john-at-large

Index

2011-07-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my travel blog. To access specific entries listed in the Index below, go to Blog Archives to the right--Click on the year, then the month to access the blog entry of interest.

Photo albums start with "http://picasaweb.google..." Copy the entire link embedded in the narrative and paste it in to your browser and hit slideshow. To return to the blog, rather than close, hit the "Back" arrow, upper left on your screen.

I love feedback/dialogue. If you comment at the end of the blog, I don't get alerted. So, while I welcome your comments here on the blog, please email me with your observations, pertinent information and/or questions.

John Lowry
wrinkles45@comcast.net
253-841-4948

BTW, my middle name is Ernest (That's Hemmingway next to me, at the Floridita Bar in Havana).

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Index:
July 2011 - Puerto Vallarta & San Sebastian del Oeste
November 2010 - Thanksgiving Road Trip
November 2010 - Kaua'i
May 2010 - Teton Village - My Gemini 65th BD Party
April & May 2010 - Dispatches from Zihuatanejo to Oaxaca
October 2009 - Big Retirment Trip, N Italy, Posts 1 & 2
June 2009 - Ecuador in Ellensburg
November 2008 - Yucatan 2008
November 2008 - Cuba 2008
June 2008 - Remembering Harold
April 2008 - Sanny's Union
March 2008 - Hawaii, second & first
February 2008 - Blog creation day
November 2006 – Oaxaca
November 2005 – Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta
June 2005 – Cabo
November 2004 - Oaxaca
September 2004 – China & Tibet
November 2003 – Cuba & Mexico
November 2002 – New Zealand & Australia

Puerto Vallarta July 2011

2011-07-31T16:44:00.000-07:00

(Links to Picasa photo albums are embedded below. Paste links in to your browser & hit “slideshow”. After viewing, hit “Back” to return to this narrative.)

Wed morning, July 20, Villa Vera, Puerto Vallarta - Sipping Songbird Java Roasters' Colombia Femenina with a shot of kahlua. An exciting element of this Mexico trip is our excursion to San Sebastian del Oeste, up in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains inland from Puerto Vallarta (PV), in search of shade-grown organic coffee. Sister Mary is now a coffee roaster. In recent weeks, Mary and husband Paul took over the business, centered in the Salem Public Market , the oldest such market in the state of Oregon. More later about San Sebastian.

The flights from Seattle, with plane change in Los Angeles, were smooth. I love the full body scanner at Sea-Tac. Otherwise, my bionic joints always require the pat down delay. I was a bit nervous about flying first class, but I quickly felt welcomed by the flight attendant's pleasant greeting as soon as I settled in to my wide leather seat: “Hello, Mr. Lowry, would you like a glass of water?” For the readers that know me, you must to wondering: John, paying for first class?! After numerous unsuccessful attempts to find coach frequent flyer (ff) seats, I decided to take available first class, for only 70% more points. The ff program is becoming increasingly unfriendly. My small business banker talked me in to a card that works differently & can get reduced price on any ticketing, as well as other purchases.

On arrival in PV, I gathered my lightweight baggage (room to take back several kilos of green coffee beans) and walked out of the airport, catching a $4 cab ride (vs. at least $20 in the airport), here to nearby Villa Vera in Marina Vallarta, a recent addition to the Raintree Vacation Club (RVC) family of resorts. No sign of the rest of the party yet--Mary, her friend Katie and Niece Deanna arrived a day ahead of me & stayed the first night in downtown PV.. They showed up late afternoon, after attending a “90 minute” timeshare sales presentation that stretched in to 4 hours. The good news: they collected a huge array of incentives: a zip-lining trip for Deanna & Katie, a massage for Mary, a 6-hour snorkeling outing and a jungle tour for all 4 of us, a bottle of tequila AND a bottle of Kahlua!

https://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PV2011AVillaVera

Our 2-bedroom suite has a great view of the marina, as well as the swimming pool. The AC is quiet & super-effective. It is the rainy season. The girls were treated to a lightening storm their first evening, but it's sunny this morning and was mostly sunny yesterday, with only a few sprinkles late in the afternoon.

We bussed in to Old Town Monday night, enjoyed margaritas & guacamole at Pipi's, then made our way to the Bodeguita del Medio to watch the sunset. Mary & I shared the famous Paella dish (Mary wants to return, the next time getting some shrimp—without realizing it, I had taken AND eaten all the shrimp before Mary had a chance to protest). The live Cuban band was fantastic. Deanna befriended the bass player. She also wrote our names on the ceiling. See pic of “Guia Juan” (Guide John). We were cautioned about the habinero sauce. We didn't burn our palates with it, but the dish of habinero got dropped, splashing Mary's face with it, so ice needed to be applied to the burns.

https://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PV2011BPVEveOut

Tuesday, Deanna & Katie went zip-lining. Their strenuous climbing through the jungle was rewarded by zipping down through the jungle on 10 cables. Mary & I enjoyed massages, giving my sore neck some relief. By the time we bussed to Walmart, got more groceries, sat at the bus stop so long we realized we must be at the wrong stop & got back to Villa Vera (where thankfully the AC is still super & the shower has decent pressure, never mind it's not that warm), the lovely glow of the massage was alas a distant memory.

https://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PV2011CVillaVeraClubRegina

Wednesday we were slated for an all-day boating expedition (a timeshare gift), including snorkeling. On looking at the menacing sky, we decided to cancel (or at least postpone—we can re-schedule for next week if we decide to) a jungle tour (. The day turned out to be fairly sunny. We spend time at the pool over at the Club Regina next door. We bussed to town in the afternoon, briefly visited the mercado, bought some cigars from Martin, after watching him roll cigars, allegedly using Cuban tobacco. We became immediate intimates, all the gals getting kissed by Martin, The lightening storm lasted for a long time. We ducked in to the Red Pub for beers & split a couple of tasty chicken burritos from the stand a couple of doors up.

https://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PV2011DPVTown

Thursday, last day BC (before rental car), we bussed to the correo (post office) at the wharf. Closed until further notice. Back to Walmart for more water (we've been going through huge 6-liter bottles like mad) and dinner makings (we bought shrimp that require beheading and de-veining before cooking 'Not recommended—LOTS of work!).

I finally found stamps at the convenience shop at the Westin. As hard as they are to find, it occurs to me an industrious local could make a living re-selling stamps at a marked-up price (Altho' at 13.5 pesos, depending on exchange rate, they are already costly).

Regarding exchange rate: Mary & I went to the trouble of taking a # & waiting several minutes at a bank, to learn they were giving only 10.64 pesos to the $. We've found quite a few places that will make change at 11 pesos to the $, altho' others will only give 10. Walmart has been the best, giving about 11.5 in exchange, but with some small purchases we've been foiled, as they've declined to take our $50 or $100 US bills.

The rental car was delivered almost on time Friday morning—a Dodge “Attitude”, which we think fits us just fine. After leaving the majority of our luggage in the bodega, we found our way out of PV, to the junction for San Sebastian (SS) without major difficulty. Until a few years ago, the road was so bad it was impassible for a regular car & took most of the day for a 4-wheeler. Now the paved road makes the trip up in to the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains to San Sebastian a mere 1 ½ to 2 hour drive. Of course, as in all of Mexico, you need to watch for the topes—speed bumps, many with no painted warning stripes, or the paint so worn off you don't see them until it's too late to avoid the jolt. And the pot holes. Some dangerously deep & unmarked. Besides escaping the humid heat of PV in the pine-covered hills of 4500' elevation SS, we were excited about finding shade grown organic green coffee beans to take back for Mary's fledgling Songbird Java Roasters weekend coffee business. The most publicized place, Altura Coffee, was hosting a tour group when we arrived. We spoke to the owner. He wasn't interested in parting with several kilos at a wholesale price. We drove in, via the narrow cobblestone streets, to SS zocalo (plaza), where we had a snack of nachos with guacamole, overlooking cobblestone street repair by a little old man who's been doing it for 40 years.

https://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PV2011ESanSebastian

On to Hacienda Jalisco (HJ), a 170-year old mining operation that rents rooms and provides home grown meals. Joe, a transplant from California & Oregon, was our friendly host, giving us the history & tour of the hacienda and, with Pablo's help, preparing our delightful Friday night dinner & breakfast both mornings. HJ's history includes a hang-out for director John Huston & stars from the Night of the Iguana, filmed in PV in about 1969. The lovely setting in a verdant valley is enhanced at night, with oil lamps, as HJ has no electricity. After dark, the hundreds of fire flies didn't add light to see by, but were fun to spot..

Joe, now 30, has been in Mexico since his teens. His colorful past includes work in PV tourism, on boats, catering fancy events, etc. His mother lives in PV & makes the Internet reservations for HJ. Joe has numerous enterprises, including re-sale of tools AND selling organic coffee. While the coffee harvest was way less than usual, Joe still was willing to sell Mary 5 kilos of green beans.

https://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PV2011FHaciendaJalisco

Sunday morning we scored another kilo of green coffee beans at Gabriel's tienda, a friendly merchant in SS, then drove up to the Mirador (lookout) above town before making the return journey down from the mountains to PV, greeted by the heat & humidity of the coast.

While we had been promised a ground floor/pool side suite for our 2nd stay at Villa Vera, we arrived to an almost full house and the bad news that the best they could do for us was a 3rd floor floor suite, no elevator. After a couple of hours of exploratory phone calls (the gals were stocking up on groceries for most of that time), Valentina finally gave us the good news—a suite had been found across the street at the Club Regina, a sister resort (both belong to Raintree Vacation Club). More spacious, elevators just down the hall (next to the ice machine & washer & dryer), the Club Regina quarters are a great place to wrap up our vacation. The AC adjusts quickly, when we've had enough of the heat. Our view is lawn & palms, with some view of pools & the bay beyond.

Most afternoons, we're on the beach for sunset. Most have been spectacular.

I had planed to rent the car just for the weekend, for the trip up to San Sebastian. The gals decided to keep the car for the last five days, until we fly home on Friday.

Monday we headed north, to the upper entrance to huge Banderas Bay. At Punta de Mita, slowly driving along the waterfront, in search of a boat rental, Rudi found us. An Austrian, he's been in Mexico for years. 'Claims he never leaves Punta de Mita, that the last time he went in to PV (an hour's drive) was 6 years ago! He put us on a small boat with outboard and a local skipper with 35 years experience, to take us out the the Marieta Islands, a wildlife preserve. We got some great views of a wide variety of birds, including blue and green footed boobies. We snorkeled at both islands, enjoying some coral & a wide variety of bright fish. Katie took to snorkeling like a fish. I did a back flip off the boat at the 2nd snorkeling spot, which dislodged my mask. Stupidly, instead of turning back to the ladder on the boat to get it back in place, I began swimming toward shore, with water in mask & snorkel. I grabbed on to a volcanic rock to rest, cutting my pinky enough that it was bleeding on return to the boat, after our observant skipper threw me a life jacket . After several minutes on board, I ventured back in the water for another short snorkel until the gals returned, having visited the beach via a short tunnel of lava.

https://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PV2011GMarietaIslands

During lunch in an idyllic open restaurant along the palm-lined beach, the gals negotiated with merchants for pendants, ear rings, bracelets & other hand-made keepsakes/gifts. On to Sayulita, a beachfront town half an hour further up the coast. Known for surfing and counterculture, we were offered a marijuana pipe on arrival at the beach. Mid-afternoon, the heat seemed especially intense there, so we didn't linger, turning our Dodge Attitude back south to retreat to the AC of our rooms at Club Regina.

Tuesday we make our way in to the Mercado Central in PV for shopping. I drove around for a while, looking for Gringo Gulch, joining the gals for lunch at Loncheria Viejo Don Jorge, where prices didn't seem so much the bargain as our visit 5 years ago. It rained some at mid-day, which made the decision easy--to not press on for a snorkeling expedition south of PV. Instead, more pool & beach time at the resort, including henna tattoos. . I got in my first volleyball game. The one net has lots of players each evening. I was on a losing team, which meant we didn't keep the court (winner stays). My serves won a couple of points. Another brilliant sunset.

Wednesday morning the sky was blue. We headed south, following HJ Joe's recommendation—to find the beautiful beach at Maito, on a new, good road just north of El Tuito. The good road lasted about one kilometer, from Highway 200 in to town. About to depart Tuito, we saw a sign that said 37 km to Maito. We stopped a policeman, to ask about road condition & travel time. He said “mas o menos”, which means pretty bad, about an hour. Turning back, we stopped for 7-Ups & coffees in El Tuito. I got a second opinion from cabbies hanging out at the zocalo. They said about 70% of the road to the coast would be good, about 30% unpaved. And Joe seemed so knowledgeable!

We turned in at Mismaloya Beach on our return north. We found parking and an escort to beach chairs at surf's edge, sol o sombra (choice of staying in the shade of umbrellas or out in the sun). $2 beers & a laid-back waiter that didn't rush us to re-order. 'Can't say the same for the perseverance of the various vendedores (sellers) of jewelry, sarongs, clay flutes and ironwood carvings ( I bought a palm tree). Deanna & I snorkeled along the shore. Water was murky. Some schools of small fish. 'Not nearly as enjoyable as the Marietas.

https://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PV2011HMismaloyaTown

In spite of his bum suggestion about Maito, we followed Joe's lead to Joe Jack's Fish Shack in old town PV, for an early dinner of fish & chips. Nice upstairs veranda, generous, tasty pieces of snapper. Some final shopping (Katie got a colorful alebrije—carved cat—for husband David) while passing through town. Back at Club Regina in time for sunset & making a deal for a boat ride Thursday, our last full day, IF weather permitted.

Alas, Thursday dawned rainy, so we had to scrap the 9 a.m. departure across Banderas Bay, in search of dolphins, snorkeling & sightseeing along the picturesque south shore, dotted with exotic palaces built in to the the jungle-glad cliffs. As the weather started improving, we found a skipper who said he could take us, but the initial offer of “You don't see dolphins you don't pay” was no longer promised as we were about to board, so we declined. Wisely, I think—bouncing over the rough bay at high speed in an outboard isn't my idea of a good time. We hung out at the pool & beach, more merchants finding us, for numerous more bartering (jewelry, a pretty wood cutting board). Mary & Deanna got massages from Maricela. They raved about how good she was, so after showering following an hour of volleyball on the beach, initially without sunscreen (until Deanna jumped on to the court & spayed me), I had Maricela work on my sore neck, which has gotten better during the trip. A generous half hour for 200 pesos (less than $20). She doesn't have a business card, but you may be able to find her massage tent/table on the beach at Club Regina.

Mary was ecstatic about her commissioned oil-on-tile painting for Songbird Java Roasters by the paint-by-finger artist. Time to pack, taking care to protect delicate items. My orange liquor, in a corked bottle, got transferred to an empty plastic pop bottle with screw top. I ended up with extra room in my bags, in spite of transporting 2 kilos of coffee for Mary.

https://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PV2011HClubRegina

Thursday night we drove in to PV, for a last visit to Bodeguita del Medio, the Cuban bar. The band we enjoyed our first visit had been replaced by a louder, more frenetic group, but it was still fun. Mary decorated waiters & band members with bracelets of neon (Mary always fits a few tubes of light sticks in to her carefully packed bags). We were also entertained by a lightening storm as we sipped our mojitos, at our table next to the railing overlooking the Malecon & bay.

Friday, day of departure, started out rainy, but was partly sunny by mid-morning. I visited near-by Marina Vallarta golf course, to take pics (for upcoming St. Clare Hospital fund-raiser/tournament at Tacoma Country Club, where our vacation offerings are major auction items. I want to update my collage of courses near Raintree resorts, to spur bidding). The pro shop did NOT confirm what the desk at Villa Vera told me—that as a Raintree member, I'd get 50% off going rates. Mexico golf is not yet welcoming of Golf.Now. 18 holes at Marina Vallarta will run you $129, “only” $97 for twilight after 2 pm. Add $50 for club rental. And, Marina Vallarta is the budget course in the area. El Tigre is $174/$114 twilight, Vista Vallarta is $196/$136 twilight. For you true high-rollers, the 4 Seasons will be $225!

https://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PV2011IMarinaVallartaGolf

Deanna had arranged to drop the rental car at the airport, which was a blessing. We made 2 trips. Deanna & I left before Mary & Katie. We made the most of our 1st class status. Our 4-hour layover went by pleasantly in the Alaska Board Room in LA. Mary & Katie fared (pun intended) far worse. Their plane to San Francisco was late departing PV. Reportedly, their flight on to Portland was also going to be late. As it turned out, they held the Portland flight for them, so they had a rush thru SF Int'l, with all their heavy bags, only to find that their 1st class seats had been given away & they were stuck in the very last row in the back of the plane, with seats that didn't recline & flight staff that didn't even offer them anything to drink until they were approaching Portland. I'll find out on Monday what my Gold membership with American Air will do for me, to compensate for their partner Alaska's misbehavior.

On our travels, we have a tradition of problems with car keys & cameras. While we had a narrow escape early on (I had left the key in the car, while loading the trunk—Deanna thought that unwise & grabbed it. 'Good thing—the car locking system automatically locked the door after a couple of minutes). With the trip all but over, Deanna took a picture of her drink on our PV-LAX flight. On arrival home, her camera is missing! No word yet, if the call to Alaska lost-and-found will locate it. Worst case, the rest of us will be giving Deanna cd's of our pics, some consolation.

In summary, another memorable trip. Our sleep disorders cropped up some, but we all felt rested, for the most part. Deanna had one day of tourista symptoms, but all-in-all we stayed healthy. I avoided sunburn, despite little to no sunscreen & ended up almost as dark as Deanna, who sought out every opportunity to bask in the sun. The weekend in the sierra was a nice change of pace. The variety of staying at both Villa Vera & Club Regina was a bonus. We were on the go, but avoided over-doing it. 'Nice to retreat, after busy days, to spacious lodging with super air conditioning & showers with massage-strength water pressure. At Club Regina we also had a spacious private Jacuzzi with great jets. Katie caught on to our pace, first trip in decades & first ever to Mexico (she visited Victoria many years ago, her only other international travel). At 13 days, this was an extra-long break for Deanna, from her head teller job at the credit union. She's thinking of applying for a flight attendant job. Besides returning to the new Saturday coffee gig at the farmer's market, Mary will settle back in to handling crises of clients whose rough edges threaten to land them in some kind of institution. I return to fill that apartment vacancy, renew efforts to rent or sell vacation lodging in Whistler, be Juliet's Papa.

'Til next trip...

John
wrinkles45@comcast.net

Thanksgiving 2010 Road Trip

2010-12-03T08:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Road Trip, 2010

We picked up the 10' U-Haul on Friday. 10' is the smallest truck for rent. Even so, we had lots of spare room, after Nate helped load the electronic piano, the desk, the sideboard, the cello & a bunch of smaller things, including photos. This trip has been in the planning stage for months. Mostly taking Sanny (Lucy's mother) things to Dustin & Danielle's new home in Gilbert, just outside Phoenix.

We hope the pet-support team of Nate, Collen & housekeeper Kathy will function well. After returning from Starbuck's to get Lucy's tennis shoes, we were off, Mapquest predicting about 7.5 hours to Ashland. The bucket seats in the U-Haul are comfortable, but there's no room to tilt the seat back. North of Eugene, I switched driving duties with Lucy. Even tho' she complains about night vision behind the wheel, I had to remind her several times it was dark before she let me take the wheel back, north of Grants Pass. We made it just in time, facing a dinner window closing at 6:30 pm at Vance & Jane's senior living place in Ashland. We had a relaxed dinner before retiring to their spacious condo, with views toward both the Cascades & the Siskiyous.

Vance was Lucy's step-dad from about the 5th grade until she graduated from Northern Arizona U. Every December 7 the phone rings & it's Vance, wishing Lucy "Happy Birthday". We had last visited him in Bandon, over 20 years ago. Vance remembers teen Dustin skateboarding down the road Tired of the incessant wind on the coast & love of the theater prompted the relocation to Ashland about 3 years ago. Vance is recovering well from a broken hip a few months ago. Treatment for early detected cancer is also going well. They are content with their comfortable life at the retirement center, where they have endless opportunities to go on outings & activities, most of which they pass on.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Ashland#

Sunday morning, at the gas station in Ashland, we were told the requirement to chain up to go over the pass had been lifted at 7 a.m. While there was snow for miles, including along Mt Shasta in N California, we didn't encounter falling snow or icy road conditions. The U-Haul cruises well, up to 70-75 mph. It's reassuring that the speed signs in California specify the slower speed limit is for trucks with 3 or more axles.

The Garmin GPS system gave us an un-needed detour as we entered San Jose, but straightened out & got us to the motel in Sunnyvale, near Chip & June's apartment. Since parking is tight in their neighborhood, Chip, Lucy's brother, came & picked us up. Their 2 kids have grown a bunch since spending a week or 2 with us a few summers ago. Richard is now a tall 6th grader & Jamie is a stately Sophomore. They are still settling in to their apartment, having moved in the past couple of weeks. June cooked a delicious dinner. Chip talked about various alternative energy ideas, including hopes of buying a few acres near the central coast to grow crops that can produce bio diesel.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/ChipS2010#

Monday morning we headed south down Highway 101, destination Santa Barbara. We encountered just a bit of rain, intermittently sunny, with pretty clouds. Vineyards, rolling hills with old oak trees. Glimpses of the blue Pacific at Pismo & as we approached Santa Barbara.

The Garmin did its job & got us to Dave Curland's quaint home in the hills above Santa Barbara Mission. Dave was my Spanish teacher at Willamette HS in Eugene. After I graduated, he moved to the U of O, where he taught & developed a curriculum for teaching languages using video vignettes, something he continues to improve upon to this day, in his mid-80s (http://hispanidades.info/authors/). As my world expanded during my college years, when I was back home in Eugene, Dave was a receptive mentor, on many a visit allowing me to chatter on about all manner of exciting new ideas until the wee hours of the morning. We've kept in touch over the years & met a couple of times in recent years in Eugene, when Dave was visiting there. A few years after Agnes & Dave moved to Santa Barbara, she lost her battle with cancer.

Two of their 3 children came by Monday night to say hi. Susan & Matthew were in their teens when I used to invite myself over, during those mid-60s college years visits. Marty, the youngest, lives in Pacific Palisades, so we didn't get a chance to say hello this visit. One of those times in recent years that I saw Dave in Eugene was during the filming of Marty's movie, Zerophilia, which can be seen on late night Showtime (or is it HBO?) these days.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/StaBarbara#

Tuesday morning we continued our visit with Dave over breakfast at a sidewalk cafe in fashionable Montecito. Back in the U-Haul, we skirted around Los Angeles, one freeway after another. We had slowdowns a few times, but mostly flew along at 60-70 mph, in the midst of 4 to 8 lanes of traffic. Fortunately the weather was good & we had no close calls. Nonetheless, it was a tiring day. We arrived at Cimarron Golf Resort just about dark. Cimarron is one of our Raintree timeshare properties. The intake gal generously offered the studio suite, along with the one-bedroom, which we made good use of, as Lucy's nephew, Todd & his 3 (Amy, age 11, Christopher, 8, & Eddie, 6), joined us for the night. We found an Asian buffet & more than satiated our hunger, returning to the resort to frolic in the pool & Jacuzzi for about an hour.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Cimarron2010#

Wednesday morning, after breakfast at the golf club with Todd & the children, we headed east on our last leg. Smooth trafic until about 40 miles east of Phoenix, when 1-lane traffic over a river held us up for a stretch of something like an hour. Perhaps that bottleneck helped thin out eastbound traffic through Phoenix, which was surprisingly light, given it was the afternoon before Thanksgiving. We got to Dustin & Danielle's just after sunset. The proud first-time homeowners immediately gave us a tour of their wonderful home in Gilbert, about half an hour's drive SE of Phoenix. Cathedral ceilings in the entry, living room & kitchen. 3 smaller bedrooms plus the large master, complete with walk-in closet. Big, fenced back lawn, that their puppy, Cooper (Brittany Spaniel) makes good use of. Then out to dinner with Dustin, Danielle, Kate & Juliet (flew down from Seattle on Monday).

Danielle was apprehensive about cooking her first turkey. It was perfect, as was the entire Thanksgiving meal. The cheesecake too. Dustin's pecan pie took some extra care to firm up, but was also delicious.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Gilbert2010#

Dustin & I ran Kate & Juliet to the airport early Friday morning, to get Kate back in time to oversee a bustling Friday night at Ricky J's bar, after a slow week due to snow. Recovering from serious back spasms the day before Thanksgiving, Dustin decided to not join me for a round of golf, while the gals were off to Black Friday shopping. I played well, with the exception of 3-4 holes. The sand traps were unkind to me.

Saturday we drove up to Sedona, with a stop at Montesuma's Castle. We stayed at Sedona Summit, a Diamond resort where we have use via an agreement with Raintree Vacation Club. Very nice, spacious 2-bedroom lockoff, including big Jacuzzi tub. Blue skies with brilliant red spires reflecting the sun on Saturday. Ideal weather, brisk but comfortable in the warming sun. I had hopes of visiting the Grand Canyon on Sunday, but I relented, upon hearing reports of snow at Flagstaff & the 7100' canyon rim. We'll have to return in the spring or fall to include the Canyon in our itinerary. Instead, Sunday we took a walk through photogenic Red Rock State Park. Mostly cloudy, there were occasional bursts of sun, as well as a light dusting of snow, at 4500' Sedona.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/GoingToSedona#
http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Sedona2010#
http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/RedRockStPark#

We hustled back to Gilbert Monday morning, to get Danielle to work at Noon. Cooper was happy to see us--for the 2 days we were away, he had access to a small kennel in the warm house via the dog door & otherwise had the back yard for his playpen, where he entertained himself by shredding a few stuffed toys.

Last day, Tuesday, I hooked up with Cousin Ray, to play a round of golf. He & Carolyn live in nearby Queen Creek.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/GolfWRay2010#

Dustin made good time getting us to the airport Wednesday morning. 'Good thing, because as we went through Security we discovered I had grabbed Dustin's briefcase while unloading the car. He had just arrived at work & was able to return to the airport. I met him back out at the curb & had a second pat down--Phoenix doesn't yet have the total body scanners--by Security (my artificial hip & now my total knee replacement always set off the sensors), with still time for Lucy to wait in line at Starbuck's.

We got all 3 seats in the back row of the Southwest 737, so we didn't have to bump elbows on the 3-hour flight to Seattle. It was a good trip, with lots of catching up with old friends & family. Despite the wet, cold weather of Puget Sound, it'll be good to be back home to our own bed & our animals. And, when walking through the living room, we will no longer need to dodge the piano, having finally delivered it to Dustin, in his spacious first home.

Kaua'i 2010

2010-11-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

Kauai, October 29 – November 5, 2010

Nate, Kate, 3 y.o. Juliet & I boarded our Alaska flight at noon on Friday. 2 & ½ hours later we hopped on the shuttle at huge LAX, to the American concourse, where we ran in to Mary, coming from Portland. Our 6-hour flight to Lihue, Kaua'i, was smooth. We chased the sunset for hours. I don't remember our flight to the Big Island in March 2008 being so long. It must be as fast to fly from Seattle to the Caribbean! Juliet didn't sleep at all, excitedly on her way to much talked of Hawai'i.

When we landed Friday night, I shuttled over to get the rental minivan. We got turned around on directions to nearby Garden Island Inn, but our round about route only added a few extra minutes. Kate put Juliet to bed while Mary, Nate & I went to near-by Duke's for tasty Poo Poos (appetizers) and pina coladas served IN pineapples, sitting on the veranda with a pleasant breeze and a band playing reggae.

Mary & I awoke early (3 hours behind Pacific time zone here, so 6 a.m. Hawai'i time is 9 a.m. PDT) & opened up a nearby Seattle Best Coffee, taking back drinks & pastries to the inn. We walked across the road to Kalapaki Beach, played in the surf, as the sun began to get higher in the sky. (So far, while the sun is strong, temperatures have been comfortable. There's a cooling breeze most everywhere.)

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Kauai1stDay#

We checked out of Garden Island Inn (our frequent flyer award travel tickets didn't match up with the availability at the condo here, which resulted in the one-night stay near the airport) & decided on the Olympic Cafe in Kapa'a for lunch, as Mary's friend Matt says the fish tacos there are the best on the island. They were good. On our way back toward Po'ipu, we took a short side road to view 'Opaeka'a Falls & stopped at Costco to get supplies.

We arrived at the resort, Point-at-Po'ipu, about 2:30. The call ahead, requesting early check-in, didn't help much. We did get in to our condo about 3:30 p.m. And, we got the requested ocean view, although the vista is framed by parts of the big resort, on both sides.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PointAtPoIpu#

Mary & I headed back to the airport to pick up Deanna, my niece. We had pizza for dinner & turned in fairly early, still adjusting to the time change.

Sunday morning we greeted the sunrise on the nearby bluff, with breakers crashing below us. 'Great colors.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/KauaiSunrise1#

Mary, Deanna, Juliet & I went to nearby Po'ipu Beach to snorkel, dropping Nate & Kate at a sports bar to watch the Seahawks get trounced by the Raiders. Juliet is still leery of the snorkel that Great-grandma got her for her for her birthday. A friendly beach companion loaned us a small air mattress with a viewing window, so Juliet saw some fish. After a short snorkel, I followed Deanna further out, where she'd seen lots of fish. I got in to a shallow area with breakers & decided to turn back. 'Still not that fit, following rehab after my total left knee replacement in June. We have several other destinations in mind for snorkeling.

Sunday night, Halloween, we went to Jonathan & David's, where a small group of trick-or-treaters joined their 2 seven-year olds. Mary worked with Jonathan several years ago. Juliet was a cat, with the cutest little outfit Kate made for her. Juliet was ecstatic & managed to keep her balance, running pell mell down driveways, while we held our breath & exhorted her to slow down.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PoIpuBeachHlwn#

Another spectacular sunrise Monday, enhanced by telephoto capability of my intelligent zoom Panasonic Lumix. Mary caught sight of one turtle in the surf. We walked around the lovely grounds of the Hyatt next door.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/KauaiSunrise2#

Monday breakfast was at Joe's on the Green, at a nearby golf course. Mid-day, the gals did the nearby Koloa weekly farmers' market, while Nate went to a timeshare sales promo, to get his $100 golf voucher. Juliet & I napped. After some time at the pool here at the resort, we did some late afternoon snorkeling at the beach next to the Beach House. Nate barbequed chicken, that went well with a great fruit salad from purchases at the farmers' market.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/KauaiBrkfstFruit#

Tuesday daybreak was another beauty. Between all of us, we have a few hundred sunrise pics by now.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/KauaiSunrise3#

After breakfast of granola, fruit & yogurt, Kate & I dropped Nate at the golf course on our way to the airport to pick up Sammie, Kate's childhood friend, now living on Maui. She hopped an inter-island flight to spend the rest of the week with us. On return to the condo, we headed back to poolside. Then a several minute drive to the Beach House, where sat on their lawn to take in a spectacular sunset. Pizza again for dinner, here at the condo.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/KauaiCharacters#

Wednesday morning was somewhat overcast, so we didn't make our morning trek to the bluff to start the day. 'Just as well, because we wanted to get an early start to Waimea Canyon. Chances are better for views earlier in the day. While cloudy at the lookouts at the top of the canyon, we were able to catch glimpses down toward the Na Pali coast line & the beautiful, rugged valley arising precipitously from the Pacific.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/NaPaliOverlook#

We stopped at several viewpoints of Waimea Canyon as we descended, often compared to the Grand Canyon. Following the suggestion of my friend, Dave Wagner, we enjoyed lunch at Waimea Plantation Cottages.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/WaimeaCanyon#

We got back to the condo in time to return to return to the Beach House for more snorkeling. While we knew we didn't have much daylight left, we decided to find Kawailoa Bay, at the end of the dirt road east of the Hyatt, that Mary's friend Jonathan recommended. After traveling the progressively bumpy gravel road for about 3 miles, we met the guard assigned to close the gate at 6 pm & resigned ourselves to returning earlier another day to get to Kawailoa Bay.

