The interesting people we meet

Tuesday, February 17


Ramiro has set up a cyber cafe outside on one of the empty lots, where we are able to get a reception. It is a bit slow and not suitable for downloading pictures. But it will do for the first hour while the office is still closed.
Our neighbours Sonia and Dave, who are here for six months, keep themselves busy with fixing up the entrance to the office. In exchange they get a discount on their camping fees. Oscar, son of the owner of Roca Azul, manages the place and hopes to land a large contract from Toyota and another major company. Many companies have vacation spots here, which they offer to employees at a reduced rate or as a bonus. Roca Azul is a great spot for a weekend away, but it needs a lot of work. If we were to stay here longer and I would not already have so many projects on the go, I wouldn’t mind getting involved.

I skipped my early morning walk and invite Ramiro to walk to the pier. We enjoy just looking at the water and watch the many birds. All of a sudden a snake appears at our feet. Not knowing what kind of snake this is, we figure we better keep away from it.

We drive to Ajijic to attent the Rotary meeting. The club meets at the old Posada at the pier. We get to see some more of Ajijic this way. We did not know about this pier. There is even a little bar. Two of it’s daily customers are a donkey and a Grinco Loco, both wearing a sombrero with flowers on it.

We meet some of the 20 members of the Rotary Club, which consist of both Americans and Canadians. Some are part time and some permanent residents of the area. There are always many visitors from all over North America, some of which are visiting friends or family here.
I am being put on the spot by having to read the Four Way test from the paper that’s on the tables. I pick up the card and read the Spanish version. Later I find out that on the other side is English.
We exchange banners and are asked to talk a bit about our club and why we are here. This is a great opportunity to talk about Project Amigo.
We meet all sorts of people. A man by the name of Hans Paul Beets (no, he does not claim to be related to Nicolas Beets) comes to talk to us and suggests we come to his place. He’s got a nice piece of land we may be interested in. I learn that he is originally from Indonesia and has lived in Holland for many years. In the 60s he moved to Mexico and made it his home.
We agree to drive to his place, which is in the hills west of Chapala just before Mezcala. The gate has a sign that reads “The Wye Blick” and in Spanish “La Vista Amplia”, meaning “the broad view”. It has both a Dutch and Spanish flag.
The house which was build at least 50 years ago, has the most fantastic view over lake Chapala. There is a beautiful garden and Hans has also made a cactus garden with variety from all over the country.
He is a most interesting man who has worked at all sort of jobs, including plant manager of a chemical company, honorary consul of Holland and a water engineer. He studied at the University of Leiden, Holland.
As he takes us through the house, he shows us pictures of his family and on the wall I see a large print of Michiel de Ruyter. I have heard people tell us stories of being related to this person or that person, but it wasn’t until he showed us the actual book entitled: “The descendants of Michiel De Ruyter” published in Holland, and the page on which his name and those of his children and grandchildren, that I actually believed it. We’re impressed. He impresses us even more, when he shows us a very old picture of the Dutch writer Jan Toroop, who was the brother of His’ grandmother.
On the second floor of his home is a beautiful fully furnished apartment with a large balcony off the living room on the west and another balcony with seating area off the bedroom on the east. This place is paradise. I could move in right now. The view alone convinces me that lake Chapala is where I like to make home and it has to have a view of the lake. Ramiro agrees and is just as mesmerized as I am.

Hans takes us on a tour through the entire section and tells us of the plan to build four homes, each with a view of the lake. I am afraid that this place is a bit too far away from town, but it is beautiful. We’ll give it some thought Hans.

Hans has so many interesting stories, we can keep on talking forever on the large patio which is so inviting and has a full view of the hills and the lake. I keep looking at my watch and make eye contact with Ramiro who also knows that we need to be home before dark.
We suggest that we continue our conversation at another time and race home.