Finally, A Chicken on the Bus!

Well, Monday we decided to go to the beautiful little beach town of Sayulita. Because Rosalee is here, we thought it would be fun to ride the bus- it's about a 25 minute ride and saved me a twisty winding drive. The beach in Sayulita is one of the prettiest around here, and it is famous as a great place to learn to surf. The water is shallow but the waves are long and rolling. We walked around the town, did a little shopping, then sat at a beachfront restaurant on the sand and had lunch, treated to the entertainment of watching the surfers. There were lots of vendors selling everything from purses to tattoos to jewelery. Rosalee had a great time shopping while sitting in her chair. She bought a few really nice pieces of silver from Ismael- a very good salesman I have to say! It was a thoroughly relaxing morning. We caught the bus home, and at one of the stops a fellow got on with a live chicken under his arm. I didn't have the nerve to haul out my camera to take a picture but sure wanted to get a shot! Gail was convinced that the chicken was a pet, because it had a leash around it's neck, but I had to burst her bubble and tell her that it was surely bound for a pot that night. Ah, Mexico. I love it here!

Yesterday, we drove to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, the next little town to us. There is a small beach that you can see from the highway which I've often wanted to check out. It is a very beautiful but small beach, with soft sand and low waves. We took a stroll past the tables and chairs of a large restaurant and could see bits of Bucerias off in the distance. La Cruz is a very quiet little town, none of the hussle and bussle of Bucerias. Afterwards, we took Rosalee on a final shopping spree in the market here. She has become quite the little bargainer and was able to get a few things at very good prices!

Last night we packed a picnic of cold chicken, potato salad, macaroni salad, fresh bread from a bakery in La Cruz and a bottle of wine and walked to the beach to watch the sunset. It's only a five minute walk to our beach access. We were treated to a magnificent sunset. The beach was fairly quiet, just a few people strolling; three or four Mexicans kicking a soccer ball on the sand; a few more in the water up to their waists throwing out fishing lines and a few kids playing in the surf. It was lovely.

Today, Rosalee flies home to the cold of Nova Scotia but we hope with good memories of her first trip to Mexico!

Blessing of the Fleet

Gail's sister-in-law Rosalee is visiting for a week. She arrived Wednesday and we have kept her busy ever since! Up to the market in La Penita Thursday; a trip into Puerto Vallarta Friday; Saturday was the finale of the Festival of Our Lady of Peace and today we are finally getting some down town- on the beach.

We met friends at Adriatico's restaurant yesterday morning as they had reserved seats by the open window on the beach. We wanted to be there to witness the "Blessing of the Fleet". When we arrived it appeared that there would be quite a wait for the boats so we went for a walk through town first then back to the restaurant on the beach side. Was it ever hot!! Finally we heard lots of music and ran outside because there was a parade of dancing horses all ridden by locals dressed in traditional costumes. The little girls were so pretty in their very colourful dresses. While the parade was going by we looked back into the restaurant to see the boats all lined up on the water and slowly coming in towards shore.

It's quite a spectacle, the fishing boats were decorated with balloons and flowers shaped like hearts and crosses. When they get close, they each take turns revving the motors and racing in to the beach. All the crew hop out and march to the church for the annual blessing.

The beach was packed with people cheering them on. It was a lot of fun. When we started to walk home we ran into at least 12 people that we knew, so each time we had to stop and visit. By the time we walked home it was about 32C and we were very pooped!

Last night we walked back into town as Rosalee treated us to dinner at Aduano's, another beachfront restaurant which is very popular. Afterwords we walked through the town square, which was hopping with people, music, vendors, food etc. Rosalee had a great time dancing in the middle with people who just grabbed her for a whirl. We wanted to stay for the fireworks finale but it was so so crowded and hot. I think they finally happened around midnight, but by then I was home and fast asleep.

Here is a short video of a boat racing into shore.

Happy Hours and Fun in the Sun

Every few days someone seems to organize a party or happy hour around here. Last week our neighbour Lupita’s sister Lourdes came by to invite us to happy hour at her house. Lupita lives in Switzerland and her sister Lourdes and her husband Mike live in Victoria! Lourdes has spent the last three winters remodeling her house here in Bucerias. It is in the complex behind ours. She did an amazing job, designing a fantastic cook’s kitchen, a gorgeous garden including a waterfall on the side, and even a pergola on the roof where they go each evening to watch the sunset. She installed a spiral staircase up to the roof and Gail actually climbed it. Now she wants one too as we have an even more fabulous view of the bay from our roof-, which she has never seen!

Tony and Maureen came by one day last week, hollering at all the neighbours to come out and have a game of water volleyball in the pool outside our door. That was lots of fun too- even for me who was just a bystander! Now Maureen has organized water volleyball every Wednesday afternoon and card games every Monday afternoon, all followed by Happy Hour of course.

Anne and Jack had friends over to their house a week ago Tuesday. I had to abstain from becoming happy, as I had to go to the airport at 8pm to pick up Karen and Bud, our across the street Los Amores neighbours (who are here from Stony Plain Alberta) for a short weeklong visit. We were so glad to see them. They are great neighbours! After we got home we sat outside on their patio to visit and update them on all the happenings around here since they left at the end of November. Sadly, they left last night to fly home but at least they are coming back in five weeks. While they were here though we had a great time- out for dinner at Senor Iguana’s one night for awesome fish and chips; then a stroll though town because we are currently in the middle of the two week Festival of Our Lady of Peace-the patron of Bucerias. The town is full of people here to celebrate. There is a carnival in the middle of half of the streets in Centro, so just about impossible to drive down there. Anyway, it was lively and fun.

We also walked by Yo Yo Mo’s- a very popular sports bar here. I love the sign outside! The picture is of Karen (not me, other Karen) and Gail outside the bar featuring Hockey Night in Mexico!

