The Hoppy Mailman

Floridays

   I recently returned from a trip to Florida to visit with my mother. I love that she lives down there as I got to leave -13 degree temperatures for more comfortable temps in the 80's. I much prefer wearing tee shirts and sandals to thermal underwear and jackets. 

   Marion Young is 89 years old, and for the last 20 years she has called this place home here in Port St. Lucie. It looks pretty good after a recent paint job and the carport has finally been replaced after it was ripped off by a hurricane that went through the area last year. Even her white 97 Chevy has a new coat of paint.

   My main objective, besides chewing the fat with her, was to get some repair work done. The first project was to put in a new light in over her dining room table. Had to do some re-wiring, but it was well worth the effort as she loves the way it looks. The next fun chore was to crawl under her guest room sink and repair the plunger assembly. A couple of trips to Lowe's and it's working fine. I must admit that I am most proud of this next venture. The front awning on the front on her house was also torn off in the hurricane and the support bar on the east side was never fastened together. I tried to find that little sleeve that you see in the picture at Lowe's, but failed. When we got home, I happened to look at the flowers that she has growing along side the carport, and low and behold, she had the old bent rods that were torn off by the storm holding up some of the plants. Bingo, there was my sleeve. It is much sturdier now. Since the awning was repaired, I figured I might as well trim the bushes that are under it so that it all looked nice. A couple more little outside undertakings included screwing on her old rain gage to the mailbox post and removing the old rusted hose holder and replacing it with a new modern plastic one. We should not have to worry about her having to get a tetanus shot now. 

   We went out to eat every night. It was Bob Evan's on Monday, Norris's on Tuesday, and Papa Louie's on Wednesday. Lunch was no problem as we always had leftovers from the previous night. We ate good. Evenings were mainly spent watching old shows on her new TV, and she would always end her night by treating herself to a bowl of ice cream. On our last night together, we watched a video that I made of a trip we had taken, along with my sister Karen, to New England  back in 1993. She thoroughly enjoyed the memories.

   I was originally going to take this trip over Mother's Day, but the post office messed that up when they blocked off those weeks for taking vacation because they are conducting route inspections. I love my mother. My father died when I was 13 and in an instant, our worlds were turned upside down. It was just the two of us against the world. She was without a husband and seeking employment, while I had lost my father and was trying to get through the 8th grade. At the time, I did not realize the pain she had to endure nor the problems she had to deal with. I do now, and let me just say that she was, and still is, one phenomenal lady. Everything I have in life I owe to her. I love you with all my heart dear, it was a great visit. I wish you an early Happy Mother's Day.

   Mother's in the kitchen washing out the jugs

   Sister's in the pantry bottling the suds

   Father's in the cellar mixing up the hops

   Johnny's on the front porch watching for the cops.

   -   Prohibition song  -  America (1920's)

   

 

Sondy

   I have discovered that writing a blog is a little like being a DJ at Sondrestrom Air Base, Greenland. You don't have a lot of listeners, but it sure is fun.

   Working for AFRTS (American Forces Radio & Television Service) Greenland, I had the pleasure of spinning records from March 1976-77. Just like the movie tittle, in many ways it was "My Favorite Year". Who wouldn't want to be a DJ? I guess you could say that being in Greenland would be a little bit of a downer, but looking back at it, that only added to the charm. Heck I was only 23, I didn't know any better. It was a small base with less than 100 U.S. service personal stationed there, but there were quite a few Danes who worked at the base and the SAS airport. The runway, which separated the two, was used jointly by SAS airlines and the military. Sondy Air Base is gone now, decommissioned in 1992, and they have changed the name to Kangerlussuaq. Located just above the Arctic Circle at the end of a fjord on the west coast, it went by the nickname, "The Miami of the North". I just got on a website which had the current temperature at 4F. Trust me, it doesn't get that cold in Miami.

    What you see, is what you get. I found this recent picture of Sondy during a web search. I doesn't appear a whole lot has changed. Base to the right, airport on the left. The barracks where we lived are on the far right were the fjord winds through. To get to the radio station, you had to cross over the fjord and follow the road along the ridge to the top of the hill. We were nestled right along side Lake Ferguson. I have a lot of fond memories of stepping outside the station to witness the aurora borealis in all it's splendor. No words can fully describe the phenomenal brilliance of these free multi-colored light shows. It was awesome!

