Update on Mudslides

The good news is that the early reports of deaths may have been wrong. It appears that the early reports were of people missing who have since turned up. It appears as though there are no confirmed deaths, but one child may be missing.

There is terrible damage, as the photos show, but the community effort to help the victims is huge, and coming from everyone.

Many people have been displaced from their homes, but slowly trucks are moving the huge boulders and rivers of mud which have poured into San Juan Cosala. Electricity and phone service are being fixed, although water seems to be a problem.

I had my class last night, and four students from the affected areas were not there, but other students were there and reported that they had been contacted and were ok. One sustained heavy damage to her house, and another lost a car.

The Mexicans are very good at pulling together to solve problems for themselves. People don't wait for help from outside, although that too is coming. As I write this early Friday morning, it is pouring outside, just what the area does NOT need now.

I'll post again soon. Here are some of the latest photos from other blogs and webboards:

Tragic Mudslides at Lake Chapala

There has been a tragic turn of events here. The next town to the west of Ajijic, San Juan Cosala, has suffered devastating mudslides. Apparently, early yesterday morning, there was a waterspout, which resembles a tornado, which sucked water out of the lake and dumped much of it high in the mountain above San Juan Cosala (SJC) This area is quite vulnerable to mudslides, for some reason, and the problem has been exacerbated by the fact that people have been building homes high up in the mountains, even though scientists have warned against this. There is a very upscale development called the Racquet Club above SJC.

Initial reports are incomplete and not confirmed, but it appears as though many homes in the Racquet Club area have been completely destroyed or heavily damaged by mud and huge boulders which came down from the mountain. Homes in the lower village have been damaged by the mud and rocks from the mountain. About 25 cars have been swept away by the water. There have been some deaths, and other people are missing. The road into SJC has been completely blocked and is unpassable, so many people are stranded in their homes. They have set up shelters for people; the military and Cruz Roja (the Red Cross) is using helcopters to evacuate people.

We are fine in Ajijic. Some streets have had minor flooding, but this is common in the rainy season. SJC is especially vulnerable to this type of damage; a similar problem occurred about eight years ago. The community is pulling together to collect money, food, and other needs for our neighbors in SJC. I have at least three students in my class who live in SJC, and I am concerned about them.

I did not take these photos. They were provided from news reports and another local blog. Photos of the worst areas won't be available until people can get into the area.


This is all I know now. I don't know if any of this is being reported by the US press, but if you see anything, don't worry about us; we're fine. I'll post more information as it becomes available.

September, and Life is Busy

September brings the end of summer and the beginning of fall activities. Although, we won't be gearing up for a new year of teaching, feeling that snap in the air I used to love about fall Maine evenings, and picking Macintosh apples up on Perkins Ridge Road, we are getting busier here on a number of fronts.

First, I'd like to add a bit to the post I last did about the Huichol family which we are trying give a hand to. A group of us went to meet HTeo in Chapala last week to take a look at the house that he has been offered rent-free for five years. It is basically a rough building with a partial cement floor, two metal windows. It is about five times the size of their present home, but it is very rough by any standards.
Of course, heat is not needed in homes here, so that's not a problem. There is a toilet hooked up to the city sewer system, but no other piping.











Roberto (left), who is a friend of ours who knows about local construction methods, talks here with HTeo about what renovations he would need to make the house livable. HTeo can do the labor, and he has a friend who can help him hook up piping to the toilet and a sink. So his primary need would be for materials to fix the floor, do something about the roof to deflect the heat (it's a metal roof now), and get a metal door for security. We are hoping to put together a fund to help this family get established. We also found out that one of HTeo's brothers was attending a local school, but could not afford a uniform. The other students were making fun of him because of the uniform, and because he speaks very poor Spanish (he grew up speaking the Huichol language.) We had a special collection at church last week to raise some extra money to help with the uniform money immediately. SO, we're making progress.

September in Mexico, besides being the beginning of the end of the rainy season, is devoted to two weeks of celebrations leading up to Mexican independence Day on 16 Septiembre. The Mexican people are very proud of their country and enjoy patriotic displays, which are often accompanied by the declaration, "Viva Mexico!" Overt patriotism here seems different than it does in the United States, for some reason. I think it's partly because Mexico is not a powerful country. Many Mexicans are not happy with their politicians and the corruption in their country, but they absolutely love Mexico. I think it used to be more like this in the US, but lately, such overt flag waving is usually used by right wing conservatives to justify their xenophobic, "we are the best because God is on our side" politics. (It's my blog, so I'll add my opinions!) But here, it's a simple expression of pride, especially in the face of the racism and humiliation coming from north of the border. Many of the Mexicans we meet are very happy to meet Americans who also value their country.

One of the events we went to was a free concert by the waterfront in Chapala to lead up to the Independence Day celebration. There is a Mariachi Festival in Guadalajara this week, and this event was part of the festival. Mexican folkloric dancers from several towns appeared, along with an excellent Mariachi band. I was surprised at the Mariachis. This band, which was actually from Tuscon, Arizona, had a large complement of women who played fiddles and sang solos. the music, although clearly Mexican, was very emotional, sometimes even reminding me of opera.












We are also busier now because our Spanish classes have started. Pixie is taking an intro course in addition to a level one class, and I am taking a level two class on a different day. I also started teaching my ESL class, which is wonderful. The students are highly motivated, and it's all about learning. I can tell I will behaving fun with this group. So far I have sixteen students aging in age form 13 to 48. It still makes me the old man in the room. I am glad that Mexico has a strong culture of respecting their elders! It shows in class.

We have been having some extremely heavy rainstorms recently, always at night. We, and many others, had some rain get in the house; thank God for tile floors! A bit messy, but no harm done. It's my own fault. We have an outside patio within our house, with a drain in the floor and surrounded by four walls. The drain was plugged with leaves and the water had nowhere to go but into the guest room. Anyway, they tell us the rainy season will start winding down this month.

Huichol Family

I was thinking a great topic for my blog entry this time might be the biggest thing for me this week: my colonoscopy. But Pixie suggested that readers of this blog might be less than enthusiastic about such details. Rather than continue with this idea and risk getting all pooped out by the effort, I had to find something else to write about.

We have some friends, an American artist, Janice, and her Mexican husband, Teo, who attend our UU fellowship (Teo is the one who weaved the beautiful tapestry for our pulpit). Teo is pictured here with one of his original tapestries. Teo worked for many years as a migrant worker in California, but Janice convinced him he could make his living with his weaving. They now share a studio in Ajijic.

For some time Janice has befriended a family of Huichol Indians who were living in a vacant lot behind their house. The Huichols are an ancient people, descended from the Aztecs, who still practice the pre-Columbian shamanic traditions of their ancestors. For more information about this interesting indigenous group, check out this link: http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/huichol/huicholindex.html

Anyway, Janice and Teo began helping this family and learning about them. Their story is interesting. The oldest son is named Teo, as is Janice's husband. (I will hereafter refer to him as HTeo, to differentiate him from Janice's Teo). HTeo is pictured at the left with his wife and two small children and three of his siblings, all wearing their traditional Huichol dress. HTeo came from a large Huichol family who lived in the mountainous area of Northern Jalisco. When he was young, his father separated from the tribe and his mother, and brought HTeo to live in Ajijic. Unfortunately, his father was an abusive alcoholic and HTeo grew up, essentially, homeless on the streets of Ajijic. He would go back and visit his mother when he could, but otherwise led a very difficult away from his people. About a year ago, or so, HTeo returned to visit his mother and the rest of his family in the mountains, with his father. While they were there, his father brutally murdered his mother in front of one of HTeo's young sisters. His father took off into the mountains and has not been heard from or caught. HTeo decided to return to his Huichol roots, and took responsibility for his large family. He is the oldest of eight children, and is married and has two children of his own. He returned with several of his siblings, leaving the others and his wife in the mountains, and found a small place to live in the Chapala area, where he is trying to make a living by selling his traditional Huichol bead work. Many of us became involved with this family when Janice was trying to help them survive here and asked if any of us could donate some money to help them pay their rent and buy food. Many of us did, and we has a chance to meet the family several times.

