Renewal

I feel like I am coming out of a bad time, finally. Bad things have been happening in my private life and in this area but I think it is calming down now. I feel renewed. Both my cameras are barely working so I bought a new one on e bay. It is being sent to my son's house in Portland. I will be up there in a few weeks to get it.

I have been writing for Accesslakechapala.com for nineteen months now. I use my middle name, Evelyn, on that site. I just wrote an article about being a housesitter and I put on some of my favorite dog and cat photos.  I love some of those photos. I think all of them have shown up a time or two on this blog. If you want to see it, just put in Accesslakechapala.com on google and when the site comes up, click at the top of the page on Blog. It will come up.

I still hear of people moving out of this area and just the other day I met a woman who is moving in, buying a house here. So, not everyone is leaving. I am hoping that the general feeling here will become more optimistic as time goes by.  When I get my new camera I hope to be taking more photos again. It is hard with cameras that don't work properly.

The Grounds Where my friend Marie Lives

Mangoes

lemons

Lunch at La Nueva Posada Restaurant in Ajijic

Thursday Special, Fajitas

Rubber Tree in the courtyard

Huichol Bead Work for sale

Chicken Curry Salad

The New Movie Theater in San Antonio

Clouds Over Lake Chapala

It's A Dog's Life

Ross and his new dog

Fish Tacos at Lake Taco Restaurant in San Antonio

View from the restaurant

Dinner with Friends in San Juan Cosala

I went out to dinner with Dennis and Doreen to Viva Mexico in San Juan Cosala. I was surprised to see so many people at the restaurant and outside on the street. This is a very busy town at night.

Dennis

Doreen

Fighting Back in Ajijic

I have heard this story from several different people since it happened two nights ago. On the carretera near Colon, two men wearing masks tried to abduct two young Mexican men. They jumped out of their car and pointed a gun on them. The Mexicans all around descended on them, throwing rocks, attacking them and someone called the police. The police arrived almost immediately and took these two beaten up men into custody.  One of the Mexicans involved in attacking these two bad men said there were at least a dozen Mexicans fighting back. They are no longer going to stand by while their young men are kidnapped and killed.

I noticed that a lot of people were out and about last night, both in Ajijic and San Juan Cosala. What I have heard is that the Mexicans are fighting back. They aren't going to be terrorized. They are going to go out at night once again. I like this story.

Breakfast at Mom's Deli

I walked down the street and had breakfast at Mom's Deli this morning. Her food is delicious. This is my last morning at my house sitting job. Calling it a JOB doesn't quite fit. It is a beautiful home with a sweet dog who adores me and a private pool. What is WORK about that? But in a way I will be glad to go home. I will certainly be glad to see Chico again. I know he will smell this dog on me and he will probably pee on my floor to let me know that he isn't happy with me betraying him like that. But in a couple of days, he will be okay again. Dogs are so forgiving. I will be home for eight days and then on to the next house. It too is lovely and the dog and cat there are delights. Lucky Me..... It would take a lot for me to decide to leave here. This is my home now.

More News about the Crime here

Check out the Guadalajara Reporter online. There is an article on the front page about the new developments here. I haven't been out and taking photos lately. Kind of hanging around the house. It is nice here, private pool, beautiful house. No reason to go out except to take the dog for a walk which I do in the mornings.

 I go back to my humble casita Monday evening. I will be glad to see Chico again. I know he will be sniffing me up and down and he will smell the dog here and he will probably pee in my casita in protest. But then we will be back to normal again. I hope this town gets back to normal before too long. I would hate to move....

A Little More Information

Here is what I know: Some of the schools are closing down. I don't know if it is all of them or not. It is because the Mexicans don't feel safe letting their children go to school. The military is in Jocotopec and in Chapala, stopping every car that comes into the towns. More of my friends are moving out. Others don't seem to be bothered at all by this recent turn of events. I am not going out much but I am also living in a beautiful home with a private pool. It is nice here and I wouldn't have been leaving much anyway. That doesn't mean that I am not afraid. I am.   I just hope things will get better soon. Life goes on.

Excerpt from an E Mail about the local Crime Meeting

Captain Contreras confirmed the information about 18 bodies being found in Ixtlahuacan, none of which were connected to drug trafficking.  Further, he confirmed another 5 bodies/heads/body parts, many frozen, were found at a home in Riberas del Pilar.  The only possible nexus to drugs was that the aunt or uncle of one of the bodies found had rented out the home in Riberas where these latest bodies were found.

He also confirmed that a foreigner had been abducted while walking his dog; the dog was killed and the man was released after being held overnight.  This man has since left the area with his family.

The third incident he addressed consisted of a foreign couple abducted from Chapala Haciendas along with three Mexicans; when brought to a hostage-holding house, the person in charge released the couple stating “we don’t want anything to do with foreigners.”

He confirmed that two safe houses were raided in San Nicolas (on the way to Mezcala) where they detained a couple of people in one and secured a cache of arms, explosives, and various other items used by police forces in the other.  These people are being held and questioned re. the latest incidents.

There was also a raid at a house on Rio Amazonas, Rancho del Oro yesterday and the Captain confirmed that, while there were no suspects present, another cache of weapons, bullet-proof vests and grenades were seized there.

VERY SCARY STUFF. I have two friends who are moving out of here immediately. I have others who have decided to stay. Looks like, at least for now, I too will be staying. 

Hard Choices

This morning I received an e mail from a friend saying she is moving out of here. I wonder how many other expats are going to make that same decision. I have been researching other countries online.  Every place I look at has some major flaw for me. First of all, money. I can't afford many countries. Second is the weather. I am so used to this beautiful weather that I don't know if I could live in a hot, humid place anymore. Most inexpensive countries are in hot, humid zones.

I don't like big cities. That eliminates many places. I have been very happy here. It is close to the States so I can easily visit my family up there. The town is small. I know a lot of people here now. The weather is ideal. On and on, I can list the advantages of living here. But fear is a major factor now. How much fear can I live with and what is a realistic assessment of the situation here? No one knows that.

Some people are sending around e mails that only escalate the fears. Others are ignoring the problem, saying, "It is only the Mexicans they are targeting."  My way of looking at it is this, I imagine that those people killed and hacked up were Americans.... It doesn't matter to me if they are Mexicans or Americans. They are human beings with fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers who love them and are deeply hurt.

So, I keep trying to think of other places to live. If you have any great ideas, please let me know. In the meantime, I will try to relax and not go into that fear zone.....

Location of the Tuesday Market

http://barbaramilagros.com/  for directions. new location:

Effective Tuesday, May 15, the Tuesday Market is relocating from the Centro Laguna Mall to the Salon de Eventos Las Huertas!

Morning Walk in Riberas del Pilar towards Chapala