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We built a home 14 years ago near the entrance and on the same street as the Event Center for Chapala Country Hotel. They have parties several times a year which can be very loud and often times the police are called because of noise level infractions. Our house and several around us have continual movement and therefore cracks in our homes, we believe due to an underground Arroyo. Also we live on the side of the mountain, mountains move. No water problems. If you buy I would insist on some sort of structural study to determine if there are or have been problems with movement in the past. Our Bylaws and Rules and Regulations documents are undergoing major adjustments so if you get a copy just know it won't be the final legally approved documents for 2021 until we have another AGM/SGM in a month or so. We love living here.

TotalPlay is an existing ISP from elsewhere but finally arrived in Ajijic in May 2021 -- TotalPlay is known as Mexico's fastest ISP. FTTH -- optical fiber to the home. Symmetric options available! I did my research and it looked pretty good: Netflix Speed Rankings -- TotalPlay is fastest Statistica -- TotalPlay is fastest So I was convinced to order it. Here in Ajijic near Six Corners, 5 minute walk of Centro, where Telmex fiber does not exist. I got the cheapest symmetric plan for now, but can be instantly upgraded to 500 megabits in minutes. Initially 40/4Mbps download/upload, I WhatsApped them and they instantly upgraded my upstream to symmetric 40/40 -- so clearly they have the capability of instant remote-controlled speed upgrades! EDIT: I decided to test-drive 500 megabit for a month, here's my current speed (500 megabit download, 500 megabit upload). TotalPlay installed my optical fiber line yesterday to Ajijic near Six Corners (where Telmex fiber is not available) There was a phone number on the TotalPlay brochure delivered to my address. I took a chance to WhatsApp that number, since it's easier for me to use translator on WhatsApp. Got a very fast response for my request of Ajijic fiber option. Then, I had some questions answered for TotalPlay Ajijic, which I will relay. Current install time is relatively fast this month About one week in June 2021, as demand is picking up. Some people got same-day installs, others needed a few days, TotalPlay told me there is an uptick in demand from Ajijic. No contract 100% fiber optic (fiber to the home). Service is targetted to work-from-home people. (Both ILox and TotalPlay seem to use business angle to get around Telmex resdiential monopoly?) Prices for each download/upload speed: 559 pesos/month for 40/4 megabit fiber 779 pesos/month for 100/10 megabit fiber 1049 pesos/month for 200/20 megabit fiber 1799 pesos/month for 500/50 megabit fiber Includes Telephone Lines Unlimited Canada/US long distance to both landlines and cellphones Add TV for 170 pesos extra +Add 170 pesos to get TV and telephone included Symmetrical speed upgrade option (upload = download) By default, upload speed is set to 10% of download speed. There is a symmetrical boost option where you can make uploads as fast as download: +250 pesos for 40/40 symmetrical +500 pesos for 100/100, 200/200 or 500/500 symmetrical Example: 1799 + 500 = fastest half gigabit symmetrical fiber Temporarily boost upload speed on demand You can temporarily boost upload speed for only 2 day, 7 day or 1 month +25 pesos for temporary 2-day symmetrical 40/40 +50 pesos for temporary 2-day symmetrical 100/100, 200/200 or 500/500 +80 pesos for temporary 7-day symmetrical 40/40 +165 pesos for temporary 7-day symmetrical 100/100, 200/200 or 500/500 This can be good when you know you want to make big upload surge where you would like to upload 10x faster. (e.g. send gigabytes faster to Dropbox, OneDrive, YouTube, iCloud, Google Drive, etc) Microsoft Office and Cloud storage included on 200 megabit and up The 200 megabit and up options include a bunch of business options including Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365 (including 1 terabyte OneDrive). Good if you want to store lots of photos too. Speed upgrades are instantaneous. They just press a button on their end. They can instantly upgrade your connection over the phone or via WhatsApp (via Google Translate) I was able to upgrade instantly via WhatsApp (see below) I was offered a promotion where I could get double download speed (80/8) but I preferred symmetric speed (40/40) so I got that instead. Speed changes are instantaneous (at least easier than Telmex), though you have to wait 3 months between download speed changes. This is fine for snowbirds, you can pay 559/mo when away from your Mexico residence, and then throttle the speed back up when coming back. No speed change fee. I checked reviews, Totalplay has fairly good reviews in the Guadalajara region. The fiber line of Totalplay comes from Guadalajara. You will need an RFC number handy (temporal resident, Mexico Resident, etc). But even if you are not yet a temporal, you can have a friend who often stays with you take the bill name for now even if it's your own VISA card of your name. Much better than both TelMex and ILOX!

