More Pictures from our Boat Trip

I thought I would just add these extra pictures that I obtained from David's camera - he is a much better photographer than me!

The 3ft turtle that Malcolm did not see..

... not really obvious, eh?



Finally.... a Great Day for the Boat

Boxing Day was pretty much a non-event here; everyone was back to work as normal and the weather had picked up.  David & Milka, friends of ours from the UK, had arrived late afternoon on Christmas Day and we managed to catch up with them by around 6pm.  David likes to scuba dive and he wasted no time with two dives on Boxing Day and another two yesterday.  Milka & I hung out on the beach and around the pool while he was out on Monday and yesterday the water was calm so we decided we should get out on the boat while the conditions were so good.  Milka is a land-lover so it was just the three of us - we took a trip along the coast just south of us and then headed north past Paamul to the bay where Malcolm had his turtle encounter in February.  It was a little busy with other snorkel trips but literally within minutes of Malcolm & David getting into the water, David was swimming with a turtle (Malcolm missed it altogether - we are not entirely sure what he was looking at).

Captain Malc and 1st mate David

    

Feliz Navidad

For today's photo I wanted to try and capture the spirit of Christmas and the festive season in the Caribe...

This is a line of dark beer that is produced just for the festive season each year (and hence the '2011' label around the neck).  It is very good, not quite as dark as the Negra Modelo that we usually have stocked in the fridge, but definitely a wise choice.

We ate our Christmas dinner last night at a local restaurant at the marina; it is partly owned by an American and therefore they always host both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners each year.  We had freshly baked bread, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing/dressing, carrots, beans and gravy plus a side dish of cranberry sauce and yams.  The main meal was 'all you can eat' although the serving on the plate was more than enough for each of us and then we had the choice of anything on the dessert menu - I had cranberry cheesecake and Malcolm had chocolate fudge cake with ice cream.  A great deal for 200 pesos (~$16).

An excellent Christmas dinner!

We got home around 9pm and called in to the building next door - there are some Canadians who live there - Cheryl & Kevin - and it was Kevin's birthday yesterday so we stopped by for a drink.  Kevin works for the Fairmont group of hotels and they have lived here full-time for the last two years.  Cheryl's brother and a friend have been visiting from New Brunswick for the past week so we had some good conversation with all of them.

I had to go out for a good walk this morning as I was still feeling full from last night!

Feliz Navidad to all our family and friends wherever in the world you may be.

El Senor Meade 2 - El Senor Cucaracha 0

For those of you who have read out blog from last February, you may recall the clash between Malcolm and El Senor Cucaracha that Malcolm won with the assistance of a can of Raid.

In this episode of Friday Night Fight Club I am pleased to advise that Malcolm went fist to fist, or rather foot to body in his latest attempt to control the cucaracha kingdom.  I heard a loud noise coming from the laundry room upstairs and then with a big grin on his face when he appeared at the bottom of the stairs I can tell you that he emerged triumphant!! 

R.I.P. El Senor Cucaracha



Weather Woes

This week we have been hampered by the weather to a certain extent.  Our painting efforts on the roof turned out well with good coverage so we had just a small amount to finish up on Tuesday.  It then started to rain so we decided to take a trip into Cancun to go to the Home Depot. 

 It takes us about 75 minutes to drive into Cancun so we don't normally go unless we have something specific to buy and it usually includes a trip to Home Depot and Costco as they are not available in Playa.  As it turned out, we managed to obtain almost everything on our list in Home Depot.  The Durango was completely full after loading a patio table and four chairs plus two sunloungers (plus miscellaneous but much smaller items). 

Today started out nice so we thought that we should put the (no-name) boat into the water and spend the afternoon exploring.  On the note of the boat's name, I have to say a big gracias to everyone who submitted suggestions - just over 20 in total.  I am leaving the final decision to Malcolm.

Unfortunately, by the time we headed we out the sea was quite choppy with some big swells almost as soon as we left the marina and we ended up returning shortly thereafter.  It is now moored in the marina rather than hauling it back out on the trailer so we will see if the conditions improve over the next few days.  It is difficult to tell if the seas are 'normal' for the area or just being affected by the winter weather. 

The temperatures have actually been good - this week the overnight lows have been around 25C and highs during the day around 28-29C - our challenges have been more with the heavy rain showers and the high winds which come and go at all sorts of times during the day.  Damn these winter months!!

