Sept 22nd

Well it has been a busy few days and none of us have updated the blog so this will cover what's we've been up to.
The last few days have been busy getting ready for our move. We have been counting the days to get into our new house since our rental leaves alot to be desired. I can't tell you how sick I am of killing tiny little ants by the hundreds in the kitchen and in the bathroom.....i mean what do ants want in a bathroom anyway?!? We came to the realization that we are out numbered and will not win so they can have the house. We give up. lol But on a side note Fabreeze is a great ant killer in a pinch.

Other then killing ants we do the same daily stuff these last few days......go for walks or read, watch movies and sample great food from the MANY MANY local restaurants. Trev and I have been taking Flash for walks along the malacon (boardwalk) at night and the other night there were some people setting off some left over balloons from the globos festival. The first one looked like the space shuttle and got really high before bursting into flames. The next one was huge and very fancy but met it's maker within minutes of leaving the ground. It hit a palm tree, caught fire and fell in the lake. It was amazing to see them doing it right there in the middle of the malacon....right beside the basketball court......they were blowing up the balloons with what looked like a flame thrower on the end of a propane tank. There were kids playing basketball and bikes and skateboards everywhere.....the police were also there just watching along with the rest of us.

I have also started feeding Vino Blanco....he is a white donkey who at night is always on the beach by the malacon. He belongs to Pedro......Pedro is an ex lawyer from Canada who has lived here for many years....no one really knows what his real name is but anyway.....when we passed vino blanco the first night I went to let him sniff my hand before I pet him...like you do with a dog. Well I guess he thought I had food for him because he just started chewing on my hand. Let me tell you....although his teeth are dull he has got a big bite on him! So I started taking him carrots. So we walk Flash and usually end up sitting at the bar at the beginning of the malacon and have some beer and margaritas and we feed the donkey. I now have the inside scoop that Vino Blanco likes marshmellows so we picked some up the other day and see what he thinks. I wonder if my parents will notice if I brought a donkey home??? I could just tie him up across the street and tell him he must belong to some farmer but that I just like to feed him. There are always cows and horses grazing across the street from our new house.....why not a donkey. I would name him Paco!

On Tuesday we came to the new house and did our walk thru and met the gardener (Jose) who comes every Tuesday and the maid (Maria) who comes every Tuesday and Friday. Seems so weird to say that.....gardener and maid, but I gotta say I am glad to not have to mop a floor again!!

Wednesday Sept 21. Today is not just moving day....it is my parents wedding anniversary AND it is also Martha and Randy's (the people we are buying the house from) anniversary also, what are the chances. we go to the notario (notary) for 2:00 to sign the papers and get the keys to the house......and when I say keys I mean you need a janaitor's key ring to hold all these keys. Each door has it's own key....inside and out. There are probably around 20 keys or more. It will take some time before we don't have to look at the list to confirm which key goes where.
After the transfer is all done we start taking stuff to the house, cleaning and unpacking.

After our dinner (tomato soup). The the doorbell rang and it was Jenny from the real estate office. She and her husband had taken one of Martha and Randy's dogs (Bear) a really beautiful german sheppard. She thought the previous owners may still be here and could take Bear back. But Bear did not care who was here.....he was coming in like it or not. Bear is also very fast.......I spent a while chasing him around the yard trying to catch his leash. Randy and Martha were actually just coming down the street as they are staying at a friends house around the corner until they head back to the states. Luckily it all seems to be sorted. Today my dad the big softy said he would like to have Bear and suprisingly my mom said the same. It was Trev and I that actually said no......well Trev because I would take him also. The last 2 to 3 years we have been saying NO MORE PETS and it took all of 1 day to change. Man are we soft!
Later that night Thomas and his wife Eleanna and their 3 kids came over for a visit and a drink. ON Friday Eleana is taking me shopping to show me all the good spots to get meat, baked goods and so on so I am really looking forward to that.....it can be hard to find a good place since I am not familiar with Chapala as much as I am with Ajijic.We are actually a bit closer to Chapala than Ajijic, so she will show me around.

