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RickS


May 12, 2009, 3:54 PM

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Life on the South Side of the Lake

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Several years ago, probably before there was a single gringo on the south side of Lake Chapala past Roca Azul, it was always portrayed that the 'climate' on that side was not nearly as good as on the north side. Something about winds and not being on the leeward side of that huge body of water.

I wonder what the current consensus is about that ole opinion. Does it still ring true? Was it ever true or was it a 'snob' myth?

lmaxine

May 14, 2009, 3:53 PM

Post #2 of 20 (8387 views)

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Re: [RickS] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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I have lived here for 14 years and have never heard that the weather is as good on the south side as it is on the north side.
And, for those who would consider living on the south side, I'd suggest they not only have a decent command of Spanish, but that they also enjoy a large degree of solitude. There would be few other retired folks for "playmates," very few choices of restaurants and other shopping, and the local folks there aren't looking to make new friends, as their social life consists of family and life-long friends. For restaurants, social activities, lectures, movies, "gringo" products in the stores, a long drive would be needed to the north shore. It is very romantic to think it would be great to live away from "gringo-land," but I wonder who but hermit-types would be happy there. As bi-lingual and bi-cultural as I am, I can't imagine myself so far away, but if one is a writer, artist, or other very self-contained person, it might be do-able-IMHO.
"He upon whose heart the dust of Mexico has lain will find no peace in any other land." Malcolm Lowry

roni_smith


May 15, 2009, 7:11 PM

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Re: [RickS] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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How about in Puerto Corona?
------
Planning for Mexico Move Blog


gbatrucks


May 18, 2009, 2:57 AM

Post #4 of 20 (8241 views)

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Re: [lmaxine] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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I wonder when was the last time you've taken a good look at the south side (or west end)? Their is even a south side website... lagunachapala.com. Many of us came to Mexico to be a part of that culture and get away from the somewhat narrow-minded American view of the world. And as for us "hermits", I can be at the new Megafood store in 40 minutes, U de Guad, or Degallado in less than an hour. I have lived in Ajijic and in Jocotepec and in my opinion "Gringo Gulch" is a lot like Santa Fe or Carmel....nice place to visit, but 24/7/365?? I don't think so.
"The trouble with life is there's no background music."

Axixic


May 18, 2009, 3:31 AM

Post #5 of 20 (8236 views)

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Re: [RickS] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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The weather is better on the Southside. In the hot months, it's about 10 degrees cooler over here. I haven't noticed that it is any colder in the winter. We can easily drive to Joco in 10 minutes to shop or if one doesn't like driving, the bus runs twice an hour and lets out in downtown Joco. There is cab sharing over here which I haven't tried but I've been told it's 10 pesos a person to Joco.

There are firecrackers on holidays but not anywhere near as many as the Northside.

The locals are very friendly. I've been a guest at three weddings. I don't speak Spanish but many Mexicans have lived in the U.S. and their English is excellent. Even if they don't speak English, they try to communicate and I haven't had any real problems. We now have three Americanas living in my small village. For 10 years there was only one American woman living here.

Puerto Corona is much more secluded and quieter than other areas and they do have DSL. It's mostly a foreigner community.

Malaya

May 19, 2009, 9:12 AM

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Re: [PamelaDelafield] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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Do the main areas over on the south side have internet? What about Telecable for TV?

Axixic


May 19, 2009, 9:52 AM

Post #7 of 20 (8149 views)

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Re: [Malaya] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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It all depends on where you are on the Southside. If In San Luis proper I think most of it has DSL. In San Pedro I think that is also true. I don't know anything about Telecable but it should be available in the larger towns like San Luis and San Pedro. I think most people use Sky satellite. If you go father up the highway, Tizapan El Alto is a city I wish I had looked at before I moved. It has everything including a bank, gas station, DSL, cable and is about like Joco but prettier I think and I like the looks and feel of it much better.

I'm in San Cristobal which is a small town with only dial-up avaliable if you can get a land-line, so I use TelCel Banda Ancha 3G for the internet. It's $499 MX a month for unlimited use but it does have a monthly 3 gig download limit. I've never gotten close to using 3 gig. The advantage to the 3G is it can be used anywhere in Mexico wherever you get a cell signal. If you travel and want internet it's the way to go. The Sim chip can also be used in Blackberry and iPhones.

Hound Dog

May 19, 2009, 10:12 AM

Post #8 of 20 (8145 views)

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Re: [PamelaDelafield] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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We can easily drive to Joco in 10 minutes to shop or if one doesn't like driving, the bus runs twice an hour and lets out in downtown Joco

Oh, Pamela, Darlinī, you crack me up. Letīs all move over to CrackerTown so we can be within 10 minutes of Jocotepec to shop for Godīs sake and if one lives over there and one doesnīt like driving one can take the twice hourly bus to Downtown Joco. What a destination that is. Perhaps if one has some extra time while residing in Hooterville after feeding the hogs and chickens, one can head down to the local barber for the twenty peso haircut where one can yak in local dialect about how Thelma Jean was caught down by lakeside humping Reverend Billy Bob but - wait a minute - one may not speak South-of-the-Lake Spanish dialect so what, pray tell, is one going to talk about at the local barber shop after announcing "Un haircutto por favor y no sideburnos."

