I have always loved dogs. I love everything about them. I love their soft fur coats, their little ears, their smiling faces and their little wagging tails. I love coming home to a beautiful animal that is as overjoyed to see me as I am to see them. 18 years ago I was not entirely on board with the prospect of leaving my family and friends in Canada and moving to Mexico, but moving into a house in the village that came with a doberman named Norma who just had 5 beautiful puppi

This morning when Yoly mentioned something about tattooing at her salon I was clearly taken aback. Clearly I was thinking about the wrong kind of tattooing and not the cosmetic enhancing type. Many of my friends have already availed themselves of cosmetic tattooing and have been very happy with the results. Today there was an incident at Yoly’s I thought was worth mentioning. A women who had asked the price of eye liner tattoo and Yoly had told her it was $1,000.00 pesos for

‏ Pranzo Bistro in Ajijic, Lake Chapala On Saturday a friend of mine and myself went to Pranzo Bistro in La Floresta for the first time before we attended the Opening Concert of Northern Lights. I decided to try this restaurant for two reasons. One – because it was located near the Auditorio and two – because every time we had driven by it was filled to the rafters with, obviously, happy diners. I stopped in to make the reservation and found out that it is Italian Cuisine an

Chili Cook Off 2011 Organizers have come up with stellar acts from near and far to keep things simmering at the Chili Cook Off on February 18th, 19th and 20th. This popular annual event takes place at Tobolandia in Ajijic which is located at the carretera and libramento. Don’t miss the Irish dancers on Sunday! Friday, February 18th 11:00 am – Gate opens 11:30 am – Noe and his guitar serenade us 12:30 pm – The Hawaiian Dancers of the Alakai Kela Academy 1:30 pm- The Hot

If you’ve been thinking about moving south and enjoying a luxury lifestyle while you live in Mexico or on the beach, this might be the time to start thinking about it and take some action. Whether you are considering a Mexico Retirement, or relocating here from any other reason current conditions have made buying a home in Mexico and ideal choice. If you are considering retirement it is a very important to know that Mexico was given the #1 rating in International Living’s Gl

Laurent Cuisine at Hotel Casa Blanca Chef Laurent DuPrat formerly of La Gasconade Café Restaurant in Ajijic has opened a new restaurant in the Casa Blanca Hotel in Ajijic on Calle 16 de Septiembre # 29 across from the Lake Chapala Society. Their telephone # for reservations is 766-1500 and they can also be reached by email: laurentatcasablanca@gmail.com Laurent is open Tuesday to Saturday from 12:30 pm – 10:00 pm and Sunday from 1:00 pm – 9:00 pm. In a few days they are going

More on Retirement in Mexico For those who know Mexico, retirement there can be part of a dream come true. They enjoy a great climate, great food, a rich culture and fabulously warm and friendly people. Some retirees move into Mexican communities, like ours in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, and integrate with life there. This can make the whole experience much more worthwhile and fulfilling. For those with hobbies, the hobby or interest can almost always be pursued in Mexico. Commu

Americans and Canadians out-number Europeans who retire in Mexico by a significant amount. This is simply to do with geography and although some Canadians will travel just as far in terms of number of miles, there is not large body of water between the two and the psychological impact of this is greater than we realize. So, if you eventually decide to retire in Mexico, and you decide to live inside one of the expatriate communities such as Ajijic, Lake Chapala, you will most

Soon the “snowbirds” will be packing up in search of a climate warmer than their own to spend the winter. As we want those “snowbirds” and retirees to continue to come to Mexico I thought I would outline a few excellent reasons to live in Mexico. A lot of people worry about the language problem in Mexico but here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala there is a lot of English spoken as it is largely an ex-pat community. You only need to learn Spanish if you wish to do so. For me, I found

Well according to the experts the recession is over and the economy is growing. This is very good news for all of us. Unfortunately, the down side is that the job market is not coming back as quickly as people out of work would like and probably never will. Also for most of us the economy is not recovering as quickly as we would like but the fact that it is growing again is great news nonetheless. Houses are selling again and many of the foreclosures are being legally revers

These are two accounts of people safely traveling to and crossing into Mexico at Ciudad Juarez and Laredo. Day 1 The first couple left from Durango, Colorado about 10:00 am on a Tuesday with a full car and roof carrier bursting at the seams. They had dinner that night at Las Cruces in New Mexico and then arrived on the west side of El Paso at 7:30 pm. They stayed at La Quinta at Exit 11 because they had two pets with them. Day 2 They left La Quinta at 8:00 after a hotel brea

Between 1 – 9 months of being smoke-free you will notice significant improvements in these areas: coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath. Healing from nicotine addiction is a process and some improvements are dramatic and happen quickly and others will come more gradually. In some cases a sense of smell can take a huge jump in sensitivity up to 8 months after quitting smoking which can be a delightful surprise. The changes do not stop with physical heal

Health Benefits to Quitting Smoking I have quit smoking many times in my life and recently agreed to quit again with my daughter who brought home this document outlining the immediate and long term benefits of quitting smoking. I know that quitting smoking is the hardest thing, as it is the strongest addiction, you will ever do in your life. Staying off demon cigarettes, however, is harder still for some. I had no trouble quitting when I was with someone who did not smoke or

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