Market Days

Every Wednesday is Market Day here in Ajijic. A narrow street downtown is closed off and hundreds of people set up awnings and tables and sell their wares. There were fresh fruits and veggies, chickens, flowers, CD's, clothes, anything you can think of. It is crowded with people shopping, eating, petting puppies, bargaining with the vendors and squeezing tomatoes. I loved it. I going to start doing my meager shopping there, you can get anything you need except maybe fresh milk, and it's considerably cheaper than the stores.
One vendor was cooking tacos on this big, flat wok looking thing; it had onions, peppers, chicken, sausage, cabrito, steak all going at once. In the middle were little corn tortillas. When you ordered, he would grab a hot tortilla and scoop up some onions and peppers and whatever meat you ordered and just hand it to you. They were delicious, hot and greasy.
I bought some bananas and a beautiful shirt covered with embroidered butterflies.
The weather here continues perfect - 70's during the day and 50's at night. No need for AC or heaters - very good sleeping weather.

Joyce's House on the Hill

We arrived at a friends house around 6:00 the second day; exhausted, smelly, numb-assed, and starving. I connected with Joyce thru a group of women here in Ajijic who stay in touch thru a yahoo group. I agreed to bring down a bunch of new sheets and towels Joyce had ordered and she let us stay in her house for a few day; worked out great for me.

Joyce is typical of most American retired women who find their way to this community; financially secure but not wealthy, indpendent minded, adventureous, and love to help other American women find their way around down here. She rents this spectacular house on a steep hill overlooking Lake Chapala. It had 2 nice size bedrooms upstairs and a huge master suite downstairs with 2 walls made entirely out of glass. Since Julie has cats and because Joyce has 4 dogs plus my little Boston, she thought it safer for Julie to stay downstairs. Although my room was darling and comfortable - I really would have liked to watch the sunrise from my bed in the mornings like Julie and her cats.

To get to the house - you have to descend down these really steep steps - a couple of trips up and down with a numb ass - was all I could take for the first night.

The next day, Joyce brought me out to meet my new landlady and see my home for the next two months. It is adorable - a little outside the village but quite and secure. It is on a large walled estate with a pool, beautiful flowers, a yard for my dog, and a little patio to drink my coffee in the mornings.

Federalies and Butterflies

We crossed safely into Mexico near Laredo - my friend Julie and I were caravanning for safety. Before we left, I bought a pair of cheap walkie-talkies - worked very well, we were able to keep in constant communication without using our cell phones.


Mexico is such a mixture of beauty and violence. Along the border we saw hundreds of Federalies - riding in the backs of pickup trucks, wearing ski masks and Kevlar - brandishing machine guns. They had several roadblocks you had to slow down for - they never stopped us - but they were very intimidating. At one stop - they had about 6 or 7 young guys lined up with their hands in the air - Julie said they probably would be shot before nightfall; I guess they have given up with due process - there are just too many gangs and cartel members - so they just shoot them.





We stopped in a tiny village that had reasonably clean rooms - I was traveling with my little Boston Terrier and Julie had two cats - so not many motels would take us. I only got a couple of hours of sleep - there was a tremendous thunderstorm all night long -quite a light show. Needless to say - between the storm and my fear of scorpions falling from the ceiling - I didn't get much sleep.



The next morning we were treated with a spectacular sunrise - but needed to get back on the road to stay on schedule. The rest of the drive was a blur of highways, toll booths, questionable bathrooms, and the most beautiful vista I have ever seen. You could travel for miles and miles without seeing any civilization; it reminded me of taking car trips in the 1950's. Mexico is really quite beautiful and empty.



Julie spotted an old woman along the road trying to hitch a ride and picked her up. Julie doesn't speak Spanish and the old lady didn't know a word of English. After a few hours, I saw Julie's van swerve off the road and stop. The old lady got out in the middle of nowhere - requested Julie give her some clothes for the winter (Julie had an old coat and gave it to her) and within 5 minutes a pickup truck comes roaring up and she hops in. WTF?? How did they know she was going to be there at that time? Jungle drums?

Counting Down

10 days remaining before we leave for Mexico....so many conflicting emotions - love the thought of an adventure - hate long car trips; love the idea of immersing myself in another culture - hate not being able to speak the language; love the idea of moving to a new community with lots of interesting people - hate meeting new people.

I am reading entirely too much about violence in Mexico - it can be terrifying; but most blogs talk about how safe it is down there for Americans - very conflicting. My living arrangements are ideal for a single woman - but there is always that element of fear. I am not taking much of value with me - nothing flashy - but I also worry about leaving my own house empty for 2 months - I probably have a greater chance of getting broken into in my own neighborhood.

Here are some pics of a recent visit to my lake house in Louisiana - beautiful but HOT!!

Home sweet - Casita

Thanks to a couple of friends I met on the web - I have found a little Casita to rent in Ajijic - hope to post some pics soon. It is on the gounds of a large home owned by a woman - recently divorced - it is one bedroom - gated parking for the car, large grounds for my little CK to run around in, completely furnished, it sounds perfect. It is about 5 minutes drive to the village and has a HEATED POOL - sounds like a winner to me. The owner has agreeded to hold it until I arrive in October. OMG I love the internet.

I am taking a total leap of faith here - I don't know this woman - she would be a serial killer for all I know, she could take my deposit money and fund some drug cartel - but.......hold nose and JUMP.

Leaving in exactly 1 month....let the countdown begin

Friends and other Things We Leave Behind

I have never been a very social animal - I don't have a wide range of friends; I'm sort of a recluse. I don't 'cultivate' friends; I'm terrible about remembering birthdays, going to class reunions, attending weddings, cooing over baby pictures, showing up for showers, volunteering to feed the neighbors dogs, or watering their plants. It's not that I don't have the time or energy - I just don't make the effort. Consequently, my circle of friends has become very small.

When I move to Mexico I want to turn over a new leaf. I want to isolate less, socialize more, walk neighbors dogs and water their plants. I want to be the person they can depend on to bring a killer casserole to a pot-luck diner or help them with jump the dead battery on their car. I want to be the neighborhood gossip and the go-to person for picking out new drapes.

Retirement Isolation is a very seductive state - you can take naps, listen to books on your MP3 player, mentally balance your checking account, and day-dream. Socializing requries you to actually be present, not something I'm comfortable with.

I want to work at finding a balance.

Head Packing

I'm counting the days until I leave - September 25th - I'm starting to pack in my head - sheets, medication, fan, dog food...where is his leash? I've read countless blogs about what to bring and what to leave...I keep forgetting it will probably be a lot cooler there especially in the evenings. I need a jacket - don't really own one - time to do some thrift store shopping.

I have this obsession with my sheets - everyone in Mexico says to bring them from the States - I've already bought a new set to take along. The person I'm staying with until I find my own place is asking me to bring down some new linens for her new house - seems Mexican sheets are all polyester....makes me itch and sweat just thinking about it.