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Tourists

What I call necessary but sometimes a nuisance. It’s nice and peaceful here until the first flights start to arrive.

When picking people up from the airport you can tell as they come off the plane the newbies from the regulars. The newbies stand and look around apprehensively wondering if their ride has turned up or if they are going to be able to order a taxi in English. They are also still wearing their jeans and long sleeve shirts, running shoes with socks and sometimes even a coat, and perspiring profusely. The regulars stride out with confidence wearing shorts sandals and T-shirts and looking as cool as an icy margarita.

We can also tell who they are as they pass on the street. When we say “buenos dias” they usually reply in a shy way with “Hi” or sometimes “bonjour”. And of course, they are very pale and after a few days very red from sunburn.

We sat at Papa Gallo’s one day and a pale couple came to sit at a table near the beach. Gaby served them and I guess they ordered a beer. There wasn’t any available so Gaby had to hike to the nearest store to get some. In the meantime, the tourists got fed up with waiting (about 5 minutes) and got up to leave. They met up with Gaby as they were going and he showed them they had the beer so they returned to their table.

It’s lucky they weren’t here when it was busy as a 15 to 20 minutes wait is quite acceptable. After a while though, and after several days and a few margaritas, they seem to settle down somewhat. Anyway, who minds waiting when the sun is out, the waves are crashing and a nice breeze is blowing? And of course, you can also watch the chiquitas on the beach

Some order hamburgers and fries at the restaurant because they are a little afraid to try the local food. It may be too spicy and the lettuce may be contaminated. They were told not to have ice in their drinks because this too is contaminated. All nonsense of course but these old silly rumours seem to persist.

There are the quiet ones who just sit and enjoy the scenery and listen to the waves crashing on the beach. And then there are the brash noisy ones (We all know who they are) who treat the waiters as their personal slaves and are only here to party with no regard for those about them.

The ones we get a kick out of are those who have perfect Spanish (they think). We cringe as they mangle the language and look all proud of themselves. They think that because the waiter understood them that they got it exactly right. The waiters though have heard it all before and managed to work it out. But at least some tourists try.

We were walking into town one day and a guy wanted to know if they were serving so stuck his head in the door and enquired “Servieta?” He was asking for a napkin, but he tried.

Another way to tell a tourist is when Banamex ATMs run out of money on the weekends. They are the ones lining up in the heat outside the Intercam bank to try to use the machines while the old hands walk in and use the teller to get money from their accounts. It’s chaos when both banks run out.

The Mexicans are the nicest people you could meet but some can be a little reticent until they get to know you. They may seem standoffish to some tourists and perhaps they feel resentment. Perhaps the Mexicans feel the same way about them.

Tourists always walk in the middle of the road. I think this is because a lot of businesses and homes tend to encroach onto the sidewalks and they don’t want to intrude on the locals. They ride their rented bikes any which way down a one-way street and don’t look where they are going. I almost nailed one a few days ago because they weren’t paying attention. Mexican cyclists have more respect for cars but the tourists think they have the right of way no matter which way they are going. Watch out if they have a rental car for the first time, they’re even more dangerous than the Mexican drivers.

Businesses covering the sidewalk. Now you can see why Rosalie knocks a few things over after a couple of margaritas.

We have heard of tourists saying that there are too many Mexicans on the beach even though this is a traditional Mexican seaside resort. A friend even heard of one lady say she has been coming here for several years and was surprised that the Mexicans still don’t speak English. And of course, the Quebecois try to teach them to speak French when they are trying to learn English.

Some tourists can sometimes be a pain in the butt, sometimes great, and appreciate the Mexicans and the fact that they are in paradise. Whoever they are wherever they come from, they are critical to the economy here and are welcomed. But of course, a lot of the tourists come here regularly and know the ropes.

We are very aware of these tourists as that describes us seventeen years ago when we first came. I remember walking into town in runners and long sports socks because I didn’t have sandals. The only Spanish I knew was “Dos cerveza por favor”

And it’s peaceful again when the last flights leave.

Surgery

Rosalie’s youngest sister Marina has been suffering from hip pain for quite a while. She was told in Canada that it wasn’t bad enough for surgery yet but she was put on the list.