Seven Steps to Simple Jacuzzi Removal

We have a jacuzzi tub on our roof top that was installed by the builder (selling feature??) but not required by us.  As we are about to repaint the roof top area, we thought it was the right time to dispose of the tub accordingly.  Just in case anyone has the same dilemma in the future, here are the appropriate steps:

1.  Enlist the help of Carmelino (building maintenance guy, no ingles spoken) and his son, Fredi (limited English ability) - approximately 10 minutes Mexican time.
2.  Watch as Carmelino's eyes light up when it is agreed (via sign language) that he is welcome to take the tub for his own use.  Fredi advises us that his young children will like it.
3.  Decide on a strategy - the roof top is 4 floors up and the general agreement (lots of sign language) is to lower it over the side of the building as opposed to taking it down the stairs.
4.  Find a rope long enough for the task a.k.a. the garden hose.
5.  Secure the tub with a few good 'half hitch' knots.
6.  With two men lifting the tub over the wall, make sure the third holds onto the 'rope' real tight; lower over the side of the building and hope like hell that nothing falls too quickly (or off completely).
7.  Breathe a sign of relief in both English and Spanish.  Gracias amigos!!

Fredi managed to explain that Carmelino likes working with Malcolm because "it's always fun".

Once all the excitement was over we got down to work and painted the roof top area. In what appears to be a typical day, it started to rain part the way through (remember the litter boxes?..now I'm running downstairs real quick...) but everything looks fine in spite of that short interruption.  Unfortunately, we ran out of paint after the first coat and will now have to wait until Monday before the store opens again.  Manana... 

Marina Walk

Curious to find out how mum and newborn were doing, we took a walk around the marina today.  We are glad to report that things in the dolphin nursery are going well, although the third expectant mother is still hanging in there.  I did shoot a quick video to show both swimming around however it was (and still is as I write this) quite blustery today and hence the background noise on the video.
  The baby is about 16 hours old  at the time of the video.

It was feeding time at the manatee enclosure with lettuce on the menu, which I believe is pretty much the same day in day out (makes my meal planning look really exciting....).

Walking back we came across a fishing boat that had just returned from this morning's excursion.  The fish that you see in the picture was being filleted dockside; the fillet from only one side of the fish weighed in at 4kg. 

As a side note, my bruised ego from the bike 'spill' is still hurting although I think it's on the mend.  As I am still struggling to sit down comfortably, needless to say going out on the bike has been out of the question....

New Addition to the Family

No need to panic - this is not an addition to the Meade family but rather the Puerto Aventuras family.  We had a dolphin born at the facility here within the last 90 minutes of writing this.  We spent some time watching the mum teach the newborn how to swim and breathe which is quite unbelievable literally within minutes of being born.  Another baby was born yesterday and there is a third expectant mother who could possibly give birth tomorrow.  There are three nursery areas set up with extra lighting and the Dolphin Discovery program staff are watching 24/7, recording each time that the babies come up for air.  I will watch local announcements to see if any photos are available.

La Pesca Restaurante

It was lunch time when we had completed everything on our list.  We had picked up some items at the Mega grocery store and directly across the road was a restaurant that we had both been talking about trying for the past couple of years.  It is a fish restaurant (do you think the name might have given it away?) and bearing in mind that neither of us are big fish eaters, we decided it was time to try something different.  The owner greeted us and recommended snapper caught fresh this morning.  He showed it to us whole and advised that the fish would be enough for us to share, served with rice and steamed vegetables.  We chose garlic and chilis for the seasoning - not overly spicy but  very tasty.

Ours was the one in the middle

...cooked fresh in a kitchen before our eyes

Delicious!!

We were so glad that we were talked into this - it was quite a mild taste and the spices were perfect.  We will definitely return.



Official Retirees

This morning we headed back into Playa to continue our visa process.  We had appointments already arranged which meant we were called on time.  After handing over some scary looking photos and having to give fingerprints the old-fashioned way with ink, we were finally sent on our way with an FM3 each, meaning we are now living as retirees in Mexico and can stay here until November 30 2012 when it has to be renewed again.  Not that I'm suggesting we'll be here for that length of time...

It took a while to get this ink off our hands!

The 'official' announcement we had picked up the FM3s.

While we were in Playa we had some other items to purchase.  On the way to find various stores I could not help but take this picture of some young guy pulling his hand-made furniture along a busy road:

No complaints about our truck ever again!!

 

Psycho Cyclist

Not the words that I would have used but it was mi esposo's description of my abilities (or lack thereof) after spending the afternoon out with me cycling around PA.  Things weren't going too bad until we went "off road" to check out a small Mayan archeological site and cenote... my Bacini Bike with no gears did not appreciate the bumpy road or the small hill that I tried to navigate and I ended up firmly on the ground on my back side. I feel just fine until I try to sit down.... I think I will ache even more tomorrow as I was out cycling this morning as well (not sure my body is going to appreciate my enthusiasm for some fresh air and exercise).

