We're in San Miguel de Allende at the moment and plan to spend about a week here with friends Rosa and Alan Mack.
What a nice little city. All the streets are real stone and very narrow. Rosa and Alan have a gorgeous home in a nice area of the city with a great view from the rooftop patio. To access their home you come through a gate from the road which puts you into a private courtyard. Their home (Rosa designed it) has several doors that open onto the courtyard so their living space is really large especially when you have all the doors open to combine both the indoor and outdoor spaces. The house is 3 floors high and we feel like we've hit it pretty lucky to be staying here for a few days :)
This afternoon we visited the centre of town and the big cathedral that is in the heart of the city. It is very old (built in the 1500's) by the Spanish. We also visited the centro market, which is massive and has everything you could ever need to purchase within it. The combination of flowers and fruits that greet you as you enter the market are amazing; both the sight and the fragrance.
Lots of Americans live in San Miguel de Allende so that influence shows up in that there is a Starbucks, a MacDonalds, and a Subway recently added to the businesses in this city.
We're planning to take it pretty easy while we're here and just enjoy this time with our friends as well as taking in a few sights.
Just realized that I neglected to include any info on a mine we visited while in Tlalpujuahua. It is called the Two Star Mine and is known for it's ranking within the top four producers of both gold and silver in the world. It is located at the museum in Tlalpujuahua and you can actually go right into the original mine shaft. It was a very interesting place to visit and some of the memorable mentions include:
- the temps in the mine shaft were so hot (over 40 degrees) that the workers wore only underwear to work in the shaft.
- the mine claimed inumerable lives during it's operation of approximately 100 years. On average 3 men were killed in the mine each day.
- that the water from underground weeps through the rock walls within the mine shaft causing a constant flow of water coming from the mine.
- in the 1930's a tragic mud slide killed 300 townspeople when the mine caused a slide of 80 million tonnes of mud to cover 1/3 of the town killing anyone in its path. We visited the site of the original church where only the steeple remains above the current ground level. After this tragedy, the mine was closed so no one knows what treasures still lie within this old mine.
- the town is really proud of their mining heritage (there is another mine in operation there today) and so they are very supportive of tours of the old mine and the stories that go along with it.
till next time.....
Lorrie
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
November 25, 2008
From having coffee con leche to Mariposa’s Monarcha, today was amazing.
It began with having a restaurant open just for us so we felt pretty special from the start. Tlulpujuahua is a pretty sleepy little place other than during the Santa Cecelia Fiesta. Things don’t seem to open or really get moving till at least 9:30 and maybe even 10:00 for many people. We were looking for breakfast at 9:00 as we had a 9:30 departure scheduled which is why the restaurant opened early for us. To give you a more complete picture ..... we ordered coffee with milk and something for breakfast and so one of the staff had to run out to the store to buy the milk and to the bakery to buy some pastries so they had something to serve us. Mexican pastries aren’t sweet – they’re very plain but good with a cup of coffee.
Moving right along with the traditional Mexican schedule, our ride arrived and we were off about 45 minutes behind schedule. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to matter in the least here – not for either Lynda nor I, or the driver or anyone for that matter. It’s all very relaxed and relaxing.
Clera, desk clerk from our hotel, had made arrangements with her cousin Julien the day before to take us to see the Monarch Butterflies. The only way there is by taxi or similar ride. We worked out a very good deal as “family” so Julien would take us all the way to Querraterro after the Butterflies. He has an aunt there so this would be a way for him to get a free trip to visit her and a way for us to get all the way to Querraterro in comfort and for a reasonable price. Clera joined us as well so she could have a visit with her aunt too. It was fun to be part of their family adventure and they certainly enjoyed seeing the butterflies with us.
The Butterflies are one of those once in a lifetime kind of experiences. We drove up some pretty rough roads (lots of gravel and the pavement had so many giant potholes that it might have been better to have been gravel)as far as cars were permitted. From there we climbed aboard horses.....yes, that’s right.....horses. Both Lynda and I were not so sure but were assured by our guides that all was well. “Esta bien” was a much stated phrase for the first part of our journey. The horse trip was uphill (so thank heavens for the horses) and took about an hour each way. I’ll leave it to your imagination as to how well we’ll be walking tomorrow!!!
Once we arrived at the top, it was all worth it....there they were dancing in the sunlight.....hundreds of butterflies. Our guides instructed us to continue along the path on foot as horses weren’t allowed beyond that point. We began a downhill climb to an area where there were no longer mere hundreds of butterflies....now there were hundreds of thousands. They were everywhere! And it was soooo quiet....we were very high up in the mountains and the butterflies all come there to feast on a particular type of plant leaf. It’s an amazing thing to see and an amazing thing to reflect on. They fly all the way there from Canada and if memory serves me it takes four butterfly lifetimes to get from Canada to Mexico so their flight path is programmed into their genes. Nature is pretty darn smart!
Once we’d spent some time with the butterflies, it was time to start back to the base camp. That meant making the long climb back to our horses. Yikes! It was the volcano all over again. You don’t realize how far you’ve come down till you have to go back up again. We were pretty darn glad to get back on those horses for the return trip and stayed on them till the trail became so steep at the last leg of the trip that both Lynda and I opted to get off at the top of that last hill and walk the rest of the way. I think it was a wise choice as the hill was super steep and it felt as though we might have gone right over our mount’s heads!
From the butterflies we were off to Querraterro – about a 3 hour trip. It would have taken us more than twice that long on a bus and we would have had to change buses several times so going the way we did (with Julien) was a wise move!
The countryside we passed through was much like BC’s interior. Corn (maize) crops filled the valley’s and decorated the hills. Michoucan (the state we were traveling through) is maybe a bit like the prairies in that it looked as though it could be the country’s breadbasket.
We weren’t sure that we’d be allowed in the door because we still smell like horses but they took pity on us and we’re booked into a hotel in Querraterro tonight (another City Express) and will likely head to San Miguel de Allende to stay with Rosa and Allen tomorrow. Still smelling like horses we located the only restaurant in the area of the hotel and it was so fancy that we had 3 waiters at our table the entire time! I’m not sure how much they enjoyed their work this night as we smell like we’ve been on horses and the road for days!
Till next time,
Lorrie
It began with having a restaurant open just for us so we felt pretty special from the start. Tlulpujuahua is a pretty sleepy little place other than during the Santa Cecelia Fiesta. Things don’t seem to open or really get moving till at least 9:30 and maybe even 10:00 for many people. We were looking for breakfast at 9:00 as we had a 9:30 departure scheduled which is why the restaurant opened early for us. To give you a more complete picture ..... we ordered coffee with milk and something for breakfast and so one of the staff had to run out to the store to buy the milk and to the bakery to buy some pastries so they had something to serve us. Mexican pastries aren’t sweet – they’re very plain but good with a cup of coffee.
Moving right along with the traditional Mexican schedule, our ride arrived and we were off about 45 minutes behind schedule. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to matter in the least here – not for either Lynda nor I, or the driver or anyone for that matter. It’s all very relaxed and relaxing.
Clera, desk clerk from our hotel, had made arrangements with her cousin Julien the day before to take us to see the Monarch Butterflies. The only way there is by taxi or similar ride. We worked out a very good deal as “family” so Julien would take us all the way to Querraterro after the Butterflies. He has an aunt there so this would be a way for him to get a free trip to visit her and a way for us to get all the way to Querraterro in comfort and for a reasonable price. Clera joined us as well so she could have a visit with her aunt too. It was fun to be part of their family adventure and they certainly enjoyed seeing the butterflies with us.
The Butterflies are one of those once in a lifetime kind of experiences. We drove up some pretty rough roads (lots of gravel and the pavement had so many giant potholes that it might have been better to have been gravel)as far as cars were permitted. From there we climbed aboard horses.....yes, that’s right.....horses. Both Lynda and I were not so sure but were assured by our guides that all was well. “Esta bien” was a much stated phrase for the first part of our journey. The horse trip was uphill (so thank heavens for the horses) and took about an hour each way. I’ll leave it to your imagination as to how well we’ll be walking tomorrow!!!
Once we arrived at the top, it was all worth it....there they were dancing in the sunlight.....hundreds of butterflies. Our guides instructed us to continue along the path on foot as horses weren’t allowed beyond that point. We began a downhill climb to an area where there were no longer mere hundreds of butterflies....now there were hundreds of thousands. They were everywhere! And it was soooo quiet....we were very high up in the mountains and the butterflies all come there to feast on a particular type of plant leaf. It’s an amazing thing to see and an amazing thing to reflect on. They fly all the way there from Canada and if memory serves me it takes four butterfly lifetimes to get from Canada to Mexico so their flight path is programmed into their genes. Nature is pretty darn smart!
Once we’d spent some time with the butterflies, it was time to start back to the base camp. That meant making the long climb back to our horses. Yikes! It was the volcano all over again. You don’t realize how far you’ve come down till you have to go back up again. We were pretty darn glad to get back on those horses for the return trip and stayed on them till the trail became so steep at the last leg of the trip that both Lynda and I opted to get off at the top of that last hill and walk the rest of the way. I think it was a wise choice as the hill was super steep and it felt as though we might have gone right over our mount’s heads!
From the butterflies we were off to Querraterro – about a 3 hour trip. It would have taken us more than twice that long on a bus and we would have had to change buses several times so going the way we did (with Julien) was a wise move!
The countryside we passed through was much like BC’s interior. Corn (maize) crops filled the valley’s and decorated the hills. Michoucan (the state we were traveling through) is maybe a bit like the prairies in that it looked as though it could be the country’s breadbasket.
We weren’t sure that we’d be allowed in the door because we still smell like horses but they took pity on us and we’re booked into a hotel in Querraterro tonight (another City Express) and will likely head to San Miguel de Allende to stay with Rosa and Allen tomorrow. Still smelling like horses we located the only restaurant in the area of the hotel and it was so fancy that we had 3 waiters at our table the entire time! I’m not sure how much they enjoyed their work this night as we smell like we’ve been on horses and the road for days!
Till next time,
Lorrie
Sunday, November 23, 2008
November 23, 2008
Well, if it's November 23rd and you're in Tlalpujahua you'll be celebrating Santa Cecelia festival with us tonight. We can't believe our luck!! Caught the bus this a.m. in Toluca and arrived in Tlalpujahua an hour late but arrived none the less. Interesting trip with scenery resembling much of BC interior minus lakes. Are the only guests in Hotel Villa Minera tonight and seems that we are also the only touristicas in this pueblo as we've become a local attraction for the area residents who have come to celebrate this festival tonight. Hard to say how may people live here year round but probably a couple of thousand.
This pueblo is built on hills and all the streets are narrow and natural rock cobblestone. Hard to walk on but sure looks nice and adds to the charm of the place! In settling into our room we discovered a broken toilet so had to change rooms which entailed Lynda and I helping to move a bed, mattress and headboard to another room so we'd still have two beds and a banyo that works. Accomodation is really clean and people are super nice (no english but owner's brother lives in California and we can phone him with anything we need) Right from the start we felt like family and things only got better on the street when we met a family from Toluca who are here for the festival. We were gathered round a food stall where they were selling Chicharrones. We each bought one (7 pesos each or approx 70 cents) and they were delicious. One of the favourite things I've had on this trip. It's just some kind of giant cracker with a very mild sour cream and hot sauce spread on it all topped with lettuce, tomato, some kind of veg or something that is a bit gelatinous, avocado and grated cheese. Absolutely delicious and reasonably healthy to boot :) We made friends with the family who were explaining what we were eating and practiced english with the kids. Toured the pueblo this afternoon and visited the cathedral that sits at the top of the town. What a church for such a small place!!! Highest part of the ceiling was at least 70 feet tall and every square inch of the place was ornate. Either painted, covered with gold, sculpted plaster, and stained glass. Toured the open market that is very much a local market, mostly food and household items.
We're currently sitting on our rooftop deck (remember we're the only ones in the hotel so have it all to ourselves) with our bottle of tequila and one of squirt (better explain that is a kind of lemon lime pop like 7 up or fresca), 2 glasses and a mind to make a dent in it all. We're going to the festival tonight where we watched the local men set up the fireworks display that is like nothing either of us could even imagine we might see. It is all on wheels and I think the fireworks are home made explosives. We've selected a spot that we think will be safe both from the fireworks and the hoards of people who will be running once the fireworks begin (or so we've been told). We pretty sure it might look a little like Paploma and the running of the bulls but we'll know better after we've experienced it. We're both in shock at the amount of insane luck we've had this past week. There is no way that we could have planned things any better if we had tried. I guess it's another lesson in the value of just going with the flow and letting things come as they may. This little town (also known as magic town) is where most of the glass Christmas balls you all have on your trees come from. Everyone here seems to be attached to that industry and according to the literature the majority of the ones that are exported all over the world are made right here. We won't be bringing any home though - way too fragile! They're beginning to talk from the stages (four of them) that are set up with bands around the area that the fireworks will be lit. As it turns out....one of the bands may be someone Lynda knows. If thats true - you'll hear about it tomorrow. How small is this world. If it's the guy she knows....she met him in Troncones last year when he was performing at Robertos. We're excited to experience this festival and feel so lucky to be here and to be the only tourists in the entire town to boot. It is really a special feeling to be here tonight.
Till tomorrow.....
Lorrie
p.s.
Before I begin with the main feature of the evening I must tell you all that we've been blessed once again. We attended outdoor mass in the town square tonight (along with about 250 of our closest new friends) and the priest came by to bless the crowds and the stages where the music would be performed later in the evening.
We're just back in our room and can't go to sleep till I write some of this down. What an unbelievable experience!!! We were the only non Mexicans and attracted a lot of attention (all good). There were over 600 in attendance all squished into the main square where there were 6 stages each housing a different band. As it turns out....Montana is not the same band Lynda knows from Troncones but.....even better than that - we ended up being special guests of the main stage band. We didn't know they were even in the band as we just met them on the dance floor...well....it's not really a dance floor....it's cobblestones and concrete and well....it's a town square. Once they were on the stage (their name is LATINDO and they're from Mexico City) Conception (yes that's the leader of the band's name) introduced themselves and then dedicated their first song to their new friends who are so much fun - Lorrie and Lynda from Canada. Once he had done that even more locals came by for a look at the fun muheres from Canada. Some of them just wanted to hear us talk, others of them wanted to dance and we danced all night while giving English lessons. Seriously though.....you have to get this picture....most Mexican men are about 5 feet tall so they see us as some kind of Amazonian creatures that stand out in their crowd. Conception did tell us that we stuck out in the crowd which is one of the reasons he came over in the first place...he could tell we weren't from there. What an amazing bunch of people we have met and all of them super gentle and kind and interested to know what we think of Mexico. No one can speak english here - the odd person knows a few words but that is it. I'd say that our spanish is better than anyone's english by far. A highlight of the evening was the fireworks display. We watched the men of the town putting it together this afternoon. It is all homemade fireworks on huge metal wheels that are then put onto a metal framework that is at least 30-40 feet high. Each of the "wheels" end up being a shape (like a star or an angel etc) and they go off when the kids ont he ground pull a rope to begin the spinning. Once the spinning begins flames shoot out and then giant firecrackers begin to go off and shoot bullets of fire into the area around the square all over the people (including us) but no one was burned that I know of but the tarps over the stages have to have holes in them. At the same time as all of this is going on there are also normal major fireworks going off high in the sky. It's too much to describe. At the end of the metal framework display the top piece actually lifts off like a flying saucer that continues to shoot flames and sparks over the square like rain falling from the sky. I can't beleive we had the opporunity to see and experience this amazing event. It is the only event this town holds each year and we were here to participate in it. Bottom line....this has been another incredible day and we're both so tired that we almost couldn't make it up the stairs into our hotel tonight.
L.
This pueblo is built on hills and all the streets are narrow and natural rock cobblestone. Hard to walk on but sure looks nice and adds to the charm of the place! In settling into our room we discovered a broken toilet so had to change rooms which entailed Lynda and I helping to move a bed, mattress and headboard to another room so we'd still have two beds and a banyo that works. Accomodation is really clean and people are super nice (no english but owner's brother lives in California and we can phone him with anything we need) Right from the start we felt like family and things only got better on the street when we met a family from Toluca who are here for the festival. We were gathered round a food stall where they were selling Chicharrones. We each bought one (7 pesos each or approx 70 cents) and they were delicious. One of the favourite things I've had on this trip. It's just some kind of giant cracker with a very mild sour cream and hot sauce spread on it all topped with lettuce, tomato, some kind of veg or something that is a bit gelatinous, avocado and grated cheese. Absolutely delicious and reasonably healthy to boot :) We made friends with the family who were explaining what we were eating and practiced english with the kids. Toured the pueblo this afternoon and visited the cathedral that sits at the top of the town. What a church for such a small place!!! Highest part of the ceiling was at least 70 feet tall and every square inch of the place was ornate. Either painted, covered with gold, sculpted plaster, and stained glass. Toured the open market that is very much a local market, mostly food and household items.