This is How I Ordered It As an English Speaking Snowbird Since I trailblazed for y'all via Google Translate over the last few days -- If you are a new snowbird that hasn't fully learned Spanish yet.... I'll help make things simpler for those who have difficulty speaking spanish on the telephone. 1. Get TotalPlay Installed First Order the install by calling or WhatsApp-ing the local "33" number on your TotalPlay flyer that you got (I hope you kept it!). But if you threw away the flyer already, you can try ordering online at www.totalplay.com.mx/landings/gdl ... If you get a spanish message on your voicemail afterwards, try replying via WhatsApp + translator. Book your appointment. Should be installed within (approximately) a week. One got a same-day installation because they were installing for someone else on the same block, others got installs within 24-48 hours, though mine took a bit longer since they had to wire optical fiber several blocks -- still less than week! AFTER you get your 10-digit account number, go to the next step: 2. Register to View Your Bills Online & Setup Debit/Credit Card Payments 1. Go to https://mitotalplay.com.mx preferably in Chrome so you can Translate the page. 2. Click the register link at bottom 3. Provide your account number that the installer gave you. Make sure to zero-pad the account number to make sure it's a 10-digit account number, since my account number was only 9 digits, so I added a "0" to beginning. 4. Fill in your name and the email address you registered under (you probably already received an email from TotalPlay when you ordered an installation). 5. You will get a temporary password emailed to you. 6. Use the temporary password to log into TotalPlay to view your account & bills. 7. Now you can fill in your preferred card to pay your TotalPlay bills 3. How To Get Human TotalPlay Tech Support via WhatsApp Once you have TotalPlay installed, you can get human tech support via WhatsApp, for things like speed changes. Purpose Although not officially documented, I was able to confirm I can do the following via the WhatsApp humans (I asked questions on what I could do via WhatsApp): Report problem / outage Fix wrong speed / missing promotion Fix incorrect information on bill (wrong phone number, wrong email) Order speed upgrade Make sure WhatsApp is installed You can use your Android phone with its built-in translator feature. (Not as easy on iPhone but possible if you copy-and-paste back and fourth, or use Google GBoard keyboard) Or use WhatsApp for Windows/Mac (www.whatsapp.com/download) on your computer, while pasting back and fourth into https://translate.google.com in an adjacent window. Before using PC WhatsApp -- you still need WhatsApp installed on your phone first before you install WhatsApp for Windows/Mac First Time Only: Initiate first WhatsApp conversation with the tech support robot 1. Go to https://www.totalplay.com.mx/ayuda 2. Scroll down and click the WhatsApp icon at the very bottom (next to social media icons) 3. You will start aconversation by hitting Enter on a "Hola" message, creating a chat history in your WhatsApp that you can go back to anytime in the future. 4. Your first conversation will have a prompt for a 10 digit account number (spanish "10 digitos") 5. Type a reply with just ten numbers and no words. 6. You gain access to the tech support robot. This is just one-time steps; you don't need to repeat the above steps once you've done this already. Every Time: Talk to the WhatsApp tech support robot to get a human chatting to you Say "Hola" to the TotalPlay chat in your WhatsApp to wake up the tech support robot which will prompt you with some menus. Go through menu item 3,4,1,1,2 to get a human. 3. "Ayuda técnica 👨‍" = get technical support 4. "Otro tipo de ayuda 👨‍" = other problem 1. "Si" = are you home / ¿domicilo? 1. "Si" = do you have a failure / ¿falla? 2. "No" = Problem solved by resetting modem? / ¿Problema resuelto reiniciando el módem? Occasionally, it skips some steps (doing only step 1 and 5). OPTIONAL: Faster Automatic Translations To English Also, if you want to automatically translate the WhatsApp instructions without as much copy+paste into Google Translate, see Instructions Thread for Automatically Translating WhatsApp You are chatting to a human And now you have a human to chat to after a small hold (hold time 2 minutes to 15 minutes). If you want an upload speed increase (symmetric) -- you will need to ask to purchase for symmetric speed. You will be transferred to another rep. Then ask for either 2 day, 7 day or 30 day. 2 days as cheap as 80 pesos, and 30 day for 250 pesos (if you're on the 40 megabit plan). The 30 day is automatic renewing like a "subscription ehancement" but can be cancelled anytime with no penalty. Security Confirmation: For account changes like these you will be asked to confirm the account number, the name of account (which may be your Mexico friend or temporal resident who stays with you sometimes), address of installation, and the email address on record.

