IT’S A NEW YEAR!

Here we are in 2019 and I actually live in AJIJIC, MEXICO! I continue to be amazed on a daily basis and wonder when the vacation will be over. Did I miss my flight??? As they often say here, it’s another day in Paradise!

Two days before the New Year our dear friends Onja and Bill arrived from Durham, NC. Our first guests in our new home. We’d worked diligently to prepare for them, with the side benefit being fairly quickly living in a house that was, for the most part, in order. But we learned a lot in the process. Having the house in order was only part of being prepared.

Soon after they showed up we hitched a bus ride or 2 to the village to show them the flavor of life here. Like me they found the rides interesting and a great way to connect to the local people. The title of my blog became quickly apparent as they observed firsthand the “color in the streets”.

We learned quickly that December through early January are intense holiday times for the Mexicans and many stores and restaurants were closed for days on end. But we had managed to make reservations at a nearby restaurant for New Year’s Eve and were delighted with the results. There were no buses running by the time we left and we weren’t keen on the idea of walking up the dark hill to our Casa Morada anyway, so we “broke down” and called a nighttime taxi for the first time since our arrival. Bingo! Gracias, Juan Carlos.

We took many trips to the village, looking for shops and restaurants to treat our guests to. Often we ended up back home or eating somewhere we weren’t that excited about. But the Tuesday market – on Monday because of the holiday -proved to be a delight and we came home with bags and bags of luscious fruits, veggies and treats. We did make it to Machi Ma and Gosha’s, Taco Frida’s and Casa de Cacao, all favorites.

Tuesday – New Year’s Day. Celebrations abound. We headed to Ocampo (street/calle) and eventually hooked up with the annual “playful” parade to “treat hangovers with a dose of good humor”. Mexicans love a parade and the streets were pretty crowded!

The Wednesday market was a completely different experience for Bill and Onja and one that also delighted. Stalls full of veggies, fruits, clothes, jewelry, pottery, etc. are mixed with stalls of plastic ware (plastico) and junk (another man’s treasure). Fresh cheese (queso fresco) beside fresh sopes (thick tortillas with high edges for filling) gave way to fish stalls and pirated (?) CD’s. We filled our bags again, though with not as much weight due to the required bus ride home.

Thursday – off to Chapala! Another bus ride to this delightful town. Delightful due to the gorgeous Malecon, and , for me at least, the center market. We enjoyed watching the migrated pelicans being fed, crowding together with seemingly no space in between, chasing each other en masse and honking (?) for more. Onja and I drank fresh carrot juice while Bill downed a chili rellano that was more of a meal than he’d bargained for. The bus ride home was serenaded by 2 young men with their guitars for the first lap, then a middle-aged couple – she had NO teeth and sang like an angel!

Friday – last day with our guests for this trip. Ben ended up with a bad cold, confirmed by the local clinic, so Bill and Onja headed out for breakfast on their own, picking up some things they wanted and we needed – including (Thank you!) the plastic to cover the open bathroom ceiling vent that makes our downstairs so cold. After that Onja and I grabbed a ride with my neighbor Vidette who invited us to celebrate her birthday with a few other women at the local hot springs-Termal Cosala. We spent the next 3 hours dipping in different pools – my favorite was the “bubbly” pool – and enjoying sunshine and conversation. It felt good to be included in this group of well – traveled, well -read, intelligent and interesting women. Maybe it was my birthday, too!

We learned a lot about having company so early after moving to a foreign country. We didn’t do so well with the directions (according to the frustrated taxi driver from the airport) and we had no idea so many things would be closed. We’re grateful that they didn’t complain when the rooftop water tank (tinaco) ran dry and hope they were warm enough with the limited blanket supply (we need a linen store here!). We were all thwarted by the barrage of noise for hours on end, including across the street from us where the Mexican family chopped wood, cooked for days, set up a long table in the street by their (illegal) bonfire, and blasted their music while all the relatives gathered round. Holidays are not about gifts here (except for today-3 Kings Day) but about relaxing with a gathering of family and friends. We’re glad our friends chose to be with us. We hope they’ll come again!

WE WISH ALL OF YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR! MAY THERE BE CLARITY, COMPASSION & CHANGE LEADING US TO THE LIGHT OF PEACE & UNDERSTANDING! WE ARE ALL ONE IN THAT LIGHT.