Thursday, July 31, 2008

Jototepec (Lake Chapala) – EPILOGUE

It’s our last day here in Jocotepec, and of course we’re busy packing up to leave. Frankly, we’re both anxious to leave and looking forward to our next home. While it has generally been a pleasant stay and a good place to acclimate to international living, we are not sorry to be leaving for several reasons. First and foremost, of course, we have our tragically sad memory of Tony’s passing in this place. Second, with respect to the home itself, though it had a wonderful garden and view, the furnishings were something less than desireable in terms of comfort and lack of certain expected amenities (e.g. Satellite or Cable TV, Microwave, BBQ, etc). Third, the locale, specifically Jocotepec but more generally the entire Lake Chapala/Guadalajara area. Jocotepec is at the very far end of the Lake Chapala area, and is the least commercially developed as compared with its larger and more well-known neighbors of Lake Chapala and Ajijic. So, there are really no decent restaurants in the town nor any decent bars or other hangouts, though the town square is very nice. If we had to do it over again, we definitely would have chosen to stay in Ajijic, which is the most "happening" of the towns. Unfortunately, we didn’t know any better when we booked our stay. C’est La Vie. But even living in Ajijic (or anywhere else in the Lake Chapala or Gaudaljara area) is not likely to be on our future agenda. For the most part, besides local Mexicans the area is inhabited primarily by retired gringos from the north, and we’re not quite ready to fit into that crowd or way of life. Lake Chapala and Ajijic in our opinion simply don’t offer enough stimulation. As for Guadalajara, though it does have the culture and activities, its overpopulation and traffic congestion far outweigh the positives. All that being said, our stay here was certainly not without some pleasant memories, which are detailed in our earlier blog chapters.

Next stop: San Miguel de Allende (about 6hrs due east of Jocotepec; about 200miles due north of Mexico City; still in the Highlands where the climate is still perfect; and, in close proximity to two World Heritage small cities of Queretaro and Guanajuato -- which we will definately visit with an eye towards possible future stays)

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