HTeo finally found a slightly larger place to stay, a one-room, 9 x 21 foot house with a bath and one bed, and has brought his other siblings and his wife and two children to live. There are now HTEo and his wife, their two children, and his seven siblings living in this house, eleven people in all. Two of his sisters and his wife (right) are pictured here. He is scraping together barely enough money to pay the 800 pesos monthly rent and buy food by selling his beadwork in the market in Ajijic.

Janice just informed us that HTeo has found a house in Chapala which he can have for five years, rent free. It is still a one room house, but much larger. The only problem is that it has no working bathroom and needs a floor. A group of us who care about this family are going to look at this house on Friday and try to figure out how we can help HTeo and his family fix this house up so it's livable. I will update their story as it unfolds.

On the left are three of HTeo's brothers, for whom he is the primary caretaker, plus his daughter. They were enjoying juice and donuts yesterday at Janice and Teo's studio. It was a chance for many of our friends to meet the family that we have decided to help. They were intrigued by their own images on my digital camera.

Below is a picture of a beaded mask we bought from HTeo. These masks are made of many tiny beads which are painstakingly and prayerfully embedded in beeswax. All the masks contain sacred images of the Huichol tradition. This mask has the sun on the forehead, a sacred deer head on the chin, and peyote mushroom "cookies, which they eat as part of all their rituals. Peyote is illegal in Mexico, but the government has made an exception for the Huichols. The candle on the nose is also part of their rituals.


(Note: you may notice that I have figured out how to incorporate some images into the text. You can click on these photos to see larger images.)


A few other notes: GOOD NEWS! The keys which we thought were in Pixie's purse when we were robbed have turned up in another bag. So the only loss from the robbery was about $40 in cash.. We have our keys, so nobody is running around with our car keys after all.

Cassie has found an apartment in Brookline for $450 a month and is moving in this week. She is looking forward to following her dream by studying professional illustration at the Art Institute of Boston starting on September 5th. Wendy and Troy are living happily on the lake in Oxford, Maine. Wendy has been doing well waitressing at Pat's and Troy is working on a farm and practicing his Spanish with his Mexican coworkers. They are saving money to travel in Mexico when they come down in January. Eric and Crystal report that her pregnancy is going well. Crystal has started teaching two sections of English Composition as part of her assistantship.

I have been writing quite a bit of poetry lately and am looking forward to getting some feedback in the Ajijic writer's group which meets twice a month at a local restaurant. I am not a very good poet, but I enjoy it and hope to get better. Pixie has been getting very creative with her card making. I think she should put some on consignment at a local boutique.

Hurricane Update

Several people have emailed expressing concern about Hurricane Dean. We were safe from the storm as we are near Guadalajara, in the mountains on the western side of the country, but still about 4 hours from the coast. Since it's made its second landfall, we are getting some rain today, but that's it. We're not vulnerable here, even to Pacific storms.

On another note, I was stopped by the police yesterday, this time unjustifiably. The officer claimed that I was driving the wrong way on a one way street (which I have been known to do, but not yesterday). He tried to tell me that I was in the wrong, which I knew I wasn't, but in Mexico, saving face is very important, so I was very agreeable, explained what I had done, and asked him to explain why I was wrong. He spoke good English, but gave me a vague answer. He asked to see my license and car importation papers. He was very nice but said he had to give me a ticket.

Smelling a shakedown, I was prepared this time. "Senor, I know I have to follow the laws, so if I have made a mistake, then give me a ticket."

"Do you know where to pay the ticket?"

"Yes, in Chapala."

"Oh, have you had a ticket before?"

"No, but I know my way around."

"Sir, let me discuss this with my partner"

His partner, who spoke very little English emerged from the car, after some discussion. I explained to him what I had done in the best Spanish I could muster. He looked at the original officer and said, I think, "Ello correcto," and smiled, waving his partner back into the car.

After a moment, the original officer approached me again. "Senor, I am going to be very nice to you today and let you go."

We all shook hands and smiled as though this had been some silly misunderstanding. I thanked both officers and went to return to the car. I noticed a young Mexican woman who had been standing in her doorway watching the entire episode. I rolled my eyes and shrugged. She shook her head and gave me a big smile.

Exploring the Area

Now that we are settled into the house and our community, we have started exploring the other areas around Lake Chapala. We are interested in what other areas are like, and we are also looking for places we can take people when they come visit. If you look at the map of the Lake Chapala area, you will see that Ajijic is on the north side of the lake. Last week we decided to explore the south side. (The towns I will discuss are not pictured on the map, but are west of the town Tuxcueca.)

As we head west around Jocotepec and head for the south side of the lake, we first come to a very small pueblo, San Pedro. There is not much here; it is a typical poor Mexican town. We saw a farmer working his land with a burro, people living in very basic houses, and a small center of town with, as always, a town plaza and a church. People were friendly but seemed unsure why we had come.

The next town, San Cristobal was a bit more developed. We stopped by the square where we looked at the wares the people were selling at the local market. I bought a hammer, which was a hand wrought head fastened to an aluminum pipe as a handle for 30 pesos. We looked for a round embroidered tablecloth for 150 pesos, but they were much too big for our table.

We have friends who live in the next town, San Luis Soyatlan, which is much bigger and more sophisticated than the other towns. Unbeknownst to us, they were having a fiesta last week, so we found the town square filled with vendors and carnival rides. We explored the lovely lakeside town and stopped for lunch at a local sidewalk eatery (Chile rellenos: chilies stuffed with cheese). We had brought Maggie with us so we made many friends in each of these towns, especially children.

We had heard about a town further south, away from the lake, high up in the mountains, called Mazamitla, which sounded very interesting. It was about 7500 feet above sea level and was a popular tourist destination. Since we were part way there (it was about 40 km south of Tuxcueca) we decided to check it out. The drive up was amazing. As we drove higher in the mountains, we saw pine trees along with the ever-present cacti. The town was very nice, with lots of restaurants and tourist shops. There were many cabins to rent, as in New England, and gorgeous views of mountains and valleys. We found a great shop selling incense and Che Guevara shirts, and Maggie was even more popular.

On the way to Guadalajara is a little town down in a valley with the unpronounceable name of Ixlahuacan. We decided to explore this town on Thursday with our friends Jeanne and Paul. By this time we were discovering that most Mexican towns have a certain similarity. There are many very utilitarian stores, or tiendas, selling other necessities. there is a big plaza which hosts vendors and a big market day once a week. Ixlahuacan was no exception. It was very friendly and picturesque.

Today we decided to travel to one more town east of Chapala: Mezcala. (On the shore, near Mezcala Island on the map). We ran into an unexpected adventure. The road is spectacular through the mountains with beautiful views of the lake. When we were almost there, we ran into a problem, a mudslide had completely blocked the road. A man on a bicycle told us of an alternate way into the town following a very rough dirt road. Since we had a 4WD car, we said, "Why not?" It took us about an hour, and we had to for at least three streams, but we made it. We were hungry and found a clean looking restaurant. We asked for a menu, but it was delivered orally. After much attempt to communicate, we finally agreed to eat whatever they
decided to serve us, which was delicious goat meat and rice. There is a wonderful museum there which has artifacts from the Cortez era, but it is only open Tuesday and Sunday. Today, unfortunately, was Monday. We'll have to go back .

In other developments, we have had no more problems with theft. Our landlord brought a dog form the shelter to "guard" the property at night, but she's so friendly that she won't do much good, I suspect. Nevertheless, things are pretty quiet here, but I lock up very carefully at night.

Today, Pixie and I signed up for Spanish lessons at the Lake Chapala Society. For $40 we can each take a three month course with other expats. We are speaking more and more Spanish; I am enjoying my conversations, but I am not doing it right. The Mexicans here are very tolerant, but learning the correct verb forms, etc. will help.

I have been accepted as a teacher to teach ESL classes to Mexicans on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons starting in September. I feel like our schedule is filling up. Besides our great books series, Pixie has joined a women's spiritual group, and I will be attending a writers' group twice a month. But I never intended to "retire," only to redirect my efforts in a different way.

