Friday 31st January 2020...blink and January flashed by!!!

This morning I took Little  Bluey to my mechanic for

a service and checkup and then went to  play tennis with the new group..it was as always a great two hours on the court.

Afterwards I went into town took a different route down this tiny street..

Did some chores at the bank, bought some groceries and came  home.....

Had a little rest before I walked back to the mechanics to pick up the car...she is all set now for the big road trip.

I finally decided which route to take and on the 10 th February this will be my route to Brownsville where I have an Airbnb booked...I know I am going further east but this route is very easy and a great drive and much cheaper without too many toll roads.

The next day I plan to drive 30 minutes to the area around South Padre island and walk the beaches for the morning and then take this back road route to Laredo, where I again have an Airbnb booked.

The bright blue route!!

February 12 th at 9.30am I have an appointment with the Mexican consulate in Laredo where I am applying for a Temporary Resident permit, if approved should take less than two hours and this will enable me to stay in Mexico for four years without having to leave and drive my car to the border every 180 days!!

Hopefully that afternoon I shall drive to San Antonio

 where I am going to take Kirsten out for dinner......Kirsten is the daughter of my lovely and long time tennis partner, Carolyn who passed away three months ago..we will have lots to talk about since I last saw her at her Mum’s celebration of life in December .

I have not made plans yet after I leave San Antonio but heading to Tucson Arizona!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Thursday 30th January 2020....twelve years ago!!

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Well day 70 of my journey proved to be filled with some amount of pain and good news. I was doing my usual swim this afternoon when I became tangled with a Portugese man of war, they are like a blue bubble jelly fish with strings that extend 20 to 25 feet in the water. I never saw it and became entangled with it. The pain starts right away and the string was around my back and neck and I managed to get clear of it and swim to shore. Being of the male variety I don't do pain very well and my neck, back and fingers were stinging like crazy. Getting back to my towel I decided to walk the few hundreds yards into town where I knew there was a pharmacy with a doctor. On arrival there I was told to wait in the doctor's waiting room and after about five minutes she saw me. First of all I told her that I only had a little money on me and what had happened to me. She examined me and took my vitals signs and wrote out two prescriptions for me and told me I could come back later and pay. I went home showered and applied the ointment and took the pills and the pain eased.

It is now 6 hours later and I am completely well a little pain on my back and some sting marks but nothing else. The cost for the doctor's examination, pills and cream was 40 dollars which I went in to pay this evening. Only in Mexico what great care I received.

I am parked in the drive way of a friend's apartment and leave tomorrow for Puerto Vallarta and really think I was lucky as the stings could have been much worse and the treatment was first classs, blessings..

Portuguese Man o' War
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This article is about the marine invertebrate. For other uses, see Man O' War. 
Portuguese Man O' War 


Scientific classification 
Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Hydrozoa

Order: Siphonophora

Family: Physaliidae

Genus: Physalia

Species: P. physalis


Binomial name 
Physalia physalis
(Linnaeus, 1758) 
The Portuguese Man O' War (Physalia physalis), also known as the bluebubble, bluebottle or the man-of-war, is commonly thought of as a jellyfish but is actually a siphonophore—a colony of specialized polyps and medusoids.[1]

A similar group of animals are the chondrophores.

Contents [hide]
1 Structure 
2 Venom 
3 Predators 
4 Etymology 
5 Footnotes 
6 External links 
7 Gallery 



[edit] Structure
The Man O' War's float is bilaterally symmetrical with the tentacles at one end, while the chondrophores are radially symmetrical with the sail at an angle. Also, the Man O' War has a siphon, while the chondrophores do not.

The Portuguese Man O' War has an air bladder, known as the pneumatophore or sail, that allows it to float on the surface of the ocean. It has no means of propulsion and is pushed by the winds and the current. The sail is filled with air, but may build up a high concentration of carbon dioxide (up to 90%). The bladder must stay wet to ensure survival; every so often it may roll slightly to wet the surface of the float. To escape a surface attack, the pneumatophore can be deflated allowing the Man O' War to briefly submerge.

Below the main body dangle long tentacles, sometimes reaching ten meters (33 feet) in length below the surface, although one meter (three feet) is the average. They sting and kill small sea creatures such as small fish and shrimp using venom-filled nematocysts then draw the prey in to the gastrozooids, another type of polyp that surrounds and digest it. Gonozooids are responsible for reproduction.


[edit] Venom
The sting from the tentacles is dangerous to humans. These stings usually cause excruciating pain, and have even been the cause of several deaths. Detached tentacles and specimens which wash up on shore can sting just as painfully as the intact creature in the water for weeks after their detachment. The venom can travel up to the lymph nodes and may cause, depending on the amount of venom, more intense pain. Medical attention is usually necessary, especially in extreme cases. And will likely be the most painful experiance of your life.