   I also had the great fortune of meeting Rick Shaw at Sondy. We still remain friends to this day. We worked the graveyard shift from midnight till 6 and loved it. Our live show was from 2-4 and we played just about anything we wanted to. The only other people who were awake were the crew in the control tower, the cops, and the folks along the DEW (Distant Early Warning) sites. Small audience. We also enjoyed doing production work like promos and PSA's (Public Service Announcements). We called ourselves R & R productions and we were good. My goodness did we have fun. Rick and I were honorably discharged from the Air Force around the same time in 1977. We hooked up soon after that, toured the States for a few weeks, and finished our trip in Denver, Colorado where we both still reside. The last I heard, Rick was working for Fox News in the New Orleans area. Thanks for turning me on to Rock n' Roll brother.

   Another person that I have stayed in touch with is Virginia Priybla, my CO (Commanding Officer). An officer yes, commanding no. She was a Lieutenant back then, on her first overseas assignment. Having recently retired as a Lt. Colonel, she and her husband Mike, also a retired Lt. Colonel, have settled down in the "greener" pastures of Hawaii. I've never had a better boss, what a terrific person. Thanks for getting Rick and me into the Officer's Club.

   We had plenty of things to do. There was a movie theater, a four lane bowling alley, the library, BX (Base Exchange), and the NCO Club. Ah yes, the Caribou Club where many an Elephant beer was tossed down in celebration. We would celebrate foxes, breathing, Tuesdays, sunrise, no sunrise, 10:23 pm., it really didn't matter, any excuse to have another round. It was THE place in town and even the officer's wanted to come on over. You had to have a little anti-freeze in you before you ventured outside in the cold. Every once in a while, they would have a band there on a USO tour. Something tells me that the band would fire their manager after the gig, but we enjoyed it. As the song goes, a whole lotta things I ain't never done, I ain't never had too much fun.

    I could go on and on here about this and that, but I won't bore you. It was just a special year that I will never forget. Putting Echoes by Pink Floyd on the turntable, knowing that I had 23:31 minutes to witness the northern lights before I had to go back inside. Shooting foxes with the MP's by the base dump at 2 in the morning. Some were rabid, so it needed to be done. Meeting Bridgette Bardot when the aircraft she was on came in to refuel. Firing up the TV transmitter at 4:30 in the morning for a private showing of "Fractured Flickers" with Hans Conried. Looking out for the dreaded "snow snakes" that would usually get you just after you left the NCO Club. Listening to the crunching noise your footsteps made as you walked about the snow covered surroundings in sub zero temperatures. Going past tit mountain as you made the long 5 mile journey out to the port. That's not natural. The biggest damn mosquito's that I have ever seen and being able to hear them buzzing from 15 feet away. Not knowing if it was 2 in the morning or evening. No sun. Witnessing the tireless dedication and hard work of all the people who labored together after a C-141 crash landed, killing 23 of the 27 people aboard. The tragic and sudden loss of a friend and fellow serviceman who drowned in the fjord. Good times, bad times, it all made for a very intriguing year. I left there older, wiser, and in many respects, it was my favorite year.

   I drink when I have occasion, and sometimes when I have no occasion.   Miguel De Cervantes   -   Spanish writer

   

    

   

Lazy

   Okay, it's your last day of vacation and what do you want to do? Anything you want, right? For us that meant not a darn thing, and that's pretty much what we did.

   For a solid week we had been looking at the pool, but had yet to set foot in it. We ended up spending the better part of the day just hanging around down there and enjoying the surroundings. All of the shrubs and trees are so neatly trimmed, it's very attractive. These pictures were all taken around the pool area at the condos we stayed at. They have one gentleman that takes care of all the common grounds and he does an extraordinary job. You can tell that he takes a lot of pride in his work. Each one of us finally jumped into the cement pond for a quick splash, admired the scenery and managed to play a couple of hands of hearts before we left the serenity of poolside for our condo. We were all enchanted by the hummingbirds as they flit from blossom to blossom in search of that sweet nectar. It was very relaxing and just what the doctor ordered. Later that afternoon it was time to return the rental car and then that night we dinned on red snapper cooked over, what else, mesquite. How many different ways can you say it doesn't get any better than this?

