Every day I read the news and think about how lucky I am to live here. Today, I will tell you a few of the reasons why.

Life is so much simpler. I walk to most places to do my shopping. Within a couple of blocks of us are the Monday Market, the Friday fruit and veggie tianguis, and a Saturday organic market at the vegan restaurant. Also within a few blocks are a healthy supplements store and a mostly organic store. Pretty soon the refurbishment of the bike lane from Chapala to Ajijic will be complete and I’ll feel more inclined to bike to the many thrift stores in Riberas, too.

Small town living is fun and interesting. It is nice to live where you hear the clopity clop of horses passing by frequently. An old man herds his cows back and forth daily and there are often people selling food door to door or in front of their house.

Expat and Mexican communities are well integrated. There have been Americans and Canadians settled here for many years and to my eye it seems to be a comfortable integration. Whenever I have attended an event translations are seamlessly done, whichever direction is necessary.

Local charities are well supported. There are many organizations here supporting the elderly, children in need, education, and needy communities. Paul and I have our favorites, but they all are doing great work. There are also several wonderful animal rescue and sterilization organizations here.

Lots to do outdoors. There are so many things to do outdoors here. There is a hiking group that has multiple hikes per week as well as an active birder group. There are various places to go to take advantage of the thermal springs as well as three decent malecons for walking. With the upgrade to the bike path it will be more relaxing to bike here too. Kayaking and horseback riding are other popular activities.

Lots of cultural and other activities. We’ve been to great performances at the Lakeside Little Theater, The Bravo Theater, The Naked Stage and the Bare Stage Theater. The Auditorio in Ajijic and the Train Station in Chapala also have live music often. There is tons of live music in bars and restaurants around town, every genre you could imagine. Paul and I love playing trivia once a week and there are several venues for that, too! I have been enjoying watching the Metropolitan Opera simulcasts this season and I look forward to also watching the National Theater next month. It is wonderful to have such great broadcasts available here.

People are innovative with their ideas for businesses. There are people who go to Costco weekly and will bring you your order. There are various people taking groups shopping in Guadalajara or to the various tourist sites nearby like Tequila or Guachimontones. We have raw dog food delivered to our home and there’s a new business delivering fruits and veggies. And those are just a few things I can think of off the top of my head! Of course, this is México and pretty much anything you think of can be delivered to your home! Cooking classes, classes on iPhone photography, painting, mosaics, ukelele, classes on pretty much anything you can imagine are available here.

What don’t I like? There has to be something, right? Paul and I have kissed a lot of frogs in the restaurant department in order to find some good places that consistently serve good, interesting food. We haven’t been everywhere, of course, but we had hoped for a bit higher level of cuisine here. We are close to Guadalajara, though, so a first class meal like we dream of isn’t far away.

To sum up: We love the weather here and the relaxed lifestyle. We still miss our friends in Mazatlán as well as Water’s Edge and Hector’s Bistro but every day this seems more like home.

– If you’re interested in more links to what’s going on Lakeside, please take a look at my Lake Chapala Links page here or access from the Resources dropdown above.