February 10 and 11, 2008

these two pics are of cactus plants
fungus - it was covered with flies
Allan on the hanging bridge
a pretty white flower

Allan in the house they used to boil down sapp to make gum
this is similar to the Mayan house - sleeping area

this is similar to the Mayan kitchen
this is the outside of the sleep house and kitchen
a pretty red flower

the exhabition area in the park

Feb 9, 2008 - is it day 6???

This is the Police Station on the main corner as you come into town - haven't had the need to go there yet - hopefully we will be able to pass it by.

The locals say this condo looks like it belongs in a Star Wars movie - not Peurto Morelos!

Juicy Rosies Juice Bar - She makes really good smoothies

This little gaffer has taken up residence at our door step - Much quicker that Toads (ha, ha, ha, to Bill and Shirley!)

Here we are as happy as larks!

De Peurto Morelos en una tarde caliente ¡La cerveza es buena y fría!

The days are going by rather quickly – I don’t know why. We have been going for morning walks at about 6:00 am as the sun comes up; we get back to our room between 7 and 8 and then have our morning coffee with Baileys. Later we go swimming, come back and change cloths then find a nice restaurant to have lunch (there are 27 restaurants in town), go to the money machine, do grocery shopping which always consists of one of our main staples - cerveza, come back to our room and read, nap etc. It is the etcetera that is most interesting! Later in the day we go out for dinner. The food here is rally good, at any restaurant we have stopped at the beer is cold and the food in awesome.

It is a neat town in that many restaurants which are open during the day are not open at night and visa versa. The town looks totally different at night as compared to the day time. Even some of the tourist shops are like the restaurants – open in day or evening.

Saturday and Sunday are quiet days here; apparently these are the main days in which people come in on vacation and leave for home or other locations. It is a day of rest for Mexican families - there are people all over the place,the beach is lined with tents, sun umbrellas, small picnic tables and lots of families - grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads and lots of little ones. Everyone is having a great time.

We have met some very nice tourist – some recently retired like ourselves and others here with families. We met a Canadian yesterday that is retired form the Bank of Montreal – he was an auditor and knows several of the bank managers on the Island and he had done much of his work in this area.

Best to all,

Anne

Just some pics of interest

notice the colour of buildings

Secondary School children on their way home from school

- black pant and white shirts are the uniform colour

An artist and Juicey Rosey's looking at his work

Fishermen coming in with their catch - fish for sale at price of $4.00 US per kilogram

February 8, 2008

Blogging de Puerto hermoso Morelos

Days 4 and 5


We had a little rain this morning which lasted about a ½ hour and then it cleared. The rest of the day has been very humid and hot with lots of sunshine. Just awesome!

Tonight we attended the Meet and Greet which Frank (who is in charge of the forum at vivapuertomorelos.com) at Cantina Habanero at 05:00 so those members of his forum who are in Puerto Morelos can meet him and anyone else attending who is a forum member. Last night there were 4 people there, it was a nice time. Just drinks, appetizers and saying Hola for a couple of hours then we each went our separate ways. We had dinner at the New England Pub, I had Pineapple Chicken which was served in ½ of a pineapple – it was soooo good! Obviously I am not doing much to look after my weight. The food and cerveza is jus too good to pass up.

They have just recently built an El Cids Resort just a short distance down the shore South of us. We were approached by a lady yesterday wanting us to attend their Time Share presentation which included a free breakfast. We were back to Puerto Morelos by 12:00 without purchasing their plan. It was tempting but they expect you to make a snap decision – too quick for me. I know that sometimes if you snooze you loose but 90,000. + 1300. a year maintenance and the next 20 years of my life just didn’t allow me the confidence to make a snap decision – Allan neither. So they didn’t get our money and we didn’t get the time share.