We're currently sitting on our rooftop deck (remember we're the only ones in the hotel so have it all to ourselves) with our bottle of tequila and one of squirt (better explain that is a kind of lemon lime pop like 7 up or fresca), 2 glasses and a mind to make a dent in it all. We're going to the festival tonight where we watched the local men set up the fireworks display that is like nothing either of us could even imagine we might see. It is all on wheels and I think the fireworks are home made explosives. We've selected a spot that we think will be safe both from the fireworks and the hoards of people who will be running once the fireworks begin (or so we've been told). We pretty sure it might look a little like Paploma and the running of the bulls but we'll know better after we've experienced it. We're both in shock at the amount of insane luck we've had this past week. There is no way that we could have planned things any better if we had tried. I guess it's another lesson in the value of just going with the flow and letting things come as they may. This little town (also known as magic town) is where most of the glass Christmas balls you all have on your trees come from. Everyone here seems to be attached to that industry and according to the literature the majority of the ones that are exported all over the world are made right here. We won't be bringing any home though - way too fragile! They're beginning to talk from the stages (four of them) that are set up with bands around the area that the fireworks will be lit. As it turns out....one of the bands may be someone Lynda knows. If thats true - you'll hear about it tomorrow. How small is this world. If it's the guy she knows....she met him in Troncones last year when he was performing at Robertos. We're excited to experience this festival and feel so lucky to be here and to be the only tourists in the entire town to boot. It is really a special feeling to be here tonight.
Till tomorrow.....
Lorrie
p.s.
Before I begin with the main feature of the evening I must tell you all that we've been blessed once again. We attended outdoor mass in the town square tonight (along with about 250 of our closest new friends) and the priest came by to bless the crowds and the stages where the music would be performed later in the evening.
We're just back in our room and can't go to sleep till I write some of this down. What an unbelievable experience!!! We were the only non Mexicans and attracted a lot of attention (all good). There were over 600 in attendance all squished into the main square where there were 6 stages each housing a different band. As it turns out....Montana is not the same band Lynda knows from Troncones but.....even better than that - we ended up being special guests of the main stage band. We didn't know they were even in the band as we just met them on the dance floor...well....it's not really a dance floor....it's cobblestones and concrete and well....it's a town square. Once they were on the stage (their name is LATINDO and they're from Mexico City) Conception (yes that's the leader of the band's name) introduced themselves and then dedicated their first song to their new friends who are so much fun - Lorrie and Lynda from Canada. Once he had done that even more locals came by for a look at the fun muheres from Canada. Some of them just wanted to hear us talk, others of them wanted to dance and we danced all night while giving English lessons. Seriously though.....you have to get this picture....most Mexican men are about 5 feet tall so they see us as some kind of Amazonian creatures that stand out in their crowd. Conception did tell us that we stuck out in the crowd which is one of the reasons he came over in the first place...he could tell we weren't from there. What an amazing bunch of people we have met and all of them super gentle and kind and interested to know what we think of Mexico. No one can speak english here - the odd person knows a few words but that is it. I'd say that our spanish is better than anyone's english by far. A highlight of the evening was the fireworks display. We watched the men of the town putting it together this afternoon. It is all homemade fireworks on huge metal wheels that are then put onto a metal framework that is at least 30-40 feet high. Each of the "wheels" end up being a shape (like a star or an angel etc) and they go off when the kids ont he ground pull a rope to begin the spinning. Once the spinning begins flames shoot out and then giant firecrackers begin to go off and shoot bullets of fire into the area around the square all over the people (including us) but no one was burned that I know of but the tarps over the stages have to have holes in them. At the same time as all of this is going on there are also normal major fireworks going off high in the sky. It's too much to describe. At the end of the metal framework display the top piece actually lifts off like a flying saucer that continues to shoot flames and sparks over the square like rain falling from the sky. I can't beleive we had the opporunity to see and experience this amazing event. It is the only event this town holds each year and we were here to participate in it. Bottom line....this has been another incredible day and we're both so tired that we almost couldn't make it up the stairs into our hotel tonight.
L.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
November 22, 2008
What a day this has been and by far the most important and amazing thing that I saw today was the Sneak A Peek pictures of my grandson who is due to be born on February 19th. He is a pretty handsome guy already! :) Facebook is an amazing way to keep in touch. What did we do before we had all this technology at our fingertips?!
This has been an amazing day all around. We saw and did almost a weeks worth of "stuff" in a single day!
The drive from Toluca to Mexico City took just over an hour and the highway between the two cities is absolutely gorgeous. It is a toll highway ($50 pesos - $5 CDN) and comes into the best parts of Mexico City. The architecture in that part of Mexico City and the gorgeous buildings were not what I had expected to see at all. We could have been in Vancouver or any other city in the world. It was all super clean and all the cars were in new condition and yes...I know that there are many other parts of the city and the majority of the 30 million who live there are not amongst this rich crowd but.....it was sure a nice way to be introduced to the city. Our introduction to the city became quite colourful as we continued along our way, so I think I'll just jump in and begin to list the things we saw along the roadway. Likely the most suprising was about 50 or 60 almost naked men (wearing just their underwear) and about 1/2 a dozen women wearing even less than that. I guess it's somewhat acceptable for women to be naked in public but not at all acceptable for men. They were protesting the president for something or other and I guess they saw that as an effective means of making a statement!! Other memorable mentions along the road have to be how clean it is, the statues, the fountains and some of the architecture. Buildings were surprisingly modern and beautiful. Glass structures with sections missing (for effect I'm sure), towers of all shapes and sizes. It was easy to see that this area is the pulse of the business world. Headquarters for many international companies from Ford Motors to General Electric and Bank America lined the roadway. Some of the condos we passed along the way in the rich area started at more than $1500 US a month for rent and by Mexican standards that is a huge amount of money. All of the homes we passed along the way could easily have been in Shaughnessy area of Vancouver. So much for the dirty dangerous media picture we've all heard about. Certainly there must be rough areas as there are in any city of 30 million but we didn't see any of them today or tonight and we covered a lot of ground!
Our first stop was the Museum of Anthropology and what an unbelievable experience that is! You could easily spend days in that enormous attraction. It covers everything from pre historic man through all of the subsequent evolutionary periods and every aspect imaginable of Mexican and Latin American cultural history. There were artifacts that I can't begin to describe. Entire walls of structures were moved into the facility to replicate the civilization of that particular period and culture. From Mayan to Aztec - we saw it all. In fact before we even made it into the buildings, we enjoyed a performance of traditional dance where five men (at least I think there were only 5) climbed an immense pole that bent with the breeze and their weight on top of it to then tie themselves onto the top of the pole with a single rope around their ankle or waist only to then fall backwards and upside down while the guy left on the top continued to drum and turn the pole so the falling men would spin around the pole as their ropes got longer and longer until they finally touched the ground with their hands at which time they simply sat up and untied themselves. While they were descending from the top of the pole it was as though they were in a trance. None of them moved from the position they assumed at the start of their descent. It really was something to see!
As we came out of the Museum of Anthropology, we were approached by a small group of high school students who had been tasked with finding someone who was a native english speaker and then filming themselves interviewing said english speaker. Lynda and I fit the profile they needed so both of us will be a part of the Mexican school system next week :) They were nervous to approach us but did a great job and I'm sure they'll earn a passing grade on their assignment.
Immediately after our moment of fame in the school spotlight another performance began with Aztec dancers. We watched their performance and were then invited to come into the circle for a special blessing. You guessed it :) Of course we rose to the occassion and accepted the invitation. We were instructed to each select a polished stone, hold it in our hand while the shaman put scented water on it. Then we had to rub the water and the stone together between our palms before taking the rock and rubbing it on our forehead and the back of our necks. Once we had done that we were instructed to hold hands to complete the energetic circle while a young woman performed a purification ceremony as part of our blessing. She took a smoking smudge pot and kept the smoke plentiful by blowing on whatever is causing the smoke while she surrounded us with the smoke. It was so thick we could hardly take a breath but as weird as this may sound to some of you....when she was finished I know I felt pretty blessed and Lynda agreed that she felt both blessed and cleansed by the experience. Keep in mind that by this point we were part of the performance....there were a lot of people watching and the fact that we had to hold hands gave us some cause to wonder if it was some kind marriage or something so we attempted to explain that we're just friends but the Aztecs didn't even speak spanish - they just smiled and smudged and we smiled and breathed (well we sort of breathed). There were a few moments of panic when the oxygen levels reached even lower than they had atop the volcano the day previous. Our lungs are getting some great work outs since we've been here....well maybe they're not all great but they're certainly working.
From that mountain of information overload in the museum (and 5 hours on our feet already) we continued down the road and across the street a short way to enter the Zoo. As it turns out...the zoo covers possibly 1000 square miles (or so it seems) and we must have walked at least 999 of them!!! Kidding aside, it was a very long walk that pretty much did me in. But, it was all worth it as neither of us had ever seen a gorilla before and he came out to give us a little showing a couple of times so we both had a first on that front :) No one is allowed to carry their packs into the zoo so everyone has to check them in a small hut at the zoo entrance. We complied with that requirement only to discover that no one is allowed to go out the entrance to the zoo....everyone has to walk the entire way around the zoo to the exit and then back to the entrance (which is at least a kilometre from the exit) to retrieve their bag. By the time I had my bag back in hand, I was ready to get back in the car but alas....before we could do that we had to walk back out from the entrance (the same kilimotre we had just walked from the exit) to get to the road where we could cross, walk down the road to the entrance for the Museum where the car was parked about 1/2 km inside that faciltiy. Lynda offered for Jesus to carry me but the look on his face caused me to decline the offer and for him to heave a sigh of relief. Instead I just limped along focusing on the destination and wishing for the end. Finally, we were into the car and off again.
Next stop would be a tour of the historic part of the city near the Zocalo. I know that some of you who are reading this believe that we're not tourists but travellers and we'd like to keep it that way so I'll just skim over the fact that at this point we simply hung out of the car windows as Jesus drove by all the most important things to see so we could take pictures as they flew past us. Seriously though....thank heavens for Jesus! (I hope you're all reading this as Hayzeus!)He was able to pull right up in front of the cathedral at the Zocalo where there were approximately 500,000 people and more traffic than you can imagine. He sweet talked the police person there and true to the style to which we have rapidly become accustomed to (sorry Mitch) we only had to walk from the cab to the door of the overwhelmingly immpressive Cathedral and knew that our ride would be waiting out front when we returned. Mass was going on as we toured the inside where gold plated statues are plentiful and where we could pay our respects to Jesus (not the one waiting for us outside in the car - no disrespect intended folks). Behind the cathedral we viewed the open archaeological dig that exposes the ancient city that exists beneath the current one. Did you know that Mexico City is sinking? I didn't but it is apparent when you're in the heart of it as some of the buildings have a definite tilt to their rooflines.
Once back in the car, we were off for a quick dinner (hadn't had time to eat all day) and that was an experience in itself that I think I'll pass on the telling of as it basically was crappy for me :(
Final stop before heading back to Toluca was the Mariachi Centre where dozens of groups line the road looking for work. In the heart of this area is a gathering place where there is a stage that is filled with mariachi's performing their heart out while the crowds all obviously enjoy the music and the festive air of the place. We know this as once again, we pulled up to the front gate and were let out of the car like royalty while all the other hundreds (possibly thousands) of "peasants" had to park and walk or bus and hike or cycle and hope to get just a glimpse of the stage that we had front row seats for. Jesus simply waited for us where he had let us out of the car so when we returned we could just climb back into our luxury ride :) Aaahhhhh - we are super lucky travellers!!! And as of today....we're blessed travellers too.....
Tomorrow, we're off to Tlapujuhua (good luck if you can prounounce that one - we had to practice it for 1/2 an hour just to get it right!!) Hopefully we'll remember how to say it in the a.m. when we have to communicate it to the bus driver so we get to the right town. We said good by to Jesus tonight as his time with us is finished. He was a real god send (ha ha ha) and seriously he was the most respectful, helpful, considerate gentleman we could have hoped for. He is the reason we've been able to do more than a weeks worth of sightseeing in just a couple of days. He'll likely remember us too as we were happy to leave him with a little something extra for his time and his kindness.
As I finish this, I must add that upon our return to our hotel tonight we had just enough time to hike over to the shopping centre (somehow being focused on the ultimate reason for our trip there helped me find the strength to make the hike). We secured our purchases and are now back in the room sucking back tequila and squirt highballs. Well, I'm still sucking mine back (I've been busy typing) and I think Lynda (who has been busy drinking) may be passed out behind me. Well, no she is still sort of awake :)
Til next time - happy reading :)
Lorrie & Lynda
This has been an amazing day all around. We saw and did almost a weeks worth of "stuff" in a single day!
The drive from Toluca to Mexico City took just over an hour and the highway between the two cities is absolutely gorgeous. It is a toll highway ($50 pesos - $5 CDN) and comes into the best parts of Mexico City. The architecture in that part of Mexico City and the gorgeous buildings were not what I had expected to see at all. We could have been in Vancouver or any other city in the world. It was all super clean and all the cars were in new condition and yes...I know that there are many other parts of the city and the majority of the 30 million who live there are not amongst this rich crowd but.....it was sure a nice way to be introduced to the city. Our introduction to the city became quite colourful as we continued along our way, so I think I'll just jump in and begin to list the things we saw along the roadway. Likely the most suprising was about 50 or 60 almost naked men (wearing just their underwear) and about 1/2 a dozen women wearing even less than that. I guess it's somewhat acceptable for women to be naked in public but not at all acceptable for men. They were protesting the president for something or other and I guess they saw that as an effective means of making a statement!! Other memorable mentions along the road have to be how clean it is, the statues, the fountains and some of the architecture. Buildings were surprisingly modern and beautiful. Glass structures with sections missing (for effect I'm sure), towers of all shapes and sizes. It was easy to see that this area is the pulse of the business world. Headquarters for many international companies from Ford Motors to General Electric and Bank America lined the roadway. Some of the condos we passed along the way in the rich area started at more than $1500 US a month for rent and by Mexican standards that is a huge amount of money. All of the homes we passed along the way could easily have been in Shaughnessy area of Vancouver. So much for the dirty dangerous media picture we've all heard about. Certainly there must be rough areas as there are in any city of 30 million but we didn't see any of them today or tonight and we covered a lot of ground!
Our first stop was the Museum of Anthropology and what an unbelievable experience that is! You could easily spend days in that enormous attraction. It covers everything from pre historic man through all of the subsequent evolutionary periods and every aspect imaginable of Mexican and Latin American cultural history. There were artifacts that I can't begin to describe. Entire walls of structures were moved into the facility to replicate the civilization of that particular period and culture. From Mayan to Aztec - we saw it all. In fact before we even made it into the buildings, we enjoyed a performance of traditional dance where five men (at least I think there were only 5) climbed an immense pole that bent with the breeze and their weight on top of it to then tie themselves onto the top of the pole with a single rope around their ankle or waist only to then fall backwards and upside down while the guy left on the top continued to drum and turn the pole so the falling men would spin around the pole as their ropes got longer and longer until they finally touched the ground with their hands at which time they simply sat up and untied themselves. While they were descending from the top of the pole it was as though they were in a trance. None of them moved from the position they assumed at the start of their descent. It really was something to see!
As we came out of the Museum of Anthropology, we were approached by a small group of high school students who had been tasked with finding someone who was a native english speaker and then filming themselves interviewing said english speaker. Lynda and I fit the profile they needed so both of us will be a part of the Mexican school system next week :) They were nervous to approach us but did a great job and I'm sure they'll earn a passing grade on their assignment.
Immediately after our moment of fame in the school spotlight another performance began with Aztec dancers. We watched their performance and were then invited to come into the circle for a special blessing. You guessed it :) Of course we rose to the occassion and accepted the invitation. We were instructed to each select a polished stone, hold it in our hand while the shaman put scented water on it. Then we had to rub the water and the stone together between our palms before taking the rock and rubbing it on our forehead and the back of our necks. Once we had done that we were instructed to hold hands to complete the energetic circle while a young woman performed a purification ceremony as part of our blessing. She took a smoking smudge pot and kept the smoke plentiful by blowing on whatever is causing the smoke while she surrounded us with the smoke. It was so thick we could hardly take a breath but as weird as this may sound to some of you....when she was finished I know I felt pretty blessed and Lynda agreed that she felt both blessed and cleansed by the experience. Keep in mind that by this point we were part of the performance....there were a lot of people watching and the fact that we had to hold hands gave us some cause to wonder if it was some kind marriage or something so we attempted to explain that we're just friends but the Aztecs didn't even speak spanish - they just smiled and smudged and we smiled and breathed (well we sort of breathed). There were a few moments of panic when the oxygen levels reached even lower than they had atop the volcano the day previous. Our lungs are getting some great work outs since we've been here....well maybe they're not all great but they're certainly working.
