Sosua is a small tourist , beach town , with miles of sandy beach front, located in a very quite bay 25 KM from our condo. It can be easily reach by flagging down a overcrowded local bus but that is not our cup of tea. Therefore we went to the Mall to have tour company get us a much more expensive taxi for tomorrow morning and hopefully tour us around the town and to stay with us until the afternoon.
This cost us 90.00 Cdn which I will probably regret because it does sound overpriced. Then, our beach was calling so we ventured down there for a few hours, soaking up the Sun and reading my 4 th book. As I am keeping a close eye on the WJH I returned to the pool to check the scores on the computer.
We had planned to go for supper at the Golf course which is about a city block from our condo and we where hoping to have an couple join us but there were no takers so we went alone. I guess Monday night is not Supper night at the Golf course as we were the only ones there , however the supper was good.
Tonight is poker night at the pool area, ( Texas Holdem ) with our crew so the men played poker ( excluding me ) and drank while the ladies sit around and swap stories. I , on the other hand did my Blog and checked the hockey scores. I was watching one poker hand and the winner had a Straight and a Flush. When he showed his cards he says I got a Straight and everyone hollered, No , you got a Flush. So much for the " Gambler".
The ladies must have been comparing their Condo layout and facilities . Since our is available for next year, Carroll invited everyone to view ours, as two of the ladies do not like their Condos and want a better one for next year. Two of the ladies want our condo for next year. cheers
Tuesday, 29 December 2015
The Gangs All Here
It rained a little during the night and again in the morning, hence the reason the entire Island is a lush green. Even with the windows open the rain seldom comes in the Condo due to the gable overhang.
The Sun soon " Euchred" the rain clouds so by noon it was a bright sunny day so we headed for the beach. We got to the beach just in time to join Peter and Judy ( Christmas Dinner Host ) and Jack and Gwen as they were heading down the beach for lunch at their Special restaurant that they visit every Sunday for lunch. We had never been there for 2 reason; first we did not know about until they came about 2 weeks ago and second reason is that is a 1/2 KM walk ( Carroll says it was a mile one way ) which is the Maximum for Carroll to walk especially on the sand. We were joined by a family friend of Peter and Judy's and their own son, who flew in to visit his parents because his " Skidoo" vacation in the Montreal mountains had been cancelled due to the lack of snow.
This restaurant is actually a two story " Bricks and Mortar " structure that serves fabulous meal in the evening. But during the day it has a huge tent set up outside to serve us old Beach Bums and even those who own as little as a halter top and a thong. Not all those wearing a thong are young. Oh mercy!!!!!The restaurant is called François's and one specially is Poutine , better known as a Heart Attack on a plate. Carroll and I shared a Heart Attack and an Empanada.
Of course there were drinks all around before the food order but I can not drink since I am on Antibiotic so it was water for Carroll and I. Judy ordered a glass with Ice and a Mickey of Rum for her and Peter. I said, surely your are not going to drink all that and she said "probably" not but two drinks of rum is the same price as the Mickey so I'll take the rest home. Incidentally there was nothing to take home.
After lunch we went back to our beach where we had reserved our lounge chairs and burnt up the rest of the day. cheers
The Sun soon " Euchred" the rain clouds so by noon it was a bright sunny day so we headed for the beach. We got to the beach just in time to join Peter and Judy ( Christmas Dinner Host ) and Jack and Gwen as they were heading down the beach for lunch at their Special restaurant that they visit every Sunday for lunch. We had never been there for 2 reason; first we did not know about until they came about 2 weeks ago and second reason is that is a 1/2 KM walk ( Carroll says it was a mile one way ) which is the Maximum for Carroll to walk especially on the sand. We were joined by a family friend of Peter and Judy's and their own son, who flew in to visit his parents because his " Skidoo" vacation in the Montreal mountains had been cancelled due to the lack of snow.
This restaurant is actually a two story " Bricks and Mortar " structure that serves fabulous meal in the evening. But during the day it has a huge tent set up outside to serve us old Beach Bums and even those who own as little as a halter top and a thong. Not all those wearing a thong are young. Oh mercy!!!!!The restaurant is called François's and one specially is Poutine , better known as a Heart Attack on a plate. Carroll and I shared a Heart Attack and an Empanada.
Of course there were drinks all around before the food order but I can not drink since I am on Antibiotic so it was water for Carroll and I. Judy ordered a glass with Ice and a Mickey of Rum for her and Peter. I said, surely your are not going to drink all that and she said "probably" not but two drinks of rum is the same price as the Mickey so I'll take the rest home. Incidentally there was nothing to take home.
After lunch we went back to our beach where we had reserved our lounge chairs and burnt up the rest of the day. cheers
Sunday, 27 December 2015
Boxing Day.
Today is just another work day for the local Dominicans. It also is the day that the "Whiteys " fly in after they got Christmas with the families out of the way. Tomorrow the beaches will be wall to wall "Whiteys" with the older ladies prancing along the beach in their all to Skippy bathing suits they got for Christmas but will never wear again until next year when they go some place that nobody knows them. Hey.. It's true. However, the bars in our area will be full of Canadians watching the USA/ Canada game.
Since the game doesn't start until 2 PM, it was time for us to start checking off the things we have to do before we leave. Since Carroll doesn't want to take any dirty laundry home I went to the office to pay for and have the laundry done today. Whatever gets dirty after today goes home in a sealed bag.
I still had a bout of diarrhea so we went to the Pharmacy . The pharmacist question me reference my illness and assured me that I had a bacteria and recommended pills to "kill " it, which I have to take every 8 hours for 7 days. Since we still had time to kill before the game was to start, we hung around the pool talking with our group.
When it was game time I went to Ron's bar ( a Cdn I met when we first arrived ) as he has every sports channel know to man. However, his TV was " Freeze Framing " which is no way to watch hockey game so he sent me to another bar in the Mall. This bar was full of ONLY Cdns and I found a chair at the bar so I squeezed in. At intermission , I drummed up a conversation and a guy who was an instructor at Red River College in Winnipeg and another guy who was from Lodgepole, which I think is in AB. It was so loud I could only talk to the guy from Winnipeg. At the 2 nd intermission his wife came along and I thought I had her chair so I was prepared to move but she just advise him that she would be at Ron's bar after the game doing her emailing, because Ron has free WiFi and the All Inclusive hotel charges 4.00 and hour to use theirs. Can you imagine???
After the game I headed home before some American found be to say the USA just kick our Ass. cheers
Since the game doesn't start until 2 PM, it was time for us to start checking off the things we have to do before we leave. Since Carroll doesn't want to take any dirty laundry home I went to the office to pay for and have the laundry done today. Whatever gets dirty after today goes home in a sealed bag.
I still had a bout of diarrhea so we went to the Pharmacy . The pharmacist question me reference my illness and assured me that I had a bacteria and recommended pills to "kill " it, which I have to take every 8 hours for 7 days. Since we still had time to kill before the game was to start, we hung around the pool talking with our group.
When it was game time I went to Ron's bar ( a Cdn I met when we first arrived ) as he has every sports channel know to man. However, his TV was " Freeze Framing " which is no way to watch hockey game so he sent me to another bar in the Mall. This bar was full of ONLY Cdns and I found a chair at the bar so I squeezed in. At intermission , I drummed up a conversation and a guy who was an instructor at Red River College in Winnipeg and another guy who was from Lodgepole, which I think is in AB. It was so loud I could only talk to the guy from Winnipeg. At the 2 nd intermission his wife came along and I thought I had her chair so I was prepared to move but she just advise him that she would be at Ron's bar after the game doing her emailing, because Ron has free WiFi and the All Inclusive hotel charges 4.00 and hour to use theirs. Can you imagine???
After the game I headed home before some American found be to say the USA just kick our Ass. cheers
Christmas Day
On Christmas day most people are getting excited about having family or friends in for dinner or going to family or friends. We too were looking forward to our party ; however about 3 PM Christmas morning, I woke up sick and I ( tom ) mean sick. I was weak and had diarrhea. Although I survived the night I could not eat and did not want to get out of bed. I tried to sit up a few times but I could do it. We had some Peptobismo and some Imodium which I took. During the day I managed to drink a cup of tea and eat 1/2 a slice of toast. By 3 PM it was determined that I might live and with a couple more hours of sleep I might just feel good enough to make the 6 PM cocktail hour at our friends place.
By 5 PM I decided that I could make the party but I only drank water and no food until the supper was served. The cocktail hour , which started at 6 PM , lasted until about 8 and by that time the hostess had made a marvelous meal. It was the whole meal deal; mash potatoes, squash, beans , carrots, turkey, stuffing and gravy. Since I had barely eaten all day my stomach could barely wait for the food to get there.
By 9:30 I was starting to feel tired so we begged off the party and headed home. The next day we ask how long the party lasted and they said until midnight. Thank you, but I would never had lasted that long. However, it was a great Christmas dinner with our new found friends. cheers
By 5 PM I decided that I could make the party but I only drank water and no food until the supper was served. The cocktail hour , which started at 6 PM , lasted until about 8 and by that time the hostess had made a marvelous meal. It was the whole meal deal; mash potatoes, squash, beans , carrots, turkey, stuffing and gravy. Since I had barely eaten all day my stomach could barely wait for the food to get there.
By 9:30 I was starting to feel tired so we begged off the party and headed home. The next day we ask how long the party lasted and they said until midnight. Thank you, but I would never had lasted that long. However, it was a great Christmas dinner with our new found friends. cheers
Saturday, 26 December 2015
Slow Day... DR Style
The first order of the day was to go to the local Mall to pick up some beer, enough to last me another 5 days. I also pick up a bottle of wine for the host of the Christmas Dinner. We thought we could get a box of chocolates for the hostess in the Mall but no stores sell chocolates which we found surprising. However, our Landlord was going into Puerto Plato so he was kind enough to pick up a box for us.
Then we headed for the Beach, were we spent about 3 hours. The water was beautiful so we spent about 1/2 hour riding the waves and talking to others. The rest of the time was spent reading and shaking my head " NO " when the Hawkers came along.
We, along with our friends who come here ever year at this time are amazed that it is not "wall to wall" people. I guess part of the reason could be our Dollar. cheers
Then we headed for the Beach, were we spent about 3 hours. The water was beautiful so we spent about 1/2 hour riding the waves and talking to others. The rest of the time was spent reading and shaking my head " NO " when the Hawkers came along.
We, along with our friends who come here ever year at this time are amazed that it is not "wall to wall" people. I guess part of the reason could be our Dollar. cheers
Wednesday, 23 December 2015
Christmas Dinner
I think our time here is going fast but we seem to be slowing down. We went to the beach in the early afternoon and our new found friends were already , holding down a beach chair. This normal entails reading or falling asleep followed by a swim.
I usually read for about 1/2 an hour and then we go for a swim ( mostly riding the waves ). The water is so beautiful it is nice to float around.
Judy, the lady who t invited us for Christmas Dinner lives next to our Condo Complex in another complex. Once I looked at the complex I knew I would never find her place. However, Judy was on the beach so she directed us to her place. It would be great to get an invite for Christmas and then be late hunting for the dam place.
The beach is lined with Condos and Hotels. cheers
I usually read for about 1/2 an hour and then we go for a swim ( mostly riding the waves ). The water is so beautiful it is nice to float around.
Judy, the lady who t invited us for Christmas Dinner lives next to our Condo Complex in another complex. Once I looked at the complex I knew I would never find her place. However, Judy was on the beach so she directed us to her place. It would be great to get an invite for Christmas and then be late hunting for the dam place.
The beach is lined with Condos and Hotels. cheers
Tuesday, 22 December 2015
Shopping with Joe
It rained like hell during the night again and it even woke me up twice. However, we sleep with the windows open so it is not a stretch that the rain would wake me. However, right on cue around 11:00AM it started to clear up.
Originally Carroll and I intended to go grocery shopping, hopefully for the last time but the gloomy skies put that idea on the wait and see list. Then , while we were checking our emails at the pool area Joe and Andréa came down to do the same. During the conversation Carroll mentioned about going for some groceries. Joe said that he too was thinking about it and that he would go with us and we could take the "Local " bus services. Since Andréa was not going, Carroll decided that she too would stay at the pool and let me do the shopping. That was not one of her best decisions. I also had to go to the bank.
Anyhow Joe ( he speaks Spanish somewhat ) and I had to walk to the main road which is about 1/2 a KM. There are no scheduled Bus Stops, you merely wave at the vehicle and it usually stops. The Bus... and I use the word loosely, is somewhat like a Volkswagen van and it probably holds 8 to 10 people but it is possible to squeeze 20 people into it. Joe and I squeezed into the sit behind the driver along with one other passenger. Please don't even ask if there were seat belts. However the sliding side door was not even closed and I was afraid that if we rounded a corner Joe would go flying out. Joe told the driver where we wanted to go and I knew from the conversation that our stop was not on his route but he did not want to lose two fare so he said he would take us to our stop. As a result, we got a tour thru most of the city.
After shopping we had to get a regular taxi to take us home, as I had about 10 bags and you can not get on the local bus with that many bags. The taxi's are waiting outside the store and Joe say how much to Playa Dorado and the guys says 500 P and Joe said , forget it I'll call my regular taxi so the taxi agreed to 300P
Joe and Andrea were going out for supper with another couple who had just arrived last evening ,so they invited us to go along. We had a nice supper and met a new couple from Flint , Michigan and had a nice conversation. After supper we returned the pool area as there was a Texas Holdem game about to start at 8 PM. All the men in our group played cards while Carroll and I joined the ladies to spin some yarns. The conversation got around to Christmas dinner and one of the ladies ask if we would like to join her group for Christmas dinner. We graciously accepted since we had no plans at all. Cheers
Originally Carroll and I intended to go grocery shopping, hopefully for the last time but the gloomy skies put that idea on the wait and see list. Then , while we were checking our emails at the pool area Joe and Andréa came down to do the same. During the conversation Carroll mentioned about going for some groceries. Joe said that he too was thinking about it and that he would go with us and we could take the "Local " bus services. Since Andréa was not going, Carroll decided that she too would stay at the pool and let me do the shopping. That was not one of her best decisions. I also had to go to the bank.
Anyhow Joe ( he speaks Spanish somewhat ) and I had to walk to the main road which is about 1/2 a KM. There are no scheduled Bus Stops, you merely wave at the vehicle and it usually stops. The Bus... and I use the word loosely, is somewhat like a Volkswagen van and it probably holds 8 to 10 people but it is possible to squeeze 20 people into it. Joe and I squeezed into the sit behind the driver along with one other passenger. Please don't even ask if there were seat belts. However the sliding side door was not even closed and I was afraid that if we rounded a corner Joe would go flying out. Joe told the driver where we wanted to go and I knew from the conversation that our stop was not on his route but he did not want to lose two fare so he said he would take us to our stop. As a result, we got a tour thru most of the city.
After shopping we had to get a regular taxi to take us home, as I had about 10 bags and you can not get on the local bus with that many bags. The taxi's are waiting outside the store and Joe say how much to Playa Dorado and the guys says 500 P and Joe said , forget it I'll call my regular taxi so the taxi agreed to 300P
Joe and Andrea were going out for supper with another couple who had just arrived last evening ,so they invited us to go along. We had a nice supper and met a new couple from Flint , Michigan and had a nice conversation. After supper we returned the pool area as there was a Texas Holdem game about to start at 8 PM. All the men in our group played cards while Carroll and I joined the ladies to spin some yarns. The conversation got around to Christmas dinner and one of the ladies ask if we would like to join her group for Christmas dinner. We graciously accepted since we had no plans at all. Cheers
More Rain/ More People
I have been asking people if this is the rainy season and most answer; not really. Well it sure as hell rained lots last night and it continued into the morning. In fact we thought there would be no beach day but the Sun came thru around noon and it was a great Beach day after all. It would be a sin to miss a beach day !!!!
When we got to the beach our new found friends ( Peter/Judy and Jack/Gwen ) where already there and so were many more beach bums. I think the Christmas rush is on because the "All Inclusive" hotels seem to have a lot more bodies laying around soaking up the Sun.
There was no Happy Hour last night so maybe the old folks fell asleep in the afternoon from the stressful day at the beach and forgot to wake up. So Carroll and I sat by the pool until it was supper time. cheers
When we got to the beach our new found friends ( Peter/Judy and Jack/Gwen ) where already there and so were many more beach bums. I think the Christmas rush is on because the "All Inclusive" hotels seem to have a lot more bodies laying around soaking up the Sun.
There was no Happy Hour last night so maybe the old folks fell asleep in the afternoon from the stressful day at the beach and forgot to wake up. So Carroll and I sat by the pool until it was supper time. cheers
Monday, 21 December 2015
The stampede has Started
The tourist have started to arrive as "Joe" predicted and many are Europeans. I was told by a Brit that they fly direct from Heathrow airport to the DR and the price is very reasonable hence the reason the Brits and the Europeans come here.
