Halloween

The evening of Halloween I walked down Colon and stopped in the Beer Saloon for a Margarita and then went to the old Posada for dinner. I had flank steak, frijoles, guacamole and tortillas, what we called Carne Asada when I used to get it in La Jolla. The steak, guacamole and beans were good but the tortillas were not fresh.

Brian, Ursala, Kas and Maria arrived and we got a big table together. They are all quite good dancers and had a good time dancing to the Ron and Sally group. Other guests soon filled up the old Posada, some in costume. I danced a few times and enjoyed myself.

The next morning Ron was driving into Ajijic so I caught a ride with him. We went to Chapala and I dropped off my damaged wheel for repair. It is supposed to be ready with a new tire on Saturday. I had breakfast at Salvador’s. Actually it was lunch since I had fish and chips and coffee. Maria and Kas showed up and I found out that they have bought two condos in a new development called Rancho San Jorge which is located on the lake west of San Juan Cosala and east of Jocotepec. A new small two bedroom condo is going for about $47,000 and they won’t be finished until around April. It will have 24 hour guard service and four swimming pools. I think the monthly condo fee will be around $50. The way this area is growing, a condo here may be a good investment and a nice place to live. It is close to the carretera and the buses. Brian has offered to take me to Rancho San Jorge to check it out.

Wednesday is market day in Ajijic. The street beside Salvador’s is closed for a couple of blocks with booths selling all sorts of items. I bought a surge protector strip to replace the one that was fried the first night I camped at the San Juan Cosala camp for 55 pesos. There is a computer store in Ajijic that had a surge protector with battery backup for 600 pesos but I don’t need battery backup or the added weight. There was a booth selling boot leg copies of software that I will check out in the future but he was too busy that day.

In the evening, I walked the 4 or 5 blocks from my camp into the pueblo of San Juan Cosala. Brian had told me that he thought there would be a parade that was part of the Day of the Dead events. I went to the square and sat for a while watching the kids playing in the square. I brought my camera and wanted to take a picture of the old cathedral but I had forgotten to take the memory chip out of the Vaio and put it back in the camera so I was unable to take any pictures.

While sitting in the square, Jose walked up and we talked for awhile. He said that that night was the cemetery vigil for the departed children and tomorrow night would be the vigil for the adults that had died but he had not heard anything about a parade. San Juan Cosala is very much a Mexican town that does not cater to gringos. There are a few gringos living in town like Brian and Ursala but hardly anyone speaks English and when I asked Jose about a restaurant, he only mentioned one. I am sure that there are small places that the Mexicans eat in but I haven’t explored the town yet. Shortly after dark, I walked back to my camp.

This morning Ron plans to drive into Ajijic to buy a wireless card for his Toshiba lap top so he can use my wireless network and internet connection. So I will catch a ride with him and then hang out at Salvador’s for a while. Every time I go there, I meet new people and get more information about lakeside living.