I am enjoying this vacation so much, Allan isn’t saying much but he’s not complaining either so I guess that’s a good sign he is too. It is very different from the all inclusive, much more interesting – you are right in the community among the people who live here – this is their home community. We have met vacationers such as ourselves, locals both Mexican and Non Mexican – everyone is so relaxed and friendly. The dress is always very casual – again I brought too many cloths, but don’t we usually all do that every time we travel?

In closing I ask that you each take care,

Anne

Day 3, Feb 6/08

Here I am updating this Blog - we are happy to have the internet access
The usual decorations on the bed and bathroom sink














This was a gift from the owner/property manager for our 40th
Wedding Anniversary

These two pics are the view from our
room. The property across the street
has recently been sold - it is expected
a condo will be built and that will destroy this beautiful site.





Hola Mis Amigos De Puerto Morelos


Today has been a much better day – we made it to Puerto Morelos!!

The day has been great – we went to the airport early this morning and found seats were available on an earlier flight which meant we were leaving Charlotte Airport at 11:30 instead on 1:30! We had to go through security again and found out we were selected for a more thorough search – great we thought it’s going to be a repeat of yesterday! Were we surprised? Our security checkers were men – they were so nice to us, they were polite and treated us like we were human – nothing else mattered to them. We had to go through the metal detector and the air puffer machines of course, and then our bags had to be searched. They used a wand to go through the bags and around the lap top – that was it!! I said to one of the men –“ You guys have been so nice to us, I thank you! We were in Buffalo yesterday and were checked through by 3 Bitches – all with PMS’– he laughed and said “I saw that movie – Three Bitches in Buffalo – what a movie! “

I was able to get my hands on my passport shortly there after and when we boarded the plane we were assigned to separate rows but people moved so we could sit together. The trip was great!

We arrived here in Puerto Morelos at about 3 this afternoon, met with the lady that owns the complex, went shopping for food and beer then went for supper. The community is very interesting – we have always stayed at an all inclusive resort in the past – this is totally different and we love it so far!

I will add some photos to this update so you can get a glimpse of what we have for accommodations and the view from here. The community has many little restraints, shops, a grocery store, a liquor store and lots more. It is very Mexican – their residences are nothing fancy, poultry are fenced in small areas and the dogs run free. We are looking forward to having the grandchildren here next year – they hopefully will appreciate what they have when they go back home.

We will be out sight seeing tomorrow so will have more to tell you, and more photos.

Take care,

Anne

Day 2 - February 5, 2008

Day Two

My Grandchildren read this Blog so to put it politely I have to say

“Oh My Gawd”

TODAY HAS BEEN AN ADVENTURE – we are not in Cancun!!!!

The day started out great, we arrived at the Buffalo airport in good time, checked in our baggage, got our boarding passes then fell into the line up for the security check before going to the boarding waiting area. That is when it all started.

You have to understand this was an area of MASS CONFUSION; it was not a busy time because we always arrive early like they tell you to. These security people had time to kill and they made the best of it! The people ahead of us were going into the metal detector coming back out and going back in several times each before they got into the air puffer chamber – I don’t know what happened to them after that. We got so caught up in our situation we forgot about them very quickly. We were the next in line to go into this section so while trying to listen to what was happening to these people – wanting to familiarize ourselves with what was coming up, we were told to put our carry on bags on to the conveyer belt and that cameras, laptops and other electronic devises were to be separate and who knows what else????? There just seemed to be so much commotion for so few people! Oh yes we had to take off our shoes so they could go on the conveyer belt and through the scanner too – I was expecting this but it was yelled at us as though it was an after thought on their part as we were on our way to the metal detector. God knows maybe in all the confusion we both missed their first “shoes off!” command!

