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Mike and Pat sent a message inviting us to go with them to Chantli Mare, a small hotel up the coast from Melaque. We have been there several times but this time was more memorable.

That’s our table in the corner.

We had just finished lunch when one of the waiters came to our table and excitedly said “Tortugas! Tortugas!” We looked over the side of the deck we were on and saw a whole bunch of baby turtles heading out for the water. There must have been fifty or more of them by Mike’s count. We grabbed our cameras and headed down to watch.

The thing that got me was that the locals were as excited as we were. I’m sure they have seen this many times before but were genuinely loving it. One of the young waitresses dove under the deck and was helping the little guys out of the hole their mum had laid their eggs in. She was also righting the ones who got turned on their backs and had trouble getting back upright. I did a few too; it was cool.

We followed them to the water’s edge and I was surprised by the speed that they moved. Also, the fact that they knew where the water was. I followed one all the way to the water’s edge and we became such close friends that I named him Tommy Tortuga. He wanted to stay with me but a wave came in and ended the discussion. Unfortunately not many of them make it to adulthood there are just too many predators.

After Mike and Pat dropped us off we contacted Gerry and Elaine and went to their new location to see how they were doing. They have a great location two houses away from their old one.

When we got home we tried a trick that Mike had told us about dissuading mosquitos. Down here they burn coconut husks to make a smudge pot. Mike told us that egg cartons burn slowly and do the same thing so we tried it out. As we had no coconut shells handy (tomorrow we go looking for some) I lit an egg carton and blew out the flame and sure enough, we had a really smoky mossie deterrent. It worked great. It smouldered for about two hours. Thanks, Mike!

I hope it works on large ants also. Last night I was sitting on the patio minding my own business when I felt something land on my head; not unusual as all sorts of things fall from above. However, this one hurt. I brushed it off and at the same time felt a stinging pain on my noggin. I noticed that it was a large ant and later as it revealed itself I taught it a lesson. I hurt for about half an hour but eventually the pain went away. We are living in a semi-tropical country after all.

This guy survived because he has attitude.

I’m sure most people are happy that I’ve not been posting. The WiFi here just sucks. At times I couldn’t get into WordPress to write. It seems the kids here are also schooling online so that puts a load on an already weak system.

The other day Omar was walking across the lawn with a ladder and Rosalie started to get all excited. “Omar, coco locos” she shouted scaring the life out of both Omar and myself. I think she wanted to hold the ladder so he could get the job done quicker.

He brought three coconuts and emptied them into a jug. We didn’t have vodka so he settled for gin. I noticed that this time he was quite a bit more generous with the booze. They also tasted better than last year.
We had a great time for an hour or so. I know his favourite is Rosalie but he seems to be getting used to me a bit more.

The conversation was all in Spanish and I was surprised how much I could contribute. I also understood a lot more than normal. I’m mostly there as a backup for Rosalie. If she gets stuck on a word I look it up for her. Sometimes to my surprise, I can help her without looking it up.

There were some things left here last year that we didn’t expect to see again. One was the WiFi expander and the other was the wireless doorbell. Well, Omar showed up with the WiFi extender and admitted that he had saved the doorbell push button. Surprisingly, the WiFI extender still seems to work.

We thought the kids would have had the door button. I know if I was a kid again I would have. Can you imagine the fun of standing outside the door with an innocent look on your face with the button in your pocket where none can see it and pressing it just as the aggrieved neighbour went back inside? Awesome!

We’ve had to go out for supplies a few times. The other day as we pulled up to the store a guy asked if we wanted the car washed. I think he was a bit surprised when we said “yes!” It’s good to help even in these small instances as he seemed to be handicapped.

After we got our groceries and went back outside, he didn’t seem to have done much. The guy was nowhere in sight and I thought we would have to drive off. At that moment he showed up with a tub of water that he got from somewhere. He finished the job, by hand, and wanted 50 pesos so we gave him that as well as a big tip. The irony is that by the time we got home the car was just about as dirty again.

In a previous blog I mentioned the damage in Melaque from the rain storm. I said that one street was washed out. It appears that it was actually sucked out when the lagoon was opened up to let out excess water. They have built a wall there now to prevent it from happening again.

