Louise Freeman and Jenny Smith brought us the news from Ajijic: “Andrei Zúniga has found a new Foco Tonal on the premises of La Vastaguera Restaurant." Naturally we were eager to check it out—and, of course, enjoy another tasty meal there—so the following Saturday, accompanied by a few friends, we headed for La Vastaguera, which is located on the northeast shore of Lake Chapala, five kilometers south of Ocotlán and 70 kilometers southeast of Guadalajara.
Andrei Zúñiga conceived the idea of reopening his parents’ long-closed restaurant during a visit to a botanical garden in Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands. “To my surprise,” he says, “I discovered that all the world’s cacti come from the Americas and 90 percent of what was in that botanical garden came from my native land, Mexico.”
Zúñiga returned to Jalisco and created his own cactus garden just outside the little town of Jamay on the grounds of La Vastaguera Restaurant.
When we arrived there, Andrei welcomed us with open arms and big hugs. The power spot or Foco Tonal, he said, was located on the lake shore, just a few meters from the restaurant, in the middle of what had previously been a reflecting pool. “That pool,” continued Zúñiga, “was flooded some years ago and had been filled by mud that was deposited all along the lake shore. Well, a few months ago a group of friends and I decided to construct a temazcal (sweat lodge) over there and we cleaned out the old pool just to have a flat spot where we could sit and chat. So, there we were sitting in a circle when one of us stepped into the middle and said something. What he heard was a kind of echo or reverberation, distorting his speech. Of course we all tried it and we all heard the same echo—but only when we were standing in the same precise spot.”
This phenomenon appeared to them to be the same as that experienced by people stepping into the middle of the now famous Foco Tonal of nearby Ocotlán. Continues Zúñiga: “I asked myself whether this could really be another Foco Tonal and decided to invite the owner of the one in Ocotlán to have a look. I imagined he’d say it wasn’t, because it would mean competition for his own, but after standing in the center of this circle, he said, ‘This is a real power spot; it’s another Foco Tonal.’”
Andrei Zúñiga is now in contact with Native American/Mexican groups who have much to say about the nature of power spots, especially as portals to other points of the universe. If you and friends are interested in hearing about this and experiencing an indigenous-style physical and spiritual healing session at what is now called the Pacal Votan Ceremonial Center, contact Andrei Zúñiga at cell (392) 106-5108 or (392)922-5599. They don’t charge for this, but do accept donations. They also do temazcal sessions which cost 250 pesos per person.
We were happy to find that the restaurant is continuing its high standard of delicious food at reasonable prices. Their specialties are Caldo Michi and Pescado A La Vastaguera, which is fish wrapped in banana leaves tightly sealed in tinfoil. We found the fish incredibly tender and the sauce so delicious we couldn’t resist drinking it like soup. Note: this restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.
If you need an after-dinner walk to work off the calories, you might want to wander around La Bella Cristina, a gorgeous, French or Italian-style abandoned hacienda at La Maltaraña, just 14 kilometers southeast of La Vastaguera (N20 13.628 W102 41.045). For my article with directions to get there, just Google “hacienda la maltaraña, Jalisco.” If that doesn’t take off the pounds, you could also hike up to the top of Cerro de la Cruz in Jamay (N20 17.785 W102 43.046) which, I calculate, is at an altitude of 1,685 meters, and offers a great view of the lake.
How to get there
From Guadalajara, take highway 44 south towards Chapala for 21 kilometers. Turn left (east) on highway 36 heading towards Ocotlán. Keep going straight, right through Ocotlán and head toward Jamay and La Barca. About six kilometers past Ocotlán note a big sign on the right for Restaurante El Fuerte. You don’t want this one, but the very next right turn after it, at kilometer 6.5, is for La Gran Vastaguera (N20 17.700 W102 45.500).
Of course you can also get to Ocotlán via the more relaxing, but more expensive autopista (toll road), Highway 15. Driving time from Guadalajara is about one hour either way and if you live on the Lake, it’s practically in your back yard.