It will take some time to get settled.....the casita is not done yet so Trev and I will stay in the spare bedroom but for now we don't have a bed since it will not be delivered until Sat. So Wed. night was stayed at the rental along with my dad who did not feel up to driving back here in the dark. So mom braved the first night solo in the new place. She did not get much sleep as she says this place makes some weird noises at night. I guess I will find out tonight. Trev is staying at the rental since he did not want to sleep on a couch and also wants to get the engine tuned on his bike tonight so he can ride it up here tomorrow, but I was not goign to sleep in Ant city one more night so the couch is looking pretty good to me.

Today was more cleaning, moving stuff to the house, but today we sat in the pool for a bit and enjoyed a drink in the yard. The cat and the dog think they have gone to heaven I am sure. One of the patio screens has a doggy door in it so they can come and go in and out as they please and the yard is huge with lots for them to explore. And they have both really gotten the hang of coming in and out on their own. who needs humans eh?!?! except to feed them of course.

Sept 15th. Time to Relax

Today Trev and I went to the Hotel Villa Bordeaux to spend the day at the thermal pools.
here is a link http://hotelspacosala.com/portal2/ . It was great. it cost $220 pesos, so just under $22 for the whole day. you can take in your own food and drink but there is a great restaurant there also. They have a jacuzzie and infinity pool both filled with thermal water heated from volcanic magma. although they do cool the pool it is still pretty warm. They also have a great steam room, and tons of loungers and seating to laze around all day. All this is in the adult only section for ages 18 and up. But there is another section just thru some gates that you also have access to for this price and this is for all ages. It has waterslides, a big pool, lazy river and maybe more but for today we stayed in the spa area.
It was sooooooo nice. we just moved form the jacuzzi to the pool and back, then sat around and had a drink and some lunch. After lunch I went in the steam room and then back to the pool while Trev had a long nap in the patio chair under the umbrella. It was really nice just floating in the pool looking out over the lake to the mountains on the other side and thinking to myself..we actually live here. we are VERY lucky!!
The spa also offers other services like massage, pedi and manicures and so on for an additional cost.

After leaving the spa we had to make a trip to walmart to pick up a few things. The walmart here is not anything like walmarts in canada or the u.s. which we avoided like the plague. They are alot smaller (more like a large zellers and sell mostly things made in Mexico only.
Once we got home it was time for a another nap while dinner was cooking.

It is a good thing we had all that rest during the day because tonight at 11:00 in the square is the beginning of the Independence day celebration. The square is filled with food and drink stands and  and stands selling Mexican flags, clappers and confettie eggs and it was packed with adults and kids of all ages everywhere. There is music and at 11:00 they do a re-enactment of the speech given 201 years ago when Mexico gained its independence from Spain.
On the stage they sing the national anthem and repeat the speech and everyone in the crowd chants "VIVA" about 10 times and them lots of cheers and fireworks. And I mean fireworks right there on the stage.....not on a barge or 500 yards away from the crowd. They go off right above us and you have to watch for falling ambers because they are coming down everywhere. Also on the gazebo in the center of the square that is covered with kids some fireworks go off there also. Here they are not so much into regulations and stuff like that but it goes off without a hitch, no one gets hurt and everyone has a great time.

Then home to bed. Tomorrow there is a small perade at 10:00.......me thinks we will not make it!

Sept 14th Market day in Ajijic

Wednesday is market day in Ajijic, so we headed up there around 10:00 or so. My dad and I set off ahead of Trev because he was busy farting around with his new bike. He has got it running so was driving around in circles in the parking area behind the real estate office across the street from us. He finally shows up but only after we bumped into Anna, a friend we had made last year while we were here on our focus on Mexico trip. My moms' hip was bothering her so she opted to stay at homes since walking on those cobbles can be challenging for somone in the best of health. so we got all our fruit and vegetables(cauliflower, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, plums, pears, and 2 cups of pomogranite seeds, plus some french bread and home made banana bread all for under $20. Not too shabby.

Then back to the house, dad and Trev picked up the van from around the corner and I treated the fruit and veggies before putting them away. It is a good idea to treat ALL your fruit and veg with iodine in water.