This morning while doing my computer checks we met with Joe and his wife and we had a 1/2 hour confab, swapping stories about family, careers and health issues. They mentioned that 2 couples would join them for Happy Hour around 5 PM and we were invited to met them which we did. We now are friends with 6 more English speaking people.
We did our normal trip to the beach in the afternoon and had lunch with Joe and his wife. I noticed they were reading and since I run out of reading material I thought they might loan or swap me a book. Joe informed me that there was a library of about 100 paperbacks in the foyer under the counter. So I checked and there was more books than I will read so I grabbed a couple to hold me for awhile. I'm going thru about 1 1/2 books a week because the "Bikini " watching on the beach has been slow lately.
We went to Dinner and Las Vegas type show tonight and it was great. The meal was Surf and Turf and all you can drink as long as it is Beer, wine or a rum drink. The first drink was Champagne and Carroll took a sip of hers and liked it. I hope she not thinking of taking up drinking because we both can't afford to drink. After the dinner , we were escorted to the auditorium for the show which lasted about 1 1/2 hours and again the drinks kept coming, even without asking. Carroll ordered a Pina Coloda however the waitress noticed that Carroll's first drink was a Sprite so she ask if she wanted the drink with or without rum. Of course it was without??
The show was dancing and singing , both men and women with the most gorgeous costumes we have ever seen. All the dancers were tall, well built and definitely physically fit. All the ladies were scantily dressed and Carroll said they were good looking. They were on a stage so I could see that high. ha ha.
After the show we had an hour to kill so they directed us to the Casino where they had hoped to get us to spend some money. This was of course the plan but very few people gambled and in fact I only noticed one guy at the Black Jack table from our crew. As Carroll and I walked around the place I was invited to join the Texas Holdem table as they only had 3 players. It was a very fancy upscale looking Casino but there was only 2 Black Jack tables in use and I only seen one guy a the one arm bandits.
We got home at 11:30 and we feel we got good valve for our money. cheers
This morning while doing my computer checks we met with Joe and his wife and we had a 1/2 hour confab, swapping stories about family, careers and health issues. They mentioned that 2 couples would join them for Happy Hour around 5 PM and we were invited to met them which we did. We now are friends with 6 more English speaking people.
We did our normal trip to the beach in the afternoon and had lunch with Joe and his wife. I noticed they were reading and since I run out of reading material I thought they might loan or swap me a book. Joe informed me that there was a library of about 100 paperbacks in the foyer under the counter. So I checked and there was more books than I will read so I grabbed a couple to hold me for awhile. I'm going thru about 1 1/2 books a week because the "Bikini " watching on the beach has been slow lately.
We went to Dinner and Las Vegas type show tonight and it was great. The meal was Surf and Turf and all you can drink as long as it is Beer, wine or a rum drink. The first drink was Champagne and Carroll took a sip of hers and liked it. I hope she not thinking of taking up drinking because we both can't afford to drink. After the dinner , we were escorted to the auditorium for the show which lasted about 1 1/2 hours and again the drinks kept coming, even without asking. Carroll ordered a Pina Coloda however the waitress noticed that Carroll's first drink was a Sprite so she ask if she wanted the drink with or without rum. Of course it was without??
The show was dancing and singing , both men and women with the most gorgeous costumes we have ever seen. All the dancers were tall, well built and definitely physically fit. All the ladies were scantily dressed and Carroll said they were good looking. They were on a stage so I could see that high. ha ha.
After the show we had an hour to kill so they directed us to the Casino where they had hoped to get us to spend some money. This was of course the plan but very few people gambled and in fact I only noticed one guy at the Black Jack table from our crew. As Carroll and I walked around the place I was invited to join the Texas Holdem table as they only had 3 players. It was a very fancy upscale looking Casino but there was only 2 Black Jack tables in use and I only seen one guy a the one arm bandits.
We got home at 11:30 and we feel we got good valve for our money. cheers
Sunday, 20 December 2015
Slow Day:
Today we are waiting on the Stampede of tourist which we are told by Joe that it will come and a few more couples and family are slowly moving in.
However, yesterday I mentioned that we where having our apartment/ condo cleaned. Well, it never happen because I did not leave our key with the office staff because I assumed they had a key , which I'm sure they do as I seen hundreds of keys hanging in a key press in the office. So I made a trek back to the office and in my best "Spandish " ask if the needed my key to clean the room which they said yes. Carroll and I then busied our self sitting by the pool with the computer and a book. Within an hour the cleaning lady returned our key to us at the pool. We now have a nice clean condo.
We have to pay to have it cleaned after we leave.
While moseying around the office foyer I noticed some "for rent signs " posted on the bulletin board so I checked them out. A one bedroom like ours rents 150.00 USD per day which I'm sure would be cheaper by the month. Our rent is 1200 USD for a month which is 31 days for Dec. which seems like a fairly good deal. The owner claims he needs to rent it for 3 months to break even. Our condo is rented for Jan to March after we leave.
After lunch we then did our Duty Watch at the beach for a few hours and it still did not seem like there were many more people. But "Joe" says they will come and we hope so. cheers
However, yesterday I mentioned that we where having our apartment/ condo cleaned. Well, it never happen because I did not leave our key with the office staff because I assumed they had a key , which I'm sure they do as I seen hundreds of keys hanging in a key press in the office. So I made a trek back to the office and in my best "Spandish " ask if the needed my key to clean the room which they said yes. Carroll and I then busied our self sitting by the pool with the computer and a book. Within an hour the cleaning lady returned our key to us at the pool. We now have a nice clean condo.
We have to pay to have it cleaned after we leave.
While moseying around the office foyer I noticed some "for rent signs " posted on the bulletin board so I checked them out. A one bedroom like ours rents 150.00 USD per day which I'm sure would be cheaper by the month. Our rent is 1200 USD for a month which is 31 days for Dec. which seems like a fairly good deal. The owner claims he needs to rent it for 3 months to break even. Our condo is rented for Jan to March after we leave.
After lunch we then did our Duty Watch at the beach for a few hours and it still did not seem like there were many more people. But "Joe" says they will come and we hope so. cheers
Friday, 18 December 2015
English Speaking ... At last
The first order of the day was to go to the office and pay to have our Laundry done and also to pay to have our room cleaned. The cost for the Laundry including the soap was about 7.00 Cdn and to clean the room was 3.30 Cdn. Carroll has a house cleaner at home so why not have one here or maybe she has forgot how; I'm not sure which.
Since it was time to check the computer we carry the Laundry down to the Laundry mat which is beside the pool and did our computer checks. As I was buried in the computer answering an email a man walks up and say "Hi I'm Joe" . I was shocked that someone actual said something in English and I just looked at him for a second and then he says what is you name. I quickly realized that I was talking to another Canadian and then we carry on with the preverbal Q and A about each other. He is an Expat Newfie who lives in Mississauga and has most of his life. He and his wife spend 3 1/2 month in the DR every year. I can tell already that he a fun type guy. We will definitely be seeing more of them as there is a group of 6 or 8 that come here annually. Joe also told us not to tip at the restaurants because it is included in the price. It is a little late for us now... dam it.
After lunch we headed for the beach as is our routine. There was very few people in the water as it was a bit rough at our beach area. However, we seen a couple down the beach in front of the "All Inclusive " so we went down and joined them. They are a young couple ( in their 30's ) and are from Toronto. We swam around with them for about an hour and swapped stories. They are not happy with their hotel as they are Vegetarians and they said the salads were not that good and they are living on Pizza. To top it off, they said the shower had no hot water.
The rest of the day we just Pissed it away. cheers
Since it was time to check the computer we carry the Laundry down to the Laundry mat which is beside the pool and did our computer checks. As I was buried in the computer answering an email a man walks up and say "Hi I'm Joe" . I was shocked that someone actual said something in English and I just looked at him for a second and then he says what is you name. I quickly realized that I was talking to another Canadian and then we carry on with the preverbal Q and A about each other. He is an Expat Newfie who lives in Mississauga and has most of his life. He and his wife spend 3 1/2 month in the DR every year. I can tell already that he a fun type guy. We will definitely be seeing more of them as there is a group of 6 or 8 that come here annually. Joe also told us not to tip at the restaurants because it is included in the price. It is a little late for us now... dam it.
After lunch we headed for the beach as is our routine. There was very few people in the water as it was a bit rough at our beach area. However, we seen a couple down the beach in front of the "All Inclusive " so we went down and joined them. They are a young couple ( in their 30's ) and are from Toronto. We swam around with them for about an hour and swapped stories. They are not happy with their hotel as they are Vegetarians and they said the salads were not that good and they are living on Pizza. To top it off, they said the shower had no hot water.
The rest of the day we just Pissed it away. cheers
Thursday, 17 December 2015
Show Time
In the morning' once the Mall opened we met with the Tour agent to purchase tickets for the Dinner Show for Saturday night which is a Las Vegas type dancing show. After that we again went to the beach but it was a cloudy day which was not that inviting . Also the beach was littered with seaweed because there was a storm out in the Pacific and this causes the ocean to stir up the seaweed and park it on our beach. However, each morning a tractor type of machinery comes along and picks up the seaweed and the junk that lands on the shore.
Since beach was not that great we return to our pool and sat in the Sun ( what there was of it )and read. Carroll is not a reader as she still has finished one book yet. I'm on my fourth .
Nobody promised us a Rose Garden . Cheers
Since beach was not that great we return to our pool and sat in the Sun ( what there was of it )and read. Carroll is not a reader as she still has finished one book yet. I'm on my fourth .
Nobody promised us a Rose Garden . Cheers
Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Mexico " Light"
Today was an uneventful day even thought we did spend a few hours at the beach which our normal routine but I want to give you my impressions of Puerto Plata. This includes the people and the things I see that remind me of MX but not to the same extent. Anything bad is not as bad as MX; and most things good are not as good or not much better, hence the reason "Mexico Light" comes to mind.
Beggars: We have toured the city once and drove thru and around it 4 times and I have yet to see a beggar or anyone wanting a handout. Even when we went to the market people just let us pick out the product and then they would come to us to weight them.
Hawkers: Yes they have their "Hawkers " walking the beach peddling their wares but the only ask you once and to them No Thanks is No. Also, all the Hawkers are wearing a blue shirt with a number so I assume they are all control by the government and they are definitely not a bother. In MX they pester the shit out of you. Not one of the Hawkers has used the phase " WalMart Prices " which the do in MX. However, and you may have guessed this was coming......Carroll convinced me and the Hawker selling shirts; that my life was not complete without this god offal shirt. So I grab a cotton shirt , Jewed him do to 10 USD and took the GD thing. I'm pretty sure I bought same shirt at the Post in Med Hat for a dollar just so I could look ridiculous at Hawaii night in Yuma.
Vehicle Drivers: This is were the Mexicans excel , as they are nuts and have a death wish where the DR ( vehicle ) driver are much more careful and courteous. There seems to be much more courtesy when merging and lane changing and certainly a lot less horn honking. Mexican will pass anywhere and anytime; corners , hills and double lines mean nothing. DR vehicle driver pretty much obey the rules.
Motorcycle Riding; Now these people are completely nuts. They pass anywhere anytime , on the left ,on the right. Stop sign are for vehicles and they seem to know the vehicles will give way.
Incidental there is open season on Pedestrians which is the same in MX. We have seen up to a family of 4 on one of the motorcycles which is slightly bigger than a Scooter. They do have a helmet law but very few every where one .
That's it for Mexico Light ... Cheers
Beggars: We have toured the city once and drove thru and around it 4 times and I have yet to see a beggar or anyone wanting a handout. Even when we went to the market people just let us pick out the product and then they would come to us to weight them.
Hawkers: Yes they have their "Hawkers " walking the beach peddling their wares but the only ask you once and to them No Thanks is No. Also, all the Hawkers are wearing a blue shirt with a number so I assume they are all control by the government and they are definitely not a bother. In MX they pester the shit out of you. Not one of the Hawkers has used the phase " WalMart Prices " which the do in MX. However, and you may have guessed this was coming......Carroll convinced me and the Hawker selling shirts; that my life was not complete without this god offal shirt. So I grab a cotton shirt , Jewed him do to 10 USD and took the GD thing. I'm pretty sure I bought same shirt at the Post in Med Hat for a dollar just so I could look ridiculous at Hawaii night in Yuma.
Vehicle Drivers: This is were the Mexicans excel , as they are nuts and have a death wish where the DR ( vehicle ) driver are much more careful and courteous. There seems to be much more courtesy when merging and lane changing and certainly a lot less horn honking. Mexican will pass anywhere and anytime; corners , hills and double lines mean nothing. DR vehicle driver pretty much obey the rules.
Motorcycle Riding; Now these people are completely nuts. They pass anywhere anytime , on the left ,on the right. Stop sign are for vehicles and they seem to know the vehicles will give way.
Incidental there is open season on Pedestrians which is the same in MX. We have seen up to a family of 4 on one of the motorcycles which is slightly bigger than a Scooter. They do have a helmet law but very few every where one .
That's it for Mexico Light ... Cheers
Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Safari Dominican Style.
Today is Monday and the Safari Bus is an open air truck style bus with bench seats facing inward. There was 4 other couples, 2 from Sweden, 1 from Norway and a young couple from Germany. Needless to say the all spoke and understood English. The tour Guide spoke " Dominican English " but could be clearly understood by all. In addition, the company sends along a " Filming Crew " consisting of one young guy ( who spoke fluent English ) complete with a camera and a Video camera to capture all of us looking at the sights and sound of this most wonderful adventure. For the low low price of 35.00 USD you get a Video copy or a DVD or a Flash card copy to show to friends and family assuming their life was so boring that they had nothing better to do. He did manage to sell 1 copy.
As we were leaving the city we drove by a Church so I ask what religion where most of the people on the Island and without hesitation the tour guide said 60 % Catholic, 30 % Pentecostal and 10 % Drinkers and Party types. The Photo Tech immediately said I'm 10 %.
We started out by driving thru the city of Puerto Plata to see the early morning sites and sounds which turned out to be mostly Motorcycles honking at the vehicles to say "I coming Thru ". These people ( men and women ) are nuts. They drive recklessly with no helmet , which is against the law, and most are wearing Flip-Flops. Before leaving the city we stopped for Rum, coke, 7 Up and water for the trip as they advertised there would be refreshments. I challenged the lack of beer but it fell on deaf ears.
Then we headed into the hilly area which is also the agriculture area but not to be confused with our definition of farming or ranching by a long shot. The tour guide said that we had about 20 KM of rough road but he could have easily describe it as a plough field punctuated with more potholes that you could count. I assume the previous nights rain enhanced the Potholes. We stopped at several small "farms" to see the did fruits trees such a Avocado, Mango, Papaya, Coconut and a Coco trees. I was amazed at the height of the Coco tree and they are large enough produce enough lumber to built one house. Later in the day we seen many homes sided with lumber from the coco tree.
AS in most of these Island countries, the land and businesses are own by a few families and the Dominica is no different. The Rum company ( Ron Cabrera ) is own by one family and we drove by their ranch which is 15 Miles long. Incidentally the wealth intermarry, Outsiders are not invited.
We also stopped at a place where the advertisement said was a Coffee and Coco plantation. I've seen bigger gardens then these " Plantations " but whatever gets a tourist to fork over their money. However , next to the Plantation was some Artisans carving on a special rock found only in the DR. Their only tools consisted of a Machete, file, small knife and what look much like a chisel. I did see a buffing grinder set off in a corner but they did nor mention it. Their carvings where beautiful. However, to attract Cdn, Americans and possibly some Europeans they also make Sports Souvenirs out of the "precious " stone and the first thing I seen as a stone Puck with the Calgary Flames Logo and I doubt that they got permission from the NHL. They had souvenirs for all sports at 25.00 USD a copy. The only one I could find was a puck for the Oilers, apparently they were Sold Out.
We then went next door ( 50 feet away ) and this older lady demonstrated how, in the "olden days " they would grind coffee beans and Coco beans by pounding them with a big round stick in a carved our wooden block. She also made coffee with the beans she had ground and we all had a taste. Carroll purchased a Coco stick from her.
We then headed for a Cigar "factory " for lack of a better word but on the way we go thru this modern vibrant city which by this time is quite a ways up in the mountains ( actually a large hill ) and I think it surprised us all because 10 minutes early we were in the " back woods".
Anyways, this Cigar factory is a two man show. They grow their own tobacco, Sun dry the leafs and roll the Cigars by hand in a roller much like people use to do when the rolled their own cigarettes. Then they go in a press for 45 minutes and then another guy does the final wrapping. I ask how many they could do in a day and they say 500 large cigars or 750 cigars assuming they did not party the night before. We were invited to smoke a cigar and the 2 Swedish couples, who are smokers, took up the offer. Then we moved into the next part of the building and of course the real reason we were brought here... to buy Jewry, booze and Souvenirs. This is how the tour Guide makes his money.
That last part of our trip was to visit and to play in 7 Waterfalls which include a 25 minute hike thru some rather rough terrain to reach the 1 st one. Needless to say we did not partake nor did we pay for that part of the trip. We lounged in the restaurant awaiting the return of the others.
