Moving to Ajijic-Our Next Adventure! - Marge

Good-Bye Banderas Bay!

Here I am in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday morning listening to the beautiful sound of bells from Our Lady of Guadalupe, the church in centro with the tower topped by a crown. I think they are real bells rung with a rope-not the amplified imitations broadcast through speakers, set off with a switch.

Nearby, at the edge of the jungle, the bird songfest started at first light and still goes on. So many birds--every tree has its birds. And so many different sounds: Short, sharp whistles, trills and tremolos and shrill staccatos; melodic, poignant flutelike, rising notes that end in a question, loud peremptory squawking, odd gargles (what kind of bird is that?). In the background a constant, low buzzing of insects.

The sky is hazy, the humidity is high. The season is over. Most of the tourists are gone. The rainy season, with heat and humidity so high that clothes mold in closets and towels never dry--the very hottest and most humid part of the year--is almost upon us.

We are leaving too. My wonderful Spanish class ends Friday. On Saturday we will load all the things we brought with us to Mexico into our little Hyundai hatchback, and will make a little bed for Otto - our part poodle, part anonymous dog - in the back, and then will head out past the places we've come to know in Puerto Vallarta, our neighborhood-5 de Diciembre, the old cemetery, shrimp beach, the park/sports stadium where Eric walked the dog, the cruise terminal with the immigration office where we finalized our temporary resident visas, the hospital where we went when I was sick; past Marina Vallarta where we've walked many times, and past the towns along the highway north of here--Bucerias and Nueva Vallarta, and then up the road that winds for many miles through forest to the central highlands-5,000 feet above sea level, past Guadalajara and then to our new home in Ajijic, by Lake Chapala-largest lake in Mexico.

This is one of the many signs
we saw warning about crocodiles

 We have rented a house in Ajijic, 2 blocks from the lake. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (one with a tub!), a gated garden, a balcony overlooking the one-lane cobbled street, a cupola with a skylight and a mirador (finished rooftop for sitting) with a great view of the high hills behind the town and of a slice of Lake Chapala between palm trees.

The house is near a Mexican butcher (!), the town plaza, a produce market, the Spanish school, the Lake Chapala Society (offering support and services for expats), many restaurants, and is on a flat street great for walking!

We have inflatable kayaks picked out to purchase and various classes we plan to attend--yoga, Spanish, painting (can hardly wait!), maybe line dancing (maybe not?), and ukelele (very enthused about learning to play the ukelele!)! There's a hiking group we plan to join on easy hikes into the hills every Saturday, and I plan to learn to use the hula hoop I ordered from the States that Janice brought here for me! Also, plan to write more!

View from the deck of the place we're staying in
Puerto Vallarta, at night, with a cruise ship  leaving
--way out in the bay.

We also plan to drive to Manzanillo--the closest beach town from Ajijic, and to drive to Cannon Beach for a week or two in September, and then to Seattle to visit-and to bring back some of the things we have stored there.

Thinking about driving to New York City also! Who knows-maybe we will? I hope so! So many wonderful adventures waiting to happen!

Sunset from the edge of the junge
in Puerto Vallarta

We will miss Puerto Vallarta-the restaurants where we ate delicious meals and drank margaritas at tables on the sand, the malecon, the music, the jungle and the hills, the beautiful ocean and beautiful beaches and the wonderful friends we have made here. We will be back!