Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Too much time on my hands
I’m sitting here looking out the front window as I write this. We have some neighbors in front of us who drive a 40’ motorhome with 3 slides. They have both a TV and Internet Satellite dish on top of it. And a nice little tow car. So why do I mention this. Well I just watched them set up two tables and six buckets on the tables. They added water to the buckets and are now washing their clothes by hand and hanging them on a line to dry – including bedding. I guess he washes his clothes and she hers as they both use three buckets. The heavy clothes they wring out together, other wise they each take care of their own. There are washers and dryers here in the campground, in fact they are oversized, clean and nice BUT it costs 60 Pesos a load (that is to wash and dry a load). To each their own I guess, but seems like a lot for work for less than five bucks. I know mind my own business – they probably think we’re weird for paying for something we could do in our spare time.
Oh Willie, Poor Willie
We’ve had a monkey wrench thrown in our plans – hopefully not a great big one. Took a ride yesterday to the beach area south of the city. Guess Willie, the Jeep, did not like being on the sand. As we got back on the road and were heading home I noticed Bill paying a lot of attention to the sound of the engine. Then he shifted and accelerated and slowed down and shifted again. Hum??? Asked him what was wrong. He said that Willie had “lost 3rd gear.” Well maybe we better go back to the beach and find it! No, I didn’t really say that. Actually Willie was running fine, no noises or anything he just wouldn’t go into 3rd. We discussed this for a while. He can still be towed and driven but… So this morning Bill is at an automatic transmission mechanics to see what can be done and when.
The mechanic is the neighbor of the night watchman here at the campground. Bill talks to him a lot and when the guy told Bill that his feet were hurting him but that asprin, which made his feet feel better, hurt his stomach Bill recommended Tylenol – the guy had never heard of it so we bought him a bottle at Wal*Mart and gave it to him. You’d have thought that Bill was his savior after that. So this a.m. he took Bill to his neighbors to see what can be done. If that doesn’t work there is a Jeep dealer and garage here in town. So now it’s just wait and see for me.
The mechanic is the neighbor of the night watchman here at the campground. Bill talks to him a lot and when the guy told Bill that his feet were hurting him but that asprin, which made his feet feel better, hurt his stomach Bill recommended Tylenol – the guy had never heard of it so we bought him a bottle at Wal*Mart and gave it to him. You’d have thought that Bill was his savior after that. So this a.m. he took Bill to his neighbors to see what can be done. If that doesn’t work there is a Jeep dealer and garage here in town. So now it’s just wait and see for me.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday night entertainment in the Plaza Machado
It’s starting to feel like we live here. People know us and we have made new friends. But yesterday we did something a little different. We drove up the Malecón and took pictures of all the monuments on it. There are quite a few. Also just snapped a couple of the beach and the little palapa restaurants on it. It is 10 kilometers long and has many very different areas to it: very sophisticated discos, Valentino’s, high rise condos, old and new hotels, casinos, many restaurants to even a couple naughty adult only places. Bill wants to do a whole blog section on just the Malecón area. So I won’t dwell on it.
The last night we went back to the Plaza Machado to listen to music, have a knosh (melted cheese with a toppings, sausage, corn, pepper and mushrooms – not mixed each in its own area. Ate it with tortilla [Bill] and tortilla chips [me] and a drink. Yes I had a margarita – just a little one and just one.
The music is great and it’s fun to watch the people get up and dance to the music. Two of the couples that were there last week were there again and both dance really well. One of them is older – probably nearer our age and they are dressed pretty debonair. He wears a white straw Panama hat, Guayabera of different colors, black slacks and black shoes. She has worn loose legged lounging type pants and nice blouses. They move with the grace of Fred and Ginger. However, when he walks he walks with a very pronounced limp. From time to time depending on the songs others joined in. The lady with the hula hoop was back again – don’t think I mentioned her last time. She is a gringo, probably in her late 50s early 60s. She comes alone with her hula hoop that matches what she is wearing. The first time we saw here she had on a black top and a gold lamé skirt. As the music starts she moves to the center of the dancing area puts her hoop over her head and starts moving to the music all the while keeping the hoop moving with her. She is pretty darn good with it. Can move it from her feet to her head with her body only. Everyone seems to know her. Last night she was dressed in purple and black and so was her hoop. But she just walked through on her way to somewhere else I guess. And then there is the lady, she reminds me of someone who should be teaching Romance Literature in college, she is probably 60 something. She is always alone but seems to know everyone too. When the song speaks to her she gets up and dances by herself. She has the most delightful smile on her face as she sways to the music. Makes one wonder what she is remembering – who or what she is thinking of. Maybe there is no mystery and she just likes to dance.
