Awesome Mexican Food

Eating out is always fun!  And it's always easier to order in one of the small Mexican places when Rene' is with us since he speaks fluent Spanish!  Glenn and I usually can do pretty good at most places as some speak a little English but at some very small family run places, there is hardly a menu so it makes it a little more difficult!

We tried this place with Cindy and Rene - the menu is just written on the wall in the back so it was pretty easy to decipher and the food was delicious!!  The prices were very reasonable!  And they bring a veggie tray (like the ones you use at Thanksgiving with all the separate holes for different veggies) full of guacamole, pico de gallo, spicy coleslaw, cucumbers and hot sauce!

Another evening we joined other friends at San Antonio Pizza place since on Wednesday nights the chef does a huge bowl of paella - a Spanish dish with rice, saffron, chicken and different seafood!  Rene' loves paella so I knew we had to bring him here!  Here is the chef making it!

I'm not that fond of paella so Cindy and I ordered a pizza (which was delicious) but most of the rest of them had the dish and enjoyed it

What a great evening with friends!

Fishing At Its' Best!

Rene' loves to fish too - not as much as Glenn (do we know ANYONE that likes to fish as much as him????)  but there was excitement in the air when the morning came for them to go out!

The picture below is actually the 2nd time they went out - since they have different colored shirts on here than in the other pictures!

But the first time they went out, Rene' didn't take any dramanine OR wear his wrist bands and they hadn't been out 15 or 20 minutes before I saw them coming back into shore!  Cindy went down to see if they needed help getting the boat in and I must have been doing something else because the next time I looked I saw all of these people down there - now really, how many people does it take to get the boat in?  (Usually Glenn just has one person helping him!!)

Well, 2 things had happened!  No sooner had they gotten out a ways than Rene' got bad motion sickness and needed to come in!  BUT on the way back in he had caught a large fish!!  AND when they got to shore, one of the wheels on his boat had come off so it was hard to actually get the boat in because it was lopsided with only one wheel on it and the people in the picture rushed over to help get the boat and of course were looking at the fish!

And boy, what a fish it was!!  He had caught a dorado and it was beautiful!!

One proud guy!!

So after cutting up the fish, Glenn realized he had blood on his good shirt (that he's not supposed to wear out fishing!!) so was trying to be a good guy and wash it out in our bathroom sink!  He had put the plug in and then went to do something else - NOT a good idea - and by the time he remembered the water was running, it had flooded the bathroom and most of the bedroom!  YIKES - what a mess!

I think after 5 large bath towels we finally had the water mopped up (except for under our bed which we couldn't reach)!!  Since I had several items of clothing over by my side of the bed, my clothes got all wet along with 4 rugs!  At least my floor got a nice washing!

It wasn't till the next day I went under the sink to get my hair dryer and realized it was standing water under there - another rug,  a ruined pack of paper towels and a darn wet hair dryer!!  But I let it dry good and it still works!!  I had a 12 pack and 2 4-packs of toilet paper under there (remember, I was stocking up before we came home) and it all seemed to be fine till yesterday when I went to open one of the 4 packs - there must have been a hole in it as all of the rolls were soggy!!

Glenn did get the wheel fixed on the boat and back on!  What an exciting day!

ATV Adventures

It's beach drive day!  Pack the water and snacks, put on that sunscreen and grab your hat - it's time to ATV!

The beach journey is one we took with Cindy and Rene 6 years ago!  How fun to go with them again!

It's a fun drive along the beach and you can go as far as the marina which is in the next town of La Ribera!

Lots of birds and Glenn would always speed up so they would fly - he's lucky we didn't get pooped on!

We took the back roads into La Ribera and stopped at an OXXO (like a 7-11) to have ice cream!  YUM!

Cindy and I look much better than the guys - don't you agree?

Beautiful water and a fun day driving on the beach!

Guests Arrive

Before we knew it, it was time for our 2nd set of company to arrive - Cindy and Rene' from Tx!  They were the original ones who came with us when we discovered Los Barriles, back in 2014!  I even pulled up my old blogs so we could laugh at our clothes, since we are still wearing those clothes!!  HA!!

Would it be mean to say I was almost as excited to receive this gift from them as seeing them????