Our neighbour Sue threw a party Friday night to celebrate her husband Paul’s birthday. They live in the Muskoka area of Ontario but are originally from Yorkshire England. Amazingly, Paul and our neighbour Tony grew up within 20 miles of each other! I love their accents. Paul, Sue and Tony are avid soccer fans and we all hear them yelling at their TV’s during a hot match!

A Visit with Bob and Joyce

Last Friday we were up bright and early to drive to Punta de Mita to pick up Bob and Joyce at their resort. We met them at 9 and immediately headed into Puerto Vallarta. It took about an hour until we reached the beginning of the malacon (kind of like a boardwalk but concrete instead) and parked the car. The day was sunny and warm as usual so the stroll past all the beautiful statues on the malacon was lovely.

We walked all the way to Los Muertos beach, which is the most popular beach in the entire Bay of Banderas. It is always lively with tourists, vendors, beach bars and restaurants and lots of activity. This is where you can go parasailing, or take the ferry to Yelapa or rent jet skiis etc.

After the beach we walked through the south side and over the "drunken bridge" to the island in the middle of the Rio Cuale. There are lots of shops on this pretty little island and at the end of it is a large indoor flea market. Afterwards, we went to Cafe Roma to have a beer and chat with Juan Carlos and Fox.

Joyce mentioned that she wanted a pair of leather sandals and we knew of this great little shoe store where everything is still made by hand by the owner. Joyce walked in, saw a sweet pair of pink sandals and immediately bought them! They are really cute.

Finally, we headed home, stopping along the way at Walmart so Bob and Joyce could buy their duty free. We sat outside on the patio and watched the sunset, which was particularly beautiful Friday night. We ended our day by going for dinner in Bucerias. We had a delicious meal at Claudio's, all four of us had sizzling hot fajitas, but the drinks were way overpriced so we were overall disappointed at the end.

Bob and Joyce stayed overnight- they gave us a stunningly pretty pitcher that they bought at their resort. We were thrilled as we have so little decorative things here yet. In the morning I was up early to make scrambled eggs, hash browns and to grill these wonderful little breakfast chops which are halfway between ham and pork chops. Yummy!

It was really nice to have them stay over, only too short a visit!

Tapas Del Mundo Cooking School

On Friday morning, we took a three hour cooking class at Tapas del Mundo with our friends Josh and Tony. The owner/chef Jorge is a real character and a good deal of the fun was watching him perform and entertain us. This is a little restaurant within walking distance which serves only tapas (little snacks). We were there from 10am-1pm and had the most fabulous tapas. Jorge and his helper (I forget her name unfortunately!) did all the cooking, but we watched everything and learned a lot about ingredients and cooking methods and received the recipes of everything we were served.

We knew we were wise to sign up when we were told there were only two rules: Come with an empty stomach and no drinking before 10:10am! I should have taken pictures of the food but we were having too much fun eating and drinking margaritas.

So our menu was:
Charred Tomato Table Salsa (with fresh bread)
Fried Olives Eduardo (absolutely addicting)
Brie Cheese Pasta
Shrimp in Garlic Sauce
Caesar Salad
Brie Stuffed Chicken Breast
Whole Roasted Garlic Head
Margaritas
and just for me a shot of Screech! Can you believe that Jorge actually has a bottle and only Newfies qualify for a hit!

The only sad thing about Friday was that we had to say goodbye to Tony and Josh. They flew home to Birmingham Alabama on Saturday. It will be a year before we see them again. We only saw our boys three times this visit, Christmas Day, one evening when we had them and Tony's parents Linda and Lorne for dinner and our cooking class.

Happy New Year 2009!

Wow, what a fabulous night we had last night. We went out with eight of our neighbours for dinner on the beach. It was just off the town square and a great location, especially as we were able to walk there. We had a table set up on the beach with linen napkins and tablecloths (a rarity around here), candles and sand in our toes. Kids were going table to table selling the largest sparklers I've ever seen. Nancy bought a bunch to light at midnight.

After dinner we walked a block to the Twisted Rose Bar where they had no cover and free entertainment all evening. We met another seven neighbours there so we all sat together. The bar had a ten piece mariachi band, followed by an Aztec group dressed in traditional costume who performed fire dancing. At this point it was around 11:15 so most of us left to walk up the road to the big bonfire on the beach close to our place. A group of our neighbours have known each other for years because they all RV'd together. The RV park is right on the beach about two blocks from us. Every year they have a big bonfire on the beach to ring in the New Year. They also have a sound system set up so we could listen to Auld Lang Syne.

When we arrived, the bonfire was huge and the pre-celebration fireworks were already being set off. We had a panoramic view of the entire Bay of Banderas. There are probably hundreds of hotels and resorts all around the bay and every one of them has a fireworks show at midnight. It was spectacular! We were sort of in the middle of the bay and I literally did not know which way to turn as the fireworks were in every direction.

Today we were up early, even though we didn't get to bed until 2:30, because our Victoria friends and current housesitters, Bob and Joyce are in town. Well, actually, they are staying about 15 minutes north of us in Punta de Mita. They arrived yesterday and shame on them, are staying in a resort rather than with us. They very kindly brought us a few items from our list of things to bring from home. We picked them up at 11 am and took them on a wee tour of Bucerias, then a few hours here enjoying the 28C weather. I've just taken them back to their resort. Next week, they are coming for a sleepover and we will take them into Puerto Vallarta to shop and sightsee.

We have had a wonderful start to our New Year. Hope all of you have had as well. We are wishing all of you health, prosperity and melting snow!

Merry Christmas!

