Monday 31st January 2011… a day trip!!

We decided to take a trip to Queretaro ( sorry for getting the spelling wrong in previous pots) to see the city and also go shopping to Costco….

On the way out of town the van started acting up the interior lights kept flashing and the door ajar sign on the dash was flashing and a beeping sound was sounding….I thought that maybe there was a loose connection from the battery when the transmission work was done so we turned around and drove to the  repair shop where the van was in last week.  The owner, Saul, was really good and he took us out on a test drive and sure enough all the symptoms returned so we came back to the shop and he hooked up some sort of electrical tester and away on another test drive where he determined that the passenger side front door was showing not closed so back to the shop where Saul replaced a small screw on the door where the connection into the chassis is made and the problem fixed.  He would not charge me anything so he did get a good tip ( I think I am getting a reputation in SMA for being the best tipper!!!).

So we were on are way again it was a beautiful hot and sunny day and we first made a stop in Queretaro at a Wal-Mart store where we bought a few things but really everything there we could buy for the same price in the local Bodega store which is a subsidiary of Wal-Mart anyway.

We then decided to leave the van in the safe and secure parking lot and took a cab to the central plaza where Sara went on her own little shopping spree and I sat in the Jardin and had lunch.  We then took this trolley

on a one hour tour of downtown and these are some of the sights on the trip….

This is one of the world’s largest aqueduct with 74 arches and almost 5 km long, very impressive!!

It was a good tour and a great way to get the feel for a new city we then caught a cab back to the van and drove the one block to…

We were both interested to see a Costco in Mexico

I was not really impressed the store was not very busy and the prices were much higher than both Canada and USA but glad we had the experience and we did stock up on a few things…

The drive back was easy and we got back home just before 7pm…..another good day and goodbye to January…where did the time go??

Sunday 30th January 2011…..a Pleasant and slow Sunday!!!

Sunday morning tennis which I really enjoy was again a wonderful morning….and I came back to Sara’s pancakes, which are pretty hard to beat and I sat down with fresh pancakes and watched the Men’s tennis final which was a re run and I didn’t know the score so this was enjoyable

even though the British kid Murray was trying to win a grand slam the first since I think the 1930’s but he really was not in the game…

Every Sunday I take down the Hummingbird feeder and Sara does the mixture and back it goes today it was so cute to see that the birds are so familiar with it that they were buzzing around whilst it was gone for a few minutes and as soon as I put it back up here they come…

Before I left for tennis Juan arrived to do the paint job on Ramona…..he brought his family, wife and three children and one of the boys helped..

I love this photo they brought a seat to sit on and the daughter is fixing Mom’s hair!!!

When I came back they were still there and finished a few minutes later, all told working for two and a half hours and the finished job is really good!!!

The cost for materials and labour 700 pesos!!!!  About 60 dollars I still cannot get used to the fantastic prices….Juan received a good tip.

Had a couple of hours in the sun and Sara gave me a haircut then it was back to work!!!

I noticed this morning that the tire that gave us problems yesterday was flat again this morning…so I got the small compressor from the RV pumped it up and went into town to find a repair shop which I did he took me in right away and found a small nail in the tire, he patched it up and I was on my way in 25 minutes…you will never guess the cost?????    30 pesos not even $2.50!!!!  he got a good tip too…..

I repaid a Backgammon betting loss by  treating Sara to dinner tonight at our favourite restaurant, Hecho's and we were not let down a great meal…..so another day done and of course no need to mention how lovely and sunny it was again!!!

Saturday 29th January 2011…a fun filled Saturday!!

Today was the big day to take the girls to a huge theme park in Quertero, about a one hour’s drive away…before we got to Casar Hogar I sort of knew that Paola would not be allowed to go again and sure enough when we arrived Paola opened the gate for us she put on a brave face and I spent a few minutes with her and she then went into the kitchen…it was hard for me to see because I know how much she wanted to come but I understand and respect the Madre’s decision and just hope that Paola learns from this and that she can with us later on in the week….

We left with Daniela and another delightful girl Chuya, she is 11 years old…Sara had packed some sandwiches, fruit and drinks for everyone and we were on our way…the park was very easy to find and it was huge and beautiful…sit back, relax and enjoy a day at the park!!!!

The roller coaster above Sara and Chuya went on, Daniela did not because she was too small and I did not because I was too chicken!!!

This next ride Sara opted not to go so I went with the girls and boy was that a mistake in the picture below we had just come through a huge waterfall and we all had got completely soaked!!!

but did it stop the girls???

NO!!!

We had to through again!!!!

I told them three times was enough for me!!!

The paddle boats were next!!!

I think someone forgot to tell Sara that when you are out on a paddle boat you actually have to paddle!!!!

Daniela took this!!

I was the only one brave enough to tackle this ride I must have been over a 1000 feet in the air…….maybe!!!

Well we spent nearly 6 hours in the park and when we left I noticed the van did not sound right and I stopped and sure enough one of the front tires was flat as luck would have it we were about 50 feet away from a repair shop and the young kid there looked at it and filled it up with air and it stayed inflated…….whilst waiting tire this beautiful 3 year old girl came out of the house next door, talked to her Mum and she is going to a wedding!!!!

 

I stopped a couple of times to check on the tire and it was OK…we dropped the girls off at 6.30pm and they had a real blast and it almost goes without saying they were so well behaved, polite and a joy to be with….Sara and I dashed home for quick showers before heading back down town on the scooter for another concert at the same theatre…this was a Cuban concert with music from the Buena Vista club era…..it was invigorating and  entertaining…

We came home and we enjoyed watching a good movie called Crash….

It is now 2am and I am trying to stay awake to watch the live coverage of the Australian open tennis match but I am not going to make it but I checked the guide and there is a repeat of the final at noon tomorrow …..so if no one tells me the score I shall watch that after I come back from playing tennis……a great day!!!

Friday 28th January 2011……a busy start to the weekend!!

2 hours of tennis this morning then quickly home for lunch and then we went to pick up the girls at Casar Hogar..never really know what to expect when we get there and today we found out that Paola has been grounded for the weekend and will not be allowed to come with us today or tomorrow.  I did see Paola and went to her and gave her a hug and told her I was sorry she could not come with us.

So we left with Daniela, her sister Lupita and another young girl Chuya….we first went to the little fruit market we like and the girls picked some strawberries and mangoes for snacks and then we went on a little mystery tour out towards the lake and then on a small side road, through this long and amazing tunnel

and along a gravel road for a couple of miles until we came to the small campo of La Huerta…

This little community is home to the second largest tree in Mexico!!!

It certainly is a huge tree!!!!

Sights on the way back to SMA

This lovely family were sitting by a store…6 month old twin girls!!

We brought the girls back to the house where I BBQ’d hotdogs for them, they favourite and then took them to their English class for 6pm.

Sara and I went into town for supper and we tried a new restaurant

but we were not thrilled about the food or the service and then we went across the street to the theatre for a show…a tribute Beatles band…

I have seen them before and they put on a really good show with the crowd dancing in the aisles…we didn’t get home till nearly 11pm….

So another good day ends and one will begin in a few hours!!!