We're Home!

FINALLY! After a long two day drive we are home. Yesterday, we crossed the border at 6:15AM just as soon as it was light enough to drive. It was perfect because when we got to the place where we had to get our tourist visas and buy the car permit, there was an open wicket-no waiting like last year. That is to say, no waiting for a clerk but it still took 45 minutes for him to process the paperwork. I think they must have old Texas Instrument computers.
The early start gave us plenty of time to drive way past where we stopped last year. We made it all the way to Culiacan last night. We finally stayed in a no tell motel- it was kind of ugly-only porn on the tv but the car was safe and secure in it's own garage attached to our room.
We were on the road again at 6am. The drive was fast until we passed Mazatlan, then the highway was just two lanes all the way to Tepic. After Tepic AGHHH it has to be the worse road in Mexico. We dropped from 3,000 ft to sea level in 167km on a twisting turning narrow two lane road. Just awful. We were stuck behind a truck with no brakes! for at least 30 minutes-so of course he was driving at 5KM an hour. Did I mention how PAINFUL that was?
No matter, we sailed past our house AT 2PM and went straight to Mega to get the basics for groceries, then home to at least an hour unloading the car.
We are here, the phone, internet and satellite are working, I've just had a shower, it's 32C at 8:30pm and we are HAPPY!!!!

Nogales Arizona

Yesterday we drove from Palmdale on I-10 to Phoenix and were making great time-until we hit the outskirts of the city. What a bummer because roadwork caused five lanes of traffic to merge into ONE! That took an hour of creeping along the freeway. Thank God it was Saturday because it must be a nightmare during rush hour. The sun was getting quite low in the sky as we were heading to Tucson, where we wanted to spend the night, so we decided to stop in a little town called Casa Grande. It was lovely, clean and had tons of shopping. We only did a little before dinner (we had our yearly fix of In 'n Out Burgers!) then called it a night. We intended to hit all those great shops this morning but nothing was opening until 11AM so on to Tucson we went. We are now driving through the Sonora desert where all those beautiful saguro cactus are located. I just love them!
We went straight to Costco to buy Cheddar cheese-almost impossible to find in Bucerias/Puerto Vallarta. Gail bought a really nice coffeepot-just like my cousin Cathy's and I bought a pair of sunglasses.
Now we are in Nogales very early-it's only 1:30 in the afternoon. We've unloaded what we need into the hotel room and are heading to Ross! There's a nice shopping area just across the street.
Tomorrow morning we want to be on the road by 6am to go over the truck border crossing as soon as it opens. We avoid going through the city of Nogales Mexico that way. We won't have internet again until we get home to Bucerias-so if you need to contact me-better do so before midnight!
Oh, Mexico falls back time wise tonight.
Talk to you all in a few days.

Horray for Hollywood!

Wow, what a great couple of days we've had in Palmdale with my wonderful cousin Cat and her hubby Daniel. They could not be more hospitable if they tried. They have the PERFECT partyhouse! Fabulous media/movie theatre room and oh boy what a back yard-even including a swim up bar!
Cat took the day off work on Friday and treated us to a tour of Hollywood. We had been in LA years ago but never went to Hollywood so this was a real treat. We also went to the Griffin Observatory to see the fantastic view of Los Angeles from the top. This is where a lot of movies are filmed-people in cars at night looking at the view of the city.
Afterwards we went for lunch-again just great- at a very nice restaurant overlooking the valley.
Alas, we have to get back to reality today and start our drive east to Arizona. We are hoping to get at least as far as Phoenix- and maybe beyond a ways. We are not so much in a hurry any more-at least until we cross the border. If we travel a good distance today we're hoping to have time tomorrow to shop when we get to Nogales!!

Tacoma!

