Yes, he is getting better. He said yesterday he might be well enough to go to dinner tonight. We'll see. I am hopeful we will be able to leave in another week or so. We are paid up here at the marina until April 13 - I want to be gone before that, but it is significantly cheaper to pay by the month.
As usual, since Mike has has this medical issue, there is not much news to report. We did our taxes ourselves this year, using turbo tax. It seemed to work pretty well, and our taxes are not complicated. It was also a lot less expensive than paying someone else to do them. I wouldn't try it if we had complicated things, I am more afraid of the IRS than I am of almost anything else I can think of off the top of my head. And I hate dealing with money stuff. I mean, I am good with money, I have never been a spendthrift and have even had accounting jobs, so I can keep good books and things like that. I never had problems with overdrawing my checking account, or running up credit card bills. But when I have to involve a third party, for some reason, I just feel all panicky and stressed out, almost like I have done something wrong and am about to get caught for it. So it is a relief to me to have this done and out of the way. Mike, of course, did all the work. I just read numbers off the page to him.
We are contemplating leaving here as soon as Mike is ready and saving the rest of the frig repair until we get to El Salvador. We have been told there are good workers down there that could do the part Mike can't, which involves "vacuming" and"charging", both of which relate to the freon or whatever sort of gas actually makes the frig cold. Or that is my understanding anyway.
So other than watching a lot of movies, we are not up to much. I am hoping to begin some adventures soon so this blog will be worth reading again. Even I am getting bored with me.
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." William Arthur Ward
Friday, March 30, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Sorry, Nothing New
Well, except for the fact Mike is getting better. He had lost faith in his original doctor, so we went for a second opinion (as to how the healing was going) to a new doctor, one who has an office at one of the big resorts here. This doctor spoke better English, which made it easier, because then Mike could answer the questions without me having to translate. (Except for Mike's tendency to ignore the call of the question and tell the doctor what he thought the doctor should know, rather than what was being asked. Mike would be a nightmare on the witness stand). This doctor was very thorough, and ended up prescribing a different antibiotic and ointment, all of which were way more expensive than the first batch, wihch hopefully means they are better and stronger. But Mike feels better with this doctor, and if he feels better, I feel better. I just want this over with, it has been hard on him.
Otherwise, except for daily trips to get ice and fresh produce (we are eating only fruits and veggies, except I get a roast chicken every couple of days) I never go anywhere and it is driving me nuts. Mike went with me to the store yesterday, after making sure I did not need a break from him. It is not him I need a break from, it is the boat itself. I really need to get out and do something, see something different, hear different things, just some sort of a change. I am dying to get the hell out of Dodge. This place is sort of a way station for cruisers - we all stop here on our way to and from Central America. It used to be this was the last stop in Mexico, but recently Port Chiapas, just the other side of the Bay of Tehuatepec, started to make it easier for cruisers to check in and out of Mexico. But it is a new process for them, and there are still some bugs in it, like taking all day to get the paperwork processed because customs, immigration, and the Port Captain are all located in different places. Here, everyone is real close together, so it is easier and quicker. You do have to make an appointment for customs to come to your boat, but the marina boss arranges it, and they don't do much of an actual inspection. Anyway, no one really spends much time here, so we are pretty much by ourselves, no friends to visit with. I might as well just admit it, I am sort of lonesome. I talk a bit with the local people, but it is not the same. I just want to get Mike better so he can finish with the frig, and then we can leave for El Salvador where our friends are. I am pretty sure we will miss all the rally activities, which is not a big deal, but I just want to get on with it. It is like leading a half life - we won't be here long enough to involve myself with things like taking classes in language or cooking or yoga or something like that, but being here more than a few days gets, well, sort of boring. It is a small town, and other than go out to eat, there is not a lot to do. Mike can't go to the beach, so that's out, and walking around sightseeing is also not an option for him, he is supposed to take it easy. I could go out by myself, but that is not really so much fun.
Geez, listen to this whining! I better sit down with myself and give myself a good lecture about how easy I really have it. After all, I could be having to get up and go to work. Or doing a lot of unpleasent chores. Or anything like that. I am not depressed or anything, just - and I hate to admit this - bored out of my mind. Maybe I should go out and get some embroidery floss or yarn and needles and start a project. Or figure out how to use the dremel tool and make jewelry out of the shells I collected this summer for that very purpose. Or start working on writing a book, something I have thought about doing ever since I was old enough to read. So I guess I have enough to keep me busy and should therefore stop whining and get to it!
"A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship is for." Unknown author
A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship is for. (Thanks Jon)
A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship is for."
Otherwise, except for daily trips to get ice and fresh produce (we are eating only fruits and veggies, except I get a roast chicken every couple of days) I never go anywhere and it is driving me nuts. Mike went with me to the store yesterday, after making sure I did not need a break from him. It is not him I need a break from, it is the boat itself. I really need to get out and do something, see something different, hear different things, just some sort of a change. I am dying to get the hell out of Dodge. This place is sort of a way station for cruisers - we all stop here on our way to and from Central America. It used to be this was the last stop in Mexico, but recently Port Chiapas, just the other side of the Bay of Tehuatepec, started to make it easier for cruisers to check in and out of Mexico. But it is a new process for them, and there are still some bugs in it, like taking all day to get the paperwork processed because customs, immigration, and the Port Captain are all located in different places. Here, everyone is real close together, so it is easier and quicker. You do have to make an appointment for customs to come to your boat, but the marina boss arranges it, and they don't do much of an actual inspection. Anyway, no one really spends much time here, so we are pretty much by ourselves, no friends to visit with. I might as well just admit it, I am sort of lonesome. I talk a bit with the local people, but it is not the same. I just want to get Mike better so he can finish with the frig, and then we can leave for El Salvador where our friends are. I am pretty sure we will miss all the rally activities, which is not a big deal, but I just want to get on with it. It is like leading a half life - we won't be here long enough to involve myself with things like taking classes in language or cooking or yoga or something like that, but being here more than a few days gets, well, sort of boring. It is a small town, and other than go out to eat, there is not a lot to do. Mike can't go to the beach, so that's out, and walking around sightseeing is also not an option for him, he is supposed to take it easy. I could go out by myself, but that is not really so much fun.
Geez, listen to this whining! I better sit down with myself and give myself a good lecture about how easy I really have it. After all, I could be having to get up and go to work. Or doing a lot of unpleasent chores. Or anything like that. I am not depressed or anything, just - and I hate to admit this - bored out of my mind. Maybe I should go out and get some embroidery floss or yarn and needles and start a project. Or figure out how to use the dremel tool and make jewelry out of the shells I collected this summer for that very purpose. Or start working on writing a book, something I have thought about doing ever since I was old enough to read. So I guess I have enough to keep me busy and should therefore stop whining and get to it!
"A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship is for." Unknown author
A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship is for. (Thanks Jon)
A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship is for."
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Getting Better
Mike is doing much better, although this appears to be a slow healing process. Our friends have already made it to El Salvador, and have filled us in on what a great place it is. I can hardly wait. Especially since the water is over 90 degrees! And there are dollar beers and a pool! And best of all our friends are there.
There isn't a lot of news here, for the obvious reason. But I have discovered jicama, a wonderful root vegetable that tastes like a cross between an apple and a potatoe. We have been slicing them up and eating them with lime juice on them. In fact, last night I had red and green bell peppers, cucumbers, and avocado with lime juice instead of salad dressing and it was delicious. I didn't actually discover jicama - I have known about it for a long time - but I never tried to do much with it. Again, a new culinary exploration in progress.
