Poinsettias in our garden

These are growing in our back yard... It's clear that it's Christmas time here!

So, the other night we apparently had a "Last Night before the End of the World" party happening at a club that is maybe half a kilometer away. I had been watching the Nat Geo programming earlier to see what the various crazies were saying. It was entertaining, but this party was epic!  Went on until who knows when, because I finally put in ear plugs. You know, any excuse for a party, right? Cannot do all-nighters any more.

Tonight we went to a fantastic restaurant very near to us - we could walk, if I didn't mind walking at night! The chef (Ernesto) took care of us exclusively, as we went early. We also had the benefit of hearing about his background, etc. What a character! Said he has been married 3 times - American, Chinese and Cuban wives. His father was Spanish and his mother Mexican. His menu is wonderful, mostly Spanish-inspired, Grande tapas. Probably the best food in Ajijic right now, although it's always REALLY hard to pick one out from the group. We had Paella which is something Gregg does exceptionally well, so there was some macho going on. When we left, Gregg invited him to our house for his Paella after the New Year, so we will see...

Tomorrow night is Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) here. Last year we were staying in the barrio and there literally were bonfires on our street, music, dancing, drinking and general partying until dawn. As for this year, we have an Open House in the village at a new friend of mine's house by the lake. Christmas day is a brunch at the house of our friends from Oregon. It is beginning to feel like a second home here, with lots of new friendships developing. It will likely be quieter in OUR neighborhood when we get home tomorrow evening, I hope.

I will finish with some random thoughts:

The new administration took office on Dec. 1st here, and there is a lot of skepticism - Mexicans and Foreigners alike. Calderon's administration caught and jailed most of the major drug cartel leaders. Pena's plans do not include chasing any of the big guys, but rather putting increased police personnel in the villages to stem the tide of "new recruits" due to the huge problem here. Sounds good, but he has no money to increase forces, has no info on how he will recruit these people and folks are thinking it's a lot of talk and no back-up.

In closing... in the "Who Would have Thought" category:

They are actually monitoring air quality in Guadalajara the same as they do up North now. It has been bad lately. And...in the plazas in Guadalajara and Zapopan and Tlaquepaque (2 suburbs) they have set up ice rinks, with 600 pairs of skates that are free to users for a half hour. Very cool!

Grande grasshopper

It's been awhile since my last post, but not due to a lack of things to write about. I've been working through a new technical challenge - downloading pictures from my IPhone that are publishable. I think it is still a work in progress... See the picture on the left taken with my phone. Grasshoppers here can get as big as 4" long. The detail is lacking, but you get the idea.

The weekend of the Feria, I mentioned in my last post, was a blur. It was a huge success for the artisans that traveled from all parts of Mexico(expenses paid by donation), for our area in terms of tourism and for the more general goal to promote the continuation of this fading tradition of free market sales of indigenous art in this  country that is so rich in that. We worked as volunteers all 4 days and it was an amazing experience. Because my photos are lacking, I want to share a local man's website with you for really detailed info and excellent photos. His name is Tony Passarello, and his site is: antoniorambles.com. He also has many great photos documenting the Dia de los Muertos celebration, and the Revolucion holiday which spanned several days in both cases. Bottom line, if there is any excuse to do so they will party for days...

As for us, we have had an interesting time adjusting to living out of town. Gregg wanted to bring bikes down (we did). Most of the area is paved with rocks - not cobblestone, but rocks - except for along the main thoroughfare. We have not exercised the bikes since we arrived. Another challenge: We have a very few neighbors in our gated community and we just haven't connected with them yet. Not for lack of trying either. Only one has come forward to meet us.  We have invited them for dinner this week. No one uses the shared pool here - I mean NO ONE. When my daughter and grandson come to visit next month that will change!

Right now, things are really happening all over the area. The Christmas season in Mexico lasts well into the new year. There are fundraisers for local orphanages and other groups, to help the locals that are in need, that will be going on until March. Expats and transplants here from points North are willing donors to all the area establishments that are doing the good work. No wonder they are so tolerant of us all.

Amazing, huge, flowers that grow in our back yard.  Below is the view looking out over the lake from our Mirador. The succulents probably come from the vivero (nursery) that is next door to this gated group of twelve lots (6 houses w/1 under construction) and a small, shared pool. The nursery is "cactus only", est. in 1991, and has many, many different kinds. Really neat! I want to go wander around in there sometime soon. Between our little community and the lake are some very large and beautiful homes. I speculate that they may belong to druglords' families... It's possible that I read too many crime novels, though. I feel completely safe here.

