Month: May 2021

Qualicum Beach that is.

Both of us needed blood tests so I tried to book an appointment online. No luck though; I don’t know if it was me or their website. Anyway, we hopped in the car and drove to Qualicum Beach to stand out in the chill air and await our turn.

It all seemed a bit chaotic. Some people were there to drop stuff off, some had an appointment and like us, some were walk-in. Everyone had to wait outside until a nurse came out and categorized us and put us in different lines. I was wondering if we were going to be branded next. After an hour of waiting, we finally did our tests and went to one of our favourite dining places, The Shady Rest Restaurant, for lunch and enjoyed the view of the mainland mountains.

While driving around Rosalie spotted a wine-making place, so a few days later we went back and ordered our first batch of ‘not made at home’ wine. I’m getting a little tired of making the stuff anyway, so why not. Unfortunately, I never get tired of drinking it. Now there is the task of finding enough white wine bottles in the next five weeks.

I’m finding it too cold here so I booked our flights back to Manzanillo. Too bad we have to wait until October. Our friends John and Ronda said before they left Melaque that the last couple back has to buy the first round of drinks on the beach. Our flights are on the 2nd of October so were sure to get there first. Then we found out that we’re both on the same flight. Our seats are in row 6 so were sure to land first. Alas, they are in row 2. Now I have to find a way of delaying them from getting off the plane first.

Although the flights are booked we’re really enjoying it here. It’s a little different from last years experiaence but we are learning to find our way around.

There was a lot of stuff leftover from moving from the condo to a smaller park model trailer. Some of it went at the garage sale but there is still lots left, so I put about ten items for sale on Facebook Marketplace and the response was immediate. There were about twenty calls but only sold one thing initially. The guy sent us an email transfer and his item still sits waiting for pick up. Later all our camping gear sold; so that’s a bonus. There were a ton of calls but very few follow-ups. Still, it’s encouraging to get rid of a least some of the stuff.

We’ve been trying to keep busy. I had a few chores to do and then planted the garden. I’m hoping it does better this year. I found out that there were hardly any nutrients in the soil so have been building it up. Rosalie has been baking up a storm including bread and some amazing fruit pies. Other than that we’re just enjoying being home.

In preparation, we had to haul everything out of the sunroom and price it. But what price do you put on something that you know is worth more but know it is a garage sale after all? As it turns out we have a lot of pricy stuff like golf clubs, camping gear, and an almost new porta-potty. If none of it sells you will be able to view it on the Facebook marketplace; or not, your choice.

We left the stuff on the picnic table overnight in the hopes that someone would steal it all. I would have even helped them load their car. But no such luck, so we have to go through with the whole hassle of actually trying to sell it.

The next morning we were up bright and early as I envisioned opening hours on Black Friday. We put all our stuff out and waited. Within an hour, we had sold one CD for 25c but the guy didn’t have any money on him so we let him have it on trust. I would have been more comfortable if he had done an email transfer, but sometimes you have to take a chance; besides I know where he lives.

By early afternoon we were doing quite well. My goal for the day was to get rid of stuff that took up room. We sold our porta potty and a small table as well as an arm full of cedar siding. We also sold a few smaller bits and bobs, so I was happy. My second goal was to sell more stuff than Rosalie could buy from other vendors. She’s thinking ahead and buying more stuff for our next year’s yard sale.

One thing we did sell this week was the motor home. We put it on Kijiji on Monday and it was sold by Wednesday. We had quite a few people interested, one guy from Cranbrook even wanted to buy it full price sight unseen, but there was another couple locally who were interested so we sold it to them for a little less.

The guy who owed 25c finally showed up and paid his money plus interest and the pressure was off. We still have a lot of stuff though. Facebook Marketplace here we come.

Roll up! Roll up! Come and buy all the crap that you want but really don’t need right here!

This weekend the park is having a communal yard sale. I think we will be the biggest contributor. We emptied our storage locker last year and stuffed everything in the loft. While in Mexico we vowed to get rid of most of it, and as it happened the communal yard sale happened.