Research suggests that the best treatment for a sting is to apply hot water (45°C/113°F) to the affected area, which eases the pain of a sting by denaturing the toxins.[2] Ice is also effective at suppressing the pain through reducing the activity of the toxins and reducing the sensation and therefore pain of the area of skin around the ice. Additionally, ice constricts blood vessels, reducing the speed at which the venom travels to other parts of the body.

The Portuguese Man O' War is often confused with a jellyfish, which is incorrect and may lead to improper treatment of stings, as the venom is different. A second sting may lead to an allergic reaction

Wednesday 29th January 2020....blue skies!!!

The mornings are a little warmer now and I was at

the gym at 8.30 am for my hard workout...I must admit I was not at my best as I was up at 5 am watching tennis........the good news now is I shall get regular sleeps until Saturday when I shall get up to watch the finals....

I went to the bank this morning to learn how to do a money transfer to pay for my rent whilst I am gone..but of course there was one document I did not have so I have to go back tomorrow!!!

Poker was cancelled this aft as three of the guys are sick...so I took advantage and had something unheard of for me...an afternoon nap!!!

English class was great again tonight and Gary came to class he is going to take over when I leave for the few remaining weeks of the semester..he is a really good fit and my students like him..so that makes me feel much better!!

Spoke with Cheapo Air again last night and told them about my issues and she advised me to call back in one week when the wait times will not be so long!!

Also I received confirmation today that I have appointment bin the Consular office in Laredo on the 12 th February..so now I can make some plans about leaving and getting accommodations..I am told I should have my temporary visa within 90 minutes!!

Time for tea and the women’s semi finals from Melbourne!!

Yashi Kochi!

Tuesday 28th jan 2020..HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

Janet my amazing and lovely sister in law is

celebrating her birthday today...

...she is the most wonderful, caring, kindest woman I know.......I hope you have a fabulous day!

This is Janet with her daughter Sam, celebrating with mouth watering fattening cakes!!!

Usually everyday in this lovely town there is an

interaction that makes me smile..it usually comes out of the blue and costs nothing....

This afternoon I had another one...

The gas stations here are manned by attendants that fill your tank and wash and clean your windshield.....

When I stopped this afternoon to get gas in Little Yella  🛵 ..the attendant was singing along to music that was loudly playing....I could tell he was in a great mood..after he filled my tank he started with his big squeegee to wash my little wing mirrors..they are like 4 inches square..it was so funny..we high fives and he got a great tip!!

I went to get my teeth cleaned this afternoon....I have been going to Dr.Laura for over ten years ago.....she works from her home in a very small room without all the fancy equipment, her waiting room is two chairs.

I used to bring Daniela and Paola here and she would clean their teeth without charge and I also remember that she one extracted one of Paola’s teeth without freezing, she really is a great Doctor.

I have no problems and my cost for cleaning...300 pesos!!! Check that out in your currency!!!

I think this is a great shot!!

Have a great day!!

I am on hold to Cheapo air yet again...30 minutes and holding!!

Yashi Kochi

Monday 27th January 2020.....another busy week begins!!!

So do you call someone who sets his alarm for 3 am

in the morning to get up and watch a live tennis match from Australia ?????crazy,,,,,,,

It was a really great game which I enjoyed and am amazed at their level of fitness.

Did manage to go back to bed for a couple of hours before I got up and was at the gym by 8.30am.....I thought I would be dragging my you know what but I felt good and had another hard work out session.

Came home and had a late breakfast and then went and exchanged the scooter for the car and I drove the 45 minutes to the large Texas based HEB grocery store on the outskirts of Queretaro......the main reason to go there was to buy five months supply of my medication, I take a small pill each evening and morning.

The cost for 60 tablets in the USA is 425 dollars and here in SMA at the local La Comer the cost is 1800 pesos.....at the HEB I can get the quantity for 1495 pesos plus a small 75 pesos discount for using my senior card.....so it is worth the trip plus I enjoy the drive!!!

This is the photo which was taken in 1957.....my Mum, brother Malc and the wee guy me....

I took it to a photographer friend and he produced this for me!!

I plan to take it with me to Paris in May and try to find the exact location and have a photo taken!!

Went to my English class tonight and I had invited my friend Kristen to come along she has been many times before and is very artistic and great with the students who really enjoy her...tonight she had us all make two small deodorants filled with baking soda for our shoes....such a novel idea and they all loved making and painting them.

