Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Life goes on

Leaving your old life behind and going on a new adventure whether you are starting a new job, moving to a new house, or immigrating to a new country; one thing is always the same: You only stay in touch with those who are your "family" despite your and their best intentions. Life goes on for everyone and priorities change. It is no one's fault and we definitely don't take it personally, but it is a fact.

We are now living in our new country and it is not about sitting on the beach drinking beer, despite popular belief. Like anyone living anywhere, daily chores have to be done, cleaning bathrooms, washing floors, doing grocery shopping, fixing cars.

Oh yes, we had to replace the battery on the Ford. That was exciting. As you know, if you read this blog religiously, a few weeks ago, the car didn't want to start and we ended up having to live an extra day at our previous rental... So yesterday we wanted to buy groceries and then again, the car didn't start. Luckily we are not in a rush to go anywhere, so we walked to the store to get the most important food; beer. Herman then YouTubed the heck out of how to remove the battery from a Ford Escape, because it is not under the back seat like an old Beetle or even in the front of the engine, like most normal cars I ever owned. No, it is under the deepest darkest part of the hood and you have to almost pull the engine block to get to it. I obviously exaggerate, but you have to remove the wipers for a start - seriously the wipers. So Herman, being a master at following YouTube instructions, and having packed all his tools, removed the battery in record time and after making detailed sketches of the size, we set out to find an automotive store to buy a new battery. After a roundabout walk, we ended up about 70 meters from our house at a mechanic, where we met a very efficient lady called Mercy. We plodded through with our broken Spanish and her saintlike patience and in exchange for the old battery, she found a brand new one in under an hour for a relatively good price. Crises successfully averted.

Living like nomads for this long, is probably the most difficult part for us this time around and renting a house where we have to "kind of do maintenance" and not really wanting to because it's not supposed to be that kind of rental (usually in vacation rentals the renters don't stay too long, so the management company would do maintenance in between renters, but we are staying for an extended period). We don't have any gardening tools and the owner didn't arrange for a gardening service, so the grass grew really long. We were going to call a gardener, but then Herman and I decided that the back yard is kind of small and it's just mostly weeds, so we would cut it the Mexican way, which is with a machete. So we went to the mother of all markets (Mercado Lucas de Galvez) and bought a grass cutting machete. It works really well. Took us about 45 minutes to do the backyard and we are ready for our Canada Day BBQ!

We wanted to get out of the city and decided to visit the small fishing village of Telchac Puerto. This is the village where we will probably visit the beach once we've moved into our home in Seyé. The drive there is really beautiful along the road next to the Gulf Coast of Mexico, so it was enjoyable. We took the dog along to get her out as well and walked along the pier.

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Car show in Mérida

On Saturday, while browsing the fb posts, I noticed a poster from Mérida Cultura about a fundraiser for the Red Cross Mexico outside the Palacio Municipal. I am super proud to say that I read the poster and understood most of it without the help of Google Translate - woot woot!

So we decided we would go out and have a look. At around 3pm a huge thunderstorm swept through which lasted till almost 5. This did not deter us and we were on our way at 5:30. Right down the road at our intersection we encountered our first really large "dam" so we had to walk a block down the side road to avoid the giant puddle. This was mainly the case at each intersection on our road, which seemed to be low lying, so we turned towards Plaza San Juan to reach a little higher elevation but on our way there, we had to avoid several large inland "lakes". Luckily the drivers were courteous and slowed down not to splash the pedestrians.

After a few blocks we reached the heart of Centro (the historical district) and pedestrian and vehicle traffic intensified dramatically. Mérida Centro is always alive with people and never seems to slow down. Right outside the palace (across from Plaza Grande) the Beetles and a small number of modified saloons were starting to line up. They would then drive from here to Plaza Patio where they awards would be handed out. One of the competitions was for VW Beetles and one for modified sedans. There were a few of the old VW vans (of VW brode as jy Afrikaans is) and one VW beach buggy, but the rest were mostly modified or original Beetles. Of course no Beetle lineup would be complete without Herbie the Love Bug and we were not disappointed. One of the modified Beetles had a sticker on its window: Fuhrer Wagen Club (originally Hitler ordered the build of the people's car in 1934 so that not only the rich would be able to afford a car). Herman and I both drove Beetles when we were really really young. We took a trip down memory lane and talked about how awesome our Beetles could drift LOL.

We were walking around looking at the cars and taking pictures, Herman made a few videos, when we noticed the Mobil Girls. Mobil and Coca Cola were the sponsors of the event. I "convinced" Herman to pose with the lovely ladies, making sure he realized that they were younger or as young as his daughter (snigger) and without barely any struggle on his part, he struck a pose. The smile on his face says it all...

