Well, the party's coming to an end. We've thoroughly enjoyed our time here and can't believe it's over already. For the past couple of days I keep doing an "I Love Lucy" WAAAHHHH!!!! throughout the day. I'm so sad that we're leaving.
The power went out last night so I wasn't able to post. Not that there was anything of much note. Jorge, a handyman who does quite a bit of work for the complex, came by to install a dryer vent for us. It'll be nice to have all that lint go outside instead of accumulating in the laundry room.
It was almost midnight and there was about 15 minutes left to the show I was watching when the power went out. It was so dark you literally couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I was sitting on the couch and had to feel my way to the lighter in a bin by the fridge. Then the darned thing wouldn't light. It finally did and I made my way back to the candles that are on the end tables by the couch. Got ready for bed, hit the sheets and the power came back on shortly after. I had forgotten to shut off the lights so up I got. Grr!
It's been cool and windy since Sunday. Today was a bit warmer and we thought we might go for a final swim at the pool but it was still too chilly, so we went for a walk at the beach instead. Sunday's storm took some of the beach. The erosion has created several drop-offs that are a good couple of feet high. We were wishing that we had donned our rainslickers, courtesy of Xel-Ha, and gone down to witness Mother Nature's power that day.
There's an abandoned building where the soccer field is, so we went and poked around there. It looks like it might have been a beach club but you can't tell that from the front. In back are two pools, one of them for kiddies. There's a kitchen, showers, bathrooms and storage areas. Another area looks like it was a bar and there's a large open space that must have been used for tables. There are holes in the ceiling where fans would have hung.
I always wonder about the stories behind abandoned buildings. Who owned them? Who were the people who lived there? Why did they leave? Was this beach club someone's dream that didn't work out? Or someone's get-rich-quick scheme that was more work than they had anticipated?
Tomorrow we'll be leaving here at 7am. Gustavo, a local taxi driver who has earned himself a good reputation at the complex, will be picking us up and taking us into Merida to catch the ADO bus into Cancun. We'll stay at a hotel overnight and then we fly out Friday around 1:30pm.
WAAAHHHH!!!!
Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
A Day in Mérida
SURPRISE!!!!!
The power went out again at 8am but nobody knew about it. We were making eggs and toast for breakfast (yes, I was actually up that early...lol). We have a gas stove so no issues with the eggs. The toaster, of course, uses electricity. The first batch of toast was almost done when the power went out so we had to share the 2 slices. Hopefully the power related repairs are done soon.
After breakfast, Bindi and I went in to Mérida. There's a van that picks up a block over so we took that downtown and took the AutoProgreso in to the city.
On Sundays, several streets downtown are shut down for foot traffic. It was so cool. Lots of vendors set up in the main square and free entertainment, too. While we were there, there was a puppet show happening. It would have been fun to watch had our Spanish been up to it. I could pick out the occasional word and it sounded like it was something about the environment but I could be waaaaay off base. It was so neat to see families out and about enjoying the day and each other.
We came across a beautiful church. I would have liked to take some photos of the interior but there were people inside and, although there was no sermon, they were clearly observing their faith. I thought it would be disrespectful to take pics while they were there.
We met up with 2 other couples from the complex and they took us to some places they like to go to. We went to a market and one of the ladies in the group took a photo of one vendor's display of oranges. The vendor threw something at her, a bottle cap perhaps, and said something we didn't understand. But we did understand that she didn't like the idea of the photo being taken.
Then we went to the Hyatt for supper. We all had the buffet and a limonade. The waiter had told us that the buffet was 180 pesos but the bill said 225. In hindsight, I think the waiter may have added the tip in but I don't know that for sure. Anyways, the meal wasn't worth the price, in my opinion. The food was just ok, nothing spectacular. The limonade was really good, though.
