Monday, 19 March 2018: Guanajuato

Today was a red letter day for the Miller family.  Why you ask?  Keep reading. 

What kind of tree is that?

  

We left Guanajuato behind us by 7 am as the city was just beginning to awaken. There was enough light to see and enjoy the sites as we were heading north.   We drove through a part of town we hand the seen previously — no tunnels today.  All the stone must have ensured that the first settlers had no shortage of building supplies.  

We stopped for breakfast at a roadside cart.  We both had guisados — a tortilla filled with bean and fried then split and topped with a variety of delicious fillings.  Justin had pork with onions, beans and a red sauce he described as “muy sabor y no caliente” (very flavorful but not hot).  Mine had eggs with potatoes and ham with pico. We also had a huge glass of tangerine juice, a large bottle of water for the road and a sticky bun for later. Justin had a second course for the road of a tortilla filled with eggs, potatoes, ham and beans. I figured that if we ate street food like this on our way south we’d get sick as dogs but on our way north, we are accustomed to the flora and fauna of Mexico. All together our breakfast cost 90 MXP. About $4.50

As we got a bit closer to the border I started looking for vets.  When you cross the border, pets are supposed to have a healthy vet check going both ways.  We’ve never been asked for our paperwork but we continue to make sure we are in compliance.  We picked a name out of the hat and called to make an appointment with Dr. Malacara just north of Monterrey.  I was driving and missed my turn and ended up right in the middle of Monterrey — exactly what we were trying to avoid.  When we finally got to the vet, it was a hoot.  He never even touched our dog!  And, I typed up the papers, Justin proofread them, the vet signed.  That was the division of duties there.  We paid our $50 and moved on.  But this was our #3 reason for a red letter day.

 

Somewhere in the middle of the afternoon I received an email that our property managers in Georgetown had signed a new lease on our house in Georgetown!  Yea!  The house is rented!  #2 reason our red letter day.

The biggest success of the day was that we received notification the Bijan received our deposit!!!  This was our #1 reason to have a red letter day.  And, red letter days mean that it can be a red wine day too.  We bought tamales from a food stall on the way to our hotel.  Tamales go quite well with Italian red wine.  

Sunday, 18 March 2018: Guanajuato

Called Expedia and started my war with them. I explained my plight from yesterday and they were willing to offer me $50. Then the poor guy couldn’t process it. When the supervisor came on the line and I explained that I had just waited another 45 minutes, he offered $100. And here I was trying to be all calm and professional throughout this knowing that I too am in the hotel business! I will need to consolidate my Expedia account with Justin’s but that must wait for another day. 

Snuck Gemma downstairs out of our hotel room where she was not allowed and went to lunch on the square.

Guanajuato is nestled in a valley making for narrow twisty, winding roads.  Much of the city’s roadways are comprised of underground road system which also means lots of stairs go along with many winding narrow streets.   Last year when Cousin Mike drove here from San Miguel de Allende, he got overwhelmed and intimidated

and didn’t even get out of the car.  One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Guanajuato was to go to the mummy museum. When I did a bit of research I learned that there was a funicular that went up to a grand stone monument, Pipila, dedicated to the workers in the silver mines who were instrumental in the 1810 revolution.  

An old car from the mines now

serves as a planter

Like SanMiguel de Allende, Guanajuato is a colonial town.  There are not as many Americans or expats in general in Guanajuato as there are in San Miguel de Allende (which was recently named "Best city in the world " by Travel and Leisure), and even though the city is a bit larger, we really liked the feel of the town.  We do need to make sure we don’t plan our visit next year on a weekend.  

Today, knowing that we’d spend the better part of the next two days in the car, I decided I just wanted to roam and putz.  We had planned to go to the mummy museum until we realized that 1) we are going to be in the car all day again for the next two days and 2) this is our last shopping day in Mexico! I am really done. I really don’t want to go to any more markets or try any more exotic food. I really am ready to be on our way. However, I did take time for some retail therapy and another margarita. 

Saturday, 17 March 2018: Puebla

Justin was awake early so we were on the road at just after 5am bound for Guanajuato. Heading west, sunrise over the mountains in the rear-view window was spectacular.  As we pulled into town about 1pm, there were guys out in the street waving you down to share tourist info. While this might sound like a great service, in actuality it was a nuisance. We didn’t know who they were are what they wanted. The first one had on a uniform of sorts so we pulled over. I partially rolled down the window to hear the explanation/offer of assistance. My Spanish is poor but it was good enough to know that the answer here was NO. 

When we finally got to our hotel, we found that there had been a gigantic screw up with Expedia and the hotel was fully booked. I was on the phone with Expedia in a heartbeat; they called the hotel back to confirm that there was no room and then asked me to hold while they connected me with the “relocation team.” Did you even know that Expedia had a relocation team? After waiting 40 minutes a supervisor came in the line to tell me she was passing me to the relocation team. Uh oh! I told her that I wasn’t sure what she had been doing but during the last 40 minutes I had made reservations at another hotel and I sure hoped that the new hotel would have room for us. Yes, I need to talk to them some more but I needed a drink first. And oh yes I will fill out a survey.  