Today was a good day in many respects. First, we had to get our Residente Temporal renewed. As the car was still with the car Doctor we had to get a taxi. The first call was to the wrong taxi. Just as I called for Omar to help, the phone rang and it was the correct taxi service. They work in zones and can’t pick up outside of their zone. On the way to town, I heard a scream from an approaching motorcycle. A three-foot cocodrilo literally galloped across the road. I don’t know who was more scared, the cyclist or the cocodrilo.

The immigration office was open (closed previously) and except for a small error on one of our forms, they duly updated our visa for the next three years. Everything went as smoothly as they had explained last season. There were a lot of wild rumours: about not being able to renew it, if it was already expired. One couple had trouble crossing into Mexico from the U.S. We decided to ignore all rumours and on-line advice and do as we were told (for once) by immigration and it worked out great.

Our immigration paperwork.

Part of the process was going to the Banamex bank and parting with a large sum of money. Our last visit was a bit of a hassle, we had trouble with the procedures so we asked Raquel to help us. While we were waiting for her we went for lunch on the beach. There was no one else there, the waiter was masked, so we were fine.

There has been a buzz in the air that we are required to self-isolate, but coming into PV no one informed us of this and anyway what are we supposed to do? It was essential to have our car, to get food and other supplies. Also, we had to check in with immigration within five days so we had little choice. All the correct protocols have been done: masking, distancing etc. so we think we’re fine. Maybe some people think that, because they personally want to isolate it’s a state requirement, I don’t know!

Because of covid procedures, there was a lineup outside the Bank letting only a few people in at a time. Raquel was supposed to meet us at 1:30 but she arrived a half-hour early and called us. Gulping our food, chugging our drinks we scooted.

Just as we were finishing at the bank the phone rang and Juan told us the car was ready. He picked us up outside and talked mostly nonsense incessantly as we drove back to the garage. We paid the bill $1,680 pesos ($104 Cdn) and went home.

Look at me, parking like a true Mexican. I’m so proud.

So, the Temporal got renewed, we got our car back, saw a little cocodrilo and managed to have lunch on the beach. Not a bad day at all. After one more visit to immigration, we’ll get back to isolating in case the isolation cops come for us.

The car had been sitting for five months so I had no idea whether it would start or not. I took off the cover but noticed that it had been re-tied, haphazardly, but effectively. I think it may have come off in the wind. When I opened the hood there was a bunch of leaves in one corner that I first thought was a nest of some sort. As I took it apart I found that it was just a solid bunch of leaves; again, the wind.

I reconnected the battery and started it up. No problem at all except for the power steering leak. It did need a good wash though as it was really dusty.

We needed some more supplies so we took the car for a run into Melaque. I was a bit concerned about the power steering fluid. I had requested that Don and Peggy get some for our initial supply run and they did just that.

Ah, those Mexican topes

Melaque looks about the same from what we’ve seen of it. A lot more sand around but then again we only really looked downtown. We will explore more when the car gets better. Our real aim was to get a margarita on the beach but with the new lockdowns in place, we will have to wait a few days. So we went home and had a swim.

The following day we again went into town to check in with the immigration office but they are closed until tomorrow. So far everything they told us before we left last year is playing out just fine.

We went into Super Hawaii and immediately bumped into Mike and Pat. It wasn’t a good place to catch up so we’ll check in with them later. After we got the rest of our groceries we went home for lunch.

In the afternoon I used the last of the power steering fluid to get us to the garage for some repairs. As it turned out we met the same guy as last year. He had the same line too. “My brother knows all about this but he’s busy now.” We suggested that he take us home and keep the car until later in the day. We know we probably won’t see it again for a couple more days.

He’s reading my blog!

Although we weren’t told too, apparently most people coming in are quarantining for a while. We aren’t able to completely isolate ourselves but we are staying clear of people and holing up as much as possible. And of course, wearing our masks and washing our hands a lot.

We met up with Omar again and he seemed happy to see us despite the thrashing I pretended to give him last year. My Spanish must be improving as we both understood each other quite a bit without tequila.

