Tingting

Thanks for the recommendation. Our only gripe (?) is driving to Ajijic because of traffic, BUT it sounds like this would be a great place to check out, so we will.)

We just stopped at Punto Verde today after weeks of promising to check it out. Now, I'm mad that it took us so long! This is a GREAT cafe/restaurant. The food is fresh and made to order. It's more of a breakfast/sandwich/pasta/salads type of place, but the quality is amazing. I had what should have been a boring cheese sandwich with tomato soup --it was anything but! The bread was thick and toasted with a HUGE slice of cheddar. Honestly, the tomato soup was almost too pretty to eat. It had that fresh tomato taste and was served piping hot. Hubs had the turkey baguette which came with hot, crispy veg and also a potato/leek soup. Again, everything was excellent. The only thing to watch is that some things can be heavily salted, so just be sure to tell them to go light if salt is an issue for you. I plan on going back again very, very soon.

Both the father (above) and son are great docs. Dr. A. Rodriguez was the one to diagnose a life-threatening illness of hubs that had him hospitalized in Guad within hours. He had just left a local "name" hospital the previous day after being ignored while in the ER and then sent off with a casual, "you should have this checked." Both doctors are very thorough and you don't feel rushed. BTW, the address given, "www.hospitalsanantonio.com.mx" is NOT Hospital Ajijic.

Anyone else having problems with the predial site? The first time I typed in the info, up popped the 2024 predial. I hit the pay page and zippo (message that there was either a problem or they couldn't find our account). I saw the actual info pop up several times before it went into the great beyond. I guess it's another year of paying in person. ETA: I did get as far as hitting the payment button and then got the spin cycle before trying again and no longer existing. Sigh...gotta love the computer age.

Can you give some info, pls? I've used them several times and have been pretty happy. I haven't had any issues w/cards, but it's always good to know what to look out for.

FuMiGa for fumigation. They're not the cheapest, but they're the best, and they get the job done.

That's not exactly true. Any private hospital requires a deposit of the estimated 50% of whatever procedure they think you're about to have. You don't have to have that amount on hand as long as you have a credit card that does...or several to get the total (don't ask me how I know). Spouse has had two unexpected hospitalizations (and several expected) and this was standard for each hospital involved. I think another lesson to be learned here is to make sure you know what to do in the event of an unexpected hospitalization. In this case. lack of knowledge can kill you. It seems to me that the OP should have known what was required to be seen...especially at his age and with a Mexican wife. Medications aren't necessarily the same. The hospital does not have to take you, etc., etc.

Lexy, I'm so sorry. I obviously didn't make myself clear (not the first time! lol). I've changed the original posting but what I meant was that Hubs is no longer a client (private patient) of Dr. Attitude. I should have said Hubs fired Dr. A as his "X" doctor. Still, I like the image that you mentioned!

IKR? Dr. Attitude had incredibly high ratings and reviews on Doctoralia and is one of the highest rated X-type specialists in Guad and yet he's too cheap to pay for AA batteries? Wow, just wow. I forgot to mention, but just how short-sighted is this guy? The illness that he specializes in is not something that goes away. If you're a doc, you want patients. For the sake of a few batteries, he lost a long-term patient. Fortunately, there are many others to take up the slack.

Since we have a running post for jokes and funny stories, I thought I'd start one for things you've experienced that you must share because...well, just because. For reasons that will quickly become apparent, I cannot give more specific information than what I'm writing here. Please don't PM me to ask. Anyhoo...Hubs has been receiving treatment from several specialists for various conditions. One of his specialists, Dr. Attitude, had a very brusque manner, but he was an excellent doctor, so we just chalked up his attitude to the subtleties of each language and "doctorhood" in general. On Friday, Hubs was scheduled to go to a local place and receive a particular monitoring machine to wear for 24 hours. The following day, he would see the specialist for the results, except... After two or so hours, the machine died. I called and was told that he needed to return. We did. The doctor handling this, Dr. Nice, checked and discovered that the batteries needed to be replaced, and then the machine recalibrated. Simple, right? Things happen, and maybe the official "battery checker" had been too busy to ...cough, cough... make sure a piece of medical equipment was ready for use. Dr. Nice left to search for fresh batteries and returned within 10 minutes with two large packs. Great, right? Nope. He had contacted Dr. Attitude to advise him of the problem (and maybe to see if Dr. A wanted to change the follow-up appointment due to the delay?). Dr. Attitude instructed Dr. Nice to have hubs go out and buy the double A batteries and then return to have them replaced and the machine recalibrated. Not only had Dr. Attitude failed to ensure his equipment was in working order, but he also expected my 77-year-old BTK amputee hubs to go out and buy batteries for his machine because he was too cheap to use his own! Hubs immediately canceled his appointment for the following day and told Dr. Nice that he was no longer a patient of Dr. Attitude.

...including plastic bags in the fresh fruit and vegetables section. Last week, I had to dump a head of lettuce to use the bag! Have you ever tried to buy loose green beans with no bag???

I cannot upvote this enough. It's a long story that I'll share in a separate post, but this was a godsend for having a US phone number. It's not perfect, but it did the job for us.

Yes, US officials just loooove their paperwork. Geez, I didn't know that they also notified credit reporting agencies, etc. SMH. Big Brother is not only here, but he brought the entire family. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I know it doesn't make things better for you, but you're definitely helping the rest of us prepare for the things we like to ignore until it's too late.

