Donna & Ted’s Mini Lake Chapala Vacation

Our time here is almost over.  We'll be leaving on the 15th.  What a great adventure we've had—meeting new folks from all over the world (met a guy just yesterday from Holland), learning to speak Spanish – poquito (just a little), discovering new places, reading, writing, and just relaxing. Last weekend we got to do something I had really wanted to do while we were here and that was to go to Guadalajara to see the renowned Ballet Folklorico performed at an incredibly beautiful old  theatre located in the center of the historic district. Our hotel was right across the street from it, which was nice and convenient.  The famous cathedral is on the other side of the plaza from the theatre.  Actually, there are three plazas in this part of Guadalajara, all charming and historic. We were there on a Sunday and the plazas were full of people walking around,sitting on the many benches that line the plazas, and enjoying the numerous fountains and street entertainers and artists at work. Mexican families were everywhere with children of all ages—the little ones were riding their bikes and blowing bubbles, the older ones playing around the fountains and riding their skateboards on the sidewalks. This huge city (6 million) is bustling with action every day of the week but on Sunday people get out and enjoy themselves and their families.  It's really very nice. The famous cathedral with 3 steeples and the plaza a-buzz.    The folk dances at the Ballet Folklorico represented different parts of  Mexico. The costuming was awesome. It's been fun for me to chronicle some of our fun experiences here in Mexico via e-mail to all of you.  Hope you've enjoyed this account of our mini vcatrion from Lake Chapala.. Here's some photos we took while on our Min Vacation. It was wash day. Given the elevation of 5,000 ft. the clothes dry quickly and smell wonderfully fresh after air drying. Some folks take advantage of the public fountains to wash their clothes and then dry them on the nearby park benches. These folks my guess would be are "street people" . At least they want to wear clean clothes. Mexican Security System Ladies pants display. Maybe the ladies want to think that if they buy these pants they'll look like the display models. Here Ted and I are on the veranda of our hotel suite. Can you tell we're having fun? Hope you enjoyed our little story. Sid's Note: Donna and Ted have moved on in their lives since this story was written. I think they've left a piece of themselves here and will come back again. I just hope it's soon.