From that mountain of information overload in the museum (and 5 hours on our feet already) we continued down the road and across the street a short way to enter the Zoo. As it turns out...the zoo covers possibly 1000 square miles (or so it seems) and we must have walked at least 999 of them!!! Kidding aside, it was a very long walk that pretty much did me in. But, it was all worth it as neither of us had ever seen a gorilla before and he came out to give us a little showing a couple of times so we both had a first on that front :) No one is allowed to carry their packs into the zoo so everyone has to check them in a small hut at the zoo entrance. We complied with that requirement only to discover that no one is allowed to go out the entrance to the zoo....everyone has to walk the entire way around the zoo to the exit and then back to the entrance (which is at least a kilometre from the exit) to retrieve their bag. By the time I had my bag back in hand, I was ready to get back in the car but alas....before we could do that we had to walk back out from the entrance (the same kilimotre we had just walked from the exit) to get to the road where we could cross, walk down the road to the entrance for the Museum where the car was parked about 1/2 km inside that faciltiy. Lynda offered for Jesus to carry me but the look on his face caused me to decline the offer and for him to heave a sigh of relief. Instead I just limped along focusing on the destination and wishing for the end. Finally, we were into the car and off again.
Next stop would be a tour of the historic part of the city near the Zocalo. I know that some of you who are reading this believe that we're not tourists but travellers and we'd like to keep it that way so I'll just skim over the fact that at this point we simply hung out of the car windows as Jesus drove by all the most important things to see so we could take pictures as they flew past us. Seriously though....thank heavens for Jesus! (I hope you're all reading this as Hayzeus!)He was able to pull right up in front of the cathedral at the Zocalo where there were approximately 500,000 people and more traffic than you can imagine. He sweet talked the police person there and true to the style to which we have rapidly become accustomed to (sorry Mitch) we only had to walk from the cab to the door of the overwhelmingly immpressive Cathedral and knew that our ride would be waiting out front when we returned. Mass was going on as we toured the inside where gold plated statues are plentiful and where we could pay our respects to Jesus (not the one waiting for us outside in the car - no disrespect intended folks). Behind the cathedral we viewed the open archaeological dig that exposes the ancient city that exists beneath the current one. Did you know that Mexico City is sinking? I didn't but it is apparent when you're in the heart of it as some of the buildings have a definite tilt to their rooflines.
Once back in the car, we were off for a quick dinner (hadn't had time to eat all day) and that was an experience in itself that I think I'll pass on the telling of as it basically was crappy for me :(
Final stop before heading back to Toluca was the Mariachi Centre where dozens of groups line the road looking for work. In the heart of this area is a gathering place where there is a stage that is filled with mariachi's performing their heart out while the crowds all obviously enjoy the music and the festive air of the place. We know this as once again, we pulled up to the front gate and were let out of the car like royalty while all the other hundreds (possibly thousands) of "peasants" had to park and walk or bus and hike or cycle and hope to get just a glimpse of the stage that we had front row seats for. Jesus simply waited for us where he had let us out of the car so when we returned we could just climb back into our luxury ride :) Aaahhhhh - we are super lucky travellers!!! And as of today....we're blessed travellers too.....
Tomorrow, we're off to Tlapujuhua (good luck if you can prounounce that one - we had to practice it for 1/2 an hour just to get it right!!) Hopefully we'll remember how to say it in the a.m. when we have to communicate it to the bus driver so we get to the right town. We said good by to Jesus tonight as his time with us is finished. He was a real god send (ha ha ha) and seriously he was the most respectful, helpful, considerate gentleman we could have hoped for. He is the reason we've been able to do more than a weeks worth of sightseeing in just a couple of days. He'll likely remember us too as we were happy to leave him with a little something extra for his time and his kindness.
As I finish this, I must add that upon our return to our hotel tonight we had just enough time to hike over to the shopping centre (somehow being focused on the ultimate reason for our trip there helped me find the strength to make the hike). We secured our purchases and are now back in the room sucking back tequila and squirt highballs. Well, I'm still sucking mine back (I've been busy typing) and I think Lynda (who has been busy drinking) may be passed out behind me. Well, no she is still sort of awake :)
Til next time - happy reading :)
Lorrie & Lynda
Friday, November 21, 2008
November 21, 2008
Do you know what happens when you almost touch the sun? Well, I do....you get burnt!! It's a good burn though and well worth it. Today, Lynda and I climbed to the rim of the active volcano that is located about 1 1/2 hrs from Toluca, Mexico. Jesus, our driver, drove us (in our luxury transporation - seriously....it's a brand new car with sun roof and leather interior) as far as he could to the bottom of the foot path. The drive itself was a bit of an adventure. No other luxury cars on that road for sure. Pavement for the first 45 minutes and rough gravel for the last 45. By the time we had reached the parking lot, the air was noticably thinner and it was obvious that breathing during the climb was going to be a bit of a challenge...but since we're in such great shape - we went for it. To heck with training for a climb :) Happily, I'm here to report that we lived to tell the tale and what a memory we created in the process. The plan was to take 50 steps up the path and then pause to recover your breath...in short order the 50 became 25 and soon later it became 10 but....eventually we made it all the way and what a view we were met with! I don't think I've mentioned in any of my blogs that I've had a bit of an intestinal issue for the past week or so. It's really no big deal and i feel fine but when I need a banyo...I need a banyo! Sadly, there are no bathrooms on the volcano so I had to make the best of a bad situation and find a place to create my own. Please don't use your imagination too hard on this picture as I don't think it would have been a pretty one for anyone coming up or down the path. Happily, there was no one and so I was able to finish my "job" and get going again. Lynda, good Girl Guide that she is, had the most amazing little pellets of cloth. Magically, all you have to do is put about a tablespoon of water on them and you can have a veritable bath with one of these magic little wipes. I think that was the best bathroom I've ever used...although it was a little stressful not knowing if or when someone would round a corner. If they did, I'm sure they would have been frightened off immediately. Seriously though, the view from the rim was outstanding. The skies were so clear when we arrived and by the time we left a low cloud was beginning to settle into the crater where there are two lakes nestled amid the massive cavity. How lucky we were again to have the cloud wait till we managed to make our way to the top! I think this trip might even have to be titled, "Suerte". Suerte is spanish for lucky. We've been so lucky at every turn of our travels!
Making our way down the volcano was easier than the climb but perhaps more dangerous. I lost my footing near the bottom of the trail (getting sloppy and not paying close attention to where my feet were placed). The trail was loose gravel and very slippery as a result. I didn't go down too hard (just to one knee) and since I had jeans on it was no problem. I suspect we'll both be a little sore tomorrow just from the climb alone.
The other part of that climb that I really must mention is that here everyone thinks it is winter, but I just think it is really a cool and sunny day. So....I carried my sweater just in case but didn't need it for the entire hike. I loved the cool wind that was blowing and the sun really is hot when you're that close to it! I have the burns to prove it. Interestingly, I was the only person who didn't need a parka on the trip up the mountain! Even Lynda was bundled in her sweater with hood up. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that though as I've seen her at Headwaters under a mountain of blankets when it's really quite beautiful in my mind. She's sitting over my shoulder reading as I type and says I have to tell you that all the people here have down filled parkas, scarves, and boots (Jesus even had gloves) so she says that I'm the odd man out in this picture and once you see some of our pictures you'll know she is telling the truth. There were a few people climbing the mountain (some hikers from Switzerland were even dressed in their ski pants for the cold weather - but I think they were way overdressed~!) and we did take a photo with one group of young people who couldn't believe that I was 1/2 naked. They were all bundled up and freezing and there I was at 15,000 ft altitude in my sleeveless shirt and loving it. They came to see the volcano but were more impressed with the gringo who was obviously a few bricks short of a load in their mind. Anyway....it was an amazing thing to do and what a memory it will be!
By the time we made it back to civilization, we were starved so went for lunch in a great little local restaurant with Jesus and the total bill for all three of us was around $10....how great is that?! I must stop here and make sure you all know that Jesus isn't the guy in the Bible....you pronounce his name Hayzeus but it's spelled Jesus. Although, he has been a bit of a saviour so maybe he is connected to the big guy in the sky. I think I mentioned earlier that there was some kind of divine intervention in our meeting him but really, I think he's just a guy.
After lunch we felt revived enough to tackle another mountain so headed for Teotenango. Surely the volcano was training enough for any physical feat we may want to undertake. In fact, we're discussing entering the Ironman this year but every bike we've tried to ride has no tires or no seat so our training is a little weak in that area. And the lakes at the top of the volcano were a tad nippy so we weren't able to stay in them for very long. Instead we've decided to do all of our training in the hotel shower where it is nice and warm and there is little chance of drowning.
Teotenango is an amazing archaeological site. It is about 3000 years old and in amazing condition. To access it however, we had to climb another mountain. Seriously though and most amazingly, neither of us felt overly stressed by that climb. It was extremely high (probably about the same as climbing Giants Head from my house - maybe even higher than that) but neither of us had to stop the whole way up. So either our training in the morning had taken hold very quickly or the ancestors of that amazing place were carrying us on their shoulders. (Jesus by the way, remained in the car so he can't have any credit for any of our climbs today) Once we arrived at the site, there were so many pyramid like structures and stairs (super steep and super high risers so difficult to climb). You could almost see what the site would have looked like a thousand years before when the Aztecs were in residence. One of the pyramids was the site of the human sacrifices and that was an odd feeling to explore being on those same stairs leading up to the alter at the top. I asked Lynda to lie down for a photo but she wouldn't do it - go figger?? I thought she would be game for that for sure but nope....she didn't like the idea at all. I wonder why??!! Coming down was so amazing for both of us. We had no idea how far up we had climbed until we were into our decent that went on forever. In fact, I burned out my pedometer today...it actually stopped working because I put on too many miles!!! Yikes!!! Penticton Steps Out - Okanagan College will be in the lead after this trip!
Jesus has been so helpful but it really is so funny too. Remember, he has no English. Today, I was so curious about all the field of dead corn everywhere we went. Finally, he stopped the car on the side of the highway, got out and picked a cob of corn (that is actually Maiz) and explained that it is left on the stalk to dry before it is picked for processing. The kernels are used (like dried beans) by rehydrating in soup (Pazoli is a national soup that they eat every Thursday in Mexico) or by grinding into corn flour for tortillas. I had no idea that they left it on the stalk till it was dry...and it looks very odd to see field after field of dead corn stalks.
Back at the hotel, Lynda and I went into the mall beside our hotel and had a delicious treat. A little shop had a coffee called Cafe de Abuela (coffee of the grandmother) so both of us decided to give it a try and yummy!!! Much like the rice pudding that ended our lunch....I was tempted to lick out my cup after it was all gone. At lunch, I actually did lick my plate from the rice pudding, it was that good! For dinner tonight we tried something totally new in the mall. It was just a cup of cooked corn (off the cob) topped with a dab of butter, some light sour cream, a blob of mayonaise, and sprinkled with grated white cheese. You could add your own hot sauce, lime juice or chili powder and salt. It was great! Maybe I'll make some for a Mexican party next summer :) We purchased a map and are beginning to think that Mexico is a great place to travel. Our fingers are flying from coast to coast as we vision what might lie ahead for us.
Tomorrow morning we're off to Mexico City (about 45 mins away) where we'll spend the day and then return to our very comfortable hotel here. On Sunday a.m. we'll catch a bus for wherever the next leg of our journey turns out to be.
Till next time,
Lorrie
Making our way down the volcano was easier than the climb but perhaps more dangerous. I lost my footing near the bottom of the trail (getting sloppy and not paying close attention to where my feet were placed). The trail was loose gravel and very slippery as a result. I didn't go down too hard (just to one knee) and since I had jeans on it was no problem. I suspect we'll both be a little sore tomorrow just from the climb alone.
The other part of that climb that I really must mention is that here everyone thinks it is winter, but I just think it is really a cool and sunny day. So....I carried my sweater just in case but didn't need it for the entire hike. I loved the cool wind that was blowing and the sun really is hot when you're that close to it! I have the burns to prove it. Interestingly, I was the only person who didn't need a parka on the trip up the mountain! Even Lynda was bundled in her sweater with hood up. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that though as I've seen her at Headwaters under a mountain of blankets when it's really quite beautiful in my mind. She's sitting over my shoulder reading as I type and says I have to tell you that all the people here have down filled parkas, scarves, and boots (Jesus even had gloves) so she says that I'm the odd man out in this picture and once you see some of our pictures you'll know she is telling the truth. There were a few people climbing the mountain (some hikers from Switzerland were even dressed in their ski pants for the cold weather - but I think they were way overdressed~!) and we did take a photo with one group of young people who couldn't believe that I was 1/2 naked. They were all bundled up and freezing and there I was at 15,000 ft altitude in my sleeveless shirt and loving it. They came to see the volcano but were more impressed with the gringo who was obviously a few bricks short of a load in their mind. Anyway....it was an amazing thing to do and what a memory it will be!
By the time we made it back to civilization, we were starved so went for lunch in a great little local restaurant with Jesus and the total bill for all three of us was around $10....how great is that?! I must stop here and make sure you all know that Jesus isn't the guy in the Bible....you pronounce his name Hayzeus but it's spelled Jesus. Although, he has been a bit of a saviour so maybe he is connected to the big guy in the sky. I think I mentioned earlier that there was some kind of divine intervention in our meeting him but really, I think he's just a guy.
After lunch we felt revived enough to tackle another mountain so headed for Teotenango. Surely the volcano was training enough for any physical feat we may want to undertake. In fact, we're discussing entering the Ironman this year but every bike we've tried to ride has no tires or no seat so our training is a little weak in that area. And the lakes at the top of the volcano were a tad nippy so we weren't able to stay in them for very long. Instead we've decided to do all of our training in the hotel shower where it is nice and warm and there is little chance of drowning.
Teotenango is an amazing archaeological site. It is about 3000 years old and in amazing condition. To access it however, we had to climb another mountain. Seriously though and most amazingly, neither of us felt overly stressed by that climb. It was extremely high (probably about the same as climbing Giants Head from my house - maybe even higher than that) but neither of us had to stop the whole way up. So either our training in the morning had taken hold very quickly or the ancestors of that amazing place were carrying us on their shoulders. (Jesus by the way, remained in the car so he can't have any credit for any of our climbs today) Once we arrived at the site, there were so many pyramid like structures and stairs (super steep and super high risers so difficult to climb). You could almost see what the site would have looked like a thousand years before when the Aztecs were in residence. One of the pyramids was the site of the human sacrifices and that was an odd feeling to explore being on those same stairs leading up to the alter at the top. I asked Lynda to lie down for a photo but she wouldn't do it - go figger?? I thought she would be game for that for sure but nope....she didn't like the idea at all. I wonder why??!! Coming down was so amazing for both of us. We had no idea how far up we had climbed until we were into our decent that went on forever. In fact, I burned out my pedometer today...it actually stopped working because I put on too many miles!!! Yikes!!! Penticton Steps Out - Okanagan College will be in the lead after this trip!
Jesus has been so helpful but it really is so funny too. Remember, he has no English. Today, I was so curious about all the field of dead corn everywhere we went. Finally, he stopped the car on the side of the highway, got out and picked a cob of corn (that is actually Maiz) and explained that it is left on the stalk to dry before it is picked for processing. The kernels are used (like dried beans) by rehydrating in soup (Pazoli is a national soup that they eat every Thursday in Mexico) or by grinding into corn flour for tortillas. I had no idea that they left it on the stalk till it was dry...and it looks very odd to see field after field of dead corn stalks.
Back at the hotel, Lynda and I went into the mall beside our hotel and had a delicious treat. A little shop had a coffee called Cafe de Abuela (coffee of the grandmother) so both of us decided to give it a try and yummy!!! Much like the rice pudding that ended our lunch....I was tempted to lick out my cup after it was all gone. At lunch, I actually did lick my plate from the rice pudding, it was that good! For dinner tonight we tried something totally new in the mall. It was just a cup of cooked corn (off the cob) topped with a dab of butter, some light sour cream, a blob of mayonaise, and sprinkled with grated white cheese. You could add your own hot sauce, lime juice or chili powder and salt. It was great! Maybe I'll make some for a Mexican party next summer :) We purchased a map and are beginning to think that Mexico is a great place to travel. Our fingers are flying from coast to coast as we vision what might lie ahead for us.
Tomorrow morning we're off to Mexico City (about 45 mins away) where we'll spend the day and then return to our very comfortable hotel here. On Sunday a.m. we'll catch a bus for wherever the next leg of our journey turns out to be.
