Short Trip: Big Opinions

[cassandra]

Carol's blog on the Lake Chapala and Ajijic area was as biased as some of those written by people who spend a weekend in San Miguel and write as though they knew the skinny. She and Norma spent 4 weekdays here during foul weather, ate at a few restaurants, met very few residents, spent some time at that bastion of conservatism...the Lake Chapala Society, perused their free publication and somehow concluded that this was a conservative, retired military and with right wing Canadians, too, retirement area. Plus, with more Republicans than Democrats. Sounds like broad-minded liberal Hell, doesn't it? Was that the intent? Hope not.

That may have been true 20 years ago. I have not met either a member of the DAR or a retired military person as yet and the local Democrats Abroad is much better attended than the Other Guys. But that's just the beginning.

Without citing cases, they missed more than they saw and the conclusion sounds like a grand "put down", to the effect that if you wanted a conservative, boring lifestyle....This is the place. If you were hip, active and wanted to live life to the fullest, SMA was the place.

I surely hope she does more research before this pile of misinformation and bias becomes part of a book. It is okay to "love the one you're with", but you need not diss the others unfairly.

She missed the weekend nightlife, so couldn't comment. She missed 90% of the restaurants which range from hot to not; she missed the cultural scene; the writers, the artists, and the world-class events available in nearby Guadalajara, the second-largest city in Mexico. I'll skip the rest of what she missed. Most of the good things that make life here worth living.

For anyone who's open minded and wants to check us out....you may be surprised.
I do know what I'm talking about. We lived in San Miguel for three years before moving to Ajijic last year. We moved for health reasons (the altitude) but by that time, we were sick of the polluted air downtown, the crowds, the overpriced dining, the pretenders, the reinvented and a few other things. We also have good friends there and had a fine time. Noplace is perfect.

Flaming responses only accepted from those who have spent at least two weeks in the Lake Chapala area within the last two years. No hearsays.

[renee]

Hola, Cassandra. FWIW, I spent about three weeks in the area with a friend nearly two years ago. My friend actually went back and bought a second home there (she's from Canada, lol). There were aspects that appealed to me greatly, especially the proximity of Guadalajara, which offered world class cultural events and shopping within a short drive or bus ride. As well, we attended a couple of wonderful concerts in and around Ajijic. I made the decision to move to SMA not out of distaste for Ajijic and/or the Lake Chapala area, but simply because of personal reasons. I long considered the Ajijic area, because while we were there we met some like-minded New Yorkers who were about as far away from right wingers as you can get. They showed us a side of the Lake area that I doubt Carol or many other short termers have discovered.

I would hope that Carol will aspire to unbiased reporting about any area in which she spends time. Her readers should appreciate your rebuttal as it is written with fairness and clarity.


Renee

[cassandra]

Thank you, Renee, for your response.

It is always true that we need to get acquainted with places as well as people before passing judgment.

[Ken_Howard]

Gee, Cassandra, I went back to Carol's post to see if I read something different than what you got. I dunno, but I'm not getting the picture of Dante's Inferno that you got. Compared with some of what I have read on other Mexico expat forums about the area, Chapala and Ajijic came across as the verdant, stimulating paradise that thousands of expats and Méxicanos alike believe it to be.

Yeah, OK, so maybe some of the expats in that area lean toward the conservative side. Big deal! The dirty little secret of San Miguel is that it has its share of NRA card-carrying, Dubya-voting gringos también.

Carol's 3-minute riff was simply her list of impressions from her trip - same conversation any of us would have if we asked a friend how their trip went. So it's not her cup of tea. That's what makes the world go 'round - a little diversity among neighbors!

Personally, sitting here in 100-degree Dallas with our orange-level ozone alert days, the green, green hills of Chapala look mighty good!

Ken

[cassandra]

That wasn't my intent, Ken.

To characterize this as a bastion of conservatives is inaccurate.
To indicate that this is dullsville as compared to SMA is likewise. That's all I intended to convey, along with the idea that 4 days in the rain is not long enough to get the true flavor of this area.

Dante's Inferno sounds much more stimulating than the lake Chapala area as described in Carol's blog. On the other hand...I wouldn't care for the climate.

[carol]

I reread my blog and stand by what I wrote, my impressions of four rainy days in Ajijic, though I appreciate the responses defending Ajijic, which doesn't need defending.

The Ajijic residents we met think they live in paradise, too, and for them it is. They had some nasty insults for SMA they shared with us, too, though none of them had ever been here.