Then it was off to lunch at La Bodega - just 2 blocks down - there was some live entertainment, 2 gringos singing tunes from the 50's and 60's (sort of country). The food was great also.

Once we got back home we finally got around to mopping the floors....man that is tough work. Luckily we have a maid in the new house so my mopping days are numbered, which is a good thing. I needed a nap afterwards and by the time I got up it was 7:30 already. the days really do get away from you here.

Now it is 9:00 and we are having hot dogs for dinner.....how mexican is THAT!?!?! :)

September 13 - Good News

Yesterday we met with the Notatio in Chapala to ask a few questions and Thomas, our real estate agent, asked him if there was any chance of us closing earlier than the 26th as both the sellers and the buyers (us) were both willing. Well he checked his calendar and guess what - looks like we can close on September 21 - 5 days earlier!!!!!!!! We are fast outgrowing this rental house. Each time we go out one of us buys something new "for the new house" - yesterday it was towels, the day before my statue, etc etc. We've seen so much stuff we want but most of it is bigger and it's nuts to buy it now, store it when we don't have the space and then have to haul it to the new house.

Today we went to lunch and met a guy from Sudbury (via Barrie and Tampa Florida) - he was very interesting and we had a long chat with him and his wife over lunch. Then we had to go get a new tire for the van (current one is leaking at an alarming rate) and afterwards we took a drive out to the house to take more pictures and talk about paint colours, landscaping etc. So many ideas floating around.

We came home with the intention of doing some cleaning, but Trev and Colin were talking bike/gasoline/engine stuff and Shelley and I were on the computers so, you guessed it, never quite got around to the cleaning thing. Oh well, manana (we're Mexican now, right!)

September 11 - Holiday weekend over

Well we survived part of our first Mexican holiday weekend - and it wasn't too bad at all. Mexican independence day is coming up but the celebrations starts the weekend before the actual day. We'd  been prepared for a lot more noise with fireworks etc - but there weren't too many at all and what there was didn't bother us. Lots of people around decked out in red, green and white, flags everywhere - on cars etc - and you can hear shouts of excitement from heaven knows what. We aren't far from the village square and there's always stuff going on there and then there was a parade through the village - passed us one street up - horses etc., The young girls on the horses in their beautiful dresses look wonderful and they are very accomplished in riding the horses side-saddle.

The kids went to the rodeo but weren't into the cattle roping or horse roping though - but they did enjoy the dancing horses. Their favourite was definitely the balloons. Now they want to make one themselves for next year - we just have to find out how exactly to make them. Some of the designs are really exquisite and some of the balloons are HUGE -anthing from 2 feet to 15 ft across.

We went for more groceries today and a mop  and bucket so we can give this place a good clean. We opted out of maid service for the rental - big mistake - too late now though. This place is all white tiles and with 2 animals that both shed and one with big feet - the floor is in dire need of a good clean which is on tomorrow's agenda.

Also checked out the price of beds - which compares very well with Canada - you can get a good bed for around $700 but for top of the line it is more around $1000 or a bit more, brand name, king size with memory foam - not bad.  with beds you get what you pay for i think so better to spend your money on a good mattress. it is worth it. The kids need one as soon as we move into the house.

Going to the notario tonight to check on the  best way to deed the house, then it will be supper and another movie. Am soooooo looking forward to getting a tv again.

September 10 - Health & Safety is NOT an option...

Today is the globos festival (balloon festival) - imagine making hot air balloons out of tissue paper - all shapes and sizes (some huge) then soak a maxi-pad in kerosene in the bottom, setting that alight (yes guys, fire and paper - a great combination) so it heats up the air and carries the balloon up into the sky - if you're lucky that is - if you're not, the whole thing catches fire and falls back down on whoever happens to be standing there. This happens ALOT and when the reckage falls back onto the soccer pitch all the kids run towards it to stomp out the flames. It is something to see that is for sure. The lady who owns the hotel down the street was telling us that one year they had a balloon and it came down in a farmers corn field and they had to pay for the entire crop since it caught on fire. I guess the lesson learned here is don't put your name on your balloon! Later that night trev and i went to have dinner at la tasca, a nice restaurant on the lake at the end of our street and a balloon came down in the lake. This was hours later.....they just keep sending them up until there are no balloons left. Here is a link from Youtube which captures the admosphere much better than I ever could:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZCIkjXl0VI.

