Advantages of living in the Lake Chapala Area

I was looking up the address this morning for Mom's Restaurant and I saw that there are over fifty restaurants here. I looked up beauty shops. I couldn't get a list but I got a map and they were dotted all over the map. It is surprising to people when they first come here to find so many things available. I didn't count the doctors or dentists or eye doctors but there lots of choices. I have been living here two and a half years now. Not once have I wanted something and not found it. (Yard sales may be an exception. They are here but they are expensive. I understand why. Mexicans don't throw things away here.)

There are plays, concerts and dances, especially during the high season. Something goes on almost every night during that time. Some of the things are too expensive for my budget but they are available. Where I live, there is a large fairground up the street about two blocks. On week ends the Mexicans have live music and dances. I don't even have to open my door and I can hear it as if I were sitting in the front row. Most of the time I love it. Sometimes, when I want to sleep, not so much.

There are computer repair men who make house calls as well as doctors. Sometimes if you are waiting in a doctor's office he may be called out to some emergency and you end up waiting another hour or two. Patience is important. You have to remember that maybe he went out to save someone's life and be glad that the service is available in case you need it sometime.

There are many car repair places here. There is a large Walmart store. There is a weekly market that starts on Mondays in Chapala and then it moves down to the next town. It is in Ajijic on Wednesdays and then on to Jocotopec on Thursdays. I feel sorry for the vendors. That is a lot of work.

If you get desperate to find something and you can't find it here, you are only forty five minutes away from Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico. If you can't find it there and you are still desperate to find it, you can fly to the States. (If you still can't find it, then it doesn't exist and you probably didn't need it anyway.) So, there are lots of choices here. It is just another of the many advantages of living in this area. P.S. Don't tell anyone. People here want to keep it to themselves.