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!

I'm Here and Hot but Happy!

Hola! Sorry for the long delay in updating the blog. We were on the road early Thursday morning and had Mazatlan as our evening goal. It was fabulous to finally see the road sign. It was still a long way but I have to admit that I have become quite good at ignoring the speed limit :)
As a result, we reached the city at around 2pm and I thought it was too early to stop so we decided to drive to the next town. Only problem, none of them had any motels that we could see! I was forced to keep going all the way to Tepic, the capital of the state of Nayarit. I knew there would be lots of places there and sure enough as soon as we were on the outskirts we stopped at the first place we found. It had started to rain and was getting a bit dark. The rain is common at this time of year in the late afternoon. The great thing about getting to Tepic was that we only had a three hour drive in the morning! Yippee! I almost dropped and kissed the floor when we opened the door, but this being Mexico, and having been away for more than six months, it was a wee bit dusty!! I have to run, but I will try my best to get back here to the internet cafe tomorrow and I will have more time to give a proper update. The main thing is that we are here and safe. And oh yes, the temperature is on average 30C........

We're in Mexico!!

Hola from Mexico!! We left Arizona early this morning and drove through the border. It took about 30 minutes to get to the immigration and customs crossing as first we passed through the town of Nogales, Mexico. I guess they don't bother to go through the trouble for everyone as lots of people cross just to shop and buy gas (much cheaper here). Anyway, it then took about an hour to line up, get our tourist visas and the permit to import the car into Mexico. Next, we drove to the customs lane and as the car crossed the line the light flashed "GREEN". So, thank you everyone for your good thoughts last night and today. I was finally able to relax and get on with the last stretch to Bucerias! Even though I thought we would have a hard time finding an internet connection, we found a motel on the outskirts of Navojoa which has it included! I am thrilled that I am able to stay in the real world and connect with everyone!

We've had an interesting journey so far. First the truck tire exploding in Nevada; today another truck, also carrying cement bags, lost at least 50 or so bags as he was navigating a turn. Thankfully, we were about 5 vehicles behind him so had time to slow down. All of a sudden, we saw this HUGE cloud of dust but it was actually exploded cement bags on the highway! It was like a powder bath on the freeway and for about two minutes, we really could not see where we were or where the highway was. Very scary.

Then, an hour or so later, there was a brush fire burning in the centre of the median on the highway. Huge flames, and I have no idea if anyone called the Bomberos (firemen). It was 41C outside the car at that time so someone probably threw a lit cigarette out and ignited the entire median.

On the plus side of the high temperatures, we were able to sit by the lovely pool outside our room tonight, while it was dark, and the air was as warm as could be and there was a perfect breeze blowing to keep us comfortable.

On the Border

We made it to Nogales Arizona at about 2:45 pm so will be heading over to Mexico early tomorrow morning. Not much to say other than this will probably be the last post until we arrive home in Bucerias. I doubt I will find internet access in the no tell motels! We'll have an early night and get all our papers together for the immigration folks. Wish us luck! We don't want to get the "red light" at customs or they will tear the car apart!!! So everyone, tonight, think "GREEN"!!

On the Road Again

Wow, have we traveled over the past two days. Yesterday morning we were on the road by 8 am and drove for 10 1/2 hours. We went into California and crossed the mountain pass to Mount Shasta, then headed east across the entire state. It was pretty with lots of pine trees and plenty of forests. We finally hit Reno on the Nevada border and decided to keep going east to Ely on the Utah border because that's about as far east as we needed to go. It went on forever.

The roads were fabulous even though they were only two lanes- one in each direction- but there was so little traffic. Now I know why Nevada was used as a testing place for the U.S. military. It is so completely desolate and barren. The mountains in the background were beautiful and the scenery magnificent but oh so desolate. We hardly saw any other vehicles at all EXCEPT - one of the few trucks to pass us was carrying a load of cement bags on an open flatbed. He was about 200 meters ahead of us when there was a huge bang!!!! as one of his tires exploded and fell apart on the highway. I guess this is one of the reasons why you are advised to keep so many meters away from the vehicle in front of you. We were just able to swerve enough to avoid the debris hitting us. Whew, a real close call, as we were traveling at 140 km at the time. These roads are amazing and so much faster than the interstates!!

The drive to Ely was further than we anticipated as we had to keep going even though it was dark. There was literally no where else to stop! We finally made it to a motel and I completely crashed after having a bite to eat.

This morning we left around 9 am and continued on more remote roads south. It was a relief to see Las Vegas at first, then a stress as we negotiated through the two interstates to get on to the road southeast to Phoenix. Thank you GPS I love you! Gail and I would have killed each other trying to figure out how to make the turns!!

Once we left Las Vegas (yes I told Gail we should have been playing Sheryl Crowe's "Leaving Las Vegas") we were treated to the most amazing views of Lake Mead. It was spectacular! Beautiful blue water with the gorgeous red mountains of Arizona in the background.

We had no idea that the route towards Phoenix took us directly past the Hoover Dam. It was like driving past Niagara Falls in summer. There were hundreds and hundreds of tourists and parked cars taking tours of the dam. We didn't want to take the time to stop but I want to on the way home next spring! From what I saw from the road it looks like a fascinating tour.

