Ajijic's quirkiest street

Pedro on parade. Pedro is widely known local figure. He retired as a north-of-the-border criminal defense attorney some years back and decided to change his lifestyle. Clearly he has succeeded. Pedro is arguably the quirkiest character on the quirkiest street in Ajijic. Until recently he could be seen in company with Margarita, his burro. He often rode her down toward the pier carrying a large Mexican flag. Unfortunately, Pedro had to part company with Margarita because of his frail health.  In a  town full of unusual characters, Pedro is in a class of his own.

The street we will focus on runs from the base of the mountains right down to the Ajijic Pier. What makes it "quirky" are  all the art galleries, shops, and restaurants that line the section between the Plaza and the Pier. Many of these are decorated with signs and murals that will make a visitor's neck swivel and eyes pop. The street actually has two names: Calle Colon from the mountains to where it meets Calle Ocampo, a block below the Plaza toward the Lake. Then it becomes Calle Morelos for the next two blocks down to the Pier.  Streets in Mexican villages, towns and  cities commonly change names, often numerous times, along their length. This causes much confusion to the newcomer. Oddly, the same names keep cropping up, usually heroic figures from the War of Independence, the Revolution or one of the other internal struggles over Mexico's long and violent history. Wherever you go, there will be streets named Hidalgo, Juarez, Zapata, Carranza, etc.

La Capilla serves for another wedding. La Capilla (the "Little Chapel") sits on the northwest corner of Ajijic  Plaza. One of the oldest structures in Ajijic, La Capilla was built by the Franciscan monks in the mid-1500s, about 200 years before the large San Andres parrochia church nearby.  La Capilla has seen many weddings over the last 450 years. On the day I took this photo, a bride and her father waited in the entrance for the organ  to signal them to proceed down the aisle. The man standing to the right of the entrance has just rung the bell with the yellow hand-rope seen draped down the front of the church. The bell has been rung this way since the time of the Conquest.

A rather unusual police station. Ajijic is a subdivision of the city of Chapala and the local municipal building, pictured above, houses the police and some other city functions. As befits an artist's town, the front of the building has been decorated with a beautiful tile representation of fishermen rolling up a net full with their catch.

Speaking of artists... Local artist Chris English and a female friend walk by the front of one of my favorite restaurants in Ajijic. Chris is a  fellow hiker, paints beautiful pictures, has published stories in a local magazine, and is a good friend of mine. However, I didn't realize he would  be in the picture until I had already taken it. Panda Stir Fry was closed that day and I wanted some human activity to liven up the picture. I waited until someone approached, not realizing it would be Chris and his friend. Panda Stir Fry, about 1/2 block south of the Plaza, serves mongolian-style stir fry meals. The food is wonderful and at 50 pesos (about $3.50 US) for all you can eat,  it is one of the best deals in town. It is new restaurant and the friendly young Mexican couple who own it are struggling to make a go of it. I very much hope they do. Panda Stir Fry is an excellent addition to Ajijic's culinary opportunities. 

More opportunities for your palate. These two small restaurants stand across the street from Panda Stir Fry. Tortas ahogadas are Mexican versions of an American "sloppy joe".  Pork or beef is chopped up finely and mixed with onions and spices and salsa inside a large bun.  It is delicious but kind of messy, so keep a handful of servilletas (napkins) handy. The Creperie got started about the same time as the Panda Stir Fry. The moderately-priced food is primarily French with a Mexican twist. The owners have created a delightful garden courtyard  in  back, just right for a quiet lunch. We love having Mexican, Asian, and French restaurants within steps of each other. 

Diane Pearl's shop comes with a dreamy mural on the side. Diane Pearl's  sells handmade jewelry, paintings, sculpture and  much more. Our friend Maya, who splits her time between San Francisco and Ajijic, has placed some of her handmade jewelry here.  

Galeria La Puerta & Maestros del Arte have colorful critters on the front. These two shops share space and I have always enjoyed the wonderful animals like this armadillo painted in vivid colors on the front. Galeria La Puerta offers art for your home and your garden, clothing ("wearable art"), and jewelry. Marianne Carlson, who owns Maestros del Art, travels all over Mexico to meet folk art masters in remote villages. She sells their art through her store and also promotes their work with the annual Feria art show I have featured elsewhere on this blog. 

