KarenE

Is there a business at Lakeside where you can have a custom three wheeled adult electric trike built? if so, can anyone share the name and telephone number for the business? Many thanks

I bought quinoa this week at a new store in Chapala, Lake Abastos, on Av. Pepe Guizar #126. They carry spices, grains in bulk, nuts, seeds, some fresh vegetables and a variety of other things for healthy eating. They are new and still testing their market. They will try to get whatever you need. 332 116 4551, 376 765 6512.

I shop frequently at the grain store by Gossip's and discovered a new store in Chapala this week. It's called Lake Abastos and they tell me that if you ask for something they don't have, they will try to get it for you. They plan to have an organic section, sell a lot of grains, nuts, seeds and some herbs. They had a few vegetables there as well. They are just getting started and becoming familiar with their "audience," so stop by and let them know what you need. Located on Pepe Guizar #126 in Chapala. 376 765 6512, lakeabastos@gmail.com.

On October 1, 2018, I visited a Mexican person who is in the business of helping qualified applicants join IMSS. She tells me that if you have ANY pre-existing condition, including high blood pressure, you will be rejected. Further, she says that one must join WITH a family member (spouse, child...). That means that both must pass the required physical exams. Before the exams, you pay the fee. Fail the exam and you lose the fee. It may have been true in 2016 that anyone could join but seems no longer to be the case. I double-checked the info with an attorney who confirmed. Since either person would make money by helping me join IMSS, I figure they would give it a try if they thought there was a chance. I'm healthy; my spouse is not. I wouldn't even try to sign him up and without him, I have no other family member who is a resident of Mexico. If you have a different and recent experience, please share.

For first-time joiners, I visited an IMSS private "rep" today and she tells me that if you have ANY pre-existing condition, you will be rejected (i.e. glaucoma, high blood pressure). You must take a health exam. You must join WITH another family member, so if either of you have a pre-existing condition, both are rejected. Apparently the rules have become progressively strict over the past couple years. Before having the health exam, you pay your fees and if you are rejected, you lose your fees. I double-checked the info with an attorney, who confirmed. If anyone has a different recent experience, please share.

There is NO sign. Oscar's address is Gonzalez Gallo #16 in Chapala. As of today, the front is a light blue color. It is directly across from Flavio Romero (street) which ends at Gonzalez Gallo. The number 765 2366 is correct but he will answer only during working hours: 10-2 and 4-6 weekdays.

I posted this elsewhere but just in case this is the only place you look: There is NO sign. His address is Gonzalez Gallo #16. As of today, the front is a light blue color. It is directly across from Flavio Romero (street) which ends at Gonzalez Gallo. Gonzalez Gallo is the same street on which you will find the Red Cross (Cruz Roja), so an easy way to get there from Ajijic, San Antonio and Riberas is to turn right at the fountain as you enter Chapala, then turn left on the street that runs above the Malecon. Turn left on Gonzalez Gallo and follow it to #16, which is past the park and before the Train Station and Roundabout. #16 is on the lakeside. Oscar is backed up with work but can do cushions faster than upholstery right now. Apparently, he lost an assistant and is doing it all on his own at the moment. The number 765 2366 is correct but he will answer only during working hours: 10-2 and 4-6 weekdays.

I just visited Oscar's shop. Getting there was an adventure (an unwanted one). There is NO sign. His address is Gonzalez Gallo #16. As of today, the front is a light blue color. It is directly across from Flavio Romero (street) which ends at Gonzalez Gallo. Gonzalez Gallo is the same street on which you will find the Red Cross (Cruz Roja), so an easy way to get there from Ajijic, San Antonio and Riberas is to turn right at the fountain as you enter Chapala, then turn left on the street that runs above the Malecon. Turn left on Gonzalez Gallo and follow it to #16, which is past the park and before the Train Station and Roundabout. #16 is on the lakeside. Oscar is backed up with work but can do cushions faster than upholstery right now. Apparently, he lost an assistant and is doing it all on his own at the moment. The number 765 2366 is correct but he will answer only during working hours: 10-2 and 4-6 weekdays. You also can try his cell 331 154 9270 but you should try that during working hours as well. A man has to have some family time.

I tried the number for Ricardo and got someone else. Does anyone know Ricardo's current number? Also had no luck with Andre's phone number above. Same issue with Oscar the upholsterer. I'm having a hard time getting things done!!

If you have the Uber app, you can see the price before confirming the ride. I do not have a Mexican credit card and use the same app here as I use NOB (north of border). Just a couple weeks ago, I waited at the GDL airport for half an hour for a car that never showed, though the app said "Here Now" at the end of half an hour of waiting for a six-minute estimate that kept changing. I had to cancel (incurring a fee) and reorder . The app took me through two more drivers before one finally showed up. The quote was for $264MX from the airport to San Antonio Tlayacapan but then they charged me $85MX and even though I wrote to Uber they did not charge me more and I still worry about that nice man who drove me home and hope they gave him the right amount for his driving. Around town here, it has been hit and miss: two out of three Ubers showed up right away and the price was great.

Some time has passed but some things don't change. I have taken a couple jobs to the upholsterer across from the Guad Pharmacy in town because I was too lazy to find someone good. Neither job was done well, neither on time, and I found the owner quite rude the last time. The second was a patch-job and a rush while I had company and was moving, which is why I took the easy route. Would NEVER take a job to him again no matter how small or how much in a hurry I might be. No one who works there speaks more than a few words of English so, if you don't speak Spanish, that's another reason to find another upholsterer, so you can understand each other! It's not likely that I'd have gotten a better job done faster if my Spanish were more fluent, though.