    Our flight did not depart until 2 in the afternoon on Tuesday, so we had some time to get our stuff together and say goodbye to a fabulous vacation. We took a three block hike south from our condo to the beach and said a proper farewell. We will miss it all. The ocean, the shopping, the weather, the beer, but most of all, the people. In my three visits to this region, I have yet to come upon a native that was rude or abusive to me in any sort of manner. Tourists yes, but not the Mexicans. I've mentioned before about how well kept our condo tract was. Well it does not stop there as they also do a great job of cleaning all the main streets in and around town. Even the median strips are devoid of refuse. It all made for a lovely stroll.

   It has been an awesome nine days, and it was enhanced greatly by the companionship of our two best friends. I'm at a loss of words for these people. I feel extremely blessed to have found a soul mate for life in Patty, she means the world to me. To have the good fortune to find two genuine comrades to supplement us, now that's remarkable. We love them dearly and this excursion would not have nearly been as much fun without them. To Bruce and Jeanie Testerman we say thank you, and we love you with all of our hearts. You guys are the greatest.

  Hasta luego, I'll see you later.

   

Salud!

   The only thing on our agenda for this beautiful Sunday was a trip to Juan and Clara's for another feast. Be still my beating heart.

   We enjoy these two people so much and for whatever reason, they seem to enjoy us. They live on top of a hill in the "suburbs" just east of San Jose. To get there, you must cross the freshwater Rio San Jose that runs into the Estero San Jose and eventually the Pacific Ocean. The river is usually nothing more than a babbling brook and is easy to cross, except when a tropical storm called chubascos hit. Juan was telling us about one year when he got stuck in town for three days before he could pass across the arroyo to get back home. They enjoy the country setting and with a view like this from their house, who can blame them. You are looking south, along the riverbed to the Pacific Ocean, with San Jose on the right. A bueno vista indeed.

   But as beautiful as the views are, we were there primarily for the food. Clara never disappoints us with her culinary expertise. Today it was pork that she had stuffed full of a variety of goodies. I wish I could be more specific, but beyond spinach, almonds and raisins, I'm not sure what else was embedded inside that pig. I just know that after it came out of their smoker, it tasted fantastic. Before our meal, we sat outside, drank beer, and exchanged stories. The smell of mesquite wafting about helped to peak our appetites. Clara speaks very little English, and we very little Spanish, but we all seem to communicate remarkably well. If we got stuck in conversation, we would just raise our glasses and say, "Salud!" (cheers). That would always make us chuckle with enjoyment.

   We were joined for dinner by two other friends of theirs, Mike and Connie, an American couple who live in the area. Mike is an architect who helped design their house and Connie stays busy caring for all types of birds. We all proceeded to tear into that hog. My goodness what a delight. We truly feel it's an honor to be invited to their house for such a feast. Mi casa es su casa (my house is your house) is not just an expression with them, they live it. What a privilege it is to be a part of.

   That night we slapped the red snapper on the grill. We are definitely eating well on this trip. One day left and we can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Salud!

   

   

Festival

   It's a beautiful Saturday morning and we don't have a thing planned. Damn, we're good. First we'll eat, then we'll plan. It's easier to think on a full stomach.

   While perusing through the Baja's only English speaking newspaper, the Gringo Gazette (link on left to gringogazette.com), I came across an activity I thought we might all enjoy later that evening. Bruce then mentioned that we hadn't been to our favorite restaurant yet. Suddenly, the ladies proclaimed they had more shopping to do. I told you eating helped. It sounds like a day, in sunny San Jose.

   The women did their thing and the men just sort of followed. They'd spend 15 minutes in a store, come out with nothing, and say how cute everything was. I just don't get it, which is fine, just as long as they're happy. Now don't get me wrong, the men were shopping too, but we had a set objective. We'd walk in, and if we didn't see what we wanted, we'd walk out. For us the search was for Los Cabos beer mugs that would hold a pint. We were not having any luck. Patty and Jeanie on the other hand, were in 7th heaven. We covered a lot of real estate before we decided it was time for chips and salsa. The Restaurant Bar Jazmin was recommended by one of the local shop owners, so that's were we ended up. Notice all the paper decorations hanging from the ceiling. Very attractive, plus the beer was cold and the salsa not too hot.

