Bette enjoys the reflections in larger pool, mountains and late afternoon sun on Christmas Day

After the Tequila:)

Christmas Day Feasting - Minimal organization, lots of cooperation and good spirits and endless sunshine

The thermal pool is always a welcoming destination

As the days go by....

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season to ALL

Settled at 126 Charales, Roca Azul

          BACK IN THE LAND OF COLOUR

We have spent our first ten days settling in to our “casita” which in Mexico is always an adventure. It involves visiting markets, language challenges, fixing leaky valves, shopping at our favourite tiendas and reconnecting with neighbors and friends.

We are feeling settled finally and the lovely sunny afternoons provide relaxing long swims in the thermal pool ( this helps Ivan’s arthritis) I am enjoying the fact most Mexicans simply think it is too cold to swim this time of year.  So we often have the entire pool to ourselves. It is a 3 minute bike ride from the house!

Roca Azul was once a ritzy location for the wealthy folk from Guadalajara.  Now it is a “funky” sort of  Eco Park with the pool floor made up of various coloured tiles, the cement lakeside walkway has a series of cracks and broken sidewalk, and clearly the “glory days” are over. (we are grateful) 

The acres of land, gorgeous trees, morning bird song, and ample conveniences in Joco make our third year here comfortable. We know our way around and have many established happy relationships.We have been welcomed by friends from all walks of life, local and international. We can now enjoy our “other summer” though settling in requires lots of work (as does leaving Canada) it feels great once we establish healthy routines and mesh with the laidback lifestyle here.

My dancercize friends meet at the large spacious room in the clubhouse at 8:45 am. We have combined our Zumba, Salsa and Brazilian music and work up in sweat during the cool mornings.  The ipod placed in Kris’s bose speaker is truly impressive.

Our free style aerobic dancing is an uplifting way to start the day.

We do lots of stretching and often two hours pass before we return to our respective homes or trailers.

Despite all the media nightmares, Jocotepec remains a friendly Mexican town, with anything you could possibly need. Ivan loves

wandering in the town.  It is like a treasure hunt to find coconut milk or romaine lettuce, but it is all there.  He manages very well with his limited Spanish and expressive charades!

We had a “settled in party” on Friday and enjoyed “Tom Ka Gai” soup, a salad made with lettuce, papaya, and raspberries with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing I concocted.  Ivan is famous for his

chocolate éclairs, so our first gathering was a great success.  The original people we met year one, Kris and Ken are here for the duration. This is great as we are generally on the same page re most ideas.

I begin classes with my Spanish teacher Bette tomorrow, and we

see our beloved dentist Juan Carlos on Tuesday.  He is not just an excellent affordable dentist but also a good friend.

We have two neighbors named Carlos, one is an artist and lives behind us.  This morning by chance everyone gathered on our balcony to welcome us back.  A lively political discussion took place mostly in Spanish.  I could pick up bits and pieces, and Ivan’s ears were perked.  Our Mexican friends are very despondent about the recent “War on Drugs” and violence.  Carlos (across the street) felt the media was creating the same kind of fear the US did re- terrorism to control the people.  He did admit the scale of devastation is worrisome. He also commented that the Mexican government wants a unified police system, but the people are against it.  Difficult times.

Both men spoke with enthusiasm about parts of Mexico that still remain unscathed, and reflect the good hearted folk, the beauty and history so many little Pueblos around here exude. We look forward to some day trips with our educated Mexican guides and neighbors.

I enjoyed teaching my first ESL class at the new school TEC opened in a town 45 minutes away called Tlajomulco. The director

Maria drove me there and I had two small classes (6 students in each)  of beginners and ended up teaching 6 hours.  I am hoping there will be work closer to home at the school in Joco 5 minutes from here.  But for now I have been asked to teach on Saturdays in Tlaj.  I learn as much as I teach in this small poor town, and the kids are quick to laughter, respectful, and gracious.  My students on Saturday ranged from age 16 to 23.  I do end up speaking more Spanish while teaching than any other time during the week as TEC seems to have a steady stream of beginners and lots of the students either have to work or can’t afford to continue. Homework and study habits are not part of these students lives.

