April 21, 2007

A gringo gallery owner in Ajijic told us that the town is now about 1/3 Canadians, 1/3 Americans and 1/3 Mexicans, with the gringos being mainly artists and/or retired folk.

Ajijic is on the north shore of Lake Chapala, about an hour's drive south of Guadalajara.

Seventy-five kilometers long, Lake Chapala is the largest lake in Mexico and the source of Guadalajara´s drinking water, although it is apparently too polluted to swim in.

The lake is also receding: the pier Ajijic that at one time jutted out into the water is now completely landlocked by a bed of weeds.

The influx of foreigners into Ajijic cuts both ways.

On the one hand, it feels un-Mexican and thus inauthentic. This is best represented by the Lake Chapala Society, which occupies an expansive piece of property in the centre of town and which seems to assist the expatriate community in never having to fully assimilate into the Mexican culture.

On the other hand, it does have a vibrant arts and cultural scene and the two local English-language publications - the Lake Chapala Review and El Ojo Del lago - are of higher quality than anything we have seen to date in Mexico.

We opted to stay in Chapala, Ajijic's sister town about a 15 minute drive to the west. It has lots of thick-trunked trees that provide a canopy of shade over the streets and sidewalks, an active little main plaza, and a restaurant called Cucumbers that, for next to nothing, serves the best shrimp quesadillas and Western-style breakfasts.

There is no obvious camping in this area either and our budget hotel - Hotel Cadilejas on Cotillo - was perfect in that it was on a small hill just up from the tiny zocolo, had an accessible rooftop that offered views of the town and the lake, and included a TV with about 60 channels, which allowed us to watch a bit of TV for the first time in a couple of months.

We used one day in Chapala to bus back into the suburbs of Guadalarja (on the other side of the city from where camped) to see the famous artisan markets of Tlaquepaque and Tonala.

The polished stores off the pedestrian-only Calle Independcia in Tlaquepaque were full of pricey art, furniture and home decorations. Adrienne coveted some beaded place mats she saw at one until she was told that they were $35 a piece and imported from Indonesia. So much for supporting the local artisans.

From Tlaquepaque, we bussed the seven kilometers to Tonola, exiting the bus right in the middle of the bustling Thursday market.

Block after block after block of sidewalk stalls selling toys, food, woven baskets, kitsch art, kitchen utensils, grass mats, painted topless Mexican figurines, spices, knock-off Rubik Cubes, shoes, DVDs, sunglasses, ceramic mugs, T-shirts, photos of Mexican soccer teams, vases, wedding video services. And on and on and on.

After not too long, we were exhausted from fighting through crowds and fighting off the pushy vendors. We also didn't see any quality handicrafts.

Ajijic has several quaint restaurants and bars and so on another evening we went there for dinner and live music.

We had front-row seats (not by our choice) at the small bar where we took in the sounds of two classically-trained guitarists, one a Mexican with an enormous voice and perfect pitch and the other, Glenn Charles, who lived in the West End of Vancouver for a couple of years (and also, apparently, made music with the likes of "Gord" Lightfoot).

Although they played mostly Mexican favorites, Señor Charles managed to squeeze in some Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison for the 60-something ex pats. Regrettably, I was too shy to request "Guantanamera" (or maybe it was my girlfriend that wouldn´t let me).

Key Facts & Figures:

-Hotel Cadilejas: $25/night
-Shrimp Quesadilla, Cucumbers Restaurant: $3.70
-Bus, Chapala to Tlaquepaque (round-trip): $7/person