It doesn’t get any better! We both passed the metal detector and the air puffer (my medical training didn’t give the same definition for air puffer). We were then told to sit in specific chairs (there were only 4 and all were empty – big decision for us stupid people) to await their viewing of our shoes, carry on luggage etc. This was an experience! Three women went through everything – they looked at us, did the “t”sk thing (with the tongue behind the upper front teeth – you know the way you scold someone) rolled their eyes and shook their heads. Seems we didn’t pack right – I used LARGE zip lock bags for liquids, sprays and gels – you are only allowed one quart zip bag each which is about the size of a sandwich bag – that really ticked them off! They were confused as to why my shampoo, cream rinse and body wash was in smaller containers than my body lotion???? They repacked these items with disgust; then Allan’s bag went through – he didn’t have his tooth paste and shampoo in a zip bag and we were only allowed one tiny bag each remember -so I had to toss my shampoo, cream rinse and body wash to make room for his stuff.

Finally we were released to go on our way. All was well – we waited in the boarding section, I sat with our carry on stuff and worked at setting up the “Translator” that staff gave me as one of my retirement gifts. Allan was off doing his mix and mingle thing and the area was filling up without my noticing it happening. A man and woman came by looking for a seat so I told them I would move over so they could sit down. The two of us had been taking up 4 seats – which wasn’t a problem up until now. They thanked me for the seats and sat down. Once the three of us were settled I confessed to the lady that I have a bad habit of spreading out all over – doesn’t matter where I go I always seem to use more space than I should or that I need. Her reply was “It shows” . We both laughed about it and her comment then continued in trivial conversation. Who would have thought – she and her husband were traveling first class and he was wearing $110.00 shirts – I found that out in the first 10 minutes.

Our flight left on time, we had a bit of turbulence but nothing to worry about, we landed in Charlotte, North Carolina on time and were able to have lunch and catch our flight out to Cancun at 11:30. All was going well. We would be in Cancun in three hours, at our apartment probably by 4:00 Cancun time.

It didn’t quite happen that way. We were in the boarding area, the person on the loud speaker said, “Flight number 815 to Cancun is now boarding, have your boarding passes and passports ready.” We followed instruction, then Oh My Gawd – I didn’t have my passport!

I went through everything – 2 carry on bags, my purse, the pouch we use to carry our passports, etc. in; and the computer bag – no dang passport! Allan went back to the US Airways desk to see if it had been left on the plane, the lady went and checked where we had been sitting – nothing! Oh poop, now what? The flight was held up for a short time due to them having to find our luggage so it could be removed – we were not going anywhere without my passport unless we decided to go back to Buffalo. The US is so stringent with the passport law that we were not sure they would even let us back into Canada and there is no Canadian Consulate in Charlotte North Carolina to answer our questions. We were so sure we had everything in place- all was looked after. Well don’t ever be so sure! I photocopied every credit card, even my organ donor card but didn’t copy our passports! Nor did I have the pamphlet that came with the passports – I don’t think I even kept it! So stupid!

Dwayne and Nancy had just recently received their passports so we called them, Dwayne was able to get some phone numbers for me to call, I was a little reluctant to call the passport office because I was afraid they may have immediately cancelled my passport once I reported it lost. Then what would happen if it were miraculously found? What a dilemma – I asked the man at the US Air desk what happens when someone looses their passport – he politely said “ In my 25 years here I have never had this happen.” Thanks!

Allan went to pick up our luggage at arrivals, on his way he found out that if he picked up our luggage he would have to take it through security – all checked baggage would have been opened and searched before he could get back to the area were I was. Oh and he didn’t have any keys for the luggage - I had them in my purse. Along with this valuable information the nice man told him he had passed over the (imaginary) line and could not return to where I was until he had a boarding pass. He then went to the US Airways ticket office, the ticket officer was well aware of the imaginary line and freely gave him the 2 boarding passes to nowhere. He then had to go through security – taking off his shoes and belt again and emptying his pockets. Thank God he didn’t have the ticketed luggage – it would have now been considered carry on luggage, and you know what that would mean – nothing was in small zip lock bags. He managed to get through without any problems and finally got back to where I was. I wasn’t making much progress – he seemed to be covering more turf than I.

