Chapala is not a slum

In another thread Johninajijic writes "... Chapala, the only Norteamericanos that want to live there are the ones who cannot affort "beautiful Ajjijic" or the cheap Canadians like pedro, who live on the Carretera in his disgusting blue and yellow house. Chapala is a dump by comparison to Ajijic, the houses, the roads, etc, etc."

Since I lived in La Floresta for 2 years and in Ajijic Village for two years before moving to Chapla in 2008, I think I can fairly respond to this.
As I write this, I am comparing Chapala Centro to Ajijic Village. I do not feel comfortable in comparing the gated communities because life there is quite different from "city living."

First, I must wonder what houses in Chapala John has visited. We live two blocks from the plaza and like in Ajijic, there are very nice homes, nice homes, and some not so nice homes. One never knows what is behind the walls. So John, if you or any other Ajijic resident with a valid passport that will permit you to leave Ajijic and enter Chapala (at your own risk of course), would like to verify this, please let me know. I will have our gardener show you how beautifully he has landscaped our yard around the pool and then his mother (our maid) can show you around the house (all three floors) before you join us on the mirador for coffee. From there you will be able to have a terrific view overlooking Chapala to the mountains and to the lake.

If you are concerned about the safety of your car in this Chapala slum, we have enclosed parking on the property that you can use. Or maybe the roads here might damage the undercarriage of your car. But, I would think that driving the narrow streets of Ajijic or avoiding the potholes on the carreterra during rainy season make you a seasoned driver and you can handle the streets in Chapala. But if driving is an issue, just ride the bus and get off at the plaza. It only costs 9 pesos and I am sure that since you live in Ajijic you can afford it. I will take you home so you only have to pay one way.

For those who believe that Chapala is covered with grafitti, think again. Yes there is grafitti, but not to the extinct of Ajijic. Yes, it should be covered, but some of it has not been. Yes, some of it might be tagging locations for crime. However, covering it up does not reduce crime. I think the people of Ajijic would have to agree with that. I would like to see a comparison of the crime against expats in Ajijic and Chapala. Again, not gated communities, just the Village and Centro. I wonder if Chapala has more crime against expats? I think not, but statistics would be interesting.

So, to John and others in Ajijic who consider Chapala a "dump", if that makes you feel better then keep believing it. As for me, my Canadian neighbors, my American neighbors, and my Mexican neighbors we will walk the streets of our "dump" feeling happy, content, and safe and we do it without having to convince ourselves that we are better than anyone else. We do not need or want elitist as our neighbors...they can stay in Ajijic.

i am sure your home is lovely & it is on a nice street. not everyone wants to go to the commercial area of chapala. some of ajijic is the same, @least in ajijic there are some options. not everyone wants to get on a mex public bus, which is often filth/depressing. theres nothing wrong in being am elitist. some people have higher standards, whether they are in the 1% or not. it is who you are, not the $ you have. i would chose to live in one room in the best area, than a huge house in chapala. some people get physically ill & mentally crazy being exposed to that kind of element. stop trying to impose your marxist ideology on everyone, let them be who they are. if he wanted to visit chapala he would have. maybe if you stay IN the nice house, the experience is ok. also there are some decent streets near the lake, that is true. there is nothing wrong in liking chapala (if that's your social taste), or living there because you cannot afford better (practicality). the demographic/visual/educational level of chapala speaks for it self. why defend where you live? why do care what john thinks? its a non issue. (or are you trying to "keep up w/the jones"? its a cheap shot)

Susan, I did not mention the name of the street I live on. Have you visited me yet or are you one of "those"afraid of coming to Chapala? And, one can live in centro without living in the commercial area. And, believe it or not, we have options in Chapala as the people in Ajijic have options.

Susan, have you ever ridden a bus? There is nothing wrong with them. There is something wrong with being an elitist when you talk down about the way others live and describe people you do not know in negative ways...nothing excuses bad manners. Having money does not mean one has style or taste just as not having money does not prevent one from having style and taste. Have you ever been to Chapala enough to qualify you to seeing what "kind of element" lives here or are you one of those that is as you say "mentally ill" and believe everything you here and take it as fact? If so, they is scarey.