As I did in posts from our last visit, I will share some interesting info from the Guadalajara Reporter. I have already read in various sources how well the Mexican economy is doing (very well, gracias), but the wealth is not shared by all, as you may imagine.  Example: 52 Guad. neighborhoods will finally gain permanent access to running water next year. This is in a very cosmopolitan city of about 7 million people (counting all the neighborhoods outside of the muni. of Guad. that I mentioned).  This is astounding to me. Related to this, a new dam is under construction in Jalisco to provide water to 2.4 million people in the area. The only catch - three established towns will be flooded when the project is complete.  Construction has continued despite appeals being legally filed by residents (and ignored or dismissed by Mexico's Supreme Court). The project is 53% complete, and is scheduled to be finished in 2013.

On the positive side, the skate park that just opened was made possible by a 50/50 collaboration of federal and local monies, and is working well. And...the arts community is forever strong here. Later this week is the 11th annual Feria Maestros del Artes which brings folk and indigenous artisans here from all parts of Mexico. We will be volunteering all days, and I can't wait.  This is some of the best artwork available anywhere. Below is a link to their website:
http://www.mexicoartshow.com/ 

No picture this time. I have lots to write about and no time to take new pics right now.

The Dia de los Muertos holiday is drawing to an end. The only part of it we were able to be a part of was a really fun event called "Thrill the World", which apparently happens in many locations. People dress up like zombies and do a choreographed dance to M. Jackson's Thriller. People who take part get sponsors and all proceeds go to charity. Ajijic's group was about 40 strong, young and old - Gringo and locals - and it was REALLY well done. There is a woman locally who is really talented and trains people for a couple of months beforehand. Unfortunately, the sun was too bright and the orientation wrong for pics.

The skate park I mentioned, was dedicated by local parks and gov. folks as well as the architect involved who is related to friends of ours here. It's pretty neat - right on the lake - and the day of dedication there was a competition that drew competitors from all over Mexico, as well as live music later on in the day. If I knew how to incorporate my video taken on my IPhone in this blog I would share it with you. I'm thinking both of these events are probably on YouTube.

Our new place is great in many aspects. The kitchen is huge and cabinet space is amazing there in. What a treat for Gregg and for me, as I don't get in his way when he's cooking and I am trying to clean up behind him! We have had issues that we shouldn't have, that are not resolved yet. The dishwasher doesn't work and our satellite service is wacked (read: intermittent). As usual the place is missing a lot of things that we need.  And as usual, we are checking out all second-hand options. Today we went to a local woman's sale that is leaving in a month and selling EVERYTHING. This happens a lot here, so if you can jump on these opportunities when they come up you can really get some deals. Today we got two German knives worth over  $125US ea.as well as a 3rd knife worth $30 all 3 for $40US. Houses can be purchased like this as well. It's all about being there at the right time, you know? More soon ...

This restaurant us right down the street!

At the end of our first couple of weeks here we already have had lots of things going on -some not so different than at home in Oregon. I went to a class/mtg. with my semi-pro jewelry making group here. We watched the Oregon football game on ESPN (yes, we have cable TV here), and other than that, we returned to the gym here and have had some great meals. Gregg and our hostess in Ajijic, until the 1st, have been trading off cooking most dinners. Interestingly, a fellow who lives across the street is from Bend, OR and had dinner here one night. He plays golf, and is a fisherman so Gregg is looking forward to a Dorado (tuna) fishing excursion in the near future. And... our host used to be the wine steward at an upscale supermarket in Oregon City, so we have also enjoyed some great wines - including some bottles of Oregon Pinot that we brought to share and a couple from his cellar.

The weather has been wonderful - 78 to 84 degrees every day depending on when the low clouds/fog burn off over the lake. We did have heavy rain one night.  I think most of the 1.17 in. of rain they have had in Oct. fell that night, actually! We are told that it NEVER rains this late in the year here, but there is a threat for several days this week. At least the temps are still warm when it is dropping the rain that never happens this time of year...

In the next post I'll talk about our house, that we move into on Tues., and the Dia de Los Muertos festivities this week. Also, there is a new skate park, just finished, in the park by the lake - BIG news here!

Another beautiful Ajijic sunset

Getting ready to leave Oregon, I thought of the things I will miss while in Mexico. It started out a good-sized list and ended up short: Really good coffee, real Pinot Noir, Chanterelle mushrooms picked 2 hrs. from home, salmon caught at the coast 3 hrs from home, coupons for groceries, reliable phone and internet service and my family - especially my Grandson! The other things that started on the list, I realized, amounted to differences between life here and there - not needs. We are in their place as visitors and should always keep that in mind.