Gary a new friend came along he is going to do some of my classes when I leave, he will be really good for them.

The finished product!!!

Unbeknown to me the class had a collection and bought a beaut gift for Kristen, she was over come..what a wonderful thought and I of course told them how proud I was of them and their kindness!!!

I spent 45 minutes on hold to Cheapo Air this evening and finished up hanging up will try another day!!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Sunday 26th January 2020..a little hiccup!!!,

Had an email this morning from the travel company

Cheopo Air......I have used this company for a long time to book my airline travels.......

This is my booked itinerary to return from Paris to Nanaimo ..

.you will see that I am stopping over in Halifax Nova Scotia for 4 days which is wonderful because I can stay and visit my really good friends Paula and Jerry and also have a visit with a long long ago friend, Alan.  We met on the flight from London to Bermuda as we were a group of eight police officers hired to start work on the Island....we became good friends and roomed together for a while but I have not seen him since maybe 1978!!

Well I checked out the alternative flights the company scheduled me for but they were ridiculous because each of the five alternates all had me flying from Paris to Calgary and then back to Toronto and on to Halifax  and then back to to Calgary again.

I called the company but a recorded message told me that because of the China problem with the virus if I was not travelling in the next four days to call back after four days.

So I called West Jet direct and talked to a very nice woman who spent about 15 minutes with me but she was not able to get me anything that would fly from Paris and stop in Halifax but she did tell me that if I had no satisfaction with Cheapo air to call back and they would get me a flight from Paris to Calgary and onto Nanaimo but I would not be able to have my lay over in Halifax!

She also told me the reason for the cancellation of the flight from Paris to Halifax was that the aircraft to have been used was one of the Boeing fleet that they had problems with and have grounded the planes and that is why she is able to help me even though I did not book direct with their company!!

So I will call Cheapo in a few days and see what they say but it is almost guaranteed I will not be stopping off in Halifax...bummer!!!

Yashi Kochi!

Saturday 25 th January 2020.....good news!!

Two weeks today my good friend June and her partner Vince arrive here to stay in my penthouse for a month.

I met June on the cruise I took from Vancouver to New Zealand five years ago..we met at the first social function and became good buddies!!

I have most of trip planned except for the two weeks I will be touring France before I go to Paris and my Airbnb for the French tennis open.

Another piece of the journey fell into place this morning.

I finish working at the Indian Wells tennis tournament on the 24 th March and then plan to slowly drive north to Nanaimo.

As most of my long time readers know I am in a house sitting site and have house sat in over 25 countries....the site that I am on sends me an email every morning and evening with new house sits....and I received a notification this morning and I saw one I liked ....the dates are perfect..28th March to 4 th April in Eugene, Oregon.....every house sit involves pets and for this sit there is one cat which is mainly an outdoor cat with a cat door and he likes to be outside.

I wrote off this morning to apply for the sit.....I have a wonderful cover letter and within thirty minutes I was contacted by the owner and was accepted!!

So that will be a lovely break in my journey and enables me to explore part of the States I do not know.

I also have another house sit late February before I start work at Indian Wells in a small south of Los Angels....this house sit has two large dogs that I shall enjoy taking care of....another added bonus for this house sit is that it is only an hours drive to Pepperdine University where Ashley is in her senior year and I have seen her schedule for tennis tournaments and she is playing in one whilst I shall be there so will get to see her play!!

Have a wonderful safe and happy weekend....

Yashi Kochi!!!

Friday 24th January 2020.....💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤💤

I remember a few years ago when I used to save Fridays as a day to myself...

No calls, no appointments and usually not even talking to anyone...today was not one of those!!!

I started with two hours on the courts at 11am....this is with the new group and the level of play is really good..the weather was sunny and warm and it was a most enjoyable time.

Then went to visit my lovely friend Jen, who owns the casita I used to live in....we had a short but good visit and she has kindly offered to me to keep Little Yella 🛵 in her garage whilst I am away..so nice!!

Came home and showered and changed and went to pick up Gracie and we went to a local hotel where the US consulate had organized a meeting regarding security issues in town.....this was a sold out room over 200 people in attendance......it was a dud learned nothing and the majority of the people left half way through!!

Straight from there we went to pick up a friend of Gracie and the three of us attended this show at the local play house...

He was brilliant and a wonderful evening....

Now home and about to watch some more live tennis from down under!!

Love this story..

This recent West Point graduate is Alex Idrache. He grew up in a slum in Haiti, and he tells the story of how U.S. soldiers were deployed to his neighborhood following the earthquake there several years ago. He says their presence was the first experience of "hope" he recalls in his childhood.