The story behind the flyswatters is that there was NOT one in the house (although we had purchased one last year and left it!) and there wasn't a store in town where you could buy one!!  We checked and checked but to no avail - so I texted Cindy and asked her to bring one down!  (Along with some dark chocolate as Glenn kept eating all of mine!!)

Breakfast at Caleb's is always good!!  Then we headed over to pick up their ATV for the week!!

Because stopping at the grocery store seems to be an every other day occurrence, we stopped to pick up a few items and Cindy snapped this picture of ALL the toilet paper available!!

Happy hour is always fun with peach or mango dacquiris and guacamole!

Let the fun begin!!

New Palapas - Gorgeous Sunrises

YES - I got my pictures to FINALLY download on the computer!  Patience is all it took!

So it's time to catch up on the blogging - in between of course reading the updates on the coronavirus and checking the daily stats!  Here on the Baja the number has increased to 5 cases - still pretty low - and still seeming like it's not going to hit hard in our area - but again time will tell!

So back to the fun stuff!!  When Patty and Leonard were here, we saw the "town" workers come and put up these thick tall poles - we speculated on what they were doing and Glenn finally figured it out!  They were going to build palapas - AWESOME!!

It was fun to watch the daily progress and the building process didn't take that many days!

Our gardener finished "skinning" the palm trees in the front yard and they look SO much better!

THE BEST SUNRISE EVER!!!!  WOW - I couldn't believe the sky when I got up that morning - it was totally amazing and I snapped (as you can imagine!) many, many pictures!  The sunrise hasn't been this spectacular since!!  (and no, I did nothing to the pictures - they are straight off my phone!)

Glenn is always excited when he catches a snapper!!

Life is good - life is stress free!

Plans Change

It's Sunday morning and yes, I am a week behind in my blogging but I'm having issues downloading pictures to the computer.....oh the joys of technology!

Our last set of house guests left yesterday so it's back to just Glenn and I - the house sure feels empty with just the two of us but it's a nice kind of quiet!

Check out this picture of the beach in front of our house - pretty lonely looking isn't it?  Glenn and I found it rather strange for a Sunday since most weekends are fairly busy, especially for Mexican families that come to the beach for the day!

So what is happening here on the Baja?  Most Cabo flights have been stopped - I'm sure there are still a few running but I also know from people we've talked to that most people who were scheduled to fly down have cancelled!  And some people from here have left to fly home or to drive home!

Right now there are only a handful of coronavirus cases here on the Baja - and none in our small town.  But recommendations are already in force - school was cancelled last week till the end of April - the border has shut down except for Americans going back into the states - large group gatherings have all been cancelled - many shops are shut down - and restaurants are taking added measures to ensure everyone's safety (no tables right next to each other - hand washing before you enter the restaurant)  And in time, all restaurants could close except for take out - time will tell!  But at this time, at least measures are being taken!

Glenn and I talked at length after our guests left - were we ready to leave on April 5th and drive home to the chaos in the states?  Would our house we're staying in be available if we decided to stay additional time?  Lots of questions with not a lot of answers!!

Since there are very few cases of coronavirus at this time on the Baja, we decided it really IS a good place to hunker down - between the beach, fishing, simple living, lots of sunshine, reading and ATVing, what better place to be at this time!!

I emailed our landlord in CA yesterday afternoon - he emailed me back right away that 2 sets of guests were already booked during the extra 3 week time we were asking about - but he said they would probably cancel anyway so he would contact them and find out!  He emailed this morning that both sets had cancelled and his next scheduled guests weren't until May 17th.  The house was ours until then if we wanted it!

And the best thing - he said it would be RENT FREE since we have "given" so much to the house this time (bringing 2 sets of blinds, a set of curtains and fixing several things around the house)!!  WOW - we were super excited about that since we had only brought a certain amount of cash with us!

So the decision has been made - right now we plan on extending our time here an additional 3 weeks - with the knowledge that things change!  If the virus hits our area and we feel uncomfortable staying here, we will immediately pack up and return to the states.  And if after the additional 3 weeks we feel we need to stay a little longer, we will! 

