Chasing the Yellow Envelope

21 Apr

Returning from vacation requires hustling just to be in place, at least the place you were supposed to be in if you hadn’t left. This week was filled with getting the cars serviced, refilling the larder and chasing a yellow DHL shipping envelope all over Mexico.

We had submitted my MILs passport for renewal via DHL before taking off in February for the US and later Europe. The US Consulate in Guadalajara had already returned it once due to the wrong sized photos. But new pictures were retaken and the passport and application were quickly off again. Fingers crossed.

Hung up in Cancún.

When we returned home and looked to see why the package hadn’t arrived, we found it was hung up in Cancun, four hours away? Solving the mystery was time consuming, a long and winding story requiring numerous phone calls, a trip to DHL (45 minutes away) and promises of a speedy delivery. There was also much waiting on hold and standing in line.

My photogenic MIL

When the promised arrival time came and went, we returned to the trusty web tracking site to find the package was marked DELIVERED. Another phone call discovered that the envelope had been left at the hotel across the street! Now addresses in Mexico are long and complicated, especially when you live in the jungle. DHL had been given very specific directions which they chose to ignore. They’d already delivered the package once using the exact same address!!!

Sigh, we have the passport. Breathe, relax.

DOS TORTAS

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Experiencing Life In Awe

13 Apr

This week millions looked to the sky to watch the solar eclipse and gasp in amazement at the cosmic event. Last October Bacalar was in the totality of a solar eclipse. We watched through a crystalline sky in awe from our own roof! I cried.

October 14, 2023 path of solar eclipse.

During the last five weeks, Lisa and I were blessed to travel across Europe to London, Amsterdam, Paris, Munich and Salzburg. Talk about awe!

Westminster Abbey, Bath Cathedral, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers,Venus

When we returned to Mexico, I realized that my eyes needed a rest. For weeks I had lived and traveled in awe, staring at art, domed ceilings, gold leaf paintings, castles and towering mountains. There were so many flowers, sculptures, vistas and even caves. My eyes were perpetually wide open trying to take it all in.

Salzburg pedestrian walkway, castle Linderhof, Pantheon, Madonna

We have returned home to our very beautiful Bacalar, Mexico. I think that the daily awe and wonder of living anywhere, starts to wear off eventually and becomes the usual and ordinary. Perhaps that’s why we travel, to see the world with eyes wide open and appreciate home when we return.

Home sweet home.

I strive everyday to be grateful and pay attention to the beauty that surrounds me. This week it was hard to get out of my hammock. Still feeling jet lagged, I made big salads, hugged my dogs and gave my eyes a rest.

DOS TORTAS

The Hills Are Alive In Salzburg

7 Apr

On our last day of the Dos Tortas unscripted, magical, mystery European tour, we joined forty or so Sound of Music enthusiasts to sing our way around Salzburg, Austria.

People from all over the world come to this corner of Austria just to walk in the footsteps of Maria and the Captain and their cadre of musically talented children.

The dramatic production was based on the lives of the Von Trapp family who escaped Nazi occupied Austria in 1938. Hollywood recreated the story using castles, lakes, gardens and the Alps as the backdrop for the academy award winning movie. Producers took liberties with the storyline. The Von Trapps did not climb over the Alps to Switzerland (See map). It would have been a long walk. They boarded a train for Italy and later migrated to the US.

My favorite stop on the tour was the Basilica St Michael. I always thought the wedding scene in the movie was magical. Visiting the cathedral didn’t disappoint.

https://youtu.be/THKgiaGLAOs?si=lmoV0Smgn-ACF4K7

The following day we caught the train to Frankfurt and left the next day for Mexico. It was a long flight but uneventful. We are struggling with jet lag but that’s a good problem to have right?

DOS TORTAS

How On Earth Are We Doing It?

30 Mar

If you’ve been following our unscripted, spontaneous European adventure, you’ll know it’s been a whirlwind. One of our followers asked a bunch of questions. How did we do it? I’ll do my best to answer.

Breakfast extraordinaire Munich

First off, my wife is the queen of travel planning. She enjoys it and we’ve traveled enough together to know each other well. We are adventurous by nature. She does her best planning and then we are happy with however things turn out.

1) We are not extravagant. Hotels are a place to sleep. They were however much more expensive in Europe than we expected. We booked budget hotels close to the city center to use public transportation and/or walked to various sights.

Paris train station.