Till next time,
Lorrie
Thursday, November 20, 2008
November 20, 2008
Vive la revolution!!! Happy Revolution Day!!!
What a start to today! Lynda, Viri, and I spent last night in Zihuatanejo in a little hotel right downtown called Posado Citlali. The rate for 3 of us in a very comfortable room was $400 pesos for the night (that’s about $40 CDN folks) After a very full afternoon and evening in Zihuat yesterday, we were thankful for our cozy little room that had as it’s very best feature, in my opinion, a shower with lots of water pressure and hot water – aaahhhhhhh!
As soon as we arrived in Zihuat yesterday (we caught a ride into town with neighbours Amilio and wife Gabby) we located a boat for hire and took a gorgeous ride over to Los Gatos (a beach on the other side of the bay) where we were served some appies and drinks by our waiter named Chai who as it happens has lived in Cawston (about 30 minutes from Penticton). How small is our world?! And then to make it even smaller...it turned out that our boat captain’s girlfriend is from Vernon!
After our boat, we wandered around Zihuat and then took the local bus to Ixtapa to check out the nightlife in that 5 star locale. Viri even found a place to take a cha cha and salsa lesson while Lynda and I cheered her on with cerveca’s in hand.
All in all, it was a fun night, we had some good drinks, some great entertainment and lots of memories. This morning the memories just kept on coming. We had barely finished in our room and getting ready to go out to find a place to grab a bite to eat when we heard what sounded like drums. Well, it was drums alright!! An entire parade full of them, along with hundreds of marching kids, horses, acrobats, buglers and dancers. Today is November 20th, the official day to celebrate the Revolution and everyone gets into the festivities, the roads are shut right down to traffic, and there is celebration in the air.
We watched some of the parade from the balcony outside our room and then made our way across the street to have some breakfast as we watched the rest of it. About an hour and a half later we seemed to have reached both the end of the parade and the end of our breakfast so the timing was perfect and it was as though Zihuat had thrown the parade just for us.
The only worrisome thing about the parade was that it had shut the town down to traffic so getting to the airport might be a bit of a problem. We decided to do our best though so hit the streets with suitcases in tow and became part of the end of the parade. We walked along the streets that were lined with locals (way too crowded on the sidewalks) and sure enough....we located the end of the closed area and found a bus to the airport. Prices are sure reasonable when you choose to take local transit over taxis. Today, we paid 15 pesos for two of us to take the bus all the way to the airport. That’s about $1.50 Cdn.
We’re sitting in departure now waiting for our $45 Cdn flight to Toluca, the highest city, the capital of this state, and home to an active volcano you can drive up to within an hour or so and one of the staff here just told us that it is maybe about 3 degrees there so we’ll be going from +33 to +3 in a matter of an hour. Could be a bit of a shock to the system assuming his information is correct – we’ll know soon enough I guess. As I type this Lynda is making new friends (what else is new) and as it turns out....they are from Mexico City and she is getting some good info on what we should do while there. They’re expats from London, England, who have been living abroad for more than 30 years, 5 of them in Mexico City. As luck would have it....one of their friends happened to be on the same plane and lives in Toluca soooooo....well......I’ll leave the rest of that story to the next paragraph after we’ve touched down.
You won’t believe this chapter of our adventure...and an adventure is exactly what it is turning out to be. We landed in Toluca, got our bags, got into the vehicle with our new friend from Germany (now residing in Toluca) and his son Sebastian. They had decided they’d like to drive us from the Toluca airport to a nice hotel where we would be comfortable and that was reasonably close to the central part of the city. When we arrived at the hotel.....neither Lynda nor I knew what to say as the concierge and multiple porters opened our doors to escort us into the opulent foyer that exuded an air of people with lots of pesos and designer clothes....not something we currently look like we fit into. All in all, it was a place that was looking for way more money than we were interested in donating to their cause. We waved good bye to our transport and pretended we weren’t in shock. Once inside, we simply asked the room rates and decided that we’d try elsewhere. As we left the hotel, a taxi driver approached and before we knew what was happening...we were in the back of a luxurious cab (leather seats and air conditioning) with a driver named Jesus who was prepared to take us anywhere we wanted to go for the next two days. He would also be our personal guide and protector in the event that we found ourselves in any areas that were less than desirable. It was kind of a dream come true.....here we were en route to a reasonably priced hotel (oh yes, Jesus was able to secure that for us too) with a personal driver in a luxury car....all was good in our world and we were reminded that we are mucho suerte (lucky)! The laughter really began once we realized that Jesus was driving us right back to the airport to get our hotel. It was as though we had made a decision to go with the German family to find a place in town and then divine intervention occurred to ensure our experience would be primo. And to top it off....our driver’s name was even Jesus!!
Once we were checked into our room at the City Express for $88/night for two people where there is free internet, free breakfast, free tequila...yes....free tequila you read it right and as a result I may make an error or two in my typing tonight. As an aside...did you know that tequila and Squirt ( a kind of pop)is delicious? Our room is new, clean, air conditioned, large, separate double beds, big shower, water you can drink from the tap...yep.....it’s a luxury model in my mind and when I compare it to the almost $500 price tag at the other place....I’m a happy camper.
Okay, so we’ve checked in had a quick clean up and are back downstairs in record time where Jesus is waiting for us by the door. We really are going to live the lifestyle on this leg of the adventure. When I think that we were going to be couchsurfing in Toluca....as nice as I’m sure that would have been, this is giving it a run for it’s money. For those of you who have never heard of couchsurfing...it is an internet “family” ½ million strong who are willing to share their couches (homes) with travellers looking for a cultural experience. Mitch told us about it and chances are we’ll try to find another place to surf but the guy we were hoping for in Toluca was away in Europe as of today so that didn’t work out this stop. Anyway, back to Jesus.....we climbed into our plush leather seats and were off to tour the central part of Toluca. Our first stop was at the Botanical Gardens in the centre of the city. What an amazing sight that is! The entire place is stained glass windows on the walls and ceiling. The colours are so bright that the multitude of plants inside have the colours of the windows reflected onto them as the sun shines through the windows. I took so many pictures there – I hope some of them turn out as if they do....they’ll be gorgeous!! When we’d had our fill of the gardens, there was Jesus waiting for us right outside the front door. Yep, this is the way to sightsee! If we were riding in a bus...we’d still be looking for which bus to catch. From the gardens we toured around the zocalo (city centre square), saw the cathedral where we had a peek inside and found some really interesting glass work there. It was all stained glass but all clear....no colour....very different and very beautiful. Next we were off to run a quick errand with Jesus. He had to pick up a part for a motor and deliver it to a mechanic so we saw a part of the city that was different from anything most touristas would see. Language barriers can be interesting things and our German drivers had English but it was definitely not perfect and Jesus has .... well.....I guess the only way to say it is to tell the truth....he has none! Our German friends had tried to tell us about something that Toluca is famous for....the Tree of Life that is made out of dirt in an area outside the city centre. Once we started talking to Jesus about it (and remember folks...there is no English going on in this conversation) we were able to figure out that it was pottery done by the indigenous tribe who still live in their original village. They are the Metepeq people and the tree of life isn’t anything very big....but what a lot of work goes into one of these intricate pieces. They’re made of red clay, are 3 D, and most are painted quite colourfully. Anyway, we enjoyed walking around the Metepeq Pueblo and going into the shops and trying to talk to the people working in them. Very little if any English is spoken anywhere here. And....we’re doing very well, if I do say so myself. Lynda is doing really well. Her vocabulary is really quite good except when she calls an onion a horse or when she gets the word for ice mixed up with the word for full and best of all when the number 9 becomes something new. It makes for lots of laughter and the Mexican people are sooo forgiving and understanding with us attempting to speak Spanish. They’re so helpful and pleasant all the time.
By the way...the 3 degrees we’d find when we landed was a joke! It was about 30 degrees but...the air is dry which was very pleasant and really,,,,it just felt like the Okanagan on a nice summer day. So, picture me in a sleeveless top as you’d see me in Penticton in July....I’m happy as I’m not sweating like a pig for the first time since my arrival. I love this place! (Sorry if it’s snowing at home...well....I’m not too sorry, but I felt compelled to say something nice so you didn’t feel more jealous that you already do) Anyway, back to the dress code of Toluca.....as the day wears on, temperatures begin to fall and by dusk it’s getting close to that 3 degree mark. Lynda is bundled up in her coat, Jesus has taken his out of the trunk and the locals walking the streets with us are wearing parkas with hoods up, scarves on top of that and only eyes peeking out in the freezing temps. I on the other hand am still smiling in my bare arms as the locals eyeball me as some kind of freak of nature. Eventually, I broke down and put on a sweater so as not to scare people. Tomorrow will be more of the same...hot by day and cold by night. The elevation here is just under 10,000 feet. Maybe that’s why one drink of tequila can make you dizzy!!! I like it here!!!
After walking around the Metepeq Pueblo, listening to Christmas carols in Spanish, Jesus joined us for dinner in a local Metepeq restaurant (specialty all kinds of fish) where I ended up with soup instead of sopes. I had my taste buds all set for sopes and when this huge bowl of soup overfilled with seafood of all kinds arrived, I didn’t know quite what to think! Some of it was really good but other parts of it were not so wonderful and I think the biggest thing of all was that I was all set for sopes and my tastebuds were looking for that and I ended up with something so far from sopes it isn’t even funny. Regardless, there was so much food that I didn’t go hungry and much of my soup went home with Jesus tonight.
Tomorrow, Jesus will pick us up at our door at 10:00 and we’ll have our private tour of the volcano and Teotenango where we’ll explore the pyramids and ancient ruins found there. I don’t know too much about it yet, but I think it is believed to be the oldest site in all of Mexico and some of the oldest in the world. Regardless, it will be very interesting I’m sure. And....we’ll have our luxury ride there and back.
Oh yes....I guess I forgot to mention that Jesus and his car (well, here’s the real irony...it’s not his car...it belongs to the hotel where we didn’t stay cuz we couldn’t afford it) are with us for the full two days going anywhere we want for the bargain price of $1300 pesos ($130 CDN). The trip to the volcano will take about 1 ½ hours to get there and the same to come back. The trip to Teotenango is about 1 hour each way. Jesus waits for us for as long as we want and all of it is top drawer travel. Seriously though....we’d never have been able to do half of what we’re doing in twice the time if we were trying to do it with public transit and taxis would have been much more expensive than Jesus and the taxis aren’t even in the same league as the car Jesus is using. Lynda y Lorrie esta mujeres con mucho suerte!!
Time to sign off for this day – it is 9:45 pm after all. I’m so looking forward to a few days of respite from the bites I’ve been suffering at the coast. Some kind of bugs have taken a liking to me and they’ve made short work of my legs from the knees down and my arms as well. Basically anything that is exposed from dusk onward is fair game for them and they have bites that itch for days afterward. It’s not something everyone suffers from though – its just me....I’m way too sweet I guess. Hasta luego,
Lorrie
What a start to today! Lynda, Viri, and I spent last night in Zihuatanejo in a little hotel right downtown called Posado Citlali. The rate for 3 of us in a very comfortable room was $400 pesos for the night (that’s about $40 CDN folks) After a very full afternoon and evening in Zihuat yesterday, we were thankful for our cozy little room that had as it’s very best feature, in my opinion, a shower with lots of water pressure and hot water – aaahhhhhhh!
As soon as we arrived in Zihuat yesterday (we caught a ride into town with neighbours Amilio and wife Gabby) we located a boat for hire and took a gorgeous ride over to Los Gatos (a beach on the other side of the bay) where we were served some appies and drinks by our waiter named Chai who as it happens has lived in Cawston (about 30 minutes from Penticton). How small is our world?! And then to make it even smaller...it turned out that our boat captain’s girlfriend is from Vernon!
After our boat, we wandered around Zihuat and then took the local bus to Ixtapa to check out the nightlife in that 5 star locale. Viri even found a place to take a cha cha and salsa lesson while Lynda and I cheered her on with cerveca’s in hand.
All in all, it was a fun night, we had some good drinks, some great entertainment and lots of memories. This morning the memories just kept on coming. We had barely finished in our room and getting ready to go out to find a place to grab a bite to eat when we heard what sounded like drums. Well, it was drums alright!! An entire parade full of them, along with hundreds of marching kids, horses, acrobats, buglers and dancers. Today is November 20th, the official day to celebrate the Revolution and everyone gets into the festivities, the roads are shut right down to traffic, and there is celebration in the air.
We watched some of the parade from the balcony outside our room and then made our way across the street to have some breakfast as we watched the rest of it. About an hour and a half later we seemed to have reached both the end of the parade and the end of our breakfast so the timing was perfect and it was as though Zihuat had thrown the parade just for us.
The only worrisome thing about the parade was that it had shut the town down to traffic so getting to the airport might be a bit of a problem. We decided to do our best though so hit the streets with suitcases in tow and became part of the end of the parade. We walked along the streets that were lined with locals (way too crowded on the sidewalks) and sure enough....we located the end of the closed area and found a bus to the airport. Prices are sure reasonable when you choose to take local transit over taxis. Today, we paid 15 pesos for two of us to take the bus all the way to the airport. That’s about $1.50 Cdn.
We’re sitting in departure now waiting for our $45 Cdn flight to Toluca, the highest city, the capital of this state, and home to an active volcano you can drive up to within an hour or so and one of the staff here just told us that it is maybe about 3 degrees there so we’ll be going from +33 to +3 in a matter of an hour. Could be a bit of a shock to the system assuming his information is correct – we’ll know soon enough I guess. As I type this Lynda is making new friends (what else is new) and as it turns out....they are from Mexico City and she is getting some good info on what we should do while there. They’re expats from London, England, who have been living abroad for more than 30 years, 5 of them in Mexico City. As luck would have it....one of their friends happened to be on the same plane and lives in Toluca soooooo....well......I’ll leave the rest of that story to the next paragraph after we’ve touched down.
You won’t believe this chapter of our adventure...and an adventure is exactly what it is turning out to be. We landed in Toluca, got our bags, got into the vehicle with our new friend from Germany (now residing in Toluca) and his son Sebastian. They had decided they’d like to drive us from the Toluca airport to a nice hotel where we would be comfortable and that was reasonably close to the central part of the city. When we arrived at the hotel.....neither Lynda nor I knew what to say as the concierge and multiple porters opened our doors to escort us into the opulent foyer that exuded an air of people with lots of pesos and designer clothes....not something we currently look like we fit into. All in all, it was a place that was looking for way more money than we were interested in donating to their cause. We waved good bye to our transport and pretended we weren’t in shock. Once inside, we simply asked the room rates and decided that we’d try elsewhere. As we left the hotel, a taxi driver approached and before we knew what was happening...we were in the back of a luxurious cab (leather seats and air conditioning) with a driver named Jesus who was prepared to take us anywhere we wanted to go for the next two days. He would also be our personal guide and protector in the event that we found ourselves in any areas that were less than desirable. It was kind of a dream come true.....here we were en route to a reasonably priced hotel (oh yes, Jesus was able to secure that for us too) with a personal driver in a luxury car....all was good in our world and we were reminded that we are mucho suerte (lucky)! The laughter really began once we realized that Jesus was driving us right back to the airport to get our hotel. It was as though we had made a decision to go with the German family to find a place in town and then divine intervention occurred to ensure our experience would be primo. And to top it off....our driver’s name was even Jesus!!
Once we were checked into our room at the City Express for $88/night for two people where there is free internet, free breakfast, free tequila...yes....free tequila you read it right and as a result I may make an error or two in my typing tonight. As an aside...did you know that tequila and Squirt ( a kind of pop)is delicious? Our room is new, clean, air conditioned, large, separate double beds, big shower, water you can drink from the tap...yep.....it’s a luxury model in my mind and when I compare it to the almost $500 price tag at the other place....I’m a happy camper.