Pixie continues to feel better; we went dancing for the first time in years on Friday night. I feel a little surprised that I don't miss work at all. For the first time in 31 years, I am not gearing up for another semester and getting my wood in for the winter.

Our UU home AND a Reality Check

One of the best parts about our move down here has been the great community of like-minded people we found at the Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. When we lived in Maine, we had become active members of the First Universalist church in Auburn. When we first though of moving to Mexico, we knew we'd miss the fellowship we found at our church. When we arrived in Ajijic for the first time, we discovered that a group of liberal-minded people were in the process of forming a UU fellowship at Lakeside. Obviously, we were anxious to check it out. It was not much like our old congregation: there was no minister, they met in a restaurant, and there was no music. (When we went back in January, there was a woman who played the accordion for hymns, but she moved back to the US, so that was that, as far as live music was concerned.) But, like our church in Auburn, it was the people who were the clincher. They made us feel welcome and helped us with our transition to Mexico.

Today, the formation of the fellowship is almost complete. After about a year and a half, we have voted to formally charter the congregation and twenty-nine members have signed the book. We have adopted by-laws and will be electing our first Board at the September 9 meeting. We usually get between 20 and 30 people who show up each week at this time of year, and we should get many more once the snowbirds arrive. We meet now in our more permanent location: the synagogue in an adjoining town, Riberas de Pilar. (They don't use it on Sundays, and they rent it to us for $200 pesos a week with the stipulation that we don't eat pork on the premises.)

Our Sunday services are all lay-led, obviously, and we have incorporated many of the UU traditions into our service, including hymns and readings from Singing the Living Tradition, lighting a chalice at the beginning of the service, and sharing Joys and Concerns. We have some different traditions as well. Every week we have a sermon, either an original one delivered by someone in the community or one of our members, or one found on-line and read. Immediately after the sermon, we engage in a lively discussion of the sermon, which I like. It gives us a chance to amplify and sometimes debate some of the points and implications of the sermon. After the service, we go out to a restaurant and continue our discussions, often until 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon.

This group has been a great group of people for us to connect with immediately when we moved here permanently in May. We socialize with many of them through the week and even take excursions together. Our political interests and opinions tend to be fairly consistent, so we really enjoy each others' company. We visit Lynn and Gary's restaurant in Jocotepec; we've had dinner and played dominoes at Trudy and
Lew's; we get together regularly with Steve and Susan, our oldest friends here; we joined the Great Books discussion group with Jeanne and Paul; Pixie joined the Red Hat Ladies with Kathy, Bebe and others; Kevin and Diana showed us how to buy and cook the different fish here; and Sheldon took me around Guadalajara to show me the ropes of finding my way around. We've all been passing Michael Moore's movie, Sicko, around, and none of us agree on who the Democratic candidate for president should be, but no one, as far as I know, likes any of the Republican candidates! Some of these people, like us, may be a little crazy, but they are all interesting. Ana lived in the jungle for a couple of years when she first came here; Carole came down a couple of years ago on her social security, teaches part time, and gets by just fine without a car; Vincente, an artist, came for a few months and now may stay awhile; Kathy and Bob came down just with the stuff in their car like we did; and the list goes on and on.

Now we have live music occasionally: my guitar and some talented singers. We are actually planning a music service for later this month. We are debating what our social justice projects should be. Teo (our only Mexican member) and his wife Janice designed and wove a beautiful tapestry which adorns our pulpit every week . We advertise every week in the Guadalajara Reporter, and today we had five interested people attending for the first time. One of our members is recovering from a stroke, and people are visiting her and helping her while she is housebound. We are a vibrant and increasingly cohesive group.



Well, we HAVE had a dose of reality this week. Last Sunday night, we were broken into and robbed. We live in a compound of six cottages right down near the lake. We have a gated parking area, lighted grounds, and a caretaker who lives, with his family, right by the gate. We close up and lock the doors tot he cottage every evening, but, other than that, we haven't worried too much.

I woke up early, as usual last Monday morning and noticed that our glass door to the patio was ajar. We had had a thunderstorm and some wind, so I assumed that I had not fully latched the door. Later in the morning, Pixie could not find her pocketbook. We thought maybe she had left it at church the day before or at the restaurant where we went after church. We took a ride out to the restaurant, but they had not seen it. When we pulled into the parking area, she noticed her purse was hanging on the porch of one of the front cottages. When we checked inside, we noticed her cash was missing, but (GOOD NEWS) her ATM card and other cards were still there. (BAD NEWS) Her keys, including those for the house the gate and, ugh, the car, were missing. Daniel, the caretaker, and Dora, his wife, and Pixie and I checked the grounds and found evidence that the intruder had tried to get into some other homes, but ours was the only one robbed. I remembered the door had been open. When I checked it, I noticed that it was not locked (it always had been permanently locked from the outside, as soon as it was closed). The lock mechanism had apparently opened without me realizing it, so the intruder, seeing Pixie's purse on the table, walked in the open door and grabbed the purse, not taking my guitar or our laptop. (One of the great advantages of getting rid of almost everything we own is that there is not much to lose !) He was thoughtful enough to leave the purse and its other contents, but I wish he had left the keys.

SO....we changed the locks on the doors and the gate, bought a new security club for the car, and learned a valuable lesson about security. Although the gate secures the parking lot, the back end of the compound is easily accessible from the lake. Although there is rarely any violent crime, theft is a common problem, as one might expect. Coming from Maine, we were a bit spoiled. We are going to have an anti-theft device installed on the car, which is considerably cheaper than changing the car locks, and we are little worse for the wear, but we DO have a new appreciation for our vulnerability.

One another personal note, we just learned that we will soon become grandparents! Eric and Crystal, in Indiana, are expecting a baby in March. Now we are officially old geezers! Cassie is off to Boston this week to attend the Art Institute in the fall. Cassie and Alana will be visiting us for two weeks around Christmas. Wendy and Troy will be down for a month in January-February, and plan to spend a couple of weeks with us then a couple of weeks traveling in Mexico. Eric and Crystal don't know exactly when they'll be able to come, but we expect them to visit too. Curt and Judy Webber from Auburn will be down to visit at the end of October, and the Red SOX are STILL in first place! We are truly blessed.

On Being a Foreigner: Part 2

I thought I would continue my last post on the subject of how we are experiencing living in a foreign country. My experience abroad, before now, has been strictly as a tourist. We stayed in hotels, ate in restaurants or from street vendors, and knew we would return home to the United States to our comfortable life and all those things we are used to. Now, of course, this is not a trip. We are not tourists; we are immigrants in a foreign land. In many ways, we are second-class citizens. We cannot vote, of course, but we cannot even express our political opinions or we are subject to deportation. The laws in Mexico, and even the enforcement of those laws are often very different from what we are used to. Here, we don't have the consumer or legal protections to which we have grown accustomed in the US. Add to that the fact that if there is a legal problem for us, we do not understand the system, and we are at the mercy of the Mexican government or law enforcement. Of course, we have had no serious problems, but you DO have to be alert and you cannot assume that people are looking our for your best interests, as much as you can in the United States. As an immigrant, you must get a legal visa which allows you to stay in the country. We had to pay $300 apiece to get this visa, called an FM3. This visa, which can be renewed every year for somewhat less expense, and allows you to travel outside of the country, allows you to live in Mexico indefinitely. To get this visa, you have to prove that you have enough income to survive here without working. If you do not have the income, you can get permission to work if you can prove that you will be working in an area which will not take a job from a Mexican citizen. If you try to work without a working permit, you are subject to immediate deportation. For this reason, the vast majority of Americans living in Mexico are retirees. We try to be good guests and appreciate the Mexican hospitality.

