Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
|
Tepatitlan
de Morelos
(Pronounced:
teh-puh-teet-LAAN)
Mexican Highlands, Jalisco,
Mexico
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
It's called "Tepa" for short.
This clean, friendly
city in the northern highlands of Mexico's state of Jalisco has a beautiful
Baroque-style Cathedral, a gazebo of wrought iron made in France then
transported to Mexico, and some fun rooftop restaurants and bars.
Take a look!
Large colorful lettering of the city's
name
All over
Mexico,
today's fashion is to have the name of the city spelled out in big, bright,
colorful letters while depicting history or notable things about the town on
the letters themselves.
You will find similar
style letters in
Morelia,
Chapala,
Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara airport,
Comitan, El
Fuerte and even
the old, old town of
Patzcuaro.
Wrought iron Gazebo
We heard that the
French left their influence here
in this city of Tepa, as evidenced by this
wrought iron gazebo in the Plaza de Armas downtown. Apparently, it was built
in France and brought to this city and reconstructed on this site. This must
have been a big ordeal at that time in history.
We asked around, but couldn't find out
much about the French here. Troops from French North Africa did invade Tepatitlan in 1864 and were resisted by the locals.
And apparently, some stayed to make a life for themselves.
Mexico's history is
fraught with invasions, wars for independence, uprisings, acts of tyranny
and the desire for freedom from it.
Billy and Akaisha in
Tepatitlan
Here we are at the
Plaza, in front of the bold and colorful letters spelling out the name of
the city. In the background you can see the French-made Gazebo.
Concrete guitarra
ornament on the Plaza
Mexico has such a sense
of fun with their Plaza decorations. Here you see a painted guitar fashioned
out of concrete. Painted on the front are a Mexican village, a blooming
nopale cactus and a handsome man (in his tilted sombrero) kissing a
beautiful Mexican maiden. Mexico's national colors are proudly displayed on
the neck of the guitar.
The Cathedral of St.
Francis of Assisi is in the background.
Cathedral of St.
Francis of Assisi
This temple was built
from 1742–1775, from piedra braza or breastsroke stone. It's a
beautiful, creamy brown color set off by the changes in sunlight and
weather.
St. Francis is a
favored saint in Mexico, being the patron saint of several cities throughout
the nation. He was known for his love of animals and is often pictured with
birds on his shoulders and small animals gathered around his feet. He was
also known for his display of love towards humanity.
The Prayer of St.
Francis is very famous, regardless of one's belief in God or the afterlife,
his message rings true even today:
Lord make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy.
How can you go
wrong with that as a guide?
At
the top of the gray and white building on the right of the Cathedral is the rooftop bar and
restaurant, LOLA. Just like the song, L-O-L-A, Lola! We'll tell you more
about this great place in another story.
Panoramic view of
Cathedral and surrounding area
Storm clouds are
gathering in the background of this panoramic shot. The Grand Plaza is to
the right (with LOLA's bar and restaurant there at the edge of the photo)
and a plazita on the left with more of the city and the mountains behind it.
LOLA's Rooftop Bar
and Restaurant lighted up
LOLA's was a great
place to watch the sun set over the city with the mountains in the
background. We managed to get a few visits in there before we left this
friendly town.
Whether you wanted a
beer, glass of wine, or a mixed drink, a snack or a light dinner,
LOLA did
not disappoint. Service was great.
A panoramic view
from the government building
This time we are
looking at the Plaza from a different angle, from the government building.
Our hotel was located a
very short walk down the street beginning at the left side of Hotel El
Campanario which you see here in the photo.
As you can see,
Tepatitlan is a clean and modern city.
Hotel Real Alteno,
built in 1908
When we arrived in Tepa,
we had an idea of a hotel location to begin our search. It was ok, but not
quite it. While it had a terrific location, we wanted a view of the plaza,
and the rooms available didn't ring our chimes.
So off we went to
locate another option. Just off the Plaza was Hotel Real Alteno (see below
for address and phone number). These rooms were very large and bright, had a
balcony view and were quiet. Just the thing.
At today's Peso exchange, our room cost us $32USD per night.
A rather grand
entrance
As you can see here,
the entrance to Hotel Alteno is grand. Its a clean and friendly hotel with a
perfect location. We received bottled water daily plus maid service, WiFi in
the room and cable TV. We also had a table and chairs, a large bathroom, and
a huge closet to hang our clothing.
If you would like to visit Tepatitlan,
information is below:
Our Hotel:
Hotel Real Alteño
Calle Hidalgo 80
Centro, 47600 Tepatitlán de Morelos,
Jalisco
Phone: 378 781 3908
LOLA Rooftop
Calle Samartin #15
Centro, 47600 Tepatitlán de Morelos,
Jalisco
Opens 6PM
Phone: 378 688 0180
Facebook Page
For more stories and
photos about Mexico,
click here
About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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