Thursday was our North Shore day. We had some rain at daybreak here on relatively dry South Shore. Weather got progressively wetter at we drove up the East Coast. When we arrived at the end of the road, Ke'e Beach, we were greeted by a steady downpour. Waves were high & it was obvious that the north shore beaches sometimes good for snorkeling, weren't safe. Despite the rainy, cloudy conditions, we had some views of the rugged mountains shooting up from the North Shore, with white threads of waterfalls. Retracing our path along the North Shore, by the time we got to Kilauea Lighthouse the rain had subsided.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/KauaiNShore#

Just north of Lihue, we took a 4 mile side trip to see Wailua Falls.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/WailuaFalls#

We didn't get out of the clouds until the last couple of miles approaching the South Shore, about 4 pm—enough time to explore Kawailoa Bay, east of the Hyatt, at the end of the gravel road. It was worth it—a lovely stretch of sand and rocky shoreline, with overhanging trees. And, we had the added blessing of a rainbow.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/KawailoaBay#

Exiting ahead of gate closure, we had just enough time to drive to a vantage point east of Po'ipu Beach to watch the sunset. At dusk, we visited small Moir Gardens, within Kiahuna Plantation Resort.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Sunset2MoirGarden#

Friday, last day for most of us (Mary & Deanna will be staying until Sunday), we took in our final South Shore sunrise. After breakfast, we headed to the pool for a last sunning. Juliet played with her 3-year old friend, Lander, one more time. Then it was 11 a.m. check out time & off to Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee Company for lunch. Nate & I were dropped off at nearby Kukuiolono Golf Course, famous for $9 green fees! A sugar magnate donated the course to the municipality, with the stipulation green fees must remain $9 for the 9-hole course. Club rental also $9. Cart rental? You guessed it—$9! The green fees are actually $9 per day, no charge for additional rounds after the first 9. But, cart rental is $9 for each 9. A hilltop course with some great views, the course has lots of character. I started well but wasted a few shots on holes 3 & 4. Nate finished strong, with a birdie and several pars on closing holes, playing with cheap rental clubs. We didn't have time to make more use of the bargain rates, as we needed to get Mary & Deanna to their new condo & get ourselves to the airport.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/KukuiolonoGolf#

After leaving Nate & me at the golf course, Kate, Juliet & Sammie dropped Mary & Deanna at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens & went to Hanapepe, where, mid-span on the swaying footbridge over the river, as Kate was getting anxious, Juliet didn't reassure Mom, with her rendition of “London Bridges Falling Down”.

Mary & Deanna raved about the gardens, promise to share scads of pictures. As we picked them up exiting the gardens, we were again blessed with a rainbow. We've seen many the last few days, as intermittent rain has come and gone.

It turned to steady rain as we drove up to Kapa'a Shores, East Shore, where we left Mary & Deanna, at a condo Mary rented from her World-Mark friend. They will fly home on Sunday.

We didn't have much time to spare for Sammie to catch her inter-island flight and we checked in behind most of the full flight of passengers for our 9:20 pm red eye to Los Angeles. Juliet fought sleep for a while, but eventually got some decent rest. We had a couple of hours layover before catching our last flight up the coast to Seattle. Juliet slept the whole flight.

Summing up: a good time had by all, including 3 y.o. Juliet. She was exceptionally adaptable. We managed to fit in late naps for her most days. Her favorites: Halloween & making friends at the pool. While others were impressed with the array of fish, my snorkeling forays this trip were less rewarding. Before next trip, maybe I'll get that other knee replaced. Mary is a regular on my international & offshore trips. I'm glad to help her escape Oregon, where her job--keeping developmentally challenged out of institutions--challenges her. Niece Deanna is happy to join us when possible. Kate's been on a couple of trips before. Aside from family States-side reunions, this is Nate's first. The morning we departed, he got news he passed his last test, making him a licensed landscape architect—great timing to celebrate, with a first-ever visit to Hawaii!

Teton Village, my Gemini 65th BD Party

2010-05-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

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(The blog start AFTER the pics is tricky here in Picasa...)

May 25, am, ~ 8 a.m.

Pic link for the first 2 days: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/TetonsYellowstone2010A#

Horray, I'm 65 & I HAVE Medicare!!

'Sitting in the living room at Teton Club, Teton Village. 'Expecting Juliet to awake any minute, so I'll come back to this later, after a morning visit to the hot tub with my 2.7 year old granddaughter.

I flew to Idaho Falls on Saturday, with a stop in Boise. Hertz was expecting me. A rainy day, as I drove northwards on the Yellowstone Highway, I found myself in a full-blown snowstorm. May 22--I was expecting early summer conditions in the Rockies!

I didn't know better, so, instead of staying on the longer, lower route along the Snake River, I took the shortcut over two passes to Jackson Hole, via Victor. While snow was on the roadway, tires were keeping lanes of blacktop visible and it didn't feel slippery. It was slow over the first pass, with a super cautious driver setting the pace. Even so, it was only about a 2-hour drive from Idaho Falls Airport to Teton Village.

I arrived at Teton Club to find Helena in the lobby. From Palm Springs, she flew in to Jackson Hole on Friday and camped out in the snow at nearby Jenny Lake! While Teton Club had an open 3-bedroom suite, they would only drop their nightly rental rate from $450 to $360. Rather than spend $ on a smaller place, Helena decided to save her money for eating out, pitched her tent and has the experience to brag about (All the Peace Corps/Ecuador people coming this week are 62+, which means we all get the huge senior discount for entrance fee to the national parks). Slightly different weather than back home in Palm Desert, where Helena is a PA in a dermatology clinic.

As I was checking in and sorting out how to divvy up all FIVE 3-bedroom suites, retired international banker, David Wilson walked in. He flew from Portland, Maine. His wife needed to stay home for a grandchild's recital. Jim Mullins, recently retired from the Montana Highway Department and nursing (or not!) a seriously swollen finger, from helping a friend build a house, arrived in time for a late dinner, driving in the snow from Helena, Mt. Lynn (they met at Peace Corps training in 1970—Lynn was Jim's Spanish instructor) had important job happenings she couldn't extricate herself from to be here. Jim and David were both volunteers with the land surveying program in the Upper Amazon of Eastern Ecuador, trained at Dot.S.Dot Ranch by yours truly. Helena was a sola Gringa traveling thru Ecuador in 1969 when Milton (for the 2nd year a reunion no-show. This time, the finale of wife Stephanie's teaching career is the reason) informed her of the pending purchase of Fundo Estalin (so-named by Guillermo, the would-be Marxist we bought it from), renamed by us Hacienda Buena Karma, AKA, per South American Handbook, 1970 edition, the “hippie commune at Misahualli”, hereafter referred to simply as “the farm”. Today it is an ecotourism lodge - http://www.misahuallijungle.com/ Alas, we didn't manage to retain any ownership rights. Helena and Ira were the only 2 of the 10 of us farm buyers on the title. In the early 70s, when we had scattered our own ways, Helena sold the farm to Esperanza's family, Esperanza being the Ecuadorian bride of a PC volunteer.

After a cold, wintry Saturday, we awoke Sunday to beautiful, blue sky. The 4 of us (Helena, Jim, David and I) piled in to David's rented Subaru and headed north in to Grand Teton NP. We stopped to take pics of an owl and her young in a huge nest up a pine tree, then on to lovely Jenny Lake for more pics, arriving at Signal Mountain Lodge in time for a wonderful brunch, with an awesome string of Teton peaks to gaze at, across Jackson Lake.

We continued northwards in to Yellowstone NP, with frequent stops to take pics of rivers, waterfalls, elk, bison and geysers. We hiked part of the way up to Point Sublime, above Artist Point, on the South Rim of the Yellowstone River Canyon. Not the magnitude of the Grand Canyon, but very colorful and rugged. I made everyone bring swim suits, in hopes of again soaking in the boiling (Gardner) river, below Mammoth Hot Springs, at the northern entrance to Yellowstone. But, it was going to be an additional 3 hours of travel so I wisely, if sadly, abandoned that overly ambitious objective. We followed the North Canyon Road westward, turning south to Old Faithful. We had time to roam through the lodge before find a seat for the eruption at about 7 pm, preceded by a herd of bison coming right behind the seating area a couple of minutes before the eruption. It was an impressive eruption, but our blue sky had disappeared. The white, cloudy sky behind the plume made it less dramatic. I hope to get back on a blue sky day.

We reached Jackson Lake Lodge at dusk, for a great meal in their dining room overlooking the marshes by the lake, where a lone moose was grazing in the distance. David was designated driver and got us back after an hour of driving in the snow. A long but enjoyable day. If David said it once he said it half a dozen times: “I'll be back”. Alas, not this trip. He had to fly home Tuesday, to make it to an aunt's birthday later in the week.

Arriving back at Teton Lodge about 10:30 pm and exhausted, we didn't check in with Ira and Lisa until Monday morning. They drove from their home in Barstow, Southern Californian desert. They were farm buyers, lived in Quito back in 1969, where Ira worked for CARE, having formerly been one of the very first PC volunteers—Colombia 1961.

Again, pic link: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/TetonsYellowstone2010A#

Tetons & Yellowstone 2010 finale

2010-05-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

Continuing my report on the May 22 – 29 gathering of family & friends in Teton Village, my “Gemini” coming-of-Medicare-age birthday bash:

Also arriving late Sunday night, driving from their home in Colorado Springs, were Lucy's nephew, Arran (doctoral candidate in Immunology), his wife Shawnee (owner of Techwise, with 300 + employees, now training in more interesting arenas than computers, such as preparing soldiers for deployment) and their 3 boys, Pax, Caden and McCoy. I drove back to Idaho Falls Monday morning to pick up Lucy (retired medical consultant, quilter, etc), Nate (Lowry Rentals bookkeeper, while applying for new landscape architect jobs, in an economy that is slow to rebound), Kate (bar/restaurant owner) and Juliet (my one and only grandchild to date). I took the low road along the Snake River, since it had turned wintry again. While it was still snowing, I chanced the short route over the passes on returning, and saved about 45 minutes. We arrived in time for a late lunch with Arran, Shawnee and the boys. Dustin was going to join us, flying up from Phoenix, but pressing business (horror films) and a funeral took precedence.

Monday evening, Ira brought out the guitar and entertained the kids. They dubbed him “Santa” (See pics & you'll know why - http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/TetonsYellowstone2010B# )

Tuesday we said goodbyes to David and Jim. Weather report was for improving weather on Wednesday, so we hung around Teton Village, hot tubbed, braved the steam room (Was that warning on the door for ME?--about consulting your physician prior to use, if you have health issues), made ourselves at home in Teton Club's Great Room. We had a scare when Juliet disappeared (She'll be 3 in September). Frantic looking for several minutes ended when she was found, wide-eyed, on the spa floor. She had gotten on the elevator and taken it down to the bottom floor.

We went to dinner at an Italian restaurant in the village. Tuesday night we had expected the arrival of John Hudelson (wine prof at Central Wa U in Ellensburg), his wife, Carole ('just finished a couple of years instructing law students how to write), and Ardis Barnum (retired from a career with the forest service, now volunteering to make Winthrop in the North Cascades of Washington more livable). Museums and wineries took more time than expected and they got in very late.

Wednesday morning we took in the parks, first Grand Teton, then Yellowstone. We had sun at times, but clouds set in later in the day. So, once again, I failed to see Old Faithful erupt with blue sky background. My camera battery was kind enough to go dead as we were about to head homeward.

Thursday morning Nate and I played Teton Pines, benefiting from an association with Teton Club. 'Good thing, as the King Cobra rental fee was $50. I did take to the performance clubs quickly and played above average, over shooting the par 5 7th with my 3rd shot, 559 yards long, from my white tees. Nate played blue tees, which partially accounts for my playing even with him early in to the back nine.

Opening day for Sex and the City 2, some of the gals made an afternoon of it in Jackson, getting in line for tickets to insure they got in.

Thursday night Ira, John and Lisa got out the guitars and made more sweet music. Juliet, due to depart the next morning, was serenaded and loved it.

Friday morning, it was already time to get the family back to Idaho Falls and their return to Seattle. I again got turned around leaving Twin Falls. I have finally figured out there are TWO northbound freeways—Interstate 15 and Highway 20. I'll know next time. While it is a 1.5 – 2 hour drive to Teton Village, the time sitting in Salt Lake or Denver airports and added cost of airfare leaves me satisfied--it's better to fly to Idaho Falls than to Jackson Hole--from Seattle.

Ira BBQ'd burgers and we ate in the great room on Friday evening, followed by more music. Teton Club members sat in front of the fireplace and enjoyed the sounds, as did club staff.

We have consensus—Teton Club is magnificent, as are the parks, as are our friendships. With many of us retired and others approaching that blessed state, we can afford to continue to make time to get away together...

3rd set of pics - http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/TetonsYellowstone2010C#

BTW, having done brief bios on others--hard to believe it's going on 8 years since I said goodbye to my career as a psychiatric social worker. In Pierce County, Washington, Lowry Rentals has downsized somewhat. I still keep my grandpa's cottage on a bluff of the Oregon Coast occupied most of the time with vacationers. Unable to pass up steals on the secondary market, our timeshare holdings have burgeoned, making possible the wonderful Teton Club digs for this gathering. At the end of June, I will replenish our points reservoir and again welcome invitations to support worthy fundraisers (auctions or raffles). Let me know about your worthy causes.

John Lowry
253-841-4948
www.lowryrentals.com
john@lowryrentals.com

Mexico 2010--Zihuatanejo I

2010-05-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Mexico 2010: Zihuatanejo to Oaxaca - First dispatch

Saturday afternoon in Zihuatanejo. We have 3 more days, but while I have good internet access, I'm sending this. Link to the photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/ZihuatanejoI#

I'm stuck with Wordpad on this laptop, without Spellcheck, so I apologize for the typos I don't catch.

Mexico City Airport.

Familiar Sala B for domestic flights. I've hung out here in the past with Mary, waiting for a connecting flight. And, the gal who sweeps the floor every few mintures is still here too! I've still got 3+ hours before catching a Mexicana flight to Zihuatanejo, where Deanna promises to be waiting with a guy in a white VW bug, just oustside the airport (To avoid lining the pocket of an airport taxi dirver). She's been in Ixtapa for a couple of days, getting a headstart on vacationing. Mary and her friend Claudia are due in tomorrow afternoon.

The only causalty I'm aware of so far is my 2006 Lonely Planet Mexico guidebook. 'Good thing I didn't spring for a 2010 edition. Mary has a current Foder's Mexico we can consult. I think I left it on the floor under my seat on the plane here in DF (Distrito Federal). I was focused on filling out the immigration forms, which I didn't do a good job on--when I got to Customs I was sent to the side to fill in about 6 spaces I hadn't completed. Those Mexican customs forms have hard-to-find signature lines.

Decision: do I set my phone alarm and try to catch some sleep, drapped over my carry-on & computer bag, or not? I got some sleep on the leg from LA. 'Had a few tense minutes, standing in the looong security line at Bradley International (part of LAX)--very reminiscent of the lengthy wait Lucy and I had, to get thru security on our way to Australia several years ago, not long after 9/11. They saw that my boarding was underway and shuttled me to a shorter line. Those who allow plenty of time get punished--left in the regular line, which can take an hour or more!

Here in the airport, I changed $20 at 11.60 pesos to the $. I hope banks will give a better rate. Consulting on line before I left home, I saw the peso has been strengthening against the $ in recent months. First liter of water, 25 pesos! I 'spose a bottle of water in a US airport would be somewhat more than a couple of bucks.

Room 401, Villa Vera Puerto Mo, Zihuatanejo

'Got up this morning, eager to catch up on emails. Last night I agreed to a 200 peso enrollment fee to use the resort's web connection for the week (At 12 pesos/$, less than $17 and about $2.40/day--I'll try to censure some of my deal-making thinking here...!) Deanna went to bed too early and had trouble sleeping, so it seemed like a good opportunity to sip coffee and respond to online messages. After searching all compartments of my new laptop bag, I came to the frustrating conclusion that I left the power cord to the laptop at home. So much for Mary's gift of St. Anne, the saint of lost objects. And her checklist to not leave things at home (of course, I only crossed off the clothing items on the list--I didn't allow enough packing time to get down to "computer & charger").

I called Raul, our cabbie that Deannie found yesterday--to pick me up just outside the airport. He took me to the electronics store and loaned me 50 pesos--I figured 700 would be more than enough, but the price was 750 pesos. I'll be repaying him momentarily, when we go to the airport to pick up Mary and Claudia.

...Thursday morning. Coffee's on. Claudia's trying to get some sleep, after being awake during the night. I am back from the lobby, where strong internet signal didn't help me get to my email. Oh well, hopefully later.

...Friday morning. 'Been too much going on to find time to blog. We'll be doing breakfast soon, then the gals are heading to town to shop, without me. I see an opening to catch up here. . Tuesday arrival of Mary and Claudia went smoothly. They also got "green" lighted at customs, which meant no bag searches. Their room is just down the hall from Deanna and mine. 4th floor, no elevator, so exercise doing stairs is the order of the week. But, our view is even better here on the next to penthouse level, looking across Zihuatanejo Bay towards Las Gatas Beach. Claudia & Mary have a suite with big jacuzzi tub with a view & a balcony, so we'll be spending more time there, as our room's view is thru a picture window.

Wednesday we caught a small launch to Playa Las Gatas. Recently I have been in email correspondence with Scott. He lives south of Mexico City and we had hoped to visit him during this trip, but it turns out he is traveling too & won't be home to drop in on. Scott, an anthropologist, was studying the Cofan of the Ecuadorian upper Amazon basin when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the late 60s. He was one of the 10 of us who bought Hacienda Buena Karma. When Scott learned we were coming to Zihua, he said we must drop in on Owen Lee, his buddy who lives at the far end of Las Gatas Beach. So, we did, catching Owen just after his morning shower. He graciously gave us drinks and led our snorkel around the point. At 82, he has been retired a few years from his nature study center next door to his beach house, which I will learn more about when I read his A Prisoner in Paradise--I got an autographed copy from Owen. His adventurous life includes diving for Jacques Cousteau.

The snorkel with Owen was brief and not memorable. We were coping with some waves. I hope for better snorkeling success at other places. While we immediately got on a boat on our return to the wharf, the skipper decided he wanted more passengers before embarking, so he idled around the dock, with engine fumes waffing up. Mary was struggling to breathe. After cordial requests to leave were ignored, Mary approached the skipper, demanding he return our boarding pass and let us off, whereupon he did depart--despacito--He crossed the bay at about half the speed of the other boats, perhaps in an effort to get back at us, but we enjoyed the view and lack of waves.

A dip in the pool here at Villa Vera Puerto Mio was most welcome. Ideal temperature, about 4' deep, a trickle of a waterfall from a viewing pool above, great view of the bay (Check out pics on Picasa, link above & to follow). We survived on drinks and appetizers at the restaurant next ot the pool, befriended by Dianna and Bill, guests from Minnesota, with a room next to ours.

Internet access continues to fail on my laptop, despite programming by staff here. They let me use their computer to check email today.

...Saturday morning. Coffee is on. Deanna awake, but didn't sleep as well as previous nights.

Catching up: Thusday Raul, in Cab 0520, took us to Petalan, about 30 km south, to the gold market in front of the church. Those travel book writers sometimes wax poetic with little basis in reality. I will say that the inventory in the numerous stalls along the street was considerable. They all had their scales and weighed pieces of jewelry before quoting prices--200 pesos for very small pieces, much more for larger ones. Deanna got a small sun that she liked. The guides describe the church as "beautiful majestic". Mary and I, after seeing so many truely majestic churches in Latin America, find it modern and plain. Mid-day mass was underway, which further dissuaded me from spending much time looking in the church.

On our way back, we detoured to Barra de Potosi, a village where a lagoon meets the ocean. We took a boat ride around part of the lagoon, with the skipper jumping out and pulling us across shallow sandbars in spots, which created a bit of drama--would we stout gringos need to get out and help, or walk to shore? He managed without either. There were some picturesue shots of pelicans, cranes, other birds and old boats with fading paint jobs.

Back in Zihua, we had Raul drop us at Playa de Ropa, Restaurant Rossy, where Deanna could use the 500 peso voucher she got for going to a timeshare breakfast during her first couple of days in Ixtapa. Unlike the unpleasant outcomes of most timeshare come-ons I've attended, she said the breakfast was good and the whole thing was over in the promised 90 minutes. The salesman was shut down by Deanna's reply: "My uncle has tons of timeshares, so why should I get my own?" After guacomote and natchos, drinks and reorders of both (the guacamole was esp. good), we had used up the voucher. The gals walked the whole beach, while I napped on a beach chair. No luck finding the massuse that a friend of Mary's told her was excellent and worked on Playa de Ropa. We caught a bus in to the center of town, got off by the mercado and looked in briefly--things were closing up, as it was early evening by then. We negociated a 30 peso cab ride back up the hill to the hotel, Villa Vera Puerto Mio, where we had been informed, in writing, we were excluded from the pool area for the evening, because of an RCI event honoring the hotel staff. We hung out on Mary & Claudia's deck, checking out the party with Mary's binoculars, concluding that it was a totally boring affair. Our interest was peaked by knowing that Deanna's favorite bartender, Ceasar, had been selected for recognition.

Yesterday (Friday) the gals walked down the hill to town to shop. After multiple attempts to get on line with my laptop, I used the hotel's computer to access my email and take care of those warranting my time while vacationing. I hiked down the hill the other way to check out Contramar Beach, described by some writers as good for snorkeling. Maybe. Overlooking the cove from above, I couldn't see any coral nor much that would be of snorkeling interest. We again walked down to town for dinner, selecting Elvira's. Our waiter spoke excellent English because he's lived much of his life in the states, including the Hazeldell neighborhood of Vancouver, where Deanna lives and his uncle owns el Tapatito Restaurant and Kaizer, the small town where Mary lives! Another small world experience.

End of Dispatch I. Again, link to photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/ZihuatanejoI#

Zihua finale, Taxco & Puebla

2010-05-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

Wednesday afternoon, April 28th, in Taxco. I've got a little time to begin to fill in the last few days, waiting for the heat of the day to subside. Even though almost 6000 feet elevation, the afternoon sun here is very strong. We plan to wander out as it cools down, hoping for some great sunset pictures, capturing the charm of this hilly, historic Pueblos Magicos town.

End of my first dispatch was Friday evening in Zihuatanejo. To view pics from our last few days in Zihua, paste the following link in to your browser. After viewing the slideshow, hit the Back arrow to return here to the blog:

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/ZihuaII2010#

Saturday, Mary and Claudia went looking for Sylvia, a masseuse of some fame, on La Ropa Beach. Sylvia wasn't there, but they found others to give them greatly appreciated massages. After having given Raul quite a bit of taxi business, with discussion of more, I didn't feel I needed to agree on the price for their outing, including a brief stop at the supermarket. Wrong. He charged them double what I expected--killed the goose that lays golden eggs, he did. Deanna got in pool time, working on perfecting the tan. I spent time Saturday getting my first blog report off and updating my online Picasa picture album. The 4 of us returned to Letty's for dinner, a small restaruant at the bottom of the path leading to town, where Letty remembered us and thanked us for returning. Good food, simple, open-air place overlooking the bay.

Sunday we snorkeled on Ixtapa Island. The best snorkeling for me in a couple of years--lots of colorful fish, a coral reef with a multitude of colors. Claudia got a deep muscle massage while Deanna and Mary went out for a second look. We got a delightful meal served on the beach, fresh snapper hot off the grill. Mary failed to excuse herself, bolting for the bay's salt water when a bee stung her finger--swelling and pain still haven't gone away.

Monday we returned to Las Gatas Beach, this time snorkeling out beyond the reef (Owen took us along the north shore). Much better--shallow coral, easy going, until we found ourselves in some unexpected waves, that we crested okay, masks and fins doing their job. Back on the beach, we replicated our beach lunch of Saturday, with another fresh fish off the grill.

Returning from all outings, especially from the beach, the pool at Puerto Mio was most welcoming, the sun going over the horizon. The still hot curved tile edges of the pool make for soothing neck rests. Drinks brought to poolside added to our relaxation.

We met Matt, retired Californian, at the bar Monday evening. He took us to view his penthouse condo nearby and promised to rent it to us at a big discount. We rode with him to il Mare, one of his favorite restaurants, for a fitting last meal in Zihua. Matt was impressed with all we did during our week. He willingly agreed to take Deanna to the airport on Tuesday afternoon.

Claudia, Mary and I bid farewell to Deanna early Tuesday morning, catching the 8:00 first-class bus to Acapulco. I catnapped some, caught glimpses of the Pacific from time to time. On arrival in Acapulco, we learned buses for Taxco left from another bus station. We managed to fit all our luggage and the 3 of us in to one cab. At the new bus station, the first bus to Taxco would be a 3-hour wait, but there was a 1st class bus leaving for Iguala in half an hour, with promise of frequent buses from there on to Taxco, so we opted to keep moving. Even though we did a lot of climbing, it was sweltering on arrival in Iguala. To my dismay, I saw a 1st class bus pulling out of the bus depot with "Zihuatanejo" written on the front window. On subequently consulting Claudia's AAA map of Mexico, it looks like there is a much shorter route, through the mountains from Zihua to Iguala, rather that down the coast to Acapulco, then triangulating back northwards, esp. with the hassle of getting from one bus station to another in Acapulco. Oh well, next time I'll know. BTW, are you aware of the benefits of enhanced AAA membership? Claudia says AAA would have sent her a whole book on Mexico FREE--perks of her membership. I must check that out.

Sure enough, when we got to Iguala, a bus was leaving in "5 minutos" for Taxco, which turned out to be more like 20 minutes. They put our luggage inside the 2nd class bus, in the back. No underneath compartment, like the 1st class buses. I grabbed a seat with more leg room toward the middle, leaving Mary and Claudia in the back to keep an eye on the luggage--bad place to ride--the back of a 2nd class bus. Mary's neck was in bad shape by the time we reached Taxco. Only VW bug cabs here, 'cause streets are so narrow regular cars can't negotiate some of them. We had to hail 2 bugs upon arrival in Taxco and went to the recommended Los Arcos Hotel, where we decided to stay put. Befitting its name, there are many arches. And a roof top with great views of the nearby church on the zocalo as well as a panorama of the hillside city--reminds me of Siena, Italy. Both mornings we were up and on the roof to greet the sun, with cameras sometimes enhancing the colors in the sky. My 10x telephoto is surprisingly stable when zooming way out.

For Taxco pics, go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Taxco#

...4:30 a.m., Friday, April 30, Hotel Royalty, ON the zocalo, Puebla. I'm in the spacious sitting area outside our junior suite, with view of the church across the zocalo (city-center park) and plenty of fresh air from the double doors opening on to our small balcony. So glad we sprung for this room rather than the stuffy interior double and single rooms for almost as many pesos. While there is strong internet signal, I can't get online. The staff at Puerto Mio told me they re-programmed my IP address so I could get online there. I suspect they failed to tell me that they needed to unprogram it on my departure. I've had an email from Sylvia, a Raintree employee in Oaxaca, promising to be there for us on our arrival. I'm hoping she can call Puerto Mio and ask about getting the laptop IP address reversed. If not, I should be able to find a techy in Oaxaca.

We were eager silver shoppers in Taxco, me included. Shops everywhere--surrounding the zocalo, up and down stairs and alleyways. Most of the storefronts stuck by the "precios fijos"--the price tags on the jewelry items--but we were able to haggle price with some, esp. if buying several pieces. Some shops gave us 12 pesos exchange on our US bills, an improvement over the 11 pesos to the dollar that casas de cambio give. We have yet to find a bank that exchanges dollars.

Late Wednesday afternoon, we hired Jesus. We were surprised to find all 3 of us did fit in the back seat of his VW bug taxi. Front passanger seat missing, the case with all Taxco cabs. He took us up to the Christ statue, high on the mountain above the city, stopping at a church on the way. At one point it looked like we were too heavy for the steep, cobblestone street. I'm surprised I didn't smell his clutch burning. We bottomed on a few topes (speed bumps--they are ALL over Mexido). Mary asked him to slow down a few times, as it was a harrowing journey, up the winding streets, then down again at nightfall.

Mary's sleep was fitful Wednesday night, in part because she didn't buy some jewelry she had looked at, esp. the dragonfly pin in a fancy shop. I caught a cab down to the bus station, learned that buses leave for Cuernavaca every hour. We agreed to wait fro shops to open. The one with the dragonfly didn't open until 11, so we did more shopping and enjoying vistas of Taxco, 'til Mary got her dragonfly. While our first taxis took us to the wrong bus station (next bus leaving for Cuernavaca in about 3 hours), unlike the big cities, it was only a few minutes back to the right bus station and we make the noon bus.

I wasn't vigelent on arrival at the Cuernavaca bus station. Our bags were already loaded in to the cab, ourselves as well, when the cabbie informed me it was a long way to the other bus depot and the fare was $20 US. I said "No way", We may be travelers, but we're not paying airport prices here. He said 150 pesos was as low as he could go, so I agreed. It was a fairly long trip through the City of Eternal Spring (there were some pretty parks, flowering trees). Layover of about 30 minutes was just right. The 3-hour bus ride to Puebla was uneventful.

We caught a cab in to the center of the historic district in Puebla, to the Royalty Hotel, as mentioned above. Last night we walked around the zocalo and a few surrounding streets. Lots of action for a Thursday night. Great temperture, nice breeze. Mid-day sun is at it's hotest this time of year in this part of Mexico. Have you ever wondered why our summers (and winters) are delayed? Longest days of the year are late June, but it's a month or more before we get our hotest days. Here, when the sun is approaching being the most direct, the heat comes with the sun.

We visited the cathedral after breakfast this morning. Impressive. We observed the no flash request, had to be reminded that all pics were prohibited when we got close to a mass in process. We then went looking for antique row, discovered that shops open late morning, but got to look around one crammed full of things. We found the artisan market, bought a few pieces of Puebla Talavera. We also found ceramic trees of life, made in Izucar de Matamoros. I had found a couple of articles about this in researching our trip. Izucar is on the direct road from Cuernavaca to Oaxaca, but aside from the artisan shops, the town is reportedly bleak. And, if we stopped there, would we be able to catch transportation on to Oaxaca? Probably, but on slow, second class buses on secondary "highways". After further consultation, coming the extra distance to Puebla, then on to Oaxaca on 1st class buses seemed the prudent course.

We managed to visit one more church, elaborate with gold, and arrive at the bus station an our before the 12:50 bus for Oaxaca. But, it was already sold out. So, we are sitting on a shaded patio, drinking frappachinos, calling home, blog-writing, reading, etc. I was able to reach Casa San Felipe and tell them we will be getting in more like 8 pm tonight.

Puebla pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Puebla2010#

Oaxaca, the early days

2010-05-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Oaxaca, by bus from Puebla about dusk on Friday, April 30th. 'Caught a taxi to Casa San Felipe, where we were expected. The villa where we are staying is about 12 blocks from Casa San Felipe. The taxi "in 5 minutes" was about half an hour late. Several streets in the historic center of Oaxaca are torn up--being turned to cobblestone. It will be nice when completed, but in the meantime, it makes for traffic jams. And there's all the loud horns--that do absolutely no good. Next time it's our cabbie laying on the horn, I should tell him it'll cost him his tip if he does it again.

While lacking the grace of historic Casa San Felipe, the villa here is comfortable and spacious. The main floor has living room, dining room, complete kitchen and bath. Upstairs, besides the 2 bedrooms, there is another room with futon and a 3rd television, plus another bath. The 2 bedrooms have AC. Modern and bright. Friday night, after eating at a fine Italian restaurant across the street & unpacking as little as possible, we took showers and hit the sack.

Saturday morning, Mary and I set out in search of the organic market, that's open only on Fridays and Saturdays. Our villa, located on the corner of Margarita Maza & Diaz Quintas, is 4 blocks north of the botanical garden/Santo Domingo. Not far from the previous location of the organic market. But, when we found the old location, no market. We began asking passers by--did they know if the market has moved? Several said yes, and directed us northwards. I was beginning to lose hope when we found it, now located by Iglesia Xochimilco, a block north of the thoroughfare, Ninos Heroes de Chapultepec. Not quite as big as Mary remembered it from years past, but still a delightful gathering of people who support healthy eating. While not as close to our villa as the forner site, it's not bad--about 7 blocks. We went back and got Claudia and the 3 of us returned, for more food (& jewelry) purchases & delightful lunch and fruit drinks.

