Mexico's Lake Chapala and Ajijic: The Insiders Guide

and I've been using this guide ever since it came out. As a matter of fact, I have two copies; one at home, and one in my truck for use when I'm out and about. In this area we refer to the guide as "the bible", and many of us refer to it quite frequently. A previous reviewer may have left the impression that much of the information in this book came from the website "Mexconnect", and I must take issue with that assertion. Anyone who knows anything about the qualifications of the writers involved in this project can tell you that these are people of the highest integrity and scholarship. Their contributions to Teresa's book are based on their own experiences, their own explorations of the area, their own face-to-face interviews with local business owners and govermental officials, and their own familiarity with the services and providers who make living in this area such a pleasure. If, as the anonymous reviewer says, most of the information in this book can be found on "Mexconnect" (a site I'm very familiar with) I'd certainly be interested in where it's located, since I've been unable to find it.I've read many of the city and area guides offered by the large publishing houses, and I've read the few local guides published by residents of the cities of which they write. Let me assure you that Mexico's Lake Chapala and Ajijic stands head and shoulders above any that you might choose for comparison. This guide is the most user friendly book I've ever seen. The table of contents and the index lead you quickly and easily to any subject in which you have an interest, and the content is first-rate, offering an incredibly complete listing of all the services you could ever need. I challenge anyone to find a listing or compilation that even comes close to the breadth and accuracy of this book. You could search "Mexconnect", along with every local Lakeside publication, and not be able to find even a small portion of the information contained within the 209 pages of Teresa's guide.I've been in and out of Mexico since the early 60's, I've lived and worked in several cities down here, and I can truthfully say that I've never before seen a book that provides the area visitor such a complete and accurate guide to gracefully and easily moving about a specific place. In additional to an outstanding listing of places to eat, places to stay, and places to purchase any and all personal items you may need, the guide offers insights into local customs and mores, a bit of essential Spanish language, and a number of interesting and informative tidbits designed to make the traveler look and feel like a local resident, rather than a tourist. The vast majority of the information presented in this book has never before been published-in either English or Spanish.Lest you think that I'm overly effusive in my opinion of this book and it's author, let me tell you that after seeing this classy book, the officials of the State Ministry of Tourism of the State of Co

I've lived in Ajijic for five years and although Teresa Kendrick's book was written for visitors, mine is dog-eared, well-used and sometimes abused...The wealth of information, easily organized, saves me hours of research in answering questions from my readers...At least twice a week, I check to see if a specific restaurant is open on that night, to check phone numbers and email addresses for B & B's...Kendrick doesn't accept advertising and her recommendations on doctors, vets and dentists can be trusted. She has done her research. Want to know about Tequila? Banking? Car Rentals? How about local events and fiestas? Miss your local yoga classes or churches, or perhaps you're simply interested in relaxing at a nearby spa? If you come to the Lakeside armed with this book, you won't miss so many of the opportunities other visitors have. I can unequivocably recommend this book and her website keeps it current for you. How many travel books can you say that about?

by Carl Franz, author of "The People's Guide to Mexico", now in its 25th EditionAfter decades of neglect, major publishers have finally begun to include titles on Mexico and Latin America in their guidebook catalogs. We'll call this long overdue attention the "good news". The not-so-good news is that the fierce competition between publishers to create new and more profitable guidebook series doesn't necessarily benefit readers and travelers.In their rush to stake out new guidebook territory, editors are often forced to cut corners and look for shortcuts. As a result, many popular guidebooks, especially those from a series, are based on the work of under-paid, work-for-hire writers. Stingy advances seldom cover actual travel costs, increasing the pressure on the writer/researcher to move quickly through their assigned territory. In this hurried, "drive-by" approach to guidebook production, previous knowledge of the country and language are not necessarily required.A good example of this is the unsettling compliment my own book on Mexico received from a young, newly published guidebook author. In describing the preparations for her first-ever trip south of the border, she confided that she'd left the U.S. equipped with nothing but "a contract, a bus ticket, and a copy of The People's Guide To Mexico". Another series-writer privately complained that his publisher unexpectedly switched his assignment from a popular Caribbean island to a book on New England! In addition to working on a low budget and to a very tight deadline, this author was truly a `stranger in a strange land'. He'd never before stepped foot in New England.Fortunately, alternatives to mass-produced guidebooks can still be found from smaller presses and independent, self-published authors. Favorites from my own library include "Outdoors In Western Mexico" by John and Susy Pint, "Mexico City" by Andrew Coe, "A Handbook of Mexican Roadside Flora", "Oaxaca Crafts and Sightseeing", "Western Mexico" by Tony Burton, and many titles from Editorial Minutiae Mexicana. Though some have lost the struggle to stay in print, the quality of their author's research and writing insures that these books retain lasting value to serious aficionados of Mexico.morePage 2Now, "Mexico's Lake Chapala and Ajijic: The Insider's Guide to the Northshore for International Travelers" is quite a mouthful, but then so is this book. With contributions from experts in anthropology, natural history, language and culture, author and Ajijic resident Teresa Kendrick presents a description of Lake Chapala and its popular tourist and retirement communities that is broad in scope yet also quite detailed.The book opens with an excellent regional overview by Dale Hoyt Palfrey and Tony Burton. This chapter gives the reader a thorough yet concise description of the region's geography, aquatic life, ecological zones, and unusually benevolent climate. Plant lovers will appreciate a discussion of garden and mountain flora, accompani