(Joan here) It all started with a little wasp and ended up with the fire department - yesterday I was sitting reading out on the pool patio and also watching the progress on the casita. The guys have worked hard and its almost finished and considering they have few electric tools really, but a lot of hand tools. They were chiselling out a chanel above the new french doors to accommodate the Spanish-style tiles, and I guess that noise, along with their radio and singing (yes, they sing constantly) must have annoyed some wasps and there was one or two flying around. You would have thought the wasps were pterodactyls the way the workers were yelling and dancing around like a bunch of girls. Jose (our gardener) and I were laughing at their antics, running around flapping their hands around their heads and then they were all huddled in the corner by the laundry room.
I never thought any more of it and went inside as it was getting too hot (yes, and its almost mid-November folks) and to get another drink. About a half hour later Jose came in to say one of the workers had been stung twice and they weren't working now and that the tree where the wasps have a nest would probably have to be cut down. That would be such a shame - its a beautiful African Tulip Tree - dark glossy leaves very like Sumach but with huge cup-shaped orange flowers, just like ttulip. The tree isn't on our property proper, but on the corner outside on the street. Jose took out his bug killer and sprayed where he thought the nest was, but that didn't satisfy the guys as there were still wasps flying around.
I guess they had called Steve (the contractor who owns the business) and he in turn called me to say that the fire department had been called and would probably be here in about a half hour. Well it was about an hour or more later (it was dark now) when they showed up - the workers had long since left. There were hundreds of dead wasps on the ground at the bottom of the tree, but Trevor said there were hundreds, if not more, still further up in the tree, so I'm guessing more than one nest.
The fire department guys got suited up and took out spray things and sprayed chemicals all over the tree and in a whole bunch of holes in the tree then took paper soaked in the chemical and stuffed it in all the holes. They were here for quite a while. Whatever they did worked as Trevor said he didn't see any live wasps today when he was over there and fortunately, the workers came back and are working (and singing) hard.
All in a day's entertainment here in Mexico - and still loving it.
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Tuesday 15 November 2011
November 15th Happy Birthday Trevor.
(posted by Shelley) So it was a pretty busy day. First of all it is Trev's birthday today, so happy birthday to him. After a busy day of running around we went to lunch at Ajijic Steak House. On top of the usual home made salsa and chips that you get everywhere we got garlic mushrooms with toast as an appetizer, then the meal was a baked potato and some amazing steaks. Trev had 3 beers (Sol) and I had a ceasar and a pop and the bill came to under $50...not too shabby.
Today we also got our FM2s so it is official......we are Mexicans now :). Tomorrow we will finally be able to go and book our flight back to Canada for Trev's brother's wedding. Just in time since we are off to PV in 5 days and will head to Canada right afterwards.
After finishing up at immigration we went and test drove a car. Since after 6 years there is a regulation that you have to either get your car out of Mexico if it is not from here or pay $3000 to legalize it, we wil need a new car at some point. Plus whenever Trev and I go out it leaves my parents here without a car and vise versa. So there is a 1973 VW Thing for sale that we have been looking at. As much as I like it for Trev and I, I don't think it is the car for us as a family though. My mom would have a hard time getting in and out of it since she is a shorty, plus it is standard which they do not like. And down the road when we don't have the van anymore it needs to be something that they are comfortable in and driving themselves, and this is not that car. :( We will keep looking though. There are tons of cars and we are not in any great rush for now.
We have made some great progress in the house painting and it is looking soooooo good. We started in the courtyard/ car park and it looks like a whole new house. I will take some pics and post them once it is done, right now it is a bit messy with a concrete mixer from the contractors and plants and stuff everywhere.