On the way there, I had a close call. Hugging the wall, to catch as much shade from the brutal sun as possible, my shoulder scraped a cement bay window abutment. It drew a little blood, but was only a small scrape. A few inches to the right I would have drove my shoulder in to the unrelenting cement structure. On the beach, we had several minor injuries. I mentioned Mary's bee or wasp sting. Mary and Claudia got bruised a bit getting in or out of launches. Deanna tumbled down the stairs and pinched her finger adjusting the back of a lounge chair. Claudia tripped in a hole in the sidewalk and went down face forward, bashing her cheek on the cement. After others had enjoyed relaxing in a hammock, I got in. A few minutes later the knot holding one end unraveled and I hit the sand, butt first. It sounded worse than it felt. On arriving home last night, we found that Claudia's itching eye was very bloodshot, apparently from a bug irritation. For all our mishaps, we feel fortunate that none have been serious.

Speaking of trying to hide from the sun, I have been telling people for years that Oaxaca, about a mile high, has a fresh, cool climate, unlike the hot coast. My previous 3 visits have all been in November. Late spring, for reasons I don't yet understand, is the hottest time of the year in southern Mexico. It was 95 degrees here this afternoon!! See my report below, for our trip today to the high Sierra Norte, expecting to escape the heat. Fortunately, it does cool down to about 60 at night, so the morning is cool, until that burning sun rises in the cloudless sky.

Sunday was a shopping day for the gals. I struggled with getting a blog update completed and trying to sort out my group emailing list. It seems that my laptop is now refusing to send bcc's & cc's. I'm also thinking that some other emails aren't reaching their destinations, as I haven't gotten expected replies. But, some email correspondence is getting through. I'll have to inform people on my travel group list when I get home, unless I can straighten out sending in our few remaining days.

Monday morning, Claudia decided to rest up. Mary and I grabbed 2 buses to the collectivo taxi stand to Iztlan de Juarez, up in the Sierra Norte mountains. I figured that would be a way to beat the heat and visit a pueblo magico, nearby Calpulalpam. The collectivo taxis cram 2 people in front, besides the driver, and 3 or 4 in the back seat. We had the "luxury" of only 1 person besides Mary and me in the back seat, but it was tight. My knees were more than ready to change positions, after the hour + ride. To our dismay, it was as hot in Ixtlan as down in Oaxaca. The weather report on line confirmed that both places reached 95 degrees on Monday. It is a dry heat, but still, the sun is amazingly intense. After inquiring at the ecotourism office about what they had to offer and finding them rather disorganized and vague, we caught another collectivo taxi to Calpulalpam, mercifully only about a 10-minute ride. There we found the church closed. We could here a band playing--off key. We agreed to not walk up the hill to take in the concert. Our trip to Sierra Norte was not a highlight of the trip.

We got back to our air conditioned villa in time for an afternoon siesta. Last November I punted on a birthday gift for Mary--I sent her a card, good for a meal at Hosteria de Alcalde, here in Oaxaca. We went there for Monday night dinner. Pretty setting, courtyard of a colonial mansion. I concur with Mary--it was the best meal of our trip. Pleasant young waiter. He brought us small pitchers of 4 different moles to sample, to help us decide on our main dishes. We walked down to the lively zocalo after dinner, took night pictures there & of Santo Domingo church on our walk back to the villa. See http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Oaxaca20101stDays#

Tuesday morning we caught a cab up to Monte Alban, the Zapotec mountaintop city, one of Mexico's most impressive pre-Colombian sites. The day was cooler than Sunday, with some cloud cover, so the heat was quite bearable. The crickets were almost deafening We climbed the highest pyramid. Unfortunately, my camera battery went dead. I'm glad it was in the last part of our self-guided tour. See http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/MonteAlban#

Back in the hot city, the bus dropped us a few blocks from Tatu's, an inexpensive, pleasant luncheonette near the central market, a place recommended by my former co-worker, Julie. We had a great 4-course lunch with agua fresca (fruit punch) for less than $4 each. We made our first market visit brief, grabbing a taxi back to the villa for afternoon siesta.

So relieved to have the AC in the afternoons, we began thinking about how we'll manage in the heat of the day this coming weekend, when we have plans to stay 2 nights in the rug town, Teotitlan, which, as we recall from previous visits, has few trees. Mary and I went so far as to check out a few hotels near by. I again ran in to a protruding cement bay window, this time catching my ribs & leaving a nasty rash. Now, walking down the street, Mary and Claudia alert me about potential collisions. I was able to call Lori, a Floridian who lives most of the year at Las Granadas B&B in Teotitlan. She was reassuring. While no AC, they have fans and breezes. So, we're going to stick with our plans.

We ate in Tuesday night. Mary made delicious tostados, mostly from organic market buys.

Mary was fighting turista and Claudia decided to pass on going to Etla Wednesday morning After visiting over breakfast, I decided to skip the weekly Etla market myself. Late morning we walked back to the central market. Purchases included baskets, bags, bark drawings, chocolate & mole. 'Had delicious chocolate "snakes" (typos on menus are common, even in upscale places in Mexico) at the House of Chocolate. See mid-week Oaxaca pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/OaxacaMidWeek#

Thursday morning we caught a taxi to the weekly market at Zaachila, a half hour ride southwest of the city. 'Most aggressive cab driver we've had so far. 'Not what Mary and her unsettled tummy needed. But, once in the market, we were tranquilo--lots of photo opportunities and some good shopping--purses, blouses, etc. See http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/ZaachilaMarket#

On return to the villa, I worked on Picasa albums and rental business via email and phone. Mary and Claudia ventured back out in the mid-day heat, walking to the women's coop. This evening we are packing. In the morning we check out of the villa, leave big bags at Casa San Felipe and head to Teotitlan del Valle for a couple of nights. We will have a final night at Casa San Felipe on Sunday, flying home Monday.

... Friday afternoon. Almost 6 pm but the sun hasn't set yet. I've been resting/napping the last 3 hours, with a fan blowing on me. Quite comfortable, here in the downstairs regular room (100 peSos/night--about $9). Mary and Claudia are sharing the 150 peso deluxe room upstairs, with its own bathroom. I have to walk across the courtyard to the bathroom.

And I will be needing the bathroom. During the night I suddenly had a major case of turista. The culprit was likely the meat in my vegetable soup at the Zaachila market yesterday. When I don't even want a bite of Mary's special eggs at breakfast, you know I'm not myself. I've started my Cipro (strong antibiotic) and decided it may help to take those pain pills, that are effective in constipating me than deadening pain. I know, TMI.

Our cab ride out to Teotitlan was pleasant. Gloria was our cabbie--one of 5 women taxi drivers in all of Oaxaca. We chatted about lots of things, including the US's apparent pleasure in waring around the world and why hasn't Obama been a peace president? I had printed a map before leaving home--I thought to the Granada B&B. But, it was to a rug place instead. Fortunately, Gloria stayed to see if we were at the right address and take us to the correct one.

Last, wrapping up dispatch to be added after we are home, sweet home.

Mexico 2010 finale--Oaxaca, Teotitlan, Tlacolula

2010-05-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Teotitlan del Valle, Saturday morning, May 8, 2010

Last morning at Las Granadas B&B, 2 de abril #9, tel. 951 524 42 32. While rooms were hot in the afternoon and evening, fans helped. The bed was firm but comfortable. Breakfast will be coming soon, then a local cabbie, weaver Juana's son, Manuel, will pick us up, take us to the Sunday market in Tlacolula, come back for us at an agreed time, bring us back to Las Granadas to load up our equipaje, which has grown considerably with our rug, purse and woven cotton buys yesterday. We sat on the cool rooftop last night, drinking Havana Club with Lori from Florida and Rick from Chicago. Both now spend a good part of the year here in Teotitlan.

Teotitlan pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Teotitlan2010#

Tlacolula Sunday market was as colorful as I remembered it. Most of the brightly dressed indigenous women didn't like their pictures taken. The telephoto helped. The digital era is such an advance over 35 mm--the blurry and uncentered shots can be deleted, saving the worthy pics. It was a great game plan--for Manuel to take us to the market, back to get our stuff and deliver us to Villa Vera in Oaxaca. One last trip to the market, primarily for Mary to buy an extra bag. I also got another kilo of coffee (85 pesos). We went to Casa Oaxaca for dinner. 'Known for cooking classes. We sat on the upper patio, next to Santo Domingo Church. Beautiful sunset. Beautiful food. A great choice for our last meal of the trip.

Tlacolula Sunday market pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Tlacolula2010#

Last day in Oaxaca pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Mexico2010FinaleOaxaca#

At 5 a.m., no suburban taxi, so we took 2 cabs to the airport in Oaxaca. On arrival, I could not find my tourist visa. While Mary and Claudia got boarding passes to LA, due to my missing visa, I was only giving a boarding pass to Mexico City. Fortunately we had a 3 hour layover in Mexico City, because my remedy wasn't simple or quick. After a couple of misdirections, I was sent to Customs, where I saw a big sign that said replacement of a missing tourist card, per Mexican law, was $42. Fortunately I bypassed the long line of arriving international travelers and found my way to the immigration office, where the line wasn't long but didn't move fast. At the front of the line, I was told I had to go out of the airport, to the police station, to report my lost tourist card. I was beginning to panic, with the thought of spending half a day, Mary & Claudia facing boarding time and me no where in sight. The police station didn't take long, but no reading glasses compounded the assignment of filling out the report with a font about size 8. Back at Immigration, I got my replacement tourist card. And, no $42 charge! A blessing. Then to Mexicana, to get the boarding pass for LA, and back to waiting Maria and Claudia, with half an hour to spare, time to cool off before the long walk to Gate 33.

Big Retirement Trip--Northern Italy, Post 1

2009-11-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

Early morning, 20th October, 2009

Nighttime over the Atlantic.
We are due to land in Milan about 7 am. We departed from JFK as the sun was setting on Long Island. I was on the wrong side of the plane to catch sight of NY City. My full-size laptop doesn't fit well in this Boeing 767 coach seating. Fortunately, I have a vacant seat next to me--Lucy has an exit row seat not far away. Last I checked, she looked asleep. The flight from Seattle was about full. I hope Lucy is getting some good rest now, as she was becoming trip-weary by the time we reached NY. She didn’t sleep last night. Too much anticipation. It's been awhile since both of us have been away from home for any length of time together. We'll miss 2-year old Juliet on the weekends. Hopefully we've left Raechelle all pertinent instructions and the animals will adapt to so much time alone.
We asked about upgrading to first class in NY, but were told that we couldn't, at least at the gate, with our frequent flyer tickets. Only 40,000 each--round trip, Seattle to Milan!--low season just kicked in October 15. But, temperature in Milan is 34 degrees F. And, we're headed up to the base of the Alps for our first 2 nights. I've been thinking I was smart--to come in the fall, avoiding the oppressive heat and crowds of summer, but September may be more ideal for Northern Italy. We shall find out...
The program we bought to install in the Garmin, for N Italy did not download successfully. I'm inclined to not pay for a GPS with the rental car. From a Michelin online site, I have printed out "sightseeing" routes, which likely differ with GPS faster routes along toll roads. I'm hoping the pace will be about right--most travel days between one and four hours of road time, most stops for two nights. It will still be a matter of prioritizing what to see & how long to stay.
The gauntlet I subjected Lucy to at the start of our Australia trip is detailed in the 2005 blog entry. That may have been matched by the start of our Mexico-Guatemala trip with 7-year old Dustin in 1980. Lucy visited a friend in LA and got little sleep before we flew off to Mexico. Dustin and I took in Disneyland, The stopover in Mexico City Airport extended to something like 8 hours, before we continued on to Tapachula, a very hot, humid city near the Guatemalan border. I sprung for a cab, and we headed for the one AC hotel in town, only to learn the AC quit working in 1978! Despite our exhaustion, we didn't get much sleep that sticky night, with a slow, dirty ceiling fan barely creating a breeze. Lucy must have figured she was in for 3 weeks of hell with the Peace Corps volunteer turned family guide. The next day, speaking of Peace Corps, we hitched a ride with volunteers, up in to the refreshing mountains of Western Guatemala, where I had reservations at Pension Bonifaz.

Jetlag in Cannobio
It's 3:30 a.m. in the Hotel Pironi's sitting room. To reach a power source (using our adaptor for electricity in Europe), I have taken over a corner of a table covered by brochures of things to do in this northern corner of Italy, 5 km from the Swiss border. While reception gave me a code for internet access, it's not working. I'll ask for help a little later in the morning.
We arrived at Milan's Malpensa airport early yesterday morning. 'Still dark at 7 a.m. 'Nothing to customs. A bit of a walk to our rental car, reserved via Economy Car Rentals (good rate, I think, but truth will be in the final credit card billing). As noted above, we didn't get the Garmin to program for Italy so we didn't bring it. They didn't have a GPS available at the car rental, which suited me, I thought, at the time. But, after the maze getting out of the airport parking, the directions I got from the rental car guy didn't make sense, nor did the Michelin map and directions I had printed before leaving home. I should have pulled over sooner, but we were going through rural countryside, with no gas stations or stores to be seen. Signs on the freeway kept saying "Novara", which fit with the way I thought we should be going--west--but the sun was rising ahead of us. After maybe half an hour, I got off the freeway and made our way in to a hamlet, where I found a gas station. 2nd attempt (1st being the car rental guy) at getting directions from an Italian with little to no English and my efforts at adapting Spanish to Italian marginally successful. But, within blocks of following her directions, I was confused and pulled in to talk to another Italian service station attendant. We got back on the same freeway, going the other way, went past the airport but failed to find the exit we were looking for on the Michelin directions. Eventually, I could tell we were going north, but east of where we wanted to be. 'Drove in to a town, stopped at a cash machine for Euros and went in to a store, where a couple of people agreed on the directions they gave me. But, within a few kms & a roundabout that first mentioned a town the direction that we wanted to go, only to fail to show where to exit the roundabout for that town, we were back to the same toll booth where I decided I needed help, still going northeast! This time 5th--all queried Italians were pleasant and wanted to help me) we went to a manned tollbooth and got directions that worked. The last hour was along the western shores of Lake Maggiore, going through picturesque towns, lots to narrow, curvy stretches along the lakeshore. Unfortunately, it was a gray, overcast day. I can imagine that drive on a sunny day with blue sky. Villas perched on the steep, foliaged hillsides. Big, classy old brick buildings, some with zero clearance from the roadway.
Once in Cannobio, a policeman directed us down a narrow cobbled street to the Hotel Pironi, where we unloaded our bags and I was successful in following the map to the hotel parking, the gate appearing just as I was beginning to think I'd again misunderstood directions. It wasn't yet 3 pm, about 8 hours after our departure from the airport. Estimated time, per Michelin? 1:49 (Read: one hour, forty nine minutes!). Lucy, despite her exhaustion from lack of sleep, was very patient with me. I can only imagine her attitude if the car rental place had a GPS system I declined, due to my initial faith in my printed sightseeing routes from Michelin.
Our room here at the Pironi is large and pleasant. Big, comfortable bed. Friendly desk staff, speak English fluently. After a nap for a couple of hours, we walked--along the waterfront. Very photogenic, in spite of the gray afternoon. Lucy's walking pace exceeds mine normally. Now, most of a month after arthroscopic surgery on my L knee, and following plane flights of 5 and then 7.5 hours, I was lagging behind worse than normal. The thought of even short hikes in the Alps, which begin at the end of town here, appeal less to me, esp. given that going up and down is particularly uncomfortable. We might drive up in to them today, if we don't decide to go visit the lake islands. The forecast is not promising better weather.
'Seems like more often than not I forget something. This trip it's the connection for the camera to the computer. I could buy one here, but I can insert photo albums in to the blog after getting back home. 'Sorry for the delay. I'll let you know as soon as the pics are added.

2nd day in Cannobio--Rebound
It's about 5 a.m. Thursday, 10/22. Back in Hotel Pironi's sitting room. I was here last night, catching up on email on their computer, after continuing to strike out on getting wireless connection for this laptop.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/LakeMaggioreHillTowns#

After some good sleep, we had a breakfast banquet yesterday morning--here at our B&B Hotel Pironi. Gray skies were now sprinkling. We decided on a 10-minute drive to lakeside Carmine, parked and hiked up to Carmine Superiore. On the trail signs it said 0:15, but took me more like half an hour each way. The old church, with the small community tightly build behind it, constructed in the 14th century, is perched above a sheer rock wall of a couple hundred feet. The location was chosen for it's defensive location (like Machu Picchu), when powerful locals worried about even more powerful enemies. Some places requiring serious hiking to get to them (Okay, what's 15 minutes--significant, if it's that steep and you must carry everything in with you!), but otherwise have easy road access. For example, Mt. Washington in N. Hampshire. Carmine Superiore has no road alternative. Yet, people live there. Even on a gray, rainy day, there's another great shot at every turn for a photographer. Pics to follow (Lucy's camera cord has the same connection as mine, so it I can get wireless at a coming destination, I can hopefully insert links to albums!).
Driving back to town, we turned up the Cannobio Valley. We saw a bridge, high over the river and took it. We thought we had been on curvy, narrow roads already, but this one redefines snaking hairpins. We honked at some blind spots, but trusted these fast Italian drivers have good brakes and allow for pokey tourists. After maybe 5 minutes we came to the town of Gurrone. We meandered through cobbled passageways, saw more signs with travel times to various destinations via paths in this mountainous region. 1:15; 2:40; 4:05. Ah, to still be young, with good knees! We visited the cemetery (Inadvertent link to my mortality when I first wrote this!).
Descending from Gurrone, we decided not to continue up the valley, which eventually enters Switzerland. Returning toward town, we stopped at an old church overlooking a river chasm then drove east of town a couple of km, turning up yet another narrow switchback, to the hamlet of Santa Agata. And a church to visit, along with the commanding view of Cannobio below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/CannobioLakeMaggiore#

Back in Cannobio, we had a light lunch at a bar on the waterfront. Only 7 Euros, a relief, after the 49 Euro bill the night before, at a nice enough place, but tucked away in a narrow street without view. (The value of the dollar against the Euro is at an all-time low--it takes about $1.50 US to buy one Euro now.) The light rain earlier in the day was becoming steadier. 'Happy to return for a nap at this comfortable hotel. We went back to the same bar for a small pizza and caraff of wine before closing time.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Bergamo#

Another meandering day on the road
Thursday evening, Bergamo Alta. After another delicious breakfast at Hotel Pironi, this morning I calmly paid the 300 Euro bill for the 2 nights, reminding myself that we didn't spend 100 Euros on breakfasts and bigger lunches the last two days, given we took advantage of the Pironi spread both mornings.
Weather continued overcast most of the morning, raining lightly at times. Guards at the Swiss border saw me holding my passport and merely waived us to keep going. It appears there is little concern about border security within the European Union. We rounded the northern edge of Lake Maggiorne and headed down the eastern shore. I didn't realize for some time that we had failed to follow the Michelin directions. We adjusted course and again had to back track and ask questions about how to get to the next town. We skirted pretty Lake Lugano. Finally we reached Como, at the southernmost point of Lake Como. The sun came out as we had a light lunch in a bar on the waterfront, at about 3 pm. I had read that Bellagio was a pretty town, about an hour along the shores of Lake Como, and had originally planned lunch there. Since we were about 3-4 hours behind schedule, it was a no-brainer to pass on the detour to Bellagio. And, while on the map it wasn't the most direct route to Bergamo, I decided to take the toll autostradas, having had enough of "sightseeing" routes for today. Entering Bergamo, we managed to find our way to the ancient upper town without difficulty and were within a block of our hotel, Agnello d'Oro ("Golden Lamb"), when we stopped to ask its location.
No internet or wifi in the hotel. The desk clerk told me the Irish Pub has wifi and gave me directions. 'Sounded close by. After a few blocks and no Irish Pub, I asked a police officer. He motioned it was further on ahead. But, a couple of blocks further and still no pub, I asked a storekeeper. He told me I'd come too far and said it was 2 minutes back the way I'd just come. After about 5 minutes of retracing my steps, I finally found the Irish Pub. I was expecting English to be spoken there. All the Guinness and other sayings on the walls were in English, but the bartender didn't speak much. She did understand my inquiry about internet/wifi and said they don't have it, but it’s available in the nearby plaza. After a Guinness and a sandwich to take back to Lucy, I found a cafe/bar on the plaza that said they do have wifi and are open from 8 am to 8 pm.
While I acknowledge that my lack of Italian is an issue, I have found throughout my travels--it's human nature for people to offer directions when asked, even if they don't know the right answer--they'll make a guess (so often wrong!) rather than disappoint me by saying they don't know.

On the road to Venice
Early Saturday morning. Travel day coming--rest for legs (and hopefully less misdirection on the road!). We did most of the Alta Bergamo tour suggested in Walking in Italy, a book I brought along. 'Starting with the clock tower and views of the city, then the cathedral, on to the house & museum of Donizettiano, one of Lucy's favorite opera composers. We took the funicular (cable car) up to Castle San Vigilio. More views. 'Had a tasty lunch at a nice restaurant overlooking a beautiful farming valley. Skies were beginning to clear. In the distance we could see a large snowcapped mountain in the Alps. Stops at a couple of museums in the city, the second being the Rocca a fortress perched above the massive stone city walls. We then descended several blocks, in search of Lotto's 16th century frescos at San Michael al Pozzo Bianco. We went past it, further down the hill, before realizing it must to behind us. Hiking back up the hill, we found it closed! I was proud of my trek back up to the Citta Alta (high city) without a breather. It was nice that our hotel was only another block from the crest. Time for a well-deserved shower and nap. Still not hungry after the big lunch, on our evening walk to stretch sore legs, we selected a couple of pieces of pizza to bring back for late evening snacks.
Given our record of far-exceeding projected travel times, I suggested to Lucy we might want to pick one stop from 3 places of interest on our way to Venice--Lago di Garda, Verona and Padua. She declared we must stop in Verona--to get a keepsake for Juliet (our 2-year old granddaughter--who must be missing us, as we are her!), given that it was Shakespeare's setting for Romeo & Juliet.

We got to Venice
Mid-morning yesterday (Saturday) I wasn't sure where we'd end up. After breakfast at the hotel, we packed the Citroen and stopped to fuel up. There were 3 choices and to levels of labeling. Up above it said "Diesel" on both the right and the left, but at the handle, the left side said "Gasolina". I thought about asking for help, but decided the left side must be regular and the middle high octane. I proceeded to fill up. Then began the quest for the autostrada. As we entered a limited access road, I saw we were on our way back to Como and began looking for an opportunity to turn around, when the car began to seriously sputter. Fortunately, I was able to get on to a side street and park before it died. I immediately concluded I must have filled the tank with diesel. My first impulse was to go walking, in search of a garage. Lucy had the forethought to pull out the rental car assistance info. Thankfully, we have the global phone, although it took 3 calls before an operator took down our location and promised help was on the way--in "20" minutes. Most of an hour later, a small flatbed arrived. The driver told me he thought it was probably failed fuel pump, and I want to believe he's right (When we get fuel next, I'll for sure ask and then know). We caught a cab to the Bergamo airport, where Budget gave us another Citroen and we were back on the road--the toll autostrada, where suggested speeds are 110 km in the left, fast lane. I cruised at about 130 to 140 kph (80 - 85 mph), moving to the center lane as frequent cars doing upwards of 160 (100 mph) came zooming by.
It was early afternoon and at autostrada speed, we decided we had time to stop at Verona. With help from only 1 local, we found the old center of the city. After searching for a parking lot with an open space, we lucked out and found a curbside spot a block from the famous statue of Julieta. Holding her right breast is suppose to bring good fortune. At the shot next door, Lucy had an apron embroidered for Kathryn and a backpack for Juliet.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Verona#

We made it back to the autostrada, headed towards Venezia (Venice). I had an email from Valentina, here at the Dormus Orsoni, giving us parking options, including parking on the mainland and catching a 10-minute train ride in to Venice. Given our late afternoon arrival, I decided to save time by driving as far as possible and paying the higher nightly rate at the edge of the city. BUT, we got in a line to park that was unbelievably slow. When we finally did park, there were lots of empty spaces, so I don't know what the delay was about. In any case, the vaporetto (water bus) was only a block away. It was dark (about 7 pm), but we managed to get on the right vaporetto and off at the right stop (Giglio), from which it was about a 5 minute walk on the cobbled walkway along the canal and then in to a narrow passageway to Domus Orsoni, where we were still expected.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Venice#

Venice in a day
I wish I'd planned for more time, but we saw a lot of Venice yesterday. It's Monday morning. It will soon be breakfast time here at Domus Orsoni. 'Turns out it's affiliated with a mosaic school. Most of the other guests in this small domus (home) are here to attend the class starting today. After a pleasant chat with a couple from Alberta (she's a student in the mosaic class), we hopped a vaporetto along the Grand Canal, about a 10 minute walk from Domus Orsoni, which is located in Cannaregio--a northern island in Venice, the Jewish ghetto--so named in the 16th century, when Jews were required to live in this area and were locked in at night.
On the Grand Canal vaporetto ride yesterday morning, the sun was shining. It was crowded, as most are. I managed to get a spot standing at the bow and snapped shot after shot as we wended our way through lots of other canal traffic, including gondolas paddled by colorful skippers and water taxis. We got off at St. Mark's Plaza. Lots of walkers, NO motorized traffic other than in the water. Many canals, with quaint bridges. While Lucy entered beckoning shops, I sat on some of the bridges, taking pics of the canals, with colorful buildings crowding in, the gondola oarsmen ducking while gliding under other low bridges nearby. We didn't think twice about skipping the long line waiting to get in to St. Mark's basilica. We meandered though the San Marco neighborhood for a couple of hours, including a tasty lunch (I had spaghetti with fresh fish, Lucy had a salad with lots in it). We hiked over the dangerous-looking Academy Bridge--a simple wooden structure meant to be temporary about 75 years ago. Still in use, though some of the wooden supports are seriously decaying (see pic). The line to get in to the Academy Gallery wasn't long. But, my legs were protesting. And, out front of the gallery was a handsome young Brit selling tickets to the opera in the evening. Lucy bought (Since my teen years, I have a predictable experience at high-brow concerts--I fall asleep). We proceeded to catch the vaporetto, came back to Domus Orsoni for a shower and nap and check of email on their computer ('still no luck getting a wifi signal strong enough, so I'm expecting to wait 'til I get home to "publish").
We took another vaporetto to the Rialto stop for Lucy's opera (a selection of familiar pieces, only lasting a couple of hours). I roamed the northern sector of San Marco, getting off track at one point (everyone talks about getting lost in Venice as to be expected and welcomed as part of being here). A sandwich and a glass of red wine at a small place, opposite a lovely chapel--not a lot of lighting on churches at night, so most of the night pics won't be very bright or sharp. The weather has been perfect here in Venice, Sunny, cool, but not cold.

On to Bologna
Wee hours of the morning, Tuesday. There’s wifi here at Albergo Garisenda in the heart of the old city of Bologna! I’ve managed to link to my home computer (Logmein) and move my notes from the road from my laptop to home . ‘Still no way to load pics from the camera.
Leaving Venice yesterday morning I did it again! ‘Time to refuel our 2nd rental car, after the first died, following refueling. The 3 choices of fuel at the pump yesterday were different than in Bergamo. I had told myself I was going to get help the next time, before choosing a fuel. But, again I went for what I read as “gasoline” and a few km down the road we were dead on the shoulder! During the hour + wait for Budget to bring us a 3rd car, Lucy found a brief discussion of fuels in our Lonely Planet guide—“gasolio” IS diesel!! I try not to dwell on what the financial consequences will be. We got standard, not extra insurance. I did an internet search on the consequences of putting diesel in a gas-powered car. ;No mention of destroying the catalytic converter. Basically, the diesel just needs to get flushed out of the engine and tank. I bet they’ve done it before. I can’t be the first stupid American tourist!

We did our usual ask, go a ways, find someone else to ask, in making our way to this albergo (city inn) a block from the central plaza here in Bologna. We explored the massive church and took pics of the statue of Hercules. Having missed lunch, we were ready for dinner before the rest of the country was—dinner in Italy begins after 7 pm. We found a bar serving bread and a good selection of cold cuts (boloney—this is where it got its start!). With a good glass of wine, it made a meal.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Bologna#

Italy 09, Post 2

2009-11-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

Italy blog, October 2009, Part II

Wed am, Oct. 28, Casa Rabatti--Marcella's Place, Ferenzia (Florence)
We left Bologna yesterday morning with relatively little misdirection. The autostrada made its way through hilly country. Lots of tunnels. Lots of trucks. The fall countryside, leaves yellow, had a haze that looked like smog. But, the sky here in Florence is clear.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Florence#

For all my planning, I noticed I only had an email from the place we are staying here. No address. No phone #. We crossed the River Arno, on the edge of the old city. I found a parking spot and went in to a place that advertised international calling. I got Casa Rabatti phone # from a nice young man there. The global phone came through. When Marcella, with her limited English, heard we are driving, she replied: "Very bad". Recently they further restricted vehicle traffic in the old city. We decided to put the car in a garage where we called from and caught a cab here to Casa Rabatti, Via San Zaboni #48. Unless the cabbie was going out of her way to run up the fare, driving here ourselves would have been an ordeal, as she made her way through parking lots in her circuitous route around the train station, to get us here.
My old running buddy at Spanaway Jr. High, Paul, stayed here with Jill this past summer. They learned of Casa Rabatti via Rick Steves. Rick stays here. Paul commented that Marcella is the one Italian he remembers from Italy. Indeed, she is personable, even if it's instructing us what doesn't get flushed down the toilet.
We got a start on seeing Florence yesterday afternoon--'took in the Galleria dell'Accademia, saw Michelangelo's David in all his glory. 'Made our way past the Duomo (cathedral--we'll go inside today) to the Ponte Vecchio. The setting sun reflecting on towers, domes and bridges was nice timing. After a shower and nap, we had dinner at nearby Za Za, at fashionably late 8:30 pm. Outside dining can't continue much later in the year, as it's getting cool at night. But, I'm sure glad we didn't come during the heat of summer, which is notoriously bad here.

Thursday morning, last of Florence
Marcella doesn't do breakfast--first place we've stayed that hasn't. Aside from small coffee bars, restaurants that do breakfast seem absent in Italy. We found a place, but when we asked about eggs we were informed eggs for breakfast aren't an option. Good cappuccinos are easy to find.
We spent some time in the huge cathedral, then joined the line to get in to the Uffizi Gallery, considered the most important in Italy. Once in, it wasn't too crowded. While big, the 45 rooms are laid out in a horseshoe that is easy to follow. The paintings are mostly devoted to Biblical themes. Some portraits. Lots of marble busts along the interior corridors.
Making our way back toward Casa Rabatti, we checked out churches along streets with lots of fashionable shops. A shower and nap again before the wonderful evening meal at La Burrasca, a small trattoria in the neighborhood. We started, as usually, with olive oil and vinegar to spice up the loaf of french bread. And a carafe of red wine. We each ordered a meat dish, along with sides of tomatoes and lima beans. Great seasonings.
No wifi or internet access with Marcella. But, there is an internet place a block away, open 'til midnight. I stopped in to check email, learn that one of our bank accounts is overdrawn, answer more questions for a bidder on a united way fundraiser I'm donating timeshare accommodation to. A few replies about my first blog entry about the trip.
Time to pack and find our way southward to the hill town of Siena.

