Compass Rose sale closed!

Yesterday was a big day for us. The sale of the Bedford house closed. There was a slight hitch as we learned only the day before that our tax account was showing that the interim bill had not been paid. However, Barb had paid it on the due date before we left Halifax. She did it online and inadvertently used the account number from the previous house. When we called HRM, they quickly found the payment and transfered it to the correct account; they acted very expeditiously in order to allow the closing the next day. Our lawyer got confirmation over the phone and could then credit the payment in the final adjustments (over $1000). Anyway, the closing went through on Friday, although the money was deposited too late to be credited to repay all our loans, etc. That has to wait until Monday. However, it is all a great load off our shoulders to have completed the whole series of transactions in buying here and selling there with 3 weeks between. What a whirlwind it has been since we signed the purchase agreement at the end of February!

Last night to celebrate, we went out to Mis Amigos, the restaurant owned by Jack’s friend Mike, a Canadian. It is about a 25 minute walk from our house; the walk there and back is good exercise and burns up some of the calories from dinner. Besides, we don't have to worry about what we drink if we are walking. Mike, to our surprise, remembered us from February and had been looking for us as Jack had told him that we were in Ajijic. The restaurant is really lovely and very central. It has a courtyard shaded under a canopy created by a giant grape vine. The food is excellent. For a dinner with avocado egg rolls as appetizer and an entire bottle of wine, the bill for the two of us was about 380 pesos (less than $38). It does have breakfast/lunch on Sundays so we probably will go there after Open Circle on Sunday as it is only a block from LCS. After dinner, in walking up to the village plaza, we noticed a couple more restaurants that look very nice; there are so many, all close in the centre of Ajijic. This time of year they are not very busy.

By the way, I think, after using several variations, that the correct pronunciation of Ajijic is ( ah hee HEEC ) with the emphasis on the last syllable.

Learning Español

I am working on the Spanish, about 2 - 4 hours/day. It is coming; at least I now have a few words and can do some simple sentences. The problem is that when I am confronted with a Spanish speaking person and a need to communicate, my mind goes more or less blank. However, today at the market, I was able to deal with numbers in prices better, especially because prices are so inexpensive that I only have to know the smaller numbers, like 1 - 10. Spanish is very similar to French; that is a benefit, but also some confusion. For example, ‘to live’ is ‘vivre’ in French and ‘vivir’ in Español; pronunciation, however, is very different. The similarities are not just in words, but also in grammar.

A big problem is that although I came to read French reasonably well, I never became very good at oral conversations. The same is true of Afrikaans (South African form of Dutch). Although I studied Xhosa, I did not even get far enough to read with any facility. I did 4 years of Latin in high school. My point is that I have never been good at oral or conversational use of any of the languages I have studied. I don’t want Spanish to be the same. However, this is the first time I have been so thoroughly emersed in a language. In South Africa, all Afrikaners could speak in English very well; thus, aside from greetings and small talk, I did not need to speak Afrikaans. While most of the shops here have people who speak some English, elsewhere people speak little English; then, you have to rely on gestures or never mind. We have found an FM radio station that plays classical music all day. It is great and I can begin to pick up some phrases, etc. from the announcers. However, the maid brought her own radio and was tuned in to a pop station with very fast talking and loud DJs. I couldn’t pick up anything of that; it was probably mostly slang and my Spanish language CDs don’t seem to do much of that. Anyway, it is an interesting and enjoyable challenge. Also, it will be a great benefit if I can master basic communication, even if my accent and grammar are not perfect.

Blending in

On Sunday we went to Open Circle and heard Rabbi Postner talk about his book. Later, when we were having lunch in the Plaza Garden Rest. on the village square, he came over to peddle his book. It is about his ethical heroes, but it is also about cooking and he has a recipe for each of his 35 heroes. He loves to cook so he caters small dinners for very low rates. So many interesting people here.

For our lunch we each ordered a Mexican dish (each was a big plate of food); I had a large glass of draft beer and Barb had a large lemonade. The total bill for both of us was 121 pesos (about $12)!

Barb’s son, Jeff, his wife and Aiden are coming for 2 weeks (end of July & August). Jeff and Tarra want to leave Aiden with us and have 4 or 5 nights in a B&B (Barb is delighted). We went around checking several out. There are a number of lovely B&Bs in Ajijic. Most are small, with 8 - 12 rooms, but they are really small hotels rather than people’s homes with rented rooms. Some even have small pools.

While we were eating lunch, a guy came around selling shirts (vendors continually approach you with things to buy). The Mexican shirts are cotton and loose, which is comfortable in this hot climate. We asked how much and he said 200 pesos. We thanked him and said no. Then, he kept responding with lower prices. Finally, when he got down to 160 pesos, we decided to buy. Barb had bought one for herself at the market on Wednesday. Yesterday we modelled them and used the timer on the camera to take a picture of us together (see our profile).