And Susan, when you say"the demographic/visual/educational level of chapala speaks for it self," the same can be said of Ajijic.

I wonder how many who think Ajijic (downtown) is safer would walk around their town at night. I came home walking last night at 2am, no problems or losers running around. Chapala downtown is safer but crime is on the rise all over and at least the have nots don't live so close to the haves in Chapala, in Ajijic village they are within a block from each other and routinely pass by, a recipe for trouble.

I agree with you Spencer but so why are people so critical towards Chapala?

Chevy vs Ford, Coke vs Pepsi, Chapala vs Ajijic.......everyone just wants affirmation that they have made correct choices. There are always pro's and con's to both sides. I wouldn't waste any energy giving a damn.

You got it CB and taking it to the extreme, I think they just need to feel superior and to do that they have to disparage everyone and everything else. People like John must always think they have the best of everything, are smarter than everyone else and to do that they must brag, to the amusement of some and the consternation of others. Fortunately people with that type of insecurity are few, they just make a lot of noise and are a nuisance.

Mikey, I don't think "most people" are critical of Chapala. And, I think most would NOT agree with John. He's opinionated and outspoken and apparently believes that his choices are the best of the best. Anyone who has to denigrate others to make themselves feel better has a problem that no words from you will fix.

Thank you for the comments. I should not let the opinions of people like John and Susan get to me , I guess

mikey1953 wrote:Thank you for the comments. I should not let the opinions of people like John and Susan get to me , I guess

Of course you should,then take a 180 degree turn and you will be pointed in the right direction.
Chris

"... Chapala, the only Norteamericanos that want to live there are the ones who cannot affort "beautiful Ajjijic" or the cheap Canadians like pedro, who live on the Carretera in his disgusting blue and yellow house. Chapala is a dump by comparison to Ajijic, the houses, the roads, etc, etc."

Frankly, I think Lake Chapala is one of the ugliest lakes I've ever seen, next to Honey Lake in Northern California. However, the Chapala mountain view is similar to another paradise, Hawaii. So, you get what you pay for. Go ahead, pay $100K for a lot w/a Lake Chapala view or @ $25K for a mountain view. harharhar! Blow your hard earned money on what you like. What a snobby, arrogant comment to make.

I have convinced myself that it's not so bad. One does acclimate & see the beauty where ever they live but I really did think it was pretty darn ugly the first time we came out here. :)

I don't find Ajijic desirable at all. If you live there, by all means enjoy. Not my cup of tea. Besides that, he doesn't even live "in" Ajijic but the country side. Not the best mountain views either.

Chapalagringa quote - "Besides that, he doesn't even live "in" Ajijic but the country side. Not the best mountain views either."

Guess you haven't lived here very long. I live in west Ajijic which is just as much a part of Ajijic as Ajijic Centro, so besides Los Arroyos Sur and Los Arroyos, Los Sabinos, Arroyo Alto and La Reserva ARE in Ajijic, until you get to the sign that says entereing the munisipality of Jocotopec.

Wrong about the views, as "most" all mountainside homes have the best views.

I agree that I should have been more careful about my description of Chapala.

I regret having written mine while I was offended.

Are we all better now?

My advice to anyone who wants to improve Chapala's image is to join with others who are trying to get rid of the graffiti that makes the town look like some kind of Barrio. Otherwise, don't be surprised if people look at that mess and think twice about going there, let alone buying there.

My advice to anyone who wants to improve Ajijic's image is to join with others who are trying to get rid of the crime that makes the town feel like some kind of prison. Otherwise, don't be surprised if people look at that situation and and think twice about going there, let alone buying there.

mikey, RE read my post before you make sweeping generalizations. & you are a marxist. all humans are allowed to feel & react as they do. its called DIFFERENCE in sensitivity levels. do not tell a person what is wrong or not wrong about their choices & feelings. bus vs limo, or whatever. you cant force people to be "you". my quality of life standard is not yours. i never told you not to be happy. why do we all have to go there to visit? to validate you? all the world is NOT you, get that? i dont expect most of the world to be "me"-or understand me, i dont give a damn. put your energy in enjoying your house, not pushing others to enjoy it.

