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cstone

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Everything posted by cstone

  1. Sad to say, but $2,000 is NOT a high deductible. I am older, but still close to your age bracket, do NOT take statins and do NOT have high blood pressure, or diabetes etc. My deductible is $5K and I am happy to pay the $$$ premium that goes with a private international policy.
  2. Hello, All. I have been tasked with updating one website and developing a new site for a women's charitable organization. I have reached out to 2 peopke, neither of whom has returned my mail or calls. This isn't a complex task with items to buy, lots of additions and changes every week. Maintenace is expected when changes are made in Officers or when announcements are added. Also, should the site "go down," we would need the help to restore it. We are willing to pay local wages, not NOB costs. We prefer to hire someone who can read sufficient English to design and work with the site, but there are several of us who are bilingual and can communicate with a Spanish speaker. Recommendations ? Have someone you have used ? Please don't tell me how easy it is to do it myself. I don't want to do this. Thanks !
  3. Sometimes their connectivity goes down and that is when they cannot process CCs. I used mine yesterday at the Farmacia GDL at the San Antonio Hospital.
  4. Ferret, I hope this message doesn't irritate you any more than you already are, but IF, in the future, you need to contact Apple Support, I have a suggestion that MIGHT help. I am an Apple user and owner of 38 years, and I have had my share of aggravations with them. When I was a teacher using the products I had a tech to run to for advice . As a civilian now, for over 10 years, I took this tip from a salesman and have used it ever since. Dial an Apple store in a large city the US and tell them you have "such and such" a problem with whatever device,and do they have someone to help you. Often they put you through to a "Genius" and then he or she usually transfers you to the Technical Support Division. Calls from stores seem to be answered/issues resolved much more quickly than general 1-800 Support calls. I have had Apple Support call me on my house phone while working with me to try to "unbrick" my iPhone. It is important that they have another number to call on. I hope that you get your issues resolved. It can't hurt to try what has worked for me, and the calls are free, since they come from a landline number in the states. Best of luck. Cindy
  5. This time they sent a man around with small flyers. I spoke to him yesterday as he was passing through the neighborhoods. I saw him placing papers under gates of homes where no one answered the bell.
  6. I know how to make both, as well as many other Asian dishes. Even how to make a deep, rich broth. Sometimes I just want someone else to do it, do it well and make it taste authentic !
  7. I agree with JoyinMexico about it being busy. I keep a stash of those immigration forms at my house and fill them in BEFORE I arrive. Just ask for several and they will give them to you. As for wheelchair users, please remember that not everyone's disability or need is obvious. Here, we get to decide IF WE NEED IT. You can have them wheel you to your gate and dismiss them to go and pick up another user. Not everyone needs a ride to the front door of the plane, or a ride and someone to help them go to the toilet and get into their seat. That does not negate the needs of others. I certainly do not, but have enough titanium in my feet to make standing in a really long security line a truly painful experience. I would happily swap those screws and plates for the ability to stand in one place for as long as needed. I do not look as if I "deserve" a wheelchair, but sometimes I need it.
  8. This is Mexico. If you are older than 65 and you say you need it, you need it. If you don't feel like you can legitimately stand and shuffle for as long as an hour in the snakey line to get to security, then you can ask for it.
  9. One can never tell. Sometimes very busy, sometimes not. I would give myself plenty of time to get TO the airport, and once there, if you need it, ask for a wheelchair and get whisked past those long, snaky security lines.
  10. I agree with the others. Get a van from the cab kiosk at the airport. You might have to wait a few minutes, but it is so very easy.
  11. Thank you, Angus ! I spent 2 years at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul. Living off post, we had several little neighborhood restaurants we frequented, and there were many Korean dishes that became favorites ! Some, not so much.
  12. I have Prime both in Mexico and USA. Love them both, use them both. All items are delivered to my door. Even my new shoes ! No issues yet and it has been several years now. 🙏 My dogs know the Amazon delivery guy and only give him a half hearted bark when he drives up !
  13. I have used and can recommend Dr. Rigoberto Rios in Mirasol. My cataract surgery turned out to be more complicated than we thought, but he was supportive and all has turned out well. This was my 3rd surgery with him, so I have some experience from which to speak. I had 2 other surgeries when I lived in Japan, and I can say that the care I received here was even better than i had in Japan. Of course, much of the cost per surgery depends upon the type of lens that is used. As another poster stated, every eye is different. Prices vary when you look at hospital choices (mine was in GDL, but now he operates at the new hospital in San Antonio), personal health risks, and the type of lens you choose. I recommend a 1-1 consultation with ANY eye doctor that you choose.
  14. There are fewer buses on the road in the villages. Many are in for repair and there is no money to repair them. To me, it feels as if there are a LOT more people here now than when I first came back in 2005/6. The buses are crowded and the schedules often undependable. I have no car, so I use the bus or walk. Sometimes I wait 5 minutes, sometimes 30+.
