Ajijic - Retirement on the Shores of Lago Chapala
Trip Start
Dec 27, 2008
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Trip End
Ongoing
Ajijic, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
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www.youtube.com/user/travelswithlobo
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First Time Reader? ......here is the background to this series of blogs
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/9/1233502800/tpod.html
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Click on SLIDESHOW and then the rectangle in the right corner to see photos in full screen format
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Mexico: 23 Destinations to Spend the Winter Months
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Ajijic
No. 7 of 23 Destinations (this is not a ranking)
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Ajijic - Retire on the Shores of Lago Chapala
Part 1 of 4
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Population: 15,000
Location: on Lago Chapala, one hour south of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco
Concentration of expats: like the monarch butterflies at El Rosario - abundant
We have changed our location from the beautiful colonial cities of the central highlands north-west of Mexico City to the renowned Lago Chapala area. This area has attracted expats for many years especially due to its temperate year round climate.
Ironically it is not on the list of 16 places recommended by International Living. The answer to that question may lie in the fact that the list of 16 is qualified as places where you can live "For Very Little". Apparently Ajijic does not meet that criterion.
Coming here to Ajijic (pronounced a-Hee-hick) required a change of thinking for us. The beautiful cities we visited in the central highlands we evaluated on the basis of their "centro historicos". It is obvious that in these cities this is the part of town that is attractive and that one would want to live in.
Here in Ajijic there is no "centro historico" in the sense of something that remains from the time of the Spaniards. It is a small "pueblo" that feels like a village on the shores of Lago Chapala with a lovely small town square. Our first impression was somewhat lukewarm, as it seemed that the only thing of interest was the small town square. As we explored further it became evident that the core of Ajijic has a charm that grows on the visitor the longer the stay.
But before I delve deeper into that, let's backtrack a bit.
We arrived here in Ajiiic via Guadalajara. First we took an inter-city bus from Aguascalientes to Guadalajara. As is the custom in Mexican cities, the inter-city bus stations are on the outskirts of the city. That meant either an hour and a half on city buses to get to the bus station from which buses leave for Ajijic or a half hour taxi ride for 80 pesos. While I balked at spending 80 pesos for a taxi ride, sober second thought (or was it Barbara's nagging?) caused me to come to the realization that the $8 Can that would be well spent. Considering the time saved and the inconvenience of traveling on crowed city buses with two large wheeled cube suitcases, it was a no-brainer. As luck would have it, our transition through Guadalajara was seamless as the bus to Ajijic left within 15 minutes of our arrival at the second bus station.
It is time for me to get back into the confession box (I am still in the "Guadalupe" mode). I must confess I felt badly about our decision to sweep through Mexico's second biggest city - Guadalajara - without spending at least a day there to check it out. Having last visited the city in 2000, I remember the "centro" to be full of majestic colonial architecture with sweeping vistas that left a positive impression. It is after all a place that a significant number of expats have selected as their destination of choice. Yes, if you like the amenities of the big city then Guadalajara would be a good place to be.
For more info about living in Guadalajara there are some interesting impressions at this website:
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/mexico-expat-forum-expats-living-mexico/3992-expats-guadalajara.html
Now why did we decide to "sweep" right through Guadalajara? Frankly, "23 Destinations to Spend the Winter Months" to be researched in 42 days - something has to give and Guadalajara was one of several.
As we rumbled along on the one hour bus ride through the beautiful scenery on our way to Ajijic on Lago (Lake) Chapala, the thought of arriving late in the day in one of the most desirable tourist and expat locations in the Guadalajara area without a hotel reservation started to play on our minds. We were in the middle of the holiday season as there were only two days left in the year 2008.
What non-sense am I writing here? I never make a hotel reservation. It is the last thing I would do, right? There is no need to do that in Mexico, just get in a cab and have the taxi driver take you to a hotel in the "centro". It works out every time except for a few "hiccups" like the greedy taxi driver in San Miguel de Allende.
Come to think of it, that was the problem in Ajijic. It is small enough that we would not think of taking a taxi. After being dropped off by the bus in the middle of town along the main highway, as there is no bus station, we proceeded to run into a slew of accommodations that were either full or too expensive. That was when someone directed us to the Hotel Ajijic, mercifully located on the main square and not the main highway. The atmosphere in the interior of the town is much calmer and much more authentic. The place gives off "good vibrations" for lack of a better expression.