We have had our first Christmas in our new home! We've had a great time with lots of partying and eating- so some things are the same worldwide. Last Saturday night (the 20th) we had our first annual owners posada (Christmas party). It's a tradition in Mexico for neighbourhoods to close their street and have a big block party to celebrate the season. We had ours in the large palapa by the main pool. We walked around the complex a few weeks ago to deliver invitations to our pot luck party. We were very pleased with the number of people who came. It was fun meeting the neighbours outside our little "inner horseshoe". Quite a few Mexicans attended so with them and all of us from other countries (Canada- 7 provinces, USA, England, Germany and probably more) , we had a wonderful assortment of food. Dan and Sheryl set up a sound system so we had music all night. At one point we had just about all the ladies, both Mexican and gringas, up dancing. At one point we rotated turns and every single one of us hopped onto the table to do a little number while the rest of us clapped to the music. It's amazing how we were able to have conversations with so many of these Mexican people who speak little or no English while most of us speak so little Spanish.

A couple of days before Christmas our neighbours Tony and Maureen and their guests from England went down south to visit Maureen's sister, who is building a home just outside Barra de Navidad. Gail volunteered me to babysit their little kitty Poppy. They left us a little ceramic gingerbread house filled with candy to thank us.

Christmas Eve I made a batch of Lea's wonderful Beef Bourguignon and invited Scott and Nancy over for the evening. They brought us a beautiful Mexican pottery bowl. During the day I made three of the Honey Almond Twists I've been making for a few years now. I gave one to Nancy and Scott, one to Jack and Anne and kept the other for us.

We were surprised on Christmas morning to get a little gift of gourmet ground coffee and a Christmas card from Greg and Shirley. Next year we will have to be better organized and bring down some Christmas cards for our new friends.

I insisted that Gail had to buy me at least one little thing to open on Christmas Day. I bought her a set of shot glasses (amazing that we had none yet!) and she surprised me with a beautiful hand made shoulder bag, a set of two ceramic Mexican bowls and a bottle of homemade Limoncello from the Italian restaurant close to us. So I was spoiled for sure! Gail said it was the most fun she ever had Christmas shopping. I dropped her off in the town square and she walked to the market, in shorts and sandals, sunglasses on, no traffic, no mall parking, no heavy winter clothes and no crowds.

Our friend Linda and her family invited us for Christmas dinner. I had brought Christmas crackers from home and they were a huge hit. There were twelve of us for dinner as Linda had invited other people as well. Two of them were from Calgary and were the only ones who had ever heard of Christmas crackers. They just don't have them in the states. Dinner was fabulous including the sweet potato delight- a southern dish that I had never had. After dinner we went up to the palapa on the roof of the building and watched the sun set (photo above). Linda lives on the other side of Bucerias, close to the Decameron and other resorts. We could see the resorts in front of us and the sun set behind. It was a lovely end to the day.

On boxing day, six of us went to a real Mexican seafood restaurant and had a PLATTER of food.
This is what was included: a bottle of tequila for the table (alas I couldn't partake as I was driving), fish soup, tortillas, crackers, a mountain of shrimp cooked three ways, salad, bread, a chunk of crab, bananas baked in a sweet sauce and a kahlua type of cocktail, all for $99.00 pesos, the equivalent of $9.00 Canadian! We had so much food we took a box home for lunch yesterday.

This morning we went to the marina for breakfast and now I am taking a break to download pictures and update the blog.

Merry Christmas everyone!

We've Got Mail!!!

Wow, what a surprise we had yesterday!

Gail has appointed herself the Mother Theresa of Los Amores. We buy huge quantities of coke and cookies so she can feed the masses. Whenever she sees any of our workers outside she pours them coke and gives them cookies. Naturally they all love her. She is without doubt the most popular owner amongst the workers. In all fairness, they work hard, outside in the heat, doing the most grunging work: digging ditches six feet deep with pickaxes and shovels so they can install a new drainage system; hammering the sides of the buildings with chisels so they can repair cracks in the concrete; weed eating the entire lawn area because the mower has broken down. All of this without any eye or ear protection, no hard hats, in sandals - no steel toed boots here. They work ten hour days from Monday to Friday and on Saturday five hours. Of course, they do have their two hour siestas in the middle of the day! It's often the only time of the day that we have peace and quiet around here. It is still a construction site with lots of noise and dust. Even so, it's all good. It's Mexico in December and the sun is always shining.

Anyway, back to our surprise. It suddenly occurred to Gail yesterday that she had been neglecting the guards as she goes about doing her "good work" lol. So, off she went with a glass of coke and cookies to the guard station. Our favorite guard, Rosita, (a sweet girl around 25 or so) was on duty and was delighted with her snack. Gail explained in her Spanglish that Rosita could bring the glass back to our house number 56, when she was finished. Rosita said 56? and gave Gail a bundle of mail.

We didn't know that the mail is delivered to the guard station by the post office and we have to ask if there is anything waiting for us. So it proves the theory that you are rewarded for good deeds!

We had Christmas cards from my sisters Janet and Brenda, a beautiful photo Christmas card from Graeme, Ceci and baby Nicolas and a PACKAGE from Dale, Tim, Trent and Michelle! Inside the package was a Santa wine bottle cover, a set of window stickies of a snowman and snowflakes, two blinking Christmas tree pins (which arrived just in time for us to wear at our owners pot luck tomorrow night and a Burl Ives singing Christmas card.

Last year my sister Brenda sent us a card which belts out Jose Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad". We kept it for this year- Gail drives me crazy opening it constantly. Brenda was so kind to send us a hilarious card with a Mexican snowman wearing a sombrero and serape this year- no singing! HOWEVER, my good friend Dale obviously loves Gail more because now we have another singing card. It was difficult for me last night listening to these cards, sometimes both together. I am threatening to hide them if this continues!!