Okay, so we’ve checked in had a quick clean up and are back downstairs in record time where Jesus is waiting for us by the door. We really are going to live the lifestyle on this leg of the adventure. When I think that we were going to be couchsurfing in Toluca....as nice as I’m sure that would have been, this is giving it a run for it’s money. For those of you who have never heard of couchsurfing...it is an internet “family” ½ million strong who are willing to share their couches (homes) with travellers looking for a cultural experience. Mitch told us about it and chances are we’ll try to find another place to surf but the guy we were hoping for in Toluca was away in Europe as of today so that didn’t work out this stop. Anyway, back to Jesus.....we climbed into our plush leather seats and were off to tour the central part of Toluca. Our first stop was at the Botanical Gardens in the centre of the city. What an amazing sight that is! The entire place is stained glass windows on the walls and ceiling. The colours are so bright that the multitude of plants inside have the colours of the windows reflected onto them as the sun shines through the windows. I took so many pictures there – I hope some of them turn out as if they do....they’ll be gorgeous!! When we’d had our fill of the gardens, there was Jesus waiting for us right outside the front door. Yep, this is the way to sightsee! If we were riding in a bus...we’d still be looking for which bus to catch. From the gardens we toured around the zocalo (city centre square), saw the cathedral where we had a peek inside and found some really interesting glass work there. It was all stained glass but all clear....no colour....very different and very beautiful. Next we were off to run a quick errand with Jesus. He had to pick up a part for a motor and deliver it to a mechanic so we saw a part of the city that was different from anything most touristas would see. Language barriers can be interesting things and our German drivers had English but it was definitely not perfect and Jesus has .... well.....I guess the only way to say it is to tell the truth....he has none! Our German friends had tried to tell us about something that Toluca is famous for....the Tree of Life that is made out of dirt in an area outside the city centre. Once we started talking to Jesus about it (and remember folks...there is no English going on in this conversation) we were able to figure out that it was pottery done by the indigenous tribe who still live in their original village. They are the Metepeq people and the tree of life isn’t anything very big....but what a lot of work goes into one of these intricate pieces. They’re made of red clay, are 3 D, and most are painted quite colourfully. Anyway, we enjoyed walking around the Metepeq Pueblo and going into the shops and trying to talk to the people working in them. Very little if any English is spoken anywhere here. And....we’re doing very well, if I do say so myself. Lynda is doing really well. Her vocabulary is really quite good except when she calls an onion a horse or when she gets the word for ice mixed up with the word for full and best of all when the number 9 becomes something new. It makes for lots of laughter and the Mexican people are sooo forgiving and understanding with us attempting to speak Spanish. They’re so helpful and pleasant all the time.
By the way...the 3 degrees we’d find when we landed was a joke! It was about 30 degrees but...the air is dry which was very pleasant and really,,,,it just felt like the Okanagan on a nice summer day. So, picture me in a sleeveless top as you’d see me in Penticton in July....I’m happy as I’m not sweating like a pig for the first time since my arrival. I love this place! (Sorry if it’s snowing at home...well....I’m not too sorry, but I felt compelled to say something nice so you didn’t feel more jealous that you already do) Anyway, back to the dress code of Toluca.....as the day wears on, temperatures begin to fall and by dusk it’s getting close to that 3 degree mark. Lynda is bundled up in her coat, Jesus has taken his out of the trunk and the locals walking the streets with us are wearing parkas with hoods up, scarves on top of that and only eyes peeking out in the freezing temps. I on the other hand am still smiling in my bare arms as the locals eyeball me as some kind of freak of nature. Eventually, I broke down and put on a sweater so as not to scare people. Tomorrow will be more of the same...hot by day and cold by night. The elevation here is just under 10,000 feet. Maybe that’s why one drink of tequila can make you dizzy!!! I like it here!!!
After walking around the Metepeq Pueblo, listening to Christmas carols in Spanish, Jesus joined us for dinner in a local Metepeq restaurant (specialty all kinds of fish) where I ended up with soup instead of sopes. I had my taste buds all set for sopes and when this huge bowl of soup overfilled with seafood of all kinds arrived, I didn’t know quite what to think! Some of it was really good but other parts of it were not so wonderful and I think the biggest thing of all was that I was all set for sopes and my tastebuds were looking for that and I ended up with something so far from sopes it isn’t even funny. Regardless, there was so much food that I didn’t go hungry and much of my soup went home with Jesus tonight.
Tomorrow, Jesus will pick us up at our door at 10:00 and we’ll have our private tour of the volcano and Teotenango where we’ll explore the pyramids and ancient ruins found there. I don’t know too much about it yet, but I think it is believed to be the oldest site in all of Mexico and some of the oldest in the world. Regardless, it will be very interesting I’m sure. And....we’ll have our luxury ride there and back.
Oh yes....I guess I forgot to mention that Jesus and his car (well, here’s the real irony...it’s not his car...it belongs to the hotel where we didn’t stay cuz we couldn’t afford it) are with us for the full two days going anywhere we want for the bargain price of $1300 pesos ($130 CDN). The trip to the volcano will take about 1 ½ hours to get there and the same to come back. The trip to Teotenango is about 1 hour each way. Jesus waits for us for as long as we want and all of it is top drawer travel. Seriously though....we’d never have been able to do half of what we’re doing in twice the time if we were trying to do it with public transit and taxis would have been much more expensive than Jesus and the taxis aren’t even in the same league as the car Jesus is using. Lynda y Lorrie esta mujeres con mucho suerte!!
Time to sign off for this day – it is 9:45 pm after all. I’m so looking forward to a few days of respite from the bites I’ve been suffering at the coast. Some kind of bugs have taken a liking to me and they’ve made short work of my legs from the knees down and my arms as well. Basically anything that is exposed from dusk onward is fair game for them and they have bites that itch for days afterward. It’s not something everyone suffers from though – its just me....I’m way too sweet I guess. Hasta luego,
Lorrie
Monday, November 17, 2008
November 17, 2008
Hola autra vez amigos,
Okay....so I lied when I said you may not hear from us for a few days as we'd be in transit. We do have plane tickets but in true Mexican fashion - ahora turned into manana and then into dos mananas....so we fly out of Zihuatinejo on Thursday afternoon. We'll spend Weds night in Zihuat to check out the night life and to ensure that we don't have to break with what has quickly become a tradition of NO ALARM CLOCK :)
Purchasing the plane tickets was a new experience. Lynda began the process with the best of intentions but the best price she could find was more than $200 US each for a one way ticket! Mitch on the other hand was able to secure (all in Spanish) 2 one way tickets for a total of approximately $85. CDN. Yep, you read it right....each of us are flying to Tuluca for under $50 each taxes included. Wahoo!!! Tuluca is about an hour (or less) bus ride to Mexico City, the highest city in Mexico and is an active volcano - how cool is that!!! But....as Lynda just identified....that might be why the tickets are soooo cheap - our fingers and toes are all crossed....please cross yours too. I know it will make you walk funny but I think we'll need all the help we can get! So....we may or may not stay in Tuluca and we hope to make it to Mexico City but if we freeze to death in our beachwear in the coldest city in Mexico or if we get our feet stuck in the lava that is spewing out (well, maybe its not spewing) while running for the bus - we'll be somewhere sometime maybe.
Speaking of walking funny....we had a loooonnnnggg walk home tonight as the road kept turning or moving or something but we made it. Perhaps it had to do with the double margaritas we had at Robertos while learning to play Conquian. Great card game if you can remember there are no 8's or 9's and if you know the suits are coins, swords, zucchinis (well they sort of look like zucchinis), and cups. For those of you who play this game (John) you'll be happy to know that I kicked butt or in Spanish yo estoy mucho suerte (I am lucky). Honestly though....Roberto is soooo sweet...... he didn't have any of the cards in the restaurant or his house so without our knowledge and with guests in the restaurant he sent his only waiter to the store to try to find a deck to buy so he could show us the game. All this because we just asked if he'd ever heard of the game. Only in Mexico. The people are too wonderful and sincere. I can't express enough how impressed I am with their generous spirit and warm smiles.
So to repeat myself somewhat....you may not hear from me for a few days....but then who knows...maybe I'll be on here again tomorrow :)
Adios - buenos noches,
L & L
Okay....so I lied when I said you may not hear from us for a few days as we'd be in transit. We do have plane tickets but in true Mexican fashion - ahora turned into manana and then into dos mananas....so we fly out of Zihuatinejo on Thursday afternoon. We'll spend Weds night in Zihuat to check out the night life and to ensure that we don't have to break with what has quickly become a tradition of NO ALARM CLOCK :)
Purchasing the plane tickets was a new experience. Lynda began the process with the best of intentions but the best price she could find was more than $200 US each for a one way ticket! Mitch on the other hand was able to secure (all in Spanish) 2 one way tickets for a total of approximately $85. CDN. Yep, you read it right....each of us are flying to Tuluca for under $50 each taxes included. Wahoo!!! Tuluca is about an hour (or less) bus ride to Mexico City, the highest city in Mexico and is an active volcano - how cool is that!!! But....as Lynda just identified....that might be why the tickets are soooo cheap - our fingers and toes are all crossed....please cross yours too. I know it will make you walk funny but I think we'll need all the help we can get! So....we may or may not stay in Tuluca and we hope to make it to Mexico City but if we freeze to death in our beachwear in the coldest city in Mexico or if we get our feet stuck in the lava that is spewing out (well, maybe its not spewing) while running for the bus - we'll be somewhere sometime maybe.
Speaking of walking funny....we had a loooonnnnggg walk home tonight as the road kept turning or moving or something but we made it. Perhaps it had to do with the double margaritas we had at Robertos while learning to play Conquian. Great card game if you can remember there are no 8's or 9's and if you know the suits are coins, swords, zucchinis (well they sort of look like zucchinis), and cups. For those of you who play this game (John) you'll be happy to know that I kicked butt or in Spanish yo estoy mucho suerte (I am lucky). Honestly though....Roberto is soooo sweet...... he didn't have any of the cards in the restaurant or his house so without our knowledge and with guests in the restaurant he sent his only waiter to the store to try to find a deck to buy so he could show us the game. All this because we just asked if he'd ever heard of the game. Only in Mexico. The people are too wonderful and sincere. I can't express enough how impressed I am with their generous spirit and warm smiles.
So to repeat myself somewhat....you may not hear from me for a few days....but then who knows...maybe I'll be on here again tomorrow :)
Adios - buenos noches,
L & L
November 17, 2008
Wow! Is about the only thing I can say about what we saw this morning. Lynda actually birthed a baby tortuga today. Well....it was as though she birthed it. She was holding the egg when it began to spit out the liquid that would preceed the little tortuga that was soon to follow. There were dozens of babies hatched this morning. We had the opportunity to take many of them from their sandy nests to the next phase in their development...an oversize tub with a little sand and some water in it so they could begin to learn what to do to survive in the wild and have a couple of days to grow stronger so they'd have the best chance possible.
Carlos, son of Roberto (owner of the restaurant across from Mitch's place and where we spend a lot of time) is sixteen years old and plans to become a marine biologist. He is on his way to fullfilling his dream with this project that takes up so much of his time every morning noon and night. What a lot of responsibility he has taken on and he doesn't get anything for having taken on this massive task. He cannot miss a day of caring for the little tortugas, even before they're hatched. Everything from scouring the playa (beach) early in the morning to find where the mamas have laid their eggs to replanting them in safe areas, marking them with the number of eggs buried and the date they will hatch. From there he has to dig them up, take care of them for a few days and then release them to the ocean once they're ready. And when you consider that this happens most every day....on top of going to school and helping at the restaurant and just being 16.....he is a busy boy. Other interesting tortuga (turtle) facts are: the eggs take 45 days to hatch, when they're planted in the sun they're more likely to be boys versus when they're planted in the shade they're likely to be born females. The babies, upon hatching go into a container with sand in the bottom for a day or so. From there they progress to a container with some sand and some water as they're strong enough to swim. From there they go into mainly water that is deeper and finally, they're sent off to the ocean at sunset where they fight the waves to get out to their new home.
Okay....things are pretty special here all around. There is a gorgeous little girl named Flower sitting beside me while I type this note. She has a bonito (beautiful) smile and likes to touch my hair and look at my eyes as they are blue, an anomoly for this part of the world. Flower is ten and in grade five. She speaks very little english - well almost none which is a bit of a surprise as there are some adults who speak a little and one would think that the kids would be better at it but not in this case.
Roberto has just explained why today is a national holiday. November 20th is the day that the country celebrates their Revolution. It is recent history, Roberto's grandfather told him stories about when the revolution was underway (it lasted for 10 years) in the early 1900's. All the farmers were involved in the fighting and so only the women and small children were left to tend the fields. It was a huge job and the entire country had very little food to sustain them for a long time. Roberto's grandfather talks about surviving on bananas often. Roberto explained that Revolution Day is not to be confused with Independence Day, which took place about 800 years ago, when Mexico gained independence from Spain.
Yikes!! I just looked at the clock on the computer and it is noon!! How did that happen. We left the house at around 8:00 and it seems that only an hour or two has passed. The time is flying by too quickly today! In fact, last night I heard myself say (with some panic in my voice) that one of my ten weeks is already gone!!! It's easy to see why Lynda didn't even notice that five months had passed by when it was time for her to come home last winter.
We've just ordered some breakfast. Something I haven't tried yet. It is called Chilaquiles con pollo and I saw the cook making one and it looks really good. It is some kind of little strips of tortilla that have been baked or fried and then they're topped with chicken and some kind of red sauce. Yum yum...I really like the red sauce that is often one of the options on dishes here. I don't know what the blend of spices are that are in it but boy oh boy would I like to. I'm hoping to learn a little about how to make some Mexican food so when I get home, I'll be able to share some of the tastes :)
Carlos, son of Roberto (owner of the restaurant across from Mitch's place and where we spend a lot of time) is sixteen years old and plans to become a marine biologist. He is on his way to fullfilling his dream with this project that takes up so much of his time every morning noon and night. What a lot of responsibility he has taken on and he doesn't get anything for having taken on this massive task. He cannot miss a day of caring for the little tortugas, even before they're hatched. Everything from scouring the playa (beach) early in the morning to find where the mamas have laid their eggs to replanting them in safe areas, marking them with the number of eggs buried and the date they will hatch. From there he has to dig them up, take care of them for a few days and then release them to the ocean once they're ready. And when you consider that this happens most every day....on top of going to school and helping at the restaurant and just being 16.....he is a busy boy. Other interesting tortuga (turtle) facts are: the eggs take 45 days to hatch, when they're planted in the sun they're more likely to be boys versus when they're planted in the shade they're likely to be born females. The babies, upon hatching go into a container with sand in the bottom for a day or so. From there they progress to a container with some sand and some water as they're strong enough to swim. From there they go into mainly water that is deeper and finally, they're sent off to the ocean at sunset where they fight the waves to get out to their new home.
Okay....things are pretty special here all around. There is a gorgeous little girl named Flower sitting beside me while I type this note. She has a bonito (beautiful) smile and likes to touch my hair and look at my eyes as they are blue, an anomoly for this part of the world. Flower is ten and in grade five. She speaks very little english - well almost none which is a bit of a surprise as there are some adults who speak a little and one would think that the kids would be better at it but not in this case.
Roberto has just explained why today is a national holiday. November 20th is the day that the country celebrates their Revolution. It is recent history, Roberto's grandfather told him stories about when the revolution was underway (it lasted for 10 years) in the early 1900's. All the farmers were involved in the fighting and so only the women and small children were left to tend the fields. It was a huge job and the entire country had very little food to sustain them for a long time. Roberto's grandfather talks about surviving on bananas often. Roberto explained that Revolution Day is not to be confused with Independence Day, which took place about 800 years ago, when Mexico gained independence from Spain.
Yikes!! I just looked at the clock on the computer and it is noon!! How did that happen. We left the house at around 8:00 and it seems that only an hour or two has passed. The time is flying by too quickly today! In fact, last night I heard myself say (with some panic in my voice) that one of my ten weeks is already gone!!! It's easy to see why Lynda didn't even notice that five months had passed by when it was time for her to come home last winter.
We've just ordered some breakfast. Something I haven't tried yet. It is called Chilaquiles con pollo and I saw the cook making one and it looks really good. It is some kind of little strips of tortilla that have been baked or fried and then they're topped with chicken and some kind of red sauce. Yum yum...I really like the red sauce that is often one of the options on dishes here. I don't know what the blend of spices are that are in it but boy oh boy would I like to. I'm hoping to learn a little about how to make some Mexican food so when I get home, I'll be able to share some of the tastes :)
We're hoping to catch a plane tomorrow so may not be adding to the blog for a few days.....will catch up when I'm back online again.
Breakfast just arrived (well.....maybe its lunch) so I must sign off.
Adios,
L
Sunday, November 16, 2008
November 16, 2008
Yesterday veritably flew by! It was the first day that I felt real surprise when I found out it was time for night to fall and I really didn't do anything at all yesterday.
Lynda and I walked along the beach in the a.m. and she ran in to several restaurants along the way to say hello to old friends while I was introduced to new ones. We watched the pellicans dive for fish along the ocean's edge for a while and then made our way back to Roberto's for breakfast and well......yes......a margarita to wash it down. As bad as that sounds we did wait till after noon to have our margarita though :)
The rest of the day was spent lounging in the hammock or floating in the pool.
Viri started working behind the bar at Roberto's this afternoon and so once night fell, Lynda and I made our way back there to order another drink from the new bartender. I taught her a new drink (Tequila & Kahlua con leche) that she made for us. Mmmmmm good! When I told her and Roberto that the drink is called a Dirty Mother they laughed and laughed and it won't surprise me to learn that the drink has made it's way onto the menu as one of the nightly drink specials that they're planning to implement this season.
