Otro Vez...Otro Vez!!!

Yes, construction projects in Mexico go differently than in the U.S. so you just have to change your expectations and in the end...you will be perfectly happy.
We went on a little walkabout to Playa del Carmen and points beyond for our 30th Anniversary. It was nice!
We tried not to get our expectations up too much about the work on the house but we had been gone since last Thursday...we expected to look up and see some results. Well, we did look up and see some results. Just not what we expected.  When we left the house Herberto was busy working and all was clipping along. We came back home yesterday morning early. When we arrived at the house there was somebody working on the roof but not Herberto. We really aren't sure what all may have happened when we were gone, but we know a couple of things for sure. Beto had replaced Herberto and Beto wasn't continuing the job Herberto started...Beto was tearing away the work that had been done. There were balaustradas erected across the front of the house, but some were missing and you could see where the chiseling and chipping to remove them had taken place. When Beto saw us in front of the house looking up he immediately kept repeating "Otro vez! Otro vez!" We knew that meant another time, but we didn't immediately make the connection. Then it dawned on us...he was working to put the balaustradas in place another time. We really didn't ask any questions and it really doesn't matter, but obviously the balaustradas didn't meet Paulino's standards and somebody else is now working on the job. Beto has tools. He has a saw and yesterday I saw him using a tape measurer and making his pencil marks where he can evenly space out the balaustradas and make them look right. He did explain they had originally been placed too close together. Eventually it will all get done...and we know that.
By the end of the day he had chiseled out all the balaustradas along with the center cement pillar, made his new forms and poured concreto. Perhaps mañana we will have the permanent balaustradas in place, but we have no expectations.


So today, we are deciding where and when we will go for our next adventure. We are thinking down to Belize to re-visit a few places and scope out some new haunts.

If you read the previous post you know about the electricity outage. We found out later it covered parts of the whole Yucatan Peninsula - parts of Campeche state, Yucatan state and Quintana Roo and was a rolling blackout due to the extreme heat. All is good now!  https://www.riviera-maya-news.com/mega-power-blackout-for-entire-yucatan-peninsula/2017.html

Happy Sweltering 30th Anniversary, Sweetheart

Tuesday, May 23rd was our 30th Anniversary. Let me tell you, that's a long time to be married to one person. It deserves some special attention. We had decided Monday evening that we would get up and go to Progreso and spend the day on the beach then spend the night at this cute and quaint little posada we had found one block back from the malecon. We were going to have drinks on the beach, go out for dinner and make our day special. By Tuesday morning the plan had changed. We decided to just hang in town on our anniversary, but go buy bus tickets to Playa del Carmen and spend some time on the beach and celebrate there instead. But we would leave out on Wednesday.

Herberto, the Albañile, showed up early in the morning to begin some work on the house. The balaustradas for the front exterior got delivered and were the perfect size. Work was beginning and we were taking a trip. Life was good! We walked over to the ADO bus station to buy our tickets and got back to the house about 10 in the morning. I was in the kitchen and it just seemed to get hotter and hotter. That's when I realized the ceiling fans weren't turning. None of them. The electricity was off. That's the thing about Mexico. There is something about the hotter the temperatures the more likely there will be an outage. Temperatures had steadily been climbing since we had arrived at the casa and temps were in the 105-110 range. You know, May weather in Merida. Before the summer rainy season begins and starts cooling things off.

So we spent our anniversary sweltering in the heat. At some point Terry reached over and hugged me and I think my exact words to him were "Don't touch me!". 

It was so sweltering hot we couldn't even comfortably lie down. The mattress was too hot. Terry couldn't use his computer because it would automatically cut off because it got too hot. I tried painting to sweat kept dripping on my painting so I stopped. We spent the day lying in the hammocks rocking back and forth trying to make our own breeze. At some point, a guy came by and knocked on the front gate. He was selling hand-made flowers out of corn husks. Little did he know it was our anniversary and he would make a sale when Terry went to the gate to talk with him. But that just seems to work out that way down here.