After we got checked into the Hotel Reforma, a funky little hotel near the centro, we headed for a beverage. We ended up in the square at an outdoor restaurant and while our happy hour turned into dinner, we found ourselves in the middle of Mariachi turf wars. Two groups were vying for the glory in our restaurant. One was more traditional and quite good. The second group worked too hard and their amp (yes, one of the guitar players had an amp) was right by our table. Parts were awful. Justin even put plugs in his ears. It was embarrassing even if it was warranted. 

These two performers were quite good. 

She nailed a Beatles piece with her

raw, raspy Janice Joplin voice.

Don Quixote is a big deal here

We were tempted to crash the wedding

View from our hotel window

Friday, 16 March 2018: Puebla

Yes, we decided to stay one more day. 

I've never been this caught up on our blog before. Until just a few days ago I thought Mary was the only person on the planet who even read the blog. Then, when Justin was talking to his niece, Lindi,  she too made a comment about our blog. Wow!  And, our new friend Carole from Celestun, Toronto, Manchester also asked for the link.  Does this mean we have a following? Long ago I decided the blog was basically a diary for Justin and me; for later when we can't remember. Ok, that is now. Already I am going back from time to time to see about when we were where or what we thought about something. Guess that's enough to keep me going. 

Apparently sending money from our bank in Green Bay to Bijan's bank in Berlin requires close to congressional approval. (Ah, for the good ol' days when we were in Germany... Justin or I would get a speeding ticket and I could just go on line, because my bank was set up for German bill pay, and poof, those euros would disappear and we would head back for the autobahn.) We sent the money four days ago. We extended in Puebla to make sure this gets settled. We wrote to Bijan offering to return to Merida to give the lawyer a check. Bijan has checked with his bank who tells him it could be up to seven more days and for us to go on with our travels. We just want this to be done! We will not take on a new mortgage for the purchase if Casa Maria. We will pull money out of the money market (adding to our diversified portfolio, right?) We sure don't want to pull the balance of the cost out of its position where it is working for us a bit before we know the deal is solid. Argh!

We are becoming best friends with the folks in the wire transfer department at our bank. At the end of their work day Kathy told us that the wire was at Western Union but it had not yet been processed. She told us she’d refund the transaction fee, $150. Well that nice but I’d rather have had the funds transferred. 

Thursday, 15 March 2018: Puebla

Bijan still hasn't confirmed that the wire transfer has been completed. Justin and I are pretty darned interested in having this transaction complete. We wait.  

We talked to Steven Marcoe this morning to make a plan to meet him in Rockport or somewhere to help get the Mainecat 41 to the east coast or at least on its way. Figuring out the logistics are like trying to heard cats. There are just too many options. For us, for right now, we need to determine our route and our timeline to get to Rockport and then back to Brussels. How much time do we spend in Texas? Do we go to Austin at all? Too many questions.  

We headed into to old center of town early afternoon. I had downloaded a walking tour and we were going to start at La Catederal de Puebla. I programmed the GPS and Justin drove while I navigated. That division of duties usually works quite well for us. We've adopted some very traditional roles in our relationship and sone others that are less traditional. I think it is safe to say that we typically share driving on long hauls but Justin drives more in new towns. Today, on the way to the cathedral, we got distracted by plumbing supplies and solar water heaters and kitchen outfitting supplies. Justin was all about the solar water heating systems. We have a start with regard to solar at Casa Maria but it isn't adequate. We will need to have that in place along with new fixtures through all bathrooms and kitchens. Since we are talking about six showers, eight toilets and 13 sinks... that's a lot of fixtures. I was particularly fascinated in the kitchen appliances. I read an article a few days ago where Ina Garten suggested that you buy professional kitchen cookware since it can take hard use rather than spend exorbitant sums on cookware. Well? Can I extend that to appliances? We looked at refrigerators, freezers, ranges and stoves today. I know I won't be able to remodel the kitchen next year but look out the following year. Justin says we also need a dishwasher and I am pushing for an ice maker too. Do we need a wine cooler? Oh yeah

We did finally make it to the zocolo but we're starving. I had done some research on restaurants in Puebla and when I saw "Sabor a Puebla" we headed that way. We had a fabulous mid afternoon lunch that ended up as dinner too. The guac was great and our main dish was a creation that had everything you'd ever want to wrap in a homemade tortilla - three kinds of meat (arrichara, cochinita, and chorizo), avocado, nopales (cactus), grilled green onions, frijoles, cilantro, salsa and fried pork skins. Oh my goodness!!! After our feast we needed to walk. I'd lost interest in most of the walking tour so we headed for a retail experience. We were not even off of the main square when we were distracted by a concert in the park. We settled into chairs and then thoroughly enjoyed a few numbers. We meandered around the centro just taking in the retail sights. 

Helado was in store at the end of our day. Justin had a rich, dark chocolate cone while I had a flavor called "romantica", rich chocolate with raspberry and a chocolate covered rice crisp. Since we both had a single, we shared a scoop of "vino tinto con fruitas rojas" sorbet (red wine with red fruits). What s perfect ending to s perfect day!