Peace and quiet

Neither the frig nor the washing machine are very good here. For example, the frig is ‘frostfree’, but it does not, as far as I can see, have a drain. Thus, when it defrosts, the water collects at the bottom and then spills out onto the floor! We have been looking at replacements. We were pricing in Costco, Sears, Wal-Mart and Soriano (a supermarket like Loblaws); there are also a couple of small appliance stores in Ajijic. What surprised us was that the latter have the best deals for the same brands as in the big stores. Also, the latter negotiate. In fact while we were just looking around, both began offering us discounts and extra off for cash. The prices are lower than at home, unless you get a big sale at Sears say. However, we shall have to get our finances in order first so we shall be making do for a while.

I think that by default I shall become the dishwasher. Barb does the laundry and most of the cooking. My main jobs in Nova Scotia were doing the floors and shovelling snow. The maid will be doing the floors and I certainly won’t have to shovel snow. I also used to load and unload the dishwasher; with no machine, I guess that I’ll be doing the dishes the old fashioned way. However, mostly I can leave the washed dishes in the drain racks; in this dry climate, they air dry very quickly.

Today, we were walking along the lake and Bijou decided to go in. There were small black bits floating on top; she got absolutely black on the bottom. There was a line sharply dividing the white top and black bottom. Barb had to wash her twice to get it all out. The lake is relatively clear of bacteria and contaminants, but the water is cloudy and murky.

Tomorrow we go to Open Circle; it’s a rabbi giving the talk. There is great diversity.

Quiet days

The weather the last few days has been almost perfect. The afternoon highs have been 29 - 33 C; however, the last 3 days there has been a lovely breeze starting in the late afternoon and into the evening which helps to moderate the heat and cool things off. The last 2 nights we have not even used the fan when we went to bed as the house temperature was 22 - 23 C and going down. When I get up at 7 a.m. or so to go for my jog, the outside temperature is about 15 C (59 F)--just about perfect for a jog! Last night we had supper out on the patio as it is in shade by then. I think that we’ll do that often as it is lovely with lots of birds flying about and very handy to the dining room and kitchen.

We have arranged to have a maid come twice a week, Monday and Thursday. Two of them came this last Monday for almost 6 hours and really gave the house a thorough cleaning, including all the windows (there are a lot of windows; they used almost an entire bottle of Windex). In future there will be only one, but she should be able to keep everything in good shape now.

Barbara has been feeling better the last 3 days or so. Yesterday afternoon, she emptied everything from the little shed, swept it out and reorganized the stuff. The long drive down and then settling into the new house were very tiring and stressful. Now we are relaxing. She took a bunch of photos inside and outside the house and is now trying to open a photo gallery in Google. Here is the link to Barb's photos. Just click on La Floresta and then in the top left corner, you can click on "Slideshow" to see them in sequence.

Market day in Ajijic

Today, we went to the Ajijic market. It is much bigger than I thought. It goes for an entire, long block. The entire street is filled with stalls on both sides. There are stalls for fresh fruits and vegetables and cooked foods, but also clothing, shoes, jewellery and handcrafts. I guess it is expected to bargain, but we just took the prices they gave. When I bought 6 ears of corn for 2 pesos each, the guy threw in an extra one. There were lots of people there and the street was quite crowded.

You not only get stuff at low prices, but you meet people there. We met the guy who gave the talk at Open Circle on Transcendental Meditation and his wife. We had Bijou and they were very intrigued. It turns out that they have a bichon puppy. They were intrigued by Bijou’s curly coat because their dog’s isn’t yet. However, Barb could tell them that it takes at least a year before the adult coat for a bichon comes in. We also met a woman just up the street from us who is very much involved in one of the animal rescue organizations. It was all interesting and exciting. One of my big goals is to learn to count so that I can tell how much they are saying when I ask the price. I got 2-3 hours in on the Spanish lesson today; I hope to do as much every day. I did lesson 3 today for the first time (I shall do each repeatedly until I learn the vocabulary). Lesson 4 gives counting from 1 - 100.

Barb was looking at B&Bs and small hotels today and found the Casa Blanca. It has a fairly long video showing the hotel but also some of Ajijic and Lake Chapala. Got to Hotel Casa Blanca (http://casablancaajijic.com/index.html) and click on “Take a Tour (Click here)”.

It is lovely and quiet here tonight. There is an unusually strong breeze and the temperature is perfect--23 C at 10 p.m.

Complications

We can still call out on the VoIP, but, except for the Primus customer service rep. (who was able to call me twice on the VoIP), no one has been able to call in to us. There seems to be some trouble with the changeover. Anyone calling us, gets the old voice mail intro we had with Aliant. Thus, it seems that calls to us are not being redirected from Aliant to Primus. Primus said that they were working on the problem, but no word yet.

We discovered a new problem yesterday; Barb had said it was so, but I couldn’t believe it. However, at the moment, Barb cannot drive our car in Mexico. When we got the new car, I thought that I had said to register it in both our names; however, the registration is in my name only. Not only that, but I filled out the importation permit for the car in my name only. Only married spouses and children of the owner are allowed to drive the car in Mexico. Common law marriage is not recognized in Mexico. Thus, according to Mexican law, Barb is not related to me. Apparently, we have only 2 options: either get the car re-registered in both our names in Nova Scotia (to do that we both have to go in person to a registry office in Nova Scotia); or we get married. However, I’m not sure that the latter is very simple in Mexico. [To see about the latter, go to the  LCS site http://www.lakechapalasociety.org/  and then look up “Legal” on the menu on the left side. Then from the list of topics, see “Apostille: What is it?” and then “Marriage and Divorce”. Getting all the required documents certified in Canada would be a real hassle. I remember old movies where they talked about slipping over the Mexican border from California for quickie marriages or divorces. Whatever the case then, it sure is not the case now.]

