First off, I have to apologize for not posting about our safe arrival home. I'm touched that some of my fans were concerned enough to email me to see if things were ok. Thank you.
We arrived to our home airport late afternoon Sat, March 24 and drove home that day. The weather was nice and it was such a treat that sunset wasn't until almost 8:30pm instead of the 6:30pm that it was when we left the beginning of March. It made the long drive home much more pleasant - more driving in the light instead of the darkness. I love Daylight Savings.
The following Saturday, I made the 5.5 hour drive to my mom's to look after her while she recovered from surgery. She's doing well and I came home yesterday.
I had only one week to put my house back in order after being gone for a month, prepare it for me being gone another 2 weeks and make (and shop for) a menu plan to make freezer meals for Momsie so she doesn't have to worry about that for some time. She has to take things easy for a while so having meals already prepared is as simple as taking them out of the freezer and reheating.
Momsie has internet but I felt that I was there to visit with her, not be on the computer. Plus I was busy cooking and baking. And crocheting. And doing jigsaw puzzles. *grin* So the end result is that I didn't get to posting that Señor B and I had made it home ok.
Now we're all anxiously awaiting the desperately needed rain that's in the forecast.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Last Day Here
Pretty slow day today. We had massages again this afternoon. Oh man. My massage guy at home has competition. The only negative is that she uses a fairly heavy oil and you feel like a grease pit afterwards. And she won't let you shower for an hour after. I guess the scented oils need time to work their magic.
I tend to not be chatty when I'm getting a massage. I like relaxing and finding my place of Zen. But Sochi and I did trade a few words. She doesn't speak a lot of English and asked me about a couple English words and I asked her about a couple Spanish words.
Today is our last day here. We head into Cancun tomorrow afternoon so that we can catch a 7am flight Sat. The day was mostly spent doing up laundry and organizing a few things. We have a bit of left over food...a couple eggs, jam, PB, an onion, a little bit of oatmeal and pancake mix, that sort of thing...so S upstairs will take it to the soup kitchen. They don't mind open packages, which is nice. I hate throwing out perfectly good food but so many places won't accept open packages.
We don't have a phone to call Gustavo for a ride so we emailed him. No answer yet. We might have to borrow a phone in the morning. Hopefully we find a ride so we don't have to hitch hike...lol.
While we've been sweltering in the heat, the folks back home have been dealing with a whopper of a snowfall. Up where we live, snow at the beginning of June is uncommon but not unheard of. So snow at the end of March isn't unexpected, in the least. Still, we had hoped to escape it, especially since it's been an uncharacteristically warm winter and the temps have been well above freezing most of the time that we've been here. We arrive to our home airport about 5:30pm and had planned on making the 3 hour drive home that night. Depending on how things are when we land, we may wait until the next day.
Anyways, cross your fingers that we find a ride into Merida to catch the bus and that we don't arrive to ADO to find out our scheduled time has been cancelled.
Hasta luego.
I tend to not be chatty when I'm getting a massage. I like relaxing and finding my place of Zen. But Sochi and I did trade a few words. She doesn't speak a lot of English and asked me about a couple English words and I asked her about a couple Spanish words.
Today is our last day here. We head into Cancun tomorrow afternoon so that we can catch a 7am flight Sat. The day was mostly spent doing up laundry and organizing a few things. We have a bit of left over food...a couple eggs, jam, PB, an onion, a little bit of oatmeal and pancake mix, that sort of thing...so S upstairs will take it to the soup kitchen. They don't mind open packages, which is nice. I hate throwing out perfectly good food but so many places won't accept open packages.
We don't have a phone to call Gustavo for a ride so we emailed him. No answer yet. We might have to borrow a phone in the morning. Hopefully we find a ride so we don't have to hitch hike...lol.
While we've been sweltering in the heat, the folks back home have been dealing with a whopper of a snowfall. Up where we live, snow at the beginning of June is uncommon but not unheard of. So snow at the end of March isn't unexpected, in the least. Still, we had hoped to escape it, especially since it's been an uncharacteristically warm winter and the temps have been well above freezing most of the time that we've been here. We arrive to our home airport about 5:30pm and had planned on making the 3 hour drive home that night. Depending on how things are when we land, we may wait until the next day.
Anyways, cross your fingers that we find a ride into Merida to catch the bus and that we don't arrive to ADO to find out our scheduled time has been cancelled.
Hasta luego.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Paying our Fideicomiso
About a week before we left Canada, we received a bill from Scotiabank Inverlat for our annual fideicomiso payment. There was some discrepency between what they were requesting and what we believed we had already paid so we had our lawyer look into it. She finally got it straightened out so today we went into Merida to make the payment.