What a view, but what a bed
We made our way out of Florence without detour. 'Didn't see any place we wanted to stop for "breakfast". Instead of taking the toll autopista, as intended, we ended up on the old highway to Siena. Which was fine. Fewer150 kph speedsters. 4-lane road--an old freeway. Mostly uninhabited hills with deciduous trees--leaves yellow. The instructions I had to find Albergo Bernini, our B&B here in Siena, said follow signs to "the soccer stadium". Approaching town, I saw signs for "Il Campo". I thought: "campo" means "field", so that's probably right. Wrong. We climbed up to town on the wrong side and had to backtrack--traffic is not permitted to drive through the old, walled city (although lots of locals do drive around inside of the walls--with permits).. That wasn't the worst of the car situation for the day. Carlotta, the friendly young gal with good English at the albergo, showed me on a map where there was free overnight parking--lots of it. 'Problem was, there were even more cars--numerous ones double-parked, waiting for someone to leave and open up- a space. After circling for several minutes, I returned to the temporary parking by the church and got instructions from Carlotta to enter the stadium (make that "stadio") paid parking.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Siena#

We have Room #10. My advanced reading had included mention of this room having a great view, so I asked for it. Does it ever have a view: San Domenico Church is framed perfectly by our bedroom window. And, it's nicely lit up at night. From our small bath window we have another postcard view of the cityscape, the magnificent public palace campanile (tower) on the left, the dome of the cathedral to the right. But, my source for the great view didn't mention the bed. Until now, we have had big, comfortable beds everywhere we've stayed. This bed is small (standard-sized), both saggy and hard. And squeaky. It's the middle of the night now and I'm typing here at a desk in the hall. Hopefully, Lucy has gone back to sleep. After falling asleep initially, I was awake and uncomfortable for some time before I got up. I could tell Lucy wasn't sleeping soundly either.
We've been to some beautiful; old cities this trip--Cannobio, Bergamo, Venice. Florence had lots of fine buildings and somewhat picturesque streets, but less stunning than the others. We only spent a night in Bologna, but were less taken with it. I find Siena has the most captivating panoramas of the old city. And, while curvy streets are part of the charm of all, I'd say the lanes in Siena are the crookedest of all.
More cathedral exploring. Pics permitted, providing no flash. My 10x Panasonic is great--it brings the stained glass windows full-frame. Stabilizing features are special too. I was able to zoon right up to Saint Caterina's preserved head! (in San Domenico Church--the one we see from our room).
We had dinner at a trattoria just below our window. Another outstanding dining experience. My hunter's-style chicken was suburb. So was the chocolate cake. Enough dessert? Naw, I finished off with a limoncita--famous Italian liquor. Yummy..
There's wifi here in the albergo. After getting on line earlier yesterday, in the evening there were connection problems. I'm going to pass more time, rather than crawl back in to that awful bed, by trying to get back on line now.

The Hermitage, Cinque Terre
Daily road report: We got out of Siena without problem and took the correct exits to get on the road to the coast. We decided we had time for a detour in to Pisa. 'Lucked out and found a parking spot on the street, only a block from the leaning tower. Took several pics.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Pisa#

On our return to the autostrada, I entered a roundabout and exited too soon. It turned out to be a lovely road, passing through small towns, often tree-lined. I would have appreciated it more if I wasn't worried about where we'd have a chance to get back on the autopista, which we did at Lucca. There may have been a quicker way to get to the road to Vernazza, here in the Cinque Terre ("5 lands"), a section of coastline popularized by Rick Steves for it's beauty--a string of 5 towns hugging the steep shoreline, connected by train and walking trails--no roads between towns, except by climbing up and down the mountain via switchbacks.
Months ago, when I made the reservation here at the Hermitage, my knee surgery prior to the trip wasn't in the cards. Even without the surgery, I had no business deciding to stay in this place on the mountainside outside of town, up a series of irregular steps. While we were encouraged to leave most of our luggage in town, Lucy didn't know what to leave, so she has most everything. I left a bunch of clothes but brought the full-size laptop. We're paying to park the car at the edge of town, but I was uneasy about potential for a car break-in.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/TheHeritageCinqueTerre#

No dinner available here at the Hermitage. They do provide flashlights. There is a bar at the upper end of town, that we were told was open, so we decided to go there for dinner, But, on arriving, we found it closed. Lucy's knee was giving her trouble so she turned back and I went on down the grocery store (it closed as I was leaving), for cheese, bread, pesto and wine. Au Aussie couple staying here had a corkscrew.
Comfortable bed. Even so, I'm doing my usual wake up/get up for a while thing.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/VernazzaCinqueTerre#

Nerina's Room, Vernazza
We asked out of our second night at the Hermitage--the long trek from town too brutal. Fabio, the owner, was not around, but reachable by phone. The maid said the price would be half instead of the full 80 Euros for leaving after one night when we had reserved two. While I tried to play the invalid recovering from surgery, when I think about someone trying to back out on housing with me (not be obligated to give a 20-day notice or asking out at Beverly Beach for lack of being ocean-front), I shouldn't complain. The online description of the location clearly describes the hike up the mountain to get there and offers storage of luggage in town. I missed my opening the first night--a couple of gals showed up at the Hermitage, after dark, hoping to stay. They got on the phone with Fabio and left. I should have asked if they wanted to take our second night and, if so, inform Fabio. The maid called Nerina and we met her here in the town's square, next to the church, right on the harbor. We have a shared bathroom, but we've not seen nor heard anyone to share with.
It was a low-key day here in Vernazza. A small peninsula jutting in to the Ligurian Sea. Winding main street, alleys with stairs, colorful buildings crowded together, a beach, a boat landing, a couple of old towers. Steep hillsides surrounding, dotted with vineyards and a very few villas, high above the sea. A busy train station. We talked about catching a train to the next town, but noted that much of the ride might be underground, as trains arrive and leave town via tunnels. We also considered catching the passenger boat up or down the coast to the next town, but decided against it. The idea of getting back on the Blue Path linking villages was beyond consideration. The Hermitage was mostly up the Blue Path, with an additional series of stairs once we reached the green door. And, heading north out of town, we could see hikers--climbing a huge ridge. No, we made the right plan for the afternoon--a short stair climb to one of the towers right in town and meandering with camera while Lucy continued to shop for scarves and jewelry to take to those back home.
At dinner I switched the camera to view--I was going to delete some of the shots of the farmer in the vineyard that I'd taken while roaming around the Hermitage before breakfast--I kept trying to time the shot to catch his hoe on the upswing. Only 12 pictures showed up! A strange group of 12--some from earlier in the trip, others from different places in recent months. It was unbelievable--that all my pics to select from, for inclusion in my blog, could have vanished! With a turn of the camera setting (auto, scenery, sports, night, etc), I found all my pictures were still there. What a relief!
　
Back in the U.S. of A.
Monday afternoon, JFK, NY. Thanks to Samsung, I've got power for my laptop. Our current converter to European power was sketchy--hit & miss, and my laptop power reserves were gone.
Yesterday morning, as we clamed away from Cinque Terre, I tried to not endanger us on the narrow, twisting road, while catching glimpses of the beautiful terrain and ocean. When we found the autostrada our pace jumped from 20-40 kph to 120-140 kph. Italy has made a major investment in their super highways. Lots of tunnels, rather than climb over hills and mountains. Of course, they are great revenue-makers, as they are toll roads. We missed a turn approaching Genoa (Genova), so we had lunch near the old city. Unsure of how long it would take us to find our place for the night, I was reluctant to venture too far, so all we saw was one impressive building. Approaching Pavia, I figured after passing up Pavia sur ("south") exit I'd best not pass up Pavia norte ("north"). We had instructions to the hotel that mentioned another exit, but I figured it was premised on coming from Milan, not from Genoa. 'Familiar scenario--asking directions, not understanding them, asking again, eventually arriving at the Hotel Italia at 4:30 pm. The big attraction in the area--the Certosa di Pavia (charterhouse), according to Lonely Planet, "one of the most notable buildings of the Italian Renaissance". It closes at 5 pm. After checking in, we jumped back in the car and got to the Certosa just as it was closing. We took a few pics of the outside. I had a tasty calzone for my last dinner in Italy.
Following a nice breakfast spread that they opened early for us at 6:30 pm, we headed toward the Malpensa Airport in the rain. We managed to make about 10 exits on cue (truly a maze of autopistas around Milan). After repeatedly seeing "Malpensa" on highway reader boards, either for exiting or continuing straight ahead, there was an absence of "Malpensa" signs. I figured, since we should be getting closer, if we were still on the right path, we'd see confirming signs. I pulled off and got back on the autopista, using a tollbooth with a live toll person. His suggestion (Go toward Verese) wasn't helpful, as we were headed back in to Milan, with Verese behind us. Exits on the autopistas are not like here in the states, when it's simple to get off, cross over and head the other way. I got off, in to a maze of city streets and after about 10 minutes finally got heading toward Varese and Malpensa again. Meanwhile, I began have thoughts of not making the plane and being told our full fare tickets tomorrow would be $1200 each.
Finally, we reached Terminal 1 (But, should we go to Terminal 2?). Lucy confirmed we were at the right terminal--I left all bags with her and took the car back to the Budget parking lot. As I hoped, I didn't have to deal, then and there, with the consequences of killing two cars. The gal said the final bill will be mailed, so I'll have to wait to find out the verdict of what they charge me.
We made the plane. Actually, with a few minutes to spare. We were able to split up and each have an empty seat next to us, for the 8 hour 50 minute flight to New York. 'Nice to be back.

Summing Up
Advice to travelers to Italy: Take the train. If you must drive, do get a GPS. If they tell you there's none available, go to the next agency, until you get one. This advice doesn't come as a surprise, if you've taken the time to read my repeated tales of woe about being lost. And, wherever you rent a car, be sure to fill the tank with the right fuel! My plan to take sightseeing Michelin routes didn't work--we couldn't keep track of road signs. And, what with the time taken getting off track, I decided, whenever possible, to catch the fast autopistas to make of up for lost time.
I didn't pick up much Italian. My Spanish helped some. Most of the time, people were friendly when approached. In spite of being in areas that attract lots of international visitors, most people, other than in lodging and restaurants, didn't speak much, if any, English. On numerous occasions I overheard travelers speak to wait staff in English, then talk with each other in another language. Initially I was surprised, then realized English is a much more common second language than is Italian.
I’m not much of a museum or church connoisseur. There have been a few museums that really caught me. One in Toledo, Spain. The Anthropology Museum in Mexico City. The museums in Florence weren’t on that list, but I’m glad I visited them. Lucy was awestruck by David and his huge stature. Wanting to document with my camera, it was disappointing that camera use was prohibited in the museums and some churches. Other churches non-flash photos were permitted. My 10X Panasonic was great capturing stained glass windows.
I’ll resist boring you with details about costs. With the dollar at or near an all-time low against the Euro (about $1.50 to buy one Euro), this was not the best time to go, although I was happy with the weather, despite rain to start and on our last day to the airport. Even taking in to account we were frequenting mostly tourist destinations with inflated prices, I have to wonder if Italian salaries are large enough to be able to afford things, including eating out.
As the Picassa links attest, we visited many photogenic places. I didn't stop to take pics of the narrow, curvy roads, often with colorful old buildings crowding the roadway.
It measured up to the anticipation of the Big Retirement Trip. Big, as in 2 weeks is about right. Both Lucy and I are happy to be home, greeted by animals and our own bed!

Ecuador in Ellensburg

2009-06-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

I'm up hours ahead of Sunday brunch here in Ellensburg. This gathering of mostly late 60s Ecuador Peace Corps volunteers was prompted by email outreach. I was traveling in Cuba and Mexico last November when I was surprised by an email from Frank Wujick. I hadn't seen or heard from Frank since the Oriente (Upper Amazon) of Eastern Ecuador in 1969.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PCEcuadorInEllensburg609#

Frank trained me to become a topographer, to make something useful of the remaining 18 months of my 2-year stint as a volunteer, after trying for 6 months to put in to practice that elusive training in Campesino Leadership, tailored for the highlands where indigenous communities were challenged by USAID-provoked government granting of land with little to no help assisting former share croppers on how to self-govern and become their own merchants. In the jungles of the Oriente, the indigenas had a different challenge. Their ancestors had been nomadic. Gardens were best the first year after cleaning the jungle. Fishing and hunting grounds were also better when not over-used. Homes made almost entirely of bamboo cost next to nothing to build. So, the "poor" indigenas of the Oriente used to move from one sector to another, confident that the whole region was theirs. But, in the mid-20th century, scarcity of land in the Andes resulted in the beginning of colonization of the eastern jungles. Roads came, along with Spanish-speaking "blancos" ("whites"--actually, mestizos with skin darker than the most ardent sunbather of Northern European stock can ever hope for). The Quecha-speaking (a variation of the Incan language) indigenas had to face the reality that if they moved downstream for a change, as was their custom, when they came back they might find settlers had laid claim to a portion of their territory. The Ecuadorian government's land agency, IERAC, was commissioned to grant titles to the indigenas. Three reasons IERAC favored surveying colonist lands first: Colonists had to pay for land surveying. They "used" the land--needing cash to live, colonists cut down large sections of jungle, planting potrero--feed for cattle--or crops such as sugar cane. And, IERAC employed Spanish-speaking blancos who shared the colonists’ values and viewed indigenas, with their tiny garden patches, as "lazy" and not utilizing the land. In fact, the indigena lifestyle and knowledge of the jungle and soil conditions was generations ahead of our current enlightenment on sustainability. Frank was a pioneer, along with Greg Groppenbacher, in starting the Peace Corps surveying program. We went in to indigenous communities (comunas), sometimes for 22 days, followed by 8 days off--enough time to catch buses, via Puyo, Banos and Ambato, to get to Quito, where we could waste our $105 monthly salary in a week. The comunas indigenas were happy to house and feed us, in exchange for delineating the tracts of jungle where they had decided they wanted to stay put.
Frank had kept in touch with John Hudelson over the decades. John was a volunteer around Puyo, also in the Oriente. After not finding his assignment as a physical education volunteer particularly meaningful and without the enthusiasm of our Peace Corps representative (supervisor), the latter part of his tour John recorded oral histories of the Quechuas. Frank and John also shared in a venture with several of us, beyond the Peace Corps pale--the purchase of Hacienda Buena Karma. John, along with Scott Robinson, an anthropologist, studying the Cofan, an indigenous group in the northern Oriente, stopped overnight at the farm on an upstream Napo River trip. It was for sale--145 hectares (350 acres), bordered by two Amazon tributaries--the mouth of the Misahualli, where it flows in to the Napo. A stream running through it, with a 20-30 foot waterfall. A house, lots of pasture, and a herd of cattle. There were 10 of us. We all contributed $500. Six of us were volunteers: Frank, John, Milton Coke, Hank Wetzman, Bill Cinquini and me. Ira and Lisa were with CARE, living in Quito. David and Sharon had been in Ecuador a year earlier, looking for land. They were conscripted and later lived on the farm. And Scott. And Helena—Milton found her in Quito, traveling south and told her she must come check out the farm we were about to buy. Helena, a Gringa from California, was on a South American journey of discovery. Not long after our purchase, Joe and Jim, hiking through the Andes with a burrow, heard of the farm. They gave up the burrow for the big house and became caretakers of sorts. Word got out and the 1970 South American Handbook made mention of the "hippie commune at Misahualli". We all moved on in the early 70s and the farm was sold to family of a spouse of a volunteer. These days it’s fancy Misahualli Jungle Lodge-- http://www.misahuallijungle.com/
So, the reunion here in Ellensburg is a blend--late 60s volunteers and Buena Karma types. Along with Frank and John, I wear both hats-volunteer/farm owner. Other farm owners in attendance: Ira and Lisa and Helena. And Alfred's here-a farm resident during the initial golden era that saw construction of 4 huasis (indigena-style houses) at Buena Karma, From Frank's Bozeman training group in 1967, we have Ardis Barnum, Stu Moskowitz, Charlie Browne, and trainer Bernie Fiskins, along with his wife, Kate. From Campesino Leadership, I am joined by Bob Henderson. Bob and I were trainers at the Melville, Montana 1970 training, where Bob and Meg met. They are both here. John, who now is professor in the wine program here at Central Washington University (CWU), along with wife Carol, have generously opened their home to us and fed us Friday evening and Saturday morning.
Beginning Friday evening and again Saturday afternoon and evening, while reminiscing about Ecuador and catching others up on what we've done the last 40 years (!), Ira & John Hud treated us to wonderful jamming on banjo and guitar, Lisa accompanying them much of the time. At a barbeque on campus on Saturday, we gave a young tourism prof some thoughts to ponder in visiting Ecuador in an eco-friendly manner, Bob, Helena and I brought back memories with a slide show.
Sunday was busy, beginning with Sunday brunch and a phone conversation with Scott, from his home in Mexico. We visited the Wild Horse wind farm and the Gingko Petrified Forest on our way to the Cave B Winery overlooking the Columbia River, where Hud and the winery jefe gave us a history of wine growing in the Columbia River Valley, while serving us samples of several wines. We were ready to call it a day after a couple of pitchers with dinner at the Tav in Ellensburg.

The volleyball and net stayed in my pickup. While there were a few still-would-be-athletes amongst us, the persistent winds would have made unlikely anything resembling a volley.

Other 1970 trainees in Melville missing here: Jim Mullens and Lynn Hinch of Helena, Joel Mullen from Salt Lake and Fred DeSmith, from Louisiana, They are floating the Smith River in Montana this weekend. Only so many rafters are permitted each summer, decided by raffle. Lynn's number was drawn and to not use it would have been sacrilege.

Also missing is Jerry Beardsley, from the nearby Yakima Valley. Bob, Meg and Stu stayed with him each night. Jerry is still doing community development. This weekend he is coordinating getting produce to market from his farm, which he is sharing with Central Washington campesinos.

By Monday breakfast back at John and Carol's, several had already hurried off to busy lives, albeit allegedly "retired". No date set for our return as tourists to Misahualli Jungle Lodge. Scott Robinson’s home in the mountains south of Mexico City is also proposed as a potential site for a future reunion. Email will keep us in better touch with each other and future gatherings will happen. This one was a winner.

John Lowry
22 June 2009

Yucatan 08

2008-11-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

Nov. 11, Tuesday. 2nd day in Cancun

Continuing from my Cuba blog (See below): Sunday, we had shrimp cocktails with Abel and his family prior to our cab to the airport. Lots of hugs and pictures and promises to come again. Departure from Havana was uneventful, but at Mexican Customs we learned that, while each person can take 2 boxes of cigars out of Cuban without problem, they can only bring ONE box in to Mexico. Beyond 25 cigars, there is a steep tax. The Mexican Customs guy was nice. He said the alternative was to put the cigars in storage in customs, to be released to me as I leave the country. So much for mailing from Cancun to not worry about US Customs. We will mail the boxes we did get through and look for other empty, non-Cuban cigar boxes here in Cancun. IF they can find my stored Cohiba Esplendidos in Mexican Customs, I'll remove the rings and transfer them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Cancun08I#

Yesterday morning, Kathy caught an early taxi to the airport. Mary changed her cell phone service to be able to make calls from Mexico. She talked with Kathy last night--she got home fine. After Mary got some sun and I played a couple of beach volleyball games (winning a bunch of points on my serve!), we took the bus in to Cancun, to Costco, where we bought food to fill the fridge here. We took it easy last night, soaking in the big Jacuzzi tub, napping, watching TV, including some CNN. It's great--to see images of President-elect Obama.

This morning, we walked the beach at sunrise, down to the snorkeling site by Club Med. A guy on the beach showed us a baby turtle he was holding. Yesterday morning Mary was given a baby turtle to release to the ocean. Water choppy this morning. We are still in recovery mode and may not do too much today. I just came back from beach volleyball--half an hour is about as much sun as I need. Mary's at the pool, working on her tan. Nap time for me.

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Wednesday, mid-day

On her morning beach walk to welcome the day, Mary found a baby turtle, on it’s back, in a trough in the sand, unable to right itself and get to the sea. She gave assistance.

I should have known better. We were picked up for our Mayan Palace breakfast and timeshare tour on schedule this morning. But, as we were signing in, we were informed that our debit cards, with MasterCard and VISA logos, did not qualify as the required credit card. I pointed out that wise travelers carry only debit cards, the ones that work at cash machines and cannot be used without a PIN number, if misplaced or stolen. No matter. They were not going to give us our Friday taxi to Playa del Carmen, the reason I signed on. The salesman asked me to not yell at him, smugly commenting that he wasn’t yelling at me. My response: If I was wasting half his day, maybe he WOULD be yelling at me. If I'd had a more moneyed look, instead of swim trunks and a tanktop, I expect they would have treated us better. I should have told the stuck up guy that I already have over a million timeshare points to use each year. At least they drove us back here to the Westin/Club Regina. And, we ate breakfast here in time for me to join the daily 11 a.m. volleyball game. Level of play is surprisingly good--for resort ball.

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Thursday eve

We took the bus to downtown Cancun today, to check on mailing home (Cuban cigars the issue--we don't want them confiscated from our luggage at US customs). Both Fed-Ex and UPS want a small fortune--like $50 to mail 4-5 pounds. The Mexican correo (post office) had a line that wasn't moving, so I decided to forget about waiting to ask. Word is, it's cheaper but takes weeks if not months to get delivery to the US. Then on to Mercado #28. Not fun--obnoxious English-speaking salesmen. One, in a jewelry shop, as we were leaving without a purchase, called us "cheapskates". Okay, the truth hurts. On to Mercado #23. Lonely Planet (guidebook) came through--very few tourists, much more pleasant shopkeepers, though they weren't willing to come down very far on prices. We did get a deal on fish and shrimp tacos. And fruit.

Mid afternoon, back at Club Regina, we found the key cards to our room were still not working, despite hotel staff promising this morning that they'd take care of the problem. While spacious and fairly comfortable, we've had several issues for maintenance to deal with and have found responsiveness spotty. This is the oldest of the Mexican Raintree resorts and problems of age are evident. They are undergoing unit renovation, but we didn't get a rehabbed unit.

Chatted with Mike and Maureen on the beach as the full moon rose from the ocean. They are from Santa Barbara. We've seen them a couple of times around the resort. Pleasant.

Early departure in the morning for Cozumel. Primary goal for our 2 days there is snorkeling. Then, 2 more nights here at Club Regina Cancun, before flying home.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Cozumel#

Sunday afternoon/evening, Club Regina, Cancun

Mary and I awoke this morning in Cozumel to a dark sky and lots of wind. We decided against either last activity on the island--catch a cab to another snorkeling spot from shore or catch a cab to the east side of the island. We met a friendly ex-pat and his visiting daughter at a cafe last night. She raved about the beauty and remoteness of the beaches on the other side of Cozumel. But gray sky and my camera out of battery (with my charger back in Cancun) were factors against that outing. As you will gather from the report below, we weren't optimistic about finding a rewarding last snorkeling experience.

On Friday we made great connections: hotel zone bus to downtown Cancun bus depot. Within 10 minutes, we were on a first-class bus for the trip of about an hour to Playa del Carmen. From the bus station it's about a 3-block walk down to the ferry terminal. Within 15 minutes we were launched, for the 40-minute crossing to Cozumel. While we left a lot of luggage at Club Regina, we still were carting a few bags, including our snorkeling gear. We would have caught a cab, but Mary read about an organic coffee shop about 5 blocks from the wharf, so we pulled and carried our bags there for breakfast. Then, it was only another 5-6 blocks to Amigo's B&B, se we walked, arriving just as Bob was about to leave to run errands. Our room was ready, as was the refreshing pool. Bob recommended snorkeling at nearby La Caletita Beach. Jumping off the rough coral edge in to the water, Mary wrenched both shoulders, especially her left one. Only to be rewarded with no coral on the ocean floor to see. A few fish. Before long we headed to the nearby cafe. There, I went in again and Mary elected to pass, given the smarting shoulders and another somewhat challenging entry in to the water. I snorkeled along the rocky shore for a while. It was fairly colorful, not much coral but other bright vegetation on the rocks and some variety of fish.

After more pool time and a rest, we walked down to the waterfront for sunset. Nice horizon, but a ship was right in the middle to it (not a cruise ship, although we saw a couple of them nearby). We picked an Asian restaurant for dinner, upstairs, looking out at the water. We were happy with our picks, though my Grubber fish can't compare to the Pargo that was so tasty in Cuba. On our way to an internet cafe, we passed a dive shop. Friendly shopkeeper, willing to give us pointers on other places to snorkel from shore, but also willing to give us a reduced rate to fill his boat in the morning ($25/person, instead of $35, providing we didn’t 't brag to the other snorkelers--who were Mexican--that we got a discount!). That sounded good to us, after our earlier bust at snorkeling off the shore.

On yesterday's boat outing, besides the two Mexican snorkelers, we were joined by a couple of Canadian divers. We snorkeled 3 different times. Once above a sunken ship. We were in a few meters of water to much deeper. Not much coral to look at. First stop, we were swarmed by fish, as the boat crew threw food in for them. The crew got a kick out of Mary's squeals at the fish brushing against her. 'Pleasant group of people, crew and tourists, but the snorkeling was disappointing. We've read and heard that Hurricane Wilma in 2005 did major damage to the shallow reefs around Cozumel. The divers were happy. And, on the ferry crossing this morning, we sat next to a couple of divers who were very satisfied with their dives here. But, for snorkeling, from our brief experiences (and, I expect a dive outfit to take us to the best snorkeling places in the vicinity), it looks to me like it's going to be years before this is again a destination for snorkeling.

Breakfast at Amigo's B&B wasn't something to write home about (So, you may be thinking, WHY am I writing about it?). To be fair, the coffee was good and there was plenty to fill up on, including a plate of fresh fruit and several choices of dry cereal; yogurt in the fridge, jam and peanut butter to put on toast made from plain bread. The first morning there was a young French couple staying there. "Hello" was the extent of our conversation. Even though I find all Europeans speak English, I hesitate to make that assumption. No sign of Kathy or Bob, the B&B owners, either morning. Maybe they don't want to impose on their guests. Their website and written information/instructions in the room are quite detailed. That led me to warn Mary that we might find they quite chatty, but such wasn't the case. As we were departing this morning, Kathy made a point of asking if we'd remembered to tip their staff, after also mentioning it in the in-room literature. We spared her our observations about all the bug bites and the smelly bathroom.

We again made connections like clockwork on our return to Club Regina: cab to wharf, ferry to Playa, bus to downtown Cancun, "Hoteles" bus back here. We arrived about noon and while waiting for our room to open up, we took in the Westin spa next door. Killer steam room. During our 5-night stay here last week we had numerous problems with our ground-level unit facing the back lawn. Perhaps as compensation, we got a view suite facing the ocean for our last 2 nights! Unlike the basement location last week, we have internet connection here and don't have to troop down to the lobby for a strong-enough signal. As I type, I hear and can make out the breakers on the sand below.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Cancun08II#

Tuesday morning, 11/18, last day!

Tranquilo. I let out enough of our bubble bath Jacuzzi from last night to add straight hot for a morning soak, while looking out at the sunrise over the Caribbean.

Sorpresa. Abel (Havana casa owner) loved his surprises for us, including Kathy's birthday flowers and cake. Mary's sorpresa for me this morning--before she caught her 5 a.m. taxi to the airport, she made me fresh-squeezed orange juice and left 3 pastries, including a custard one implanted with peach slices--our favorite from Oaxaca stays.

Yesterday we bussed in to town with a box to mail. DHL said no cigars. We trooped on to FedEx, only to find it closed. Holiday. Is it NAFTA fallout? Apparently, Mexico is celebrating holidays on the nearest Monday, as Dia de la Revolucion is November 20. We stopped at a market, found a smaller box, took out the cigars, leaving other things bought in Cuba, and trekked back to DHL. Early afternoon. They too were closed for the rest of the holiday. Forget it. We've read Customs regulations--we can each bring 100 cigars in to the US duty-free. We have our receipts for Mexican cigars that we "bought" in Cozumel--we entered a jewelry shop asking about humidors, thinking that might be a way to bring back the cubanos. The shopkeeper's brother when looking, but came back empty-handed. They did have some simple wood boxes, some holding 5 cigars, others holding 3. Mary bought a ring and a pin and we bought 5 wood boxes for $30 US, 3 receipts for 50 Veracruz cigars (each) thrown in. The shopkeeper first told me to forget getting my impounded cigars back from Mexican Customs at the airport. He suddenly changed his tune, as it was dawning on him he could make some $ off us with the phony receipts.

Time to pack. My plane leaves at 4:40 p.m., but I want to allow plenty of time at the airport. I may check my bags here at the desk and snorkel off the Club Med beach. Mary and I didn't make the time to do that. In 2003 we were ecstatic on finding a big turtle swimming along through the reef there.

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Cancun airport, 3 hours before departure time

3 hours early? That's not my style. I came early in hopes of getting cigars out of impound, removing rings, ditching boxes and all evidence of their Cuban origin. But, I'm told I will be given the cigars as I am boarding. I hope I won't be sitting next to a narc!

I went snorkeling after checking out this morning. Weather was looking nicer, some sun breaks. But still windy and mostly overcast. And unusually cool. As soon as I entered the water, I noticed how murky it was. Wind was blustery. I headed out toward the reef, remembering that 5 years ago there was some wind and the current moved south. I noticed I was getting out from shore quickly and I decided to not push it by approaching the reef. No one with me, in the event I got in trouble. Besides, with the water so stirred up, I wasn't likely to see much in any case.

I must have put Mary's care package in my checked luggage, as I can't find it with my carrry-ons. Too bad. A burger and milk shake sounded inviting, until I saw they would cost $17.

So, I'm passing some of the time with this note. I'll have to see if wireless connection is available.

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Airborne, flying over West Texas.

All is good. Bush International (named after George H) Customs staff gave me the nod. In Cancun, I did get my boxes with time to pull rings and ditch the Cohiba boxes. I called Mary during layover in Dallas. She got through customs without incident too.

Summing up Mexico: Mary and I took it easy (for us), after our usual brisk pace in Cuba. Mary wanted to see Chichen Itza (I was there years ago), but we didn't find the time. While Club Regina is showing it's age and we had to cope with several problems (key cards not working, the stove top and coffee maker needed replacing, etc.). The ocean-view the last 2 nights was a big improvement. We were in a 1-bedroom suite, which combines both types of studios--one side having the kitchenette, the other has the king bed and jacuzzi. The couch that converts to a bed in the kitchenette side is less comfortable than the trundle they had in 2003. And the kitchen area is tight. Even so, the two studios combined make for a nice living space. While the kitchen area is limited, it works and after the half-day trip to Costco in downtown Cancun for supplies, eating out at expensive places can be the exception rather than the only alternative.

As I've already written about, the 2-day visit to Cozumel was disappointing. But, I've now been there. Next Yucatan trip we can take a break from Cancun by heading inland to Mayan ruins and historic towns, maybe get a feel for Mayan Indian life today. And/or to Isla Holbox, at the northern end of the peninsula.

Cuba 2008

2008-11-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Cancun! My sister, Mary, her friend, Kathy and I flew to Havana from Cancun on Tuesday night, October 28, a week before the election. Some months ago, I decided I wanted to celebrate with the Cuban people. I will soon be writing our President-elect, suggesting that a great way to make a statement about a new approach internationally will be to summarily end the Cuban embargo.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/HavanaI#

Wed eve, Oct 29

Sitting on the edge of my bed at Casa Particular (Cuban "B&B") Abel, Centro Havana. My 3-prong power cord doesn't fit the wall plug in, so I may lose power soon, as I just downloaded today's pics. We found an internet cafe in the Hotel Florida today. 'Very nice guy runs it and he says I can bring my laptop and plug in there, so I'm hoping to be able to add to my blogspot and let you know. No spellcheck on this WordPad and in the help index I can't find "spell check" or "check spelling". Why is that? Anyway, my proofreading will miss some typos. 'Sorry about that.

Doug answered the phone at 3:40 am on Tuesday and got me to the airport in plenty of time (Lucy off on a quilters' retreat). I had my usual body scan after setting off the machine and, also as usual, left something at security--my passport and ticket. The pat-down guy caught up with me and gave them back to me. Smooth flight to Denver, napping some. Then on to Cancun, where I waited until the last checked item to get my suitcase. While waiting for Sister Mary and her friend and co-worker Kathy, I chatted with a tourist guy, Carlos, in the airport. What do you know? He's selling timeshares! I let him know I already have Club Regina, but that didn't dissuade him. When I asked about transport to Playa del Carmen, to catch the ferry to Cozemel, Carlos saw his opening. He will provide private transport to Playa (taxi will cost about $80), and round trip ferry tickets, in addition to the free breakfast, in exchange for Mary and me (parading as a couple) sitting thru the Mayan Place 90-minute spiel. Oh, and a margarita and kalua thrown in as well.