The crowd roars as the balloons head for hydro wires and applaud madly when they miss and soar off into the sky, or over the carretera (the mainhighway through the village)
This event is held every year around Sep. 16 (Independence Day) and is a huge crowd favourite. They have dancers and bands on the field and people selling baloons and cotton candy - quite the festival and very exhilerating.

Its sponsored by the Red Cross - so maybe they're trying to drum up business,, who knows, but everyone sure has a great time. It's held on the soccer field next to the bullring here in town, followed by the horse rodeo tomorrow.

September 9 -

Joan here - not much of anything going on today - waiting for the water guy to come by - we're just about out of bottled water - a necessity in the rental. The kids have to stop by the bank again and take some more paperwork for their bank accounts and at 5pm we're all going next door with a bottle of wine to see Malcom and his lady-friend. Malcolm is the guy who is going to make me a wooden birdhouse - he runs the B & B next door.

The kids had a great time last night out with Thomas and his friends - apparently the bar carries 45 or so of local microbrewery beers - which in guy-speak, is a great reason to go there. I see at least 44 more visits in Trev's future. It's also a grill which sounds interesting - a new place for lunch maybe?

On their way home - it's just a couple of blocks away, there was a small store open and they had some interesting artifacts in so Shelley took a look and saw a plaster madonna (like the ones I like but more rustic and WAY cheaper) so she picked it up for me. What a nice surprise when I got up this morning.

Went next door to Malcolm's last night and we met his friend Patty who has lived here for 5 years now, she just lives across the street and around the corner. Had a lovely night talking and drinking - everyone here is so nice and Malcolm is just hilarious with his corny tricks but he is also smart and very interesting to talk to. He's lived here for 25 years!

September 8 - Another step closer..

Joan here again - Well we got the building inspector's report and as we expected, there was nothing major, just a few minor items, so we signed off on it and Thomas explained the next step which was the wiring of the deposit and the money for the notario plus the money for the furniture. He explained that if we sent the deposit first, and then the balance, we would have to pay two fees for wiring (3 if I sent the furniture money separately), but if we paid everything up front, then we would have only one fee plus - and this is a big plus - if he can move the closing forward, then he will be able to do so because the money is already in the escrow account. So, there is a chance we MAY be able to move into the house even earlier. Apparently the sellers are very amenable and of course, we are too, so we are doing that right now (Colin's on the other computer as we speak).

Also this morning we met with Julie - our contact in Immigration with the Mexican government. We went over what is required to get our FM2 visas (permanent but not the full Immigrado). What we have right now is the FM3 which is the 180 day tourist visa. Shelley and Trevor are going to apply first as they need to have theirs in place before they go back to Canada in December for Trevor's brother's wedding, otherwise the airport in Detroit will make them purchase a return ticket (their policy for some crazy reason). Julie was amazed when we told her this, but she has heard of it before, but not many airports/airlines do it now. Trust us to find one that does!

We met Julie in the Hotel Real de Chapala (where we stayed last year) - it was like going home. Whenever she has to come to Ajijic to do business (her office is in Guadalajara) she does it from the dining room at the hotel - everything is so relaxed here. Anyway, once we officially sign on as her clients (as in pay her fee which is $500 US for the visas per person, and then each year it is $150 and its like having a lawyer on retainer - we get to access her and her staff 24-7 forever and for everything, not just  visa issues - anything remotely official, which is awesome. She knows how to 'get things done' which are not necessarily the 'official' way. Another one of the Focus contacts paying off.

