program, where one could apply for and contribute to the program?

Thank you for your help!

pm

On 8/18/2023 at 7:23 AM, Brian Dalziel said:

The IT Lake Chapala Facebook Group maintains a list of local IT service providers.  They use the Dropbox file hosting service to share the list with the community:

Resource Guide
Updated 8/17/2023
https://tinyurl.com/ITLC-guide

Thank you again Brian!  Samuel Kovac from the guide you sent responded and will be able to help my granddaughter.  Also, thank you Lou for the great leads and tips which I wish I had been computer savvy enough to follow myself but sadly unable to!  And the rest of the posters here who offered helpful advice and gave of their time.  As always, I'm very grateful!

1 hour ago, Lou Quillio said:

For a recent Windows PC, there is a free HP Smart app in the Microsoft store that should do the job, and should be multilingual.

https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/hp-smart/9WZDNCRFHWLH

LQ

Thank you Lou.  Both granddaughter and I are computer challenged so the link might as well be in Latin.  Need someone to help us decipher this and tutor granddaughter. 

Thank you for your help and reply!

3 hours ago, Brian Dalziel said:

The IT Lake Chapala Facebook Group maintains a list of local IT service providers.  They use the Dropbox file hosting service to share the list with the community:

Resource Guide
Updated 8/17/2023
https://tinyurl.com/ITLC-guide

Thank you Brian.  This guide has been the most helpful so far.  I've sent Samuel Kovac an email to see if he can help us and am awaiting a response.

Thank you so much for your help!

pm

3 hours ago, ibarra said:

No, deceased.

I'm so sorry to hear that!  Always afraid to ask that question here given that most of us are on the back end of life here.  He was a great contributor to this forum.

I'm looking to hire a IT person or someone knowledgeable with HP computers and printers to help my granddaughter.  We gifted her a new HP Envy from the U.S. and bought her a new HP printer at Soriana and need someone to mate the two, and possibly an additional HP printer that is 4 years old that she could never get to work for lack of knowledge about needing to download the correct drivers, etc.  She thought she could just plug it in and it would work with her old computer. 

Person must also have a basic command of Spanish as my granddaughter does not speak or understand English and be willing to drive to Joco for the session.  Need to know what hourly wage is charged as well.

Any recommendations on such a person?  Is Computer Guy still around?

Thank you for your help!

pedro

Thank you Ferret!

It sounds like your's has been a good experience because you knew what you were getting into Ferret.  I'm glad for you.  

I also bought the lots next door and have recently contemplated tearing it down and having a larger place built by one of those excellent builders you mention.  Can you give any names on this forum?

7 minutes ago, Ferret said:

There are limitations in what an Inspector can achieve here without, literally, digging into the walls and down to the foundation. Can't see the electrical, the plumbing (gas and water), the foundation etc. etc. etc. Crappy brick work covered with a nice cement finish., hokey septic systems and the list goes on and on. Indeed, buyer beware! Either watch it being built and know what you are looking at or buy something that's been standing for a while. Too many corners being cut for the sake of profit and no building Inspections whatsoever. There are excellent builders out there so, please, do your due diligence.

Excellent advice Ferret and dave0415 was also correct that part of the blame was my own inexperience with Mexico.  And trusting a realtor (who's no longer in business) and was co-owner of the house he sold me.

But the point here is that if an inspector does not "dig in a little" and offer something more than the same observations the buyer is capable of, then how does one justify theirs services?  I could see that the house was beautiful on the outside.  I hired Brad expecting him to tell me something about the condition of the "inside".

An expensive lesson I learned indeed.

On 7/26/2023 at 4:33 AM, dave0415 said:

And you expect that an inspection carries a lifetime warranty? As an afterthought. A home inspection after  a home is built can only report on what can be seen. The proper thing would have been Brad supervise the construction. But that is expensive but wise. You can only blame the builder and your own inexperience with Mexico

 

The house was built in 2008 and I purchased it new, never having been lived in (after inspection) in 2010.  Within 3 years it began to fall apart.  I first attributed it to the ground sinking/shifting problems they have around Lakeside although none of my neighbors have any problems.  Various abañils which I've hired to shore up the problems have pointed out construction inadequacies like faulty materials used in the foundation and voids in the ceilings and walls.  They've discovered many of them by simply tapping the surfaces and listening for hollow sounds and digging a little around the foundation.  You'd think an engineer could have employed similar measures when inspecting the structure if not more sophisticated ones?

Brad is a hell of a nice guy but I do not believe he's a "structural" engineer.

It's a crap shoot buy a house Lakeside given there are no protections like title insurance, etc.  I assumed buying a "new" house would garantee structural integrity, especially having it "professionally" inspected but no such luck.

Buyer beware!

On 2/14/2023 at 9:46 AM, Mainecoons said:

Just don't.  Here or anywhere else these days.

Very good advice.  Especially for Mexico these days.

I have to disagree.  I hired Brad Grieve a dozen years ago to inspect my new home and got a "cookie cutter" inspection report that seemed unrelated to the specifics of the house.  The conclusion was the house was of "average" construction with no problems noted.  The house is falling in around me today only a little over decade later.  Don't waste your money.

Thank you so much for your experiences and especially for the hospital link Ferret!  My wife will be so pleased she doesn't have to venture into Guadalajara for this.

As always, such a wonderful resource this community is! 

Is there anywhere Lakeside where one could have a CT Scan taken or is this a Guadalajara go to?

Thank you!

17 hours ago, bmh said:

it is easy to say when you are not affected by the mess not to pass judgement  but after being dumped on the side of the road  kms from any transportation sometimes in storms as the night comes you quickly   learn how not to sympathize with the students and their teachers. You do not have these problems in Chapala . The 60 s are a long time ago..and left me with no sympathy for rioters.

I was in my 3rd year at the Sorbonne in 68 so  I remember May 68 and the warehouse where i worked  in Los Angeles  was burned down  during  the Rodney King riots  so I have seen a few riots  and I still do not sympathize with rioters. 

 

Bridget, every Mexican I know that has had their bus commandeered by student thugs, although not wishing death on them, feel they were looking for trouble and found it in Iguala.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This seems to be a common practice among students here in Mexico.  My wife was on a bus between Zihuatanejo and Acapulco when it was taken over by students.  Passengers were put out along the side of the road to fend for themselves and to figure out how to make it to their destination.

A stupid, selfish and inconsiderate practice and we all know that stupid gets you killed in Mexico.  They sure did pay for it in Iguala.

On 7/29/2020 at 11:09 AM, Willie said:

Just remember that if they used an oil based product the first time, you cannot use an acrylic product on top of that.

This is what must have happened in our situation using Sellacril?

On 7/29/2020 at 11:59 AM, mudgirl said:

 

The bad stuff that peels is Sellacril.  

Mudgirl is right!  I used Sellacril after being told it was the best thing ever and it didn't last a week before starting to peel in sheets.  I would stay away from anything acrylic based on those tiles. 

1 hour ago, Natasha said:

And f0r the many, like me, who never go near FB???

You are one sensible young lady Natasha!

Yes!  These are the kind of posts that make this forum an indispensable and valuable resource!  Makes it worth putting up with the worthless babble of a few bored retired folks.

More of this please and thank you!