Moving to the Village

Last week we made the move from a community just west of the village of Ajijic into the village proper. We were going to have to move by the end of July anyway, and we had the opportunity to rent this house that we had seen when it was for sale back in November. The house was just bought a few months ago by a couple from NY who are coming down here this coming November. I'm not sure if they plan to live here as year round or as snowbirds. Although the house was sold (as many are down here) furnished, it's fairly sparse and needs some sprucing up. But it has huge rooms with such an open, spacious feeling. The ceilings are about 12 ft high, and there are lots of wide windows. It's not an original, old Mexican house; it was built only in 1989, but it stays true to many of the architectural features. The owners will be repainting, refurnishing, and possibly remodeling when they get down here.

The house is just a block from Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake. We walk the dogs along the cobble-stoned streets down to the edge of the lake where we can let them off the leash. Alongside the lake it is not a beach. It's more like a wide space between the edge of the village streets and where the lake begins. There's a wide dusty lane that runs along it, with the edge of the lake itself covered with lirio, a type of water hyacinth. So far, Howdy hasn't seemed to realize that there's water out there beyond the green lirio. So far, so good.

If you've looked at the pictures Bob linked to his last post, you see the ouside of the house on the corner and the wide doorway, entrance into the courtyard. This was pretty overgrown, so a couple of gardeners came last week to do a drastic cutting back. I'm not sure what, if anything, we'll do with it. In the courtyard, there's a fountain with a little fishpond and an outside staircase up to the terrazza on the second floor. You step up a couple of steps into what Bob calls the sunroom, which has floor-to-ceiling windows along the courtyard wall. This room is where we spend our time. We positioned the small kitchen table and a couple of chairs by one of the windows for a little breakfast spot. Off of this room is a laundry room with washer/dryer and cabinets. It's also a full bath with shower and two sinks. From the sunroom, you can go into either the kitchen or the dining room. The kitchen is all tiled, large, with a walk-in pantry. There's an island with the sinks and dishwasher and a couple of chairs. The kitchen is inside the house so has no outside windows. But it does have a window onto an atrium that is at the center of the house. The front room on the street side has a large glass-topped dining room table and chairs, windows onto the street, a huge cabinet, fireplace. One corner has been used as a sitting room because the TV and connections are all in there. There was a very ugly loveseat there as well, but we moved it into an empty room--which is a bedroom that opens onto the atrium, along with another small, full bath. This room was empty so we designated it the Howdy/Daisy suite with a view (of the atrium). Bob set up their wire kennels so they connect together, and that's where they stay when we're out of the house. The very narrow one-car garage is next to these first floor rooms, and, amazingly enough, our minivan just fits.

Upstairs are three more bedrooms. One is set up as a guest room, one as a study with desk, TV, and sleeper sofa. The guest bath is off the hall. The third is the huge master bedroom that opens onto the terrazza. Full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows open onto it. The bedroom also has a fireplace. The master bath is something to be experienced. It's enormous and just keeps going. There are two separate sink and toilet areas (his and hers?), a large step-in shower and a separate, long, narrow tub. All of this, including the tub, is made of blue and white Mexican tile. The guest bathrooms as well are similarly tiled. Through the master bath is an enormous walk-in closet.

On the terrazza there are a table and chairs (equipale) and another fountain. This overlooks the courtyard below. And from there, there's another set of outside stairs that lead to the mirador, the roof garden with a 360 view. Up there are chairs and a table, a palapa for shade, and lots and lots of pots of plants, including many of roses.

Now if all this sounds very grand....it could be, but right now, until the new owners come down and get to work, it's definitely on the shabby side. Most of the furniture should be replaced, rooms painted, kitchen counters could use an overhaul. But it's most certainly a fun house to live in for a few months and the location is perfect. Restaurants, shops, a grocery store, farmacies, the tianguis, the plaza, are all within just a few blocks.

So we obviously have telephones, DSL, and internet, but haven't had the satellite connected yet. Maybe manana.

So that's the new house!