Dear Blue: “Is there a Spanish Language school in Ajijic?” LK There are no Spanish Language Schools in Chapala or Ajijic. There are several in Guadalajara and in other major Mexican cities. I recommend the Spanish Language School in Guadalajara. They have 5-hour per day intensive language programs with very small classes and excellent instructors. […]
Continue ReadingThe basic entrance immigration status for tourists is the FM-T. It is valid for a maximum of 180 days and is issued at your point of entry into Mexico-either at a border crossing or an airport. Visitors who drive a car into the country will be required to return the car to the border and […]
Continue ReadingThis column is designed to offer Mexican living experiences from a woman’s point of view. I’ve been in Ajijic for more than four years, living as a single woman. In this time I’ve purchased, rebuilt and decorated a home; worked with agencies for handling disputes; dealt with the police and learned how to live comfortably […]
Continue ReadingSanta Semana (Easter week) captured center stage last month in Ajijic. For me, it was a chance to really appreciate both the Mexican customs as well as enjoying some from back home. The celebrations of our Mexican hosts begins with The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary on Friday, April 11: “Processions and special altars […]
Continue ReadingMichoacán is recognized in México for its perfect combination of colors and flavors, the melancholy and joy of its music, the joy and vitality of its dances, its cultural wealth, its traditions and history, its villages and towns, and its natural beauty. All of this makes Michoacán ideally situated for travel into the extraordinary heart […]
Continue ReadingVILLAGE IN THE SUN HOUSE IN THE SUN CANDELARIA’S COOKBOOK ALL by DANE CHANDOS These books were written in the early 1940s and VILLAGE IN THE SUN is still considered to be one of the most endearing books written about Mexico to this day. Set in the area of Ajijic, Jalisco, it gives a delightful view of […]
Continue ReadingCandelaria is back, with her special logic, folk wisdom and Mexican home-style recipes in the bilingual ‘Las Recetas de Candelaria,’ or ‘Candelaria’s Cookbook.’ Readers of Dane Chandos’ charming ‘Village in the Sun’, about life around Lake Chapala in the ‘40s, will recall Candelaria as the cook who ‘could carry in her head scores and scores of recipes.’ […]
Continue ReadingThe following is a practical guide to driving in Mexico compiled from experiences over the last several years. Driving in Mexico, in my opinion, is no more hazardous than driving anywhere else, however, it is different than driving in the United States or Canada. There are simply different things you have to be on the […]
Continue ReadingI would love to be able to read detailed accounts of how you drive from one place to another in Mexico, with tips on hotels, tolls, pitfalls, choices of routes and all the other things that make a journey easier and help you avoid getting lost. In talking to people I find there’s great interest […]
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Cogan’s Reviews A Mexico book by Harriet Doerr Only a sense of duty got me through this boring novel. I know that it comes with all kinds of recommendations and wonderful reviews from all the best sources. Harriet Doerr won the American Book Award in 1984 with her novel “Stones for Ibarra.” And “Consider This…” […]
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