It had been a long day and we were somewhat worn out but all changed after we had settled into our large room and it was time to relax a bit on the main square.
Even in the late afternoon the sun was glorious and the temperature very pleasant as we settled down, for at least five minutes, on a bench across from the Coffee Hour located on the main square.
If it is expats that you want, it is expats that you will get in Ajijic.
Of course the main square acts as a magnet since it, along with the Lago Chapala Society, are the main focal points for expats. As English is so frequently heard, there is no problem in striking up a conversation. One of the most impressive comments noted from these conversations was the lady who said "I know people who lived in 20 different countries and who came here to retire".
So communication between people is easy. Very unlike back home (Prince George, BC) where I find people are very much into themselves and striking up a conversation almost does not enter into the scheme of things. I would be the first to agree that that is mostly a function of my own personality. Obviously my personality must change drastically when I am traveling - hence I travel a lot.
.....psychoanalysis aside....it is pleasant here in Ajijic as the overabundance of expats can indeed make it seem like it is the Mexicans who are in the minority.
Yes, there is a lot of English spoken here and a lot of the English it turns out was spoken by Canadian expats.
As I look at our photos again for the first time since our visit and I see the beautiful scenery, the lovely cobblestone streets and above all the vibrant colors, I can't help but think - "you've got to love Ajijic!"
So what does one do in Ajijic?
Firstly the center of the town has the feel of a village which makes it extremely conducive to just strolling about on the cobble stone streets enjoying the visual delights that are dished out by an array of colorful houses and commercial establishments.
The second thing is to let the imagination roam freely which results in finding yourself living, at least in your thoughts in one of the many nice residences which can be found in this town.
Then you wander down to the lake (separate blog).
Then you hang around with the many expats at the Lago Chapala Society with its unprecedented number of activities (separate blog by Barbara).
Then you check out the beautiful areas outside the "centro" such as "La Foresta" where many of the expats live. Unfortunately we did not have the time to visit these areas due to lack of time compounded by one day, our only day, of downtime due to Barbara's encounter with "La Tourista". No, "La Tourista" is not another suburb of Ajijic - you may know it by the name of "Montezuma's Revenge". This also deprived us of a visit with Robin and Nick Brewer, expats from Santa Fe, New Mexico, with whom we connected through Phil Street in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, a high school buddy of mine. This would have been a great opportunity to gain an insider's view of life in Ajijic.
Then you can visit the many other small communities up and down the coast of the lake, including the town of Chapala (separate blog).
Ultimately, if you are going to stay longer you have to find a place to live other than in a hotel. The overabundance of real estate offices, all of which are English speaking, make this task a lot easier. Like San Miguel de Allende, real estate prices in this area tend to be on the higher end. On the other hand one can only imagine what effect the global economic crisis will have on these prices. But then, other than Manitoba, the same can be said for most other locations. It is definitely a buyers market but like any market the trick is in knowing when the bottom of the market has arrived. As the saying goes in the stock market - "there is no bell that starts to ring when the market has hit bottom".
In our walks about town I noticed a Lincoln Navigator parked on the street with plates from Panama. Since I am also interested in Panama as a place for "long-term stays", I could not resist striking up a conversation with the owner of the SUV. Continuing the Canadian theme it was a man from Burlington, Ontario who indeed had been living in Panama and who had made a quick fortune in real estate in Panama and who had recently bought a residence in Ajijic. We later walked by the residence where he lived and had to conclude it was one of the top residences in the center of the town.
Unfortunately I do not remember his exact reason for leaving Panama. What I can say about Panama is that from the perspective of "International Living" - a publication dedicated to expats living abroad, Panama was no. 1 on their list for several years running. Last year they almost stopped talking about Panama and changed their focus to Mexico that they now rated as the new no. 1 expats destination.
The latest change I see in the publication is a not so subtle change from "all about Mexico" to "all about Ecuador". International Living prides itself in keeping things positive and not speaking of the negative. Hence there is never any mention of the "drug wars" in Mexico but one can't help but think that is a factor in their new emphasis on Ecuador and other places as well.
Ajijic is located in a beautiful setting between the shores of Lago Chapala and the mountains that rise to form a wall to the north of the lake. The presence of the nearby lake adds another dimension of Ajijic that I shall discuss in the next blog.
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Comments/Questions: travelswithlobo@yahoo.com
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Coming Soon: Ajijic - Down by Lago Chapala