Until we get this sorted out, Barb can’t drive. If she were to get in an accident, the insurance company might use that excuse to refuse to pay (even though Barb is registered on the policy) and it is possible that the car itself could be impounded and confiscated although unlikely; when a number of foreign plated cars were impounded a while ago, all were later released. Not everything is as simple as it may seem.

We went back into Guadalajara today to visit the giant mall area. We went to Costco, Sears, Liverpool, Wal-mart as well as some smaller stores in the mall. It is huge; there are several buildings over a large area, but in total, I think the size of the retail areas might rival the Edmonton Mall. We did do a wrong turn on the way in and on the way out. However, we sorted it out eventually, but did arrive home a bit exhausted after about 5 hours or so. I think that it is a bit over 60 kms away. We still think that we shall go in as infrequently as possible although I doubt if we would make wrong turns another time.

No longer VoIP-less

Well, after all that, the VoIP is now working. Yesterday, I did a complete reboot of both modem and VoIP gateway. Although I did get the printer working, I didn’t think that the VoIP was fully working. However, today just on a whim, I decided to plug in the phone. I nearly fell into a dead faint when I heard the dial tone. Barbara has been busy calling all her relations to let them know and finally talk to them after almost 3 weeks. Now, I feel as if I can relax and begin to fully appreciate our new surroundings and life. The sound quality seemed quite good, although I understand that sometimes the connection can be poor. They say just hang up and call again to get a better connection. Telmex has 3 internet speeds; I got the middle speed (1 mbps although only on the download; the upload is much slower at 127 kbps). I thought that I might have to upgrade, but if it remains as good as this, I needn’t. With internet, email and VoIP all working, I feel as if things are well in hand and I can relax.

However, I won’t say that I am going to get into the Mexican way. We have a stereotype of Mexicans sitting around in almost perpetual siesta, saying, “Mañana”. However, at least with Fernando’s help, everyone has responded with extremely fast service, often the same day!

This morning we went to Open Circle to listen to a talk on transcendental meditation. The speaker certainly has unlimited belief in its efficacy and benefits. After, we went to David’s for lunch. Jack & Kate introduced us to this little restaurant which is open only for breakfast and lunch. As usual, the food was great and very inexpensive. The temperatures have been fairly moderate, in the low to mid 30s C, although the high for today was 29 C with a nice breeze. 

VoIP-less in Mexico

Still no luck with the VoIP. Yesterday, I tried to call Primus technical support (an 800 number). However, it does not work from Mexico and they give no regular number; I have sent an email stating what I see as the problem and asking for a regular phone number to call. Nevertheless, I think that it will still be in vain. Today, I finally had the presence of mind to go to the website of the company that manufactures the modem/router supplied by Telmex. According to their website, that model does not support or allow VoIP. I’m not sure what my options are. I shall have to try to learn more over the weekend (Telmex is not open on the weekend).

[My title is a take on John Milton’s famous poem about Sampson, “Eyeless in Gaza.”]

May 16

Not a lot to report. I spent another frustrating day regarding the VoIP. However, we did go to a market in San Antonio this morning; there is a market in one or other community practically every day of the week. The one in Ajijic is on Wednesday. This one in San Antonio is small; however, in spite of Jack and Kate’s stories, we were still surprised at the prices. We got a small quantity of strawberries, a couple of zuccini, a small bag of green beans, a couple of medium onions and a mango. The total was 14 pesos or $1.40. We have been going to the supermarkets to stock up on Gringo foods and were getting produce there also. However, that is not the smart thing to do!

Also, we got bills from the medical doctor that Kate and Jack had arranged for us. Office visit to give our medical conditions and medications--$15 each. Barbara’s INR blood test about $10. MSI will reimburse us for the next year, at least up to what they would pay a Nova Scotia doctor. However, these rates are far below rates to Nova Scotia doctors so there should be no difficulty.

May 15

A couple of days of frustration regarding the internet. I tried to call Telmex helpline. However, I got one of those “Listen to the following choices . . .” It was all in Spanish and I had no idea what to choose and I think that there were a couple of menus to negotiate. I called Fernando (thank God for deciding to hire a manager) and he got through the hurdles and reached an English-speaking technician. She walked me through programing the modem to get internet service. I was so excited that I forgot to ask about setting up the mail program to receive and send on the new prodigy email address; also, Barb wanted her own email address. I tried for hours to guess the addresses of the out-going and in-coming mail servers because they are so similar for different internet providers. No luck and I finally had to ask Fernando to come back again today; this time we had a really long wait to get through to a real person. When we did, I found that I was only 1 number (I guessed and tried--among a number of other possibles--‘pop1’ and the actual address was ‘pop3’) from being able to do it myself. However, I remembered this time to get an email address for Barbara. Using our Mail program is so much easier than using the internet webmail sites. 