Only time will tell if we have made the right choice or not!  But it's a gamble we are willing to take at this time!  From all I read about the craziness of some of the people in the states, I think we will do just fine down here in our little patch of paradise!  

Reflections on the Coronavirus

The United States is a couple of weeks into the virus now and we are so far removed from it here in Mexico that it's hard to even wrap our heads around what is happening in the states!

We have no TV down here so our news is all seen online and on Facebook!  And hour by hour things seem to change - new reports come online - and it's just hard to imagine that all of this is going on while down here in Mexico, we're enjoying the good life! 

There is no shortage of food or toilet paper down here - and as of today, no known cases on the Baja!  Yes, there are cases on mainland Mexico and the threat is likely here since flights come into Cabo daily with visitors from the states. 

We are staying in a small area called Spa Buena Vista which is mainly retired Americans.  Spring breakers do not come to this area as there is basically nothing in this small town except a couple of small hotels and restaurants attached to them.  To do basic grocery shopping you have to go into Los Barriles which is around 3 or 4 miles by highway or ATVing in from the beach.  There are quite a few Americans in the bigger town but we're still talking VERY small compared to Cabo!

Life continues here like normal - it's a simple Mexican life and the thought of the virus coming here seems remote but I'm sure it will happen at some point!  In the meantime, we are enjoying life, eating lots of fresh fish from the ocean and relaxing!  I've read many books and just enjoy sitting on the front porch and watching the ocean and walking the beach in the morning!

"Social distancing" seems to be the NEW thing in the states that everyone is supposed to practice!  That wouldn't be a problem for me if I was there - I'm such an introvert anyway and the thought of seclusion doesn't bother me! 

Are we heading home as planned?  At this point, yes.  I'm sure the house we're renting has a rentor coming in right behind us but it's something I will check out.  Of course our original plans were to get home for Easter - but with church services and Easter Egg hunts cancelled, I'm not sure if all of us will even get together - a lot can change in a few weeks!

It's a little strange to read that the elderly are the ones that have to be careful with this virus - and then realizing that that's US!!!  How did we get into that "elderly" category?  When did we become "old"? 

I am glad we are not flying home - I like the idea that since we're driving, WE are in control of how many people we can come into contact with and the choosing of where to stay and where to eat.  I'm afraid we're into a HUGE reality check once we get into the states!  Time will tell!

In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy our stay down here and keep our immune systems strong!  And when the time comes to drive back home, I'll be bringing toilet paper from Mexico!

Sunrise Over The Beach

Yes you have to get up early to catch these sunrises!!  So I set the alarm for 5:50am - dress and stretch and I'm ready for the sunrise before my beach walking!  It's not always this magnificent - but when it is - WOW!!!

 Mango dacquiris and guacamole at El Gecko - the BEST place on the beach!!

And one last photo together before they take off!  Such a great time having them here with us!

Fishing

The wind finally settled down and Glenn and Leonard got to fish for a couple of days together in the boat!  Glenn appreciated the help from Leonard getting the boat into the water - which is basically saying that I'm not much help in doing that!!  I agree!!

Check out those awesome Baja wheels!!  Sure makes it easy to get it to the water!

And they're off!

Glenn's catch of the day - a bonita - but it was dark meat so he gave it to a local and they were thrilled to have it! (must be time to use the scissors on his shorts!!)

One set of their fish they caught!  Now we have fish in the freezer and plenty for cerviche, garlic fish, and fish tacos!!

An Exciting ATV Ride

So up the mountain we went!  There was a pretty good road to drive up on and we did switchbacks most of the way up.  The road was paved with rocks (if you could call it that?) as the road had to be kept up because the towers were at the top!  In some places, the bushes and trees overlapped onto the road and you had to be careful because there are thorns (and I mean THORNS!!) on most of them!

The view was amazing when we reached the top!

Once we got back to the bottom of the mountain, we went over to another road and took this picture of what we climbed on the ATV's.

It was a great day to ride - some cloud cover so we didn't get burnt which was nice!