Just about the time I sealed that deal, knowing Mary will cooperate, she showed up, with her cart heaped high. And, a few minutes behind her, Kathy. We all got the "green light"--no baggage check at immigration. The guy from (Canadian) Nash Travel was waiting for us at the Mexicana counter, to give us our tickets (that I purchased on line) and Cuban Visas. The flight to Havana was smooth too, arriving before 11 pm. Again, NO customs scrutiny--they just opened the doors for us! The taxista only had to reverse directions a couple of times to find Casa Abel (111 Blanco, between Trocadero & Animas). Abel was waiting for us. He's got children age 50, but doesn't look it. He helped lug all our suitcases up a long, steep marble staircase to the lovely living room with tall ceiling, arches and stained glass (see pics). Two bedrooms, each with private bath (If a curtain qualifies as "private".) Hot water via a switch that can't be left on or it may burn the house down, but makes the temperature muy buena.

This morning we met Abel's wife, Idey, and one of his sons, Rigo. I was confident that our rooms would be waiting last night, because Rigo had emailed me, asking that I buy him a motherboard and memory stick for his computer. After a delicious breakfast here at Casa Abel, I went to the Casa do Cambio. I was disappointed to learn that the Canadian $ has fallen considerably. According to almost all sources, there is a substantial extra fee to change US $ in the new Cuban Convertible (CUC). But it now takes almost $1.50 Cdn. to buy one CUC. So, things will be more expensive this time.

Today we walked. Casa Abel is a couple of blocks from the Malecon, the avenue along the bay. It's about a 15-minute walk to the entrance to the Bay of Havana, across from the fort and the northern edge of Havana Antigua. Photogenic stroll, the breaking waves on our left, the old colonial buildings, many in severe disrepair, across the Malecon.

We started running in to art and artisan shops. 'Found deals on cigars, but held off, as Rigo told me Abel is the one to get cigars from. 'Stopped for mojitos at the Bodeguita del Medio, made famous by Hemmingway. The colorful bartender told me I have a striking resemblance to the old man. I said I should--my middle name is Ernest and I am a writer too! The bar walls are filled with guest signatures. I'll have to wait to see if anyone takes me up on mine and emails me about it--"john-at-large.blogspot.com" !

Kathy wanted to email home. While heading toward a recommended spot, we happened on to the Hotel Florida and were escorted to their internet room, where we chatted with the friendly guy who runs it. He offered to let me hook up my laptop there.

On to the art and artisan market near the Plaza de Armas. I found Mary Gill's painting there, very similar to the ones I bought in 2003 and only recently had framed. Mary and Kathy got a few items, I found places to rest. We all walked back along the Malecon at sunset, with some time to relax before the lobster dinner here at Casa Abel that we had agreed to. Wonderful, but too much food. After dinner we chatted for an hour or more, over drinks and chocolate that Mary pulled out of her bags. A daughter, Sonia, and the gal that helps with the place also joined us. Lots of laughs about the remainder of a bag of jerky we still had--it would likely have been confiscated if Mary had been checked at either Mexican or Cuban Customs. Abel, after a couple of drinks, began lamenting the state of things in Cuba. Before the revolution, lots of cattle. Now few. He claimed he hasn't been able to get beef for 16 years, which prompted Mary to give him the jerky. He acted like it was too precious to share with the rest of his family, but eventually he did. They speak little English, but that didn't dampen the spirited exchanges.

'Tired. 'Hope I sleep as soundly as I did last night. After breakfast, the Zamora family are coming over--Mary has brought clothing and money for them, from a family member, Claudia. Kathy and Mary work with Claudia in Oregon (Developmental Disabilities).

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Thursday night. After another hearty breakfast with Abel and his family, we walked to the Parque Central, where we caught a tour bus to Playa del Este, not far out of Havana. No masseuse, like Mary found on our last visit in 2003. We walked in the surf, that had some undertow. 'Didn't see anyone out in the ocean and there were red flags along the beach--enough to keep me from going father than knee deep.

After that bus returned us to the Parque Central, we had mojitos at one of the hotels. We told the band that it's Kathy's birthday, so, of course, they sang to her. We next caught another bus that made a circuit around Centro Havana and Havana Vieja. It had an open upper deck, which gave us a great view of the many historic buildings and monuments.

After getting off that bus we made for Havana Club. In 2003 the lead singer, David, had befriended Mary and me. He's still there and quickly remembered us. Kathy again was serenaded. It didn't take much prodding from Mary to get Kathy up, playing the Guido with the band--as Mary had done in '03. We have a couple of pictures we took of David last visit, but they were back here in the room. We promised to bring them in a week, after we return from our Cuban road trip.

Rigo accompanied me to rent the car. It took longer than expected, but Rigo tells me we got a free upgrade to a medium sized car. Abel doesn't approve of my intended route tomorrow, along the less traveled north shore, on the way to the Vinales Valley. He warns that the recent hurricanes (Gustavo and/or Ike) have damaged roads. We'll see. I'm still inclined to try the north shore, since we'll travel the Carretera Central on our return from Vinales.

Kathy found a lovely bouquet of flowers waiting for her on our return to the casa, a gift from Abel. After dinner she was also treated to a yummy cake.

We didn't make it back to the internet cafe today. 'Not sure if we'll get any access in Vinales or Bay of Pigs (I'm still getting ridicule here at Casa Abel about saying our destinations include Bahia do los Cohones, meaning to say Cochinos). Understandable mistake, verdad?

Buenas noches.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Vinales#

It's now Saturday night. We had less trouble driving out of Havana yesterday than we did on our first visit. I began following the north coast route, but somehow got turned around. Fortunately, we hadn't gone too many kilometers before we realized my error. We were close to the Carretera Central (central highway), so we got turned around and proceeded west. We visited Terrazas, up in the hills, swam in Rio San Juan, a pretty location with a series of falls. We next turned up to Soroa, where we took in mineral baths (alas, they weren't very warm) and each had a massage from the affable Pedro. We also met a Cuban guide there, very fluent in English. Seeing my Obama/Bidon button, he asked 2 questions, : 1) Will there be a manipulated error in ballot counting? 2) Will enough people, in the privacy of the ballot box, vote against a black man? I told him I timed this visit to be here next Tuesday, to rejoice with the Cuban people, as I look forward to Obama doing away with the blockage early in his presidency. It will be an opportunity for Fidel, Raul and the regime to
take steps toward more openness here, in exchange.

Night fell as we resumed our journey toward Vinales. We debated about stopping sooner, but we continued, again noting all the bikes and carts without lights or reflectors (I brought a bunch of reflectors to pass out). On arriving in Vinales, we found that Abel had called Marguerita 3 times, asking if we had arrived yet. He had recommended her casa particular to us and it's a good thing we persevered through the dark night on roads without lines and few signposts, as Abel has become something of a mother hen to us. Margarita and family proceeded to cook us a wonderful dinner

After a hearty breakfast, we went for a drive through the Vinales Valley, famous for its mogotes--mounds rising from the valley floor. Tobacco growing area, along with other crops. We stopped at Hotel Rancho San Vicente, reportedly site of hot mineral baths and internet. Internet, following recent hurricanes, still not working. Mineral baths cold (like yesterday). That makes 2 strikes (Did the Rays pull off a miracle? I don't have a clue). The 3rd strike?--I left our only car key in the ignition and locked all the doors. Locals worked for an hour, with what slim jim equipment they could rig up, without success. We finally called Cubacar (rental company) and they sent someone in another hour. No master key. No slim jim. You'll never guess--a balloon! He slid a bag in along side the window, that he inflated enough to reach in a bar that unlocked the door from inside! I need a new type of mishap in the future, after losing the key 5 years ago here and getting an electronic key wet in Oaxaca in 2004.

After a rainy day, we got some color at sunset. Mary and Kathy handed out bracelets, pens, tablets and other gifts to the kids in the house. Another superb dinner here at Margarita's tonight. The fish, Pargo, was wonderful. Mary was ready to go out (It's Saturday night), but Kathy and I outvoted her. I'm fighting a cold--I forget to take Airborne before getting on those planes!

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http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/BayOfPigs#

Greetings again. It's now Saturday night--No, scratch that--it's Sunday night, in Bay of Pigs, southern shore of Cuba. You youngsters may not know that a US-backed landing here in 1961, of Cuban exiles, with the intent of overthrowing Castro and his Communist regime, failed miserably. After dinner (another huge, tasty one*) at Dayami's casa particular, \she took us to a friend's house, so Kathy and I could check our email. I took along my laptop, hoping I could plug in to his server, but he explained it's dial-up. And, or course, slow. I scanned new emails and sent Lucy a brief one. I may get lucky in Trinidad. If not there, during the last couple of days in Havana I'll get to the email room at the Florida Hotel.

This morning Mary and I watched a colorful sunrise on Margarita's roof in Vinales. Some clouds, but the sun rose, after a mostly rainy day yesterday, although there was some color at sunset last night. The 5-6 hour drive to Bay of Pigs was fairly smooth, except for the Havana. You'd think the "Autopista National" would be clearly marked and swing around the capitol, right? Mary and I still are dumbfounded by the difficulty we had in 2003, finding the autopista. So, we were not reticent to ask, including one of the gals we gave a ride to (Lots of people gather at underpasses on the freeway, many waving money, in hopes of hitching a ride). No way. We kept asking more people and believed we were almost there when a couple of guys hailed us and talked there way in to the back seat. Since they were out there with the other hitchers, we figured we'd drop them closer to where they were going and they could show us the on-ramp. Many turns and kilometers later, we were indeed on the autopista. Before getting out, they informed us they needed cab money to get to where they were going. We said no, we hadn't agreed to take them out of their way, they could have gotten out closer to where they waned to go and given us what advice they could at that point. Reluctantly, we gave them some Cuban pesos (it takes 24 Cuban pesos to make one CUK (Convertible--the tourist currency now) and they unhappily got out. Another jinterismo ("hustling") experience that we'd rather have avoided.

Arriving in Playa Larga around 3 pm, we made our casa particular choices. Abel's choice was away, so we were introduced to Dayami, next door. She has only one room, but took us around back, to the next street, also with one room, which is where I am staying.

We got in a nice late afternoon snorkel nearby, then watched a fabulous sunset.

* Usually I lose several pounds on my Latin American jaunts. At this rate, I don't see it happening this trip.

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Election morn! Kathy and Mary will be here soon for breakfast at Damara's casa particular (Playa Larga, Bay of Pigs) and we will head toward Trinidad, stopping in Cienfeugos to see if we can find Javier. We have a couple of photos from last trip for him, and his special necklace he insisted Mary take as a gift from him, that she now feels he should have.

Yesterday was stay close to the casa for Kathy, suffering a bout of turista. Mary and I snorkeled at Punta Perdida. Nice. Broken clouds, so the sun was bright on the coral and fish some of the time. Some wind, but the waves and current were manageable. We stopped and looked at the cenote--a salt-water pool. It had lots of swimmers and we agreed the ocean was cleaner and more inviting.

Even though the gas gauge was a bit above empty, the car began acting like it might be running out of fuel. We were informed there is no gas station in Playa Larga (Mary and I agreed--with future rentals south of the border, gas up more often, avoiding "E" anxiety) and we had to drive to a nearby town for fuel. We made it. Along the way, we listened to a variety of birds and took pictures of the swamplands. We are next to the Bosque de Zapata--a nature reserve. Entrance is permitted only with a guide. We met a guide yesterday. He agreed to take us to look for pink flamingos and tiny hummingbirds this morning, but we decided we want to get to Trinidad earlier in the day.

After another huge and tasty dinner, including lobster AND crocodile, we were joined by Negro, a 20-year old, trying to sell us necklaces of black coral. He spoke some English and was a nice guy. The necklaces were pretty, but we had to tell him we can't buy black coral, as it is endangered.

Breakfast time.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Trinidad08#

Election night, Trinidad

We don't know. We watched some early evening Cuban TV and saw a US map with lots of blue states, including Florida, Pennsylvania and Colorado, but we weren't sure if they were simply projected as Obama. About 10:30 pm (We are on Eastern time here) we chatted with a Cuban employee at a local music place. He said Obama had 53% of the returns. Nice guy. Spoke fairly good English. I gave him my Obama/Bidon button. We will know in the morning.

We stopped in Cienfuegos, had a mojito at the same bar on the plaza that we visited in 2003. Live band. A band member recognized Javier from his photo--said he lives near him. Mary and I wrote a note on the back of the photo and asked the band member to give it to Javier.

Not much traffic on the narrow road to Trinidad. As we entered the outskirts, we were accosted by a guy who told us the road was under repair and there is a detour--that he could help us around it. 'Struck me as a jinitero (hustle) move. Not seeing signs of a detour, I continued on. A few blocks later, there he was again--on a bicycle.. I showed him the business card for the casa particular recommended by Abel and immediately he produced a card from his pocket (Kathy and Mary later remarked they saw he had a stack of cards he pulled from his pocket) for the same casa, saying it was owned by his mother and we should follow him there. A few blocks later, along Trinidad's cobblestone streets, we arrived at a door with no signage as a casa particular. I asked where his mother was. He said her casa was full and therefore we were going to stay at this location. The jinterismo was becoming increasingly obvious. I told him so. Mary cautioned me against making him mad, which could provoke some kind of retaliation. I proceeded to ask others for directions to the casa on the card and found it a few blocks away. In fact, it didn't have room for us, but the real son of the owner of the casa, Jose Ricardo, took us down the block to his casa (Antonio Maceo # 382, tel. 0053-41-994702). Wonderful place, not far from the historic center.

After arriving this afternoon, Mary and Kathy took siestas and I walked 3 blocks to the internet cafe. I though the attendant looked familiar. When I asked if she was working there 5 years ago, she quickly remembered I had given her a baseball cap. No chance of hooking up my laptop, so my only Cuban hope to paste this in to my on-line blog will be Hotel Florida in Havana.

Before and after dinner (Here at the casa--delicious, including Pargo, the fish I so liked in Vinales), we took in live music. Some talented dancers at the Casa de Musica, where we had hooked up with our young dance troop friends last time.

I'm tired enough I expect to sleep well, even though I don't have knowledge of the election results.

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Wed night, 11/5

Obama, Obama, Obama. Singers. Artisan vendors. European travelers. Parking lot attendant. We all rejoice.

We did some street shopping in Trinidad today, mostly hand-made clothing, It's a joy to find things for Juliet, my 13-month old granddaughter. After a mid-day siesta, we got in the car to make our way to the old church above town. I passed an unmanned gate and got in to a poor barrio of hilly, narrow cobblestone streets. Mary voiced reservations about continuing. Catcalls from some stoops were especially unnerving, But, we made it to the old church and the disco in a cave. We had heard that the young dancers we befriended in 2003 perform there, but the guy on duty couldn't tell us much.

We proceeded to Playa Ancon, to swim and walk the beach. Sunset was less colorful than last night. We returned to Trinidad after dark and again had to avoid bikes and carts without reflectors (We've managed to give away most of the stash I brought).

After another delicious dinner here at the casa of Jose Ricardo (another lovely soup, then salad, then prawns, yucca and rice), we made our way back to the Casa de Musica, where the singer from last night remembered and embraced us. He enjoyed my remark that he looks "muy parecido" to Magic Johnson--only smaller. We got some good night pics of him and the female singer. After another stop to take in entertaining singers and dancers, we headed back to the casa.

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Thursday night, 11/6

Our last night in Trinidad. Today was low-key. We did some more strolling of the town and bought some things. Since Ricky J's (Kate and Rick's restaurant) is going to have an old car theme, I've picked up some original paintings of 1950's cars, along with some paper mache replicas. We had lobster tonight. All meals at this clean, pleasant casa have been spectacular. Jose has been friendly and helpful and his young partner, Angela, has been great too. I will sum up the casa particular scene here in Cuba later.

We walked to the fancy Iberostar Gran Hotel for farewell mojitos and decided to pass on the live music scene tonight. It's rained on and off today. Tropical Storm Paloma is due to make landfall just east of here on Sunday, the day we plan to fly back to Cancun from Havana. Locals say not to worry, this storm doesn't look that big. No notable wind yet--still a long way off.

Early start for Havana in the morning--the plan is to get the rental car back without a big rush. I hope to transpose this to my blog, pics added, perhaps tomorrow evening at the Florida Hotel.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/HavanaII#

Saturday night, 11/8, last night in Cuba

Our return trip from Trinidad with the rental car was smooth. I did get pulled over by policia after going past a truck and too fast through a checkpoint. After a few minutes looking at my docs, he gave me a short lecture about going slower and we were back on the road. We didn't catch the perimeter road around Havana that shows on the map--if it exists. I was pleased with my choice of route through the city and back to Abel's casa. Rigo went with me to return the car. I got pulled over by policia AGAIN--for making a right turn without using my turn signal. Rigo got out and had a several minute discussion with the young policeman, who was inclined to give me a ticket. Some of Rigo's argument: I am American and have put myself at risk to come to visit Cuba; also, I am getting old and should be forgiven for sometimes missing details--like using turn signals. Reluctantly, the militare resorted to the lecture and gave papers back to me without a fine.

It was a homecoming to return to Abel's He complains about the lack of meat these days in Cuba, so we brought him some. Jose, casa particular owner in Trinidad, confirmed beef is very hard to come by, but we brought Abel back a couple of kilos of cerdo sin grasa (lean pork). Of course, he was delighted. We did some bar hopping last night with Sonia--Abel and Idey's daughter--in the rain. 'Not sure if it's hurricane-related. We hear Paloma has been upgraded to a category 4 and heading for the SE shore of Cuba. Havana is on the north shore and somewhat west of its path.

Today we again visited Claudia's family, this time in their home. Lots of photos and laughs. Then to the internet cafe at the Hotel Florida, laptop in hand. With help, I did get on line. But, the connection was so slow I gave up on trying to do a blog entry with pics. Hopefully the connection in Cancun will be faster. I caught up with Kathy and Mary at the art market, where I got one more old car painting for Ricky J's. On to the Floridita Bar, where we had pictures taken with a bust of Hemmingway. The gals took in the Museum of Cuban Art while I hung out in the park. Next we caught a horse-drawn carriage to the Hotel Nacional, where we bought tickets for the cabaret tonight. It was very colorful and animated. I stayed awake, which is some tribute to the entertainment.

4 pm flight to Cancun tomorrow. Everyone says Paloma is far enough east that our flight should not be delayed. 'Hope so--'looking forward to the luxury of our timeshare at Club Regina, next to the Westin in Cancun.

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Summing up Cuba: We had a great time. Kathy fit right in. She lost her husband to fast-acting cancer just a year ago. She approached Mary about joining us. When I asked her why, Kathy said she’s decided to spend time with people who are positive and fun--like Mary. While Mary and I didn't remember food as the high point in 2003, we consistently enjoyed eating at casas this time---where we slept. Dinner as well as breakfast most every day. All casa owners were friendly. While Mary and Kathy brought a variety of things to share--makeup, soap, medications, writing pads, pencils, pens, light stick bracelets, etc.--the one U.S. product I brought along was reflectors--a bunch of them. As in 2003, driving after dark was hazardous--most bikes and carts without any way to see them, road shoulders nonexistent (we did see some cd's hanging off carts, acting as reflectors). While still encountered frequently, jinterismo (hustling) didn't seem as remarkable this trip. We found more open criticism of the government, but it may just have been the people--I expect that 5 years ago Abel was unhappy with the regime and ready to complain about it. While there was some enthusiasm for my prediction that Obama will quickly end the embargo, most Cubans are hesitant--skeptical . They are afraid to get their hopes up.

Here's my advice I've sent to Barack (Choice.gov):

"Congratulations, Mr. President-elect. I look forward to wonderful changes during your administration.

"Some things will take time. The economy cannot be righted overnight. Ending the war in Iraq--that you and I both knew in was a grievous blunder before it was launched--must to careful and measured.

"I suggest a change that can be quick and have a huge impact on our standing in the international community: End the Cuban embargo. Unconditionally. While you may be tempted to ask the Castro regime to reciprocate with more freedoms for the Cuban people, I expect such reciprocity may not be forthcoming. The embargo is a great allay of the Cuban government. Poor productivity, high unemployment--you name it: the culprit is not the Party, it's the US embargo.

"So, to most benefit the Cuban people and to let the rest of the world know you are in step with them (You know of the annual vote in the United Nations, overwhelmingly recommending we end the embargo), I urge you to quickly and unconditionally declare that our blockade of Cuban has been counterproductive and is over! This is the quickest and most effective way to bring about democratic reforms within Cuban."

Remembering Harold

2008-06-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

June 12, 2008

Remembering Harold (AKA Fred, AKA Sonny Boy)

Harold would have been 74 today. I have recently been written off by a special friend, which reminds me of Harold. He wrote me off, a few times. I am thankful we got past those misunderstandings.

I have decided to add this to my john-at-large blogspot. While the blog is devoted to travel, it seems right, to include this piece on the journey of friendship. Plus, Harold was a traveler. Most of my photos of/with Harold are 35 mm. Perhaps I’ll get around to converting them to digitals pics so I can include them on the blog.

As a merchant seaman, Harold saw many corners of the world. He was proud of his conversational skills in several languages. Hitchhiking across Turkey especially caught my fancy. I had thoughts of a detour returning from the long weekend to Show Low, Arizona for Dustin’s wedding last month. I once asked Harold for his most favorite place on earth. To my surprise, he answered: “The Grand Canyon”. Perhaps next trip to visit Dustin and Danielle in Phoenix, I’ll make it to Harold’s #1.

Back to broken friendship: I was proud of getting past those Harold write-offs. It’s easy to blame the dismissive “friend”. After all I’ve done for him, what right does he have to reject me?! Do I prefer the solace of feeling wronged over fighting to preserve the friendship? What would Jesus do?

Perhaps time will be healing. Without answers to my questions today, let me end with a couple of notes I wrote following Harold’s unexpected death.

Harold and I made a day trip to Oregon on December 18, 2004. He helped me load up my father-in-law's table saw. We enjoyed lunch with my mother. We agreed it was a good thing, that he had come with me. He almost didn't, as he had not been feeling all that great, physically or emotionally. We agreed to get out again, soon. But, a week later his sister, Donna, called. He died Christmas night or early the next morning, apparently from a stroke. He had been battling prostate cancer and other medical complications for a few years.

My note to his sister a week after his death, accompanying belongings I sent to her:

Dear Donna,

I joke about the enjoyment I derive from jumping up and down in dumpsters. The difference, from overflowing to half full is demonstrable and unequivocal, unlike most of our interventions in the helping professions. We may want to believe we've gotten through to a client and helped him or her make life changes. Alas, it's human nature to fall back in to the grooves of old habits.

But, I also feel good about my career as a psychiatric social worker--getting paid for being an engaging, helpful person.

Working with Fred was immensely rewarding. While I was accused of lacking professional boundaries, becoming his friend always felt right. I take pride in never being written off by him. Well, there were a few times he tried to dismiss me--as insincere, uncaring and self-centered (maybe not in those exact words). But I didn't let his transitory contempt keep me away and he soon forgave me and welcomed my calls and visits. Not always, but usually I felt I brightened his day. We laughed time and again about some of our special outings. Like the day he helped me get in some firewood. I dropped him at a bus stop, as the schedule indicated he could catch buses home. Alas, one bus didn't come and he couldn't make his connections. There was something in his gait along the highway's shoulder, after dark, making his way toward his mobile home in East Tumwater, that prompted a Good Samaritan to stop and give him a lift the last 15 miles. He would have made it on his own, walking. He did from our Wednesday evening patient-family education class, about a 20-mile jaunt in the night. He bolted before class was over, after being repeatedly snubbed by CEO, Dr. Dennis. It was one of his favorite topics--how the brain is constructed and works. He politely waited while Dr. Dennis allowed other class members to monopolize for several minutes. He stood up, but still didn't get recognized. So, fed up with all of us, he split.

I have my vulnerable times when I feel disrespected and want to retreat and lick my wounds. Helping Fred move away from "Poor me" has been nurturing to myself as well.

And then there were the "superb" times, when life was good, Fred's eyes sparkled and his wit was ever present. His generosity was boundless.

The quantity of cards in these boxes attest to the many friends that enjoyed
Sonny Boy's companionship. He will be missed.

Matt,

I spoke with your Uncle Fred on his return to Washington State from his fortuitous last visit with his mother. One of his warmest memories of that first trip to Michigan in many years was the connection he made with you, his great nephew.

When I realized I had failed to pack this cap with the other things I sent your grandmother, I decided to save it for a birthday gift. I’m sure you’ve been told many things about Uncle Fred, in addition to times spent with him. Life was often hard for him, with many misunderstandings, including a less than honorable discharge after taking a blow in the side of the head in service of his country in Korea.

When I left my first job at the state hospital (to go off to graduate school, years before I met Uncle Fred there), I made a “last will and testament”, playfully offering co-workers and patients my perspectives. My wish for you, Matt, is that, with this Korea Veteran cap, you inherit your Uncle Fred’s thirst for knowledge and his thoughtfulness toward other living beings (people and animals).

John Lowry
April 5, 2005

Sanny Union, March 2008

2008-04-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

In the works since last summer, the long-anticipated get together of Eunice Ann Ball and her offspring came to pass, Colorado Springs, March 27 – 31. With a diagnosis over a year ago of Stage 4 lung cancer, a gathering of the clan was conceived, to rejoice with her while she is still with us. This is the account of her son-in-law, Lucy’s partner, John Lowry.

Selected photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/SannyUnion308

And Lucy’s perspective: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/SannyUnionLucyS

Lucy, Nate, Kate, Rick, 6-month old Juliet and I caught a late flight out of Seattle on Thursday evening. We rendezvoused with Dustin at the Denver airport and climbed in to a couple of rental cars, arriving at Arran & Shawnee’s in the wee hours of Friday morning. We were up and on the move by mid-morning. Perhaps skiing and boarding should not have been taken off the agenda, as our tee time at the Air Force Academy for late morning had to be cancelled due to a frozen course. Our consolation was a driving range in 33-degree temperature, without wind chill consideration, ending in a putting contest on a fast putting green, won by Arran.

Meanwhile, Friday the women folk and children took the cog rail train http://www.cograilway.com/ to the top of 14,110 ft. Pike’s Peak. While the train climbed out of the cloud cover in to bright sunshine, it was windy and bighting cold at the summit. Several reported intoxication from the altitude. Sanny was given a shirt proclaiming her summit of Pike’s Peak without oxygen.

Besides the Lowrys, Arran and Shawnee’s 6500 sf home easily accommodated Sanny. It’s tucked away in a hillside wild enough to be habitat for lots of deer, a family of fox at times and an occasional bear. Mary stayed with John and Amanda. They have been house sitting, waiting to close on their home north of Colorado Springs.

After a pizza feed, Friday night we hit the in-house pool at Arran and Shawnee’s. Cannonballs and keep away. Great fun. Movie time at the in-house theater later in the evening. Interspersed with the camaraderie and the wonderful food, the trampoline was a playful adjunct.

After Rick cooked a killer breakfast, Saturday some went shopping in artsy Manitou Springs while others took a scenic drive up in to the Rockies, to gamble at Cripple Creek. With veterans Shawnee and Arran, I braved the hold ‘em table, winning 3 hands before ending up out of chips. Big winner? Sanny--$190 at a penny slot!! We resumed gambling that evening with a hold ‘em tournament. While out of her element (slots), Sanny played well, winning some big hands before going out 3rd, just out of the money. Finalists were John H and John L, with some close all-ins, stacks of chips moving back and forth. Finally, my pocket Jacks went all-in against John Huckstep’s Ace and 4. The flop included an Ace, favoring the younger John. But, the River was a Jack, giving me the win!

Sunday: picture day at Garden of the Gods, an area of spectacular rocks. Shawnee’s friend, a photographer, met us there and took lots of pics, while we amateurs snapped away as well.

John and Amanda’s purchase closed on Friday. After the photo shoot, Sunday afternoon we got a preview of their beautiful new home, in a great neighborhood of long-needled pines, a walking trail alongside.

Arran, Nate, John and John played some volleyball early Sunday evening, getting home in time for Rick’s chicken parmesan and the final hold ‘em tournament. Sanny again played well, going out 4th. I was chip leader for a while, before Rick took me out, only to be defeated by Arran.

While cool in the mornings, the weather became increasingly nice. We were able to get in the round of golf at the Air Force Academy on Monday. We considered Arran, Dustin and John playing best ball against Nate, but ended up playing our own ball, for better and worse. We all had our moments of greatness. Nate was disappointed to drive over the dogleg on one 4-par, ending up on the fringe, only to settle for par after 3-putting.

It was a special weekend. The children—Pax, Caden, McCoy, Jenna, Mason and Juliet—got along wonderfully. We are a generous, thoughtful, intelligent, observant, energetic, ambitious, fun-loving bunch. Qualities that rubbed off from the gal that brought us together. Thanks, Sanny.

Hawaii second

2008-03-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

I'm home. It's Monday night. I am sleep deprived but not feeling it yet. So let's wrap up the trip:

(If you want to see the pics first, or just plain skip my narrative below, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/HawaiiBest308 )

Saturday morning notes: I knew the week would go quickly. Yesterday morning we returned to the beach next to the Place of Refuge. A friendly local, Dede, instructed us on the best place to get in and out of the water (My knee wound is healing nicely). We were early enough to get an excellent parking spot and a great place in the sand, in the shade of a palm, for Mom and Juliet. No swimming turtles spotted this time, but we got some great pics of one, feeding in the edge of the surf, on the lava shoreline. You can't tell its size from the picture. I'd guess its back is about 15” wide.

On the way back to town we stopped at a coffee roaster. The young man was very informative, trying to defer the price of his products, while priming us with chocolate-coated beans. The non-organic lb. was a mere $36, while the primo organic was $48/pound! What passes for Kona coffee really only has a small percentage of lower quality Kona beans in it. Did you know that darker roasts have less caffeine? The longer roasting takes some of the caffeine out. Mary bought a half-pound. I'm holding out to see if Jenny and her husband have beans for sale.

Last night we attended a luau. On the shoreline, walking distance from the condo. Very well done. 'Began before sunset. The buffet was excellent, as were the musicians, the MC (great singing voice too) and the dancers. Two of the male dances were real hunks, including the fire thrower. Far from having stranger shyness, almost 6-month Juliet is a shameless flirt. She took to several of our table companions. See pic of her and the dancer (too bad it isn't sharper). Can you read the dancers’ minds: “HOW long is this creepy old man going to leave his hands on our backs?—Get this picture-taking over!

Saturday was Mom's 92nd birthday. We didn't go far—to the farmer's market, really an artisan market, to pick up gifts. We went to Quinn's for lunch, a place recommended by Monet and Mark, volleyball buddies of mine. Great lead—the Ono fish was fantastic. While not fancy, the setting was more real than Rain Forest Cafes, with an open-air hillside next to our table and a little bird jumping by without being a pest.

Sunday the check out time is 10 a.m. Our flight was a red eye about 10:30 p.m. After two calls to give the okay, condo security let us leave our bags. We loaded up Jenny's loaners and headed north about half an hour to check out Haulalia, the 4-Seasons resort that Tracy says is beautiful. She could have got me a reduced rate (How much less than the usual $300 she didn't say) at the Nicklaus course there. If I had my game more together...Nah, I can't imagine my game good enough for resort green fees. Indeed, the resort is a beaut. We ate our packed lunch on the edge of their pool stocked with lots of fish, including several manta rays.

Jenny and Rich's coffee farm is up the slope a couple of miles from the Place of Refuge. They have quite a story. Several years ago the owner's of the farm were caught for falsely marketing Latin American beans as "Kona" and ended up in prison. The next owners mis-managed in a big way, leaving the place a dump. They have been working hard to turn it around and have become a major processor of green coffee on the island. We were treated to a tour and then a roasting of some super fancy beans, bringing home a big bag for ourselves and a bag to deliver to Katie.

One more sunset at the beach, by the Place of Refuge, dinner at a Mexican place in Kona, back to the condo to cram in all our luggage. If the plane had left on time, it would have been a very close call. Since it was an hour late, we were okay.

It was a plucky vacation, this 4-generation group, staying in a one-bedroom place, fitting in to a rental car that I intended to be mid-sized (an upgrade from compact), but in fact wasn't very spacious. We pulled it off. It was a splendid week. Even with her first 2 teeth coming through during the week and lots of time in the car seat, Juliet was a trooper. She is so alert, responsive to new acquaintances that show an interest in her. I look forward to taking her along on travels in coming years. Mom, of course, was her enthusiastic, appreciative, adaptable self. Mary, my traveling buddy, was her thoughtful, fun-loving self, so happy to take a break from her grueling job keeping Oregon's most challenging citizens out of institutions. And Kate, who lovingly helps me laugh at myself.