I have made no progress in getting the VoIP equipment to work, in spite of hours of attempts. Primus has a helpline in Canada, but I need a phone to contact them. The landlines from Mexico are so noisy that it is virtually impossible to hear anything. The cell phone is better, but very expensive and you have to load it up with a lot of peso credits to be able to make a long distance call. Barbara got cut off in the middle of a call to her sister because she had run out of the first $10 (100 pesos). I may have to get a computer expert down here to help.

Yesterday afternoon, Damyn took Barb & I in to Guadalajara to Costco. Actually, in the same mall area, there are Wal-Mart, Sam’s, Sears, and a huge supermarket. Also, it is relatively straight forward to get there, but takes almost an hour even though much of the way is on freeways. 

The maid who was supposed to come today was sick and I ended up vacuuming the house (not a new experience). Fortunately, it is overcast and relatively cool; I don’t think that it got above 28 C all day. She has been rescheduled to come on Monday. With the doors and windows open so much, dirt and dust seem to accumulate fairly quickly.

There are various little municipal zones along the shore of Lake Chapala. We are in La Floresta which is just to the east from Ajijic itself. Just 3 blocks farther east, San Antonio Tlayacapan (I have no idea how that last word is pronounced) begins. It has a lovely central square and church. On Tuesday evening, we walked there (about 20 minutes); I think it is a little closer to us than the square in Ajijic. It was lovely with a cool breeze and like Ajijic square, is a gathering place for families from the very young to the very old. There do not seem to be nearly as many ex-pats or stores, restaurants, etc. catering to them as in Ajijic; thus, it is more Mexican. We have been so busy during this first week in our new house that we have not been to LCS except for Open Circle on Sunday. However, we are getting a lot done and once we have most things in place, we shall be able to relax and have more time. I have started to learn Spanish, but it requires a good deal of time and I have only been able to do a few hours so far.

May 12 & 13

Another busy day with a lot accomplished. At 11, Fernando came for me so that I could apply to Telmex for internet; we did that but it takes 24 hours to get it in operation. While waiting we struck up a conversation with a woman about Barb’s age. It turned out that she was originally from Windsor, Ont. First her parents moved here and then she followed later and has been here for 30 years. She is really a conspiracy believer. She said that 9/11 was “an inside job.” When I commented that electing Bush once was not so unbelievable, but the second time seemed inexplicable. She just snorted that “he was not elected the second time or even the first!” Furthermore, the next election is also “fixed.” Anyway, we had a good chat.

On Friday, we arranged with the management company to have a maid come this Thursday for about 5 hours (at $3/hour). We’ll see if we make that twice a week. Also today, Fernando contacted the gardener who had previously been employed here. Fernando said that if you had someone who was already familiar with the house, it would be better. As it turns out, Rosendo has been doing the garden work at this house for 20 years. He charges $4/hour, but has both a power mover and gasoline grass edger. He has injured his knee so that he says that his wife and small son (about 8-10 years) both help him, I think for the same money. We have arranged for him to come 3 times a week for 2 hours each time. He was very friendly and was very pleased to be hired again.

Fernando also called a contractor to install a water purification system, a real necessity. The quoted price is about $530; I had been expecting about $2000! They came briefly this afternoon. They were supposed to come at 1:30, but arrived at about 3; they left after half an hour saying they would be back. Fernando called, called the plumbers who said that they would be here in half an hour, but never showed up. I think probably that they are on another job, but didn’t want to lose this one to some else so showed up briefly to get a small start on the job; or maybe this is just Mexico. However, we weren’t expecting it to be started so fast. Hopefully, over the next couple of days!. In any case, things seem to be getting organized in a very timely fashion.

The other really exciting thing was that shortly after noon, it began to cloud up and just before 4 it began to rain. In fact, it rained pretty hard for at least an hour. There was also great lightning and thunder, like in southern Ontario. It really cooled things off; it is less than 20 C outside now at 6 p.m. This seems to be a very early start for the rainy season. Usually, there are only a couple of light rains before the middle of June when the rainy season really gets underway. Maybe this was just a fluke.

Today (Tuesday May 13) was much cooler (about 16 C outside at 7:30 a.m.). It has gotten much hotter this afternoon to about 35 C. The plumbers came back this morning and finished installing the water purifier in about 2 hours; we now do not have to be careful about washing dishes and using the water. The glue used in the plastic pipes will provide some smell and taste for a day or two.

I was trying to get my internet setup but had no luck. I think that Telmex is taking longer than the 24 hours promised to connect the DSL. Hopefully, it will be set up tomorrow. I also see that our Halifax telephone number has been ported (i.e., transfered) today from Aliant to Primus, our VoIP provider. Thus, as soon as we get internet service, we may also be able to connect the VoIP equipment and have telephone service. Barb tried to call Halifax on the Mexican land line but it was terrible. She then tried the cell phone; it was better reception, but for some reason cut off before she was finished.

May 11

We went to Open Circle at LCS. There were not as many there as there were in February--a lot fewer snowbirds I expect. Today, there were 4 poets reading their poems on the theme “love in a hot climate”. Two of the poets were Mexican, but read their poems in English.

