At the time of this writing, we were completing the third month of our journey in Central Mexico and have found it to be good, bad and ugly. Thank goodness that the "good" surpasses the other two by a long shot. This regatta of sail boats and motor boats in Lake Chapala were both surprising and quite refreshing as we traveled to one of our side excursions deeper into Mexico. Keep us updated on what is happening in your life by clicking here Larry and Glorine.
	One of the reasons why we were so pleased by the sight of the recreational boats in Lake Chapala is because it is considered a polluted lake (much as Lake Erie was back in the 1960s). The extent of how polluted it is, is under much debate because little is known about the types and concentrations of contaminants in the Lake. Larry joined the "Amigos del Lago De Chapala" or Friends of Lake Chapala (made up of both Mexicans and Americans) whose objective is to learn more and recommend solutions. Here the group went on a bus tour to the eastern end of the lake about 30 miles from Ajijic. At this point, is where much of the pollution enters the lake through extremely toxic rivers (this is the ugly part). We found this end of the lake to be very shallow and covered with Water Hyasins, a weed that thrives in this kind of environment. The lady taking water samples is a doctoral student and is helping to get some of the information we need. Regardless of the findings, this is one project that will take decades to complete.	Ajijic, along with most of Mexico, is a third world country trying to become a part of the first world. However, many of the towns were built before cars were invented, so most of the streets are so narrow that one can barely navigate down them without loosing one or both mirrors in the process. Other than the main highway and some up-scale developments, all the streets are cobblestone and both installed and maintained with the tools and techniques much as were used 200+ years ago. Many of the sights are like stepping back at the time our grandparents made their livelihood, whether it is farming, gardening, building homes or weaving rugs. With labor so cheap and low/no techology, there is little incentive to modernize these crafts to more productive ways of doing business.
	So while some Mexicans toil in backbreaking jobs, many others have broken through to better jobs. Here is one example where some middle class Mexicans joined us for a day at the spa. Larry's sister Claudia and her husband Lou spent ten days vacationing with us. One of our first stops was to relax and enjoy the mineral springs just down the road from Ajijic. Here are us four gringos with some fun-loving Mexicans taking in the medicinal value of five different spas to rid our bodies of toxins and purify our skin. This included a clay mud bath, which we applied and let dry for about 30 minutes. After cleaning off all the mud, we took a long steam bath.	To get a different glimpse of the lake, we went out about 100 yards on a tour boat and followed the shoreline for about ten miles. This cruise was a first for us also. It gave us a great view of some of the spectacular homes built along the shoreline and in the mountains and to see just how big this lake is (10 miles wide and 60 miles long). In the background is Scorpion Island, which does not have any scorpions, but from the sky appears in the shape of one.
	Mexico is many things to many people, but Tequila is one of their most prized possessions. We drove to the city of Tequila and toured La Cofradia, one of many Tequila factories. The tour bus took us by fields of "Blue Agave," where the finest Tequila is made from. It takes seven to ten years for these plants to mature. Once matured, all the leave are cut off, leaving the core of the plant which is boiled down in the distilling process.	The map shows where nearly all the Tequila in the world is grown. In fact, if it does not come from this area, it can not be called Tequila. In addition to the tour around the plant, we toured the grounds, a museum and finally the Tequila taste testing room. As you can see, we were all still standing after the sampling.
		Female Mariachi! Female Mariachi!
	After returning from Tequila, Lou took in some "sun on the roof" time to sip on one of Tequila's famous drinks, the famous Frozen Margarita.	Another side trip we took was to Tlaquepaque (Tlah-kee-pah-kee), which is one of the largest arts and crafts markets in Mexico, including pottery, jewelry, woodcarvings, sculptures, paintings and now an entertainment center. By accident, we were there just in time to enjoy the music of an all female Mariachi Band. Click to listen to the music.
		Old Mexican Dancing! Old Mexican Dancing! Old Mexican Dancing!
	Another side trip was to San Juan Cosala, about five miles west of Ajijic. The event was a fund raiser for the victim of a major mud slide that destroyed hundreds of homes in the area last fall. The day included a tour of the town, which claims to be the oldest city in Central Mexico. The church tower on the top left is all that remains of the first church built in 1539 and eventually replaced by the church on the right. The picture of the cross is the sight where many human sacrifices were made prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. The sight was destroyed and replaced with the cross as a reminder to the people that the area was now Catholic. These kids were among the hundreds of people who came to the event to watch the dancers.	After a couple of hours of touring the town, the event that attracted about hundred people finally arrived. This include both prehistoric dancers and ballet dancers. Click to watch the short video clips.