We had purchased a round trip in Progreso and the Hyatt was on our way back. When we boarded the bus to continue our trip home after supper, we had to pay another 15 pesos to get home. We had hoped to be able to use our ticket stub showing that we had paid for a round trip but it wasn't to be. I was tired from walking around in the sun all day (yes, I used sunscreen) so I slept on the way home. I don't even remember the ride...lol.
Bindi had called her husband to let him and Señor B know that they were on their own for supper. When we got back, the guys weren't home. We figured they had gone for supper. They had. I didn't have a key for the condo (we really should get another set cut) so I had to hang out at Bindi's place until the guys got home.
After a short visit, we came home. Only killed 2 ants tonight.
The power went out again at 8am but nobody knew about it. We were making eggs and toast for breakfast (yes, I was actually up that early...lol). We have a gas stove so no issues with the eggs. The toaster, of course, uses electricity. The first batch of toast was almost done when the power went out so we had to share the 2 slices. Hopefully the power related repairs are done soon.
After breakfast, Bindi and I went in to Mérida. There's a van that picks up a block over so we took that downtown and took the AutoProgreso in to the city.
On Sundays, several streets downtown are shut down for foot traffic. It was so cool. Lots of vendors set up in the main square and free entertainment, too. While we were there, there was a puppet show happening. It would have been fun to watch had our Spanish been up to it. I could pick out the occasional word and it sounded like it was something about the environment but I could be waaaaay off base. It was so neat to see families out and about enjoying the day and each other.
We came across a beautiful church. I would have liked to take some photos of the interior but there were people inside and, although there was no sermon, they were clearly observing their faith. I thought it would be disrespectful to take pics while they were there.
We met up with 2 other couples from the complex and they took us to some places they like to go to. We went to a market and one of the ladies in the group took a photo of one vendor's display of oranges. The vendor threw something at her, a bottle cap perhaps, and said something we didn't understand. But we did understand that she didn't like the idea of the photo being taken.
Then we went to the Hyatt for supper. We all had the buffet and a limonade. The waiter had told us that the buffet was 180 pesos but the bill said 225. In hindsight, I think the waiter may have added the tip in but I don't know that for sure. Anyways, the meal wasn't worth the price, in my opinion. The food was just ok, nothing spectacular. The limonade was really good, though.
We had purchased a round trip in Progreso and the Hyatt was on our way back. When we boarded the bus to continue our trip home after supper, we had to pay another 15 pesos to get home. We had hoped to be able to use our ticket stub showing that we had paid for a round trip but it wasn't to be. I was tired from walking around in the sun all day (yes, I used sunscreen) so I slept on the way home. I don't even remember the ride...lol.
Bindi had called her husband to let him and Señor B know that they were on their own for supper. When we got back, the guys weren't home. We figured they had gone for supper. They had. I didn't have a key for the condo (we really should get another set cut) so I had to hang out at Bindi's place until the guys got home.
After a short visit, we came home. Only killed 2 ants tonight.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Another Day Without Power
The power got turned off this morning, as promised. Señor B told me that it went out at 8am instead of 7. I was still asleep. I didn't get up until...umm...err...ahh...9:15. And even then I had to drag myself out of bed. And I went to bed early! I'm a night owl, going to bed between midnight and 12:30 as a rule. Last night I hit the sheets at about 11:50. That's early for me.
Señor B took a walk along the beach while I was snoozing. I would have liked to have gone with him but you know the saying...You snooze, you lose. Well...I snoozed and losed...lol.
After breakfast, I took the plastic bottles down to the recycle bin and Roberto, the travelling fish guy, was in the alley. I bought some sea bass and some precooked crabmeat. I forget how many kilos of sea bass was in the package, but there are 4 good sized fillets...enough for 2 meals and I got 3/4 kilo of crab. Total was 225 pesos, so ballpark...probably about $18 - $20. I'm looking forward to cooking up the sea bass. We sure enjoyed it last time we were down.
D & V were down there and got some, too. Then Bindi showed up. She was telling us about a fishing trip she's trying to get set up for anyone who wants to go. So we all went over to her place to try to arrange things.