While here, the suggestion came up that the surgery could be done here. She didn’t know how to go about it so we made an appointment for her with Doctora Rosa on Thursday.

Dra. Rosa sent her for X-rays and did blood work. We took her back on the following Monday and the good news was that she didn’t need a full hip replacement just the top of the femur. The surgery was scheduled for Wednesday in Guadalajara five days from the initial examination. It was Dra. Rosa’s son, Dr. Victor Hugo Campos Vivas who was going to do the surgery.

Marina had to buy some supplies beforehand so Rosalie and I took her to the same X-ray clinic which sold all manner of medical supplies. One of the things she needed was a lift for the toilet. She caused a lot of hilarity especially when I suggested that we put it in the back of the car for Rosalie to use as a booster seat with Marina suggesting a little wheel.

At this point, Rosalie and I stood back and let some of the other sisters take over. Suzanne, her husband Vic and sister Delorie volunteered to take her on the bus to Guadalajara. They were met at the bus depot by the surgeon and taken to the hospital. That evening Marina was examined by the cardiologist ready for the following day.

At 8 am on Wednesday she had the surgery and later that day we got a text saying that all went well. The weird thing about this is that Rosalie had insisted all along that the surgery would be on that day. We were even sent photos of the procedure as it went along.

Of course, Marina had to pay for the procedure herself. The cost was about $10,500 CDN. That included Dra Rosa’s visits as well as the X-rays and blood work.

I don’t understand our system. In Canada, the same procedure would cost the healthcare system up to $30,000. Why don’t they encourage us to get the surgery done here and then pay for it? Then it would only cost healthcare about $10,000. I suppose that with the system now they don’t get to pay a thing.

After a three-day stay in the hospital, Marina was released and they spent a few days in Guadalajara to recover. The surgeon booked their tickets for the bus and took them to the bus depot.

I picked them up in Barra and took them home. They were pretty tired as it was a six-hour bus ride. The good thing is that the bus has a downstairs area with only four seats that are loungers and it’s quiet and comfortable.

Two weeks from now Dr Victor will come to Melaque and take Marina’s stitches out.

All in all a great family effort. Everyone chipped in to help and all went really well.

Marina and the other sisters rave bout Dr. Victor Hugo Campos Vivas. They say he was helpful courteous and all round a very nice person, a success in every way.

Squeak!

We have done a lot of driving lately and I knew that the car needed some work so I took it to a local garage.

I told the guy that I wanted an oil change and for them to see to the squeak coming from the suspension. I went back a couple of hours later and was presented with a bill for nearly $200 CND which I thought was a bit out of line. I still have no idea what they did but as I drove off the squeak was still there.

A few weeks later I decided to try again. This time the young guy at a different garage spoke some English so it went a bit better.

I told him about the squeak and that the car was hard to start when it was hot. Also, the doors creaked a lot and I wanted them greased. I was told it would be ready in four hours. Before we left they had already greased the doors so things were looking good.

Rosalie and I walked over to the other side of town to get some really good fish and chips. While sitting there we met up with some friends and had a nice lunch together. Meanwhile, I got a phone call from the garage saying that the shocks on the car needed to be replaced, which didn’t surprise me at all. It would now be ready at 6 o’clock. 6 o’clock came and went so we called and they said maybe 7 o’clock. We decided to wait until the next morning.

Rosalie called at about 8:30 am and they said it would be ready by 9. We left home at nine forty-five to walk to the garage. At last, the car was ready.

The young guy Alejandro, told me that as well as the shocks he had changed the spark plugs, the air filter and a few other minor things. The bill came to $399 CDN so not too bad. The car has been a lot better, especially on the rough roads but we still have the squeak!

Cowpuchino

I think I’ve written about this before many years ago but perhaps it’s time for a recap.

Because of all the family and new friends in town, we have been finding ourselves forced to go to one of the favourite watering holes in town. It’s known by many names but we like Cowpuchino. In Spanish, they call it Parajetes. This is a Mexican tradition and you can see these places all over Mexico.

It works like this: The place opens at 8 am and after saying ‘Buenos días’ to the lady in charge you present 30 pesos and in return, she gives you a plastic cup with sugar, chocolate, and coffee in it. You can then add vanilla, cinnamon and of course, the reason we came, moonshine, but not too much as it is still early.