Shelley and Trevor have gone up to the  bank to open up their Mexican accounts so they can start transferring money here rather than using the ATM and paying fees every time. Plus you have to show that you have a certain amount of dollars coming into your account each month to qualify for the visa - and get this, it doesn't matter where it comes from, so even though it is already their own money in Canada, coming down into a Mexican account, all they have to do is show 2 months of  bank statements showing the appropriate amount dollars deposited per month. But Julie said after looking at their bank statements from Canada, that what they already had enough deposited in Canada to qualify for the past few months so they are going to start their visa process in the next couple of days - even though Trevor was on EI for the past 6 months. Anyway, onwards and upwards.\

Colin and I came home after seeing Julie to have some lunch while the kids went to the bank and they're going out tonight with Thomas and his wife and some of their young friends - they meet once a week at a  local bar to drink and chat - just the young 'uns - us old fogies get to stay home and dog-sit - lucky us! Will probably watch a movie - last night we watched Buried with Ryan Reynolds - which was very good considering he's the only one in it and 75% of the movie you only have the light from a lighter, cellphone or glow stick. It kept you right on the edge of your seat for sure. Anyway, Shelley and I really enjoyed it but Colin fell asleep, which is par for the course for most of the movies we watch.

Anyway, gotta run and help Colin with the wiring instructions - will return tomorrow with another episode.

September 7 - The noisiest cricket in Mexico

Joan  here - yes, the noisiest cricket  in Mexico lives in our front yard. It's UNBELIEVABLEY loud and every  - night, as soon as it gets dark - off it goes. It took us a while to figure out what the noise was. Hard to believe that something that small could make such a BIG noise and it drowns out the computer if we're watching a movie.

We had a very lazy day yesterday - sat around each doing our own thing - Colin playing computer games, me reading, Trev tinkering with his bike, installing a motor on it and Shelley has discovered MahJong and has become obsessed and has claimed my computer as her own. It's becoming battle if I want to check my emails or update the blog and she's in the middle of a game. But as always folks, seniority wins.

We did sit up on the upstairs patio for a while with our drinks and Shelley ventured up to the mirador to take some photos of the lake and the mountains and rooftops around the village - it's a whole other world up there. We have GOT to figure out how to get our pics on line here.

Today so far just a lazy day but now going to head to the market for some fresh fruits and veggies.

September 6 - And now we wait...

Joan here - again... Shelley seems to be avoiding the blog lately so I will bring you up to date on yesterday's escapades. Well, the inspection yesterday went very well and now we wait for the report and hope there's nothing too detrimental. The Inspector told Colin that everything was basically ok which is good. I also negotiated with the owners for the contents and got everything in the house and cassita, including their uneaten food and spices in the kitchen for $6,600 US which is a good deal. It includes a 42" Sony flat screen tv and a king size bed with a handpainted metal frame (like a 4-poster with a headboard and footboard also. The list of 'stuff' is awesome and I'm very pleased and it saves us having to run around trying to furnish that big house, especially when we don't know where to get anything. I will sell the things I don't want and when I replace the living room set(s) - there are actually 3 of them - all with couch, loveseat and armchair, 2 large recliners, 6 (at least) end tables, and my favourite, the 8 piece handcarved dining room set. All the gardeners tools are included too which is a gas lawnmower, chainsaw etc. etc. etc. We certainly got a good deal anyway. They also tried to throw in one of their dogs but we've already gone one thanks very much. Nice try guys.

By the time we got home after our obligatory daily stopoff at Walmart - yes again - it was after 8:30 pm and we hadn't had dinner yet. Made an interesting dinner for me - cauliflower and mashed potatoes and everyone else had left-over pizza, then read til bedtime.

September 5 - Inspection Day

Joan here - Happy Labour Day Canada! - It's just a regular day here though - market day in Chapala and 'Inspection Day' at 'the house'. Can't wait til 4pm for the inspection then approx 24-48 hours to receive the report. Once we accept the report then we hand over the deposit and the house is indeed officialy ours. A little different than back home - as are most procedures here we're finding. Still, if we take them one at a time they don't become overwhelming. We have our appointment with the Notario on Wednesday to sign all the papers, assuming all goes according to plan of course.

Just a note of interest - my Vertigo, which had reappeared my first day back in Mexico, has cleared up thank goodness. Last year it appeared also on my first day in Mexico. Every time I lay down the room would spin violently for a minute or so and sometimes even when walking, I became lightheaded and dizzy. This lasted for almost 10 months so was not happy at all at its reappearance. I had thought it was because of the flight and that was why I didn't want to fly down this time, but now I'm thinking it's just the altitude itself - we're 5,000 ft. up in the mountains here in the village. Anyway, the other day when I was sick and taking all kinds of meds to fight off whatever was the problem - the Vertigo just stopped. I was wary for a couple of days, but it hasn't reappeared so I'm assuming it's gone and all is well now.

