Chapala Cactus Garden

365 Mexico Blog--The Practical Guide to Travel and Living in Mexico

Chapala Cactus Garden

We go with our neighbors to the largest lake in Mexico and visit an incredible cactus garden.

Make sure you see our photo tour, below the text!

Chapala—The Largest Lake in Mexico--And a Cactus Garden!

April 24, 2007

Over Easter break Omar and I took a day trip to Chapala with our wonderful neighbors Silvia and Pablo and their kids Saul and Montse.

Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico, is just over the 10,000 foot mountains to the south of our house. Chapala is also the name of one of the towns on the lake, along with Ajijic, San Juan Cosala, and various others. It is a beautiful, mountainous area known for it’s great climate, water sports, and high concentration of retired Gringos and Canadians who have come to live here.

We started out at 9, packed in our little Chevy, and in 45 minutes arrived at a cactus nursery in San Juan Cosala. We had hoped to visit one of the balanarios, or water parks—there are several in the area—but they were all packed, with long lines just to get into the parking areas. San Juan Cosala has natural hot springs, and no one in town needs a water heater.

The cactus gardens were a great alternative. There is a good size garden filled with mature cacti, euphorbs, and succulents of all kinds, some 20 feet tall and many in flower or fruit. There are also several greenhouses crammed with plants for sale, and we added some great gumdroppy succulents and lithops to our collection.

The most amazing thing to see, however, was how interested five-year-old Saul was in the cacti. He just loved them, and has started a small collection on his windowsill. It’s really nice to see a young person with a passion.

From the gardens we stopped at an “Open House” to see how the rich folks live. The area has many, many housing developments wedged between the mountains and the lake. We saw a two-bedroom house with a huge kitchen, granite counters, vaulted ceilings, and a patio with a view of the mountains, for $144,000. It would certainly sell for much more in, say, California. Omar and I didn’t really consider Chapala when we bought our house, since Omar works in and around Guadalajara and the lake seemed too far away. But after seeing how nice some of the developments are, we decided we could be very happy there. So if you continue to support 365Mexico, maybe someday we'll make the move!

We then headed for the town of Chapala, which was just packed with folks who would rather be at the beach but decided that the lake would do in a pinch. We strolled through the tianguis, or street market, and had a nice meal in a lakefront restaurant.

It was great to get away for the day. Now Omar is talking about going to the ocean next month…Stay tuned!

Dan and Omar

We all load into our copper-orange Chevy.

But there's no mistaking it once you arrive!

Pablo and Montse find a friend. Montse calls all dogs "Coco."

Ever see "Little Shop of Horrors?"

There is delicate beauty among the spines.

Lots of different cacti are sold, at great prices. Don't ask for peyote, though. That is only used by the Huichol shaman and elders.

Maria Felix was THE big star of the Mexican Golden Age of Cinema. She spent her wedding night in this hotel in Chapala.

A ton of people were waiting to take a boat ride on the lake. The green plants is Lirio--an introduced water lily that chokes up all open water. It is much more under control than it used to be.

Montse says "Bring on the food!"

Beer comes by the bucket. Oh what a lovely country!

Shrimp sauted in butter and lots of garlic.

Why three beers is my limit.

We decide to walk off dinner and explore the street market.

Omar eats his ice cream so fast, it goes up his nose.

A lot of folks are enjoying the lake.

We live right over the mountains in the background.

Pablo and Montse like plants as much as we do. Here they admire a vine with sky blue flowers.

The entrance to the cactus garden is off the beaten track.

Omar, Silvia, Saul, Pablo, and Montse!

Gringo exhibiting the signs of cactus overload--dazed look, duck feet, forgot to suck in stomach.

Sharing the road in San Juan Cosala. We did a wedding cake for an event right behind this wall.

The river that feeds Lake Chapala has been diverted for irrigation, and the lake has shrunk over the years. It used to come right up to the wall this picture was taken from.

We find a table right on the lake. Vendors come with flowers, guitars--and electrodes to grab and prove how macho you are!

We start with cucumbers, salsa, crunchy wheat "chicharron," and charales--whole fried minnows, a delicious specialty of Chapala.

A happy Gringo. "There's food in our future!"

Pablo has shrimp "al Diablo" (in hot sauce) and Silvia is polishing off some fish soup (caldo michi--michi means fish in the native tongues of both Michigan and Michoacan!)

The end of a wonderful meal.

Oh-oh! I wonder if Omar has seen the ice cream stand?

Nieve de garrafa is made the old fashioned way, in tubs that spin in ice and salt. They make vanila, avocado, cheese, rose petal, tequila, mamey, lime, and strawberry ice cream.

Pablo, Saul, and Montse do a happy dance.

What a wonderful day! Montse flies up into a Jacaranda tree.

Sharing is what it's all about!