The chiminea has been used a lot this winter. However it was making a mess of the patio roof. So, after conferring with Omar I decided to move it to a better, more open space. After emptying out the old ashes I carried it to it’s new home. It’s quite heavy so I had to make a stop halfway. When it got to the new location, I let it down with a gentle thump, whereupon it fell into several pieces. Oh well! Out to the garbage with it and start looking for a new one.

Later that day, Omar was cleaning up his mess from the banana tree with a few of his friends. He was hot and sticky so I asked if he wanted a cervasa. “Si” said he “quarto.” So we parted with four beers for him and his buds. We mentioned the chiminea and he may want to take it for himself. He has contacts to get it repaired. So, good for him.

If you remember the MASH TV series there was a North Korean plane that flew over every day and I think they called it 9 o’clock Charlie. Well, we have our own version. We call him 8 o’clock Oscar as he comes roaring over us at 8 am. I think he’s spraying the mango fields. Anyway, he’s very loud. Fortunately he only comes about once a week.

21st March was the one year anniversary of us moving into El Rancho. It’s also start of skinny dipping season. It’s Sunday so we know Omar won’t be around. The water is still a bit cool but getting better by the day. This place is so private that we could run around naked all day, but we’re too modest for that. I do have to watch Rosalie though, as after a couple of margaritas she tends to get a little crazy.

A while back we were invaded by a neighbourhood chicken. It’s happened again. I think the local kids like to throw them over the wall to annoy us. It didn’t bother us until 5 am when the stupid thing started to crow. It brought back nightmares of our last location, so I shot out of bed and closed all the windows. That shut him up.

There are lots of tomato stands at the side of the road offering 3 kilos for 25 pesos or $1.52 CDN. If we could smuggle some home we would make a fortune.

Lunch at Playa de Coco is always a great idea. We drove out to Palmera Negra but there was a sign saying Reservations only. Pablo, Maria’s son, was close by so we asked if it was true. He said “I’ll go and ask my Mom. A few minutes later he came back and said it was fine, we could eat there. Pablo is about thirteen and speaks perfect English, as does his Mum.

After a really nice ‘Fajita con camaron’ we asked if we needed to make a reservation in the future. Maria, the owner of the place said that the only reason they had to make a reservation today was because the cook had taken ill and she, Maria, had to do the cooking. I suggested that she fire the cook and do the cooking herself as the food was delicious.

Rosalie had only had one margarita which was nowhere near enough so we had to go to Papa Gallo’s to top her up. This being a holiday and there being lots of Mexican Nationals in town, we had to park a block away and walk. What’s with that?

The beach was crowded with Mexican tourists. ( A complaint will be made.) I have never seen so many bikini-clad chiquitas. It’s amazing what those girls can do with a little dental floss. Rosalie was no help as she kept pointing them out to me. I thought, “Is she not afraid that I may run off with one of these skimpily clad ladies?” Then I remembered that they are mostly teenagers and I’m a senior. Crash! There goes another of my fantasies. She sure knows not to upset me. I wouldn’t have noticed them if it wasn’t for Rafael and Rosalie pointing them out. (Rosalie “oh, sure!”)

We returned the next day and the beach was practically deserted. Rafael was a bit disappointed as he enjoys see the Chiquitas himself.

Sorry guys, no photos.

Before you do anything in Mexico you need an electric bill. Getting a Temporal Visa, car insurance, vaccination, bank account, change of address all need an electric bill. I guess that’s a sure way to verify an address. I’m going to carry a copy from now on in case we need it to use the baño.

If there was an Olympic sport for lining up, Mexicans would win gold every time. It’s almost a way of life as well as a social event. I first noticed how patient they were when lining up at the Banamex to use the ATM. Everyone chats to a neighbour, some have umbrellas to keep off the sun and everyone is happy. I took one look at the line and went home to return later.

We had to line up for almost four hours to get our first vaccination shot. If nothing else it taught us patience. Nobody complained, we didn’t hear any arguing about who was in front of whom, well there was a little, but that was soon sorted out.