Then last night we had some extra entertainment. (Did not bring my camera) A young man with a baseball cap, tan golf shirt, tan chinos and brown boots came by the tables. He stopped in the middle of the dance area and took off his cap, balanced it on his nose by the bill and swayed to the music. Hum?? Then he took one of the plastic roses in cellophane that the little girls sell and balanced it on his nose. Then a fork from one of the tables. Then one of wooden chairs – on his nose!!!! He went down on his knees then did a back bend clear to the cobblestone – with the chair on his nose! Very slowly he got back to his feet. THEN he went to an empty table and began removing the candle, napkins and table clothes from it. By now the waiters were edging towards him and watching him pretty close, wondering what on earth he was going to do. Well he picked the wooden table up and set it on his nose and swayed to the music. Everyone’s mouths were open watching. He finally stopped moving, reached up and removed the table from his nose, put it back in its place and started resetting it. The waiters snapped out of their daze and helped him. The audience burst into applause. All this time the guy never said a word, just smiled and passed his hat. Everyone contributed.
We found out later he works for the circus that is in town. So two Sunday nights in a row we saw a great free show. Could learn to really like this lifestyle.
As we were going home about 10:00 p.m. past the Malecón it was still packed with families eating and enjoying the evening.
The last night we went back to the Plaza Machado to listen to music, have a knosh (melted cheese with a toppings, sausage, corn, pepper and mushrooms – not mixed each in its own area. Ate it with tortilla [Bill] and tortilla chips [me] and a drink. Yes I had a margarita – just a little one and just one.
The music is great and it’s fun to watch the people get up and dance to the music. Two of the couples that were there last week were there again and both dance really well. One of them is older – probably nearer our age and they are dressed pretty debonair. He wears a white straw Panama hat, Guayabera of different colors, black slacks and black shoes. She has worn loose legged lounging type pants and nice blouses. They move with the grace of Fred and Ginger. However, when he walks he walks with a very pronounced limp. From time to time depending on the songs others joined in. The lady with the hula hoop was back again – don’t think I mentioned her last time. She is a gringo, probably in her late 50s early 60s. She comes alone with her hula hoop that matches what she is wearing. The first time we saw here she had on a black top and a gold lamé skirt. As the music starts she moves to the center of the dancing area puts her hoop over her head and starts moving to the music all the while keeping the hoop moving with her. She is pretty darn good with it. Can move it from her feet to her head with her body only. Everyone seems to know her. Last night she was dressed in purple and black and so was her hoop. But she just walked through on her way to somewhere else I guess. And then there is the lady, she reminds me of someone who should be teaching Romance Literature in college, she is probably 60 something. She is always alone but seems to know everyone too. When the song speaks to her she gets up and dances by herself. She has the most delightful smile on her face as she sways to the music. Makes one wonder what she is remembering – who or what she is thinking of. Maybe there is no mystery and she just likes to dance.
Then last night we had some extra entertainment. (Did not bring my camera) A young man with a baseball cap, tan golf shirt, tan chinos and brown boots came by the tables. He stopped in the middle of the dance area and took off his cap, balanced it on his nose by the bill and swayed to the music. Hum?? Then he took one of the plastic roses in cellophane that the little girls sell and balanced it on his nose. Then a fork from one of the tables. Then one of wooden chairs – on his nose!!!! He went down on his knees then did a back bend clear to the cobblestone – with the chair on his nose! Very slowly he got back to his feet. THEN he went to an empty table and began removing the candle, napkins and table clothes from it. By now the waiters were edging towards him and watching him pretty close, wondering what on earth he was going to do. Well he picked the wooden table up and set it on his nose and swayed to the music. Everyone’s mouths were open watching. He finally stopped moving, reached up and removed the table from his nose, put it back in its place and started resetting it. The waiters snapped out of their daze and helped him. The audience burst into applause. All this time the guy never said a word, just smiled and passed his hat. Everyone contributed.
We found out later he works for the circus that is in town. So two Sunday nights in a row we saw a great free show. Could learn to really like this lifestyle.
As we were going home about 10:00 p.m. past the Malecón it was still packed with families eating and enjoying the evening.
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