We went to the trailer and put away most of the stuff for the winter. All we had left to do was pick up a rental car, winterize ours and pull the slides in on the trailer. Packing and organizing what can and can’t go with us was a bit of a challenge but we got it all done.

We had to be up at 2:30 am to take our bedding back to the trailer and make our way to the airport for our 6 am flight. It was cold, 2 C. The rental car had to be filled with gas in Courtney but our usual station was closed. Oh, panic! Fortunately, there was another one across the street so I did a slightly illegal maneuver (it was 3:30 am with nobody about.) and we got our gas.

At check-in, they told us that we had to check our carry-ons. We were a bit miffed but went along anyway. After passing security and made our flight to Calgary with no problems. Boarding was just starting as we got to our departure gate for P.V. so it’s lucky we didn’t stop at Timmie’s along the way.

Our flight out was delayed 45 minutes as one of the passengers was ill and had to get off. To make things a bit worse, they had to de-ice the plane before we left.

Although many flights are getting cancelled we noticed that 20 minutes before we left another West Jet flight was also going to P.V. and both were packed.

I found that both our flights were very cold but when they announced that we were landing in 15 minutes, I unzipped the legs of my pants, took off my overshirt stowed my jacket and I was ready. It was after all 33 C outside.

After all the rumours we heard about trouble getting back into Mexico with our expired Temporal Visa we approached the counter with a bit of trepidation. We needn’t have worried, the only thing we did wrong was to forget to fill our re-entry forms in. They stamped our passports and away we went. For some reason, Mexicans seem to delight in stamping stuff.

Next, getting our checked luggage. We found the correct carousel and one bag arrived pretty quickly. I waited and waited for the next one but…nothing! Then the carousel stopped! There was a lot of luggage on the floor but we were being told it was for a flight from San Francisco. I finally found our bag at the back of this pile of stuff. After this disorganization, I knew we were home.

After the flight delay, immigration delay and missing luggage we were a bit later than expected meeting Eddie our driver. He told us that he too was getting a little concerned. However, we made it back to Pinal Villa just after dark. We did drive through a little bit of rain on the way but nothing serious.

The trip from P.V. takes 4 hours. So for Eddie it was a full days work and it only cost us $200 Canadian. He had to go back the next day to get someone else. He does it a lot so makes a good living at it.

Peggy and Don met us at the house with some supplies for the evening and we had a pleasant glass of wine with them before settling in for the night. It was a bit sticky inside as the place had been closed up and it took a long time to cool it down. As we had been up since 2:30 we didn’t have too much trouble sleeping.

We woke up this morning to another beautiful day and I was immediately chased by a mosquito.

We’re Back!

I hope we get back to Mexico soon. We’re finding it too cold here. We went to do some more closing up at the trailer and the temperature was 1 C. Brrr. Staying at the motel isn’t much fun as I start to get cabin fever. So we get out as much as we can and go and sit by the fire at the trailer until it gets too cold and then we head back to watch some TV

The next day: Monday.

Rosalie had her procedure today and things started to warm up. She came out as a perfect ‘little lady’. On the way home, we called our travel agent and after several calls back and forth we find ourselves booked for Saturday at 6am to PV. If we went one week later we would have had to pay an additional $1,000 each! We’re flying with West Jet and using our credits so watch this space.

So it begins. The final closing of the trailer, rescheduling dinner invitations, final packing, renting a car to the airport, etc, etc. The annoying part for me is that they are allowing one checked bag and we have nothing extra to take. I do like to get full value for our money. Oh, and I have to check out the third dashcam.

I wanted to get a dashcam to document some of the driving antics in Melaque. I looked locally but at the time couldn’t find one I wanted so I ordered one from Amazon. It was a disappointment. The recordings wouldn’t playback, among other problems, so I sent it back and ordered another one. Same problem! I sent an email to the seller and received a message in broken English back. I wasn’t satisfied so that one goes back and I found another at London Drugs.

The new one has WiFi and no screen. If I want to see a live picture I have to check it out on my phone. Luckily I don’t watch it while driving. It takes a bit of getting used to but appears to do what I want it to without all the other useless twiddly bits. I can even have videos saved on the Cloud. Of course, I haven’t figured that bit out yet but I’ll get there eventually.