Anyway, we were so completely thrilled and pleased to receive this mail. We have a tiny little tin angel that I bought at a craft fair here and a teeny little Christmas tree with glued on bobbles for our decorations.

I also brought as our only tree ornaments the Swarovski crystal snowflakes that Lea has been sending us for years. I've hung them from our dining room light fixture and they are beautiful and festive.

Thank you for thinking about us!

A Long Overdue Update!

I realized today that it's been over two weeks since I last updated my blog. Things have finally settled down here somewhat so we've been able to get out and about! We've been into Puerto Vallarta a few times, and of course had to drop in to Cafe Roma to see Fox and the regulars. Robin and Serge have tenants for the month, Nancy and Scott, who are also from Tacoma. We took them along with us and they signed up for Christmas dinner - which is where we spent last Christmas. Fox closes the restaurant and for $100. pesos (about $10.00 Canadian) and a small pot luck dish, you get an entire traditional Christmas meal. All the money goes to support the "School of Champions", a local charity that helps the kids who comb through the garbage at the dump to help feed their families.

Nancy and Scott had a Mexican friend from Mazatlan visit for a couple of days this week. Mazatlan is the shrimp/prawn capital of Mexico. He brought lots with him and they invited us over for dinner a few nights ago. We had YUMMY prawns and veggies on skewers that were BBQ'd over charcoal.

We've been to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle three times. It's the little town just north of us where the fabulous new marina is being built. The boats moored there are magnificent. Like just about everywhere in Mexico the rich and the poor are right next to each other. That's one of the things I love most about living here. One night we went for tacos on the street and they were delicious and cheap! We had two "gringas", a little taco filled with meat and veggies, for $20. pesos - equivalent of $2.00 Canadian- and it was just the right amount of food. Another time we went for breakfast at the marina restaurant. It is a beautiful place with excellent Italian food, great service, fabulous views and very reasonable prices. My huge breakfast was about $5.00 Canadian. Then last Friday night 15 of us hired a large van and went to Phyllos bar for dancing and live music. The music was GREAT! One guy played the sax better than anyone I have ever heard.

Of course, we've been for dinner in Bucerias. One of our favourite spots is "The Rim" where you get a fabulous burger with all the fixin's for $2.00 Canadian. The name? Everything is cooked outside on a tire rim. I swear to God it's true!

We've driven up to La Penita for the weekly market. It's about a 45 minute drive but well worth it as it is the best open air market in this area. You can buy fresh vegetables, fruits, bread, fish, chicken and meat. There are also lots of vendors with Mexican pottery, jewelery, glassware, clothing, plants etc. Then you can carry on to to flea market which is exactly what you would expect here. It's a real experience to walk around the town on market day. It will be one of the things we will take our guests to see when they visit.

Last Saturday we had a thank you party for our workers at the large palapa. We went around the complex and collected about $1,600. pesos and bought hot dogs, buns, decorations, beer, pop, snacks and a pinata which we filled with candy and coins. Greg and Ian BBQ'd all afternoon and the workers had a great time. It was a lot of fun, especially when they beat the Santa Claus pinata apart and scrambled for all the loot. We figure there were about 25-30 workers, some of whom brought their spouses, plus about 30 or so owners and guests. We had a great group who organized it all and helped clean up afterwards. I've posted a little video at the bottom of the blog. It's of the last worker who smashed the pinata. That's me screaming at the end as all the candy came flying towards me!

Last night we had six of our neighbours over for appies, roast beef, Lea's pear mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and Gail's famous brandied peaches on vanilla ice cream for dessert. Oh, and lots of great wine and laughs. It was a fun evening.

So, I guess the title of my blog is now starting to be quite accurate. We are "Living in Bucerias" and loving every minute! Oh, especially when we see the snow in Victoria, Vancouver and Kelowna on BCTV!

For Andrew and Tamara- we listen to you just about every morning while we are having our tea and juice. When you do your all request Christmas show- play Feliz Navidad for us! We'll be sure to be listening!

We have a phone!

Yes, after four weeks of constant trips to Telmex, we finally have a phone, which means we should have Internet soon.

You would not believe the frustration in getting this done. The Telmex technicians show up here unannounced and if you are home you might get service, but it’s not a guarantee. Here is the sequence of events that have happened to us:

1. Our property manager Linda applied for our phone in August. She was told that our developer had not completed the landline installations to our complex.
2. One by one, other neighbours started to demand that Dynamica (the developer) finish the installation.
3. Dynamica ignored us until we stated that we would refuse to take over the complex and start paying our monthly dues.
4. We arrived October 24 and started our twice a week trips to Telmex to make sure that we were on the list of homes to receive a phone and internet. Linda had been making weekly trips since August.
5. We received an email from Dynamica saying that as of November 1 we would be able to connect our phones.
6. Our neighbour Ann had a Telmex technician at her house November 7 and he installed her phone and assigned her phone number. She ran over to see me to tell me that the technician was on site but he had disappeared.
7. A week later the tech was back again to install the service in homes on the other side of the complex. We found out about it and tracked the fellow down and showed him our contract. He claimed that we did not have an order number on the contract and that we had to go back to Telmex to have one assigned. This was Friday night.
8. On Monday morning I went to Telmex and they could not find my application. You have to know that there is only ever one clerk on duty and there are usually 7-10 people waiting to see him/her. The average wait is about an hour. So, having already waited an hour, it took her at least another 30 minutes to find us in the system and give us an order number. She then told us that we would see a technician in about two weeks.
9. My neighbour Candace (and her father) across the street had the exact same situation happen and got their order number the same day as us.
10. Candace came to see me a couple of days later to tell me that the technician had been at their house that afternoon and installed their phone. We were not home so missed the call. I was crushed.
11. On Saturday, the 22^nd, I came home and found the Telmex tech working on the box outside our house. The box services about 10 homes I think. He was installing the line for my neighbour two doors away. I showed him my contract and begged him to put my line in too. My neighbour is Mexican and tried to help me. The tech called the office and they couldn’t locate my order number. I waved 100 pesos in his face and told him it was his if I got my line! So, he went into the office (closed to the public on Saturdays) to try to locate my information.
12. About an hour later he was back to say that I had not signed my contract and he could not help me. He told me I had to go back on Monday to complete the contract. I almost cried. My lovely neighbour Jose told me he would help me.
13. Monday I was back in the office and was told I had nothing to sign! I asked for my modem though and they gave it to me. Everyone around here had to have their phone installed and working before they were given the modem so I thought I was lucky to save another trip. I also asked to know my telephone number. Jorge, the only clerk who speaks English, took my cell phone number and promised to call around 4pm with my number. He did not call.
14. He also promised to send a technician on Tuesday. No one showed up.
15. Wednesday I was back in the office. Jorge called the supervisor to try to speed things up for me. He gave me his cell number and told me to call at 4pm to get my phone number and to find out if he could get a technician here that night.
16. At 4pm, Jorge actually answered his phone, told me my number and said he could not get a tech to see me that day. I had to call again in the morning to find out when.
17. Yesterday morning, my neighbour Jose took my application and contract and told me he would go to Telmex to get this sorted out. In the meantime, I called Jorge and he said a technician would be here between noon and 3pm.
18. At 2:30 Telmex called me and said they would be here in five minutes. When he arrived he wanted my contract, which Jose still had and he was not home! I almost started to cry!!!!!!!!!!!
19. Five minutes later, another Telmex truck arrived, did not want my contract, and INSTALLED THE PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sure that the second truck was sent by Jose.
20. Once everyone left, I hooked up my modem and called the internet dept of Telmex. They wanted my phone number, which I gave them. They said the phone number belonged to James Barron and they could not help me!!!!!!!!!
21. I am beginning to think that Telmex is insane.
22. I called Jorge again and he assured me that this is my phone number and that he would fix up the confusion. He also said that it takes about five business days for the information from the service office to reach the internet office.
23. I had my neighbour Ann call the number and my phone does ring.
24. I am now waiting the five days………..

All the neighbours who have phone and internet have told me that it does indeed take a few days for the internet service to work. So, all I can do now is WAIT SOME MORE!!

Other good news: Our laundry room roof is finished and it looks fabulous.

We have our water filter and softener system installed and working. It is so nice to be able to use the water from the taps to drink and cook. The stains on the sinks and taps have disappeared and the shampoo suds up with a small dab instead of a huge blob.

My neighbour Barry helped me climb the ladder to the roof to check the installation before we paid the balance. I was so proud of myself for getting up there! The view of the ocean and mountains up there is fantastic!

We’ve had our first visitors. Our Victoria neighbour Dianne and her sister Janet were on a cruise and spent the afternoon with us. We met them at Walmart and took them to Bucerias for a short tour, beach walk and visit to our house.

Ros and Ben from Kelowna were in Puerto Vallarta for a week and came Friday night for an overnight visit.

Sadly, Robin and Serge left Wednesday to go back to Tacoma until February. I drove them to the airport for our final farewell.

We celebrated American Thanksgiving last night at Ann and Jack’s home. They are Canadian but decided to help Marilyn and Barry (from Arizona) have a traditional big dinner. They cooked turkey with all the fixin’s and it was great. We had a lot of fun!

Next on our agenda: We need to find a washer and dryer. Now that we are no longer hostages to Telmex, we can get out and go shopping again. We have ordered more furniture, which is being made. Hopefully it will be here in a couple of days.

In the off chance that anyone wants our phone number it is (from Canada)

011-45-329-298-0446

I think that is the correct sequence to call but if you have a problem call the operator. We don’t have an answering system so you cannot leave messages. I forgot to bring the power adapter for the answering part of the phone.

I am hoping that my next update will be from my own service!

This Week's Update

The weather is cooling down to a more comfortable temperature. We don’t need our air conditioning at night anymore if we run the fans and open the windows and balcony door. This is a good thing because electricity is very expensive in Mexico!

Speaking of air conditioning, we discovered during our drive through Arizona that the car AC was no longer working! We managed with the windows down but it was quite uncomfortable going through the desert with 41C temps and no AC. We just had to deal with it. Last week, we had the four units in our house serviced because other neighbours told us that their units were low on freon (sp?). Sure enough, ours were also low, which makes them work harder to cool the rooms. When the technician was finished, I asked him if he knew anything about car air conditioning. He didn’t have the right equipment but his “friend the mechanic” did. Everyone here has a “friend” or “brother” or “cousin” who can do what you want done!

So, off I went with the AC guy down the highway to his buddy’s shop. He took one look under the hood and told me that there were three holes in whatever part of the car controls the AC. Probably a rock had hit it during the drive. The holes had to be fixed before he could add more freon. He drove me home, took the car back to the shop, removed the unit, welded it back together, added the freon, returned the car in three hours and the entire process cost $90.00 Canadian! I couldn’t believe it!

We now have mirrors in the bathrooms. They are beautiful, beveled and huge. We had our buffet delivered and just love it. I’ve ordered a desk and chair from the same place and it should be here today or tomorrow. We also broke down and hired a handyman to place a roof over our laundry room. We had the best of intentions not to bother this year with a washer or dryer, but it gets tedious running things to the lavandaria all the time, especially towels, which we use a lot because of the pools.