We laughed and made jokes about the heat. City workers from next door were outside trying to get cool and they pretty much had a free day to just hang out. They were ok with it all. What else could we do? We wouldn't dare open the refrigerator or freezer door because we wanted to at least have our ice last for a good, cool cocktail around 6 or 7, just in case electricity didn't come back on. I was really worried about how in the heck we were going to sleep in the sweltering heat. And it seemed a good part of the city was experiencing the outage so to try and find a place with fans or a/c wasn't going to happen.

The one thing that kept us going was hearing Herberto up on the roof building the forms, mixing the concrete, carrying it up the stairs, and pouring it in the forms. He worked tirelessly all day long. He stopped long enough for a 30 minute lunch break then was at it again. No afternoon siesta even on this sweltering day. Every time I heard the sounds of him working up in the sun on the rooftop, I would just think about how much hotter it was up there compared to inside the house.

We did manage to have enough ice for cocktails around 6 and when we came back in the kitchen to mix up round 2, we realized the fans were turning. We had made it! We made it to 30 years and we made it through the sweltering day. And, we would be going to Playa del Carmen mañana   . Seriously, do I have anything to gripe about?! Much of Merida didn't even know the electricity was off. It didn't make any difference to Herberto for one. Seriously, Happy Sweltering 30th Anniversary, Sweetheart!

Feeling Spiritual in Mérida

Written Monday, May 15th


Pictures for this post here - https://goo.gl/photos/CB3Dh9NJemsmw3NLA
It takes a few days for the full effect of being here to settle in. But after a day or two you start smelling things, hearing things, and seeing things in a different way. You experience them. You put parts of your life on hold while you let other parts take over. The artistic and spiritual side prevails. You start to feel gratitude at the smallest gestures or sightings. Kim makes jokes about how many time I say "Gracias" and says I overuse it and use it inappropriately. And she's right on all counts. But I truly am thankful for being able to partake in this life.
I appreciate my neighbors and strangers allowing me to share it. The standard response when you talk about Mérida down here is that it is muy tranquila. And that it is.
I asked Terry what he is reading these days and his answer was that I would probably think he was crazy but he is reading about Ghandi. I wasn't even surprised. That pretty much sums it up.
We visited Julio at the antique store and bought some antique iron work. Terry got to use his new drill to put it up on the patio wall. It's strictly for decoration now. Maybe someday we will plant some climbing plant to climb up that wall and artwork. Terry measured before drilling and even said something about not having a level but not to worry as he could eyeball it. What neither of us planned on was that the squares of iron work were not square. So they are on the wall a tab bit crooked but such as it is. That's the way it is.
It took us a couple of days to figure out when it was open but we finally nailed it and went to the little cockteleria around the corner from us to get a few beers and some ceviche. The ceviche was excellent and it was a happening little place. We will be going back often. It has an open air patio area with plastic table and chairs set up. It is family run. Dad and son were waiting tables and we had seen Mama earlier so we assumed she was in the kitchen. Most of the table were taken when we arrived and by the time we left the place was full, more tables had been brought out, and there were people waiting to be seated. It was nice. We finished off the evening afternoon by having cocktails on the roof, watching it rain, and having more cocktails. 
We met up with Carlos. He is getting the house next door ready for owners to show up this evening. Yesterday he arrived with the most colorful michelada spices and ice in a large cup for me. I wish I had taken a picture. It worked out perfectly as we had just made a beer run to Gaspar's and Terry had bought one Patito for me at Lupita's suggestion. It's a new craft beer brewed right here in Mérida.  We sat by the pool while Carlos was half busy/half-relaxing and his two sons swam.
Yesterday was bici-ruta day and we walked to the end but made a huge loop going north of centro and walking through the Garcia Gineres neighborhood. The area was started in the early 1900's and was named after its innovative developer. Most of the houses were built in the 1930's - 1950's. Some are quite elaborate and originally were far out of town. Today it is mostly an upper middle-class neighborhood with lots of yards, trees and interesting and varying architecture.
Late yesterday afternoon we sat on the upper terrazzo and were faced to look across at the jardine and street. Our very aged neighbor man was shuffling home from the park and we observed him stopping to make the sign of the cross as the church bells rang. I said a little prayer for him as he shuffled by. And, I silently thanked him for sharing his world with us using the word gracias at least three times.

