Getting Rolling

Jenna and Dustin made their way back to the states. We really enjoyed them during their short visit. Those youngsters travel so much differently than we do.  The night before they left, Dustin was on the internet figuring out which bus would be best to get them on a standby flight back stateside. One bus would leave at 2:00 AM and arrive in Guadalajara in the early morning where they would hope to catch a flight out. The other bus left Melaque a 9:30 AM and would travel up the coast to Puerto Vallarta where they would try for a standby flight there. Both options would give them a better chance at securing a flight because there are so many more planes departing those airports. Manzanillo International only has a couple flights per day on carriers that would allow them to fly standby. The decision was made to take the bus to Puerto Vallarta and fly standby from there. All went well and they were home by 2:00 AM the next morning.

I could not travel in such a carefree style. They get their flights free, which would be great, but man I need to know when my flight leaves and where my connections will be made. I'm too old to leave my travel fate at the gate!

We are in the process of getting into a normal routine. The weather is still hot, but we have been able to get good rest. The process of finding something to do each day is easy, we just have to figure out a schedule to do it in.

Before Patricia

Beth, John, Linda and myself walked into Barra de Navidad yesterday morning.  We had a little breakfast and then explored the downtown checking to see if there was much apparent hurricane damage.  Much like Melaque the place has been cleaned up nicely. You can see signs of damage, but for the most part, they have taken care of the worst of it.

After Patricia

The noticeable damage took place on the Malecon where huge chunks of the walkway were washed away. The mermaid statue is gone. We have heard that it is being repaired and someday may return to overlook the bay.

The photos are from our walk. I added some comparison shots next to some of them showing a before and after view.

Our walk into town last night made us laugh. It was like we were playing a huge game of Melaque Frogger. Melaque Frogger is set on a city map and our goal is to make it from point A to our Casa without getting hit by anything.  Playing the game, you must avoid being struck by the usual cars, trucks, buses, bicycles, and pedestrians. All the while there is a deadly mosquito spray truck circling randomly around spraying bug death everywhere. While you avoid all these pitfalls, there is a procession of people, dancers, floats, and bands also trying to keep you from arriving home safely. Accompanying all this is the usual loud music, street vendor shouts and large fireworks explosions creating a very confusing backdrop of sound. Needless to say, we made it home, without inhaling too much bug spray.

Before

Before

After

Before

After

Before the hurricane.

After the hurricane.

First Visitors

Dustin hates crocodiles, so where do we go first?

It took them two extra days to finally arrive at Casa Rosa, but Jenna and Dustin Burtis finally made it! Why such a long journey you ask? Both Jenna and Dustin work for United Airlines, and to make the trip a bit less expensive they flew standby at no cost.  Their problem came when they got to Mexico City and just missed their flight out to Manzanillo.  The hold up was a domino effect that caused their predicament. The airport in Mexico City is tough to maneuver through at best, signage is poor, location of gates are confusing, and then you add the Spanish language factor into the equation and the results are usually disastrous. It took them three tries to connect to Manzanillo, but they finally arrived on Saturday morning.

Once they arrived we helped them settle in and they started their vacation.

Crocodiles of La Manzanillo.

Since their arrival, we have gone out to eat several times and let them catch up on much-needed sleep that they lost on the journey down.

Sunday we woke up and took the bus to La Manzanilla where we spent the morning.  We sat at Pedro's and enjoyed the views while eating and getting caught up on each others' lives.

We returned home about 2:30 PM, hit the pool and then Justin and Jenna got to watch their first real Melaque sunset.  Included in the sunset were visits from some dolphins, fish jumping and their first exposure to the big waves that hit the shores of this quiet little town.

John and Beth joined us for dinner and afterward, we all walked the Zocalo in search of churros.

Up close and personal.

Filled with food and drink, we returned home and watched the Seahawks game that Dustin had DVRed. The win was a great end to a wonderful day with these friends.

First real sunset on the beach in from of Casa Rosa.

Switching Gears

Once a year we settle into a completely different routine. Yesterday we made our way down to Casa Rosa in Melaque, Mexico. The trip down was nothing exciting. Leaving home at 2:30 AM (PST) and arriving at our doorstep at 5:30 PM (CST).

Oh, what a change in temperatures! We left in a slight snow, probably about 28 degrees and arrived in a very humid 89 degrees.  It was instant perspiration!

It took us forever to enter Mexico, I think they are taking security seriously in their own Mexican way.

Our taxi ride was nothing, the driver must have been getting off work because he sat back and cruised slowly to Big Pink at # 1 Reforma.

We got into the house and put a few things away and then walked to the beach where we met Beth and John, joining the sunset regulars watching Dec. 2 sink into the ocean. Almost all our friends from Las Palmas (the casa next door) were in attendance. It was good to see them again.

Once the sun dipped out of sight the four of us walked into town to a beach bar called The Albatross, where we toasted Mexico with some cold drinks. We were tired, but just being in this place brought us back to life.

Our traditional dinner stop called to us and we walked the four blocks and found a table on the street. My guess is that we have eaten at Buen Gusto for our first night's dinner the past fifteen years. They never fail to provide a great, inexpensive meal. Once dinner was over we walked back to Casa Rosa and passed out in bed. Our long day was over.

The pattern for our days began the next morning with breakfast, volleyball, grocery shopping and afternoon siestas. It's going to be hard, but switching gears will take a bit of time. We're up for it, though!