While Trev and I were out today my parents stayed home since it is Tuesday and the maid and gardener are in as well as the contractors. Today the contractors were putting Teka (terra cotta tiles) on the patio roof off the castita and in one of the trees outside the wall where they are working there was a nest inside the tree with hundreds of wasps. One of the guys was stung twice but luckily is not ellergic. But they were unable to work there until the wasps are gone since there are so many. So in comes the fire dept. yup......that is you you call for your wasp issues I guess. From what I understand they have to come in and get rid of them. If the tree needs to come down they have the authorization to cut it down without further permission from the government which is usually needed if you want to take a tree down on or off your property. So the fire dept came around 6:30 and suited up. They sprayed the tree all over and in all the holes and then stuffed the holes with newspaper soaked in the spray stuff and stuffed it in all the openings. Hopefully that does the trick since it would be nice not to lose the tree since. I guess we will have to wait and see.
My dad has been asked to sit in on a committee for the subdivision. I won't pretend to know all that this committee is involved in, but he is helping out with stuff regarding the new water storage systems for Chapala Haciendas 1, 2, and 3. I think it is great for him to be helping out and he loves doing stuff like this so he is chuffed to bits. It also gets him out of the house.....he had a meeting today and then another meeting tomorrow. That also gives my mom some time to herself while we are out and he is at his meetings.
I think that sums all that is new up for now. Tomorrow is market day, booking a flight and more painting I am sure. I am shattered just thinking about it, so off to bed.
Today we also got our FM2s so it is official......we are Mexicans now :). Tomorrow we will finally be able to go and book our flight back to Canada for Trev's brother's wedding. Just in time since we are off to PV in 5 days and will head to Canada right afterwards.
After finishing up at immigration we went and test drove a car. Since after 6 years there is a regulation that you have to either get your car out of Mexico if it is not from here or pay $3000 to legalize it, we wil need a new car at some point. Plus whenever Trev and I go out it leaves my parents here without a car and vise versa. So there is a 1973 VW Thing for sale that we have been looking at. As much as I like it for Trev and I, I don't think it is the car for us as a family though. My mom would have a hard time getting in and out of it since she is a shorty, plus it is standard which they do not like. And down the road when we don't have the van anymore it needs to be something that they are comfortable in and driving themselves, and this is not that car. :( We will keep looking though. There are tons of cars and we are not in any great rush for now.
We have made some great progress in the house painting and it is looking soooooo good. We started in the courtyard/ car park and it looks like a whole new house. I will take some pics and post them once it is done, right now it is a bit messy with a concrete mixer from the contractors and plants and stuff everywhere.
While Trev and I were out today my parents stayed home since it is Tuesday and the maid and gardener are in as well as the contractors. Today the contractors were putting Teka (terra cotta tiles) on the patio roof off the castita and in one of the trees outside the wall where they are working there was a nest inside the tree with hundreds of wasps. One of the guys was stung twice but luckily is not ellergic. But they were unable to work there until the wasps are gone since there are so many. So in comes the fire dept. yup......that is you you call for your wasp issues I guess. From what I understand they have to come in and get rid of them. If the tree needs to come down they have the authorization to cut it down without further permission from the government which is usually needed if you want to take a tree down on or off your property. So the fire dept came around 6:30 and suited up. They sprayed the tree all over and in all the holes and then stuffed the holes with newspaper soaked in the spray stuff and stuffed it in all the openings. Hopefully that does the trick since it would be nice not to lose the tree since. I guess we will have to wait and see.
My dad has been asked to sit in on a committee for the subdivision. I won't pretend to know all that this committee is involved in, but he is helping out with stuff regarding the new water storage systems for Chapala Haciendas 1, 2, and 3. I think it is great for him to be helping out and he loves doing stuff like this so he is chuffed to bits. It also gets him out of the house.....he had a meeting today and then another meeting tomorrow. That also gives my mom some time to herself while we are out and he is at his meetings.
I think that sums all that is new up for now. Tomorrow is market day, booking a flight and more painting I am sure. I am shattered just thinking about it, so off to bed.