Our trip down was much easier, but not completely uneventful. The drive was 6 nights and 7 days. At vehicle registration we sailed through in half the time (about 45 min) it took last year and avoided inspection of our overpacked car, getting the green light again. No burning tankers on the side of the road to slow traffic to a stop like last year. However... our first night in Mexico we planned to pass Cuidad Obregon based on our disastrous stay there last year, and drive on through to Navajoa. It was not to be. There wasn't a single room in town available to rent! There was a HUGE fiesta with serious sound stage and all the other street party amenties. I've never seen so many bikers in one place (hundreds) - but then I've never been to Sturgis either... Had to return to Obregon, wasting 2hrs and $10US going back thru the tollgate. The room we got was tiny, no internet, loud and there was no cold water in the shower. The only positive to this experience was a wonderful gatekeeper for the parking lot who was anxious to help with anything and to practice his English, while helping me with my Spanish.

On to Mazatlan the last night travelling and the experience was just the opposite. The place is called Las Villas. Beautiful room on the beach, wonderful meal and fantastic service. Of course, early Oct. is still off-season and only about 15 rooms were rented out of 65. Downside was the the temp and humidity - the same at about 90.

Next day: Our last day on the road was going fine until we came upon a convoy of Federale trucks and two "vehicular tanks" - one in front and one at the back, right in front of us. It had no windows and an open "lid" like a tank with a cop covered in black from head to toe (including his face), and holding a machine gun. He stood and watched us for 45 min while they drove much below the speed limit looking for drug runners, no doubt. The rest of the drive to Ajijic was smooth due to new signage and lots of road improvements going through Guadalajara. We arrived on Monday, and so far it's all good!
Beauti

No photo this time - we are back in Oregon after a week and a half trip up the coast of Mexico, into Sonoma, CA for some wine tasting and laundry duty and a full day's drive from Sonoma to Oregon City.  When we got home it was as though we had brought the wonderful weather home with us.  It was 82 degrees the first two days, but now it is back to Oregon Spring - 60 something and the threat of rain all the time!

I have thrown myself into deep cleaning as our youngest son was house-sitter while we were gone, and he did not clean (except for dishes and laundry).  If he were not going to school, working full-time AND getting straight A's I would have to fault him ... There are so many things to take care of/reinstate - the cable TV account, newspaper, gym membership, etc.  Not to mention letting everyone know that we are, indeed, back home safely.  So many have been concerned for our safety, and as I have mentioned earlier most of that concern is unfounded.  We had a very easy drive back home.  There were maybe two times out of at least ten checkpoints that we were worried we would be detained, and with those we weren't frightened - just potentially annoyed at the delay.  And... the worst of those incidents was with US Customs agents.  Most of the Mexican agents apologized for detaining us just for a minute or two.

While I clean, both inside and out in the yard (and I have indulged in some Spring planting), Gregg has focused on getting our boat cleaned up and ready to go.  He has his fishing license and now has his own calendar going trying to juggle about 6 or 8 people and schedule several fishing trips in the near future.  Priorities may be different for us, but it's all good.

Check in with us in August or September as that is when we will be planning our next trip, expected to be from Nov. 1st to at least the middle of April of 2013.

Limon buds - this was just a stick when we arrived!

It's Palm Sunday as I write this post. For this next week, Easter will take over Mexico. One local gringo told me on New Years day "If you think they take New Years seriously, wait 'til you see what happens here at Easter time!"

Beginning this evening there is a procession from the east end of town recreating Jesus and the desciples' entry into Jerusalem.  Actors lead, with a throng of people following waving palm fronds, wheat springs and herbal bouquets. There is a special evening Mass when they arrive at the large church as well as a huge street fair (Jamaica del Pasado). All very traditional.

On Maundy Thursday, they recreate the Last Supper and other portions of the Passion Play with actors, beginning on the "mountain" side of town.  There Jesus is taken away in shackles by torch-bearing soldiers and led down to the plaza.  The realism in these recreations is said to be difficult for some people to handle, we're told.  Good Friday brings sequences from the Trial and Condemnation, and the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) where the faithful follow Jesus, carrying a heavy cross up to the side of the hill again.  Then he is carried back down through town to the church, where a burial scene is enacted.  After Mass, churchgoers "parade" through town in La Marche de Silencio, which is done in complete silence, through darkened streets to mourn his death.  Easter eve brings the lights back to the church, a re-enactment of the Resurrection and then at 11 pm the bells in all local churches will peal to start a festival that will probably go on all night.  It's called Quema de Judas, and includes a custom of blowing up paper mache figures symbolizing evil with many firecrackers.  No surprise there... Other than more church services, Easter Sunday is quiet and I suspect it will be like at Christmas where everyone will end up at the park by the lake.