Had another violent thunder storm last night while watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes online - the storm was so loud we couldn't hear the movie half the time. The rainy season ends around the end of September and the next 'season' is winter which is approx December 15 to January 15 - that's when we may have to wear a light jacket. Yes folks, read it and weep - a light jacket in winter!!!  Beats the heck out of coats, boots, scarves, hats, mitts and you're STILL freezing. Another great thing here is the price of gas - we've only put gas in the van once since we got here and that was only $20 (200 pesos). Nobody 'fills up' in Mexico, you just tell him how much in pesos. Not sure how much a litre/gallon it is, but will check it out when we go to the house this afternoon. While Colin and Trevor are following the inspector around, Shelley and I will be negotiating with the seller for the furniture and contents.

Trevor has ordered a motor for his  bicycle so he can motorize it and get around easier (and faster) than walking - although he and Shelley often walk around the village in the afternoon or evening. Last night their walk produced Domino's Pizza and wings for supper - a nice surprise! It will be great to get in our own kitchen with decent appliances. The stove in the rental (and the hot water heater for that matter) both have minds of their own. It took us a few days just to figure out how the oven worked (you have to light the pilot light every time you want to use it) and it takes forever to cook things at a high heat and the pilot light in the water heater upstairs in the laundry room keeps blowing out everytime you open the door to the upstairs patio! Gets quite frustrating at times, especially when you're downstairs trying to run hot water for a shower. Still, one of those Mexican idiosyncrosies (excuse spelling guys).

We now need to figure out where Home Depot and Costco are in Guadalajara - our next main port of call. One of the things I find hardest right now is not knowing WHERE to get the stuff I want - like new curtains and curtain rods for the house - normally I would go to Sears but here..... haven't got a clue so far. I will have to contact Paulette (one of the Focus gang who is also an interior decorator - she is the 'go-to' expert apparently for all household type stuff.

Day 13 - And the shopping continues

It's Saturday and Shelley and Trevor went out for a walk around the village - and came back with a beautiful metal statue of a two-spired church. It's a sort of darker mustard colour and beautifully detailed. It only cost 300 pesos (approx. $27 Canadian). Here artisans travel a route across the country which takes them right through Ajijic and they sell their handmade pieces to the local gallerias - some of the galleries are quite expensive, especially the ones owned by the Americans, but the one they found today was very reasonable.

Shelley mentioned they had one of the madonna statues in that I loved so she's gone back to get one for me.
After all, there are a ton of smaller niches in my new master bedroom which need some interesting things in them (LOL), plus I'm doing my bit for the local economy. Right! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Will go out myself tomorrow to see what else I can find.

We also want to buy a new stove - the one in the house is ok but it's older. We saw a lovely one in WalMart yesterday which was only lovely, gas, full size, black - around $450 approx. While we were in WalMart we bumped into Ray - who owns the Focus on Mexico program that I took last year. He's just got back from Nova Scotia so we had a nice chat it's so nice to be able to go out and bump into people we already know even though the kids and I have only been in the country a week and 3 days. Not bad eh.

We're also thinking of replacing the washer/dryer with a stackable. The washer is fairly new but the dryer is a bit older, plus it will make more space in the laundry room which is also the bathroom for the cassita. The kids want to remodel that a bit also and put in a bidet.

Colin has spent the past hour cleaning the upstairs patio - there is a ton of bouganvilla growing over the wall from Malcom's place next door and it drops like crazy on the skylight in our bathroom. He's getting a bit bored not being able to potter around and is anxious to get in the house and has a ton of plans of his own. He wants to buy a pressure washer and give the place a good clean outside - it's understandable in this weather, the constant heat and now with this being the rainy season and dirt splashing up the walls from the ground, everything needs a bit of a clean. That's Colin anyway - constant motion, always doing something. He doesn't like to just sit around, unless he's doing his crosswords or playing chess on the computer.

