Saturday, 18 November 2017

Back home again

Today we all were on Westjet coming home. Greg came through Calgary and the rest of us were on a flight to Edmonton.

Hannah was relatively good (according to Michelle). They were at the front of the plane so I only saw them when Hannah was getting walked about to calm her down (she had two cranky times)

No problems with immigration for any of us (at least in Edmonton) and at least the temperature wasn't too bad when we got here (around zero). There was snow on the ground and Alex reported that he had to shovel the walks twice (he was looking after the house for us).

All in all a great vacation!


Friday, 17 November 2017

Last night in Palm Desert

A great day!

Caro,Lisa, Vanessa,Nathan and I went hiking. We had been told to got to Murray Canyon on a nearby Indian Reservation so for the cost of $9 each we spent a couple of hours in magnificent palm trees and tiny water streams. Wow, the two different hikes we took awesome and worth going back to in the future.

The first one was called Palm Canyon hike. We did about 2 kilometres of that one before heading back the way we came (it is over 20 kilometres long so we had no intention of completing the whole trail). The photos below are from this trail.





The second trail was called the Andreas Canyon loop and was a 1 mile loop. Beautiful!!. The photos below are from that hike



The remainder of the day was spent at the house where we finished all the food etc. A few games of cards and some pool time and it was time to call it a night.   Greg has to be at the airport at 6  for his Calgary flight so Lisa will take him and come back and all of us will leave about 8:30 for our 11 AM flight.



Thursday, 16 November 2017

Thursday

Caro and Lisa  went shopping in the morning and that was about all that happened other than playing cards or lounging around. Everyone is tired and napping seemed like a better option than going hiking or anything.

Tonight Lisa, Greg, Caro and I drove up to a famous weekly street market featuring about four city blocks of vendors,musicians and information booths. The place was packed. Nathan and Vanessa made it there after we had already left.

A few games of cards after watching the end of the Oilers game (picked up on the internet and wired from the laptop to the big TV) and we called it a night. Not even 10 PM and we are all ready for bed.

Wednesday, 15 November 2017

Wednesday

This morning Caro was up early to help out with Hannah and I was up later; after six. We said goodbye to Vanessa and Nathan as they headed off to Disneyland for the day.

After a neighborhood walk we got together with Lisa and went to the hiking trail that Vanessa and Nathan went on yesterday. The trail is called Bump and Grind and it was very popular and a great work out.



There was a great view of a private golf course called Porcupine Creek (I think)
Photo below


In the afternoon the pool guy came by to get our pool and hot tub working-mission accomplished!
We went shopping for some shoes while the pool guy did his thing. We picked up some "skechers" at a shopping area nearby.

Supper was home made Mexican food which we enjoyed here with Michelle's aunt and uncle who are snow birds from B.C.

The day was finished up sitting around the pool and later chatting with Vanessa and Nathan about their wonderful day at Disneyland.



Tuesday, 14 November 2017

Tuesday in Palm Desert

Another beautiful day in paradise.

Caro went for a run this morning and then afterwards we (Lisa Caro and I) drove out of town a few kilometres to a hiking trail. We enjoyed a 4.5 km walk up into the hills before heading back to do some shopping. We also stopped in a "Sonic" hamburger joint as I wanted to try them (pretty similar to Wendy's actually). Vanessa and Michelle (Hannah) went shopping and the boys went golfing in one of the 150 courses here. Nathan and Vanessa also went hiking earlier in the morning.

Tonight we had take out orders of Tacos which Lisa and Greg went to pick up. Great tasting food with plenty left over for breakfast tomorrow.

It looks like tonight might be a quiet one as the pool guy did his weekly cleaning and chemical additions and as I write this the filtering system on the pool is still doing its thing and I am not sure we will be able to use the hot tub or pool tonight. Too bad as the guys were hoping to sooth sore leg muscles.

Typical terrain when  hiking in the desert


another photo of Hannah and her abuelita!

Monday, 13 November 2017

Monday in Palm Desert

Hannah (bless her little heart) decided we should all be up before most of us wanted to. Ah grandchildren! She is really a lot of fun when she is not being crabby!!!

After a morning of pool activities Greg and I were left to babysit Hannah while the others went to Orange Theory. Hannah was really good for the first 20 minutes (except spitting up on Greg) but soon the screaming started.Sigh. I held her in my arms and walked, and walked, and walked, and after 30 minutes she faded off to sleep (about 5 minutes before everybody got home from their exercise class).


We spent most of the afternoon poolside or in the gazebo playing cards. A perfect temperature (about 30 degrees) for just lounging around. As evening and darkness approached (about 5 PM) we drove to the down town of Palm Desert and walked some of the streets. Most interesting to me was a Tesla dealership with  "S" and "X" models there to investigate. Now that was cool! Such an interesting car. More than I want to spend, but very interesting.

