1 19 11 Shopping, eating, and music

We are settling in to this very relaxed way of life.  “The Senor” fixed me breakfast on our balcony and then we set out to the Comercial Mexicana”  which is very, very close to our super markets.  This store has a connection with Costco as you do see some Kirkland brands.  The Senor likes this store, I don’t.  I prefer the more mexican ones.  I’ll be damned if while in Mexico I’m going to eat Oscar Meyer Cheese!  Finished our morning of shopping, and we are now completely stocked with the necessities and just daily trips for fresh items.  Took our afternoon siesta and went out to dinner at La Hija del Capitan. (The captains daughter) It is upstairs overlooking the street scene, just three walls and a railing. These folks run a restaurant here all winter and do a summer restaurant in Wrangel Alaska. Had a great dinner, Shrimp Tempura, but just as we were finishing our Canadian friends and neighbors came in to eat, we finished our drinks while they ate and then we went to the new Rafa’s bar which was the old Rick’s bar.  Redone very nice and listened to Jimmy Mamou play the 50’s and sixties rock and roll and the blues. Drank and danced till it closed at 11.  This is really a tough life. Signing off KO

A trip to the dentist Mex style

“The Senor” knew he needed a crown on a tooth so we made a dental apointment before arriving in Mexico with a highly recommended dentist.  Actually a pair of dentists, they are twin sisters.  The directions we were given were pretty vague, so we assumed it would be obvious.  WRONG!  The cab dropped us off per our directions and we wandered asking at every business for the location of the dentist.  No one knew of them.  We had allowed lots of time which was a good thing as we are wondering around a very Mexican neighborhood where no one speaks english trying to find the dentist.  Finally I stopped at a paint supply store and not only did the clerk speak english, but she called the dentist office to get exact directions, then went out on the street and hailed a cab for us and gave him directions on where to take us and we arrived on time, barely.  The visit cost about $70 us and “the Senor ” has to return next Monday for his crown.  Total cost will be less than $300.  While I waited for him I had the company of 3 different americans either waiting for a spouse or for their appointment.  I had planned on reading my kindle, but the company was very enjoyable.

Our next stop was the Mercado for fruit, and meat. I will post a picture of a butcher slicing up a carcus in the open air market with a young girl somewhere between 12 & 14 apprenticed to what I assume is her father.  Life is very different here. Most bag boys in the markets are 12- 14 and work for tips.  And these are not after school jobs, they are full-time.  After picking up enough groceries for a day or two we had lunch at one of the “fondas” at the Mercado, very mexican, very good, probably as close to “fast food” as you get in Mexico.  I had a Chile Relleno and the “Senor” had Albonigas soup.  No english is spoken here or is the menu translated for you.  My knowledge of spanish while not good steadily improves.  I can translate menus for “the Senor” as he chooses to limit his Spanish to “cervesa por favor”

So back to our apartment to put away groceries when we discover we didn’t buy olive oil or salad dressing.  So I set off again to seek out the missing items, as I return I decide to treat myself to a margarita at a local outdoor establishment, when our Canadian neighbors and friends of theirs arrive and join me.  Three margaritas later I return having given enough time for “the Senor” to have napped.  So we dinned in having steak and salad.

It’s now 11pm, I’m sitting on our balcony drinking a glass of wine with just summer clothes on, listening to music drift up from 2 or 3 establishments thinking life just can’t get much better than this!  Signing off KO

First day in Zihuatanejo

1 16 11  Our adventure begins.  We arrived at the airport and as we have learned to do hit the ATM there for pesos and then walked off the airport property to obtain a cab at a reasonable rate instead of the thirty dollar 10 minute ride into town.  We tried the a little combi bus with some good and some not so good results.  The ride was only the equivalent of $3, but it only went as far as about 4 blocks from our apartment.  Thank goodness for rolling suitcases.  We arrived to find the shop below us closed as it was Sunday, but as we were getting our first beer and margarita of the trip at Zorro’s, (the bar next door) and worry over how to contact the shopkeeper who manages the apartments, Arturo the owner arrived to let us in and solved our worries.  Our apartment was just like we remembered it and we busied ourselves un pacing and settling in and then out to dinner. Our first dinner out was just a block or so away at Porto di Mar right on the malacon, beach level at the principle beach.  This is the exact spot where the fishermen come in with their catch each morning.  Dinner was good I had cream of avocado soup and an appetizer of thin sliced tuna in a tapenade. “The senor” opted for spaghetti saying he would have plenty of time to eat fish.  Dinner and a couple of drinks and we were ready to turn in.

1 17 11 I was up before sunrise and out on my balcony listening to the sounds and watching the town wake up.  First are the roosters who wake the dogs who wake the neighborhood. 

We spent our morning stopping for a good breakfast and then shopped at a couple of markets and the mexican equivalent of a dollar store for the supplies we need.  That was so exhausting we returned to our apartment for a late lunch and a siesta. 

