A simple Monday in P.E.

Each couple, in their own apartment makes a plan for their activity of the day.
Dave P is often up very early and off for a 5 k walk, he does this daily in Nanaimo too. He has seen more of P.E. than I ever expect to.
Ken and Deb, Marg and I, walk the long uphill roadway to our destination of the Blue Gym. The gals will do an hour of fitness and Ken will spend his hour on torture machines!
Jim has picked up his new little fishing rod and is off to the rocky outcropping below our place where he will try his luck fishing.
Dave L, also known as Lou, will spend an hour or two at his computer as he works on his investing program.
The workout is thorough, leaving no muscle unused but well stretched by the finish. She has great music to move to. We probably have a dozen ladies in the class...once in a while a guy or two will try it.
After our fitness we walk across the street and have a cold coffee with friends. Rick and Sandy are full of information as they have been here a lot of winters. We sit at a little plastic table on the sidewalk and only when we decide to leave do we go in and pay our bill.
Marg and I are of to the Super Che to restock our fridge. It means that we can get a taxi for the ride home as the sun is now high in the sky and we cannot carry all the groceries. The fruits and vegies are fresh and very tasty, and the prices are much better than home.p
By the time we get home it is a debate whether to put groceries away first or jump into the bathing suit and get into the refreshing pool.
Common sense always wins!
Trud arrives home today! So exciting to have our little ball of fun and excitement back. She had a fabulous time in Cancun with all her family at a nephew's wedding.
To celebrate her 'homecoming', we all walk to Hotel Barlovento again, and have a very nice dinner and lots of fun visiting.
One more swim in the pool before bedtime nicely completes our day.
Jim did have a nibble but brought home no fish.

Playa Manzanillo day

On Thursday we walked four block and down a long flight of stairs for our first beach day with Marg and Dave (trying to call him Lou so we don't get him mixed with other Dave Parsons).
Arriving at the bottom of the stairs we are quietly met by managers? Of the first 4 little cafes. They all have tables and chairs and at the front side there are chaises under umbrellas. We selected #4 this week. our waiter, Henry, quickly made us comfortable and we ordered a first drink. The drink ensures we don't have to pay rental for the chaise.
There is a 20 metre walk to e beach, across fine white sand. We are soon lured into the waters. Utterly gorgeous, perfect temperature and very clean. There is just enough swell in the bay to have some fun too.
We take turns with someone staying with all the gear...to precious to lose anymore.
By lunch time we order some good seafood. Shrimp cocktail, baked whole fish, guacamole, etc.
Dave Parsons joined us for the afternoon. He loves the water - and the sun. The rest of us enjoy the water but hover in the shade.
It was fun to see it again through a newcomer's eyes. Marg and Lou both commented of how this was so like paradise!
the playa is very active. There are boats available to go watch dolphins etc but we wee happy to just stay on land.
On one outcropping of rocks a local brought in a great load of oysters and proceeded to shuck them there, I think he then sold most of them to the nearby cafes.
We did snorkel and saw a nice assortment of colourful fish. Our waiter spotted Jim's binoculars so would often ask to look through them. He was impressed with what he could see on the horizon. We teased him about watching for chicas (young gals)....he did not deny it!
So many Mexican families use the beach too and it is so nice to watch their gentle interaction with each other and the kids.
We finally pulled ourselves together around 4 p.m. It was a big climb back up the cemented stairway but then a nice walk back to our casa. By that time of the day there is often a gentle breeze so there is some relief from the relentless sun.

Week 4....I'll check the calendar, it's the only way to be sure!

Monday was a busy day of going and comings. Trud was off to Cancun for a family wedding. Marg and Dave arrived from Nanaimo. They had had a 24 hour trip, many hours in airports of course. We walked with them to Hotel Barlevento for their first meal here. It has a nice cafe with good food and service. Bed was a welcomed sight for them that night.
As with us, the first order of the day is to get some groceries in the kitchen. It is a big and interesting walk up and down and up the rough roadway to Super Che, the large grocery and house supply store.
Wed. Morning Marg and I decided to join Deb and Ken and go to the fitness center. The 'blue gym' is the same walk uptown and then down a few blocks. I was greeted by Sandy Clark, a friend from last time we were here.
The gym is upstairs, by the time I'd walked the hills and streets, then the stairs I really didn't think I needed anymore workout!!
The lady who leads the fitness class is local and does all the instructions in Spanish, even tho she knows some english. It is good practise for us. Our instructor, Chara is small, flexible, seems like she has done ballet, and is very thorough about making every muscle stretch. I am so out of shape I could not do a sit-up at all! Maybe in a month I will be able too.
After class we walk across the street to Benjamin's Bakery and order a coffee...so far no treats!
We generally drop by Super Che on our way home as our men like almond milk and it is sometimes available there.
Thursday was beach day and we luxuriated in the experience...more about that later.
Friday morning we were off to fitness again, a nice variety of exercises and equipment. Great background music too.
A good week although we do miss Trudy. She is such a positive and loveable lady!

