by Karen McConnaughey Not everybody loves peace and quiet all the time. Many of us
need social stimulation (even when we retire)... Culture. Shopping. Restaurants. Companionship. A life
of excitement, friends, fun...even luxury. And the leisure to enjoy it all.
Can anyone say…Ajijic, Jalisco,
Mexico?
We have so much to do here that you might need to keep a
social calendar, and also develop the talent to say, ‘no.’
First of all, Lake Chapala is 45 minutes from the central hub of Guadalajara where you will
find not only whatever food you want, but all the cultural events you could
hope for. This past year we even had nine live feeds from the New York
Metropolitan Opera – transmitted by high definition video – on the big screen
in Guadalajara’s
Teatro Diana. Those present at the first presentation gave “Tosca” a big thumbs
up. “I loved it!” said Chapala area resident
Marian Wellman, as she stood in line with friends afterwards to buy tickets for
upcoming broadcast operas. “It’s the Met! But you can afford it!” That's because she and others paid only
80 pesos for a presentation that a New Yorker would have to pay a minimum of
$20 USD for.
Just a short 15 minutes away from the Lake Chapala area is
the VFG Arena, owned by Vicente Hernandez, not only the undisputed king of
Mexico's traditional ranchera music, but also is one of Mexico’s most
recognizable and influential cultural icons. His arena continues to expand, but
has already had such distinctive performers as Celine Dion, Aerosmith, Ricky
Martin, Peter Gabriel, Motley Crue, Judas Priest and Sarah Brightman! You can’t
get too much more diverse than that. And, world-renowned group Cirque de Soleil
was so popular in Guadalajara
that it extended its stay. And there’s always a catered bus to take you there
and bring you back…quality entertainment and a first rate bus ride…it doesn’t
get much better than that!
Regarding restaurants in Guadalajara…you'll find everything from cheap
to expensive, from Mexican to French to Argentinean to Sushi to Italian to
Indian and more! And in the Lake
Chapala area, you’ll find
all of these restaurants too, plus smog-free, outdoor, lakeside dining!
Guadalajara
offers an array of nightlife entertainment for all ages and preferences. You
can walk into a nice jazz club like “Copenhagen
77,″ a high-quality piano bar such as “El Piano,” or you can dance all night at
a rock nightclub like “Hard Rock Café.” Of course, the night life also offers
opera, ballet and live theater, as well as casinos. So all you have to do is decide what you’re in
the mood for and it’s there!
Lake
Chapala restaurants and
night clubs offer traditional mariachi music (both male and female), 
bands like
the TallBoys (music steeped in 70s rock with country overtones), as well as
classical guitar, oldies but goodies and much more. You just have to keep a calendar
of who’s playing where next and you could dance your heart away every single
night of the week.
In Ajijic, entertainment can range from impromptu street
celebrations to casino gambling, from water parks to hiking, from paragliding
to championship level golf, and from world-class sporting events to world music
festivals and philharmonic orchestra productions.
So…now you understand…you can get it all in the Lake Chapala
area,,,from the world-class city of Guadalajara
to the quaint little village
of Ajijic…it’s all here
waiting for you.
Come see what it’s all about…cultural activities are alive
and well in beautiful Ajijic.
Karen McConnaughey:
Operations Manager for FocusOnMexico.
Focus On Mexico offers 8-Day
Educational Programs to Ajijic and Lake
Chapala, Mexico
(2nd Best Climate in the World). Join us on a Focus program and
learn why thousands of Americans and Canadians chose to retire in Lake Chapala.
Our programs offer
the perfect balance; a wonderful vacation and an insightful, educational
experience. Our expert speakers cover all topics: Health Care, Real
Estate, Legal System, Immigration, Bringing Pets, Cost of
Living, US Taxes
for Americans, Non-Residency for Canadians, Living on the Lakeside, Investing
in Mexico,
Mexican Economy and much more...
Youll get everything
you need to help you decide if Lake
Chapala, Mexico is the place for you, plus have a lot of fun doing it.
Retiring in Mexico
couldn't be better.