Another Week in Paradise

We can't believe that the time is going by so fast! Joan has come and gone - we had so much fun showing her around. I think she liked it. Now, we will be losing our friends Doug and Helen to the world of the cold and wet.

We went to a "Bull Fight" on the day of Carnival. They had a huge crowd for the Carnival Parade. It was great to watch all of the children and young people. Men dressed as women with balloons here and there (it seems to be a thing around this time of the year) chasing young boys mostly and throwing lots of flour or confetti. At times the air was white from all the flour and of course the boys all loved it. There is a story there but I can't remember it now. The Bull Fight was more like a rodeo. A man rode the big bull until he was thrown and men on horseback then roped the bull and led him back out. Of course, I think the bull was experienced in all of it and put on a good show. The men on the horses then showed off how their horses could "dance" to this raucous music which was played by a very enthusiastic bunch of young men. The people loved it and a group of macho men had a party going near us with a tray of lime, tequila and beer. All kinds of food was offered including a lot of very healthy fruits and vegetables and nuts. Everyone had a wonderful time.

Helen and Doug found a cooking class for us. It was conducted by the chef of OleOla - Herb Hazen, who just happens to be from Seattle. We cooked some delicious beans, chicken and shrimp, a catalon pizza - um um good, and a custard. We had lots of wine while we "helped" and then we ate what we cooked. It was a hard day so Pete and I walked home for some well deserved rest.

Visitors, More Music, More Art in Ajijic

Our friend, Joan, arrived on Valentines Day, so here is a picture of her driver giving her a box of candy. She was thrilled because she couldn't remember the name of the town. The word, Ajijic is pretty easy to forget. We have tried to show her as much as we know and discover more with her.

We took a home tour (by this time Helen Z and Doug were here) and saw examples of houses in various areas that were for sale. I think we all agreed that only one would fit our needs but we weren't in the market really. We wanted to see different neighborhoods in order to get toknow the area better. We saw Rancho del Oro, The Racquet Club, an in town condo, and a really nice in town home. It was quite a day.

Joan discovered a wonderful b and b and relocated to it after the third night in her original place. She found Casamalcolm on the corner of Donato and 16 de Septembre. Malcolm is a great guy, very outgoing. The BnB has only 3 rooms and they are comfortable and well appointed. The price is reasonable and Joan says the breakfasts are excellent. This is located just up the street from the Hotel Nueva Pasodo where Helen Z is staying.

Helen decided to take a drawing class with me so she is working very hard. The class is taught by Karl Barnhart who insists he can teach anyone to draw. His method is to teach simple techniques whether it is by grid, tracing, or measuring. Then he teaches shading etc. All of this is done with graphite and eraser. Anyway, we are working hard and there are only 6 in the class so all get individual attention.

There was a Mariachi Concert at the Hotel Real in La Floresta which we attended. It was outstanding. A group of four or five violins, two trumpets, one or two guitars and a large bass guitar and each of the men had operatic voices. They were wonderful and really a bit of a surprise, we had no idea what we were getting into. One of the violinists did a solo that sounded like Paganini. Surprisingly beautiful, it way exceeded expectations.

Took a trip to Chapala yesterday with Joan. We had lunch in the Beer Garden Restaurant which has been there since - the beginning. We walked along the malecon and visited some vendors along the way. We saw lots of white pelicans and children swimming. The day was just perfect temperature wise. Almost all days here are perfect.

This is Joan's last day so we will take her to a nice restaurant which is close by our place - Roberto's then we have to get up tomorrow very early to escort her to the airport in Guadalajara.

Circular Pyramids

Have you ever heard of ancient pyramids in western Mexico? Not built by the Aztecs, nor by the Mayans, these pyramids are 1,000 years older than those at Chichen Itza. And they are circular! Nice and round, and surrounded by square platforms. these were elaborate ceremonial sites with ball courts and open areas in a beautiful hilltop setting about 30 miles west of present-day Guadalajara.
On Tuesday, February 10th, we took the bus to Chapala, to begin a tour to these pyramids. We first went to the town of Teuchitlan, a pretty place founded in the early 1540s. Then out to Guachimontones. They started excavating the area in 1999, and have just started construction on a visitor center/museum. The ball game was called "ulama", and the court is about 3 times as long as other ball courts we have seen in Oaxaca, Arizona,,and other places--and the game was very different, with no hoop, a large, heavy rubber ball that had to be struck with the hip, and something like an end zone to score. And as with some other ritual sports, the captain of the WINNING team was rewarded by having his head removed.
Afterward we had lunch in Tequila, founded April 15, 1530, by Franciscans, then to a small tequila factory where we watched the whole process from cutting leaves off the blue agaves, leaving the "pineapple" to be cooked, all the way to the finished product.
I mention dates of founding to give you an idea of how old this culture is. The blue agave has been used to make a fermented drink for over 2,000 years. Much, maybe most, of the culture of Mexico is based on the unbroken traditions of the people who got here first. And there has been plenty of time for the Spanish and Indian cultures to blend, evolve, and develop the unique society of Mexico. Ajijic, where we are now, has been home to people for thousands of years, and it was "founded" again by the spanish in the early 1540s. That is over 300 years before Seattle and most other cities of central and western United States--with the obvious exception of cities like LA, Santa Fe, San Antonio, and others which were originally part of Spanish North America. I wonder what Seattle will be like 300 years from now.

