Saturday Bob's sister and I decided to check out some garage sales.  Still looking for a lounge chair for the balcony.  First stop was a small Mexican home. Garage sale shopping in Mexico is as popular as it is in the US.  People packed the small home, shoulder to shoulder to get a bargain.  Mostly Mexicans, but a few American, like us! Bob's sister bought a picnic basket and roasting pans.  I bought a soccer ball for our dog.  Unfortunately, after going to 3 more thrift shops, no lounge chair to be found today.

We made a few more stops before heading back to the house, one being Walmart.

 

I went I to the restroom to wash my hands and the sink is a flat surface with an odd looking handle.  I turned it to the right and the water gushes out, hits the flat surface and proceeds to soak the front of me.  I had provided much laughter for the Mexican ladies in the restroom!

 

We return home to fix lunch and Melanie, the lady who has a place across the street, is visiting and asks how our garage sale hunting went.  She says she has 2 lounge chairs she isn't presently using so Bob brings them back and we set them up on the balcony.  

 

 



We will thoroughly enjoy this furniture until we can find our own!  From about 3:30 on, there is a cool breeze under the balcony canopy. Great to read, use the computer,

 

 

enjoy the beautiful clouds passing by or take a nap.

On Friday we decided to visit another location that we wanted to check on for wiring funds from our US account to Mexico as the bank we had used in Aug. had a monthly limit on transfers.  The place was in Chapala, about 15 minutes away.  We stopped at the top of a mountain to take the following picture of the lake.

The people at Soriana (a supermarket) were very helpful, as we gringos speak very little Spanish, and assured us we could transfer money there from our account in the states and receive pesos.

Since we had no real plans for the day, we then decided to check out the place where Bob's sister had stayed upon first arriving in Mexico.  She was there about a month before finding a house to rent.  She called it "The Castle".  She had a 2 bedroom apt. and it cost $600 month plus gas which runs about $20 a month. The grounds were beautiful and the neighborhood very safe.  The man who ran the complex was German and very hospitable.



These gorgeous plants were on the grounds.

 

 



There were lots of bird of paradise plants.

 

Isn't this adorable?!  The complex manager was showing us where we would park our car and said that this electric golf cart belongs to a 92 year old couple who drove to breakfast every morning and around town shopping.

 

 

Behind "The Palace" was a beautiful housing area, so we drove around looking at the houses. This interesting 3 dimensional plaque was on the wall surrounding one of the homes.



  

 

 

Wow! Must be a pretty impressive house behind this gate!

 

Loved this mural on a wall.  The detail was great.

 

This house had a beautiful entrance.

 

 

We finished the day with dinner at Roberto's.  The owner is American and the food great. There are about 25 choices of evening meals.  They bring you an appetizer of fried carrots, bread and corn bread before the meal.  We ordered steak with a salad, strings beans and carrots and it came with tip to $20.00. Thurs. and Fri. are 2 for 1. The grounds are beautiful and there is live music.

 

Bob is at the table on the right above the fern.

 

As is almost everday...it is a beautiful day in Ajijic.  We decided to just wander around today with no real agenda.  We started out on the Malecon (boardwalk).  During the weekdays, not many people seem to be here.  Why I am not sure as it is so lovely.

 I could sit here for a long time, read a book or just look at the mountains and watch the

 clouds pass by.

 

Instead, I decided to try out the exercise equipment.  What a wonderful view to exercise by and no lines!

 

Next stop, our dog's vet, Dr. Memo, to buy a hummingbird feeder. He is a really nice person and loves the animals.

 

This building was a couple of doors down from the Vet and has a beautiful tile exterior

 instead of paint.

 

Further down the street was a house with the clothesline hung in front of their door.  I have seen clothes hung many places, but this is a first.  Also they never hang underwear outside.  It is considered rude and hung in the house to dry.