Yellow Bus Mayhem

Balustradas
Yesterday we got up, ate some breakfast then headed out to run some errands. There is a concreto place a couple of blocks away that we walk by often. We had been eying these spindle-type things we have seen inside the building for a couple of years now, and thinking they would look good across the front of the house. We have stopped in the small store twice now and the female behind the counter has been so pleasant both times. Well, they are balastradas and we have now measured them, touched them, and made contact with Paulino to do some work on the casa which would include installing them. You place your order and they will have them done within two days. Paulino was going to stop by right away, I thought, but then I realized the email I meant to send to him to confirm the time never sent so our communications with him got a little mixed up. Then we went to the beach and then he went on a trip. So, the good part was through all this we got to meet his sweet and cute hija Angela. She made a special trip over here to explain in person that Paulino was gone on a trip, but could meet with us on Sunday. But, wait, that's bici-ruta day. He is coming at one. We're looking forward to it.

Bus Mayhem

We then walked over to catch the yellow bus that goes out by the Gran Plaza Mall. Once the bus driver makes the final turn to stop at the mall, we have always been able to get off and walk over to Home Depot. So we hopped on the yellow bus and we should have known when I asked him if he went near Home Depot and didn't get an answer it wasn't the right bus. The second clue was that there was nothing written on the front of the window. Anyway, it was the wrong bus. The bus driver randomly stopped along Calle 60 heading north out of town and told us we needed to get off and catch another bus. We got off but decided we could just walk the rest of the distance. We have no idea where the plain-windowed yellow bus was going.

We walked through a beautiful neighborhood filled with beautiful houses, yards, and blooming trees. I am having to link to photos until I solve my photo adding issue. Here is the link -  https://goo.gl/photos/pDreuQAoyN1qp36W9

And we eventually came out on the street a block away from Home Depot.

At Home Depot, we bought a bathroom rug, a large umbrella for the patio table, and Terry bought an electric drill and extension cord. He wished he could have bought two drills and hauled one north.

When we left Home Depot, we hauled our goods the few short blocks to the mall, went through the mall to the back side to catch a bus back to centro. When we got on the bus I immediately told Terry the bus driver didn't look like the normal bus driver. This guy seemed full of piss and vinegar. Sure enough! Terry named him "Mitch" as in amigo Mitch Bosarge and said he even drove like Mitch. This guy hollered out the window at people he knew, almost side-swiped other busses a couple of times when passing, and had a cop directing traffic blowing his whistle and telling him adelante the same time cars behind him were honking. He didn't have time to drive. He was too busy hollering out the window telling his amigos tienes hambre. Not sure about why he would have been telling them they were hungry, but it was more important than driving the bus evidently.

We did eventually make it back to centro where we then had a discussion trying to decide if we really was a bus driver at all. And whether he was a really good bus driver or a really bad bus driver. Beware of the yellow buses!

New Day

Today is Friday, and we have two things on our list. Go get a beer or two and cocteles at the little place two buildings away from the church. It is so close to us and we've never gone. It's been there a long time so it has to be good. And second, we're going to go visit "Julio Down by the Schoolyard". He has gorgeous antiques in a gorgeous building across from the school. We want to look at some decorative iron work to put up in the patio. It also means Terry can try out his new drill.

The Perils of Paradise

Hanging out in paradise does have its issues. Yes, the cost of living is less and the weather has been perfect. We've been spending our days reading, painting, napping, walking, and Terry is busy playing his guitar at the moment. But, there are issues.

