Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Here’s more from Ted on his impressions of the Chapala region of Mexico, which he has been exploring this month.
These beautiful photographs are courtesy of Steve Miller, used with his permission. Check out his great work here.
Ted’s impressions:
This is a tourist town with a lake. This crates a certain dynamic in the mix of people. Some are local and some are just passing through. Some are here because they are touring and some are here because of the other one; some shops are strictly tourist oriented.
As in any tourist place the locals curse the extra traffic and at the same time they are making a living from the visitors shopping in their stores. It’s a love/hate relationship. This, also goes to the Retired Foreign Community of Americans and Canadians that have settled here. The retires have time to sit around and pretend they are locals.
Being a local gives you complaining rights about the tourists. At the same time they brag about the weather and the beauty. It’s a crazy kind of ecosystem that swirls around and feeds off each other. Retirees want to be here for the affordable real estate and rentals; low cost living conditions that allow them to have a little extra at the end of the month.
Due to the altitude and, I guess the lake, the temperatures are moderate. It gets hot during the day but the humidity is so low you don’t notice it as much and nights are cool. There hasn’t been any rain since I got here at the beginning of the month. But I understand that a rainy season will start in June. People look forward to it because it has a cleansing effect and the mountains green-up.
This month the air has been filled with a lot of smoke due to farming practices that burn of old grasses before plowing and planting. The rain will clear things up. The rains also bring some kind of thrill for those that enjoy thunder boomers. Apparently, the storms can pretty spectacular. For those who get the beejesus scared out of you at the first clap of thunder, you may want to take this into account when planning a trip here.
I guess I’ll sit back and enjoy a sunny Sunday in the Mountain Lake Community of
Chapala, Jalisco Mexico.
Ciao, Ted
Ted and I spent last Thursday, the 26th, in Guadalajara. We rode in with a gringo couple that drove their car, targeting one of five malls first. Liverpool is a multi-story luxury department store ranked up there with Bloomingdales. It’s located in the 100 store, upscale, Gallaria Mall, at the west of town. We had our lattes and shopped till we dropped. Then toured Radio Shack and competitor Sterns. Also shopped at Office Depot and then had lunch at Mo Come No, a contemporary Italian resturaunt on Avenue Americas. The food and service quality would match most upscale US counterparts but at half the price. The filet was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The deserts were fantastic too including the tiramisu, which is probably among the best anywhere on the globe. Then we hit the shoe mall. Fifty stores there with nice underground parking. We drove back in about 50 minutes taking the long way around via the west end of the lake through Jocotepc then eastbound on to the Raquet Club in San Juan Cosala where I live. A great day, don’t you think Ted?