Clean, safe and basic is our motto. We’ve averaged about $200 US or so a night which is more than we’ve ever spent sleeping. We have had to modify our travels due to aging bodies and disabilities. We walk when we can, take hop-on-hop-off buses to get the lay of the land and boat rides when they’re available. We also take tours which mostly work well and are not expensive.

Hop-on bus ride in Paris to the Arc de Triumph and Eiffel Tower
Tour to Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria

2) We tried to eat one meal a day, usually lunch, at a nice restaurant. (Our Paris and Munich hotels included a great breakfast.

Avocado bowl in Amsterdam

We looked for little grocery stores and purchased pre-made meals for dinner and fruit and granola for breakfast and snacking.

There were great grocery stores everywhere.

We hardly drank alcohol so that’s a big savings. Also there’s no suitcase room for souvenirs. No Olympics t-shirts were bought in Paris.

A “Free” church in Paris

3) As to whether we just “put it all on plastic,” the answer is yes and no. We had money budgeted for a water softening system for our house. I guess soft water will have to wait. The credit card will get paid when we get home.

Salzburg

Next week’s blog will be from home in Bacalar. We are currently in Salzburg Austria. There are no words for how much fun we’ve had. Until next week,

DOS TORTAS

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If It’s Tuesday This Must Be Paris

22 Mar

Some of my favorite things about London in no particular order:

Westminster Abby- a mish mash of statues, burial sites, alters, choirs and a royal throne. Lots of history, burials, weddings and a coronation or two. I loved walking around its many nooks and crannies but after awhile it all blurred together. The US has nothing to compare and I was awed on our first day in London. Or maybe it was jetlag.

Coronation throne.

The London Eye – a really cool big ferris wheel. So fun.

The hop-on hop-off bus which kept us dry the one day it rained. We hopped off and walked around Harrods department store. Too much glitz for our budget.

The day trip to Bath and Stonehenge was certainly worth it.

Some big ass druid rocks.
Love stained glass. Bath Abby was lovely.
Roman baths.

Amsterdam:

The Albert Cuyp outdoor market. The sun, food, flowers and energy. A great accidental find.

Residents hoist furniture outside because stairs are so narrow for top floor dwellers.

The Matthew Wong exhibition at the Van Gogh museum. This Chinese-Canadian artist moved me to tears. Such an expressive painter.

Video does not begin to showcase his work.

We really enjoyed riding on the canals and walking the city.

Lisa wants one.

I write today from Paris where the good weather is holding. Today the Louvre! What a whirlwind trip this has been!

DOS TORTAS

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Travel’s Trials And Tribulations

16 Mar

As I sit on the Eurostar train between London and Amsterdam I contemplate this astounding trip so far. It’s been almost 15 years since Lisa and my last overseas adventure. A lot has changed. I am 72, she is 60. After Lisa’s multiple back surgeries, neither one of us can walk for hours nor stand gazing at antiquities. We return to the hotel in the late afternoon and collapse for the evening.

Stock image.

When I was pick pocketed in Athens in 2005 and had my passport stolen, we got to experience the darker and inconvenient side of travel. Any trip might include loss, loss of cell phone, hat, or scarf. I once left expensive headphones on the plane home to Mexico.

Amsterdam Canals

In an attempt at prevention I try to turn around from any stop and make sure nothing is left behind. To prevent pick pocketing, I carry a  shoulder bag designed for travel with zippered pockets to protect phone, money and identification. And still it happened.

I lost my credit card.

In London everything is paid by tapping your bank card on a terminal. Some restaurants don’t accept cash at all. In order to hop the underground (subway) I had placed my card in a side pocket with my phone. Apparently I pulled out my phone and dropped the card. After searching everywhere I contacted my US bank.

Saturday Market

Fortunately we have other plastic but it could be so easy to get stranded with no money. The worst part was the sleepless night and self flagellation.

Thank God I’m over it. There’s nothing more I can do until I return home.

Dutch apple pie.

The trip continues and we’re having a great time. Weather has been unprecedented with sunshine in both London and Amsterdam.  Crowds are small compared to high season. For an unscripted holiday, we’re doing very well.

DOS TORTAS

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Sometimes The Stars Align

10 Mar

Last week our wonderful house sitters arrived to care for the house for our trip to my niece’s funeral. The day before we left they offered to stay “a few more weeks”. Since Lisa and I are caregivers for her 80 year old mother and two dogs,we have not had a vacation, just the two of us, for sometime. This unexpected offer sent our imaginations spinning.

Alice’s big 8-oh.

Our heads were exploding as we discussed where to go. The possibilities were endless, Shri Lanka, Africa, Croatia. I didn’t want to be on a 20 hour flight as we did when we visited Turkey and Greece (2010) and Thailand (2005). My first thought was, I’ve never been to Europe!

