The Switzerland of Mexico

Dateline Guadalajara: I have two more weeks of intensive Spanish classes, then I will be leaving Guadalajara. I like this city quite a lot despite it being the second-most polluted city in Latin America (Lima, Peru is in first place). However, the guesthouse I'm living in is booked for February, and rather than scratch around for something else in the city, I've decided to take another track.

About 80 miles south of Guadalajara is a little mountain town called Mazamitla. At 7300 feet in elevation, this charming little town is known as "the Switzerland of Mexico" (except I don't think it ever snows there and I don't think the banks will help you stash your dough away from the IRS...).

I've found a cabin in the woods about a mile from the town and plan to live there for a few months. The house is surrounded by pine and other trees, has a little creek running by, and, well, not much else. Inside the one-bedroom cabin is a fireplace, a fully-stocked kitchen, modern plumbing, hot and cold water, and hopefully adequate Internet service.

Those of you close to me know that my precious cat Midnight went on a hunger strike about two months after I left San Francisco. Only through the heroic efforts of H, Hope, Luke, Matt, Beth, and Mike has she passed back into the world of the willing to live. I am happy to report that Midnight seems to be on the mend and is returning to her meowy self, albeit slowly.

My cat's illness clarified some things for me. I will be touring less and studying more this year in order to complete my MBA as soon as possible. I have turned in ten essays so far this month (only approximately 200 more essays and a thesis to go!) and hope that I can turn up the production, isolated in my little cabin in the woods. I believe that's also what Jack Nicholson's character said in The Shining...

For continuing my Spanish language lessons, well, as far as I know, I'll be the only gringo up there, period. Spanish will be my only means of communication outside the internet.

For exercise, just walking to town and back will be something of a challenge, as the area is very hilly. For a hike in the woods, all I need to do is open my front door, and turn left, right, or go straight. And I have asked about borrowing an axe to chop firewood and make kindling. My friends in Guadalajara are already laughing about my new "mountain man" status.

And I'll have the motorcycle for those days I want to go get groceries, or if I get tired of doing my laundry by hand in the washbasin out back. Or go on a 160-mile round-trip to a movie theater or bookstore. (Actually there's a Walmart only about 50 miles away. Too bad I have a typical liberal's attitude toward Walmanrt...)

I was chatting with a local about the size of Mazamitla, and I was told that the town has six taxis now, a point of local pride. And the annual flower parade takes close to a half-hour now, and not only because of disorganization.

I'm both a little scared, and a little excited, about moving from a city of 5 million to a cabin in the woods some distance from civilization. But there's a hammock in the back yard, so how bad can it be?