First you had to be in your bathing suit, then they rented you a pair of water shoes and gave you a Helmet and a life jacket ( what does the tell you) and then there are two guides per group of 5 to 10 people. Our group had 8 people but the one man from Norway was fairly tall and large and they did not have a Life jacket big enough so he went along to take pictures as did the German girl. Then the lady from Norway, " chickened out" after the first waterfalls but when along to look. Two couples said they would not do it again nor would they recommend it for Seniors.
There was a flock of young people who seem to enjoy adventure but I was on " Bikini Watch" so I can not say how many of the young people where men.
We then return home thru Puerto Plata on a different route which took us by the Port for the Cruise ship and it is obvious the this city is going all out to attract Cruise ships. This is a deep water port so the Cruise ships can dock as opposed to dock off-shore. We return home about 4 PM badly in of a beer. cheers
As we were leaving the city we drove by a Church so I ask what religion where most of the people on the Island and without hesitation the tour guide said 60 % Catholic, 30 % Pentecostal and 10 % Drinkers and Party types. The Photo Tech immediately said I'm 10 %.
We started out by driving thru the city of Puerto Plata to see the early morning sites and sounds which turned out to be mostly Motorcycles honking at the vehicles to say "I coming Thru ". These people ( men and women ) are nuts. They drive recklessly with no helmet , which is against the law, and most are wearing Flip-Flops. Before leaving the city we stopped for Rum, coke, 7 Up and water for the trip as they advertised there would be refreshments. I challenged the lack of beer but it fell on deaf ears.
Then we headed into the hilly area which is also the agriculture area but not to be confused with our definition of farming or ranching by a long shot. The tour guide said that we had about 20 KM of rough road but he could have easily describe it as a plough field punctuated with more potholes that you could count. I assume the previous nights rain enhanced the Potholes. We stopped at several small "farms" to see the did fruits trees such a Avocado, Mango, Papaya, Coconut and a Coco trees. I was amazed at the height of the Coco tree and they are large enough produce enough lumber to built one house. Later in the day we seen many homes sided with lumber from the coco tree.
AS in most of these Island countries, the land and businesses are own by a few families and the Dominica is no different. The Rum company ( Ron Cabrera ) is own by one family and we drove by their ranch which is 15 Miles long. Incidentally the wealth intermarry, Outsiders are not invited.
We also stopped at a place where the advertisement said was a Coffee and Coco plantation. I've seen bigger gardens then these " Plantations " but whatever gets a tourist to fork over their money. However , next to the Plantation was some Artisans carving on a special rock found only in the DR. Their only tools consisted of a Machete, file, small knife and what look much like a chisel. I did see a buffing grinder set off in a corner but they did nor mention it. Their carvings where beautiful. However, to attract Cdn, Americans and possibly some Europeans they also make Sports Souvenirs out of the "precious " stone and the first thing I seen as a stone Puck with the Calgary Flames Logo and I doubt that they got permission from the NHL. They had souvenirs for all sports at 25.00 USD a copy. The only one I could find was a puck for the Oilers, apparently they were Sold Out.
We then went next door ( 50 feet away ) and this older lady demonstrated how, in the "olden days " they would grind coffee beans and Coco beans by pounding them with a big round stick in a carved our wooden block. She also made coffee with the beans she had ground and we all had a taste. Carroll purchased a Coco stick from her.
We then headed for a Cigar "factory " for lack of a better word but on the way we go thru this modern vibrant city which by this time is quite a ways up in the mountains ( actually a large hill ) and I think it surprised us all because 10 minutes early we were in the " back woods".
Anyways, this Cigar factory is a two man show. They grow their own tobacco, Sun dry the leafs and roll the Cigars by hand in a roller much like people use to do when the rolled their own cigarettes. Then they go in a press for 45 minutes and then another guy does the final wrapping. I ask how many they could do in a day and they say 500 large cigars or 750 cigars assuming they did not party the night before. We were invited to smoke a cigar and the 2 Swedish couples, who are smokers, took up the offer. Then we moved into the next part of the building and of course the real reason we were brought here... to buy Jewry, booze and Souvenirs. This is how the tour Guide makes his money.
That last part of our trip was to visit and to play in 7 Waterfalls which include a 25 minute hike thru some rather rough terrain to reach the 1 st one. Needless to say we did not partake nor did we pay for that part of the trip. We lounged in the restaurant awaiting the return of the others.
First you had to be in your bathing suit, then they rented you a pair of water shoes and gave you a Helmet and a life jacket ( what does the tell you) and then there are two guides per group of 5 to 10 people. Our group had 8 people but the one man from Norway was fairly tall and large and they did not have a Life jacket big enough so he went along to take pictures as did the German girl. Then the lady from Norway, " chickened out" after the first waterfalls but when along to look. Two couples said they would not do it again nor would they recommend it for Seniors.
There was a flock of young people who seem to enjoy adventure but I was on " Bikini Watch" so I can not say how many of the young people where men.
We then return home thru Puerto Plata on a different route which took us by the Port for the Cruise ship and it is obvious the this city is going all out to attract Cruise ships. This is a deep water port so the Cruise ships can dock as opposed to dock off-shore. We return home about 4 PM badly in of a beer. cheers
Where did all the Rain Go
When I got up Sunday morning around 6:30 I went to our window on the 2 nd floor to see what kind of mess would be left after the Torrential rain storm we had last evening. When we went to bed around 10:30 and it was still raining. To my surprise , the Sun was peeking over the mountain and you could not tell that we had a rain storm 8 hours earlier. There was the odd Palm tree leaf on the ground, other than that, no evidence of the rain. Obviously the ground sucks it up.
This is the only rain we have had since our arrival , however, everything is green and the golf course looks in great condition.
We did hit the beach ,later in the day and the high tide had delivered some debris ( mostly grass ) on the beach caused by the rain. Sometime during the following evening they drag an apparatus along the beach to pick up the grassy weeds. I have not see the machine but I have seen the tractor tire marks. This is done anytime the tide brings in any weeds/ grass. Hence the beaches are very clean.
Tomorrow , Monday we are going on a Safari, DR style not African Style.
This is the only rain we have had since our arrival , however, everything is green and the golf course looks in great condition.
We did hit the beach ,later in the day and the high tide had delivered some debris ( mostly grass ) on the beach caused by the rain. Sometime during the following evening they drag an apparatus along the beach to pick up the grassy weeds. I have not see the machine but I have seen the tractor tire marks. This is done anytime the tide brings in any weeds/ grass. Hence the beaches are very clean.
Tomorrow , Monday we are going on a Safari, DR style not African Style.
Sunday, 13 December 2015
Rain, Rain and More Rain
In the morning our weather was cloudy and in fact while were at the Beach in the afternoon we mews about how it looked like it could rain due to the dark cloud. We brushed it off because we have seen this dark cloud before but no rain so we figured it was just DR weather.
Around 3 PM we Skyped Carroll's sister Jeannie as she was hosting Christmas Dinner for the sibling so Carroll got to talk to her brothers , sisters and outlaws. I reminded Jeannie that she forgot to invite us again.
While at the beach we stop to talk to a University Professor who was in the DR with his wife and 5 Kids and he was teaching at the University for 1 year. We ask if the Kids were home schooled and he said no; we just threw them into Spanish school and they learned the language real quick. In fact two of them scored near the top of their class and the other are doing good.
In the late afternoon, while sitting by the pool it started to rain ( real rain ) so we headed for the condo and made it just in time. It was a torrential rain, coming straight down with no wind. I don't believe I have seen a rail storm like this every and it last at least 1 hour.
The rain had slowed to a shower around 6 PM and we had called a taxi to take us to a restaurant at 6:30 for supper. Shortly after we got into the Taxi it started to pour rain again and continued until 8 PM. The restaurant was sort of upscale, at least in décor but the eating area had a roof but no windows, just opening , which is by design for the Dominica. It rained so had they had to move the table about 6 feet in from the window opening. We were not getting wet but they moved us anyway.
Our Pizza meal with wine ( for me , water for Carroll ) followed by desert cost 36.00 CDN which I thought was reasonable. It is an Italian restaurant, recommended by the Landlord and the menu seem great so we will return for a Pasta dinner at a later date.
After our supper we went grocery shopping again as this is the 4 th. time. Apparently we don't know how to shop!!!!!. Incidentally, when we exited the Grocery store the Security guards ( there are several ) walked us to the taxi with a large umbrella so we would not get wet. I never seen that happen at WalMart. cheers
Around 3 PM we Skyped Carroll's sister Jeannie as she was hosting Christmas Dinner for the sibling so Carroll got to talk to her brothers , sisters and outlaws. I reminded Jeannie that she forgot to invite us again.
While at the beach we stop to talk to a University Professor who was in the DR with his wife and 5 Kids and he was teaching at the University for 1 year. We ask if the Kids were home schooled and he said no; we just threw them into Spanish school and they learned the language real quick. In fact two of them scored near the top of their class and the other are doing good.
In the late afternoon, while sitting by the pool it started to rain ( real rain ) so we headed for the condo and made it just in time. It was a torrential rain, coming straight down with no wind. I don't believe I have seen a rail storm like this every and it last at least 1 hour.
The rain had slowed to a shower around 6 PM and we had called a taxi to take us to a restaurant at 6:30 for supper. Shortly after we got into the Taxi it started to pour rain again and continued until 8 PM. The restaurant was sort of upscale, at least in décor but the eating area had a roof but no windows, just opening , which is by design for the Dominica. It rained so had they had to move the table about 6 feet in from the window opening. We were not getting wet but they moved us anyway.
Our Pizza meal with wine ( for me , water for Carroll ) followed by desert cost 36.00 CDN which I thought was reasonable. It is an Italian restaurant, recommended by the Landlord and the menu seem great so we will return for a Pasta dinner at a later date.
After our supper we went grocery shopping again as this is the 4 th. time. Apparently we don't know how to shop!!!!!. Incidentally, when we exited the Grocery store the Security guards ( there are several ) walked us to the taxi with a large umbrella so we would not get wet. I never seen that happen at WalMart. cheers
Booked a Tour
Today we went to the Mall to book a Tour for 8:30 Monday. Hopefully, I soften the guy up yesterday when I walked away because he was too expensive, although he probably was not but if you don't barter , there is no fun in it. He did knock off 5.00USD each.
The Tour is actually called a Safari , which has a completely different definition in the Dominica than in South Africa. They have the same Bus configuration but there are no animals ( wild or tame ). We will tour a Coffee plantation, a Coco Plantation and a Cigar factory all before Lunch, which is includes all the beer you can drink.
Then we go to 5 different Waterfalls, however, we can only go to the first one as the others can only be seen after walking thru some rugged terrain and scaling a small rock face by pulling yourself up by a rope. We will let the younger guys do that while we will wait at the 1 st waterfall as it has a pool that we can laze around in. I hope there is beer there?
After getting the Tour settled we walked by our friends Bar again and there was a " Caucasian "couple having an early afternoon drink so we stopped in to say hello, mainly to have a conversation with someone who speaks English. They are from North Bay and are on the first of 7, two week vacations stops they are making this winter. I didn't ask but I assume they won the Lotto.
After lunch we head to the Beach as it was another gorgeous day. Long before we got to the beach we realized by the noise that the 20 or so College Kids had beat us there. They were have a great time as most of them were in the Ocean complete with a drink in their hand. How they kept the Seawater out of their drink was beyond me.
The beach in front of the ( several ) all Inclusive Resorts , usually has a crowd but today it was practically empty and there was nobody in the water. I can only assume it was " Go home Day " or " Exchange Day", whatever it is called. We will see tomorrow, if it back to normal as they usually have Water Aerobics, led by a Local in the afternoon.
After our Beach time was over we headed back to the Condo for Supper, computer work after supper and watch the US and BBC news , if they are on. TV here is hit and miss. cheers
The Tour is actually called a Safari , which has a completely different definition in the Dominica than in South Africa. They have the same Bus configuration but there are no animals ( wild or tame ). We will tour a Coffee plantation, a Coco Plantation and a Cigar factory all before Lunch, which is includes all the beer you can drink.
Then we go to 5 different Waterfalls, however, we can only go to the first one as the others can only be seen after walking thru some rugged terrain and scaling a small rock face by pulling yourself up by a rope. We will let the younger guys do that while we will wait at the 1 st waterfall as it has a pool that we can laze around in. I hope there is beer there?
After getting the Tour settled we walked by our friends Bar again and there was a " Caucasian "couple having an early afternoon drink so we stopped in to say hello, mainly to have a conversation with someone who speaks English. They are from North Bay and are on the first of 7, two week vacations stops they are making this winter. I didn't ask but I assume they won the Lotto.
After lunch we head to the Beach as it was another gorgeous day. Long before we got to the beach we realized by the noise that the 20 or so College Kids had beat us there. They were have a great time as most of them were in the Ocean complete with a drink in their hand. How they kept the Seawater out of their drink was beyond me.
The beach in front of the ( several ) all Inclusive Resorts , usually has a crowd but today it was practically empty and there was nobody in the water. I can only assume it was " Go home Day " or " Exchange Day", whatever it is called. We will see tomorrow, if it back to normal as they usually have Water Aerobics, led by a Local in the afternoon.
After our Beach time was over we headed back to the Condo for Supper, computer work after supper and watch the US and BBC news , if they are on. TV here is hit and miss. cheers
Lazy Day again.
This morning was spent checking Hockey score and the resulting stories especially when the Oilers win' followed by checking emails and the news in the Globe and Mail.
We did not feel like going to the Beach right away and then the Landlord came along and said he was having a Safe installed in our Condo today. I question why; because I did not have any money which got a chuckle out of him. Apparently the couple moving in Jan for 3 months want a Safe for their Passports, money and other documents. I must admit it is a good idea , however we are on the second floor which would be hard to scale from the outside as the outside is all Stucco. The Landlord expected the " installer" in the early after but my question was.... is he on Mexican time. ha ha.
We had to go to the local Mall to pick up a couple of items and to " Spar" with the tour guide about a couple of tours that we were considering. I always like to walk away the first time so I might get a better deal the next time I pass his way. They are NOT doing a great business at this time so they usually knock off a few buck just to get a Bus Load.
When I'm in the Mall I usually walk by my friend who our a Bar as I never see him in the Condo. This time he was busy putting up some Christmas decoration and talking to customer. He quickly called me in and introduced me to the customer who was a "bolsters " Brit and then he left me to listen to him while he carried on with the decorating. I swapped stories with the Brit for a while until Carroll gave me " silent " signal that we had to go.
I should note that the population of our Condo increased by 30 College aged kids ( not English ) and they were definitely in a happy mood. In the early afternoon the headed for the Beach and after supper they had a pool party and they were not drinking straight Coke.
We did our after supper computer work and returned to our room for reading and TV. The Landlord said the party lasted until the Pool closed which is when everyone goes home. cheers
We did not feel like going to the Beach right away and then the Landlord came along and said he was having a Safe installed in our Condo today. I question why; because I did not have any money which got a chuckle out of him. Apparently the couple moving in Jan for 3 months want a Safe for their Passports, money and other documents. I must admit it is a good idea , however we are on the second floor which would be hard to scale from the outside as the outside is all Stucco. The Landlord expected the " installer" in the early after but my question was.... is he on Mexican time. ha ha.
We had to go to the local Mall to pick up a couple of items and to " Spar" with the tour guide about a couple of tours that we were considering. I always like to walk away the first time so I might get a better deal the next time I pass his way. They are NOT doing a great business at this time so they usually knock off a few buck just to get a Bus Load.
When I'm in the Mall I usually walk by my friend who our a Bar as I never see him in the Condo. This time he was busy putting up some Christmas decoration and talking to customer. He quickly called me in and introduced me to the customer who was a "bolsters " Brit and then he left me to listen to him while he carried on with the decorating. I swapped stories with the Brit for a while until Carroll gave me " silent " signal that we had to go.
I should note that the population of our Condo increased by 30 College aged kids ( not English ) and they were definitely in a happy mood. In the early afternoon the headed for the Beach and after supper they had a pool party and they were not drinking straight Coke.
We did our after supper computer work and returned to our room for reading and TV. The Landlord said the party lasted until the Pool closed which is when everyone goes home. cheers
Thursday, 10 December 2015
Power Problem during supper
After breakfast we head to the pool area to check the computer for news about the happenings in the World ( mostly sports ) and emails from home and then we hit the Beach which is our favorite past time. We just can get enough of the Sun, Sand and the Caribbean Sea. However, we have to be careful of getting to much Sun all at once but we are definitely getting brown. One of the Hawkers ask us how long we were staying here and Carroll told him 31 Dec and he said, Heck you will be as brown as me by then.
After our Beach time was up we return to our Condo for a quick lunch and then to the pool area to lounge around , read our book and take a quick dip in the pool if it gets too hot. Believe me it is not crowded.