1. For starters, I can't get photos to upload to Blogger. I have tried several different ways but it just isn't happening. I'm not sure if it's because I'm tapped into the free internet offered through all the parks and we just happen to live close enough to get the service or what. It's hit and miss I know. Yesterday I walked over to the park and discovered three dudes over there watching movies on their phones. I don't know a lot about bandwidth but I'm quite sure watching movies takes quite a lot. Or, maybe it's this new computer and the fact that I now have Windows 10.
2. Speaking of Windows, yesterday we walked to Bancomer to get a new token. It's a little device that the bank gives you when you open an account. I would show you a picture but as you remember, I can't upload. You use it to generate a random number to enter when you are trying to access your account online. It worked well for the four years we've had the Mx. account open. But the battery is running low and you can't just add a battery so we were going to just go get a new one. We hiked to the location all the way out on Paseo. We signed in, took a seat and waited our turn. Well, it seems they no longer use the tokens. Now, you simply download an app to your phone and it generates something for you to use - a one-time PIN we assume. Sounds simple enough. But, wait. You have to have an Android phone and no, it doesn't work with Windows. We don't have an Android phone and we use Windows. So we are still trying to figure this issue out. The bank representative was so embarrassed and apologetic I felt bad when I told him it was a problema grande. But, the good news is that nobody with a Windows phone will ever get to our pesos.

On a lighter note - there seems to be an abundance of tamarind. So, we bought some chicken, tamarind paste and ancho chiles and whipped up a keeper recipe. It was another one dish meal...somewhat sweet with some tartness and spicy.

I've seen birds galore - lots of doves, a couple of parrots, a ladder-backed woodpecker, and we have a pair of orioles nesting in the trees.

We made contact with Paulino yesterday. He is coming by today to discuss some things we want to have done to the house. Then, it's off to the playa for us.

Egregious, Efficacy and Other E Words

Leaving your home country heading to the blue, clear Caribbean waters of the Mexican east coast isn't so easy. Let me explain -
We were scheduled to leave out this past Monday, but Southwest allowed us to leave on a Sunday flight headed south for the same price so we changed our flight by one day. That was on Wednesday about 3pm. On Thursday by 4pm, I had Terry loaded up and was taking him to see PA Cerny in El Campo. He was feeling horrible with a sore throat, cough, stuffy nose...the works. He had no voice so I was to be his translator with PA Cerny. I did get to explain to her that Terry couldn't talk. When she found out our first stop was Playa del Carmen, that got her going. She loves PDC. Funny how quickly Terry got his voice back when young, cute PA Cerny came in the exam room and wanted to chat him up about PDC and Mexico!
She prescribed antibiotics and gave him a stern warning about how the efficacy of an antibiotic is affected by alcohol.
So when Sunday came, we gave extra big hugs to Harbor, Isla and later on to Kim who was sweet enough to drive us to the airport.
It was at the bar in the airport that all those 'E' words ended up in an entanglement. Terry recalled a time when a reprimand for "Egregious Behavior" led to a high-five instead of remorse and an apology. This is also where efficacy got entangled with efficiency and his prescription strength was now more efficient because of alcohol. 
We made it to Cancun and on to Playa. We checked into a darling hotel directly on the beach, and continued to increase the efficiency of Terry's antibiotic. We both got great massages from Cuban Dr. Jose who had the most magical fingers ever, ate wonderful food, walked, and mostly just vegged on the beach for several days before boarding the bus and arriving in Merida a couple of evenings ago.
Terry's voice is still not 100%, partly because of the efficacy/efficiency of his antibiotic and partly because of smoking those high-priced, hand-rolled cigars while lounging on the balcony overlooking the beach.   
If you ever get excruciating pain, get an antibiotic, entangle it with alcohol for excitement, head south on a plane, and increase the efficiency of the drug by decreasing the efficacy!  Works every time.