So what else can I talk about here? I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of the movie "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia." It stars Warren Oates and I think Sam Peckinpah directed. It was made about 30 years ago. I heard about it when leafing through a book of movie reviews by Siskel and Ebert. It is strange, violent at times, and wholly original. Kris Kristofferson has a small role. I have always had a really hard time finding it anywhere, and I have not met anyone except me who has ever heard of it. But if you don't mind some violence, I highly recommend it. Now its mine and I can watch it whenever I want to. I guess now my job will be to hunt down "Bridge Over the River Kwai." But in truth, the list could go on. Because we have a TV set but can't really watch TV, we watch a lot of movies that are either on our computer or on CDs or on an external hard drive. All of us cruisers have all sorts of movies on our computers, and we trade them around by transferring them from the computer to these little thumb drives or portable hard drives. Then we share them. I suppose that is breaking the law somehow, some sort of pirating law like downloading music. I hope I never get in trouble for having these movies!
The other thing I can do to keep amused, especially while Mike is down for the count, is read, read read. Of course I always did that, but never more so than now. I don't read as much as I thought I would while we are underway - after all, there is a reason why it is called "watch." You are supposed to be watching out for things, not reading. But if it is a really uneventful watch, I can sometimes read with my red flashlight, so as not to ruin my night vision with regular light.
Anyway, since there really isn't much to talk about until Mike gets better and we can finish the frig install, I will wind this up and not torture anyone needlessly with mindless chatter. I can feel myself winding up with it now - so better sign off while I am still cogniazant of how boring I might actually get. By the way, I apologise if my sogn off quote is a repeat - I try and cross them off if I have used them, and this one is not crossed off, but I have used a lot of Melville so anything is possible. Besides I like this one, especially in times like this when religion is being used as an excuse to be mean. The quote is copied exactly as I read it.
"But what is worship? - to do the will of God - THAT is worship. And what is the will of God? - to do to my fellow man what I would have my fellow man do to me - THAT is the will of God." Herman Melville
There isn't a lot of news here, for the obvious reason. But I have discovered jicama, a wonderful root vegetable that tastes like a cross between an apple and a potatoe. We have been slicing them up and eating them with lime juice on them. In fact, last night I had red and green bell peppers, cucumbers, and avocado with lime juice instead of salad dressing and it was delicious. I didn't actually discover jicama - I have known about it for a long time - but I never tried to do much with it. Again, a new culinary exploration in progress.
So what else can I talk about here? I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of the movie "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia." It stars Warren Oates and I think Sam Peckinpah directed. It was made about 30 years ago. I heard about it when leafing through a book of movie reviews by Siskel and Ebert. It is strange, violent at times, and wholly original. Kris Kristofferson has a small role. I have always had a really hard time finding it anywhere, and I have not met anyone except me who has ever heard of it. But if you don't mind some violence, I highly recommend it. Now its mine and I can watch it whenever I want to. I guess now my job will be to hunt down "Bridge Over the River Kwai." But in truth, the list could go on. Because we have a TV set but can't really watch TV, we watch a lot of movies that are either on our computer or on CDs or on an external hard drive. All of us cruisers have all sorts of movies on our computers, and we trade them around by transferring them from the computer to these little thumb drives or portable hard drives. Then we share them. I suppose that is breaking the law somehow, some sort of pirating law like downloading music. I hope I never get in trouble for having these movies!
The other thing I can do to keep amused, especially while Mike is down for the count, is read, read read. Of course I always did that, but never more so than now. I don't read as much as I thought I would while we are underway - after all, there is a reason why it is called "watch." You are supposed to be watching out for things, not reading. But if it is a really uneventful watch, I can sometimes read with my red flashlight, so as not to ruin my night vision with regular light.
Anyway, since there really isn't much to talk about until Mike gets better and we can finish the frig install, I will wind this up and not torture anyone needlessly with mindless chatter. I can feel myself winding up with it now - so better sign off while I am still cogniazant of how boring I might actually get. By the way, I apologise if my sogn off quote is a repeat - I try and cross them off if I have used them, and this one is not crossed off, but I have used a lot of Melville so anything is possible. Besides I like this one, especially in times like this when religion is being used as an excuse to be mean. The quote is copied exactly as I read it.
"But what is worship? - to do the will of God - THAT is worship. And what is the will of God? - to do to my fellow man what I would have my fellow man do to me - THAT is the will of God." Herman Melville
Thursday, March 22, 2012
If It's Not One Thing
it's another. While the frig installation was coming along swimmingly, we had to put it on hiatus because Mike had to undergo a medical procedure. I realize it is not something people usually discuss, but he had hemmorhoids. They were very painful and refused to go away, even with every home remedy and liberal use of over the counter medications. So we went to the doctor, and it was determined he needed surgery. They did the surgery on Monday night. It is now Thursday morning, and he seems to be recovering. It was pretty traumatic for everyone involved, meaning Mike and me. The surgery was done in a little clinic, that was set up like a tiny hospital, except that the conditions are not what we in the US are used to dealing with. It sort of seemed more like going to the vetrinarian's office. Also, no one spoke too much English, so I was pretty much responsible for getting all the information accross. It was nerve racking. They kept him overnight, and I stayed there with him, on a cot in his room. He was awake but under an epideral - epidermal - I don't know the correct word, but where you get a big shot in the back that deadens you from the waist down. I got to take him home Tuesday afternoon, and that night after the operation was very hard on him - he was in a lot of pain, even with the pain pills. I was afraid they were being too stingy with it, but after consulting with my sister the nurse, I realized this was the only real option for him, opiates or other narcotics would cause more problems than they would solve. Yesterday (Wednesday) he was much better, and we are waiting to see how he does today. He did sleep real well last night, that is a good sign. I hope everything is going to be okay with him - he is worried about infection but so far no signs of that, and he is on antibiotics. I am just hoping against hope that everything is okay with him. This sort of surgery is a lot more extensive than I realized - I had thought it would be more like removing warts in the doctor's office. This was pretty major. I hope all the medical professionals knew what they were doing - they talked a good game, and so far it seems like it is healing as it should, but it is scarey to be doing all this in a foreign country. And while my Spanish is pretty good, this sort of situation calls for words and phrases I don't usually have to worry about. It has been awful to see Mike in this much pain - I wish it was me instead, I feel so helpless to do anything for him.
Then there was the payment issue. WHile the whole thing was much less expensive than a similar procedure would have been in the US, it still cost over $2000.00 USD. And we had to pay in cash, as they did not take credit cards. And of course and out of the country check is out of the question - they can take weeks to clear, and there are all sorts of complications (as we were told by the guy who sold us the frig unit). But who carries that sort of cash around? And the ATMs do not let you get but a certain amount out each day. Normally when we want to pay cash for something big (like a marina bill for a month or more) we just start going to the ATM every day until we have enough. But that was not an option here. So we ended up having to take a cash advance on our credit card, something I have never had to do before. And again, something hard to negotiate in Spanish. My phrase book does not have the phrase "cash advance" listed, and oftimes these sorts of things are not translated literally. But I managed to make myself understood, and got it all handled. Mike handles our money stuff - I am perfectly capable of handling money, and we are always on the same page philosophically about it, but dealing with it makes me nervous and I hate it. But this time I did it, even when I felt my panic level rise while in the bank. And truth be told (I know this is stupid) I felt like I was doing something wrong, that I shouldn't have to take a cash advance, that only worthless spendthrifts go this route. I am glad that part is over.
I just hope and pray that we never have to go through anything like this again. All I can think of is what would have happened in a country where neither of us spoke any of the language? I guess I would have to find a translator to go with us.
So the frig installation is on hiatus for the rest of this week, which means we are not going anywhere for a couple of weeks at least. The installation was going fine - and my only problem will be making sure Mike does not try to do too much too soon. Sitting around taking it easy is not his strong suit. And because of all the running around town I have had to do, I now know this little town pretty well. I know which streets lead where, what goes through and what doesn't, how to read the addresses (they are different than in the US, more numbers and whatnot to contend with) and my vocabulary has increased. We realized that this happened to Mike at least in part because we did not pay attention to our diet, and have made the commitment to ourselves and each other to eat healthier and take better care of ourselves in general. This was no fun, especially for poor Mike. I have to add he has been a good patient and handled himself well throughout everything that happened. He was brave and did not complain and fuss needlessly, nor did he get grumpy. I think maybe we both appreciate each other a bit more now.
