Deep in Mexico-December 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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Tuesday, December 04, 2012

It was raining on the way to the airport, but when we were almost there the rain stopped. Terry tried to turn the wipers off, but they wouldn’t shut off. I told her to have one of the guys at the auto parts store pull the wiper fuse, or worst case, disconnect the battery when she got home. Omen of things to come? Terry dropped me at United and the trip had begun. Forty dollars for the second checked bag, ouch.



. . .waiting for my flight to go off. ate a package of fruit Starbursts to qwell my anxiety. made it onboard my first flight in five years.



When I arrived in Houston, the United assistant told me the next leg of my journey had been cancelled. She was kind enough to sign me up the next flight out, a 2-hour wait. I entertained myself by doing a backward moondance on the moving sidewalk while listening to Michael Jackson’s song, BAD.



I arrived in Mexico City just after midnight, went through customs and immigration. I bypassed the flurry of taxi drivers and took the third floor skywalk to the Camino Real Hotel. After check in and getting up to my room, it was 3:30 a.m. I placed an order for a wake up call at 8:00, and a room service breakfast at 8:30. It took me about 3 minutes to go to sleep.



Somehow they got it backwards. Breakfast arrived at 8:00, then the wake up call at 8:30

The fruit plate was delectable, the seafood tacos were too spicy, and the spaghetti tasted like it was straight from a can of Chef-Boy-Ardee.



While in Mexico City I took a taxi to the pharmacy to see about getting a couple of medications I had left at home. I gave the driver the directions:

VIDAMEX, fray Servaudo T.M., Col. Jardin Balbuena, and he said,

“Oh, you mean Walmart?” So, I got my nerve pain meds there in Mexico City for $875 pesos, not a bargain



December 7th. Arrived on the southern most point in Mexico. No pictures yet. Renting a condo. The weather is high 88, low 72. No complaints. It's a fifteen minute walk to the beach. Food at "la playa" is about 4x as expensive as out of the trunks of cars (95%!N(MISSING)issans).
Took a taxi to the old downtown. Except for Tijuana, this is the most poor Mexicans than I have ever seen. No, Tijuana was the most, 2 million people.went to the Lots of young men driving taxis. (95%!N(MISSING)issans), scooters, or motorcycles, no helmet, no goggles, and HUGE tour vans getting ready for a cruise ship coming to port on Monday. Many sides of raw meat hanging from rods in the meat "stores." Tacos sold out of trunks of cars,10 pesos. They try to charge you more if you don't speak Spanish. Happy Birthday to Gina!! Saturday, December 8th (today): took a taxi to the next beach north (35 pesos), had chips and salsa, Fillet of snapper Veracruz style, and 2 shots of carribean rum. It was 3x as much at the beach to eat, but it was Saturday, Went snorkeling (50 pesos) with blue and yellow fish. Took off my PFD so I could dive. Went down about 12 feet (my right eardrum was about blow), picked up a couple pieces of coral that been broken off. Swam floating on my back for over an hour. This saltwater is sure buoyant. Swam, followed some Mexican teenagers into a cave in the rocks. It was cool! Now at home simmering a pot of black beans.

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