Once we'd finished our drinks, Lynda and I headed out down the road. As simple as this sounds...you have to get the full picture of exactly what that means. There are no street lights and the road is dirt with very large pot holes...well they're not even really pot holes.....they're more like ruts that occur during the rainy season and then once the rains stop the road get hard as rock and the ruts are baked into place. There are bats flying overhead and frogs underfoot so maybe its just as well there are no lights :) Okay, now that I've freaked you all out....I saw one bat and was happy to see him as it's good to know he's eating the mosquitoes and a couple of frogs that really aren't underfoot on the road but rather hopping in the gardens or along the edge of any water. It is a bit of an adventure but not bad at all so I don't want to scare anyone away from wanting to come here for a visit. I have no problem recommending this place to anyone interested in finding a place where it feels "right" to be.
Our first stop was at the community basketball court where virtually the entire town had turned out for a fundraising party. I don't know what they were raising funds for but I understand it is very common for them to use that forum when someone in the community is in need. They have food for sale, music, dancing, and of course there were one or two cervesa's in sight.
From the community party we moved along to the store as I was looking for some bug spray - I've given up on thinking that they might not be as bad the next day but the itching is beginning to get to me. It's not the mosquitos that are really bothering me all that much...I think they're more like flea bites but unless the fleas are invisible....I haven't seen any of them. I think they're some little kind of no see 'ems that have one vicious bite!
At the store we ran into a guy who had been at the party the night before and who I had met several times....he is the guy who produces the noni liquor that I think I mentioned in an earlier blog. He owns a commercial building near the store and has just finished building himself a house behind it too. What a nice man with great english. He gave us a tour of his house that is absolutely gorgeous. It is not huge but it is so well thought out and incorporates nature into every corner. The only thing that is indoors is the bedroom and the outdoor kitchen is both functional and beautifully done. Even the tile floor is raised from the ground with it's base set back a few inches from the edge so many bugs and small creatures won't be able to get up onto the kitchen as they'd have to be able to walk upside down. He had hidden all pipes under sinks etc behind tree branches or trunks that had been strategically placed to keep everything to the theme of nature. The material used for building is all cement or stucco and it was painted a natural shade of beige to complement the wood so.....as you can see.....I liked what he had done with it a lot! In addition, we were able to learn some important information from him about the Monarch Butterflies so it looks like we may be hitting the road before too much longer.
From our tour of his home we made our way back down the street to Roberto's to grab a bite. Our "bite" turned out to be enchiladas that included shrimp - I could get really used to the food here!! We sat with Roberto and his friend Victor, who turned out to be the Mayor of Troncones. From him we learned that the official population of permanent residents here is 80 people. He said there are probably as many more who are not permanent so the total is closer to 200 but....I'm guessing for election purposes.....the best he could ever do would be to get all 80 votes. You'd think in a place so small that everyone would know everyone and everything about everyone....but it seems they don't. Go figure?!
Well....that was yesterday and here it is Sunday the 16th already. As of today, I'll have been here a week already!
There was a new sound this morning at 7 a.m. I'm not sure, but am guessing it might have something to do with the fact that there is likely church today. There was a bell clanging in what appeared to be a set rhythm so I'm guessing it is a regular thing on Sundays since I haven't heard it any other morning. It sets all the birds to singing (or squaking in the case of Chuck A Luck A the parrot down by the kitchen).
Looks like another gorgeous day in Mexico - hope this finds you all well.....gotta go see what gifts today will bring.
Hasta luego,
L
Lynda and I walked along the beach in the a.m. and she ran in to several restaurants along the way to say hello to old friends while I was introduced to new ones. We watched the pellicans dive for fish along the ocean's edge for a while and then made our way back to Roberto's for breakfast and well......yes......a margarita to wash it down. As bad as that sounds we did wait till after noon to have our margarita though :)
The rest of the day was spent lounging in the hammock or floating in the pool.
Viri started working behind the bar at Roberto's this afternoon and so once night fell, Lynda and I made our way back there to order another drink from the new bartender. I taught her a new drink (Tequila & Kahlua con leche) that she made for us. Mmmmmm good! When I told her and Roberto that the drink is called a Dirty Mother they laughed and laughed and it won't surprise me to learn that the drink has made it's way onto the menu as one of the nightly drink specials that they're planning to implement this season.
Once we'd finished our drinks, Lynda and I headed out down the road. As simple as this sounds...you have to get the full picture of exactly what that means. There are no street lights and the road is dirt with very large pot holes...well they're not even really pot holes.....they're more like ruts that occur during the rainy season and then once the rains stop the road get hard as rock and the ruts are baked into place. There are bats flying overhead and frogs underfoot so maybe its just as well there are no lights :) Okay, now that I've freaked you all out....I saw one bat and was happy to see him as it's good to know he's eating the mosquitoes and a couple of frogs that really aren't underfoot on the road but rather hopping in the gardens or along the edge of any water. It is a bit of an adventure but not bad at all so I don't want to scare anyone away from wanting to come here for a visit. I have no problem recommending this place to anyone interested in finding a place where it feels "right" to be.
Our first stop was at the community basketball court where virtually the entire town had turned out for a fundraising party. I don't know what they were raising funds for but I understand it is very common for them to use that forum when someone in the community is in need. They have food for sale, music, dancing, and of course there were one or two cervesa's in sight.
From the community party we moved along to the store as I was looking for some bug spray - I've given up on thinking that they might not be as bad the next day but the itching is beginning to get to me. It's not the mosquitos that are really bothering me all that much...I think they're more like flea bites but unless the fleas are invisible....I haven't seen any of them. I think they're some little kind of no see 'ems that have one vicious bite!
At the store we ran into a guy who had been at the party the night before and who I had met several times....he is the guy who produces the noni liquor that I think I mentioned in an earlier blog. He owns a commercial building near the store and has just finished building himself a house behind it too. What a nice man with great english. He gave us a tour of his house that is absolutely gorgeous. It is not huge but it is so well thought out and incorporates nature into every corner. The only thing that is indoors is the bedroom and the outdoor kitchen is both functional and beautifully done. Even the tile floor is raised from the ground with it's base set back a few inches from the edge so many bugs and small creatures won't be able to get up onto the kitchen as they'd have to be able to walk upside down. He had hidden all pipes under sinks etc behind tree branches or trunks that had been strategically placed to keep everything to the theme of nature. The material used for building is all cement or stucco and it was painted a natural shade of beige to complement the wood so.....as you can see.....I liked what he had done with it a lot! In addition, we were able to learn some important information from him about the Monarch Butterflies so it looks like we may be hitting the road before too much longer.
From our tour of his home we made our way back down the street to Roberto's to grab a bite. Our "bite" turned out to be enchiladas that included shrimp - I could get really used to the food here!! We sat with Roberto and his friend Victor, who turned out to be the Mayor of Troncones. From him we learned that the official population of permanent residents here is 80 people. He said there are probably as many more who are not permanent so the total is closer to 200 but....I'm guessing for election purposes.....the best he could ever do would be to get all 80 votes. You'd think in a place so small that everyone would know everyone and everything about everyone....but it seems they don't. Go figure?!
Well....that was yesterday and here it is Sunday the 16th already. As of today, I'll have been here a week already!
There was a new sound this morning at 7 a.m. I'm not sure, but am guessing it might have something to do with the fact that there is likely church today. There was a bell clanging in what appeared to be a set rhythm so I'm guessing it is a regular thing on Sundays since I haven't heard it any other morning. It sets all the birds to singing (or squaking in the case of Chuck A Luck A the parrot down by the kitchen).
Looks like another gorgeous day in Mexico - hope this finds you all well.....gotta go see what gifts today will bring.
Hasta luego,
L
November 14, 2008
Lalo calls himself an archi-d.j. – he is an architect by day and by night he has mixer and music and will travel. Tonight he was set up under the stars (and a couple of perfectly placed strings of light in a palm frond) just outside the kitchen/living room at Casa Caprice for the party that just seemed to materialize out of thin air!
Lynda was scheduled to arrive this afternoon at 4:00 so Mitch, Viri and I went into Zihuat earlier in the day to take care of all the “city” business that Troncones doesn’t really cater to....things like grocery shopping and banking.
Viri and I began the city junket at the Centro Market where we purchased enough vegetables and fruit to last for at least a week and probably even two weeks. I even managed to purchase 1 kilo of cheese on my own (well, there was a little tutoring from Viri before I went to get the cheese if I tell the truth). While we were loading up on fruit and veggies, Mitch was taking care of some business dealings in town. Once we had our purchases stowed into the back of the truck, I made my way to the bank ATM since it was just down the road and there is no ATM that I’ve seen in Troncones and all purchases here seem to be cash only so.....M/C and Visa are no help at all and you all know how I hate to be short of money! I had a little misadventure at the bank. All of the instructions were in both English and Spanish so I had no problem knowing what buttons to push until the time came to decide how much cash I’d like to have. The choices all looked like this $50, $100, $200, $500, $1000, $2000, $3000, $5000. I thought about selecting $3000 but then got worried that it would give me 3000 dollars worth of pesos so decided to err on the side of caution and hope that if I chose $500 it would spit out 500 dollars worth of pesos. I guessed wrong though and ended up with only 500 pesos which is about $50 Cdn. I was able to remedy the situation by just getting another $3000, but the downside is that there is a charge for every transaction so that first 500 pesos ($50 Cdn) cost me quite a bit more than 50 dollars to get – a good lesson though!
I found a new fruit in the market but can’t remember what it is called. It tastes like a cross between a sweet potato and a papaya. It is very expensive by the standards here so I just bought a couple for us to cut up to share. It was the first time several people (oh yes....the crowds began to arrive about the time that I was cutting up the fruit for us to try) had ever had it. I had a few more ‘firsts’ tonight too. For dinner Mitch made something called camaronillas. (Shrimp, onions, tomatoes, garlic and cheese wrapped in a flour tortillas that is then deep fried and served with a Maggi sauce for dipping) a lot of work to make but they could be described as ‘unbelievable’ or ‘outstanding’ or ‘could I please have the recipe’. Gabby, the neighbour from across the street was helping Mitch in the kitchen and she made some spicy shrimp that were equally as good as the camaronillas. Viri made the salads (salada en espanol) and they too were delicious. Her home made dressing consisted of mayonnaise, chipotle, ketsup, garlic, salt and pepper. Hugo (pronounced Ugo) had contributed two huge fillets of fresh tuna that he rubbed with salt and pepper, wrapped in foil and then turned over a slow fire till done to perfection. People seemed to be arriving constantly and at the final tally there were only about 15 or 20 but it felt like there were a lot more than that at times....not because it was crowded but because of the festive air.
People were mingling and chatting and swaying in time to Lalo’s music that had the ocean’s heartbeat as it’s rhythm instrument in the distance. It was a party to remember and what a welcome for Lynda! She was able to spend some time with friends she hadn’t seen since she left in April and meet some new people as well. Mitch and Viri are great hosts and everyone chipped in to help. The party was a real communal affair from start to finish and by the time it wound up around 2 a.m. there wasn’t even a lot left to clean up. People had helped chop and cook at the start of the night and others had helped pick up bottles and dishes at the end. This party will be a highlight of my week and probably of my trip.
Hasta luego,
L
p.s.
Mom, you’ll never guess who is here.....Dad is still finding parking spots for me in Mexico. When we arrived at the Centro market, there was our spot right at the front door. I told Mitch and Viri that they needed to say thank you and why and Mitch admitted that never before had they had a spot right near the entrance so we all said thank you and I’ll bet the man who carried all of our veggies out for us said thank you too! Go figure....I never would have thought that Dad would like it here but I guess he does.
L
Lynda was scheduled to arrive this afternoon at 4:00 so Mitch, Viri and I went into Zihuat earlier in the day to take care of all the “city” business that Troncones doesn’t really cater to....things like grocery shopping and banking.
Viri and I began the city junket at the Centro Market where we purchased enough vegetables and fruit to last for at least a week and probably even two weeks. I even managed to purchase 1 kilo of cheese on my own (well, there was a little tutoring from Viri before I went to get the cheese if I tell the truth). While we were loading up on fruit and veggies, Mitch was taking care of some business dealings in town. Once we had our purchases stowed into the back of the truck, I made my way to the bank ATM since it was just down the road and there is no ATM that I’ve seen in Troncones and all purchases here seem to be cash only so.....M/C and Visa are no help at all and you all know how I hate to be short of money! I had a little misadventure at the bank. All of the instructions were in both English and Spanish so I had no problem knowing what buttons to push until the time came to decide how much cash I’d like to have. The choices all looked like this $50, $100, $200, $500, $1000, $2000, $3000, $5000. I thought about selecting $3000 but then got worried that it would give me 3000 dollars worth of pesos so decided to err on the side of caution and hope that if I chose $500 it would spit out 500 dollars worth of pesos. I guessed wrong though and ended up with only 500 pesos which is about $50 Cdn. I was able to remedy the situation by just getting another $3000, but the downside is that there is a charge for every transaction so that first 500 pesos ($50 Cdn) cost me quite a bit more than 50 dollars to get – a good lesson though!
I found a new fruit in the market but can’t remember what it is called. It tastes like a cross between a sweet potato and a papaya. It is very expensive by the standards here so I just bought a couple for us to cut up to share. It was the first time several people (oh yes....the crowds began to arrive about the time that I was cutting up the fruit for us to try) had ever had it. I had a few more ‘firsts’ tonight too. For dinner Mitch made something called camaronillas. (Shrimp, onions, tomatoes, garlic and cheese wrapped in a flour tortillas that is then deep fried and served with a Maggi sauce for dipping) a lot of work to make but they could be described as ‘unbelievable’ or ‘outstanding’ or ‘could I please have the recipe’. Gabby, the neighbour from across the street was helping Mitch in the kitchen and she made some spicy shrimp that were equally as good as the camaronillas. Viri made the salads (salada en espanol) and they too were delicious. Her home made dressing consisted of mayonnaise, chipotle, ketsup, garlic, salt and pepper. Hugo (pronounced Ugo) had contributed two huge fillets of fresh tuna that he rubbed with salt and pepper, wrapped in foil and then turned over a slow fire till done to perfection. People seemed to be arriving constantly and at the final tally there were only about 15 or 20 but it felt like there were a lot more than that at times....not because it was crowded but because of the festive air.
People were mingling and chatting and swaying in time to Lalo’s music that had the ocean’s heartbeat as it’s rhythm instrument in the distance. It was a party to remember and what a welcome for Lynda! She was able to spend some time with friends she hadn’t seen since she left in April and meet some new people as well. Mitch and Viri are great hosts and everyone chipped in to help. The party was a real communal affair from start to finish and by the time it wound up around 2 a.m. there wasn’t even a lot left to clean up. People had helped chop and cook at the start of the night and others had helped pick up bottles and dishes at the end. This party will be a highlight of my week and probably of my trip.
Hasta luego,
L
p.s.
Mom, you’ll never guess who is here.....Dad is still finding parking spots for me in Mexico. When we arrived at the Centro market, there was our spot right at the front door. I told Mitch and Viri that they needed to say thank you and why and Mitch admitted that never before had they had a spot right near the entrance so we all said thank you and I’ll bet the man who carried all of our veggies out for us said thank you too! Go figure....I never would have thought that Dad would like it here but I guess he does.
L
Thursday, November 13, 2008
November 13, 2008
Will keep this one a little shorter than the last.....it's been another busy day in the hammock! So....what did I do today??? Well, I had a shower (am getting used to cold water only) and then hung in the hammock in the living room and read the rest of my book (remember I told you the l.r. is outdoors beside the kitchen). While I was hanging there, Raf and Joanna made a great breakfast. (In case I haven't already said this...Raf and Jo are a young couple from Grand Forks who will be here for one more day. Raf's and his family are good friends with Mitch so Raf and Jo sought Mitch out a couple of days ago) Breakfast was very Mexican with fresh oranges, a selection of juices, mexican style eggs (scrambled with tomato and onions) and fried potatoes with hot tortillas to wrap it all up in. Mmmmmmmm good!
After breakfast I did the dishes in the outdoor sink in the outdoor kitchen. The sink consists of 3 buckets. The first is soapy (cold) water and the other 2 are for rinsing. It's kind of like (well it's exactly like) camping.