But otherwise - things are fine! I am looking forward to being able to do something other than complain about stuff here on the blog, believe me. The other day we saw some new birds - they were about the size of large robins or grackels, and were coal black except for the tails, which were bright yellow. We have never seen them before. There was a big flock of them going from palm tree to palm tree along the road here in the marina, and they made quite a racket talking to each other. They looked gorgeous when they spread their bright yellow tails to fly.
Mangos are in season and they are wonderful. It always amazes me that something so delicious just grows on a tree, and you don't have to add anything to it to improve the taste. One thing I have discovered is the produce down here tastes better in general than does the produce in the US. The selection is not usually as large and varied, and the fruits and veggies are not as pretty, but they taste better, more flavorful. I suspect it is because they are not being grown for their good looks.
Well, I should end this up. Mike is still sleeping, that is a good thing as he needs all he can get. He told me that when he was under the anesthetic, even though he was awake, he was in and out and at one point thought he was in one of the Mayan pyramids we visited at Chiapas. He enjoyed that part of it! Hoepfully I will have more good news to report next time I post!
"Never, never be afraid to do what is right, especially if the well being of a person or an animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way." Martin Luther King, Jr
Then there was the payment issue. WHile the whole thing was much less expensive than a similar procedure would have been in the US, it still cost over $2000.00 USD. And we had to pay in cash, as they did not take credit cards. And of course and out of the country check is out of the question - they can take weeks to clear, and there are all sorts of complications (as we were told by the guy who sold us the frig unit). But who carries that sort of cash around? And the ATMs do not let you get but a certain amount out each day. Normally when we want to pay cash for something big (like a marina bill for a month or more) we just start going to the ATM every day until we have enough. But that was not an option here. So we ended up having to take a cash advance on our credit card, something I have never had to do before. And again, something hard to negotiate in Spanish. My phrase book does not have the phrase "cash advance" listed, and oftimes these sorts of things are not translated literally. But I managed to make myself understood, and got it all handled. Mike handles our money stuff - I am perfectly capable of handling money, and we are always on the same page philosophically about it, but dealing with it makes me nervous and I hate it. But this time I did it, even when I felt my panic level rise while in the bank. And truth be told (I know this is stupid) I felt like I was doing something wrong, that I shouldn't have to take a cash advance, that only worthless spendthrifts go this route. I am glad that part is over.
I just hope and pray that we never have to go through anything like this again. All I can think of is what would have happened in a country where neither of us spoke any of the language? I guess I would have to find a translator to go with us.
So the frig installation is on hiatus for the rest of this week, which means we are not going anywhere for a couple of weeks at least. The installation was going fine - and my only problem will be making sure Mike does not try to do too much too soon. Sitting around taking it easy is not his strong suit. And because of all the running around town I have had to do, I now know this little town pretty well. I know which streets lead where, what goes through and what doesn't, how to read the addresses (they are different than in the US, more numbers and whatnot to contend with) and my vocabulary has increased. We realized that this happened to Mike at least in part because we did not pay attention to our diet, and have made the commitment to ourselves and each other to eat healthier and take better care of ourselves in general. This was no fun, especially for poor Mike. I have to add he has been a good patient and handled himself well throughout everything that happened. He was brave and did not complain and fuss needlessly, nor did he get grumpy. I think maybe we both appreciate each other a bit more now.
But otherwise - things are fine! I am looking forward to being able to do something other than complain about stuff here on the blog, believe me. The other day we saw some new birds - they were about the size of large robins or grackels, and were coal black except for the tails, which were bright yellow. We have never seen them before. There was a big flock of them going from palm tree to palm tree along the road here in the marina, and they made quite a racket talking to each other. They looked gorgeous when they spread their bright yellow tails to fly.
Mangos are in season and they are wonderful. It always amazes me that something so delicious just grows on a tree, and you don't have to add anything to it to improve the taste. One thing I have discovered is the produce down here tastes better in general than does the produce in the US. The selection is not usually as large and varied, and the fruits and veggies are not as pretty, but they taste better, more flavorful. I suspect it is because they are not being grown for their good looks.
Well, I should end this up. Mike is still sleeping, that is a good thing as he needs all he can get. He told me that when he was under the anesthetic, even though he was awake, he was in and out and at one point thought he was in one of the Mayan pyramids we visited at Chiapas. He enjoyed that part of it! Hoepfully I will have more good news to report next time I post!
"Never, never be afraid to do what is right, especially if the well being of a person or an animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way." Martin Luther King, Jr
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Dreams
I had a really awful one last night - or should I say this morning. It was just bizarre and involved me agreeing to be adopted by this couple in juvenile court. I won't go on and on because only my fellow child welfare workers and attorneys would get all the nuances, but it was a horrible dream and I woke up and it took Mike awhile to calm me down. Sometimes if I wake up abruptly in the middle of a bad dream I have a hard time getting back to normal. Sort of like little kids with night terrors. It's like I am sort of half in the dream and half in real life, even though by that point I am wide awake, well aware that I am awake, and well aware that it was "only a dream." I kept losing my shoes in the dream, and that is a recurring theme for me in dreams. (These were nice shoes, too!)
All the stuff for the frig (my sister told me it is supposed to be "fridge" instead of "frig" and she is right but I am not going to change it) is here and Mike spent yesterday taking stuff apart and is very optimistic that (A) he can get the new unit in and (B) that it will be a great new frig, better than the last one in many ways. The freezer unit is bigger, that means we can keep some ice trays as well as frozen meat. I am looking forward to that!
I am also looking forward to moving on. I am sad in a lot of ways about leaving Mexico, but it is time to start something new. Mexico has always been a comfortable place for me,ever since I started going to Ensenada when I was 16 years old. I like it here, I feel like I belong here, and the culture is easy for me to fall into. People seem to like me a lot, not just going after my gringo money, either. It will be different in Central America, even though they speak Spanish everywhere except Belize, and they speak English there. But the culture will be different, the food will be different, and so will the people. I am excited about it. And a bit nervous too. I have no idea if they like Americans down there - I am told that Americans are popular in El Salvador, although they must therefore be a very forgiving populace because we supported a bad dictatorship that plunged the country into an almost 20 year civil war, from which they are just now emerging. So I don't think I would like us under those circumstances, but again, we are also welcome in Vietnam, so what do I know? Maybe someday Afghanistan will be a vacation hot spot. I don't think that is very likely.
I won't talk politics here anymore, I will save it for Facebook. I am really a coward and afraid of pissing people off. Small wonder I have never and never will run for office. Besides the hoardes of skeletons just waiting to come out of my closet, my feelings get hurt easily, I am very volatile, and I hate to have people mad at me. So that pretty much keeps me out of the heart of things. I do, however, stand by everything I have said so far, and will always stand up for women and women's issues.
Other than fussing over the new frig we are not up to a whole lot. Our friends on Sundancer headed out and we already miss them, but will reunite in El Salvador soon. I have been getting excited about cooking again, and last night I made enchiladas with sauce that I made from scratch. I had planned to use canned sauce, but discovered I didn't have any. So I dug out a bag of dried peppers I had been storing for I don't know how long - maybe as much as a year - and along with spices, whipped up a batch. It was wonderful if I do say so myself. I was very proud, because oftimes Mike ends up hating my experimental food and he really liked this. I hope I can remember all I did - just boiled up the peppers until they were glop, strained the pepper pulp out, added salt, cumin, a little sugar and a little coriander, and then chopped and rechopped and chopped and rechopped (we have no blender but I am getting one today) some of the pulp to thicken it up. As I said, the results were fantastic and I was really proud of myself. I was worried that I had lost the ability to cook, other than a few things like spaghetti, chili, and chicken caccitore, but apparently not, and now I am inspired to keep going. We are trying to eat less meat and eat healthier, so this will be a good challenge. I was a vegan for almost two years, and I made a lot of really good meatless things back then, so I should be able to come up with some new and exciting things for us to eat.