Now, we have a lot of serious stuff to sell. There are even things from the great May-din dynasty if you look closely you can see the label that says”may-din China.” So if you happen to be in the area bring lots of money because we know what we have and you will pay big bucks for it.

There are a lot of classical CDs. I wanted at least $10 apiece as they were, after all, ‘classical.’ Rosalie being the spoilsport that she, is decided on 25 cents apiece. I have no idea how we are going to become rich with that kind of marketing strategy. But, if I give in, I know it will be a lot more peaceful around here, so, I gave in.

It’s amazing how much crap you can accumulate in a lifetime, or in our case a short marriage lifetime. The biggest things to give up are the ones with emotional attachments. Unfortunately, Rosalie has an emotional attachment to everything. She did make a brave and unselfish decision to let her scroll saw go, although it’s still kind of in the family as we gave it to Gordie.

I have a used two by four for only $27; once you pull the nails out you could sell it on for even more.

I hope it doesn’t rain on the weekend as Rosalie will get soaked while I’m watching the game and I will have to listen to her complain while I’m trying to watch the Leafs beat-up on the Habs.

We may even have to give stuff away, free. But we’ll have to think about that. I’m a little disinclined as every buck earned means more margaritas in Mexico. If there’s stuff that doesn’t sell, then luckily The Sally Ann will take a lot of it. Unfortunately, they won’t take a lot of the stuff that we need to get rid of. They have caught on to used underwear and electronic cables that became obsolete at the turn of the century. They don’t even take computer monitors that stick out a foot in the rear they are only interested in the new suppa-duppa LED ones.

Anyway, we hope to make enough money from this weekend to pay for our fares back to PV. However, if we make enough to pay for the taxi from the airport to the hotel; or even the tip, I will be happy.

“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.” Martin Luther King. 

We sweated out the last few days of our confinement waiting for our test results. They finally came on Friday at about noon. Rosalie got an A and I got a D-. I don’t care, we are out of here. Except…we couldn’t leave until midnight.

On Saturday we could finally get out into the world again. The quarantine was not been too bad, I got a bit bored toward the end but it was mostly fine. To while away the time we ordered a pile of stuff that we really didn’t need or want from Amazon. Then we had a great time deciding what to keep and what to send back.

We had to set up an Amazon account for Rosalie because all my info was on the MacBook that I destroyed. I made a simple call to Amazon to correct the problem but got so frustrated that I said goodbye and hung up.

The problem was that because we were back in Canada they wanted to send a verification code to my phone. Fine, except the number they had was my Mexican number. I explained this and asked that they send it to my Canadian one. No problem! Just answer a few security questions and all would be well. I answered date of birth, last four digits of my Master Card, date, time, and location of my Great Grandmothers birth. So far so good. Then they asked for the order number of the last item I had bought on Amazon. I explained that I didn’t know because it was on my defunct MacBook and, I couldn’t log into my account anyway. It didn’t make any difference. I don’t know if the guy was a bit dim or this was an Amazon policy; either way, I hung up. I will try again when I need some more frustrating entertainment.

Ylda and Jim kindly took my computer to the repair place to get fixed. I expected a bill of about $300-$400 but in the end, it cost $1,500 as the thing was unrepairable and I had to get a new one. So I spent about an hour listening to automated answering services and not getting much information. however, I finally managed to get one at Best Buy.

We picked it up and I gleefully looked forward to getting it set up for this blog. The first thing I noticed was that it had no regular USB ports. Apparently, the new standard is the USB 4 so now I have to start looking for adapters to make it all work. Other than that, most of my information was in the iCloud and the setup was a breeze. I know it’s not all there (like me) but I will get it over time.

We’ve already had a lot of visits from friends and it feels good to be back at our Northern home again.

That’s a cricket term but I mean the COVID test. One in Melaque, one in Vancouver and the third here at home.

As I write this I’m a little concerned, Rosalie has her appointment time for Saturday but I don’t. Perhaps if I miss it I’ll have to go back to Melaque and start over. If I do, you won’t see me for a while as I’m not going through all that crap again.