After dishes I hit the hammock again and had a little siesta :)
Next came a walk down to Cafe del Sol (where Viri used to work) for a little gelato and to pick up a new book since I had finished mine in the a.m. while....what was it I was doing again??? Oh yes, hanging in the hammock :)
After Cafe del Sol I had a little rest in my room under the overhead fan and then at 5:00 we all went to the edge of the swamp out back so Mitch could call and feed Campion the Crocodile. Campion didn't disappoint...almost as soon as Mitch called him, he started to surface and head to the edge of the water. We all kept our distance and Mitch threw him a frozen chicken (he tried fresh ones before but Campion wasn't interested in them...I guess he likes his on the chilly side)
After Campion....we went across to Roberto's to sparticipate in the release of the baby turtles. There were about 300 of them and according to stats not a lot of them will survive to adulthood but perhaps because they had an extra day or two under the protection of Roberto's they'll have a better chance.
After the turtles we met up with Lallo (Edwardo who I met last night) and a few of his friends to go to the hot springs. It is about a 10-15 minute drive up the highway and then you turn off the road onto a rough (off road) road. Another 10 minutes along there and you come to a gate, go through the gate and a couple of minutes later it's just a very short walk to the springs. It is gorgeous in there. Palm trees everywhere with an amazingly perfect "hot tub" made by the best - Mother Nature. Well, there was a little help from the look of it as there are some sand bags damming up one side of the stream to make a bit of a pool. There is mud that everyone spreads on their skin before rinsing off in the hot pool. The temperature of the pool is perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. I have to say it is probably my favourite hot tub experience ever. Mitch put little candles all over the ground around the tub so it was totally magical and there was a full moon tonight which added to the beauty of it all.
We got out of the tub at about 10:00 and headed for Dona Rufie's again. Tonight Hugo bought everyone's dinner (there were 10 of us). Again, it was delicious, fast, and friendly.
From there it was a quick stop at the store....now you may be wondering if there was still a store open in a little place like Troncones that late at night. Well, the answer is yes and no. No there are no stores open but there is one store that if you knock on the door will open 24 hours a day to sell you whatever you need. Needless to say that at that time of the night the only purchases being made out of the "take out window" were beer and cigarettes.
And the adventure continues......
Lynda arrives tomorrow so a whole new chapter is just around the corner.
Hope this finds everyone well.
L
After breakfast I did the dishes in the outdoor sink in the outdoor kitchen. The sink consists of 3 buckets. The first is soapy (cold) water and the other 2 are for rinsing. It's kind of like (well it's exactly like) camping.
After dishes I hit the hammock again and had a little siesta :)
Next came a walk down to Cafe del Sol (where Viri used to work) for a little gelato and to pick up a new book since I had finished mine in the a.m. while....what was it I was doing again??? Oh yes, hanging in the hammock :)
After Cafe del Sol I had a little rest in my room under the overhead fan and then at 5:00 we all went to the edge of the swamp out back so Mitch could call and feed Campion the Crocodile. Campion didn't disappoint...almost as soon as Mitch called him, he started to surface and head to the edge of the water. We all kept our distance and Mitch threw him a frozen chicken (he tried fresh ones before but Campion wasn't interested in them...I guess he likes his on the chilly side)
After Campion....we went across to Roberto's to sparticipate in the release of the baby turtles. There were about 300 of them and according to stats not a lot of them will survive to adulthood but perhaps because they had an extra day or two under the protection of Roberto's they'll have a better chance.
After the turtles we met up with Lallo (Edwardo who I met last night) and a few of his friends to go to the hot springs. It is about a 10-15 minute drive up the highway and then you turn off the road onto a rough (off road) road. Another 10 minutes along there and you come to a gate, go through the gate and a couple of minutes later it's just a very short walk to the springs. It is gorgeous in there. Palm trees everywhere with an amazingly perfect "hot tub" made by the best - Mother Nature. Well, there was a little help from the look of it as there are some sand bags damming up one side of the stream to make a bit of a pool. There is mud that everyone spreads on their skin before rinsing off in the hot pool. The temperature of the pool is perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. I have to say it is probably my favourite hot tub experience ever. Mitch put little candles all over the ground around the tub so it was totally magical and there was a full moon tonight which added to the beauty of it all.
We got out of the tub at about 10:00 and headed for Dona Rufie's again. Tonight Hugo bought everyone's dinner (there were 10 of us). Again, it was delicious, fast, and friendly.
From there it was a quick stop at the store....now you may be wondering if there was still a store open in a little place like Troncones that late at night. Well, the answer is yes and no. No there are no stores open but there is one store that if you knock on the door will open 24 hours a day to sell you whatever you need. Needless to say that at that time of the night the only purchases being made out of the "take out window" were beer and cigarettes.
And the adventure continues......
Lynda arrives tomorrow so a whole new chapter is just around the corner.
Hope this finds everyone well.
L
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
November 12, 2008
Wish you were here.....what a cliché line but you know....it makes sense when you’re writing home from a muy bonito place.
Life in Troncones is definitely different but good. Very simple....haven’t had a watch on since arrival and don’t plan to have one on any time soon. I think it’s about 7 pm though.
Mitch, Viri, Raf, Joanna and I went up to Saladito bright and early this morning so Mitch and Raf could catch some of the big waves that were expected as a result of the full moon. Saladito is a total surfers spot....in fact I might have been the only person in the entire community who has never been nor will ever be “catching a wave”. The beach there was absolutely gorgeous!! A huge arc of sand in either direction for as far as you could see. Only a few buildings along the shore that were for the most part hidden in the palm trees. Nature at some of it’s finest.
Speaking of nature...I must take a little aside to describe for you where I am right now as I type this missive. The sun has just gone down (it was a gorgeous sunset tonight) and I’m sitting in the living room...oh yes....the living room is outside....as is the kitchen. I’m on the couch and there are a couple of hammocks hanging beside me (that call me often during the heat of the day). There was just a little chirrup from overhead so there must be a gecko on the ceiling watching me work away on the computer. There are a few mosquitoes but it is the no see ‘ems that take their toll at this time every evening. And..since I’m the only one out here at the moment....I’m likely going to be the main course. The horse, Romeo, is right behind me (well there is a low rock wall between us)and I can hear him moving around. The cats are drinking out of the pool across the table from me and the cicadas are singing up a storm. The dog just came in from across the road and the crocodiles are in the slough just behind the fence that is behind the kitchen which is just to my left. (Today we picked up a raw chicken so tomorrow might be feeding day at the slough-what a sight that will be! I hope Mitch doesn’t get too close to them....they’re way too big and horribly mean looking!) As I said at the start of this message...life is different but good.
Our trip to Saladito today (maybe 30 minutes north) was interesting to say the least....beyond just the surfing....there has been a large military presence in the area around Troncones since I arrived and today was no exception. While driving to Saladito this morning we saw the military along the sides of the roads and by the time we were returning this afternoon they had their roadblocks up in full force. We had been waved through other road blocks since my arrival but this time we were stopped and the vehicle was searched quite thoroughly. It took just a few minutes and we were on our way again none the worse for wear. I guess there has been some trouble in the area with a drug lord from up north and a taxi driver from around here and well.....the end of the story is that the military has stepped up their presence to ensure no one is carrying anything they shouldn’t be in their vehicles (weapons or drugs) so it’s really not a bad thing although I must admit I had a few butterflies when we had to get out of the truck and they had their ever present weapons at the ready.
Last night was a fun night at Casa Caprice. Mitch cooked up a big pot of macaroni with meat sauce and several people dropped by (people dropping by is a pretty common occurrence from what I've seen so far). One of them, Limon (pronounced Leemone) is quite a good drummer and Viri is learning so they had the drums out and with the music playing in the background (it is going most of the time as there are outdoor speakers) it was a pretty festive place. Raf and Joanna had bought a big bottle of tequila earlier in the day and so before long...the margaritas were flowing too.
Tonight is much quieter though...it has been a busy day. Viri and I chose not to go with the others to climb a mountain to see a cave (she had work to do and I had had enough sun for one day) but Mitch, Raf and Joanna did the substantial climb and descent just in time before the sun went down so I think everyone is pretty tired tonight. While they went to the cave, Viri got caught up with her bookkeeping job and I went over to Roberto’s (a restaurant across the street and down about ½ a city block). Roberto’s is closed on Miercoles (Wednesday) but as there are no walls...I just made myself at home and sat at one of the tables on the edge of the deck so all there was between me and the waves was a strip of sand and not another soul in sight. There were 3 bins of baby turtles in the middle of the restaurant though so I did spend some time visiting them....I think they might be releasing them to the ocean tomorrow. Perhaps I’ll get to see it. I don’t think there will be any more eggs this year though as from what I understand the turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in July, August and September so by November...they should all be finished. These babies are some that just hatched a few days ago and they keep them safe in buckets for at least a few days before releasing them to the ocean in the hope that they’ll have a better chance at survival.
Well...look at that.....everyone has decided to come to the living room and Mitch is making Margarita’s so I’m signing off for tonight .
Hasta luego amigos.
L
p.s.
Margarita's were excellent, another friend of Mitch's dropped by, Edwardo - called Lala, and we all went back to Dona Rufie's for dinner. Dinner is normally pretty late in this part of the world...there really are no clocks anywhere from what I've seen. Tonight I ordered sopes con pollo and they were delicious!!! I'll order them again. The red sauce (some kind of salsa I guess) was amazing - so good in fact that Mitch talked the owner of the place into giving him some to take home for some shrimp he is going to BBQ for us on Friday when Lynda arrives. I wanted to add this bit in as I think you'll find it interesting that....there were 6 of us for dinner and we each had a beer. The guys all ordered double meals so that really means we ordered 9 meals and 6 beer and the total bill was just under 200 pesos (or about $20 Cdn). With prices like that going out isn't a bad idea at all!!
Now I'm off to bed for real and I can see from the computer that it is just after 12:00 Mexican time so it's no wonder that I'm a little tired...getting up early this morning to go to Saladito was a loooonnnnggg time ago. I can hear the bats going crazy with their squeaking outside the door on my balcony. I don't think they like Mitch's techno music that is still playing tonight.
Buenos noches,
L
Life in Troncones is definitely different but good. Very simple....haven’t had a watch on since arrival and don’t plan to have one on any time soon. I think it’s about 7 pm though.
Mitch, Viri, Raf, Joanna and I went up to Saladito bright and early this morning so Mitch and Raf could catch some of the big waves that were expected as a result of the full moon. Saladito is a total surfers spot....in fact I might have been the only person in the entire community who has never been nor will ever be “catching a wave”. The beach there was absolutely gorgeous!! A huge arc of sand in either direction for as far as you could see. Only a few buildings along the shore that were for the most part hidden in the palm trees. Nature at some of it’s finest.
Speaking of nature...I must take a little aside to describe for you where I am right now as I type this missive. The sun has just gone down (it was a gorgeous sunset tonight) and I’m sitting in the living room...oh yes....the living room is outside....as is the kitchen. I’m on the couch and there are a couple of hammocks hanging beside me (that call me often during the heat of the day). There was just a little chirrup from overhead so there must be a gecko on the ceiling watching me work away on the computer. There are a few mosquitoes but it is the no see ‘ems that take their toll at this time every evening. And..since I’m the only one out here at the moment....I’m likely going to be the main course. The horse, Romeo, is right behind me (well there is a low rock wall between us)and I can hear him moving around. The cats are drinking out of the pool across the table from me and the cicadas are singing up a storm. The dog just came in from across the road and the crocodiles are in the slough just behind the fence that is behind the kitchen which is just to my left. (Today we picked up a raw chicken so tomorrow might be feeding day at the slough-what a sight that will be! I hope Mitch doesn’t get too close to them....they’re way too big and horribly mean looking!) As I said at the start of this message...life is different but good.
Our trip to Saladito today (maybe 30 minutes north) was interesting to say the least....beyond just the surfing....there has been a large military presence in the area around Troncones since I arrived and today was no exception. While driving to Saladito this morning we saw the military along the sides of the roads and by the time we were returning this afternoon they had their roadblocks up in full force. We had been waved through other road blocks since my arrival but this time we were stopped and the vehicle was searched quite thoroughly. It took just a few minutes and we were on our way again none the worse for wear. I guess there has been some trouble in the area with a drug lord from up north and a taxi driver from around here and well.....the end of the story is that the military has stepped up their presence to ensure no one is carrying anything they shouldn’t be in their vehicles (weapons or drugs) so it’s really not a bad thing although I must admit I had a few butterflies when we had to get out of the truck and they had their ever present weapons at the ready.
Last night was a fun night at Casa Caprice. Mitch cooked up a big pot of macaroni with meat sauce and several people dropped by (people dropping by is a pretty common occurrence from what I've seen so far). One of them, Limon (pronounced Leemone) is quite a good drummer and Viri is learning so they had the drums out and with the music playing in the background (it is going most of the time as there are outdoor speakers) it was a pretty festive place. Raf and Joanna had bought a big bottle of tequila earlier in the day and so before long...the margaritas were flowing too.
Tonight is much quieter though...it has been a busy day. Viri and I chose not to go with the others to climb a mountain to see a cave (she had work to do and I had had enough sun for one day) but Mitch, Raf and Joanna did the substantial climb and descent just in time before the sun went down so I think everyone is pretty tired tonight. While they went to the cave, Viri got caught up with her bookkeeping job and I went over to Roberto’s (a restaurant across the street and down about ½ a city block). Roberto’s is closed on Miercoles (Wednesday) but as there are no walls...I just made myself at home and sat at one of the tables on the edge of the deck so all there was between me and the waves was a strip of sand and not another soul in sight. There were 3 bins of baby turtles in the middle of the restaurant though so I did spend some time visiting them....I think they might be releasing them to the ocean tomorrow. Perhaps I’ll get to see it. I don’t think there will be any more eggs this year though as from what I understand the turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in July, August and September so by November...they should all be finished. These babies are some that just hatched a few days ago and they keep them safe in buckets for at least a few days before releasing them to the ocean in the hope that they’ll have a better chance at survival.
Well...look at that.....everyone has decided to come to the living room and Mitch is making Margarita’s so I’m signing off for tonight .
Hasta luego amigos.
L
p.s.
Margarita's were excellent, another friend of Mitch's dropped by, Edwardo - called Lala, and we all went back to Dona Rufie's for dinner. Dinner is normally pretty late in this part of the world...there really are no clocks anywhere from what I've seen. Tonight I ordered sopes con pollo and they were delicious!!! I'll order them again. The red sauce (some kind of salsa I guess) was amazing - so good in fact that Mitch talked the owner of the place into giving him some to take home for some shrimp he is going to BBQ for us on Friday when Lynda arrives. I wanted to add this bit in as I think you'll find it interesting that....there were 6 of us for dinner and we each had a beer. The guys all ordered double meals so that really means we ordered 9 meals and 6 beer and the total bill was just under 200 pesos (or about $20 Cdn). With prices like that going out isn't a bad idea at all!!
Now I'm off to bed for real and I can see from the computer that it is just after 12:00 Mexican time so it's no wonder that I'm a little tired...getting up early this morning to go to Saladito was a loooonnnnggg time ago. I can hear the bats going crazy with their squeaking outside the door on my balcony. I don't think they like Mitch's techno music that is still playing tonight.
Buenos noches,
L
Monday, November 10, 2008
November 10, 2008
Although my first morning in Troncones began with a bit of a rude awakening (the parrot outside my window decided to perform an early morning wake up screech at the top of his lungs), I managed to get right back to sleep and stayed that way till 9:00 :)
Like with most first nights in a new bed there were a few “noises” to get used to through the night...like the chirps from the geckos or the whir of the overhead fan. Actually, speaking of the overhead fan....it was on maximum speed when I arrived to get the air in my room moving a little.....unfortunately, I didn’t see where Mitch turned it on and as a result couldn’t find the control anywhere. So there I was in the middle of the night, buried under my blankets trying to stay warm in Mexico as the overhead fan in my room created a small tornado with each rotation of it’s powerful oversized blades. That combined with the cool nighttime temperatures....I was well on my way to freezing to death!! The good news is that at around 5 a.m. I located the control switch and was able to turn the speed down to something that better served my needs. Tonight will be much better!
With my first full day complete.....I’m having a little trouble believing that I have a ton more of the same in front of me!! Today was not too tough to take....once I finally crawled out of bed, I made my way across the road to the beach where I took off my shoes and spent the next hour or so just walking along the water’s edge. The day could not have been any more bonito. As Lynda had promised...I had the beach virtually to myself. I think I saw a total of five people and one dog during the time I was out walking. Once I arrived back to the spot I had entered the beach area, I decided that a little something for brunch might be nice so went in to Roberto’s for juevos de Mexicana (Mexican style eggs). Breakfast was great and the view was outstanding! I had the entire restaurant to myself and once I had finished my food decided to take advantage of the great location so just settled in with my book for a relaxing read with the breakers crashing on the shore in front of me. Yes, life if good! :)
The rest of my day didn’t get too much more complicated than the morning had been either. I went from hanging in the hammock to swimming in the pool to catching a few “z’s” between chapters. I think it was as I was waking up from one of my cat naps that it dawned on me....I have a lot of days like this to look forward to :) Now for those of you who are green with envy at this point in the blog....here's a little "bit" for you.....I share my balcony with bats in the night, I almost stepped on a snake coming along the path to my room this afternoon (fortunately it was just a garter snake and the cats had already killed it), there are no see ems and a few mosquitos after dark, and when you're sitting outside in the living room and the temperatures are perfect....not one of those things come to mind :)
Mitch and Viri have all the rooms in my building full at present and are preparing the other building for the high season that is fast approaching. Currently there are 3 people from Montreal and 2 from Grand Forks so I’d say Canada is leading in numbers if nothing else.
