Outdoor Living is Lake Chapala’s Finest Feature

I guess like folks anywhere, I occasionally start taking the beauty and comfort of living here for granted. Sometimes it just takes a little time with a newcomer or a visitor to remember how lucky we are to be able to have outdoor activities, all year around. .

When I watch the weather reports showing cars sliding over snow-covered roads in winter or folks sweltering in heat and humidity I’m reminded of how lucky we are to be here and I reclaim the joy of being outside – anytime I want.

Here at Lake Chapala we have the opportunity to enjoy so many activities outside—year round. I try to remember to take time each day for some quiet relaxation in my garden listening to the birds singing and checking on the progress of the plants, trees and flowers.

Take a look at some of the summer and winter outdoor activities we take for granted here in central Mexico.

• Most fiestas, including birthday parties for the tiniest toddlers, are held outdoors in entertainment pavilions or gardens
• My attorney’s office has an outside waiting room with a bubbling fountain and benches in a shady nook.
• The cocktail areas for relaxing and chatting before concerts at the Auditorium and during intermissions at the Lakeside Little Theater are outdoor. The theater has small chimineas (clay wood burning fireplaces) to create an illusion of warmth for the cooler nights; a jacket or shawl is usually enough to keep us comfortable under the stars.
• One of the village homes I lived in had no glass in the windows that faced the courtyard. The overhang protected us from rain and we just didn't use those rooms on the coldest days.
• Most Lakeside restaurants have outdoor seating, or areas that are under a roof but have no side walls. Dining under the sprawling rubber tree at La Nueva Posada, in the colorful gardens at Pedro's, the upper story palapa at #4 or the semi-open areas at Ajijic Tango, or the lakefront patio of La Tasca, or the intimate, center of town space at The Secret Garden  make lunch or dinner out a very special event.
• Lectures, groups, activities, and events are held year round on the shady patio or under the roof of the kiosk at the Lake Chapala Society.
• Wedding receptions and huge parties take place in outdoor pavilions like Ajijic's La Pista or La Huerta and Chapala’s Mama Chuy’s where breezes blow year round through shady areas.
• Concerts are often produced outside, in town plazas, in the front atriums of local churches and in the charro rings.
• Golfers. tennis players, and volley ball teams are on the courses and courts every day, year round. One avid golfer tells me that there are an average of five days a year when there is enough daytime rain to keep him away from his tee time.
• Auto repair and body work is done almost always outside, as are upholstery and woodworking.
• Every Monday in Chapala, every Tuesday in San Antonio and San Juan Cosalá, every Wednesday in Ajijic and every Thursday in Jocotepec the tianguis (open air markets) are held in the appointed village streets.
• Older members of local families do a great deal of their socializing, even in the evenings, on the sidewalk in front of their homes. Insects are not even a reason to keep us inside.
• The breezes are usually balmy during 11 months of our Lakeside year and then the streets come alive with street corner or wandering vendors selling tamales, steamed guasanas (green garbanzos), boiled or toasted peanuts, hot dogs, ice cream, tacos and other goodies. People here still take time to stroll, and to do some of their shopping and errands in the evenings.

Mexico Insights Outdoor Living Tips --

With all of these activities and events, compounded by the time you’ll spend on your one terrace or patio, we spend much of our life in Mexico outside. With pleasant temperatures and sunny skies most days, foreigners may not remember that at this altitude and longitude, the sun has a great deal more power and we need to wear sunglasses and frequently apply sunscreen to protect our eyes and skin from UV damage and sunburn.

When selecting a house to rent or buy, look for a home with a covered, south-facing terrace. Your furniture will be protected from the heavy summer nighttime rains, you’ll avoid the strong, hot sun’s rays in the hottest spring months, and have the benefit of the low, southern sun in the winter. 

What about you? What do you enjoy most about outdoor living at Lake Chapala? What are you looking forward to doing here? What tips to you have about outdoor living for those exploring life here? Just click on comments below and leave us a message.