Actually, I should comment on the weather. It is hot in the afternoons. We found our indoor/outdoor thermometer. Outdoors at 4 - 5 p.m., the temperature is just over 38 C or just about 100 F. Indoors, the temp is about 31 C (88 F). We have been working; the house has quite a few dishes, glasses, pots, etc., but we noticed that there was a fair bit of dust. Thus, we took out the stuff, washed the shelves and all the dishes etc. With a fan on and not moving really fast, it was not bad. In a dry climate like this, the body’s air conditioning system works quite well although by the end of the day, a shower feels very nice and refreshing. [When I lived in the San Fernando Valley in LA, in August we had a spell where temperatures were over 110 F (about 43 C) every day for over 2 weeks.] On Friday about 5:30, I was going to the store and decided to walk. I ended up walking much farther than I anticipated; it was not fun in the heat. I called Barb to say that I was going to be later than she expected; she came in the car to get me. Thus, we shall have to do our walking in the morning. I don’t yet know what the temperature is in the morning. I did go for a jog yesterday morning at about 7 and it was very pleasant--less than 15 I would guess. I’ll find out tomorrow. This morning at about 9 both inside and out it was about 22 or so.

Another interesting point for me is the fact that here daylight and night are about even. The sun is getting almost directly overhead. Thus, sunset is earlier and sunrise later (about 8, give or take in both cases) than you are getting now in the more northern latitudes. Well, I won’t begrudge you some extra daylight; we’ll make it up in the winter when you are in the dark before 5 p.m.

May 10

I missed a day as it was very busy but very exciting. We were originally scheduled to close at 10 a.m., but a hitch occurred because of me. At the border when I was filling out the visa application I put Wallace Mills for my name, but on my passport it says Wallace George Mills. It was checked 3 times at the border and then by the notario. No one noticed, however when they sent photocopies to Mexican officials to get permission for a foreigner to purchase property in Mexico, they picked it up. No, No, the regulations clearly state . .. It could have meant several days getting a correct FMT (6 months tourist visa). However, the notario had me sign a power of attorney to allow him to sign documents for a correct FMT. It allowed the closing to proceed at 3 p.m.

The closing procedure itself was fascinating. Eveyone was there at the notario’s--the seller and her real estate agent, buyers (Barb & I) with our real estate agent plus the admin. assistant at Damyn’s office (she does all the details, prepares cheques, etc.). The notario certifies everyone’s passports and visas, translates the selling agreement (otherwise a translater would be necessary), and has everyone sign the agreement (for some reason, the seller had to also afix prints of her 2 index fingers). Then her agent supplied us with documents showing that the gardener had been paid the required severance payment, that they had had no maid, that the taxes (about $100) had been paid for 2008 (we partially reimbursed), that the municipal services fees (about $600) had been paid for 2008 (again we reimbursed part) and that the electricity account had been paid and changed into our names. Our agent gave the required cheques to notario, the seller plus receipts for certain expenses paid by the seller and deducted from the money. It took less than an hour and was very amicable because we were all happy. Damyn says that there are cases where negotiations have been difficult and the 2 parties end up at the closing glaring and being very hostile. One difficulty was that everyone had forgotten about a special fee/tax (almost $1100) required for the permission for foreigners to buy Mexican property. The ATM at the bank I went to has a maximum of 1500 pesos ($150) per withdrawal; thus, I had to make multiple withdrawals to get the required amount. I am going to try other bank to see if their machines allow larger withdrawals.

By the way, getting money to Mexico is a learning experience. I had expected to open an account in a Mexican bank and then have money transfered periodically. That is not eazy and is very expensive. In talking to another Bedfordite who moved down here over a year ago, she said what they did was get money from their Halifax bank at ATMs. They got a Royal Bank account that allows unlimited free withdrawals (the local bank has a fee but modest). I looked into our chequing account and found that there is a $5 charge for every withdrawal in Mexico. However, for an extra $14 per month, we got the account that allows unlimited free withdrawals in Mexico! There are some places that accept credit cards (actually most businesses which sell appliances, furniture, etc.). Thus, many larger transactions can be done on credit card and then payment from the Halifax chequing account is easy.

Anyway, we spent our first night in our new house. Barb is, if anything, more pleased with the house than before. All the rooms have high ceilings and are very spacious.

At Damyn’s suggestion we are hiring a property manager for a few months until we get all set up and get the hang of things. For example, the sellers had no propane in the tank and everything shut off. Fernando, the facilitator, contacted the propane people to fill the tank and was here when they arrived. They got the pilot light on the water tank going and made sure that the stove worked. They told us that there was no pilot light and that one had to use matches; however, when the office manager came today to discuss the contract, he not only started the pilot lights, but also showed us how to light them should they ever go off.

Yesterday when we arrived for the final inspection before closing, we discovered that the phone had been connected. The real estate company had got a telephone number, but had not got the line installed. Damyn said that it usually took about 3 weeks if you did it the regular way. However, if we gave the administrative assistant 500 pesos, it usually took only a week; we gladly forked over the 500 ($50) and in fact it was installed in 2 days! I’m not sure to whom the 500 went or for what; I didn’t ask questions. Because it was so late yesterday (Friday) when we finished the closing, the telephone office was closed. However, on Monday, Fernando will go with me to get signed up and get the modem for the internet. Thus, by Monday we will be online. We are learning new stuff all the time; it is wonderful and exciting. Tomorrow, we shall go to the Open Circle at LCS and then go to brunch; that is how we shall try to fill the void of not meeting with the Brunch Club.