Tuesday 8 November 2011
Nov 8th. Day of the Dead and the pyramids
(posted by Shelley) So it has been a few days since we last posted and it has been pretty busy here. Lots of building going on and the casita is looking good. Trev and I can't wait to get in there and unpack all of our stuff as right now everything we own is still in boxes in my parents spare bedroom along with our king size bed, a huge armoire, 6 foot tall filing cabinet, an amp and a guitar stand with Trev's guitars.....oh ya..and Flash's dog bed. Needless to say it is pretty packed in there. We don't expect to be fully in before we leave for Puerto Vallarta and Canada but when we get back it should be all good to go.
We have not actually booked our flight back to Canada yet since we are in the middle of getting our immigration papers and you cannot leave the country without special permission during the process. If we do not have our FM2s by the time we get back from PV then we will apply for permission to leave the country.
So what is new......our first Halloween was a pretty uneventful one.We bought 3 bags of candy and had one group of kids come. There were about 6 kids and 4 adults. They didn't actually ring our bell but I heard them standing out in the street just yelling "Trick or Treat" and then waiting to see who might come outside with some sweets. They were very excited to get some suckers and then that was it. We were stuck with all that candy. Luckily we got some chocolate and we had no problem getting rid of that :) but none of us eat suckers of the sponge bob square pants variety, so we gave them all to Maria who has kids.
Then on November 2 Trev and I went into town for The Day of the Dead. There was a whole street in Chapala that was decorated with alters for loved ones....friends and family aswell as beloved singers like Mexico's own Selena and of course Bob Marley. It was amazing to see all the work that goes into these alters. Day of the Dead is actaully 2 days......November 1 is when it is believed the spirits of children come back and November 2 is for everyone else. It is not a sad time - more of a celebration. It is thought that tears will make the path to the other world slippery and the spirits will have a hard time walking on it. Once the spirits get here the alters are decorated with their favourite foods and drink, and many people hand out bread and drinks to people passing by. It was packed and just as were were leaving there was a candle light procession with all the teenagers painted in traditional day of the dead face paint.
On Friday Trev and I finally got to go to the pyramids. It had been postponed a few times as they need at least 4 people to make the trip and it is right in between seasons for the travel agents but this week they had 8 people including Trev and I. The pyramids are about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Ajijic. On the way there we stopped on the side of the road just outside of Jocotopec for a traditional Mexican breakfast beverage. We pull up to a table on the side of the road that has all the stuff you can add to your drink.....cocoa with sugar, coffee, tequila and a few other things. Once you have put your ingridients in the cup you take it over to a white "tent" that is filled with a few cows and you hand your cup to a guy who then milks the cow right into your cup. Stir and drink. Now this might sound gross but let me tell you, it was awesome. For any of you that come and visit we will definitely take you there for your cup of morning joe.
We got to the pyramids and our guide Rosie was great. It was definitely worth going on the tour rather than going on our own because we would not have gotten any of the history on what we were seeing. These pyramids are not like the Mayan ones that you are more familiar with. These are round to start with. These ones are also older dating back to 1500 BC. There are 3 large round pyramids. Two have been uncovered but the 3rd and largest is still buried. Before the site was protected some of the stones had been removed to build the roads in the nearby village and water has ruined all that was buried inside. Rosie says that due to the high cost it will not be uncovered, but they are still excavating other areas on site. Each round pyramid is surrounded by raised alters that at one point had a house in each one. Each alter was occupied by a different village and the site is belived to be for ceramonial purposes only. Walking around the large round pyramid you see Tequila Vocano. It was pretty amazing to touch stones and walls that were put there so long ago. Definitely worth the trip.
On the way home we stopped for lunch and then stopped off at a small village called Santa Cruz de las Flores to check out the church there. It was finished in 1692, and it is amazing. It is all made of stone and covered in carving from top to bottom.
This same day was also Chapala Haciendas annual street potluck. There was lots of food and beer and live music. It was great and we actually knew quite a few people there which was a nice feeling. It was also a chance to meet some new people also. We all had a great time.