 

 

 

We decided to visit the Lake Chapala Society which was established about 50 years ago on donated land to be a haven for ex-pats.  It is really nice and cozy inside with many small walkways leading to beautiful flora and tables at which you could sit with friends and have coffee, sandwiches and desserts.  It is a great way to meet other ex-pats.  They offer an English library, day trips to nearby places, classes on many different subjects, lectures and dances. And yes, you can bring your dog.  Dogs are welcome just about everywhere here.  She is enjoying The Lake Chapala Society too!

 

 

 

Inside the gates are an enormous variety of blooming plants and trees, fountains, and ponds.

 

 

Just a small sampling of the beautiful blooming plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the meeting area where they place chairs for lectures.

 

 Speakers use the gazebo for lectures, classes, or sometimes there is music and dancing.

 

One of the many areas to sit and read or enjoy some time with friends.

 

 

A whimsical chair.

 

It is now lunchtime so we decided to go by our new favorite lunch place.

 

This place is beautiful and has rooftop seating in the evening. The young couple who own the restaurant is very friendly.  The have an adjacent power car wash so you can get your car washed and cleaned inside and out while you eat!  Very enterprising.

 

The restaurant serves a variety of choices. We have fallen in love with the fried Maui Maui fish tacos.  They are delicious and served with Tostitos.

 

 This is our view from our table at the restaurant.

 





YEAAA.  We turned in all our immigration paperwork this morning and now all that is left is to wait about 7-10 days for the card to come in.  Then we go back, get fingerprinted, again, and pick up the card.  We will carry it instead of our passports.  For us to be temporary residents for one year cost $325.00 each.  Upon bringing our car into the country, our was cost $379.00 for the decal and more if you have a newer car, ours is a 2004.  Supposedly you will get most of the money back when you leave the country.

We celebrated by going to a Subway located in a new shopping area....really nice and modern.  On the way, we took a picture of this beautiful home on a hill.

 

 

The Subway

 

The view from our table.

 

This is a close -up picture of the mountains across the street.  We loved it ...so mysterious looking.

 

 

We left and went to pick up some Stove Top Stuffing from the pricey American product store. I usually drink Welch's Grape Juice several mornings a week.  So I looked to see if they carried it.



 

Wow....do you see that price?  That translates to $11.25.  Shall I say I used to drink grape juice in the morning!

 

 

 



In the same shopping area is a new movie theater.  Mondays are 2 tickets for 1 price.  I think we will be frequenting this theater.  We love movies.

 

 

 

P.S.  If you click on the pictures you should be able to enlarge them.  Also, at the bottom of each posting, it will say No Comments.  If you have a question, or comment, click on it and you can leave us a message to which we will reply.

We decided to visit the Ajijic malecom (boardwalk) this afternoon.  It was a beautiful breezy day.  We were sad to see the lakeside restaurant we had eaten at four years ago closed. It wasn't that the food was so great, but the view of the lake and the mountains was really enjoyable.  At that time, the restaurant jutted out into the lake.  A picture below is how it looks now.

The building to the left is the restaurant.  You can see the distance the lake has receded.  Now

 in it's place are sand and weeds.

 

Horses and riders where their once was lake water.

 

The malecon however, is still lovely to walk down and there are many benches to sit on and view the lake and mountains.  On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, many Mexican families enjoy picnicking, and relaxing with their families.  There is playground equipment for the children.

 

 

As people relax on the malecon, there is almost always someone playing music for tips as

is the man to the right of the woman sitting in the red shirt.

 

 

A new addition is exercise equipment.  What a great idea and what a great view!

 

 They have also added a skateboard area.

 

Here is the ice cream vendor attached to a bicycle with an umbrella for shade.

 

Walking back to our car was a beautiful horse tethered to his trailer.

 

These beautiful flowery vines lined the wall on the walk back to our car.

 

This is what one of the flowers on the vine looked like up close.

 

We parked near this beautiful home.  We also love the mountains when they are foggy.

 

 

 

                        Can't leave out the beautiful and interesting doors we passed on the way to the car. 

 

 

 

 

The day ended with an unusual and gorgeous sunset.