V is a handyman type of guy and helped us fix our sagging vanity, this morning. He had some extra pipe at his place and we had purchased hardware yesterday. He lifted up the cupboard while I set the pipe underneath. Then he shimmed up the countertop and caulked the corners. He still has to come back and screw the metal ring to the cupboard. Señor B is completely unable to get down on the floor right now, so we really appreciate V's help. V also told us how he fixed some other issues in his place. Next trip down we'll probably take care of some of the same ones we have.
After lunch, Señor B and I went to pick up a few groceries. Not too much, though, because of the lack of power. We picked up a roasted chicken, like the ones we can get at Sobey's. Sobey's could take lessons on how to roast theirs. The one we got was so juicy and tender. Puts Sobeys' to shame.
When I paid, I could tell that I could get rid of some change from my purse but I don't fully understand their system yet. Plus, numbers and I are NOT friends. So I dug out a fistful of change and held it out to the cashier to take what he needed. There's always someone to tip so it's good to keep a supply of change, but my purse jingled whenever I set it down. It was time to lighten the load. I'm going to start handing out those centavos, along with my regular tip amount, whenever I tip. Those things are useless to me.
D came by and told us about a practical joke he wanted to play on his cousin, J, who is here visiting. D had mistakenly told him that there would be a Carneval parade this weekend. When J learned that there wouldn't be a parade, he was giving D a hard time about it, whining and pouting in a good-natured way.
We were all sitting down at the pool and D came along and gave us all noisemakers. He had a few Canadian flags that he had brought down with him. When J came down to the pool, D told him that since he couldn't be here for the real parade, we'd give him one. So we all started blowing our noisemakers and waving flags and did a loop around the pool. It was pretty funny.
Supper was the roasted chicken along with some vegetables. We spent the evening at home, relaxing.
No Glass Guy and no ants today.
Señor B took a walk along the beach while I was snoozing. I would have liked to have gone with him but you know the saying...You snooze, you lose. Well...I snoozed and losed...lol.
After breakfast, I took the plastic bottles down to the recycle bin and Roberto, the travelling fish guy, was in the alley. I bought some sea bass and some precooked crabmeat. I forget how many kilos of sea bass was in the package, but there are 4 good sized fillets...enough for 2 meals and I got 3/4 kilo of crab. Total was 225 pesos, so ballpark...probably about $18 - $20. I'm looking forward to cooking up the sea bass. We sure enjoyed it last time we were down.
D & V were down there and got some, too. Then Bindi showed up. She was telling us about a fishing trip she's trying to get set up for anyone who wants to go. So we all went over to her place to try to arrange things.
V is a handyman type of guy and helped us fix our sagging vanity, this morning. He had some extra pipe at his place and we had purchased hardware yesterday. He lifted up the cupboard while I set the pipe underneath. Then he shimmed up the countertop and caulked the corners. He still has to come back and screw the metal ring to the cupboard. Señor B is completely unable to get down on the floor right now, so we really appreciate V's help. V also told us how he fixed some other issues in his place. Next trip down we'll probably take care of some of the same ones we have.
After lunch, Señor B and I went to pick up a few groceries. Not too much, though, because of the lack of power. We picked up a roasted chicken, like the ones we can get at Sobey's. Sobey's could take lessons on how to roast theirs. The one we got was so juicy and tender. Puts Sobeys' to shame.
When I paid, I could tell that I could get rid of some change from my purse but I don't fully understand their system yet. Plus, numbers and I are NOT friends. So I dug out a fistful of change and held it out to the cashier to take what he needed. There's always someone to tip so it's good to keep a supply of change, but my purse jingled whenever I set it down. It was time to lighten the load. I'm going to start handing out those centavos, along with my regular tip amount, whenever I tip. Those things are useless to me.
D came by and told us about a practical joke he wanted to play on his cousin, J, who is here visiting. D had mistakenly told him that there would be a Carneval parade this weekend. When J learned that there wouldn't be a parade, he was giving D a hard time about it, whining and pouting in a good-natured way.