Since then we have started painting in the kitchen and Jose, Trevor and my dad are getting the wall around the property painted very fast. Now we are trying to find the right colour for the house. Things are starting to shape up around here.
We have not actually booked our flight back to Canada yet since we are in the middle of getting our immigration papers and you cannot leave the country without special permission during the process. If we do not have our FM2s by the time we get back from PV then we will apply for permission to leave the country.
So what is new......our first Halloween was a pretty uneventful one.We bought 3 bags of candy and had one group of kids come. There were about 6 kids and 4 adults. They didn't actually ring our bell but I heard them standing out in the street just yelling "Trick or Treat" and then waiting to see who might come outside with some sweets. They were very excited to get some suckers and then that was it. We were stuck with all that candy. Luckily we got some chocolate and we had no problem getting rid of that :) but none of us eat suckers of the sponge bob square pants variety, so we gave them all to Maria who has kids.
Then on November 2 Trev and I went into town for The Day of the Dead. There was a whole street in Chapala that was decorated with alters for loved ones....friends and family aswell as beloved singers like Mexico's own Selena and of course Bob Marley. It was amazing to see all the work that goes into these alters. Day of the Dead is actaully 2 days......November 1 is when it is believed the spirits of children come back and November 2 is for everyone else. It is not a sad time - more of a celebration. It is thought that tears will make the path to the other world slippery and the spirits will have a hard time walking on it. Once the spirits get here the alters are decorated with their favourite foods and drink, and many people hand out bread and drinks to people passing by. It was packed and just as were were leaving there was a candle light procession with all the teenagers painted in traditional day of the dead face paint.
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| Trev celebrating Dia de Muertos |
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| an alter for Bob Marley |
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| some kids painted for the celebration |
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| candle light procession, about 50 or more teenagers |
On Friday Trev and I finally got to go to the pyramids. It had been postponed a few times as they need at least 4 people to make the trip and it is right in between seasons for the travel agents but this week they had 8 people including Trev and I. The pyramids are about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Ajijic. On the way there we stopped on the side of the road just outside of Jocotopec for a traditional Mexican breakfast beverage. We pull up to a table on the side of the road that has all the stuff you can add to your drink.....cocoa with sugar, coffee, tequila and a few other things. Once you have put your ingridients in the cup you take it over to a white "tent" that is filled with a few cows and you hand your cup to a guy who then milks the cow right into your cup. Stir and drink. Now this might sound gross but let me tell you, it was awesome. For any of you that come and visit we will definitely take you there for your cup of morning joe.
We got to the pyramids and our guide Rosie was great. It was definitely worth going on the tour rather than going on our own because we would not have gotten any of the history on what we were seeing. These pyramids are not like the Mayan ones that you are more familiar with. These are round to start with. These ones are also older dating back to 1500 BC. There are 3 large round pyramids. Two have been uncovered but the 3rd and largest is still buried. Before the site was protected some of the stones had been removed to build the roads in the nearby village and water has ruined all that was buried inside. Rosie says that due to the high cost it will not be uncovered, but they are still excavating other areas on site. Each round pyramid is surrounded by raised alters that at one point had a house in each one. Each alter was occupied by a different village and the site is belived to be for ceramonial purposes only. Walking around the large round pyramid you see Tequila Vocano. It was pretty amazing to touch stones and walls that were put there so long ago. Definitely worth the trip.
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| 1 of 3 round pyramids, this is the 2nd largest on site |
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| can't figure out how to turn this around but this was taken standing on the largest temple that is still covered. |
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| from this angle you can see Tequila Vocano right behind the pyramid |
This same day was also Chapala Haciendas annual street potluck. There was lots of food and beer and live music. It was great and we actually knew quite a few people there which was a nice feeling. It was also a chance to meet some new people also. We all had a great time.
Since then we have started painting in the kitchen and Jose, Trevor and my dad are getting the wall around the property painted very fast. Now we are trying to find the right colour for the house. Things are starting to shape up around here.
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