tianguis paver project in Ajijic

Thank you for posting the photo, Pedro. Very helpful.
Zed, I am most impressed that you wore out four pair of these in six years. I guess you really DO walk a lot!

Pedro wrote:the woshoer shoes is zapatos and i had no trouble finding this pic of the men's style pirma sandal,price:385p in mercado libre-eh zed-SNORK!

Zapatos are shoes.  Try sandalias or huaraches.

Pedro wrote:the woshoer shoes is zapatos and i had no trouble finding this pic of the men's style pirma sandal,price:385p in mercado libre-eh zed-SNORK!

Zapatos are shoes.  Try sandalias or huaraches.

With the normal shifting of the soil through the seasons how long do you think the resurfacing would last?

papa chango wrote:

Pedro wrote:the woshoer shoes is zapatos and i had no trouble finding this pic of the men's style pirma sandal,price:385p in mercado libre-eh zed-SNORK!

Zapatos are shoes.  Try sandalias or huaraches.

you will note that i said zapatos are shoes and pirma is a footwear company including shoes and that's how i found them so there is no need for me to try what you suggest. the proof is in the pudding or in this case the picture. you misquoted me by the way. i never said"the woshoer shoes".

There are so many examples scattered throughout Mexico where streets have been resurfaced with pavers to encourage safe foot traffic but these same streets have been shut off to vehicle traffic. Tlaquepaque, Oaxaca, Puebla, Zacatecas, San Miguel de Allende, Leon, Morelia are just a few that come to mind. Rather than making such a modification for a single Wed. Tianguis, maybe Ajijic should be looking at other possible uses such as outdoor art shows, sidewalk cafes, crafts fairs etc. and shut this particular road down to vehicle traffic?

Lady Otter Latté wrote:Thank you for posting the photo, Pedro. Very helpful.
Zed, I am most impressed that you wore out four pair of these in six years. I guess you really DO walk a lot!

Pedro
Thanks for the picture Pedro. It makes people understand the style is not a priority with these, functionality is.


LOL
When not resting my knees I walk 10 miles a day. I would wear out a set of Teva in six months at 70 bucks a pop. I can get more than a year out of each pair with the Pirmas.   Why do I walk?  Its fun and I can eat and drink what I want.  No walk I get fat or have to starve myself which I do not enjoy. These Pirmas wear out where the strap goes into the bottom from all the dirt here. I can't wear out the bottoms before the straps
go. The straps are leather so polish them with shoe polish and they will last a little bit longer. I don't bother. Best cobblestone shoes. I have sold
at least 10 pairs of them to friends. We have a picture of us all in our Pirmas at once. Looks funny like a Eugene/ Berkely party and everybody
in Berkinstocks.

Z

in answer to cheena.
it's a residential street and is access to other residential streets. not a good idea to cut of a whole bunch of houses permanently. the tianguis is only about 1/2 day. pavers were put in all over the place in mazamitla for "vehicular" traffic. there are lots of towns in mexico that have gone with them and other modern methods once they can afford it.

Pedro it is the locals who are most vocal in Ajijic about the cobbles and keeping them not the gringoes.  Ajijic beats to a different Mexican drum I think sometimes. We probably have contaminated the Mexicans here. I am partly joking but not really. We do impact things more here than the gringoes in Chapala for example in my opinion.

I have a friend who rents a house on revolution and Pedro is right Wednesdays are a pain in the butt for them. It would not be fair to close the street more than on Wednesdays.

Z

Zedinmexico wrote:Pedro it is the locals who are most vocal in Ajijic about the cobbles and keeping them not the gringoes.  Ajijic beats to a different Mexican drum I think sometimes. We probably have contaminated the Mexicans here. I am partly joking but not really. We do impact things more here than the gringoes in Chapala for example in my opinion.

I have a friend who rents a house on revolution and Pedro is right Wednesdays are a pain in the butt for them. It would not be fair to close the street more than on Wednesdays.

Z

i suggest that you have not met many locals of the poorer sort then. for example those who can't afford a vehicle other than an old beater which doesn't fair well with those disgusting roads in ajijic. don't worry about our impact in chapala. when we try for something-it usually ain't a silly NOB thing or concept and is for the benefit of all residents in the whole or a specific area, whichever warrants attention. this paver thing in ajijic resembles the kind of thing that is a benefit to all. it will even make it easier to ride mi moto down that street.

Some years ago, we lived in a another Mexican town, in a barrio with dirt streets.  We were the only gringos in that immediate neighborhood when they decided to form a "road committee" and the consensus of opinion was that paving with cement was the best way to go.  Cobbles weren't even considered.  Before that, it became a running stream or mud in the rainy season.  After the paving, it was fun to see the kids out playing ball and riding bicycles on the nice, flat street.  We had zero influence in that decision but contributed our fair share of the cost.  Everyone was happier with their new paving.  What's our problem here?

As far as "quaint" is concerned:  please note that the Mexicans around here aren't wearing native costumes, either.  This isn't Disneyland South....Mexicoland.
Let's think safety and practicality.  I agree that closing the street doesn't make sense. Others need to use it the rest of the week.
The tiangus could be moved to an off-street location, but there's nothing wrong with where it is now except for the killer cobbles.  I'd like to see it wheelchair or cane accessible so everyone can enjoy it.

