Ajijic-Chapala,Mexico-Retirement Paradise

Posted on 21. February 2010 03:27 by Wright Team Mexico

My sister is visiting from Manitoba, Canada and because of her interest  in the creative arts we took in a number of art shows held during the month of February.

Pam's son is an international award winning blacksmith, so she took many pictures of the wonderful iron and other metal artwork in the area. As we travelled around Ajijic and the magnificent city of Guadaljara. doors, windows, furniture and accessories gave opportunities for much picture taking.

In Ajijic we took in the local art exhibit and sale on the new malecon in Chapala (Februaruy 17-21). Ceramics, jewelery, clothing and more were displayed for the 4 day event. Workshops were offered daily in the various art forms.

Laguna Artes Plasticas, a new artist group held "Feria Artes" at the new Centro Laguna mall, February 13 and 14 complete with music and food to make it a festival for those attending.

This week we attended the 36th "Enart" Expo held at the Centro Cultural El Refugio in Tlagquepaque (part of Guadalajara). This is an event Don and I attend every February and August. It is a National Mexican Trade Fair for store buyers. This is always a feast for the eyes. The creativity and talent that you are exposed to is thrilling. After the event we toured parts of Tlaquepaque were my sistern and her friend purchased woven place mats and napkins (my sister bought them for her B&B in Manitoba). She could not believe the low prices!!

The art galleries in Ajijic are plentiful. All one has to do is walk along Calle 16 de Septembre to spend the day going in and out of galleries. The variety is endless.

The old train station in Chapala has been renovated into an art centre and show cases art on a regular basis. What a beautiful venue it is!

Young artists who have been schooled in the arts program in Ajijic have grown into well known artists in their own right and have produced some amazing murals in Ajijic and Chapala which must be seen if you are a visitor. They tell the story of the Lakeside and are gorgeous.

Today we are off to Tonala, another part of Guadalajara were artisans create all forms of art that are shipped around the world.

Don, having a life long interest in photography and in my mind a very good photgrapher, recently joined the ASA group (Ajijic Society of the Arts) in Ajijic. They are having a show February 21 on the Ajijic Plaza. This is a very active, well organized group of local artists in all disciplines.

Have I wet your appetite? If you love art this is the place!!

I will add more later as we are off to Tonola for the day to take in all there is to take in!!

 

Posted on 1. February 2010 06:14 by Wright Team Mexico

                                                                                                             LEARNING ABOUT MEXICO; EDUCATION

Living the most part of 12 years in Mexico, on the shores of Lake Chapala in Jalisco, particularly Ajijic, Don and I have learned much about this large and diverse country both in size, topography, population and now education.

As a result of some of our clients’ needs, we have delved into the education sector in our area. One client’s son attends Terra Nova, a bi-lingual school started about 3-4 years ago in west Ajijic. The school has steadily grown and now has about 350 happy students from kindergarten to high school.

What strikes us about this school is there mission, which if adopted in North America would greatly enhance the youth of today, the leaders of tomorrow. The school motto?

             “In all things to love and serve”

 “What should we do?” to get the world economy back on track is a question on every one’s mind today.

In the school’s newsletter “Informa Nova”[i] to the parents, July, 2009, the Terra Nova principal writes:

 “There is no doubt that the answer is education.”

“The answer is to educate ourselves in order to educate others.”

“The answer is to channel our energy and focus our priorities as parents, teachers, government and the media on the eradication of ignorance, laziness, irresponsibility and apathy all of which deprive us of our freedom.”

“The answer is to educate relying upon our guidance, our extent that we have relegated matters of the spirit to flashes of worry, obscurity and disillusionment. In Terra Nova we accept this responsibility as our own, and invite you to continue to give your children this invaluable legacy of integral human development, an education in the most profound sense of the word. Together we will accomplish this goal.”

Wow!! What a mission and what a goal!!

Don and I have visited the school a number of times and see growth and changes each time. What strikes us most is the happy sounds of the children as they go about their studies, sports and extracurricular activities. They are polite and respectful of others.