We made it to Robin and Sergio's in Tacoma around 3pm on Tuesday. They were both there waiting for us. It was nice to finally arrive as the drive was kind of miserable. The ferry trip on the Coho across the strait was foggy and the fog horn was sounding during the entire crossing.
Robin had arranged for a dinner party in our honour which was so sweet! All their friends who had visited them in Bucerias last year came: Scott and Nancy, Jennifer and Dan and Sue plus her daughter Jaime and husband Norm-who are coming in the spring with their two boys for a family holiday.
We had a great time visiting and catching up.
Wednesday morning we were up and gone by 9am down I5 to Redding. What a horrible drive it was! The rain was incredible and didn't stop at all until we were over the mountain passes in northern California.
We did see a few odd things on the freeway-like an AIRPLANE being towed behind a car! We saw at least four very large double tractor trailers pulling loads of garlic bulbs (wonder where they were going?)and for about an hour we were right behind a Brinks truck- I couldn't help but think that had to be the same truck that is always late delivering to the centre!!
Then, just like a switch was turned on the rain stopped and the sky was blue and I turned off the heat in the van for the next six months! We stopped in Redding California that night but I was so tired from driving eight hours in the driving rain that I had no energy to update the blog.
Yesterday was another eight hours to Palmdale, just outside Los Angeles, where my cousin Cathy and her husband Daniel live. We'll stay here for a day or two and that will be my next update!
Here are just a few photos from Tacoma and one of the rain!

Here We Go!

Oh wow! How quickly October 19th has come. We are booked on the "Coho" ferry tomorrow morning at 10:30 to Port Angeles. I am so glad that I have taken the last few days off from work. Just about every minute has been filled with cleaning the house, last minute yard work (especially after the terrific rain storm we had on Saturday) packing the van and packing ourselves.

Today, we met Dave and Suzanne, retired teachers from Northern Ontario, who are renting our house for the winter. They are very nice and friendly. Their son,
daughter-in-law and two baby grandchildren live just a couple of kilometers from here so they are delighted with our location. They also love to garden which is a huge bonus for me! They have a beautiful Victorian home that is on the market back in Ontario as they want to move here. We feel very lucky to have them as tenants/housesitters.

This afternoon, Dale stopped by to say goodbye and she actually tried to fold herself into the van. Fat chance-I can't get a cracker in there! And anyway, I thought she was a FRIEND. She actually brought Gail a bag of CHEETOS eat in my nice clean van. Just because Dale and I stuffed ourselves on Mexican Cheetos on the way home in March in Gail's car doesn't mean she gets to eat them in my van!! Anyhow, what ever happened to "What goes on the road, stays on the road"?

I've included some photos of my stuffed van. I still have my laptop case and two backpacks to squeeze in there in the morning. Oh, and my van has dark tinted windows in the side and back windows, so even though it is full-it's hard to see in. Anyway, who wants my Christmas tree except me? :)

Adios to all and we will keep in touch!

Getting Ready To Hit The Road Again!

It's Friday afternoon, October 9th and this is the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Gail and I are both excited to get going on our drive south. This summer I bought a van- a second hand Ford Freestar, with tons of storage space so we can take lots of "stuff" with us! And boy oh boy, do we have lots of "stuff", especially my CHRISTMAS TREE!. I am going to have a real Canadian Christmas in Mexico this year, finally. I have really missed having a tree and the having the house all decorated.
We've packed dozens of boxes, are taking a dehumidifier, bed frame, large satellite dish, tons of little appliances to reduce the heat caused when we have to use the stove and so much more I can hardly remember.
Our planned departure date is Tuesday October 20th, so stay tuned for updates on our 2009-2010 adventure to Bucerias!

Driving Home Part 1

Last Tuesday the day finally arrived when I started my long drive back to Canada. Tony and Maureen were a little slow getting ready so it was almost 9am by the time we pulled out, me in the little corolla following Tony's big V8 super cab truck. I was itching to go but when I actually said goodbye to Gail and Lea the reality of what was ahead hit me. I was a little teary for the first ten minutes driving north but figured I had to get it together pronto.

It was actually not too bad. The worse part of the entire drive was the first couple of hours getting through the mountains to Tepic where the toll roads start. We made really good time, stopped briefly for a snack at one of the toll stations then on again. I was surprised by the number of times we were stopped for fruit checks. I'm glad I declined taking some of the fruit Gail wanted me to bring along.

We pulled into a little town called Guasave around 6pm. I parked the car, Tony parked the truck and in we went to the hotel. Maureen was delighted! "Oh, Tony, it's a CASINO!!" Once I got to my room I discovered that I had left my toiletries bag behind in Bucerias. Agghhh. I had to go for a walk and was relieved to find a dollar store where I found a toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, deodorant etc. Tony and Maureen had to smuggle Poppy (their sweet little cat) into the room. We had a few snacks, went downstairs for a bite to eat then I hit the sack. Maureen hit the casino and Tony went for a walk.

