We Spent the Winter in Mexico

Ron and Bronita

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We Spent the Winter in Mexico

We had heard about Chapala, Jalico, MX so we looked it up on the internet and bought 3 travel books. We decided that we would leave on the day after Thanksgiving.

The trip to Chapala was 2500 miles and it took us 8 days to make the trip. The first day we drove to Nashville, TN. We stopped and spent an extra day at New Orleans and another day at San Antonio,TX. The shops and resturants line the beautiful river walk that is about 5 miles in length. Another interesting spot that is right there is the Alamo.

We crossed the border at Laredo,TX....staying the night at Nuevo Laredo, MX. The next day we drove to Zacetecas. On to Guadajara where we spend the night not knowing that Chapala was only about 25 miles away.

Our first day in Chapala we found a place to live through a northamerican that lives there. He took us to the hotel where he stays and we rented a room. He also showed us where the American Legion, the market, the cyber cafes, the laundromat were located.

The Courtyard of the Hotel Where We Lived

Chapala: This is the town where we lived for 4 months. This city is on Lake Chapala, the second largest lake but it is losing a million gallons a day that Guadalajara is taking. They have also dammed up some of the rivers that flow into this lake. It is about 25 miles south of Guadalajara. The elevation here is about 5,000 ft. Although there are alot of people that ride the buses, bicycles or horses there was still alot of traffic. In the middle of the day there is traffic policemen directing traffic. Nice winter temperatures with low humidity. The market and the square are right across the street. On Monday's there is a bigger market on the north end of town near the bull ring. While we were here there was a 10 day festival from the 17-27th of February down by the lake. We enjoyed the food, looking at the displays that the vendors had, the music and the carnival. At the other end of town at the bull ring we went to a concert ( a popular Mexican band from Mexico City that everyone was anxious to see). Before the concert and during the concert there were bulls that were being ridden. Horsemen with their dancing horses performing, roping the bulls. Down by the lake we saw horses and cows grazing. There are quite a number of Americans and Canadians that either live here full time or come for the winter. The places where we like to eat were: Elba, to eat pasole (soup made with white corn and pork or chicken in it). Don't order a large bowl unless you are a big eater. Commpadres, a taco stand on the street. The Califorian: American and Mexican food. Tamales at a shop... pork, beef or pinapple. Chicken that is cooked on a open grill.

This is a picture of Nacho and I taken in Chapala at the zocalo(public meeting place). He lives in Ajijic but rides the bus to Chapala.

The picture below was taken in Ajijic.

Ajijic: This town is about 4 miles west of Chapala also on Lake Chapala, but it is different. More northamericans, more expensive, and a town that has an artistic community....musicians, sculpters, painters and etc. They have galleries, boutiques, shops and etc. that the other towns mentioned don't have.

Jocotepec: It is about 20 miles west of Chapala and it is a more Mexican city. You will see very few northamericans here. There is a bike path (cyclopista) that runs from Chapala to this town.

San Juan Costala: This town is inbetween Ajijic and Jokotepec. Here they have a hotel that has two large pools, a kiddie pool, two hot tubs, one larger and hotter pool and a steam room that are heated and filled by hot mineral springs. You don't have to stay at the hotel to be able to enjoy this but there is an addmission charge. Food, drink, grills, table and chairs surround the pools. Or you can bring your own food and drink. We would go and spend the day about once a week either riding our bikes, by bus or a couple of times drove there.

Mazamitla: This town is about 50 miles from Chapala You have to go around Lake Chapala and then north up in the mountains. There are waterfalls outside of town. The trees here are pine trees and hardwoods. You won't see any palm trees like you see in the other towns that I have mentioned. In the winter this town has cooler weather but in the summer it would probably be nicer.

Barra De Navidad: This town is on the west coast of central Mexico. We stayed here for 3 nights and 2 days in December. It was very humid.

San Nickolaus: This town is about 3 miles east of Chapala. We saw more donkeys and horses here than we did cars. There are not many northamericans living here and the we heard that most of the Mexicans that live here work in the USA.

The Buses: The buses in Mexico are inexpensive, frequent and on time. In our travels we traveled by second, first and grand class. The second class buses are interesting if you have the time and don't have to go to far. There are people that get on and sell nuts, cookies, candy, fruit and etc. and then get back off. There are musicians that do the same thing. The grand class bus that we took was ETN and it is a large bus but with only 24 seats (you sit in a recliner type seat),air conditioned, bathroom, coffee and tea available, movies. These buses will cost you a little more but if you are going to travel a long distance it is worth it.