For many people, one of the adjustments to living in Mexico is not being able to get the same creature comforts you might have become accustomed to in the United States. For Pixie and I this is not a huge problem, but there are several items we miss. As avid tea drinkers, we have found the Mexican teas to be a mixed blessing. You can buy all sorts of herbal teas (lemon, chamomile, green, peppermint, etc.) in large packages for much less cost that the small herbal tea boxes available in the States. But for good old black tea, we prefer a British-style Tetley tea which is marketed in the US. The "te negro" here is weak and not as good. (We have given up trying to order hot tea in restaurants; the tea is lukewarm and weak.) Fortunately, we have brought a supply of tea bags with us, and our friends, Michael and Sue from Toronto who recently bought a home here, brought us a big box of Tetley when they came down a couple of weeks ago. The other product I miss is the micro-brew ales available so easily in Maine. Here, the only real choice you have is different types of Mexican lagers. I have found my favorite, a dark lager manufactured by Sol, called Indio. But, of course, it's not the same as a Gritty's bitter! Other than that, we are very content with Mexican foods, many of which are cheaper and more fresh than what we were used to. Another comfort item I do miss is comfortable furniture. Mexican furniture tends to be made of a cushion on a wooden platform, like beds, chairs, and sofas. As you might imagine, these are not as comfortable. More comfortable, American-style furniture is available, but for a high price. Pixie has been looking for one of those folding lounge chairs to use out by the pool. She saw one a few weeks ago for 400 pesos ($40) and hasn't seen one since. Go figure? I have always been a voracious newspaper reader. I could buy a USA Today for $4, or even a daily NY Times for God-knows-how-much, but I am satisfied here reading the only English language newspaper The Guadalajara Reporter, with local news, published every Saturday. I find I am reading my newspapers and some magazines online. (It is expensive to have magazines sent to a Mexican mailing address. Some Americans buy a US postal Box in Laredo Texas through Mailboxes Etc. for about $25-30 a month, but we have not found the need). Of course, as a die hard Red Sox fan, I can only see games occasionally when they broadcast the Sox on Fox on Saturdays. (We have a Canadian Satellite TV System). BUT, for $15 a year, I have subscribed to the MLB.com audio feeds of WRKO in Boston, so I sometimes listen to the games on the computer-- as I am now; Sox leading the Mariners 2-0 in the third inning. I DO miss Netflix, but we can rent videos at the Lake Chapala Society library and, of course, buy pirated films at the market for 30 pesos. The Canadian satellite has a few movie channels as well. Not Netflix, but okay. I used to belong to the Y (hi guys!) in Maine, but with the weather here, I usually walk into town every morning for my exercise. There are gyms here, but I'd prefer to walk for free. So...overall we have had to adapt to new products and services, but I am convinced we're gaining more than we are losing!

Many Americans, as I have mentioned before, take regular trips into Guadalajara to shop at WalMart, Cotsco, and Home Depot to buy the American products they are used to. They even organize bus trips to WalMart for gringos. For us, however, we seem to be able to get just about everything we need here at Lakeside, often Mexican products. Besides, I've been to these places, and you can't get Tetely Tea or Sam Adams beer, so what's the point?

One of the disturbing things about living here is to hear Americans dissing Mexico. I imagine most of these people only moved to Mexico for the climate and for the supposedly cheap prices. Other than that, they want life to be exactly as it had been for them in the US, and are disappointed when it is not. These people can be seen in local restaurants complaining that the management does not do things efficiently, making no attempt to speak Spanish, and generally acting as though they deserve special treatment because they have money. They often live in communities isolated from the Mexicans and spend an inordinately large amount of time worrying about theft and security. Needless to say, Pixie and I have been avoiding these types. Luckily, most of these people don't attend our UU fellowship.

I think one of the most striking feelings about living in a country where you obviously are different is the physical obviousness of your difference. I feel as though my light skin and lighter hair make me so obviously a gringo (and, by association, better off financially) that it feels foreign. When I wear my straw hat, it doesn't help. Gringos simply look different in straw hats; Mexicans look better in them, I think. I've never felt like an outsider before, based on the color of my skin. Although the Mexicans are warm and accepting, I can never, of course, be part of their culture. Having lots of American and Canadian friends is good in this way. I think it would be more difficult to move to a more remote area of Mexico with no other Americans. Still, I am obviously a foreigner here.

On Being a Foreigner

I was talking to my brother, Fred, on the phone yesterday, complaining to him that I was concerned that I was beginning to run out of topics to put on the blog. I am aware of the fact that I don't want to get repetitive, and I DON'T want this blog to be, like so many others I've seen, a self-indulgent travel log, like an on-line series of postcards: "Having a great time, wish you were here!" Fred reminded me that what may be mundane to us is still foreign and interesting to him, and probably to others. I was also thinking I needed to put a certain number of photos with each post. Fred is visually impaired and can't see the photos, so he's more interested in the writing. I was confessing to Pearl Sawyer, one of our friends form the Auburn UU church that I wasn't writing much poetry yet. She suggested that my blog was the writing I was doing now. THEN I worry, who wants to read all this anyway? Of course, those who are not interested, won't bother. SOOOOOO...as this project is constantly morphing, I'm not sure where it's going, but I hope to make it interesting and, perhaps most of all, enable my friends and family to experience this wonderful country through my eyes, and not through the stereotypical, xenophobic lenses of mass media and popular myth.

One of the most interesting, and sometimes difficult, aspects of living in Mexico, of us, is the constant awareness that we are living outside of our element. We don't know the language well enough to have a normal conversation, we don't understand many aspects of the culture, and, quite honestly, we stick out like sore thumbs. This can be disconcerting. Many gringos here are constantly worried that we are being taken advantage of. Of course we are! We are bringing our money to spend, and the Mexicans, entrepreneurial spirits that they are, will try to figure out any angle they can to get some of the action. But this is part of the economic culture here. When I go to an area of Chapala or Guadalajara where there are few gringos, I see Mexicans selling anything they can think of to try to hustle other Mexicans. This is a culture where everyone is responsible for him or herself. That's partly why it is such a vibrant and energetic place. The gringo money here is yet another opportunity for people to get in on the action and improve their situation. Whether it's hawking watches or watermelon on the street, to giving out tastes of mango and cantaloupe in the market to get you to buy THEIR fruit, to driving gringos around showing them ridiculously high-priced real estate, they are responsible to make their lives better. As the foreign expats, WE are responsible for making good decisions about how we spend OUR money. If we get a bad deal, it's our tough luck. We should have been paying more attention. An example: Pixie and I saw a guy selling cherries on the street the other day. I asked Pixie if she wanted some, and she did. "Quanto?" I asked. Cinquenta (50) pesos for a half a kilo, cien (100) pesos for one kilo. Fruits and vegetable are always cheap, huh? So without thinking clearly, I said, "Medio kilo, por favor," handed over 50 pesos and took the bag of cherries. It wasn't until we were home that I realized we'd paid about $5 for a rather small bag of cherries. I figured it to be about 12 cents per cherry. Not really that cheap. Chalk one up for experience. Won't do that again.

Not speaking the language is a very obvious aspect of being in a foreign country. Although I can speak better Spanish than I did, it is very rough, and I know my pronunciation is not good. I have been studying the language on my own for about a year, though, and I can carry on a conversation reasonably well with people who speak little or no English. I just jump right in and give it a whack. Sometimes they look at me quizzically, and I know they missed whatever it was I was trying to say. Then I back up and rephrase, point, mime, or use some other cheap tactic to try to get my point across. Eventually they smile with an "aha" look and correct me. One of my favorite strategies is to point to something and say, "Que en Espanol, por favor?" (What is this in Spanish?) I get lots of free lessons that way. The two Mexican children who live on our property, Yoselin and Jesus are also very helpful. They speak no English, but are always dropping by to visit. They laugh hysterically when I say something wrong but are very nonjudgmental when they correct me. This is one of the aspects of living here I enjoy the most. I was always a poor language student in school, but here I'm somewhat successful, even though I'm probably just as bad!

One of the aspects of living here that is most difficult for me is the obvious difference in economic security between us and the Mexicans. Yoselin and Jesus have very little, as do their parents. They all live in a two-room house and earn $250 a month for providing gardening and maid service for the six houses here. The children are all well-dressed and very polite. Daniel and Dora, the parents, are always very helpful, work hard, and are always pleasant. We are retired, spend most of our day doing what we like, can afford a laptop computer and eating out in restaurants, live in a much larger and nicer house, and have them to do all the "dirty work" for us. I feel awkward sitting on the patio reading a book and sipping iced tea while Daniel weeds the garden and vacuums "our" pool. I know he's glad to have a job, etc. But I've always felt uncomfortable about the random advantages some people enjoy largely by being born in a certain place or with certain advantages. I am sure I feel more awkward about it than Dora or Daniel, or any of the countless Mexicans working in this community doing menial jobs to support their families. Menial work here is not looked down upon as in the US. Being a gardener, a maid, or a waiter are seen as respectable professions. It's my issue, and has been since I was a young Marxist in college!