Di Paola Galeria displays eye catching artwork on its doorway. Di Paola's offers various kinds of artwork most particularly photography, but also includes some gorgeous folk art. In addition, the store also sells wonderful books on art and local architecture. Maria Di Paola Blum was born in Italy and discovered photography at nine when she was allowed into a dark room for the first time. Canadian artist John Richmond, also known as Juan Campo, painted the sign for Di Paola shown above.

Tango anyone? Carole's favorite restaurant is Ajijic Tango, an Argentine place which features various cuts of beef served in huge portions, but also many scrumptious non-meat dishes including gourmet pizza. Tango is very popular, particularly with the weekend crowd from Guadalajara. If you want a table on the weekend, better show up early or get a reservation

Hotel Estancia is a combination hotel and art gallery. The exterior of the hotel was painted by local artist Bruno Mariscal whose work can be found all over Ajijic's walls. I have never stayed at Hotel Estancia, but I love its decor and this small (8 rooms) hotel is ideally located between the Plaza and the Pier. For more information, click here.

Opus Boutique and Galeria has a show-stopping exterior. This shop stopped me in my tracks when I first turned the corner and got the full effect of its colors and images. I'm not the only one. Photos of the Opus Boutique appear on any number of Ajijic-oriented blogs and websites. The artist is again Bruno Mariscal. The store offers clothing (more "wearable art"), jewelry, and plenty of folk art and odd nicknacks.

Private home continues the color scheme. I was delighted to find these butterflies adorning a private home which shares a corner with the Boutique, as well as sharing its color scheme. At another time, I intend to do something on the beautiful and unusual ways people decorate the outside of their homes in Ajijic.

Uncle Bob's Bar and Smoking Club. This  tiny open-air bar, about the size of a 2 car garage, has long been popular among the alcohol-oriented set. Since I don't drink, I don't come here often, but occasionally I'll stop in to this local landmark and order an "agua mineral y limon" (soda water with a slice of lime). The decor is very eclectic with old movie posters, cow skulls, and various odd objects covering the walls. Someone once said that Ajijic is a place where "painters come to drink and drinkers come to paint".  Sooner or later they probably all end up here.

Los Telares has romance and great food too. On the day we arrived for our very first exploratory visit to Ajijic, we came here for dinner. Like many places in Ajijic (and Mexico for that matter) Los Telares' simple exterior leads into a lush garden courtyard. We were brought here by another Ajijic character named Don whom we encountered on the street as we stood baffled, trying to make sense of our map. Don showed us around town and we ended up here for dinner. I recommend the sea bass cooked with butter and garlic. The atmosphere of Los Telares just oozes romance.

 
Centro de Arte y Cultura. This small gallery contains especially quirky folk art. Usually there are a couple of old Mexican guys hanging out on the small porch under the sign. Hard to say whether they are artists or simply locals enjoying the shade. Also on the porch is an old-fashioned loom, almost entirely constructed from wood and string and clearly functional. The loom is a work of art itself, and operates entirely on human energy. I thought the bougainvilla draped over the sign was especially inviting.

Handmade crafts and textiles hang casually from trees near the  Lake. Sometimes you can watch local indian women make blankets and other textile goods on small hand looms right by the water, as women have done for half a millenium or more. As usual, the colors are vivid and mixed in a way that would never work north-of-the-border, but always does in Old Mexico.

Old Posada restaurant porch faces right on the water. The Old Posada has a long history as a hotel as well as a restaurant, but now it only serves meals. One of the earliest Spaniards to reach the area was a cousin of Hernan Cortes, the famous (or infamous) conqueror of Mexico. The cousin, named Saenz, acquired most of what would become Ajijic and built his hacienda on the current site of Old Posada, along with a mill upstairs. The indians were called with a conch shell at 4:00 AM to bring their grain for milling. Amazingly, the mill remained in operation until the 1940s.

Ajijic Pier juts into a calm Lake Chapala. In the last year Tequila Republic, a trendy, restaurant/bar, opened on the end of the Pier. Entry is through the red boat standing upright on its stern. I found the food here to be somewhat so-so, but the ambiance is great. Surrounded by water on three sides, and shaded by its open-sided roof, the restaurant is the perfect place to sip a cold drink on a hot day as cool breezes drift through. It is also a fine place to view the sunset over the Lake, but can get a little chilly in the evening, even after a hot day, and a jacket or sweater is useful.    