A comment on safety:

IMHO, the streets are safer when they're cobblestoned. Kids and old people that are walking are safer when cars are not speeding down paved streets.  Many locals agree with me.  

Many years ago when the streets were first cobbled that was the only solution to the local people here to make their roads passable during the rains.  Then cars were not around and the streets were for walking and horses.  

Okay, so a couple of old ladies fell and I'm sorry that they had some injuries. But why don't we teach them how to walk on the streets rather than spend all this money.  

If paved streets are a priority for you then why don't you move to where they're already paved.  Please don't make Ajijic  look like Los Angeles and unsafe for people that are walking.

 

Putting pavers on one obscure street is going take this village on the road to Los Angeles-land?

"Teaching them to walk" properly on cobblestones? .......please. Have some respect.  Some of them CAN'T walk easily on cobblestones any longer, for any number of reasons which could apply to you some day.  Consider that a shopping trip to the Tiangus is a real treat for many Ajijic residents; not just those who are as frisky as you are.  

No one is suggesting that the whole town be paved or cemented. The worst visual blight around here is Walmart (remember the promised 125 trees) and the Laguna Mall. Plus the road winding up the mountain and what's going to happen there.  Things have already changed.

The major menace to pedestrians is the people who tear through the village in their vehicles without regard to the cobblestones.  They have the big pickups and SUV's with heavy duty shocks......and they just don't care.  Topes slow them down; not cobbles, but everyone hates topes, si?

If Walmart is the worst visual blight, it sure gets visited a lot.  
Many folks enjoy the cines at the Laguna Mall as well as the couple of restaurants (Wings, Subway) and the Casino as well as a few other retail outlets.
How can the mall be more of visual blight than the annual crop of weeds that grew there?
The narrow streets and how people park in Ajijic, slow down the traffic far more than cobblestones or topes. Why, some days buses and trucks, even have to reverse directions to get somewhere.
That's what you call "slowing down the traffic".

Pedro wrote:

Zedinmexico wrote:Pedro it is the locals who are most vocal in Ajijic about the cobbles and keeping them not the gringoes.  Ajijic beats to a different Mexican drum I think sometimes. We probably have contaminated the Mexicans here. I am partly joking but not really. We do impact things more here than the gringoes in Chapala for example in my opinion.

I have a friend who rents a house on revolution and Pedro is right Wednesdays are a pain in the butt for them. It would not be fair to close the street more than on Wednesdays.

Z

i suggest that you have not met many locals of the poorer sort then. for example those who can't afford a vehicle other than an old beater which doesn't fair well with those disgusting roads in ajijic. don't worry about our impact in chapala. when we try for something-it usually ain't a silly NOB thing or concept and is for the benefit of all residents in the whole or a specific area, whichever warrants attention. this paver thing in ajijic resembles the kind of thing that is a benefit to all. it will even make it easier to ride mi moto down that street.

Pedro poor people in Chapala have a car???  My poor friends in Ajijic do not have cars. :-) Who knows maybe the local folks are telling the gringoes what
they want to hear and they think we want to keep the cobbles. They do like to keep us happy here seriously.

Z

I got the impression from pronouncements re Chapala's Presidente's meeting with the committee that not only was the paver project question a done deal, but a timetable has been set.

As far as the (IMO) visual blight of Walmart is concerned, everybody seems to hate it and everybody seems to be shopping there anyway. That doesn't make it less ugly or out of place, but once something is built around here, I never see it torn down.
We can be comforted by the hauling away of the monster sign, anyway.

I think the same can be said for Walmart anywhere. People say they hate it yet go there in droves.

CanuckBob wrote:I think the same can be said for Walmart anywhere. People say they hate it yet go there in droves.

I've run into practically every gringo I know in there at one time or the other. Most patrons seem to be Mexican, though. In fact, they bring buses of them from the countryside on "crazy Tuesday", who in turn buy lots of stuff to sell at the little mom and pop stores back home.
It even resulted in Superlake getting some of those wild markups down. One good thing: they did provide a lot of jobs for the locals.
A bad thing: they are so chintzy that they turn off the freezers at night.

Did you know that the majority of Mexicans in Ajijic avoid the Tianguis. Number one reason: overpricing

Good deals are available on veggies if you go at the end of the tianguis, just before the vendors fold up.

a good reason to go to the tianguis in chapala then,because it is teaming with mexicans, so the prices must be right.

A post on the other board on Jan 16th said Chapala was going to pay for the project and donors to the project were to get their money back or asked to give it to another project. I would say there are enough customers to keep the tianguis going with the local government taking over the project.
 As far as prices this is a resort area and prices here are cheap for a resort area. You can find places a little cheaper where the locals go but most vacationers don't have or take the time.

Anyone wish to make "book" on how soon Chapala comes through with the money and manpower?

It's more a matter of when Simapa comes thru with repair of the underground pipes in the street. And that's harder to bet on.