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June 28, 2007
La Dentista
I had to have a filling. It was multi-surface, which in the United States is like having two entirely different cavities, or at least that is they way they bill for it.
I had not yet established a relationship with a dentist here, so I was long overdue. Unfortunately, I am leaving for Buenos Aires next week, so I needed to get in to see someone rather urgently. I tried to get an appointment with the English-speaking dentist that is popular here, who also has an office in Ajijic, near the large gringo community at Lake Chapala. He only works in Guadalajara two days a week. This week he was booked solid, and next week he is going to Venezuela.
I asked Charles for help, and he suggested his dentist. When we went to see his dentist though, he told us that he didn't have the proper equipment in that office to do the work, so he called up a collegue, scheduled us for an appointment later that day and asked her to give us a discount, as we were friends.
The only drawback for me personally is that she doesn't speak English, and when your mouth is stuck open with dental instruments inside, it's hard to express that you do not understand something that the dentist is telling you. This time, Charles went along with me and translated as necessary, so that worked out. I think that I probably could have managed on my own, but when you are dealing with things like the law and medicine, it's important to understand fully what is going on.
She did a very good job and after about two hours of examination and work, she charged me only MXN $300. That is just a little under thirty bucks. I'm going back for a cleaning this afternoon, and that's going to cost me a whopping MXN $350. She did discount the rate for us because we were sent to her by a friend, but I do not imagine that the regular price is anything near what one would pay in the United States. I'd have paid my previous dentist in Boulder at least USD $600 for the visit.
I can recommend her highly, in case you ever need a dentist in Guadalajara. Her information is:
Dr. Adriana Preciado Fregoso
Nuevo Mundo 2500
Fracc. Colón
Guadalajara, Jalisco
(33) 3812-1885 office
(33) 3115-2350 cell
Posted by crispy at 06:46 AM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2007
Miami Herald Mexico Edition Ceases Publication
I learned only recently that the Miami Herald Mexico Edition, which featured a section of local news in English, stopped publication at the end of May. This is really a shame, since it was the only English-language daily you could get in Mexico. There is another English-language periodical that originates from Guadalajara, The Guadalajara Colony Reporter, but it is published only weekly.
Foreign Native points out that one can get "access to newspapers anywhere in any language" over the Internet, but the truth is, it's hard to find good news about Mexico in English online. The online version of the Miami Herald Mexico Edition was the best, most consistent source out there.
I have long held that The San Diego Union-Tribune has the best reporting on Mexico you'll find in a United States newspaper. The problem there is, unlike the Miami Herald Mexico, any stories they carry on Mexico are not located in a separate Mexico section. One has to enter "Mexico" into the site's search box and run that. The Union-Tribune web site does not even have a distinct section for international news.
Yes, there are other sites out there that carry "news" about Mexico, but they all tend to carry only soft news and target tourists or retirees. Such articles can be informative about the history and culture of Mexico, but they do not allow one to keep up with local current events. The Guadalajara Colony Reporter falls into this category, although they are getting a little better. Maybe now that there is no daily English-language newspaper in Mexico, they'll step up to the plate and focus on serious news a bit more.
Posted by crispy at 03:54 PM | Comments (2)
June 14, 2007
Low Power
A couple of days ago we had low power for about four hours. It happens now and again, and what exactly causes it, I don't know. We don't fully lose power, but there isn't enough for stuff to work. If you turn a light on, it glows a dim orange. If you turn a fan on, it spins very slowly.
I never experienced this in the United States. It seemed like there, if your power goes out, it goes out completely. If the power is on, it's on all the way. Here in Mexico, we can lose some or all of our power.
At one point during the dimness, Charles called for some reason, and Shawn told him about it. He called the CFE for us and they told him that there had been four other reports of the problem made from our neighborhood, Chapalita. Yet in our apartment building, it was only affecting the people upstairs. The people downstairs had full power, just like normal.
Posted by crispy at 10:27 AM | Comments (1)