Our diet is still going well. I have lost eight-pounds and Rosalie six pounds. That’s if our new scale is correct. Love this diet, it’s so easy.

A few days ago, I went to the fridge and took out the wine, and poured it into my coffee. A classic senior moment. Being the fool that I am and not wanting to waste good wine, (well, not a bad wine) I took a sip. Advice to all: do not do this as it tasted gross. Darn near put some on my cereal this morning. I think there’s a message there somewhere but I’m ignoring it.

As I mentioned previously, our parrota tree is shedding and our car gets covered in the tiny leaves. I have the shade cloth from last year so decided to use it to make a shelter. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while but saw some problems with tying it down. Anyhow, it has seemed to work out okay so far. I just hope we don’t get any high winds.

Rope was needed for the shelter so we went to the hardware store in Jaluco. The difficulty was that they sell it by the kilo and we wanted it by the metre. They had a small spool of it so we took the lot. I didn’t think it would be enough but it worked out perfectly. It was odd seeing the guy put in on a scale. I did notice though, that we also paid for the weight of the spool. That probably cost us one or two pesos.

After threatening to thrash Omar for all his indiscretions I decided against it when I saw him using his machete to demolish one of the banana trees. I don’t want to get in the way of one of those things. Also, he and his friend Daniel, came by later and made us some coco locos. He supplies the coconuts and we supply the rest.

As opposed to a gray day or a gay day.

With nothing to do we decided to go to Cihuatlán for a drive to get a few things. When we got home we had forgotten some of what we went for. So, we decided to go to the beach for a glass of wine to calm our nerves.

Sitting there enjoying the conversation, Rafael, one of our favourite waiters pointed out to the ocean where there were a lot of manta rays jumping out of the water just generally having fun. They made quite a noise when they landed with the crack as they hit the water sounding quite loud.

They came back again later and this time someone was swimming in their vicinity. It looked as though they wanted to play with him but he had other ideas doing a lot of splashing before heading for shore. We had been in Barra a few days before where I could see them in the distance from there. At the time we didn’t know what was making all the splashing.

Rosalie likes to support the beach people so we added another gem to our collection. If anyone knows what it is please enlighten us.

Speaking to Rafael, he mentioned there are more and more people arriving, mostly Norteños. He was happy that business is picking up a bit.

It was such a fun day and we were getting a little pie-eyed so we stayed for dinner. There was no point in going home early as the WiFi has been really bad again. We watched a movie I had saved on the computer. It was great but it must have been one I got at the market as it stopped about ten minutes from the end. Oh, the things we have to suffer through.

The following is from a Mexican newspaper

Coronavirus: Mexico clarifies policy, to vaccinate all foreign nationals

• FOREIGNERS: Mexican health officials clarified Tuesday that foreign nationals present in Mexico will have access to the coronavirus vaccine, after reports on social media of some vaccination sites in Mexico City denying service to persons based on nationality.

• CONFUSION: “We want to be very clear: the national vaccination plan includes vaccinating everyone who is in Mexican territory, regardless of their nationality”, Ruy López Ridaura, head of Mexico’s national center for disease control, adding that there was some initial confusion.

• NUMBERS: Mexican officials reported 40,684 vaccine doses applied on Tuesday, bringing the total number of doses administered in Mexico to 1 million 801,156. The total number of doses that Mexico has received is 5,039,625. Mexican statistics do not provide a breakdown by nationality.

————————————————————

So Rosalie and I discussed it and thought about it and we decided to get the ‘The Jab.’

We had heard all sorts of stories from people about what time of day they went for the shortest wait. Times ranged from one and a half to seven hours. We first thought it would be best to go in the morning. After a while, I realized that to do that would mean standing in the morning sun so we went in the afternoon. The line up on that side of the street at that time of the day was nicely in the shade.

I also wanted to wait a little longer and perhaps go the following week. I thought that many folks would want to get it as soon as possible and the initial rush would be greater. But to wait too long runs the risk of them running out. I needn’t have worried though as we just found out that millions of doses are available across the country

The line for registration took about one and a half hours. It wasn’t too bad as the staff had placed chairs all along the sidewalk.