Then you stand in line and wait for the next available cow to be ready. All the time watching out for dogs, chickens, goats and the odd niño getting underfoot. When the next cow is due it’s a good idea to get out of the way as she heads straight for the feed bucket ready to be tied down. The cows here still have their horns so you don’t want to get in the way.

Then her calf comes charging up to get a feed before we get all the available milk. In the meantime, a goat is chased away from the feed bag several times before it can eat it all. For the rest of the time we are there, it continues to try and steal some feed. At one point it got ticked off and went to stand in the middle of the road as an act of defiance.

Eventually, your turn comes and the guy fills the cup with milk right from the cow. After giving it a good stir, (we now know to bring a spoon with us) you take your first sip, delicious. If you want, you can have goat’s milk instead. I don’t fancy it but a few of our friends say it’s great.

After we get our cup full we usually find like-minded people and settle in for exchanging news, gossip and general BS. After a while, though that darn cup turns up empty, so you just have to have another one. And so you wend your way home hoping that some relative or friend will want you to take them again before long, and of course they always do.

Busy, busy

It’s been crazy busy the last few weeks. Rosalie’s family are all here. There are twelve of us altogether. Lots of friends have been arriving and the social scene is a little crazy. One day, six of us went to the beach and we ended up with 15 at our table, mostly people from Spider Lake Springs Resort in Canada.

Our afternoon visit to the beach to cool off is often still a part of our day. There are lots of beach vendors and Rosalie knows most of them by name. One, by the name of Mark Anthony, gets large bags of pistachios, breaks them down into smaller packets and sells them for 50 pesos each. Bolivar sells hammocks and veggie totes. One of his hammocks is on our rooftop patio; sometimes his Dad works the beach too.

Christina sells cinnamon buns and walks the beach with her son. She is a beautiful woman but needs to smile more. Christiania, I’ve mentioned before and we still see her with her squeaky little voice. There are many more that are encountered daily but too many to mention.

While sitting on the beach the other day there was a sailboat race underway so that gave us some entertainment for an hour or two.

The mornings are a bit cooler now, so I have had to light up the chiminea a few times. The wood supply is getting low but there has been a bit of rain so I’ll hold off until it’s all over with.

There is a lot of new road construction going on here. They seem to be finally tearing up some of the old rock-laid streets and replacing them with concrete.

We went to a seminar a few weeks ago about Mexican culture and the differences between hot and cold cultures.

For instance, if you invite a Mexican to your house they may or may not show up. They think, to say no is more of an insult than to not turn up at all, which has happened to us. Also, if you invite someone to your home, expect them to bring their whole family along. If you are invited to someone else home the last thing you want to do is show up on time as that is when they just about start to get things ready. You can show up at any time and you will still be on time.

Mexicans are more interested in relationships than time. There is a story of a Mexican visiting a friend in Vancouver. They met at lunch time and the Mexican was quite insulted when the friend had to go back to work. The idea of putting work before him was insulting.

Our water guy Juan promised to deliver in twenty minutes. He finally got there several hours later. It’s similar to DHL deliveries, online they say a certain date but that rarely coincides with the real delivery time. Sometimes it’s earlier, sometimes later, or not at all. For instance, I had a package due to be delivered yesterday, it arrived today along with another package due for delivery tomorrow. Most of the deliveries are early so thats a bonus. They say delivery before 8 PM but we had a package delivered at about 9 PM by a guy on a motorbike with his ladyfriend on the back.

Day four

The following morning we had breakfast overlooking the square. Afterwards, we visited a traditional Mexican indoor market. Rosalie tasted and bought some Chongo, which is a sweetened cheese. Then we went and checked out.

There is a lot of travelling on some of these tours but this was broken up with frequent bathroom stops and meal breaks. The fields on either side of the road were mostly overgrown with agave. As we moved along there were lots of greenhouses growing peppers. Further along, there was nothing but sugar cane.

Just outside of Colima, we stopped at a beautiful restaurant right alongside another lake. The food eaten that day was quail, rabbit and salmon. Rosalie and I had the salmon but got samples of quail and rabbit from our friends.

