San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico

Monday, November 21, 2011

Blog #3 The Best of Times, the worst........

On Tuesday we decide to bike over to the house we have been waiting for Gustavo to finish to see if the air conditioner had been put in the bedroom. We would know it was done because there would be a new hole in the bedroom wall. As we turned the corner onto our road I was surrounded by about 12 kids all asking about Art Classes. Ray rode ahead and when I looked for him he was talking to Gustavo who just happened to be at the house and Ray was not looking happy!!! When I arrived Gustavo told me that he needed us to pay 10 000 pesos or two and a half months rent so he could finish the house. Now I ask you, do we look like a bank or bankers!!!! We had already been ripped off 5 000 pesos by the owners of the purple house, asked by two others for months in advance and here it was happening again!!!! He went on to tell us that he had another couple ready to pay him and move in. This was after THREE calls to him from Canada to make sure he had a place for us. Ray was and remains very angry and just wants to get on the next bus out of town. I am so disappointed and sad. We made a commitment to our little community where we rented for the last 2 years. Our goal was to find a place where we could return every winter and now that has been smashed. Renters beware!!!!!!!!!!!

On a much happier note, on Wednesday we discovered this San Blas gem, Pizzapan. We had tried to buy a pizza here the week before but after I had called,"George, George!" and no one responded we went somewhere else for dinner. I later learnt that his name is Roger!!!! They are supposed to open from 4-10 but in actuallity he opens closer to 6. The pizza is outstanding. Possibly the best I ave ever eaten. We tried the Suprema, mediana for 95 pesos. Roger told us he will deliver if you live close. In San Blas, I think that could be anywhere I would think.

To find Pizzapan go along the road out of town past Kane. Turn right at the next street. Pizzapan is right there on your right and the phone number is 323 116 84 96. Give this young man some business. I believe you will be very happy!!!!

November 20th is one of the biggest celebrations in Mexico. It is celebrating the Day of Revolution and if you want to know all about it, Google it!!! The parade was supposed to start at 10 so we were taking our time getting there as most things start late here but as we rode towards the town center it had already started!!!!! It was fantastic with a huge assortment of floats, acts and entertainment. We started watching from the street and then moved upstairs to the balcony of the San Blas Social Club. I was having to lean over people to get pics until this lovely young guy parted his people and put me at the front so I could get some good shots and that is just one of many reasons why I have loved San Blas in the past.

Instead of Where's Waldo? Can you find Jora our American friend?

Everyone stopped infront of us to perform for the judges sitting under this tent on the right.

They walked for blocks in these amazing costumes. Gorgeous!!!!

The other morning we walking through the dining room on our way out. Ray was in front. I stopped as I always do to go through the good morning ritual. I always want to know what they are having to eat as I have smelt it upstairs and don't always recognize the smell. This particular morning there was something in the bowls I'd never seen before. When I asked I discovered it was cow stomach and ofcourse I was asked to try it!!!! "Oh look Ray they are eating cow stomach and we can have some. Ray? Ray? Where are you?" Couldn't see the wise man or his dust!!!!

When we ride down the roads they are often narrow and lined with cars. We do always ride in the same direction as traffic now and I have suggested that we both ride on the same side of the road so that the guy behind us does not have to decide which one of us to hit!!!!

This situation we are in here is much like a love affair. Many of you have heard me say that I have fallen in love with San Blas and as happens between people, when you first fall in love you tend to ignore the flaws and only see the positive. Time passes and some of the flaws grate on you a little more and then one day there is a big event and the preverbial hits the fan and you decide that's it, no more!!! It is time for a divorce and after that moment everything confirms your decision. That is what we are going through with San Blas. We will he here for just over two more weeks and then we are moving out of the winter home. It has been wonderful but sadly it is coming to an end.

What is next? Well on Dec.8th we are taking the bus to Rincon de Guayabitos two hours south where I have us booked into an all incluse for two nights. Figure by then we will have had enough of that life style!!!! If we like Guayabitos, we will return on Dec. 30th and if not I believe we are going to Florida!!!! We have two great offers. Our nephew is willing to put up with us for two weeks on the east coast and friends have offered us their house and a car on Sannibel Island. If you want to add an invite to the list please feel free!!!!!

Til next time, smile, we are truly blessed just to have what we have and to have the choices in life that we have. Love to you!!!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Blog #2 Yes, it is as hot as.........

This is Iguanas Ranas or Pasada Carey in San Blas. On previous stays we have stayed where the two windows are upstairs in the middle. This stay we are in the back of the building. There are 5 units upstairs and an undisclosed number down.

We use the door on the right as a garage for our bikes. It is actually an unused staircase to go upstairs. Like many other Mexican gems, this does not appear to be a great place to stay but let's look inside.....

On entering you pass through a large room with rooms on your left and a living room/dining room on your right with additional rooms further to the right. Straight ahead you exit into the patio and swimming pool area. We spend most afternoons here. First we swim and then we play cards and read a bit.