We were all sitting down at the pool and D came along and gave us all noisemakers. He had a few Canadian flags that he had brought down with him. When J came down to the pool, D told him that since he couldn't be here for the real parade, we'd give him one. So we all started blowing our noisemakers and waving flags and did a loop around the pool. It was pretty funny.
Supper was the roasted chicken along with some vegetables. We spent the evening at home, relaxing.
No Glass Guy and no ants today.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Our Day Without Power
Well, the power outage wasn't as long as originally planned. It went out at 8am instead of 7 and came back on around 3:30pm instead of 4. I didn't see the guys working but one of the condo residents was telling us how the guys climb up the pole with a rope or strap around them. He was also telling us that they have the holes for the poles dug. Big, deep holes with no covers over them. Big enough for a small child to fall in. Lord, I hope that doesn't happen.
I slept in this morning so the power was already off by the time I got up. I had cereal for breakfast but there was only about half a cup of milk left. I thought it would be ok, but it wasn't. Cereal with only enough milk to make it wet doesn't taste too great. Milk is typically sold in tetra packs and I didn't want to open another one and risk it going bad. The fridge stayed cold enough that I could have opened one. Oh well.
Señor B and I enjoyed the sun on the front balcony for a while and then decided to head uptown. Remember my post about the San Francisco store involving the ticket guy who had to chase us down and how we figured it was run similar to Costco? We decided to go to that store.
We remembered to get our ticket before entering the lot. Señor B waited in the car while I walked a block over to get some cash from the bank. The guard checks your receipt and ticket when you leave the parking lot. We were supposed to get the ticket stamped by the cashier. But she never asked for the ticket. After the guard was satisfied that we knew what to do next time, he let us go. Truly, those poor guards must get tired of us foreigners messing with the system.
Señor B suggested going to the malecon for lunch but, because of the power outage, I wanted to finish up the taco salad from last night. So we had lunch at home instead.
Our neighbour, Bindi, replaced her sliding shower doors with a thick piece of glass and we loved it so much we decided to do the same. The tracks are so hard to keep clean. While she was uptown earlier, she went to the store and told the guy to come see us. He said 3:00, so we waited. The gate is usually closed so we watched for him but we never saw him. When we saw Bindi later, we told her and she was surprised. She said the dad knew to call from outside the fence but if it was the son, he may not have known to do that. Hopefully he comes tomorrow.
While we waited, we sat on the front balcony again. That sun sure feels nice. Everything in moderation, however, so we had to come in before we burned to a crisp. Señor B had a siesta and I worked on the lesson book for the correspondence Spanish class I enrolled in. We waited until 6:00 for Glass Guy and then went to the malecón for supper.
What an ordeal that is. They're redoing the malecón and it's very difficult to get around there, at the moment. Most of the streets here are one-ways so it can get very confusing. We finally made it to Flamingos where we both enjoyed the Yucatecan chicken. It's my favourite dish and I like Flamingos' the best. A beer and a Kahlua along with the delicious meal cost us 195 pesos, so probably around $15 - $16. For the both of us. Not $15 each. Back home, that would cost about $45. It's unbelievable how inexpensive it is to eat out. While we were out, we also stopped at a liquor store to replenish the rum.
There were a lot of carpenter ants in the condo tonight. Usually we only see 2 or 3 but I killed a dozen tonight. Wow. Talk about hard bodies. Those suckers are tough. You have to step on them really hard to kill them. They're coming in through the door so I sprayed a line of Raid on the floor along the doorway. Does that stuff ever stink. Ick! I'm heading to bed right away so I don't have to breathe too much in.
I guess tomorrow's project will be to do a thorough check for any nests.
