What is it like to spend a month away from home? Steve and I escaped one of the worst winters in years on the east coast, probably decades; final statistics are not yet in. The past few winters have been relatively mild. I have a puffy warm winter coat that for years did not see the light of the outdoors. It remained hanging in the closet, collecting dust, waiting for the weather to demand its use.
The waiting ended in the arctic winter of 2026. The coat saw a lot of use until I locked my apartment door and embarked on a flight to a warmer climate.
Mexico.
Why not Florida? My east coast family and friends inquired. Why not Arizona?
I wanted more adventure, but at my stage of life, not too much. I wanted an environment offering activities not easily available at home. I wanted to meet people from different walks of life. I wanted to talk to people from other countries on subjects other than the state of my state and the country. But as an older adventurer, I wanted access to clean bathrooms, a bed, laundromat, and wifi. A month without wifi would be too long. Yes, I am addicted.
This is our third year in Ajijic, a mountain town along Lake Chapala in the middle of the country. Two years ago we spent two weeks in the area, last year three weeks, and this year four weeks. The locale is known for its temperate year-round climate. Winter temperatures drop to the 40s or 50s at night and reach the 70s during the day. Blue skies prevail; rarely a cloud to be seen. No humidity and little rain this time of year. One night we exited a restaurant to a light shower that lasted less than an hour.
The area attracts ex-pats from the US, Canada, and around the world. In my ten-room hotel there have been visitors from Canada, England, Ireland, India, as well as the U.S.
We enter our home-away-from-home, a small walk-through apartment, through a door of floor to ceiling windows from a courtyard with a pool, lounge chairs, and tables and chairs where breakfast is served. The first section of the apartment contains a king size bed and dresser. A wall separates the bedroom from the living space, but no door separates the two sections. The living area is furnished with a couch, coffee table, and TV. A kitchenette is equipped with a stove and oven, full size refrigerator, and appliances: coffee maker, toaster, blender (unused by me), and microwave. A back door opens to a balcony with a table and two chairs. The apartment has two bathrooms and a walk-in pantry for food supplies and luggage storage. All of the apartments and common spaces are decorated with artwork from local artists as well as artists who have stayed in the hotel.
Breakfast is provided. I shop at local farmer’s markets for additional foodstuffs. We eat out often. Food options range from street vendors, food trucks, hole-in-the-wall places with two to four tables, coffee cafes, to larger establishments. Cuisine varies from local favorites like tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and moles, to beer, burgers and wings, fish and seafood, Italian, Thai, Indian, and Russian. Prices vary widely. Spend a few pesos for a delicious, filling repast of local fare to several hundred pesos at a high-end restaurant catering to affluent visitors and ex-pats. In American dollars prices range, for a full meal, from under $10 to $50 (per person) or more, depending on the bar tab.
Knowledge of Spanish is not a requirement to enjoy this area, but is helpful, especially for extended stays. The scope of English spoken by restaurant, store, and other people visitors may communicate with, or try to connect with, vary from fluency to almost no English language skills.
We have not done a lot of touring. We spent a day in the picturesque town of Tlaquepac strolling through art galleries, museums, and consuming local fare at a restaurant where the staff knew very little English. Another day we visited food markets: a Mexican city market, an Indian market, and an Asian market. The highlight of the day was a leisurely lunch enjoyed in the courtyard of an Indian restaurant.
We walk at a leisurely pace into town. Sidewalks are narrow, rarely level, with obstacles such as large flower pots, garbage bags, utility poles, and sleeping dogs. Dogs roam free around town throughout the day, and return to their owners at night.
Uneven stones comprise the roads. The town lies along the lake and climbs up a steep hill, which must be navigated to reach many of Ajijic’s stores and restaurants. Pedestrians walk carefully and look down, as each step could lead to a fall if not gingerly taken. Regular walkers develop strong leg and thigh muscles!
Friends and family at home entertain me with stories about how bad the weather is, how cold it is, how older folks remain cloistered indoors because outside their house thick ice, as hard as cement, remains uncleared. There are not enough strong youngish men available to do the work.
We abandoned our winter address in time to avoid the bitter cold gripping our town. We might face it once we return home, or we might be lucky to exit the plane to balmy weather, maybe all the way up into the 30’s.
Either way, I will miss this charming Mexican enclave, and am grateful to have had the opportunity to immerse myself in a lifestyle devoid of the icy atmosphere, figuratively and literally, at home.