Week 3

The weeks are slipping away on us as we slow our pace and adjust to the heat.
It was fun to have dinner with people we had never met before. We have had a couple of quick visits with some since then.
On Monday morning we gathered our pesos and walked a couple of block to Nancy's place. She the the 'rental agent'. Parsons and us made a downpayment on next year's rental here as we are definitely enjoying all our 'home' has to offer.
Nancy has a gorgeous place. Her whole house is white inside, including smooth cement floors painted white. There are some large pieces of furniture here and there, all in nice dark wood. Some grand paintings are hung on the wall, spectacular wrought iron chandelier hang from a high ceiling. The roof is actually palm thatch and there is a good space between that and the walls so air can always flow freely through the house.
Nancy herself is a 'grand dame'. Her real home is in Florida and I'm sure she led a charmed life of parties and glamorous people, at least that's how it seems. Now she is a fading rose but is still trying to live her elegant life and carry on.
Later that afternoon all 6 of us walked the Adoquin. It was very muggy so we soon returned to our casa and quickly got in our pool. We have been so thrilled with the pool, it is only a couple degrees below our body temperature, just enough to be refreshing but welcoming.

Our friends from Calgary, Rick and Sandy, came here to have lunch with us. We just had salad and some fabulous snapper that we'd bought at the market. I dipped the fish in egg and then Panko crumbs and we were all wowed with the yummy results. We got lots of information from them about their cruise in the Medd so we have a better idea of what to do there.

On Wed. the property manager came by because we had called re a cockroach problem in unit 3. By Friday he had a guy come by who thoroughly sprayed every nook and cranny, etc., and we think that will be the end of that problem. Yay.
Wed. evening was our lovely trip with church people to do outreach at their local hospital. It was truly enjoyable.
On our way home that evening, we decided we should stop for some supper. We noticed a busy La Parrilla cafe so stopped in their and had a great meal. Jim and I paid a total of $10. for our meal and drink. It was very tasty too.

Thurs. was a day of lots of walking around town. We went to the travel agent early in the a.m. because we wanted to get airline tickets for a flight to Oaxaca in Feb. The travel agent had told us previously that there might be a discount on this week - and there was. $30. off each way.
We walked across the street to a super little coffee shop, ordered coffees and paid almost $10 for them. Somehow that doesn't compare with paying only that for a whole meal the night before!
We found a bbq uptown and with the input of $6. each we brought it home. Also found a place that had frozen beef so picked up some steaks for bbq. They were soooo good.

Friday, Jim, Ken, Deb and Trud went fishing. They were on the panga by 7 a.m. It was the same fisher that Jim used last time and they liked him. Ken caught a sailfish, Jim caught a sailfish but it was smaller and they didn't want to keep two so he let it go. We were hoping for a dorado but no luck this time.
They did see dolphins and lots of large turtles. The boat owner even picked a large turtle out of the water and set it in the boat for a couple of minutes. Great morning on the water.

We have been eating the fillets of sailfish, it's quite good.

On Saturday morning Parsons and us walked to Carizalillo Beach. It seems far when the sun is hot. There is a steep and long rock/cement stairway down to the beach. Really quite amazing. The beauty of the water and beach is so inviting. We excitedly made our way to the far end and found chaises to use ($5. each but for the whole day). It was a wonderful time and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole afternoon there.

I will attach photos to this in a couple of days.

A Special Evening

At 5 pm on Wednesday evenings the church that we attend has a lovely event. People gather upstairs, make buns and coffee, then take it to the hospital and give to anyone who wants it.

So, Trud, Dave, Deb, Jim and I went along to help. Jim had been at the church all afternoon working on the wiring (it needs a lot of work!) We were met by Marguerita who welcomed us graciously and was happy for our assistance. Her daughter, Valle, showed up with her daughter and the supplies. We quickly halved the very lovely buns, spread them with mayo, ham and a hot pickle. each sandwich (torte) was wrapped in a napkin and placed in a large plastic container.
Marguerita was in the adjacent kitchen boiling up 2 huge pots - make that cauldrons - of coffee.
When the coffee had boiled she strained it off into a clean garbage container. All these items were then carried out to John's pickup.
Four of us gringos got in the truck, Dave and a group of 8 young adults and two of their kids hopped into the back of same pickup and off we went to the hospital.
The hospital is only a year old and it is a fine looking modern building.
John gathered us for prayer and then we were dispersed with a church member or two and went to invite them to come to the truck for coffee and something to eat. They only talked with those who are hanging around the emergency department but there may have been 20 or so waiting there.
After that I accompanied Two lovely young women, Veronica and Diana, and they went back to the emergency area and stopped to talk with an older lady and her daughter. They could so simply ask them why they were waiting, all of them seemed so open with each other and they shared their concerns. Veronica then asked if she could pray for them and the situation and then lovingly talked with 'Senor' and asked for care and help. It was a gentle and sweet feeling I stood in amazement at their love and courage.
Many people who use this hospital sit for hours with no means of getting food or even having money to buy it if they could. Some familys wait for days if a mother is having a difficult birth, etc.