Ajijic's brand-new Malecon basks in warm afternoon sunshine. The city governments of Chapala and Jocotopec have been busy improving the lakefront areas of villages along the north shore. After Amistad park was flooded when the Lake's water level rose, Chapala launched a major renovation of the Ajijic waterfront, including this newly tiled Malecon. The promenade is still under construction. The completed part you see stretches quite a distance, and includes a small amphitheater, a palapa, and other areas where families can enjoy the Lake. The city workers have planted palm trees and alternated them with lampposts, which promises to make the area more useable at night. 

Standing watch. A Great White Egret stands watch on a dead tree, while a fisherman's boat gently rocks in the distance. The only regret I have about the new development along the waterfront is the loss of habitat for the shore birds like this egret. I suppose they can move along the shore beyond the stone and concrete and people, but the ambiance of this stretch of the Lake is diminished a little by their loss.

Manzanillo Part 4 - La Posada, people and pelicans

Early morning rays of sunshine streak the Playa las Brisas. Curving gently northward, Playa las Brisas (Beach of Breezes) forms the center of the arc of the Bahia de Manzanillo with the El Centro area on the south end and the Peninsula de Santiago on the north.  The Las Brisas beach is lined with older beach-front hotels and condos which form the Zona Hotelera.  The Peninsula de Santiago, a steep narrow outcrop into the ocean, is covered from water's edge to hilltop with expensive high rise hotels, condos and apartments. Although we visited during the height of the season, the beach in front of the Hotel La Posada was nearly always quiet and virtually empty.  Click on this map to see the Playa las Brisas area of the Bahia de Santiago.

La Posada, the "Pink Hotel".  When we arrived, we immediately saw how La Posada Hotel gained its nickname. Even the flowering tree in front was adorned with pink blossoms.  We chose La Posada because of its reasonable rates and good reputation among expats who have visited.  As you can see from the map (see above), La Posada lies near the extreme south end of Playa las Brisas, near the stone jetty that forms the entrance to the inner harbor.  It is not a large hotel, offering only 23 rooms, and this creates a family feeling, only a step or two away from a B&B.  

La Posada sits right on the beach.  La Posada can be seen in the center left of the photo above, taken from the stone jetty south of the hotel. The pink hotel is surrounded by palm trees and faces the bay while the coastal mountains loom behind. In spite of its location in the center of a substantial city, the hotel exudes a feeling of quiet serenity. Things were not always so serene, however. In 1959 the hotel was virtually leveled by a Category 5 cyclone which may have killed as many as 1,800 people and destroyed 40% of Manzanillo's homes. The proprietors still have pictures of the ruined hotel in the lounge area. 

The definition of "laid back". The couple above are some of the hard-core La Posada patrons who return season after season, even generation after generation. Many of our fellow guests knew each other from previous seasons. While there was a steady stream of new and younger folks checking in periodically, the regulars appear to form the backbone of the hotel's clientele. They were friendly and open and seemed to enjoy meeting new people as well as old friends. 

La Posada's grounds were not ornate, but were immaculately kept. When I first saw pictures of the hotel, I thought the pink ambiance might prove cloying after a while, but it didn't turn out that way.  In the morning and evening, the color glows softly in the slanting sunlight. Everything necessary was only a few steps away.  The rooms were simple, but large and clean. Ours had a window air conditioner, which results in an extra charge if used. However, we found the over-head "Casablanca" fan more than adequate.  In the hot season, the air conditioner would probably be necessary, but not in January.

The pool and patio area formed the social center of the hotel.  The pool was not large, but was sufficient for enough laps to cool off from the afternoon heat. The hotel could probably use a few more lounge chairs, but we usually found one when we wanted.  The trick seems to be to stake out your spot early.  The view from the patio out over the bay and harbor was gorgeous, and the constant parade of huge ships in and out of the harbor entrance a short distance away was fascinating.

 
Always ready to serve. The hotel staff were friendly and attentive and most spoke at least some English.  The night staff person shown above is Monica Melchor. She spoke flawless English with an American accent. Chatting with her, I discovered that she grew up and attended high school in the US. The bar where she perches in this picture is also part of the restaurant and lounge area. This airy, barn-like structure opens onto the pool. One further comment: although we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at La Posada and would stay there again, there are many other nice hotels in town including some simpler and less expensive and others fancier and considerably more expensive. Manzanillo has a lot of accommodations for visitors.