We encourage you to visit this school and support their fund raisers. http://www.institutoterranova.org.mx

Friday evening we attended the First Fashion Show of the “Chapala Instituto Tecnologico Superior” (ITSD) located on the Libramiento. http://www.itschapala.com/nuestro_its.php. We have watched with interest as the campus has grown, with the auditorium being the last building constructed. When we learned the fashion show was to be there we quickly bought tickets so that we could see the facility (also thinking that the fashions were designed by students). The show was to celebrate and thank those who have made the facility a reality.

In the opening speeches we learned that the majority of the students are from small communities around the lake who do not have the funds to attend schools in Guadalajara. A number of students have secured jobs in the technical field and are earning good incomes. Others are taught how to take their ideas and become entrepreneurs, learning the basics of business ownership. We were so excited to hear this that we are arranging a tour of the whole campus so that we can spread the word about the opportunities offered to the young people of Lake Chapala.

We think that Mexico has the right idea. Educate your young. They are the future of tomorrow. To learn more about Mexico’s place in the world we bought “Geo-Mexico, the Geography and Dynamics of Modern Mexico”, a fine book recently released by Tony Burton and Richard Rhoda. The contents will surprise you.

 

Posted on 1. February 2010 06:14 by Wright Team Mexico

 

                                                        LEARNING ABOUT MEXICO:   EDUCATION

 

Living the most part of 12 years in Mexico, on the shores of Lake Chapala in Jalisco, particularly Ajijic, Don and I have learned much about this large and diverse country both in size, topography, population and now education.

As a result of some of our clients' needs, we have delved into the education sector in our area. One client's son attends Terra Nova, a bi-lingual school started in 2006 in west Ajijic. The school has grown steadily and now has about 350 happy students from kindergarten to high school.

What strikes us abaout this school is there mission, which is adapted in North American schools would greatly enhance the youth of today, the leaders of tomorrow; the school motto?

                                                                                               "In all things to love and serve"

"What should we do?" to get the world economy back on track is a question on every one's mind today.

IN the school's newsletter "Informa Nova", to the parents,July, 2009 the Terra Nova principal writes:

"There is no doubt that the answer is education".

"The answer is to educate outselves in order to educate others."

"The answer is to channel our energy and focus our priorities as parents, teachers, government and the media on the eradication of ignorance, laziness, irresponsibility and apathy, all of which deprive us of our freedom".

"The answer is to educate relying upon our guidance, our extent that we have regulated matters of the spirit to flashes of worry, obscurity and disillutionment. In Terra Nova we accept this reponsibility as our own, and invite you to continue to give our children this invaluable legacy of integral human development, an education in the most profound sense of the word. Together we will accomplish this goal."

Wow!! What a mission and what a goal!!

Don and I have visited the school a number of times and see growth and changes each time. What strikes us most is the happy sounds of the children as they go about their studies, sports and extracurricular activities.

We encourage you to visit the school and support their fund raisers. http://www.institutoterranova.org.mx

Friday evening we attended the First Fashion Show (Primer Desfile de Modas) of the Chapala Instituto Tecnolgico Superior (ITS Chapala) located on the Libramiento. We have watched with interest as the campus has grownm with the auditorium being the last building constructed. When we learned that the fashion show was to be held there we quickly bought tickets so that we could see the facility (thinking that the fashions were designed by the students). We soon found out that the show was to celebrate and thank those who have had a hand in making the school a reality.

In the opening speaches we learned that the majority of students are from small communities around the lake who do not have the financial means to attend such schools in Guadalajara. A number of students have graduated and secured good paying jobs in the field of technology. Some then contribute to the family income. Others are taught how to capitalize on their ideas through marketing and business basics to enjoy business ownership.

We were so excited to hear about the programs that we are planning a tour of the whole campus so that we can spread the word about the opportunities offered to the young people of Lake Chapala. http://www.itschapala.com/nuestraits.php.

We feel that Mexico has the right idea. Educate the young. They are the future of tomorrow. To learn more about Mexico's place in the world we bought "Geo-Mexico; The Geography and Dynamics of Modern Mexico" , a fine book recently released by Tony Burton and Richard Rhoda. The contents will surprise you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on 18. January 2010 05:45 by Wright Team Mexico

Medical Tourism Coming to Ajijic- Chapala- Guadalajara.

