Happy New Year or Feliz Ano Nuevo as they say in Mexico. 2007 was the beginning of a new life for us and we look forward to what 2008 will bring. Here is a sampling of a few of our adventures in January. Hope your new year is off to a great start. You can contact us by clicking here Larry and Glorine.
	We celebrated New Year's Eve in Guadalajara along with about 40 other people from Ajijic who took the bus for an over night stay. And as serendipity would have it, we spent the evening with a couple who celebrated their wedding anniversary on the same date and year we did. They are Chuck and Jeanne Busch and her mother. Since meeting them we have become friends and have been doing a lot with them here in Ajijic. Click to enlarge.	Rather than toasting in the new year, we each received a cup of "Twelve Grapes", which is a Spanish tradition since the early 1900s. The tradition consists of eating 12 grapes, each eaten with each beat of the bell. After the 12th strike, everyone should have eaten all their 12 grapes. According to the tradition, this leads to a year of prosperity. We had a great laugh because it is nearly impossible to eat and swallow all the grapes by the time the last bell rang.
	Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico and boasting a population of over three million, it is a busy metropolitan city and a major Mexican business center. Although this city beats to a busy pace, things here have a way of seeming to always remain serene. There are many places in Guadalajara where you will feel like you have stepped back in time to a different era.	While in Guadalajara, we took a double decker bus through the City. Guadalajara is dubbed as Mexico's pearl of the west, it is an incredibly diverse and stately city with amazing qualities, both modern and historic. For a city that is not a resort, Guadalajara was a very pleasant surprise.
	Guadalajara is a city of monuments, parks and flowers, fountains and tree lined avenues. A city alive with subtle attractions that kept us entertained during our two-day trip. At the center of the city, as in nearly every Mexican town, is a Catholic Cathedral with a major square for people to meet and relax.	Guadalajara's history dates to the 16th century and the rich heritage of Mexico's colonial days are evident in many place we saw. In fact, the hotel we stayed at "The Hotel Francis" was built in 1610. Thank goodness it has been extensively remodeled since then.
	"WHAT IS THAT?" That is what we ask ourselves each time we go to the farmers market. (Called "Tianguis" and takes place every Wednesday here in Ajijic.) Booths are filled with fruits and vegetables that we never saw before. So, Glorine decided to start a new class to teach new comers to Ajijic how to identify them, buy them and different ways of preparing them. She has found about 15 interested students and a teacher. Classes start in February. Click to enlarge.	We learned that friends of ours from St. Cloud were vacationing in Sayulita (on the coast just north of Puerto Vallarta). So after a few phone calls and emails, we were able to arrange a little get together. There is nothing like relaxing on an ocean beach, particularly with a Margarita in one hand.
	We stayed in a B&B with Ken and Sue Maddux and their sons from St. Cloud MN. Ken and I worked together at the technical college. We are now both retired and enjoying the fruits of our labor. We had the greatest time catching up and getting to know their sons (Nate and Nick) a bit more. Click to enlarge.	Back in Ajijic, Larry met up with the hikers group that meet at the doughnut shop every Tuesday morning. This day, 16 of them hiked to the top of a mountain north of Jocotepec (pronounce Ho-ko-tay-peck), which is about 15 miles west of Ajijic. It was harder going down than up. It was a 3 and 1/2 hour climb and Larry's calves felt it for days.
	The view from the top of the mountain was breath taking. With the shores of Lake Chapala on the east, the city sprawled out into the foothills. The white buildings are greenhouses that grow one of the largest crops of raspberries in the world. The town is mostly flat and most of the buildings (minus the Church) are one and two story buildings, so when you drive the streets it is hard to get a perspective of the city. Here we got to see it all.	WHAT NOT TO DO IN MEXICO! One of the things we were told was never eat at a road side market. You never know what you are going to get (particularly Montezumas Revenge). So what did we do? We went to this restaurant, near Jocotepec and met Raul. His kitchen was a barbecue pit that was 4' wide, 8' long and 3' tall. In the middle, he had wood fire blazing and all sorts of meat on skewers such as pork, chicken, rabbit, quail, beef and other types of meat that we could not identify. Click to enlarge.
	Here we are with a group of friends enjoying the rustic surroundings of Rual's roadside stand. We each ordered a beer and one large plate of pork. It came with a basket of tortillas, some rice, salsa and beans It was great! We all made it home OK and did not get sick. So much for advice.	Investing in alternative energy is a major initiative in Mexico. This home produces enough electricity through its two solar panels to supply all their electrical needs, including heating their water. In fact the meter runs backwards during the day time hours. This tour was sponsored by the Green Group, one of many organizations which are a part of the Lake Chapala Society. Click to enlarge.