Brown pelicans soar above Playa las Brisas.  The Brown Pelicans were ubiquitous and quite entertaining as we watched from the patio or strolled along  the stone jetty. In the back ground you see the hotels fronting the beach and the rugged coast range behind  them.

Early morning sun bathes local fishermen with golden rays as they set their nets. Every morning a couple of  boats of local fishermen tried their luck along the stone jetty. Behind the jetty is the ship channel and in the background is the El Centro marina.

 
Fisherman's luck.  This lucky fellow landed a shimmering green Dorado, known in other parts of the Pacific as Mahi-Mahi. He was not one of the men in the boats. Using a pole off the jetty, he landed this beauty. Despite the heavy industrial activity and shipping in the port, large fish like this can still be caught just off shore.

Net floats snake toward shore as the fishermen close in on their prey. After circling around each other in an intricate ballet, the boats drew the net together and the fishermen began pulling in their catch. Meanwhile, hungry pelicans swooped in, hoping to share in the feast. 

Retrieving the net was heavy work. The fishermen pulled their catch out of the net and tossed them into the bottom of the boats as they retrieved their net. His hunger overcoming his shyness, one pelican flapped up onto the gunwale of the boat and began eyeing the catch flopping in the bottom. He was obviously hoping the mens' distraction with the net would yield an opportunity to snatch a quick snack. The Brown Pelicans' boldness contrasts with my experience of While Pelicans, which tend to shy away and maintain a significant distance from humans.

Deep in thought. Pelicans tend to assume this posture when they are at rest. They look like an avian version of Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker". 

Keeping up appearances. Another typical behavior is grooming. This helps remove parasites and fluffs the feathers, and helps the pelican stay warm and dry in the cold Pacific water.

Enjoying the morning sun. Pelicans spread their wings to dry in the sun, another method of maintaining the integrity of their feathers. They also just seem to enjoy the sensation of the warm morning sun.

Good friends. I don't know if this was an opposite or same sex couple, but they really seemed to like each other. Pelicans do like to snuggle.

End of the day. At days end, the fishermen have gone to their homes, and pelicans have taken possession of  their boat. The craft provided a quiet, safe place to perch and consider the problems of the pelican universe as the swells of the Bahia de Manzanillo gently rocked them.

This completes my series on Manzanillo and the surrounding areas. I hope you enjoyed it and I welcome any comments. My next post will take us back to Ajijic to visit a street lined with wonderful restaurants, galleries, and covered with murals from end to end. 

Hasta luego! Jim

Manzanillo Part 3 - A visit to Barra de Navidad & Melaque

An idyllic beach on a quiet bay.  Carole and I had heard quite a bit about Barra de Navidad and Melaque, two beach towns 67 kilometers (about 30 miles) north of Manzanillo.  We decided on a day-trip from Manzanillo to investigate the area for a possible future beach trip. The two towns lie on opposite ends of a crescent-shaped beach on the Bahia de Navidad, with Barra de Navidad on the south end and Melaque on the north.  The picture above, taken from the restaurant balcony of the Hotel Barra de Navidad, shows Melaque in the distance. Barra seems newer, smaller, and more "hip", but has few beach-front hotels.  Melaque is older and more down-at-the-heel, but is more populous and has more hotels and services. The hotels and B&Bs in both towns  are less expensive than Manzanillo or the other large beach cities. For information and maps, click here. Click twice on the maps in the link to enlarge them.

Miles of palm groves line the road both north and south of Manzanillo. The drooping green fronds of these groves seemed both exotic and somehow restful. The palms are cultivated, not wild. Coconuts were introduced into this area from the Solomon Islands by the Spanish in the 1500s.

Coconuts constitute a substantial part of the local economy. Huge piles of harvested coconuts rested in clearings between the groves. I saw one pile that looked about 100 yards square and about 6 feet tall. Now I understand the origin of the piles of coconuts that I see street vendors selling in Ajijic and in our markets in the Lake Chapala area.

