January 2, 2014 the start of a new year

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Thursday, January 2,

The sun was shining and the forecast was that each day going forward will be warmer and sunnier. It was time to come out of hibernation.

Mary Anne asked if either of us would like to go cruising in the golf cart with her. I was anxious to get out and go anywhere so the two women took off down the back streets of San Antonio to Ajijic. As we neared Centro Ajijic the golf cart got slower and slower. Mary Anne had been counting the number of times it had been used since the last charge and although Jorge had told her it would make about 4 trips to and from Ajijic on a single charge, we now determined it will really make 3 ½ trips.

We parked the cart near the centre of town and in order to give it time to regain a little power we roamed the shops, walked to the plaza and each had sangria at the Music Box.

It was almost 3:30PM when we arrived back at the golf cart. It took off with lots of power but we weren’t sure how far we would get. Sure enough, we almost through La Floresta area before it died again.

Plan A, we call Jorge and have him tow us with his truck, Plan B, we hire one of the horses that were tied on the boulevard beside us and have the horse pull the cart (unlikely) Plan C, I get out and push.

The good news was that Jorge came to the rescue with his pickup truck and towed us home. Mary Anne and I remained in the cart while it was being towed and laughed all the way back as we went over speed bumps, and raced along the cobble stone streets.

We arrived back in time to plug the cart in to charge, have our first happy hour under the palapa hut since Christmas and then get ready to head out again.

Jorge, Alejandra, Mary Anne, Rick and I were all going to Piano Rojo (Catary’s Club) to see Lynn Ruth in “Granny’s Gone Wild”. We arrived at the club just in time. The place was packed and we were able to secure the last of the comfy seats.

Lynn Ruth who is 80 years old put on a wonderful show of stories, jokes, singing and even a little stripping and wigs.

When her performance was over we walked toward the Malacon and had dinner at Posada Axixic. The food was very good and the service fantastic. We had a lot of laughs and finally left and allowed them to close as we made our way back to the Piano Rojo.

A musical group was performing and the crowds had thinned significantly. Lynn Ruth came and sat with us and we were having a nice conversation but the band was very insistent that we not talk but listened while they performed. When they finished we were getting ready to leave when Catary came over and asked that we stay a little longer. Another group was about to perform just a couple of pieces. This group was very interesting it had a drummer, guitarist, violinist and singer. They were really just giving a little preview of their music as their real performance is scheduled for later in the month.

While we were watching them, Catary came by with bowls of various chocolates that are sold in her chocolate and wine shop. When this band had finished we again prepared to leave but Jorge and Alejandra had never been in the shop so Catary opened it for a private viewing. Before leaving, Jorge bought a gift of a new fedora and scarf for Alejandra.

Back in the car, we had a fun ride home with talk that we should all drive to Guadalajara one day soon.

Friday, January 3,

It was another sunny day and Rick and I had things to do in Ajijic. Mary Anne wasn’t using her golf cart today and offered it to us. I love riding around in the golf cart but Rick was hesitant at first. I think after we convinced him, he enjoyed a day of cruising as well.

Our first stop was the ATM as we wanted to book some tours and the tour company we use only accepts cash (Charter Club Tours). Then, since I didn’t want to carry around a lot of cash, our next stop was the tour company. I am so excited; we booked a day trip to the town of Tequila, another day trip driving around the lake and visiting other Mexican towns and finally a weeklong trip to Puerto Vallarta staying in an all inclusive resort during February.

It was almost lunchtime when we finished so we headed to the Plaza in Ajijic. There we had a nice lunch, looked at our watch and realized we had a lot of time to kill if we wanted to stay and watch the Folkloric Ballet dancers who were to perform in the Plaza at 3:30PM.

We went for a walk down toward the lake and stopped at the Lake Chapala society. There we just happened to book another tour, this one to the Guadalajara Zoo. There were other tours that they offered but we were running out of available days so we will return and book another next month.

We strolled through town and made our way back to the Plaza only to realize we still needed to kill a couple of hours. We found a table outside at the Black and White Cafe where I sat in the shade and had a hot chocolate and Rick sat in the sun and had a Chocolate Milk Shake. There was a big difference in temperature between sun and shade today.

A little more roaming around the Plaza and I purchased a poncho from one of the venders. If it gets any cooler I will wear it today.

Finally with only an hour to go we found a seat where the art auction and Folkloric dancers would perform. The auction was taking place to raise money for the dance club. Everything started exactly at 3:30PM which can be unusual in Mexico. We should have realized that the auction would take place before the dance performance. There were over 60 pieces art to be auctioned and when we left at 4:30PM they had only finished with 13 of them. We will have to see the dancers another day.

It was 5PM when we drove through the gates and arrived home. It had been nice to spend another day outside in the sun.

Sunday, January 5,

It was a sunny but cool day. Mary Anne, Rick and I took a bus into Chapala to visit with Marci and Neil. Marci and Neil moved from our complex of Villas to Chapala because the roads and sidewalks are easier to maneuver there with Neil’s wheel chair.

It was very difficult for Neil to go anywhere in Ajijic because of the huge cobblestone roads. He tried a few times but the rocks ripped the tires off the wheels of his chair. They are now living directly across the street from the American Legion.

The Chapala branch of the American Legion opens its facilities to everyone; you don’t have to be American. In fact, there is a Maple Leaf Club for Canadians. On Sundays they have a BBQ and so we were all meeting there for lunch.

After lunch, we crossed the street and toured Marci and Neil’s new place. Their living room looks out onto a lovely courtyard and fountain. The apartment is perfect for them.



Before returning home by bus, we walked the main street of Chapala just to see what was happening.

Monday, January 6,

Today is Three Kings Day and sure enough, when we awoke and looked out our window, the Three Wise Men had arrived at the nativity scene and were looking over the manger. Jorge always updates the Nativity scene on schedule when no one is looking.

We went for a walk to the Monday Market in San Antonio hoping for fresh baked Three Kings Bread. The market is so “Gringo” that although there were a few tables with fresh baked bread, none had the traditional sweet bread that we were looking for. Three Kings Bread is a round sweet loaf with dried fruit and tiny images of the infant Jesus inside.

Our next stop was Superlake grocery store. They had the bread in many different loaf sizes depending upon whether you were serving four people or thirty people. I picked a loaf that would be good for about eight people



We served the cake by the pool at Happy Hour. Both Mary Anne and Jorge got a little baby Jesus in their piece of bread. Whoever gets one of these figures in his/her slice must pay for tamales for Candlemas on February 2. We had so many tamales on New Years Eve that it is unlikely that we will want more in February.

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