We stopped at a Walmart store and bought supper. While there I picked up at 1.75 Litre Captain Morgan rum for US$20. Oh yah, great price but I will need assistance to get it finished (a LOT of assistance however my observation is that, together, we can complete the task at hand-well maybe!)


A nice photo from the backyard. This place truly is a paradise!


Sunday, 12 November 2017

Enjoying the pool

Lots of fun




Palm Springs

Some months ago Mike and Michelle decided to talk everyone into getting together in Palm Springs (an easy sell).

M+M rented a house in Palm Desert for the week of Nov 11th to 18th (Sat to Sat) and everyone except Greg were able to get on the same WestJet flight. Greg followed later on in the day on a flight from Calgary.

So now all 9 of us (Caro,me Lisa,Greg,Mike,Michelle Hannah, and Vanessa/Nathan).

We are in a 5 bedroom house with a pool and hot tub (oh yah!). We have three rented vehicles with Lisa and Greg sharing a Jeep Grand Cherokee with us. We rented our vehicle through Costco travel and got a great deal. We had rented an Escape but upon arrival at the rental desk we were informed that they didn't have an Escape right there but could have one driven over in 15 minutes OR for $5/day more per day we could get a Grand Cherokee. Ummm,"no I can wait" and so after a quick behind the scenes discussion between Avis employees they "decided" to give us the Cherokee at our original cost. Ha ha. I told the employee ; "nice try on the up sell". Too funny.

Lisa has paid for cell phone roaming charges and we have used that for getting around but I have purchased an app for the area that may make getting around easier.We'll see.

We were all in the pool/and or hot tub enjoying adult beverages in the morning while Hannah has a nice long nap.

Great fireworks show last night before Lisa and I went to pick up Greg at the airport and then an early evening to sleep until Hannah woke us up at 0500 (the kid has a great set of lungs) but we all went back to sleep including Caro who had taken Hannah to another room so M+M could get extra sleep.



Wednesday, 23 August 2017

At the airport

Hello family

This morning is interesting!

Fernando took us to the airport at 0200 and then we sat around til 3:30 at which time we checked in with Air Canada. What a smart move to do a web check-in as the our line-up to complete the bag check was exactly 2 people long whereas those who waiting in line for an airport check-in was probably 50 long. We were through security in no time and then used my "Priority Pass" to get into a lounge (first time ever in an airport lounge-Wow, nice). This place is awesome! We started with coffee/hot chocolate and at 0430 we had breakfast. Now Caro is sleeping in a comfortable chair until we leave here about 5:20 for our 5:30 boarding time.


I think my Priority Pass came with my ATB mastercard but I don't remember exactly. Caro and I can use it once per year without cost.

Tuesday, 22 August 2017

Tuesday August 22 Mexico City

Hello Family

Today was a quiet one. Caro's plans were to see her sisters Vicky and Mary (and her family) and I was going to a museum with Fernando that has paintings I really like.

Plans changed when Fernando and Edu had to deal with a credit card phishing event so they needed to go to their bank ASAP. I initially went with Caro to meet Vicky nearby (I haven't seen her in about 4 years). After a few minutes of conversation I realized that it was not going to be a great day for either Caro or I if I stayed with her because this was to be her time to visit with her sisters, and not be be worried about me (if I was bored etc.  and yes I was pretty sure it was going to be a dreadful day!)

We phoned Fernando and caught them just as they were leaving to the bank  so I was able to get back to their place and I caught up on Utube videos. When Fernando and Edu came home we went to Toks restaurant for a great meal then drove over to a nice park for a look. It was nice driving past the apartment where Caro and I first lived after we were married.

Caro got back in early evening and after some catch up conversation we packed our bags and printed off our boarding passes for tomorrow's return flights home.

Monday, 21 August 2017

Monday Aug 21st/2017

Hello family

Fernando,Edu,Caro and I met Tete and Ruben at a toll booth on the highway to Cuernavaca. Tete and I switched vehicles and I went with Ruben and both cars headed down the highway about an hour to a small town called Tepoztlan. It is a town with a beautiful sharp cliffs in the mountainsides. The main attraction is a pyramid built on top of one of the cliffs. We climbed part way up the mountain path but the trail was too rocky and it was too far to go for the majority of us so we went back down after going about half way up.



Today was the day of the eclipse of the sun so there were many young people climbing to the pyramid but the sky was overcast and the eclipse was not very significant in this area so why they were climbing, I don't know.

I pointed the camera up towards the sun to get this photo during the eclipse
Nice church

We went to a beautiful restaurant in the town and then came back to Mexico City. One of the main roads in the city has been doubled by building a second level above the original roads. The road is super fast and if time is important and you have about $30 for the toll it is a good way to get across a major part of the city.

Caro had a couple of appointments tonight and now we are just sitting around.

Sunday, 20 August 2017

Sunday in Mexico City

Hello Family

Today was a day of seeing family



Ruben, Tete,Vanessa,Lorena, Joachin,Lorenita and Mary Fer joined Fernando,Edu,Caro and me for a great lunch and a later walk at the Coyoacan zocalo.