This is our unit upstairs with the door open. It is really nice and shaded in the morning but the sun slowly creeps around and it gets pretty hot by late afternoon. We have a great overhead fan and air conditioning for sleeping. Our room is also a great location for seeing some spectacular sunsets. We are staying here until about Dec. 8th.

No this is not a wedding setting that was created here last Wednesday afternoon. It is for a baby

shower!!! OMG!!! A baby!!!! Yes, this one must officially be a princess!!!! The women who attended the shower had a great time. Lots of speaches. Mexican people love speaches. Lots of laughing and clapping. By morning, it had all disappeared.

We saw this beauty in Carol's garden the other day. It looks just like coiled pipe cleaners. She had a lot of zinnias and the butterflies were having a great time. There was one in particular that was pure white and bigger than my hand expanse but it refused to pose!!!

Now this beauty was huge and had these incredible shining eyes. It came to dinner downstairs the other night with us at Marta's. Marta was not happy to see it as it the "Death Moth" but I think we all survived dinner ok.

Here's Marta the Happy Cooker!!!

We had a fabulour dinner of breaded chicken cutlets with a creamy herb sauce over the top, spaghetti with herbs and olive oil, garlic bread and a lovely fresh salad. Everyone loved our Canadian salad dressings especially Fig Balsamic and Poppy Seed. Yes, we bring salad dressings and now, when we come home at Christmas we will have to bring a lot more back with us. Can I call it humanitarian aid?

This is one of the houses we looked at during our on going search for a place to stay here in San Blas. Sadly, negotiations fell through when we the price got to $1500 USD plus, phone, internet, gas and electricity. I wanted to rent it so badly but...............Now, this house is really gorgeous and brand new. It is on the market for $120 000 USD and that my friends is a bargain!!! Please note, the guy behind the fence does not come with the house.

Oh, one more thing. Todays travel tip - Women, if you find yourselves traveling with large amounts of money I suggest you put the money into your deep pant's pockets because let's be honest, we have all heard about purse snatchers but have you ever heard of anyone having their pants snatched in public? I don't think so!!!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Winter 2011 #1 We have landed!!!!

Getting our 4 bags checked in with Westjet was no problem. I mentioned we had two bags of humanitarian aid and they didn't even check to see what exactly I was taking as "aid". I guess it could have been anything. We took 4 hours to get to Calgary where we decided to travel to for lunch. Then we reboarded and spent another 5 hours flying to Puerto Vallarta.

In Toronto at the airport I had read a Globe and Mail article written by one of their reporters who had been randomly selected and then "groped" at a U.S. airport and this article just reaffirmed for me that 'd rather watch t.v. all day in the air than be groped by some stranger who had actually been told it was ok to do this to another complete stranger!!!!!

This is what was waiting for us in Puerto Vallarta. This is the view from one of our two balconies at the Holiday Inn near the airport. Now remember, when you book online and make one teeny mistake like I did saying one person instead of two and they want more money, just ask to speak to the manager and all is good with the world again!!! A tired old hotel but lots of Mexicans were staying here so that made it ok with us. Sure got a good deal on a gorgeous room!!!!!!

Being very messed up with time, here is a shot of sunrise in Puerto Vallarta creeping over the mountains.

Saturday morning found us up bright and early as I have said and we were at the bus station by 9. Caught the 10:00 a.m. bus to San Blas and checked into Iguanas Ranas or Pasada Carey as it is known, our very favourite place in San Blas to stay. Our gracious hostess Marta is always a delight. This pic is one end of the pool. It is like a big dog bone with these circles at each end. We found the pool so refreshing. Hate to say it but OMG is it hot here!!!! Thank goodness my hairdresser got rid of all of my hair before we left. Now it is just all curly on top. No sides, no back!!!

I forgot to mention that the house we had been promised was not ready. Oh so not ready so the search was on!!! We looked at 4 houses on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. We finally decided on a two story place you will see in a minute.

Yesterday we headed to the beach because all of the Mexican people go to the beach on Sunday. Problem is, as you can see, there were very few people there. I had yummy fried oysters and didn't need to eat for the rest of the day. We picked up our bikes on the way to the beach and the guy we always go to had spray painted the rims on the wheels silver for us and fixed our tires and charged us just $4.50 each. What a guy!!!

This is the house we rented yesterday for a month. A good friend had found it for us. The lovely people who own it have never rented before and at about 6 last night we moved in. You know how you don't really know someone until you live with them. It is exactly the same with a house. You don't really know a house until you have lived with it!!!! There were many minor problems that we just didn't want to deal with. The biggest problem for us is that the bedroom was not air conditioned and let's face it, we are spoilt!!! Our home has air and last summer we loved it!!!! It was 85 degrees upstairs in the bedroom and we were naked ontop of the matress with a fan blowing on us and we whined. Oh, how we whined!!! When we woke up this morning at 5:45 I had a plan. We were moving. Where? Why back to Marta's with the air conditioned bedroom and the pool. There are two houses that we are interested in but no deals have been made yet. We were here by 8 this morning and this is where I'm staying until something better comes up!!!!!

