Month: December 2021

It’s been a bit of a rough week but we are slowly getting better. The biggest problem has been the lack of energy. We’ve also been sleeping a lot. Sometimes we take three or four naps a day of about an hour-plus each. The bed seems to be the only place I can get comfortable so when I walk into the cool bedroom I just can’t help it, I crash.

Also, we have no appetite. We seem to keep our fluids up but we’re not in the least bit interested in eating. We try to nibble a bit here and there but nothing too serious. I got Rosalie to make me a tiny plate of plain spaghetti which I managed to get through. The next night I tried it again but couldn’t finish. Just to illustrate how bad it is, I haven’t had a glass of wine for three days now. This is serious.

I think our biggest problem right now is that we are getting cabin fever. I think we would both feel better if we could go out for an hour or two. I thought about taking the car and just driving somewhere but just don’t have the energy yet. Anyway, It’s only a few more days and our quarantine is over.

The magic bullet here seems to be aqua de coco or coconut water. When Rosalie had dengue fever a few years ago she was told to take star fruit and aqua de coco. Our neighbours across the road Daniel and Iris texted to say they were bringing us some cocos to make us better. They showed up with six cocos with instructions as to when to take them. What lovely people.

Quarantine over

So we’re finally free. Rosalie is healing rapidly but not so much me, although I am feeling a lot better. My biggest problem is that I have no appetite. I’ve lost about six pounds in the last ten days. I’m a bit concerned so we went to Papá Gallos to see if we could bring back some normalcy. We both started out with a limonada each and a small plate of fries to share. Before I knew it, Rosalie had abandoned the limonada for a margarita and then gave up the fries for a plain hamburger. It’s good to see one of us making good progress.

Our neighbour in the compound has been sending over soup as well as a high-energy cake for us. Rosalie managed to get through her share but me…no!

I still find it astounding that people are still trying to get us to take a horse parasite pill (ivermectin). For a start, this is not a parasite and we are not ‘orses. We were told today that more people are catching covid because they had the vaccine in the first place. Well, that could be true, in our case, however, I would rather have a mild form of Covid than end up dead. Oh! The science of Facebook. Besides I like to stick to the tried and true methods like a bleach enema, which sounds like way more fun.

Returning from the beach a few weeks ago, we thought at first that it was raining. It turned out that the tenaco on the roof was leaking badly and gushing water everywhere.

This is not usually a problem. This day, however, our laundry was still in the washing machine and we couldn’t hang it up because of the excess water running off the roof. Omar kept us waiting until he had finished eating and then came over and corrected the problem. If he doesn’t respond quicker next time I may have to return to the thrashings. (Old joke.)

The following morning we had to have a cold shower because all the hot water from the previous day had gone. Rosalie had an incredibly important appointment to get her hair and nails done so took a cold shower. Oh well, she was starting to get a little frisky and needed cooling off anyway. I waited a couple of hours and got a lukewarm one.

After her nails were done I picked her up and we went for lunch at Rita’s restaurant alongside the lagoon. We watched a cocodrilo drift by and I noticed that it was at about the same time and place we saw the last one. Maybe he’s just there for the tourists. I’ll be looking out for a little propeller next time. Rosalie suggested that I get in the lagoon for a closer look. I declined because I didn’t want to get my hair wet.

We both had a Burrito. Mine of course was camerón and Rosalie’s was pollo. They were so large that we took the remainder home for the next day’s lunch. I had about six large shrimp in mine.

The burritos as well as three healthy portions of wine and one beer came to a total of 500 pesos or about $30 CDN including tip. Yet another reason to be here for six months.

The WiFi here has been total crap so I have been looking for alternatives. Rosalie saw an article on the local Facebook page about a guy who installs an antenna on the roof and a modem for about $200 Canadian and about $20 a month. I called the guy and after a bit of confusion about the WiFi speed, we decided to give it a try when we got back from the Copper Canyon trip.

However, since we are back the WiFi has been pretty good so we will wait a while.

The village is dizzy with excitement, including us, as a grader and a truck full of sandy gravel showed up to level out some of the roads. They didn’t come down our street however as according to our neighbour Daniel “No somos suficientemente importantes” “We are not important enough.”

It’s that time of year again and Rosalie and I would like to wish all our friends and family a Merry Christmas and very prosperous new year.

