Canyonwren Travels: 2023 Is Here!

Thursday, January 05, 2023

2023 Is Here!

The New Year rolled in. On New Year's Eve, after the clan got home from the Oaxacan Market, we hung out at the pool, made dinner, and played a ton of different games trying to stay awake for the New Year fireworks which we had heard about. Mike and I decided we didn't need to see those. We remained at the condo and took the time to get ready for sleep. Linda, Rayelle, and Julia walked down to a spot where they could see a large portion of the playa where they hoped to watch the fireworks. We were told that there would be over 30,000 people on the beach to watch the fireworks. We were also told that it was so packed on this night, we would probably not have enjoyed the crowds.

When the threesome returned they told us that the fireworks were pretty, but were also far away. I was glad I had not walked down to the viewing area, fireworks have never been my thing.

January 1st was spent resting and relaxing. We started preparing for our move from Manzanillo to our rental house in Melaque. We are anxious to see the place and hopeful that it will provide a comfortable three-month home.

Linda had arranged for a driver, Jose, the gentleman they had used for their trips into Manzanillo, to pick us up and deliver us to the new casa. He would be arriving on the 2nd at 11:00 am for the move.

New Year's fireworks. Welcome, 2023!

Let's jump back to Saturday. The group decided to take a road trip to do some shopping at the Oaxacan market in Manzanillo. Linda had arranged for a taxi driver to drive us all in. Exactly at the time requested, the taxi arrived. It was Jose, the driver the grocery shoppers had had earlier in the week. We lined up outside the casa. I was the last in line and Jose looked at the group and then back to the taxi. I could tell he noticed just how large the group was. It was obvious that we would not fit into the little taxi Jose arrived in. Immediately, I seized the moment and volunteered to stay home and let the four others squeeze into the vehicle. Off they drove and I went back into the casa and enjoyed a very nice quiet day on my own. I missed being with everyone as they explored and shopped, but I had been to the big city before.

When they arrived home we found out that one of the apartment keys had gone missing. After an extensive search, we declared that the keys are gone and we would pay for a replacement once we were ready to leave our condo.

Lunch in Manzanillo.

LINDA - On Saturday morning Mike, Rayelle, Julia, and I ventured out again to hit up the Oaxacan Artisian Market located in the parking lot of the Soriana. We discovered it was in town when we went grocery shopping earlier in the week. I was so excited when I saw it. I had been telling Rayelle and Julia about it but wasn't sure when or if it would be there. Dean stayed at the condo because the taxi was too small. Our driver of choice, Jose, was responsible for getting us there. I had thought he was busy that day with family stuff/New Year's Eve celebration so I contacted another name I had been given. He wasn't available. I contacted the office and they promised they would send a taxi our way.

Believe it or not, the driver they sent was Jose! I apologized and said I would have called him myself but thought he was busy. He explained he was busy later that day but ready now. My Spanish and his English got the job done but sometimes there were some misunderstandings. We got there and make arrangements for Jose to pick us up when we were ready to come home. The market was smaller by more than half compared to the years I'd been going (that's been 3 years ago, there was a pandemic, and who knows what else) I felt a bit silly because I had built this up so much and then it wasn't at all what I expected. Even with that, I think everyone had a great time. We went through the whole thing looking at all the crafts and booths then circled back and went in with more intent. Mike was a trooper. He carried backpacks, held water, and was very patient while we three shopped and made decisions.

Julia and Rayelle scored heavily with things for themselves and gifts for others. We then decided to try out Jose's suggestion for tacos at a restaurant across the street from the market. It was a fun experience. I scored big when the Andersons bought ice cream for all as we waited for Jose to come pick us up for our return to Vida del Mar. I tried a sorbet made with guanabana fruit. This is a frightening-looking fruit on the outside, but wow, was it ever delicious!!

The missing keys.

Each night we played cards or other games. The Andersons showed no mercy and won most of the contests. I had to remind Linda that they were our guests down here and that there will be many opportunities for her to get even throughout the coming week. As we packed for our trip to the new digs, Julia found the infamous keys. They had been stuffed in her backpack. This gave us all relief and provided something we could tease Julia about.

On January 2nd at 11:00 am sharp Jose arrived once again to transport us up to Melaque. This time he brought his suburban and we all fit in just fine. Jose is a very outgoing gentleman. If the conversation slowed down, he always had an observation, question, or story to fill the silence. The ride to Melaque took us about an hour. We knew the area where our casa was located but had never been there. Like all small towns in Mexico, the street names are usually painted on the building walls, and like most places, the walls get painted which includes painting over the street names. We circled past the street where our casa was located a couple times but finally were able to zero in on the exact location with the help of Google.

Seahawks via our computer and VPN!

After we paid Jose and said our goodbyes, we entered the casa and started exploring. The house has three bedrooms a living space with connecting kitchen, three full bathrooms with showers, and two restrooms with no showers. The upper palapa is very spacious with various seating options. There is a pool table that works as a ping pong table and disk hockey surface. We were very surprised at how nice all this was. Two bedrooms have two beds in them and storage, while the master bedroom has a king-sized bed with good storage and a very large bathroom.

Once we all settled in, our group started getting into the swing of being a tourist and doing what everyone does, explore!