Five of us went back to Rufie’s for dinner again tonight – it is a tiny very authentic home style restaurant. In fact the vast majority of her customers are her family members. Troncones is very family oriented and many of the locals are related to one another. To give you an example....the two women running the outdoor kitchen at Rufie’s are mother and daughter, about 8 of the customers in the restaurant tonight were their kids or siblings, the Grandmother of the mother/daughter duo in the kitchen owns the local store where the rest of the family seems to work....the daughter/granddaughter works at Roberto's where I went for brunch this a.m......well you get the picture...... Rufie’s cuisine is about as authentic as it get’s. Last night I had taquitos de pollo con consome which was delicious and tonight I had tacos with marinated pork and pineapple. No complaints about the food from me :)
For having done nothing all day....I’m tired and am off to bed so hasta luego amigos. Tengo dormir ahora.
L.
Like with most first nights in a new bed there were a few “noises” to get used to through the night...like the chirps from the geckos or the whir of the overhead fan. Actually, speaking of the overhead fan....it was on maximum speed when I arrived to get the air in my room moving a little.....unfortunately, I didn’t see where Mitch turned it on and as a result couldn’t find the control anywhere. So there I was in the middle of the night, buried under my blankets trying to stay warm in Mexico as the overhead fan in my room created a small tornado with each rotation of it’s powerful oversized blades. That combined with the cool nighttime temperatures....I was well on my way to freezing to death!! The good news is that at around 5 a.m. I located the control switch and was able to turn the speed down to something that better served my needs. Tonight will be much better!
With my first full day complete.....I’m having a little trouble believing that I have a ton more of the same in front of me!! Today was not too tough to take....once I finally crawled out of bed, I made my way across the road to the beach where I took off my shoes and spent the next hour or so just walking along the water’s edge. The day could not have been any more bonito. As Lynda had promised...I had the beach virtually to myself. I think I saw a total of five people and one dog during the time I was out walking. Once I arrived back to the spot I had entered the beach area, I decided that a little something for brunch might be nice so went in to Roberto’s for juevos de Mexicana (Mexican style eggs). Breakfast was great and the view was outstanding! I had the entire restaurant to myself and once I had finished my food decided to take advantage of the great location so just settled in with my book for a relaxing read with the breakers crashing on the shore in front of me. Yes, life if good! :)
The rest of my day didn’t get too much more complicated than the morning had been either. I went from hanging in the hammock to swimming in the pool to catching a few “z’s” between chapters. I think it was as I was waking up from one of my cat naps that it dawned on me....I have a lot of days like this to look forward to :) Now for those of you who are green with envy at this point in the blog....here's a little "bit" for you.....I share my balcony with bats in the night, I almost stepped on a snake coming along the path to my room this afternoon (fortunately it was just a garter snake and the cats had already killed it), there are no see ems and a few mosquitos after dark, and when you're sitting outside in the living room and the temperatures are perfect....not one of those things come to mind :)
Mitch and Viri have all the rooms in my building full at present and are preparing the other building for the high season that is fast approaching. Currently there are 3 people from Montreal and 2 from Grand Forks so I’d say Canada is leading in numbers if nothing else.
Five of us went back to Rufie’s for dinner again tonight – it is a tiny very authentic home style restaurant. In fact the vast majority of her customers are her family members. Troncones is very family oriented and many of the locals are related to one another. To give you an example....the two women running the outdoor kitchen at Rufie’s are mother and daughter, about 8 of the customers in the restaurant tonight were their kids or siblings, the Grandmother of the mother/daughter duo in the kitchen owns the local store where the rest of the family seems to work....the daughter/granddaughter works at Roberto's where I went for brunch this a.m......well you get the picture...... Rufie’s cuisine is about as authentic as it get’s. Last night I had taquitos de pollo con consome which was delicious and tonight I had tacos with marinated pork and pineapple. No complaints about the food from me :)
For having done nothing all day....I’m tired and am off to bed so hasta luego amigos. Tengo dormir ahora.
L.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
November 8, 2008
Well....it's official....I am the luckiest person I know!!
It seems that all other parts of Vancouver are still experiencing torrential rains today with one exception....Richmond is cloudy but not a drop of rain in sight. I have to say, "Thanks pop" I knew you had some influence over the parking situation but....jeez the weather too? It's amazing what a raised eyebrow and a strategic wink can do!!
I'm checked into the Fairmont at the Airport and it is yummy :) good suggestion John! And while I'm thanking folks....thanks JoAnne for suggesting all those years ago, when we were down for a BCACEA meeting, that I sign up for the Fairmont Presidents Club - in addition to the express check in I just enjoyed...I also have free access to the internet so I can do this update on the blog.
It was a leisurely sleep in morning but I was a little anxious when I woke to find my jeans (the only pair of long pants I have for the trip) still soaking wet from an unexpected but necessary washing in the bathroom sink the night before. What was I thinking?? I had no need for nerves on that front though because - I am, after all, the luckiest person ever :) I went to the lobby of the Ramada in Richmond where I met Marina, an immigrant from Greece 18 years ago, housekeeping supervisor, and breakfast host, who immediately upon being asked for advice on where I could find a dryer nearby.....sent me back to my room to bring her my jeans so she could take them down to their hotel dryer which would mean they could be dry by the time I finished my complimentary breakfast :) Breakfast was good, the price was really good, Marina's company was very pleasant, and before I knew it I had warm dry jeans folded and in my lap.
That set the tone for the rest of my day :) About a block from the hotel, in the Richmond Mall, I found a salon where they had time to take me right then for a hair cut. Heidi, an immigrant from Iran 28 years ago, gave me a great cut and I feel like a million bucks having finally gotten that much overdue cut.
My walk back to the hotel was perfect.....blue peeking through the clouds, that damp Vancouver feel in air, everything clean from the previous day's rain, colourful leaves of all shapes and sizes decorating the sidewalk underfoot, and a spring in my step knowing that I was almost en route to the airport for my flight at 6:30 tomorrow morning.
The staff at the Ramada had taken great care of my bags while I was out and my timing was perfect! The minute I walked back into the hotel lobby the shuttle driver announced I could go right then if I'd like....so I collected my bags and hopped into my private shuttle with another friendly driver who had arrived in Canada 32 years previously as a small child from India.
Vancouver is such a wonderfully cosmopolotin city! In addition to the people I've already mentioned, the front desk staff in the Ramada were from Asia and the Caribbean, the masses in the mall where I found the hair salon were a mosaic of heritage, the restaurants I passed as I walked along the road represented cuisine and culture from around the globe and it's all right where we live - we are very fortunate!
I'm going to spend some time this afternoon checking that my packing is okay (ie: that there isn't anything in my carry on bags that will cause a delay), wander down the airport to find the Alaska check in area and have a bite to eat for dinner before coming back to my luxurious bathroom for a bubble bath in my gigantic soaker tub and an early night in preparation for a very early wake up call. I have to be down at the airline check in by 4:30 a.m. so spending the extra $$ to be able to stay just steps away from that check in counter was a really good idea John!
I'll say Adios for now - the next time I write, I'll be in Troncones :) Hasta luego....
L
It seems that all other parts of Vancouver are still experiencing torrential rains today with one exception....Richmond is cloudy but not a drop of rain in sight. I have to say, "Thanks pop" I knew you had some influence over the parking situation but....jeez the weather too? It's amazing what a raised eyebrow and a strategic wink can do!!
I'm checked into the Fairmont at the Airport and it is yummy :) good suggestion John! And while I'm thanking folks....thanks JoAnne for suggesting all those years ago, when we were down for a BCACEA meeting, that I sign up for the Fairmont Presidents Club - in addition to the express check in I just enjoyed...I also have free access to the internet so I can do this update on the blog.
It was a leisurely sleep in morning but I was a little anxious when I woke to find my jeans (the only pair of long pants I have for the trip) still soaking wet from an unexpected but necessary washing in the bathroom sink the night before. What was I thinking?? I had no need for nerves on that front though because - I am, after all, the luckiest person ever :) I went to the lobby of the Ramada in Richmond where I met Marina, an immigrant from Greece 18 years ago, housekeeping supervisor, and breakfast host, who immediately upon being asked for advice on where I could find a dryer nearby.....sent me back to my room to bring her my jeans so she could take them down to their hotel dryer which would mean they could be dry by the time I finished my complimentary breakfast :) Breakfast was good, the price was really good, Marina's company was very pleasant, and before I knew it I had warm dry jeans folded and in my lap.
That set the tone for the rest of my day :) About a block from the hotel, in the Richmond Mall, I found a salon where they had time to take me right then for a hair cut. Heidi, an immigrant from Iran 28 years ago, gave me a great cut and I feel like a million bucks having finally gotten that much overdue cut.
My walk back to the hotel was perfect.....blue peeking through the clouds, that damp Vancouver feel in air, everything clean from the previous day's rain, colourful leaves of all shapes and sizes decorating the sidewalk underfoot, and a spring in my step knowing that I was almost en route to the airport for my flight at 6:30 tomorrow morning.
The staff at the Ramada had taken great care of my bags while I was out and my timing was perfect! The minute I walked back into the hotel lobby the shuttle driver announced I could go right then if I'd like....so I collected my bags and hopped into my private shuttle with another friendly driver who had arrived in Canada 32 years previously as a small child from India.
Vancouver is such a wonderfully cosmopolotin city! In addition to the people I've already mentioned, the front desk staff in the Ramada were from Asia and the Caribbean, the masses in the mall where I found the hair salon were a mosaic of heritage, the restaurants I passed as I walked along the road represented cuisine and culture from around the globe and it's all right where we live - we are very fortunate!
I'm going to spend some time this afternoon checking that my packing is okay (ie: that there isn't anything in my carry on bags that will cause a delay), wander down the airport to find the Alaska check in area and have a bite to eat for dinner before coming back to my luxurious bathroom for a bubble bath in my gigantic soaker tub and an early night in preparation for a very early wake up call. I have to be down at the airline check in by 4:30 a.m. so spending the extra $$ to be able to stay just steps away from that check in counter was a really good idea John!
I'll say Adios for now - the next time I write, I'll be in Troncones :) Hasta luego....
L
Friday, November 7, 2008
November 7, 2008
Well, it's been a whirlwind the past few days and the time has finally arrived to begin my journey....take care everyone....wish you were all going with me but since you aren't.....see you next year :)
Day 1 of about 70 and all is good in my world. It was another short night last night but I think I managed to pack everything that I'll need for the next couple of months. And....if I've forgotten anything....I guess I'll just have to go shopping!
Had a good morning with Karen and Brad (thanks for the ride to work by the way - hope your trip to WA was all good) and then even managed to get quite a lot done at work. Linda, Jill and Denise gave me a wonderful send off with a great lunch at the Hooded Merganzer and then Jill gave me a ride to catch my ride. Thanks girls!! I'll miss you and am confident that you'll hold the "Martin Street Fort" in my absence :)
Left Berry & Smith in my inagural semi ride at shortly after 4 this afternoon and here I am sitting in the Ramada in Richmond right around 11:00 pm.
Paul, driver of my chariot, and chilvarous knight that he is....stayed with me at the Tim Horton's in Delta until my cab arrived so he could rest assured that I was safely onto the next leg of my adventure. (See mom....there are eyes watching out for danger at every turn) Once I was safely into the taxi - Paul was heading right back to the Okanagan, with another passenger he would pick up in Abbotsford for the trip home.
For my first time in a lorry (that's for you Jill) I think I did pretty well! I mastered the air seat, peed on the side of the road, was able to hook and unhook the trailer twice, didn't miss a single gear (well....it is an automatic so I guess that's not such a big deal) and only took out 3 small cars once we made it into the crowded streets of the city. And if you buy all of that....boy oh boy..... do I have a deal for you.....I have a mountain for sale in the Okanagan about 10 minutes north of Summerland just off the highway....there is even a dry river running across it just waiting for the spring run off to fill it to the brim so you can have your own fishing stream..... Honestly though, I did master the air seat (fun stuff) and the roadside stop was much appreciated....semi ride was great....thanks Bruce for setting it up and thanks Paul for taking such good care of me.
Rain has been falling ever since we made it over the mountain and I am hopeful, but not holding my breath, that it will stop by tomorrow as it would be nice to go for a walk....maybe even find a place to get my hair cut since I ran out of time to get that done before I left. :(
Taxi from truck stop in Delta to Ramada in Richmond took a little longer than I thought it would but I had a great driver. Cost $45 though so that was a little steeper than anticipated. Gas here is down below a dollar....97 cents at one place we passed! How sad that I didn't think I'd ever see gas below a dollar a litre again!!!
It's fast approaching midnight so I think I'll hit the hay and enjoy the fact that I don't have to set the alarm....I can just sleep till I wake up and then the only thing that I really have to do tomorrow is make my way to the Fairmont at the airport for my last night in Canada for a while. I'd say that I'll have no trouble at all breaking into the "do nothing" mode that I'll have to master over the weeks ahead.
Buenos noches :)
L
Day 1 of about 70 and all is good in my world. It was another short night last night but I think I managed to pack everything that I'll need for the next couple of months. And....if I've forgotten anything....I guess I'll just have to go shopping!
Had a good morning with Karen and Brad (thanks for the ride to work by the way - hope your trip to WA was all good) and then even managed to get quite a lot done at work. Linda, Jill and Denise gave me a wonderful send off with a great lunch at the Hooded Merganzer and then Jill gave me a ride to catch my ride. Thanks girls!! I'll miss you and am confident that you'll hold the "Martin Street Fort" in my absence :)
Left Berry & Smith in my inagural semi ride at shortly after 4 this afternoon and here I am sitting in the Ramada in Richmond right around 11:00 pm.
Paul, driver of my chariot, and chilvarous knight that he is....stayed with me at the Tim Horton's in Delta until my cab arrived so he could rest assured that I was safely onto the next leg of my adventure. (See mom....there are eyes watching out for danger at every turn) Once I was safely into the taxi - Paul was heading right back to the Okanagan, with another passenger he would pick up in Abbotsford for the trip home.
For my first time in a lorry (that's for you Jill) I think I did pretty well! I mastered the air seat, peed on the side of the road, was able to hook and unhook the trailer twice, didn't miss a single gear (well....it is an automatic so I guess that's not such a big deal) and only took out 3 small cars once we made it into the crowded streets of the city. And if you buy all of that....boy oh boy..... do I have a deal for you.....I have a mountain for sale in the Okanagan about 10 minutes north of Summerland just off the highway....there is even a dry river running across it just waiting for the spring run off to fill it to the brim so you can have your own fishing stream..... Honestly though, I did master the air seat (fun stuff) and the roadside stop was much appreciated....semi ride was great....thanks Bruce for setting it up and thanks Paul for taking such good care of me.
Rain has been falling ever since we made it over the mountain and I am hopeful, but not holding my breath, that it will stop by tomorrow as it would be nice to go for a walk....maybe even find a place to get my hair cut since I ran out of time to get that done before I left. :(
Taxi from truck stop in Delta to Ramada in Richmond took a little longer than I thought it would but I had a great driver. Cost $45 though so that was a little steeper than anticipated. Gas here is down below a dollar....97 cents at one place we passed! How sad that I didn't think I'd ever see gas below a dollar a litre again!!!
It's fast approaching midnight so I think I'll hit the hay and enjoy the fact that I don't have to set the alarm....I can just sleep till I wake up and then the only thing that I really have to do tomorrow is make my way to the Fairmont at the airport for my last night in Canada for a while. I'd say that I'll have no trouble at all breaking into the "do nothing" mode that I'll have to master over the weeks ahead.
Buenos noches :)
L
Sunday, November 2, 2008
November 2, 2008
Holy smokes!!!
Less than a week to go now!! Will be leaving from work on Friday afternoon so when I leave the house Friday morning....that will be it :) I'll have my bags packed and house locked up and ready to be left.
Next time I write - I'll be on my way :)
Hasta la vez proxima
Less than a week to go now!! Will be leaving from work on Friday afternoon so when I leave the house Friday morning....that will be it :) I'll have my bags packed and house locked up and ready to be left.
Next time I write - I'll be on my way :)
Hasta la vez proxima
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