   Time to move on and we continued to wander about town. This is a view down Calle Zaragoza towards the center of town. It is a one-way street, so I could observe who was going to run me over. Seeing all these streamers hanging above the road, I quickly realized that this all must be a part of the activity that I read about in the paper. The Jazmin was not the only place decked out, they all were. It looked and felt wonderfully festive.

  Now this is the one place that I like to shop at, the fire department. The bomberos are an all volunteer fire and rescue operation. There are no city financed firemen, it's all strictly volunteer. Without them, forget it. They sell t-shirts for $15 and all the money goes to help them save lives. I get a nice shirt and my dollars go to a superlative cause. I think it's the best deal in town. If you right click on the picture and open link in new window, you might be able to see the t-shirt hanging next to the placard by the front door.

   Since we've been here, we have yet to go out for dinner, except when we stayed in La Paz. That will change tonight. The Hangman is an enchanting establishment that we found by chance last year. If you're looking for lavish elegance, this ain't the joint. For starters, one bathroom. No roof, just trees and some canvas over the stoves. There's tons of old stuff all over, cluttering up the tightly packed dinning area. Irons, mailboxes, license plates, Halloween masks, shotguns, wash boards, bird houses, clocks, typewriters, you name it, it's there. It's like a garage sale you'd see in some small country town. Then to set it all off, it's decadently lite up with a assorted variety of Christmas lights. All this plus a bald, elderly gentleman, who serenades you with old show tunes that he plays on his mini-Moog synthesizer. Now that's entertainment. But it does have one major flaw, no alcohol. No problema. You bring your own cooler. For the ladies it was margaritas, while the men quaffed a couple of Noche Buenas. This beer is only sold in December and it's translation is Christmas Eve, beautiful night. It has a reddish, copper color with an alcohol content of 6.5% APV. Nicely hopped, it's a rich, smooth tasting beer that we felt fortunate to consume as we just happened to be there at the right time of year. Ordering your meal is simple. You pick your meat, choose corn or flour tortillas, and all the sauces are on the table awaiting your taco. Ricardo, our server, introduced our salsas as, "Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, and you try, you cry". We did not try. Bruce had his tongue tacos, while the rest of us were more conservative with our selections, going with chicken and pork. This joint is awesome. The best tacos I've ever had and cheap! We will return.

   Now it was time to check out the activity. That night at the Plaza Mijares in San Jose, the 2nd annual Festival of Rhythms, Colors and Flavors of Los Cabos was taking place. A stage was set up on the plaza with an elaborate sound system and seating in the front. We got there in time to observe a juggler who had a foul mouth, followed by three youngsters that must have watched some "Three Stooges" movies. The three kids were good, but that jugglers language in front of the children I thought was inappropriate. However, no one seemed to be offended. The last act was a young lady who performed with balls of fire. The bomberos were not needed. It was a commendable local production that the audience appeared to enjoy. For us, it was not a home run, but it was still entertaining. What do you want for free?

  Ah, but the best was yet to come, at least as far as the men were concerned. As we were strolling back to our car, I just happened to poke my head into one of the many stores that was open. Lo and behold, there were are mugs, all 16oz. of them. After some haggling, we left with our merchandise in hand, two noticeably happy campers. Our quest had been completed.

   It has been another pleasurable day in paradise and you guessed it, we all hit the hay early. Tomorrow, we are going to Juan and Clara's for lunch. I'm already starting to salivate. Hasta manana. 

   

Fishin'

   Gone fishin', instead of just a wishin'. I don't know what that's from, but that's what Bruce and I are doing today.