I also found a recipe for hibiscus flower jam, which I discovered when we stayed at a B&B in Oaxaca. The place was called "El Diablo y La Sandia", which literally means "The Devil and The Watermelon." The proprietoress, Maria, made this jam herself and I went crazy for it. I bought a jar and it is going fast, because I use it on my pancakes instead of syrup. So I looked for a recipe, found one, and I think I will make it more like syrup because I use it that way. They use hibiscus flowers a lot down here - also called "flor de jamaica" - for a lot of different things, including drinks. It was easy to get a big bag of dried ones from one of the little fruiterias. I have discovered that the little fruit and vegetable places have a better selection of produce than the supermarket here in town. Plus they are more fun to shop at. You buy veggies from the produce stand, meat at the meat stand, and tortillas from the makers (wrapped in paper and still hot), all at a big central market. The meat stand is a bit daunting, because you have to choose your cut from a big hunk of meat just hanging there. A lot of gringos won't buy meat that way because they are worried about germs and stuff - food storage at those places is VERY different than what you will find at a supermarket in the US - but so far I have not been sick, so I guess it is okay so far. In fact, I have eaten street vendors ever since I have been down here and have not been sick once. Mike has, but not me. However, the doctor told me I have to take my anti-worm pills (for lack of a better term) if Mike is sick, because we live together. I did not ask questions, and if he has to take a pill, I will do so as well. But I have had no symptoms ever. Our nephew got sick almost right away the first time he was here, and Mike has been sick twice. And both those times did not involve any meat from those markets, because we were eating out a lot then. But not me, and I am proud of that. I take my triumphs where I can find them.
So again, probably not the most exciting blog post I have ever written. I was going to go into detail about my bad dream, but decided not to drag everyone through that. Besides, I want to forget about it. Just don't ever agree to an adult adoption.
"The passage itself should be one of the pleasures of the cruise." Bill Crealock (sailboat designer)
All the stuff for the frig (my sister told me it is supposed to be "fridge" instead of "frig" and she is right but I am not going to change it) is here and Mike spent yesterday taking stuff apart and is very optimistic that (A) he can get the new unit in and (B) that it will be a great new frig, better than the last one in many ways. The freezer unit is bigger, that means we can keep some ice trays as well as frozen meat. I am looking forward to that!
I am also looking forward to moving on. I am sad in a lot of ways about leaving Mexico, but it is time to start something new. Mexico has always been a comfortable place for me,ever since I started going to Ensenada when I was 16 years old. I like it here, I feel like I belong here, and the culture is easy for me to fall into. People seem to like me a lot, not just going after my gringo money, either. It will be different in Central America, even though they speak Spanish everywhere except Belize, and they speak English there. But the culture will be different, the food will be different, and so will the people. I am excited about it. And a bit nervous too. I have no idea if they like Americans down there - I am told that Americans are popular in El Salvador, although they must therefore be a very forgiving populace because we supported a bad dictatorship that plunged the country into an almost 20 year civil war, from which they are just now emerging. So I don't think I would like us under those circumstances, but again, we are also welcome in Vietnam, so what do I know? Maybe someday Afghanistan will be a vacation hot spot. I don't think that is very likely.
I won't talk politics here anymore, I will save it for Facebook. I am really a coward and afraid of pissing people off. Small wonder I have never and never will run for office. Besides the hoardes of skeletons just waiting to come out of my closet, my feelings get hurt easily, I am very volatile, and I hate to have people mad at me. So that pretty much keeps me out of the heart of things. I do, however, stand by everything I have said so far, and will always stand up for women and women's issues.
Other than fussing over the new frig we are not up to a whole lot. Our friends on Sundancer headed out and we already miss them, but will reunite in El Salvador soon. I have been getting excited about cooking again, and last night I made enchiladas with sauce that I made from scratch. I had planned to use canned sauce, but discovered I didn't have any. So I dug out a bag of dried peppers I had been storing for I don't know how long - maybe as much as a year - and along with spices, whipped up a batch. It was wonderful if I do say so myself. I was very proud, because oftimes Mike ends up hating my experimental food and he really liked this. I hope I can remember all I did - just boiled up the peppers until they were glop, strained the pepper pulp out, added salt, cumin, a little sugar and a little coriander, and then chopped and rechopped and chopped and rechopped (we have no blender but I am getting one today) some of the pulp to thicken it up. As I said, the results were fantastic and I was really proud of myself. I was worried that I had lost the ability to cook, other than a few things like spaghetti, chili, and chicken caccitore, but apparently not, and now I am inspired to keep going. We are trying to eat less meat and eat healthier, so this will be a good challenge. I was a vegan for almost two years, and I made a lot of really good meatless things back then, so I should be able to come up with some new and exciting things for us to eat.
I also found a recipe for hibiscus flower jam, which I discovered when we stayed at a B&B in Oaxaca. The place was called "El Diablo y La Sandia", which literally means "The Devil and The Watermelon." The proprietoress, Maria, made this jam herself and I went crazy for it. I bought a jar and it is going fast, because I use it on my pancakes instead of syrup. So I looked for a recipe, found one, and I think I will make it more like syrup because I use it that way. They use hibiscus flowers a lot down here - also called "flor de jamaica" - for a lot of different things, including drinks. It was easy to get a big bag of dried ones from one of the little fruiterias. I have discovered that the little fruit and vegetable places have a better selection of produce than the supermarket here in town. Plus they are more fun to shop at. You buy veggies from the produce stand, meat at the meat stand, and tortillas from the makers (wrapped in paper and still hot), all at a big central market. The meat stand is a bit daunting, because you have to choose your cut from a big hunk of meat just hanging there. A lot of gringos won't buy meat that way because they are worried about germs and stuff - food storage at those places is VERY different than what you will find at a supermarket in the US - but so far I have not been sick, so I guess it is okay so far. In fact, I have eaten street vendors ever since I have been down here and have not been sick once. Mike has, but not me. However, the doctor told me I have to take my anti-worm pills (for lack of a better term) if Mike is sick, because we live together. I did not ask questions, and if he has to take a pill, I will do so as well. But I have had no symptoms ever. Our nephew got sick almost right away the first time he was here, and Mike has been sick twice. And both those times did not involve any meat from those markets, because we were eating out a lot then. But not me, and I am proud of that. I take my triumphs where I can find them.
So again, probably not the most exciting blog post I have ever written. I was going to go into detail about my bad dream, but decided not to drag everyone through that. Besides, I want to forget about it. Just don't ever agree to an adult adoption.
"The passage itself should be one of the pleasures of the cruise." Bill Crealock (sailboat designer)
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Out of Cyberspace
Yaaay!!!!! The wire transfer made it to the proper account (I was REALLY worried about this) and now the new unit is on its way. According to the DHL tracking number, it is at the Mexico City sorting facility. I am hoping it will arrive tomorrow.
Once the unit is here, we can think about leaving for El Salvador. We do plan to get it installed here, with Mike doing the majority of the work, and Senor Emilio doing that which Mike lacks the tools and/or the know-how. For example, there is a matter of "vacuuming" which has to do with getting the freon from the old unit to the new one, or something like that, and it takes special tools. We thought about hunting Senor Emilio down today, but decided to wait until the unit is here so we know what we will need him for. I am really anxious for this whole process to be finished. I am also aware that if Senor Emilio can't help us, we will just take it on down to El Salvador and get it installed there. We have heard from reliable sources that this can be accomplished as there are frig guys that work with the equipment on the fishing boats.
Yesterday I had a great girls-day-out with a friend here - the plan was simply for grocery shopping and a trip to the ferreteria (hardware store) but we ended up stopping for "a beer" and ended up with several beers and the sort of great heart-to-heart one can only have with a sister or a really good girlfriend. It really did me good and I feel truly grateful for good friends like Heather.