He remembers looking at his dad and asking him who the people were that were helping. His dad looked at him and said, "They are American soldiers." He looked back at his father and said, "One day, I will be an American soldier."

His father knew the situation in Haiti was unworkable and tried for several years to obtain a visa to come to the United States. After being denied for several years, he was finally granted a spot in Baltimore. He purchased a ticket on a boat for his family and left Haiti. They arrived and Alex, remembering his dream in the slum several years prior, looked for a way to join the U.S. Army. He found a national guard program that allowed him to join the Army in exchange for citizenship. He didn't hesitate.

After a series of fortunate occurrences, he was given one of the few spots at West Point for prior enlisted soldiers. Despite his severe lack of formal education, he graduated as an honor graduate (top 5% physically and academically) and the top student in the Physics Department. This picture was taken just prior to tossing his hat in the air, the realization of a dream that began 10 years ago in a slum in Port-au-Prince

Wow that was a busy day!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Thursday 23 rd January 2020....out of retirement!!

When I leave here on my journey north on February 10th...

One of the places I shall be visiting is Palm Springs where I have an Airbnb apartment booked for two weeks whilst I attend the huge tennis tournament and I was accepted to be an usher for the whole tournament.

Below is my work schedule..

I shall be busy but on days off I can attend the matches....I also receive a uniform, parking pass and a stipend of 19 dollars a day for food....this will be a fabulous experience for me!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Wednesday 22 Nd January 2020.... gone in a flash!!

Not quite so cold this morning but still chilly on the

scooter going to my 8.30am gym appointment with Aaron.....the gym is not quite so crowded and over the Christmas holidays they have done major renovations and added some new equipment...a very good hard workout!

Afterwards I had to go into Centro for some chores one of which was to make a dental appointment for next week for a cleaning!!

The day was going by fast next it was off to poker...what can I say...I cannot seem to loose.....this time was a 200 pesos win!!!

Relaxed a little before I went to my English class....I had invited two of my friends to come to class and talk about their lives and the students did enjoy listening and asking questions.

Then I divided them into two teams and we played different games and the winner received a big bag of chocolates..of course they shared the chocolates with the other team....it was really a fun evening...so very proud of them!

Now home and time for the tennis from Australia 🇦🇺...

A good day!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Tuesday 21 st January 2020...a celebration!!

Wow what a wake up call it was this morning driving

to tennis on the scooter..it was 🥶 🥶 COLD!!!!!

Never even broke a sweat on the courts..afterwards I saw the start of the big parade for the celebration of Allende’s 251 st anniversary!!

Late afternoon it was to Bo’s house for usual evening of Mexican train which is always fun and then back home to watch live tennis from Australia!,

Gary the main photographer for the three kings day delivery gave me the flash drive with over 800 photos that he took....her are a few of them.

..

Hard to tell who is having more fun the children of the volunteers!!

Yashi Kochi!!!

Monday 20th January 2020...another busy week begins!!

This was the view out my window at 7.45 am this cool cloudy day!!

The white church is close to where I always play tennis.

My gym session was changed to 8.30am this morning this time works better for me that at 4 pm in the  afternoon so I am not rushing to my English class..BUT I still am not crazy about working out so early..I did not have breakfast and I felt better and so glad when it is done..that Aaron works me hard!!

Later in the day I had some chores to do around town and along the way snapped these photos...

Today and tomorrow there are many celebrations in town in respect to Allende and his anniversary...here he is in the main Jardin!!

This is where I buy my candles..

The famous blue door bakery..

Why do you think these sleeping dogs were here???

Because they area cross the road from this store...

It is three weeks today that I start my epic journey and I shall be on the road to Laredo Texas.....I did a bit of planning this afternoon.

For my English class tonight I made copies of this...

We took turns reading paragraphs and then discussing what we had read..this was again another great class with a good turnout...I shall miss them when I leave.

Now you are going to have to get used to reading this....but this evening I watched live tennis from Melbourne.....the start of the Australian open.....I have happy memories of attending there five years ago.

Yashi Kochi!!!

Sunday 19th January 2020....this and that!!

Woke up to a cloudy sky and a little cooler...

I enjoyed my morning being lazy, did a load of clothes, nice to have my own machine even though I only use the dryer for the sheets.

There is a new park just outside of town that only opened this past week and Gracie and I took the dogs there this afternoon..it is really nice!

This photo was taken in 1957 

When I am in Paris this May one of my missions is to find out where this photo was taken and get another one of myself in the same pose!!

Nanaimo made the news yesterday!!!

Hope the weekend was a good one for all my readers!!

Yashi Kochi!!!