That's right, I forgot you all only count crime against gringos. Otherwise, Chapala would blow Ajijic away in the crime category.

Yes that's right, Chapala is a much safer place for norte Americanos to live.

My advice to anyone who wants to improve Chapala's image is to join with others who are trying to get rid of the graffiti that makes the town look like some kind of Barrio. Otherwise, don't be surprised if people look at that mess and think twice about going there, let alone buying there.


Mainecoons






Re: Chapala is not a slum
by oncesubtle Today at 7:30 pm

My advice to anyone who wants to improve Ajijic's image is to join with others who are trying to get rid of the crime that makes the town feel like some kind of prison. Otherwise, don't be surprised if people look at that situation and and think twice about going there, let alone buying there.

oncesubtle

Everyone wins! There's something for everyone!

Chapalagringa wrote:
Everyone wins! There's something for everyone!

Hey! I want my "something"!!!
Tizapán on the South Shore should merit some kind of award!

The crappiest Internet service.............????? LOL

CanuckBob wrote:The crappiest Internet service.............????? LOL

No! No! No!

CanuckBob, you know that's not a valid criticism.

When I first came to Mexico, I resided in Riberas del Pilar (North Shore) and internet service was a problem (2006). TelMex had no (Prodigy) lines and didn't know when they could provide service; I tried LagunaNet and (even though their tower was only a block from my house) I couldn't stay connected. They removed their equipment and by that time TelMex had miraculously acquired more lines! This worked for years.

Mismaloya? That's another matter altogether. Settled down below the mountain ranges along the South Shore, with no Prodigy available and all the satellite signals shooting over the village, internet was non-existent; that's true.

Tizapán? My personal problem, renting a house in "farm country" that barely had electrical service, meant it took some pressure (not mordida) to get the telephone, the Dish network, and the internet service installed.

Now that people know how much power Maria & I possess over here on the South Shore, we have a lot of respect from the locals! (Tongue-in-cheek, of course!)

I'm not going to get into the "my town/gated community is better than your town" argument since it's as pointless as anything involving personal perception and preference.

My own perception is that some gated communities around this area are so buttoned up and scrubbed that they could be cut and pasted into an Orange County, U.S.A. suburb. Some people prefer that. No matter. There are no absolutes in taste.

IMO, Chapala isn't a "slum" nor Ajijic Village a prison, but I do appreciate seeing the results of the graffiti eradication program in Ajijic, and Chapala could sure use some action in that direction.

Does anyone remember the old hippie song by Arlo guthrie called "Alice's Restaurant" in which he describes the development of a garbage dump as starting with one little piece making it permissible to add more until the whole scene is garbage? Graffiti follows the same route, and more gets more.

Susan, I do read your post with much amazement and amusement.
I even agree with you on a couple of points...you are not me.
And you certainly do not have to do anything to "validate" me....validation from you would have little meaning
And it is probably best that you do not visit Chapala...you might not find your way back home.
And I am glad you do not care if anybody understands you......that allows you to spout off anything that comes to your mind whether or not based on fact. But I do care what others think of me and that they are open-minded enough to listen to the opinions of others because they might learn something new.

As for me being a Marxist....you should ask some of my Tea Party buddies about that...you do know what the Tea Party is, don't you?

again sir you make sweeping generalizations, & assumptions. you do not know where i have or have not been. telling people how they "should" think? or "should" feel is not libertarian. "fact" as you call it, is not only your feelings, "fact" is also mine, & others. you are correct, i do not care if people understand me. (i understand me). what you see is what you get, its clean its clear. my motto is take it or leave it. if we think alike thats great, if we dont, we dont. being honest & true to myself is what is important. i am not selling anything (especially myself), & keep it real. again i say you make grand assumptions, w/a tad of hidden nastiness. if someone is not exactly the same as you, you try to put them in a box, think you know their story. you have been here how long? try over 2 generations. how would you know where i have, or have not been? or what i know or dont know? & if a person has a different tastes or life different than yours, you are "amazed"& "amused" (i use your words). there are others you know.