The pictures below

From top to bottom:

1)   Ivan is enjoying a Mexican meal in this little hole in the wall restaurant we discovered last season.

2)   Dona and Bruno (our landlady and partner)  and new babe Sebastian visited us on Sunday. 

3)   126 Charales St.  Roca Azul, Jocotepec – We are finally settled, unpacked and watering our roses.

4)   Ivan in front with his hand carved address from two yeas ago behind him.

5)   The market is a plethora of colour…I have never seen bras

So decoratively arranged in every colour imaginable. 

6)   Ivan is making a purchase at a booth specializing in electrical equipment.

La Vida / Everyday Life in the Chapala Region

Colourful decorations, villages along the lakeside

Images : our first week back in Mexico (Chapala)

For those not familiar with how blogs work

Always put the cursor on the right hand side to view photos, stories etc. as on my computer it is not possible to simply scroll and follow our history.  There are titles in the right column and they go by date so it is easy to travel with us and experience our Mexico as I blog when the computer cooperates. The most recent event appears first, then blog back by putting cursor on titles on the right hand side.

The pictures posted week of Dec. 2/2010  show snippets of our week wandering in San Juan Cosala, enjoying the brilliant tropical flowers, eating at Vive Mexico (so cheap, and both an art gallery and spacious restaurant) and enjoying this lakeside town. Despite poverty, there is a friendliness and the town is lively all day and all night.

Dona (the young owner) put up a great shelter in the back yard where the banana tree already has cute little baby fruits.

I will do my silk painting under it, once I find a table. She also painted the house in rather crazy colours, but we are cozy and still have open dates for our Bed and Breakfast here in Mexico!  There is a spare room with ensuite bathroom, birdsong to wake up to, cows mooing in the distance, and a huge eco park to just relax and mellow out.  Not to mention the thermal pool which is also a great swimming pool as it is not even luke warm but so relaxing. Ivan does laps and it is often quiet on week days even many weekends.

We both have lots of projects and are almost ready to set up healthy routines, dancing, swimming, walking,  silk painting for me, endless reading on our Kindles (so cozy at night) teaching English and continuing my Spanish study.

Ivan has a million projects on the property and is feeling upbeat and pleased.

Our First Week of our third visit to Chapala Mexico

Hello Everyone,

We have been so busy getting settled in I had no time for my blog. After lots of organization, rearranging the house to our liking, renting the car from our friend Mark, shopping and much more we are sort of "moved in".  It feels great to be here again, and we will enjoy the results of the roots we  put down during our two previous years.
We arrived to find perfect weather and Ivan already had a swim in the thermal pool today.  Dona, the owner, and her husband Bruno and new baby Bastian came by to visit today.  We are slowly having lovely reunions with both our Mexican and International friends.

Here are our cell phone numbers (use only for emergencies) and ask a Canadian operator what to precede the number with:

Ivan  331 440 0471
Evi   331 538 8409

We can use our Skype to Landline to call anyone so just email me at

eviblueth@gmail.com   or eblu1929@uniserve.com

I will continue with more pictures and thoughts in a few hours or as they say in Mexico "manana"

Warm Greetings to all,

Evi y Ivan

We are once again in Mexico, Jocotepec (Roca Azul)

Leaving a snowy Pacific North West this week

More Cuba (before More Mexico)

Following our excursion to Sancti Spiritus, we returned to join Lilliety's family for a meal the day before leaving.  Lillietty surprised us with her new four year old daughter, and her now 6 ' tall son studying medicine.  It is a joy to stay in touch and find our connection and
history still makes us smile.

Lilliety has been pivotal in many of our adventures in Cuba, she is one of those people who we trust and know will distribute what we bring to others in need.  We hope she can read this in the coming months as she is studying hotel management and will have access to a computer soon, this is rare for most folks in Cuba at this time.