We had no address for the bank. All our lawyer told us was that it was on Paseo Montejo, across from the Museo Canton. Senor B didn't seem convinced that I could get us there and back. Oh, ye of little faith.
We took the Autoprogreso in and got off at Chedraui. We hailed a cab but he was in the far lane. We watched him turn the corner, cut through the parking lot and come around for us. Excellent! Step one completed.
In the best Spanish I could muster, I told him where we wanted to go. He got us to the Museo but we couldn't see the bank. He drove down the street a bit farther and came up the other side of the street. We found it! Step two done. Btw...Scotiabank is across from the Palacio Montejo. Now we know.
We had to buzz to get to the upstairs office to see the accountant. Hurray for Spanish. I was able to tell the man on the other side of the intercom why we were there and he let us in.
We didn't see the accountant. Instead it was a young lady who was probably his assistant. Our lawyer said we might end up seeing her. She did some calculations and came up with a price that was 700 pesos higher than what the accountant had emailed our lawyer who had then forwarded it to us. Fortunately, we'd had the foresight to print off the emails. I showed them to the lady who then showed them to the man working in the same room. He confirmed the price in the emails. She prepared the paper we would need to present to the teller and, with that in hand, it was back downstairs to pay.
We weren't sure who we had to pay it to. The gentleman at the front desk looked at it and sent us to a lady in an office. She looked at it and sent us out to the teller. The teller looked at it and took our money. Step three done and the main mission accomplished.
Now we had to find our way back to Progreso. No problema. All we have to do is get down to the Autoprogreso depot downtown. That required crossing the street and looking for a bus that said Centro. Done.
We decided to have some lunch while we were downtown. We stopped at Cafe Habana, on the corner of 62 and 57. At least I think it's 57. Definitely on 62. We had a fabulous waiter who had a wonderful sense of humour and who spoke very good English. The Habana clubhouse with potato salad that we both decided to have was delicious. The cost was a bit higher than the more mom and pop style restaurants but it was still reasonable. Two clubs, two beers and a coke came to 256 pesos. The restaurant was clean and the wait staff attentive. We would eat there again.
After lunch we continued on our way to the bus station. Right across the street from Plaza Grande, on C62, is a great little ice cream store that we almost always hit when we're in the city. I have no idea what the name of it is but they always have pastel pink chairs outside. It was hot today so we decided to get a small treat to enjoy in the shade in the park. That sure hit the spot. As we were relaxing in the shade, cooling off, I watched the many police officers who walked or drove by. Those black uniforms, in the heat, must be brutal. I wished I could have bought them all an ice cream.
We boarded the bus and headed home. Mission accomplished! And almost all of it in Spanish, too. Huzzah!
We had no address for the bank. All our lawyer told us was that it was on Paseo Montejo, across from the Museo Canton. Senor B didn't seem convinced that I could get us there and back. Oh, ye of little faith.
We took the Autoprogreso in and got off at Chedraui. We hailed a cab but he was in the far lane. We watched him turn the corner, cut through the parking lot and come around for us. Excellent! Step one completed.
In the best Spanish I could muster, I told him where we wanted to go. He got us to the Museo but we couldn't see the bank. He drove down the street a bit farther and came up the other side of the street. We found it! Step two done. Btw...Scotiabank is across from the Palacio Montejo. Now we know.
We had to buzz to get to the upstairs office to see the accountant. Hurray for Spanish. I was able to tell the man on the other side of the intercom why we were there and he let us in.
We didn't see the accountant. Instead it was a young lady who was probably his assistant. Our lawyer said we might end up seeing her. She did some calculations and came up with a price that was 700 pesos higher than what the accountant had emailed our lawyer who had then forwarded it to us. Fortunately, we'd had the foresight to print off the emails. I showed them to the lady who then showed them to the man working in the same room. He confirmed the price in the emails. She prepared the paper we would need to present to the teller and, with that in hand, it was back downstairs to pay.
We weren't sure who we had to pay it to. The gentleman at the front desk looked at it and sent us to a lady in an office. She looked at it and sent us out to the teller. The teller looked at it and took our money. Step three done and the main mission accomplished.
Now we had to find our way back to Progreso. No problema. All we have to do is get down to the Autoprogreso depot downtown. That required crossing the street and looking for a bus that said Centro. Done.