It is starting to get really hot and humid and I know it will only increase as we get closer and closer to the equator. The good part is that I am starting to acclimate again. The last two times I walked around during the day I noticed that although I was hot and sweaty, I wasn't uncomfortable. Wet and drippy yes, but not miserable and uncomfortable. I consider that a success.
Other than waiting for the frig unit to arrive, we have not been up to anything exciting since we got back from Chiapas. Like I said before, it is not all thrills and excitement here on the waterfront. I have been experimenting with some new recipes, because Mike and I decided we needed to eat better. I have used the lack of a frig to allow us to eat out way more often than we should - not from a financial perspective, but rather from a health perspective. In Mexico, the emphasis is on meat, meat, and more meat, along with some beans, cheese, and tortillas. Veggies are given short shrift, at least in standard restaurant meals. I for one am tired of being fat, and getting enough exercise is always hard, when your living space is tiny and it is too hot for a lot of outdoor exercise, my new-found lack of discomfort not withstanding. So it is time for an eating paradign shift, and I am actually looking forward to it. The stores here do not have the variety of vegetables one finds in US supermarkets, and you pretty much have to take what is offered. There are almost always tomatoes, various peppers, and chayote squash, but everything else is there sometimes and not other times. For example, there was no lettuce at all available yesterday, nor was there any cabbage or other greens, except for some spinach that was really wilted and not worth buying. There were three (yes, only three) heads of broccoli, and two of them were well past their prime. I did find some avocados that will be ready in a couple days, and some nice onions.
However, there is one thing here that is hard to find in the US for a decent price and that is soy protein, like they use to make meatless hamburgers and things like that. I like to use this in chili and spaghetti and things like that, but in the US it is really expensive and hard to find. Here it is sold out of large bins and is very reasonably priced, so I have it at the ready. It also does not need to be refrigerated and keeps for a long time if stored in a good sturdy plastic bag. Mike likes it and it makes a lot of meals a lot healthier. I also started adding oatmeal to pancakes, which besides making them healthier also makes them heartier. I now eat them with this incredible hibiscus flower jam I bought from the bed and breakfast we stayed at in Oaxaca, but I am going to have to learn to make this jam because my jar will not last forever. It is by far the best jam I have ever had. I sent an email to the propriortess of the B&B and begged for either the recipe or at least a push in the right direction. It is so good I would not blame her in the least if she keeps it secret.
I have made a real effort to keep politics out of this blog, but I have to admit I am very unhappy about the way things are going in the US. It seems like we are being dragged back into the fifties - are we women REALLY having to fight all over again for something as simple and mainstream as birth control? Seriously? I read today that some dimwit in Arizona wants to pass a law requiring women to get a statement from a doctor that birth control is being used only for "medical purposes" and that an employer is entitled to have that information. I have no idea what that would accomplish. It seems like someone somewhere still believes that sex is only for procreative purposes, and unless we are trying actively to have a baby, we should not be allowed to have sex, even if we are married and already have kids. What sort of crap is this? Why is it my boss's business? I am really upset about all this. And the wierd part is that the people espousing this are the same people complaining about wanting less government and wanting government out of their business. These same people complain that employers have the "right" to determine what sort of things are covered by people's medical insurance, the argument being that it is against their religious beliefs for women to use birth control, and since they pay part of the premium, their rights trump a woman's right to use birth control if she wants to do so unless she pays for it out of pocket. And then these same people are totally against the government providing health care. Why don't they just be honest and admit they want to make all the rules according to their religious beliefs? To me, that sounds like sharia law. Scary stuff.
OK, I am off the soapbox. I guess because this is my blog, I can say whatever I want to. If someone is so angered by this that he or she stops reading, well, I guess I will have to deal with that, although it is hard for me to think that I upset someone to the point they no longer want anything to do with me.
So I am going to get back to the peace and quiet I can have here, because I don't have to read the news if I don't want to or if I find it too upsetting. Right now I am going to kick back with a cold beer.
"Terra incognita, as I had seen it until then, meant free of complications. That terra incognita could present its own complications had never occurred to me." Joan Didion
Once the unit is here, we can think about leaving for El Salvador. We do plan to get it installed here, with Mike doing the majority of the work, and Senor Emilio doing that which Mike lacks the tools and/or the know-how. For example, there is a matter of "vacuuming" which has to do with getting the freon from the old unit to the new one, or something like that, and it takes special tools. We thought about hunting Senor Emilio down today, but decided to wait until the unit is here so we know what we will need him for. I am really anxious for this whole process to be finished. I am also aware that if Senor Emilio can't help us, we will just take it on down to El Salvador and get it installed there. We have heard from reliable sources that this can be accomplished as there are frig guys that work with the equipment on the fishing boats.
Yesterday I had a great girls-day-out with a friend here - the plan was simply for grocery shopping and a trip to the ferreteria (hardware store) but we ended up stopping for "a beer" and ended up with several beers and the sort of great heart-to-heart one can only have with a sister or a really good girlfriend. It really did me good and I feel truly grateful for good friends like Heather.
It is starting to get really hot and humid and I know it will only increase as we get closer and closer to the equator. The good part is that I am starting to acclimate again. The last two times I walked around during the day I noticed that although I was hot and sweaty, I wasn't uncomfortable. Wet and drippy yes, but not miserable and uncomfortable. I consider that a success.
Other than waiting for the frig unit to arrive, we have not been up to anything exciting since we got back from Chiapas. Like I said before, it is not all thrills and excitement here on the waterfront. I have been experimenting with some new recipes, because Mike and I decided we needed to eat better. I have used the lack of a frig to allow us to eat out way more often than we should - not from a financial perspective, but rather from a health perspective. In Mexico, the emphasis is on meat, meat, and more meat, along with some beans, cheese, and tortillas. Veggies are given short shrift, at least in standard restaurant meals. I for one am tired of being fat, and getting enough exercise is always hard, when your living space is tiny and it is too hot for a lot of outdoor exercise, my new-found lack of discomfort not withstanding. So it is time for an eating paradign shift, and I am actually looking forward to it. The stores here do not have the variety of vegetables one finds in US supermarkets, and you pretty much have to take what is offered. There are almost always tomatoes, various peppers, and chayote squash, but everything else is there sometimes and not other times. For example, there was no lettuce at all available yesterday, nor was there any cabbage or other greens, except for some spinach that was really wilted and not worth buying. There were three (yes, only three) heads of broccoli, and two of them were well past their prime. I did find some avocados that will be ready in a couple days, and some nice onions.
However, there is one thing here that is hard to find in the US for a decent price and that is soy protein, like they use to make meatless hamburgers and things like that. I like to use this in chili and spaghetti and things like that, but in the US it is really expensive and hard to find. Here it is sold out of large bins and is very reasonably priced, so I have it at the ready. It also does not need to be refrigerated and keeps for a long time if stored in a good sturdy plastic bag. Mike likes it and it makes a lot of meals a lot healthier. I also started adding oatmeal to pancakes, which besides making them healthier also makes them heartier. I now eat them with this incredible hibiscus flower jam I bought from the bed and breakfast we stayed at in Oaxaca, but I am going to have to learn to make this jam because my jar will not last forever. It is by far the best jam I have ever had. I sent an email to the propriortess of the B&B and begged for either the recipe or at least a push in the right direction. It is so good I would not blame her in the least if she keeps it secret.
I have made a real effort to keep politics out of this blog, but I have to admit I am very unhappy about the way things are going in the US. It seems like we are being dragged back into the fifties - are we women REALLY having to fight all over again for something as simple and mainstream as birth control? Seriously? I read today that some dimwit in Arizona wants to pass a law requiring women to get a statement from a doctor that birth control is being used only for "medical purposes" and that an employer is entitled to have that information. I have no idea what that would accomplish. It seems like someone somewhere still believes that sex is only for procreative purposes, and unless we are trying actively to have a baby, we should not be allowed to have sex, even if we are married and already have kids. What sort of crap is this? Why is it my boss's business? I am really upset about all this. And the wierd part is that the people espousing this are the same people complaining about wanting less government and wanting government out of their business. These same people complain that employers have the "right" to determine what sort of things are covered by people's medical insurance, the argument being that it is against their religious beliefs for women to use birth control, and since they pay part of the premium, their rights trump a woman's right to use birth control if she wants to do so unless she pays for it out of pocket. And then these same people are totally against the government providing health care. Why don't they just be honest and admit they want to make all the rules according to their religious beliefs? To me, that sounds like sharia law. Scary stuff.