Here is a list of the 44 Ajijic community organizations posted each month in the Lake Chapala Society magazine, to give readers a fuller picture of life in our sister city:

Alcoholics Anonymous, ACA sustainable agriculture, A Course in Miracles, Buddhist Meditation Group, Scrabble Club, Writers Group, Masonic Lodge, American Legion, Amigos del Lago, Amities Francophones, Anita's Animals, Ajijic Society of the Arts, Bridge, British Society, Card and Domino Club, Canadian Club, Daughters of the American Revolution, Eastern Star, Gamblers Anonymous, German Meeting, Golden Strings, Hash House Harriers, Junior League, Programa por Niños Incapacitados, Irish Society, Duplicate Bridge, Shriners, Lakeside School for the Deaf, LINK (desk at the Lake Chapala Society for newcomers), Los Niños de Chapala y Ajijic (scholarships), Love in Action (shelter for abused kids), Music Appreciation Society, Mision San Pablo@ Cedros (support for 60 kids orphaned from parents with AIDS), Navy League, Needle Pushers (helps low-income children), Neill James Lecture Series, Niños y Jovenes Caravan (food and used clothing for the orphanage in San Juan Cosala), Open Circle (fostering health of body, mind and spirit) Overeaters Anonymous, Red Cross Volunteers, Rotary, Science of Mind Study Gorup, Viva la Musica, Volunteer Health Resource Group.

Also please enjoy the 51 photos of Ajijic and Chapala I posted in the Photo Gallery of this website, that give additional impressions of the area. It doesn't look like Dante's Inferno to me!

Carol Schmidt

[cassandra]

Could someone please take the time to post all the organizations in San Miguel. Those in the Lake Chapala area were listed in the back of the local free magazine published by the lake Chapala Sociaty. It is nice to see the complete list now, instead of the limited selection offered in the original blog..the DAR and a military retirees' group. There is, after all, a few devoted to animals and kids who have fallen on hard times.

I don't know where the Dante's Inferno reference oozed up from, but maybe it's because I said "the blog" made this sister city sound like Liberal Hell. That would be a gross exaggeration. How about "liberal heck"?

[wmhwilson]

Maybe this is a tempest in a teapot or more aptly...impressions of four rainy days in Ajijic

Like Carol, I am a journalist and spent much time reading and even talking to people I know who have been to the Lake -- including a classmate -- and while we may think that this site is an unbiased newspaper it's really a forum sponsored by an author.

Not an author of one just a travel book-- but several novels and considerable professional experience in both newspapers and public relations. In other words -- a professional communicator.

Many newspaper have a certain bias and like all people Carol has natural skills and observations that are affected by many factors. Her style is unique and her energies produce many valuable observations as well as funny and precious tales.

Carol is a trained and professional observer. This is one person's observation and point of view. I have seen many travel books and stories on various places that I have been and often say to myself that "gee, that’s not what I felt or thought."

Some daily newspaper stay away from restaurant reviews. Taste vary like observations and the environment in which one grew up. Observations help us make decisions-- hopefully-- informed decisions.

Many of my SMA experiences and observations differ from Carol's. Mexico, SMA and the Lake are big places, language barriers exist and the gringos are often very opinionated. No one has cornered the market on Truth.

Carol works hard on this site -- and it’s free.

Finally, the internet has many, perhaps too many people who have ideas, opinions and thoughts that would have never seen the light of day with editors or advertisers or paying subscribers.This site does many things and most of the excellent and I value the observations -- Carol's have more weight -- and other posters comments are just as valuable,too.

Me, I'd would have written Carol a email if I had issues and not posted them and have done so in the past. I know Carol can fend for herself I am often irked by the way the some internet publications are perceived and judged.

I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”
François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire)

[Ken_Howard]

Sorry to have caused even more confusion, Cassandra, and all. 'Dante's Inferno' was just my cutesy way of saying "hell". That's what I get for trying to wax poetic.

BTW, we FINALLY managed to agree on vacation dates AND get airfare to BJX that wasn't a king's ransom. So Mike and I are coming to Guanajuato for the Cervantino Festival and then on to San Miguel. Can't wait to take Carol and Norma out for a dinner date. See you all in October.

Hasta la vista,
Ken

[rumba]

Just one last comment. Aren't we glad there are so many wonderful places in Mexico to escape to. Why is everyone so concerned about proving there's is the best. Variety is the spice of life and that is why we all love to travel. I can't think of one perfect place to live. Good thing cause everyone would be there.

Rumba