   We were up by 5 to prepare for our excursion. Bruce admitted he was so excited about the upcoming voyage, that he had trouble sleeping that night. Now fishing for some people down in this region means you're going for marlin, sailfish, and swordfish. This is the world capital when it comes to these saltwater species. You hook on to a 150 lb. blue marlin, and you're in for good 30-45 minute acrobatic fight to bring that baby aboard, and that's a small one. That sounded like work to us, besides we wanted to eat it, not mount it. We wanted something for the grill, not the wall. So we headed into San Jose and turned east to La Playita ( Little Beach), about a 10 minute drive. Our brides dropped us off just as the sun was ascending the horizon. We were going to be out to sea for six hours, so they wanted the car. Our mode of transportation for this half day outing was a 22-foot pangas powered by a 75 hp Honda. Built for speed, not for comfort. It was another superlative day with no wind and a projected high in the mid 80's. It was 65 or so this morning, thus the light windbreakers. With capitan Hector as our guide, we were off with great anticipation.

   About 16 km (10 miles) southeast of San Jose lies two seamounts called Bancos Gordos (Gordo Banks). This was our destination, along with about 15 other pangas. After initially going in the opposite direction to go get our bait, thirty minutes later we had our lines in the water. This place is the honey hole. You don't need no stinkin' GPS for this area, all the locals know it. Hector is in his mid 30's and has been fishing this area since his father took him as a child. It's what he knows and he does it well. He baits your hook, tells you how deep to cast it, and then gets your catch out of the water and into the boat for you. It was well worth the $170 for the two of us. After catching our fair share of bonita, which we threw back in, we did land a red snapper, sierra, and tuna. It took about 10 minutes to get that tuna in and that was enough of a battle for me. What a riot, we had a ball to say the least. We got back in around 1 or so and with a payment of a six pack of Pacificos, our fish was filleted, boned out, and ready for cooking. We were two tired puppies who were happy to see our brides there to take us home. We were ready for a nap.

   Unbeknown to the men that morning, the ladies decided that since they had a car to drive, why not go to Cabo San Lucus for breakfast. After consuming their order, rumor has it that more comparative shopping was conducted. This is just speculation on my part, but I think it's a pretty safe bet.

   You are not going to get fresher fish to eat than what we had, so it was tuna over mesquite that night for dinner. Bruce did the seasoning and cooking, and we all watched in admiration. We managed to chow our way through a quarter of that yellowfin before retiring to the sofa to watch CNN. It was a fabulous day and we all got to do something that we genuinely wanted to do. It just doesn't get any better.

   I close this with an inscription from the back of a T-shirt my bride bought for me in Cabo. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day. Perfect!

   

Playa

   It's 18 miles (29 km) of four lane highway between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas along  Mexico 1, which is why the locals call it the Four lane. This stretch is officially called Corredor Nautico (Nautical Corridor), or just simply The Corridor. From it you can gain access to some 17 beaches along it's duration. We were in search of just one.

   The Corridor also has the priciest hotels in Los Cabos. For $250 and up, mainly up, you can relax in luxury at one of a dozen or so resorts along the coastline. It is illegal for any hotel or other private development to block all access to any beach along this area. They ARE public beaches. What a concept. The last time we were out here, we heard that Oprah Winfrey had thrown a birthday party for John Travolta at the One&Only Palmilla, which is just up the road from our condo. Patty was so close to seeing Oprah. Better bring your golf clubs, and some extra balls, as there are some world-class courses here to be played. Jack Nicklaus has designed three courses along The Corridor, and there's one each from Tom Fazio, Robert Trent Jones II, and Tom Weiskopf. That's a pretty good group. The green fees run about what it costs to spend the night at one of the resorts. But since we already had a place to stay and I did not bring my golf clubs, we headed for the beach.

   Last year the four of us went to Playa Chileno, so we wanted to go some place different. This time we went 2 km further up the road to Playa Santa Maria. For the first time since we had arrived, the wind decided to calm down. With a temperature in the mid 80's, it was an impeccable day. That's us under the umbrella. The water was warmer then in the fall and although I would not call it bath water, it didn't take all that long to get accustomed the temperature after you jumped in. The sea is also very clear and eminently popular with the snorkelers and divers. I would say that during our 3-4 hour stay there, we witnessed around 1/2 dozen vessels that cruised into the bay and dropped off around 20-30 people apiece to go snorkeling among the tropical fish. Bruce and I saw a couple of catamarans pull in that we thought we would like to have. You need to keep those tourists happy and they do just that. There are rock reefs at either end of this cove that drop down about 40 feet (13 meters) and that's were the fish like to hang out. We were lazy and didn't snorkel. We just had a ball going in the water and laying on the beach.