  15. Yes, I use the bus to travel around Lakeside. I have traveled from Chapala to Jocotopec, and go in to Guadalajara and back by bus from Chapala. You ask for a lot of info at once. There is no one bus that does it all, all the time. There is no published schedule that I know about. Some run +/- on the hour or half hour. You learn to budget plenty of time. During school pickup hours, around 12:00-1PM and about 4-5PM, the schedules can become erratic as they are often rerouted to schools for pickuos and won't stop for you.Sometimes they are so crowded you literally cannot get on or fit in. You can get a bus that goes from Guadalajara's old bus station to Joco. It will be a looong ride, and you will see parts of the area you would not see otherwise. These busses are usually crowded and make a lot of stops. From Guadalara (GDL) I prefer to take the 1st class Directo bus. It goes to the Chapala bus station with only a few stops. From the Chapala bus station, you can find a bus going to other locales. I qualify for a senior discount, but do not use it. There are only x number of seats designated for INAPAM users, and if I take a seat that someone in need should have had, I would feel bad. I can afford 58 pesos to get to GDL. I think, with the discount, it's about 30 pesos. The local bus has 2 types. Literally one is smaller than the other. The bigger, long distance bus cannot navigate the smaller streets in the communities. The bigger, air conditioned one with plush seats that is headed to Joco costs me about 8/10 pesos to go from Chapala to my house in San Antonio. The little bus with hard plastic seats and no AC costs 7-10 pesos and wanders in and out of San Antonio, Ajijic and on through to San Juan Cosala and eventually to Joco. The fare depends on the distance. The little bus sometimes goes through the town, sometimes not. Best to ask. Sometimes there is construction or a fiesta. There are stops, often with benches or some type of overhanging shelters. None that I know of are marked. The bus Lakeside is nothing like the bus system in large cities in Europe or Asia. I can't speak to the bus system in the USA or Canada, as I have never ridden a bus there. I have been here 8 years+ and have yet to master the bus system in GDL. I have often looked at the placard posted inside the window and also asked the driver if a place I wanted to go was on the route. It definitely helps to be able to speak to/understand the driver. I would not have any worries about getting lost Lakeside. Traveling on a bus within GDL if you do not speak Spanish is another matter. Hope this helps.
  16. Bringing items WITH you always is easier, faster, less complicated, and, I daresay, cheaper. I moved here from Asia 2x. First time, I had my employer pay the majority of our household shipping costs. Second time, I had 11 suitcases. Yup. 11. Each was numbered, with a corresponding list of the contents. I had more than I expected because while I was in Asia, the luggage rules changed for Economy. At a maximum of 50 lbs, I had more suitcases than I would have at the previous 70lbs. The Customs fellow at GDL looked at me with huge eyes, checked my inventory, checked my residency card (which had expired while I was away so I came in on a Tourist Visa) and said to me, "I hope you get a green light!!" Nope ! Red !! So, off I went with all my luggage. They pulled 2 at random, saw that the contents matched my list, had a dog sniff everything and off I went. Easy as pie. Had they wanted to search each suitcase, they would have found the contents matched as did all the others. No waiting for my shipment, no shipping to pay, no wondering if Aduana will levy extra fees, and it all arrived home at the same time as I did.
  17. You can buy your ticket on the bus. The only way to find the hours is to call and ask.
  18. I have lived in Asia and the USA and Mexico. The Costcos of each country reflect the tatstes and preferences of their citizens. There were waaaay more fishy things in the Japanese CostCo than in the US one, but at the heart - Costco is Costco. The hot dogs and pizza taste the same worldwide. Depends on what you are looking to leave/bring. Most electronics like TVs, printers are better to buy here. Computers are available, but usually have Spanish keyboards. Invest in quality surge protectors - those are a must. High end appliances are easily available and delivery is easy. We brought our art and rugs, higher end pots and pans, all clothes. Lamps are $$$ here. Shades are very $$$ if you want nicer ones.Ceiling fans are easy to find, a are heaters andAC should you decide you need them. We don't. Comfy US and Canadian furniture can be purchased easily, but will be a bit $$$ier than the US. Not many "bargains" here, no outlets and rare sales. Bookcases, buffets and end tables can be made to order, and be as rustic or high end as you wish. Bed frames are easy to have made. We had our King frames (2 twin bottoms) made extra tall so we could use the under bed area for storage.Mattresses are easy to find. Drapes, I found I needed to go back and make a trip to BB&B, but now we have one in GDL. You can also have them custom made. Clothes, shoes, ladies bras are very $$$$$ and hard to find sizes - well, you are out of luck. Office Depot and Office Max are in GDL for those kinds of needs. There is a kitchen "neighborhood" in GDL with everything you could possibly want to use in your kitchen. Thanks Tom Gates for introducing us to that area. I go shopping for things in GDL, and take the bus and cabs. I would be happy to help you do that if you wish. Hope this helps.
  19. To the OP, one thing to consider is your daughter's plans for college. Will her Mexican HS grades and activities be sufficient ? As aformer teacher, I suggest that you look into the American School Foundation in Guadalajara. You could still move to the "area" and live in GDL until your daughter is ready for college. AT that point, you and your wife can move to the Lake Chaala region. As others have noted, it really isn't my business what you do with your lives, but I would strongly remind you of the vulnerability of young, Caucasian girls in Mexico. They often stand out and can feel like targets. At least in GDL at the American School, she won't be the only one around. There would be more afterschool activities on a par with what you would find in the US. Laske Chapala is like the tiny little town in the Deep South that I grew up in, only with lots more old folks ! Not much to keep teenagers occupied, horrible driving practices, plenty opportunities for things to go wrong for a teen out of place.
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