Wow, I didn't know that about Starlink. Thank goodness we got ours a while back...very happy with it, too.

Fred, I am so sorry for your loss. Please remember that you're human. You were bound to have days that were less "wine and roses" and more "vinegar and crabgrass." We're human and we're going to experience all sorts of moods when someone we love is suffering. Thank you for allowing us a glimpse into the journey you traveled. I think you've helped many of us realize we need to plan ahead and not take anything for granted. As for Mexican culture...I couldn't agree more. Again, I am truly sorry for your loss.

I found myself at odds many times with Lakeside7, but I'm sorry to hear he's passed. Heck, differences on this board are what keeps things interesting. I'm very sorry for the family's loss.

I got a ticket when the (temporary) speed camera was actually operational on bridge by Itxlahuacan. I took it to an Oxxo to pay...to the great delight of the clerk. I got a big smile and a "tsk, tsk." I believe the cost was somewhere on the ticket.

I know I'm very late to this topic, but I would recommend Dra. Lulu. While she isn't my regular vet, I went to her for a second opinion on an issue one of my dogs had. She was very honest and said that the care was beyond that of a general vet and he needed a specialist. She was right. She gave a recommendation and we trudged up to Guad for several appointments until our bow$er wa$ fine (lol). I really appreciated her honesty instead of making the dog suffer through worthless treatments that would only allow the condition to worsen. I have gone to her other times for regular care and was always pleased with her services.

I don't know either you or Barbara, Fred, but it sounds like you are doing everything and more for your wife. You sound like an amazing man and I wish both of you all the best during this difficult time.

With sincere respect to John (and it was very informative), that was in the 90s...this is 30 years later and I think it's safe to assume that things have advanced a bit. Whipstock made some very valid points and THERE ARE CAMERAS EVERYWHERE. Plus...if their cameras weren't operational on that day, whose fault is that? Unfortunately, we live in times where it's necessary to use ATMs, but that doesn't mean it's necessary for us to prove to them that they're not working properly. God, this one just has me pounding my poor keyboard. Get 'em, Lexy!

My work here is done (insert evil cackle).

If you're a vet, don't forget that you can get Fox Nation free for a year. Forget the political side of things, they offer a tremendous number of really interesting crime shows, documentaries, etc. We're binge watching Cops right now...bet you're already humming the theme song! lol You do need a VPN, though.

It really sounds like they didn't investigate and just hoped you'd go away. The beauty of writing to the federal agencies is not that they'll actually resolve things in your favor, they're usually pretty powerless, BUT it forces the bank to investigate and document why it made the decision it did-- and that involves time and work. It also puts them on notice that you're not going away quietly.

YVW, Lexy. I'm so mad on your behalf and even more so since it's USAA. I didn't want to go too far into this (time/space/don't want to bore readers), but here's something else to consider, based on our experiences w/HSBC: EVERYTHING is computerized. HSBC was our nemesis when it came to ATMs. I kept using them because the location was convenient (and clearly I wasn't the brightest bulb in this pack). Here's our story: We had been ETrade clients for over 20 years and loved them. Anytime I went to the ATM and received no money, I took the $0 receipt and went home to do a dispute...except I didn't have to because....ready?...computers! (ok, digital banking) It takes me about 15 minutes to get home from HSBC and by the time I pulled things up on the computer, the withdrawal was credited back to my account already because the machines/digital thingies would self-correct. Then, about 2 years ago, ETrade was acquired by Morgan Stanley (may they rot in hell). From that point on, whenever the machines failed to dispense the cash, it took a phone call, an upload of the receipt, a "provisional" credit and then at least a week before they graciously decided to give us back our own money. I'm not even exaggerating about the gracious part...the letter that they'd send made it sound like they were doing us a favor, us being poor peasants and all. Then, the day before Hubs was scheduled to be hospitalized and I wanted some cash for incidentals, the machine took my card. No warning, just CHOMP! I called to cancel the card and they FEDEXed a new one to our US address. When I tried to activate it, I couldn't. I called and was told that "due to the numerous disputes...blah, blah, blah." We had no access to our money other than online payments (credit cards). Morgan Stanley (may they rot in hell) didn't give a damn. I actually had a rep tell me that we should just wire money to our local bank every so often to access cash. Uh, what? Fortunately, I'm a retired vet, so we've moved nearly everything to Navy Federal Credit Union. We;re just waiting to ensure deposits have been transferred before I close the accounts with Morgan Stanley (may they rot in hell). I am soooooo looking forward to writing THAT letter🤗 ETA: the bank I've found the most reliable is the Banorte on the corner in Chapala. I've never had a problem w/them and the screen always shows what denominations are available.

First, Lexy I'm so, so sorry this happened to you. Fixed income or not, NO ONE should lose money to an ATM/bank/thief. There are cameras everywhere in the ATM bank sites. If the machine's didn't work, then there are also ones in the ceiling. I guarantee that they know, but either someone has his hand in the cookie jar, or the bank just doesn't give a damn...or both. Don't drop it. FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE FEDERAL RESERVE: https://forms.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov/secure/complaint/formComplaintIntro.html Will it make a difference? Hopefully, but even if you lose again, at least you will force your bank to scramble to respond to a federal entity. It's amazing how often this last stand works. More importantly, it's your money; fight for it! Write reviews on Yelp and anywhere else you can. Don't go quietly. (okay, hurrah speech over) BTW -- The machines at HSBC (next to Black Coffee) are also notorious.