Lake Chapala

Today we drove about fifty kilometers South to Lake Chapala for the day. I should have realized that it would be crowded as a result of it being Constitution Day here in Mexico. Lake Chapala is the "Beach Resort" for Guadalajara's four million residents and many of them escaped the crowded downtown celebrations to catch a little beach time.

As we entered town we saw a parking space on the street and grabbed it. It was a good thing as we did not see very much more available parking all day. We walked down the main street to the beach where the real crowds were forming. It was all very colourful and noisy. Kids were playing everywhere and vendors were selling everything from ice cream to deep fried sardines that are caught in nets just offshore. There are very few foreign tourists in this part of Mexico and the ex-pat community was staying away from the crowds so the crowd was 99.9% Mexican. They work so long and so hard that they really appreciate and take advantage of their leisure time and use it to the fullest.

We walked by the tour boat dock and were convinced by a smooth (Spanish) talking dock worker that we should take a $200 Peso ($18 CAN) tour of the waterfront in a colorful panga. We cruised around watching the fishermen and herons doing their thing for an hour or so and then returned to the dock. It was a beautiful day and it was a lot of fun mixing with the crowds. Just Another Day In Paradise!