I grew up in a small, isolated town and can tell you that the reason folks live in small, isolated towns is īcause thatīs where the farm or the feedmill and the family are and because they cainīt get out of there because they donīt have enough money to pay the Greyhound to take them to Guadalajara or Chicago or Birmingham and wouldnīt know what to do once they got there.

It strikes as exceedingly odd that urban folk from the U.S. existing on social security benefits or estate incomes want to go and live in hardscrabble villages where people are eking out a living day to day so they can romp around in the bucolic quaintness the locals would give their eye teeth to escape.

A couple of years ago we were staying in Fortin de Las Flores, Veracruz: one of our favorite small towns in Mexico and I was at a pizza joint waiting for my pizza when this local guy approached me and after the appropriate introductory remarks asked me what I was doing in Fortin, I told him I was on my way to Chiapas and that I thought Fortin was a beautiful town and he responded, "I cannot believe you. I spent my entire childhood trying to figure out how to get out of this dump and move to the United States and you canīt wait to move here. One of us is nuts."

At least when Cortes moved into Mexico he had gold in mind, not rancid tortillas in some backwater. Whatīs your excuse?

Axixic


May 20, 2009, 5:15 AM

Post #9 of 20 (8070 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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At least when Cortes moved into Mexico he had gold in mind, not rancid tortillas in some backwater. Whatīs your excuse?

I like being where it is quieter. After being in sales most of my life and dealing with people's complaints and problems, I like not having a lot of people around who bother me. I like it that most people do not speak my language so communication with them is short. I also have a lot of pets to care for including a peacock whose 4 am loud calls the city neighbors might not appreciate. The weather is better on this side. I hate it when it's hot and it's much cooler over here and greener because supposedly we receive more rain. If you drive on this side you'll notice the water is blue and on the Northside the water is grey.

I don't recall running down Gringo populated areas and implying that there is something wrong with people who want to live in those areas, so why is it necessary to insult me or the area I prefer? If the smaller towns are not for you, great. Many people like being with their own and they want a busy social life. Because of health problems, I prefer solitude. Why is that a big deal that needs any comment?

Brigitte Ordoquy

May 20, 2009, 9:40 AM

Post #10 of 20 (8034 views)

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Re: [PamelaDelafield] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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Come on Pamela, I was not intending to insult you. I enjoy your posts and aplogize if my response to you offended you.

I just got such a kick out of your comment that the place you live on the south shore is within an easy drive of Yokeltepec and using that fact as an attribute that I could not resist sarcastic (if inappropriate) smartassed rejoinder.

OK. So my family physician practices in Yokeltepec. It is not such a bad place despite its vulgar appearance. I take it all back.

I would like to give you my favorite Jocotepec BBQ recipe but first I have to trap a possum.

Gringal

May 20, 2009, 9:56 AM

Post #11 of 20 (8034 views)

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Re: [Brigitte Ordoquy] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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Hound Dog...how come you're using Brigitte's name in vain again? The "style" is unmistakably yours.

BTW, just from pure curiousity, I'd like to know, where would you live full time in Mexico if you could have only one residence ?

Brigitte Ordoquy

May 20, 2009, 10:30 AM

Post #12 of 20 (8028 views)

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Re: [Gringal] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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Hound Dog...how come you're using Brigitte's name in vain again? The "style" is unmistakably yours.

BTW, just from pure curiousity, I'd like to know, where would you live full time in Mexico if you could have only one residence ?

It is purely accidental, Gringal, mon ami. I just failed to make sure itīs the Dawg and not his better half under whose name the post is being made.

Where would I live full time in Mexico if I could only have one residence? In order of preference:

(1) Veracruz City or environs such as Boca del Rio
(2) Merida, Yucatan
(3) Oaxaca City, Oaxaca
(4) Tulum, Quintana Roo
(5) Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas
(6) Fortin de Las Flores, Veracruz
(7) Somewhere in the Bahias de Huatulco, Oaxaca
(8) Tehuantepec or Juchitlan , Oaxaca
(9) Santa Fe (DF area)
(10) Bacalar, Quintana Roo

These selections are off the top of my head and do not include my wifeīs aversion to hot, humid lands as you can see.

DAWG










(This post was edited by Brigitte Ordoquy on May 20, 2009, 10:33 AM)

Gringal

May 20, 2009, 12:16 PM

Post #13 of 20 (7998 views)

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Re: [Brigitte Ordoquy] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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I guess you Southern boys just like to sweat. And sweat.

Brigitte Ordoquy

May 20, 2009, 12:38 PM

Post #14 of 20 (7991 views)

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Re: [Gringal] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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I guess you Southern boys just like to sweat. And sweat.