The day we found out that we were covid positive was also the day the stock market took another bit of a dip. As well as being woken up from a nap by my granddaughter on face time with a family issue. Oh well! some days are like that.

She had Facetimed Rosalie and wanted us to call back later as I was supposedly asleep. I knew it could only be one of three things. After I woke and got myself sorted out we contacted her and she called us back. I was right, one of the things that I intuited was that she was pregnant, and sure enough, she is. Rosalie and I are going to be great-grandparents for the third time and this baby we know we’ll get to know and enjoy. It took a while to get the grins off our faces.

Well into isolation and all is going well. We have had so many offers to pick things up for us. We have some great friends here.

This is our Media and Covid recovery room. Does anyone guess the movie?

I got out my old “Unclean” sign to hang around my neck while walking around town. I also have to ring a bell to give people enough time to run away.

I’m blaming all this on our brother-in-law Gordie. We had a Facetime meeting with them in early December, and he had Covid. But… he wasn’t wearing a mask. So it has to be his fault. I will discuss it with him over a glass of wine when they get done here in February.

Insolation may be a bitch but Rosalie and I have found the perfect cure. We are into our second round of Agavero, ( a tequila liquor and our current favourite.) and the pain has gone away. Well, it’s probably still there but we just don’t care. We were told not to drink alcohol but they obviously don’t know what we know.

We feel bad that we may have exposed other people but our symptoms were so minor that we wouldn’t have gotten a test if it hadn’t been for the one guy in our tour testing positive. I only had allergy symptoms, a slightly runny nose and a minor sore throat. Symptoms I’ve had a hundred times before. Rosalie had an irritating cough but we had been wearing masks for a week so we thought that was to be expected.

Anyway, it is what it is. We’ll keep you posted. Expect some boring blogs as I now have little to write about and am getting bored. Not a good combination.

After getting a Covid test we were surprised to find that we were positive. Our symptoms weren’t very bad so I guess the vaccine did it’s job. We’re both feeling fine but still taking precautions for other peoples sake. We have to quarantine until 29th Dec. So I guess that gets us out of any Christmas obligations.

Omar said he would get supplies for us but he and his friend Pepe the mechanico were drinking beer with us the other day so lets hope they don’t get it.

It’s surprising how many people you come in contact with over a few days. We’re trying to track them down and let them know.

More in the next blog although it’s going to be a boring week.

The day after we arrived home from our trip, it was decided that we deserved a margarita at the beach. I started the car while Rosalie open the gates. I put it in reverse and… nothing. It moved a bit but it felt wrong somehow. Rosalie checked and found that one wheel was locked solid.

Great, now I have to play mechanic. I jacked the car up and removed the wheel. The brake drum came off fairly easily but no matter what I did the darn thing would not rotate when I put it back on.

Rosalie sent a message to Omar asking if he had a mechanic friend. A dumb question really as Omar has a friend for every occasion. About an hour later I saw Omar standing by the car and suddenly heard three loud bangs. What are they doing to our car?

I wandered over and his friend the mechanic was putting the wheel back on. I thought perhaps the problem was elsewhere until I saw the wheel turn a little. What the…..! Pepe, the mechanic, stood up with a huge grin on his face. In one hand he held an iron bar and in the other a very heavy-looking metal mallet. “Mecanico Mexicano,” he said proudly. And the problem was solved.

I’ll have to go and buy a similar mallet just in case I get another problem with the car. Like having to change a light bulb or something.

I asked him how much and he just shrugged so as he’d only been there about ten minutes I gave him 200 pesos and he and Omar a beer and he was happy. The good thing that came out of this is that we now have our own personal mechanic on call if necessary.

Just as Omar and Pepe were preparing to leave we had a surprise visit from Brent and Hauna our neighbours from the previous year. They were flying North the following day so wanted to catch up a bit before they left. They will be returning in the new year so we’ll see more of them then.

We have been feeling a bit down for the last few days. Rosalie has a cough and I have a bit of a sore throat. Also, we are both a bit tired but other than that no symptoms. We checked our temperatures and we’re both normal.

Some parts of the tour were a bit gruelling so we reason that we are just suffering the after effects. The same thing happened when we returned from the butterfly tour, February 2020. Now though, we just found out that one of our tour mates has tested positive for covid so we will get a test just to be sure. I’ll keep you posted.

We were told to bring warm clothes for the evening in the mountains. I mostly have muscle shirts here, so was lacking in that regard. I have a lightweight jacket that I use for such an occasion but of course, I forgot it at la casa.
I did have a heavy sweater for cooler nights but it’s not very practical.