We got to the registration table and presented our temporal cards. There were four young ladies taking the registrations and everything was done by hand. Those poor ladies must have had writers cramp by the end of the day because they had to deal with hundreds of people. There was not a computer in sight.

The next line looked as though there were only about sixty people in it so we should be out of here soon. However around the corner were at least fifty more. Again we were in the shade.

The line progressed in fits and starts as they were taking blocks of about forty people at a time. The hold up was because after the vaccination folks had to wait a while to see if there were any ill effects.

We had been given a sheet of paper with our information and a number on it. Mine was 550 and Rosalie’s was 551. While in the line a couple came along and stood near to us. after a while one of the administrators came out and told the couple to go further back back in the line as their numbers were 575 and 576.

About 10 minutes later they came forward again but this time all the Mexicans around us started giving them a hard time. A young lady was there with her grandfather, who was just behind us, and joined in as she didn’t want him to lose his place. And so, they had to retreat again. In the end, it didn’t matter as they ended up in our group anyway.

Once inside we sat down and were immediately given our shots. Then we’re told to go and sit outside under a huge tent to wait for any allergic reactions and to wait while they did more paperwork for our followup shot.

Back at the car, I noted that we had been away exactly 3 hours and forty-five minutes; about average from what we’ve heard.

All in all, it wasn’t too bad of an experience. They used the AstraZeneca vaccine so we won’t be speaking Russian after all.

Because we are lying low, trying to stay out of trouble, I have little to write about. However, here we go.

I read today that Canada is struggling with how to proceed with the vaccine rollout. They need to take the Mexican approach. Their plan is: “Here’s the vaccine all those over 60 come and get it.” It seems to work well except Canadians won’t want to line up for up to six hours as the Mexicans do. Also, as there is only one clinic giving the vaccine in Cihuatlán, many have to go by bus to get there.

A lot of Norteños have been given the shot here. At first we weren’t so sure as we didn’t want to deprive a Mexican of their vaccine. However, we spoke with many of our Mexican friends, who all tell us to get it. Firstly, they say, many Mexicans don’t want it, and secondly, the more people who get it the less chance of Covid spreading.

There is also the question of the abuse we might get from self-righteous, judgemental folks in Canada. So, we will see.

We check the mangos every week or so to see how they are coming along. They, as wells as the jackfruit, are getting bigger so soon we will have a feast; that is if Omar doesn’t get there first. We have one, almost ready, papaya, so I’m keeping an eye on that.

In a previous post I said that jackfruit and breadfruit are the same thing. I was wrong. (Again.) They are similar but not the same.

It must be that time of year because it seems that every time we go to the beach for a margarita we see whales in the distance. I took a photo and showed it to Rosalie before realizing it was a rock with a wave crashing over it. There really are whales though. It’s good to see that the Mexicans get as excited as we do about it.

The locals here must be scratching their heads. I reactivated Spotify and they are hearing AC/DC one minute and the 1812 overture followed by popular opera the next. If nothing else, we are eclectic in our music. Now I have to find popular Mexican music.

In the morning, there is usually a thump as a coconut falls to the ground. This is a regular occurrence that left us wondering why. Lately, the reason has become obvious. There are three squirrels who play in the parrota tree every day. Early in the morning, one jumps from the tree, gallops across our roof, and disappears up a nearby palm tree. Shortly after, thump! Mystery solved. Perhaps they like coco locos too.

On a lighter note; we have been doing the intermittent fasting diet for six weeks. I have lost six pounds and Rosalie has lost four. I modified my times, so now I fast from 7:30 pm until 10:30 am. I’m now in line with Rosalie. Outside of those times we can eat and drink whatever we want. Easiest diet I’ve ever tried.

I’ve said before that I like driving here. I’ve made a few mistakes but always managed to avoid a multi-car pile-up. They can swear at me all they want as I only understand a few Spanish swear words anyway.