You are very perceptive Gringal. Every Southerner knows that he must sweat profusely in order to:

(1) Expell toxins ingested by consuming large amounts of Early Times cheap whisky.
(2) Lie continuously to wives fully cognizant of personal weaknesses clearly evident but meant to be of the unspoken variety.

Why, pray tell, do you wish to crack open these doors which wil open soon enough in and of themselves. We will soon enough answer for our failures.

See you wherever we are headed.

Bubba


(This post was edited by Brigitte Ordoquy on May 20, 2009, 12:40 PM)

Hound Dog

May 20, 2009, 3:04 PM

Post #15 of 20 (7970 views)

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Re: [Gringal] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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Gringal you are correct and I can tell you my dear husband is full of dreams if not something else. You can strike from his list
Tuxtla Gutierrez, Tulum, Bacalar,Tehuantepec or Juchitan, the coast of Oaxaca. I may convince him to move to Coatepec, Vera Cruz instead of Fortin..but I like Coatepec which is higher and more my style. He likes tropical places and I will not move to high humidity and hot areas. I did two years of bayou living on the Gulf coast and that is enough humidity to last a lifetime.
They are all great places to visit or stay for a few months but it is too much for all year round. He probably could live in Merida but although I love the city I would not live there all year round. Obviously Chiapas was my idea so I bought myself a house there..follow me if you love me.
Brigitte

gbatrucks


May 20, 2009, 3:12 PM

Post #16 of 20 (7969 views)

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Re: [PamelaDelafield] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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I don't recall running down Gringo populated areas and implying that there is something wrong with people who want to live in those areas.

Pam, you have way to much class to run down the inhabitants of Gringolandia...Houndog (aka Bubba) being from Alabama, does not have that problem. He was the leader of the pack when it came to bashing the going-ons up in the Gulch...be it the silliness of the LCS groupes or the shallownes of those in search of clumping kitty litter. For more of his wonderful rants, search posts by "bubba" and go back a few years.

As to why he changed his handle, well, a few years back the Ajijicians got so upset with him they had little old ladies set up a table in front of Lloyd, asking all to sign a petition to Save the (whatever..it escapes me now), but actually it was a petition to run him out of town. The plan was to gather at the LCS grounds at midnight on the next full moon, pitch forks, torches, tar & feathers at the ready, march on Bubba villa, and send him packing. He got word of it and headed out to some southern corner of Mexico that no one has ever heard of or would want to visit (big snakes, guys with hoods and machetes, that kind of goings-on). Houndog's bio names this fetid backwater, if anyone wants to look it up although I understand even he can't stand it on a full time basis and has to sneak back to the Gulch a few months each year from where he lashes out blindly at us Jocotepecians and other members of the great unwashed
"The trouble with life is there's no background music."


(This post was edited by gbatrucks on May 20, 2009, 3:13 PM)

Axixic


May 20, 2009, 6:54 PM

Post #17 of 20 (7936 views)

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Re: [gbatrucks] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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I appreciate the compliment about "Too much class" but that won't fool Bubba. He knows I can be very ornery and criticize anything without much encouragement. Another reason it's a good idea that I live outside of civilization.

It would be fun to have my peacock next door to Bubba for a few weeks and see how quickly he tells me to get out of town after being awakened at 3:30 am with deafening pea calls to other peacocks within a 5 mile radius.

Hound Dog

May 20, 2009, 7:45 PM

Post #18 of 20 (7930 views)

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Re: [gbatrucks] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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Pamela and Trucks;

You guys crack me up-

Hound Dog

May 21, 2009, 8:27 AM

Post #19 of 20 (7880 views)

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Re: [PamelaDelafield] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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It would be fun to have my peacock next door to Bubba for a few weeks and see how quickly he tells me to get out of town after being awakened at 3:30 am with deafening pea calls to other peacocks within a 5 mile radius

It just so happens Pamela dear, that we live in Ajijic next to a large estate where the matron owner has had peacocks in the past and owns caged loud and obnoxious parrots constatntly jabbering and in San Cristóbal de Las Casas we live next to a midwifery catering to indigenous folks who tend to have babies at all times of the day and night and every time a baby is born it is necessary to hire a band to serenade the mother even at four AM and furthermore they raise fighting cocks who constantly crow their personal pride and I have found that over the years I begin to not notice these things and have, consequently, become somewhat serene the same way I accepted stepping in the ubiquitous dogshit in Paris circa 1966.

Bubba adjusts.


(This post was edited by Hound Dog on May 21, 2009, 8:28 AM)

Axixic


May 22, 2009, 3:37 PM

Post #20 of 20 (7781 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] Life on the South Side of the Lake

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It just so happens Pamela dear, that we live in Ajijic next to a large estate where the matron owner has had peacocks in the past and owns caged loud and obnoxious parrots constatntly jabbering

That lady told me she only has the obnoxious parrots there when you are in town. The rest of the time when you are in San Cristobal, it's as quiet as a graveyard.
 
 
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