In Cerocahui I found a really nice hoodie that I snapped up and it came in really handy. Even so, I wore one shirt about three times.

I checked out the bridge height, length etc. The ones we crossed didn’t even come close.

Pancho headed up a project to reunite the indigenous people of New Mexico with the Tarahumara in Mexico. The idea was to get Tarahumara to New Mexico to sell some of their baskets and meet their cousins.

There were some problems of course as the Tarahumara had no passports and some didn’t know their date of birth. Pancho sorted that out and applied to the US consulate in Chihuahua for visas. Then they waited but heard nothing back.

A few days before they were scheduled to leave they got their approval and had to go to the consulate to get the visas. However, when they got there they weren’t ready after all, so were told to come back the next day. Pancho explained that it was a 50 miles drive each way. Finally, they were told they would have the visas that afternoon.

All set to go. The Tarahumara carried all their belongings and baskets in black garbage bags so it could have been a nightmare at the border. But it wasn’t, they were waved right through.

In Albuquerque they were to display their baskets etc at the side of the road. Pancho went to the first person and asked how much they were asking for a basket. They said 50 pesos, about $3.30 Canadian. Pancho told them to charge $25 US. He then went to each of the vendors and told them the same thing. They were sold out by the end of the day.

There was a huge party that evening hosted by the New Mexico indigenous people. The following day they had to return to Mexico. When they went to the US they took 40 Black bags with their baskets. When they returned they had 80 bags stuffed with clothing and school supplies. Once more at the border, they had no problems and so got home safely.

Up at 6:00. I had a bad night with a headache probably too much sun the day before. After breakfast, we hopped on the bus to the airport. This is where we said our goodbyes to Pancho and gave him his hard-earned tip.

Rosalie, Martina and I got lucky again to be in the Sky Priority section. They even told us that we could use the VIP lounge. Well, la-di-da. We had a four-hour layover in Mexico City so that was a better and more comfortable way to while away the time. The rest of our party were quite envious.

We found the lounge and ordered a drink. It was all free including fantastic WiFi; all we had to do was tip the waiters. I had a couple of rum and cokes and Rosalie had lunch (purchased) and wine. I think we will be looking into this way to travel a little more closely. It may cost more but it’s way more convenient and comfortable.

Our flight was due to leave at 5:05 pm so went to stand and look at the departure board at 4:00 pm to find our gate number. It finally went up at twenty to five. After a mad rush to find the gate, we had to stand another hour to board. Needless to say, we were late getting to Manzanillo.

A taxi had been arranged for us and Martina. After dropping Martina off in Barra our driver was not happy with all the puddles he had to drive through to get to our place. The poor guy will have to wash his car again. I would have liked to give him an extra tip but had no more change.

The next day, I was feeling not so good with a cough, sneezing and a runny nose. Rosalie swore it was Covid and wanted me to go for a test. I thought it was allergies and was proven correct when it cleared up soon after taking an anti-histamine. Omar came to say “Hola” and we showed him some photos he was quite enthraled with them.

Incredible experience, but now glad to be home. So endeth this trip. I wonder what’s next?

Chihuahua is a Tarahumara name and means a dry and sandy place.
We did a walking tour of the city and saw an outdoor ice rink. I immediately wanted to get a team together and start a few fights. There were only four Canadians, two don’t do hockey and the third was Rosalie. She’s great in a fight but can’t skate worth a damn. Oh well, next time.

Benito Juárez was a hero of the Mexican people and was executed in Chihuahua on 12th July 1872.

Manuel Gameros asked his lady to marry him and said she would if he built her a house first. He spent all his money knowing that he was marrying into more. Of course, when the house was finished she refused to marry Him. The house reverted to the city because of unpaid taxes. It now belongs to the university.

Pancho Villa is also famous in Chihuahua. Pancho (our guide) says he was bipolar and completely ruthless ( Pancho Villa not our Pancho.). He murdered several people and was jailed a few times but always managed to escape. He died at the age of 47 but his only legal wife, one of 27 wives, died in 1984.

After the tour, we went to Pancho’s office “La Propuesta” for lunch. While we were at our table a spray truck came by and doused all the streets. Probably for covid. There was a cute little kid on the street and once again we were amazed at how her older sister looked after her.

