Last week we did a bunch of work at the house, ran around looking for furniture, secured a housekeeper and started Pickleball. This week I tried to add in more fun activities around appointments with landscapers, power washing 3 levels of patios and Palalpa builders. I managed to make time for 2 Lifted classes. We made a bit of time to relax with a snack and a beer or two at one of the many colorful restaurants and bars.
We rode our bikes the 4.4 km to the El Tepalo trailhead in Ajijic. The ride was easy as we passed all the cars stuck in traffic going to work. We whizzed on by them. We tried to ride up the steep 3 blocks of cobblestone roads to the base of the mountain. Larry did better than me. I pushed my bike more than half way up….I’ll do better next time. Then we started the hike to the waterfalls and the saddle lookout point. We both were surprised that we were already tired! We hiked a bit and looked for birds. The birds didn’t cooperate very well but Larry got one new bird. We got to the waterfalls...which are non-existent right now. We are still waiting for the rain to begin. Soon the hills will be a beautiful green with new growth but now it’s brown and dry.
We didn’t make it to the viewpoint because we had to ride back for the housekeeper.
We made 2 bike trips into the city of Chapala. It’s only 5.3 km and it’s on the fabulous bike trail that we love. We get to go by one the colorful Chapala signs along the way and get a nice view of the lake. We rode around on the malecon and stopped for a beer and snack on the way back. We rode our bikes to the Pickleball courts once too. Larry played 3 days and I played twice plus a lesson for an hour with the Pro (Victor).
We heard from many people that the place to go to get furniture is the town of Ocotlan. We have been having difficulty finding used stuff that is good quality and inexpensive. We heard that the new furniture in Ocotlan is as cheap as used. It was an interesting drive which we did get lost, missed a turn or road….as usual. It’s just easier to handle without a trailer. Some of the rerouting takes you down roads that we would never fit….Flashbacks to the narrow cobblestone road in the center of San Miguel de allende. We made it in about an hour. We drove up this tall mountain and came back down into the town of Ocotlan.
We didn’t go into the main town because along the libramiento 35 there were at least 20 huge furniture stores on both sides! I’ve never seen anything like this. It was easy to find something here. They even delivered it. Slowly but surely we are getting some stuff to sit on. LOL
We got up early on Friday to hike with the Ajijic Hiking group. I watched their facebook page to see when the organized hikes were starting up again. It was a great group of folks. There offered 3 guided hikes of varying lengths and difficulty. We did the Tepalo Loop more or less. Larry and I have done this one a few times on our own but with a group we got to make new hiking friends too. I forgot my bamboo walking stick and wished I would have brought it. It helps me up the hills sometimes and that’s good. I wished we could have hiked more this week but it would have been impossible. There is so much to do in the area. I look forward to when we have less work at the house. I am still having a blast! My goal is to hike 3 days a week soon. I see an awesome hiking adventure in our future….gotta get ready!
Sunday we took a stroll into San Antonio Tlayacapan centro. That’s our neighborhood. They have a church, a square with a super bright colorful sign, several businesses and a few vendors. We found a great fruit and veggie table and found enough stuff I didn’t need to shop for a few days. We walked 2 streets down toward the lake and found a nice malecon with a park for kids plus some exercise equipment that actually works well. It was pretty empty as most people were gathered at the square. They had a stage set up but we didn’t wait till the music began. Some carnival rides were spread about...closing one street. We mostly saw mexician families enjoying the day in the park. It was wonderful. Saw so many happy smiling faces. Everyone had either a beer or ice cream in their hands! On the way back home, we passed tres vaqueros (3 cowboys) with drinks in their hands plus music! This place is awesome!
Thanks for reading until the end…...Now it’s your turn. Send me a travel story or one of your adventures to tellrhondayourstory@gmail.com. I want to include others' stories here...I enjoy reading them as much as you Love to tell them.
If you see a picture that interests you, ask more about it…..there may be a really cool story about it. tellrhondayourstory@gmail.com I can’t write about everything….mainly because we do a lot! Peace
Thanks for this. Did you drive into Mexico and all the way there ? How was it?
I just found your blog and was looking for a post that describes finding your house in Ajijic and when. Which one is it? I am enjoying reading....I have spent a lot of time in the last 12 years in Mazatlan. I have visited Ajijic though and like it but I like to be near the ocean.