Getting settled....

First of all, I am sorry to have been out of touch for so long. I have alot to blog about and I promise I will return all e-mails this week.

Secondly, about the hurricane/cyclone - I received many concerned e-mails last week about this and am sorry I was not able to respond. It passed through on June 23 and some businesses closed early that day. Basically, there were very heavy winds and major rain. I tried to go to Tel-Mex (telephone company) that day to arrange my telephone/internet line for the new house but when I arrived, they were closing their doors and boarding up their windows with wood. There was so much water on the streets in my neighborhood, it was difficult to drive or get anywhere. The water came up to my mid calf. I ended up with quite a bit of water in my new house. I do not believe there was much damage in the city - just some flooding and tree branches that had broken off. My yard is a big mess but nothing a day of work won't cure.

These pictures are not that great - but just to give you an idea of how much water there was in the neighborhood.




As for the move, it went fairly well. Fortunately, I had already had the bedroom furniture moved to the house about one month prior. My friend Jesus who was living in the house graciously allowed me to keep the furniture in the 2nd bedroom. I was able to move in on June 14, as Jesus was leaving that morning for Australia. Steve from the blog Same life, new location had generously offered to come into town and help with the move also. Another friend of mine, Victor, had offered to help with his truck. Steve and Victor both arrived early Sunday morning with their trucks. I had all the boxes packed and ready to go. Victor and I had brought a full truck load over the day before to the house so on the day of the move, we were able to get everything, including the two dogs, in Victor's and Steve's truck. Jesus had asked us to arrive by 9:30am and when we arrived, he was still in the process of moving his furniture out. Certainly not an ideal situation, but we made it work! It did not take too long to get everything in, and then we went to get the 2nd hand fridge that I had purchased from my friend's house. By mid afternoon, we pretty much had everything inside the house. A big thanks to Steve for all his help and coming in all the way from Melaque.

Here is a photo of the new place. It is in a great neighborhood and is super close to the main boulevard. It is also close to the beach - approximately 3 large blocks. I have met several of my neighbors who are all very nice. Also, there is a little store right across the street from my house where I can pretty much get anything I need - including fresh tortillas, chorizo, some resh veggies/fruit, etc. I am also very close to some great little road-side eateries. I sampled some pozole last night at a little place a few blocks from my house last night that was absolutely divine (and only 25 pesos!)



The color inside the house is about the same as the outside. As a result, I have had a few people come by to give quotes on painting inside. Labour is pretty cheap so I may go ahead and have it painted inside. I also have been busy organizing someone to install ceiling fans as it is super hot and we are heading into the hottest season of the year. From the day I moved in, it has rained almost every single day and so it appears that the rainy season is upon us.

The dogs have been doing fairly well - they were very nervous the first week but seem to have settled in quite well. They love all the space and have discovered the 2 large iguanas that are resident in the back yard. Every time they go back there, they eagerly search for them.

Several days after moving into the new house, I became quite sick. It started out with what I thought was a simple cold which later turned into a raging strep throat infection and an infection in both eyes. I ended up house ridden for several days as my eyes were practically swollen shut and I had a high fever. I seem to have recovered and am doing much better. Since then, I have managed to get my kitchen organized and both bedrooms. I still have many things to buy - for example, I have no furniture whatsover in my living room! Friends of mine have lent me a few things until I am able to buy them for myself - ie. table and chairs, a microwave, etc. This week, I am going to look at some 2nd hand living room furniture that my friends want to sell.

I still do not have an internet connection but am going to go to Starbucks and use their free wireless until the connection is set up in the house. I have gone to Tel-Mex and arranged for them to install a line which is supposed to happen in the next 8-10 days. It was a bit of a challenge as the renters prior to Jesus had a telephone/internet line but had not paid their bill. As a result, I had to either pay their bill to use the existing line OR arrange to have a new line installed. The previous renter's bill was quite significant so it ended up being cheaper to install a new line altogether.

I have only managed to get to the beach once in the last several weeks - but it certainly was good therapy for me and the dogs!


The dogs taking a break and watching the surfers




Check out this creature Jade found on the beach


The moon was absolutely incredible that night


I have so much more to write about but will save that for the next few days. Thanks again for your patience and sorry to have worried some of you.