The Lake Chapala Society: a Heroine’s Legacy

by Kristina Morgan

In order to tell you about the Lake Chapala Society (LCS), I must first tell you about Neill James, Ajijic’s “Fairy Godmother,” and the benefactress of the LCS, located in the heart of Ajijic, which is home to the largest expatriate society in the world.

She is a woman I would have dearly loved to know and so I hope I can convey just a bit of the spark that made her one of the most fascinating heroines I have ever had the pleasure to read about.

Neill James was a person after my own heart. Born on a cotton plantation in Mississippi, she was a well-educated woman who was a world-renowned travel writer. Briefly married and then divorced with no children, she became a fearless adventurer, fascinated by flying after she met Amelia Earheart.

Neill survived a disaster that brought her to Ajijic, which became, perhaps, the best thing that could have happened to her or Ajijic.

Jurassic Park: A Family Camping Adventure in 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.

Just recently my mom and dad suggested we go to the state of Colima, a few hours away, and check out a place they found on Google Earth with a waterfall. There are rivers and springs all over the place spilling beautiful waterfalls off the rocks.

We all piled in the car: my husband, Joel, and our three kids and Ruby the Great Road-Trip Dog. If you’ve traveled in close quarters before, you’ll know this was an adventure in itself. Let me just say that after an hour on the road, the kids weren’t the only ones saying, “Are we there yet?”!

Mexico Named One of the Happiest Countries in the World

I will never forget the lesson I learned from the Mexican people after the Colima earthquake in 1995. I had been living in Lake Chapala, Mexico, for years when the earthquake hit the coastal state of Colima. I could feel the slight aftershocks all the way here in the Ajijic.

While watching the news, I was struck most by the attitudes of the people who lost their businesses and homes. They were covered in dust and sitting on sidewalks, huddled together making fires to heat their tortillas, sharing blankets and showing concern for one another. They were obviously taking the loss of all their worldly goods in stride so a reporter asked a man who had just lost his small hotel (where he also lived), "How do you feel about the loss of all your worldly goods?"

The man smiled and looked pensively at the ground and then with a level gaze he said, "Those were just things. Those things were material. Bricks and sticks. I still have my wife, my children and my own life. None of us were harmed and for that I am most grateful. We have each other. All my neighbors lost everything they had too. Why should I feel more important than they are? I have what matters, and we'll all help each other start again."

The Best Rock Group in Mexico speaks the universal language of Music

Psychostasia just celebrated their first year together! And what a year it has been! Just a few months ago, Mexico's Televisa TV and radio host celebrity Beno Albarrán declared Lake Chapala's own Psychostasia to be "the best rock group in Mexico." At the beginning of January, the group took that a step further by proving that music is indeed the universal language by being named the "Best of Bands" in a worldwide contest with a prize package valued at $50,000. Psychostasia competed against well over 300 bands in all genres, most from the U.S. The winner was chosen by popular vote in the five-month-long contest.

"Psychostasia is destined for success! Incredible talent, extreme dedication and a loyal fan base is a perfect combination to take them straight to the top," said Best of Bands' Chief Operating Officer Tyler Buhl, who flew here from New York to be at the Psychostasia celebration.

Dia de los Muertos Deciphered

Day of the Dead Customs in Mexico are Very Much Alive
by Kristina Morgan, www.FocusonMexico.com

I want to preface this by saying I do not enjoy morbidity or anything macabre…I avoid horror movies like the plague and I really don't care for scary costumes on Halloween and my children have never been allowed to don the traditional witch, vampire or ghost costumes so it has taken me a good number of years to work toward having any interest in Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is one of Mexico's most unique and widely celebrated holidays. In fact, people come from all over the world to experience Day of the Dead in Mexico.

From the outside looking in, Dia de los Muertos appears to be all of those things that I just described not liking.

After 10 years of living here in Chapala, I finally caved in and decided to see what this was all about from a purely scholarly perspective. I left my pre-conceived ideas and judgments at home and brought my husband, three kids and a camera and prepared to be a spectator.