Guasave is almost halfway to the USA border. The next morning we figured we would get as far as Hermosillo. However, we all just wanted to get through to Nogales though so even though it was tiring, we voted to keep driving. We made it through immigration and customs by 6pm and were in the motel on the other side by 6:30. I was frankly amazed that we did it so quickly.

Thursday, I only had to get to Phoenix to wait for Dale to join me for the remainder of the journey. The three of us went shopping in Nogales once the stores opened. I love to shop at Ross, especially for linens and household things. I found an awesome deal for the bedroom in Bucerias that I could not refuse . For $45.00 I got a King Size comforter, two pillow shams, bedskirt, neck roll and decorative pillow all packed in a matching ottoman. I love it! We also stopped in a super discount place just outside Tucson that Tony loves to explore. It didn't take long for me to start to fill the car again.

After that, I said goodbye to Tony and Maureen on the parking lot. I followed them for another 45 minutes or so, then waved so long till next year and carried on to Phoenix by myself. Once again "my dear" GPS kept me company until I found a hotel to pull in and wait for Dale.

Unfortunately, there was a terrific wind storm in southern Arizona on Thursday. It was actually hard at times to keep the car from swaying as I was driving. Dale's flight was supposed to arrive at 9:37 pm but on the internet it said there was an hour delay. Bummer- but at least there was a shuttle to the airport from the hotel. I left around 10pm to meet her and just when her flight was due, the arrivals board in the airport changed to announce it would be now arriving at 12:15. The airport had been closed most of the day because of the high winds. Dale's flight from San Francisco left an hour late and couldn't land so they were redirected to Las Vegas for refueling. Agghhh again. By the time she arrived, collected luggage, waited for the shuttle to come back and got to the room it was 1:30 in the morning. No matter, I was so happy to see her and still quite overwhelmed that she did this for me.

Off to bed for phase two of the journey Friday morning.

The Importance of Friends

Our final two weeks in Mexico have not been exactly as planned. I was busy with last minute board things and Gail was not feeling well. Wednesday night I was at a meeting until 12:30am. On Thursday the 12th she woke up really sick and was hallucinating. I knew I wasn't able to manage her at home so I ran over to Ann and Jack's place as he was sitting out after his early morning walk. Ann was in the shower but Marcelino-next door to them- heard the frantic tone of my voice and came outside right away. He called Kuka- another neighbour and board member, who lives just across the garden from me.

This is where a moment of serendipity occured. Kuka (Dr. Castro) is a physician and just happens to be chief of staff at the best hospital in Puerta Vallarta. She came over to check Gail. Her English is not great but I knew right away that she wanted Gail in hospital. Then everything kicked into high gear. By this time Ann, Marcelino and Silvia were in the house. Dan came over and carried Gail down the stairs and put her into Marcelino's van. Kuka followed us, got Gail into the ER immediately and had her in a private room within an hour.

Things went from bad to worse. I won't go into all the details but I spent five nights in the hospital with her. The care she received was incredible. I cannot imagine a better place for this to happen. The hospital was spotless (not like where my father spent weeks a couple of summers ago in St. John's where the public washrooms had no soap!!! In a hospital!!!) The nurses were fantastic and very compassionate. The food was HOMEMADE and Dr. Suarez, who looked after her, was in to see her between 5-7 times daily, including the middle of the night at 2 and 5 am.

While all this was going on, I was very concerned about getting Gail home as we had planned to drive back starting on the 24th. There was no way she could handle the drive. Our neighbour Marilyn found out how I could extend our tourist visa and got information for us about getting the car home. Others picked me up at the hospital every day to take me home for a shower and clean clothes and drove me back. (I found out three days into this that there is a free parking lot next to the hospital which is always half empty).

Then our angels and wonderful friends in Canada got involved. First of all Lea called Westjet, arranged to fly to PV on Friday the 20th and fly back to Kelowna with Gail on Tuesday the 24th. I was feeling optimistic at this point that she would be out of the hospital by then but still unable to travel via car. Our neigbours Tony and Maureen offered to stay a few extra days so I could drive behind them in the car. This was a huge relief as I did NOT want to drive through Mexico on my own. I told them if they just got me to Arizona I would be fine, not great but fine. They want to meander home slowly. Then my next angel appeared when Dale (McManus Dale not Liddicoat Dale) arranged to fly to Phoenix after work on Thursday and drive the rest of the way home with me. She is switching flex days on Friday and we are planning a marathon drive back to Vancouver. Ann (who is now back in Vancouver) is going to meet me at the border and take me to the airport. I have a flight from there to Kelowna on the 30th and will fly home to Victoria with Gail on April 4. Dale will drive the car back to Victoria.

