This will be our last post from Mexico, sadly we are heading home tomorrow. We have truly enjoyed our 6 weeks here and are already planning our return trip. But before we take off for Mexico again, we will be taking the summer to sail at least one long trip and a few shorter ones! The first thing we need to do when we get back home is get the new canvas made for Splendid Mane. Not to mention we have to play catch up with our house renovations! The list is too long!
John and Marie (Murphy's mom and dad) have gone home to Ontario and now we have new neighbors. Don and Betsy are from Texas. This is a picture of their friends who live in Ajijic (on the horses) coming to visit on Tequila and Cervaza. Don and Betsy don't have a little dog though, so things are not quite as exciting around here now. We really miss little Murf!
This does not paint a very nice picture of one of Canada's largest banks in Mexico. The doors look like they could be easily kicked in and the woman sitting out front could probably use some of the billion$s the bank made last year instead of having to sit in front of their doors begging for money.
9:58 pm CST
10:05 pm CST
The sun is setting over the Pacific on February 19th...... Happy Birthday Stephen!
Lake Chapala, Mexico's biggest lake, water level is the highest it has been in decades partly due to an exceptionally rainy season last year. Years ago this area was a childrens's playground but today it is under 4 or 5 feet of water. We have also heard of some homes along the water front that had their pools and tennis courts submerged because of the rise (although there is no sympathy for these people because they weren't suppose to build there in the first place).
These are the smallest sweetest tomatoes I have ever tasted and they cannot be purchased anywhere. They are from a volunteer plant that is growing in the vacant lot next to our casita. We enjoyed them for dinner the other night.
Jerry and I heard a strange noise as we were getting dinner ready and looked out our front door to see a herd of cattle cruising by. I just got my camera out in time to get this picture. The next day the same group passed by our house again, followed by the cowboy on his horse and with his dogs. The cows seemed to know exactly where to go.
Wherever you go in Mexico, you are likely to see these streamers, strung across roads, inside houses, or in the plaza. They come in many shapes, colours and sizes. These are in the main plaza in Ajijic and I just couldn't resist taking a picture of their pretty colours as they flapped in the breeze.
Nothing could have prepared me for my first sight of Guanajuato as seen above. This town, population 141,000, is built on steep hillsides on top of subterranean tunnels that used to be the river that ran through the valley. The houses are crammed together so tightly that in most cases there is not enough room for a road, just an alley or stairway. The roads go underground, through the mountain and under the town. The really neat thing about this town is the way the home owners have painted their houses, making it very charming and picturesque. Below is a picture of part of the underground road and walkway.
Silver was discovered in Guanajuato by the Spanish in the late 1700's and one of the mines accounted for 2/3 of the world's silver production in the 1800's. There are still a few mines in production, and you can easily purchase silver jewelry in stores and the market or just from vendors on the street.
San Migel is about 6 hours from Ajijic towards Mexico City. It is a town known for it's colonial architecture and cobblestone streets (although we are finding most places have the cobblestone!). San Migel has a big population of foreigners from all over the world. We walked through the town, looking in the shops (expensive!) and taking in all the beautiful buildings. Below is the cathedral in the main plaza, built by the prisoners of war captured by the Spanish in the 1500's. It really is pink, the stone's natural colour!
We had some errands to do in Chapala, a town just a little east of Ajijic. Once we got there, we decided to do some exploring by foot so we headed up a set of stairs off the main road, down a dirt lane past dogs, chickens and more dogs, through a cobblestone alley way, up more stairs and finally found a paved road. The picture is of stairs leading up to the next row of houses. Take a close look and you will see the water supply pipes. I guess they don't really have to worry about frozen pipes!
While Jerry was busy buying and selling stocks, Murphy and I went for a walk early before the sun got too hot. Our little casita is at the base of the 'mountain', so it is only a short walk to the path leading to the top. We passed quite a few other hikers on the way up, they were already on their way down. We made it almost to the top, but decided to head back because it was getting hot. I didn't want to overdo it for Murphy's sake!
Thursdays and Sundays are market days in Tonala, a suburb of Guadalarja, so we decided to make an excursion from Ajijic to see what it was all about. Our neighbors, John and Marie, were happy to come along, John even offered to drive. How could we turn that down? Jerry was pretty happy that he finally was able to be a passenger instead of the driver (Jerry is driver on our rental car).
This is a picture of pottery before it has been glazed. These are mostly large pots and unbelievably they sell for $10.00 for a set of three!
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