Four houses in our complex finally have phone and internet!! This is quite exciting. Our house is almost at the end of the road and it seems that they are going in order. Monday was a holiday (Revolution Day) so I am being realistic- we probably won’t get done this week…but it IS GOING TO HAPPEN!! I am actually using my neighbour Ann and Jack’s modem now instead of going to the internet café. It is much more convenient.

We took a break on Friday and went to Sayulita beach with Robin, Serge and their three guests (here for a week from Tacoma). We love this beach. It is very popular and lively; lots of people go there to learn to surf because of the low, but constant, long surf. It’s only about a 20-30 minute drive and a really fun day trip.

This week we are hostage in the house once more as we are scheduled to have our water filtration system installed and on Monday Jorge and his crew started building the roof over the laundry. I had to take photos to show you what typical Mexican construction sites look like. Yep, that is now our laundry room! They have promised! to come back Friday to remove the framing and fill the exterior and interior with concrete; then paint. Underneath all that mess are six glass blocks in the roof, which will let in some light but not too much heat. Once these projects are completed I think we will be finished “waiting” except for Telmex (for phone and internet) and they won’t schedule a time. Well, they do but they NEVER keep the appointments. The owners of the houses that do have service were just lucky to be home when the technician showed up unannounced.

The complex is filling up more and more every day. This week alone we have met neighbours next door to the right from Minnesota; two across the street from BC, one in the next block from California, and two on the perimeter from Quebec and Alberta.

Thanks to all of you who keep in touch via email or the blog. We love to hear from you and appreciate you taking the time to think about us!

Another Turtle Morning!

We went on our usual morning beach walk Saturday and finally remembered to take the camera. I took a few shots of our beach so you can all see how beautiful it is. We always walk as far as the Decameron Resort.

This morning, when we arrived, there were a lot of people standing in a circle staring at the sand. Or so we thought. What they were actually doing was watching turtles hatch. We saw this incredible sight last year on the same beach, but closer to our house. I think the Decameron had a supervised turtle release event. There is a hatchery somewhere in the bay run by volunteers who are trying to protect turtle eggs from poaching. They dig up the eggs as soon as they are laid and take them to the hatchery. When the eggs are ready, they bury them back in the sand and watch over them until they hatch. They also involve elementary schools around the area in order to educate the kids about the turtles and how endangered they are.

We missed the actual hatching, but saw the same amazing march to the ocean. One crawled up on Gail’s foot and she held another one in her hand. We were able to stay on the beach longer than usual, as it is finally starting to cool down a bit. This morning it was only 25C when we left home. Last night, there was a wonderful slightly cool breeze in the air, which was so refreshing.

Robin and Serge arrived Friday night and it has been great having them here again. We picked up two BBQ chickens, rice, tortillas, hot sauce and coleslaw from the outdoor kitchen under the bridge for dinner. It was enough food for at least 8 people as Darren, Jaime and Hannah (friends of Robin’s) were here too. All that delicious food for only $12.00! Last night, Darren BBQ’d steaks on our Hummer Grill. We still had lots of leftovers from the night before so it was another feast. We are so pleased with our outdoor patio furniture. We got it just in time.

Yesterday, we ordered a buffet from the Mexican Rustic Furniture place on the highway. If we really like it once it is finished, we’ll probably buy more things from them. We want at least some of the furniture to be authentic Mexican.

We also made a big expensive decision yesterday when we ordered a complete house water filtration and softener system. It will be installed next week and then we will be able to drink the water from the taps. It will also eliminate the hard water stains on our sinks, taps and shower glass. So, the other things I want done around here will have to wait until next year. For now, we won’t be putting the roof on the laundry room or buying a washer and dryer.

I have tried to add a little video of the turtles on Saturday morning. It's the first time I've tried to add one, so hope it works and you can all see them!

Oh the Waiting Game

We try to go for a walk on the beach each morning around 8am before it gets too hot (at that time it is already around 27C!) Usually, we are gone for about an hour and a half. This morning we saw two chickens (maybe one of them was a rooster-God knows we hear enough of them) eating a coconut! We saw the gardener knock if off the tree, split it in half with a machete and throw it to the chickens. There are many amusing things that we see like that.

Then we come home, shower, have a bite to eat and either:
A. Go shopping for the house or
B. Spend the day hanging around waiting for workers or being here because they are in the house.

I hope to come back next year to a completely finished place where we can get into the groove of real living. I know it must sound terrible, because here we are in paradise, but it does get tedious. Everything is two steps forward, one step back.

We finally have most of our fans installed, but now we have to get the electrician back because two of them are not balanced properly and they are driving me nuts. We still need to buy more light fixtures. If you can believe it, the ONLY place to buy them is Home Depot. I don’t know what people around here did before they opened last fall. The place is always blocked with Mexicans and Gringos so they must be doing well. There are no other lighting stores in the area that our neighbours or we have discovered. The choices are not great. I found an acceptable large fixture for above the dining room table at Costco. I can’t find anything I like for the bathroom walls.

I am currently sitting here (I write my update at home and then paste it into my blog when I get to the Internet café) waiting for a fellow to come to measure and quote for mirrors in the bathrooms. He is late, and probably won’t show up at all. I finally broke down and bought a cheapy mirror for the downstairs smaller bathroom because I was brushing my hair in the glass in the microwave door!!!

We had the patio concrete extended today, and hopefully the workers will show up tomorrow to finish the decorative pebbles around the perimeter. But they probably won’t. Yesterday, we found a patio table and six chairs which we quite like. It is very hard to find outdoor furniture around here that isn’t made of plastic. The Mexican’s don’t buy it, so consequently, the prices are astronomical. They know that only gringo’s that want it. Most of what we had seen and liked would have cost more than our leather four piece living room set!!!! Anyway, now we have it here and it is one more thing we are able to cross off the list.

