LOOSE ENDS

After more than twenty posts (I am as surprised as you are) it seemed like a good idea to go back over some of the Blogs that left some questioned unanswered. 

While I still enjoy my little apartment, I have decided to move when the lease is up in December.  I want a quieter street and something more suitable for guests.  I have had one guest and it worked out fine except for the sofa bed (which is a hassle to move and open) and the noise on the street was almost more than my friend could stand.  I am looking at some of the dead end streets off B. Badillo (but that will wait a few months).   Since I quit spending money buying stuff for my apartment I have managed to live within my budget.

 The plants are all thriving (those that I didn't kill).  The hibiscus is amazing with blooms over 10 inches across.  The yellow vine finally started along the trellis and had covered it almost completely from one end to the other.  Then one day while trimming back the mint I cut one vine off at the root (I was very unhappy with myself ,and NO I was not drunk.)

The clock on the bell tower has been started and restarted half a dozen times.  It runs for a few days, but has said 8:15 for over a month.  The bells still drive me crazy.  I guess during weddings they ring all nine of them at once.  Explosions (gun, fire crackers ??) are more frequent and oddly enough are almost always followed by the bells.   More of this later..

The baby "iguanas" turned out to be geckos.  They never got much bigger and remained the same ugly grey pink.  I now have a whole family of them up there pooping on the wall.  Now, I think they may be coming inside at night for I have found what look like "droppings". I no longer leave a light on for them to catch bugs,  I would really like to get rid of them. Since I live in a cage with no solid doors, dirt and dust freely flow in and also critters can freely come and go.  (But I don't want to think about that or I will go crazy).  Within one week the dozens of hummingbirds went down to two or three (maybe they fly north from here).  The feeder began to leak honey all over the deck so I took it down.  Next winter I will try again.

I thought I had the buses down to a science then got on the wrong bus on my way to pick up my money from Telecable (Yes, it took four months and dozens of calls and visits, but I did finally get it).  Half way there I looked out and did not recognize anything.  I realized I was on a different street so the only thing I could think to do was to wait until I recognized something.   It was the Sheraton Hotel.  I got off and started walking inland hoping to find a street or something I knew.  Finally a No. 3 bus came by that said "El Centro"  I thought it would take me back home, but it was headed in the opposite direction.  After four buses and two and a half hours I got to Telecable to collect my money.

Regular bottled water delivery still eludes me.  I have had maybe a dozen one time deliveries.  Each time I tip them more than the cost of the water and ask them to return next week.  NOTHING!!  Even the manager of my building is baffled.  One explanation might be that the leather goods store hangs a leather poncho over my street number, but that would not explain how they deliver the first time.  .

Of all the day trips, Boca remains my favorite.  (It was also the cheapest and the closest) but I intend to seek out more new places to visit.  The gym is going quite well.  The "smiling Adonis" (whose name turns out to be David) has spent hours teaching me new exercises.  Last week he said that next we would work on my legs.  I looked at him and said,  "My legs are the only good muscles I have got.  Do these look like 74 year old legs to you?"  He laughed.  The truth is I hate leg exercises (but I do have good looking legs).  I have just started my Spanish class (it may be my next blog).

I still go to the beach, but only about once a week.  I fear it may get too hot for me as summer approaches.  My fans run all day and night and I can't sleep with out air conditioning and it is only May!!  What will August be like?  I still enjoy it here, everyday is a new adventure.  I also solved another mystery.  Every evening a boy in green pants runs down the street banging on a gong.  He is announcing the arrival of the trash truck, so you had better bring your garbage to the designated corner.  It is a primitive system, but it works.  Kind of like Mexico.

It is still difficult crossing the "pot holed" cobble stone streets with out being hit by a truck or bus.  The urine soaked sidewalks are still an offense, but the new sidewalk on B. Badillo turned out very nice.  There are now four blocks of new wide sidewalks and planters.  Some of the small plants have disappeared (I think they are stolen) but the trees are all doing well.  In a few years it should look beautiful, but unfortunately the Mexicans have yet to figure out underground utilities. 

Mexican love to celebrate as much as they love noise.  Most remain a mystery to me like the one this week.  I was awakened about 11:00 at night by a series of whistling fireworks and cherry bombs.  It went on for a half an hour.  The street in front of the church looked like a bonfire was going on.  It ended with several blasts of what appeared to be shot gun blasts into the sky, followed by all 9 bells ringing.  The street between me and the church has been closed all week to accommodate a traveling carnival of kids rides.  It has to have some sort of religious connotation, but I am not sure.  David  (at the gym) said he thought it might be a celebration for the parton saint of that church.   It occurred on May 3rd, so it had nothing to do with Cinco de Mayo  (Unless their calendar is as goofy as their clock).  Nothing happened on the 5th of May.

We also just had Labor Day.  Just as in the U.S. it is to commemorate the plight of the working class and all banks, federal buildings, schools,  and most shops close for the day.  Only this year it occurred on a Sunday when they are closed anyway, so I don't know who it benefits unless they let the priests go home early.   Most of Mexico remains a mystery to me.  Ya gotta love her, like a lover, warts and all.

NOTE TO MY READERS:  In my Easter Week blog I only made a brief reference to the dance group that was led by a drag queen.  An organization sponsoring Puerto Vallarta as a safe and fun place to visit have released a video of the performance that I watched.  I think you will find it very entertaining.  Check it out at http://dai.ly/k2IQHD.