Dixie's Mexican Adventure
 

It's 4:30 in the morning. I'm awake. Not so much due to the Thunderstorm, but because my bed is a damp sponge. "Fine!" I grumble. I get up and discover I'm standing in 1/4" of water. "Welcome to Mexico," I mutter to myself.

I'm in Ajijic. It's a charming little town outside Guadalajara. The weather is nice, the art scene vibrant, the views spectacular, and the locals are friendly. The place is also adrift in ex-pats. Not only are they everywhere, they've inadvertently gentrified the town. A perfect example is dining out. The restaurants don't feature much Mexican food.
Hamburgers, pizza, and spaghetti are the common fare, and at Florida prices. Home prices appear to be on the rise as well. It's apparent why there's so few locals living here. They've been priced out.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm having a grand time on my little adventure. The street food is fun and good, I love how friendly the Mexican people are, and their slower pace of life still permeates Ajijic.
Just don't drink the water. Oh, and don't flush the toilet paper. The sewer system can't handle it.

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Buenos Dias!

I read a similar story recently about a community in Mexico City where the locals were upset at the growing number of American expats that have gentrified the area and priced out long time residents.

I guess it's nice that there are places that you can go that are "more comfortable", but it's kind of a bummer that it has driven prices up and driven some of the culture and charm out of the place.

I once visited a place called Sayulitas on the west coast that seemed like a great little town, and we were told that it was a place that a lot of ex-pats were going to. It was a tiny little town. That was 20 years ago, so no idea what it's like today. It seemed pretty idyllic.

And the financial advisor that I read owns a home in San Miguel de Allende and thinks it's a pretty great place.

I'd like to apologize in advance:

Well I hear the whistle but I can't go
I'm gonna take her down to Mexico
She said oh no
Guadalajara won't do

Can't help it!

Interesting area, I have never been. Enjoy!

Real Estate:

https://ajijic.com/

Wow:

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I’ll go to my grave picturing the container on top of the toilet holding used toilet paper. No roll of new anywhere. My trip to Guadalajara in 1970.

Posting this airline selfie too. I can't waste a flattering photo. :)

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What made you decide to go there Dixie?

So, uh, um, what do they do with the used toilet paper? Eeeegaddds!!!! [emoji51]

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I've heard about places like that. I believe TP is not "flushed" in much/most of India today. I believe there's usually a small garbage can for it.
I believe it's thrown in the garbage. I've heard about it, but (thankfully) never experienced it myself. Hell, in the boy scouts at a summer camp the toilets were essentially a large outhouse, and even that situation allowed for the use of TP. But I guess the problem is trying to send a bunch of it through moderate plumbing is more likely to be a problem.

It's wasteful if you don't use both sides...

I was told an entertaining story by my dad about extreme rationing involving a finger and a single sheet of TP in Vietnam during the conflict.

You throw it in the trash. I met the owner this morning he told me it's because the older houses have 3" toilet lines. He replaced all of them with 8" so flushing paper is now okay.

The can in the stall is ubiquitous to Mexico. A septic without paper in it works better.
Baby wipes are absolutely forbidden.
Our home in Baja has a bidet as do most high end homes. its an acquired taste.
Watch out for the Chupacabra's.
Enjoy a grass fed rib eye steak from a cow who never knew stress in its lifetime.
Have some freshly made bathtub cheese (Queso fresco), nothing like it.
For men a grilled Jalapeno Chile with your breakfast is a must. Chilaqueno's is my favorite breakfast.
In Sinoloa the color blue is the favorite of the Guzman cartel. My truck is Sinoloa blue.
The narcocorrido's are like Robin Hood stories and they mean a lot down there. Listen to a banda sometime.

I've got a theory on why I find it surprisingly pricey here, when others claim it's cheap. Ajijic's longitude is about the same as Carlsbad, so I'm betting most ex-pats here are from the left coast. In other words, here it's LA cheap, not FL cheap.

In the old South we'd refer to the types as damn yankees. "Yankees come and go home. Damn yankees come and stay." :D

One of my friends and neighbors told me about it . She's an American, but has lived in Telum 10 out of 12 months for the last decade. Telum is like Satan's armpits. Here it's like Hawaii.

The view of my street. My casita is on the second floor of the blue building on the left.

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Hacienda huevos, two eggs covered in red and green salsa over ham and a tortilla. I need to watch it, or I'm going to leave fat.

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Sounds like "carpet baggers". [emoji2]

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Last October, I attended my nephew's "destination wedding" there and it still reminds me of my experiences in Mexico 50 years ago. No Starbucks or McDonalds on every corner. Still local shops and restaurants. Yeah, there are more gringos about but still far outnumbered by the natives. We stayed in a resort venue that is geared more for the north of the boarder crowd but there are plenty of places still catering to the locals.

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Guatemala was a no flush zone. You get used to it. (Yech). Sort of.