Three days and 1,070 miles after crossing the border at Nogales, Mexico we finally arrived at our winter home in Ajijic. The yellow highlight is the route we took, with stops in Guaymas, Mazatlan and a side trip to Puerto Vallarta. Keep us informed by clicking on the email link Larry and Glorine.
	Translation for the sign over our bikes reads "Center for Importation and Transportation of Trucks and Cars." This was a one-hour stop to get a temporary vehicle permit for the Jeep. We thought an hour was long, but as we drove for the next four miles and saw the line of semi trucks waiting to get into the USA, we appreciated the quick service. The trip was uneventful, other than getting a sense of stepping back in time with the fishing boats and horse drawn carts along the road.	Mexico is going through a major upgrade of their road system with the philosophy that the "user pays." We took a toll road, which cost us about $140 US dollars for our trip and the roads were great. Many of the roads were engineering marvels, cutting through mountains and filling deep ravines. Many of the views were fantastic from the farm fields butted up against the foothills to spectacular views along the ocean.
	Once we arrived in the state of Jalisco (pronounced Hell-ees-ko), we saw thousands of acres of blue agave, the plant that is used to make Tequila. There is a law that 51 percent of the content of a bottle of Tequila must come from the agave plants grown here in order for it to be called Tequila. If not, it goes by other names, like Mescal, moon shine, etc.	The cost of going to the bathroom. Along the way, we made a pit stop in the town of Tequila. While there we met up with these two hombres, who convinced Larry to buy a half liter of one year old Tequila. It was an expensive bathroom break.
	The sign reads WELCOME TO AJIJIC (pronounced Ah-hee-heek). La Floresta is one of many subdivisions that makes up the city of Ajijic.	While looking for an apartment or condo, we stayed at this very quaint bed and breakfast called La Nueva Posada, meaning The New Inn.
	During our first breakfast after arriving at the B&B, we met this wonderful Canadian couple (Lisa and Ken Clarke) who had been living in Ajijic for about 10 years. As we talked, we found out that their "quest house" was for rent. After looking around for a couple of days, we decided this casita or "little house" would become our home away from home.	Along with having one of the best climates in the world, another thing that attracted us to Ajijic was this massive lake (the largest one in Mexico) and all the mountains around the lake. Both the lake and the mountains are credited for keeping this area's climate so temperate. This picture was taken off the back patio of the B&B.
	After dropping off a car load of belongings, we headed for Puerto Vallarta, a coastal resort about 5 hours west of Ajijic to meet up with Denise, Craig and Clara Ann. Here Clara is getting used to running around barefooted on the beach.	Here is another breathtaking picture of the sunset outside the all-inclusive resort we stayed at in Puerto Vallarta.
	One of the side trips we took while in Puerto Vallarta was to a small Mexican village that could only be reached by boat. The homes along the coast line were spectacular. One of the main attractions was a water fall with a small pool of water to wade in. The trip was topped off with a small meal to tide us over until the big meal back at the resort.	Another side trip was a walk through the town of Puerto Vallarta. Sand sculptures lined the beach. We saw this Equina (sp) crawling on the limb of a tree. That evening we shared a pre-Christmas celebration. And the next morning, we said farewell and they headed back to Minnesota and we headed to begin our new adventure in Ajijic.
	We drove the free roads back to Ajijic, which was about 40 miles shorter and three hours longer. While the views were spectacular, the roads were narrow, windy, and mostly under construction.	Switch backs are these winding roads where we passed the same tree three times. Massive mountains were cut through to level out the road a bit.
	Mexico has to be one of the most devout Catholic region in the world. Memorials to the Blessed Virgin Mary were frequent sightings along the roadway.	This back road connected dozens of small Mexican towns, which we drove through most of them on our way back to Ajijic. One common feature was cobblestone streets.
	In the center of every town, we drove through was a Catholic Church which was in the center of a large square. At least once per week, this square is used as an open-air marketplace where people would sell everything from fruits and vegetables to trinkets.	Many of these churches were filled with statutes, paintings, sculptures and other ornate items symbolizing Christianity.
	Between the many mountain ranges were valleys with abundant crops. This is their winter season, but as you can see, many of these fields where growing crops.	One of the unique features of Lake Chapala is its many geothermal springs. Here is a whirlpool of hot mineral water and in the background the clay building is called a "vapor cave." It serves as a great steam room.
	Welcome to our Casita! This is a two-bedroom, two bath fully furnished apartment about a mile from the center of Ajijic. It has a center courtyard between the two bedrooms. It will serve as home through the end of March and a B&B for the many family members planning on touring this area in the coming weeks.	In the corner is a water fountain and small pool. The yard is lush with banana, coconut and other tropical trees, shrubs and plants. Our landlord, owns the big house up the hill from us.
	The entire roof is a patio or a Mirador, which in Spanish means overlook. We use this area for reading and relaxing and taking in the great view of Lake Chapala.	This photo of the lake and the mountains across the lake was taken from the Mirador.
	While the Jeep was "filled to the gills" with stuff from home, we were in need of lots of miscellaneous items to make our casita our home. This is Glorine before checking out at Wal-Mart in Guadalajara. Shopping was a nightmare, with hundreds of Christmas shoppers and nearly all the items in Spanish.	The Lake Chapala Society is an organization that focuses on the needs of the thousands of ex-patriot Americans, Canadians and Europeans that called Ajijic home. It offers lots of services, but most importantly is a social group for people to network with others with similar interests. It has the largest English book library in Latin America. Click to enlarge.
	We are in an area that has three open markets weekly. One here in Ajijic, and the other two in nearby towns. These markets are filled with Mexican art, to farm goods. They even serve beer in the marketplace.	The market place in Chapala is held on the pier that includes tour boats and fishing boats that dock in this nearby marina.
	With all the gringos that live here, the Ajijic Catholic Church offers a mass in English.	We met Cesar Jimenez and his wife Ivonne Aimar, a Mexican couple at a Christmas Eve party. They invited us and Ken and Lisa (our landlords) over for a great Mexican dinner. We started and ended the evening with Tequila and a great dinner--What a night!!
	In route to the Lake Chapala Society, we were driving down this cobble stone street and were taken back by all the horses that were tied up in front of this house. They are used mostly for trail rides, but many of the natives use them for transportation.	Hiking is one of the activities we are doing. We joined a hiker group that meets every Tuesday and takes off for two to six hour hikes. Here Glorine and I took off on our own up the mountain.
	We made it! This was our first hiking destination, which is a Catholic Shrine in the mountains north of our place. The stations of the cross line the trail. In addition to hiking, we also do some biking along a 30 mile bike trail between two towns on either side of Ajijic.	On December 28th we celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary. We ate at a local Italian restaurant and from there went to a dance club. Our line dance instructor was there. After learning it was our anniversary, she told a member of the band, who announced it to everyone in the place and played a special song for us. People here have been so nice.

Left for Ajijic, Mexico on Monday, December 3 and arrived in Ajijic on Thursday, December 6. Left for Purerto Vallarta on Tuesday, December 10 and returned to Ajijic on Saturday, December 15, 2007.