November 23, 2006 — 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.

This photo, 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 (but see note in comments):

5 Comments from the old blog:
  • 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

  • I 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.

  • 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.

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