As the tour got closer to Colima, Florencio took us to see a bull ring that’s built and disassembled every year. It’s built for the annual horse show in Colima, (our next tour, but next year). Only certain families can work on it and the tradition has been going on for 167 years. It’s all built by hand and the only measuring tools are a stick about a meter and a half long with four marks on it and various lengths of rope to mark out the circles. The amazing thing is that it holds five thousand people and they have never had an accident.

And so another tour came to an end. We are rarely disappointed with these tours and this was another great one. I particularly love the old-style Mexican hotels that we stay in. Next year, as well as going back to Tequila by ourselves, we plan to go to the horse show. It’s a three-day event and Florencio will be our guide again.

Day three

After checking out of the hotel Florencio took us back to Magdalena for the drive to Mazamitla. Things got a bit confusing as Magdalena was in the opposite direction from where we wanted to go. It all worked out though and we got to our next stop, the ruins at Guachimontones

The site is situated on a hill overlooking a lake. The guide gave us an informative tour and we left knowing a little more about Mexican culture.

Before continuing our journey, Florencio took us to Restauranté Monte Carlo on the edge of the lake. The ambiance was great.

Arriving at Mazamitla in the afternoon it soon became apparent that we needed to get into warmer clothes. The temperature was about 10C and I was still wearing shorts. I ended up wearing Rosalie’s hoodie. Before we left I checked that mine was packed, but it wasn’t mine it was Rosalie’s. That’s two tours where I left my hoodie behind, luckily Rosalie had enough clothes to keep us both warm. Mazamitla is another beautiful little Magical Town of which there are 177 in Mexico.

After checking in, we met up with some of the guys for drinks before finding somewhere to eat. There was a funky little hamburger restaurant run by two young guys right at the end of our block so we stopped there. The food was great and so was the service.

After going back to the hotel for a nightcap, we all turned in.

Day two

Breakfast was included today so we went with Florencio to a little cafe on the square. Rosalie and I sat on the balcony but it was a bit chilly so we went back inside. The temperature was about 10C.

While ordering our morning coffee we noticed an item on the menu for Cafe Mexicano. After inquiring what it was we had one because it was regular coffee with a shot of tequila. Great choice! It was a good start to the day and only cost 10 pesos more than Americano. Rosalie liked it so much that she swore to have two the next morning.

After breakfast, we drove to the town of Magdalena to dig for opals. After a quick visit to the mine owner’s store, we went mining. 

We all were issued with a hard hat, hammer, goggles and gloves. Then we headed for the mine face. 

After hammering and pounding for about thirty minutes with little luck, reminiscent of my time on the chain gang, I heard that Diane had found some. It was best looking on the sunny side of the pit, as you could see the opals shine. I got a few but they aren’t worth anything.

After a while, one of the miners came and showed us how to find them without all the hammering. By this time we had done a lot of smashing. I think that after we left they called the local quarry to come and pick up the crushed rock.

Afterwards, it was back to the mine owner’s store for a look at some very expensive but very nice jewelry. Then back to the hotel for free time.

That evening, Neil and Diane, Rosalie and I went to a restaurant on the corner of the square and sat outside listening to some blues music. There was a lady playing sax and a guy playing bass guitar; it was really good. Later we were joined by Jim and Ylda to finish up the evening.

Tour day one

These are a bit late as I was trying to do this without an ‘e’ key on my computer. I got the call that a new keyboard had arrived while on the trip. So it’s now installed

The van came for us a 7 am. Jim and Ylda were already aboard with another lady, Liz, whom we didn’t know yet. Next, we went to Barra and collected Neil and Diane. Then we started for Colima. 

Our driver and tour guide Florencio had come for us from Colima, leaving at 4 am. After two and a half hours of driving, we were back there for brunch. There were eight of us at the table but they only gave us one bill. The entertainment for the rest of the day is trying to find out who short-changed us; nobody did of course. I sorted this out later by suggesting that everyone add theirs up on their phone and pay that, plus the tip, it worked for the rest of the trip.

On the road to Tequila, we noticed agave growing everywhere. There were huge cultivated fields and some were growing at the side of the road. I even saw some people growing it in their back gardens.

