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Mexico – 2023 Chapala & Puerto Vallarta After enjoying our time in Mexico in 2022 we decided to visit Chapala once more to get away from a little bit of the Canadian winter. We started with a couple of days in Puerto Vallarta then flew to Guadalajara where we had rented a house in San Antonio Tlayacapan not far from where we stayed in Ajijic in 2022. It is south of Guadalajara on the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest freshwater lake. Stretching along the north west shore of Lake Chapala is an area known as “Lakeside” which includes several towns and villages, the largest being Chapala in the east, and extending to Jocotepec at the west end of the lake. The area has a moderate climate year-round and has attracted a lot of American, Canadian and other expats who live there permanently or visit regularly. There are a lot of (mostly small) hotels and numerous restaurants and bars that serve contemporary Mexican and international foods. This has earned it the reputation of being a ‘gringo village’. Photos of San Antonio Chapala is a town and municipality located on the north shore of Lake Chapala. It retains some of the colonial architecture and attracts many tourists from Guadalajara and other states surrounding Jalisco. Every Monday there is an open-air market (tianguis) in Chapala and a market area on the Chapala Malecón which is open every day. Lots of locally sourced food and vegetables, handicrafts, clothing and hardware. Photos of Chapala and the markets Because it is situated between the lake and mountains there are a lot of birds, small birds that hang out in bushes and trees and larger shore birds on the lake. Many migrating birds, including the American White Pelican, spend their winters on and around Lake Chapala. Photos of Birds Art is a big deal in Ajijic and there are a number of art galleries in the old town but the best art can be found in the numerous wall murals that can be found all over the Lakeside area. Wall murals are very popular throughout Mexico and Ajijic has certainly embraced them. Some of the murals tell stories about the history and culture or the area, some are political, some are associated with businesses, some are graffiti and some are just art. The murals are on walls and doors or anywhere else with a surface that can be painted. Some are small, some large and some cover entire buildings. Photos of murals I visited three cemeteries in the area, each of which is a traditional Mexican Pantheon with elaborately decorated tombs and gravesites, brightly coloured mausoleums and offerings of food and drink to honour the dead, as well as precious objects belonging to them. Photos of Ajijic, Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos and San Antonio cemeteries February is spring at Lake Chapala and the flowers, bushes and trees were blooming. Photos of flowers We had a rental car and friends visiting us for a week so took them to a number of places that we had done guided tours in 2022. We went to Mazamitla, known as the “Mexican Switzerland”. It is 124km south of Guadalajara in the Sierra del Tigre Mountains. At over 7,000 feet it is surrounded by pine forests. On the drive to Mazamitla we stopped at the towns of La Manzanilla de La Paz and Tuxcueca. Photos or Mazamitla, La Manzanilla de La Paz and Tuxcueca We also took a day trip to Teuchitlán, a town west of Guadalajara to check out some ancient circular pyramids and other stone structures at Los Guachimontonesarchaeological site. Photos of Guachimontones On our return trip home, we spent a couple of days in Puerto Vallarta. As we have done on past stays in PV, we stayed in the area called Zona Romántica or “Old Town” which has cobblestone streets, boutique hotels & shops, lots of restaurants & bars and the Malecón. I visited the Vallarta Botanical Gardens which is a short bus ride south of PV. Photos or Puerto Vallarta and the Botanical Gardens.
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