Once again, the pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/HawaiiBest308

Until next time,

John

Hawaii first

2008-03-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday morning. I'm at the round table on the patio, just over the fence from the pool, which is just over the fence from the lava beach and surf here at Kona Reef.. A little bird, bright yellow, with orange head, is jumping around next to me. Taking off my light-colored tank top (Now don't worry where this is going...) helps reduce the glare on my laptop screen (Not that I've gotten THAT dark a tan already). We did kick back by the pool for a while yesterday, taking it easy after our 3 hour flights down the coast to LA, 6-hour layover and 5-hour flight in to Kona, on the west side of the Big Island.
Kate, Juliet and I started in Seattle; Mom and Mary left from Portland. We ran into each other right away, in the Alaska terminal at LAX, where it took 2 bus rides, including driving out on to runways, to get to the American terminal, where time passed fairly quickly, including entertaining 5 & a half-month Juliet and frequently interacting with her admiring public.
The Kona airport is a casual open-air Hawaiian village-looking place. No doubt they still manage security requirements. We shuttled over to the Alamo car rental, where we picked out a cruiser-type Chevy. The luggage, including the stroller, was a tight fit, some of it on laps, but we got it all in. The drive from the airport is only about 15 minutes. But there are few addresses on buildings on Alli Drive. We stopped to ask a uniform standing out front of the Hard Rock Cafe. He didn't know the address where he works. But he found someone who did know that we were about a block from our destination. Busy place, Kona Reef. Not a parking place to be found. The after-hours security guy (We arrived about mid-night Hawaiian time--2 hours earlier than Pacific Standard) instructed me where to double-park. We got settled quickly in to our 1-bedroom with a Murphy bed plus a couple of couches in the front room, Mom and Mary in the bedroom, Kate and Juliet on the Murphy bed, one couch pushed next to the Murphy bed, to be ready for when Juliet becomes more mobile than rolling only from back to front or front to back, which may be this week, John getting the last couch and finding it plenty comfortable.
It's now Wednesday morning. To recap Monday, besides pool time we made store runs to fill up the fridge, hearing that restaurants are expensive here. Indeed, local coffee at breakfast was $5/cup! But it was a wonderful view. Outside Costco, I sat will Juliet,decked out in a white bonnet. Of course we had a steady stream of admirers and she knew it!
Jenny came by and dropped off some toys and beach things. She and her family have migrated here, have a coffee farm south of Kona. Jenny is a good friend of Katie, my dental hygienist.
Chicken and pasta salad was delicious, here on our patio. Temperature is ideal, a freshening breeze most of of the time,
Yesterday (Tuesday), we went to Kahlalu'u Beach, about 4 miles south. Mom and Juliet got a place on the beach, mostly in the shade but also with umbrellas. Kate, Mary and I snorkeled. Lots of bright fish, some with different colors than I've seen in Mexican and Cuban waters. Some pretty coral. I happened on to a turtle. It didn't seem concerned, as I swan along side for a couple of minutes. After we got jut of the water we walked along the shore and took pictures of several turtles in the edge of the surf. Misfortune: Mary's underwater digital camera opened while she was snorkeling, so she fears it's ruined, after taking many wonderful pics, under water and above.
Wednesday is cruise ship day here in Kona. So, we figure it's the day to get out of town. We plan to drive to the Hilo side of the island, noted for it's greenery and rain.
Thursday morning. Our vacation is already about half spent! I knew it was going to be a long day, making the whole island circuit. At 9 a.m. we stopped by Costco on our way out of town yesterday morning, to see if they open earlier here, hoping to pick up a new digital camera for Mary. We then headed north. Following the guidebook (Hawaii--The Big Island Revealed) suggestion, we had breakfast at the Hawaiian Style Cafe in Waimea. The author got that one right--huge portions, including meat. Ranch country, pretty and fresh at 2500 ft. elevation.
We continued through lovely country, including vast stands of eucalypti. We took a short walk through rain forest to Akaka Falls, a 420-footer. Then to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, a lush preserve that borders the beautiful ocean. While this part of the island is so green due to lots of rain, yesterday it was beautiful--sun and blue skies. The garden is on a steep hillside. Mom got lots of admiration for trooping around it. We'll be celebrating her 92nd birthday on Saturday!
Knowing we had a long trip back, we just skirted Hilo. It was a pretty town. We reached Hawaii Volcanoes Nat'l Park at about 5 p.m. We drove to 3 viewing places. Part of the crater rim drive is closed due to current volcanic activity and high levels of sulfur dioxide. It would have been a much longer trip if we had visited the Puna region, where hot lava can be seen, sometimes plummeting in to the ocean. Kate and I walked through a lava tube, a cave created when molten lava suddenly quit flowing, after the top had cooled and hardened. The below ground, hotter liquid magma flowed out, leaving the tube.
Back on our clockwise trip around the island, we skipped Black Sand and Green Sand Beaches, as well at South Point, as night was approaching. In the dark, it was a long 50 miles on curvy road back to Kona. We were all troopers but especially little Juliet, stuck in her car seat. Mercifully, after miles on NO signs of civilization on this only road around the southwest part of the island, we came upon a pizza place about 20 miles south of Kona. We got back in time for a dip in the pool/hot tub, before the 10 o'clock pool curfew. I previewed and saved pics to the laptop before another restful night on my couch-bed.
It's now Thursday afternoon. Mom is visiting the University of the Nations, a missionary endeavor,while the girls shop. I'm sitting with my right leg propped up—to discourage a new bleed. We went snorkeling today at Honaunau Bay, formerly known as the City of Refuge. Beautiful coral. After following a turtle for a while, I decided to go to shore with my underwater camera, as I'd taken the last picture and I didn't want to have to worry about dropping it. The lava shoreline looked okay and I thought I had only a slight bump climbing out. But, then I noticed a stream of blood running down my leg. Whatever I bumped (coral or lava) was very sharp—it filleted my knee open for about an inch. So, I get to play invalid. I hope it heals enough to go back in the water tomorrow.
I purchased internet access at the desk for the week. The signal isn't good enough here in the condo unit. After the sunset, I plan to hobble out by the pool, get on line, add this to my blog and tell you it's there--http://john-at-large.blogspot.com/

blog creation day

2008-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

With Hawaii less than a month away, I'm setting up my blog. Recent travel blogs from SE Asia by Roger's son, Alex, have inspired me. With laptop along, I'm expecting to be able to add digital pics to my notes from the road. I got the emailing-while-traveling bug from Julie. Delightful reading--her pangs of hunger fresh in her mind, after being lost for hours in a French vineyard.

The archived emails were not spell-checked, but I’m not going to try to edit them.
First, I figured out how to add about 5 photos, appearing ahead of each segment. Then I found that Picasa is an easy way to add photo albums. Early in each narrative you'll find the Picasa link (“http://picasa….”) to a few of my favorite pics from that trip. I know, some of the pics are repeats, but I think they’re worth viewing twice!

I welcome your comments, especially if you seek my advice--treat me like I'm a savvy traveler (Look out, Rick Steves!). If interested in nice and affordable Mexican accommodations, ask about my timeshare deals.

To view entries from past years, click on the year in the Archives--upper right of the main page or click on "Older Posts" at the bottom.

Ordered by date, my emails from past travels:

November 2006 – Oaxaca
November 2005 – Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta
June 2005 – Cabo
November 2004 - Oaxaca
September 2004 – China & Tibet
November 2003 – Cuba & Mexico
November 2002 – New Zealand & Australia

John

wrinkles45@comcast.net

253-841-4948

Oaxaca 2006

2006-11-04T23:30:00.000-08:00

Oaxaca Notes, November 2006

1) Sat., 11/4

'Not much time right now to recap the first 3 days here in Huatulco, on the southern Pacific coast of Mexico. Sister Mary and I met up with my college buddy, Wade, in Mexico City, before flying on here Wednesday.

Stay tuned for a selection of pics from the 3 of us in coming days, including our boat ride along the coast with snorkeling stops yesterday and our van ride into the mountains today, to hike along a river with one waterfall after another, including swimming in pools and getting waterfall massages.

More details soon.

John

Trip photo hightlights: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Oaxaca2006

2) 11/7

Tuesday night. One week since leaving home.The flights down were uneventful. In Mexico City, where Wade, my best friend from Berkeley in the mid-60s joined Mary and me, we were a little anxious, as the gate for departure to Huatulco wasn't announced until about 5 minutes before boarding time.Huatulco is a large area along the Southern Pacific coast slated to be the next big tourist destination in Mexico. There are some fancy hotels in one area, Tanglolunda, but even there a lot of jungle gives it a natural feel. We stayed in a nice small hotel in Crucecita, the business center for the area. After the first day of snorkeling (The pictures send in my first email), we spend most of Thursday boating along the coast and snorkeling. Wade was a trooper. Not only is he a self-described non-swimmer with a near drowning in years past, he may have suffered a mild stroke recently that has left the left side of his face somewhat paralyzed. Notwithstanding, he snorkeled several times and enjoyed it.Saturday we took a van up in to the Sierra Madre del Sur, hiked along the Copalita River--a series of waterfalls culminating in a couple of pools, complete with swinging rope and shoulder/back massages by waterfalls. The promised visit to a coffee farm didn't get included. We have hopes of doing that as we leave here.Sunday my camera stopped working. The friendly local camera store didn't have a repair person and did not give reason to hope there was any place in Huatulco that could fix the power button which lost it's spring. I had bought a Smart Media card there earlier, which is the outdated card my camera uses. They took it back and gave me 15% off on a little digital camera that I'm trying to get acquainted with. I'm trusting Mary to take pics and send them to me.After 4 nights in Huatulco we caught a cab to Puerto Angel, a previous haunt. The Rincon, perched above the crashing waves, is closed. We ended up at Puesta del Sol, a clean hotel on the hillside. But, after being spoiled by AC in Huatulco, along with roosters who fail to understand they are to wait until dawn to crow, along with a chorus of barking dogs, Mary and I didn't sleep so well. The other thing is going to bed much earlier than at home.But, we were up for another boat ride/snorkeling outing the next day. The best snorkeling spot turned out to be Estacahuite Beach, the spot where 2 years ago I immersed the electronic security key for our rental VW.We moved on yesterday to Zipolite, a lovely beach only a few km down the road. Wade liked the setting so well he decided to stay. He is meeting friends up the coast in Puerto Vallarta in a week or two and looks forward to a slow pace and work on his laptop. It was great to see him again after 40 years. We'll keep in touch better.Mary read in the travel guide about this hotel in Puerto Escondido, owned by Mr. Voss, a German. Our maternal grandfather was a Voss, with roots in Germany, so we decided to stay with our distant relative. 'Nice place, across from the surfing beach here. We`ve already met several interesting and friendly fellow guests. AC again! I expect to sleep better tonight. Should I check on election returns before bed?!Wade promises to put together a slide show of our best pics and send on to me. I hope to be able to include a link in my next email.John

3) 11/11

Greetings from the fresh mountain climate of the beautiful colonial city of Oaxaca. Some of you may know this has been a hotbed of protest for months, beginning with a teacher strike in May and widening into a call for the resignation of the state governor. A week ago federal troops arrived and re-took the center of the city, the zocalo. Protestors have reportedly retreated to a university campus. When we arrived today the streets were clogged with traffic and life seems for the most part normal. Less of us tourists. Lots of graffitti, most of it painted over.

Picking up from my last report: before I forget it, let me share the hot lead I got from Ian and Lisha, guests at Hotel Inez: buy property in Montenegro. They say it's one of the newest countries in the world, next to Bosnia and Croatia--east across the Adriatic Sea from Italy. I've heard from others that the dollar goes much further in European countries that have not yet become full members of the European Common Market and have the Euro for currency.

The AC at the Inez didn't work well. Neither Mary or I slept well and felt it wasn't worth the 500 pesos (exchange rate between 10 and almost 11 pesos to the dollar, depending on how/where dollars are converted). We had a recommendation from Eliana, whom we met in Oaxaca 2 years ago--the Mayflower Hotel/hostel in the city center of Puerto Escondido (PE). We spend the next 2 nights there. No AC, but breezes plus the fan was bearable. We met a few of the backpackers that were staying in the dorms.

We had a wonderful dinner of a whole red snapper our first night in PE. But, the next day we were both hit with a bug. Minne, the outspoken German who runs the Mayflower, concluded it was the complimentary tuna we also ate--restaurants here hate to throw old food out so they give it to guests. We got some relief going to massages and Temezcals--local variation of a sweat lodge. Very nice.

Friday morning we headed to a lovely beach just outside of PR for our last snorkeling of this trip. Waves were choppy and it was a ways out to the coral reef, where the colorful fish reside. Mary caught sight of a sting ray, quite close to her and had something of a panic (You'll recall it was a sting ray that did in that Aussie chap), which effected her use of her snorkel. It was a struggle to get back to the beach, where she decided to stay. I headed back out to the reef. Suddenly a huge wave sent me reeling and then pushed me toward the rocky shore. Rather than fight my way back in to deeper water, where another huge wave could find me, I decided to land on the rocks. Skin scrapped off two fingers was about the extent of the damage. We shall pay more head to ocean conditions when snorkeling in the future.

Weary of the heat and humidity of the coast, I talked Mary in to heading for the mountains a day before our reserved week begins here at Casa San Felipe. Yesterday we caught a van to Juquila, about 7-8000 feet up in the pine forests of the Sierra Madre del Sur. It's famous for it´s Virgin, believed to grant prayer requests. We happened on to a Mexican fireworks display. Today's van for the remainder of the winding and bumpy road in to Oaxaca was thankfully less crowded that the one yesterday, which left us thinking a 2nd class bus would have been an improvement.

Things are indeed improving. Our bouts with turista are passing. And we are back in the familiar, lovely Casa San Felipe (CSF). We were here two years ago. CSF is one of our timeshare exchange places, a converted colonial mansion.

You can go to the trouble of downloading all 169 pictures from our first 4 days in Huatulco from here: http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a300/wadehudson/

Or, you can wait for a selection of the best that Wade is still working on and will be forwarding to me. Alas, except for the first group of about a dozen sent earlier, my photos are not available during the trip. The new cheapy digital I bought is working, it seems, but the tiny screen previews aren't that great. But, Wade and Mary have some great pics. Mary has a digital underwater camera and she is learning to use it! Wade's photo-sharpening program helps too.

I found this one-monitor Internet spot around the corner form CSF. They turned the lights on for me. They're probably ready to turn them off again. So,

Hasta luego,

John

4) 11/19

“The week in Oaxaca (‘Wa-ha-ka’)”

Sunday morning, back home at my familiar keyboard, where I won’t keep hitting CAPS LOCK accidentally, as I did on most Mexican keyboards. Before it all fades in to memory, here’s a recap of our last week.

Sunday morning Mary and I caught a bus to the Sunday market at Tlacolula. I had remembered great photo opts there 3 years ago and we were not disappointed. ‘Big outdoor market, combination of food and crafts and whatever. We bought small (Read: hopefully to be packed in carryon luggage and get home without breaking) pottery pieces, some fruit and nuts. My new digital worked fairly well for shooting from the hip. Many Indians do not like having their pictures taken. If I can master the digital zoom, maybe I can get some good close ups.

While I had Mitla (a pre-Columbian ruin) and Hierve el Agua, a pretty natural area, on the Sunday To Do calendar, I felt like heading back to town after the market and Mary concurred. I don’t have the stamina of those younger backpacking days, but I arthritically cling to the illusion I still am one.

We had dinner on the zocalo with Sara Sunday night. Thorntree (http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/) is an online travel forum run by Lonely Planet travel guidebooks. It’s huge, with lots of contributors from all around the world. As a way to get tips on a place you are traveling, go to that country or region and enter a search word. I found Sara among the regular contributors to discussion of the current Oaxaca situation--the teacher/APPO (Popular Assembly of the Oaxacan People--http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/11/11/18328910.php) standoff with the government. Sara, an American living between Baja and Oaxaca for many years, continues to report on her love of the people and places, of her sense of personal safety in Oaxaca, in spite of the standoff and sporadic violence. As expected, Sara was a hoot. She is an artist and Mary decided to take a few lessons from Armando, Sara’s mentor at the Rooftop Studio.

Monday we re-visited the markets in Oaxaca, bought hand-woven clothing and mole, had lunch at the Hotel Chocolate. After Mary’s first art lesson, we had dinner at a local spot with Sara, Armando and his gal/fellow artist, Xochil. I spent some time meandering amongst the APPO supporters near Santo Domingo church, but didn’t end up engaging anyone in discussion.

Tuesday we spend some time looking for museums and exhibits. Some were closed due to the unrest. It’s still true—my experience in Latin America asking for directions—people tend to give an answer, even if they don’t have a clue. We got a workout following varied instructions on how to find an exhibit of photos of Dia de lost Muertos (Day of the Dead). In the afternoon we visited Las Cupulas (www.oaxaca-mio.com/lascupulas_eng.htm), another Raintree Vacation Club (RVC) timeshare north of Oaxaca in the San Felipe del Agua neighborhood. About 15 minutes travel time if traffic is light, which means a good half hour any time during the day, given Oaxaca’s clogged streets. Another lovely 9-room pension, companion to Casa San Felipe. Future visits may include an R & R at Las Cupulas after a few days at CSF, including hiking into the nearby hills.

Wednesday morning we had breakfast with Luis, RVC sales person—an update on member services. The concierge at CSF had asked if I would meet with RVC bigwigs, to express my satisfaction. With news reports of the unrest and our embassy recommending against travel to Oaxaca, RVC is contemplating closing down CSF and Las Cupulas until the tourist industry rebounds. ‘Turns out Luis wanted to meet with me in any case, to talk about RVC, as he heads a sales staff now housed in Oaxaca. I warned him I am not interested in buying more timeshare time, as we already have the two weeks in Whistler which give us tremendous trading power (our week at CSF used only 2 of our 26 annual “points”!). Luis was great, and made no effort to sell me more time. We talked about again developing a Huatulco RVC destination, as well as one on Cozumel, which had been under consideration a couple of years ago.

In the afternoon we caught a collective taxi to the market in Etla. Small compared to Tlacolula, but still colorful. I bought some red pottery from a nice vendor and took more photos. Mary has a trigger finger, fills up her digital camera cards quickly, so downloading to cds is a means of freeing up cards for more pics. We found a fancy photo shop in Oaxaca that downloaded to cd while we waited, complete with index cards showing tiny shots of all pics. I was encouraged that my new camera is taking better pictures than the little LCD screen suggests. It will take me a while to get around to loading the camera’s software in to my computer, but maybe I’ll send you some of my best shots in the near future. Wade and I had
Some crossed emails about our best from Huatulco, so in the first 20 are some shots I wouldn’t have included, but, as promised, here’s the selection of 40 from our first few days on the coast: http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a300/wadehudson/Mexico/Hualtulco%202006/Best/

Thursday morning we visited the pre-Columbian ruin of Yagul, on a hillside in the valley east of Oaxaca. Mary and I were the only visitors, yet another sign of the ailing tourist business. The fortress overlooking the small ruins provided wonderful views, including the lovely surrounding farmlands.

On to Teotitlan del Valle, a town famous for its weavers. Two years ago Mary and I had befriended a family there, promised to send copies of pictures we took, but we misplaced their address. So, our return, with the promised photos, was quite the hit. The cute little two year old is now four, still adorable. They brought out the mole, chocolate and mescal. We, of course, bought more rugs. ‘Also made new friends with another rug seller before we got out of town.

Friday, last day, Mary was not excited about another bus ride up winding roads in to the mountains. She had her last art class and final shopping while I caught a bus to Caujimoloyas, at 3100 meters (x 39.33/12 = 10,160 feet elevation), up in the cloud forest country of Pueblos Mancomunados, 8 Indian villages that own the land collectively. I was fortunate to get off the bus with Ruth, a biologist working with the Pueblos to promote ecotourism—hiking and mountain biking. I tagged along to a campsite development and hiked along a small stream for a couple of hours. The drizzle became serious rain just as I got back to the campsite, where hot tea and lunch was waiting. I bought a nice map for a return in the future--one or two nights, hiking with a guide to get deeper into the lovely Sierra Norte.

Back to town after scrambling for a ride due to a bus that was a no show, I expected Mary at CFS. Half an hour after dark, still no Mary, I began to worry. It seemed very unlikely that she was detained or couldn’t find her way back to CSF. Perhaps she was having trouble finding that xxl dark shirt for Paul… I failed to consider the Sara Factor. After art lesson, Sara accompanied Mary to the organic market and shopping, then drinks at the nice hotel…. Mary suggested calling CSF to tell me where they were…. Anyway, it ended well.

Yesterday was airports and flights. Close call in Dallas, where Mary’s bag was pulled aside and gone through. I rushed ahead to try and hold her plane to Portland. She made it with 5 minutes to spare. The 4-hour trip to Seattle was shortened by sitting next to a friendly young couple heading to the northwest for Thanksgiving. We talked about Newport and the Silvia Beach Hotel, ended up playing “2 Truths and a Lie” for awhile. Fun—even a couple can come up with lies about themselves that can stump each other!

My checked duffle bag not making the plane out of Dallas was not the desired final touch, but just now, as I’m writing this, the American Airlines van showed up at our door with the duffle bag!

Back to a stack of mail and lots of loose ends here at home. Maybe I’ll add a summing up in the near future, along with those promised photos.

John

November 29

‘Been back from Mexico a week and a half. ‘Seems longer. The other night, looking at the new digital camera, card full of Oaxaca pictures, I tried to figure out how to use the digital zoom to enlarge parts of pictures. ‘Found “Format” and clicked on it, to see if that would get me to the zoom feature. Nope. Without realizing it, I was in the “Erase” mode. I knew better than to hit “Erase All”. Well, “Format” does the same thing!! I’ve called a few camera places and I’m hoping the pictures can be retrieved. Chances are better, since I haven’t taken any new pictures on the card after erasing it.

IF I get them back, I’ll send along some of the best. Attached here are the best from the cd I had burned of pictures, beginning in Zipolite, on the beach, to the Sunday market at Tlacolula. A few captions (the pictures are not arranged sequentially—look for the corresponding #):

02—panorama of Zipolite beach
03—Wade observing a game of chess at Shambhala
18—a crane braving the surf at Puerto Escondido
28—Mary, waiting for the van taking us into the mountains
29—An exhausted Mary, still able to salute with a “V” after hours of curves and chuckholes, squished in to the middle seat of the stuffy van
41—buying souvenirs in Juquila, famous for it’s wish-granting Virgin, high in the mountains
66—the lovely, comfy Casa San Felipe
92—looking at me, NOT noticing my hip-held camera
99—cheese taster
112—the confessional
118—federales in the zocalo

For your future travel plans—be aware, beginning in a few weeks from now, you must have a passport to fly back in to the US from ANYWHERE:

Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document. Source website: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
Finally, John’s infomercial: I have previously mentioned to some of you that I have lots of very nice vacation opportunities. I just found another too-good-to-pass-up deal that expands our already substantial annual inventory of timeshare weeks.

The parent company, Raintree Vacation Club (RVC), now has a good website. It gives a feel for the various resorts we can trade in to:

http://www.raintreevacationclub.com/GetClubResortNavScreen.event

Seasons (high, regular, low) and size of unit (studio to 3-bedroom) determine how many “points” we spend. Lucy and I may take our big retirement trip (Europe & East Africa) next May. If so, we will be looking for takers for one or both of the two 2-bedroom (each sleeping up to 6) condos at Jackson Hole that we reserved for 5/26 to 6/2. While their posted rack rate is $300/night during the slow spring season (really, early summer), $400 (per condo) will cover our costs for the whole week.

Our RVC membership is via ownership of timeshare weeks at Whistler. On finding that there are some steals on re-sales at Whistler, I thought of telling you of the deals to be had. But, I’ve learned it now costs $4000 to join RVC, on top of the price for the timeshare week, which makes it much less of a steal.

So, it makes more sense to be my guests. In addition to that dream getaway for yourself, you can send family, friends or business associates. Travel is not included. I don’t have special leads on low airfares. If you know someone who works for an airline they may have unused guest passes.

Low seasons vary by resort. Surf through the resorts on the website listed above. For destinations of interest, I can send you the different seasons and costs, per condo-size.
As our guests, you or those you send, will be treated as owners during a week’s stay, not subjected to time-consuming, high-pressured sales pitches, which is the case with introductory packages designed to persuade you to buy a timeshare.

And, don’t forget our Oregon Coast bluff cottage—www.lowryrentals.com

John
253-841-4948

Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta 2005

2005-10-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

Mexico, Guadalajara – Puerto Vallarta. 10/29 – 11/15/05

I. It's Wednesday morning. Mary's digital camera cards are full. So, before we head in to the mountains, she needs to get pics saved to discs. While waiting, an opportunity for me to send this dispatch.

Trip photo highlights:

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/GuadalajaraToPuertoVallarta2005

Flights to Guadalajara were uneventful. We all rejoiced at getting the green light passing through customs (Red means a search of baggage). Mary's friend from years ago at the group home, Lori, is traveling with us the first 10 days. They both still work keeping clients out of institutions in Oregon.

Our reserved room at the youth hostel was given away (Did they see us climbing the stairs and decide we didn’t belong?). The nice gal behind the desk was very apologetic and paid our cab to the Hotel Sevilla. Clean, but noisy, hard beds, no ambience. So we made our way to Posada San Pedro, a 14 room inn that caters to longer stay students. Our room with 4 beds was an improvement, but the señora was a pill--scolding us for entering the kitchen reserved for the students and refusing use of the coffee maker. For our 4th night we moved to the San Francisco Plaza, classy old hotel. All hotels have been in the historic center, walking distance to the plazas, historic buildings (with Orozco murals adorning the vaulted ceilings), huge churches, massive city market.

Despite jet lag, we made it to the Tonolà Sunday market--streets lined with all kinds of goods, many with "factories" right behind their street stalls. 'Don't know if I'm losing my bargaining edge or they just aren't as inclined to negotiate here, but some deals weren't made, like the massive iron rosary that Lori liked.

Monday, after a good night of sleep, we hit the panaderia for an assortment of breads and tarts. 'Talked the señora in to making us a pot of coffee. Then off to Mercado Libertad. 'Covers 4 city blocks. `Found some xxl t shirts, as my small supply was already residing mostly in the dirty clothes bag. Cabbed it next to Zapopan, famous church and site of the Huichol museum. Payote has a sacred place in Huichol life and perhaps has contributed to their colorful clothing and beaded jewelry. We scored some great t shirts there.

Yesterday we visited the Hospicio Cabañas, a world heritage site, being set up for a big concert. At first it looked closed, but we were able to get in and see the chapel with the Orozco murals. 'On to the market for a second foray. I found a bag to carry acquisitions. On return to the hotel room I decided it was too big--swallows up my snorkeling fins. But, Mary tells me we can make good use of it.

Last night we visited Tlaquepaque, a Guadalajara suburb with lots of shops and historic preservation. 'Met the nicest shopkeeper, a former resident of BC for 5 years. `Bought ceramic house numbers and a metal frame to go with (`Have to fill up that new bag!).

We rented a horse and buggy to check out a local cemetery for the first night (honoring children) of Day of the Dead, only to find a crowd outside the gate and tickets sold out to the midnight fun house-type of affair. Consolation was a full hour touring the city with the pleasant and knowledgeable buggy driver.

From here we go south to Lake Chapala, decide whether to stay the night there and hopefully participate in second night of Day of the Dead, or catch a bus on to Tapalpa, a mountain village.

When I find time at an internet cafe along the road I'll fill you in.

John

II. Hola,
Last I wrote you-all we were about to leave Guadalajara. Wed. a.m. our cabbie ('Spoke fair English, was working in the Yakima Valley and got covered by ash when Mt. St. Helens blew) to the old bus station talked us in to a taxi all the way to Lake Chapala, most of an hour south. 'Good decision. The town of Chapala didn't attract us as we drove through, nor did the touted hotel there. La Posada Nueva in neighboring Ajijic was a delight. Excellent food, cranes on lily pads in the lake, as if planted there to be photogenic.
2nd night of Day of the Dead was mostly a bust too. We visited the local cemetery at dusk. It would have been better to go in the day time, perhaps chat with families making the elaborate flower arrangements that were everywhere. As it got dark visiting was impossible, as numerous musical groups were competing with each other throughout the cemetery, as well as repeated fireworks of the big boom ilk.
Next morning we opted for the long cab ride again, as getting from Lake Chapala to Tapalpa, up in the mountains not far to the west looked to be quite a challenge--'would require catching 3 buses. Another nice cabbie, who stayed with us as we checked out the overpriced first hotel and took our considerable luggage to el Hotel Hacienda. 400 vs. 1000 pesos and more beds too! (Currently exchange is about 10.5 pesos to the dollar. That’s been staying fairly stable, as the dollar loses value internationally. Meanwhile, Mexico prices go up over time, as always. Bottom line—things are more expensive for us.)
Besides the fresh air and pine forests, I wanted to visit the school for disabled in Tapalpa, known for their creative art made from refuse, which they call “papelmalecho”. I think I mentioned in the first email that both Mary and Lori are skilled at keeping formerly institutionalized folk in community living. We visited with students in the art studio, making flowers, canisters, suns, moons, etc. from old tin cans, plastic bottles and other trash. Fun stuff. We then made a significant hit on the inexpensive "store" on site, following up with a visit to Carlos’ gallery in his mother's home.
Tapalpa is beautiful. While few gringo tourists go there, Mexico knows and has included it in the Programa Pueblos Mágicos. 20 of Mexican’s most historic and beautiful towns have been identified and receive funding to keep and promote their heritages: San Cristóbal de las Casas, in Chiapas; Parras de la Fuente, in Coahuila; Comala, in Colima; Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende, in Guanajuato; Taxco, in Guerrero; Real del Monte and Huasca de Ocampo, in Hidalgo; Tapalpa, Mazamitla and Tequila, in Jalisco; Tepotzotlán, in the State of México; Pátzcuaro and Tlalpujahua, in Michoacán; Tepoztlán, in Morelos; Mexcaltitán, in Nayarit; Cuetzalan, in Puebla; Real de Catorce, in San Luis Potosí; Izamal, in Yucatán and Valle de Bravo, in the State of México. While I have seen a lot of Mexico, there are still many places to go!

III. The next morning, outside Tapalpa the active Colima volcano showing off--steam shooting up. Just down the hill from our hotel we caught the first of 3 buses, on our way to Manzanillo on the coast. Each bus was thankfully nicer than the previous. On arrival in Manzanillo we grabbed a taxi to the northern suburb of Santiago and wisely didn't bid adios to the taxi. After checking out 4-5 hotels we were unhappy with price, location and appearance and hired the cabbie to take us on up the coast to the village of La Manzanilla. We stayed two nights, had some good food, met nice fellow travelers. We’ve made several "small world" connections. A couple of gals at the next table one night live in Sagle, Idaho (just south of Sandpoint), within shouting distance of where my parents lived for many years. An art gallery owner spends half her year in Mendocino. My brother in law's name seemed familiar. She definitely knew the late great Frank Creasy, Lucy’s uncle. Her friend bought land from him.

The bus in to Puerto Vallarta on Sunday was fancy. Jackie Chan action flicks competed for our attention with the jungle we were rolling through. On arrival at the time share (Club Regina--CR--next to the Westin Hotel) we were fortunate that our room was ready early and has one of the best views in the complex--11th floor facing the ocean. Monday Mom and Donna arrived. That night Mary Ann took all of us to dinner. Winner of the grand prize (a timeshare week) at last year's Lowry Rentals holiday party, she and friend Darlene overlapped us here.

Tuesday Lori flew home. We’ve been somewhat slow-paced since. I’ve had a bit of a cold (first in a couple of years!). I blame that recycled air on the flights down. (Will I look silly next trip when I come stumbling on to the plane, clutching my two oversized carry-ons, with a surgical mask covering my mouth and nose?) Generally we've been healthy, not getting too much sun, unlike the majority of visitors baking around the pools. Mary has dubbed us the Noroeste (NW) mystic hillbillies. We have a kitchen in the condo and have made several runs to the supermarket. Prices at the restaurants at the Westin are truly jaw-dropping. Our one meal next to the pool Sunday--two cheeseburgers, a club, 2 beers and one mixed drink--$60 with tip!