May 8

Today already we have done well and it is just noon. First, we wanted to locate Dr. Leon’s office as Barbara is due for a blood test for her INR (clotting rate). There is only a very understated sign high above the door; we missed it as we walked down the Carreterra (the highway and main street). We ended up quite a long way. However, we did discover the Weber BBQ store. It turns out that the owner is formerly from Calgary; his main business is moving, but he sells Weber BBQs as a sideline. Weber is the BBQ Barbara had in Bedford and the one she wanted to get (Consumer Reports said they are the best). He will give us a discount, deliver and assemble it. We will probably get it early next week, like Monday or Tuesday!

We walked back and did find the office; in fact it is only half a block down from where we are staying! We intended only to see about Barb’s blood test, but they had us fill out patient forms and got in to see him. He is every bit as nice as Kate and Jack had reported. He took a quick history and what we need medically right now. We both brought charts from our NS doctors but at the moment they are buried under all our stuff in the car. He took blood for Barb’s test and said they would have the results by 5:30 this afternoon. We also arranged for my testostorone injection (which I get every 3 weeks) next week.

We plan to go to the LCS (Lake Chapala Society) this afternoon; this will be the first time since we arrived as we were too busy yesterday. We have nothing to do today except that Damyn has invited us to dinner tonight with his partner.

Yesterday for lunch, we went down to the pier where there is a newly open restaurant. It is a lovely place with water on 3 sides and the mountains across the lake. It was a bit hazy yesterday, but you could still see the mountains. It is hot in the afternoon, but does cool off at night. Later, this afternoon we’ll go to the internet store. It charges only 16 pesos for an hour of time on line; we can use our own computers with wireless so that it is easier and faster with a computer and software that we are familiar with. Also, by doing this before hand in a word processor, all I have to do is copy and paste (virtually no time at all).

We are more than happy with our decision to move here. We see terrific possibilities, using here as a home base. In fact we both feel that it was a pity that we were so rushed in driving here on Monday. For us the mountains were just a hindrance when we were so anxious to get to Guadalajara and Ajijic. However, they are really something in themselves. They are not as high or as rugged as in Colorado or BC, but there were a number of wonderful lookouts beside the road if one had time to stop and take pictures. It is only 320 kms from Guadalajara to Zacatecos. The latter is regarded as one of the most beautiful little cities in Mexico. We just zoomed through as fast as we could go. We would like to go back in a leisurely fashion to enjoy it. Saltillo is the same. I think that that is only the beginning. The more I learn about Mexico, the more possibilities there seem to be.

I must tell you about driving and traffic in Mexico. It can be unnerving. The big highways going in are kind of like freeways except that they are not controlled access; in fact, there are houses, stores, side streets, etc. along both edges so there are vehicles edging in and out all the time as traffic in the inner lanes are moving very quickly. I use the term “lanes” very loosely. If there were ever lane markers, they have long since disappeared. Thus, you have 3 or 4 cars moving very quickly abreast and you just have to imagine where the lanes are. About all you can do is get behind someone else and hope that he/she knows where the lane is.

To get to Ajijic we had to drive from the north-west of Guadalajara to the south east. It is a big city. I had a map that I had printed from Mapquest. It looked fairly easy. There were several highways marked on the map and a pretty clear route from one to the other, around the city centre and on to highway past the airport and on to Chapala. Reality was not quite as simple. They do not put up many signs and if they do, they are right at the corner by which time it is too late to cross 2 or 3 lanes of rush hour traffice to make a right or left turn. To make a long story short, we were quickly lost and I realized that we had to abandon my planned route. I knew that we had to go east and then south. Barbara was sure we should ask for directions. I tried that a couple of times, but it is not easy when I speak no Spanish and they speak no English. I tried to show my map as I thought they could point out where we were and then I could figure out how to go. They were completely flummoxed with the map. I’m sure that they make their way about this huge city, but they sure as hell don’t do it with maps! I tried saying Chapala, but they were confused; there are several areas with similar spelling and I expect with my accent, they couldn’t figure out what I was saying. However, when I said, “Ajijic”, their eyes lighted up, “Si, si” and they started waving in the direction we should go. It worked because finally, we saw signs pointing towards the airport and Chapala. And hence, we finally made it. However, I have to admit that lost in Guadalajara, Barbara and I were both a bit testy. It passed quickly when we were finally on the road to Chapala.

This is getting rather long. We should be in our new house by noon tomorrow!

May 6 & 7

Yesterday was a very long day. On the map, it seems straight from Saltillo to Guadalajara. Well, it is through mountains and quite a few little towns where one has to come almost to a complete stop for speed bumps (some are monsters). Over 11 hours without a break except a couple of times to go to the bathroom and get gas. At one point, the temperature gage on the car was reading 38 C or about 100 F). Fortunately, we have air conditioning in the car. It was after 8 p.m. when we got here and did not seem to have any way to telephone to find a place to stay (Barb had several numbers). We were at the town square and the Ajijic Hotel is right there. We went to inquire about a room and in conversation discovered that they had some apartments around the corner (Jack & Kate, it’s the same one that Sonya stayed at!). We get a one bedroom apartment with full kitchen etc. for US$40 per night. We have it for 3 nights.

