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| Eric Enjoying Himself in Ajijic |
from Compostela to sea level.
We arrived at last, at 8:30. Very, very happy to be here (and to be alive!)! We will spend 8 more nights in Puerto Vallarta, enjoying the ocean and the malecon (right outside our wonderful room!), and the city, and all the places we know and love.
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| Eric and Otto on Colon, Ajijic's Main Street |
We are happy
that we’ll see our friends and family in Washington again, who we’ve missed;
and happy that Amazon will deliver to our door, and that we’ll get to
experience the beauty of Puget Sound again and hear the sound of the seagulls and
see them dipping and circling; and that we’ll get to see the magnificence of
the Cascade Mountains to the east and the sharp peaks of the Olympics to the
west against the skyline, and the Oregon Coast and the rhododendrons, if any are still in bloom.
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| The High Hills Behind Lake Chapala |
But we are also feeling a sense of loss. We made a life for ourselves in Ajijic; of walks on the malecon and
shopping at little vegetable markets and enjoying the perpetual sunshine and
cheap meals out and making pictures and volunteering and walking Otto all around the town - letting him off his leash by the lake, where he loved to
run, scaring the great egrets and snowy egrets and blue herons and black winged
night herons and coots and the other birds whose names I don’t know or have
forgotten -- they would fly up, one by one, from the shallows where they swam or bobbed or
stood, as he ran past them.
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| Pelicans on Lake Chapala |
And we will
miss Lake Chapala, a beautiful backdrop to everything, with its little lapping
waves and marshy shore, in places -and so large – the largest lake in Mexico;
and we’ll miss the brightly painted stone and brick and stucco houses – teal,
lavender, mango and turquoise, and the bright orange and purple and yellow
flowers, blooming all year, even now, at the end of the dry season.
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| Lake Chapala and the Malecon at Sunset |
We will,
especially, miss the friends we’ve made, with whom we’ve shared a lot of fun
times, interesting stories, good food and laughter - who we hope to see again.
We will be back in Ajijic, certainly, though we are not sure when.
We have learned
so much, living in Mexico - discovered that we are resilient and capable and
able to overcome obstacles; and how different life is in a different country,
with a different language and a different culture. Also, we’ve discovered the magnificent
art and music of Mexico and the history of Mexico - centuries of brutal oppression,
and of struggling to overcome oppression; and the beauty of Mexico – a huge country
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| Marge in Puerto Vallarta This Morning; a Beautiful Day |
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| Eric in Puerto Vallarta This Morning - Enjoying the Sunshine |
What a wonderful adventure it's been! We are happy to be going back - and very happy we came!