   Well, that's not quite all we did. The women like to go for the extra-curricular activities, like shopping. Why not shop from the comfort of your own beach? There were 10 or so people selling their goods along this sandy cove. Anything from dolls, hats, rugs, whistles, and oh, did I mention jewelry. I have never come across a pushy peddler. They have all been very friendly and if you don't want to be disturbed, you just say "Nada, gracias", and they are off to another potential buyer. You can get some good deals, but once again you have to be smart, which they realize immediately when they start to negotiate with our two brides. It's a little like a game show with all the bargaining going on, but both parties seem to part ways contented after the transaction is over. It looks like a tough way to make a living.

   It was back to the condo in anticipation of another meal prepared by the grill master. He found a good price on some nice thick rib eyes at Mega, and since he was there, might as well get some more shrimp. The sun and the water had us all worn out, so none of us lasted very long that night. Besides, Bruce and I had to get up before daylight the next morning. We had another adventure in store and we needed our rest.

   

Southbound

   Is it really Wednesday morning already? The malecon was beckoning and unbeknown to either couple, we both took separate strolls with our partners as we welcomed in a brand new day. It was very amorous to amble hand in hand along the promenade and watch the sun rise up over the city. Of course Patty greeted everyone with a genuine buenos dias, which the natives love. You really don't have to speak Spanish down there, most people can speak some English, but it's cool to give it a shot and I think they appreciate the effort if you try. It's such a similar language to ours, you'd think it would be easy to learn. Maybe someday.

   We didn't have to check out until noon, so we jumped in the car to tour La Paz and find a place for breakfast. When Bruce is driving, you just never know where you're going to end up. About 20 miles later, we had driven north up along the bay, past the ferry station, to the end of the pavement. We had reached Playa El Tecolote. Since we were there, we figured we might as well get out and look around. Good thing, because a gentleman from El Tecolote, one of the two restaurants there, came towards us waving his arms telling us they were open for business. We said, "Why not?". We were the only ones there, so we had free reign of the joint. The palapa bar has an observation deck on it, so that you can look out across the Canal de San Lorenzo to the Isla Espiritu Santo which lies four miles away. Inside it was very simple, with plastic tables, chairs, and a collection of turtle shells up over the bar. We felt honored to have the days first meal prepared for us. No rush, just us. Bruce and I couldn't resist the shrimp omelet, while the ladies feasted on huevos rancheros. It was exemplary. You just never know what the road is going to lead you to.

   We got back to the hotel with just enough time to pack and leave. We are heading back the same way we came up, on Mexico 1. Our only objective was to get back before the sun went down. It really isn't safe to drive at night. Our first stop was in San Bartolo, population 550. Thanks to a large spring gushing from the mountainside, the area is very lush, very green, and it sticks out like a sore thumb when compared with the rest of the countryside. We stopped at this little roadside stand and picked out some fresh fruit that we devoured for breakfast throughout the course of our stay. Nothing like fresh fruit.

    Next stop down the el camino was Los Barriles. We had pulled off the road on the way up here and loved the view, so we wanted to get a little closer look at the place on the way down. We pulled off the highway, wandered around a little bit, and finally found the road that led right down to the beach. If you are a windsurfer, this is it. Between November and March it's high wind season and they recommend that only the experienced board-sailors give it a go. For 5 days during the second week of January, they have world class sailboard races here. It sounds like it's a big deal. Needing a bano, we stopped in this place called Tio Pablo's (Uncle Paul's). Little did we know we were embarking on yet another adventure. Needless to say, we did more than just use the bathroom. We chowed down on some chips and salsa, along with some Mcpollo (think chicken nuggets). The men washed their meal down with a Bohemia, while the ladies tried out the margaritas. Jeanie and Patty swear that each margarita that they have tried has tasted different. Not bad, just different. I guess it's a little bit more of this, or a little bit less of that, everyone seems to have a slightly different recipe. Couldn't say, I stay away from the stuff. It was a fun little dive and we all made friends with the staff. We booed when they put English music on the stereo. They put it back on their Spanish station and we all smiled. Way cool, good time.