At supper we decided to use the oven for the first time. We could not understand the symbols on the oven knob nor could we get the oven to work so the " Electrician " in me said to check the breakers as it may be in the Off posn. The Electrical panel had two 30 Amp Main Breakers and several 20 Amp breaker for each appliance or room. The entire condo has only 120 service to each appliance which has the fridge, Stove Top, Oven and Hot water tank, the Microwave two A/C units plus the lights. I thought maybe the oven had one of the 30 Amp breakers so I turn it off and holy shit we had no power at all. To make matters worst I thought the breaker was going to fall out in my hand. I believe they export their Electrician's from Mexico. I fiddled some more and got everything back on except the Stove top. Therefore we had to cook supper using the oven and the Microwave. I'm sure I can get everything to work but at this time of night I will leave it until morning.
After supper each night we head to the Pool area where it is cooler and to check the emails, the Sports scores and the News and to talk on Skype to " those " family and friends smart enough to put Skype on there computer. ha ha Cheers
After our Beach time was up we return to our Condo for a quick lunch and then to the pool area to lounge around , read our book and take a quick dip in the pool if it gets too hot. Believe me it is not crowded.
At supper we decided to use the oven for the first time. We could not understand the symbols on the oven knob nor could we get the oven to work so the " Electrician " in me said to check the breakers as it may be in the Off posn. The Electrical panel had two 30 Amp Main Breakers and several 20 Amp breaker for each appliance or room. The entire condo has only 120 service to each appliance which has the fridge, Stove Top, Oven and Hot water tank, the Microwave two A/C units plus the lights. I thought maybe the oven had one of the 30 Amp breakers so I turn it off and holy shit we had no power at all. To make matters worst I thought the breaker was going to fall out in my hand. I believe they export their Electrician's from Mexico. I fiddled some more and got everything back on except the Stove top. Therefore we had to cook supper using the oven and the Microwave. I'm sure I can get everything to work but at this time of night I will leave it until morning.
After supper each night we head to the Pool area where it is cooler and to check the emails, the Sports scores and the News and to talk on Skype to " those " family and friends smart enough to put Skype on there computer. ha ha Cheers
Wash Day Tuesday
Carroll decided that today was the day we need to wash clothes or what she meant was: too get the clothes washed. There are no Washing Machines in the Condos, however they do have a Laundry Mat but not for our use. Here is the drill and it suites us just find. I go to the office and ask to have some laundry done and they don't ask how much. We had 3 garbage bags plus the sheets from our " King Size bed. I pay the Office 150 P ( about 5.00 Cdn ) and I also have to purchase a package of soap which I think was about 50 P. They also ask for my room number which I assumed was so they could return the clean clothes. To my surprise, by the time I got back to our Condo the Laundry lady was there to pick up the dirty Laundry. So , for 5.00 Cdn they Pick up the laundry, Wash it, dry it, fold it and deliver it and I'm sure if we had given her the key she would have put it in the drawers. ha ha.
And to top it off the Laundry lady found a 100 P bill in one of the pockets and she returned it to us. I intended to tip her anyway so I gave it back to her.
Later this week we intend to have our condo clean and they will also do that for 150 P ( 5.00 Cdn ). I guess I now know why Mario, our landlord and Ron, the Bar owner like living in the DR.
After getting the "Laundry " out of the way we headed for the Beach to soak up the Sun and swim in the Caribbean Sea, The water is wonderful. I always buy beer from the Beach Restaurant and sometime we have lunch there. However today is Tuesday ( which I forgot ) and for some reason the Restaurant is closed on Tuesday. So there I am being a Beach Bum, reading my book and no Beer. How much worst can it get. ha ha
After returning from the Beach and having lunch we walked to the local Mall in search of Beer, Bread and some Bug spray. There is some little bugs that are around the pool after the sun goes down. They are not bad but they bite around the ankles.
My friend Ron ( from Vancouver) has invited me to join him at his Bar to watch hockey but we are on Atlantic time , therefore the Oilers and Flames don't start until 9:30 our time so it is kind of late. cheers
And to top it off the Laundry lady found a 100 P bill in one of the pockets and she returned it to us. I intended to tip her anyway so I gave it back to her.
Later this week we intend to have our condo clean and they will also do that for 150 P ( 5.00 Cdn ). I guess I now know why Mario, our landlord and Ron, the Bar owner like living in the DR.
After getting the "Laundry " out of the way we headed for the Beach to soak up the Sun and swim in the Caribbean Sea, The water is wonderful. I always buy beer from the Beach Restaurant and sometime we have lunch there. However today is Tuesday ( which I forgot ) and for some reason the Restaurant is closed on Tuesday. So there I am being a Beach Bum, reading my book and no Beer. How much worst can it get. ha ha
After returning from the Beach and having lunch we walked to the local Mall in search of Beer, Bread and some Bug spray. There is some little bugs that are around the pool after the sun goes down. They are not bad but they bite around the ankles.
My friend Ron ( from Vancouver) has invited me to join him at his Bar to watch hockey but we are on Atlantic time , therefore the Oilers and Flames don't start until 9:30 our time so it is kind of late. cheers
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Tour of City of Puerto Plata
Our tour called for a pickup at our Condo at 9 AM but they were there at 8:45 AM ( MX can take a lesson from the Dominica ) and we were the only customers today. I previous told you there were very few tourist so this is living proof . The guide spoke good English albeit sometimes too fast for me but Carroll seems to pick it up.
I told him the first stop had to be the Popularie Bank or he would not get paid so that was clearly understood. After the Bank we were headed toward the " Rich Peoples Homes " so we could see how the wealthy live and it was high on a hill so we could view the hold city from high up. A Panorama view, if you will. The Mansions we seen where owned by Lawyers, Doctors, a Senator and one owned by a retired BlueJay's pitcher but the name escapes me.
Before going up passed the Upper class homes I spotted a distinguished building that I thought might be a City Hall or Gov't building of some kind so I inquired. The guide said it was one of two " Free " hotels in the city. Not being to fast on the uptake I said why Free. He says it's the Men's prison and you don't pay to get in. They also have a women's prison.
We also visited a Fort that was built by the Spaniards to protect the Island from the likes of the British, French, Dutch and others, a Park, Two Power Plants and a deep water port where the merchant ships dock. They also have separate dock for the Cruise Ships and they have as many as 11 Cruise ships a week.
The Power plants are run on Diesel and of course it has to be imported. Apparently power is expensive.
Our second last stop run right thru a Jewelry store; of course I knew that was coming and I'm sure the Tour Guide gets a cut if you buy. Carroll made sure he got a cut as she picked up 4 pieces which included a Ring, Bracelet , Ear rings and a Necklace. However, we got it for 1/2 price because there were no ships in today and " Fifi " had to make sale. Lucky Me!!!!
Our last trip was to take a cable car up the mountain to get a view of most of the Island. It was part and parcel of the Tour otherwise I would not have paid extra, although it was nice to see the Island from the top.
We insisted that part of the trip was to include a stop at the grocery store so we would not have to endure another cab fare to get groceries and they obliged us.
All vehicles on the Island are imported from the USA and mostly from Miami . There a very few stop light and absolutely devoid of Stop signs and Yield signs but the vehicle drivers are courtesy and seem to merge in and out of traffic seamlessly. However, the Motorcycle drivers are completely nuts and they cut in and out like it is an obstacle course.
Helmets are the law but nobody wears them except today was " Police Check Stop Day " for helmet and anyone without a helmet was pulled over.
The tour was suppose to be 3 hours but I guess the Tour guides cut at the Jewelry store hefty because we were extended to 4 hours. Cheers
I told him the first stop had to be the Popularie Bank or he would not get paid so that was clearly understood. After the Bank we were headed toward the " Rich Peoples Homes " so we could see how the wealthy live and it was high on a hill so we could view the hold city from high up. A Panorama view, if you will. The Mansions we seen where owned by Lawyers, Doctors, a Senator and one owned by a retired BlueJay's pitcher but the name escapes me.
Before going up passed the Upper class homes I spotted a distinguished building that I thought might be a City Hall or Gov't building of some kind so I inquired. The guide said it was one of two " Free " hotels in the city. Not being to fast on the uptake I said why Free. He says it's the Men's prison and you don't pay to get in. They also have a women's prison.
We also visited a Fort that was built by the Spaniards to protect the Island from the likes of the British, French, Dutch and others, a Park, Two Power Plants and a deep water port where the merchant ships dock. They also have separate dock for the Cruise Ships and they have as many as 11 Cruise ships a week.
The Power plants are run on Diesel and of course it has to be imported. Apparently power is expensive.
Our second last stop run right thru a Jewelry store; of course I knew that was coming and I'm sure the Tour Guide gets a cut if you buy. Carroll made sure he got a cut as she picked up 4 pieces which included a Ring, Bracelet , Ear rings and a Necklace. However, we got it for 1/2 price because there were no ships in today and " Fifi " had to make sale. Lucky Me!!!!
Our last trip was to take a cable car up the mountain to get a view of most of the Island. It was part and parcel of the Tour otherwise I would not have paid extra, although it was nice to see the Island from the top.
We insisted that part of the trip was to include a stop at the grocery store so we would not have to endure another cab fare to get groceries and they obliged us.
All vehicles on the Island are imported from the USA and mostly from Miami . There a very few stop light and absolutely devoid of Stop signs and Yield signs but the vehicle drivers are courtesy and seem to merge in and out of traffic seamlessly. However, the Motorcycle drivers are completely nuts and they cut in and out like it is an obstacle course.
Helmets are the law but nobody wears them except today was " Police Check Stop Day " for helmet and anyone without a helmet was pulled over.
The tour was suppose to be 3 hours but I guess the Tour guides cut at the Jewelry store hefty because we were extended to 4 hours. Cheers
Monday, 7 December 2015
Still on the ATM chase
Before heading for the Beach I thought I would go to the local Mall ,and try again to find the elusive ATM that would spout out 10,000P. The Landlord was going to show me were it was but he had company so I did want to bother him at the time. So I decided to walk around the outside of the Mall myself; how hard would be to spot an ATM. I was also advised that it was a " Bank Popularie" machine. Incidentally, all ATMs have a guard and I spotted the Guard near a Popularie sign. As I crossed the street heading for the ATM the guard waved his hands and said NO NO. I'm smart enough to know that when a guard says No he means it, so I corrected my course and headed back into the Mall.
I then recalled that Ron ( who owns the Sports Bar) was watching the Seattle Football game at his Bar so I thought I would ask him about the location of the ATM. Since the game was over he took me to the ATM location which incidental was the one that the guard " shooed " me away from. When we got to the ATM it was gone. Ron did not know whether it was stolen or removed by the Bank. I tried another ATM but it would not even acknowledge my card.
Since we are taking a City tour tomorrow, I will have the Tour Guide stop at a Bank for me as I need the cash.
By the time I returned from the ATM chase, Carroll was ready for the Beach so we headed for the Beach. As soon as you get to the Beach, and stake out your Playa ( umbrella ) the Security guys brings over two lounge chairs and a table. Anyone can sit/lay on the Beach but only our Condo pers can have the Playa. I noticed the security guard checking Carroll's wrist band. I thought we have been here long enough that would have recognized us by know.
When we got to the beach we notice more then the usual amount of folks in the Ocean, so we figure that more people are coming . The water was so inviting we joined the group and swam around in the beautiful blue/green Caribbean Sea. Carroll borrowed a Noodle from the Landlord so she is a little more stable in the waves. We then went for a walk on the beach to see what the people in the" All Inclusive" where doing. Surprise Surprise, they where do the same as us; Swimming, Sunbathing and drinking. What did you expect.
Of course we are following the curling and ( the Hockey ) and we check the scores on TSN after each draw but the Men's final was too late for us as we are 3 hours ahead of Mountain time. Cheers
I then recalled that Ron ( who owns the Sports Bar) was watching the Seattle Football game at his Bar so I thought I would ask him about the location of the ATM. Since the game was over he took me to the ATM location which incidental was the one that the guard " shooed " me away from. When we got to the ATM it was gone. Ron did not know whether it was stolen or removed by the Bank. I tried another ATM but it would not even acknowledge my card.
Since we are taking a City tour tomorrow, I will have the Tour Guide stop at a Bank for me as I need the cash.
By the time I returned from the ATM chase, Carroll was ready for the Beach so we headed for the Beach. As soon as you get to the Beach, and stake out your Playa ( umbrella ) the Security guys brings over two lounge chairs and a table. Anyone can sit/lay on the Beach but only our Condo pers can have the Playa. I noticed the security guard checking Carroll's wrist band. I thought we have been here long enough that would have recognized us by know.
When we got to the beach we notice more then the usual amount of folks in the Ocean, so we figure that more people are coming . The water was so inviting we joined the group and swam around in the beautiful blue/green Caribbean Sea. Carroll borrowed a Noodle from the Landlord so she is a little more stable in the waves. We then went for a walk on the beach to see what the people in the" All Inclusive" where doing. Surprise Surprise, they where do the same as us; Swimming, Sunbathing and drinking. What did you expect.
Of course we are following the curling and ( the Hockey ) and we check the scores on TSN after each draw but the Men's final was too late for us as we are 3 hours ahead of Mountain time. Cheers
Sunday, 6 December 2015
Signed up for a City Tour
We headed for the pool area after breakfast to check our emails and to check the Cdn news as our TV cable does not recognize that Canada even exists. However, it was very humid in the morning and my key board would not type due to the humidity. I actually had to hold each key down to the count of 3 or 4 before it register. This has never happen before, even in South Africa where it was 43C and very humid. So that ended the morning computer exercise.
We then decided to go to the Mall, next to our Condo complex to find the ATM. There are 3 ATM machines but we only located too. We were advised to be careful especially if someone ( other than a security guard ) directs you to a machine as it might be set up to steal your card number. We were advised that the Bank of Nova Scotia ATM Puerto Plata was definitely one to avoid.
The first ATM was not working and there was quite a line up at the other so we walked around the Mall , which has many Tourist Trap Boutiques, Time share Scammers, Rental car Kiosks, Tour companies waiting to relief you of your money.
Anyhow I did finally get in the lineup for the ATM and it appears as if these folks have their pay sent to the bank ( or maybe the company wants it that way) so they were there drawing out money and or paying bills. I was told that there is a 10,000 P limit ( 330.00 Cdn ) so I tried but no luck. I did finally get 2000P which is barely beer money. My Landlord says he will direct me to an ATM that has an 10,000 P limit.
While at the Mall we did sign up for a city tour on Monday.
In the afternoon, we headed for the pool and took the computer to check if it would work, and it did so I checked the Curling, Hockey and the Globe. We ended the afternoon with a dip in the pool.
After supper we came to the pool, with the computer to check sports and to try to call the G/KIds. And WHOA: where the hell did these people come. There was 12 or maybe 15 people in around the pool; (Who let the Dogs out ), none of which had English as a mother tongue.
We ask an Oriental guy ( because he spoke some English ) for help to get on Facetime but he deduced it was our problem with the "Mike".
I had plan to go to the local Bar to watch hockey but deferred to reading my book before bed. cheers
We then decided to go to the Mall, next to our Condo complex to find the ATM. There are 3 ATM machines but we only located too. We were advised to be careful especially if someone ( other than a security guard ) directs you to a machine as it might be set up to steal your card number. We were advised that the Bank of Nova Scotia ATM Puerto Plata was definitely one to avoid.
The first ATM was not working and there was quite a line up at the other so we walked around the Mall , which has many Tourist Trap Boutiques, Time share Scammers, Rental car Kiosks, Tour companies waiting to relief you of your money.
Anyhow I did finally get in the lineup for the ATM and it appears as if these folks have their pay sent to the bank ( or maybe the company wants it that way) so they were there drawing out money and or paying bills. I was told that there is a 10,000 P limit ( 330.00 Cdn ) so I tried but no luck. I did finally get 2000P which is barely beer money. My Landlord says he will direct me to an ATM that has an 10,000 P limit.
While at the Mall we did sign up for a city tour on Monday.
In the afternoon, we headed for the pool and took the computer to check if it would work, and it did so I checked the Curling, Hockey and the Globe. We ended the afternoon with a dip in the pool.
After supper we came to the pool, with the computer to check sports and to try to call the G/KIds. And WHOA: where the hell did these people come. There was 12 or maybe 15 people in around the pool; (Who let the Dogs out ), none of which had English as a mother tongue.
We ask an Oriental guy ( because he spoke some English ) for help to get on Facetime but he deduced it was our problem with the "Mike".
I had plan to go to the local Bar to watch hockey but deferred to reading my book before bed. cheers
Saturday, 5 December 2015
Another Beach Day
Talk about a lazy day, well this was it. We lazed around most of the morning and search the TV for a news channel and low and behold we did get 2 new " English " channel with some US news. The cable network is really a hit and miss and today was the first time we got some news other than BBC.
Around noon we headed for the Beach to soak up some more Sun and to go for a swim in this beautiful Caribbean Sea. I spend my time reading and / or falling a sleep while Carroll does the Beach watching which consist of one couple walking by every 5 minutes.
After chasing back a beer followed by a snooze it was time for lunch at the beach restaurant, There was also a father and son eating there besides us, so I don't know why the stay open.