Trevor is the same, starting to be at a bit of a loosend, not having his old car to work on or renovations on his house - he's even started to read some of my books. At the restaurant yesterday I exchanged a couple of my books that I had read - most of the restaurants here have book exchanges which is a great idea. Nobody likes to hang on to paperbacks so when you've finished with yours, you go to a restaurant and get some new ones. At the Cafe Magana, he has them all categorized, which is awesome - so easy to find. I found a Margret Yorke that I hadn't read and a James Patterson that I haven't read also.

Think we may go to La Tasca tonight for dinner - they have great food AND entertainment. Last year we went there and the owner plays the guitar and sings - he's great, plus the Tall Boys also play there and they had a flamenco dancer who does his thing with ropes and lights etc, It's awesome and a great show. You can sit either inside or on the gardens - it's also right on the lake and across the street from La Nueva Posada, 2 doors down from our rental and on the other side of the street.

We are just not used to having so much so close by - its a great advantage of living in the village but I'm still looking forward to the quiet of Chapala Haciendas - no sound but the birds (and the cows grazing across the street of course) - it sure is a different way of live and we're loving it!

Day 12 - We bought the house!

We've had our offer accepted on the house in Chapala Haciendas - subject to inspection of course. The asking price was $195,000 US and after their counter and our counter/counter, we've agreed on $185 and we're all happy. Colin and Trevor are going along on Monday to shadow the inspector and ask him questions and Shelley and I are going to negotiate with Martha (the seller) on the furniture. We certainly don't want all of it, but there are some fabulous pieces we certainly do want, a very Mexican wood and iron couch, loveseat and armchair and a hand-carved 8-piece dining set, a huge wooden carved table which I want for my desk and some odd cabinets, tables, coffee table etc, which are gorgeous plus we would like all their patio pieces - there's a white wrought iron set out by the pool, a couch and 2 chairs in iron and leather and a handmade round table and 4 leather chairs on the side patio which are awesome too. We will see what prices she has in mind. We went out yesterday to some bazars to check out prices and see what's out there and what is a fair price, then went for lunch at Cafe Magana on the carretara.

Great lunch - fish and chips for Colin, hamburger and fries for Shelley, spaghetti with sausage for Trevor and meatloaf and mashed potatoes and peas for me (I've been craving comfort food for a few days now - it was all great. Jeffery is the owner, originally from Liverpool/Manchester and is quite the character. He is a soccer fan also so Colin has found a friend .He has invited Colin to the restaurant to watch soccer in the afternoons and even offered to tape any special games that he can't get out to. People here just go out of their way to be helpful.

On our way back home after that we stopped off at the Antique store where Shelley and Trevor had seen this gigantic copper sun which they want to put on the wall in the garden so it can patina in the weather. It's about 3.5 ft. across. It's beautiful

The shopping has begun!

Day 11 - Second Visit

Joan here - We have all agreed that the house in Chapala Haciendas is "the one" but want to go back for a second visit. The first time you see with your heart, not your head. Thomas came by about 11 and off we went. We took more photos and measurements and all agree - this is it. There isn't much NEEDS doing to it, but of course, knowing us, there will always be stuff we WANT to do. First thing is paint! But it definitely is the one for us. We tell Thomas we will go for lunch and strategize and call him later.

We went into Chapala for a fabulous lunch of Beef, chicken, shrimp and cheese in a burning hot lava  bowl, then walked tShe market for a while and when we got home we called Thomas and told him we'd made our decision. He came around about a half hour later with the offer and he has now gone off to present it. We will have to wait for 24 hours to see what happens now. We've asked for a Sept.26 closing - the sellers want to get back to the US quick too - their son who is blind, had moved to Mexico but it just didn't work for him so he went back to the States and they need to be with him. The father has already gone  back so we're hoping that the mother wants to get back there soon too!  They are also selling off their furniture separately, so if the house deal goes through, we will start negotiations on the contents. We don't want all of it, but hope to get some, just to get us going. Spent the rest of the evening discussing how we will paint,decorate, renovate etc. The kids want to put in patio doors in the casita. It's also only one room so will check out how much to put on a bedroom. They also need to tile the floor as it's plain concrete right now.