Yesterday, while at the museum, Rosalie checked some of the dresses and they all appeared to be hand sewn.

After lunch, it was off to explore the caves in the area. It was very warm and humid in the caves. We went down 840 metres and walked 1,800 metres. I have to admit that I was a little worn out at the end.

To wrap up the tour we all went to a very nice restaurant and dined the evening away. Rosalie and I ordered two glasses of wine. The waiter came back a few minutes later to confirm our order. By this time we had decided to get a bottle instead. Sure enough, two glasses arrived. We took a sip and the waiter admitted that he had made a mistake and the glasses were for Pat and Sue who were sitting next to us. So what we did was, fill their glasses from our bottle and we were all even again…I think.

There was a gorgeous sunrise and after breakfast, we took a final look at the view from our balcony.

While waiting for our bus we noticed three horses standing untethered but not moving an inch. If only I could train Rosalie like that.

The school bus was almost ready but before we left they had to put all the luggage in first on the back seat as there was no cargo compartment. Pancho was a bit panicked as he got the wrong baggage count but eventually got it sorted and we were on our way.

It was just over an hour’s drive to Creel but first, we had to visit the Valley of the Frogs and Mushrooms. On the way, we were held up and robbed yet again. Even the photo op cost me my last 5 pesos.

The church in the valley was built in 1738. There are no seats and everyone has to stand, men on the left, women on the right. One thing we noticed was that we saw lots of women and kids but few men. We think they were all away working in the mines.

After finally arriving in Creel, we found a restaurant recommended by Pancho and a few of us ordered our meal. While we waited an eight-year-old girl came and stood beside me. She was fascinated with the pictures I was looking at on my phone. I took a picture of her and she loved it.

Martina is very outgoing and before long we had a guest for lunch at our table. Her name was Mariela selling trinkets. Martina had tried to bargain with her earlier but to no avail. The young lady pulled up a chair ordered her lunch and drink and sat and enjoyed the conversation. When her lunch of eggs and beans arrived she tried but didn’t know how to handle the knife and fork so Martina helped her. She knew how to work just the fork and was soon shovelling it in. After we had finished and were preparing to leave Mariela was still trying to sell us stuff.

When we took the Europe trip I thought it would be fun to say “When I was in Monte Carlo.” But saying that we had lunch with a Tarahumara (Rarámuri) cutie is way more impressive; a very unique experience.

The bus was due at 2:00 pm so a few of us visited the Tarahumara museum before meeting up with it.

The drive to Chihuahua took four hours but we had a luxury coach and wasn’t too bad; I even slept for a bit. After checking in and getting changed, Rosalie and I went out to find yet another ATM as funds were getting low again. I think it was all the ‘robberies’ we had to put up with.

On the way to the ATM, we found that the road was blocked. We had to have our temperature taken and hands sanitized before we were allowed to walk down the street to the bank. Over the last few days, this has become a common theme. We even had to do it going into the museum.

After dinner with Martina, I ordered a bottle of wine for the room and settled down to write up the blog.

I’m usually awake at 5:00 or 6:00 o’clock but Rosalie had to wake me at 7:00 for breakfast this morning. Luckily we have a late tour start of 9: 30. After breakfast, I sat on the balcony for a few minutes. The air was fresh and the only sound for a while was from the wind. It was very relaxing. We are noticing that the altitude is getting to us a little bit, breathing’s a bit hard. We are at 2260 meters or 7414 feet elevation.

A school bus took us to the Parque de Aventura. We chose not to go on either the zip lines or the cable car. Instead wandered around taking in the views, taking pictures, videos and buying stuff. The thing that put me off the zip line was that there was a one-hour hike up the mountain at the end of it.

They told us that this was the longest unsupported cable car in the world. One of The longest zip line takes 4 minutes to complete. I finally got a little data from the internet to variety this.

The afternoon was free time so I finally got some data and went to the lobby to try to get some blogs out. The receptionist told me that the best place was near the bar so I grabbed a glass of wine and a table and started to work. 

There were some Americans at the bar. One of them, Jim kept insisting on buying me a drink as I got a nice video of him going down the zip line. I had to put him off until I had finished work. Eventually, Rosalie turned up when I had finished it. I AirDropped the Videos to both Jim and Liz and Jim finally bought Rosalie and me a glass of wine each. 

We sat chatting for a while and then went to Dinner. We didn’t party this night but went to bed early as tomorrow is another travel day.