Monarch butterflies have one of the world's most fascinating migration paths. Every fall, huge numbers of Monarch Butterflies gather in southern Canada to migrate. Until recently, it was not known where these butterflies went. Today, we know that some Monarch Butterflies travel over 3,100 kilometers, to winter over in places like Michoacan, Mexico.

Before we came to Mexico I assumed that the entire country was either desert or coastal. Discovering Mexico’s diverse terrain—mountains, jungles, pines, plains and more—has been an absolute delight, and one of the things I love best about living at Lake Chapala is that this area is like the hub of a wagon wheel with many other fascinating and beautiful destinations just a few hours away: Colima, Guanajuato, Puerto Vallarta and Michoacán, to name a few.

  Paul & Herma Buchanan came on Focus Program in Mach 2008. We’re delighted he’s written an article for our newsletter and only hope this is one of many! He lets you know why and how he came to live in Mexico and gives some good road tips for driving through Mexico. We’ve also added some additional road tips at the end of his article. Enjoy!

On Wednesday January 7, 2009, shortly after noon we arrived at our new home in Chula Vista Norte after six days of driving and many months of anticipation; and definitely ready to begin our retirement. Let me take you back to the beginning.

Guadalajara is the second largest city in México and is a busy metropolis, and a major Mexican business center. Although this city beats to a busy pace, there are many places in Guadalajara where you will feel like you have stepped back in time to a different era.

Guadalajara is a city of monuments, parks and flowers, fountains and tree lined avenues. It's history dates to the 16th century and the rich heritage of México's colonial gem is evident everywhere you look...

Now that the festive season is over and the family has all returned to their homes in various parts of the world, we started to think of what we would like to do. We looked at several tours and decided to visit Morelia and the Monarchs so a tour was booked and away we went.

On Saturday, March 28, Kristina, Marie and I had the pleasure of driving with Aurora Michel of Actinver-Lloyd to visit the pelicans in the little town of Petatan, Michoacan, at the east end of Lake Chapala. Aurora is passionate about our Lake and wanted to take the opportunity to introduce us to a glorious part of it. It was a beautiful drive, and it feels as if you’re somewhere else besides Lake Chapala, because the Lake looks so different from the south shore. Most people don’t realize how beautiful our lake has become and how full.

A couple of months ago I wrote about buying a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system for our drive to Mexico. Now that we have arrived, I must report that the system worked like a charm from Edmonton, Alberta, all the way to Ajijic. There were two exceptions where we encountered problems, neither of which were the fault of Nuvi, but as much as I hate to admit it, the first problem was when a human thought he was smarter than the GPS, and tried to second-guess it. The second problem was in a city in Mexico, with a bit of confusion in entering the street name. Nuvi gave a number of variations on the name of the street.

Everyone is aware of the Great Pyramids of Egypt and the Mayan Pyramids in Eastern Mexico, but I will wager that few have heard of the Round Pyramids of Teuchitlán. The reason so few have likely heard of these ‘round’ pyramids is because they are a very recent discovery of the late 20th Century. The circular architecture is known as Guachimonton, the name given to the largest of the circles and this site. It is the largest and most complex site with this architecture, and is located in the center of the Tequila valleys, west of Guadalajara, about a two-hour drive from Ajijic.

This is a little primer on the drink Tequila as well as our tour to Tequila-ville on the train. I guarantee if you read this article and then go on the Tequila Express, I think you’re going to enjoy it a whole lot more! There are also some great pictures below to illustrate what I’m talking about in the article.

I’ve broken this up into a few different sections, just in case your interest lies more in the tours and less into the whys and the wherefores. Let me hear from you if you liked this article. Bill and I totally enjoyed doing the research required!

Thermal Waters--One of Lake Chapala, Mexico’s Most Delightful Treasures

Okay, picture this: An expansive, brimful lake gently lapping at the shore of a spa where you are relaxed and watching the butterflies gambol while silken clouds slip across a blue sky. Birds call and chase each other overhead. You have a choice. You can look at the lake and fuchsia bougainvillea and see the crudely fashioned palapas or huts that leave a palm frond silhouette against the setting sun or you can look to the north and see layer upon layer of green mountains with misty clouds ringing their peaks. You are sitting in a thermal Jacuzzi filled and bubbling with the world-famous hot mineral springs in San Juan Cosala that are known for their healing and therapeutic qualities on Lake Chapala, Jalisco in Mexico.

Editor’s Note: Sue Dresher, Focus Alumni, April 2009, sent us an article that was published in November 1, 2009, Wichita Eagle Beacon Newspaper. Marie sent a reply to her: Thanks for sharing, Sue. We absolutely LOVE to see articles like this that put things in perspective and reveal the real Mexico.

Several weeks ago, when my daughter told me she was traveling with her husband to central Mexico to spend a holiday week there, I experienced a momentary apprehension. The months of news releases about swine flu and border wars between drug gangs all caused me to wonder whether the two of them couldn't have chosen a safer spot for their anniversary celebration.