While all of this is going on, it is school holiday for two weeks (their Spring Break).  There are MANY tourists in town already.  The newspaper said over the week we can expect to see 2 million additional people visit.  I doubt that figure, but it is a huge lake and there are a lot of varied destinations (beaches, mountains, islands, etc) so who knows?

"The Boys" Our garage door mural behind.

Less than 3 wks. until we return to the states!

Just as we have begun to get so comfortable here in this place often referred to as a "paradise", and as the place of "perpetual Spring", we have to think about going back North.

Our experience over 4+ mo. here has at times been exaspirating, challenging, compromising - but wonderful all the same.  Examples:  The boys across the street finished the 2nd fl. of their casa over a couple of weeks. It started as an open, concrete shell and is now beautiful!  It was fun to watch and listen to them.  Think Karaoke Extraordinaire!  They listened to a 70's oldie radio station and sang loudly (and nicely) to the songs they liked - loudly (but poorly) to those they didn't. Knew all the English words : )  Here everyone loves the Beatles, Annie Lenox, Billy Joel, Elton John,  Springsteen and any of the pop stuff from back then - within a 6 wk. period Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bob Dylan and Carlos Santana all played in Guad. this Spring  : ) Then there was the car repair that should've taken 4-5 days that took over 3 weeks causing us to need a rental car, and adding $900US to cost of the repair : (  The maid (paid for by the owners) comes once a week, we have to vacate the house by 9 am every Fri. for 5 hrs. since she tears the place up while she cleans : (  So we go out and explore the area and then eat lunch at one of our two favorite places. : )  Fun, but it costs extra money for gas and lunch  - and we have no choice about it. : ( We have seen some really nice places we would like to secure for our next trip down here, but amazingly no one will take a down payment for next November!  They will not tie anything down now for that time period : (  We just don;t get it, but are resigned, as that's just the way it is.

And through it all - the weather remains fabulous day after day.  Makes it all OK, you know? ...

Doors in Ajijic

Art is everywhere here - even on the doors to peoples' houses!

Although most people think of San Miguel Allende as the "artist colony" in this area, the truth is there are many forms of art to be amazed and inspired by within a day or two drive from here.  Each one seems to have it's specialty, if you will.  Hand-crafted furniture, for example, is mainly done in an area at the far end, and east of Lake Chapala.  Woven baskets and sombreros are mainly done in an area across the lake from us here (as are finely crafted knives).  In Oaxaca they make wonderful woven things - rugs and more.  Then there is Guadalajara, which is a huge city that has nearly every form of art available to see and purchase.  Our favorite place, if I could choose one, would be a suburb called Tonala that is the place to find tile, pewter, stonewear, glassware, etc. etc.  Everything there is available in a sort of no frills, outlet area - no fancy shops here!  Generally the items are being produced in back of the store.

But back to Ajijic - here they have many people, both locals and gringos that are doing every kind of art.  The small group here (Ajijic Society of the Arts) is very active.  Check their website at www.ajijicart.weebly.com for just a small representation of the members' work.  This weekend is their annual judged show where painters, sculpters, photographers, jewelry and clothing designers and others all come together.  I can't wait! There is such a huge pool of talent here (some huge egos as well, but that's another story).  A few new friends from the jewelry group here will be competing.  And then everything is on display until the end of the month at the Cultural Center at the plaza.

An even larger representation of the enthusiasm for the arts in this area is an annual expo called Feria de los Maestros del Arte which draws from the entire country.  It happens in early November every year somewhere in the Lake Chapala area.  For more information and a look at the various forms of art represented at this fantastic show see their website at www.mexicoartshow.com.  I have not been here to see the show yet, but we will be back in time to see it this year.  Another potential event that would be fun to volunteer for as well!  

This is the beautiful, but "deadly" Jacaranda tree in the lot on the corner behind us.  It apparently causes serious respiratory illness in some people - especially those who normally have hay fever in response to blooming things.  Gregg became absolutely miserable several days ago and just happened to mention it to the guy who cuts his hair. It's pretty common here. Went to a doctor he recommended on Fri. and got a shot of cortisone, and two meds which he has to take for 10 days or so. He's still honking a lot but at least he can sleep now.