It seems that all we’ve done in the last few weeks is wait. Wait in our casa for our time to leave; wait for flights, wait for Covid tests, wait in the hotel for more test results, wait for our food. And now we’re home: waiting for our next test results and for our fourteen days to be finished. We would rather be sitting on the beach waiting with a margarita.

We checked out our test kits today and the procedure we have to go through to comply. It seems a bit complex but I think we may get through it. That is if I can get my appointment.

Saturday: Rosalie had an appointment between 8-9 am and signed into her account. 603 people were ahead of her. So, we wait again. An hour and a half later a nurse came on line via video and did Rosalie’s test. So much for having an appointment. We asked if she could do mine but we didn’t have me down on Rosalie’s account as a dependant.

I logged into Rosalie’s account and added my self as a dependant. After logging on and seeing over 700 people ahead of me, I waited. After another couple of hours I got my test, packed it up and called Purolator. They can’t pick up until Monday so there is a slim chance we may not get our results until after our quarantine is over.

We came from an area with little or no cases, got the first vaccine, tested in Melaque, tested at the airport in PV, tested again in Vancouver, hotel solitary confinement, quaranteening at home with yet another test at day eight. And people here still think we’re unsafe???

Monday: Finally Purolator picked up our tests; and now we wait, again!

Here we are, happy to be home.
Rosalie has been sorting out the inside of the trailer. It was a mess from when we rushed off from the motel last year.

I on the other hand was sorting out all the outside stuff. I got the gazebo organized uncovered the big green egg and blew off all the leaves.

Then we tried to order some stuff from Amazon. They needed an authentication code but could only send it to my Mexican phone number. That’s a problem. I tried putting my Mexican SIM card back in but that didn’t work.

Time to call customer service and get the problem sorted out…I wish! The guy on the other end was very helpful at first. All I wanted was to change my phone number back to my Canadian one.

That’s when the trouble started. First he had to verify my account. I gave him the last four digits of my master card, our address, our postal code, and then it started to get silly.

He wanted to know the serial number of the last item I had purchased. I couldn’t get into the account so couldn’t give him that. He then asked for the serial number of the device that I had last ordered something on. I explained that I couldn’t do that either as some fool (me) had spilled wine on the device and killed it.

After a very frustrating several minutes I asked for a supervisor but none was forthcoming. So, I did what any normal person would do…I hung up and fumed.

I’m hoping that I can get my laptop repaired as that is where all the magic is. Everything I ordered is on it and perhaps I can log in and change my phone number before someone realizes and blocks me again.

These big online companies want our business and then do their best to block it. What’s the sense in that? Perhaps it’s because I only wanted to order some silicone egg rings on line for $24.95, If I wanted to get a Cadillac Escalade things would be different. Or would they?

Anyway, after uncovering the big green egg I decided to cook a pork roast to celebrate our homecoming. I had a little charcoal left from last year so things were looking good. It seems that charcoal is becoming scarce so we were lucky that we had some left over. The roast was fricking awesome. As much as I love Mexican food I sure like a bbq pork roast.

It’s so quiet here. No Mexican music playing, no Global Gas truck playing their annoying tune, no tortilla seller beeping his horn, or the tamales guy shouting, not even the ice cream seller beeping his little car horn. We like the peace and quiet, but miss the inclusiveness of the village.

Feeling satiated with some great food, Rosalie and I sat by the chiminea with several glasses of wine and reflected on what a fantastic lifestyle we have.

We started off with a positive attitude to our hotel stay. That very quickly went out the window.
We had to call down to find out when we would get breakfast. When it arrived it was as cold as last nights dinner.

Again, at lunch time, we had to phone down. This time though we ran into a problem. The house phone wasn’t working so we called the local number using our cell phones. No luck! We even called the 1-800 number and still no answer. Now we knew we were in prison.

When our cold lunch final showed up, it wasn’t too bad just very expensive.
About 2:20 in the afternoon, I got an email saying my test was negative. We were packed in minutes and ready to go. Unfortunately we didn’t get Rosalie’s result so she finally checked her junk mail and there it was. We were packed and ready to leave in minutes. I called Harbour Air and made a reservation then went to check out.