Luckily for my pride, I did not have a camera with me, however I would like to return to the site as the ruins are very picturesque being next to the water.

I think we'll make tomorrow a day of rest!

HMCS No Name

On Sunday we decided it was time for the inaugural boat launch; the boat ramp is only about 50 yards from our condo so quite convenient.  We had to register at the marina office first, including registration documents, insurance etc. but had to leave the name of the boat blank as we have not got that far yet.  "Every boat has to have a name" we were advised but had to settle for 'red bayliner' until we think of something more permanent.  Any suggestions gratefully received.

We only ventured out for an hour or so - just around the marina which has a couple of different arms - to enable Malcolm to become comfortable with the way it handled as this was the first time that we have had it in the water.  There are numerous reefs close to the shore along this coastline so we are hoping to go into Cancun tomorrow to buy a map showing their location.

Today (Tuesday) we completed some 'chores'.  We headed into Playa del Carmen and to the immigration office to continue the process for our retirement visas (which we started in Calgary).  Although we don't need permission to stay for 3 months as a regular tourist visa allows for a 6-month stay, we do need the retirement visa to keep the vehicle here indefinitely.  Without it, we would have to return the vehicle back over the border within 6 months i.e. the vehicle can stay for as long as your retirement visa is valid.  We have an appointment to go back next Monday to complete the third stage and the final stage will be receipt of the actual visa itself.  We had to start today's process within 30 days of arriving and with the Christmas holiday coming up, there will no doubt be some processing delays (in addition to the usual manana type of delays).

I also paid our 2012 property taxes today - a grand total of 1,590MXN (~$127CAD) - less than what we pay for one month for our Calgary property.  The amount includes a 15% discount that is given to anyone who pays before December 20 each year.  Bonus!

Mexican Cat Care 101

For the sake of our sanity and our marriage I flew with our two cats Pebbles (diabetic and disabled) and Wilma (healthy but has 2.75 legs) on December 1. There is only one animal per passenger allowed in the cabin of the aircraft so Wilma travelled with me and Pebbles had to go into the hold. A few tips I gathered on the journey:

DO fly WestJet (sorry Judy/Lyle): they were absolutely fantastic with both animals from the service at Calgary airport, pre-boarding and extra time allowed to get settled to receiving a formal receipt advising that Pebbles was safely on board.

DO try to grow at least one extra pair of hands before you leave: I had to remove both Pebbles and her bedding from her crate for security search/x-ray purposes. The lady who had checked me in was doing the best she could to assist me but was highly allergic to cats so had to get the help of another WestJet associate to become my second set of hands. Once we got over that hurdle I then had to remove Wilma from her carry-bag so that the bag could go through security (along with the rest of my hand luggage) and her and I could walk through the security scanner. At this point I no longer have my new best friend from WestJet but luckily the guy at security was very obliging in helping me get her back in the bag. I had visions of me chasing a 2.75-legged cat around the departure lounge....

DO make sure that your Calgary vet signs the health certificate in INK as opposed to a stamped signature: this will ensure that you don't spend an extra hour at Cancun airport waiting for a vet to come from Cancun who then just peers into the cages and agrees that they are healthy (duh!). Once again, those extra pair of hands would come in real 'handy' when you are trying to juggle a suitcase, backpack (with 2 laptops) and two separate cat containers after having to give up the airport cart but not quite outside the terminal where your husband is waiting.

DON'T assume that all cans of tuna are created equal: Pebbles spent the first day growling at the tuna that we tried to feed her.  Obviously the taste was not to her approval although we have no idea why not. A diabetic cat not eating poses a further problem that I won't go into but things are looking up a couple of days later (and with the benefit of canned cat food instead of tuna).

DON'T leave a litter box containing clumping cat litter on the balcony when there is even a remote possibility of rain. Clumping takes on a whole new meaning real quick. Aargh!!!

DO be patient: I think you'll agree that things are looking a little more relaxed now...

The Journey Begins.....

In memory of our beloved Dino who passed away a week before Malcolm's departure....

As most of you are aware, we are spending this winter 'practising' for early retirement by spending three months at our condo in Puerto Aventuras, approximately 50 minutes south of Cancun airport.  Malcolm's journey began November 20 when he set off driving a newly-acquired Dodge Durango and towing a 18.5ft Bayliner boat to our final destination.  It was a cold (-19C) Sunday morning albeit bright and sunny and the beginning of a 7-day journey.  Luckily, it could only be described as relatively uneventful if not boring in many places; paying with MasterCard and debit card proved challenging in some areas and he was stopped by the policia about a dozen times but soon got used to the routine for both.

 6,576 kms later he arrived safely in PA.