This morning after breakfast at David’s, we went to the office to see Damyn our agent. He took us to the notario to sign the application required of foreigners buying property in Mexico. The closing for the house is set for 10 a.m. on Friday and we can move into the house immediately!

Damyn then proceeded to take us on a tour around to Chapala, we got a few groceries, and picked up a fan (necessary here now). WE also are getting cell phones (2 phones for US$64). We just have to buy time on the phones as we use it--no fixed monthly charge. It is about 10 cents a minute for use to other cell phones, more to a land line. Still much cheaper than we were paying at home. We have a land phone number and the phone line should be installed in about a week. After that we get the equipment for DSL and we’ll be in business for the internet and our VoIP phone.

Thus, everything is falling into place very nicely. I’ll probably have more to report in a few days and when we get our own internet service.

May 5

Well, an eventful day. We got to Laredo before noon. Getting the import permit for the car and going through immigration was less of a problem than Barbara was anticipating. She had been reading too much about all the potential problems and pitfalls. Getting to the office was the biggest problem as you go over the border and there is no one or any officials there. You have to go several blocks away. Apparently, anyone can go into this border zone without passing any checkpoints and can stay for 3 days. However, after this 20 kms border zone, one does have to go through customs and you need the correct permits or you have to go back into Nuevo Laredo to get them.

The road to Monterrey etc. is divided highway; for much of the way, there are toll highways which are of the same standard as US interstates. The tolls are fairly high--over $190 (pesos that is or over US$19) and 117 pesos (just divide by 10). This area is desert with only scrub bushes, cacti and very short trees. Then, you start into the mountains. Monterrey and Saltillo are quite high up. Both cities are booming and industrial. Saltillo is called the Detroit of Mexico because there are GM and Chrysler assembly plants (Monterrey has over 3 million people and Saltillo about 3/4 million). There is a lot of construction in both cities. Saltillo is said to have the highest average income of any city in Mexico. Both cities have interesting websites with lots of information. We in Canada tend to have a view of Mexico as very backward; it isn’t so.

We decided to continue to Saltillo because it would be farther and we would have a shorter trip for the last leg to Ajijic. It had some large American hotel chains and that is what we thought we wanted. However, when we stopped at a couple, they wouldn’t take dogs, they were very expensive (all the American businessmen) and very crowded. We continued to the south of the city. However, there were no big hotels. 

Just as we were giving up hope and deciding that we would have to go to next good sized city (over 300 kms further) we saw the sign for the hotel where we are staying. I’ll get the name for tomorrow. Right now, I’m sitting outside on the patio beside the pool; it is after 6 p.m. This is a real Mexican hotel--one story stone and stucco buildings spread out with lovely gardens, lots of trees and lots of shade. About the only sounds are birds; there seem to be dozens of doves cooing and some other birds making more raucous calls. The price of this is $550, or half of the American chains. I suppose for some people, they would not be happy as there is no TV. But our room is spacious and lovely. We had a tasty Mexican dinner (I think that we may be the only guests); we had a glass of wine and learned that it was Mexican. It was delicious, certainly better than many of the wines I have bought at liquor stores. We will have breakfast tomorrow--all these at Mexican prices (I haven’t got the dinner bill yet, but I think that it was $50-60 each (again divide by 10 to get the dollar equivalent). Only the proprietess speaks English, but she was lovely, even produced a map on how to get to the highway to go to Guadalajara, etc. With all the road construction, it is confusing and very easy to get misdirected.

Barbara commented, “Just as I was wondering if we had made a mistake [driving in Saltillo was a bit harrowing and she was driving], we found this place!” It is a real oasis and the Mexico we are looking for. It is about 700 kms to Ajijic from here so that we will have a good day’s drive tomorrow. We can hardly wait, although we certainly intend to come back here for a visit. This is the older, more gracious side of Saltillo (there are big, lovely homes all around).

May 4

We had a beautiful day until late this afternoon when it clouded up before San Antonio. It got up to 29 degrees according to the sensor on the car. Needless to day, we needed the air conditioner. There were no big adventures, but we drove over 1000 kms (close to 650 miles) by the time we stopped. We are about 20 miles or so south of San Antonio at a little crossroad. I wanted to get through San Antonio for 2 reasons. One is that it is only a little over 100 miles to Laredo and the Mexican border--big milestone! Secondly, as it turned out, San Antonio is quite a maze of freeways and I would hate to be going through during a mid-week rush hour. It was busy enough on Sunday evening about 6 p.m. Thank God for Tomtom. We ignored the signs (many were very confusing) and did what Tomtom said; she got us through without a hitch.

Earlier, in Little Rock, we did make a wrong turn at a divided intersection. However, Tomtom quickly gave us directions to get off the freeway, turn around, and get back on track, all within a mile or two.