The “Senor” is very happy, his slingbox is working and he can keep up with the news (and his westerns) and god forbid his wrestling just like home TV only on our computer. But I’m truly in control as he still doesn’t know how to work the computer.  Signing off KO

Last Port Orchard post

It’s our last full day in Port Orchard, rained so much that the lake is over the dock.  But no problem, is 84 in sunny Zihuatanejo.  We are completly packed and I’m at loose ends as I have nothing else left to do. And I don’t do “nothing” very well. At least not a home.  Begining Monday morning this is where you will find me.  I took this picture last year from the road to La Ropa on one of my morning explorations before the “Senor” would wake. Every day I take off on a new direction to explore. The view from our apt. is a little different as you will see in the weeks to come.  I intend to share my travels with you thru this blog rather than inudate you with e-mails as I have done in the past. This way if your interested follow along if not I haven’t bored you.  Look for me Monday.  Signing off KO

It’s snowing, no now it’s raining

Started snowing last night, woke up this morning to no power and rain washing the snow away.  As we got sevral inches of snow last night it will be incredible messey while the snow gets washed away.  Just more signs it’s our time to leave Washington for a warmer climate even if only for a month.  This will be my parctice down load, my first attempt at posting a picture.  Here is our lovely lake all frozen over taken yesterday morning.  Signing off KO

5 days and a wakeup to Zihuatanejo

Bear Lake is literally our front yard.  Due to the excessive rain we have had here in Port Orchard, WA it is higher than normal and almost over our dock.  On New Years the whole lake was frozen, but now there is just  a few sheets of ice, which I refer to as “icebergs” floating on the deeper parts of the lake.  It snowed today, not heavy but enough to cover the ground and keeping the temperature at 32 degrees.  This really makes me ready to go “snowbirding”.  The suitcases are mostly packed, my inventory lists are checked off, the only things left to pack are the things we will use Saturday morning before heading to Seattle to the airport.  My son Brian will have the honors of transporting us, the time is loosely arranged as after the SeaHawk game. 

We like to consider ourselves “season travelers” and have learned a few things that work for us.  We go to a hotel near the airport the night before leaving so as we don’t have to sweat traffic, weather or other things that could cause us to miss our flight.  We will arrive at the hotel in our oldest sweat suits and underwear as they are disposable, literally.  We throw them away in the morning and put on our Mexico clothes, we shiver all the way to the airport but are kept warm by reminding ourselves that we will be in 80 plus degree weather before the end of the day. We order chinese delivery in our room that evening and go to bed early to get up early.  We are budget travelers and sometimes that translates cheap, but it works for us.  I always pack my own meals for the flight as I eat a little different than most and I am unable to eat the type of meals the airline serves.  The “Senor” prefers what we pack to the airline choices so no money is spent on poor quality food on the plane.  It greatly upsets the Senor but I frequently pack my own brandy for my coffee.  Good grief we are half way to LA before beverage service starts and  I prefer to fly relaxed. 

I performed my first wedding ceremony of this year tonight and I have one more day to work on our delivery route and will be done with work for over a month. I’ll have the last few days to make sure everything at home is ready for our house sitter.  Morgan, my granddaughter takes care of everything here for us, but there are things we need to do for her so she can take care of stuff.  Also I need to practice on this blog.  Making sure I can up load photos, learning how to add tags

Happy New Year & 15 days to Zihua

Didn’t get my sunset picture as we stopped at an odd little tavern near Pac Beach called the Aloha.  As it turned out 4 of the 8 couples that were in there live within 4 miles of our house and the owner of the bar is a friend of one of our friends.  Small world! I’m going to try for the picture tonight.

The party was good as usual, sat with the saame people we did last year.  Band was good, but I miss spending New Years with good friends.

Walked the beach again this morning it was cold, but not frozen sand like yesterday when I couldn’t dig out a sand dollar.  It was the only whole one I found and I couldn’t pry it loose.  Had breakfast at the Seagate,well more like brunch place was very busy.  Tested out the sling box today and it worked.  Doyle should be very happy in Zihuatanejo with American TV. 15 days to go, but who is counting. Signing off KO

It is the very last day of 2010, and 16 days to Zihuatanejo

It has been a good year, my knee problem is so much better that I can really look forward to 2011.

It’s early morning here at Pacific Beach, not light enough to go out for my walk on the beach and it is very cold here.  Sun is expected for the whole weekendand of course freezing tempatures.  The book I’m reading ( Nobody dies in Mexico) isn’t too great, I can’t get very interested in the characters. But since I’m halfway through with it I think I will continue with it. 

 The sunset last night was fantastic, I got a picture of it but the foreground isn’t too good so I’m going to try to get a better shot tonight and then I will post it.

  Plans for today?  Very basic, walk on the beach, poke around in the one interesting shop in town, try to keep warm, take a nap, read my kindle book, and get ready for the party tonight. Also dream of the warm beach in Zihuatanejo, begining the count down. Signing off KO

Less than 1 month

This is my very first post.  Just kind of trying it out, because in less than one month I will be in Zihuatanejo Mexico.  I’ve downloaded 4 books to my Kindle, trying to hold off reading them until we go. I’m still looking for a couple of more titles to download. I’m starting to make lists of what we need to bring.  I all ready have a small storage box of items that we set aside from last years trip. Our sling box is up and running properly so my husband can keep up with his news shows and won”t have to watch the smurfs speaking spanish. Our preflight reservations at the airport hotel have been made.In short it shouldn’t take much for us to pack our suitcases and go.  One problem remains is trying to  find a new substitute for my delivery route. If I get desparate I can fall back on the old substitute, but I don’t want to.  He knows the route backwards and forwards, but there are allways issues and he won’t check in on a daily basis. Still a lot of home things to take care of, and we also have our annual New Years weekend  trip to Pacific Beach to pack and get readyfor.  More about pac Beach later