We've been shopping for a house to stay in next visit.  There are a lot of them out there for rent, and we hope to find one with a pool next time.  For $850-950US per mo. you can get a 2 bdrm, 2 bath place in almost any area. We like an area on the edge of town called La Floresta, and looked at a house there we would rent in a minute.  But .... the owners come to stay Dec.-Mar. every year, and no one will take a deposit this far in advance for Nov. or Dec. anyway. So if we find one we like, we still have to check back 60 days before we come to see if still available, and then nail it down with a deposit. There are a couple of gated communities with pool, tennis courts and gym available that are also in that range that we need to check out.  A few things we now know:  bring a BBQ down with us next time, absolutely no more places in the village (too noisy), switch the cell phone over to international plan before coming, keep on top of all utility bill payments made by others (they will suspend service immediately if late), new construction is better no matter how charming a place might be as the electricity can ebb and flow at peak times, the internet coverage can be spotty or weak, and the pilot light can go out periodically.  And, unfortunately, NO Jacaranda trees anywhere near!

Above is a photo taken of Mazatlan sunset on 2/13. To the right is one of the (many) fish the guys caught the day they went fishing.  Don't know if this is a Grouper, Trigger fish, or?  They are wonderful cooked on the BBQ!  Our host loaned me a book he said re-minded him so much of Mexico - he said I would really appreciate the humor and similarities, although it is placed on a fictitious island in the Caribbean. It's Herman Wouk's "Don't Stop the Carnival".  The similarities are astounding.  Imagine a kind of Murphy's Law thing ...

Fortunately we have lots of time to work out the problems that we encounter every day.  Two weeks ago at the 34th Annual Chili Cook-Off competition here, we came out to our car after our visit and it wouldn't start.  No problem, we know someone who knows someone who does good car repair work.  We went to Mazatlan after he took possession of our car, came back 5 days later and he had done nothing with it.  In the meantime we are renting a car which we find costs about what it does up north.  In this case, we won't get reimbursed I don't think... Gregg talked to the guy this morning - he can't find the part we need.  Gregg went on the internet and he'll have to get it sent in by UPS himself!  In the meantime the daily rental fee keeps tallying up.  So, if the bill for the actual repair is cheaper than at home, it makes no difference because it will end up costing us a LOT more because of the non-refundable rental car fees.  Not to mention, the inconvenience.  But it's better not to dwell on that as, this is Mexico, and that's how it is. We lost TV for 3 days as well.  It was a credit card issue with the owners, and is OK now. On the upside, we have figured out how to deal with the phones.  Skype is set up to communicate with our family.  We have learned how to work with the odd open and close hours here, for the most part.  So much of it is all about picking your battles or shrugging it off.  The weather, by the way, is back to fantastic.  80 degrees for several days now. 

King/Queen Ugly

Amazing stiltwalker

These are two of 20 something photos taken at the Fat Tuesday parade, part of the local Carnaval celebration. This area has it's own set of traditions - one is the crowning of King Ugly who has a beautiful, young female counterpart who is crowned queen.  The parade is unique in that it plays out a very old legend of the "sayacas".
They are men dressed as women using balloons strategically placed to fill out their dresses.  They go to great lengths, using wigs, makeup or masks, gloves and carrying handbags that have confetti and flour in them.  The legend is that a deranged old woman once escaped from a hospital and chased young men around town, trying to kiss them and asking them to dance.  When they refused her, she would throw face powder at them from her purse.  Now the parade starts with young boys running in advance, being chased by the sayacas with the flour-filled purses.  Women also dress up as men in suits, hats etc. and will occasionally stop and dance with the men to the music of the bands playing in the parade.  As you can imagine, bystanders are also floured and confettied profusely as well as pelted with beads and candy. There are floats and the parade finishes up with charros on horseback. It was great fun!

We are in Mazatlan this week. No photos to post this time!  Hope we can get a few while we are here to share later.

We left Ajijic on Tues. morning and it was cold and rainy.  The rain was gone by the time we got to the other side of Guadalajara, and as we drove north, it became steadily warmer.  Beautiful here!  We were graciously invited to come visit a friend who owns a place at Estrella del Mar, which is about 20 km south of Maz.  Their unit is about 100 yds. from the beach and the view out the back deck is of the pool(s), the beach and the ocean as far as the eye can see.

