Guest PalapaGirl Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 What are the advantages/ disadvantages for gringos living in Chapala? What to look for especially in the Las Redes area. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rony Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 What are the advantages/ disadvantages for gringos living in Chapala? What to look for especially in the Las Redes area. Thanks! The very best thing about Chapala is, since it is a smaller expat community, most of us know one another, and it happens many times, that if one gets in trouble (health issues or other), the others will be there and help..... something, I have never witnessed like this, anywhere else in the world. Prices are a lot lower than Ajijic (rentals), but there is less choice in nice bakeries or eateries. About Las Redes..... it can be nicer to live a little closer to the centro, so that you really are within short walking distance from everything. Flavio Romero, for ex, is a good street to live on. Rony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Ronnfeldt Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 I'm sorry, I don't quite know where Las Redes is so I can't answer to that, but we love living in Chapala. We started in Ajijic centro, and it was lots of fun, but far too loud for us to live there over the long haul. Also quite expensive. We then went to Riberas for two years, and liked it there much better. Honestly the biggest drawback was incessant beggars, car washers, gas guys, etc at the door. We are now in Chapala up the hill from INM and love it. It's an almost entirely Mexican neighborhood, and we never get any of the guys we got in Riberas. Our primary noise is dogs, poultry, and sheep. Rents are consistently cheaper the further away from Ajijic you get. As Rony said, there are less restaurants, but there several we really like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVGRINGO Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Ditto to all that. We also love Chapala. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monessen Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 My first year in the area I lived in Ajijic and liked it. The downsides, however, included uneven streets and narrow sidewalks, roads which were more like barriers to my partner's cane, a malecon that was often empty by 9 pm and a few other things. I moved to Chapala with some trepidation because I found a home that was just what I wanted. The neighborhood was Mexican and there were only a few gringos. Rony is right about getting to know a lot of other non-Mexicans and the tightness of the foreign community here. I live about a 7 minute walk from the malecon and it is often still busy with families until 10 pm. Not long ago a gringo friend of mine and I talked on a street corner in Chapala Centro at midnight and then each walked away to go to our own homes. Rents are really inexpensive but you have to look for them by word of mouth or on foot. I have made a lot of Mexican friends here--not just acquaintances--and my Spanish has really improved! I thought that I could never learn the language but I'm actually motivated now by new friends who can't speak English--yes, you can communicate with non-English speakers if you have to. I've learned the Spanish terms for fruits and vegetables and even how many strange looking items are prepared. Prices are higher in Ajijic but if I feel the need to pay more for a product I just jump on a local bus and for 8 pesos I am in the heart of Ajijic . I'm glad that I moved to Chapala and I can't figure out why I had such a negative view of the city prior to moving here. I think that I listened to gringo friends who had never lived here but were somewhat negative about Chapala. In just the few years I've lived here I have seen so many rehabbed houses and I' surprised at how many Gringos are now buying homes, gutting them and rebuilding them from the inside. Hey Rony. Can high prices and boutique stores be far behind ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 I would say the biggest disadvantage now is the flood of people from GDL on the weekends. Chapala has become very very popular with this crowd and they like to make noise and create traffic. To anyone locating there, I would suggest carefully evaluating these aspects of living there. Otherwise, Chapala offers big advantages in everyday shopping with its excellent central market next to the Plaza, it has an excellent Tianquis, the waterfront is really cool and rentals are less. We haven't been wowed by Chapala restaurants, Richards being the stand out exception in the past, but truthfully we eat out so little that we don't have a lot of experience to base that on. I say give it a go. As a renter you can try out different places until you find a good fit. This area has a location that will fit just about every life style imaginable. It is ever so much more varied and interesting than those blah suburbs up north. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CG2U Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 I don't live in las redes but I know where it is. There's a school, la prepa, and close to Soriana and Monday tianguis. There is a large gated subdivision called Nuevo Chapala just passed it with a clubhouse and pool, from the old train station heading towards the main street on calle la estacion there are some smaller cotos, small gated communities that are nice. I couldn't say that there's any disadvantage or advantage for a gringo living there. It's a good idea to talk with the neighbors and ask how they feel about the area and find out if there have been any recent problems that you should be aware of before moving in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PalapaGirl Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Thank you all so much. This is extremely helpful. I appreciate your candid remarks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichbinsaege Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 I would say the biggest disadvantage now is the flood of people from GDL on the weekends. Chapala has become very very popular with this crowd and they like to make noise and create traffic. To anyone locating there, I would suggest carefully evaluating these aspects of living there. Otherwise, Chapala offers big advantages in everyday shopping with its excellent central market next to the Plaza, it has an excellent Tianquis, the waterfront is really cool and rentals are less. We haven't been wowed by Chapala restaurants, Richards being the stand out exception in the past, but truthfully we eat out so little that we don't have a lot of experience to base that on. I say give it a go. As a renter you can try out different places until you find a good fit. This area has a location that will fit just about every life style imaginable. It is ever so much more varied and interesting than those blah suburbs up north. Yes there are a lot of tapatios on the weekends, but I don't find them bothersome. I live in centro, on the main drag a block from the Malecon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monessen Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 I might add that I live in Chapala just four houses up from Cristiania Park and I don't hear a lot of music. One night some new (at that time) Mexican neighbors across the street did have really loud party with music almost all night, Another neighbor just blared his music all the next day when the offenders were trying to sleep. The rest of us knew what was going on and we wanted to see if that worked. I have never heard another peep from the people who played the music all night. I think that they got the message Mexican style. Unless you live in Chapala it is difficult to imagine how quiet it can be. I lived for one year in Ajijic and I can assure you I heard more loud music every month than I have heard in Chapala in two years. My bedroom is in the back of the house (as was my bedroom in Ajijic) but my windows are almost always open. Again, there is some kind of negative view of Chapala that, at least according to my personal, lived experience, is