Gail finally came home on St. Patrick's Day. She was very weak and came with a an arsenal of medications. On the way home I was pulled over for speeding -the first time in my life. I paid the cop on the spot so I could get going (mordida or the "bite" it's called.)

Lea arrived Friday and was an enormous help. She cooked, she cleaned, she looked after Gail and helped me pack up the house for the next seven months. I would not have been able to cope without her.

Yesterday morning I said goodbye to Lea and Gail and started my long drive north with Tony and Maureen. They are now in Calgary overnight and will get back to Kelowna in the morning. Once again our neighbours came to the rescue as we had offers from Monica and Rolf, plus Candace and her family to take Lea and Gail to the airport. Candace, her three kids, her Mom and stepdad were all taking the same flight back to Calgary. They had rides arranged and included Gail and Lea which was so kind. I am now wide awake at 3:30 am and am in a hotel about half way to the US border.

I cannot thank our friends and neighbours enough for coming to our aid. I have never been in a position where I needed so much and we are truly blessed to be so loved by so many. It's been two weeks that I will never forget.

Visitors from Austria

Our final house guests for this year have come and gone. We were so delighted to meet Walter and Maria at the airport a couple of weeks ago. We met them almost five years ago when we house exchanged with them in Vienna. It was delightful to see them again.

Walter and Maria are such experienced travelers. They actually put us to shame with their knowledge of Mexico- the people, the culture, the history etc. I am going to spend some time over the next year learning more about this wonderful country that we love so much.

Of course we did the usual tourist trip into Puerto Vallarta. This time I took along a little book I found somewhere which had the history behind every one of the sculptures along the malecon in it. We stopped at each one and read the story which made each of these unusual pieces of art so much more meaningful. Of course we also stopped at the Cheeky Monkey for a break and people watching, then on to a lovely walk to the southside.

We also went to the weekly market in La Penita, where I saw a beautiful Mexican tile decorated mirror that I knew would be just perfect for the guest bedroom. Before I knew what happened, they had bought it for us! We had quite a challenge fitting it into the trunk of the car. In fact, it didn't fit well enough to close the lid, so we had the young salesman find rope for us and tie it into the back. That ended our shopping trip and plans to stop in Sayulita on the way back. We just couldn't leave the car with the mirror hanging out the back.

It was a slow drive back to Bucerias as I had such delicate cargo in back. I am sure that the many vehicles behind me appreciated it when I pulled over to make sure that the mirror was still safe and securely tied in.

Walter and our neighbour Bud spent a a lot of time measuring and calculating the position on the wall. Because everything is concrete here, it's not just a matter of drilling a hole and making another if you make a mistake. Anyway, it is just perfect and we love it. THANK YOU WALTER AND MARIA!

We spent time on the beach and one day went to our favorite hideaway at Destilladaries. This has to be the most spectacular beach in our area but is a little remote so you definitely need a car to get there. The beach is wide and long and usually quite deserted. The day we were there was somewhat busy as I think it was one of the many holidays in Mexico. There were about 100 or so people- which considering the size of the beach was still far from crowded.

The night before Walter and Maria left for Guadalajara on the bus, we went to our favorite beach side restaurant. The portions are so large that we usually split our order. Then after, as it was Sunday night, we drove into PV for family night on the Malecon. They were delighted to witness the indigenous Papantla Flyers present one of their amazing “high flying” shows.

Now they are on to the next stage of their three month tour of Mexico. I know they will immerse themselves in every part of the places they visit. The last stop will be Mexico City where they will meet up with their lovely daughter Steffi, who is currently teaching German in the University there. Our only regret in seeing them was missing Steffi!

Philo's Kites and Drag Queens!

Thursday night we went to La Cruz with Sharon for gringas on the street, which you know we love. Afterwards, we went to Philo's for the Thursday night open mike and jam session. We love going to this great pizza joint/bar/dance place. Last week we were treated to a fabulous little boy, about six years old, playing the spoons like a little demon with the big boys in the band. He was so little, his feet were swinging from the chair while he whipped the spoons to some awesome music. Philo's has just about the best sax player I have ever heard, Oscar Fuentes. He also does a mean version of House of the Rising Sun that will just send chills up your spine.

