Viewing page 9 of 15

00:18:10
00:20:50
00:18:10
Playback Speed: 100%

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Transcription: [00:18:10]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Towns, villages and hamlets line the lake; the most important being the town of Chapala.

[00:18:15]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
With a population of around seventy-three hundred (7300), it's the inland riviera of the country.

[00:18:22]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Also Chapala is the playground for Guadalajara, which is just 30 miles to the north.

[00:18:29]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Chapala has awakened from being the proverbial sleepy fishing village, to become a very popular resort for the Mexicans.

[00:18:37]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Also, more and more the American way of life is taking hold here. And in more ways than one.

[00:18:45]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Not only in the lake - [[Crowd chuckles]] - but all around it.

[00:18:51]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
This area is now like a magnet, luring Americans to its shores in droves. Everywhere there are new houses and residential areas to accommodate the estimated 5,000 Americans now living here.

[00:19:02]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
A figure that is constantly on the upswing. In fact, the Guadalajara/Lake Chapala area combined claims 17,000 American residents.

[00:19:13]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Construction in all stages is taking place. Building costs are low, in comparison to ours, which enables many to build their long-awaited dream house from scratch-

[00:19:23]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
- or to remodel a charming old hacienda. But don't be in too big a hurry though, as in Mexico the brick layers just might decide to take a break:

[00:19:32]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
-between each brick.

[[Crowd laughter]]

[00:19:35]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Signs in English and Spanish announce there are many properties available. And as many of the houses have girl's names, you know I've found it rather difficult to resist this one.

[00:19:47]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
All types of places can be found to fit all types of budgets. For instance: a 2 bedroom furnished apartment here rents for $125 a month.

[00:19:58]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Small townhouses sell for $12-15,000 dollars, while medium size go for 20-25,000.

[00:20:06]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Of course, palatial homes sell anywhere from $35,000 dollars and up. Here you live in a mansion or a trailer.

[00:20:14]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
There are dozens of trailer parks, and space rents for about a dollar a day. And if that's too much, well, we can pitch a tent.

[00:20:24]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Here there is an English-speaking, non-denominational church along with fine golf courses where no language is necessary.

[00:20:32]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
Well, that is except perhaps to swear a little. The temperate year-round climate is one of the main attractions, and it was hard for me to realize, being from New York, that in mid-winter-

[00:20:42]
{SPEAKER name="Lisa Chickering"}
-while the trees in Chapala are laden with flowers - the trees back home, where I come from, can be quite different.


Transcription Notes:
Added speaker name and adjusted punctuation slightly