We decided to have some lunch while we were downtown. We stopped at Cafe Habana, on the corner of 62 and 57. At least I think it's 57. Definitely on 62. We had a fabulous waiter who had a wonderful sense of humour and who spoke very good English. The Habana clubhouse with potato salad that we both decided to have was delicious. The cost was a bit higher than the more mom and pop style restaurants but it was still reasonable. Two clubs, two beers and a coke came to 256 pesos. The restaurant was clean and the wait staff attentive. We would eat there again.
After lunch we continued on our way to the bus station. Right across the street from Plaza Grande, on C62, is a great little ice cream store that we almost always hit when we're in the city. I have no idea what the name of it is but they always have pastel pink chairs outside. It was hot today so we decided to get a small treat to enjoy in the shade in the park. That sure hit the spot. As we were relaxing in the shade, cooling off, I watched the many police officers who walked or drove by. Those black uniforms, in the heat, must be brutal. I wished I could have bought them all an ice cream.
We boarded the bus and headed home. Mission accomplished! And almost all of it in Spanish, too. Huzzah!
Monday, March 19, 2012
People Watching
Today was a ho hum, totally boring day so I decided to write about one my favourite things, people watching. Yesterday's trip to Merida provided plenty of people to watch.
One of the things I've noticed here is, that for the most part, little girls dress like little girls instead of trashy pop-star wannabes. Yesterday being Sunday, many girls were in lovely, big skirted dresses. Some girls were dressed more casually in shorts and a t-shirt. Still, I saw a couple of young ladies about 6 and 8 years old with shoes more suitable for adults. Mules with a 2-inch heel on an 8 year old? I'm not a fan.
I watched well-dressed ladies walk by, their noses in the air. "Sniffing pies in Heaven" is the phrase we used when I was growing up. Another mom with a muscle shirt and a mullet coaxing her little son along. Young ladies dressed to be noticed.
One guy had on a sports uniform and was hurriedly making his way to somewhere. Young men in skinny jeans and those ridiculous shoes with the long toe that curls up after much walking, making them look like elf shoes.
Faux hawks, dread locks, hair bows. Something else I've observed, women here all have long hair. Older ladies might have a shorter 'do but it's still long enough to get a roller or curling iron in it. I have yet to see a pixie cut on anyone. The younger ladies all have hair at least shoulder length and long enough for a ponytail.
Shortly after we got to the square, Theresa and I saw a long legged beauty with waist length blonde hair, high heels and a shoulder baring top. She was attracting the attention that she had dressed for. Later, she was joined by a friend who, upon closer observation, was a man dressed as a girl. He had on a little black sequined dress and black heels. His hair was a bit shorter than shoulder length and had the most beautiful curls. His very flat, muscular chest and the beginnings of a 5:00 shadow gave him away.
Theresa and I finally concluded that Blondie was also a man. We couldn't see an Adam's apple, but the hair was definitely a wig and the body shape lacked the softness of femininity. We watched Blondie talking with a man and it appeared that Dude was flirting. Or perhaps he knew Blondie. We weren't quite sure. Then it appeared that Dude finally figured out that Blondie wasn't a female and he got a slightly embarassed look, lowering his head and shaking it as Blondie walked away. It was really quite comical.
Ah, yes. People watching. Always interesting and often entertaining.
One of the things I've noticed here is, that for the most part, little girls dress like little girls instead of trashy pop-star wannabes. Yesterday being Sunday, many girls were in lovely, big skirted dresses. Some girls were dressed more casually in shorts and a t-shirt. Still, I saw a couple of young ladies about 6 and 8 years old with shoes more suitable for adults. Mules with a 2-inch heel on an 8 year old? I'm not a fan.
I watched well-dressed ladies walk by, their noses in the air. "Sniffing pies in Heaven" is the phrase we used when I was growing up. Another mom with a muscle shirt and a mullet coaxing her little son along. Young ladies dressed to be noticed.
One guy had on a sports uniform and was hurriedly making his way to somewhere. Young men in skinny jeans and those ridiculous shoes with the long toe that curls up after much walking, making them look like elf shoes.
Faux hawks, dread locks, hair bows. Something else I've observed, women here all have long hair. Older ladies might have a shorter 'do but it's still long enough to get a roller or curling iron in it. I have yet to see a pixie cut on anyone. The younger ladies all have hair at least shoulder length and long enough for a ponytail.
Shortly after we got to the square, Theresa and I saw a long legged beauty with waist length blonde hair, high heels and a shoulder baring top. She was attracting the attention that she had dressed for. Later, she was joined by a friend who, upon closer observation, was a man dressed as a girl. He had on a little black sequined dress and black heels. His hair was a bit shorter than shoulder length and had the most beautiful curls. His very flat, muscular chest and the beginnings of a 5:00 shadow gave him away.