OK, I am off the soapbox. I guess because this is my blog, I can say whatever I want to. If someone is so angered by this that he or she stops reading, well, I guess I will have to deal with that, although it is hard for me to think that I upset someone to the point they no longer want anything to do with me.
So I am going to get back to the peace and quiet I can have here, because I don't have to read the news if I don't want to or if I find it too upsetting. Right now I am going to kick back with a cold beer.
"Terra incognita, as I had seen it until then, meant free of complications. That terra incognita could present its own complications had never occurred to me." Joan Didion
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Cautiously Optimistic
That is how I am feeling about the refrigeration issue. The wire transfer is in progress - our account has been debited and now it is up to the other bank and to the grace of God. I hope all that money does not get lost in cyberspace.
Otherwise, there is no real news here. Actually, but for the frig drama, it has been pretty mundane. A lot of people have left here for El Salvador and we will be following soon once the frig is in. I was really excited to look at this one-line sailing publication I read and to see a picture of some friends of ours that we know are headed to the Marquesas. There is a sailing rally known as the Pacific Puddle Jump, which is for people sailing over there with departure points from Puerta Vallarta and Panama. Our friends are in Panama, ready to go. Mike and I hope that will be us this time next year.
Sometimes I think "Well, there is nothing exciting to report", but then I realize if I want to provide a proper and accurate description of the cruising life, I have to put it all down, even when it is not particularly interesting. Or possibly actually boring. There are days when I really just do household chores, wonder what to fix for dinner, help Mike rinse down the boat, and stuff like that. This is one of those days. Mike is out with a friend in the dinghy, checking out a new place for the friends to anchor, and I am writing this, all the while thinking I should really be straightening up the cabin and putting away the clean laundry that was just delivered. (This is one of the awesome parts of marina living down here. There is always someone who will pick up dirty laundry and then deliver it clean back to the boats. But today I suffered an injury while answering the laundry lady's knock on the side of my hull - I forgot I had the top hatch pulled shut and bumped my head HARD. I am glad no one was around to witness it. I hate doing stupid things like that and I do them all the time.
Now on the subject of laundry - it has been a mystery to me how the people down here manage to wear white all the time and keep it not only clean, but absolutely WHITE. And they do not reek of bleach. It is really amazing. I don't have one white t-shirt that is not completely sweat-stained to the point I can't wear them anywhere except on the boat, and perferably while underway. I would give anything for the secret, because once a t-shirt gets stained like that, it does not come out, even if soaked in pure clorox. And using a lot of bleach wears out the fabric really fast. So if anyone out there has a good way to deal with this, I will be eternally grateful. I was remembering when I was in seventh grade, and it was a huge insult for someone to come up and ask you "Sweat much?" And a girl of questionable morals was referred to as a "sweat." Not the later-famous term "sweathog," but simply "sweat." I think that is part of the reason I have always been sort of obsessed about not ever letting anyone see me in a shirt with that sort of stain. I guess I have too much time on my hands if I can sit around here thinking about stuff like that.
OK, here is some news. Those of you in the cold parts of the world may have heard of curling. Not getting one's hair done, rather, curling is a sport played on ice that at first glance looks a lot like shuffleboard. It is very big in Canada. When I was in college in Wisconsin, I knew people who played it. I had no interest. After that, I never heard of it again. But now that I am in hot, humid, southern mexico, I have become a fan. Why? Well, it is simple. One of the closest restaurant/bars near the marina here is owned by a Canadian. There are a bunch of TV sets and all of them will be showing hockey or curling pretty much every night. They are airing the March madnes games, and sometimes soccer is on, but the place (aptly named "Senor Puck's") is pretty much curling central. And against my better judgment, I have become interested. Especially in the women's league. They launch this heavy round thing that looks like a flat piece of granite with a handle down the ice (simply referred to as a stone), sort of like very carefully giving a bowling ball a gentle push down the lane. Then two people run along side of the stone as it heads down the ice in a straight line, quickly sweeping in front of it with little brooms. I think the sweeping is to influence where it goes without actually touching it. Sort of like how the goalie in hockey roughs up the area in front of the net to slow the puck, although this seems to be to smooth the path instead. The stone then comes to rest in a sort of bulls-eye like place, the object apparently being to knock your opponent's stone out of the bulls-eye while keeping yours in close to the center of the bulls-eye, like in darts. In fact, it reminds me of a cross between darts and shuffleboard, with a dash of bowling thrown in for good measure. And the players don't do it on skates, just some sort of shoes. I think it is amazing that after growing up in a cold climate, I had to come here to learn about it.
So, that will be all for today. I guess I need to stop fooling around on the computer and actually get something done. Keep a good thought for my frig money floating around in cyberspace that it lands safely in the frig guy's bank account!
"On the sea there is a tradition older even than the traditions of the country itself and wiser in its age than this new custom. It is the tradition that with responsibility goes authority and with them accountability.
...for men will not long trust leaders who feel themselves beyond accountability for what they do.
...And when men lose confidence and trust in those who lead, order disintegrates into chaos and purposeful ships into uncontrollable derelicts."
Otherwise, there is no real news here. Actually, but for the frig drama, it has been pretty mundane. A lot of people have left here for El Salvador and we will be following soon once the frig is in. I was really excited to look at this one-line sailing publication I read and to see a picture of some friends of ours that we know are headed to the Marquesas. There is a sailing rally known as the Pacific Puddle Jump, which is for people sailing over there with departure points from Puerta Vallarta and Panama. Our friends are in Panama, ready to go. Mike and I hope that will be us this time next year.
Sometimes I think "Well, there is nothing exciting to report", but then I realize if I want to provide a proper and accurate description of the cruising life, I have to put it all down, even when it is not particularly interesting. Or possibly actually boring. There are days when I really just do household chores, wonder what to fix for dinner, help Mike rinse down the boat, and stuff like that. This is one of those days. Mike is out with a friend in the dinghy, checking out a new place for the friends to anchor, and I am writing this, all the while thinking I should really be straightening up the cabin and putting away the clean laundry that was just delivered. (This is one of the awesome parts of marina living down here. There is always someone who will pick up dirty laundry and then deliver it clean back to the boats. But today I suffered an injury while answering the laundry lady's knock on the side of my hull - I forgot I had the top hatch pulled shut and bumped my head HARD. I am glad no one was around to witness it. I hate doing stupid things like that and I do them all the time.
Now on the subject of laundry - it has been a mystery to me how the people down here manage to wear white all the time and keep it not only clean, but absolutely WHITE. And they do not reek of bleach. It is really amazing. I don't have one white t-shirt that is not completely sweat-stained to the point I can't wear them anywhere except on the boat, and perferably while underway. I would give anything for the secret, because once a t-shirt gets stained like that, it does not come out, even if soaked in pure clorox. And using a lot of bleach wears out the fabric really fast. So if anyone out there has a good way to deal with this, I will be eternally grateful. I was remembering when I was in seventh grade, and it was a huge insult for someone to come up and ask you "Sweat much?" And a girl of questionable morals was referred to as a "sweat." Not the later-famous term "sweathog," but simply "sweat." I think that is part of the reason I have always been sort of obsessed about not ever letting anyone see me in a shirt with that sort of stain. I guess I have too much time on my hands if I can sit around here thinking about stuff like that.
