Although we are not located in a big city, from a communications point of view living at lakeside is easy. You can stay in touch with family and friends very easily and affordably, watch your favorite TV programs, surf the Internet and get your mail.
Lake Chapala Internet Services
Internet offers services similar to those you are used to having in the U.S.A. and Canada. Prodigy (provided by Telmex) is by far the biggest provider and offers high speed broadband and wireless connection services starting at $299 pesos (US$29.90) per month, once you purchase the equipment at an approximate cost of US$100.
Stay in Touch with Your Family and Friends
The phone systems have expanded though Telmex (land lines) and Telcel (cellphones), which are the major players. A landline's basic service costs around $270 pesos (US$25) per month, which includes 100 local calls with long distance costing $7 to $10 pesos per minute. There are other phone and cellphone companies available in the area that offer different costs. It only depends on your needs and requirements for you to make the choice that suits you best.
Alternatives for long distance include “call back” services, Vonage, Skype, Packet 8, Easy Call (based in Mexico), etc., all of which reduce your costs significantly. You can be sure that you can stay in touch with your loved ones.
Watch Your Favorite TV Programs in Lake Chapala
We have a variety of options for TV services. The most popular are provided by satellite, which provides programming from both the United States and Canada. In some areas you can also get cable TV. Therefore, if you have time left to watch TV, you can be sure you will get to watch your favorite TV shows.
Get Your Mail
Snail mail has improved over these last few years but it can still take several days to receive mail from the U.S. or Canada.. There are options such as Mail Boxes Etc., courier services (FedEx, UPS, DHL), and local organizations quite often offer services where mail is taken to the U.S. and re-directed from there. Local mail is slow so most people use courier services for important items.
The one area that does need improving is sending/receiving packages. Recently, however, we have tested the system and had good results, so it looks as if things are getting better. Aduanas (customs) still seem to have a problem with packages, causing delays. Courier services will handle them but at a cost.
Learn everything going on in Lakeside
We have some English language newspapers even though they are still somewhat limited in International news. However, the Internet makes up for that; you can access today’s news online for most major newspapers and even local news from small towns.