Guadalajara

Right over the mountains from Lake Chapala is Mexico's second largest city, Guadalajara, home to 4.1 million people. (Mexico City, Mexico's largest city, has a population of 19.1 million, the largest in the Western Hemisphere). Checking on Wikipedia, I discovered that it was founded as an old colonial city in 1532, and still retains its historic center with some of the oldest colonial buildings in Latin America. It is also a large commercial, industrial, and cultural center as well as the capital of the state of Jalisco. A number of high tech corporations have built plants in the city as a result of NAFTA, and it is a major banking and economic center for the country. Culturally, it is quickly becoming the cultural center of Mexico. The Guggenheim foundation has approved the construction of the 6th museum in the world in Guadalajara, and it will be the tallest building in Latin America. Guadalajara will also host the 2011 Pan American Games.


For those of us who have chosen to live in the Lake Chapala area, Guadalajara is clearly one of the factors that makes this area so attractive. Miguel Hidalgo International airport, between Guadalajara and Lake Chapala, is about 40 minutes from Ajijic and has many connecting flights to Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and other American hubs daily. Flights from Boston are generally about $500, which makes it easy to return home for visits and for friends and family to visit us in Mexico. It also gives us access to excellent medical care which would not be as available in more remote areas of Mexico. Delcarmen and St. Javier hospitals are two of the finest hospitals in the country with many US-trained and English speaking doctors. I doubt that if it were not for the proximity to Guad (as local residents refer to it), we would have many fewer "northamericanos" living here.

There is also the opportunity for shopping in Guadalajara. Many Americans who live here are very concerned about having many of the products they are used to at home. As a result, many of these folks make regular trips into Guad to shop at Walmart , Sam's Club, Cotsco, and Home Depot, all available there. We have visited Walmart and Sam's Club and have, frankly, not been too impressed. Most of the products are Mexican, for Mexicans, and are easily available here in Ajijic or Chapala. There are some American products which are available, some in large quantities, which draws people there. The cost of some of these American items is cheaper at these stores than in the few stores near Lake Chapala which stock, and mark up, American imported products. As I've mentioned before, we tend to stick to mostly American products and don't mind spending a little extra for rare American products like Peanut Butter here in town. But the big box stores are so popular with some lakeside residents that they schedule bus trips just to Walmart and Sam's club for people who are not wild about driving in themselves.

Two of the most popular shopping districts of Guadalajara are Tlaquepaque and Tonala, the former being very tourist-friendly and more expensive. We drove into Tlaquepaque with a friend one day and had a chance to explore the area. There is a big pedestrian area with lots of shops and restaurants there, and it's fun to walk around, but the prices ARE high. Many of the pottery and glassware for sale is made in Tonala and is available there for much lower prices. We drove into Tonala by ourselves on Saturday and found it much more in our budget. We didn't buy much, but we'll be back, I'm sure.


Driving in Guadalajara is an adventure. Mexicans are mild mannered people, until they get behind the wheel. We have driven in three times so far, and I think I am figuring it out. It's definitely not for the fainthearted. Luckily, reliable bus service is cheap and easily available from Ajijic. We are looking forward to some interesting experiences in Guadalajara!

Cost of Living in Ajijic

One of the appeals for the migration of retirees to Mexico and other Latin American locales is the cost of living. However, as places like Ajijic become more prosperous and populated by more Americans and Canadians, the cost of living inevitably rises. So the question becomes, is it really cheaper to live in this area of Mexico? The answer is yes...and no.

Perhaps the most noticeable high cost of living here is housing. Many of the ads in the real estate ads are selling houses in the $250-300,000 USD range. This is because many wealthy American, Canadian, and Mexican developers have figured that there is a market for these homes, usually built on the mountainside with a view of the lake, and separate from where most of the people live. Many US retirees who have sold expensive homes in the US can afford to pay cash for these houses. It's really not much different from Maine or anywhere else. Where there is wealth, there will be expensive homes.

But these ads are a bit misleading. There are homes in the Lake Chapala area in all price ranges. Because there are very low property taxes in Mexico, usually $50-100 per year, people are not as much in a hurry to sell, and prices are often higher than the property is worth. Overall, I'd say property in Ajijic is equivalent to what we would find in Maine, although I have seen decent properties for under $100,000 advertised in Chapala and Jocotepec.

Rentals vary as well. Pixie and I are enjoying our rental and the fact that we don't have the hassles of home ownership. Many people here rent. We know people who rent small but very nice places in Chapala for about $300 a month. Our beautiful lake front cottage in Ajijic is $700 a month. For $600-700 a month, it seems one can find very nice rentals almost anywhere. Of course we also see rentals advertised for $1500 a month as well. In terms of housing, you can pay as much or as little as you want, but overall, it's certainly not dirt cheap.

I won't discuss medical care because I covered it in my last post. It is a significant expense of living here, although cheaper than the US.

Food is very economical, IF you buy Mexican and local products. We shop for food in several places. First, we got to the outside market (called the Tiangas) every Wednesday. There we typically buy things like fruit (mangoes, pineapples, limes, melons, apples, strawberries, bananas) and vegetables (zucchini, beans, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, nopale--edible cactus--, and peppers). Usually we buy about $5-6 dollars worth which gets us through most of the week. We buy locally made yogurt (unusual flavors--celery pineapple, carrot orange, strawberry walnut-- ALL good-- for about $1.50 for a half liter). We buy fresh fish (brought in every morning from the Pacific, NOT Lake Chapala!), usually red snapper, for about $4.00 for a serving for two. (You pick the fish, and he fillets it for you). Huge shrimp are available for about $8.00 a kilo--2.2 lbs.) Bread is available for about 50 cents a loaf. Granola is available in bulk for about $2 a kilo. We also buy a bunch of fresh flowers for the house each week for about $3-4 for a large bouquet. You can also buy household goods, electrical supplies, batteries, and clothing at the market. We usually spend about $30 there.

We also shop as small neighborhood stores which are everywhere. We tend to buy our milk, eggs, tortilla chips, beverages, soap and other miscellaneous items from these local merchants. One nice thing here is that you can buy whatever you need: one egg, two small rolls, one small bottle of white glue, one piece of wrapping paper. I love fresh corn tortillas which I buy from a local tortillaria. I usually ask for 5 pesos worth ($.50) which gives me 20 or so tortillas which last a week or more. I heat them on the tortilla heater which our stove is equipped with.

We do have a few supermarkets which sell many other products, but not always cheaper than the local merchants, surprisingly. We tend to buy things like olive oil, which is harder to find at these local shops for a good price, at these larger stores. We go to them less than we did however, as we discover local resources. American products are available for a premium price.

Pixie loves plants, of course, and this is plant -lovers paradise! We have slowly been picking up plants, mostly in big ceramic pots (so we can take them with us if we move) for very reasonable prices. Typically large tropical plants like the ones illustrated here, cost about $5-8, and the large ceramic pots cost $7-12. We've been picking up about one each week. It's fun, because we know we can leave them out all year, and it gives our home a more tropical look. As you can see, Pixie has a good eye for this.

Here are what we have found the costs of some other items to be:

Toothpaste: $1
Shampoo: $1
Shaving cream: $4
Gasoline: $2.80/ gallon (one price everywhere)
Gas (for stove and hot water): $28-- we're still on our first one.
Electricity: No bill yet, but we're told about $50 for two months
High speed wireless Internet: $40/month, but we're sharing cost with two others
Phone: $23/ month
Haircut: $4 (me) $8 (Pixie)
Massage: $20/hr (Pixie loves these)
Maid/Gardener (ours are included in rent--good news they just hired a new couple so I don't have to mow the lawn!) $3.50 per hour in the Ajijic area.
Vet: Maggie had to go get dewormed, antibiotics, and a shot of something, plus an exam which cost $40.
Prescriptions: These prices vary. Many generic drugs are cheaper down here, but brand name drugs can be very expensive. Drugs are available over the counter, so it pays to shop around. My heartburn medicine will cost me $14 a month. Some prescriptions can cost $50 a moth or more. A significant cost.

