barrbower

Business owners should be aware that it costs very little to keep a customer, no matter what, but is quite hard and expensive to get an unhappy customer back or to find a new customer to replace the one lost.

Blue Rose.

Here is an update on a new traffic headache about to happen. Allen W. Lloyd street, which is the intersection in San Antonio by Cafe Negro, will soon be a two-way through street connecting the libramiento and the carretera. It is designed to help reduce the flow of traffic through the horrible WalMart intersection designed by Jalisco state government. The city thinks this shortcut will help overall traffic. If you have ever gone to El Parque, Lakeside Little Theater, the San Antonio panteon, or other places along this street, you know it is already a bad intersection. The street narrows as it heads north and also there is always traffic on the restaurant lateral trying to get out to the highway. People can't seem to figure out how to leave room for cars turning from the highway. There are new "no parking" signs on the east side of the street but cars still park there. Now you will have cars and trucks taking the shortcut from the bypass near El Dorado to get to San Antonio and WalMart, as well as the reverse, to add to the traffic knot that already exists. Sorry for those who attend the theater, school, and residents of El Parque because your lives just got harder. The state should just admit failure and bulldoze the WalMart intersection and just install a traffic circle. What a waste of resources... Alan

Not too long ago, the Chapala driver's license place was closed due to corruption and it remained closed for several years. Now they have reopened and, since payment is made at a different location, "there is no chance for corruption since no money changes hands there." I have helped several folks with the license process and I've witnessed some new drivers not having to take the parking test, some taking it with the cones moved close enough together to make passing very hard, and I've heard from several folks that paying the parking examiner 500 pesos gives you a pass even though you didn't really pass the parallel parking test. Supposedly, if you come with a paid Mexican facilitator the test is a guaranteed pass. Based on the way many folks drive around here, I think better training and real testing would be a good idea. I'm not sure why they recently made folks with a valid license from US or Canada start taking the parking test...except to create a mordida based revenue stream. It certainly is not a good way to determine driving qualifications. I tried on a couple of occasions to stand close enough to the parking test area so I could watch and listen and was told pretty quickly to move back over to the building. It all just seems hinky again. Now with the health certificate required for those over 75, there seems to be another revenue stream operating. The health exam doesn't check eyesight, reaction time, memory, medication reactions, mobility, etc. They check your blood pressure and collect your money and stamp your form. Now you are safe to drive...and if you are in an accident or stopped for a traffic violation just pay the mordida. Gotta love it! Alan

Nope. Just a signage test and parking test for new Jalisco drivers. Renewal is just pay in advance, get info updated, take a photo, and wait until it's done. For new license if over 75 they might ask for the medical evaluation. Alan

I had a stent placed in the LAD artery (widow maker) about six years ago at total cost was 7,500 dollars (about 100,000 pesos then.) Diagnosis was done first with Guad doc but at local office. Final diagnosis done at his office at Guad hospital the next day. One day later the stent was done at a different hospital that was less expensive. I was in a space age operating room with about eight docs and other staff and watched the entire process on a large TV. Was able to see the dye stop at the point of the blockage, watched the medicated stent being inserted and opened, and watched the blood flow begin normally. They were ready to place a pacemaker if needed but until such time I was not even sedated. Felt no discomfort and spent a quiet evening in the hospital. The next morning the first person I saw, other than my wife, was the surgeon. He went over the hospital portion of the bill to make sure I was billed only for what was done and then they ran my credit card and we were headed home in a cab. All of that happened in four days and I was not having any symptoms related to the heart. Our GP heard a pausing in my heart beat and recommended a cardio doc. I feel pretty lucky about the entire experience. Alan

Rafa's car wash is not in operation..at least not when I drive by there. But he has a business selling used cars which I have seen being detailed. R&R car sales and rentals is next to the Sherwin Williams paint store. There are at least a couple of other used car places here in Riberas as well. Alan

