#14 CODE RED

 

It was tricky getting this pic as folks kept posing in front of it. San Blas has many gorgeous murals. Usually we are speeding by in a taxi so I don't get a good shot.

This was a lovely late find. Pipila is a new restaurant down on the estuary. Loved how they brought Ray all of his ingredients for his drink and he put them all together to his his taste.

Ray has steak and I had ribs. Both were very good.

This is our unit at Bungalows Alicia. We have gone full circle. This is the very unit we stayed in 20 years ago. There was a garage on the right that is now another unit where I used to teach art on Saturdays. The unit is very bright, comfortable and has AC.

This is the house across the road where my friend Ramona was raising her 6 children. 

These cobble stone streets are killers to walk on.

We hear him coming before we can see him. It is the ice cream man!!! Sometimes he has 4 flavours. Other times only 2 but it is always a nice treat. I don't think it is actually ice cream. I think it is some kind of frozen ice. Still yummy!!!

This is Erica and Jose. I met Jose years ago when he was cleaning Martha's pool and I taught him English. Last time we were here we were honoured to be invited to their wedding. It has been great fun to have them visit regularly. Google translate is great but sure makes me lazy about learning more Spanish.

This is the reason most folks go to Pipila for dinner. The lovely sunsets.

Dogs everywhere and cats.....

I admire how Mexican people build around the environment. This is part of the Pipila's.

It seems to me that a town should try to help its people get money but here in SB it can prove to be quite the challenge. This atm has been the most successful. It is in a wall surrounding a school. There is no handle on the door. It is hot and there is no air circulation. It is tiny. It is filthy.

The story of the canes. I never use a cane at home but here.....let's do it for safeties sake. So the cane on the right is the cane I brought here from Canada just incase. I left it in a taxi. Oh, taxis anywhere in SB are 50 pesos or about $3.98 and they are great. I put a plea out on fb and a woman I had never met here responded and then brought me the one on the left to the house. 6 days later when our taxi arrived here, the driver got out of the car with a big smile, went to the trunk and then presented me with the cane I'd left in his cab a week before. Gotta love Mexicana.

We discovered that the woman who brought me the super cane ran a sushi restaurant so we had to go as we are true sushi lovers. We met with our Republican friends for our third dinner together. I was disappointed in the sushi. It was missing something. I'm not sure what. Like special sauce on an A&W burger or something. The staff were wonderful. I wasn't feeling well and ended up with a huge headache so that may have affected how I felt about the whole meal. 

Friday the temperature was supposed to be down a couple of degrees so we had breakfast at Ofros and then to the Huicholi Market to shop. I had this big dose of calories and loved every bite!!! Impossible to finish.... They lied about the temperature....

I had suffered at the bank so I had lots of cash to spend but then couldn't find exactly what I wanted. I also needed to go to the bathroom. There was one there for 8 pesos but no one had a key to open it. Welcome to Mexico.

I'm not doing dishes with that in the sink so Ray scared it away. "It's ok now. It's under the toaster." Well, that makes it much better.....

Saturday saw us delivering our shopping buggy to a friend who walks around town as we were sure that she would enjoy it. We have decided that we will probably not be returning to SB, It is strange but it feels like we have out grown it.

Then to MacDonald's for lunch. They haven't always been open while we have been here and since my stomach has been way too sensitive I decided I needed some of their mushroom soup for lunch. New menu....no soup. So disappointing. 

Just look at that tile work!!! Almost looks like my kitchen....I want to go home!!! Fresh squeezed orange juice. Going to get me one of those squishers when I get home!!!

This is Jose and his son delivering us dinner Saturday night. As we were going to leave Monday morning for PV we had been getting rid of food. Jose, Erica and her Mom make and deliver hamburgers and hot dogs all over SB on Sat. and Sun. nights. Our hamburgers had a homemade patty, a slice of ham, two kinds of cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onion and mushrooms. In retrospect, thank God we only ate half a burger Saturday. We had asked for the same thing for Sunday night. We are not big burger eaters but we do believe in helping the local economy.
So, Sunday morning we packed. Everything. We were leaving in under 24 hours. I took a break and came onto the computer and all hell was breaking loose. We were under a Code Red. Shelter in Place. Do not go outside. 

We are 3 hours north of PV but our road coming into town, there is only one road in and out, had been blockaded with 5 cars being set on fire. Everything in town was shut down. The street became silent. No motorbikes, no children, no dogs, no chickens, no cars, no trucks, no ice cream man!!!! All was still.

We realized that we could not go to PV today. No idea when we would be able to travel. The Code Red is still in effect and we are waiting for it to be lifted. 19 cars and 17 buses were destroyed yesterday in PV by fire.

I called the hotel in PV, a Marriott, to see if they were open and if we were good to go tomorrow, Tuesday. Yes they were open all was fine. Then I said I did not expect to pay for my room for tonight as I could not get there and he backed off and sent me to reservations who didn't answer the phone. At $850 a night, I sure hope I'm not paying for tonight!!!! We have been ripped off already by one nasty greedy person.

So I ask for your prayers for our safety and safe return to Canada on Thursday, Feb.26th. Right now Air Canada is saying the flight is on time and let's pray it is!!!!!!!!!

Last night Jose and Erica came over on their motorbike after dark and while they were here we heard peep peep and these two entrepreneurial people were selling banana bread!!!! Jose had tried to get us food on the way over but everything was closed and here banana bread arrived on our door step. We were blessed!!!! We had some food!!!!

I can hear more traffic on the road this morning. Schools are all closed here. Waiting this out is tough but so are we and we will see this through....

Blessings to you all....