Friday, May 25, 2007

One Year

It's officially been one year since Jeremy and I moved to Mexico City. We've been fortunate enough to see a lot of the country in this short time. But our plans are just beginning. There's lots more to see, more stories to tell. We're looking forward to discovering more of the richness Mexico offers. Here's to another year of finding priceless moments like these in our travels:



Thursday, May 24, 2007

Discovering Downtown Gudadalajara



Recently we traveled to Guadalajara for a story, and took some time to visit the historic downtown area. It's always nice to go to a place that neither Jeremy and I have visited so that we can explore together.

Guadalajara has about 4 million people, and is Mexico's second biggest city after Mexico City. But even though it is huge, it seemed a lot cleaner and liveable than the D.F. At first the downtown area seemed small, but once we started walking around, we discovered a maze of statues, museums, funky chairs and great fountains.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Chapala-- more than three decades later

"The natural water level of Lake Chapala comes up to this spot. It is for this level that we are fighting for."






About 36 years ago, my parents traveled to Guadalajara on their honeymoon. During their stay, they visited the nearby quaint town of Chapala with the famous Lake Chapala. Growing up, I remember seeing a shapshot taken of them eating by the lake. Last week, Jeremy and I were in Guadalajara on assignment and decided to check out the scene that I remembered from my parent's photograph.

Though the town still has its charm with cobblestone streets, fountains and colorful tiles decorating the downtown area, the lake now has grave problems. The water has turned brownish, and most disappointing is that the beachside sand has practically disappeared and has been replaced by non-native algae. I looked around and wondered where my parents could have taken that photo. It seemed like they were right by the water. But now the water levels have gone down drastically, and the lake is further away from the shore.

According to NASA news, "Lake Chapala is in the inauspicious company of many shrinking lakes worldwide and its future remains uncertain."

Read more about why Lake Chapala is in danger and what efforts for saving the lake have been made by clicking on the title of this blog.