This is the living room dining room. Do I need to tell you that the owners love bright colours?

The house came with a "pool".

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Blog #13 Fun in PV

I'm writing today, Sunday, as I didn't want to spend my last full day in Mexico tomorrow writing the blog for an hour or two or three even. Today we moved nextdoor from Blue Seas to the Tropicana. Above is the entrance. Very majestic. We have a gorgeous room with a king sized bed with a fabulous view of the beach and ocean.

Tonight we intend to dine at the restaurant here. The breakfast and lunch menues looked good. At lunch time we had the thrill of friends coming to visit from home. Wow!!! It was so good to see them and catch up on all of our collective news.

PV is a town of wonderful restaurants but the other day at noon we hit on a bad one. The only good thing about it was the way they gave you your leftovers as seen above. Pretty fancy I'd say!!!

The other night we were sitting at a cafe on the Malecon. I was drinking a caramel mocka frappe and Ray was sucking back some Ameratto Capaccino when all of a sudden from the corner of my eye I think I see this baby flying past us headed to the ocean on a skate board!!! OMG!!!! I jump up, grab the camera and take persuit. Sure enough there is this little critter riding along. He had crashed into a step when I caught up with him and from the look of his face it wasn't the first time he had come to a sudden stop!!!!! Too funny!!!!!

One afternoon there was a band playing and people dancing in the middle of the afternoon!!! Never a dull moment around here!!!

Heer is Ray getting the treatment on the second pair of his shoes. My Spanish is good enough now that I was able to explain to this really nice shoeshiner that my husbands shoes were very dirty and we would be back next year to get them cleaned again. The shoes look brand new and the price for this service, less than $2 a pair. The shoeshine man got a really big tip - he deserved it!!!

Another night on the Malecon we sat on a bench to rest and I said to Ray, "I'm going to sit here until the entertainment starts." Within five minutes these guys appeared and danced up a storm for us. Now, how funny is that???

Beautiful Churches and Squares

This is the Malecon or boardwalk that goes all along the beachfront in downtown PV. We are staying in Old Town or the Romantic District and it is a fair walk to the Malecon but well worth it.

Every night we have been downtown there has been some kind of performance going on at this ampitheatre. It is a unique space and I love how so many Mexican families come to the shows. This tends to be a very touristy town.

Statues Everywhere

Sandcastles like you probably haven't built!!!!

Well, it has been an awesome winter. Thank you for being there to share the experience.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Blog #12 Puerto Vallarta (A)

We have arrived. Going to San Blas every winter feels like going home. Coming to Puerto Vallarta has given us culture shock. Good grief this place is busy. Above is the picture from my chair on the beach. Lots of vendors hawking their stuff and me buying lots of their stuff. One guy carrying gorgeous wool rugs missed me the other day so I had to call him back. He must have been in shock but afer MUCH haggling I bought one for the cabin.

See the surfer fighting for his life? This is great entertainment to watch. This weekend is a long weekend to celebrate Benito Juarez's birthday so the beach is crazy with people. I should be down their now bribing my way into a front chair!!!

The second day we were here we went to the Botanical Gardens. Delightful. Took a bus for about half an hour down the coast. Breath taking views and breath holding from the near misses with other vehicles. It was a new bus and this driver was going to be first, no matter what!!!

This hanging plant is tourquoise. Gorgeous!!!

They are trying to have an orchid collection of one hundred different varieties. I think I have killed almost that many!!! Gorgeous, gorgeous specimens. About 20-30 at this point.

Nestled in the mountains. One huge carp type in this pond but no fishermen.

On Friday we went to the Grand Mayan Resort to "have a look". Yes, I hate to tell you but it was a timeshare joint. First Class. They picked us up in a taxi. Drove us about 30 minutes to Nuevo Vallarta into the most incredible place we have ever seen. As we walked into the entrance, it was completely dark. There were 4 warriors about 60 feet tall on each side of us and a pool infront of us lit by candles. Our guide explained that they were getting ready to make a sacrafice. "Yeah," I whispered to Ray, "We are the sacrafice." I have never seen such opulance in my life. The buffet breakfast was out of this world. I had sushi and smoked salmon for breakfast. Why not, my favourite foods!!!! No more details BUT the first figure the guy writes on the paper when we finally get down to business was $277 774.00 and thats dollars not pesos. He keeps talking like he is checking on the weather when I'm going, "Woa, woa let's back up a bit here!!!" So the short story is that the 90 minute experience took 5 hours and I have had to take an oath in blood that I will never make Ray do that again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!