I look for pool and beach volleyball each day but have only found one of each in the first 6 days.

We’ve bused in to town a few times. ´Found Loncheria Don Viejo Jorge, next to the flea market. No tables, just bar stools, where we watch the cook. The food's sabrosa. And good prices! We Lowrys do worry unnecessarily about ¨How much does it cost?" But I barked back at the gal on the beach yesterday, when she admonished us to just spend our money while on vacation.

Mary has had an on-going saga trying to recover digital fotos she supposedly had "saved" to cd in Guadalajara. We will return from this internet cafe to a pharmacy where a well-meaning young Mexican has her photo card.

I went snorkeling at Mismaloya Beach yesterday. Fair. We’re considering renting a boat to get us to the islands at the north end of the bay.

'Time to go find out about Mary's photos.

Hasta luego,

John

IV. Summing up, Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta

I’m home. Before it fades further, the rest of our trip:

Some things don’t change. Like time promises in Latin America. “Un ratito” should mean “a little wait” (certainly less than “un rato”). But, after an hour at the internet, on return to the pharmacy in search of Rafael (the guy who volunteered to try and retrieve Mary’s missing pics), he still hadn’t returned. So, opportunity for another 3rd world haircut. I didn’t expect to match the fabulous outcome of my Tibet experience, reported here last year*. And, I speak pretty good Spanish (Thankfully, as I wonder about possible brain damage from falling off my bike—or, just emerging senility--I find fairly fluent Spanish comes back to me time and again). It’s my fault. The gal started with a fairly thick guide on the electric razor. ‘Did a strip on my temple and asked if that was short enough. 3 times I told her to go shorter. She did. The good news: it will grow out in time. For a beard trim as well, she asked 45 pesos (Remember?—10.5 to the dollar).

Our pace was somewhat slower the last few days. Why rush away from the nice, spacious condo with the superb view and several swimming pools below? There is one reason—prices at the restaurants, so we made several Walmart (‘Sorry to my socialist friends—we didn’t have a good, frugal alternative) runs, mostly for salad stuff, pastries and WATER—10-liter megabottles (3.8 liters = one gallon!). We did good—managed to drain 3 of them in a week.

Sunday we took local buses to Bucerias, a small town north of PV. What we strolled through of the dusty Sunday market wasn’t that interesting. We decided wading the small creek (No bridge in sight) to get to the rest of the market wasn’t worth it. So, we bought a whole watermelon for 10 pesos and found a café on the beach, where we bought sodas, chips and salsa and had the melon cut up. Mom and Mary had a nice beach walk. Mary and I got tattoos for vacationers.

Sunday evening Mary began checking on boat trips. The Monday trip to swim with dolphins in the open ocean was fully booked. After signing up for the Tuesday morning boat, we agreed the risk of not making it back in time for her afternoon Alaska flight was too great. I headed to the wharf Monday morning and made a deal with the skipper of Burton II—4 hours, starting with following a school of dolphins. The first snorkeling cove was lovely, except for the stinging jellyfish. We didn’t stay long. The scenery to the next site was beautiful—jungle coming down to the water, lots of rugged rocks, with small sandy beaches interspersed. We saw more fish at the second snorkel site, but there were still some jellyfish—pretty until they drifted in to us. Initially I had asked to skip Los Arcos (“The Arches”, a few small islands just off shore), as it is a major tourist destination. Since it was not much of a detour on our return to port and we hadn’t had much snorkeling, I asked we stop there. ‘Good decision. NO jellyfish; huge schools of colorful fish. Mom could see many of them from the boat. A great day. Lots of sun, but the 30-proof sunscreen did its job, even on my nearly bald scalp.

Fortunately, before the week was over we discovered the Westin spa was open to us, no admission fee! Great facilities—sauna, steam room, shower with 15 heads!

When making frequent flyer award travel reservations, I couldn’t get flights to match the end of our timeshare week (Sunday). Short-term rental rates for owners at Club Regina (CR) are good, but they didn’t have a one bedroom (what we had) or two bedroom. While the studio unit is supposed to be maximum occupancy of two, the PV CR studios with kitchenettes come with two “matrimonio” (full) beds. They said the 4 of us could move in to a studio. Even in the one bedroom, I had been sleeping on a rollaway bed. I asked that they add one to our studio, but they said the room was too small. We all slept well enough Sunday night but when I found a friendly concierge Monday, I tried again (“Please bend the rules if you can—not only am I sleeping with my SISter, her arms get numb if she can’t stretch out!”). No luck, but we did okay. I woke up with a need to bus back in to town for last minute shopping at the flea market and was late getting back for the cab to the airport, but all the flight connections went smoothly.

Until the next trip, enjoy.

John
wrinkles45@comcast.net
253-841-4948

* Monday morning prior to leaving for the airport some distance from Lhasa, I decided I had time to get a haircut. I stepped in to a barbershop in the city, was escorted to a chair, where a gal commenced to shampoo and massage my head. After several minutes of massage, I made a motion with my fingers, beginning to worry she thought I came in only for a scalp massage. After a rinse, I was led to another chair where a guy cut my hair. Initially he was only going to take off a little. I repeatedly gestured for shorter, "like a monk". Shorter I got. While I'm unsure that I saw "beyond the veil" as Madi promised in her promo on the trip, I leave Tibet manifestly changed in outward appearance! When I went to pay, the cashier held up 2 fingers. I disappointedly assumed she wanted 200 yuen, which would be almost $20. Noting my expression, she showed me a 20 yuen bill--with 10 yuen tips to both masseuse and barber, I still spent less than $4.

Cabo 2005

2005-06-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 6/26/05, First log from Cabo

Before subjecting you to my black and white prose, how 'bout some more photos?

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Cabo2005

More photos -- http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/CaboVol2

Sunday, 6/26/05, First log from Cabo

It's Sunday afternoon in Cabo San Lucas. The gals are going shopping (Daughter Kate, Sister Mary, Niece Deanna), so I can ramble on here.

We started out Wednesday, crack of dawn. Kate and I via Alaska stand-by. Plenty of seats on the flight to SF, where we barely made it connection-wise to the Cabo flight. And we knew seat availability was tight. But we made it. I asked a flight attendant how many extra seats there were and she said "none", so we were very fortunate, since we were subject to being bumped by most every other category of stand-by.

On landing in Cabo, we headed for Advantage car rental. I expected my Travelocity reservation at less than $20/day was way too good to be true. Sure enough--they make it up in charging insurance at a rate equal to or more than the rental cost. But, hey, we're fully insured. 'Had time to run Kate to the condo and get checked in and return to pick up Mary and Deanna at the airport. ('Just lost internet connection, but the staff here got it back w/o erasing--whew!).

Our week at the condo is actually Sat.-Sat. So, after the first night we headed for Cabo Pulmo, up the East Cape. Reportedly the best snorkeling on the Mexican Pacific Coast. We swung in to Santiago on our way. After a lovely lunch in a garden with mangoes and other tropical fruit, we headed up the dirt road to the hot springs. Not the most picturesque, but the water was hot and Mary and I have done another wild hot spring.

The road turned to gravel a few km. before Cabo Pulmo, but we made it by late afternoon and checked in to our 2 palapas, in time to head to the beach. Without specific instructions, we decided to try snorkeling off the beach. It was windy and after Mary got knocked down by a breaker and another stole one of Deanna's fins we didn't go in far. Instead we met Juan and make a deal to boat/snorkel Friday morning.

Thursday night was highlighted by a big black bug with red wings dive-bombing Mary and a few huge cockroaches scurrying away.

After swimming with a huge school of fish, Juan dropped us to snorkel near Playa Arbolitos. Kate had only been in the water a few minutes when, following an especially pretty fish, she was thrown on the rocks by a wave. 'Scrapped up both arms and one leg pretty good. A couple of the gashes were deeper, so we jumped in the car and headed up the coast to Rivera. The doctor was in. After some discussion, no stitches. A lot of cleaning and disinfecting and tapping cuts. Kate was a trooper. As prescribed, she's taking the antibiotics and pain pills and still joining us on most outings. Juan was a sweet guy, felt badly about not warning Kate. I too should have given her more snorkeling instruction. She's going to have a couple of scars to remind her of her first Mexico trip with her dad.

We're now back in our AC condo at the Westin/Club Regina. 'Better view than the unit we had Wednesday night. 'Made a run to Costco yesterday to stock the refrigerator and shelves. Food is good but expensive, even at less than fancy places.

We're charting the rest of our week, giving Kate time to heal before checking out snorkeling beaches near Cabo (Yes, we will stay away from those waves crashing on the rocks!). As noted at the beginning, shopping has commenced.

The shoppers are back, so time to sign off.

Hasta pronto,

John

Log II, 6/28
It's Wednesday mid-day. Monday we drove up the coast to Todos Santos. 'Great beach picnic on the way. 'Fresher air on the Pacific side of the peninsula. Todos Santos is one of many Mexican enclaves of artist ex-pats. 'Saw some good original paintings, silver work and other stuff.

Returning to Cabo, we decided to find a sunset-viewing spot. After several re-directions, we didn't find the Hotel Solmar, but we did climb a steep switchback dirt road to the very top of the highest hill near Cabo and captured the caida del sol framed by cacti and other desert foliage.

Off the mountain without sliding, we found Romeo y Julietta for yummy pizza and Caesar salad made at our table. Back at the Westin/Club Regina condo (CR) we introduced Deanna to hearts. Kate won, but Deanna was a quick learner.

Speaking of Deanna, she is our one regular sunrise greeter, from the beach below CR. Mary has made some, as have I. Kate? 'Still enjoying no morning classes.

Our condo units are very nice. Lots of tile. Side-by-side studios, one with jacuzzi and king bed, the other with the kitchenette. The non-snorers, Kate and Deanna, have the king bed. One night I slept on the balcony. Nights have been muggier since. It's a bit of a walk to the parking garage, which we usually do. There are carts regularly traversing the hillside, carrying guests to and from the lobby.

CR is perched looking out at the Sea of Cortez. The crashing surf is formidable, even in the sandy areas away from the jagged rocks. Between the Westin and CR there are 7 swimming pools, including a sheet waterfall that is a great neck massager and a volleyball net. We had a somewhat competitive game going yesterday afternoon. I reluctantly quit, even though my team was 0-3, knowing the top of my head was getting lots of sun. Mary has loaned me her "Full City Coffee Roaster, Eugene" (my birthplace) cap, but I need to get a Cabo cap I can take in the water.
Before the pools yesterday we checked out the snorkeling beaches nearby, Deanna and I doing the investigative paddling. Playa Santa Maria was a bit rough. We're more skittish of getting near the rocks after Kate's mishap. The crowd of life preserver-decked tourists off-loaded from boats coming from Cabo didn't get in our way too much. Next we explored Playa Chilena. Visibility not as good as Cabo Pulmo. We left one promising area for a return snorkel by all.
Yesterday afternoon we explored more of San Jose del Cabo, the less touristy city at the northeast end of the Cabo Corridor. 'Had a great Thai dinner at a place run by another ex-pat. 'Too tired for more hearts last night. The sun during the day had taken its toll. 'Made for another full night's sleep (something I rarely get at home).
We're headed next to Playa Medano, the happenin' beach on the edge of Cabo. We may wait a day or two to take the glass-bottomed boat from there to Lover's Beach/Land's End, the very tip of Baja.
Hasta pronto,
John

Early a.m., Monday, 7/4, Cabo, the final chapter

While it’s fresh, here goes.

Picking up from the second entry on Wednesday: we showed up for the CR bar-b-cue Wednesday night. ‘Sat with gorgeous Chris and his brother. Deanna showed potential as a new single by commenting that the male models in the fashion show were way less good looking than Chris. Typical male, he rewarded her by going over to the food line to schmooze with a bikini-clad beauty.

Thursday was fairly laid back. ‘Checked out more potential places to stay Saturday night—Mary and Deanna ticketed to fly home Sunday and CR had not a single unit to let us rent for Saturday night. More volleyball in the pool in the afternoon.

Thursday night we took in a nightspot with free drinks for the gals and a Cuban Salsa band. Danced some. Deanna got a salsa lesson and looked good for most of it (except when she appeared to be reeling out of control).

Friday morning we returned to Chileno Beach to snorkel. ‘Still choppy, with limited visibility and, after Kate’s beating at Cabo Pulmo, we didn’t venture too close to shore. We returned to the CR pools and more pool volleyball in the afternoon.

Having spent less time in San Jose del Cabo, closer to CR than Cabo San Lucas and less touristy, we headed there late Friday afternoon. The estuary used to be a pretty place, lots of birds and flowers, but we were informed a hurricane a couple of years ago did it serious damage. So, with no nature walk to do, we settled for more shopping. I liked the young salesman at the fire opal shop. My bargaining skills aren’t what they were post-Peace Corps, but in those days I was intent on stretching the dollars over months of travel.

Saturday morning we checked out of CR, took our bags to our choice for Saturday night--Cabo Club Hotel and Camping Resort, AKA Hotel 39 (For $39 single), AKA Cabo Bed & Breakfast (The breakfast, turns out, is an extra $7 each). Tucked away down a dirt road not far from Cabo San Lucas, run by a Mexican woman and her ex-Seal Beach partner, whom we dubbed “FranK”, perhaps because he was rather outspoken. He gave us a bit of a discount when I mentioned I was writing to LOTS of friends. I’m suppose to put in a plug with you to stay at his place. The quarters were spacious, although the AC struggled.

As soon as we dropped bags, we were off to Medano Beach, for Kate and Deanna to parasail. They enjoyed it, but were out on the water longer than expected, as several on the boat took a turn in the air. On their return to shore, we re-launched via the glass-bottom boat, to Lover’s Beach and the Arch—Finnistierra, the tip of Baja, where the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific meet. We snorkeled from the beach, took lots of photos. Beautiful, but we all got more sun exposure than we needed.

We took in sunset at Hotel Solmar (“Sunsea”). I expect in the winter the sun sets in the Pacific when viewed from there. This time of year it sets over the hills, but the sky had some pretty clouds.

Mary and I were content to retire early while the youngsters had a last night in Cabo, bar-hopping and catching a cab to the hotel.

As mentioned in the first entry, Kate and I traveled on Alaska guest passes this trip. Sunday morning we struck out on the first two flights heading north. We elected to catch Mary and Deanna’s flight via San Francisco to Portland, with overnight in Portland, as we could stay with Deanna. However, on arrival in SF, we were able to hop a flight that got us home to Sea-Tac at 10 p.m. Nerve-racking, this flying stand-by. Especially when it involves someone else. And, Kate was hit with a bit of Moctezuma’s Revenge this morning. Fortunately, she felt better after getting whatever it was out of her system.

I climbed on the scale on arrival home and was disappointed to see I haven’t lost but a pound or two. Traveling with Lowry/Voss women I eat too well.

Summing up: While the weather was good, not very windy, the snorkeling was not as good as expected, and more dangerous. Club Regina was stunning, built in to the rugged cliffs above the crashing sea. We didn’t do it all, but the four us were very compatible and had a lot of fun.

The stellar digs at CR are made affordable by our exceptional timeshare trading power with Raintree Vacation Club (RVC). I’ve now stayed at CR Cancun and Cabo, as well as the RVC timeshares in Oaxaca and Acapulco. I’ve toured two more, Isla Mujeres and Zihuatanejo. That leaves CR Puerto Vallarta (PV) as the only Mexican RVC destination I have not been to. I’ve already made the annual reservation at Oaxaca for this November, so I’m not sure when I’ll find time to check out PV.

BTW, I have my 2006 RVC exchange calendar and our Whistler timeshares continue to have unbelievable trading power, turning two weeks in to as many as 13 weeks of use each year. I’m sure I’ve bored most of you way too much already. Being another timeshare salesman is NOT my intent! But, if you want to learn how you too can be challenged by so much vacation opportunity to use and share, ask me.

John

Oaxaca 2004

2004-11-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

Subject: John from Oaxaca I: detenido en Puerto Angel, 11/14/04
Greetings from Lupin's tienda. Mid-afternoon Sunday, the sun is still so hot any movement results in profuse sweating (True, I am a sweathog).

'Caught the redeye to Dallas on Tuesday night, joining sister Mary there at 5 a.m. Í need to have a list of what to pack in the future so I don't forget my glucosamine, etc, flashlight, flip-flops, Eng-Spanish dictionary, 2nd bathing suit. But, I got the essentials--ticket, snorkeling gear, one bathing suit. Hopefully I'll find big enough other clothing to buy as needed.
Our Dallas and Mexico City connections were ample, so we didn't have to rush, but we did use up most of Wednesday traveling. After renting a VW bug at the Oaxaca airport, we made our way to a nice B&B for the night, joined at breakfast by Andrea, NPR San Francisco, here for a month to learn Spanish to better report on California.

Trip photo hightlights: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Oaxaca2004

The drive over the Sierra Madre del Sur was slow. Lots of potholes and topes (speedbumps), many unmarked and hard to see ('Sorry Mary), greeted by several trucks and buses rounding corners on our side of the road. We took a sideroad in search of an organic coffee finca. Fortunately we turned back upon being stopped by work on a landslide, or we likely wouldn't have gotten back to the "main" highway before dark.

Casa de Huespedes (guesthouse) Gundy y Tomas in Puerto (Pto) Angel had a room for us, complete with fan, mosquito netting and bath down the hall, considered private because no other guests used it. Gundy (Tomas died some years ago) attracts mostly Europeans, plus expatriate Americanos, some of whom rent by the month elsewhere and spend a good part of their time chatting with Gundy (German) and her guests. All (the cabbie today too) share amazement at our election results.

'Found the volleyball game the first afternoon, but the gals I played with last year have been pushed off the sand by the mas fuerte (stronger) guys. I was a bit of a liability to my team and joined Mary for margaritas after we were forced to the sideline by losing.

Friday we snorkeled a couple of places. The first was punctuated by my dive to get a shell. Flailing to return to the surface, I ran into a sea urchin's spines, 5 embedding in my thumb. Unsure if they might be poisonous, we consulted local fishermen and were told to put vela de cebo (animal fat candle) on the wounds. That was our first visit here to Lupin's tienda. He served as nurse, dripping the hot wax on my thumb. When I winced, he began dripping on his own arm, exclaiming; "¿Que es el problema?!"
We drove to the Estacahuite bluff above 3 pretty beaches for our afternoon snorkel. I wisely stopped before descending a slope so badly eroded we surely would have gotten stuck. I also thought to remove the plastic tag from the keys, thinking it might get water trapped in it. After snorkeling and climbing back to the car, it occurred to me that I should have taken the precaution to remove the plastic security key from the key ring as well--it fits in to a slot on the dash and enables the key. Sure enough--after being immersed for an hour in the ocean, it didn't work and we were unable to start the car. This saga could go on for pages. The short version: 2 days later, our 500 pesos/day (best exchange, 11.3 pesos to the dollar currently) rental bug is still sitting on the bluff. My hikes and cab rides back with the security key, after treatments with hair dryer and the hot Mexican sun all day, plus borrowing a look-alike security key from a local bug owner have had no positive resulto. This morning Mary caught a ride with a young German staying at Gundy`s, to not miss the beginning of our comfy week at Casa San Felipe in Oaxaca and meet our fellow guests found on Lonely Planet´s Thorntree chatroom. I remain in Pto. Angel, waiting for the Mexican equivalent to Fed-Ex to deliver the second set of keys, tomorrow, or Tuesday or...

I caught collectivos (trucks and cabs that fill up) to Mazunte today, snorkeling in search of sea turtles. Mazunte was a harvesting site for turtles until such was outlawed by the government in 1990. No luck finding turtles, but the snorkeling at both ends of the beach was fair. The coral is much less developed here than in the Carribbean, but the schools of fish are indeed awesome.

The sun is dropping. Time for one more trek to the bug, see if another day in the sun for the security key has done the trick, catching the sunset on the way back. Then probably dinner again at El Rincon, perched on the hill above the crashing waves. `Looks expensive, but fresh fish meals are 40-70 pesos (I've been doing the math. Your turn.).

Hasta pronto

SECOND POST, Thursday pm, 11/18
Saludos from Casa San Felipe, a lovely old colonial mansion now 8 comfortable studio timeshare units, 4 blocks from the Zocalo (Central plaza) in Oaxaca. I caught up with Mary here Monday afternoon. Sunday, after leaving the security key in the hot sun for a second day, I trudged out to the rental car once again, expecting the same negative outcome. To my delight, the key worked. I quickly drove in to town, expecting it was a fluke and wouldn't work twice. But, it´s been acting like it´s suppose to ever since. I tried to alert Alamo, the rental agency, that they no longer needed to send the extra set of keys, but didn't reach them, due to helper and/or phone system ineptness. Here in Oaxaca, I agreed to pay for the special delivery to the beach. They asked me to pay another $20 to mail the keys back, but it´s going to work out for Julie and Mark to be my couriers.After several un-named others all bailed on joining us, the second studio here at San Felipe was left open. Lonely Planet, the travel publisher for backpackers, has an online bulletin board by region, Thorntree (recommended before you travel). I put out word of the studio and Julie and Mark replied. They stayed here Sunday through Tuesday nights and became our regular companions, climbing in to the back seat of our VW bug, until we put them on a second class bus yesterday to go trekking in to the highlands NE of here. While I consider myself something of the international adventurer/risk taker, they make my exploits seem tame indeed. Julie is still recovering from wrenching her knee, which may have saved her life, arresting her fall during their ascent of Wuini Wainu (sp?) by moonlight, the last Incan pinnacle stronghold seen in the background of the familiar Machu Pichu panorama. I recall how precarious that climb was during the day.We also made fast friends with Eliana, a Brazilian transplant to Queens. Traveling by herself, she too squeezed in to our back seat. She opens up for the Wall Street Journal. Uncharacteristically she slept in on 9/11/01. Her usual habit was to catch the subway early. Before starting work at the Financial Trade Center, she often browsed in a bookstore under the World Trade Center next door. Late that day, her train was stopped just before the twin towers. She spent the day literally running at times, mostly walking, eventually back up to 42nd Street before finding a working train to take her back to Queens. She was covered in white ash after the collapse of the first tower. On Tuesday, the troop of 5 took in Monte Alban, Zapotec capitol on a mountaintop just outside Oaxaca. We then found our way through traffic-clogged, incessantly toped (speed-bumped) streets to Arrizola, the village where most wood figurines are made, visiting several in-home shops. Wednesday, after sending Mark and Julie off on their trek, Mary and I began serious shopping in Teotitlan del Valle, center of textile weaving. Mary caught sight of a small cemetery, still filled with flowers from the recent Day of the Dead. Mary struck up a conversation with Antonio, an English-speaking Zapotec Indian. He explained that the afternoon was marked by a ceremony for a 12-year-old tragically killed by a drunk's unintended discharge of a gun last week. We were invited to partake of mescal and cerveza, then drive Antonio and other family members to their home, where we were introduced to their looms and weavings. Lacking money (left in the safe back in the hotel) we promised to return today to buy a couple of special rugs, with softer colors made naturally from plants and insects. We proceeded to make multiple purchases from several street vendors in Teotitlan ('Tougher to find gifts for guys). Before driving back in to Oaxaca, we visited a mescal distillery.I turned in the rental car this afternoon. Driving in this city--in reality, most of this country--is maddening. The price of a cab to the airport Saturday will be a fraction of the daily car rental. I have yet to check out several of the handicraft shops here in Oaxaca where I enjoyed bartering last year. Mary still hasn't been to the museum. Saturday morning and the flights home will soon be here.

Oaxaca 2004, the closing chapter, 11/22

It's memories now. And my shopping scores, for Party door prizes. 'Took my army duffel empty. 'Brought it back stuffed, as well as a full cloth bag of many colors purchased in the market. This by a guy whose eyes glaze over just walking in to a department store around here.

On Friday Mary and I were delighted by the organic farmers' market in Oaxaca (For those going there, it's open Fridays and Saturdays, now on Garcia Vigil, a block west and a couple of blocks north of the museum/Iglesia de St. Domingo). A mix of Mexican and gringo vendors, including a guy selling his own chocolate. He left the States in 1969 (read draft dodger) and is happy to stay away. Great products (breads, meats, coffee, homemade jewelry), a brass band, cordial sellers and shoppers. We proceeded to the city food and craft markets, content to barter prices down some, knowing there was still some profit in the "ultimos precios". Many--hand-woven things, bark paintings, etc.--requiring many hours of painstaking labor.

Oaxaca is famous for its cuisine in general and mole in particular, a chocolate-based sauce. We enjoyed several restaurants and risked a few street purchases, like the huge lime-soaked fruit cups. For breakfast, we found a panaderia (bakery) near Casa San Felipe. Big tin platter and tongs in hand, we splurged, snagging several from dozens of baked choices, the tally coming to $2-$3. And, true to form, I returned home 5 pounds lighter, and only a brush with tourista.

Besides Mezcal, we bought a bottle of aged Cuban rum, believing the duty-free sales person's assurance that with a Mexican sales slip there would be no problema with customs. Wrong. Likewise with the Cuban cigars. I considered joking about protocol, if crossing the border the other direction, of slipping them a bill to look the other way. 'Good thing I bit my tongue. 'Paranoid thought that they somehow knew we are Dubya haters. I heard mention of Bush Airport. Aren't you suppose to wait 'til someone dies to immortalize them?!

Mary and I parted in Dallas. Her last leg was to Portland. My 3.5-hour flight to Seattle shortened by the companionship of J Poehlman, a pleasant former Boeing interior decorator turned photographer in his retirement years. He submits his slides to magazines and has had success, including Oregon Coast Magazine. My animated conversation about our Beverly Beach cottage, Whistler and timeshare exchange opportunities was interrupted by the lady in front of us. I expected she was asking for an opportunity to rent from me. In fact, she asked if I could speak softer! 'Didn't dampen my enthusiasm much and she did later turn again and chat with us about her recent traveling in Spain and France.

For next year, I'm already thinking about doing some things differently. When I started planning this trip, I expected to get no further than Mexico City, Distrito Federal (DF) with my American Airlines frequent flyer awards. I was delighted when the American agent informed me an affiliation with Mexicana could get us all the way to Oaxaca at no extra cost. Now, I have figured out it's possible to do an "open jaw" (land one place, leave from another) that will reduce the long trip over the Sierra Made del Sur to one way, rather than round trip: fly from DF to Huatulco, on the coast near Puerto Angel and fly back from Oaxaca. The only thing about this trip that wasn't a "deal" was the car rental, about $45/day for the cheapy bug. Mary and I agreed we could have done without it.

So, it's back to the gray Northwest, to property management* and eventual resumption of tax return preparation. But, getting ready for Lowry Rentals Party III comes first!

John

*I need to find an effective advertising vehicle for Pop's Cottage--the Oregon Coast bluff cottage. With travels this fall, I haven't done a good job of keeping it occupied, in spite of offering short-notice discounts. And, then there's rates to family & friends. Check it out--it's a great winter retreat--www.lowryrentals.com.

China & Tibet 2004

2004-09-08T22:11:00.000-07:00

Sept. 8 - 22, 2004

Subject: John's China-Tibet Journey, Log I
Greeting from the business center at Howard Johnson's 5 Star hotel in Ti'an, gateway to the Terra-Cotta warriors. It's been a packed first 6 days. (I skipped yet another huge family-style meal to send this to you--unlike MY trips, where I lose weight, I'll be lucky to return home with less than an extra 10 lbs!)
A few months ago I met Larry and Maria at a mutual friend's house. They enthusiastically spoke of their upcoming trip to China and Tibet with Madi. Since seeing a photo of Lhasa as a boy I've wanted to visit Tibet. With little hesitation I signed on. As did Lucy. As did neighbor, Dianne. 'Never planned so little for a trip. In part because I've been so slammed by stuff at home, but also because it's a tour--I'm a member of the group. Too much knowledge would make me want to stray ('Been given orders: no "Free Tibet" T shirts, get meds for high altitude, never mind I had no problems high in the Andes more than half a lifetime ago...).
We flew from Sea-Tac last Wednesday, then on to Shanghai, never seeing the sun set but losing a day. 'Not the swarthy city of legend, but a sparkling megalopolis of 16 million, with staggering transformation, night skyline of skyscrapers sprinkled with color.
Temples, museums and shopping--cornerstones of Madi tours (perhaps more on Madi later, an American born "Tibetan physician" with healing skills at age 2). Most of our large group of 40 have some penchant for the supernatural. Nice, interesting people. We got off to a running start at the silk rug factory in Shanghai.
Night 3 in Guilin. While other areas of China probably provide scenery for those paintings of layered hills, Guilin has thousands of steep crags jutting up in to the sky. After frowning on Lucy's interest in a pricey painting at a gallery, I scored several landscapes that night on the street, meeting the alleged art "professor" in person. Day 4 we floated the River Li, photogenic vistas with each bend in the river. Ended up at Yangshou for the night.
Yesterday morning we flew here to Ti'an, birthplace of many Chinese dynasties, along a fertile tributary of the Yellow River. Museum yesterday, jade factory and Terra-Cotta warriors today. 'Time to sneak out to the walled city and see what better deals I can find.
One more day before Tibet...
John

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/ChinaTibetSelect

John's China-Tibet Journey, Log II
Greetings from Lhasa, Tibet. Picking up from my first report, we left Ti'an Thursday morning, flying to Chengdu, China. On the way to the airport Lucy elected to check out my digital camera. She got in to the erase menu. I asked her to stop. She didn't. ALL my photos vanished! While she has her own camera and lots of pictures, all my special compositions are not to be shared. I should get concessions from her for a LONG time.
In Chengdu we visited a Taoist temple and allowed to participate in a ceremony. Most everyone in our group attempted to kneel and stand following the priests' movements. After a couple of ups and downs I decided to do what the visiting Chinese did: stay standing, looking. Except they were bemusedly looking at our group and I was looking at them looking at us. After sharing my observations with a couple of fellow travelers (We have some work to do on synchronized ceremonial kneeling, but for spectator interest we're already there) I realized they didn't appreciate my attempt at humor. Most reported being very moved by the experience. Before departing the temple, Madi took us to a wall with 3 large Chinese raised figures, representing health, wealth and happiness. We were encouraged, from about 30 feet away, to close our eyes, spin 3 times and walk toward the wall, letting our intuitiveness take us to one of the raised figures (there was blank wall between the figures). Lucy succeeded--reached out and touched "wealth". Not having been in the spirit of the ceremony, I hesitated, then tried. Rather than head toward the wall, I meandered off at about a 60 degree angle to the left and would have fallen in to a very large, smoking incense pot if not intercepted.
Friday, after another big breakfast we headed for the airport and the flight to Tibet. (I've climbed on 2 scales in hotel rooms and been amazed that I have not gained weight. Several group members have been fairly ill, mostly stomach stuff. I've felt fine, aside from tired at times. All stops in China were quite humid.) The flight over the Himalayas was splendid. Lots of clouds but also many clearings. Many small, gem-like lakes, some blue, others gray-green. In the valleys there were sparse settlements, some clinging to hillsides.
On arrival at the Lhasa airport it was warm at mid-day, but the air was wonderfully fresh (almost 12,000' elevation). We stopped at a village, handed out trinkets we were encouraged to bring. Very photogenic, friendly people (Lucy's forbidden to touch my camera from now on!). After arriving at the Lhasa Hotel, we proceeded to Larry and Maria's Tibetan marriage, filmed by the local tv station.
Friday, our first full day in Lhasa, we first visited Potala Palace, winter home of the Dalai Lamas. A picture of the huge palace perched on a hillside high above the city is the image I have from childhood that has drawn me to Tibet. At lunch I decided to go find a place to download our pictures to cds, freeing up our digital cards. I intended to catch up with the group at the next destination, a temple, but finding the shop to burn the cds proved more time-consuming that I anticipated. It's not like traveling in Latin America, where, even if I didn't speak Spanish, I could get some idea across. Not many Tibetans understand any English nor my nonverbal cues. But I finally made it to the camera shop, decided it was too late to catch the group in the temple, went back to the lunch site to find no bus. I went in to ask restaurant staff if I could hire a rickshaw to take me back to the hotel. They said no, too far, take a cab or bus. Then a gal volunteered she was getting off in 5 minutes and was going my way. At first I thought she had her own car. In fact, she was taking the bus going by our hotel and told me where to get off.
Consistently pleasant people, including the street vendors. I've been making lots of purchases--singing bowls, pendants, an old lock. Neighboring vendors almost tear me apart after watching me complete a purchase. While I usually barter things down to less than half of asking price, obviously I'm paying enough that others want similar negotiations with me.
Today we visited a monastery high up on a mountain top. Dusty, switchback road. Beautiful day. We were given shawls and allowed to walk between all the rows of about 250 chanting monks in a darkened, rug-walled ceremonial hall. I made eye contact with many monks. They didn't seem all that other-worldly. It was a nice experience.
Tomorrow we visit another monastery and a rug factory. I'm going to have to buy a bag, to put all my "deals" in. The following morning is the long flight to Beijing, where we spend only 2 nights before the really long flight home.