We waited for the procession to start and once they had all left, we walked back to the house. By this time, the roads had cleared of most of the puddles. We had a really nice time, especially since I love car shows!! I edited the videos and pictures we took and combined it in this video:

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Father's Day 2017

This year for father's day we decided to go visit the Mérida Zoo. Since it was walking distance from our house, we didn't need to worry about parking either. We were here four years ago when we visited Mérida with Dominique and we really enjoyed the zoo.

It is in a park in the city centre and entrance is free. The park features many small rides for kids with play and water parks and lots of stands selling toys, food and snacks and of course the zoo. It is a family friendly environment.

We arrived at 9am and it just opened, so it was perfect timing. Lots of people were already there trying to avoid the mid-day heat, but I expect it will be much busier later today. We had a cold drink after the long walk from home and started our walk through the zoo.

I usually don't like seeing animals in cages and prefer them being in the wild in their natural environment, however I did enjoy being able to get this close to so many animals. The families who were there all seemed to be having fun.

I made a video of the pictures and videos I took and you can view it below.

To all the father's out there - Happy Father's Day!


Peke de diaz en el parque

So that was my attempt at writing my blog's title in Spanish. I think it's awesome! It means dog day in the park. "peke" is Mayan for dog and is one of the Mayan words used here mingled with Spanish which makes the Yucatecan Spanish unique. I love learning to speak Spanish. It is more exciting than moving here (kind of).

Yesterday we decided to attend a public event where federal congressman Liborio Vidal gave several local non-profit organizations donations for their good work. Our favourite dog rescue initiative here in Mérida, Evolucion AC, received an amazing $43,000 pesos. The event organizers asked people to register on facebook for a prize during the event, where they and their dog could receive a prize of dog food. There were lots of people and dogs. There was also a competition for best breed and the Afghan stole the show.

It was fun to be out and about at a local event, however, my Spanish is not good enough yet to fully converse with the vet that provided free examinations of your peke. We did understand that Xena was fine, but had a little bit of a stomach ache because she ate too much.

Today we are planning to visit the Mérida Zoo. We were there last when Dominique was with us in Mexico, and had a lovely time despite the fact that the crocodiles hissed at us - and no one else. We are going to confirm if it was because of us or just Dominique's presence. HeeHee

There are so many exciting things going on and we have something to attend at least every week. We found out that our closing date has been postponed for two months, but at least we have our current rental for that period, so no worries there. We are becoming tranquila for sure - even I am relaxed.
Evolucion staff receiving their cheque.

Parque del Aleman (German) in Itzimna, Mérida. The stage where all the winners received their prizes.

One of the stalls with some pet owner goodies.

Evolucion's stall.

Herman and Xena.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

The mother of all markets

If you know me, then you know I love farmers' markets for the fresh local produce. I don't like the flee markets that seem to attach themselves to these markets, but I endure them and sometimes I enjoy just sauntering through and seeing all the weird stuff people sell. Most of all I love the activity, the selection of vegetables and fruit, the colours and the interaction with regular people who still work the land. I prefer buying vegetables to fruit and love to cook them and spend time creating dishes that we enjoy. It gives me a chance to be creative while Herman gets to eat low salt food. Having an appreciative audience is also awesome - thank you Herman!

We have been to Mérida several times but have never visited this amazing market. On Monday, and again today, we decided to explore and visit the mother of all farmers' markets: Mercado Lucas de Galvez. It was established in 1884 and consisted of three stands. In 1909 it was reconstructed and in 1949 it moved to its current location in Mérida, just blocks away from Gran Plaza.

The market has everything from small chicks and rabbits, fresh fish, meat and poultry, candy, cakes, bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, coffee shops, cake decorating stores, livestock feed, dog food, clothes, shoes, wonderful stands with lots and lots of spices from all over (finally I found them!), and everything else you can think of.

We spent two mornings there and still haven't seen even half of this amazing market

Herman was in charge of the camera today, so he made an awesome video, which is hosted on our YouTube channel and below are some of the pictures he took on our way there and at the market.

San Juan park near our house. This park is a couple of blocks from the Ado bus depot where a lot of tourists arrive from Cancun.

San Juan park with a new fountain.
San Juan park - early morning activity where students sit around surfing the internet. All parks in Mérida have free WiFi access.

Food vendors serving breakfast outside the San Juan cathedral.

San Juan cathedral.

Magazine and newspaper vendor outside the church.

Streetview outside Mercado Lucas de Galvez


The market covers several blocks in the city.


Shoe repair shop - vintage machine.

One of the vendors at the market.


One of the loading areas outside the market. All along the outside there are also café's where you can sit down to eat.