OK, here is some news. Those of you in the cold parts of the world may have heard of curling. Not getting one's hair done, rather, curling is a sport played on ice that at first glance looks a lot like shuffleboard. It is very big in Canada. When I was in college in Wisconsin, I knew people who played it. I had no interest. After that, I never heard of it again. But now that I am in hot, humid, southern mexico, I have become a fan. Why? Well, it is simple. One of the closest restaurant/bars near the marina here is owned by a Canadian. There are a bunch of TV sets and all of them will be showing hockey or curling pretty much every night. They are airing the March madnes games, and sometimes soccer is on, but the place (aptly named "Senor Puck's") is pretty much curling central. And against my better judgment, I have become interested. Especially in the women's league. They launch this heavy round thing that looks like a flat piece of granite with a handle down the ice (simply referred to as a stone), sort of like very carefully giving a bowling ball a gentle push down the lane. Then two people run along side of the stone as it heads down the ice in a straight line, quickly sweeping in front of it with little brooms. I think the sweeping is to influence where it goes without actually touching it. Sort of like how the goalie in hockey roughs up the area in front of the net to slow the puck, although this seems to be to smooth the path instead. The stone then comes to rest in a sort of bulls-eye like place, the object apparently being to knock your opponent's stone out of the bulls-eye while keeping yours in close to the center of the bulls-eye, like in darts. In fact, it reminds me of a cross between darts and shuffleboard, with a dash of bowling thrown in for good measure. And the players don't do it on skates, just some sort of shoes. I think it is amazing that after growing up in a cold climate, I had to come here to learn about it.
So, that will be all for today. I guess I need to stop fooling around on the computer and actually get something done. Keep a good thought for my frig money floating around in cyberspace that it lands safely in the frig guy's bank account!
"On the sea there is a tradition older even than the traditions of the country itself and wiser in its age than this new custom. It is the tradition that with responsibility goes authority and with them accountability.
...for men will not long trust leaders who feel themselves beyond accountability for what they do.
...And when men lose confidence and trust in those who lead, order disintegrates into chaos and purposeful ships into uncontrollable derelicts."
"On The Collision of Wasp and Hobson"
Wall Street Journal - Editorial 14 May 1952
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Days of WHINE and WOESES
Ok, I am only sorry about the bad pun. But sometimes one's patience is tried, even when everything seems to be perfect. This refrigerator crap may just be the death of me.
We were pretty much convinced our only option was to have a unit shipped to the US, and then to go and get it and shlep it down here in our luggage. We have done that before, with our watermaker, and believe me, it was a nightmare on many levels, hauling incredibly luggage around from the hotel to the border to the hotel to the bus to the ferry and then to the marina, explaining over and over again to customs and transportation officials what we were hauling and why we were hauling it, and so on and so on, often in Spanish. So we did not want to have to do that again, and when we got new solar panels and our new windlass we contacted a shipping agent and had them shipped. This was convenient, but the cost was astornomical. And this shipping is going to be worse, because we are in a more remote area. And although these are replacement parts, and therefore not supposed to be subject to Mexican import taxes, it never works out that way EXCEPT through a shipping agent. The solar panels and the windlass were very expensive, and the tariffs would have been high, so the agent's expenses worked out to a slight savings. It would NOT have worked out with the watermaker, and we wanted to go to the US anyway, so the hassle and discomfort was worth saving the money.
This is not the case here, and the cost-benefit analysis showed it to be way too high to use the agent option or to go up there and drag it back ourselves. We are not planning a trip anyway, and the airfare is much higher from here in Huatulco than it was from Mazatlan. The frig unit is not as expensive as the other things were, so the agent's fee would be prohibitive. Our paperwork regarding the fact it is indeed a replacement unit is not as clear as it was for the other stuff, so we would have to pay full taariffs. We finally found someone in Mazatlan who sells these units, and he agreed to sell us one, ship it, and be available on line and by phone to help Mike with the install. He has a good reputation, so we were stoked by this good news. Then we discovered he does not take credit cards. OK, not a tragedy. His suggestion was that we deposit a check in his bank account (there are branches of his bank here, and this is not that unusual for a business practice in Mexico). So that sounded ok, and in the hot sticky weather we dragged ourselves (OK I dragged myself, Mike is always fine no matter how hot it is) to the bank and happily wrote out our check, only to discover that we can only write checks in dollars, and his account will only accept pesos. So back home we go, dripping sweat all the way. (Is there anyone on the face of the planet who is not by this time aware that I have issues with hot weather? Yet I choose to live in the tropics? What sort of cognitive dissidence [or is it dissonence? I can't remember] is this?) We toyed with the idea of going to an ATM every day for seven days, getting out the max, and then depositing cash in the account after aquiring the entire amount, but who wants to walk around with that much cash on them? Not acceptable. Then I thought maybe we could contact our bank and do a wire transfer. No problem, they say, just come on in and we will do that, the amount I wanted was too high to be done via telephone. I informed them I could not come to the bank (credit union, really) because I was out of the country. No problem - put it in writing, sign the request three separate times, be sure to note that I am aware there is a $25.00 fee, and all will be well. They said to scan the request and send it to them in an email as an attachment. Good! Problem solved! Except - their email would not accept our attachment as it was not in one of the three formats they would accept. And of course there was no way we could figure out (and Mike is good with this sort of thing on the computer because he used to have to do it at work)how to convert our attachment to one of the formats they would accept. And of course we worked on it for hours. THEN, when I called to find out if they could accept it by fax, we were informed we were missing a vital piece of information and they could not tell us how to get it, except to contact the bank here in Mexico where the transfer was going. The bank told me I had to call Mexico City. So I did. By this time it is late afternoon on a Friday, and the only person (apparently) who handles this stuff was not available. So we called our bank again, only to discover that we had the correct information all along, and had been steered wrong when we were told the cryptic numbers we had were not sufficient. So back we go into the hot sticky weather, this time I am determined to keep a cheerful continence. Which I did quite well, especially since we stopped for a cold beer in the process. The bright side was that is cost only 8 pesos (less than a dollar) to send the international fax from one of those public places that also serve as internet cafes. Now the only thing is to hope and pray the fax got to the right person at our bank in the International Wire Transfer Department, and that person is not out sick or on vacation, and that the transfer goes through in a timely fashion. All of this and we still have to deal with installation and hope that the refirgerator guy down here in Huatulco, Senor Emilio, can do the parts that Mike lacks the equipment to do. I am completely worn out mentally from this whole process. I don't have the most even temperament under the best of circumstances (ask anyone who knows me well) and this sort of thing does nothing to help me maintain a nice, sunny, Pollyanna-ish attitude - and attitude I aspire to obtain and maintain. I do not handle frustration well at all.
So now we wait. Of course we won't even be able to get any confirmation as to whether the request was recieved, let alone if it was sufficient, until Monday. I am planning to put the whole thing out of my mind until then. SERENITY NOW!!!!!! (Apologies to George Constanza's father.)
But all is not merely frustration here. We had our friends from Sundancer over last night for chili and bolillos ( nice crusty fresh baked rolls) and we had a great time. Everyone had seconds on my chili, which is nice because without a frig, we are in no shape to maintain leftovers very well and it was all gone. I always judge my cooking abilities on whether or not there are leftovers. If my dish that I bring to a potluck is not completely gone at the end of the evening, I feel like a failure. So that means I was successful last night. The nonfunctioning frig does act well as an icebox, so we do get to have cold beer and keep a few things around.
Anyway - that is enough complaining from me. Til next time!
"To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult of all." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
We were pretty much convinced our only option was to have a unit shipped to the US, and then to go and get it and shlep it down here in our luggage. We have done that before, with our watermaker, and believe me, it was a nightmare on many levels, hauling incredibly luggage around from the hotel to the border to the hotel to the bus to the ferry and then to the marina, explaining over and over again to customs and transportation officials what we were hauling and why we were hauling it, and so on and so on, often in Spanish. So we did not want to have to do that again, and when we got new solar panels and our new windlass we contacted a shipping agent and had them shipped. This was convenient, but the cost was astornomical. And this shipping is going to be worse, because we are in a more remote area. And although these are replacement parts, and therefore not supposed to be subject to Mexican import taxes, it never works out that way EXCEPT through a shipping agent. The solar panels and the windlass were very expensive, and the tariffs would have been high, so the agent's expenses worked out to a slight savings. It would NOT have worked out with the watermaker, and we wanted to go to the US anyway, so the hassle and discomfort was worth saving the money.