Once again, we were on a great secondary road through Arizona this time, although even better as it was four lanes and so easy to pass. Traveling again at 120- 130 km we reached the town of Kingman at about 3pm. I really wanted to carry on to the interstate to Phoenix but my leg started to cramp and Gail is not comfortable driving on the freeways. So here we are....in the middle of the desert....temperature on average today 30C and having an early night. Oh, as we stopped to find a place to stay a wasp flew into the passenger window and onto Gail's back and as she swatted at it, she was stung on the arm. The first one in her entire life, she says. Oh well, at least I was able to pick the stinger out of her arm. She is fine now, just nursing it with a cold beer!

We hope to reach the border town of Nogales tomorrow, but if we have to stop an extra night we will in Tuscon.

Just watching the sun set as I type over the mountains outside the motel window. The sky is completely red and pretty as can be.

No pictures as we did not take time to stop anywhere along the route (other than gas stations- and you all know what they look like!)

Hi from Medford Oregon!

We were on the 10:30 am sailing of the Coho yesterday to Port Angeles. It was a lovely morning in Victoria and we had a great last view of Victoria. The colours of the trees and the Virginia Creeper ivy on the Empress were perfect. It was a great send off! The drive to Tacoma was easy and the weather perfect.

We had a fabulous time with Robin and Sergio last night. Serge is an old car aficionado and brought our his baby blue Mercury Marauder to take us to Spuds (their local pub/bar) to meet all their buddies. Great beer, pizza, friends and fun. Every afternoon between 4-6 is happy hour where drinks are 3 for the price of 2 and free thin crust pizza! We finally made it home and Robin made great roast beef sandwiches for dinner. Their home is old and filled with antiques, we loved it. This morning we were up early, had breakfast and were on the road by 9:15. Last night Serge convinced us to go south on I-5 rather than east as we had planned. He told us it would be a much faster drive so here we are in Medford Oregon, just at the California border, instead of east in Tri Cities Oregon. I think tomorrow we will head east once we reach Mount Shasta, California towards Reno and then continue south from there. The drive today was not as hard as we had anticipated and I just LOVE my GPS. How I ever got anywhere in the past without one is beyond me.

Packed and Ready To Go!

I never thought it would happen. I managed to get ALMOST everything I wanted in the car. Boy oh boy is it tight. Remember the beer closet on the Carol Burnett show? Well, I am afraid to open the trunk or the back door because everything just might pop out exactly like that! I just need to pray that the custom officials in Washington and again in Mexico do not want to go through everything. It's like a jig saw puzzle. I will never get it all packed in again. So, everyone, keep your fingers crossed for us!

We are booked on the Port Angeles ferry at 10:30am tomorrow. We'll be staying with our friends Robin and Sergio in Tacoma Washington tomorrow night. They are our next door neighbors in Bucerias and will be flying down in November. In the meantime, Robin thinks that she can send a stained glass painting with us!! I'll let you know if that happens. We have our GPS all programed and our Trip Tik from BCAA ready to take us on our long journey south.

Some of you have mentioned that you have been unable to leave comments. I've changed the settings so hopefully it will work now. Try again! Also, remember that you can see larger images by clicking on the photos I have posted.

Hasta la próxima vez, Adios!!!

Less than two weeks till we hit the road!

I promised everyone that I would do another blog detailing our trip to Mexico. This year is the most exciting of our trips south because we are going to Bucerias (just about 20 minutes north of the Puerto Vallarta airport) to move into our new townhouse for the winter. This will be a real working vacation while we deal with the Mexican developer, the workers, buying furniture, having basic things like mirrors and light fixtures installed and generally learning that in Mexico everything is MANANA (meaning tomorrow)! This will be a real test for me- the quintessential A type personality. I know, I know, I need to leave my expectations of excellence and promptness behind me. Who knows, maybe I can actually learn how to relax and enjoy the good life I am so fortunate to have! The photo is of the beach we access by walking less than 10 minutes. The Sierra Madre mountains are in the background.

In the meantime, it is typical Karen time. I need to clean the house from top to bottom; do an entire fall's worth of Victoria gardening in just 11 more (sure to be rainy) days (while working full time for 6 of them); pack the car with as much stuff as I can possibly fit in there; visit and say goodbye for the winter to friends (for four of the remaining nights); loose 20 lbs; stress about the 7-8 day drive to Mexico (very important to stress otherwise we will not get there safe and sound); limit the amount of clothes Gail thinks she needs for 6 months and I have to fit in the car (after all, there is the beach and the pool, come on!); try to figure out which Christmas things I absolutely have to have Carol and Shannon pack when they visit next month (all of them? they are like my children, how can I choose?); eat everything remaining in the fridge and freezer before we leave for six months; did I mention, "loose 20 lbs"?; have the car tuned up, tires properly inflated, kill switch installed, GPS programed, travel/medical insurance purchased; ohmygod, I need to have a shot of tequila to stop my brain from overloading.

It was much simpler when we drove across Canada in the late 70's. The only important things then were taking our monster stereo speakers with us and getting through Saskatchewan during the beer strike. The mouse in the car was a bonus that we do not want to revisit.

OK then, this is the first post. I will update the blog before we leave and as often as I can find internet access along the route. I would really love to hear from you either through the comment section on the blog or via email, which as you all should know is kgalway@shaw.ca

By the way, if you want to leave a comment, just click on the "comment"link at the bottom of the post. You do not need to join, you can leave a comment as a guest.