Focus On Mexico - Your Guide to Moving and Retiring to Mexico's Lake Chapala

Getting Your Retiree Mexico Resident Visa

Once you are within no longer than six months of your proposed date to move to Mexico, the next step is to apply for either a temporary or permanent resident visa at the Mexican consulate nearest to you in your home country. While the process may seem daunting at first, it is rather straightforward at most (but not all) Mexican consulates. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that some consulates are easier to deal with than others, and much like any other process involving government bureaucracy, patience and calm will help you navigate the visa process. The consulates vary widely in their … [Read more...]

Wide Eyed Mexico

While visiting Lakeside you may want to take a tour of the area with one of the expert local tour companies/guides. There are several excellent tour experiences available depending on your interests. In this post, we interview Carlos Martinez, co-founder of a new tour company called Wide Eyed Mexico formed by long term Jalisco residents with extensive travel expediente throughout the world. Please describe Wide Eyed Mexico for our readers. Wide Eyed Mexico is a very distinct tour company offering private off the beaten track custom tours for groups of 6 to 10 people who are family or … [Read more...]

Focus on Lakeside Stem Cell Treatment – ChapalaMed

In our continuing interview with Dr. Santiago Hernandez of ChapalaMed, this post discusses stem cell therapy, which is increasingly sought after. Many people are interested in stem cell therapy for a variety of conditions and although there is a lot of general information out there, there is not a lot of specific information about stem cell treatment. What conditions are generally most responsive to stem cell therapy? Stem cell therapy is a branch of medicine which is basically still in its infancy. My first experience with stem cell therapy was while I was in medical school. There were … [Read more...]

Piñatas and Posadas – Christmas in Mexico

Christmas in Mexico is similar yet different from the U.S. depending on what part of the country you live in. Large cities such as Guadalajara tend to have a similar U.S. like frenzied shopping atmosphere, but Christmas in smaller towns and villages is quite distinct. There is much less emphasis on gifts and more emphasis on the family celebrations and traditions surrounding Christmas. I took an informal poll of my ESL students to see what family gifts they were giving for Christmas and was charmed with the simple answers - a bottle of cologne, a shirt, a pair of shoes, a necklace, etc. - … [Read more...]

Focus on Lakeside Healthcare – ChapalaMed

Lakeside is fortunate to have many competent medical professionals, both those who have their practices Lakeside and those who come from Guadalajara for office hours. Dr. Santiago Hernandez is the expert speaker on the local medical system at our FOCUS learning seminars and he graciously agreed to a wide-ranging interview including his medical practice, medical tourism Lakeside, and stem cell therapy. The interview will be published in installments on our site over the next few weeks. First, let's get acquainted with Dr. Hernandez and ChapalaMed. Please tell our readers about your medical … [Read more...]