Yesterday we went in to Mazatlan to see the town and to find out what we could about Carnaval happenings there this week.  Not too much yet, although we did get to see a large group of kids aged from about 6 - 18 dressed up in full Carnaval gear (the older girls with the skimpy, shiney outfits and the head gear with huge feathers) practicing their dance routine.  Down by the water their were massive paper mache figures to represent the theme ("la Fiesta de los Imperios").  This is their 114th Mardi Gras celebration!  Unfortunately, with tourism down so drastically, it will probably be a much smaller attendance than the 60,000 visitors they are used to getting each year.  We went to the top of one of the oldest tourist hotels in town (12 fl. high, built in 1944).  From the top you could see all the bays and all the various landmarks in the entire area.  Fantastic view!

Today Gregg is fishing, and there was some stormy weather this morning so I hope he and our host are OK.  Cell phone reception is not good from out on the water, so if they ran into trouble I wouldn't immediately know about it. It's not a very large boat they are in, but with a local guy who takes gringo fishermen out for a living, so he knows his stuff and the local water and its challenges.

White Egret fishing in the lake

Communication frustration in Mexico:

For at least a week (that we know of) we have had no phone service at our place here.  It's one of the extras beyond the rent that we pay.  We have been able to use the phone to call out maybe once or twice at the end of Dec. and we have received a couple of calls from the property mgmt. place about the same time.  Since, we've tried to use the phone several times, and gotten a recording including the words "servicio sospendido" or something close to that.  We reported that to our mgr. and were told it was paid.  Two days ago I wanted to call home and still could not call out.  Ironically, we received a phone bill at the house the next day showing no payment for Dec. or Jan.  We have only one call on the bill for $2 pesos. The bill is for $811 pesos. We are stuck paying it as it includes internet which is the only thing we have left that works.  For some unknown reason we can not use our cell phones either right now.  That is controlled by TelCel or TelMex (no differnece - they are owned by the same person).

Help!  I am in process of setting up to use Skype to contact home, but our daughter doesn't have the set up yet so that doesn't even work at this time.  Makes me feel a little like being stranded on a desert island somewhere..

So what about crime here you ask?

This is a view out back from our mirador.  You can see how close the houses are in town. Our house is secure, unless you count the fact that you can climb onto our 2nd fl. deck from the roof next door...

Two weeks before we came, Guadalajara had its first gang violence incident with 26 people killed.  Within a month they had the 4 responsible in custody.  It was drug cartel rivals - no "civilians" involved.  For perspective, Guad. has a population of over 7 million.

Days before we arrived in Ajijic there were two violent robberies - one incident where a person was murdered.  Within a week they had 3 in custody for the murder.  Since, gringos here have been working to set up a reward fund and dedicated phone line to report crime.  Both are now in place.

Two stories in the main English language newspaper here show very different reporting styles when covering recent robberies.  One regarding  a "rash of daytime robberies..." outside of town gives just a couple of examples, using alarmist language (ala National Enquirer).  For example, "The would-be burglar struck the homeowner... with a pepper spray canister before unleashing its fiery contents in his face..." and "Realizing the gig was up... the gang hauled off a load of loot".  Actually it reads more like a cheap murder mystery.  Another story regarding a violent crime in Mazatlan was better written, citing that there is no evidence that a recently murdered woman in a hotel there was killed by a Mexican.  Yet that is the way the story is being portrayed. The local tourism economy is suffering, and the story reported that cruise lines Holland and Princess joined the Disney Cruise line by recently pulling Mazatlan from their coastal stops.  This comes just before the huge Carnaval Festival that begins the 2nd week of Feb.

So, what do you think?  We have the opportunity to go to Carnaval as we have friends that are in Mazatlan at their place now.  I think that exercising ordinary caution and good common sense, and keeping an open mind will see us through.

A house for sale in Ajijic
 

After a month here, to quote Anthony Boudain:  "This does not suck".

There is a learning experience nearly every day here. What we think should be a bargain is not, and then we are surprised by unexpected ones.

This house is new construction in a nice neighborhood on the edge of town.  It's large and open, furnished well, and set up very well.  It has a self-contained casita that has a wet bar and small kitchenette, bath, etc.  It's gated, and has an avocado tree in the front yard!  All for $340,000US.  Make your own judgement.

