Dentist, starting to pack

Our last week, winding up and winding down?

Monday morning Gillian was off to the dentist for a crown. She had the preparatory work done and the temporary crown and was booked in for Friday for the final work. Today was also Laundry Day. Even the dogs' beds and blankets got washed–a big tip for the staff at the laundromat who had to clean the dog hair out afterwards!

Tuesday morning we got up early to say goodbye to a couple of our neighbours who were moving north. At about 7:30 the power went out! Oh well, wouldn’t need that until 11:00 or 12:00 when we would start thinking about the air conditioner. After they had gone Art went to dump the black and gray water tanks and to fill the fresh water tank, which was completely empty. No water at the hose. The gravity feed tank was obviously empty, the two rigs that had left had filled that morning and when the power went out the gravity tank couldn’t re-fill. Darn! Now Art couldn’t wash the breakfast dishes!

There is frequently no municipal water flowing in Playa La Ropa during the day–it doesn’t get past the hotels on the hill. Also when the water supply is low Capaz (the local water and sewer authority) will shut off water to various areas of the municipality for several hours, sometimes for up to a day. Every home and business here has holding tanks or cisterns that fill overnight and are drawn from during the day. This is pretty well the standard in many if not most places in Mexico. When we were in Cuernavaca about 15 years ago while going to language school, the home we stayed in only had water from the street 2 hours a day.

When the power came back on the rest of the morning was taken up with internet; now that the 36 footer along side was gone we had wireless in the rig again! E-mails, Skype calls, blog, etc. Gillian emptied the fridge into cooler bags, the freezer items going in the restaurant freezer while our fridge defrosted. Amazing how quickly that goes when it’s 31 degrees C! (88 deg F.) A late lunch in the restaurant was a fine way to avoid the heat of the day.

Mid afternoon we started packing up the outside stuff; first to go was the “carport”. It was covered with dust, probably impregnated with salt. Using as little water as possible it was soon washed, rinsed, dried in the sun, dismantled and packed away. A quick rinse of the rear of the motorhome and the rear slide topper completed the days chores.

We didn’t want to do any more washing until we checked with Mundi, the RV Park owner as to the state of the water supply. He arrived later in the day and looked into the water tanks–almost empty. He advised us that there had been no water flow last night. If the tanks fill overnight then we will be good to go for washing the roof in the morning. Window screens and ground mat are scheduled for Thursday.

End of the day was to BBQ a steak. The BBQ will be scrubbed and put away tomorrow. Sorry, forgot to take a pic! New York steak, peppers and onions done in foil on the grill, baked potatoes, and a wonderful bottle of wine. For the oenophiles, EQUUA Cosecha 2007 80% Grenache 20% Petite Syrah aged in oak. A very robust wine with a huge nose. A bit of a sharp after taste–Gillian says pepper and chile! Figures, for a Mexican wine. (Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California) Worked great with the steak. Quite pricy though–about $30.00.
Next morning the water tanks were almost full, so Art got the go ahead to wash the roof. An amazing amount of dirt up there after 3 months. It sure dries fast at 31 degrees C!

Later Art was stiff and sore so he went for a massage. There is a walled but basically vacant property almost next door that last year opened for massage for a while, setting up a couple of massage tables on the sandy ground in the shade of the overhanging trees and screened with bed linens. This year the place was cleaned up a bit and the exterior of the wall painted. David, the property owner, does fishing charters and stores his boat here. He also provided horseback rides from another location. Since they are here all day he brought in a little grill, a cooler, some tables and chairs and a hammock. Being a good Mexican businessman and realising that his location was on the Andador (pedestrian street) to the beach, he also began selling Mexican snacks, soft drinks and beer. Horseback rides, Fishing and dive charters, Lunch, and Massage–All at one handy location!

We suspect that one of the masseuses has been trained as a Massage Therapist and she has taught massage techniques to her cousins! Their massage skills vary quite a bit–luck of the draw! This time Art got Mayabel, the professional, and returned feeling much better and ready for a nap!