It may be advisable to get a glass or cup of your favorite beverage and a comfortable chair before reading this mammoth post!!
Today was a total drive and stops of about eight hours but happy to report my knee is just great and the car is a pleasure to drive…..
At one stop today saw this guy pull up on his bike and asked if I could take the photo…this man and his dog were true adventurers!!
I arrived in San Carlos around 4 pm and with directions from my hostess found my home for three days….it is truly lovely with everything I need and from every window I can see the ocean…..
After getting settled I did a little exploring and went to the Mirador and the rock formations are quite brilliant!!
Cooking myself a little supper tonight and then going to watch a soccer game from England.m
Most of you know I owned the best RV available for six years and saw most of Mexico and I loved the nomadic life…….drove with only one incident in all those years and it happen at the gas station in the photo in Los Mochis and as I drove by today I just smiled to myself and reflected on that Angel that follows me every day!!
What happened was I had crossed the border at Nogales and was looking for somewhere to spend the night…in the Rv community it is well know that at most Pemex gas stations you can purchase gas, tip the attendant and go into the back of the station, park and sleep, which is exactly what I did all those years ago.
I was happily in the back of the RV cooking with just the screen door locked and open when suddenly the screen is pushed in and there were two young men standing with guns pointed at me demanding my money.
This all happened so fast and I remained calm and raised my hands above my head and told them in my broken Spanish that my money was at the front of the motor home…..they signaled for me to go get it and they then came to the drivers side window….I had to turn the engine on to open the window and they had the guns aimed on me and again demanded money……
As a safety precaution I carry a cheap dollar store Canadian throw away wallet in which I kept about 400 pesos an old library card and a Safeway card and I kept it by the side of me in the pocket of the cab……
The men were not masked and really looked like two average 23 year olds it is hard to describe but I was not afraid just very calm…..
I got the wallet and threw it out of the window into the bushes behind the men…..they went and picked it up and ran off in front of the RV and across the parking lot to a waiting a car..
The engine was on and I put the RV in gear and chased them across the parking lot with thoughts of running them over when very quickly I came to my senses and stopped and watched them get in the waiting car and speed away…..
I parked the motor home closer to the building and do what all English people do in times of stress…..I made a cuppa tea……
The whole incident was over in a minute and I do not know if the guns were real but I do feel my police training kicked in and I just stayed very calm and quiet, did not make eye contact and gave them what they wanted.
After a few minutes I made some dinner, watched a movie and went to bed and slept well.
You might think this is the end of the story but no it takes a bizarre twist.
The next morning I was up by 7 am and had breakfast and ready to get back on the road…… before I leave for the day I always do a walk around the rig to make sure I have not left anything and that all the hatches and doors are secure…..
I did the walk around and I could not believe my eyes……..there under the windshield wiper was my wallet!!!!!
What thug robs you at gun point and then comes back in the middle of the night and puts the wallet, minus the cash, under the wiper???
The money was gone but the cards were still there…just blew me away!!!
The wallet you see is still the same wallet all these years later …I still carry it as a throw away in my car!!!
Now a tennis story…
Alexander Zverev was the defending singles champion in Acapulco.
World number three Alexander Zverev has been thrown out of the Mexican Open after "unsportsmanlike conduct" that saw him attack the umpire's chair at the end of a doubles match in Acapulco.
Germany's Zverev argued with the umpire during the decisive tie-break as he and Marcelo Melo lost 6-2 4-6 10-6 to Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara.
Zverev struck the umpire's chairexternal-link several times with his racquet.
The 24-year-old later apologised, calling his behaviour "unacceptable".
Zverev was the defending champion in the singles event.
"Due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the conclusion of his doubles match on Tuesday night, Alexander Zverev has been withdrawn from the tournament in Acapulco," an ATP statement read.
His opponent Peter Gojowczyk has been given a walkover into the third round.
Zverev wrote on Instagram that he had "privately apologised" to umpire Alessandro Germani and said he was "disappointed in myself".
"As you know, I leave everything on court. Yesterday, I left too much," he wrote.
"I am going to take the coming days to reflect - on my actions and how I can ensure that it will not happen again."
Zverev believed a ball was incorrectly called out during the tie-break and began yelling at the umpire, with the crowd taking the official's side.
Britain's Glasspool and Finland's Heliovaara then wrapped up the match with an ace on the next point.
Zverev hit the chair with his racquet three times and came close to hitting the umpire's foot at one point.
He continued yelling at the umpire and took another swing as the umpire moved to climb down from his chair.
The ATP defines unsportsmanlike conduct as "any misconduct by a player that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the success of a tournament, ATP and/or the sport".
Zverev is being investigated by the ATP over allegations that he was violent towards a former girlfriend. He has repeatedly denied the claims.
Analysis
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent
Sleep deprived, no doubt, after playing singles until nearly 5am the same morning, Zverev still has absolutely no excuse for his abusive, aggressive and menacing behaviour.
Umpire Germani and all his colleagues will now be looking towards the ATP for action.
The first call belongs to the tournament supervisor. He is likely to decide later today to withhold Zverev's prize money and issue the Olympic champion with a fine.
And then the ATP's senior vice-president for rules and competition must decide whether Zverev's behaviour constitutes a 'Player Major Offence'.
If Zverev is found guilty under that code, as Nick Kyrgios was in 2019, he would be subject to a heavy fine and even a possible suspension from the tour.
Sometimes I get riled at these multi million dollar spoiled brats who are superstars and the shocking role model image they sometimes portray.
I also speak as an ex soccer referee and I officiated over 1000 games at a fairly high level…..did I make mistakes…did I make some bad calls…of course I did but I never once effected the outcome of any game…..
I wish all these high profile sports people take a page out of Wayne Gretzky’s sporting life..he is without doubt the best hockey player that ever put on skates and through out his career and retirement never one word of a scandal……..
Hope you enjoyed this post!!
Stay safe and healthy!!
Yashi Kochi
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