Columns

Many people, including a lot of local real estate hustlers, like to tell expat newcomers they can get along just fine without understanding or speaking Spanish. In my book, that is lousy advice in a practical sense, and an insult to the native folks who graciously accept our presence here at lakeside.

A sign hanging on the outside of the former Black Coffee site confirms what has been rumored for weeks. The building is being remodeled to become a lakeside branch of Starbucks. 

¡Muy Pronto! Vivirás la experiencia Starbucks. (Coming Soon! You will live the Starbucks experience.)

I was about seven years old when I made my first trip to Mexico. It was a family trip to visit my grandparents in the little town of Montemorelos, Nuevo León, where they had settled after a couple of years living in Chapala. They left here because the altitude didn’t agree with grandad’s heart condition. 

I was quite stunned when some friends recently commented that local expats don’t rely on newspapers or Facebook to get information.

This week, hundreds of Canadian and U.S. citizens residing in the lakeside area are celebrating national holidays: Canada Day on July 1 and U.S. Independence Day on July 4. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a.k.a. NOAA, has declared the arrival of a Super El Niño season generated by a massive build-up of unusually warm water in the tropical Pacific.  The consequences of a Super Niño are far-reaching and highly unpredictable, NOAA experts say.