esperanza
Jul 1, 2011, 10:11 AM
Post #2 of 17
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Re: [cbeltran57] Renting in Lake Chapala area
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A friend of mine always says, "If you want peace and quiet, you need to pick another country." Small rural towns in Mexico (like those in the Lakeside area) are generally quite noisy. Here are some points you'll want to consider when you're looking at places to rent:
- When you see a place that you really like, go back often and at various hours of various days or nights to look it over. The quiet daytime neighborhood might have a loud-mouth, wake-you-up-in-the-wee-hours rooster in every back yard, or it might be near the parish church, with its many bells that ring at unexpected hours. That placid grassy lot on the corner could well be an events location, where crowded weekend parties start at noon and end at six the following morning. The house could be on the route of a several-times-a-year religious procession that starts at 5:30AM with cohetes (think M80 firecrackers), tubas, trumpets, and singing. These processions can continue anywhere from 9 days to an entire month.
- If you like the village of Ajijic, be aware that the nine days at the end of every November bring annual fiestas and their crowds, blocked streets, and nighttime dancing to live bands--with speakers as big as Volkswagen Beetles--and huge fireworks displays.
- If you find a house you like on the mountain side of the village, be aware that the carretera (highway) that separates the south from the north side of town is noisy and that noise travels up the mountain.
- Be sure to look at the houses on either side of that house you find, and at the places across the street as well. The garage with the innocent-looking sign that says Taller Mecánico means not that the mechanic is a tall guy, but that it's a car repair shop during the day and into the evening, with its banging, its blaring radio, and the cuates on the sidewalk at day's end, having a caguama or two.
- The Lake Chapala area is full of iron-working shops. Notice if there is one on the block where you like that beautiful house--you'll hear the workers and all the pounding.
All that being said, the Lakeside area is lovely and you WILL find a place that meets your needs. Decide what those needs are, including quiet, before you start hunting, and be willing to make small compromises. You'll find a wonderful house in a wonderful neighborhood.
You mentioned colonial houses. Although the Lakeside area has been inhabited since long before the Spanish came, there isn't any real colonial architecture anywhere. Pseudo-colonial, yes, but nothing as old as the period you mention.
With regard to the rainy season, the answer--like the answer to most questions about Mexico--is "it depends". Usually the rains start mid-June and last until around mid-October. But the rain isn't constant; it falls mostly in the evening, and can last anywhere from a few minutes to all night. From time to time the Lakeside area catches the tail of a hurricane and it can drizzle for several days. Outside the rainy season, the humidity is very low. Even during the rainy season, the daytime humidity is on the low end. Except for the month of May and part of June, the climate is heavenly. In May, and in June until the rains come, it can be hotter than the hinges of hell, and dusty. But when those first rains fall, oh boy--heaven on earth.
http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com
(This post was edited by esperanza on Jul 1, 2011, 10:23 AM)
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