Living in Mexico and Learning to Speak Spanish: Tales & How-to Tips

The purpose of this blog is to provide information about Mexico -- mostly through my husband's and my day-to-day experiences of living in Mexico, specifically in San Juan Cosala, Jalisco, by Lake Chapala near Ajijic. I write for people who might live or retire in Mexico, for expats or travelers currently in Mexico, and for Mexicans. I write about how to learn to speak Spanish, why it's important, and how to get started. For more, visit my website www.mexico-with-heart.com as well! -- Rosana Hart

 

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Las Brisas de Chapala: 1

I am staying with friends in Las Brisas de Chapala while my husband Kelly is out of the country. Recently I took my camera with me on a walk, to capture something of the feeling of this area.

Not unlike the Baca Grande area of Crestone, Colorado, where I come from most recently, Las Brisas has a lot of natural beauty, some lovely homes, some unfinished ones, both land and homes for sale, and a lot of dogs. It seems to have been developed about thirty years ago. (My dog Larry is enjoying his stay here less than I am due to the personalities of some loose dogs in the neighborhood.) Las Brisas is much smaller than the Baca, though. We regularly walk a loop around its upper part in about 20 minutes.

It seems that more foreigners than Mexicans live here, though on weekends some Mexicans come out to their second homes, from Guadalajara. It's a friendly place, above the highway from Chapala to Guadalajara, across the highway from a similar, larger development called Chapala Hacienda. While I am quite happy here for a while, greatly enjoying how quiet it is, you do need to have a car to go anywhere from these suburban enclaves. It's not a long drive to either Chapala or Ajijic.

I'll do a couple of blog posts about Las Brisas, as I have more photos beyond these. This one, taken on an overcast day, shows the rolling hills and then the city of Chapala with Lake Chapala behind it.



At this time of year, with the rainy season about over, the wildflowers are everywhere:


We think this is a tamarind tree:

5 Comments:

  • At November 24, 2006 7:31 PM, Blogger macmember said…

    Hello
    How dependable is the water and electric service compared to your home area?

    Are the dogs the kind that bark all of the time?

    Thanks
    Beverly

     
  • At November 26, 2006 8:55 PM, Blogger Rosana Hart said…

    Hi Beverly -- The electricity never went out but the water did a couple of times. Internet access was not as good as we have, either.

    There was only one time when the barking of dogs bothered me. One thing I really enjoyed was hearing coyotes at night sometimes.

     
  • At November 28, 2006 11:43 PM, Anonymous adelacruzin said…

    The tree isn't a tamarind, but I can't remember the name specifically. When we lived in Mexico, someone handed one of those pods to my baby to shake like a rattle. I recall that they said the name, which in my mind I made the association it sounded like "watches". So maybe the Spanish might be huaches/guaches. The seeds inside can be cooked, the way you would "habas" /lima beans.
    Arlene J.

     
  • At January 07, 2007 3:31 PM, Blogger cardiorudy said…

    In the past 30 years, the costs of healthcare have soared in the United States. Due to rapidly escalating healthcare costs, Americans in ever increasing numbers have begun to search for alternatives that could reduce their personal out-of-pocket medical expenses. In the last few years, hundreds of thousands of Americans have chosen to become Medical Tourists.

    Cost of medical and surgical procedures in Mexico is very low compared to what is paid in the United States. In most cases, the savings from their medical treatment can give people extra money for vacation. Indeed, a patient and his/her family can take a luxury vacation in a Mexican resort and pay for the trip with the savings they receive on getting their procedures in Mexico. Medical Tourism in the city of Guadalajara can certainly be a win-win proposition. While taking care of health needs at big discounts, shopping sprees, sight-seeing, cultural pursuits, and trips to nearby beaches and spas can all be arranged around a medical appointment schedule.

    For more information contact www.surgicalcareinternational.com

     
  • At January 07, 2007 7:26 PM, Blogger Rosana Hart said…

    Well, I do wish that cardioruby had found one of my posts that had something to do with health, but I am leaving the post because I checked out the website and it appears fine, and is based in Guadalajara.

     

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