About 4 PM we returned to our Condo and then took our computers out to the pool area as we can not pick up the WiFi in our Condo
We spotted two more couple wandering around so maybe the activity will pick up. I planned on going to the sports bar to watch the hockey game but my booking reading whiled away the time and I forgot about it. Cheers
Around noon we headed for the Beach to soak up some more Sun and to go for a swim in this beautiful Caribbean Sea. I spend my time reading and / or falling a sleep while Carroll does the Beach watching which consist of one couple walking by every 5 minutes.
After chasing back a beer followed by a snooze it was time for lunch at the beach restaurant, There was also a father and son eating there besides us, so I don't know why the stay open.
About 4 PM we returned to our Condo and then took our computers out to the pool area as we can not pick up the WiFi in our Condo
We spotted two more couple wandering around so maybe the activity will pick up. I planned on going to the sports bar to watch the hockey game but my booking reading whiled away the time and I forgot about it. Cheers
Friday, 4 December 2015
Shopping Day followed by pool time
Man ; is it every quiet and lazy around this place. This Condo complex houses 12 Condos per building and there are 16 buildings which surrounds a beautiful pool area complete with a Bar , if there was anyone to serve. The grounds are a lush green with more staff then occupants. So far we have met/seen 3 single seniors all male which includes our Condo owner and the owner of the Bar plus another man from Montreal.
Last evening at the pool checking our email we seen another couple so we said Hello and that was the end of the conversation. He talked on his cell phone for over an hour and she was doing exercises. There was another couple in the pool 2 nights ago but they did not speak either of our official languages.
Earlier in the day we seen Mario , our condo owner and advised him the Condo lack a few necessities like a decent frying pan so he said the next time you go shopping buy what you need and give me the bill. We then ask him to call us a cab for a one PM pickup and to advise the Taxi that we wanted to go to the Market and then to the grocery store and that he had to stay with us.
When we got to our parking area for the pickup I notice a black Van not the white one I expected. Then the security guard came running with his cell phone , handing it to me so I knew that something went off the rails. The original taxi could make it so he sent a friend , which was OK except he did not speak any English. We agree on a price before I would get in the Taxi and I'm sure he wanted more than my offer.
First we went tot the Market to buy fruit and Veggie as they are much cheaper then the Store. However, the market "ambiances" is at least two levels below Mexico. We did purchase all the Veggies and fruit that we needed. Then went tot the grocery store and spend another 3000 P ( 90.00 Cdn ). The taxi driver had a discount card so use it again and saved another 10%.
In the afternoon we spend 2 hours at the pool ( by our self) as expected. The pool is not heated but it doesn't need to be as the sun keeps it at a nice temp. Cheers
Last evening at the pool checking our email we seen another couple so we said Hello and that was the end of the conversation. He talked on his cell phone for over an hour and she was doing exercises. There was another couple in the pool 2 nights ago but they did not speak either of our official languages.
Earlier in the day we seen Mario , our condo owner and advised him the Condo lack a few necessities like a decent frying pan so he said the next time you go shopping buy what you need and give me the bill. We then ask him to call us a cab for a one PM pickup and to advise the Taxi that we wanted to go to the Market and then to the grocery store and that he had to stay with us.
When we got to our parking area for the pickup I notice a black Van not the white one I expected. Then the security guard came running with his cell phone , handing it to me so I knew that something went off the rails. The original taxi could make it so he sent a friend , which was OK except he did not speak any English. We agree on a price before I would get in the Taxi and I'm sure he wanted more than my offer.
First we went tot the Market to buy fruit and Veggie as they are much cheaper then the Store. However, the market "ambiances" is at least two levels below Mexico. We did purchase all the Veggies and fruit that we needed. Then went tot the grocery store and spend another 3000 P ( 90.00 Cdn ). The taxi driver had a discount card so use it again and saved another 10%.
In the afternoon we spend 2 hours at the pool ( by our self) as expected. The pool is not heated but it doesn't need to be as the sun keeps it at a nice temp. Cheers
Thursday, 3 December 2015
Lazy Day at the Beach
Our condo is on the 2nd floor and is a nice accommodation, located about to 200 feet from the pool, which we have not utilized yet. It is a 1 bedroom ( King bed ) with lots of room, so that makes us happy. The one drawback is that we have to go to the pool to access the WiFi but that is not a show stopper.
We have TV, in fact two TV's so we can follow the US news so we know about the shooting in CA.
The close grocery store is located in Puerto Plata which is about 5 miles away so we need a Taxi to go shopping. However, there is a Mall within a few hundred feet the houses Banks, Bars, Nic Nac stores, Pedicure places, Hair Salons , Time share sellers and Tourist Trip Advisors ( I like that name ) that will relieve you of your money. Carroll got sucked in yesterday by the Nail lady. The lady said let me paint one nail to show you and before long she painted them all and said that will be 10.00 US please.
We have a very nice beach within about 300 yards away, complete with a Bar and Restaurant. The chairs and Umbrellas are also provide so you don't need to carry too much with you. We decide to spend a few hours being a Beach Bum . So we spent the afternoon, swimming, swelling a few beer ( Carroll a pop ) and we even had a Hamburger for lunch there.
We noticed that the dishes and cutlery need replacing as the big knife had a broken handle and both frying pans had broken handles. Of course, Mario, the owner does check those things so he said to replace whatever is need and give him the bill so we will do that the next time we go shopping.
Apparently , Carroll say I sleep for about an hour at the beach so that was my afternoon nap.
We intended to make a normal supper but neither one of us were hungry so we settled for a salad. We wasted the evening by sitting by the pool and they watching the aftermath of the shooting in San Berdinio .
There are not many tourist here yet. Apparently they don't arrive until after Christmas. We have not found another tourist couple in our condo area, who speak English yet. There does seem to a few French people on the beach and in the local Mall. cheers
We have TV, in fact two TV's so we can follow the US news so we know about the shooting in CA.
The close grocery store is located in Puerto Plata which is about 5 miles away so we need a Taxi to go shopping. However, there is a Mall within a few hundred feet the houses Banks, Bars, Nic Nac stores, Pedicure places, Hair Salons , Time share sellers and Tourist Trip Advisors ( I like that name ) that will relieve you of your money. Carroll got sucked in yesterday by the Nail lady. The lady said let me paint one nail to show you and before long she painted them all and said that will be 10.00 US please.
We have a very nice beach within about 300 yards away, complete with a Bar and Restaurant. The chairs and Umbrellas are also provide so you don't need to carry too much with you. We decide to spend a few hours being a Beach Bum . So we spent the afternoon, swimming, swelling a few beer ( Carroll a pop ) and we even had a Hamburger for lunch there.
We noticed that the dishes and cutlery need replacing as the big knife had a broken handle and both frying pans had broken handles. Of course, Mario, the owner does check those things so he said to replace whatever is need and give him the bill so we will do that the next time we go shopping.
Apparently , Carroll say I sleep for about an hour at the beach so that was my afternoon nap.
We intended to make a normal supper but neither one of us were hungry so we settled for a salad. We wasted the evening by sitting by the pool and they watching the aftermath of the shooting in San Berdinio .
There are not many tourist here yet. Apparently they don't arrive until after Christmas. We have not found another tourist couple in our condo area, who speak English yet. There does seem to a few French people on the beach and in the local Mall. cheers
Wednesday, 2 December 2015
Calgary to Puerto Plata
We got to the Calgary airport a couple of hour before takeoff and " wisssed thru the check mainly because there was nobody ahead of us. There check in girl says I sorry but you have too much luggage and I will have to charge you for the extra. Carroll says but I husband is a Veteran and she says in that case you have just the right amount. Please carry on. Incidentally, the couple behind us said they even had to weight their carryon. Finally, us Veterans get one perk.
While we were loading I did notice that they were de-icing the Aircraft even thought it was above zero. The first announcement on the plane, which I had never heard before , was that this is a " Dark Aircraft" which means No TV and No Music.
The flight to TO was.. the trip to TO. What did you expect. We had a 4 hour wait in TO so we had breakfast, knowing there would be no meal on the "leg" to DR, unless you want to pay extra.
By the time we loaded I was really tired and while we were on the taxi strip l fell asleep and didn't wake up for an hour and a half so I guess I was tired. Normally, they don't let you sleep during take off.
When flying into DR it was obvious that they get a little rain because the entire countryside was a lush green.
We arrived on schedule and our Taxi was waiting with a sign saying TOM, San Marnio, which is our condo. I told the driver I would need a beer as soon as I get to the Condo so he says I will stop so you pick some up. He actually pulled up on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic which caused a few horns to blast away at him. ( actually I found our later there is no right or wrong side of the the road ) .. I believe we would call it chicken;they call it driving in DR. Anyhow I ordered 6 beer assuming they came in a case of 6 or maybe 12 . Since it was just a small roadside bar they come "each " in Quarts, no less. So I said, just sell me 4 bottles at 3.30 Cdn per bottle.
When we got to the Condo complex the Securty just handed us the Keys and two wrist band and the Taxi drove thru to our particular complex. There are 4 complex buildings surrounding the Pool area and we are #4. We had too much to carry into the Condo so the taxi sent the Gardner to get a cart for us and then he loaded it with our 3 suite cases and 2 each, carryons. We are on the 2 nd floor so he carried the luggage to our room. When we got there , Mario, the condo own was also there waiting for us but more likely waiting for his rent money. Anyway, he is a nice guy.
We then arrange to have the Taxi return at 6:30 to take us to a Sea Food restaurant ( probably his friend ) and then to get groceries.
After I polished of the Quart of beer Carroll wanted to rest, which is her word for sleep. I decided to seek our a Sport Bar that I was told had the Hockey games. I found the bar quite quickly and knowing I had an hour to kill I ordered a beer. I also noticed a guy at the Bar with a ball cap with Canada on it so I ask about the hockey games. I also ask how he got the signal and he says I steal and I am Canadian and I own the Bar. JUST MY TYPE OF PEOPLE. So we exchanged lies about hockey and he told me about his son who play for Swift Current and Portland. His son also had a 3 practice game tryout with the Cauncks and that is were his career ended. This person " Ron Motts " lives he all year round but keeps a residence in Vancouver. Earlier this year he had a heart operation in the DR to install 7 Stens. I question why then did not just run a new "Hose " in and he said they would have if they had know ahead of time how bad it was.
As mention the Taxi took us to a Seafood restaurant and then for groceries. The groceries come to 100.00 Cdn but he got us a 10 % discount with his Rewards Card.
After returning home with the groceries we had a cup of tea and called it a day. By this time we had been awake for more then 36 hours. cheers
Monday, 30 November 2015
Heading for Dominica Republic ( DR ) 30 Nov 15
We are leaving at 12:05 AM 1 Dec which means we have to be at the airport by 10:00PM tonight , 30 Nov . We arrived at Todd's yesterday to delivery the all important G/Kids Christmas presents and of course to stay overnight. Todd will take us to the Airport later this evening. The weather is great so there should be no delays.
WestJet sent us an email reminding us to be at the airport 2 hours early for check in. The next hurdle is the self check in but I'll just act stupid ( which isn't hard ) and someone will help us. We are allowed 3 pieces of luggage ( Free ) with no limits on the weight because I'm a veteran. It's the only perk I get for spending 30 years in the Military and dragging my all ove "Hell's half Acre " . For Carroll that apparent means we could bring everything but the Motor Home and the Tow vehicle.
We have a 4 hour layover in Toronto so we will have breakfast there which will help to kill time. The flight from TO to Puerto Plata is a little over 4 hours. My next note should be fro the DR and I will try to send some Pics this year.
WestJet sent us an email reminding us to be at the airport 2 hours early for check in. The next hurdle is the self check in but I'll just act stupid ( which isn't hard ) and someone will help us. We are allowed 3 pieces of luggage ( Free ) with no limits on the weight because I'm a veteran. It's the only perk I get for spending 30 years in the Military and dragging my all ove "Hell's half Acre " . For Carroll that apparent means we could bring everything but the Motor Home and the Tow vehicle.
We have a 4 hour layover in Toronto so we will have breakfast there which will help to kill time. The flight from TO to Puerto Plata is a little over 4 hours. My next note should be fro the DR and I will try to send some Pics this year.
Thursday, 9 April 2015
The End of our winter holiday April 2015
1 April: We left Mesquite , NV or I should say the Virgin River casino parking lot and we headed north to Idaho Falls , ID. This is about an 7 or 8 hour drive if you are in a car and if you keep up to the speed limit which varies up to 75 and 80 MPH. Of course that is much too fast for me as my max speed is 65 MPH so I will stretch the drive to 10 or 11 hours depending on how often we stop to fuel up or eat or if I need a Pit stop. We always stop at Springdale , UT at the Cracker Barrel restaurant for Brunch which is the only meal we need until supper.
We have driven this route on I-15 more times than I can remember so we normal know where we can get the best deal on fuel. Also I always ask the truckers when I stop to fuel up about where I can get the cheapest fuel. A couple of years ago we stopped in Malad, ID, which is just inside the state line from UT, at a restaurant on the advise of a traveler. Luckily we noticed the fuel was cheaper there , than other places along the road so we filled up. I drummed up a conversation with a trucker and he said that the Maverick fuel stop was the cheapest in ID so I always top up there. Incidentally , UT fuel prices are always higher than MT and ID.
I wish there was a way to avoid Salt Lake City because it seems to be getting busier every time we pass thru it. They have 6 lanes and it seems that you have to be careful not to migrate to the right or you will end up in an Exit Only lane. I usually try to follow a trucker as I'm sure he will pick the best lane to get thru the quickest.
The trip was definitely uneventful after getting thru SLC and we arrived in Idaho Falls around 6 PM and decided to overnight in the Wal-Mart parking lot. We spotted a MH near the rear of the store so we drove over towards it thinking we would be out of the way from other shoppers. Holy Moly!! what a surprise, as there was about 15 other RV's already parked for the evening and most of them had AB plates and they too where heading north. It was quite cool and windy so we decided to turn on the furnace and to stay in for the night. All the other RVer's must have been thinking the same as us because nobody was outside either. cheers
2 April : We left the Wal-Mart parking lot around 7:30 AM which would put us at the Canada/USA border around 5 PM assuming no "unauthorized" stops. Our first stop would be a Dell, MT for breakfast. Dell is a very small town, located between two mountain ranges and it caterers to the local Ranchers and it seems to be a special haven for Hunters during the hunting season. The town has a Gas Station with a small store, several cabins for the hunters and an old school house that has been a restaurant for many years. The meals are "home cooking" and they specialize in fresh donuts and their famous " Sticky Cimmon Buns " . Many Truckers stop here for a good Home cooked meal and many more snowbirds stop for a breakfast and the Buns. We found out about this place 10 years ago and we always stop for a meal and the Buns. This place can hold around 30/40 Pers as it only has 6 dinner tables. We always invite other couples to sit with us as travelers always have interesting stories.
After leaving Dell our next stop was 4 hours away for a fuel stop in Boulder , MT as once again this is a regular stop for us to top up as the fuel price is cheaper than Helena or Great Falls. We did make a "shopping stop" in Helena as Carroll had to pick up a few more items for the G/Kids as there is some Birthdays in April and June. Now we are heading for the Border with a quick fuel stop in Shellby, MT to top up with fuel that is much cheaper than at home.
There were many , many cars with AB, BC and SK plates passing us since we left Idaho Falls so we assumed when we got to the Coutts border at 5:30 they would be long gone. Where we ever wrong. (We usually cross at Wildhorse, AB which is a small border crossing north of Billings and Havre , MT but this crossing is a 10 hour opening and closes at 5 PM so we could not make it today). The lineups where miles long and we waited 3 (long ) hours before we got to the Custom agent which means we cleared customs at 8:30 PM. We arrived home at 10:30 PM. We had expected to be home by 7:30 PM.
Our winter trip is now over so this is the last Blog entry until we decide to go somewhere else. We are flying home to London for a Memorial Service for Carroll's brother who died in Feb. Both our families are in the area so we will stay for a week and hopefully visit everyone. Sometime in May our life should return to normal . I hope all the readers of the Blog enjoyed the " Ride ". cheers
We have driven this route on I-15 more times than I can remember so we normal know where we can get the best deal on fuel. Also I always ask the truckers when I stop to fuel up about where I can get the cheapest fuel. A couple of years ago we stopped in Malad, ID, which is just inside the state line from UT, at a restaurant on the advise of a traveler. Luckily we noticed the fuel was cheaper there , than other places along the road so we filled up. I drummed up a conversation with a trucker and he said that the Maverick fuel stop was the cheapest in ID so I always top up there. Incidentally , UT fuel prices are always higher than MT and ID.
I wish there was a way to avoid Salt Lake City because it seems to be getting busier every time we pass thru it. They have 6 lanes and it seems that you have to be careful not to migrate to the right or you will end up in an Exit Only lane. I usually try to follow a trucker as I'm sure he will pick the best lane to get thru the quickest.
