One Through Five of my Reasons for Living in the Lake Chapala Area

1. When I first came here I would have said my number one reason was the weather but now that is number two. My number one reason is my FRIENDS. I have made many friends since I came here, not quite two years ago. I only had a few friends in the States. People are to busy up there to have time for friendships, or they live too far away. Here, my circle of friends is constantly widening. My closest friends surprise me everyday with their thoughtful gestures. If something seriously wrong were to happen to me, I know I could count on my friends here. I never feel lonely or alone here. Yet, they give me the space I need to do my own thing. I have found that for the most part, people who like living here are adventurous, intelligent, creative, kind, generous, loving.....Okay I could go on and on about the people here but you wouldn't believe me. I feel blessed to be a part of this group. I heard yesterday at the Lake Chapala Society that there are over three thousand members. This may be the largest enclave of North Americans and Canadians in Mexico. I have lived in places where there were only a few expats and it gets awfully boring and lonely after awhile. Plus, you have NO privacy.

2. THE WEATHER. I initially came here because of the weather. It is sunny almost every day of the year. It never gets too hot or too cold. The altitude is 5,000 feet so it isn't humid like the beaches. We often have breezes coming off the lake. It is like springtime much of the year here. The air is clean. The stars are bright at night. I love the thunder and lightening storms in the summer as those clouds roll across the lake and turn electric pink. No SAD here for me.

3. FRIENDLY MEXICANS. Once I tried to live in Thailand. I stayed there for four months and could never relate to the people because the language is so different from English. I am slowly beginning to learn enough Spanish to make out some conversations. The Mexicans are extremely patient too. Their culture has features that I relate to, such as their laid back attitudes towards life. Family comes first to them. I have met many compassionate and generous Mexicans. So many of them are poor materially but rich in spirit. I have much to learn from them.

4. AFFORDABLE DOCTORS, DENTISTS AND HOSPITALS. This is a good one to mention today since I just came back from my dentist. I am having a root canal done and a cap put on. It is costing me less than four hundred dollars. I have great doctors here and the office visits are less than fifteen dollars. Last December I went to a hospital in Guadalajara for surgery on my knee. The hospital was clean and beautiful and the doctors and nurses were wonderful. I had a torn meniscus. It cost me 2,000 dollars. My friend had the same surgery at the same time in the States and it cost 30,000 dollars. Go figure! I have a much more secure feeling when I know that a doctor visit or a hospital stay won't bankrupt me.

5. BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT. I always want to live near water. This lake is approximately 50 miles long by 12 miles wide. I promise myself that one day I will get up the nerve to swim in it. The water is warm in the summer. I am not much of a risk taker so I swim in the public pool which is very large. You can see photos of everything here so I really don't need to say much more of the beauty here. A picture is worth a thousand words.......