Greek Goddesses 2005
Hagia Sophia Mosque – Turkey 2010

I figured we’d get to see the most countries in the closest space. So here we are in London. I have to pinch myself!

Westminster was mind blowing.
Changing of the Guard, Kensington Palace
The best view from the giant London Eye Ferris Wheel.
The Tower of London

We’ve had four days of sunshine! For these tropical girls it’s been chilly but we don’t care. We’re having an unbelievable time. Stay tuned because this party is just getting started – Stonehenge, Bath and tickets to Wicked! None of this was on my 2024 bucket list. I guess I’ll make room at the bottom of the page.

DOS TORTAS

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Remembering Raegan

3 Mar

Lisa and I are visiting the East Coast of the US to gather with family to remember my brother’s daughter. The service was very moving with many friends and family members sharing stories.

I learned a lot about my niece. She was a good friend to so many.

My daughter with one of my niece’s cancer survivor friends.

Raegan’s positive attitude throughout her long ordeal was always positive and inspired many.

She loved all animals.

The evening of our family dinner had an empty chair at the end of the table. Her presence has been felt all weekend.

Raegan and her mom

We’ll miss you Darling that’s for sure.

DOS TORTAS

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When You Forget Your Own Birthday

22 Feb

We have some lovely large trees in front of our house where it snuggles in at the edge of the laguna. Walking on our dock, under them is a religious experience. However our cathedral needs to be canopied. There are many dead and twisting branches that need trimming and shaping to give the trees lift. Imagine my delight at finding a professional arborist in Bacalar!

I met with Ramon towards the end of the week. We gazed upward, pointed and made plans for him and his crew to work on Sunday. They would trim and shape, but here’s the kicker, we had to do the cleanup. No problemo. I was willing to lug branches up our hill. Ha!

Then Lisa reminded me that Sunday was my birthday. I had completely forgotten. Completely!

My dear friend Juan surprised me with this lovely cake Friday evening at our expat meet-up.
My best friend from Austin’s child and partner. Rose, Dio, Lisa, me.

We’ve had guests for the week and been quite busy showing them about; birding, snorkeling, pyramids, art class, eating and shopping have kept us busy. In that light I guess it could be easy to forget.

Early morning bird watching.

DOS TORTAS

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Life Is Like The Super Bowl

18 Feb

Having moved to Mexico in 2013, there were so many things that we didn’t consider. An important event that never crossed our minds was the Super Bowl. Of course we’d be able to watch the Super Bowl! Well, technology hasn’t always been our friend living out of the country. Or perhaps our cultural bias is showing. It’s a bit like the World Cup. No one watches the WC in the US. For many people not being able to watch the Super Bowl is no big deal, but not to us, at least it wasn’t in 2013. Living in Austin, Texas, Lisa was a huge football fan. Every Sunday she turned on the game, stretched out on the couch and slept through most of it. Her team? the Dallas Cowboys of course. (Dallas hasn’t played in the SB since 1996).

In Mexico, without satellite, it is nearly impossible to get American football’s biggest over the top magic show on your TV. We have tried going out to local bars but the game volume can make your ears bleed, the commentary is in Spanish and everyone is sloppy drunk. Not our favorite environment.

Mexicans love American football.

This past weekend we invited some new friends over for our version of a Super Bowl party and made another attempt to get the game from the comfort of our living room. We made Texas chili and started over an hour early to tune in. Between two couples, we had access to three different streaming services and a VPN. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and hides your physical location. Why the NFL doesn’t want people to be able to watch the game from overseas is beyond me, especially if they’re willing to pay!

Our new friends who are building a home in Bacalar.

NOTHING WORKED! With fiddling and rebooting every ten minutes, we got a grainy view of the field and game play leading up to the halftime show. Then the whole thing failed. Our guests had long since left. We went to bed.

Truthfully our poor reception could have been caused by inadequate capacity for all of Bacalar. New internet towers have been going up everywhere but the increase in tourists and the fact that it’s Super Bowl Sunday might have put the system over the top.

This week was also my mother-in-laws 80th birthday.

We woke the next day to discover the Chiefs had won. That’s why the Superbowl is like life. You just never know the outcome. There are so many contributing factors, injuries, who Taylor Swift is rooting for, and social sentiment. Sometimes the game may go into overtime but when the clock runs out, you’re toast. These days our clock is ticking along a bit louder. But never fear, we’re in it until the final whistle blows.

DOS TORTAS

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