Most of the traffic laws here are only a suggestion Like: double yellow lines, stop signs, speed signs, no left turn signs etc. Especially at traffic lights, no traffic laws seem to apply to motor bikes.

We have had a few near misses but nothing serious. I put this video together from a few of our experiences. Could have edited in about an hour’s worth more. I left in some of the audio as we sound funny when we have been out for the evening. You know: tequila.

For the past few nights there has been a mosquito in our bedroom. Rosalie doesn’t mind as it only seems to bother me.

I have a plug-in devise by my night table that is supposed to deter bugs but this one obviously has decided to ignore it. So, I got up in the middle of the night grabbed a can of Raid and gave the room a bit of a squirt. I think it did more damage to me than the mosquito. I went back to bed and about an hour later was awoken once again by it’s buzzing.

Usually I would cover myself with the blanket and hope that Rosalie didn’t let one fly. The problem with this is that it’s too warm to stay covered for long. I’m sure the mosquito knows this because as soon as I stick my head out it’s there again. I thought perhaps I should let it bite me and get it over with but I’d like to think I’m made of sterner stuff so decide to fight back.

The following night I got a mozzie coil and left it close to the bed deciding to light it if necessary. I replenished my plug-in device and gave the room another squirt with Raid just to make sure. When I had finished coughing, I jumped into bed to enjoy a mozzie free night. Nope! I woke up again to that annoying little buzz.

I hopped out of bed and lit the coil. Better to cough my way through the night than to give in to a pesky bug. Sure enough, about an hour later it was back mozzie coil or not. I got back to sleep for a while and woke early to the usual buzz. I got out of bed and made some tea just as Rosalie got up. She said that the mozzie had buzzed her a bit so I’m hoping I may get out of this situation yet.

To think, I gave up a perfectly good annoying rooster for a pesky mozzie. The funny thing is, It hasn’t managed to bite me yet.

I don’t go on Facebook very often but when I do make a post I expect a reaction.

I made what I thought of as a witty, scathing attack on those who criticize us for being here in Mexico during the covid crisis, instead of bowing to our government’s overreaction to the spring break issue. I thought at least I would get one negative response. I was sorely disappointed. Nada, nothing, not even a “f**k you” from the idiots who think we should come back to Canada and all its chaos.

Perhaps I didn’t get a reaction because for once I was right….yea, that’ll be the day. A more likely reason is that it wasn’t as impactful as I imagined it was.

Some Facebook people make overly silly comments trying to impose their wills on those of us who won’t be imposed upon. Their opinion is correct in their tiny minds and we who have a different opinion are totally wrong. I notice that those of us who are here, don’t make stupid comments on why, those who stayed in Canada, should be here. We are in this beautiful place where the chance of us getting the covid is less likely because we live outdoors, have fresh air and lots of sunshine.

I’m a bit of an introvert so I don’t use Facebook too much but when I do it’s because Rosalie read some stupid comment and I feel a need to reply to it. Last season here, I had a great running battle with a US cousin who was a trumper. We had a great back and forth and I enjoyed sparing with her. Unfortunately, I have since found out that sadly she passed away, so I’m now looking for a new adversary.

There is a guy who comes to Mexico who decided not to come this year and because of that everybody else should have stayed at home. His name is Tequila Paul. I immediately have a problem with that name as our beloved Tequila Fred was the guy who actually supplied our tequila for 500 pesos for a gallon and only he should have that honorific.

I haven’t encountered this Paul upstart of Facebook yet, but when I do I hope to give him a good verbal thrashing. Or, maybe not, as I’m not that eloquent.

I think Facebook is a great way for us to kick someone in the nuts without us actually doing it. (The thought makes me shudder.) We all have to get our frustration out somehow. With the Covid adding pressure to our already fragile psyches, Facebook may be a way to do it. So, perhaps it’s not the evil app that I first thought it was.

It’s been a nightmare trying to write this blog. The WiFi is so bad it takes ages to upload the pictures. Anyway, here it is.