As we haven't seen Lorena and her family for many years it was very nice to catch up on all the news. It is 25 years ago this past June when we said good bye to Lorena after she had lived with us in Elk Point for almost a year.

Saturday, 19 August 2017

Saturday-back in Mexico City

This morning we were on our way to the airport at 0700. We checked in with Interjet and then went for breakfast.


Our flight here was very interesting because the plane had a forward facing camera and so we watched the takeoff and then 2 hours later ,the landing. Really neat! Interjet is a budget airline and instead of going to a gate at the terminal they stopped at their hanger location at a distant part of the airport and bused us around to terminal one where we waited a short while for our bags to arrive (our bags are no longer "OK" for carry on due to recent purchases).

She who buys souvenir gifts!

Fernando and Edu picked us up and we went to their place for a bit before leaving again and meeting Ruben and Tete in a very popular seafood taco restaurant for an early supper. After another drive to a coffee place for dessert we said our "good byes" to Ruben and Tete and went back to Fernando and Edu's house to wind down.

Friday, 18 August 2017

Friday in Chihuahua

Hello family

After a great sleep we were up and eating breakfast by about 8 AM.

The hotel is located in the centre of town right behind the cathedral and the breakfast room is located on the 4th floor (5th really) with the option to eat inside or out. Naturally we ate outside!


We found a 2 hour city tour leaving at 10 AM so we bought tickets and walked around until it was time to get on the tourist bus. The tour was in Spanish and the guide was super funny (to all those who have a good grasp of Spanish-not me!). We stopped at the only place in Chihuahua that I wanted to see. Pancho Villa's mansion. The house contains many of his personal effects as well as the car he was riding in when he was shot to death.



The rest of the tour included a stop in a beautiful French style house that was built in the early 1900's.


In the afternoon we walked around, and tonight we went to a recommended restaurant which was essentially a steak place. It was great. This city has a very clean central area with many streets for walking only. There weren't as many restaurants as had expected and as 8 PM came many of the stores were closing. There were always street musicians playing so the entertainment was wonderful.



Tomorrow we are back in Mexico City


Thursday-El Chepe

Hello Family

This morning we walked downtown and watched the train coming westward from Chihuahua on its way to Los Mochis. The poor people getting on and off had to do scurry into the station or get drenched. We were just watching so stayed under cover. I got video of the train arriving and leaving again.



After checking out and having a last great meal at the hotel restaurant (Caro told the cook that the smells were just like her home when growing up) we got a ride to the train station to catch the train going eastward to our destination. While waiting we were talking to our shuttle driver and he had a photo of a train derailment. This had happened on the tracks we had come over earlier on Monday when our train ride was shortened. We had heard on Tuesday morning that both directions were closed due to problems caused by heavy rains. We were going through heavy rain on Monday before we were bused to Creel. I think there is a good chance that it was the train that dropped us off and had to reverse its direction back to Los Mochis with the people bused in from Chihuahua that derailed. Those people will have stories!

Photo of a photo of train derailment

The trains started running after two complete days of cancellations on the very day we were scheduled to leave. Talk about lucky. Four hours into our run we stopped in the middle of no where because the tracks were getting emergency repairs again in the same location that forced the people on Monday to get bused.


We made it to our hotel by 11 PM and I hit the sack immediately.

Wednesday, 16 August 2017

Another awesome day in Creel

Today we had a double tour of the local area. Unfortunately our pocketbooks took a hit as we were the only ones on the tour and we had to pay for the the minimum group of four people so our initial cost was about $150.

We had the same guide as yesterday and he was really worth it (and got a health tip just like yesterday). We saw a lot of the local Tarahumara people and their homes. These people are very poor and we gave quite a few donations/gifts throughout the day.

We started our day very near Creel seeing a family living in a cave (which is/was typical here). I found it very hot and really unhealthy. The roof was black from the burning of wood/kerosene inside over many generations. The old woman is the granddaughter of the first person to make a permanent home in this cave although it has been used for numerous generations.


Next we saw a beautiful waterfall. We walked to the bottom (of course) for a refreshing spray filled breeze. The temperature today is about the same as yesterday (23 degrees) so it is very pleasant walking around.



We visited about a dozen sites including churches, a lake, and modern Tarahumara towns before finishing very near here in the Valley of the Monks. This place is made up of large thin rocks projecting up into the air. Over the years many of these large rocks have been named because they look like something else (including some that look like monks), The rocks are what has been left from the "frozen" magna of a worn away volcano and these rocks have been sculpted by eons of rain,snow and wind.





We were back to the hotel by about 2:30 (a 5 hour tour) and I booked tomorrow nights lodging in Chihuahua. The word is that the train will be running tomorrow. There have been numerous hotel and tour cancellations because the train was not running therefore there was not as many people here.