A monument to a dramatic history. At the south end of the beach in Barra de Navidad, a pier guards the entrance to the lagoon behind the town. We found a large monument there, dedicated  to the Spanish "Manila Galleons" that brought back vast treasure from the Phillipines and China starting in the 1500s.  Barra de Navidad gained its name, Christmas Sandbar, when Spanish Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza landed there on Christmas Day, 1540. Unfortunately, the peaceful name didn't match the purpose. The Viceroy had come to crush a raging rebellion in Western Mexico. He did so ruthlessly, torturing and killing thousands of indians until the rebellion collapsed. Twenty-five years later, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Father Andre de Urdaneta sailed from the Bahia de Navidad for the Phillipines and established the route for the lucrative Manila Galleons which returned to the bay for many years until the main port was shifted to Acapulco. Barra de Navidad then slipped back into sleepy obscurity.

Palm trees and umbrellas provide shade on a warm day.  Barra has a population of about 7000 and was primarily a fishing and farming community until the Mexican government decided to develop it as a tourist destination.  The narrow streets are cobble-stoned and street vendor's booths line some of them.  Just behind the narrow sandbar lies a lagoon where boats are available to tour the lagoon and its islands. While strolling the Malecon (waterfront) we met a friendly boatman who regularly visits his son who lives in Gold Beach in our home-state of Oregon. I am constantly amazed at the number of Mexicans we meet in obscure corners of Mexico who have visited or lived in Oregon.

An undeveloped paradise.  At the far southern end of the Bahia de Navidad, the land is relatively undeveloped and the mountains drop off straight into the sea.  However, given the push to develop the area, we expect that this peaceful point will sprout with condos and villas once the current economic downturn ends. 

A monument to mermaids. We found this charming statue along the sandbar at the south end of town. Barra de Navidad has many little touches  like this.

A vendor patiently awaits his first customers of the day. Things usually start fairly late in the morning in Mexico, we have discovered. This vendor had just finished setting up his small booth and was waiting to sell us various textile goods and other knick-knacks. We noticed that much of his wares closely resembled those we had seen in the open-air markets around Lake Chapala. I bought a beautiful, flowered "Hawaiian" shirt in one stall, just the thing for the thick, warm air of the coast.

A haven for hippies.  Barra and Melaque have a reputations as havens for various free-spirits, probably because of the low costs as well as the beauty of the area.  Someone set up what appears to be a sweatlodge at the extreme south end of the sandspit near the pier. Of the two, Melaque is probably more popular with this set because it is a little less "spic-and-span" as well as a little less expensive.

In Melaque, the vendors don't wait for you to come to them. Roaming vendors are common-place sights everywhere we have visited in Mexico.  All along the beach in Melaque, rustic restaurants drowsed under palm-frond shaded palapas floored with beach sand. Periodically, one of these vendors would pass through, sometimes with a small child or two in tow. A gracious "no gracias, senor" was usually all that was necessary to send them on their way.  We did make a few small purchases, however.  These folks work very hard for their living. For information and maps of Melaque, click here. 

San Patricio Melaque began as two side-by-side haciendas.  San Patricio lay on the east and Melaque on the west and both were owned by foreigners. Today they have become one town but the old boundary line is still marked by one of Melaque's  streets. Above, two brown pelicans flap their huge wings as they glide along just above the water looking for their  lunch. We saw large flocks of these pelicans in the water just off the beach in Melaque. They seemed completely oblivious to the people swimming in the water and sometimes dived for fish almost on top of the bathers.

A pelican dive-bombs into a school of small fish.  Unlike the fresh-water white pelicans around Lake Chapala, the brown pelicans dive from the air for their meal.  The white pelicans float on the surface and scoop up their prey. The photo above was a difficult shot for me. The pelicans were so quick that by the time I had seen a dive begin and adjusted my camera, the action was over. Finally, I studied the pelicans for a while and  discovered that they would glide along just above the surface until they spotted fish. Then they would swoop up, level off briefly and drop arrow-like into the water. By recognizing this pattern and setting up my shot early, I finally caught this fellow in the act.  

A rugged spit of land forms the northern end of the Bahia de Navidad.  Our little palapa restaurant on the beach lay near the north end of Melaque. I put my camera shutter on automatic as I followed a flock of brown pelicans in flight and managed to catch this one framed by the dramatic rock formation of "land's end".  Both Barra and Melaque deserved more than the few hours we had to explore them.  We are looking forward to returning next  winter.

My final post on the Manzanillo area will focus on the wonderful old beach hotel where we stayed and the constant show of people and animal life on "stage" in front of us on the beach and in the water as we lazed in our lounge chairs on the patio.

Hasta luego! Jim