Recently got a tip from a neighbor. Any papers that you don't want anybody to see (and if you don't have or trust a shredder) can be safely discarded like this. Get a bucket of water with a little detergent in it and soak papers for about an hour. Remove the mushy papers and wad them up one or a few at a time into a very tight ball. They can be ripped apart a little as you remove them from the water. Once you have a softball size wad of mush just leave it in the sun on the patio until it dries. Might take a day. Once dry, nothing can be removed except in very tiny and unreadable scraps. Then throw the balls into your regular trash. I've tried it and it works great. Alan

The old car wash is now being built in Riberas as stated earlier. They bought the land. The theater is being renovated but not permanently closed...or so the sign says. The Bugambillas theater has been nicely updated which has improved attendance. You can even get a cocktail to take into the sala. The Laguna Mall owner has had several legal problems lately but not sure how that translates to vacancy rate. Alan

I have been there twice recently helping others. Both times somebody had an "appointment" and were then directed to the back of the line. So don't go assuming you'll get right in. Don't schedule anything soon after on the same day. Alan

Anybody have a recommendation for a good swimming pool maintenance company? We have been using a very reputable company for many years but due to unknown issues his quality and dedication have recently dropped off. Maybe too many pools to look after? Maybe trouble getting and keeping good help? Maybe both creating too much pressure for him? In any case, we want to explore other options. Please don't complain about somebody... just give us ideas of somebody you have used who does a good job for you. Thanks in advance, Alan

Not sure what part of Riberas had work done on a sewer system since there are not any sewers in Riberas that I know about. Many folks have septic tanks that they aren't aware of. They recently did some water supply line work and installed a balancing valve that was supposed to help parts of Riberas that were always running out of water. Maybe that's why you were having to save water. The truth is that SIMAPA is underfunded like most infrastructure in Mexico. The wells are old, poorly kept, and water quality is bad. Yet the folks in charge keep giving permits to build without any thought to future needs or even current needs. It has been years sine new wells were created. Our water comes in as a trickle and full of sand and mud. You need a big aljibe, a good filter system, and a lot of patience. And you will still need to buy water from a truck on occasion. That is just one ugly truth about living in "paradise." Alan

There is a difference between legal and tolerated. Technically, I think they are not legal. They can't be licensed or insured in case of accident. Recently the local government stipulated that if the carts are only on side streets they will not be bothered. In recent years folks were given tickets or had the carts impounded. Logic seems to have prevailed since folks who drive them create a safer environment for the rest of us on the busy streets. New topic seems to be motorized bikes and trikes on bike/pedestrian path. They are quiet and fast and might be dangerous to folks who are out strolling. The ones with large balloon tires seem to work well on the cobblestone streets but don't seem as safe as a golf cart. Whatever you decide just don't assume cars are going to see you or follow traffic rules so be very careful. Alan

Rainy season weather is generally from the east. This little storm came in from the northwest. Predicting a rain occurring can happen by just checking the weather stations which gave long range forecasts. Rainy season may start "early" as Delfino suggested but that could mean by one or two days near the middle of June. We almost always have a rain shower sometime during the dry season but not this time. That makes everybody especially happy and hopeful that the rains come "early" but don't bet on his "spooky" prediction. Alan

The reality at both hospitals seems to be that after normal office hours there are no specialists available. They are more like an urgent care place in the US where you can get a cut treated but no help for a serious heart or stroke emergency. They have shown to be nice little clinics but slow to deal with real problems after hours. Even to call a specialist for an opinion or to get an ambulance to a hospital in Guad where real help might be available. Best bet seems to be to call your own doctor and have them advise your best course of action. They all give out 24 hr cell numbers and know your medical history and can arrange an ambulance and tell you what hospital to go to and which doctor to see when you get there. For some things they even might tell you to use a local hospital but for some issues time is critical and could be wasted locally. For instance if one is suffering a stroke there is no clot buster drug stocked in either hospital and if imaging is needed to determine if the stroke is due to a bleed or a blockage, there is a fair chance that there is nobody to run the machine or evaluate the results. Just get tGuad fast after talking to your doctor. Alan