Market vendors.


Vendors.

More vendors.

A street outside the market on the way to Gran Plaza.

Another local park right outside the market.

A walkway closed to traffic for pedestrian use. There are many shops in downtown Mérida where even I am tempted to shop. 

Denise at Gran Plaza.

Herman at Gran Plaza.



Clothes and shoes and books and stuff! 

One of the miscellaneous isles at the market.

Beans, dog food, flowers, toys. You name it, they have it.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Third month...third house

Nomads

After two months in Mexico, we are still nomads. Our new home is waiting for us and we are waiting for it. Since the closing date is a constant moving target, we decided to rent our next house for three months rather than switching again sooner. However, it is soon summer holidays and lots of rental homes are booked for short periods over July and August. We finally found a house in Centro that we could afford and allows pets...

Parrots and owls

We have seen parrots and a baby owl right in Mérida and life is a constant learning curve. Our Spanish is still silliness, but so much better than it was when we first arrived. Xena has become such an amazingly well behaved dog. Overall life is good, quiet and intense at the same time.

Car trouble

So on Tuesday we packed the car - experts at tetras for sure. The tree is now a foot tall (above the container it was planted in) and the two hammocks and a few groceries were added to the load. So our skills at packing are challenged, but in the end it was a perfect job. So we went for a nap and waited for the time to leave. We hopped in the overheated car and were ready to set off. But the car would not start! Unbelievable, but true. I thought it was the battery, but Herman thought if we have the tow the car we should unpack it. So we unpacked it again.

I called Ford in Mérida, but the receptionist just hung up on me and my broken Spanish. We called Ford roadside assistance, but of course the North American number is actually only a Canadian number. We called the dealer in Kitchener and played some musical phones until we were told to disconnect the battery to reset the car which was probably immobilized for some alien reason. Glad we had unpacked the car because the tools were in the middle of the load. We then disconnected the battery, but still no luck. We sent texts to our agent that we will be late.

Kindness of strangers

The police then stopped on our street and Herman walked over to ask for advice. Next thing you know he is spreadeagled and the cuffs are coming out. No just kidding! He helped jump start the car and it started! Happy dance.

So now we text our agent again, saying that we can be on our way in thirty minutes. We speed-pack the tetras load. Remember it is still 38 degrees Celsius, so sweat is literally dripping off us. When we finally get a call from our agent, it is to tell us that they couldn't wait any longer and we would only be able to check in on Wednesday. WTF!!!

Kindness of strangers part two

Luckily the owner of our current rental, Leslie, was amazing and agreed to let us stay another night at no extra charge. We were sooooo happy about that! I did not look forward to a sex motel again! Of course now the car was packed and under no circumstances was I going to unpack everything again. So we had to chill till the next day. I walked to the store got a couple of beers, some cheese, ham and buns and we were set for dinner.

House number three

On Wednesday around 4pm we finally arrived at the new rental in Mérida. The add said it had a pool, a garage, a  microwave, a toaster oven, towels, and dogs (would be considered). We paid a lot extra for the dog.  No garage, pool is empty, no microwave or toaster oven that I could find, no towels. Of course most rentals have only a double bed - not queen or king size - which is quite different in this heat, so our hammocks are going to come in handy again to stay cool. We were told after we paid the deposit, but before we signed the lease, that we have to fill the pool and pay for the water, but there is no hose and no pool tools on site.We are not sure yet if we are going to have the pool filled and maintained at our cost, but we are considering it.

I really appreciate that the couch in the house was covered with linens for our dog, because usually I cover the furniture anyway, just because Xena is a princess and does sit on furniture and now runs straight inside from outside too! 

The house is lovely in all other ways and the backyard was a godsend. I can manage with the two-burner stove for two or three months. I am "the best" after all. The area that we are in is also great and close to downtown Mérida (Centro) so we can go to Noche Blanca (white night) on Saturday and will definitely go shopping and walking around in areas that we spent a lot of time with when we were here with the kids before.

Late last night we went to buy groceries and enjoyed some furniture moving until 11pm so that we could hang the hammocks in the only place where the Canadian owner have not removed the hammock hooks. Eh!?


Life is Good!

Anyway, it is Mexico, and sunny and beautiful and we are listening to our neighbours' lovely Zumba-esque music this morning. I have WiFi again - life is complete.

Dog in backyard.
Princess Xena in the backyard, ready to attack another lizard.

Backyard
View from backyard towards house.

Two chairs and table in entrance hall.
Entrance hall of house.

Dining table and couch
Dining room and living room.


Dog perched on couch.
Princess Xena on her perch protecting us from "The Attack of the Mayan Lizards".