Theresa and I finally concluded that Blondie was also a man. We couldn't see an Adam's apple, but the hair was definitely a wig and the body shape lacked the softness of femininity. We watched Blondie talking with a man and it appeared that Dude was flirting. Or perhaps he knew Blondie. We weren't quite sure. Then it appeared that Dude finally figured out that Blondie wasn't a female and he got a slightly embarassed look, lowering his head and shaking it as Blondie walked away. It was really quite comical.
Ah, yes. People watching. Always interesting and often entertaining.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
A Day with Friends
I awoke this morning to Senor B poking me on the shoulder. "It's 7:30," he says. I'm so not a morning person but today was different. Today we were meeting Theresa in Merida. After a breakfast of pancakes that Senor B had already started before I was up (*he's* a morning person), and a bit of tidying, it was off to the AutoProgreso.
As we pulled into the station, right at 10:00 as I had told Theresa, I could see her waiting for us. It gave my heart a lift to see a familiar face in a city that's still not comfortable for us. We haven't had the pleasure of meeting Husband yet. I think he must be afraid of us. Maybe I shouldn't have said that my hair looked like Scary Spice's the other day...lol. Hopefully we'll get to meet him soon.
Being Sunday, the streets around the Plaza Grand (?) were closed to vehicular traffic and there were many vendors in the square. I bought some gifts for the g'kids. Senor B never spends money on himself when we go on holidays but he bought his 4th muscle shirt of the trip. I guess he really likes them.
While we were wandering around, we ran into Paul . I hadn't seen him since the Bloggers Convention in Nov 2010. I was surprised that he remembered us. What a memory he has! Next thing we knew, Wayne was right behind us. I didn't get a chance to say hi to him but I'm not sure he would have remembered me since I hadn't seen him since the 2010 conference, too. I did chat a bit with the two people who were with him.
Theresa asked us if we'd been in the Casa de Montejo. When we said no, she said, "Oh, you HAVE to see it." She was right. It's located right across the street from the plaza. The front is beautiful with its old, ornate rock carvings but that's only a precursor to what's inside. It has many antiquities as well as handcrafted scenes from Mexican history. Photographing isn't allowed so you'll have to believe me when I say it's well worth the time to look at it.
After Theresa left, we stopped for lunch at one of the tents on the street. We had tortas which were ok. A bit too much fat for my taste. It's a texture thing. I get grossed out when I bite into a piece of rubbery gristle.
The bus back to Progreso was packed. It's rare that it's as full as it was today. We learned that tomorrow is a holiday in honour of Benito Juarez' birthday. This being a long weekend would explain all the people on the bus. Many people come out to Progreso, from Merida, on weekends, especially a long weekend.
Supper was at Eladio's with D and V. Eladio's is along the malecon which was bustling with more people than we've ever seen there. Apparently summers are even more packed. Yikes! Anyways, supper was wonderful. The guys each had a stuffed fish dish and D and I had shrimp stuffed with cheese and then wrapped in bacon. It was delicious but quite rich. Prices seemed just a bit on the high side but not outrageously so. We would eat there again.
It was a great day spent with some of our favourite people.
As we pulled into the station, right at 10:00 as I had told Theresa, I could see her waiting for us. It gave my heart a lift to see a familiar face in a city that's still not comfortable for us. We haven't had the pleasure of meeting Husband yet. I think he must be afraid of us. Maybe I shouldn't have said that my hair looked like Scary Spice's the other day...lol. Hopefully we'll get to meet him soon.
Being Sunday, the streets around the Plaza Grand (?) were closed to vehicular traffic and there were many vendors in the square. I bought some gifts for the g'kids. Senor B never spends money on himself when we go on holidays but he bought his 4th muscle shirt of the trip. I guess he really likes them.
While we were wandering around, we ran into Paul . I hadn't seen him since the Bloggers Convention in Nov 2010. I was surprised that he remembered us. What a memory he has! Next thing we knew, Wayne was right behind us. I didn't get a chance to say hi to him but I'm not sure he would have remembered me since I hadn't seen him since the 2010 conference, too. I did chat a bit with the two people who were with him.
Theresa asked us if we'd been in the Casa de Montejo. When we said no, she said, "Oh, you HAVE to see it." She was right. It's located right across the street from the plaza. The front is beautiful with its old, ornate rock carvings but that's only a precursor to what's inside. It has many antiquities as well as handcrafted scenes from Mexican history. Photographing isn't allowed so you'll have to believe me when I say it's well worth the time to look at it.
