Ajijic Makes the Short List

I certainly see the attraction people have to Ajijic. Every day the beauty of the lush mountains amaze me. Today we took the dog for a walk up the mountain. It was a lovely, refreshing walk; so nice to be walking in cool, crisp air again.

We feel so energized to be out of the heat and humidity of the last 8 months. From the mountain pathway there were stunning views of the lake, and strangely, a shrine and three crosses – as in crucifixion crosses – stood alongside the path.

Each morning we spend 2-3 hours walking around the cobbled streets checking out shops. We usually stop midway to give Annie a rest and have a latte in the town square. About a dozen or so expats are there every morning, sharing gossip. In the afternoon, we walk for another hour looking at lovely homes on the mountainside.

Most are majestic, and way beyond our means, however, we found several absolutely lovely neighborhoods with homes for rent in the $750-$1000 /month range; several with lake views and pools.

In that regard, it is certainly the most affordable place we have looked at so far. Food in the restaurants is also very affordable as are groceries. Today I bought two big thick pork chops and a chunk of sharp cheddar cheese for $5 U.S. In Utila, the cheese alone would have cost me $7!

Real estate is moving quite well here, in all price ranges – a big difference from the over supply of homes in Utila. There are lovely 2-3 bedroom homes here with very nice architectural features, yards and pools in the $200,000 - $300,000 range.

During our walk today, we found the place where they have open mic on Wednesday evenings, so we are going to go next Wednesday. They have a very nice stage and sound system, so that will be a big improvement over the last place we played at where we had to sing without amplification. A little later we went to the neighbouring town to check out the pickle ball court - a lovely racquet club with 8 outdoor courts - all with amazing lake views. Alongside the road there we saw a mare and her newborn foal.

Our little brown charge here – Annie the standard poodle – is very well natured and lovable, but she is incredibly strong, and proving quite a challenge on dog walks. Today we were walking her on one of those extendable dog leashes, thinking it would give us a little more control over her. As we were walking through the town square, we stopped to buy some green beans off a street seller, and as Stephane, who was holding the leash, relaxed his grip while getting money out of the pack, a young boy on a very small bike went riding past, and Annie bolted out in front of her, pulling the leash out about 15 feet across the courtyard, the young boy was about to be decapitated by the leash, so Steph had to drop the leash, and now we had a boy with a leash around his neck, still riding forward, while Annie was chasing him, and Stephane chasing her! It was quite a spectacle, and we felt very relieved to finally get the boy untangled and back on his feet, unscathed. Later, Annie decided to wrap herself around the ankles of an older woman almost upending her. Needless to say, we will keep our energetic perro on a tighter leash, and do our best to teach her some better leash manners.

The roads in Ajijic are all cobbled, and while that makes the town look “charming” it is truly quite difficult to walk on. I am quite nervous one of us will end up with a broken ankle between dogging Annie and navigating road boulders! There are sidewalks, but like elsewhere in Mexico, they leave much to be desired. One cannot take their eyes off the ground without risking life and limb.

All in all, we are amply impressed with the Lake Chapala area, and would definitely consider returning here for a longer stay. The idea of a climate that is warm all year – but not blistery hot is quite appealing - I would definately say Ajijic has made the short list.