Marge and Eric in Mexico: May 2017

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Moving to Ajijic-Our Next Adventure! - Marge

Good-Bye Banderas Bay!

Here I am in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday morning listening to the beautiful sound of bells from Our Lady of Guadalupe, the church in centro with the tower topped by a crown. I think they are real bells rung with a rope-not the amplified imitations broadcast through speakers, set off with a switch.

Nearby, at the edge of the jungle, the bird songfest started at first light and still goes on. So many birds--every tree has its birds. And so many different sounds: Short, sharp whistles, trills and tremolos and shrill staccatos; melodic, poignant flutelike, rising notes that end in a question, loud peremptory squawking, odd gargles (what kind of bird is that?). In the background a constant, low buzzing of insects.

The sky is hazy, the humidity is high. The season is over. Most of the tourists are gone. The rainy season, with heat and humidity so high that clothes mold in closets and towels never dry--the very hottest and most humid part of the year--is almost upon us.

We are leaving too. My wonderful Spanish class ends Friday. On Saturday we will load all the things we brought with us to Mexico into our little Hyundai hatchback, and will make a little bed for Otto - our part poodle, part anonymous dog - in the back, and then will head out past the places we've come to know in Puerto Vallarta, our neighborhood-5 de Diciembre, the old cemetery, shrimp beach, the park/sports stadium where Eric walked the dog, the cruise terminal with the immigration office where we finalized our temporary resident visas, the hospital where we went when I was sick; past Marina Vallarta where we've walked many times, and past the towns along the highway north of here--Bucerias and Nueva Vallarta, and then up the road that winds for many miles through forest to the central highlands-5,000 feet above sea level, past Guadalajara and then to our new home in Ajijic, by Lake Chapala-largest lake in Mexico.

This is one of the many signs
we saw warning about crocodiles

We have rented a house in Ajijic, 2 blocks from the lake. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (one with a tub!), a gated garden, a balcony overlooking the one-lane cobbled street, a cupola with a skylight and a mirador (finished rooftop for sitting) with a great view of the high hills behind the town and of a slice of Lake Chapala between palm trees.

The house is near a Mexican butcher (!), the town plaza, a produce market, the Spanish school, the Lake Chapala Society (offering support and services for expats), many restaurants, and is on a flat street great for walking!

We have inflatable kayaks picked out to purchase and various classes we plan to attend--yoga, Spanish, painting (can hardly wait!), maybe line dancing (maybe not?), and ukelele (very enthused about learning to play the ukelele!)! There's a hiking group we plan to join on easy hikes into the hills every Saturday, and I plan to learn to use the hula hoop I ordered from the States that Janice brought here for me! Also, plan to write more!

View from the deck of the place we're staying in
Puerto Vallarta, at night, with a cruise ship leaving
--way out in the bay.

We also plan to drive to Manzanillo--the closest beach town from Ajijic, and to drive to Cannon Beach for a week or two in September, and then to Seattle to visit-and to bring back some of the things we have stored there.

Thinking about driving to New York City also! Who knows-maybe we will? I hope so! So many wonderful adventures waiting to happen!

Sunset from the edge of the junge
in Puerto Vallarta

We will miss Puerto Vallarta-the restaurants where we ate delicious meals and drank margaritas at tables on the sand, the malecon, the music, the jungle and the hills, the beautiful ocean and beautiful beaches and the wonderful friends we have made here. We will be back!

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Rainy Season is Coming - Marge

My view from the deck of the condo where we're staying in Puerto Vallarta
on a cloudy day after rain

Here I am sitting sideways on the comfy wicker chair on the deck of the condo where we're staying, with our dog, Otto, lying by me--completely still (almost want to check his breathing...), in the hot and humid afternoon here in Puerto Vallarta as the rainy season approaches, with the sky cloudy and the first rain in many months having just fallen.

The palm tree nearby is clacking its long fronds as a breeze blows by, carrying the wet-earth smell left-over from the rain and a little coolness that lasts only for a moment as it moves by me.

There's a long, cylindrical mass of vegetation hanging from the tip of one frond of the palm tree like a finger; it's a nest, an apartment home built by the black birds with sunshine yellow splashes on their wings and tails and floppy feather crests, that spend their days soaring and diving across the open space between the trees, here at the edge of the jungle; and there are orange butterflies zigzagging in and out of view; and, high up, a frigate bird, with its forked tail and long, angular wings gliding by.

Sometimes I see birds I recognize from Seattle--hummingbirds so bright they are practically fluorescent-that hover by the deck railing for a second, looking at me; also, very often, goldfinches-rocking as they balance on the wires above the iron spikes mounted on the top of the building next to this one. And, just now, a large red-headed woodpecker standing up on the trunk of a tree, using its head as a hammer.

Far down the hill, past the highway with the tiny cars carrying tourists back to the airport now that the season has ended, between two huge hotels, I can see a stretch of sand, and out beyond the sand, the slate gray water, same color as the sky, with an endless line of waves rolling in, each one with a frill of foam.

Have been in Mexico 3 1/2 months now. Have been retired for just a few days longer. Have done so much in that short time! More than I did in many years of my life before that, all added together! Have been to new places, seen new things, enjoyed a lot of foods I'd never tried before--Argentine arrachara, grilled octopus tentacles, raw shrimp marinated in lime; crunchy, spicy grasshoppers, and red snapper cooked over coals (that I picked out of a cooler), as well as many tacos from street stands.

I've driven many hundreds of miles around Mexico with Eric and our dog, Otto (in addition to driving to Mexico from Seattle), have seen crocodiles in mango swamps and many large and colorful lizards and geckos (including one on the wall in the bedroom!) and have been to the hospital twice with influenza (got to experience Mexican health care!); have danced to rock and roll music at a bar by a river surrounded by jungle and cliffs in a tiny town down a dangerous road, have gone whale watching and been to towns along the coast nearby that are famous among expats -- Sayulita and San Miguel and San Pancho; have met many wonderful people, and have studied Spanish--3 hours every day, learning as fast as I can; have hosted visitors to Puerto Vallarta and drunk many fruit flavored margaritas (and some daiquiris) with them; have turned from a shade so pale you could see blue blood vessels beneath my skin to the color of bread that has been lightly toasted (at least the parts exposed to the sun). Have temporary residency now, and health insurance thanks to the Mexican government (Seguro Popular); have a CURP (a Mexican Social Security Number), and a Mexican phone number; have hugely enjoyed experiencing all this with Eric whose calm good sense and wonderful intelligence and humor add so much to the pleasure of being here!

The Spanish class ends in 2 1/2 weeks. Then we'll be moving to the Mexican highlands. Looking forward to more adventures!

Monday, May 15, 2017

More Wonderful Company!! - Marge

Margie and Jean-at a viewpoint
south of Puerto Vallarta

Not long ago my wonderful sister Janice came to visit for a week. Now we've had more guests! Very much enjoyed hosting my dear stepson Todd, followed shortly thereafter by two great friends, Margie and Jean, who I've known more than half my life! We had such a great time with all of them! Loved showing them the city, the beautiful beaches, our favorite restaurants and some of the towns nearby.
We invited them all to move here and am hoping they do! After all, it's a perfect place to live if you want to enjoy yourself a lot and spend a lot less money! And, if you want to never be cold (I haven't worn a jacket or even a fleece vest since we crossed the border into Mexico)!

Plus, you'll be further away from the breathtakingly terrible things happening in the US!

Here are pictures.