dichosalocura

I think expats move to Ajijic over Chapala because that is where the majority already have moved. That is where most of the gringo businesses and restaurants tend to be. That is where the higher end neighborhoods and expensive homes are already located. Basically, Ajijic is much more nicer looking! It just boils down to money, that is where all the money happens to be these days. And because of all that money, they were able to build a really cute looking plaza and put up some really nice looking murals all around. Ajijic has its charm, it is predominately artsy, compacted, claustrophobic, with super narrow streets where even the sidewalks are roughly cobble stoned. Chapala, the city itself has much less charm than Ajijic, it is has less of the money, hence less high end restaurants but the infrastructure is much better. That means that the streets are much wider, the sidewalks are wider and better paved, the area is much flatter, much better for walking, it doesn't have that claustrophobic feel. It is a larger town. We have the more classic looking boardwalk which has a lot more action. The shopping is good meaning that there are more stores and shoppes in Chapala, but the fancier stores, the Super Lake and Walmart are in the San Antonio-Ajijic area. I think that Chapala is the next up and coming town, if you NEED to be within walking distance of lots of gringo neighbors and lots of gringo oriented entertainment, shopping, and fancier homes......the Ajijic area is your best bet. If you desire a town with a more real Mexican vibe, with much more affordable living, a city that is more pedestrian friendly and easier on your ankles.....Chapala is your town. The good news is that Chapala and Ajijic are just 10 minutes apart. If you choose to live in Chapala, all the fancy stuff that Ajijic offers is just 10 minutes down the road.

Well Chillin, you mentioned the black sapote, I do have one of those I planted two years ago, still waiting to get some fruit on it though. I also have lychee, guanabana, Surinam cherry, miracle fruit, and pitahaya to name a few of my exotics. With bananas, I have just the Jamaican Red, which is delicious. When we first bought the house, it was producing huge long bananas, two years ago it got so out of control we trimmed it down, got rid of all the tall older stalks. I guess it was pissed and didn't give us any bananas for a year and half, now we are getting a few again, but they are really small like the dominican bananas, but the sugar content is more concentrated so they are extremely sweet tasting. Ned Small, you say you've seen these Java Blue bananas in the Chapala tianguis and at Soriana. I have yet to come across them, but I will keep my eyes open, thanks for the heads up. A few weeks ago I saw some black sapote chocolate pudding tree fruit for sale in the Chapala tianguis, and I bought a couple. They are good but better when you mix a little powdered sugar in them. In ice cream they do taste a lot like chocolate.

So there is nobody here that has seen these in any of the nurseries or perhaps at somebody's house. They sound really cool, blue bananas that taste like vanilla ice cream. They aren't new, apparently they have been around since the 20's in Hawaii at least. And now they are starting to sell a lot of them in the nurseries in the States. I wonder how easy it would be to smuggle down a small rhizome. If I wash all the dirt out of it and just wrap it up in a wet paper towel I wonder if I would get into much trouble if caught at the border, or would they just probably confiscate it and send me on my way? And what about cuttings of certain plants just wrapped up in paper towels and brought down in a car? I know I can order many seeds and they will ship down here, but many plants don´t grow from seeds. Any ideas of how to get one of these?

Has anybody in the Chapala area seen these really cool looking blue bananas that allegedly taste just like vanilla ice cream. I would love to have one but I have not been successful in finding them for sale in Mexico on-line. You can easily order them in the States from nurseries in Florida but can't seem to find them here. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ice-cream-bananas_us_55f8d911e4b0d6492d638853

I would bet that there are lots of single expats in their 60's living in the Chapala North shore area. The single Mexicans tend to generally live with or near their extended families. If you are looking to see lots of gringo activity, Ajijic would be the epicenter of where the vast majority have chosen to live. If you want less gringos and cheaper living, check out the next towns over and use the buses. Most of the towns here have a gringo presence and most of the expats are mostly 60 and up, but you will find people of all ages here and single folks are not unusual in these here parts.