We quickly found a space where we would A) fit and B) the roof top automatic StarChoice dish could see the satellite. Believe me if we had arrived later in the season both of these requirements could have been a problem. We like this park for 2 reasons; the trees and its location. We dislike this park for one main reason: the trees make receiving a satellite signal a real challenge!
There was only one other rig in the park: Katheryn, whom we had met in Alamos, had beat us there! She was building a house in Yalapa, a village down the coast accessible by boat only. She came to PV once a week on Wednesdays, but had to stay the night as the last boat was at 5:00 PM Small World. We meet someone for the first and we think the last time and keep running into them.
Tuesday morning we started classes; 3 hours a day, three days a week, three weeks. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Art also signed up for (surprise!) conversation class, Tuesdays and Fridays, 4 to 6.
It was great to see Melchor and Marta again, and we soon fell into the regimen of study. We were pleased to find that things were coming back to us fairly quickly. Level 3 is certainly much easier than level 2 (Even the text book warned us about level 2.) What we really need now is the opportunity to use our Spanish on a daily basis.
A few days later Art went to wash the dishes and there was no water from the hot water taps! Any of them. Checking the tank proved it to be hot. The pressure relief valve when pressed spit out a bit of hot water. Removing the plug proved that it was full of hot water. Using the bypass valve allowed cold water to flow through the hot taps, as it should. The only possible thing that could cause this would be a stuck or blocked check valve. Changing this however will not be an easy job--it appears that the hot water tank will have to be removed, the propane and water lines disconnected. Since the water line fittings are not available in Mexico and the fact that the work is beyond Art physically, we are living with cold showers until the first RV repair shop in the USA!
One Sunday we were invited to an afternoon at Melchor and Martas home, where Marta had prepared her famous tamales. To tell the truth, we were a little apprehensive, having had mostly unappetizing tamales in the past. What a surprise--they were delicious! We ate more than we should have, then had to try some spaghetti with some of Melchor's special bolognese sauce YUM! Stuffed!
The party was held on the roof top, beautifully done up. Melchor built his house himself, with some help from his father and brother. I wish we had pictures of their house but we had forgotten the camera. Again.
Towards the end of class today Art's cell phone buzzed. Since we were expecting a call from friends from home so he stepped outside. The phone said that there were two messages. On checking for them he some how managed to delete both with out seeing who they were from! Back to class.
Later that afternoon we went looking for our friends and found them poolside at their hotel. Twenty or so years ago, during our first trip to Mexico, we had also run into these same friends down here and gone out for dinner with them. We thought we should repeat the experience, so we decided go out somewhere that night.
We remembered
a place place on Badillo in Old Town that had always been good, having been there several times over the years, and a few years ago we had gone there with our friends and teachers Melchor and Marta and their two kids. But we couldn't remember its name in order to tell our friends where to meet us! Art pulled out his cell phone and called Melchor—he remembered the name—Casa de Olla—so we set up a meet for 8:00PMBy the time we had done our grocery shopping, walked and fed the dogs and had our (cold) showers we were running a few minutes late, so the decision to be made was which way to go; straight through town and along the Malacon, or around, via the two tunnels on the bypass route? “We” decided to take the direct route. Within a few blocks of passing the bypass turn, traffic became very heavy and slow on both of the main lanes, though the left lane (ours) seemed to be making a bit more progress. The two laterals were also very busy, and we began to wonder what would happen when the laterals ended in a kilometre or so and that traffic would have to merge with the main lanes. To be truthful, there wasn't a lot of speculation here—we knew things would get ugly.
Shortly we began to notice that many then most of the vehicles in the right lane were Volkswagens of all shapes and sizes. After the two laterals had merged ,with a surprising lack of blaring horns (just as well—ours had failed on our way back from the grocery store) pretty much all of the right lane was taken with VWs though there was a group of motorcycles in there too. A shortened VW beetle (back seat removed and body re-done was followed by a stretch beetle limo! There was a pink shortened beetle convertible named “Barbie” carried on a trailer.
As we approached the Malacon—still several kilometers to go, the police were diverting all traffic—except the VW's!--to the left then right down a single lane cobbled street parallel to our previous route.. Art quickly realised that though this street would merge again with the Malacon street it too was plugged solid with traffic! So there was nothing for it bit to turn left here and head north, back the few kilometres to the bypass route.
We covered in a few minutes what had taken about 20 going south! On the tunnel route the traffic was extremely light and 10 minutes later we pulled up in front of Cafe Olla. No parking in sight so Gillian go out in search of our friends and Art went looking for a spot to park. At the end of the block ahead he noticed a car pulling away from the road side—but the car in front of him took that space—surprise! there was room for two so Art was soon sitting in the restaurant ordering his margarita!We had a good meal and a great time visiting and chatting, and made plans to go out again on Tuesday, this time to Ernesto's, near our RV, and famous for their ribs.
Thursday was our friends' wedding anniversaries and they invited us to their suite for dinner. Wednesday night Art woke up feeling ill, this time worse than previous times. Still no actual vomiting, but he really didn't feel well at all. The long standing “tummy bug” problem seemed to have returned with a vengence.
In the morning Art managed a cup of tea then went back to bed as Gillian went off the class. There was no way Art was going anywhere except to bed, where he spent most of the day. That evening Gillian went off to our friends and an hour or two later Art began to feel a little better—better enough at least that he was thinking again and realised that he probably had a fever. Yup—103 deg F. Hate to thing what it had been earlier. Art's GP in Victoria had given him a prescription for Tamiflu and instructions to take it at the first sign of flue—fever, muscle ache etc. So he started the 2 a day for the next 5 days. Don't know it it made any difference, but his fever came down quite a bit the next day, and bit by bit everyday after that.
Monday he went off to see a doctor at the nearby clinic. There was a GP/Internist available who gave him a thorough examination and history, finding his temperature still a bit elevated, but not a concern. He was not convinced that Art had had the flu, but told him to finish the Tamiflu. He also gave him a note for Cipro, a broad-spectrum antibiotic (available over the counter in Mexico. We don't like the general wide spread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, as that is one of the reasons so many bacteria are developing resistance to antibiotics, but in this case there didn't seem to be any reasonable option. He also had Art get two weeks supply of acidophilus tablets. Cost of the doctors visit: just over $40.00 Canadian.
As the week progressed Art began to feel better, but unfortunately not well enough to return to the classes. Our grammar classed were about done any way, but he missed the last two conversation classes. The good news is that he had lost 3 kilos and now has to wear a belt!
The park managers have had a man at work cutting coconuts this week to reduce the risk of a large coconut falling on a rig, or worse, someones head. He will often open one for a drink for himself or the local police who use the RV park as a rest area, often eating lunch here.
One of Trekkers
favorite past times is shredding coconuts, then working away at the fresh coconut meat inside. All he needs is a start--a coconut that someone has cut a hole in one end to get at the nectar then tossed aside. He soon has the nut scraped clean. He has had lots to choose from this week!
There still are not many rigs here--one family from France who landed their French RV in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and are on their way to Patagonia! Their kids and our dogs delighted in each others company. No language barrier here!
The night before we left Art felt well enough to go out to dinner with our friends Melchor and Marta and their son Alex. Daughter Yesi is away in Morelia going to university. Melchor is our first Spanish teacher--we met him and his girl friend Marta, during our very first trip to Mexico some 20 years ago.
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