My first Mango

Look what I found under the tree yesterday. Small but this type (Ataulfo) doesn't get very large. It got a little 'yellower' over night and I think it will be ready tomorrow with bananas and yougurt. All the rest on the tree are getting color as well.

Jocotepec - an overbuilt weekend getaway?

There's been lots of concern and controversy over the thousand plus houses and apartments being built just beyond Jocotepec in El Chante. Most of the concern has been about how the permits were issued and can the treatment plant handle that much sewage and keep the lake safe. Who knows?

They have thought of the traffic this will produce and have a nearly completed Jocotepec bypass road on the hillside north of town. They are also widening highway 15 from Joco out to highway 54 and the entrance to Guadalajara. This new road may end up being better than the existing road into Chapala and therefore adding even more traffic.

Since there is no major shopping in the Joco area I can't imagine what Bodega Aurrera and the centro market will be like weekends or vacations let alone in town driving. This is a large part of why I'll probably be moving back to the beach towards the end of the year. A tourist escape so close to a city the size of Guadalajara is not what I came here for.

Hill side of the highway some of the 1000

Lake side of the highway some of the 1000

A little further towards El Chante building more

And here is an apartment complex that could number another 1000

Cicadas - Rainbirds - Chicharras

The Cicada or Rainbird song is something most of us in Mexico are familiar with about this time of year. They crawl out of their hibernation holes not long before the rains and begin the song that some say is calling for the rain to come. There are a number of Chicharra festivals around Mexico this time of year anticipating the rain and it's no coincidence these are music festivals

 

So the Cicadas (Chicharras) sing in El Limon Jalisco in May, inviting people to come to the hill to bring pitayas.

Nice foot work

NEW WORLD CUP 2010 OFFICIAL SONG by RAYAN DESAINTANGER

Try full screen

New album available on iTunes and amazon or visit : www.desaintanger.com

Mexican Census 2010

"The census was taken at our house this morning. The questions were non-intrusive, took very little time, and the young man from INEGI was wearing all the attributes of his uniform. When we were finished answering, he politely asked if he could put the CENSADO sticker on our door so that other census takers would not bother us. Very professional, very easy. There were no questions about immigration or citizenship status; this census focuses on housing (do you have electricity? internet? bathroom with running water? how many bedrooms?), health insurance (do you have any?) and education (ditto)--et cetera"

I've been reading about people being visited by census takers in other parts of Mexico but they must be out in force because they visited me here in Jocotepec yesterday. Just like stated above, very easy to answer questions and non-invasive.  That's my sticker that says I've been visited.

Herding cats

That's what it must have felt like for Mom. I noticed from my kitchen window this large white thing flying around in the street with kids chasing after it. From somewhere the family next door got this huge advertising tarp and wanted it folded up. Getting 15 neighbor kids to help sounded like a good idea but they had to play with it first. Lots of laughter from the whole neighborhood and it was finally folded.

She likes small green Mangos