~ Mexico ~
2018 Journal Entries
| 02/10/18 Well, another trip! For those of you following, this is #7 with Harry, not counting the first Spain adventure where I ran into the old man. Harry and I drove through Mexico all the way to Costa Rica, spent time in, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Italy, Pine Island, Florida, and now once again the Baja. Have things changed, yes and not so much. Harry (the H Man) still corrects my Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and of course English. You would think he was a past educator. Throughout these 15 or so years his memory has many lapses… of course mine does a little too. Does he exaggerate? If you know Harry, you might not need the answer. We seem to walk a little less, nap a little more and eat about the same. Electronics probably the biggest change in our travel. In Spain we would visit Internet cafes with hundreds of computers, Guatemala stopping at a home advertising internet where mother told her kids to get off the computer for the customers… kids would revert back to their sleeping hammocks in the next room.… and the many small towns that had a small cafe. Each morning we would religiously update and read news of home. Telephone calls were made in rows of booths back to the USA, charging by the minute. Now? We use iPads, smart phones, texting and taking pictures at the same time. No more trying to find the right film or putting digital pictures onto a flash drive. Oops, back to the present. I am on a twelve day journey, no vacation, I don’t get one. Flight to Cabo was smooth but time consuming. I left my Florida home at 4:30 a.m., arriving in Cabo at 1:30 (which is 3:30 p.m. EST). Harry failed to tell me that in the six years they now have a new airport, and that the tiny shuttle leaves from the old airport almost a quarter mile away. Things all worked out and soon I was on my way to La Paz, a three hour rough ride up the desert and through the mountains. Ever faithful Harry was at the station, camera in hand, to greet me. A short cab ride to the quaint Mexican Casa (see, my Spanish is already on mark), unpacked quickly, drank a scotch and off to a wonderful meal… see picture of shrimp that Harry posted. We saw a small dance place and stopped for a few late night salsas… oh maybe not, we were home and asleep at 8 pm. Roberto, asto la something or other.  02/12/18 Settling in… yes almost a routine now. Food and naps are the highlight of each day! It is carnival time here in Mexico, walking the Malecon are many families enjoying the celebration. The street is filled with many vendors selling all types of food and of course trinkets and more. Music? Yes mucho (falling into Spanish), they have 4 huge stages set up with rotating performers throughout the water front. Walking last night, Mr soft shoes, Harry, asked a lady to dance, she had been dancing with a 9 month old in her arms, they cut up the rug! The lady seemed very happy to dance with Harry and hold him up! I was wearing shoes her age. Sitting outside this afternoon at the casa, lots of cactus, fruit trees and miscellaneous paraphernalia… very weird things, but all desert related. Super nice breeze. The hummingbirds are very active. We had a large (what else) breakfast a couple miles away… after a nap we had a slow lunch watching people restock their sail boats. About the food: We have many places to walk to, but Mr H, he prefers to taxi or Uber to the other side of town. As I recall when we were in La Paz six years ago, we taxied to this area!!! I will say this for the old man, (he being older than me) the food has been sensational, even a bargain! You may read his site for a complete breakdown… lots more adjectives are used by my friend. I do see on his desk a thesaurus about 5 inches thick. Parade was very Mexican... and was it crowded! About one mile of wall to wall people. The floats were very loud in color and in sight... we had found a spot at a high top table to drink a beer or two awaiting the behind schedule float. Ooops Harry only drinks things that look like kids drinks or milk shakes… he seems a little upset when the paragua (umbrella) is not included. We did not stay long as Harry was ready to go… as I was also. An easy taxi ride home after having a burrito the size of a softball glove from a street vendor who was here 6 years ago. Very expensive, $5 for two! Topped off with a small Snicker bar as my bedtime snack. I try to go to bed on EST... Alto (I thought it meant to STOP) not here it means slower and gun the hell out of it prior to someone hitting you. 02/14/18 Sitting here this morning drinking my coffee which I made thanks to a new coffee pot and coffee that Senor Harry arranged prior to my arrival. Harry has finished his daily routine of getting ready… apologies to all those ladies that we so often blame for taking so long. We have many pharmacies near by our casa, but, the most complete one has to be the cantilevered plastic container that Harry carries with him. I am thinking that for Christmas I may purchase a wheeled cart for his medicine and pills. I just finished a good book last evening and have already started a new one. Reminds me of how we formerly found a new book. Most book stores have a section for English books or we would find a used book store and pick up a couple of books. Always having to pack these along with our clothing. NOW? Of course we have a kindle or iPad with loads of books. It was a busy day yesterday, we did 18 holes of golf in 42 minutes! Well actually we took the ferry to the little Island and rode the golf cart around every hole… very interesting course, the greens were just gorgeous... as of course was the fairway. I would not have wanted to play as the desert 🌵 and all the scrub probably had many creatures lurking. Harry made sure I was able to get my fish stew for lunch at McFishers (yes, sounds Irish to me also)… was wonderful… Travelmaster walked me right to bus terminal and confidently got on the bus... only problem was it took us entirely wrong. (He has yet to admit this!)… took a cab to our casa which even included pastries... Am sure Harry will tell you more. Last night was a treat for me... as I kept asking to go to La Tortuga… well it was the same, same gal was wearing the same sweater to cook in. (Never washed?)… food was okay... I will not quit whining about this place… hand it to Harry, he did not say I told you so... Okay, a new day of adventure awaits. 