This is not the case here, and the cost-benefit analysis showed it to be way too high to use the agent option or to go up there and drag it back ourselves. We are not planning a trip anyway, and the airfare is much higher from here in Huatulco than it was from Mazatlan. The frig unit is not as expensive as the other things were, so the agent's fee would be prohibitive. Our paperwork regarding the fact it is indeed a replacement unit is not as clear as it was for the other stuff, so we would have to pay full taariffs. We finally found someone in Mazatlan who sells these units, and he agreed to sell us one, ship it, and be available on line and by phone to help Mike with the install. He has a good reputation, so we were stoked by this good news. Then we discovered he does not take credit cards. OK, not a tragedy. His suggestion was that we deposit a check in his bank account (there are branches of his bank here, and this is not that unusual for a business practice in Mexico). So that sounded ok, and in the hot sticky weather we dragged ourselves (OK I dragged myself, Mike is always fine no matter how hot it is) to the bank and happily wrote out our check, only to discover that we can only write checks in dollars, and his account will only accept pesos. So back home we go, dripping sweat all the way. (Is there anyone on the face of the planet who is not by this time aware that I have issues with hot weather? Yet I choose to live in the tropics? What sort of cognitive dissidence [or is it dissonence? I can't remember] is this?) We toyed with the idea of going to an ATM every day for seven days, getting out the max, and then depositing cash in the account after aquiring the entire amount, but who wants to walk around with that much cash on them? Not acceptable. Then I thought maybe we could contact our bank and do a wire transfer. No problem, they say, just come on in and we will do that, the amount I wanted was too high to be done via telephone. I informed them I could not come to the bank (credit union, really) because I was out of the country. No problem - put it in writing, sign the request three separate times, be sure to note that I am aware there is a $25.00 fee, and all will be well. They said to scan the request and send it to them in an email as an attachment. Good! Problem solved! Except - their email would not accept our attachment as it was not in one of the three formats they would accept. And of course there was no way we could figure out (and Mike is good with this sort of thing on the computer because he used to have to do it at work)how to convert our attachment to one of the formats they would accept. And of course we worked on it for hours. THEN, when I called to find out if they could accept it by fax, we were informed we were missing a vital piece of information and they could not tell us how to get it, except to contact the bank here in Mexico where the transfer was going. The bank told me I had to call Mexico City. So I did. By this time it is late afternoon on a Friday, and the only person (apparently) who handles this stuff was not available. So we called our bank again, only to discover that we had the correct information all along, and had been steered wrong when we were told the cryptic numbers we had were not sufficient. So back we go into the hot sticky weather, this time I am determined to keep a cheerful continence. Which I did quite well, especially since we stopped for a cold beer in the process. The bright side was that is cost only 8 pesos (less than a dollar) to send the international fax from one of those public places that also serve as internet cafes. Now the only thing is to hope and pray the fax got to the right person at our bank in the International Wire Transfer Department, and that person is not out sick or on vacation, and that the transfer goes through in a timely fashion. All of this and we still have to deal with installation and hope that the refirgerator guy down here in Huatulco, Senor Emilio, can do the parts that Mike lacks the equipment to do. I am completely worn out mentally from this whole process. I don't have the most even temperament under the best of circumstances (ask anyone who knows me well) and this sort of thing does nothing to help me maintain a nice, sunny, Pollyanna-ish attitude - and attitude I aspire to obtain and maintain. I do not handle frustration well at all.
So now we wait. Of course we won't even be able to get any confirmation as to whether the request was recieved, let alone if it was sufficient, until Monday. I am planning to put the whole thing out of my mind until then. SERENITY NOW!!!!!! (Apologies to George Constanza's father.)
But all is not merely frustration here. We had our friends from Sundancer over last night for chili and bolillos ( nice crusty fresh baked rolls) and we had a great time. Everyone had seconds on my chili, which is nice because without a frig, we are in no shape to maintain leftovers very well and it was all gone. I always judge my cooking abilities on whether or not there are leftovers. If my dish that I bring to a potluck is not completely gone at the end of the evening, I feel like a failure. So that means I was successful last night. The nonfunctioning frig does act well as an icebox, so we do get to have cold beer and keep a few things around.
Anyway - that is enough complaining from me. Til next time!
"To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult of all." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The Agony and the Ecstasy
I will begin with the ecstasy first. Mike helped me figure out why it is so difficult to upload pictures to both this blog and FB - because they were too big, too many pixels or something like that. Anyway, that is all changed now, and here are some pictures of my trip to through three Mexican states.
This is a picture of the Gulf of Mexico. We took it in a place called Coatzacoalcos. The picture that follows is of the apartment buildings located along the beachfront. It was not the most conventionally pretty Mexican town, as it is mainly a large oil processing place, but I liked how they decorated the otherwise industrial looking building.
These are some of the tropical birds we saw in the zoo where the Olmec heads were also located.
Here is an example of the Olmec heads. The amazing thing is that these things are huge - and these ancient people had to drag them for over 100 kilometers from where they were quarried to where they were eventually found.
This is a coatamundi. As I said before, their sheer numbers and the way they quarreled among themselves made me nervous.
The area we drove through was very rural. It is not everyday that you have to stop on the highway because of cattle being driven down the road.
We stayed in a true jungle while we were in the Palenque area and this is what it looked like right outside of our hotel.
We also went to the town on San Cristobal de las Casas, which is regarded as the cultural capital of Chiapas. It was beautiful, with narrow cobbled streets and colonial architecture. The sidewalks were paved with travertine. Amber mined in Chiapas, and Mike bought me two incredibly gorgeous necklaces - one is a huge pendent with visible bugs in it (which makes it more valuable) and one with enormous amber beads, again with bugs and what looks to be an egg sack. We had no idea Chiapas was an amber center and were delighted to discover that, because I love amber more than diamonds. They also specialize in coffee (we bought a big bag directly from the roaster) and cacao, so of course chocolate was purchased as well.
I am sad in a lot of ways to think we are leaving Mexico as I feel I have barely scratched the surface. Of course, there is no reason I can't come back. And I really think I have to. It is hard to imagine finding any place I have felt as welcome as I have here.
Now for the agony - the part for the frig did arrive, but after Mike put it in, we realized that part was not the problem. Our frig is dead as the proverbial doornail. We are going to have to replace the whole thing - which is money I really didn't want to have to cough up. And of course we are not in an area where we can just get the equipment and have it installed. We will likely have to fly to San Diego, carry it back in our luggage (luckily it will only weigh about 60 pounds total and will be divided into a couple of different boxes that will fit in our suitcases) and then get it installed. Hopefully Mike can do the work himself, and we have found a guy down here who thinks he can help if we get the unit. It just sucks because it means we will be delayed in setting off for El Salvador, and will miss a lot of the rally activities. I don't really care that much about missing a bunch of parties, but I get really down when things start breaking. And of course nothing that goes on a boat is cheap - in fact, BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand. And if we do end up having to go back to the US to get the stuff, we likely won't be able to take the extended trip back we had planned on taking in August. Sometimes it seems like it is just one thing after another - I don't like to whine and complain, especially when I have it so easy. After all, I don't have to work, live in paradise, etc. etc., but it does wear on me to constantly spending big sums of money. Oh well - I am not really expecting any sympathy!
I hope to be better about posting pictures now that Mike figured out how I can do it without taking 30 minutes to download (or upload, I really don't know the difference) each one!
"So I wish you first a sense of theatre; only those who love illusion and know it will go far." W.H. Auden
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