All public funds used to build the Dos Bocas refinery, the Mayan Train and Santa Lucia airport are not open to the public because the federal government classified those records a national security risk if they were. Nobody can access the public spending on these projects and are not open to bids except some parts of the train, as specified by the anti-corruption laws.

I was in the Garden Center Store in San Antonio/Riberas yesterday. Laura has a pair of ladies prescription sun glasses a customer left in her store. If you lost them thought I would let you know where they are.

I've created a new thread with TotalPlay installation instructions. It includes instructions how to order or upgrade your TotalPlay via WhatsApp. This is the new thread, where I've put all my knowledge gained from installing and activating TotalPlay here in Ajijic (near Six Corners) www.chapala.com/webboard/index.php?/topic/91109-totalplay-fiber-internet-faster-than-telmex-and-ilox-40-100-200-or-500-megabit-symmetric-available-in-ajijic-today/ And yes, TotalPlay is great:

They seem to have their act together much better than iLox.

I decided to get symmetric speed (40/40) but didn't want to do it by Spanish telephone. So I tried WhatsApp and it worked. Here is my new speed (+250 extra peso per month). Speed change was instant (Internet was down for only 10 seconds). Now I can Zoom teleconference to my hearts content in perfect HD!

20 Mule Team Borax is available in SuperLake. I use it for laundry and you will find it with the laundry products. Northeast corner.

Good read here: https://dengarden.com/swimming-pools/Adding-Borate-in-a-Swimming-Pool You might be able to find this here, the rest listed in this piece are water specialty chemicals probably not available.

Actually the costs and contracts of all three are available. The stories are in the newspapers all the time. Train Maya The sections being built by the army might be hard to quantify, but their contracts for purchase of materials is public as well. As well as the bids for the train cars. Just one example. The National Tourism Fund (Fonatur) announced that the consortium, also made up of Acciona Infraestructuras México, Acción Construcción and México Proyectos y Desarrollos, will build the fifth section of the project, for which a budget of 17,815 million 613 thousand is contemplated. 759 pesos and 93 cents, VAT included. Dos Bocas . One example This project is financed in a special investment item for Pemex in the Budget, which for this year has authorized 41 billion pesos, last year it was 49 billion pesos. Santa Lucia airport info is public as well, although because the army is building it some of the costs might be in the military budget one example For 2021 to continue with the construction of the International Airport in Santa Lucia, the federal government would allocate 21 thousand 315 million pesos , an increase of 296.7 percent compared to the budget for the previous year.

There was a handwritten phone number on my flyer and a name. (I suspect the flyer-deliverers are running on a commission and are always eager to accommodate to take your order.) I WhatsApped that number (via Google Translate) and ordered that way. I explained that I was deaf and preferred to do via WhatsApp than by telephone. My first message was May 10th for questions, but then I decided to order last week. Today, I think the best way to order is via their website form, but I had a ton of questions first, which I needed answered. One thing.... The biggest hoop was that we did have to provide RFC of a Mexican friend of ours who often stays with us, and was able to vouch for us. If you are a temporal resident you can apply for your own RFC instead, which makes things easier (like applying for a new bank account). You can be a snowbird with an RFC that way, and they’ll accept it. But that’s not until 2022-2023 for us. I’m also deaf, so I prefer texting. I love WhatsApp because it’s text and I can translate it.

That place reminds me of the old "Hole In the Wall" in Ajijic. Lucky you!

You got that right.

Yes, you are so correct. Often that's something this webboard discussion group excels in.

In 6 months, we'll be able to get vaccinated by private clinics. Could be worse.

It really depends on what your problem is. As a person who played hockey[even once here] for 51 years and other sports,I found no special sports doctor here but have had good treatment for sports injuries from Gonzales,ortho surgeon[now at SAT] and Jorge Ulloa physiotherapist who among other things was the trainer for a pro soccer team in spain. the foto is of a hip pointer I sustained in my first practice before an exhibition game at Chapala carnaval 2013 and subsequently also diagnosed[MRI]with 3 collapsed discs.

Thread and OP thoroughly discussed. Warning issued to Virgo lady for being snarky and unhelpful. Charlene it is always better to ignore posters who want to be unpleasant and unhelpful. If it really gets out of hand report it to a moderator and we will deal with it. Thread closed.

At this price, I'll have to pass on this restaurant. About as high as I've seen anywhere Lakeside.

I think I will stick to Mi Abuelas...My Mexican Grandma's place about 2 blocks from my house here in lower SAT. Full lunch with rice and beans...50 pesos and the menu is on the wall!!!

Correct. For example one cannot get a TIP, good for 180 days, if their US Passport is due to expire within that 180 days. Ask me how I know.....