When we got quite a ways on the arroyo and stopped under the highway overpass, Patty and Leonard realized that they had lost the pillow that was strapped on the back to sit on if you wanted.  Patty chose not to sit on it and somehow the strap had come loose and the pillow had fallen off!  Darn!  By that time it was getting late enough that there was no way we could have started searching for it as you drive all over that arroyo and there's lots and lots of bushes!!  Oh well, the owner wasn't too concerned and we did look to buy another cushion but to no avail in our small town so Leonard just gave money to the owner to buy one when he goes to Cabo the next time!

Company Arrives

Is the weather pattern changing all over?  We did have wind last year but we sure didn't have the cloudy days - over and over!

My days were getting into a routine - walking the beach each morning right before sunrise!  After the first week I was able to walk to the 2nd set of houses which is a goal I set each year!  And of course I started picking up the sea glass!  And then it was reading - and blogging - and the usual house chores everyone has.....  Life is good!

Here's a picture of cutting the palms down from the other day!

The palms look so much nicer with the dead leaves gone! And it was a GORGEOUS day!

Monday we headed to Cabo to pick up Patty and Leonard!  Glenn and I came a little early and got a few more groceries at the larger store (and still couldn't find a fly swatter!!)    Patty's plane got in on time but the customs line was super long so we ended up waiting 1 1/2 hours for them to come through!!

Tuesday night was a party at the neighbors to celebrate building their new casita and the following night we headed out to eat with friends that had arrived from Colorado for a few days!

So Thursday they rented the neighbors ATV and we headed out to take the arroyo up to San Bartolo - always a great ride!  These bluffs were so weird looking - reminded us of cement!

We headed to the ice cream place in the town - wow - what a menu they had!!  I SHOULD have had this but I didn't - Patty did though and I will definitely get it next time!!  A crepe with mango ice cream inside, covered with fresh fruit and whip cream - it was excellent (I had a bite).  My hot fudge sundae was very good but didn't hold a candle to this!!

The gal who owns the place talked and talked to us and told us about a mountain we needed to ATV up - so we got directions and soon were on our way!

Friends and Tortilla Soup

And the wind continued...  February and March are known to be windy here - I don't mind it as I can still sit on the front porch and watch the ocean - but Glenn on the other hand doesn't get to fish and gets a little restless!

He found things to keep him busy - watering and weeding around the palms, (there is a gardener that comes weekly but Glenn helps him out), cutting the dead palm branches, sweeping outside and rinsing all of the cement, oiling the squeaky cabinet doors and regular doors, pulling the dead palm tree out of the front yard with his truck and replanting another palm, installing the new blinds and curtains we brought down for the house, fixing the leak under the kitchen sink...and whatever else he could find to do!!

Since it was windy, Eric, Hillary, Glenn and I headed to San Jose for major grocery shopping!  We stopped at Costco first and ate and then proceeded to get a few things there!  And then headed to a large grocery store for the rest of the stuff!  It easily took most of the day so we were tired when we got home but it was great to have the majority of the shopping done for a while!

We headed to Smokey's one day for happy hour (and their awesome nachos!!) and saw the donkeys on the way home!

Our friends Colleen and Betsy were only here for a couple more days so we met at a restaurant for drinks - so fun to catch up with them - and then Glenn and I ordered tortilla soup for dinner and it was excellent!

We took the ATV down the beach to look for sea glass but the waves had been crashing for a few days so we didn't find much - but it's always fun to walk the beach!

We Made It!!

Yes, we did arrive a week ago Sunday night to our final destination - Spa Buena Vista (right outside of Los Barriles).  It's always exciting to reach the beach area!

And it felt good to unpack the entire truck and start the process of putting everything away!  It was nice and warm (although very windy) and the sun felt fantastic!! 

We rented the same house as last year, right on the beach!  The house has its' quirks since it's a rental but since Glenn is so handy at fixing things and I'm a DEEP cleaner when we arrive, after the first couple of days we had the house looking spiffy and Glenn had already done a few projects around the house!

Check out the wind!!  But the beach was beautiful!

Our friends Hillary and Eric came over after we arrived to help Glenn get the boat and ATV off the truck and invited us over for dinner that evening since we didn't have any groceries yet!

And we woke up to our first sunrise - a pretty darn good one!

Between the cows that roam the beach, the pack of wild donkeys, and the wild horses that sometimes graze right outside our place, we have our share of animals around!

And life at the beach begins...