Once we are able to have all our lights and mirrors installed I will finally be able to feel at home. Oh, then we need to find end tables and something to stand the TV on. We want to mount it on the wall but that will be next year. It is nearly impossible for me to hang anything without hiring someone because all the walls are made of thick concrete and I cannot, even with masonry drill bits, cut into it far enough to install the anchors. Once you have a hole, you stick with it, even if it’s not quite where it should be. It is too much of a chore to move it! So, I am hanging NOTHING until I have all the furniture and am happy with where everything is located.

We are all getting the runaround from Telmex. One person in the office says, this week for sure, then when we see a technician on the grounds we all surround and try to herd him, like a pack of wild dogs around a lone sheep, into our homes. Then we are told that we have to contact a different person, or “here, call this number in Puerto Vallarta” knowing that we don’t have phones or enough Spanish to get anywhere!!!!!!!!!! AGGGHH!!!!

Oh my God, as I was typing, the doorbell buzzed and the mirror guys arrived. An hour late but in Mexico that is quite acceptable! I have them ordered and they will be here in a week. I just hope that when they are installed the workers won’t hit a water line. That actually happened next door when Sergio installed a mirror over his downstairs sink. All of a sudden, he punched right through the wall and had a major gusher of water. It is not easy to turn off the water here because the shut off valve is on the roof.

Ah Mexico.

We have TV and a Gecko!!!

There’s a guy in Puerto Vallarta who is from Canada and has a business selling and installing Star Choice systems. There are only two choices for satellite TV here, one, “Sky” is Mexican and has 2-3 English channels and the other is Star Choice, which is Canadian. There are no American company’s with a signal that can be accessed this far south. The neighbours around here were frustrated with Steve Norman, the Canadian, because he sets up appointments and doesn’t show up. I guess he thinks he has everyone in the bay over a barrel.

Anyway, on Friday, the Sky satellite guys showed up to install a Mexican system. Our neighbours Vincent and Francine asked them if they would install their Star system and try to locate the signal. Of course Vincent has the right size dish so it didn’t take too long.

Amazingly, our friends Greg and Shirley were sold the same small dish as us. Greg already had his up on the roof and had been patiently trying all week to find the signal, without any luck at all. So, once Vincent’s signal was working, Greg asked the Sky fellows to help him. After about 2 hours of fiddling around, they nailed it.

So, right away, the other two neighbours waiting for Steve asked the Sky guys to come back Saturday to install theirs. When they finished working Saturday, they came after hours to get extra moonlighting cash. Then, they assembled our dish, put it, the TV, receiver and remote under their arms and climbed the ladder. They were terrific. They spent at least three hours working on finding my signal and it was dark when it finally came in. Three of them for three hours and they only charged me $50.00. I am thrilled that I don’t have to lug that other bigger dish down here next year! So, now I have TV, but the only thing I have done so far is to listen to CBC radio!! (I can hear Andrew groaning right now!!)

We also have at least one Gecko who lives upstairs. I see him planted on the ceiling many mornings when I wake up, then lie in bed and watch him scampering over the walls. He has been spotted in the shower and on the bathroom walls too. I think it’s the same one. He eats bugs like a spider does at home. I love him but Gail is completely grossed out when she sees him! I think it is so tropical to have a gecko in the house!

Our priority this week is to find some patio furniture. We sit outside much more than in the house but we still only have two beach chairs and no table.

I am still patiently waiting for Telmex to give me a phone number so I can get my modem and Internet set up at home. Mexico forces you to learn the virtue of patience; otherwise you go crazy!

End of Week One!

We have been busy for the last few days buying light fixtures, having some furniture returned for repair as the finish had not held up well in the humidity during rainy season and having cracks in the concrete walls fixed. Everything is under warranty for a year and these are common problems in Mexico. The developer has been really above board and is fixing it all. Most of the other neighbours have similar problems, which are really minor cosmetic things, not important structural stuff. The biggest pain for us is all the time we have to spend here waiting for the workers and being home while they are in the house.

There are also lots of things we want to do to improve the place. We are going to extend the concrete rear patio to fill a space which is now covered with grass and completely useless where it is. We also want to put a roof over the utility room outside the kitchen so we can eventually install a washer and dryer there. There is a large concrete laundry sink there now which we need to have removed and a much smaller, more serviceable one put there instead.

Yesterday, we had a tinted fiberglass cover installed above each of the rear patio roofs. It will cut down on the heat and allow us to sit outside if it is raining. The only rain we’ve had so far was an hour or so the day after we arrived. Tomorrow morning I am going to the nursery to buy four vines called “Cupa de Oro” which means “Cup of Gold” The picture of it is here. A lot of the neighbours have planted it to run up the pillars of the patio roofs and I just love it. It will eventually completely cover the top of the fiberglass on the patios to make a pretty colourful roof!

We want to have two water faucets installed on the rear of the house; one on the balcony off the master bedroom and the other just below it close to the ground. It is actually lots of fun seeing what other people are doing to improve their homes and we’ve got lots of ideas as well.

We think we have one of the best locations in the complex, as we are part of a circle of houses in the middle of the development that surround the second smaller pool. In the middle of the circle it is really just a very small park, with flowers and trees. We have been socializing a lot with the owners within the circle, as we all tend to go outside and visit. The houses on the outside perimeter are smaller but each have a very private eight-foot walled in garden in the rear of the homes. Most of them go to the larger pool and don’t seem to visit much with each other.

In Canada, I LOVE the privacy of our back yard, but here, the open back is a great way to meet people. I had thought that the mix here was about 30% Mexican and 70% Canadian and American, but I was completely wrong. It is more like 55% Mexican and the rest from up north. I am amazed by the welcome that the Mexicans show towards us. It would be natural to be annoyed that we are here moving into their country but every single person has been warm and friendly. They seem sincerely pleased that we are all returning for the winter.

