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Last updateFri, 08 Jul 2016 8am

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World’s best climate debate

Dawn breaks after a steady, night-long rain. As rose-hued clouds lift from horizon, the sun emerges in a clear azure sky. Mountain hillsides glisten, lush with emerald green foliage.

Across the sparkling lake, fluffy cloud bank blankets the summit of Mount Garcia. Birds twitter happily in the garden, while resident hummers buzz in for breakfast at the feeder hanging from my terrace roof. Gulping in the sweet fresh air, I contentedly plunge into a new day in paradise. 

Buried deep in memory are less delightful mornings. Like the native folks and other old-timers here, I’ve become so spoiled by perpetually fine weather that even minor temperature fluctuations tend to prompt complaint. When an unseasonal spell of cold and rain hit us back in early March, I slogged about constantly grumbling, “Bah! So much for the so-called World’s Best Climate” 

Where did that hackneyed real estate pitch line come from anyway? According to conventional wisdom, National Geographic put Chapala on the map back in the 1960’s naming it as second only to Nairobi, Kenya among “perfect climate” locations.

Well, I’ve Googled the topic every which way and back, to no avail. Until somebody actually comes up with a copy of the alleged magazine report, I’ll chalk it up as just another urban myth.

Lakesiders aren’t the only ones who accept the claims as gospel.

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