A Hike to the Waterfall

There are miles of protected bicycle paths along the carretera between lakeside towns. Also many hikes in the surrounding mountains/hills, according to several publications. I was not interested until I saw on my map of Ajijic "pedestrian walk to El Tepalo waterfall (15 minutes)". That looked doable, and the trailhead looked to be only about a mile walk from our house. So about nine on Sunday morning I headed out. Got to the trailhead in about 20 minutes. From there it was fun! We are near the end of the dry season, so there was no water. But the hike soon turned into a climb, requiring both hands as well as both feet to ascend some of the rockier parts. The air is thin here at 5,000 feet, and gets thinner as you get higher. I started panting, and stopped when I heard voices. I soon met 3 Canadians, one of whom had climbed this route several times. (By the way, there are Americans here from almost every state, but we are outnumbered by the Canadians, and I have not yet met one whom I did not like.)
They let me join them, and we reached the falls after a half hour. I then continued on up with them. Higher and higher. After another 45 minutes their leader told them that they were going to circle the summit, then cross over and circle another summit--and try to get back well before dark. That is when I left them, and I found going down even harder than going up. Some spots were so steep that I had to turn around to climb down backwards. What amazed me was evidence that people had recently ridden horses up that trail. And hundreds of feet up there were several cattle grazing in the woods. They must have found water somewhere.
I got home a little after one pm. My water bottle was empty by then, as 15 minutes had become over 4 hours of fun!-------posted by Pete

Just a Little Crowing

Our friend, Mike asked some good questions. Here's our answer.

Your questions are so good that they deserve to be answered in our (really mainly Elva's) blog. Elva found this place on line. She thought we'd meet more people in a B and B. So we booked this last April. We were paid in full in September. Then in December they called and asked if we would mind being bumped to a casita--a little house under a bigger house--a few blocks away. OK, if we still got the brunches that we had paid for. Being moved here was very lucky for us because it is roomy and quiet, and the rooms in the BandB are small. Do not do what we did. Next time we will be more flexible. If we come we'll stay 4 or 5 months. The weather is always perfect, so why not? Maybe book a hotel for a week, then just come down and look at a few of the many houses that are for rent. Depending on view,etc., you can rent a fully furnished house with maid and gardener for between $500 and $700 US per month. I know, it is hard to break a lifetime of habits which have served us well, but it really is the best way.

That leads to the next matter. There are also plenty of car rentals at the airport and here in Ajijic. My friend Steve met us at the airport. Good thing. The man at the BandB forgot he said he would meet us. We got there to get the keys and he had gone home for the day! With Steve's help and many calls from Steve's house over about 6 hours we finally got our place open fairly late at night. Of course, a taxi from the airport is not expensive and a hotel would be open and waiting. Have to remember that this is Mexico and not let any little thing bother you. What important thing do you have to do anyway.

No real cooking yet. A big brunch, we usually only have one more meal. Many excellent restaurants at very reasonable prices. We walk a lot, so we pick up fixin's at little tiendas nearby. Today dinner was a bolillo for about 7 cents--very delicious french roll--with some ham, cucumber, mayo, and some avocado from the tree in our yard. I had hoped to lose some weight. It seems to be working.
I have been working on learning spanish for 5 years. There is opportunity to use it here--but it's not necessary. A few words help, but so many anglophones live here full time that english serves very well. There are many plays,musicals, excursions, etc., by and for the anglo community. Even on the bus you can get by in english.

A Week of Painting For Fun

I had a wonderful time in this painting class. Everything was supplied and the teacher was superb. It was very laid back and pleasant with only 5 students. I have to say that I chose this painting because I wanted to work on the sunlight coming through the window and door. Most of the time I like to work with very bright colors but this was different and fun.
We also visited a beautiful house which was rented by several couples from Canada. It was very large - 4 bedrooms 4 baths, patio, pool and garden to give you an idea. They shared the rent for 2 months and every other night a different couple cooked. They were such interesting and friendly people.
Pete played golf finally. Had a great time while I was painting. Both of us will play next week.
Pete paid 4 $ to get a hair cut. I got highlights and lowlights and a shampoo and cut for $50. Then we went on a tour of a house near where we are staying. In the LasSalvias area of Ajijic. It was GRAND. I loved it. For sale furnished, but overpriced for this market at this time. It even had a baby grand piano. 2 big bedrooms, 2 baths, pool, living room, dining room, beautiful kitchen, laundry room, den (or another bedroom) sitting room, patios, views of the mountains and the lake and the most gorgeous gardens I have seen. WOW. And I just want rent. We will go on other house tours in the future to see how this one holds up. Very interesting entertainment for a day.
Next week we will go on a tour to the pyramids and to tequila making farm. Visit the market on Wednesday, take a home tour and golf. We are so busy and we walk about two or three miles a day.

Odds and Ends

It is very easy to be busy all of the time here. But I wanted to take some time and note some of the different and interesting (to me) stuff.
Imagine a place where you had no furnace or airconditioning in your house. That would save a few dollars.
Now imagine a little city with narrow streets made of cobblestones and there are no stop signs at any corners or intersections. Tonnage wins but also just courtesy is used in order not to dent your car..
One other thing that has been interesting to me is the lack of panhandlers. We haven't seen that here or even the ever present sales people. There are a few salespeople but not like the ocean resorts.
Okay, another sight that I thought was interesting was an "outing" for what looked like mental patients. There were about 20 people and about 5 or 6 caretakers and they were in the park in Chapala. They seemed tobe having a good time and to be well taken care of.
Here we have a picture of Pete using the lap pool at our casita. It was cold so he was in a hurry to get out.