Two additions lovely events happened too. While we were visiting near the emerg we noticed another man and his wife who were walking around with a platter of cake. It turns out that they go to a different church, also own a bakery, and just come to share from their hearts too.

While we were loading back up to leave, an official and his guard came to the truck and knocked on John's window. A long conversation occurred. Later John explained that he was talking to the hospital director who had seen John and his people do this kindness for many months and he just wanted to thank him personally and let him know that it had not gone unappreciated! Gracias, all round and then we drove back to the church.
I will download some photos next week when Lewis' bring my right cord! Yay.
This night will remain a special and gentle memory in our stay here.

Week 1

First order of the day, after a good sleep, is to go the the Super Che and buy groceries. If you get there too late in the morning they will probably be out of items. No regular bananas for us there! The produce prices are very cheap so we keep lots of fresh fruits and veggies on hand.
We took a taxi back to our place, they charge approx 2 dollars for any destination in The city.

Once back in our great casa we are loathe to leave again so we suntan, slip into the pool, have a drink, relax in the chaises and generally just recover from our huge flight. It feels luxurious.

Next day we decide we have to see a beach! The closest one is Manzanillo, just a few blocks from us. We stop at the first set of chaises with umbrellas, settle in. Quickly Dave and Trudy are down to the water edge and enjoying a dip in salt water. Refreshed, they go for a little explore, then back into the sea and then return to where two lazy Beats are just relaxing.
We decided to have lunch right where we were and enjoyed a great meal (again, far too much food).

I started to feel a little unwell and Jim didn't feel great either so we left Dave and Trud and walked back to our casa. By the time I got back I went straight to bed, my fever was rising and my bones started to ache. It lasted almost 24 hours and then I was well again. Very odd!

By the following evening I was able to join the others for a walk down the Adoquin (basically a roadway with shops for tourists). The evening temperature is perfect so we have no need for any kind of extra clothing.

We found a cafe...truth is, they found us, and enjoyed a donair! It was delicious although not very Mexican. The wrap was even pita bread, not a tortilla.

It is a pleasure to often get up early in the a.m. To watch the sunrise. We sneak down to the lowest patio and there is the sun, morning after morning. We are finding out it comes up whether we are there or not!

That Saturday we walked the long way to the mercado. So many local people selling a great variety of foods and supplies. We took time to locate the church for Sunday, it is a block further on. So we found a few items then walked the return trip. So very thankful to have the pool in our yard! It feels like the best of luxuries.

Puerto Escondido 2013

Finally, I have found my blog, and some quiet time, and will try to catch up with the things I want to share. We got up Sunday at 7 a.m. Tash drove us and our friends, Dave and Trudy Parsons, to the ferry. Jim and I had some breakfast aboard. We were fortunate at Tsawassen to catch a city bus which took us into Richmond. A very short ride on the ALR and we were at the airport by noon. Our flight didn't leave until after 6 p.m. So we had plenty of time to relax. Alaska Air got us to Las Angeles shortly after midnight, we waited more hours, changed planes, and then were on our way to Mexico City. I think we arrived about 7 a.m. We had to change airlines there, waited until 3 in the afternoon and one hour later we were in P.E. it was a long tedious wait in both airports.I do not sleep in public so by now I'm getting pretty ragged. We did have a fun time at breakfast in the Mex city airport. It took a while to find a good restaurant but as soon as we were seated they rushed us with corn bread (which has a caramel sauce poured over it, and a little pot of highly rummed eggnog sauce alongside). We decided to take 2 but somehow were served 3. Then they brought a nice orange juice drink so we took a couple. The guys ordered a 'real breakfast' and Trud and I opted for something lighter. We had a good chuckle about the great service, pots of coffee and general mayhem. It was all good. We were met at P.E. by a church pastor and his wife. They are actually related to us through my second cousin (marvin mills). It was great to throw our luggage in the back and let them escort us to our new home. We were so happy that our internet agreement of a place to rent turned out to be a wonderful find. It has 4 levels, 3 private living quarters, a swimming pool, laundry facility, lots of patios, purified water throughout, and is just fine in all aspects. We looked at each other, paid the rentalsman and organized our living quarters. Of course we had no food so we went to the hotel right below us - jim and I know it well, and had a very nice supper. So relaxed, warm, and happy with our place. We walked back home, entered through a walled garage and locked gate and soon prepared for bed. We had been awake for 38 hours or more. It was a great sleep that night!