One day last week, Mike and Pat contacted us to see if we would like to go for happy hour at Coco Beach. This is just the other side of Barra but also on the other side of the lagoon so it’s a bit of a drive to get there.

We went to their house and they took us in their car. The road in is a bit rough as it was washed out in last summer’s floods and still needs a lot of work. In some parts, it was down to one lane. Fortunately, the road isn’t heavily used so we made good time. This is also the only road into The Grand Bay Hotel.

It’s a beautiful beach, about twenty-eight miles long, stretches all the way to Manzanillo, and is mostly deserted. There are a few hotels and a couple of great restaurants, but other than that, nothing.

Mike and Pat had friends at one of the restaurants, La Serena Gordita, so we stopped there and ordered drinks. After a while, a young guy got out his guitar and started singing. It was a great relaxing afternoon.

A few days later, Brent and Hauna invited us to go to Tenacatita with them. Another great adventure. When we arrived they drove way along the beach and we had snacks in a rough little shelter someone had built a while back. Again, almost deserted beaches.

After the snack, we drove back the way we had come until Brent took a tiny side road and after about fifteen minutes we arrived at a ramshackle little restaurant at the end of the road. The place was called “Restaurante La Mosca” or “The Fly” in English. The food as is usual, in some of these little places was great.

We started on a new selective starvation diet recommended to us by Ronda. Oh, wait, Rosalie says it’s called intermittent fasting. I, beg to differ.

The idea is to fast (or starve) for a period during the day and then eat and drink whatever you like the rest of the time. My times for fasting are from 10 pm until noon the next day. I make it from 10 pm so that I can have that one last glass of wine before bed. So far it’s been mostly easy and we do appear to have lost a bit of weight. Try it, you might like it. It’s the easiest diet I’ve ever tried.

I have been attracting mosquitos quite a bit and have a few bites. Rosalie was reading that the inside of a banana skin helps with the itch so I decided to try it. Rosalie with great glee ate a banana and pounced on me before I could get away and slathered me with banana skin. “There,” she said, ” now you smell like a monkey.” It’s lucky there are none in our area or else they would be hauling me off home to Mum. It worked though, and I had a good night’s sleep itch-free.

It was a cloudy day so we thought to take advantage of the shade and go for a walk around Pinal Villa. As we stepped out the door, the sun came out. It was hot but we went anyway.

I was going to say that we wore our masks and distanced, which I suppose I just did. But I don’t know why I keep having to say this as it appears to be that we are trying to justify ourselves and to assure other people. Although I think making assumptions is a bad idea, go ahead and assume that we are doing the right thing. End of mini-rant!

The people here are always friendly and smile and wave as we go by in the car. As the weather has been cooler, instead of the air conditioning we just open the windows. This allows us to say “hola” to the neighbours as we go by.

Walking was a bit different. We often stopped and had conversations with people and made new friends. This is mostly due to Rosalie’s language skills.

Like us, most people live outside so it was an opportunity to meet lots of them. Even some of the younger folks smile and wave. Others just seem to be shy. One old guy sitting outside having a smoke told us where we could buy pineapples. Not that we were looking for any.

I like to try to see what they make of us as there are only a few non-Mexicans in this area. It doesn’t seem to matter to them who we are. They tolerate even my bad Spanish and treat us just like one of them. In fact, we have already been invited to one home to visit.

While on our walk we came across a half an acre lot for sale. It was quite beautiful with mango orchards on two sides. There are 4 mango trees, an avocado tree as well as bananas and coconuts. There was a small house on it too so we decided to call the owner and look at it. The house was built recently but built badly so we reckoned that it would be a teardown and rebuild.

They are asking $55,000 US for the lot and house. On a normal day, this would have been a great deal but after extensive research and number crunching, we decided that we didn’t want to tie our money up. It was a great idea and we’re a little sad to give the idea up but on the other hand, we are very happy where we are now.

In all, it was an interesting walk, we almost bought a house and made more new friends.

So, we went home and because it was hot, sat around and did nothing; Just like we do when it’s not so hot.