The trip was definitely uneventful after getting thru SLC and we arrived in Idaho Falls around 6 PM and decided to overnight in the Wal-Mart parking lot. We spotted a MH near the rear of the store so we drove over towards it thinking we would be out of the way from other shoppers. Holy Moly!! what a surprise, as there was about 15 other RV's already parked for the evening and most of them had AB plates and they too where heading north. It was quite cool and windy so we decided to turn on the furnace and to stay in for the night. All the other RVer's must have been thinking the same as us because nobody was outside either. cheers
2 April : We left the Wal-Mart parking lot around 7:30 AM which would put us at the Canada/USA border around 5 PM assuming no "unauthorized" stops. Our first stop would be a Dell, MT for breakfast. Dell is a very small town, located between two mountain ranges and it caterers to the local Ranchers and it seems to be a special haven for Hunters during the hunting season. The town has a Gas Station with a small store, several cabins for the hunters and an old school house that has been a restaurant for many years. The meals are "home cooking" and they specialize in fresh donuts and their famous " Sticky Cimmon Buns " . Many Truckers stop here for a good Home cooked meal and many more snowbirds stop for a breakfast and the Buns. We found out about this place 10 years ago and we always stop for a meal and the Buns. This place can hold around 30/40 Pers as it only has 6 dinner tables. We always invite other couples to sit with us as travelers always have interesting stories.
After leaving Dell our next stop was 4 hours away for a fuel stop in Boulder , MT as once again this is a regular stop for us to top up as the fuel price is cheaper than Helena or Great Falls. We did make a "shopping stop" in Helena as Carroll had to pick up a few more items for the G/Kids as there is some Birthdays in April and June. Now we are heading for the Border with a quick fuel stop in Shellby, MT to top up with fuel that is much cheaper than at home.
There were many , many cars with AB, BC and SK plates passing us since we left Idaho Falls so we assumed when we got to the Coutts border at 5:30 they would be long gone. Where we ever wrong. (We usually cross at Wildhorse, AB which is a small border crossing north of Billings and Havre , MT but this crossing is a 10 hour opening and closes at 5 PM so we could not make it today). The lineups where miles long and we waited 3 (long ) hours before we got to the Custom agent which means we cleared customs at 8:30 PM. We arrived home at 10:30 PM. We had expected to be home by 7:30 PM.
Our winter trip is now over so this is the last Blog entry until we decide to go somewhere else. We are flying home to London for a Memorial Service for Carroll's brother who died in Feb. Both our families are in the area so we will stay for a week and hopefully visit everyone. Sometime in May our life should return to normal . I hope all the readers of the Blog enjoyed the " Ride ". cheers
Saturday, 4 April 2015
Heading Home March 2015
28 March; We are leaving Yuma tomorrow with a few stops on the way but is amazing at how long it takes to pack the MH. I always try to pack the nonessential items but you still need to leave the chairs, satellite dish, outdoor carpet and the sun screen on the windshield etc. Therefore most of it gets left until the launch day.
Again the pool is our "pacifier " as the temperature is in the mid 90's again. There simply is no satisfying a Snowbird. Also the World Curling in Halifax has started so we are watching that ,hoping that Canada can win it all. cheers
29 March: Today we leave for Quartzsite, about 85 miles north to visit friends we met in MX. And , as usual, the day we are leaving I'm up early to pack because it always takes longer then you think. Besides, whenever the neighbors see you packing they come by to say goodbye which slows down the packing process.
After leaving the park we had to fuel up at Fry's which is a grocery chain and like Wal-Mart and Costco they have Fuel. For ever 100.00 you spend at Fry's you get 10 cent off a gallon and we had spent the 100.00 so we are taking advantage since we need about 50 gallons of fuel. Diesel is 2.49 per gallon and gasoline is 2.25. Getting in and out of the busy pumps is always a challenge but it is doable. Most car owners will make room for you. When I pulled in another guy pulled into my pump as I needed diesel . As soon as he noticed that I needed his pump he moved to another pump which was nice of him. Of course the fuelling tender just happen to be dumping fuel at this time, which added to the confusion and was blocking our path to exit the pumps so Carroll became the traffic director and held up the cars so I could squeeze between to two pumps. Most folks can see the conundrum that I was in so they usually move out of the way.
After hooking up the tow car we headed for Quartzsite some 85 miles north. This is a quiet little town of about 3000 population but becomes a town of 500,000 during the winter as people Boondock ( Dry Camping ) in the surrounding area and believe me it is a Boom Town from mid Dec until Feb. These folks in town are real businessmen or at least provide the services that we Snowbirds need and I might add will gladly pay for. There are several stations where they will fill your RV with water, propane and dump your sewer all at the same time and you never have to leave your MH. In fact they tell you not to get out of your MH as they will do everything.
We got to our friends place in Quartzsite ( Fred and Sheri ). They have the same MH as us so he was very helpful for me while in MX. They have been full timers for 11 years so they wander around visiting relatives and staying at different places. They lived and worked in LA until retirement and then went full timers. They spend 4 1/2 months in MX, then move to Quartzsite until 1 May or until it gets too hot. In Quartzsite they have a nicely graveled lot 100 ft X 100 ft with all the services for two RVs hence there was room for us to park overnight. They also have a very nice Casita, which is an outdoor kitchen/dinning area/TV room. Just remember it is summer all year round in Quartzsite. From there they move to Temecula California where the temperature is not as hot. Also, this location is great for them to make the annual visit to aging parents and G/Kids. From here they move to the mid west and finally back to MX and complete the circuit.
As mentioned we stay overnight ,had a nice supper and chat and will certainly keep in touch as we "May " meet them again in MX next year. Cheers
30 March; Today we moved to Bullhead City, AZ ( about 3 hours north of Quartzsite ) as we have an 8 AM appointment to have the MH serviced on Tuesday morning. We have a Hydro Hot system which can only we serviced by a certified Tech and the RV dealer in Bullhead city has that Tech. We actually stayed at the AVI casino, which is in Nevada, about 5 miles from the RV dealer in Bullhead City. Carroll usually drops 20 bucks at each Casino that we stop at but this time she won 30.00. I set up the satellite so we could watch curling and a couple of hockey games. There was about 20 other RVers camped at AVI as this is a "free" stopping off point on the way north for most snowbirds . Cheers
31 March; We got up at 7 AM and dropped our MH off at the RV dealer before 8 AM. The servicing takes 3 hours or I should say they charge us for 3 hours so we took off to Laughlin, NV about 10 miles away to while away 3 hours and for Carroll to frequent the outlet mall while I bore myself sitting on a bench , talking to other husband waiting on there wife.
For those would don't know the area, Bullhead City, AZ is across the Colorado River from Laughlin, NV, which is where there are about 10 or more Casinos.
We pick up our MH around noon and headed for Mesquite, NV to another Casino with "free" overnight parking. We arrived around 6 PM so most of the "good spots" where taken but we found one on the pavement and we squeezed in. It is kind of a sport to watch as RVers move in and drive around trying to find that perfect spot. One guy from Alberta moved 4 times and finally one RVer moved his tow car to make room for this guy. Most of the RVers where Canadians. We are only staying overnight before heading to Idaho City in the morning. Cheers
Again the pool is our "pacifier " as the temperature is in the mid 90's again. There simply is no satisfying a Snowbird. Also the World Curling in Halifax has started so we are watching that ,hoping that Canada can win it all. cheers
29 March: Today we leave for Quartzsite, about 85 miles north to visit friends we met in MX. And , as usual, the day we are leaving I'm up early to pack because it always takes longer then you think. Besides, whenever the neighbors see you packing they come by to say goodbye which slows down the packing process.
After leaving the park we had to fuel up at Fry's which is a grocery chain and like Wal-Mart and Costco they have Fuel. For ever 100.00 you spend at Fry's you get 10 cent off a gallon and we had spent the 100.00 so we are taking advantage since we need about 50 gallons of fuel. Diesel is 2.49 per gallon and gasoline is 2.25. Getting in and out of the busy pumps is always a challenge but it is doable. Most car owners will make room for you. When I pulled in another guy pulled into my pump as I needed diesel . As soon as he noticed that I needed his pump he moved to another pump which was nice of him. Of course the fuelling tender just happen to be dumping fuel at this time, which added to the confusion and was blocking our path to exit the pumps so Carroll became the traffic director and held up the cars so I could squeeze between to two pumps. Most folks can see the conundrum that I was in so they usually move out of the way.
After hooking up the tow car we headed for Quartzsite some 85 miles north. This is a quiet little town of about 3000 population but becomes a town of 500,000 during the winter as people Boondock ( Dry Camping ) in the surrounding area and believe me it is a Boom Town from mid Dec until Feb. These folks in town are real businessmen or at least provide the services that we Snowbirds need and I might add will gladly pay for. There are several stations where they will fill your RV with water, propane and dump your sewer all at the same time and you never have to leave your MH. In fact they tell you not to get out of your MH as they will do everything.
We got to our friends place in Quartzsite ( Fred and Sheri ). They have the same MH as us so he was very helpful for me while in MX. They have been full timers for 11 years so they wander around visiting relatives and staying at different places. They lived and worked in LA until retirement and then went full timers. They spend 4 1/2 months in MX, then move to Quartzsite until 1 May or until it gets too hot. In Quartzsite they have a nicely graveled lot 100 ft X 100 ft with all the services for two RVs hence there was room for us to park overnight. They also have a very nice Casita, which is an outdoor kitchen/dinning area/TV room. Just remember it is summer all year round in Quartzsite. From there they move to Temecula California where the temperature is not as hot. Also, this location is great for them to make the annual visit to aging parents and G/Kids. From here they move to the mid west and finally back to MX and complete the circuit.
As mentioned we stay overnight ,had a nice supper and chat and will certainly keep in touch as we "May " meet them again in MX next year. Cheers
30 March; Today we moved to Bullhead City, AZ ( about 3 hours north of Quartzsite ) as we have an 8 AM appointment to have the MH serviced on Tuesday morning. We have a Hydro Hot system which can only we serviced by a certified Tech and the RV dealer in Bullhead city has that Tech. We actually stayed at the AVI casino, which is in Nevada, about 5 miles from the RV dealer in Bullhead City. Carroll usually drops 20 bucks at each Casino that we stop at but this time she won 30.00. I set up the satellite so we could watch curling and a couple of hockey games. There was about 20 other RVers camped at AVI as this is a "free" stopping off point on the way north for most snowbirds . Cheers
31 March; We got up at 7 AM and dropped our MH off at the RV dealer before 8 AM. The servicing takes 3 hours or I should say they charge us for 3 hours so we took off to Laughlin, NV about 10 miles away to while away 3 hours and for Carroll to frequent the outlet mall while I bore myself sitting on a bench , talking to other husband waiting on there wife.
For those would don't know the area, Bullhead City, AZ is across the Colorado River from Laughlin, NV, which is where there are about 10 or more Casinos.
We pick up our MH around noon and headed for Mesquite, NV to another Casino with "free" overnight parking. We arrived around 6 PM so most of the "good spots" where taken but we found one on the pavement and we squeezed in. It is kind of a sport to watch as RVers move in and drive around trying to find that perfect spot. One guy from Alberta moved 4 times and finally one RVer moved his tow car to make room for this guy. Most of the RVers where Canadians. We are only staying overnight before heading to Idaho City in the morning. Cheers
Party Time 27 March 215
This is the time of the year when everyone host a "supper " to empty the fridge and swap the last stories of your winter stay. Tonight we were invited to the Ziglo's, whom are long time friends from our days in Yorkton. The menu consists of whatever is in the freeze and whenever you ask what you can bring, it is usually "nothing " as the host is the one trying to clean out the freezer.
Incidentally, most of the left over food is passed to the RV Park maintenance workers and at this time of the year there is lots of it. The park staff is very good at doing some little task on the outside of your Park Model ( beyond the regular maintenance ) when ask so this is sort of a payment to them.
So, during the day and because it is in the 90's we headed to the pool and enjoyed the refreshing water, all while swapping stories with rest of the "pool people". I'm reluctant to call anyone a swimming because most are floating around on a "Noodle ", yours truly included, talking about where you have been and when you are leaving for home. When we say we have been to MX it usually becomes a Q and A for us , usually starting with "aren't you afraid". I answer with " afraid of what " and they say the drug dealer so I say I don't deal in drugs .... now they are confused but it does lead to further questions.
It seems that many Snowbirds want ( need ) to be home for Easter and most folks drive straight home.
The Ziglos invited 3 other couples besides us and we had previously met two of the couples. The couple we hadn't met before, where from Sask. The supper was excellent and the conversation was great. Linda always makes a great meal. cheers
Incidentally, most of the left over food is passed to the RV Park maintenance workers and at this time of the year there is lots of it. The park staff is very good at doing some little task on the outside of your Park Model ( beyond the regular maintenance ) when ask so this is sort of a payment to them.
So, during the day and because it is in the 90's we headed to the pool and enjoyed the refreshing water, all while swapping stories with rest of the "pool people". I'm reluctant to call anyone a swimming because most are floating around on a "Noodle ", yours truly included, talking about where you have been and when you are leaving for home. When we say we have been to MX it usually becomes a Q and A for us , usually starting with "aren't you afraid". I answer with " afraid of what " and they say the drug dealer so I say I don't deal in drugs .... now they are confused but it does lead to further questions.
It seems that many Snowbirds want ( need ) to be home for Easter and most folks drive straight home.
The Ziglos invited 3 other couples besides us and we had previously met two of the couples. The couple we hadn't met before, where from Sask. The supper was excellent and the conversation was great. Linda always makes a great meal. cheers
Saturday, 28 March 2015
Hot Lazy Day 26 March 2015
We arrived in Yuma on Sunday and everyday has been 90 F plus and today is no different so we will hit the pool in the afternoon. However, we first must go to the Flea Market to buy a "Zero Gravity " chair because the one Carroll laid claim to 15 years ago has just past it "Best Before Date". We picked up a nice padded chair for 50.00 as they are on sale since the Flea market will close because Snowbirds or sometime called "Suckers" are returning to the North and the venders do not want to hold their inventory until next year.
Since that task was done we hit the pool and swapped stories with those who are still here, which are getting less and less every day. We are leaving on Sunday. cheers
Since that task was done we hit the pool and swapped stories with those who are still here, which are getting less and less every day. We are leaving on Sunday. cheers
Trip to St. Luis 25 March 2015
St. Luis is a MX border city 20 miles south of Yuma. This is were we got our documents before going to MX and part of getting your documents is paying 400.00 USD deposit by a VISA card which is refundable if and when you return to the USA with your car. The Mexican Gov't does not want you to leave/sell your car in MX so this is their way of making sure you don't sell it.
When we returned to he USA thru Nogales , in Feb were got a receipt saying we brought both vehicle with us. However, it is the Bank that provides the refund and I was advised that it would be refunded to my VISA card in 2 or 3 days. I thought I paid it by my TD Visa card and I did not see the refund, hence the reason we went to St. Luis today to get it straightened before we went home. It is better to do business face to face.
However, I also have a CIBC Visa card which I obtained in late Nov. (I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this). I tried to check my CIBC Visa in Feb however, I do not have access to the printout because I did not set up an "on line banking " account. I called the CIBC reference my problem and they gave me this convoluted process that I had to give up. At the time I was using my Skype phone and when the WiFi signal is not good the voice is sometimes garbled so I gave up.
So, when I got to the Immigration office in St. Luis, the clerk, who speaks fluent English phoned the head office and verified that the 400.00 was refunded to my CIBC Visa on 10 Feb. He provided a authorized number to prove it so I am now happy. All in all Carroll and I had a good walk into MX and back out.
One ironic thing was the parking at St. Luis, US as we did not drive across the border. I pulled into the parking lot and all the signs are in Spanish and there was no parking agent. I'm standing there hoping the agent would see and come out of his hiding spot because I did not want to leave my car without paying. After , what seemed like 5 minutes a stranger comes along so I ask if he had see the agent. He says there is no agent , just go to the "Go Wall" store a block away and pay the clerk there. Now, how in Hell I'm I suppose to know that... now remember this is America, in the great state of AZ where you assume English is their Mother tongue but not a word of English on the parking lot signs. Furthermore the female clerk ( age about 20 ) in the store did not speak enough English to direct us to the MX border. Unbelievable !!!!!
In the afternoon went to a Flea Market, mostly to kill time and it was announced that this was the last day which was not a surprise as about 1/2 of the Snowbirds have already left. We did not buy anything but we did stop for a Hotdog and we drummed up a conversation with a couple from Spokane, OR. Of course the conversation always gets around to where did you go this winter. When we said MX they were flabbergasted and of course we gave them our travel route. They just can't believe anyone would got to MX but this is want most Americans think. Cheers
When we returned to he USA thru Nogales , in Feb were got a receipt saying we brought both vehicle with us. However, it is the Bank that provides the refund and I was advised that it would be refunded to my VISA card in 2 or 3 days. I thought I paid it by my TD Visa card and I did not see the refund, hence the reason we went to St. Luis today to get it straightened before we went home. It is better to do business face to face.