From our experience, we can't afford to use our cell phones down here because Telcel rules.  I mean that explicitly.  Even with our family and friends who have the same local area code.  Food and drink are a mixed bag.  For the most part, grocery expenses are about 20% less here.  Even at the farmer's market.  You can get a 24 pack of Pacifico from the commercial outlet here for $192 pesos or about $15US. We filled up our gas tank for the house for $45US which they say should last 2-3 mo.  We don't use the dryer much to save on electricity as we have been told that is the real expense here. No bill yet there.  And everyone here seems to be obsessed with DEALS.  There are coupons and ads for lunch deals in all the publications.  There is also a big resale presence.  I got a pair of big ticket hiking sandals (worth $70 new) for $12US last week.  They were almost new.  The cobblestones are brutal on shoes and I've already had one pair's sole split in a month here

Just wanted to share a photo of our uninvited guest in the casita...

New Years Eve (our 34th anniversary) we had a great dinner with fabulous wine we brought from Oregon.  And corkage was only $5 at a very nice restaurant - yet another bargain here.  From the balcony we watched the lighted boats circling around to set up for the fireworks.  Then we went home and sat up on the mirador and drank some good Spanish Cava and watched, while the neighbors partied in the streets below - again. The power went out for the 2nd time that night.  The first  had been a couple of days before.  No notice - they just shut it down for 5 hours to do what looked like routine maintenance.  On New Years, it came back up at about 9am. I know because everything beeped then and woke us up!

New Years day brought the annual parade which was really fun, and unfortunately we only got phone pics which we can't download.  The theme was "Peace in 2012", but mostly it was a bunch of folks dressed up in silly costumes.  There were Avatar characters, Smurfs, Mario and friends, and a nod to the Hippie peace movement with a Mexican, a Canadian and an American dressed in 60's wear with their country flags and - you guessed it - acting silly.  The redeeming (artistic) factor to all this nonsense was the very excellent use of HUGE paper-mache figures, oversize masks, etc.

Regarding the lizard - he's about 6 inches long, nose to end of tail and every time we try to catch him he runs (very quickly) away from us.  Since, we've seen another little one on the patio.  He is not scary because he's so small - in fact he's in danger of becoming a pet.  I imagine he has been separated from his mother who might be the one inside the casita, and one night he hid under a garden trowel right outside the kitchen window and didn't come out for almost 24 hours.  Don't worry, I am not losing it. I still hate the oversized spiders here, and the occasional cockroach I have seen (they were both dead, thank goodness).    

Sunset over Lake Chapala on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2011 --

OK, so I will probably never get caught up on this blog.  

Christmas Eve is the culmination of three official weeks of celebration here. Dec.16-24 is when the posadas happen.  We missed them, unfortunately.  It's a gathering of folks, dressed in costume, led by a young girl on a burro and a boy walking with her and followed by any who want to.  They sing songs and visit place after place "looking for lodging".  They are turned away day after day until finally welcomed on Christmas Eve, and then the party begins. And party they do...

They stay up all night (literally) with bonfires in the streets, music and dancing.  We got a couple of hours sleep before it really cranked up at midnight.  At sunrise it finally fell quiet. Christmas day is for recuperation.  There were lots of families at the park by the malecon (walkway) at the lake.  One family strung a large pinata over branches in one of the big trees.  Reminded me of our grandson's birthday a couple of years ago.  In this case they were teasing the little girl swinging at it by hiking it up and down.  I think it was her older brother manning the rope... 

Our patio in back, looking at the Casita

Wow - first time inserting a photo and it turned out huge!  I am not sure how well this will show up when posted to the blog.  Again, this is a work in progress...

This place is very nice - not as large as we expected but that's because they count all covered outside area as living space in the sq. footage.  There is a deck off the 2nd fl. that's covered and the mirador on top is covered as well.  In general the house is very comfortable.  Our biggest challenges were all related to cooking equipment.  There were no bowls in the house!  We looked in all local stores and no one sells stainless steel bowls here.  I suggested the re-sale place in town - Gregg said "Nah".  We finally went to look and guess who won that bet?  Found 2 sm., 2 med. and 1 lrg all together for less than $10US.  Then there was the copper-bottom fry pan.  Gregg says it is at least 50 years old.  That was $35US by itself.

Another cooking related note:  We found a guy who makes sausage here via an ad in the local paper.  "Smitty" came out of his kitchen and brought his recipe books out, then showed us his home-made smoker.  He will make sausage for us to order when Gregg brings him in a recipe for Andouille.

