# El Chante?



## gene089 (Feb 14, 2011)

I have long enjoyed the lakeside village of El Chante. The calle along the lake has gorgeous old and new houses and 100 year old tress and beautiful landscaping, but ex-pats don't seem to go there or live there or even mention the village. It is the only village along the lake that does not seem to be favored by ex-pats. Any particular reason? Thanks.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

I know a few gringos that live there. Not many maybe because it's small. Being next to those 1000 weekend Infonavit type houses is not a plus either

Mexican Trailrunner: Gloria's Cafe - El Chante March 2011


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## elchante (Dec 22, 2008)

gene, i have several ****** friends who live in el chante. in fact, i used to live there myself. the "tinaco towns" that sparks mentions sprang up in el chante only a couple of years ago, so that's not entirely the answer to your question, although it certainly plays a part currently. 

my feeling as to why there aren't more gringos in el chante is that most gringos don't want to live in the municipality of jocotepec because it's "too far" from the chapala municipality, which includes ajijic, chapala, la floresta, san antonio, riberas, etc., where most of the other expats live. when most people think of "lake chapala," they think of those areas only where, perhaps, it's "more like home." 

also, if you're researching places to live around lake chapala and uses one of the internet search engines, the vast majority of the hits you will get are for chapala municipality. so when they get here, those are the places they are familiar with and to which they want to confine their search for housing. 

i've been here for three years now and have always lived in jocotepec municipality ... el chante, south shore, and now joco pueblo ... specifically because i did NOT want to live in a ****** enclave, although i do like the town of chapala a lot. also, because i live on a very low fixed income, ajijic and the areas around it are generally too expensive for me. i can rent a lot more house for a lot less money in jocotepec. 

it always amazes me how many people in the ajijic area haven't even visited jocotepec. i think a lot of them, if they HAVE been to joco, have really only passed through on their way to the westside Costco in guadalajara!


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