The room we were in would usually go for about $100-$120, we were paying $400. From what we see so far the only extra we got for the extra $280-300 was terrible food. There was one young lady; probably a family member who had on a security jacket and that was it.

I of course asked for a refund and they of course refused. So, we had a room for one night, three crappy meals, no communication with the front desk and it only cost us $1,400. What a deal?

This is government sanctioned robbery and mostly taking advantage of snowbird seniors. so anybody booked at the Quality Inn in Richmond, beware because they don’t care.

Our flight to Nanaimo was uneventful and Dave had us home at 6pm.

And, we plan to do it all again next season.

The flight to Seattle was uneventful but arriving, was a bit of an experience.

We lined up for security and while waiting were told that we could bypass the line by downloading another app. By the time I got it half figured out, we were at the inspection booth.

It went well for a while until the officer asked if we had any unprescribed meds. We had picked up some stuff for various people (You know who you are!) but had no idea what the meds were or what they are for. So, we had to put up with the lecture about only bringing in our own meds before he let us go, including the meds.

Then we had five hours to kill so went looking for food. We found a nice place and shared a beef dip and three glasses of wine. The bill came to $75 USD . Add a tip and we were looking at a hundred bucks Canadian; for lunch. It was bit of a shock as we have been used to getting something like that in México for under $20 Canadian. I was made easier by the Philippine waiter who served us. He was fun and had an infectious laugh.

During all this chaos we met some people from Victoria and got on so well with them that we will arrange to meet up next fall.

About half an hour before boarding was about to begin, we were told to line up for proof of negative PCR test and to get our temperatures taken. It was badly timed as some of us were on board while the rest were still being processed. Anyway, the flight was half an hour late leaving.

It was a small plane and only about three quarters full so we expected to be processed quickly in Vancouver, Yeah, right!

After going through immigration we lined up again for our COVID test registration. Again, while in the line, we were told we would need another form to be downloaded and completed. I had tried it previously but the app was so bad I gave up in frustration. The young lady who did the processing was helpful and did it on her computer.

After all these on-line forms and apps that we couldn’t make work, the one app I downloaded, ArriveCAN, and filled in ahead of time, wasn’t even asked for. I presented it twice but it was ignored.

The COVID test was easy so we headed for our shuttle bus. We were told to wait until called when the bus got there.

At the hotel we checked in and found that a dinner was waiting for us. It was good but a bit cold as we didn’t get in until 9 pm. Through all this I was developing a sore throat. No temperature or any other symptoms, just the throat. I think I wore my mask too much.

From leaving the hotel in PV to the hotel on Richmond took sixteen hours.

More to come…

Our bus to was right on time arriving and only five minutes late leaving for PV. Everything seems to be going well. Even the taxi was only ten minutes late picking us up from El Rancho.

Rosalie with her infinite wisdom brought along four beers in little cooler that we have; there were only two left when we got to the hotel.

On the way from the bus depot to the hotel, we got our negative results for our COVID test.   That was a huge load off our minds.

After checking in at the hotel, we walked over to the marina to have dinner at Victor’s Place restaurant.

We like this place as we get free shots of tequila there. We asked after Victor but sadly he passed away last year from cancer.

I ordered my usual ensalada con camarone but got enchilada de camerone instead; it was awesome.

We were up early the next morning as our flight was leaving at nine. We arrived at the airport two hours early and joined the line-up. 

Part way through we remembered that we had to get our Mexican exit visas! The booth was close by so we managed okay. We were next presented with a clipboard attesting that we had had our tests.

Then we showed our results to the security guy and eventually got checked in. 

On the way to the gate we were met with another group of people milling around filling out on line forms. We asked several what was going on and at first no one seemed to know. 

Eventually a young lady helped us. We filled out the forms on my phone and were allowed to got to the gate with just enough time to board. We still have no idea what we needed that app for.

More to follow…