Open House:In November 2009 we, along with many other Expats from Ajijic, attended an open house at the new Puerta de Hierro Sur, 50 bed, state of the art, Hospital on Hwy. 54, just south of the Periferico (the southern ring road of Guadalajara).

It is the sister Hospital to the 100 bed approximately five year old one built in north west Guadalajara, across from the new, high end Andares Shopping Mall on Puerta de Hierro where several of us had laser surgery for cataracts and new lenses. (my vision changed from 20/400 to 20/20 in about 30 minutes.)

 

To view the photos click on the link below-then on “slideshow” on the upper left: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrightteammexico/MedicalTourismAjijicChapalaGuadalajaraMexico?feat=directlink

Linda, having taught nursing in Canada, checks details, and was extremely impressed. Also, as you can see from the package price sheet (one of the slides) they gave us, having knee, hip and other procedures are reasonable.

For those who have Insurance elsewhere, they have an office that does the co-ordination.

Perhaps “Medical Tourism” is more of a buzz word now than a few years ago, but many have been coming to the Lakeside, for Dental work and to Guadalajara for medical for years. Quality, cleanliness and expertise are well known through-out the medical world.

Guadalajara Reporter: September 11, 2009, Julie Shattock wrote in an article containing the fol lowing excerpts. “The Jalisco state government…recently announced it would be investing 4.35 million pesos to bring private hospitals up to the standards required for certification by the Joint Commission International (JCI), an institution that accredits hospitals in Canada and the United States”. Many Mexican hospitals are already so accredited.

SURGERY HOST Healthcare Agency, a new business, has set up office next to our real estate office in Ajijic From their flyer - “Surgery Host is a coordination agency of a whole event of medical and health tourism. From the first contact that any foreign patient interested in a medical treatment in Mexico, with the integration of all the required services to receive medical attention like airline tickets, ambulances and/or taxis, hotels, hospitals, doctors and tourist services in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; everything with a customized professional attention.”

Although, not part of “Medical Tourism”, the Mexican Government sends out the mobile unit shown, to various towns and locations for women to obtain mammograms and bone density measurements. For 400 pesos (about 30USD) Linda had a bone density scan- results on a graph, all in 5 to 10 minutes. Very convenient!

We invite you to consider the options that Mexico Medical Tourism has to offer.

Wright Team Mexico - Don & Linda Wright- Jan. 2010 Email:wrightteammexico@yahoo.com website:http//www.wrightteammexico.com

Posted on 10. January 2010 09:34 by Wright Team Mexico

Because terminology for condominiums varies from country to country we will try to clarify what it means when buying a condo in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico. This is part of a booklet we have "How to Buy a Condominium at the Lakeside".

WHAT IS A CONDOMINIUM?

A legal form of ownership.

Not based on the construction – it may be

•Detached

•Semi-detached

•Row houses

•Duplexes

•Apartments•Cluster houses

Owned outright by an individual.

Shared ownership with the other owners of Common elements

Colonus fees - owners share payment for the upkeep and maintenance of the common elements.

Reserve fund - money for long term or unexpected repairs.

Special assessments needed for special purposes.

Fraccionmiento fees - a condo may be in a subdivision, so two sets of fees may be payable.

Most gated communities have a condominium regime with a board of directors (formed after construction is complete).

If some of these terms are new to you or not clear, use a realtor who knows condominiums.

Do your homework:

Ask your real estate agent how the condo association is organized - there are a few differences.

Research the condo management track record How are the condo fees allocated? How much money is in the reserve fund? Are there any pending Special Assessments?

Ask to read the constitution and by laws. Are they protective, restrictive?

Consider the buildings condition. Consider having a professional inspection as a condition of your offer.

Talk to residents

1. Ask your realtor what the condo fee is on any unit that you are considering. Check what services it includes and what is not included. Are there any other fees? A fee may seem high, although it may contain almost all your monthly expenses and be less than that paid out for a home that is not part of a condo regime.

2. Make sure that the fee fits within your personal budget for the month.

3. Feel that it suits your personal lifestyle.

We offer a Lakeside Condo Comparison and check list to help you through the process.