		Play Me!!
	A trip around Mexico's largest lake was a pleasant day. Five of us took off in the Jeep with no particular plans (other than to get back to Ajijic). We drove along the nearest road to the lake. We were quite pleased by the many unexpected things we saw. We stopped at a little road side restaurant and all had great meals and beers which cost a total of $28 US dollars. We saw a pickup with enough radishes to break the leaf springs on the truck. We also stopped at a small village (located on a peninsula on Lake Chapala) to see thousands of egrets and pelicans. Click to enlarge.	Eating and dancing seem to be two of the most popular things to do here. On a Sunday afternoon, we drove to Ixtlahacan de Los Membrillos a small town about ten miles north of Ajijic for a Mexican buffet and great music. Here, Rick (one of our new found friends)took Glorine for a spin (and I mean a spin) around the dance floor. The food was great and the band was magnificent. We will be following them as they tour the area dance clubs.
	Maurine and Howard arrived for a one week vacation in Ajijic. Among the many things we did was a "day trip" to Tapalpa (pronounced Ta-paul-pa), a little paradise in the mountains. At 6,500 feet in elevation, the area was surrounded by thousands of acres of pine forests overlooking the volcano of Colima.	Upon arrival in Tapalpa, we went to the town square where a wedding was just starting. Here is a Mariachi Band walking through the square to the Cathedral.
	While not invited, we did capture the moment by taking a picture of the beautifully decorated church with the couple by the alter.	After a short walk around the square and visiting several of the markets, we found this open balcony where we stopped to have dinner. Maurine, Howard and Larry all order T-Bone steaks at $4.00 U.S. dollars each. It came with all the dressings.
	Tapalpa is unique in that it did not look like the typical Mexican village, but rather more like a Swiss Village. The square is the center of three Catholic churches, with large open spaces for weekly markets.	On our drive back from Tapalpa, we drove past fields of cactus, mostly blue agave (ah-ga-vay)used to make tequila, but also this type of cactus. We don't know what they are used for, but will find out.
	Dinner was not always going out to eat. Glorine is still one of the best cooks around. Here we invited Ken and Lisa to join Maureen and Howard in a home-cooked meal. (Very difficult meal - sandwiches and fruit.)	Ajijic celebrates 26 traditional festivities, some over multiple days. There seems to be a party going on all the time. We ran into this "San Sebastian" festivity at the square in Ajijic with native Indian dancers. We got showered with confetti and were invited to join the locals in a pilgrimage to upper Ajijic, which ended with free fruit punch spiked with Tequila. We ran into this event by accident and had a great time with the locals. Click to enlarge.
	One afternoon, we spent the day touring homes for sale. They ranged from $200,000 to $650,000 US dollars. All were splendid, but some were better than others. Here are just a few of the pictures we took and as you can see there are some beautiful homes with spectacular views of Lake Chapala. Click to enlarge.	And Maureen's favorite house was this three bedroom home with a separate casita and a view of Lake Chapala to "die for." It was also Glorine's favorite.
	On the way to the spa, we stopped by the side of the road snap this picture of a farmer plowing this field with a team of horses, like our grandfathers did a couple of generations ago. Mexico is truly diverse with both a third world and a first world culture.	While Maureen and Howard were here we took advantage of a couple of natural spas that take advantage of the geothermal waters that flow beneath the earth here at Lake Chapala.
	This spa is a series of six tubs filled with 100 degree water, but each with different herbs to treat different ailments from arthritis to indigestion.	We also applied ourselves with clay and left it on for about 30 minutes to dry. This mud bath is a type of therapy, in which a person is soaked in mud. It is usually used for treating rheumatism. (Don't we look beautiful!) Click to enlarge.
	We then took a dip in the cleaning tub (the one that looks like mud). We met Marlin, a young women from Guadalajara who came down for the day to take advantage of the spa.	In addition to being fun, it was a very relaxing day. (Howard, time to go!)
	The seven days that Maureen and Howard were here flew by in a flash. On the way to the airport, we drove out to Mezcala, a small town on the lake that takes canoe/kayak trips out to an island in the middle of Lake Chapala.	While in Mezcala, we walked by this small home by the square and notice this family making corn tortillas. Here the father was grinding the cooked corn and the mother was kneading the dough.
	From there the dough went into the pressing machine to make them all the same thickness and size.	Lastly, they moved along a conveyor belt to be baked and eventually wrapped for sale. We bought a couple of packages for just a few pesos. What a way to end a stay in Mexico.

January's web page includes January 1 through January 25, 2008.