Activities

The Chapala 2013 Carnival season kicked off  on Friday evening, February 1st, with a samba parade along Avenida Madero. It was followed by Entierro del Mal Humor (Burial of bad humor). On Sunday, February 10th at 11 a.m. there will be another huge Mardi gras style parade with floats, music, dance troupes, horses and much more. Something not to be missed if you are anywhere near Chapala that week end. I...

This year the Feria Maestros del Arte was held in West Ajijic at the Plaza de la Ribera, Number 10 Rio Bravo street. The entrance fee was 50 pesos and that was well worth it. It was held for three days; Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 16th through November 18th. I was only able to go on the last day and I regret that. I missed many interesting events that were also part of the art and craft exhibits....

The Day of the Dead is one of the biggest holidays in Mexico. It lasts for three days. During that time, people clean up the graves of their departed loved ones and create altars in front of their homes or at the graves. The children run around and trick or treat, just as they do in the States. There are parties and lots of loud bangs of the firecrackers and cohetes. It is believed that the noises scare...

The annual Thrill the World Zombie Dance took place on Saturday, October 27th, 2012. This is an international event to raise money for charities. It was inspired by Michael Jackson's Thriller music video. Thrill the World is an allusion to his song title, Heal the World. People from all over the world danced to his Thriller song at the same time. Zombie coming out of the Bathroom If you had been at...

The Ajijic Art Street show was held on October 13th and 14th, Saturday and Sunday. It was a two day event. It started in the morning and lasted until the evening with art, music, dancing, food and fun.  Ajijic is a center for the arts. There were many different kinds of art work on display; oils, acrylics, watercolors, sculptures, photographs, etc. Most of the art work was for sale. All the artists...

The rodeo was scheduled to start at four in the afternoon. Very few people showed up at that time, mostly expats. I am assuming that the Mexicans didn't take an opening time too seriously. As we say in Ajijic, M.T. (Mexican time) or E.T. (Expat time).  This event was on M.T. It didn't open until almost six p.m. But the wait was worthwhile. What else is there to do in Mexico except sit in the sunshine and...

Every year there is the Regatta de Globos, hot air balloons. It is held in the main soccer field on Revolution street in Ajijic. It is one of the most popular events of the year in Lake Chapala and is always held on the Saturday before Independence day (Sept. 16.).  The Globos are made weeks in advance by various groups of volunteers. Some of them are sponsored by local churches. Some are sponsored by...

The month of September is one of the busiest months of the year here. The Mexican Independence is celebrated for several days, starting on September 15th. There will be a parade in Chapala and one in Ajijic and parties in restaurants and the plazas. There will be the Globos celebration on the eighth of September. That is where they launch huge balloons made out of paper mache. I will cover it next week....

The rainy season at the Lakeside is my favorite time of the year. It is also the low season. There is still plenty of activity here then but the streets and restaurants are less crowded. The rainy season usually starts in June and lasts through September or sometimes even October. Clouds Over Lake Chapala...

The Monday market is located below the Hole in One Restaurant in San Antonio. The address is: #89 Carretera.  It is easy to find. It is across the street from the Chula Vista Golf Course. Both the big buses and the small buses will stop there for you.  This market hasn't been open long. At first it was on Tuesdays but that conflicts with the organic market in the shopping center in San Antonio. So they...