More Beauty in the Mountains near Trinidad, Cuba

Lynda and I enjoyed having a guide show us the trail this time....and what a gorgeous trail this time of year, abundant with colour, flowers, lizards, coffee beans, guava plants and raging waterfalls to swim beneath.

Pictures tell the story, revisiting Cuba

The gentle dancing man was at the Casa de la Trova in Trinidad. He remembered Ivan and is dancing with Lynda. 

I forgot how much I love the uninhibited approach to art, dance, music, theatre and movement.  Although Cuba once again faces adversity, their talent still shines through.

A peek into Cuba

We enjoyed a performance of the "new" Buena Vista Social Club. It took place at "Las Americas" and only one of the "founding fathers" was present but a new group of great young musicians keep this group playing a mixture of jazz and afro/cuban music.

Ivan, Lynda and Evi slip into Cuba between Hurricanes

Ivan, Lynda and I headed to Cuba for two weeks in early October to try and find our dear friend, and bring down some aid during yet another difficult period.  Our Cuban friend Lilliety distributed the medical aid (not much) in Mantanzas, and we personally visited some schools and hospitals en route to Sancti Spiritus.  It was wonderful to be in Cuba again but the serious shortages of everything there are daunting.

Upon our arrival, Ivan asked the bus driver if he knew Lillietty (a friend we made 11 years ago) and the same night we received a phone call from her.  We had a very emotional reunion the next day where she works as a tour guide. We enjoyed lunch with her family on the Sunday before departing.

Lilliety arranged things so we could drive to Sancti Spiritus and spend 6 days at the Ancon.

It was great to show Lynda one of my favourite countries.  We were an excellent travelling trio, and did more than I ever have in such a short time in Cuba.

Lynda and I hiked up in the jungle on the Cuban Sierra del Escambray  (Cuba's second largest mountain range) with a young female guide who showed us the flora and fauna lovingly as she had grown up near Toppes Collantes.

Ivan did a shallow dive with Leo, the dive master and was very pleased.  We lucked out with mostly sunny weather in between a few hours of clouds and overcast weather.  Ivan is now busily packing his underwater film apparatus to be sent to Leo via a BC traveler. Word of mouth is so effective in Cuba, one wonders why we are so dependent on the internet here?

While visiting Sancit Spiritus we stopped at the hospital, and two schools off the beaten path where we happily gave away the things brought (considered strict weight regulations for baggage). 

This trip was not planned, but spurred on by the great travel prices during Hurricane Season.

Is the Blog working

Each season I have to test my blogging and that is what I am doing today.  We are busy getting the house ready for winter so our tenants can "keep the home fires burning".  The "Cedar Rose", a Bed and Breakfast we started last season was a success though the season started late and our warm summer was short.  We hope to see if flourish even more next season, late spring and summer.

My friend Sonia who "winter's over" in Mexico is already at Roca Azul.  She encouraged us to try the Bed and Breakfast concept.  She was our mentor and I look forward to telling her all about it. She has already arrived at Roca Azul, near Jocotepec following a long drive.

Once I am sure this is up and running I will post our cell phone numbers etc. when we arrive in Mexico during early December. We plan to sleep near the Guadalajara airport Dec. 1 and head to our casita Dec. 2.  Once again we will rent a car from Mark (he calls them "well maintained but not new!" cars. They are certainly not new, but the right price!

He has been great to deal with and having a vehicle means we can transport water, food and minimize walking for Ivan.  Mark will pick us up on Dec. 2.

This year we already have one friend joining us in Jan. for 3  weeks, my hike scout partner and other possible visitors.

I am hoping to continue studying Spanish and Ivan has various projects.
The endless sunshine and more time might allow a small vegetable garden this season.

We are preparing to return to Mexico

We are preparing to return to Roca Azul for our third stay at Dona's casita. We are delighted her family decided not to sell this casita we have grown fond of, and look forward to seeing friends, the markets and colourful life Mexico provides.