	Claudia and Lou got to partake in some Mardi Gras fun which is a celebration of Fat Tuesday--the day before Ash Wednesday. The parade included colorful floats, music, dancing, and horses. One of the traditions is where boys dress up in ridiculous women customs and throw confetti and face powder at the crowds. Claudia fell victim to this tradition.	The parade, while only lasting 30 minutes was a lot of fun with four beautiful floats, dancing horses, and women and men marching or riding in traditional Spanish dress. The streets were loaded with people out to watch this annual event.
	Here we are celebrating the end of a fun vacation for Claudia and Lou at one of Ajijic's finest restaurants. Their 25 ounce Filet Mignon was large enough to split four ways--so we did, and each had it cooked the way we wanted. The time with Claudia and Lou went by way too fast, but we got to introduce them to the new culture that we have come to love. The nice thing about our outings is that most were firsts for all of us, so we got to explore and enjoy them together.	The following week, we attended an art class taught by Karl Barnhart, the guy in the middle. Larry claims he is his cousin (25 times removed). While both of their ancestors came from the same region in Germany, Karl's clan went to England, then the USA. Unfortunately, they sided with England during the American Revolution and ended up in Canada. Karl has been living and teaching in Ajijic for about 10 years. The class was very small, so we all got a lot of individualized attention. We each drew these pictures. The face and horse is Larry's and the boat is Glorine's. Not bad for beginners.
	The 30th Annual Lake Chapala Chili Cookoff. While the cookoff is the reason for this event, it came with parades, bands, arts/crafts and lots of fun. This has gone from a local event to a three-day international event attracting entrants and visitors from other countries. Its current focus is to raise money for eight local charities.	Note all of the "Smart Cars" in the parade. It was surprising to see so many here in Ajijic. As of last fall, these cars were not approved for sale in the USA. They are two-seater and get 50+ miles per gallon. It seems like the USA is trying to keep the gas guzzlers on the road.
	Another adventure in Mexico. Here Jerry and Gloria from Oregon joined us for a trip to an Alpine-like village south of Lake Chapala. We had our share of challenges. The first was getting past the "controlled burn" that got out of control. By the Grace of God, no one was coming from the other direction when we were in the middle of smoke and could not see beyond the windshield. The other adventure was trying to find the mirador (or overlook).	We never found the mirador we were looking for, in fact we drove on nearly impassable roads to get to this one. Once there, the views were spectacular. While it is difficult to see on the upper right hand picture, Lake Chapala is in the background. Jerry offered Larry a challenge. And that was if we could get to La Manzanita (the little village in the same picture) without getting lost, he would buy a round of Tequilas. Well we did and he did. The lower right hand picture looks like a village, but is really a cemetery we passed on the way home to Ajijic. The dead are well taken care of.
	With the skies being clear 24/7, it was easy to snap this picture of the lunar eclipse. What a magical event.	Here we are enjoying our last dinner together with Jerry and Gloria. They were on vacation and had to leave to go back to work. They were sure fun to be with.
		Salsa Dancing!
	A couple in our Latin Line dancing class invited us to a party at their home. Over seventy people showed up and (along with live music) enjoyed the evening on the patio overlooking Lake Chapala. Friends Rick and Cathy (standing by Glorine) are our biggest motivators when it comes to dancing.	Here is video clip of people enjoying the beautiful evening with a little Salsa Music.
	Chuck and Jeanne Busch, Ajijic friends from Oakland CA, joined us at this party. They are the couple who joined us on New Years Eve in Guadalajara.	Glorine is "knee deep" in activities here in Ajijic. They include Line Dancing, NeedlePushers (a group of women who sew dresses for poor Mexican girls), helping update the on-line directory of the Lake Chapala Society, and organizing a lecture series on environmental friendly topics and foods. Click to view the great topic being offered: Calendar
	Harmonica!
	Enjoying the Blues here in Mexico. Every Sunday afternoon, one of the local restaurants hosts Quinn and the Boys, who specialize in blues and rock and roll. They are great band to dance to. Click to listen to their music.	Thank God for SKYPE! Through this program, we get to see and talk with the kids once or twice a week. While it is not like being with them, it is the second best thing to watching them grow into big girls. In addition, we use SKYPE to call friends and family using our computer as a phone for only $.02 per minute. It is a phenomenal tool to keep in touch.

February's webpage includes January 26th through February 28th, 2008.