John's China-Tibet Journey, 3rd and final episode
Sunday we visited another monastery, on a hillside near Lhasa. A Buddha statue reportedly answers questions. I woke up that morning with the looming deadline for our 2003 income tax return (extended to October 15) on my mind. So, the question that came to mind: "Will the IRS audit me in the next 5 years?" I got no answer, not even a glimmer. Next we participated in another ceremony with monks. Fewer than the day before, but also an ensemble of horns and percussion. Both chanting and playing was quite pleasant.
Sunday afternoon Lucy and I skipped group activities to return to a Lhasa market. 'Didn't get a prayer rug that the merchant wouldn't part with for what we offered. We did buy some prayer wheels, thangkas (Buddhist paintings) and T-shirts.
Monday morning prior to leaving for the airport I decided I had time to get a haircut. I stepped in to a barber shop in the city, was escorted to a chair, where a gal commenced to shampoo and massage my head. After several minutes of massage, I made a motion with my fingers, beginning to worry she thought I came in only for a scalp massage. After a rinse, I was led to another chair where a guy cut my hair. Initially he was only going to take off a little. I repeatedly gestured for shorter, "like a monk". Shorter I got. While I'm unsure that I saw "beyond the veil" as Madi promised in her promo on the trip, I leave Tibet manifestly changed in outward appearance! When I went to pay, the cashier held up 2 fingers. I disappointedly assumed she wanted 200 yuen, which would be almost $20. Noting my expression, she showed me a 20 yuen bill--with 10 yuen tips to both masseuse and barber, I still spend less than $4.
Much of yesterday was spent at airports and in the air. 'Arrived in Beijing about 10 p.m. 'Put Lucy to bed after a late dinner and went looking for email. This part of Beijing feels very cosmopolitan. The business center at the hotel was closed. When open their rate is 2 yuen/minute. That works out to almost $15/hour! Rip off. I asked at the desk and was told there was an open e cafe about 10 minutes away. Walked about that far, asked, was told the place upstairs was closed. 'Approached by a rickshaw driver--bike with a seat for 2 small people or me. He peddled me about 5 minutes to this place. Rate here: 3 yuen per HOUR! That's 40 times cheaper than the hotel business center. As I climbed in to the rickshaw I asked how much. I thought he said "10". I said: "For 10, okay". About 6 blocks later, he asked for 100 yuen! I said no way, told him we agreed on 10. He refused my 10. I eventually offered 15. He demanded 20. I told him take the 15 or nothing and he took the 15. It was a 20 minute walk back to the hotel. Turn right just past the KFC. So, my 3 yuen hour here at stall 25 in the email cafe packed with about 50 Chinese (either side of me playing video games) really cost me 18 yuen, which would get me 9 minutes at the hotel business center. I'm back again at this email site, for this final chronicle. Both evenings have been fresh, cool, not very humid--nice for walking. 'Feels safe here, although last night I first stopped in at a hotel, thinking it might be the open email site, and the desk guy wasn't friendly--barked in response to my English questioning.
Today was busy. We stopped at a cloisonné workshop and store, then on to the Great Wall. Only 3 of us made it to the top and I was the senior of the group. Now I know why athletes train at high altitudes. I felt strong, although, as always, I worked up a profuse sweat. After lunch it was on to the Forbidden City. The roof lines were impressive, but we didn't have much access to interiors. Next we rode in rickshaws to a teahouse, then on to our final dinner. Our guide got us a special rate on Beijing 2008 (Olympics) hats and T-shirts. We continued to shop on the way back to the hotel and at the hotel, until I scooted off to walk to this email spot.
A little while ago I thought I'd lost this composition. Before I do, I'm going to send it. Hopefully I'll take time after arriving home to reflect on the trip in a summing-up email.
John

China-Tibet Summary

On return to Willamette High School after my NSF summer school at NM Highlands U, the principal asked me what I liked best. Without hesitation, I answered: "The people". This Madi Nolan Pacific Delight Tour group was special. All of us so unique, choosing to come along for our own so right reasons. My exposure to the spiritual openness of the others was too brief to dislodge me from my pragmatic shelf. I did get a kick from finding a "ghost image" in one of my photos (Madi blessed cameras, promising they could expose spirits from other dimensions).

One of the strongest arguments timeshare sellers make: If you don't pamper yourself, buy from us and you'll be sure to treat yourself to the luxury you deserve. I love designing my own vacations. While I enjoy staying in nicer places at times, "5-star" is not in my repertoire. The hotels, their air conditioning and their dining fares were sumptuous. Amazingly, I didn't gain weight, even prior to coming down with this respiratory crud on the flight home.

I could have skipped, besides numerous meals, the lengthy stops at pricey tourist show rooms, leaving more time to barter with street vendors (True, missing some of the high-end museum quality stuff). There were opportunities to meander alone, meet Chinese and Tibetans, but cultural immersion is diminished with such a busy group schedule.

So, does this tour impact my back-burner idea of being a Latin American outside travel agent? Too soon to say. Favorite, familiar haunts do beckon. Considered itineraries: 1) The Ecuadorian Sierra and Upper Amazon; 2) Highland markets of Guatemala, Mayan ruins and Honduran Bay Islands; and 3) Oaxaca's markets, ruins and the Mexican Pacific Coast. Years ago I worked with a social worker turned travel agent. It occurred to me skills for both professions include ability to match clients to fitting opportunities. Then again, caretaking some group members could begin to feel like I never retired from social work! There are so many other parts of the world to experience for the first time. Then again, if enough of you clamor for me to take you to one or all of the above, I will consider it, at an enticing fee…

Meanwhile, enough: I've got to get my income tax done.

John

Cuba & Mexico 2003

2003-11-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

John's First GREETINGS FROM CASA ANTIGUA, CUBAN B&B. THIS KEYBOARD KEEPSGOING TO CAPS ON ME, SO I´M NOT GOING TOFIGHT IT. TUESDAY NIGHT ´GOT NO SLEEP, DIDN´TSTART PACKING ´TIL ABOUTMIDNIGHT. FLIGHT LEFT AT 6 A.M., FORDALLAS, WHERE I MET UPWITH MARY (YOUNGER SISTER--EARLY 50THBDAY TRIP FOR HER). FLIGHT ON TO CANCUN SMOOTH. IN CANCUN AIRPORT MET NATASHA, FROMWHIDBY ISLAND. QUIT HERCURATING JOB AT UW BURKE MUSEUM TORETURN TO CUBA. SHE´SORGANIZED A LEGAL TRIP TO BRING MEDICALSUPPLIES HERE. ´HASA CONNCECTION FOR GETTING APPROVAL--NOBIG DEAL. SO, IF YOUWANT TO COME WITH ME TO CUBA NEXT YEAR,PUT IN YOURRESERVATION NOW. SPACE MAY BE LIMITED! AND, WITHOUT DOUBT, I WANT TO RETURN. OUR FIRST TWO DAYSHAVE BEEN DELIGHTFUL. THURSDAY A.M. WECOT A TAXI TO PLAYASDEL ESTE, THINKING THE BEACH WOULD BE AGOOD PLACE TO NAP. ´DIDN´T GET MUCH SLEEP, BUT WE HAD AGOOD TIME. THE WATERWAS PERFECT, WITH ENOUGH WAVES TO DO AMINI BODY SURF. MARYGOT A MASSAGE. WE HAD OUR FIRSTMOJITAS--RUM WITH LIME,SODA WATER, SUGAR AND MINT. ´BECAME A TEAM WITH CARLOS, OUR TAXIDRIVER. HE DROPPED USBACK AT THE B&B, THEN PICKED US UP ANDTOOK US TO ANINTIMATE DINNER, WHERE 84 Y.O. ANGELASERANADED US. SINCEPROMISING HER THAT WE´LL SEND HER A COPYOF THE PHOTO WETOOK, WE´VE GOTTEN ADDRESSES FROM ABOUTHALF A DOZEN OTHERFRIENDLY CUBAS. AFTER DINNER CARLOS TOOK US IN TOANTIQUA HAVANA, TO FINDSOME LIVE MUSIC, MARY JOINED THE BAND,BANGING RHYTHM ON AHUIDO. LEAD SINGER, DAVID, BEFRIENDEDUS AND THIS EVENINGTOOK US FOR DINNER TO ¨LA MULATA DESABOR¨, WHERE WE HADDELICIOUS CHICKEN AND RICE, SANG SONGSAND DANCED WITH DAVIDAND THE OWNER OF THE LITTLE RESTAURANT,JUSTINA. EARLIIER TODAY WE WALKED AROUND OLDHAVANA, MORE LIVE MUSICDURING LUNCH (WE´VE PURCHASED CDS FROM 3BANDS SO FAR,SIGNATURES ON ALL). WHILE HORACIO ISN´T HERE AT CASA ANTIGUA(SEEWWW.ESCAPEARTIST.COM/EFAM/40/CUBA.HTML)HIS 19 Y.O. BALARINATURNED ACTRISS DAUGHTER, DEANNA, HASTREATED US ADMIRABLY. IT´S A LOVELY OLD COLONIAL HOME. ´TIRED. ´NEED TO GET DEANNA TO TURN OFFTHE COMPUTER, SOI´LL SIGN OFF. TOMORROW WE RENT A CARAND HEAD FORTRINIDAD, ON THE SOUTH SHORE OF THEISLAND,A WORLD HERITAGESITE. ´SORRY. NO SPELL CHECK. IF I FOUND IT,IT WOULD BE FORSPANISH. HASTA PRONTO, JOHN

Cuba photo highlights: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Cuba2003
Cancun highlight pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Cancun2003
Oaxaca pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Oaxaca2003
Pacific Coast pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/PuertoAngelToZihuatanejo2003

Subject:
John's second

Greetings from Trinidad, World Heritage
site, lovely old
colonial city near the central coast of
Cuba. Mary and I
just returned from a snorkeling trial
and 320 degree sunset
(From noon--north--on a clock to 10
p.m.--color almost all
around). Water perfect, techniques
ready for a 10 minute
catamaran ride out to the reef in the
morning.

We're still sticky from our swim, but
when we checked in to
the internet cafe we realized if we go
back and shower first
all machines may be taken and closing
time coming on (close
early Sunday nights).

The capable young Deanna at the B&B in
Havana made a
mistake. She suggested we copy our
passports, leave them
with her to avoid a possible misfortune
traveling. She
referred us to Mercedes here in
Trinidad. But, on
presenting photocopies to Mercedes last
night, she said the
gov't here can take away her casa
particular (B&B) license
for accepting guests w/o actual
passport. After much drama
and phone calls to Deanna, it was
finally arranged to send
the passports today with a bus driver.
It worked, we're
good with Mercedes. Nice house, near
the center of the old
city, great food, pleasant conversation
(lots of laughs--her
response to my efforts last night to
convince her that
passports weren’t needed--she told me not
to get "bravo" with her).

After the great dinner, Mary and I went
looking for Saturday
night action, with her light sticks made
in to bracelets
(neon, shine for a few hours). Did that
ever bring us
action (being norteamericanos already
making us attractive).
After giving most of the light sticks
to kids, Mary gave
one to a dancer she admired, whereupon
we were invited to
join their group--some are professional
dancers. We did
some bar hoping and rum drinking and had
a lively time. We
keep remarking on the physical beauty of
so many Cubans.
Some beg, some hustle ("jiniteros"), but
most are simply
friendly. We just gave a parking
attendant a ride in to
town from the beach (we'll meet up with
him here a little
later, so he can take us to a private
home for $8 lobster
dinners!). He commented that almost all
visitors from the
States are very likeable, more so that
European visitors. I
told him when the blockage ends, U.S.
visitors will be more
like the Europeans. Those of us willing
to run the blockade
or go to the trouble of meeting it's
requirements are "mas
buena gente".

My legal visit next year is taking
shape: I'll gather and
bring bike reflectors. We got in after
dark last night.
Lots of bikes and horse-drawn carts on
the edge of the
narrow, shoulderless road (More than
elsewhere in Latin
America--the embargo has helped make
auto ownership a rare
luxury for Cubans). Very few with
reflectors. So, you can
come with me if you bring your quota of
reflectors. Mary's
bringing medical supplies and vitamins,
so you can meet her
requirements instead.

Time to get cleaned up to go eat
lobster!

Stay tuned...

John

Subject:
Hasta la vista, Cuba

Internet cafe, Cancun. Early morning
flight from Havana.

´Just hit the wrong key and lost a few
paragraphs! Here
goes again.

After last posting in Trinidad, Miguel
took us to a private
home where Mary and I were treated to
the lobster of our
life. Photo proof can be emailed, on
request, after my
return 11/24.

On to the dance performance of some of
our young friends
from the night before. The evening
ended when the disco
scene and yet another request to buy a
beer suddenly took
the pleasure out of it (and led to
analysis at breakfast the
next morning about
¨jiniterismo¨--hustling, Cuban style).
And, then there are the jiniteros in our
lives at home...

´Back to Playa Ancon, accompanied by
Miguel, parking
attendant and lobster meal finder who,
on his day off,
wanted to spend it with us. Snorkeling
was great. The
friendly young skipper jumped in and
showed us some of the
best spots on the reef.

Miguel found a massage for Mary on the
beach. The day was
going great ´til we got back to the
rental car and
discovered we'd lost the only key.
Fruitless search. ´Got
a ride in to town in a 50´s Chevy, had
to push to jump start
it when it died.

Fortunately there is a CubaCar agency in
Trinidad. $15 for
the lost key, $50 for the personal
delivery across the
island (4-5 hours one way), that same
night. ´Last 2 times
I needed a locksmith to get me back in
to my pickup it cost
me $55 and only moments of the
locksmiths´ time. Those of
you who know how I relish making ¨deals¨
can imagine how
ecstatic I was with the outcome of this
misadventure!

Before breakfast Tuesday we made a run
up to the cloud
forest, ´took along Karren, from
Holland, on a 3 week visit
alone to Cuba. She's a mega trekker,
´been many places
around the world.

Then on to Cienfuegos. Javier, part of
the young dance
crowd, had returned there and asked us
to look him up. We
didn't intend to, but he was sitting in
the plaza and
spotted us as we rolled in to town. On
to the photogenic
central plaza, where Juan talked me in
to buying a box of
cigars. We inquired about places to
stay close to
snorkeling and about hot springs. Juan
knew of both and
Javier good-naturedly went along with
Juan's addition to the
magical tour.

On the way out to the hot springs,
beyond the natural water
plant, the sunset was lovely. Árrived
about dark, to a
couple of fountains of about 102 degree
F. Nice.

Before the hot springs we did find a
casa particular at
Playa Luna. Not fancy, but adequate.
We awoke to another
incredible sky, walked the beach for
about an hour, finding
broken coral at water's edge. After
breakfast we returned
to the beach, rented a paddle boat for
$2/hour and made our
way out to the reef for another couple
hours of snorkeling.
For awhile I followed a school of about
150 blue fish, with
a few other coloreds going along ´cause
it was the thing to
do.

We decided to return to Havana, rather
that stretch to
include a quick visit to Viñales,
reportedly featured in the
current National Geographic. We didn't
have Wednesday night
reserved back at Casa Antigua, but knew
they would find us
another casa particular if they were
full, which was the
case. Half a block away is Casa Diana,
an even lovelier old
home, where Antonio (former police stunt
cyclist) and Diana
were charming and attentive.

During our first 3 days in Havana I was
taken by the
paintings of Mary Gil, in an open
market. We returned
Thursday and bought several, vistas of
old crumbling
buildings in Antigua Havana. While
waiting out a rainstorm,
listening to yet another live combo
(Makes about 6 we got
signed CDs from), the weather let up
enough to catch a
bicycle taxi out along the Malicon, to
take photos of the
places Mary Gil paints.

Wednesday evening, while briefly at the
historic Hotel
Nacional for internet access, we saw
billing for a show the
next night (our last) including several
of the aging
maestros featured in Buena Vista Social
Club. Our stay in
Cuba culminated in a photo of Mary and
the energetic Teresa
Garcia Catlura, the grand dame of Cuban
music!

Óff to the airport to pick up Mom and
older sister Donna.
The Westin Club Regina is welcome
luxury. And, can we make
use of the free laundry machines!

Hasta pronto,

John

Subject:
Hasta la vista Cancun (John's 4th)

In an internet cafe on the zocalo
(central plaza in Oaxaca,
southern highlands of Mexico. 'Bid Mom,
Mary and Donna
farewell a few hours ago, in the Cancun
airport. The rest
of my travels will include checking out
other Mexican
timeshare exchanges, here in Oaxaca, as
well as Acapulco and
Zihuatanejo.

Mom and older sister, Donna, joined Mary
and me at the
Westin Club Regina in Cancun a week ago.
Very nice, the 4
of us were quite comfortable. While
warm, we had a breeze
all the time.

The ocean was a couple of minutes from
our room. 'Brilliant
blue water, white sand. Ideal
temperature, significant
breakers. After some misdirections,
'found the barrier
reef. Necessitated walking down the
beach and through Club
Med. The uniform tan sunbathers are out
late morning to
mid-day. Snorkeling was great. Mary
and I both followed a
turtle yesterday.

Spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

Monday, with a weather system hanging
around much of the day
(So far, in Cuba and Cancun, we're seen
some huge downpours,
but they didn't last long), we took the
ferry to Isla
Mujeres, visited Villa Vera, another
timeshare exchange
option. Very nice. When the sheets of
rain fell, we
managed to take cover. Shopped--beaded
bracelets and bags
from Mayan street vendors. My
bargaining edge isn't as
sharp as in years past, when I relished
20 minutes of
bartering to get a better price than
most tourists.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/IslaMujeres

This cafe is about to close, so I´ll
wrap up for now, take
in some of the live music here at the
zocalo. The fresh
mountain air is delightful.

John

Subject:
From Oaxaca (#5)

Fancy this: me, shopping, and having
fun. Embroidered
dresses, blouses, shirts, runners,
baskets, paintings on
bark, turquoise bracelet, a few pottery
pieces--and a bag to
carry all the new stuff.

The timeshare was very nice, smaller
than the place we had
at Cancun, but still about the size of
an average studio
apartment. 'Decided to take in a
countryside market today
and stay a 3rd night. The timeshare
isn't available, so
I've moved to a bunk at a youth hostel,
at about 5% of the
retail price of the timeshare! 'More
opportunity to meet
fellow travelers (already had a nice
chat with Sean, a
young Brit) and better fits my flight
back in to youthful
backpacker.

The Sunday market at Tlacolula did not
disappoint. 'Mixture
of food, crafts and modern stuff. As
is the case
elsewhere, the indigenous vendors did
NOT want their
pictures taken. So, I resorted to shots
from the hip.
'Miss the 35 mm with the telephoto
lens, but not the
bulkiness. And, the bad misses just get
erased from the
digital.

'Dinner at a sidewalk cafe on the
zocalo--menu del dia for
35 pesos (about $3), complete with
stroll by live music,
tips appreciated.

'Have my ticket purchased for a van to
the Pacific Coast at
7 in the morning. 'Will miss the fresh
mountain air and the
colonial architecture. Oaxaca is a
delight.

Later,

John

Subject:
Fun in Acapulco

Greetings from Zihuatanejo ('Haven't
laid eyes on Tim
Robbins or Morgan Freeman yet). I did
follow Elvis' path to
watch the clavadistas in Acapulco (all
these cinematic
references, I must be feeling movie
deprived).

The Oaxaca hostel was pleasant.
'Surprisingly quiet, for 6
guys in 3 bunks.

The 6 hour trip down to Puerto Angel
from Oaxaca was smooth,
if twisty, starting in a 5000' valley,
climbing over the
Sierra Madre del Sur before dropping to
sea level.
'Surprised at stands of long needle pine
that haven't been
cut down, even close to the road.

'Stayed at a small hotel perched on a
hill in Pto. Angel,
catching some breeze (No refreshing
rains here, like we got
daily in Cancun). I live in just swim
trunks here on the
beach. Even a slow walk leaves me
drenched with sweat.

So, head for the water. 'Went
snorkeling on a couple of
beaches, not much coral, but lots of
fish. 'Startled to see
a big manta ray (stealth bomber-looking)
at close range.
Maybe I should read up on fish
temperaments. I am more
confident snorkeling near waves breaking
on rocky shores.

After having no luck finding volleyball
so far, I joined a
lively game at sunset on the beach in
Pto. Angel.

Despite only one night at Pto. Angel
(I've decided to dub
myself "the efficient tourist"), I also
fit in a walk the
length of nude beach Zipolite on Tuesday
morning. Further
refined my ability to shoot pictures
from the hip, the
Indian market technique. But I had a
feeling the buff
bathers took me for the voyeur that I
was.

While I had an empty seat next to me
most of the trip to
Acapulco and the first class bus was air
conditioned, it was
a long trip. Topes--speed bumps--are
incessant on Mexican
highways.

When I arrived at Villa Vera, the
timeshare in Acapulco, at
about 1 a.m., my air conditioned room
was waiting for me.
Quite the resort, including several
pools, a cascading water
fall that does a nice shoulder massage,
and a spa, including
a 15 head shower (now does make me feel
important!).

'Befriended the taxi driver that took me
to watch the cliff
divers. 'Turned out he has a "cousin"
in the jewelry
business. He ended up giving me a tour,
including a vista
of Michael Jackson's and Madonna's
villas in the
"diamantina" neighborhood.

Word is the bay has been cleaned up at
Acapulco. Having
spotted some rocks on my morning beach
walk, I returned with
snorkel and fins in the afternoon.
Visibility wasn't great,
but I saw lots of fish, including
another manta ray, with
bright white spots all over its
back.

November 20: Dia de la Revolucion. Not
the day to drive
through towns along Mexican highways
that don't have back
streets. Our bus was held up a total of
two hours in two
towns this morning while the locals
relished parading down
the highway.

Dining on the beach, in Zihuatanejo, a nice Canadian
couple invited me to
join them. They are going to Oaxaca
soon, so I made them
scan my digital photos and gave them
some leads. I had a
start when suddenly my fanny pack, full
of all the valuable
and invaluable--wallet, airline ticket,
camera--was missing.
'Had somehow flipped it on to the sand
a few feet away.
Phew!

All for now,

John

"Summing up Cuba and Mexico, 11/03"

Home again. 'First pot of Mexican coffee--good. Kilo purchased in Zihua for 60 pesos (Exchange now at about 11 pesos on the dollar--works out to about US $2.45/pound).

Trip up the coast was rather uneventful. After some indecision, I didn't mention the cigars on my customs declaration form. 'Right move. We went through Customs in LA as a drove. So much for Homeland Security (No, let's not go there now).

The Ugly, Bad, and Good ('Saw one new release movie while traveling--Clint's Mystic River. 'Stayed awake).

What I could have done without:

-The feeding frenzy when we gave out baseballs, caps, toys, lotions, etc;
-The pushy, uncharming jiniteros (hustlers);
-The high priced meal in Havana, "all-inclusive", but the unrequested cigar they brought added $7 to the tab, and my stomach was majorly upset the next morning;
-Going the long way to Trinidad, on the direction of the gal we gave a lift to--got her dropped off a lot closer to home;
-Mercedes "cow" because we brought only copies of our passports;
-Searching for the lost car key;
-Saying "good bye" (and "good bye" and "good bye"...) to new found friends;
-Pockets of trash (much more so in Mexico than Cuba);
-The heat and humidity, except Oaxaca (5000' elevation)--profuse sweating, even if walking slowly, in the shade;
-The topes (speed bumps) in Mexico, the hours and delays on bus rides;
-Failing to buy more coffee.

Highlights:

-With increasing "senior moments", I worried I might have lost much of my Spanish; Cubans speak fast; but, in conversing with me, they slowed down and I was quite fluent;
-Engaging Cubans (and, less frequently, Mexicans);
-Meeting fellow travelers;
-Live music, every other street corner and small bar (signed cd's to recollect);
-Original art--steals;
-Cuban cigars to pass out--steals;
-George W and his mafia not catching me;
-Huipilas, dresses, shirts, baskets, ceramic--steals;
-Sunrises, sunsets--day after day;
-The digital camera, capturing so much, including market color/character;
-Snorkeling: Cuba (Playa Ancon, Playa Rancho Luna) and Mexico (Club Med, Akumal, (Puerto Angel, Playa Estacachuite, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo);
-Sun/color, without sunburn;
-Weight loss and less than a full day feeling ill;
-Club Regina hotels and villas: exquisite, friendly staffs, AC, the incredible trading value of our Whistler timeshare weeks (to follow in another email soon, when I have more time--my summary, offer to sublet, invitation to invest yourself...).

Looking at my desk, I'm thinking of going back on the road. 'Didn't make it to Club Regina's Cabo and Puerto Vallarta sites, both splendid. Mary and I are serious about returning to Cuba, taking medical supplies and bike/cart reflectors. We'll want to limit group size. Your early reservation will increase the chances you can come along!

John

New Zealand & Australia 2002

2002-11-04T17:19:00.000-08:00

October 31, 2002

Subject:
Australia and New Zealand notes
Hi all,

It looks like we'll have frequent
internet access on our big trip
starting election day.

To unsubscribe to John's monologues, do
let me know by responding to
this email, and I'll delete you.

Otherwise, first entry will likely be
from Great Barrier Reef country,
if we survive the air travel (Lucy may
kill me: since our frequent
flyer award travel is with American, we
have to fly Seattle-DALLAS-LA,
before the 14.5 hour flight to Sydney.
'Should be enough, ya think?
No, we're going to hang around Sydney
airport for 3 hours and catch a
3 hour flight north to Cairns, where I
have reservations in a youth
hostel.).

Until Queensland,

John

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/NewZealandAustralia2002

11/4/02

Subject:
John's log, #1, Cairns, North Queensland
Travel notes: if flying, hopefully
you'll find those new federal
employees more in stride. We were held
up at SeaTac for fear Lucy had
TNT in her new purse. The 90 minute
line to get through security at
LA Int'l stretched out onto the
sidewalk. I didn't sleep much on the
14 hour flight to Sydney, watched 3
movies on my personal screen in
the headrest in front of me. 'Arrived
not too bushed. Maybe a little
disoriented: I expected my first call
back home to be answered at
Noon. Instead, it was midnight!

Notes on the Great Barrier Reef:
Growing up in Oregon, I had to
eventually compare it to the Maine Coast.
While the lobster was special and
the fishing villages had history, the
coastline couldn't begin to
match Oregon's. So I feel about the
reef here after our exploration
today. The wind didn't help, but the
coral and the fish were less
spectacular than in our hemisphere--West
End Roatan (Honduran Bay
Islands) and Acumal (Yucatan). The crew
and others on the boat were
fun and Cairns (silent "r"--pronounced
like "Canes") is pleasant this
time of year. Friendly locals and
fellow travelers.

So, back to Sydney for a couple on
nights and on to New Zealand.

Later,

John

11/12

Subject:
John from North Island, NZ
Greetings from an internet cafe,
downtown Auckland. 11 p.m. Place is
packed. $1 for the first hour. Such a
deal. I could do without the
young gal next to me smoking, but ya
can't have everything.

'Just came from a delightful dinner with
a transplanted harbor gal
(read: Aberdeen country), now a shrink
here in New Zealand. I was
her sister's social worker a couple of
times. She brought along a
Kiwi friend, distant relative of mine,
last name "Lowry".

We spent the morning walking (ducking
rain showers--much cooler here
than E. Australia; very green, like the
Pacific NW), admiring homes
and parks, checking shops. Lucy's
jazzed--she bought some woollen cut
from the same material used for cloaks
for The Lord of the
Ring--unique gray wool. After lunch we
drove around looking at more
neighborhoods and parks in our rented
Mazda. 'Got one horn blast for
pulling in front of a car, but generally
adjusting to driving on the
left.

Following entry #1 from the Great
Barrier Reef, we spent a couple of
nights in Sydney. Our B&B was across
the harbor from city center, so
we had several ferry rides, landing at
Circular Quay, Opera House on
one side, Harbour Bridge on the other.
'Saw quite a bit of the city
via a bus tour, getting off as the
spirit moved us. 'Took in a ballet
at the opera house. Hemisphere makes no
difference--I sleep through
cultured events anywhere in the world.

In the morning we start our southward NZ
journey.

Later,

John

11/18

(#3 lost, apparently)

Subject:
John downunder #4
Hello from Queenstown, adventure capitol
of the world. 'More scary
things to do here than you can imagine.
I think I read that bungy
jumping originated here. Anyway, it's
big. No, I'm not even tempted.

Since last entry, we spent a morning in
Wellington before catching a
ferry to South Island. Beautiful city.
Lots of water, parks, lovely
homes perched on hills. A place I could
spend time.

'Took a shortcut just off the ferry.
'Cut the distance to 1/3, but
may not have saved much time as the 25
kph (that's 15 mph) curves
along Queen Charlotte Sound were
seemingly unending. You know that tv
commercial--the guy's ready to buy the
fixer house sight unseen
because he can drive up and down the
hill in his sports car? He
should come to NZ. Narrow, curvy roads
all over. Plus one way
bridges. Except for cities, traffic has
been very light.

Next day we caught a boat up the coast
at Abel Tasman Nat'l Park (NZ
has bunches of national parks). Hiked
back about 15 km to the car
('made it!). Rainforest with vistas of
the rugged coastline. Lovely,
but the Olympic National Park and the
Oregon Coast are in some ways
grander.

Last night we were at a youth hostel at
Franz Joseph, at the base of a
Mt. Cook glacier. Weather continues to
be cool (unusual for this time
of year here, but I like the fresh air).
We've had mostly sunny days,
great views of the mountains and the
pretty countryside. We're
holding up well considering my breakneck
schedule of seeing much of
both islands in 11 days. About 500 km.
some days (remember those
curves), but we still get in walks and
other breaks. We'll have less
travel the next two days--we spend
tomorrow night on a boat in
Doubtful Sound.

Later,

John

11/20

Subject:
John, downunder entry 5
Greetings from Dunedin, SE South Island,
New Zealand. A big player in
world economics last century. The hills
above the city are full of
beautiful old Victorian homes. On the
mountain across the bay we
bought woolen pullovers and sheep skins
right from the farm. I
commented to the farmer that NZ
certainly has lots of sheep. He
informed me the current population,
about 40,000,000, is quite a bit
fewer that the 68,000,000 some time ago.

Last night was spend aboard the
Fjordland Navigator, anchored up
Crooked Arm of Doubtful Sound, in
Fjordland National Park. Highlight
of our trip so far. While most of the
time the fjord is rainy and
shrouded in clouds (8 meters of rain a
year--7 times what we expect in
the rainy Pacific Northwest!), we had
spectacular blue skies. Snow
capped peaks around every bend in the
fjord. Fur seals, penguins and
porpoises cooperated by not being
bashful, the porpoises swimming
along with the boat for some time. We
also kayaked, checked out the
waterfalls and rainforest coming down to
water's edge. Staff and
fellow travelers friendly. We've met a
lot of friendly people here.

Picture taking, after a slow start, is
now rapidly using up remaining
space on our digital memory card. 'Did
some deleting earlier this
evening. 'Looking forward to more
versatility in sharing pictures
than the cumbersome slide shows of the
past. Let me know what you
want to see a shot of and I'll email it
to you when I get home.

Tomorrow we're up the coast to
Christchurch, port of departure for
Antarctica. The following afternoon we
fly to Melbourne, catch up
with our son, Nate. The semester
already over, he will just be
returning from Tasmania to greet us.

Hasta luego,

John