I’m trying to cut back on the wine but things are getting a bit stressful right now so “Cheers”.

It’s not just us checking out flights.

As we have to spend a lot of our time doing nothing, Rosalie has been looking up flights to get us back to Mexico. She discovered that they are a lot more expensive than last year. However, with the economic climate the way it is, it’s to be expected. We’re not sure when we will actually leave but it looks likely to be close to the first week of November.

We have had a lot of invitations to dinner; which is great; even though I suspect people just want to make sure we are actually leaving. Yes, folks we really are going; if we can get a flight that is. Of course, I’m joking, thanks for the invites we really appreciate them.

Rosalie continues to make progress. She had a video consultation with the surgeon and she said everything looks good. Her tongue still doesn’t work properly but is getting better. Our flights also depend on the results of her colonoscopy. We’ll just have to wait and see how that turns out.

It looks as though we will be alone at the ranch this year. The people who were going have cancelled and the other Wells’ can’t make it due to illness. It’s such a nice place I’m sure someone will take it. In the meantime SKINNY DIPPING!

We will be wearing masks as we travel. I saw on the news the other day that a few people in Vancouver (about 1,000) were protesting their right not to wear masks. It’s also my right not to wear a mask, but am I going to risk my health just to prove a point? Not likely! It’s also the right of shop owners to prohibit those not wearing masks. Yes, they have rights too. I was a bit disconcerted about this until I realized that the population of the greater Vancouver area was about 2.5 Million people. This means those standing up for their “rights” is about .04%. Fortunately, most of us see the sense in wearing masks. We’re getting old and want to get older.

Speaking of flights, what will happen if trump loses the election?
It’s been rumoured that there are a lot of criminal charges being prepared against him. And, because of this, he may skip the country. But who would want him?

 Iran? I can just see the Iatola saying “Get over here, we want a word with you”. China? Yeah right. See the above. Although he does appear to have a bank account there. He could go and see his old buddy Putin; but would Vlad want a loser in his country after all the effort he took to get him elected and then have him screw it up? North Korea sounds like a good bet. He and his buddy Kim Jong-Un can sit in the same sandbox and play together. They are after all about the same mental age, eight. He could go back to his ancestral home in Scotland but the Scots hate him so much that he wouldn’t stand a chance.

Please, please don’t ask him to come to Canada. If he does I’m turning in my Toronto Maple Leafs sweater, buying one for Manchester United and going back to England.

Of course, he may not run away. Apparently, he has no money to run with. And who really wants a broke, washed-up wannabe dictator anyway. He may have to face the rumoured multiple criminal charges and do his time in jail with the rest of his family.
Win or lose, we’re in for an interesting 2021. Well, we need something to take our minds off Covid.

Actually, fruit doesn’t fly unless someone throws it at you. “Time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana.”

We’ve had a lot of fruit flies around here lately so Rosalie has declared war on them. The first sign of a tiny little fly she grabs the deadly tennis racket and proceeds to mow the poor little thing down. The louder the crack as she gets one the bigger the grin. I’m starting to get a bit concerned. She keeps looking at me that way and I think she would like to see if I would make a big crack. If she starts to jump up and down and drool after a kill, I’m out of here.

She’s recovering from her surgery just fine. She still has trouble with her tongue not working right but it hasn’t stopped her from talking. I have to watch what I say once again as she’s starting to get a bit quicker, hence the flying fruit.

We have moved into the motel as we are slowly starting to close things down at the trailer. It’s been raining a lot in the last few days. I lit a fire but it was too cold to sit outside after all. In some ways, it’s been nice sitting in doing nothing after the hectic summer we’ve had. A nice warm faux fire and a good book work wonders for mental health and laziness.

We managed to buy a cord of firewood. We borrowed Bruce’s pick-up as we had to load it ourselves. Rosalie insisted on helping but I warned her to not overdo it. Anyway, she did a good job of stacking it while I caught up on the sports news.

Rosalie amuses herself cooking and waiting on me but other than that life is getting a bit tedious. I would start to pack but apparently, guys have to leave it to the last possible moment and then quiz the wife on where she put all his stuff. I think I’ll stick to that plan, it sounds like fun.

