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Ups and Downs of Ajijic, Mexico

A March 2007 trip to Ajijic by tigressa

One of many exquisite Ajijic murals Photo -

Quote: Get a behind-the-scenes look at the ex-pat center of Ajijic, Mexico, for better and worse.

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Ups and Downs of Ajijic, Mexico

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Overview

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Ajijic is a peaceful, sleepy little community on the shores of Lake Chapala in Mexico, about 40 minutes from the bustling metropolis of Guadalajara. It has become one of the biggest ex-pat gathering spots in Mexico over the last 5 years. We only ended up there because we found a cheap rental property unexpectedly. You can easily rent a whole home from -900 a month in this town. Compared to the hotel prices, which are a night and up, this is the way to go.

The positives are calm, peace, and closeness to Guadalajara if you need it, fantastic hot springs just up the road, some good restaurants, a chance to choose either spanish or english as you can find both languages in use. In general it's a friendly, laid-back, picturesque town. The murals, hand-painted on many buildings, are exquisite.

There is, however, a certain demographic. First, there are the Mexican townspeople who we found enormously friendly and kind. Many do know some English, but we found that our speaking Spanish opened countless doors. If you don't speak it, don't worry, there are literally thousands of mostly-retired expats, primarily from the States and Canada. My partner and I often felt like we were in a friendly old-age home. We are athletic, rather urban 50-year-olds and we felt like the (tattooed) babies of the place. So, you have to be ready for that: you'll either love it or hate it. There's definitely a big bermuda shorts contingent.

After many years of living in the frenzied pace of the Bay Area in California, we relaxed in Ajijic in a way we could never have anticipated. My usual day was to get up early, before the morning heat started, and walk through the beautiful cobblestone streets and up into the hills. After my walk, I would stop at one of the many "liquado" stands where I could get a healthy breakfast of a smoothie made of milk and mango, papaya, banana, and strawberries. Then I would catch the bus to the hot springs to spend a few hours ecstatically lolling about in the waters and temezcal (mexican steambath); for the day. Then, I'd take the bus back just in time for late lunch with my partner at one of the charming spots in town, like La Pampa, an Argentinian restaurant with amazing vegetable and pizza dishes.

Quick Tips:

Don't go if you need nonstop stimulation. There are some good spots for music at night, such as Tosca's, a lovely little restaurant on Lake Chapala that has different acoustic music most nights. Also, La Bodega which has a roster of performers, such as the incredible Women's Mariachi Band of Mexico, who we saw our final night. Mostly, this is a quiet little town where people come for rest and relaxation.

There are great hiking trails all over. There's a trail above the town leading to a little chapel that people often hike up to. If you're a big hill-climber, like me, you'll be in heaven.

And after all that exercise? Total Body Care on Ocampo Street! The world's best massages for a shot. Also a mani/pedi that takes an hour and includes extensive massage. A full body exfoliation and massage is also only . Between the hot springs and repeated visits to Total Body, our time in Ajijic was like visiting a very inexpensive, super-relaxing spa!

Also, don't forget a few of the best restaurants. Secret Garden on Ocampo is the town's healthy food place. They have incredible salads and tortilla soup all served in a lovely shaded garden alive with songbirds. Danny's, on the main highway, has inspired soups and enchiladas. The Jardin Restaurant, right on the town square, was my favorite place to sit in the afternoon and write. You have to order carefully there as not all the food is good. They do have fantastic sopa azteca and great salsa and chips. Also, very good bottomless glasses of iced tea, snd the sweetest, kindest waitresses. It's the perfect place to sit and watch the world of Ajijic go by, which mostly happens in slow motion!

Although we had not originally planned to be in Ajijic, and were heading for the coast instead, we never regretted grabbing the inexpensive rental home when we saw it. I can honestly say I've never had a more restful, deeply relaxing vacation anywhere in the world. Some mornings, the sounds of the birds would be so loud and musical outside our casita that we would lie for a couple hours just listening to the concerto, drifting in and out of sleep. Years of burdens fell off our shoulders.

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On the other hand, when it was time to go, it was really time to go. We felt, after a couple weeks, we were falling into a sweet, lulling stupor that made any creative endeavor almost impossible. We met a wonderful Mexican musician who had lived in Ajijic for twenty years. He told us that for the first 17 years he was there, all his composing stopped. All he wanted to do was sit! Only in the last three years was he writing again. Something about the place puts people in this deep, restful trance, but we had lives to live. Interestingly, our energy and enthusiasm returned as soon as we jumped on the bus to Guadalajara to leave.

By the way, don't bother with a car, it's a waste of your money. It's very easy to fly into Guadalajara and then catch a taxi straight to Ajijic for about . Once you're in town, you really can walk everywhere you wish, or take a bus to outlying areas. The buses are so much fun anyway. They often play salsa/merengue or other fabulous music. On one bus ride, the driver even twirled me around a few times while we were stuck in a traffic jam. That's Mexico for you, and why we love it! Read Less