We are less than 2 hours from Laredo. A lot depends on how long it takes us to get a tourist visa and get the go-ahead through Mexican authorities once we reach the border. Our original plan was to go to Monterey, Mexico which is about 220 kms south of the border. However, it is a divided toll highway, just like an interstate. That should only take about 2 hours. I am going to look into going a bit further. We’ll want to get to a good sized city; however, it is too far to get to Guadalajara. We’ll have to see. However, we should certainly be in Ajijic by sometime Tuesday, May 6th.

May 3

Well, we just missed the huge storm that had tornados in Arkansas over night. Part of the storm drifted to the north and another just to the south. We started from Knoxville and got into rain, but it was only moderately heavy for about 30 minutes and then began to ease up and had completely stopped in an hour. Shortly thereafter, we were in sunshine again and had a beautiful day.

Tomtom did direct us west to Nashville, where we got the car serviced at a Midas shop. Even a bit of shopping and we were still back on the road in less than 3 hours. We got to a place just east of Little Rock, Arkansas for the night (over 800 kms--about 500 miles). I figure that by tomorrow night, we should be somewhere between San Antonio and Laredo, Texas. As a result, we should cross into Mexico on Monday and probably get to Monterey, Mexico by the night. That means that we should be in Ajijic some time in the afternoon on Tuesday, May 6th. We have made extremely good time. In fact, with the hour we picked up when we crossed he Mississippi River, we stopped early and should have an early night.

Tennessee was lovely, with all the hills and mountains. Of course, everything is very green and well into spring. Arkansas surprised me by being extremely flat. I guess that it is at the southern edge of the Great Plains. There was no sign of the tornados along the I40, although a couple of large billboards were damaged. There was a lot of water in many fields, however.

As mentioned, the route devised by Tomtom surprised me. I had plotted a route to Laredo by Mapquest. It chose to go go south from Knoxville to Chattanooga and on into Alabama. Tomtom is going more northerly, then down through Dallas-->San Antonio-->Laredo. The mileage on both came out almost the same, so that the 2 routes are about the same distance.

May 2

Last night, as I was going to bed, I discovered that I had left the power cord for my CPAP machine (that is for my sleep apnea) in the motel at Bangor, Maine! I was in a panic as I don't know if the company (based in Calif.) has anyone in Mexico. After getting the customer service number from the internet, I called from a pay phone at a rest stop along the highway as I had to wait until the office opened in Calif. We were headed towards Roanoke, Virginia and the woman was able to give me 2 places in Roanoke that might be able to supply me with a cord. Not too far out of Roanoke at another rest stop, I decided to call them to see if they could help me. However, the pay phone I was trying to use kept taking my money but not completing my call.

However, a young woman, standing nearby and seeing my frustration, offered me her cell phone (we gave up our Nova Scotia cell phones because we couldn't use them in Mexico). 

The second place I called said that they could help me. Then, all I had to do was program the address into the GPS system and it told us exactly where and how to go! I love Tomtom now. Anyway, I got the new replacement cord (only $25--I would gladly have paid much more!). The woman in the store claimed that my experience is not unusual; she even claimed to have had one guy who had done it twice. However, I told her that my wife would be unlikely to let me forget again. Tomtom got us back on Interstate 81 and we continued on our way.

Tonight, we are staying just to the west of Knoxville, Tennessee in a Days Inn for $40! Over 900 kms today. I'm not sure how far we'll get tomorrow as the car is due for oil change and lube job. That will probably take 3 hours at least on a Saturday afternoon. Also, I'm not sure which direction we shall be going. Right now, we are on combined I 40 and I 75, but a few miles on, they divide with I 40 going west to Nashville and I 75 going south to Chattanooga. Only Tomtom knows.

May 1

We were up early (about 7 a.m.) and made a lot of progress. We are spending the night in Hershey, Pennsylvania. That is over 1000 kms (about 625 miles) in one day. However, I'm not sure that we can maintain this pace every day.

In Bangor this morning, there was heavy frost on the car windows, although as soon as the sun came out, it began to warm up. However, it was very interesting to observe the trees as we travelled south. In Maine, they were just starting to bud. However, by New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the leaves are getting quite far out. Also, there were flowering trees out that do not bloom in Halifax until well into June. Also, the temperatures went up quite remarkably. It was in the high 60s by this afternoon. 

Tomorrow, we'll be going farther south. I'm not too sure where as the GPS system has plotted out the course, but we never know which highway next until about 2 miles before. Yesterday, when we were getting used to the Tomtom GPS, Barbara at one point thought that it was not directing us correctly. We weren't sure exactly where we were, so we pulled off the highway and had to ask directions. It turned out that the Tomtom was correct; we just had to keep going. Today I told Barbara just to do whatever she (we are using a female voice) said to do. "In Tomtom we trust." Today at one point I was surprised at the route she was directing, but I remarked to Barbara, "I guess Tomtom knows best." 

Although when we were in a traffic jam in the Bronx, New York, I was again wondering.

April 30

We did not get away on the 29th as we had planned. We had too much to do. However, we did get away on the 30th at about 1 p.m. We made it to Bangor, Maine for the night, almost over 750kms (500 miles).