Feb 1, 2009 - Ajijic (Ah hee heek)

Ajijic Ajijic, a suburb of Chapala, is home for Dianne Crawford, a former resident of Ontario, who lives permanently in Mexico. The majority of the population is expats from Canada and the US; as a result, most workers at restaurants and stores speak fairly good English. Our highlight was a superb comida (mid-day main meal) prepared by Maryloly (Maria Dolores) who is a good friend of Dianne’s and who visited us in Victoria last year. Maryloly and Rafael’s hospitality is warm, welcoming and genuine and the food “saboroso” (delicious). We...

Jun 14, 2008 - Lake Chapala - Ajicjic, Mexico

This is a well known retirement location for expatriates in Mexico. Purpose of this stop was to visit a long time friend, Dave, whom I met while on contract in Esfahan, Iran in the mid 1970's. Dave has had a very interesting life and it was fun to spend a couple of days visiting. Ajicjic is a suburb of Lake Chapala that has a very strong expatriate community. This house is owned by a Canadian lady who rents the house out 11 months of the year. It is a two bedroom two bath unit complete with all American appliances. His internet service is...

May 27, 2008 - Home At Last

This is my first day back in Ajijic. My house is in great shape and my bed was a welcome sight when I slept here last night. Now to drop off the laundry, see what bills have to be paid, and read through my mail. It's good to be back in mi pueblito. Like all travellers, I have seen more than I remember and remember more than I have seen. -George Bernard Shaw

Aug 18, 2007 - Not a beach, but a lake

So, today I did not go to Puerto Vallarta. After a long discussion with my family about how this was the buisiest weekend of the entire year (I'm sure they exagerated a little, but it got their point across) they convinced me it was a bad idea. It's the last weekend of summer here, so everyone went away for the weekend. So, four hours on a bus seemed like less fun. Instead, Leonie and I went to Chapala. This is a lake about an hour bus ride from Guadalajara. It's a very cute town with more English in it than in Guadalajara. I was really...

Jul 27, 2007 - Third Week

Weekend with Amy was quite an adventure! We took a bus on Saturday morning to the town of Chapala, home of the largest lake in all of Mexico, Lake Chapala. This lake is not much of a pretty sight, but you can see the mountains across from Chapala, and they sure are beautiful. The whole area is full of such natural beauty, green trees of all different types, many birds and other creatures, and a lot of very nice people. We walked along the edge of the town, where the lake begins, and the street was lined with vendors selling all kinds of...