Snippets of My Trip to Chapala

   I decided to go to Chapala to get my picture taken for my Residente Temporal card.  I have a friend that lives near there that would go with me. So I left about 9AM on a beautiful morning.

                                                Headed north out of Mazamitla.

                                     It's the rainy season so everything is green.

     It's about a 1 1/2 hour beautiful drive. Up, down and around mountains. I go thru    three towns, then I get to the string of towns leading to Ajiic. Its  mostly highway driving.


                                      I love the fences down here. Exactly like in the
                                      hills of West Virginia, my home State.Tree branches
                                      with barbed wire.

                                          
                                     This is the town of Manzanilla de la Paz. It's 
                                     about 20 minutes away from me. I always 
                                     thought it looked like a sleepy little dusty town
                                     but there is a beautiful lake up in the hills here.
                                     Only a couple of houses are on it.

                                     A lot of people sell things in front of their homes.

                                 The first view of Lake Chapala. Its Mexico's largest lake.

                                            Next stop Tuxcueca 6K. I get gasoline and 
                                       go to the bathroom there.  Three pesos to 
                                       use the bathroom.

                                         Another pretty view of the lake. If they'd build
                                     a bridge across it, it would cut about an hour
                                     off the drive time. I have to go 1/2 way around 
                                     the lake to get where I'm going.

                                         On the right, in the distance, is Tuxcueca. 
                                     The white that you see on the left is fields 
                                     of produce, possibly berries, covered with 
                                     tarp.

       
                                         We are now entering the town of San Luis 
                                     Soyatlan. It's the 1/2 way point. They are 
                                     noted for originating a drink called the 
                                     Vampiro. It is many juices mixed with, what
                                     else, tequila! On the weekends you can barely 
                                     get thru town, its so crowded with people 
                                     getting that drink.

                                     This is the town square. It's empty because 
                                     Mexico doesn't get started till around 10AM,
                                     or so. It's about 9:45.

                                          On the left somebody's open. Right, is still 
                                      closed up. They also sell fresh caught fish.
                                      from the lake out on the sidewalk. The bus
                                      in front of me is a Mazamitla bus that goes to 
                                      Guadalajara. It runs all the time.

                                         The white strips cover seeds or tiny plants. 
                                     The frame over them will be covered with 
                                     tarp to protect the plants when they are bigger.    

Here are the frames covered with the tarp.

  I am entering Jocotopec now. It's the 

beginng of the towns on the way to Chapala. 

I've been told it's lakefront is one of the nicest in the area. I'll have to check that out. Also it's supposed to have the nicest tianguis (open air market) in the ara.

                                                        There's a sign for Chapala.

                                                   About another 1/2 hour to go.

I wouldn't want to live here!

                                          This is something I've yet to do, but I will. 
                                      In the morning you can get a drink of, fresh from
                                      the cow, milk and its mixed with your choice
                                      of alcohol. Many men start their day ths way. 

                                         TOPES! Or speed bumps. I hated them 
                                     when I first came here but I like them now.
                                     They work. You WILL slow down. There are
                                     all kinds. Most are marked by paint or a 
                                     sign, but some are not marked at all. 
                                     Some are thin and high, some wide and 
                                     not high. The ones in this town are brutal.
                                     They are wide and high! There's about 5 of
                                     them, so every few blocks there's one,

                                                       Here comes another one.

  It's a common practice here to tether your 

  horses out by the road so they can eat the

 grass.

                                         Ajijic. There's a lot of people living in this
                                     town 

from all over the world. It's so

                                     interesting to hear where they come from.
                                     Many snowbirds from Canada come here, 
                                     and from the USA also.

Hammocks, brooms, basket, all for sale here. 

Stopping up this street to pick up my friend.

                                         This second floor casita has a kitchen, 
                                     dining area, living room, large bedroom
                                     and balcony. House cleaning service, 
                                     use of washer/dryer, furnished with nice
                                     furniture. I'm not sure about the utilities but I 
                                     think they are included. There's a pretty 
                                     yard, lake view. Close to shopping and
                                     bus service.  $350USD a month. The 
                                     woman has another place on this property 
                                     for rent too that is drop dead gorgeous. $750USD

Next installment will be on Chapala. I was quite taken with the beauty of the city.

                                             A SHORT WALK THROUGH TOWN

     Mazamitla was founded by the Aztecs in 1156, so people have lived in this area a loooong time.  In 2005 we were designated a Pueblo Magico, a Magic City. You can read more about that at this link ....  http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/2932-did-you-know-mexico-has-36-magic-towns
     
    Today I'm taking a walk to the ATM for some pesos. I live on a quiet street, not too far from the Plaza.
   
   Most streets are either up hill or down hill, since the town is on the side of a mountain, and cobblestone streets.
         

        

 

          This is one of the main streets, pretty much what you would find in the States. If you look closely you can see the church spires way in the background. 

            Because we are a Pueblo Magico, we are restricted as to what businesses can open here. I am surprised we have a Oxxo, as it is a chain similar to 7-11 in the States

            Stores here are family owned. The shops don't have doors but the whole front is open. Generally shops open about 10 :00. Close 2- 4:00 for lunch and are open through the evening. Its quite common that Mom is running the store and the kids are with her in the shop. Nothing is set in stone. Stores may or may not be open. These are family stores, not big businesses. You really need to go with the flow. It's a much more casual way of life. If you easily get your knickers in a knot, you wouldn't be happy living here.

 
          This is the phone store. I stopped here to get minutes added to my phone. It is run by a couple and their little dog. Pets are also common in shops. There is a small grocery store in town that has several parrots in their store. 

 
      This is looking down the main street. It's crowded with cars today as it's the weekend and people come to this beautiful town to just get away. I would say most people come down from Guadalajara and very, very few gringos come. It's really an undiscovered town for them. 

            This is one of several Farmacias (pharmacies) in town. The shops here are mostly very small. I've seen walk-in closets bigger than some of our shops.

          This store sells cereals, grains, some imported things from the States. Also, as you can see .... pinatas.

           A view down one of the side streets. The store on the corner is a Zapateria. They sell shoes. 

        You don't really find much here made in China, but this strip has it. But there is also local made things in these shops. 

              There are many, many street vendors.

The church is in the Plaza. You can see how crowded it is.

There are shops all around the Plaza.

There is something always going on in the Plaza on weekends. 

       I like the way this store looks. Reminds me of an old time store in the south.

I don't know if this is someones home or a business. But I like the glass room.

    Headed back home now. Going to go through the street that is thought to be the oldest street here. It's closed to traffic.

         Cart with home made ice cream.

  
                                           Many businesses on this closed street.

             There's three puppies wandering the street. They seemed to belong to this woman. Was she selling them???????

           I pass more shops on the way home.

         All kinds of home made goodies here. 

                                  The Farmacia in the back sells generic drugs.

             The table on the bottom left is selling orchids.

                         There was a man selling something to drink from this large gourd. I don't know what it was but I got some. It was kind of sweet and kind of tart. 

     So to go with my drink, I got some fresh churros.

        There are two booths that sell fresh churros and freshly made potato (papas) chips.

          These are the type of souvenirs that are made here. All kinds of things made of pine. We are in a pine forest.  

          These baskets are made from long pine needles.

    Passed this guy on the way home. Just had to take his picture. I'm partial to little schnauzers.

A view up one of the side streets.

       Quatromotos are a very popular mode of travel here, plus they rent them to tourists.

  
                                          

                 Surrounded by mountains.

     On my street now, The white wall on the left is mine.

         Here we are .... home. Hope you enjoyed the walk.