   We pulled back into our condo late that afternoon. Bruce ventured over to Mega and got some more shrimp plus four nice rib eye steaks. We did eat good during our stay, and once again, we didn't have to go out to do it. I'm sure some people would find that boring, but the four of us just seem to like doing it that way. We put on some music, we talk, we relax, and we save some money so that the women can buy more jewelry. We do have priorities. It was a particularly superb day and as usual, we were all ready for dream land. Talk has it, we're going to the beach tomorrow. The fun just keeps on coming.

Peace

   Tuesday was a travel day. We are headed north, about 150 miles, along the east coast, to the city of La Paz (Peace). La Paz has a population of 180,000 and has been the capital of Baja California Sur (south) since 1829. It was once famous for it's pearl-oysters beds, but an unknown disease wiped them out between 1936-41. John Steinbeck's novel The Pearl is based on a story he heard there in 1941. After World War II, La Paz was a duty-free port and mainland Mexicans came in droves. It is no longer duty-free, but the Mexicans still love to come here, many on the daily ferry boats that travel from Mazatlan. Mexican nationals visiting La Paz outnumber foreign visitors three to one. We figured if they liked it so much, we had to go see what was going on. So we set out around 9, knowing that we could not check into our hotel room until 3. That will give us plenty of time to see the sights along the way.

   On the day we arrived, Juan told Patty that he had a surprise for us. It seems that Clara's granddaughter's husband had a car we could "borrow". It was not a rental, or at least not for us. Here you see Patty showing off our 2005 Volkswagen Jetta that was very comfortable for the four of us. It also had plenty of room in the truck for our luggage and a cooler of beer. It's nice to have wheels and we thank Adolpho for providing them.

   Our route of travel is along Mexico 1, the Transpeninsular Highway, which was completed in 1973. It runs all the way from Tijuana to Los Cabos (The Cape). It was another beautiful day with no clouds in sight and all the cactus trees and brush made it look very southwestern. You know you're in the tropics when you are south of the Tropic of Cancer (latitude 23.5 degrees N). This 6 foot tall sphere marks the spot. While we were there, a man was repairing the fence that goes around it, presumably to keep people from writing on the ball. Taggers are everywhere.

   Just up the road from there, is the town of Santiago. It's claim to fame is that it has the only zoo on the peninsula south of Mexicali. It only has about seven different animals, but for a town of 2,500, that's pretty impressive. But what the people really come here for, are the hot springs that are 5-6 miles west of town. There are three of them to choose from, one of which has the hot springs water channeled into a concrete tub. Sounded intriguing, but we were on a mission.

   The highway travels due north until you get to the Sea of Cortez at the town of Buena Vista, and just as it's name says, it's is a beautiful view. To the left is a shot from the highway looking south over Buena Vista. To the right you're looking north past the town of Los Barriles. It was just one of those times were you have to pull the car over, stop, and smell the sea. What gorgeous beaches. It was truly spectacular.

    You've got to eat sometime, and the ladies prepared a lunch for us that hit the spot. We just pulled off the road and had a picnic. Who needs a roadside table? You can also see, in the background, that we were not the first people to visit this place. The towns are so clean, but you can find a lot of trash out on the highway.

    We made it into La Paz about 2 that afternoon, and with the help of Patty's charm, the clerk let us into ours rooms early. We stayed at Hotel Los Arcos, right across the street from the Bahia de la Paz (the bay). It was built in 1954, and during it's heyday in the 50's, it hosted a few Hollywood celebrities. Here is a picture of Clark Gable, in the upper left corner, after a successful fishing trip in La Paz. This is on the wall in the Bar Pelicanos at the hotel. I guess this was the place to come to, as it was the city's first center for sportfishing trips.

   What a view we had from the balcony's off of our bedrooms. The malecon is a seawall promenade that stretches 5-km along the bay and makes for a very refreshing morning or evening walk, and you can't beat the scenery. There are plenty of benches around, so that you can just sit and watch life go by.