After Theresa left, we stopped for lunch at one of the tents on the street. We had tortas which were ok. A bit too much fat for my taste. It's a texture thing. I get grossed out when I bite into a piece of rubbery gristle.
The bus back to Progreso was packed. It's rare that it's as full as it was today. We learned that tomorrow is a holiday in honour of Benito Juarez' birthday. This being a long weekend would explain all the people on the bus. Many people come out to Progreso, from Merida, on weekends, especially a long weekend.
Supper was at Eladio's with D and V. Eladio's is along the malecon which was bustling with more people than we've ever seen there. Apparently summers are even more packed. Yikes! Anyways, supper was wonderful. The guys each had a stuffed fish dish and D and I had shrimp stuffed with cheese and then wrapped in bacon. It was delicious but quite rich. Prices seemed just a bit on the high side but not outrageously so. We would eat there again.
It was a great day spent with some of our favourite people.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Funky Market
This morning we went to the neighbouring town of Chelem. There's a cute little restaurant called Tacomaya. A few times a year, they host an event called The Funky Market. Various vendors are there with their wares...jewelery, food, clothing, aprons, tablecloths, paintings. Most everything is handmade. The place had a farmer's market atmosphere.
I picked up a couple of necklaces and an apron for myself and a really cute trinket box for our g'daughter's birthday. We bought a pannini to share and a couple of cokes. The sandwich was delicious...spicy but not too spicy.
Senor B and I are getting pretty adept at getting around without a vehicle. Within the more immediate area, anyways. We're not ready to tackle the bus system in Merida yet. We took a combi out to Chelem and back without any problems.
My still very limited Spanish has been useful. I was able to ask the driver if he would be stopping near Tacomaya. I was also able to catch tiny snippets of conversation on the combi. That was pretty cool, especially when the little boy behind us commented on the group of 4 young men who got on. "Oooooo, mucho muchachos."
The afternoon was spent down at the pool. It was quite warm today so there were lots of people down there to visit with.
Tonight we watched the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Can't think of a better way to spend the evening than with Captain Jack Sparrow. *grin*
I picked up a couple of necklaces and an apron for myself and a really cute trinket box for our g'daughter's birthday. We bought a pannini to share and a couple of cokes. The sandwich was delicious...spicy but not too spicy.
Senor B and I are getting pretty adept at getting around without a vehicle. Within the more immediate area, anyways. We're not ready to tackle the bus system in Merida yet. We took a combi out to Chelem and back without any problems.
My still very limited Spanish has been useful. I was able to ask the driver if he would be stopping near Tacomaya. I was also able to catch tiny snippets of conversation on the combi. That was pretty cool, especially when the little boy behind us commented on the group of 4 young men who got on. "Oooooo, mucho muchachos."
The afternoon was spent down at the pool. It was quite warm today so there were lots of people down there to visit with.
Tonight we watched the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Can't think of a better way to spend the evening than with Captain Jack Sparrow. *grin*
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Flip Flops and Fun
This morning we went uptown to do some poking around in stores, just to see what different ones had to offer. Window shopping. One thing I noticed is that Mexicans sure do seem to love their flip flops. My goodness. It seemed as if every other store was selling them. And the selection is incredible. Everything from the same old same old to some all tarted up with rhinestones. Regular flats to heels and every colour you can imagine.
We wandered around for about an hour but didn't buy anything, though I did see a beautiful quartz domino set that I might pick up another time.
A quick stop at the grocery store for a few things, plus some window shopping, and then it was back to the condo where we went for a quick dip in the pool before lunch.
D and V had organized a games night for tonight. Supper was potluck botanas under the palapa by the pool. The plan had been to play games there, too, but it was too breezy so we all went back up to D and V's place where Senor B and I learned how to play a dominoes game called Mexican Train. I tied for first place. Talk about beginner's luck. We would have played a tie breaker round but everyone was tired so J and I took the tie and we all called it a night.
We wandered around for about an hour but didn't buy anything, though I did see a beautiful quartz domino set that I might pick up another time.
A quick stop at the grocery store for a few things, plus some window shopping, and then it was back to the condo where we went for a quick dip in the pool before lunch.
D and V had organized a games night for tonight. Supper was potluck botanas under the palapa by the pool. The plan had been to play games there, too, but it was too breezy so we all went back up to D and V's place where Senor B and I learned how to play a dominoes game called Mexican Train. I tied for first place. Talk about beginner's luck. We would have played a tie breaker round but everyone was tired so J and I took the tie and we all called it a night.
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