Eating out: This varies. You can get a very nice meal in a fancy restaurant for about $45 with drinks. We rarely do this. There are lots of good restaurants where we eat for about $20-30, for both of us. We also love some Mexican restaurants where you can eat for $10-15 for both of us including cerveza. we also like to get food to go: tamales for $3.50 (dinner for two), roast chicken (whole) with roasted potatoes $7.

So, overall, you can live comfortably for about $2000 a month, excluding travel, major medical problems, and extravagant shopping. Many live on less, many on much more. What's nice is that we CAN live on what we have.

A few other notes: As I mentioned, they've hired a new maid and gardener for our compound. the maid is wonderful...we don't know about the gardener since he hasn't started yet. We took a boat trip to Mescala Island 12 miles out in Lake Chapala with some of our UU friends. It demonstrated to us how HUGE the lake is! We are both well and seem to have adjusted to the Mexican environment!

Medical Care in Mexico

Well, I've reached a point with the blog where I don't think I'll be able to come up with photos which necessarily go along with what I'm writing about. I want to keep you posted on how Pixie and I are doing and also make it interesting. So I plan to try to stick to a basic topic for each posting. However, I may put some irrelevant pieces into the posts, just to keep you updated on some irrelevant points! Overall, though, I want this to be a blog about what it is like to live in Mexico.

This brings me to the topic of today: medical care. Last week at the local market, I found a copy of Michael Moore's movie "Sicko" (before it was even released in most US theaters; don't ask, don't tell). I plunked down my 30 pesos and took the movie back to our casa to check it out. (Another interesting thing about living abroad is that DVD players are zoned differently around the world. Latin American DVD's won't play in a zone one player, only a zone 4 player. Europe has a different zone too, as does Asia, I think. So, we had to find a "multi-zone DVD player in Guadalajara to play all kinds of DVD's, because God knows what kind of DVD's they sell at the market!) At any rate, the movie is a provocative look at how the American medical system does not do a good job providing access to all American people, unlike France, England and Cuba. This was essentially a no brainer for me, but he did present his case well.

From the limited experience we've had so far with medical care in Mexico, it seems as though it is very good, and reasonably priced, if you can afford it, like me. Mexico does have a national health care system: IMSS. Anyone can join this system for a modest fee, and many employers offer it as part of their benefits package. I think the very poor, of which there are many, often are not enrolled. I'm not sure about this, though. The cost for us to join now would be about $200USD each, per year. There is a two year waiting period for full coverage. It covers everything from doctor's fees to hospital care to drugs, completely free. The catch is that there can be long waits for non-urgent care, and they may not always have all drugs in stock. Many gringos here enroll in it for emergency back up, but plan to go back to the US for Medicare if they can. We've heard all kinds of reports about IMSS, from rave reviews to horror stories.

The other option, which we have selected for now, is to purchase a good major medical plan with about a $2000 USD deductable, which will mean that you can get care at the best hospitals in Guadalajara and it will only cost $2000 at the most. The policies, at our ages, cost us $2300 for the first year, but prices will go up as we get older. So, by the time we are eligible for Medicare, we'll probably keep IMSS for emergencies here, but plan to return to the US if we became seriously ill, because the major medical coverage would eventually become too expensive.

To be honest, though, from what I've seen, I think I would prefer to be treated in Mexico. We have found a highly recommended doctor here in Ajijic. I went for a physical exam with him on Tuesday, and it was very thorough. I had the physical exam, which took about 45 minutes, and a series of typical blood tests. The entire bill was $108. (His exam fee was only $15). He wants me to have a colonoscopy sometime soon. That will cost $280. The office is not fancy. He has no nurse, and only one receptionist. He takes the blood himself. Because in Mexico, it is very difficult to sue anyone, physicians do not have to pay for malpractice insurance. They have a very low overhead. This doctor has specialists from Guadalajara visit his office each week: a cardiologist, an orthopedic surgeon, a urologist, a psychiatrist, a dermatologist, and others. He gave me his cell phone number to call him anytime, night or day, if I had a question or an emergency. If I have an emergency, he will call an ambulance and decide which hospital in Guadalajara would be best for that problem. If I am too sick to come see him, he will make house calls.

Now, of course, I have not been sick yet. But from what I've heard from the other expats who live here, the medical care they receive is top notch, and very caring.

We can buy prescriptions over the counter, and we are told many of them are cheaper. We don't know yet, because we haven't bought any. From the minor drugs like aspirin we've bought, they seem pretty similar in prices to the US.

We're hoping that we'll STAY healthier here. With regular walking, fresh fruits and veggies readily available, and the low stress of living here, that may be true.

A few personal notes: we are joining a Great Books discussion group. We hope that is as interesting as it sounds. Maggie has "wandered" away several times to explore the neighborhood on her own. Luckily, all three times, friendly Mexicans helped us find her. But much to her annoyance, she is now being CLOSELY supervised! We've been picking up a few Mexican items for the house, some of which are illustrated here. We also found our first SCORPION! It was on our patio, but it was dead. Finally, I am giving a sermon on Buddhism to our UU fellowship on Sunday, and leading the congregation in two hymns on my guitar and harmonica. That should be interesting!

Observations About the Mexican People

Living in Maine, we really had very little experience knowing Mexican people. As we all know so well, many Mexicans are poor. Manual laborers in Mexico earn an average of $300 per month, while professionals earn an average of about $1000 per month. These are averages. Some earn more, some earn less. One of our primary concerns about moving to a community with lots of "Nortamericanos" was that there was bound to be a big divide between us and the Mexicans. I was concerned that there would be resentment towards us because of the fact that we are here with money to spend, in stark contrast to most Mexicans.

We have been very happy that most Mexicans are extremely friendly and courteous. I am sure there are some resentments; it is inevitable. But by and large, they seem to accept having us here and appreciate the fact that our presence is creating lots of jobs in this area of Mexico. We are living on the West side of town, which is predominantly Mexican, so we have regular contact with many local people. As we would expect, they like it when we speak Spanish and they are very helpful when we don't know the correct word to use. They often go out of their way to help us find what we are looking for. And, of course, they all seem to like Maggie who transcends the language barrier.

The Mexican people we have known and observed work very hard. We have a couple of men working on a roof next door. Now this roof is made up of flat tiles cemented onto a cement roof. It took them over a week to pick axe the old roof off. Now they are mixing cement and putting the new tiles on the roof. It is hot, exhausting work. We've been bringing them ice tea every day, and they are very appreciative. These guys work very hard, but they seem happy and content. We often hear them laughing and even singing as they work. We try to make jokes in Spanish, but I think I usually confuse them. But they are polite and laugh anyway.

We have a young couple, Antonio and his wife Claudia, who take care of the six cottages in our compound. In exchange for a very small casita and $300 a month, Antonio is the caretaker/gardener for the houses, and Claudia cleans all the houses once a week. They are always around and very helpful. I needed to order a new tank of gas to have it delivered, but the people at the gas company only spoke Spanish, so Claudia called and ordered the gas for me. Antonio carried the Buddha in from the car for me and is going to weld a small grate to fix up our charcoal grill so we can use it. They both speak excellent English and politely correct us when we mispronounce Spanish words. It would probably be easier for them if we just spoke English, but they are happy to try to figure out what we are trying to say in Spanish.

Clearly, the most important characteristic of the Mexican people is their devotion to family. Although many Mexicans have family members who have gone to the United States to work, their dream is to come back to Mexico and be with their families. Their lives are not defined by their work, as ours tends to be in the US. They work to live, of course, but they will not give up family holiday time to work, even if they can earn extra money. They are used to making ends meet and I do not think money is the central focus of their lives. This family orientation is evident in their attitude towards their children. You often see tough, macho Mexican men tenderly carrying infants in the plaza or in front of their homes. Mothers always meet their children after school, buy them a sweet snack, and walk them home, carrying their backpacks for them. The children here seem remarkably well behaved. They have little, but they clearly feel loved and treasured.