However, I also have a CIBC Visa card which I obtained in late Nov. (I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this). I tried to check my CIBC Visa in Feb however, I do not have access to the printout because I did not set up an "on line banking " account. I called the CIBC reference my problem and they gave me this convoluted process that I had to give up. At the time I was using my Skype phone and when the WiFi signal is not good the voice is sometimes garbled so I gave up.
So, when I got to the Immigration office in St. Luis, the clerk, who speaks fluent English phoned the head office and verified that the 400.00 was refunded to my CIBC Visa on 10 Feb. He provided a authorized number to prove it so I am now happy. All in all Carroll and I had a good walk into MX and back out.
One ironic thing was the parking at St. Luis, US as we did not drive across the border. I pulled into the parking lot and all the signs are in Spanish and there was no parking agent. I'm standing there hoping the agent would see and come out of his hiding spot because I did not want to leave my car without paying. After , what seemed like 5 minutes a stranger comes along so I ask if he had see the agent. He says there is no agent , just go to the "Go Wall" store a block away and pay the clerk there. Now, how in Hell I'm I suppose to know that... now remember this is America, in the great state of AZ where you assume English is their Mother tongue but not a word of English on the parking lot signs. Furthermore the female clerk ( age about 20 ) in the store did not speak enough English to direct us to the MX border. Unbelievable !!!!!
In the afternoon went to a Flea Market, mostly to kill time and it was announced that this was the last day which was not a surprise as about 1/2 of the Snowbirds have already left. We did not buy anything but we did stop for a Hotdog and we drummed up a conversation with a couple from Spokane, OR. Of course the conversation always gets around to where did you go this winter. When we said MX they were flabbergasted and of course we gave them our travel route. They just can't believe anyone would got to MX but this is want most Americans think. Cheers
Shoes 24 March 2015
Last evening we were having coffee or maybe it was a drink of some kind with two couples and one lady just had to show the ladies here new shoes. They were " Sketchers " shoes so you know they are not " Wal-Mart" prices. Anyhow, today we (mainly Carroll ) just had to visit Sketchers to check out these fancy looking shoes because Sketchers has a special sale on which is 50 % off the second pair. Apparently we were not the only ones who could see the value of the 50% off bargain. Carroll could not find the right size or (was it the right fit) and the poor sales lady was run off her feet going back and forth to the storage area.
I also lost my patience so I meandered around the Men's shoes department and let Carroll do her own searching. I stumbled over a pair that I liked but I need a Wide shoe and Sketchers are not known for stocking many Wide shoes. However, the salesman ( I use the word loosely as they are mostly shelf stockers ) ask if he could help so I told him that I'd like to try a size 8.5; a 9; and a 9.5. He had to go to the store room as there was no "Wide With " shoes on the shelves. He delivered the 3 pair of shoes and immediately left as I assumed he thought I might be a "Pain in Ass" type customer. Actual one of the pairs fit so decided to take them even though I already own 3 pair of shoes and as you know I can only wear one pair at a time.
Now I had find another pair to get the 50% bargain. Luckily Carroll came along and helped me select the half price pair. We both walked out with 2 pair of shoes but with a lot less money in my pocket.
Since we did not need to do anymore shopping we retuned to the park, went for a swim in the pool and had Happy Hour with friends in their Air Conditioned Park model. Man !!! is it ever hot here. 90 F plus every day. I know.... quit complaining . cheers
I also lost my patience so I meandered around the Men's shoes department and let Carroll do her own searching. I stumbled over a pair that I liked but I need a Wide shoe and Sketchers are not known for stocking many Wide shoes. However, the salesman ( I use the word loosely as they are mostly shelf stockers ) ask if he could help so I told him that I'd like to try a size 8.5; a 9; and a 9.5. He had to go to the store room as there was no "Wide With " shoes on the shelves. He delivered the 3 pair of shoes and immediately left as I assumed he thought I might be a "Pain in Ass" type customer. Actual one of the pairs fit so decided to take them even though I already own 3 pair of shoes and as you know I can only wear one pair at a time.
Now I had find another pair to get the 50% bargain. Luckily Carroll came along and helped me select the half price pair. We both walked out with 2 pair of shoes but with a lot less money in my pocket.
Since we did not need to do anymore shopping we retuned to the park, went for a swim in the pool and had Happy Hour with friends in their Air Conditioned Park model. Man !!! is it ever hot here. 90 F plus every day. I know.... quit complaining . cheers
Thursday, 26 March 2015
Vehicle Wash day 23 March 2015
After driving thru 3 days of rain , mixed with road dirt, literally covered our vehicles with grime which seemed to weld itself to the vehicles, especially the tow car. When we got to Mesa I tried to wash the car at the local car wash but I barely removed the surface dirt. My plan all along was to wait until on got to Yuma where I could get " Segio " who owns a Mobile RV wash company. ( of course he and his crew are Americans of MX heritage ) . I have had his crew wash and wax the MH last year and again in Dec when we past thru on our way to MX.
Early Monday morning Carroll called Sergio to see how soon he could wash our vehicles. Luckily for us he was in our Park all day o he said he could squeeze us in around 4 PM , give or take an hour, whatever that means. I took that as sometime in the afternoon.
Anyway we had to run some errors in the morning such as a run to the RV Super store and visit AT&T reference our cell phone. When you own an RV/MH you always have to visit the RV store. I believe it is in the DNA. As for the cell phone, we originally had a monthly plan included calls to Canada but when we renewed it they did not include the " Canada " plan. Also we had to find out hour to check the remaining minutes. We are NOT cell phone savvy.
About 1 PM Carroll wanted to continue shopping but my gut feeling suggested that we better return to the Park just in case Sergio and crew where a little early. Just as we enter the Park gate we get a call on the Cell from Sergio saying we need you to close the windows on your MH so we can wash it. I just knew they would be early.
Sergio has 2 crews of 5 men ( that I know of ) and 3 of the men " swarmed" our MH starting on the roof while 2 of his men were down the street wiping down another MH. Once those 2 guys finished, they moved to our MH to help out. I also ask to the crew to wash my car which is a given anyway.
Before the crew finished our MH Sergio arrived on the scene probably to collect the money so I ask him how much I owned him and he said 40.00 . It is beyond me how he can pay 5 men to wash a MH ( they also do Park Models for the same price) and only charge 40.00 but I always tip them 10.00. Both the MH and the car look great and they did the wash job in about a 1/2 hour.
These guys work 6 days a week and they never run out of work when the snowbirds are here but Sergio said , June, July and August are very slow. cheers
Early Monday morning Carroll called Sergio to see how soon he could wash our vehicles. Luckily for us he was in our Park all day o he said he could squeeze us in around 4 PM , give or take an hour, whatever that means. I took that as sometime in the afternoon.
Anyway we had to run some errors in the morning such as a run to the RV Super store and visit AT&T reference our cell phone. When you own an RV/MH you always have to visit the RV store. I believe it is in the DNA. As for the cell phone, we originally had a monthly plan included calls to Canada but when we renewed it they did not include the " Canada " plan. Also we had to find out hour to check the remaining minutes. We are NOT cell phone savvy.
About 1 PM Carroll wanted to continue shopping but my gut feeling suggested that we better return to the Park just in case Sergio and crew where a little early. Just as we enter the Park gate we get a call on the Cell from Sergio saying we need you to close the windows on your MH so we can wash it. I just knew they would be early.
Sergio has 2 crews of 5 men ( that I know of ) and 3 of the men " swarmed" our MH starting on the roof while 2 of his men were down the street wiping down another MH. Once those 2 guys finished, they moved to our MH to help out. I also ask to the crew to wash my car which is a given anyway.
Before the crew finished our MH Sergio arrived on the scene probably to collect the money so I ask him how much I owned him and he said 40.00 . It is beyond me how he can pay 5 men to wash a MH ( they also do Park Models for the same price) and only charge 40.00 but I always tip them 10.00. Both the MH and the car look great and they did the wash job in about a 1/2 hour.
These guys work 6 days a week and they never run out of work when the snowbirds are here but Sergio said , June, July and August are very slow. cheers
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Mesa to Yuma 22 March 2015
Mesa to Yuma is a 4 hour, causual drive so that should be a "Piece of Cake" for us experience travelers. We pulled out of Mesa Sprite RV Park and the GPS barked out " go 1 mile to Gilbert St. and take a left turn ". I said to Carroll that I would rather take Lindsay St as the both take us to Hwy 60. Wrong??? you can not exit from Lindsay onto 60 because they have not build the entrance yet and I doubt they ever will. No real problem as we know how to correct this problem with a few right /left turns and we manage to get on the Hwy 60.
As we enter onto Hwy 60 going West I again know were I'm going ( I think ). Hwy 60 is 6 lanes with a speed limit of 75 mph so it is in your best interest to know which lane is best for you. The GPS is telling us to keep 3 lanes to they left which I realize so this time I listen to it ( actual Her ). Because Carroll punched in Yuma the GPS takes us the quickest route however I am not familiar with the GPS route so I ask Carroll to quickly punch in Buckeye as I know that route. She was quick; but not quick enough so now I'm heading for Casa Grande which may or may not be a few mile out of our intend travel route. Since we did not follow the GPS in the first place, it (she ) decided to sent us another route which I had never heard of but this time we said OK lets follow it. The GPS ( for once in its' life) actually took us on a short cut to I-8 to Yuma. The GPS is now back in my good " Books" so to speak.
When we arrived in Yuma at Benito Mesa RV Park I ask for a specific site by number and the clerk checked but said it was taken. So I said get me as close as possible and she enquired why. I said because that " Ken " across from that site has WiFi and I need to use it so she gave me the site I had last year. I paid Ken 5.00 in Dec for 1 weeks use of his WiFi so I was sure I could get it again. When I ask him this time he said I could have it for no charge. What a friend !!!
As we were setting a friend from our Yorkton, Sask Days came along to say we had been invited to supper with other mutual friends from Yorkton and of course we never turn down a free meal. When we arrived for supper there were 3 other couples whom we know so we had a good chat along with the necessary beverages and great food. Cheers
As we enter onto Hwy 60 going West I again know were I'm going ( I think ). Hwy 60 is 6 lanes with a speed limit of 75 mph so it is in your best interest to know which lane is best for you. The GPS is telling us to keep 3 lanes to they left which I realize so this time I listen to it ( actual Her ). Because Carroll punched in Yuma the GPS takes us the quickest route however I am not familiar with the GPS route so I ask Carroll to quickly punch in Buckeye as I know that route. She was quick; but not quick enough so now I'm heading for Casa Grande which may or may not be a few mile out of our intend travel route. Since we did not follow the GPS in the first place, it (she ) decided to sent us another route which I had never heard of but this time we said OK lets follow it. The GPS ( for once in its' life) actually took us on a short cut to I-8 to Yuma. The GPS is now back in my good " Books" so to speak.
When we arrived in Yuma at Benito Mesa RV Park I ask for a specific site by number and the clerk checked but said it was taken. So I said get me as close as possible and she enquired why. I said because that " Ken " across from that site has WiFi and I need to use it so she gave me the site I had last year. I paid Ken 5.00 in Dec for 1 weeks use of his WiFi so I was sure I could get it again. When I ask him this time he said I could have it for no charge. What a friend !!!
As we were setting a friend from our Yorkton, Sask Days came along to say we had been invited to supper with other mutual friends from Yorkton and of course we never turn down a free meal. When we arrived for supper there were 3 other couples whom we know so we had a good chat along with the necessary beverages and great food. Cheers
Lazy Day 21 March 2015
This morning we had a date to visit friend ( Pat and Kay ) from Med Hat who winter in Leisure World park in Mesa. This is a gated subdivision where you buy a home and it is on a golf course (actually 2 , 18 hole courses ) and the homes are upper class. Pat and Kay's home is about 3000 square feet and is right on the golf course. We had breakfast with our friends and chatting about our travels and their winter activities for a few hours.
We then set out to find an AT&T store because our G.D. cell phone would not allows us to send or receive a call to Canada which we thought we paid for. Our GPS took us on a couple of "Wild Goose" chases so we gave up and stopped for lunch at Bakery/ Lunch bar. The soup and food was great and Carroll purchased another 6.00 loaf of bread that we did really need.
Since we were having supper and a "Happy Hour " with our friends ( Bob and Shirley ) at our park we headed for home. The cell phone problem can wait until we get to Yuma.
Supper was great as usual and the Happy Hour continue after supper and long past dark which I did not notice until the after effect lingered into Sunday morning. Cheers
We then set out to find an AT&T store because our G.D. cell phone would not allows us to send or receive a call to Canada which we thought we paid for. Our GPS took us on a couple of "Wild Goose" chases so we gave up and stopped for lunch at Bakery/ Lunch bar. The soup and food was great and Carroll purchased another 6.00 loaf of bread that we did really need.
Since we were having supper and a "Happy Hour " with our friends ( Bob and Shirley ) at our park we headed for home. The cell phone problem can wait until we get to Yuma.
Supper was great as usual and the Happy Hour continue after supper and long past dark which I did not notice until the after effect lingered into Sunday morning. Cheers
Finally Sunshine March 2015
20 th March: Finally, we woke up to Sunshine which is hard to imagine after being in TX. We then headed for Mesa Sprite RV Resort in Mesa. The word Resort seems to mean that they charge more than the park is worth, however the park was nearly full so us fools just pay up. We have to go thru Casa Grande in route, so we stopped at the Cracker Barrel for breakfast and we also called friends who were camped in Casa Grande but they did not answer so we continued on to Mesa. On our travels we seen gasoline at 2.99 which was extremely high for AZ as it is usually around 2.25.
We are only staying in Mesa for a two days just to see a couple of friends so as I paid the bill I noticed a 4.00 Resort fee. I said, what the hell is a resort fee. They said company charges a resort fee if you are staying lees than a month, "end of question". Although we will not stay there again, I probably know why they charge the fee and that is because you do not pay a separate "power " bill and when you stay for a month you have to pay for electricity.
After we got setup we had the proverbial beer with our friends and got the expected supper invite for tomorrow evening. Tonight we decided to go to the "Pizza Stop" along with a "zillion" other Snowbirds. This place is a Famous Haunt of the Snowbirds, not only for the delicious Pizzas, great salad bar, good desert bar and beer but also because they have an Organist playing any song the customer wants to hear. This place has a mezzanine floor and I would guess in would hold over 500 people. Many of the Snowbird stay long after they have finished their food just to listen to the music. Well, what the heck do you expect from seniors when they is good food at a reasonable price and Free music. That is the stuff the seniors live for.
We return to the park and went to the pool for an evening dip and there were about a dozen people there " all Canadian" . Apparently Americans have to be home before dark. ha ha. Cheers
We are only staying in Mesa for a two days just to see a couple of friends so as I paid the bill I noticed a 4.00 Resort fee. I said, what the hell is a resort fee. They said company charges a resort fee if you are staying lees than a month, "end of question". Although we will not stay there again, I probably know why they charge the fee and that is because you do not pay a separate "power " bill and when you stay for a month you have to pay for electricity.
After we got setup we had the proverbial beer with our friends and got the expected supper invite for tomorrow evening. Tonight we decided to go to the "Pizza Stop" along with a "zillion" other Snowbirds. This place is a Famous Haunt of the Snowbirds, not only for the delicious Pizzas, great salad bar, good desert bar and beer but also because they have an Organist playing any song the customer wants to hear. This place has a mezzanine floor and I would guess in would hold over 500 people. Many of the Snowbird stay long after they have finished their food just to listen to the music. Well, what the heck do you expect from seniors when they is good food at a reasonable price and Free music. That is the stuff the seniors live for.
We return to the park and went to the pool for an evening dip and there were about a dozen people there " all Canadian" . Apparently Americans have to be home before dark. ha ha. Cheers
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
On the road March 2015
19 March: We pulled out of the Stockton, TX Wal-Mart at "First Light " which was around 7:30 AM and we had hoped to reach the Diamond Desert casino, in Green Valley AZ about 25 miles south of Tucson. We had thought that we had run out of rain but as we awoke there was a misty rain falling but once the Sun came up, we finally, we able to give those busy wipers a rest. Our first challenge would be getting thru El Paso, TX as we would be there around noon and we expect that all 6 lanes would be crowded. The speed limit is 65 so if there are no accidents or incidents we should be able to get thru the city in about 1/2 an hour. Luckily for us it was clear sailing. El Paso is right on the border with New Mexico and once out of TX we would be back to 2 or 3 lanes of traffic on I-10. The next 6 hours would be boring as we would not encounter another city until we reach Tucson which we would be on Friday morning. Also there are two time changes between El Paso, TX and AZ, and AZ does not change time.
We arrived at the Desert Diamond casino around 5 :30 PM to a bright sunny day and by 6:30 we had a down pour. I can't believe that the rain was still following. This was the first rain this area has had in 3 weeks. Lucky for them that we came along or they could have had a drought.