    It was a short walk from our hotel to the stores of downtown and the women had to get their shopping fix in before night fall. I think they were comparing prices to San Jose to figure out who had the better deals. After a whirlwind tour of the shopping zone, we found this quaint little bar to quench our thirst, the Cafe El Callejon. Sergio was gently playing his guitar and singing beautiful Spanish music until we showed up, and then all hell broke loose. Next thing we knew, it was the Patty and Sergio Show. She was speaking Spanish and he was singing in English. As we left, I put some bread in his jar, and asked him, "Man, what are you doing here?", as he finished off his version of Piano Man by Billy Joel. Everyone had a good time.

   On our walk into town, Bruce had spotted a place called Tequilas Bar and Grill, so we decided to give it a try for dinner. Good choice, and they even had ESPN on the TV. It was just a rustic little joint with a pool table, a bar, and maybe a half dozen booths, but the food was good and the beer cold. We were very satisfied, and very full as we waddled our way back to Hotel Los Arcos. It had been a full day and we all sacked out early. Tomorrow will bring more things to see and do, and we can't wait.

   

   

Shopping

    The sun would creep into our bedroom around 7 and it would usually take another 30 minutes or so before we got out of bed. You could hear the birds singing and hummingbirds buzzing around the flowers by our open window. Nice way to wake up. Bruce and Jeanie were primarily the first ones up, and Bruce would get the coffee going. It was eggs and salsa that morning, with plenty of oranges and grapefruit to be consumed. It was time to fill up in anticipation of a busy shopping day.

   The town of San Jose del Cabo is about two miles from our condo, so it's a short little jaunt to get there. It's population is around 25,000 and it attracts a mainly older tourist crowd. We'll leave Cabo San Lucas for the younger generation. This is a shot down Blvd. Mijares in downtown San Jose. It's only a couple of blocks long and it's full of places to shop and eat. The center piece of San Jose is the Plaza Mijares. This is were most of the town's festivals are held. These are both named after naval officer Jose Antonio Mijares who led the Mexicans as they prevailed in a bloody siege during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). Just behind the gazebo, you will notice the twin steeples of the Iglesia San Jose. This was built in 1940 on the site of the original 1730 Mision San Jose del Cabo. There is a mosaic over the main entrance depicting a scene from the infamous 1734 Pericu uprising. The Amerindians didn't like Padre Tamaral telling them that polygamy was wrong, so they burned the mission and dragged Tamaral to a fiery grave. Old habits are hard to break.

   Woman are born to shop. They are amazing creatures, meandering through aisles and aisles of merchandise like Barry Sanders running around defensive lineman. Never tiring, they search every store along the street for that perfect purchase, whether it be clothes, jewelry, glassware, wall hangings, dolls or vanilla, ever mindful of where the best deal was. Like a horde of army ants, they are on a mission and nothing can stop them. So the men seek out their own hang out. That would be Shooters, home of the 10 pesos beer. For a buck a beer, the men enjoy a nice cold Pacifico while not interfering in their ladies crusade. Yes, we men are pretty amazing creatures too, we know when to get the hell out of the way. They later joined us for lunch up on top the roof, and rested up for round two of their continuing adventure.

   It was a cloudless day with temperatures in the low 80's, pristine shopping weather. The semi-arid climate of San Jose sits just right with us, as we are used to lower humility's. Being close to the ocean increases the humidity a little, but it's still in the desert. They only average around 12 inches of rain a year and between February and July, you can just about forget about any moisture. This is a picture taken from the top of Shooters of the City Hall. As you can see, one clock reads 2:15 while the other says 3:50. If you could look at the other two sides, they also have different times on them. In other words, who the hell cares what time it is, it's 5 o'clock somewhere.

    Since our last visit in the spring of 2004, they have built a new store within walking distance of our condo. Mega is like a Super Target store with everything from groceries to clothes in stock. Bruce and I are camarone (shrimp) hogs and since you do not get fresh seafood in Denver, we stocked up big time for a shrimp fest. They were just the appetizers, as the main course that night was a big piece of pork grilled to perfection over mesquite. We are so happy to have this place close by as it saves us from having to buy in large quantities at Costco, trying to gauge what we are going to consume during the course of a week. Prices are maybe just a little less then they would be in the states. We love it.

   Shopping is hard work and Tuesday is going to be a travel day, so once again we are all tucked in by 10. Hey, we're just getting warmed up as tomorrow brings another journey.

   You can right click on these photos to open link in new window to get a larger version. This will keep you from having to open the page up again.