Although we have not run into any serious problems on the road, a number of our friends here have related stories in which they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, either because of an accident or mechanical problems, and people have immediately stopped to offer help, transportation, food, even a bed for the night, often at their own personal inconvenience. I have yet to hear of any banditos! The culture here, in one sense, reminds me of Italy. Although it is much less formal, and there is less prosperity here, the Mexicans have the same high standard of hospitality. You can sit in a restaurant all night if you choose. You will not be offered the check until you request, "La cuenta, por favor." It is a very civil and polite culture. Although I have noticed that there is a generational difference here. The older Mexicans tend to be more strict about this. Although many younger Mexicans are very open and helpful, some are clearly less so. Things are changing in Mexico as in the US. As more prosperity comes to Mexico, their culture will likely change even more, perhaps to become more like the US. Hmmmmmm.

Some Interesting Things about Living in Mexico

Well it had to happen sometime...I committed a traffic violation and got busted. I was coming out of the big Mexican department store, Sorianas, and trying to get back to the town of Chapala. Although there is a clearly marked, "no left turn" symbol on a sign as you come out of the driveway, a friend had told me that they don't "enforce" it, and, indeed, I have seen many others go out that way. Well, of course, when I tried it last Saturday, after having done it successfully several times before, I was pulled over by a municipal "Policia." He was very nice and explained in broken English how I should go out around another way. I was very polite and thanked him for the information.

Then, he pulled out his pad and said, "But, Senor, I have to give you a ticket for this."

"Okay," I replied. "How much will the ticket cost?"

"Two hundred pesos." (About $20).

Now, I remembered several people telling me that if you get a ticket, they may take your American drivers license and you will supposedly get it back once you pay the ticket. I was not anxious to give up my drivers license, but I replied, "OK. Then I guess I get a ticket."

He looked at me and waited. He was not writing anything. This was, it became obvious, the time for me to offer to pay him instead. I did not want to encourage corruption, yet I also did not want to lose my license. I understand that these local police officers make very little money, and this is a way they supplement their income. After a quick internal ethical debate, I caved.

"So, Senor," I asked, "Could you pay the ticket for me?"

"Si."

I thought later I should have told him I only had 100 pesos, but instead I dutifully produced a 200 peso note, whereupon, he politely returned my license. I had paid my first "mordida." I had come of age as a gringo in Mexico!

Driving, in general, is a bit more challenging here. Traffic laws seem to be more "suggestions" than laws, at least for the Mexicans. I get the feeling that driving a foreign-plated car in Mexico puts you at more risk of getting pulled over. Mexicans seem to violate the ridiculously low speed limits in some areas. I try to follow the limits, but the Mexicans whiz by me when I do. I feel like an old feeble driver driving so slow, but I don't want to get pulled over either. So, I try to keep up with traffic, within limits. I often see Mexican drivers, usually young men, take great risks in passing on hills and such. We frequently see a pickup truck full of young children in the bed of the truck, sometimes sitting on the edge of the body. Someone mentioned that their deep faith, and perhaps fatalism, leads them to put their lives "in God's hands." I do see evidence of this.

We went to a fiesta last week in the neighboring town. At about midnight each night, they set off amazing fireworks on a wooden scaffold with spinning wheels, rockets, and even animated moving contraptions (we saw a butterfly flapping its fiery wings). They make absolutely no attempt to clear people away from the fireworks scaffold before they light it. The general rule in Mexico seems to be, "Pay attention. You are responsible for yourself." It's just very different from the US where we are constantly being "protected" from our own bad judgment by laws and regulations. No OSHA here!

Finding what you need here is probably much easier now than it may have been a decade ago, but there are still a few challenges. Good black tea is difficult to find unless you go to expensive import stores and buy small boxes of Bigelow tea, or some other expensive brand. We prefer Tetley's British Blend, which is nowhere to be found here. We'll have to stock up on that on visits home. Herbal tea, on the other hand, is plentiful and cheap. You can buy a box of 100 tea bags of chamomile, peppermint, spearmint or lemon tea for about 30 pesos, about $3. Also, no good microbrew beer here; everything is a lager, like Corona. They have a couple of darker lagers I do like: Negro Modela, and Indio. There IS peanut butter here, after all, cheaper than I thought: about 25 pesos.

Finding reading material is always a challenge. The stores do sell a weekly English-language newspaper here, The Guadalajara Reporter. There a re a couple of English language magazines here, The Lake Chapala Review and Ojo del Lago (Eye of the Lake), published by and for the gringo population. Used English-language books are sold at the Ajijic weekly market, but they are never very good, and the same ones every week. The best option is the Lake Chapala Society library, which has about 20,000 English books. I now read my favorite newspapers and magazines on line.

We are venturing into Guadalajara tomorrow to see what we find! That should be an interesting drive. We drove in last week with a friend who knew where he was going to navigate. We're going tomorrow on our own.

Last night it rained all night, very hard, and we awoke to two big leaks in the house. Glad we are renting! No one knows how many leaks they have until the rainy season starts. I think it has started in earnest. I imagine people are discovering new leaks all over town! It's nice and cool here now.

I've posted a few photos to go with this post, but not many. Let's see what adventures another week or so brings!

The Village of Ajijic

The village of Ajijic is the center of the expatriate population on Lake Chapala, although hardly the only village around the Lake Chapala and Guadalajara area where many Americans, Canadians and Europeans have settled. As you can see from the map, Ajijic is one of several towns on the north shore of Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest fresh water lake. The two closest towns, Chapala and Jocotepec have fewer Nortamericanos, but there is clearly more development headed in those directions. Chapala is much larger than Ajijic, and Mexicans have come for years to vacation at its lake front.

Ajijic has been the center of expartiate settlement in this area for decades. It attracted a lot of artists and writers, and the village still feels this influence. There are many art galleries and shops. Tennessee Williams, Somerset Maugham, and D.H. Lawrence all lived and wrote in the Ajijic area.

The streets remain rough cobblestone, except for the "Carretera" which runs between the towns. The population of Ajijic is estimated at about 15,000, with about 3-4,000 full time expatriate residents. Even though the expatriate residents have brought money into the area, and driven prices up, many of the Mexican families have stayed in Ajijic. In fact, Mexicans are probably drawn to the area because of the work opportunities created by the influx of "gringos." By the way, the term gringo first came as a nickname for the American soldiers who occupied Mexico during the Mexican American war and was, of course, a pejorative term. Today, the term appears to be more neutral; we hear Mexicans refer to their "gringo friends" and well as "dumb, arrogant gringos," a moniker we are trying to avoid!

The village is dominated by the lake on the south side, and beautiful mountains on the north side. The north, or mountain side, of the Carretera, was, until recently undeveloped. The lake side contains the old village. The mountain side has now been developed with a number of gated communities designed exclusively for gringo retirees. These homeowners, building up the mountainside, have beautiful lake views, but live isolated from their Mexican neighbors.

We live on the west side of Ajijic, on the lake side, an area that is primarily Mexican. Many Guadaljarans own lakeside cottages on the lake. Our casita is in a group of six such cottages which have been owned for use on weekends. Four of these are owned by Mexicans and the other two by gringos, one of which we rent. Saturday night when we came back from dinner to celebrate our 33rd anniversary, a family of Mexicans in one of the other cottages invited us to visit with them. We enjoyed their company and had a good opportunity to work on our Spanish; they spoke very little English.

As you might imagine, there is quite a bit of building going on in Ajijic. Most of it is being done by hand, very slowly. The overall sense you get when walking or driving around the area is that people everywhere are selling food, crafts, and just about anything they can make pesos with. I think Mexicans love to eat, and there are opportunities everywhere to find food. Many families own small tiendas, or shops, which are very tiny and sell food, clothes, beer, tortillas, or other useful items. They live in the back, and it provides the family with an income. The Caraterra is full of businesses and restaurants and has a bit of a chaotic feel to it. Mexico is not a quiet place! There is litter and graffiti. They don't seem to have any zoning or development laws here. You might see a nice new restaurant next to an empty lot with goats, next to an auto repair shop, next to a boutique. But it is full of people of all types living their lives, peacefully and courteously.

