The Vagabondians Have Landed

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After downsizing in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, packing up our necessities for storage at our friend Tere's house in Chapala while we spent three months back home in Texas, we have come back to roost in a village beside the biggest lake in Mexico, Lake Chapala. We have a quaint little apartment with beautiful views of the calm lake and surrounding mountains. Bryn's wishes for a rooftop and a garden were granted by the Househunting Fairy Godmother, so all is well. We even have pretty darn good birdwatching from our windows.

The village of Ajijic (Ah-hee-HEE) is home to thousands of people from America, Canada, and any European country you can name, and probably some you can't. We really want to beef up our Spanish, but so much English is spoken here, that it makes motivation to insist on Spanish more difficult. We try to deal with Mexican vegetable stands and stores instead of Walmart whenever we can and try to be understood in our still-sad Spanglish. The next class at the Lake Chapala Society starts in December or January, and we plan to be there!

The mountains are huge and rugged, the flowers are a riot of color everywhere, the lake is gorgeous, sunrise and sunsets spectacular. Ajijic is home to artists of all ilks, so the creativity is astounding: murals on outer walls, art shops, jewelry makers, sculpture, photography, gardens, gourmet food. Every turn on a walk around town brings a new surprise to delight the senses.

The Lake Chapala Society is a huge organization started back in the '50s as a way to help foreign residents and give back to the community. There is a group for about every activity you can imagine as well as many charitable activities, so we plan to be busy here. At least Bryn plans to be busy while poor Glenn works hard with his web development business, supporting our vagabond lifestyle. Lots to do after hours together too, like sunset walks along the lake on the malecon, tons of music venues, copious numbers of restaurants and coffee on the plaza. And the weather is pretty perfect most of the time, so staying cooped up at home should not be the norm.

Hola, Mexico — hola Ajijic!

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