Friday, Sharon was not feeling well, so we took it easy at home. No she wasn't feeling the effects of the night before, just too much heat and too little rest I think.
Saturday morning we spent on the beach and Gail took the kite that Dale and Michelle bought for her from one of the vendors when they were here. It was a perfect kite flying day- blue sky and just enough wind to keep the kite up and our umbrella planted in the sand.

Saturday night, eight of us went to Senor Iguana's for a dinner and drag queen show. It was fantastic! We all had a great time seeing these three guys perform Shania Twain, Bette Midler, Marilyn Monroe, Witney Huston, Tina Turner and more. It was a night of complete laughter. Gail the ham had to have her picture taken with the girls when we were leaving.

Yesterday, Sharon left to go back to Edmonton and today we are just about to head back to the airport to pick up our final guests for this season in Bucerias. Our friends Walter and Maria from Vienna are coming for a week. We haven't seen them since 2004 so are very much looking forward to their visit.

Visitors from Canada

I've still been very busy with the final things the board needs to do to set up our homeowner association but it is starting to slow down a bit. Our friend Sharon is visiting from Edmonton and is of course very happy to be out of the snow and into the sand. She arrived on Sunday and is here for a week. Monday we went into Puerto Vallarta of course on our usual "tour" of the Malacon, Los Muertos Beach, old town and then lunch. This time we went to the Cheeky Monkey, which is a great bar overlooking the ocean and malacon. Because it is on the second floor, the views and people watching are excellent. The food is good and the beer and margaritas are only $10. pesos (about $1.00 Canadian). I'm always the driver down here so can never really participate. I have to get Gail behind the wheel next year! This is not fair!

I found out this week that there is a turtle camp (really a hatchery) in Nuevo Vallarta, about a ten minute drive from here. Volunteers patrol the beaches at night to watch for female turtles coming ashore to lay eggs. Then when she is finished the eggs are dug up and taken to the hatchery where they are released about 45 days later. It's an exciting program because all five species of sea turtles are found in Mexican waters and all five are endangered. When the program began in 1993 there were 400 nests found in our bay (El Bahia de Banderas- The Bay of Flags). Last year there were 8000!

Most nights at 6:30 you can go and watch the release of the baby turtles. We went last night and unfortunately, it was only the second day this month that no babies were born. We'll definitely try again though as this is such an amazing and magical thing to see. Hopefully, we'll be able to see some while Sharon is here. Sorry, Rosalee, Dale and Michelle that I did not know about this while you were here! You will just have to make a return visit!

Today was a another beautiful day in paradise. I picked Carol and Shannon up from the Decameron and took them home for lunch. It was nice for Carol and Sharon as they worked together at the Royal Bank and had not seen each other in about 20 years. Carol and Shannon are having a great time at the resort and it was very nice to see them. Oh, and I was hired again today for the summer, which is a good thing, REALLY! I have so many plans for things I want to do here so hi ho hi ho it's back to work I go.

It's sad to think that we have less than a month left here. We start our long drive north on March 25. I hate to think about is, especially as I heard that Victoria had SNOW today.

It's Not All Fun and Sun!

Sorry for the long delayed update. If you can believe it, I was silly enough to agree to stand as secretary for the new Homeowners Association Board (after the previous one quit in a snit). I have been incredibly busy.

In the meantime, I need to back up a bit and try to remember what we did when Dale and Michelle were here. They were such good sports about me being so involved in meetings. Instead of being toured around all the time, they had to spend a couple of days doing nothing but eating, drinking, swimming and sunning on the beach! A hard way to spend a holiday yes?!