Tequila is a Magical town (Pueblo Magico), Rosalie and I enjoyed it so much we decided to go back next November for a few days while the weather’s still hot on the coast.

After we checked in at the hotel we had an hour break before our tequila tour. So we went to the roof to watch the entertainment.

https://youtu.be/Z7ZEQxVpd0w

The guy playing the music was one of the four flyers.

The tequila distillery we went to was an older one called “Casa Colfradia”. It had unique cabins for guests and we got a look at one. It costs $500 CDN a night but includes meals and tours.

The process was interesting and we learned a lot about tequila. After lopping off all the leaves the plant is roasted and shredded. Then the juice is squeezed out and fermented for four days. After that, it’s distilled and aged.

After the tour, they took us to a beautiful below-ground restaurant where they served us a complimentary margarita, before returning to the hotel. Some of us were a bit disappointed as we weren’t given enough samples to try. After all, that’s what we came for.

Whoever first saw an Agave plant and thought “Let’s dig this up boil and distill it and see what happens” must have had a really nice revelation. So we drink to them, in tequila of course.

That evening we went to a local hotel near the square and had a nice inexpensive meal. Before we ate, we played a game of Mexican bingo. They have a board with sixteen pictures on it. They read the names out very quickly in Spanish and the first one to fill their card won a free margarita. Well, our table won. Neil filled his card first with a little help from Florencio.

While we were waiting to be served, I saw a small jar of something edible on the table so decided to try it out. They were very hard and not too good. It turned out that they were the counters for the bingo. I dread to think how many times they had been handled. Fortunately, I only had one and didn’t get sick.

Feliz Navidad

Merry Christmas folks. I should have written a blog before this but have been a tad busy.

Anyway, this is a short blog wishing everyone all the best for the holidays from Rosalie and me.

We went out to the other compound for an appy dinner on Christmas Eve. There were eight of us initially but Art and Linda showed up later, so the ten of us had a great visit.

Us partying last night

Rosalie and I got home about 10:30 which is way past the bedtime of old folk but seeing we’re not that old yet we stayed up another half an hour and listened to the Mexicans celebrating with lots of music and fireworks.

At six this morning I was up and sat on the roof listening to the ongoing celebrations; the Mexicans go all night. It was fun as they like to use a microphone and sing along. By this time though they had been drinking all night and the singing was hilarious. More entertainment.

This evening we go down to the compound again with all our friends for turkey dinner.

Rosalie and I bought a chiminea as it’s starting to get cooler in the mornings and evenings. We enjoyed the last one we had so much we had to get another one. They only cost 650 pesos ($50.66CDN) They are made of un-fired clay so are somewhat delicate: once in place, it’s best not to move them. We showed ours to Jim and Ylda and they got one too. Tomorrow Jim and I go on a quest for firewood.

Car problems

On the way to the airport to pick up Bill and Connie, the car started to play up. It sounded as though it was miss-firing on one cylinder. The problem was intermittent so we managed to get them home okay.

After arriving home the engine light came on so the next day, off we went to get some repairs.

We ended up in the same place where we got our muffler fixed. The guy didn’t speak English but there was a couple from Alaska and she spoke fluent Spanish so she explained our problem.

The young mechanic told us to pull the car in and then used a laptop computer to check the error codes. He lifted the hood of the car and pulled one plug. After fiddling about he indicated that he needed to go for a road test. So we sat and waited…and waited. He was gone a long time.

Rosalie and I amused ourselves with pure speculation.

“Perhaps he’s gone to find a garage that can fix it.”

“No! he’s picking up the wife and kids.”

“I think he’s running a taxi service.”

“Perhaps he doesn’t even work here and our car’s been stolen.”

We seem to find many ways to amuse ourselves, Rosalie and I. We find the funny side of most things.

A little later we saw him across the highway dropping off another guy, (??) who came over to the garage, picked up a motorbike and took off. And still, we waited!

He finally showed up and after a phone conversation with a lady who spoke English, he said he had possibly fixed the problem but wanted us to drive around a lot and see if the engine light came on again to bring it back. He didn’t want payment and trusted us to come back the next day to pay him.

After driving to Barra and back twice the car seemed fine so today we went back and paid the guy.

Our second trip to Barra was amazing. Watch for the blog.