Blogs from Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico, North America - page 7

It didn’t take long to learn that Happy Hour is at any time of the day, under the palapa hut which is right outside our door. We still can’t get over how quite this area is both in the evening and in the morning. Jorge, our property manager has purchased a golf cart for everyone in our complex to share. It’s not free but can be used for a very reasonable rental price. The golf cart is perfect for travelling the back streets which extended from town to town. It can also be used in the bicycle lanes on the main highway. We are pretty well organized now and can just explore and relax.... read more

I was in a very deep sleep until 5AM when I was awakened by a major explosion or cannon blast somewhere nearby. Or maybe I was dreaming because I lay in bed waiting for sirens or voices or something to confirm what I thought I heard, but there was nothing but a rooster in training who hadn’t yet learned to wait for the sun before crowing. I was almost back to sleep when another explosion sounded and this time I knew I wasn’t dreaming. Again I waited for sirens or any type of noise that would confirm others had heard it, nothing. Now I was afraid to return to sleep, sure enough, a third explosion sounded at 5:30AM and this time I could see a flash over our high garden walls. The rooster was still doing ... read more

After 19 months and 30,000 miles, it’s time to head north and end our trip to Mexico and Central America. We have seen a good part of this area of the world and are both sad and happy to be on our way. We visited 8 countries and nearly every state in Mexico. We lived in 13 different cities and visited hundreds more. It has been both a challenge and greatly rewarding. Things that were unbelievably foreign to us have now become commonplace. People that seemed unique and completely different than us are now our neighbors.Foods, language and customs that once seemed unique and different are now everyday occurrences that we have come to take as normal. Seeing grand churches, colorful birds, volcanoes, beautiful beaches and cobblestone roads don’t seem odd to us anymore. We arrived ... read more

Lake Chapala is the largest inland lake in Mexico. 90 miles long, as much as 15 miles wide, but only about 20 feet deep, so the water looks murky - much like the water in Wascana Lake at home. But although we have read accounts of the lake being choked with weeds and devoid of fish and bird life - essentially dead - we found it alive with birds, and watched fishermen set their lines from the shore. The government has made a great effort to restore life to the lake, cleaned up the water hyacinth that had covered much of the lake in the past, and has designated the lake as a protected area. One of the local men told us that while there are fish in the lake, and some of the restaurants use ... read more