I slept in this morning so the power was already off by the time I got up. I had cereal for breakfast but there was only about half a cup of milk left. I thought it would be ok, but it wasn't. Cereal with only enough milk to make it wet doesn't taste too great. Milk is typically sold in tetra packs and I didn't want to open another one and risk it going bad. The fridge stayed cold enough that I could have opened one. Oh well.
Señor B and I enjoyed the sun on the front balcony for a while and then decided to head uptown. Remember my post about the San Francisco store involving the ticket guy who had to chase us down and how we figured it was run similar to Costco? We decided to go to that store.
We remembered to get our ticket before entering the lot. Señor B waited in the car while I walked a block over to get some cash from the bank. The guard checks your receipt and ticket when you leave the parking lot. We were supposed to get the ticket stamped by the cashier. But she never asked for the ticket. After the guard was satisfied that we knew what to do next time, he let us go. Truly, those poor guards must get tired of us foreigners messing with the system.
Señor B suggested going to the malecon for lunch but, because of the power outage, I wanted to finish up the taco salad from last night. So we had lunch at home instead.
Our neighbour, Bindi, replaced her sliding shower doors with a thick piece of glass and we loved it so much we decided to do the same. The tracks are so hard to keep clean. While she was uptown earlier, she went to the store and told the guy to come see us. He said 3:00, so we waited. The gate is usually closed so we watched for him but we never saw him. When we saw Bindi later, we told her and she was surprised. She said the dad knew to call from outside the fence but if it was the son, he may not have known to do that. Hopefully he comes tomorrow.
While we waited, we sat on the front balcony again. That sun sure feels nice. Everything in moderation, however, so we had to come in before we burned to a crisp. Señor B had a siesta and I worked on the lesson book for the correspondence Spanish class I enrolled in. We waited until 6:00 for Glass Guy and then went to the malecón for supper.
What an ordeal that is. They're redoing the malecón and it's very difficult to get around there, at the moment. Most of the streets here are one-ways so it can get very confusing. We finally made it to Flamingos where we both enjoyed the Yucatecan chicken. It's my favourite dish and I like Flamingos' the best. A beer and a Kahlua along with the delicious meal cost us 195 pesos, so probably around $15 - $16. For the both of us. Not $15 each. Back home, that would cost about $45. It's unbelievable how inexpensive it is to eat out. While we were out, we also stopped at a liquor store to replenish the rum.
There were a lot of carpenter ants in the condo tonight. Usually we only see 2 or 3 but I killed a dozen tonight. Wow. Talk about hard bodies. Those suckers are tough. You have to step on them really hard to kill them. They're coming in through the door so I sprayed a line of Raid on the floor along the doorway. Does that stuff ever stink. Ick! I'm heading to bed right away so I don't have to breathe too much in.
I guess tomorrow's project will be to do a thorough check for any nests.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A Quiet Day
Today was pretty uneventful. After breakfast, we sat on the balcony that overlooks the complex's courtyard. This one gets sun. Our deck that overlooks the Gulf doesn't get any sun so we don't sit out there too often. We had some lunch and then went down to the pool for the afternoon, visiting with whomever was there.
We learned that the power is going to be off tomorrow between 7am and 4pm. Hopefully it's not any longer than that. So we've had to make sure we don't have a lot of perishable food in the fridge. I also filled up the mop bucket and the plastic jugs with water for flushing the toilet.
For supper, I made taco salad and it was pretty good. Later, I went next door to pick up the computer cord from Owen, who's had to borrow ours because he forgot his back home. He invited us over for drinks and we had a good visit, solving all the world's political problems as most who inbibe can...lol.
We learned that the power is going to be off tomorrow between 7am and 4pm. Hopefully it's not any longer than that. So we've had to make sure we don't have a lot of perishable food in the fridge. I also filled up the mop bucket and the plastic jugs with water for flushing the toilet.
For supper, I made taco salad and it was pretty good. Later, I went next door to pick up the computer cord from Owen, who's had to borrow ours because he forgot his back home. He invited us over for drinks and we had a good visit, solving all the world's political problems as most who inbibe can...lol.
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