rafterbr

The tianguis is to be enjoyed. I don't think size has much to do with it. We went to the tianguis in Tuxcueca on the south side of the lake and there were many farmers there selling their produce. As a gringo with a mexican wife we were a topic of conversation. We enjoyed visiting with several of the vendors and many had spent time in the states. We sampled the local tacos and brought much fresh vegetables home. I spent 15 minutes haggling one vendor down 20 pesos than I gave his nino the 20 pesos. ja ja

Thanks, I will try this

Gracias, I am sure it gets warmer where you are than here on the lake shore. I agree with you Okra is one of my favorites. Have found most Mexicans I have talked to do not know what Okra is.

I would be interested to know if Okra will make at Lake Chapala. I'm not sure if it gets hot enough. I have bought Okra at Superlake but I do not know where it comes from. Where I was in Victoria, Australia the climate was about like it is here. It never gets hot for an extended period. There was no okra in the local markets so I had Okra seed shipped to me from the states. The okra came up but never produced. Just before I left I found some in the Victoria market that had come down from the Gold Coast.

Thanks, Xena, Mudgirl and Ferret for the info on the vegetables. These are things I did not know. Many times someone will say stick to the thread but you often learn many things when the thread goes astray.

Water for the North side of Lake Chapala comes mainly from wells. Water is not potable. During rainy season it rains almost every night so no need for watering. During dry season I am sure some lake water is used. I don't look for organic items so probably someone else in forum can tell you.

Can't say for the stores but you can find many items at the Tiangus and at the Tuesday market at the Sunrise Cafe in San Antonio straight out of the garden and off the trees. Don't think the Mexican people use much pesticides in their gardens or trees.

I quite like the color, hustle and bustle of the Tiangus. In Jocotepec I buy freshly picked strawberries and blackberries by the kilo. In Ajijic I buy a coconut in the shell and sip on it as I wander through the crowd. You can buy avocado's and limes just off the trees and at least a dozen vendor's selling fruit and vegetables. You can buy a fish and have it cleaned in front of you. There is chicken, whole or cut up and shrimp. Depending on the season you can find bargains, I have bought pineapples for 50 cents each, oranges 10 for a dollar, limes at a dollar a bag. A lot of the things will have the same price at each vendor but towards end of market day they get cheaper. In addition they have so much more from clothes to hardware. It is a Mexican experience. I even enjoy the beggars who I try to avoid. You can even buy some souvenirs there.

After having my first and only burger at Trip's, I would agree, Southern California Quality.

When you get here you will find most of the people nice and friendly. They will be glad to answer your questions. Be sure and go to a Tiangus, this is a flea market type event where they sell many things. It is where I buy my fruit and vegetables. The Tiangus starts in Chapala on Monday and moves to a different pueblo each day. The best ones are in Chapala and Jocotepec, the one in Ajijic is a little more expensive due to all the expats and the Mexican believe they have more money.

It all depends on where you live. Next to carretera and Ajijic centro is noisy. West side has a lot of fireworks at different times. I lived in upper La Floresta and got almost no noise.

The Mall and the Cinema are across the highway from Ajijic I have walked there many times. How many times do you walk there from Chapala?

Walmart is a few steps from Ajijic as is the Mall.

Forgot to mention there are two cinemas in Ajijic , none in Chapala.

The suggestion you get directions to your lodging in Spanish is a good one. When I first went to Ajijic I got a taxi at the airport and he was not familiar with Ajijic streets so we did some hunting. There is always some discussion about which is the best place to live, Ajijic or Chapala. If you want to immerse in the Mexican culture, San Juan Consala or Jocotepec are good choices. I like all of them. In Ajijic you have the Lake Chapala Society, a cultural center with many events, a nice Mall, Walmart and over 150 Restaurants all in walking distance. It is also the art center with many artist studios.

About the only weather changes you see is rainy season and dry season. It's also true during rainy season it usually rains at night. I enjoy the rainy season which is now, every thing smells so fresh in the morning. I have stayed at the Nuevo Posada in one of the rooms facing the lake. The room was nice but you don't get the closeness with other guests like you do at some of the other places. Nuevo Posada also has a nice restaurant. Nuevo Posada is more a hotel than a B&B you eat in the restaurant with the other customers. At the smaller B&B's the guests usually eat their breakfast together at a given time.

I have a Mexican bank account and about 9 months ago when we checked my balance I was over 70,000 pesos short. My wife had gone to Germany and the balance wasn't checked for a month. We went to the bank and they showed a little over 4,000 peso's was charged three or four times a week every week to my account. Luckily I had bought insurance against hacking but the bank at first said they had checked and I had bought things with these monies. All these monies went to a known hacking site in the USA, but the bank turned down our claim. Next we went to another banking official in Mexico City and he told us they had a special investigating group for these problems. We provided the group with our information and about 60 days later our money was refunded. We were probably hacked from one of the restaurants in Ajijic. The bank told us to never give anyone your credit or debit card because they can get your code off the back. Now we check the balance every week or two.

When I first came to Ajijic I stayed at the La Paloma B&B it has since closed. I really had a great experience visiting and traveling with the other guests there. I got many insights from the hosts of the B&B and the guests staying there. They were from all over the world. There are many really good B&B's in Ajijic. You can pull up the list look at the ratings and reviews and pick one that suits you. I would stay in Ajijic because it is a central point and you can walk to most places like the Lake Chapala Society which you need to visit. All of the surrounding attractions can be visited by bus (very cheap) or taxi from Ajijic.

I remember a few years ago someone wrote and I believe it was in this forum. Don't ask them if they like it here because if they didn't they would not be here! I too, don't like the large amount of expat's moving to Lake Chapala, but I can't think of a place I would rather be.

I agree its the best coffee in Ajijic. Periodically he goes to Vera Cruz to get more beans. We buy and every time we go to Mexico City we take some to relatives. He is also a very nice man and we enjoy visiting with him.

CG and happyjillin are correct. If the hamburger meat is over a day old the chemical process will make the inner meat turn brown. We don't much have the problem here in Chapala because most butcher shops don't use additives. You can safely use the hamburger meat that is brown on the inside as long as you don't leave the blood running, if its bad it will usually smell bad. In Oklahoma the health department makes you cook the hamburger meat until it is not red inside. We were told you could pick up parasites if the hamburgher meat was not properly prepared.

Reminds me of a restaurant I leased out. The operator had a friend who could not have salt in his food so he didn't salt anything. Two months later he was out of business.

I have been a type 2 for 25 years. Currently blood level is 6.2 anything below 7 is considered controlled. I have been below daily level of 60 and close to passing out. I go to diabetic doctor every 3 months and was told to keep orange juice on hand when this happens. If you have a level below 5 congratulations this is very good, I got as high as 11.2 before bringing it under control. With your blood level you may never have this problem. The 5.0 and 6.2 I spoke of is usually a 3 month leveling, daily reading is considered good if it runs from 70 to 150 on the testing monitor.

If you are a diabetic it is recommended you keep a regular coke or orange juice in your refrigerator. If your blood sugar gets to low which is a dangerous condition, drinking orange juice will soon raise the sugar level to an acceptable level. It acts like a shot of sugar.

I have traveled in Asia where they have the original bidet. A large bowl or can of water beside a porcelain whole in the floor which we called a french toilet. After this I could understan dwhy, when they cut off a thieves right hand they gave him the death penalty. The left hand was unholy and they could not eat using it. If the infraction was small or they liked the guy they cut off his left hand.