just not true. The exception: Mardi Gras in Cristiania Park. I have never minded that because I'm there enjoying myself till all hours too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monessen Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 If anyone is interested; a group of us including folks from Guadalajara (oh! the humanity!) hang out on the malecon on weekends and you can often find us, after 10 pm if we can make it, in the nice coffee shop near the plaza. Life is what you make of it and I'm retired and "having a ball!" If you see our group of gringos and Mexicans come in and join us. We are really friendly. It's better than going to bed early on a Friday or Saturday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomas Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 A great move for us..after 25+ years in several houses in Ajijic Centro we sold and moved to Chapala, just off the Malecon..We have truly enjoyed it for the past year. We enjoyed our time in Ajijic but Chapala is a real community with everything well within walking distance..It is mucho quieter than Ajijic..wonderful sitting on "our bench" on the Malecon watching the families and youngsters play soccer in front. A great place without the coblestones and traffic congestion. We Love it in Chapala. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside7 Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Also with Chapala being the seat of the local government it gets to spend more on its self fixing up stuff....or not?. All the tax monies from the surrounding towns and villages goes into Chapala coffers. Depending on your Delegardo political affiliation, depends on how generous the give backs are for your projects Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rony Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Maybe we should not tell everybody, because if they all want to move to Chapala now, it might get too crowded here too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modeeper Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Loud music: You know Thais are noisy people, they believe spirits live in silence and want nothing to do with it. Mexicans don't seen to care who they bother, as long as it's not someone who provides for them or someone with a magical family name. My neighbors can break glass just talking on their cell phones out on the porch. They don't even need phones, they could just shout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rony Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Loud music: You know Thais are noisy people, they believe spirits live in silence and want nothing to do with it. Mexicans don't seen to care who they bother, as long as it's not someone who provides for them or someone with a magical family name. My neighbors can break glass just talking on their cell phones out on the porch. They don't even need phones, they could just shout. I have read a few of your other posts (see "walking your dog topic") as well, noticed the tone that you use, the easy generilizations that you make, the insults.... Surely, making new friends is not your main objective ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnMama Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 You're right Rony - maybe we'd better keep it quiet about Chapala. You do need more Spanish as fewer shopkeepers speak English. Forces us to learn the language if we want to communicate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PalapaGirl Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 I'm liking this post more and more! Chapala may just be the spot for us. Since I've been at Lake Chapala, nothing has made me as happy as walking the Malecón in Chapala on Sunday afternoon. I have walked from Soriana to the Malecón, through Las Redes, and it just seems more like a real town than any place I've been Lakeside. Something about it seems to resonate with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bowie Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 After a year and a half in Ajijic, we moved to Chapala. 12 years have passed( since we are from a small Texas town, it felt really good, like Rony said, more like a family town). I think we may be tempting too many new people. Probably Ajijic is better for most new people. You certainly can spend a lot more living there, and that is where the "in crowd" lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modeeper Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 I have read a few of your other posts (see "walking your dog topic") as well, noticed the tone that you use, the easy generilizations that you make, the insults.... Surely, making new friends is not your main objective ? Jeez, I'm getting a lot of attention round here. My tone? Maybe just maybe you're generalizing about my generalizing, or as you say, generilizations. Back to life on Chapala pros and cons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CG2U Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 After a year and a half in Ajijic, we moved to Chapala. 12 years have passed( since we are from a small Texas town, it felt really good, like Rony said, more like a family town). I think we may be tempting too many new people. Probably Ajijic is better for most new people. You certainly can spend a lot more living there, and that is where the "in crowd" lives. ? Who gets to decide that? Speak for yourself. Chapala, in town, does not have as many larger luxury homes or neighborhoods as Ajijic. I find that Chapala does not feel as claustrophobic as Ajijic. The main road into town is two lanes each direction whereas driving past the plaza in Ajijic takes a lot more effort and it's a good idea to keep your side view mirrors collapsed while driving through. I avoid Ajijic central, it isn't convenient to get around, I find it quit boring but to each their own. Chapala feels more like a typical Mexican pueblo. Chapala is home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVGRINGO Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 We also spent a few years as homeowners in Ajijic, but then sold and bought in Chapala Centro. Now, after 10 years in Chapala, it is with great sadness that we have sold our large home and must leave for medical reasons (VA & Medicare are needed now). Chapala has fine homes, but they hide behind walls, as does ours with courtyards and patios, three garages on 2 streets, and almost 1/3 acre of wonderful space; all invisible from the street. We will miss it greatly, as Mexico has become a part of us. Yes, I speak enough Spanish to get along OK, but am housebound. My wife walks all over Chapala and shops in the mercado publico and other places with no command of Spanish. It is not something to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mexart Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 Chapala is a small Mexican town with Mexican customs and a small expat community. As such it is a quick bus ride away from all that Ajijic has to offer. I prefer Chapala though Jocotepec has its pluses. The big street market on Mondays is a great way to start the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snafu Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 I agree with the Chapala, "crowd"? I'm in Chapala almost everyday, at the very least, in the Mercado. I don't remember ever seeing another Gringo. Where is everybody that claims they live here?. My restaurants here, El Zapote, Cozumel, occasionally have a Gringo but I never got the impression they were local. My other favorite, Carmen's, upstairs in the Mercado, has never seen a Gringo. Do you people ever go out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside7 Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 One of the turn off's for me are the very aggressive car wash guys on Madero..Also the ones at the INM offices on Hidalgo who insist on walking you across the street, or giving you the sign to drive from the parking stop, regardless if the oncoming traffic takes notice of their red piece of rag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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