Overall, Ajijic is an interesting mix of pure Mexican life and gringo amenities. We often see our Mexican neighbors riding horses through town, herding cows down by the lake, or cooking corn to sell on their front stoop, while, at the same time, the town has at least 50 restaurants of all types and prices, wireless high speed internet access, cable and satellite TV, and many other services the gringo retirees seek.

I do worry about where this is all headed, as more boomers retire here, which is one reason we are renting here instead of buying. But, for now, it's a very pleasant combination of authentic Mexican culture, comfortable living, stupendous lake and mountain views, tropical birds and, of course, beautiful weather.

Our Mexican Home: We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

We've moved into our Mexican casa at last! Actually living here is wonderful, yet I can tell we will have to acclimate to living in a different climate and a different culture. In this post, I'll show you our new home and discuss some of the differences between this home and the kind of homes we're used to.


First of all, Mexican houses are constructed entirely differently. They use very little wood, except for trim, because of termites. The houses are constructed of brick and concrete, and many interior surfaces are ceramic tile. I am so used to worrying about water damage, ice dams, etc, that I like the idea of everything made out of tile so if the roof leaks, no big problems. Our house has dark blue tile throughout, including on the two patios. The kitchen and bathrooms have old handmade tiles on the wall surfaces. In this area of Mexico they build brick "Boveda" ceilings which are arched for stability. Overall the houses have a different look, and are easy easy to keep clean. The floors are obviously hard and less "giving" than wood floors. But no vacuuming, just sweep and damp mop.


Most houses here are made to accommodate outdoor living. We have the two patios, but many homes have entire open garden spaces within the walls of the home. Restaurants are the same way. That is a very different and appealing concept to us Mainers who must have a clear differentiation between inside and outside! There are few bugs now, but in the rainy season, I am told, we will get mosquitoes until the dry season returns in October. No black flies, but swarms of "bobos" At least they don't bite. I haven't seen any scorpions yet.


One reason we didn't bring any furniture with us is (besides the cost of moving it) that the furniture here is different. Because of the dry climate, our New England furniture's wood joints would dry up and come loose. Plus, it would look out of place in Mexican houses. The two types of furniture I see in most Mexican homes are rough carved rustic wooden tables and chairs (like the colorful ones they have at Margarita's in Lewiston), and leather Equipal furniture, native to this area of Mexico, made from wood, leather, and cactus fibers. It's comfortable, but, as you can see, it looks totally different from any other furniture. Mexican beds are hard; they don't use box springs. We got a thick matress pad to bring with us, and it's not bad.


Mexican plumbing is not like the US. HaHa. First of all, you can't drink the tap water, not because the water is polluted, but because the way it's transported and stored, often on tanks on the roofs of the houses, it can develop bacteria. Our house has a ultraviolet purification system on it (which can be purchased for about $800 USD), which make all the water in our house safe for drinking. We have bottled water to use during power failures, but we drink the tap water and it tastes good. Mexican homes have little gas hot water heaters which produce limited hot water. The pressure is often low, but it's great in our house. The water doesn't get scalding hot, but hot enough. Now here's the delicate part: Mexican toilets generally don't do well with toilet paper because the pipes have lots of right angle elbows. TP clogs up the system. So in most Mexican homes (ours included) used TP is folded neatly and put in a special covered trash receptacle and emptied every few days. It does not smell and is easy, once you get used ot the idea. Really!!!


Because the climate is so temperate, the houses in this area of Mexico have no central heating system. We have small fireplaces in the living room and bedroom which can provide heat during the colder winter nights with temps in the 40's. Because the houses are made of concrete and brick, they have little insulation from the cold, and temps in the 40's can seem quite cold. So we need heavy blankets for the middle of winter. During the day, the temps rise to the 70's though. Although it would be nice during this time of year, there is generally no AC. We have four ceiling fans, and if we close the curtains and keep the fans on, it's not too bad in the hot part of the day.



Electricity here is reasonable, but the cost per kwh rises as you use more. So if you cross a threshold of electricity use, your rate goes up for all the electricity you use. By not having a dishwasher or dryer we hope our bills are not too high. We also lose power or partial power frequently. People here just deal. I think that's why everyone has gas stoves. This morning our ceiling fan slowed way down. We thought, "Oh, no. It's broken." But it was just a brownout. The electricity waxes and wanes a bit. We need to have voltage regulators on our electronic gear to prevent damage. After about an hour, the fan was working fine again. When I mentioned it to some UU friends at church this morning, they said it's a fairly common occurrence.

So....living here has its challenges as well as its rewards. Pixie is feeling better already. We are spending lots of great time together. We have our Vonage phone hooked up, and it works great, so you can call us at our old Auburn number 783-3900. I will try to think of interesting things to write about Mexico and post to this blog every week or two.

Trip Progress

May 30: We made it! The border crossing was easy; we were able to bring in our carload of stuff without paying any duty, and we were able to obtain our car import sticker with no problem. Everyone was kind and helpful. The 750 mile trip down through Mexico was both stunningly beautiful and heartwrenchingly sad. The conditions under which the very poor Mexicans live is unimaginable to those of us who have lived in such a prosperous country. In any event, we made it to Ajijic yesterday afternoon, exhausted after 3550 miles but full of gratitude to be here. Our little dog Maggie loves all the new sounds and smells. Our house is not ready for another day or so, so we are staying at the B&B with our landlord. Once we get into the house, I'll post some new photos and observations. I'll try to make future posts a bit more interesting and not just a list of what we're doing like this trip log has been. Please email and keep in touch. You can add comments to the blog, but remember, everyone can read them :})

May 27: Crossing tomorrow morning. Will be off line for a few days. Will post next from Ajijic!

May 26: We visited our family in Port Aransas, on the Gulf coast, including my very special Aunt Alice. We enjoyed some succulent gulf shrimp expertly prepared by Gerry. Tomorrow we head down to Harlingen to prepare for our border crossing. I hope we have all our documents in order!

May 25: Still in Texas about 100 miles north of Corpus Christi. Driving through Texas is tedious...lots of BIG Baptist churches and BBQ pits. East Texas is greener than we had imagined. Will drive down to Port Aransas near Corpus Christi today to visit my cousin Martha, her husband Gerry, and my Aunt Alice who is visiting from Indianapolis. Then tomorrow we finish our drive through Texas to Harlingen TX near the border for an early morning crossing Monday at the Los Indios crossing.

May 24: We have arrived in Texas after a long drive through Arkansas. We stopped to see Bill Clinton's birthplace, Hope, Arkansas. Tomorrow we'll head directly south on some back roads on our way towards Corpus Christi.

May 23: After enjoying a wonderful four days with Eric and Crystal, we had a long drive today (450 miles) and arrived in Arkansas this evening. Tomorrow we're hoping to cross over into Texas.

May 21: We've been enjoying some wonderful Hoosier hospitality and some R and R with Eric and Crystal. Finally, some warm weather too. We have been hearing from some of our Maine friends and family. We're off on Wednesday morning to Texas to visit my cousin Martha, and plan to cross the border on May 28 or 29.

May 19: Arrived safely in Muncie, Indiana to visit our son, Eric, and daughter-in-law Crystal.

May 18: Great visit with my friend from Brown, Dennis Sykes and his wife Deb and their son, Craig at their Centerburg, Ohio home. Dennis is still the Mayor of Centerburg, and Deb the resident piano teacher.

May 17: Visit to Niagara Falls, NY. Pixie had never seen the falls. They were impressive; I was surprised how economically depressed the area is.

May 16: In Seneca Falls, NY: the National Women's Rights Historical Museum, and Wesleyan Chapel, site of the first Women's Rights Conference in 1848.

May 15: Hyde Park , New York: Site of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, FDR's home, and Val Kill, Eleanor's residence. FDR and Eleanor are our heroes!

May 14: Leave Maine after a lifetime of memories!