The American Legion Post: We ate breakfast at the post quite often. We also took beginning Spanish lessons at the Legion. We went on the deep sea fishing trip that they had. Also to the Mimi Show and dance, the New Year's Eve Party, a benefit for the nursing home, Valentine's Dinner, St. Patrick Day dinner. The Legion has a scholarship that is sending women to nurses training.

DECEMBER: One of the first places that we checked out was the American Legion. That is where we met a number of people that were to become good friends. The legion was also offering a bus trip to Barra De Navidad for 3 nights and 4 days. We went on two boat trips, one through the jungle to a beach and the other trip was deep sea fishing. On the way to the coast we went by the active volcano at Colima.

JANUARY 2001: We left January 19th on a 12 day bus trip. The first day took us to the city of Zamora, Jalisco. In all these cities we headed for "centro" and the zocalo (central square)that is a part of these cities. The next day we traveled to Morelia, state of Michoacan, where we spent the night after looking around for a while. The next morning we boarded a bus that took us to Zitacuaro where we went to the zocalo to hear musicians, and watch young Mexican women dance. Everyone is there, young and old to buy food from the venders and buy ballons for the kids. We took a side trip to Angangeo where there is a butterfly preserve. The Monarch butterflies come here from Canada and the USA to spend the winter. There are so many butterflies on the branches of the fir trees here that they bend the branches of there trees. They gather in great numbers were the ground is wet. Then on to Toluca, state of Edo De Mexico. What we enjoyed here was the building that housed the botanical gardens with the stained glass windows. The sunlight shinning through the stained glass gave the plants a multi-color affect. In the morning we got on another bus and entered the state of Guerrero where we would spend a couple of days at my favorite city, Taxco, the silver capital of Mexico. This city is situated on a number of hills and we could see the city before we actually got to town. The houses are all white, the cobble stone streets are steep and narrow. So narrow that our guide book tell us that if two Voltswagen bus pass each other that you have pin yourself against the building on the street. I have never seen so many Voltswagens, white Voltswagen taxis, Voltwagen buses that are called combis and many private Voltswagens. The first day we travel by combi to a little Indian village 5 miles away to walk to smoe waterfalls. We never did see the falls but on the trail we met many of the local famers donkeys carrying wood, kids herding goats and burros and two men coming home from work with backpacks and machettes. On the way back to Taxco we take a cable car up to the top of the mountain to the beautiful Monte Taxco Hotel. On the way back to our hotel we stop at every silver shop and at a couple fo local bars. We hate to leave this city but we vow to return someday but we have to see Cortez's Palace and walk along the beautiful but stinking river in Cueravaca, Morelos. We want to see the active volcano that is near Mexico City, Popo. Ron spots the faint outline of Popo almost as soon as we leave Cueravaca for Puebla, state of Puebla. At the city of Atlixco we will be the closest that we will come to the active smoking volcano, Popo and a dormat one behind it that is covered with snow. We will spend two nights at a hotel in Puebla. We can see Popo from the hotel room and although we don't know it until the next morning that Popo has thrown red sparks and ash while we are sleeping. The next day Popo isn't smoking anymore and we can see the crater. The next day we take a short bus trip to the town of Cholula to see the Teneapa Pyramid. All of these towns have many old beautiful churches but in this town all the churches are painted yellow. We go on the next day to Mexico City and that night we watch the Super Bowl in our hotel room. On to another one of my favorite cities, Guanajuato, state of Guanajuato. It looks something like Taxco but it is very different. It also sit on hills but the houses are all different colors. This is a univerisity town with a lot of young people from all over the world. Now it is time to go back to Chapala, so we board a bus to Guadalajara and then a short 25 mile trip after we change buses to Chapala.

FEBRUARY 2001: Ron has dental work done. This takes about a month before it is all done so we have to stay close to Chapala

MARCH 2001: We went by bus on a 5 day trip to Puerta Vallarta (Party Vallarta). This is a tourist town...it looks unlike the other town that I have mentioned. It is on the coast and it is humid. Very beautiful and expensive. You have to watch out for all the people selling time shares. We took a couple of boat trips while we were here...one close to the shore, stopping at a beach and the other one farther out to go whale watching. These are party boats and the crew of these boats do a good job of entertaining while you on board.

APRIL 1, 2001: We leave for the USA

Ron fishing off the pier in Port Vallarta.