We’ve been amusing ourselves binge-watching tv shows that we’ve already seen but enjoyed. That and reading all the contradictory stories coming from Mexico and those who go there. Actually, the best ones seem to come from people who have never been but feel inclined to give their expert opinion anyway. We’ve had a few laughs over those.

We go back to the trailer often as I’m taking my time winterizing it. Most of our day is spent binge-watching Netflix although we recently found “Acorn TV”, an offshoot of “Prime TV”. They have lots of British and Australian shows so we like that.

Rosalie gets her colonoscopy a week Monday, the 26th. As soon as that’s over we are gone. As the weather gets colder we crave Mexico more. Also, as it gets colder, the fruit flies start to disappear and I can start to relax a bit more.

It’s been a strange couple of weeks. Rosalie’s surgery kind of upset the apple cart. She expected to come out of the hospital and go straight back to doing all the things she normally did. Not so!

As the days passed she became a little depressed because she wasn’t getting better fast enough. So I took her out for walkies a few times and when we had visitors it cheered her up and she’s almost back to normal now.

She especially enjoyed having her sisters and one brother-in-law visit. I took Gordie to the pub with the boys while Rosalie enjoyed an afternoon with her sisters. It was a little cozy in the trailer but we got by. I slept in the loft and both nights we had a windy rainstorm and I was lulled to sleep by the sound of the rain on the roof.

Of course, the passing of Janice hit us all hard. Gordie though is doing well and has a lot of family and community support. We look forward to seeing him soon.

We’ll miss you Janice.

I managed to get the neighbour’s deck finished and they unexpectedly inundated me with Guinness and tequila. For which I was grateful. It will last a while as I’ve cut back on my alcohol intake to get my blood pressure down. Even though the Doc said it wasn’t the alcohol but Rosalie putting my pressure through the roof.

We find that the last few weeks before going either to Mexico or back to Canada a bit tedious. I feel as though I should be starting to pack things away for the winter but still have two weeks to go before we have to leave the campground. Then we have to wait for Rosalie to get her colonoscopy results before booking our flights. In the next week, I have to plant the garlic and onions for next years crop.

This how we feel about now.

We just found out that ‘the donald’ has the Covid. I’m disappointed because the “hydro Cloro whatsits” and the bleach injections didn’t work after all. Oh well, back to the drawing board. We maybe should try injecting sulfuric acid for an extra kick and mothballs for the afterglow.

The day after Rosalie came out of the hospital I had a reaction to my colonoscopy. The 811 nurse on the phone told me to go to the emergency right away. Now we had a dilemma. If I was admitted Rosalie would be left alone. She can’t drive for a few weeks, until she heals and can turn her neck. So she couldn’t drive me in and then go home.

This is where good friends are invaluable. I called Barb and Dave and they agreed to babysit Rosalie for me. As it turned out my problem was not as urgent as the nurse suggested but it needed attention. The doctor at the hospital (female, about 4’10” 18 years old) said it was not the colonoscopy but something in my stomach. I thought perhaps a bleeding ulcer.

She sent me home with instructions to call my family doctor (male, 5’9″ about 50 years old.) I had a phone conversation with him and he suggested that the problem was indeed a temporary complication from the colonoscopy. I was somewhat relieved. I asked him why I was having so many dizzy spells and he told me that I had lost about a pint of blood during the procedure and needed to build it up again by eating steak and taking iron pills. I had no iron pills so substituted it with a glass of Guinness. Yes, it is good for such an emergency.

I had volunteered to build a deck for the neighbours and that’s when I noticed the dizzy spells most. After the steak and Guinness, they lessened a lot. Anyway, I seem to be back to normal now and firing on all three cylinders.

Rosalie is still doing well. She has had a few headaches but the incisions don’t seem to be too painful. She tries to do too much of course but does need a little exercise. I suggested cooking, cleaning and dishes. It’s lucky she can’t move too quickly as I was able to duck just in time.

We are still doing well and looking forward to being back in Mexico. We estimate about early November. It seems though that a lot of people we know aren’t going this year because of the Covid. We still have friends down there and it will be quieter without all the tourists. Although the Mexicans need them.

We’re doing really well!