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First Time Reader? ......here is the background to this series of blogs
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/9/1233502800/tpod.html
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Click on SLIDESHOW and then the rectangle in the bottom right corner to see photos in full screen format
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Mexico: 23 Destinations to Spend the Winter Months
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Comala
no. 12 of 23 Destinations (this is not a ranking)
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Comala - "Pueblo Magico"

State: Colima
Population: approx. 18,000
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If I could borrow the introduction from my last blog and just add a little twist, it would read something like this .

Ok, so you don't like the beach - Barra de Navidad/Melaque - and you don't like the big city - Manzanillo. Your cup of tea is not even a green, classy, quiet mid-size city like Colima. Well today's destination - Comala - a small town designated as a "pueblo mágico", may just be what you are looking for.

Located only 6 kilometers from Colima, Comala is the quiet alternative to Colima. Since they are so close you are getting two for one: a city and a town as well.

Comala's tranquil life is centered around its beautiful main square that contains the Jardin Principal - a beautifully landscaped park. On several sides, the plaza is surrounded by "los portales del centro" which could be described as arcades. At least one side of the arcades is almost all occupied by restaurant tables. We wondered how everything was so empty at twelve noon, however by one-thirty most of the tables were occupied.

Beyond the main square the streets fan out into the rest of the town lined mostly with one-story whitewashed houses . As a result it is known as "Pueblo Blanco de América". As we walked around I was very much reminded of the whitewashed villages of the Greek Islands.  

The narrow streets often have the appearance of little low concrete canyons as most properties front the street with a solid wall of whitewashed concrete with only a door and sometimes a window. The beauty here lies in the inner courts, which often are quiet, peaceful and serene.

Miguel Hidalgo and Francisco I. Madero are the two main streets that run parallel northeast from the main plaza. They make for interesting walking as they are lined with a variety of little shops some of which highlighted the work of the many artisans in this area. It was in that direction where we found the Casa de la Cultura, which is also the location of the tourist bureau.

We enjoyed the cool surroundings of the Casa de la Cultura and its beautiful interior court . The staff was very helpful. By the way, my definition of helpful is anyone who will humour me and engage me in meaningful Spanish conversation.
To spur that meaningful conversation I asked the question: why would an expat want to live in Comala?

-   at the top of the list was the "perfect" climate with annual median temperatures ranging from 23ºC in January to 27ºC in June
-   proximity to the Pacific Ocean with Cuyutlan located only 45 minutes away
-   nearness to all amenities in Colima located only 6 kilometres away
-   beauty of the region highlighted by two volcanic mountains
-   it is quiet here
-   there is lots of culture
-   lots of restaurants "gastronomicas"
-   real estate is cheaper, so a house can be rented for about $600 per month
-   it is relatively safe
-   everything is within walking distance
-   the beauty of a "pueblo mágico"

What makes it a "pueblo mágico" or magic town?

Let me mention some of the noteworthy aspects of this small town: clean, picturesque, charming, narrow cobble stone streets, red-tile roofs, beautiful architecture, white washed houses, a beautiful plaza and a wonderful emphasis on public art in the form of murals and large beautiful posters .

Colima has that combination of natural beauty, culture and history that can combine to create the "magical experience" for the tourist. The Mexican Secretariat of Tourism has therefore designated it, along with 32 other "pueblos" around Mexico, as "pueblos mágicos".

As I write this, my thoughts go to Alamos, the beautiful little town in northern Mexico that I visited in 2003. Could it be on that list of 32?

Let's check.

Yup, according to this website, Alamos located south of Nogales on the border with Arizona is indeed a "pueblo mágico".

http://www.gonomad.com/alternatives/0510/alamos.html

(Yes, this really was a spur of the moment thought and I happened to be correct, for a change!)

I was not blogging back in 2003 and the concept of a "pueblo mágico" was totally lost on me . Nevertheless, Alamos was such a charming place that I have not forgotten it to this day.

I wonder whether anyone has ever done a tour of Mexico by exclusively visiting all of the 32 pueblos mágicos and written about it. I am sure it would make for an interesting blog.

By the way the only other pueblo mágico that we visited on this trip was one of our favourite destinations - Tequisquiapan.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1230265680/tpod.html

One of our delightful memories of our visit was our encounter with Bob and Fleurette Lynch from Callander, Ontario, Canada. They are presently winter residents of San Miguel de Allende, another of our favourite places on our tour of "places to spend the winter months in Mexico". It gave us another opportunity to review with them the advantages of San Miguel and as we stated previously, the town has an unprecedented opportunity for social contact with other expats as well a panoply of activities, cultural and otherwise to keep busy during the winter months .

However it was telling that when they invited their extended family to come to Mexico, they rented a house in Zihuataneo (future blog), located on the coast between Manzanillo and Acapulco due to its higher winter temperatures. That is one of the disadvantages of the central highlands - cooler temperatures. While it is a definite advantage in the summer, in the winter, the nights may leave one wondering, why did I come to Mexico?

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1230267780/tpod.html

Another point that was reinforced about San Miguel is the cost of renting real estate as a two-bedroom house can easily cost in the neighborhood of $1,200.

In the "it's a small world" department, the Lynches are also friends with Bob Graham, the naturalist from Point Pelee whom we had met at the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary and who also lives in San Miguel de Allende .

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1229969040/tpod.html

We were quite impressed with expats Bob and Fleurette Lynch when they mentioned to us that they drive to Mexico from Canada and have no reservations about driving around Mexico and that they have even driven to Antigua, Guatamala on several occasions. On the average tourist's scale of risk aversion, that would rate pretty highly.

Definitely one of the pleasures of our trip has been the easy social contact we have had with people who appear to be expats. The context of our trip just lends itself to an easy conversation starter.

Generally speaking, it would appear that expats are a rare breed here in Comala as we saw no other expats in this town. Therefore if your aim is to avoid expat contact and maximize your Mexican experience, Comala would be a good destination .

North of Comala are located several destinations worth visiting such as Zona Mágica, Sucitlan, Centro Turistico Carrizalilloy, Laguna Maria as well as the spectacular sight of the two snow capped volcanoes - Vulcan Nevado de Colima and Volcan de Colima. A few more days in the Comala area would probably have given us enough time to take in all these sights. Our tight schedule did not allow for us to investigate further north. In the late afternoon we returned to the Colima bus station for the trip to our next destination.

For further information:
http://www.tomzap.com/comala.html

Finally there are no real estate offices in Comala as agencies in Colima cover Comala as well.
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Coming Soon:Cuyutlan: Some Like it Remote with Memories of Vietnam .