The main house has the local terracotta tiles. It also has a fireplace in the living room and huge floor to ceiling windows everywhere, overlooking both the parking/front patio area plus the gardens and pool on the other side. We have all kinds of plans and are getting excited.
Having supper of leftovers - we're accumulating a lot - zucchini from the La Nueva Posada, Pad Thai and an assortment of dishes from Simply Thai (last night) and my shrimp and rice and salad from lunchtime today.The meals here are HUGE - could easily feed two.  Guess its' another dvd and bed again while we wait for a phone call from Thomas.

Day10 - more houses

They are all starting to run together. The purple house from yesterday is still no.1 til we get to Chapala Haciendas. A community closer to Chapapa than Ajijic and we find a house that seems to be overtaking the purple house as the no.1 choice. It has a casita, a solar-heated inground pool and its' on a double lot with lots of gardens and fruit trees, pomegranite, bananas, mangos, avocado, limes and sweet lemons. The main house has 2 bedrooms and a big living/dining room with open kitchen and laundry room and huge parking spaces. Most of the houses we saw wouldn't accommodate the van - including the purple house. We would have to extend the gates out another foot into the street to get them closed with the van inside. Will go home and discuss everything we've seen in the past two days.
Supper, another dvd and bed.

Day 9 - Househunting at last!

Have seen a whole bunch of houses - some just need too much work , some are too small and won't work for us, but one really stands out - in Riberas Del Pilar - a small community close to Ajijic (just minutes away). It's on the south side of the careterra and we would prefer the north side (quieter and a better view of the lake) but the house is move-in ready, gorgeous inside with a small inground pool. It doesn't have a separate casita but the rooms are set out so that Trevor and I could live upstairs and my mom and dad downstairs. This one is at the top of our list so far. It's a bit smaller than we would have liked, but so beautiful and immaculate we've all fallen in love with it.

Day 8 - Does this sunshine ever end?

Not really! Rain during the night, but the days are gorgeous. Nothing much to report today - trying to tidy the house and find stuff in boxes. Preparing to go on our first househunting trip tomorrow with Thomas. Each day ends with a dvd and bed.

Day 7 - Another sunny day in Paradise!

After breakfast we head out for a drive around the area to refresh our memory from last year. We had lunch at The Garden Inn here in the village - a gorgeous lush garden with tables set among the plants and chickens and peacocks running around. It's gorgeous - had a great lunch. Checked out one of the many galleries in the village and found some amazing Day of the Dead dolls and other local craft type stuff. Can't wait to start buying stuff to decorate our new place, once we have one. Another trip to WalMart for supplies and then we dropped some sheets off to mom's friend Pat who lives in the village We brought them down from Canada as Pat says she couldn't get anything as nice locally, then off home for another dvd and bed.

Pat's not feeling well so we arrange to get together later, and head back to the rental for dinner, a dvd and bed. Life WILL get more interesting once we get settled.

Day 6 - our new life begins

Well, we all had a good nights sleep and the sun is shining. The rental isn't ideal, it's quite small and my mom's bathroom is tiny but it's not for long. After breakfast, we wait for Thomas, our real estate agent, who is coming over for a chat and to plan our house-hunting strategy. We try to organize our stuff, which we had to unpack from the van and bring into this small rental with hardly any storage. A quick trip to WalMart for supplies (yes folks, even in Mexico there is a WalMart - sad eh). Our next door neighbour Malcolm invites my mom and dad in for a glass of wine. He is quite the character, about 80 years old and teaches ESP. Mom explains how we had to leave a lot of stuff behind, including her old wooden birdcage and turns out Malcolm is a woodcarver. He says to get a photo and the dimensions, and he will make her one. She's over the moon.

By this time Trev and I have a case of Montezuma's Revenge (I'm sure everyone knows what that is). We suspect the salad at dinner last night at the motel up in the mountains had been washed in local water, and boy are we suffering.

There is no tv in the rental house, turns out the owners are blind so it sorts of makes sense I guess, but it gets a bit boring by the evening, so we watch a dvd on the computer before its off to bed.