One day I dropped them off for a canopy/zip line adventure, which they loved. Another day, we went to the market in La Penita in the morning and stopped for a few hours on the way home in Sayulita so they could boogie board (see before and after pix). We also went out for dinner a few nights, once to El Brujo, which was fantastic. It was our first trip there and we decided to go because some other owners here love it so much. They are right on the beach, within easy walking distance and have been offering a free drink (huge and delicious margaritas for us) for people living at Los Amores (which is the name of our complex). Wow, the fajitas were excellent, sizzling hot and very reasonably priced. The service was top notch too. Michelle was serenaded by an old Mexican guitar player. Come to think of it, as soon as Michelle arrived here, we got excellent service everywhere. In the markets, all the vendors had a brother for her or told her she would be perfect for them! Shy as she is, she was able to beat them way down on the prices of everything she bought. We also took them for tacos on the street in La Cruz. I ordered gringas for everyone because they are so delicious and filling. They are little beef filled tacos with veggies and pineapple and come with three different sauces,which you really have to be careful in applying. Some are HOT! It's hard to believe that they have been home for well over a week now.

So, for me, my days have been consumed with meetings with lawyers, notaries, the developer, the board members and the new administrator we've hired. I really mean it when I say consumed. I spent at least 8-10 hours daily just about all last week working on this because we were negotiating the takeover of the complex from the developer. Thursday, I had a meeting with the notary at 10, the lawyer at 11, back home in the afternoon to work on the agenda for the big meeting with the owners on Saturday, back to the lawyer at 4:30, back to the notary at 6, all followed by a board meeting here at our house at 8pm. Friday was a little calmer. Saturday we had a meeting all morning for the official takeover, then the Homeowners first Annual General Meeting which lasted 4 1/2 hours. Because I am the secretary, I was keeping the minutes, which I have yet to get typed and emailed out to everyone this week.

Finally, at 6pm it was all over. A little later eight of us all went out for dinner as it was Valentine's Day. I forgot to mention that the day Dale and Michelle left, our wonderful next door neighbours Robin and Sergio arrived back in town for a week. So, in addition to them and us, Jack and Ann and Paul and Sue came along as well.

We went to a great Italian restaurant called Frascati's in La Cruz. They had advertised a special set menu of:
Heart Shaped Crab Stuffed Ravioli with Lobster Sauce
Beef Medallion with Blue Cheese and Apricot and Steamed Potatoes and Vegetables
Hazelnut Mousse with Mascarpone.
One glass of Moscatto wine per person. The price was only $320 pesos per couple or about $32.00 Canadian. It was great and the service excellent. It was so nice for me to be able to unwind after the busy week I'd had. We hitched a ride with Jack and Ann so I was able to have wine with dinner. La Cruz is about a ten minute drive from here.

Sunday afternoon, many of the owners met at the large palapa to celebrate the turnover. So once I get the minutes all finished I will be able to calm down and life will get back to normal. Gail has been very patient with all of this but I keep telling her she has to as she encouraged me to take on the role!

I don't have a lot of photos but enjoy the few I've posted.

Dale, Michelle, Rumba the Dog and Super Bool

Dale and Michelle arrived Saturday afternoon to enjoy a week of fun in the sun. Yesterday, we were up early (yes, even Michelle) to go for a long walk on the beach. We went through the market in the town centre where Michelle bought some bling. Then back to the beach as far as the Decameron. On the way, we passed a woman walking her yellow lab. I fell in love with "Rumba" as she was so funny chasing and catching a coconut. At home, we see dogs carrying driftwood, here it's coconuts! Down by the Decameron, Dale, Gail and I sat on a beach towel while Michelle went into the ocean for a dip.

Back home for lunch, then around 5pm we headed into Puerto Vallarta for the evening. I parked just before the Malacon so we could walk the length of it all the way into the Southside. I think we tired these girls out with all the walking! We stopped at CyC's on the beach for a drink, which was great because it was 2 for 1 Happy Hour. Of course, I was driving so not so much Happy for me! Dale ordered a bucket of Corona's because, even though she normally doesn't drink beer, hey, it's Mexico!

On the way back to the Malecon from the Southside we passed the Burro Bar which had a sign outside advertising "5pm Super Bool". I thought we would pee ourselves laughing!

It was the best night to go into PV as we were there to enjoy "family night" on the Malecon. It's a Mexican tradition for entire families to go out on Sunday night to enjoy time together. We love seeing all these happy people holding hands and walking in entire groups from grandparents, parents, teenagers, kids and babies.

We had planned to go to Bubba Gump's for their famous shrimp but because it was Super Bowl Sunday, there were no tables available, so we went to the Cheeky Monkey instead. We shared a bunch of appetizers rather than dinner and it was just right.

We were home about 11pm and all were very tired, so it was straight to bed for all. A very successful first day in Paradise for the McManus'!

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!