2010

The Lake Chapala Society is located in the heart of Ajijic, on 16th of September St. #16-A. It is also the heart of the lives of most  expats here. It is the first place I was taken to visit when I arrived in Ajijic. I used the bulletin board to look for a rental. Every time I go there, I see what is new up on the boards. Salesmen at the Front Gate of the  Lake Chapala Society The grounds open a...

From the Dictionary: Expat, exile, expatriate, a person who is voluntarily absent from home or country. It is harder for me to write about the expats than the Mexicans. It is acceptable to claim ignorance of the Mexicans’ lives since I am an outsider. But I am an expat. I have no excuse for my meager knowledge of the expat society here. My only explanation is that I am an outsider, not a joiner. This...

My favorite photos are of people. I have seen many travel videos that showed beautiful scenery but no people. I remember a few years ago seeing one like that of San Blas. I was sitting in a rickety seat in a small movie theater watching a video of a place where I was living, and I didn’t recognize any of it.  They must have taken those shots so early in the morning that no one was up yet. Many of them...

El Parque is located in San Antonio, right off the main street. It goes up at the stop light near Super Lake and Tony’s restaurant. As you go up the hill, it is about half a block and to the right. You will see the gate with the guards. Guards at El Parque You can’t come inside unless a resident has invited you. The guards always call the person you want to visit before they open the...

Wednesday is my favorite day of the week because it is market day. I love to shop at the outdoor market. I live just a couple of blocks from it. I buy all my food for the week there except milk, bacon and toilet paper. I also like to sometimes have breakfast at Salvador’s Restaurant with my friends. Salvador’s is busy all day on Wednesdays. Salvador's Restaurant Some of the sellers are what I...

Within the last couple of years, Ajijic has built a beautiful new malecon along the waterfront.  There is a pier and the malecon goes off to the right of it, towards the west. There is a restaurant at the end of the pier. I have never eaten in it so I can’t tell you anything about the food or the prices. I have had a beer at the bar they also own. It has outside stools. I like to sit there and watch the...

Christiana Park is easy of find because many of the streets running perpendicular to the main street in Chapala end at the park. Also, if you walk to the east end of the Lake, past the restaurants and turn left, you will come upon the front entrance to it.You have to pay a five-peso fee to get in the gate; more if there is an event going but it is well worth the entrance fee. It is a bargain....

It is hard to get facts about Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest fresh water lake.  I see the lake as a living  entity. It can’t easily be measured because it won’t stand still long enough. I have read that it is 50 miles long by 10 miles wide and 415 sq. miles total. I have read that it is  70 miles long by 20 miles wide and it is 650 square miles total. As you can see by these so-called facts, the...

The Real de Chapala is located in Lower La Floresta, just a couple of blocks from my little casita. It is easy to find if you know about it. There is a sign pointing towards it to the left as you come in on the main road (Carretera) from Chapala towards Ajijic. I didn’t notice that sign.  I walked around this neighborhood for many months until I noticed the hotel. It is hidden among beautiful homes....

When I first moved to this area, I had a torn and twisted meniscus in my knee. I hate to go to doctors and in the States I had no medical insurance. I limped around on it for fourteen months. Finally, I couldn’t stand the pain any longer and I hobbled into Dr. Leon’s office on the carretera in Ajijic. I had heard many great stories about him from the Americans around the Lake Chapala Society. He looked...