We then called our friends Bob and Karen from Med Hat, who spent the winter in Green Valley where the golf and Bob plays ball and we dropped over for a visit. It was still raining when we went to bed but hopefully the Sun would win out by the morning. Cheers
We arrived at the Desert Diamond casino around 5 :30 PM to a bright sunny day and by 6:30 we had a down pour. I can't believe that the rain was still following. This was the first rain this area has had in 3 weeks. Lucky for them that we came along or they could have had a drought.
We then called our friends Bob and Karen from Med Hat, who spent the winter in Green Valley where the golf and Bob plays ball and we dropped over for a visit. It was still raining when we went to bed but hopefully the Sun would win out by the morning. Cheers
Saturday, 21 March 2015
St. Paddy's Day March 2015
17 th March: Yes ; there will be a St. Paddy's Day party tonight but first we have to start packing because tomorrow we are leaving this rain soaked part of the US in favor Sunny AZ. After packing up chairs, tables and the Bar-B-Q in the misty rain we had to return our internet modem to Time Warner in Harlingen, some 30 miles away. I usually expect a line up at these establishments as people are there complaining about the service, or a Remote or Modem that doesn't work, or I should say, that has been my experience in the past. "Eureka" there was only one customer ahead of me and since I did not owe any money I was in and out in less than 5 minutes.
Since we were in a shopping Mall we just had to do some shopping. We eventually purchased a Magic Bullet blender as our "cheap " one quit a few days ago. We then returned to the Park to finish packing so we could get an early start tomorrow.
The St. Paddy's Day party started at 5PM with a 1/2 Happy Hour of a sort , most of us telling each other when we are leaving. Then the volunteer cooking staff served up a great Cornbeef and Cabbage supper which was followed by a Dance. We decided that watching the World Curling with our Team playing Switzerland would be more of an interest to us so we returned to the MH. We also pondered our launch time for tomorrow. cheers
18 th March; Launch Day and the Satellite dish is always the last thing to be pack as we watch the news last night so it has to be pack this morning in the misty rain of course. The last thing to do is pay the power bill so I went to the office to pay it. Once people see you leaving they just have say goodbye which just delays our launch. I usually just keep working so they notice that I'm not that interested and since we have to start the diesel to pump up the air they usually get the message. Anyhow we got connected and got out of " dodge by 9:30
About one hour down the road we thought we seen a diesel sign in a Gas station that said 2.25 for diesel which is an unbelievable low price but by the time we noticed it we were past the exit. Diesel fuel is usually around 2.75 t0 2.85. We thought for that price we are going to turn around and check it out. Sure enough the diesel price was 2.25 which was less that gasoline which is unheard of anywhere in North America. Since I was at half full I filled up at the bargain price. I ask one guy if he knew why the price was down but he did not know. I can tell you that many of the truckers where filling up.
Our next "hurdle " if you can call it that, was going thru San Antonio. I usually take the Beltway but is notorisly slow with construction and stop lights and a friend told me it was quicker to follow the Interstate right thru the middle of the cities as there was no stopping and the speed limit was 65. Although it was a bit tricking staying in the correct lane so we did not end up in Dallas or Houston but we managed to get on I-10 which is then clear sailing to AZ. I think we drove about 6 hours before we got out of the rain. It rained off and on most of the day. We reached Stockton , TZ around 6 PM and then topped up the fuel before parking for the night. We were going to park in the truck stop but opted for a Wal-Mart in Stockton thinking we would be alone where it would be quiet. Where we wrong!!! there must have been 15 to 20 RV already parked in Wal-Mart and the jerk who pulled in beside me had his Generator running all night . I was going to check why he had it running after 10 PM but I assumed it might have been for medical reasons so with the windows closed it did not keep me awake. Cheers
Since we were in a shopping Mall we just had to do some shopping. We eventually purchased a Magic Bullet blender as our "cheap " one quit a few days ago. We then returned to the Park to finish packing so we could get an early start tomorrow.
The St. Paddy's Day party started at 5PM with a 1/2 Happy Hour of a sort , most of us telling each other when we are leaving. Then the volunteer cooking staff served up a great Cornbeef and Cabbage supper which was followed by a Dance. We decided that watching the World Curling with our Team playing Switzerland would be more of an interest to us so we returned to the MH. We also pondered our launch time for tomorrow. cheers
18 th March; Launch Day and the Satellite dish is always the last thing to be pack as we watch the news last night so it has to be pack this morning in the misty rain of course. The last thing to do is pay the power bill so I went to the office to pay it. Once people see you leaving they just have say goodbye which just delays our launch. I usually just keep working so they notice that I'm not that interested and since we have to start the diesel to pump up the air they usually get the message. Anyhow we got connected and got out of " dodge by 9:30
About one hour down the road we thought we seen a diesel sign in a Gas station that said 2.25 for diesel which is an unbelievable low price but by the time we noticed it we were past the exit. Diesel fuel is usually around 2.75 t0 2.85. We thought for that price we are going to turn around and check it out. Sure enough the diesel price was 2.25 which was less that gasoline which is unheard of anywhere in North America. Since I was at half full I filled up at the bargain price. I ask one guy if he knew why the price was down but he did not know. I can tell you that many of the truckers where filling up.
Our next "hurdle " if you can call it that, was going thru San Antonio. I usually take the Beltway but is notorisly slow with construction and stop lights and a friend told me it was quicker to follow the Interstate right thru the middle of the cities as there was no stopping and the speed limit was 65. Although it was a bit tricking staying in the correct lane so we did not end up in Dallas or Houston but we managed to get on I-10 which is then clear sailing to AZ. I think we drove about 6 hours before we got out of the rain. It rained off and on most of the day. We reached Stockton , TZ around 6 PM and then topped up the fuel before parking for the night. We were going to park in the truck stop but opted for a Wal-Mart in Stockton thinking we would be alone where it would be quiet. Where we wrong!!! there must have been 15 to 20 RV already parked in Wal-Mart and the jerk who pulled in beside me had his Generator running all night . I was going to check why he had it running after 10 PM but I assumed it might have been for medical reasons so with the windows closed it did not keep me awake. Cheers
Tuesday, 17 March 2015
Weslaco , TX 2015
15 March: As you may know the Women's World Curling is on in Japan and since I find it interesting I got up at 5 AM to watch our Canadian Team. So far Women are doing OK but we are no longer the Top of the class. As anyone who follows curling knows that Canadian curlers have taught the rest of the world how to curl. This year Japan, China and Russia are coached by Canadians. Curling also interrupts the " Boredom " during this terrible wet and cold weather.
On Friday evening we went to the Fish Fry with Holly and Larry so we made arrangements to have breakfast with them on Sunday, as we probably will not see them for a few years as they live in Brandon, MB.
Our friend Terry who lost her husband here in Weslaco in mid February owns a Park Model here and does not want to drive all the way from Med Hat to TX alone next year so she was looking to buy a car here. She found a vehicle so ask me to check it out for her. The car is owned by a lady in Winnipeg who can not come here due to health reasons. The car is a 97 with MB plates and has 99,000 KM and can be purchased for 1500.00. I thought it was a good buy " But " when Terry checked with the License Bureau they laid out the many hoops to jump thru. Even thought she owns a home here she needs a US Passport or a Drivers License ( which she can not obtain ) or she has to take the vehicle back to Alberta and license it there and then bring it back here. There are just too many Hoops to jump thru so she has backed away from that deal.
Since it was still raining we had tickets to a Tribute to Abba concert , cost 12.00 so we spent the evening with friends at the Abba concert.
16 March: Yes; It's raining or at least we have a steady drizzle so we packed up so we can leave here on Wed AM. We have had enough of this weather but not before we go to the St. Patrick's Day party
on Tuesday. this is the last party of the year.
Carroll "needs" another large , Mexican made flower pot so we went to the " Pot Market " and picked up 2 of Pots. . We have to "Seat Belt" them into the back seat of the car, hoping we can get them home without breaking them. We are also bringing a huge Piñata home for the Twins as their B'Day is on 15 April. Our next report will be from Mesa, AZ. Cheers
On Friday evening we went to the Fish Fry with Holly and Larry so we made arrangements to have breakfast with them on Sunday, as we probably will not see them for a few years as they live in Brandon, MB.
Our friend Terry who lost her husband here in Weslaco in mid February owns a Park Model here and does not want to drive all the way from Med Hat to TX alone next year so she was looking to buy a car here. She found a vehicle so ask me to check it out for her. The car is owned by a lady in Winnipeg who can not come here due to health reasons. The car is a 97 with MB plates and has 99,000 KM and can be purchased for 1500.00. I thought it was a good buy " But " when Terry checked with the License Bureau they laid out the many hoops to jump thru. Even thought she owns a home here she needs a US Passport or a Drivers License ( which she can not obtain ) or she has to take the vehicle back to Alberta and license it there and then bring it back here. There are just too many Hoops to jump thru so she has backed away from that deal.
Since it was still raining we had tickets to a Tribute to Abba concert , cost 12.00 so we spent the evening with friends at the Abba concert.
16 March: Yes; It's raining or at least we have a steady drizzle so we packed up so we can leave here on Wed AM. We have had enough of this weather but not before we go to the St. Patrick's Day party
on Tuesday. this is the last party of the year.
Carroll "needs" another large , Mexican made flower pot so we went to the " Pot Market " and picked up 2 of Pots. . We have to "Seat Belt" them into the back seat of the car, hoping we can get them home without breaking them. We are also bringing a huge Piñata home for the Twins as their B'Day is on 15 April. Our next report will be from Mesa, AZ. Cheers
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Pi day 14 March 2015
Yes... today is "Pi" day but first I must tell you it dam well rain during the night as we expected. However around 9AM the Sun came thru the clouds and stayed until late evening making if fairly nice day.
For those who may have skip the odd math class Pi ( 3.14) is basically the formula used to determined the circumference of a circle if you know the diameter and or the radius . The numbers 3.141592653 equates to 14 March, year 15 at 9:26,53 hour. This mathematical alignment with the calendar only happens every hundred year so if you missed it you are never going to see it again. My question is " who gives a dam " but it is all over the news.
Today at the Park is Cookout day which means that everyone brings their own meat which will be Bar-B -Q by some volunteers and for the price of $ 2.50 the park supplies the Baked Potato, cole slaw and desert. This starts with a Happy Hour from 4 to 5 PM and then followed with the Bar-B-Q. This was a great idea to get people out and to mix with folks who may not know. The turn out was over 200 so it was obviously a great party. This is probably our last party as this rain is driving us back to AZ. Cheers
For those who may have skip the odd math class Pi ( 3.14) is basically the formula used to determined the circumference of a circle if you know the diameter and or the radius . The numbers 3.141592653 equates to 14 March, year 15 at 9:26,53 hour. This mathematical alignment with the calendar only happens every hundred year so if you missed it you are never going to see it again. My question is " who gives a dam " but it is all over the news.
Today at the Park is Cookout day which means that everyone brings their own meat which will be Bar-B -Q by some volunteers and for the price of $ 2.50 the park supplies the Baked Potato, cole slaw and desert. This starts with a Happy Hour from 4 to 5 PM and then followed with the Bar-B-Q. This was a great idea to get people out and to mix with folks who may not know. The turn out was over 200 so it was obviously a great party. This is probably our last party as this rain is driving us back to AZ. Cheers
77 F... Impossible 13 March 2015
Another sunny day; who would believe that we could get 2 days of sunshine. The temperature reached 77 F so we quickly put on shorts before the weather changed. All in all it was a very nice day and everyone was taking advance of it. The Shuffle courts were busy again and even the Bocce Ball courts and Horseshoe pits dried enough for those enthusiastic " athletes" to get back to games. Euchre, Rummy and Whisk can wait for another rainy day which is not far off. I don't participate in those sports as I'm not in to Body Contact sports.
The local Legion has a Fish Fry and Karaoke music every Friday night at a cost of 8.00 and it is packed with Winter Texans. We went with our friends Holly and Larry ( friends from our days in Shilo ) and we were lucky to find 4 seats at 5:30. Carroll notice the maximum attendance sign said the limit was 150 people. There were 12 table with at least 16 to a table and this does not include the dozen or so hanging on the bar nor the staff of at least 10. I calculated the must be a little over the limit or as they say during a Med Hat Tiger's hockey game it is a "Fireman's Special".
There were several good singers during the evening but one song had most folks laughing. I never did hear the Title but the coruse goes like this; " I have a hard time kissing those Lips at night when she rides My Ass all day long".
This Legion is very active during the winter when the Winter Texans are here and the rest of the time it is only open occasionally.
After a good Fish Fry supper along with a few beers and all the racket our ears could take, we returned to Holly and Larry's place to played a board game and to have night cap of Drambuie. Cheers
The local Legion has a Fish Fry and Karaoke music every Friday night at a cost of 8.00 and it is packed with Winter Texans. We went with our friends Holly and Larry ( friends from our days in Shilo ) and we were lucky to find 4 seats at 5:30. Carroll notice the maximum attendance sign said the limit was 150 people. There were 12 table with at least 16 to a table and this does not include the dozen or so hanging on the bar nor the staff of at least 10. I calculated the must be a little over the limit or as they say during a Med Hat Tiger's hockey game it is a "Fireman's Special".
There were several good singers during the evening but one song had most folks laughing. I never did hear the Title but the coruse goes like this; " I have a hard time kissing those Lips at night when she rides My Ass all day long".
This Legion is very active during the winter when the Winter Texans are here and the rest of the time it is only open occasionally.
After a good Fish Fry supper along with a few beers and all the racket our ears could take, we returned to Holly and Larry's place to played a board game and to have night cap of Drambuie. Cheers
Sun at Last....12 March 2015
Lordy! Lordy! There is a Sun in TX. Who knew??? We have been waiting on a sunny day so we could make another trip to MX as Carroll wanted a 7.00 hair cut and we needed to visit the dentist for a teeth cleaning. Since we have not been here for 5 years we ask the neighbor if they could recommend a dentist which they did.
So off we go to Progresso , MX ( 7 miles away ) . Apparently we were not the only ones waiting for sunny weather to visit MX as the parking lot was nearly full. Anyhow we found the dentist that was recommended but there was about 12 people waiting and anyone who knows me; lining up is not my strong suite so we did not even go into the office. There are a host of dentist in Progresso so there is no need to wait for hours for a simple teeth cleaning. We went about a 100 feet and the dental office name was Maria Tuttle and I recall that she did some dental work for me about 10 years ago and there was only 3 people waiting. We went in and ask the wait time for a teeth cleaning and they said "right now" so Carroll went first and she could find a hair Salon and get her hair cut while I got my teeth cleaned. The cost for teeth cleaning is 25.00 and the best part is that you don't get a "Lecture" about flossing.
Maria Tuttle has 2 dentist and two Hygiene Tech working in her office and I was told she doesn't work full time anymore. Also interesting is that she does not live in MX she live across the border in the USA.
I have been told ( not sure if it is true ) that Dental student's tuition is paid by another Dentist and then the graduate repays the Dentist who supported them when they get a job. It does seem like a good idea so the student loan is not a Gov't responsibility.
While waiting for Carroll to get her hair cut, I checked out the local bar and drummed up a conversation with two other guys doing the same but I hope they were not driving because they we "sipping" all the Tequila in the bar.
We then did a little shopping for candy, cookies, vanilla and cinnamon and then left MX behind for this year.
Oh, I should add that we picked up 3 DVD's; Unbroken, Begin Again and The theory of Everything for 10.00. We were also told that you are not allow to bring Name Brand purse such as " Gucci " across the border. Cheers
So off we go to Progresso , MX ( 7 miles away ) . Apparently we were not the only ones waiting for sunny weather to visit MX as the parking lot was nearly full. Anyhow we found the dentist that was recommended but there was about 12 people waiting and anyone who knows me; lining up is not my strong suite so we did not even go into the office. There are a host of dentist in Progresso so there is no need to wait for hours for a simple teeth cleaning. We went about a 100 feet and the dental office name was Maria Tuttle and I recall that she did some dental work for me about 10 years ago and there was only 3 people waiting. We went in and ask the wait time for a teeth cleaning and they said "right now" so Carroll went first and she could find a hair Salon and get her hair cut while I got my teeth cleaned. The cost for teeth cleaning is 25.00 and the best part is that you don't get a "Lecture" about flossing.
Maria Tuttle has 2 dentist and two Hygiene Tech working in her office and I was told she doesn't work full time anymore. Also interesting is that she does not live in MX she live across the border in the USA.
I have been told ( not sure if it is true ) that Dental student's tuition is paid by another Dentist and then the graduate repays the Dentist who supported them when they get a job. It does seem like a good idea so the student loan is not a Gov't responsibility.
While waiting for Carroll to get her hair cut, I checked out the local bar and drummed up a conversation with two other guys doing the same but I hope they were not driving because they we "sipping" all the Tequila in the bar.
We then did a little shopping for candy, cookies, vanilla and cinnamon and then left MX behind for this year.
Oh, I should add that we picked up 3 DVD's; Unbroken, Begin Again and The theory of Everything for 10.00. We were also told that you are not allow to bring Name Brand purse such as " Gucci " across the border. Cheers
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