Shortly after his return an employee from US Air came by and told us my passport had been found on the plane we traveled on from Buffalo to Charlotte and it was now in Syracuse, New York. I was so happy! The passport will be here for us to pick up at the baggage check in counter tomorrow morning. Our flight leaves for Cancun at 1:15 and if all goes well we should be at the Cabanas in Puerto Morelos by 6:00. I must say the staff at US Air were very supportive – they couldn’t do much in finding the passport but they did make phone calls for us and helped in any way they could. They gave us tickets for tomorrow’s flight at no cost to us!

We are at the Best Western in Charlotte for the night, I have had a couple of bud lights and we are now laughing at the day’s events. I have always prided myself in having a sense of adventure – I had somehow forgotten that until I got Dwayne’s e-mail reminding me “It’s not a holiday, it’s an adventure.” Thank goodness we had him to call on.

All is well that ends well – our accommodations in Puerto Morelos are being held for us, we have a nice room for the night and we have the tickets in our hand for our flight to Mexico tomorrow – what more can we ask for??

All in all it has been quite a day, an adventure!

Until next time - Take care,

Anne

WE'ER OFF!

January has been a busy month and I do apologize for not updating my Blog in a while - I have lots of time now so we’ll see how it goes.

We left home this morning at 06:10 am, the weather is great and the trees are covered with frost in some areas and snow in others – post card scenery. The sun is shining, the temp is about -5, the roads are clear and dry, it sounds like it is going to be like this all the way to Buffalo. I hope I have everything looked after at home, the house sitter has been fully briefed and knows that Gadget is in charge and the bills are paid.

January was a busy month as I mentioned – most of our time was taken up with renovations to a rental house we own. In the past we hired someone to go in and do the work, this time we decided to do it ourselves, thus spending more money than we originally intended. By doing it ourselves we would see other things that should be done and the list got longer. We finally finished it last Wed. We also went to a local tanning salon 3 days a week and I joined at Fitness Group which meets twice a week. Wow – now I am ready for a holiday!


Events of January 19th were a big surprise – the staff of MSEMS held a Retirement Dinner and Party for me – about 60 people attended and many others sent cards, phone calls and best wishes. It was so nice to see Medics and various managers from departments within the DSSAB again. It was also great to see the many friends – some from the Emergency Health Care field over the years and others just friends because. A good time was had by all. I was honoured with several speeches – some humorous and others sentimental, gifts were plentiful and all was greatly appreciated. Wonderful memories! I was asked to give a speech – since I didn’t have notes to follow like everyone else it was a tacky one and quite emotional for me to say goodbye. I will be putting together an appropriate one and sending it out with my thank you cards when I return from vacation.

5:00 p.m.

We arrived at our hotel in Buffalo at 3:10 this afternoon; it was a good trip all the way. We are close to the airport and all the planes go over us – Allan is in 7th heaven, he can watch them and imagine where in the world they may be going.

Modern technology just amazes me – on the way here we had the cell phone, the GPS to give us specific directions and I was able to work on my Blog with my laptop. Here at the hotel I have internet access so I can do e-mails and post this to the Blog. While away we have digital cameras one for land and one for underwater, a camcorder and to keep in touch with the kids we have connected to yahoo messenger, plus we have a webcam and we signed up for telephone calls from our computer – we can call from Mexico at a cost of 1.9 cents per minute. I really have to give credit to my years with the DSSAB, they allowed me the experience of working with computers and various programs which increased my confidence in the field of technology and in turn gave me the courage to proceed further on my own. I am not a computer wizard by any chance – ask Sonny he will tell you I know just enough to be dangerous, but I believe one learns through mistakes. Besides his visits allow me to spend time with Sherri and Maekiylah, what more can I ask for??

I will close for today; we are going out for dinner – just where - we haven’t decided yet.

Bye for now,

Anne