Will I ever get caught up on this blog?  Here are some more December observations --
Posted business hours are only a suggestion, as are traffic lights and signage for speed limit and no passing, for example.  We, however, have been stopped twice by one cop for ambiguous reasons here.  After great discussion in broken Spanish and English, the result was "OK, no pay".  The Guadalajara Reporter (English language newspaper here) reports that the minimum wage in Mexico goes up to $60.5 pesos per DAY.  The exchange rate has been hovering at 13.5 to 1 pesos to dollar.  For comparison, the minimum wage in San Francisco goes to $10/HOUR for 2012.  Amazing!  Also amazing, Chapala just elected their youngest mayor ever.  He is 25 yrs old, with a law degree and two years previous political experience!

Regarding the quest for the Weber BBQ, we found that the reason they are so expensive is that the ones we see here are assembled in China after being made in the US, and then they are shipped here.  So I'm assuming it's the duties and taxes for all the back and forth that makes the high price tag.

First weekend here -

12/18-19:  OK, so I promised photos with the next post.  They will be with the next, next post!

We are on a quest for a Weber BBQ.  The BBQ here is an old-fashioned Mexican clay deal which burns serious briquets, since it can't be shut down.  We are amazed to find out that you can't buy a new Weber for less than $1300 pesos ($100US).  And that's the small one.!  Next year we will bring a spare one down...  

The owners made arrangements for a young local artist to paint a "mural" on the folding garage doors here. He's a really neat kid. It is part of a program called Artisans por los Ninos, which benefits local kids. There are many programs to help kids here who don't have the means to treat their medical problems, or simply to live with a roof over their heads and food to eat. Speaking of kids: Our place is just a few blocks from the Auditorio Publico (outdoor theater) and there is an orchestra and kids singing.  We can hear it jusst like we were sitting in the audience. The applause is huge. It's all in Spanish, but it is really neat.

One last note:  Mosquitoes in Mexico are voracious hunters.  I was eaten alive. I haven't had an episode like this since I was a kid camping at Wallowa Lake! And Gregg had an allergic reaction to all the fresh berries we've had (too many raspberry margaritas).  Thank God for Benadryl and Aloe.

 More catching up --

12/16: We noticed a heavy police presence in town - many jurisdictions and an area blocked off along the carretera (main drag).  Not too comforting until our friends told us it was in response to a huge local demand for a plan of action after 2 serious home invasions locally, where one person was murdered.  This happened at the end of November.  A couple of weeks later we read that two people were positively id'ed by the family members that witnessed the shooting.  On a much brighter note, the weather continues to be amazing ...

We are still adjusting to this thing in our individual ways.  For the 2nd day in a row, Gregg said to me "It's 10:30.  Half the day is gone!"  I was in no hurry to get out and about as places don't open until 10 here anyway.  I asked him if we had a schedule that I didn't know about.  I'm a little worried at this point, but he did come around after a week or so.  Another surprise - I knew I needed to find a gym here ASAP, but never expected that Gregg would join also.  He found the best one in the area.  It must be, as it costs $35US/mo. (we have both been going 3 times a week ever since). Yet another example of making do with what you have:  The washing machine here is new, but very lightweight.  It has trouble with the spin cycle, so you have to watch it or at least expect that it's going to stall because it's out of balance.  I hang the laundry outside to dry, for the most part, as we have been told that electricity is the most expensive of our extras here.

My first post!  Most of you know I am pretty technically challenged, and this is a work in process, but I think I can do this thing!

For those who were looking for more after the last e-mail, I have some more from December after we arrived:

12/14 The afternoon we arrived in town (Ajijic, Jalisco) we met the property mgmt. rep (Coco) who let us in to what would be our new place for the next 4 months.  We explained that we couldn't pay the whole first month's rent because we had maxed out our withdrawal limit for one day.  No problem!  This is Mexico - she is fine with manana.  First thing was to set up the internet connection and do laundry after 6 days on the road. Instructions for everything in the house are in Spanish...  Thank goodness for my pocket translator.  We went to bed EARLY (9 pm, which is 7 in Oregon).  So far it seemed like a quiet neighborhood as it was represented.  We would see if that held up over the long Christmas holiday here.

12/15 We tried to pay rent as agreed upon - Coco was out with a client (a potential house sale) so we left a message.  She called in the late afternoon to apologize.  She'll see us manana first thing in the morning.  We went over for a quick visit to our friends David and Anne who have lived here for over 6 years and asked lots of questions.  Where is the best fresh "mariscos" (seafood), and where can we get fresh herbs?  We decided to buy plants and grow them at home.  So many reminders of what it is like here came rushing back - the rent thing, so many things that don't work quite right (specific, very funny examples, to follow).  You just have to settle, and that's just how it is...