Our neighbours Greg and Shirley (from Abbotsford) invited us for dinner Wednesday. They have managed to completely furnish and do all the improvements they want in the last three weeks. What a fabulous job decorating, and so inspiring to see one of the homes finished! There were nine of us outside on their patio, they have fantastic patio furniture, (including an outdoor bar) and had a feast of food! Greg cooked the best pulled pork ribs I have ever eaten!!

Last night we went for dinner at another neighbour's home along with five others. Lupita is Mexican, in her late 50’s, has lived in Switzerland for the last 25 years and speaks four languages. Her Swiss husband died a couple of years ago but that is where she still spends most of her time. Her three sons live there. She is only here for another two weeks and probably won’t be back until next summer. She is lots of fun and very amusing. We had a great dinner there too, and she as well, has completely finished and furnished her home. It's beautiful.

I am very hopeful that we really are getting our Internet and telephone this coming week. There was a serviceman working on the box outside our house yesterday and he told us that it is completely ready to go. The only thing still needed is for the technician to come here and assign the telephone and account numbers and enter it into the computer back at Telmex. Then I need to go there to get my modem. There are about 40 people here anxiously waiting for service!

The only fly in my ointment in paradise is Star Choice. I had switched from Shaw Cable to Star back in August to have satellite installed in Victoria. They have a program called “Home Away From Home” where you can purchase a second dish and receiver and get the signal here in Mexico. I had to send them proof of ownership of the house here before they would send the second dish. Well, you all know how tightly packed the car was. I didn’t have an inch of spare space. Star sent us the WRONG SIZE DISH!!! I’ve emailed them and they have acknowledged that they screwed up and are sending the correct one at no charge, but only to the house in Victoria. So now, before I can get TV, I either have to rely on the mercy of someone bringing it with them when they come to visit, or I wait until I drive down next winter. I can’t have it shipped because it will sit in customs for months and I will have to pay huge import duties on it.

So that is what we have been up to for the last week. The temperature hasn’t gone below 27C, the pool water is like a bath, there are always cold cervezas in the fridge and we are lovin’ it here!

Sorry for the short update yesterday! I have a few minutes to spend telling the whole story (for you unlucky enough to be following our journey!) of the last five days.

As I mentioned, we reached Mazatlan early Thursday so felt we had enough time to carry on further. Our intention was to stay in one of the NO TELL MOTELS’S which are on the outskirts of the major Mexican cities. I had heard that these were great, SAFE, and cheap places to stay while researching this trip. They are part of the Mexican culture….hotels that have the bare basics: a bed and bathroom-nothing else. The appeal to the gringos who know about them is that each room has it’s own garage which locks as you enter and you then proceed into your room. The reality is that they are meant to be places of…..how can I say it politely…hooker joints!!! The reason for the individual garages? Privacy!

In any event, they are well known to frequent travelers to Mexico and the huge appeal to the tourists is the security and cheap rates (and maybe more, but I have no personal knowledge!!)

We then found out from others we met that they are fabulous places if you are ready to settle in for the night. You are directed to your room by a security guard, given no key, and once you leave the “room” “garage” you have “checked out”. We were not interested in being locked inside, unable even to go out on foot for dinner, so we eliminated that choice. If we were stopping rather late and had plenty of picnic food to eat in the room, it may have been different!!

We did find a rather nice hotel on the outskirts of Tepic. Always, the main concern for us travelling in both the USA and Mexico was security of the car at night. The better places have guards patrolling the parking lots after dark as we had had the previous night. This place was even better! Three police vehicles with at least five policemen were parked in the lot constantly (as far as we know, all night long) because we were situated right at the point that the highway entered the city. They must have been there to chase and ticket speeders, but for us, it was like having the best security possible! So, other than the power quitting twice that night, it was a perfect place to stop.

The next morning, I was the most stressed that I had been on the entire trip, as I had been told that the route into Bucerias on Highway 200 was treacherous and very scary. I was completely expecting roads like I drove on the Canary Islands (very high, no guard rails and steep, shear drops hundreds of meters). It was a piece of cake if you have ever driven a logging road on a switchback in British Columbia!!

Other than the long line of traffic into Bucerias on a one-lane road delaying us more than we thought it would, we arrived home at noon. I do not know what is wrong with the lovely Mexican people; I guess they did not receive my email, as there were NO MARGARITAS WAITING AT OUR DOOR. No problema, we had our blender in the car and cold cervezas in the car cooler, so were able to celebrate the end of our long, long road trip with Corona road rockets! The odometer when we pulled into our driveway was exactly 4,550 km door to door!

Since then we have done a lot of cleaning and unpacking. The only shopping we’ve managed so far is for groceries and essentials that we forgot. We’ve met some of our neighbours as every day more and more people from NOTB (north of the border) are arriving.

Sunday we went for dinner with Linda, our property manager, at Claudio’s Meson Bay. It’s a fantastic, laid back restaurant right on the beach, sand floors, plastic tables and chairs, wonderful service and great food.

It’s still pretty much a construction zone around here but the changes and improvements are so much better than we expected! The mountain of dirt behind the pool and the high-tension electric lines are gone. We now have a view of the ocean from both floors, not just upstairs like we had in the spring. We also face west so have a perfect view of the sunset every night from our house. I took this picture last night.

The temperature is great. It’s currently 9am and it is 30C. Yesterday afternoon we were in the pool for at least two hours chatting with neighbours and cooling down!

We've been promised out internet connection the first week of November. I am desperate to have it connected! Going to the internet cafe is just not the same as being at home!