Paracho to Ajijic

Ajijic and the Lake Chapala area are also known as an expatriate community. Americans, Canadians, Europeans, and others from countries all over the world flock here and enjoy the moderate climate and an easy lifestyle. The state of Jalisco is said to have a population of over 50,000 expatriates. We spent a few days visiting with Charlotte, dropped off excess luggage, and spent time just relaxing in her casa. Lots more about Ajijic later – we plan to spend the winter there. For now, we are off to Oaxaca!

Fortunately, we left Paracho on paved roads and continued to have good roads all the way to Mex 15D (Mex 15D is the toll road between Mexico City and Guadalajara). This drive will to take us to Ajijic, Jalisco where Cindy’s sister, Charlotte, lives during the summer months. Ajijic is about 30 miles south of Guadalajara, nestled in the mountains at about 5,000 feet, and borders Lake Chapala (Mexico’s largest lake). It is known for its temperate climate. Year round temperatures range from the 60s to the 80s, very pleasant.

Lynne, you had asked about my camera and if I used a filter. We have a Canon PowerShot A570 IS camera. It came with an instruction book as thick as a Robert Ludlum novel. I read to about page four where it stated that if I move the dial to “auto”, I could point and shoot (I am going to wait for the video to come out before I learn about the rest of the manual). I also reduced the pixel count to a minimum for quick loading onto the web. The camera does it all, I just push the button.

Joining us as followers are Ryan and Nicole. They have a very interesting blog called “Rambling Down the Road” (http://thegypsystownsend.blogspot.com/) with lots of photos and good reading. Also, we will say “Hi” to Fete Vidal and Evelyn Nay -- thanks for the comments.