02/16/18 6:24, 6:44 and 7:01... that is the time of the church bells ringing at the cathedral close to home. The ringing only stops the noise of the loud music, cars, hammers, buckets, and many more things throughout the early hours. I mean to tell you even the roosters don’t penetrate the noise level of the music at ALL hours of the night. Mr H rented a car… Avis was negotiable here in La Paz. The price started out at $65 per day and was down to $40 with all insurance by the time we rolled out of the office. The little Chevy was quite comfortable. Of course when you compare it the plastic seats of the old Volvo we drove to Costa Rica, and the car we rented here 6 years ago with tires so bad we had to purchase 3 new ones. It was a very scenic day once Harry got on the correct road. Lunch was in tourist place, but very tasty. I particularly liked the return trip back, once Mario Andretti slowed down a little. The cactus were very huge… saw a few goat, cattle and miscellaneous birds. Of course we had to stop at a golf course which was carved out of the mountain with a million dollar view as well as millions dollar plus homes. Patience of Job! Described Harry with our young female Uber driver last evening. Gave her electronic instructions to go to a Greek place. I have no idea why she did not use the Google map or telephone to locate the place. Harry gave her his phone, she stared at hers and found my google map interesting. We drove for 40 minutes circling the area 4 times... we finally just got out and ate Italian. Harry was nice to her... two weeks on the job. I hope she keeps her day job. Oh, Greek place has been closed for two years. Always read date of review before starting out! Goal today is for 10,000 steps... we will see. I hope to have octopus for dinner. It is a little walk for us so should add to the total. Of course we need to venture out for lunch soon... having had our breakfast earlier, visited an auto parts store, plastics store and finally the hardware store… now have supplies to fix the lock and re-caulk the sink. My Spanish is magnifico… glad you asked! Oh… meant to thank the webmaster (mistress?) Abby, for using my high school prom picture for the home page of Schim’s view!! 02/19/18 We get honks and hollers! Yes, while this is a city of almost 250,000 people they still recognize the visitors. Examples: While walking to the parade (actually wishing for a bus to stop) Patti from our breakfast place stopped and asked us if we’d like a ride... This elderly lady (Harry’s age) negotiated the traffic and we arrived downtown in a matter of minutes. Next: Walking one evening a small car stopped and honked, it was the lady from Avis Rent a Car, she was with her family and wanted us to meet them. Another time walking past the laundry the lady comes outside and said the laundry was ready 2 days early… a taxi driver from a prior ride stopped to see if we needed a lift. Friendly? I think so! This is not Italy!! In Italy as in most foreign countries you take your life into your hands crossing the street. Here? Nope we have crossed the street hundreds of times, 2 lane, 4 lane and they always come to a stop for us to cross… not even in a crosswalk. Don’t try this in Italy! Our breakfasts... always a favorite. Today at the more regular stop, huge omelet, filled with cheese, mushrooms, chorizo… with a side of sausage, beans and a salad with avocado was almost $3.50... oh yes, included coffee. I am not sure why, but our egg dishes always include a small salad. Harry said no chives yesterday as he is trying to slim down! It appears to be working. Do we do more than eat? Not much, we do nap however and read books! Uber… surprising how popular this ride is. The car is usually 30 percent less expensive and always a much cleaner, nicer vehicle. The Uber drivers are very friendly… even put up with our jokes. I tried LYFT today… not able to use in Mexico. Today is my last day here in La Paz… will pick up a car that Harry wants for the week. Harry will take me to the airport tomorrow - a 3 hour or less ride. There he will pick up a friend that is here for one week… prior to Harry’s wife arriving for 2 weeks. He is a busy man! It has been a fun trip as always… and as always, am glad to be going home. I have a couple of more trips to go on very soon. Big Red delivers… yes, the car rental saga of our Mexican adventures. If you recall 6 years ago we rented a car that was less than perfect. On the trip to Cabo we needed to stop to purchase 3 new tires as I recall… this time Harry talked to a friend who stated, rent from me at a good price. We picked up the car finding out at that time: 150,000 miles, 18 years old, key fob does not work, center console is loose, the brake sounds like it is failing, ignition is tricky to use... Oh but it did have an 8 track sound system (or was that a 45 rpm player?). Okay, so it did a fine job of getting me to the airport on time. Who needs new, when an adventure awaits? Mr H did a grand job of getting me to the airport. I swear (actually yes I did) that we were on the wrong road to Cabo… but it turned out okay and soon (well not too soon) we were on the 4 lane Interstate like road. Beautiful ride through the desert and a beautiful mountain view… with a view eventually of the Pacific Ocean. The ride saved me a few hundred dollars on an excursion as we saw jumping whales along the route, and goats next to the road, along with cows… no fencing. We had a scenic ride through Cabo and all the resorts, golf clubs and through the city center. Yes, of course I was nervous that Big Red would break down and delay my departure from Mexico. Things worked out and I arrived home safely at 11:00 PM… much past my bedtime. The Houston connection was a nail-biter as I had 3 minutes to spare after going through customs and security. Interesting how you can use a scanner to read your passport and answer the questions. My Venezuelan driver for Uber was impressed with my Spanish (unlike Harry). Great trip? Yes of course… Harry, despite the banter between us, is a comfortable fit. Well, we are not fit, but deserve each others insults. The food?… almost missed a meal one time, but we hurriedly ate so we could have dinner in two hours. Till we meet again!! Viet Nam? China, Japan... Italy??? Schim |
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