A View From The Other Side

What other side is that? Why, the south side of Lake Chapala, my home. Most of the north side of Lake Chapala is known as Lakeside. Folks I know over here call our side simply the Southside. The two opposing shorelines share a completely different experience and vibration.

I am speaking from a foreigner’s view, of which I am, an immigrant from the USA, not an expatriate. I lived in Ajijic for five years and enjoyed it. I loved the convenience, the shopping, the cultural activities and even the abundance of other foreigners who share a language and many of the same or similar experiences.

When I decided to leave the USA to retire in Mexico, I chose Ajijic because I knew a couple of people who lived there, and I thought it would be the best jumping off spot in which to learn what I needed to know about immigration, insurance, and other important Mexican things, before relocating elsewhere like Cuernavaca or Patzcuaro.

It turned out that the wonderful weather, the abundance of fine dining, the ability to find rare goods from the USA, and the friendliness of the populace kept me in Ajijic instead of relocating as planned. I loved living my life with as little stress as possible.

Then came the hordes, and of course I am one of them. They didn’t start coming after I arrived, we had been coming for a while. The traffic is the worst part, and the feeling that many of the newer folks arriving did not seem to want to assimilate into the Mexican lifestyle. They wanted to change it to what they had north of the border and that drove me to again seek the Mexico for which I originally yearned.

I found a rental house on a large lakefront property about 18 kilometers away as the crow flies, but about 60 kilometers by road from Ajijic. I live now between Tuxcueca and Tizapán el Alto, not too far past the road where one would turn to go to Mazamitla. My view of the lake encompasses the entire shore from Jocotepec to well eastward of Mezcala. I can see the sunset everyday from my terrace.

I can watch it rain in San Nicolas de Ibarra yet be sunny and bright in Chapala. On the clearest of days Jocotepec is easily seen at 40 plus kilometers away. I revel in watching the lightning storms across the lake and in Guadalajara too. I witness landing patterns at the airport. Along with the tremendous view, I listen to birds, insects, and the occasional voices of fisherman plying their trade in front of my house, because that’s all the noise there is.

Life is slower on the south side. People are friendly and seem to be happier too. I claim the town of Tizapán to be my pueblo. It is the largest town on this side of the lake with a population last reported at around 22 thousand people. It is very family oriented, and it seems that everyone knows everyone else.

The town has a market or mercado every day. The outdoor market includes green grocers, poultry sellers, butchers, creameries, clothiers, and a lot of pop-up restaurants. It is very similar to the tianguis in Ajijic, but we have our own tianguis here on Sundays that triples the market size. People come from all over and sell everything under the sun. There are twice as many spaces to park motorcycles as cars.

It is rural over here with farms aplenty. Lots of corn and onions are planted everywhere as well as agave and the ever-encroaching berry plantations. Fishing, too, is a large industry with tilapia, Bagre, and charales the mainstays.

One of the very best things about living over here is the traffic. There is hardly any in comparison to the gridlock on the north shore. It takes about 30 minutes to drive the 40 kilometers to Jocotepec, but it takes another 30 minutes to drive the twenty kilometers from Jocotepec to Ajijic.

This side too is seeing rapid growth, with quite a bit of development. They are even building a ten-story condo building right down the carretera in Tuxcueca. I think this will attract mostly Mexicans at this time due to the fact that one must speak some Spanish over here while it isn’t really necessary on the north side.

There are some other foreigners living over here. We seem to all be of a different breed or at least we march to a different drummer. We rely on each other for various things, and we socialize and pass on current news as it happens. We are all more independent and a bit more pioneering than our counterparts at Lakeside.

At times I miss the culture that Lakeside offers in the way of local theater, music, and so many fine and varied restaurants, but the peace, tranquility, warmth and joy encountered from living over here outweighs it all.

Here’s looking at you, Lakeside.