Guadalajara and Ajijic

During our first four months in Mexico, we have been content to stay close to San Miguel, but we always planned to travel a little.

Lake Chapala

 Along with our friends and frequent travel buddies, Mart & Bob Larson, we rented a car for two weeks and embarked on a trip to Guadalajara; Ajijic/Lake Chapala (central Mexico), and Sayulita (on the Mexican Pacific Coast).

The drive from San Miguel to Lake Chapala took us about five hours; we stayed mostly on the toll roads, called "cuotas" here in Mexico. They are well maintained and lightly traveled, but can be expensive.

Expecting to see a dry, brown, sere desert, we were surprised by the varied and often green landscape; this was especially true the closer we got to Guadalajara.

Bob L., Harper, Bob J., Larry, Sue and Mart at dinner

Lake Chapala which is about an hour south of Guadalajara, is the largest lake in Mexico--we have been told that it is 50 miles long and less than 10 miles at its widest, and averages less than15 feet in depth.

Ajijic on the northwestern end of the lake is home to a large expat community and is an interesting mixture of American and Mexican cultures.

The expats have created The Lake Chapala Society, a library and charitable organization, to give back to the community by running programs for adults and children.

Sculpture at Jocotepec Park

Lake Chapala offers a climate somewhat warmer than San Miguel.  Ajijic seems a much more laid back and "mellow" experience than San Miguel as there are lots of aging hippies and snow birds.

We enjoyed walking along the new malecons or boardwalks, both in Ajijic and Jocotepec, especially the latter, where we were able to see a lot of birds, including a colony of white pelicans, ducks, coots, avocets, stilts, etc.  (Larry, the perpetual nerd, was able to identify these thanks to having participated in several bird walks with the Mexican Audubon society in San Miguel)

Larry relaxing at Harper and Bob's house

Our hosts, Harper and Bob Jones, whom we met a couple of years ago through our mutual friend, Carole Reedy, moved from San Miguel to Ajijic last year because the climate around the lake is milder and health care is provide by the US VA (Bob was one of the first Navy deep sea divers).

Though they have only been in the Lake Chapala area for a few months, they were very knowledgable and full of helpful hints and recommendations. They also invited us to their lovely new home, with incredible views of the Lake and a large and comfortable patio, complete with a great hammock that we all enjoyed.

Angel Mart in Tlaquepaque

Mart and Bob at the Library entrance

One of the attractions that the Lake Chapala area has for expats is its close proximity to Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city, with its airport, shopping, historic and tourist sites.

On our second day, we took a bus tour of Guadalajara and had a super lunch experience in the Tlaquepaque area of town. This neighborhood is noted for its varied shopping, featuring Mexican handcrafts and products, but none of us were really interested in shopping, so we mostly contented ourselves with strolling, admiring, and saying no to lots of street vendors.

Lunch on the patio at Cafe Fuerte

Presented with a confusing variety of eating choices, Sue decided to ask a kindly woman standing on a street corner for advice.  It was a fortuitous decision and she was happy to offer up information on a nearby restaurant as well as other touring advice.  Seems that she is an expat who has lived in the area for more than 20 years and when she comes to Guadalajara for shopping, she always eats at Casa Fuerte. We had a two hour lunch, complete with a live Cuban band.

Larry, Bob and Mart on the Cathedral Plaza

Guadalajara is somewhat of a mixed bag; lots of traffic and noise, but nothing to compare to Mexico City. The historic center has some lovely plazas and buildings, including the impressive Cathedral, but on the whole it seemed, at least to Larry, kind of an unattractive city (not all agreed), and a one day visit was really sufficient.

Moonlight in the street

All in all it was nice three day interlude, especially thanks to the kindness and hospitality of Harper and Bob.

Moonlight on the Malecon

They found and booked our hotel; took us to a wonderful restaurant, La Una, on our first night, invited us to their home for a wonderful home cooked American meal of chicken and dumplings, and served as terrific and knowledgable tour guides.  Besides, both are great company !

We were sorry to say goodbye to them, but feel pretty sure we will be back again, in the not too distant future.

Sue and Bob  Jones kibitzing at Jocotepec