Café Colibri?  Is that the kitchen at Casa Maria

where the cats get to eat the hummingbirds?

Helado was in store at the end of our day. Justin had a rich, dark chocolate cone while I had a flavor called "romantica", rich chocolate with raspberry and a chocolate covered rice crisp. Since we both had a single, we shared a scoop of "vino tinto con fruitas rojas" sorbet (red wine with red fruits). What s perfect ending to s perfect day!

Wednesday, 14 March 2018: Puebla

"Jordie Nelson got cut." "WHAT!...WHAT!"

Justin reads to me most mornings. Sometimes he reads from "What we are reading" put out by The New York Times. He regularly reads "Five Things" compiled by CNN. Not surprisingly he keeps up with, and shares, information from Packer Nation and this was how I woke up this morning. With free agency open and in preparing for the draft, General Manager of only three months Brian Gutekunst, certainly is making his mark early. I am not on Team Gutekunst today. 

We woke up leisurely this morning without dogs barking and without roosters crowing. I can't say I missed those morning sounds of CasaMaria and Celestun. We ventured out to explore Puebla and look at furniture. I realized later that we'd actually said, with a straight face, to one salesman "We bought a hotel in the Yucatán." We bought a hotel! So now we are looking primarily for furniture for the common areas around the courtyard and lobby as well as furnishings for what will be our "owners quarters." We don't think we want a private dining room in there per se. Perhaps an area with a high top for four? to go along with couches and chairs with seating for at least six? Who knows?  

We stopped at one furniture place that ended up being closed but the barbacoa restaurant next door was open. Great selection on the buffet to go along with 25 different kinds of meats. Not exactly a light lunch!  

I like the town of Puebla. It is large enough to have everything you need. There are great restaurants and awesome cultural sights. The city has an interesting historical story and many of the buildings are several hundred years old. I don't however like the driving here. Exits are not conveniently located and lord help you if you miss that exit. You have to drive almost to the border or back to Celestun to correct your error. Anyway, we decided to stay one more day in Villas Magnolias to explore more tomorrow. 

The live edge on this table caught my eye

Tuesday, 13 March 2018: Villahermosa

We snuck Gemma into the hotel Fairfield Suites and Inn last night. I had forgotten they charged 400 pesos for being "pet friendly." I'm not going to pay $20 for her to sleep.

There was quite a nice selection at breakfast this morning. A few Mexican dishes as well as fruit, yogurt, waffles and thankfully, plenty of coffee. They even had green tea for Justin. He's become quite the affectionado. 

I was ready to leave Villahermosa. We'd stayed at this hotel before and it is a good location since it is about 8 hours out of Celestun. Unfortunately we haven't found anything charming about the city. 

I'd been thinking about buying pineapple on the side of the road. We stopped early in the afternoon for this delicious snack. When I asked the lady, in my very best Spanish, if the pineapple was sweet , she offered me a sample. So after paying about $1.30 I got back in the car with a bit over a quart of ripe, delicious, juicy, sweet pina. 

After we checked into Villas Magnolias Hotel in Puebla we were ready for a walk. We ducked in and out of a ritzy neighborhood avoiding the major thoroughfare and ended up at a little pizza place. The food was mediocre but the wine list was impressive. I noticed that the wine I wanted was about $8.00.  A glass?  When I looked closer, I realized it was for the entire bottle.  We shared a bottle of Montepulciano d' Abruzzo and bought two more home! I don't think I've ever bought three bottles of wine in a restaurant along with dinner for two. 

Monday, 12 March 2018: Celestun and the Yucatan

the pine is about as tall as Justin and about as

big around as his little finger.  We wait ... 

We got everything tucked away and the sheets in the washer before Justin planted the pine tree and marked the location for three more that Abraham will buy and later. 

Justin gives Jonathan

parting support

We dropped the keys to Dan's house off with Winkis and said goodbye to Peter and we were on our way. We left 5000 pesos with Peter. He estimates that he spends approximately $7-800 a month to keep Casa Maria running. That includes Abraham's salary, utilities, care of the animals, etc. Five thousand pesos barely makes a dent in that but it gets us started. We need to open an HBSC bank account for the corporation. Since that is the only ATM in Celestun, we don't need to set ourselves up for additional fees for Peter to conduct our banking. 

 

Our odometer read 6008 miles when we left Celestun. 

During our 8 hour drive to Villahermosa, we left the coast and turned inland. No more beach views for a while. After checking in to our hotel, we were ready to explore the historic centro in town and didn't find it. Did we miss it? Where is it? We ended up at "Gourmet MX". Our appetizer of stuffed plantains was magnificent. Justin had high hopes for pulpo en su tinta but the dish fell short as it had more potatoes than octopus. My Mexican style beouf bourguigon was tasty but just a bit weird.  

I saw a Kumon school on our way to diner.  Am I still in Mexico?

Back in our hotel we watched a bit of American tv, something we hadn't done in months!