This Part of the Adventure Ends Today

Today I head home.

A lovely walk on the beach early. 

Breakfast with Bob, then with Arlene (landlady), coffee with Dijie.  Last walk to town centre.

The taxi to airport. Julio is a natural teacher. We laugh and chat about the importance of language learning in Mexico. He says, next year, I can teach his 3  children conversation, maybe in exchange for Spanish. Ya never know. :-) From the airport, the taxi-man, a recent, satisfied graduate of the NQ  Airport Taxi Training Program,  and I talk about tips for learning languages. A lot of fun.

So ends a part of the adventure of living- each adventure I enter with an anticipated experience and learning, and each time there is another 'Stargate' to pass through. Learnings I had not even imagined, which lead to directions I had also not imagined.

Hasta luego.

Winding Down

Today, I prepare for leaving tomorrow. I take time to enjoy the day as well.

I start with smiling at my favorite colors of this trip. 

First, a walk on the beach. The tide came in very high and the wet sand is way easier to walk on than usual. Copying a man, I walk backwards for quite awhile. This makes a good workout!

A bike ride in the fresh morning air. I return the bike with reluctance. My deposit is immediately credited to my bank account. Go BikeBaron! 901 is my bike number so I can rent it next year perhaps.

Spontaneously, I stop at a the Frog Restaurant that is just by the BikeBaron on Esmeralda Street and have one of my best eat-out breakfasts since here. Not me! in the photo, but the owner comes over to greet me and check for my satisfaction just before I leave.

A fun and relaxing card game with Dijie and Bob. I am finally able to apply a few strategies to my game and come in a very close second.

Then, out I go again and buy a couple of small souvenirs, and sit in one of my favorite cafes to enjoy an espresso and draw. What a great way to be absorbed with little on my mind except sketching and coloring. :-) 

Chuparosa - Hummingbird (There a some every day on my terasse, and it is a liked design on pottery and ceramic dishes, key chains, and the like.)

Finally, I stop at a taco place for a chicken taco (pollo), and then it is home to pack. 

Cihuatlán

This city name is a bit difficult to pronounce as it is an Aztek name not a typical Spanish name. It means 'the city of women'. You might find it interesting to read a few facts about the name and history. 

It is a typical, I'd say Mexican middle-sized town with a large bus station and a very large church and a larger kind of "Walmart" type store. :-)  Dijie, Bob and I took a local bus to the town - about a 30-minute drive from Melaque. I picked up my first newspaper (periodico) in Spanish, and we had fun with young 11 or 12 year old school girls - all wear cute uniforms- happy to say a few words in English, and then giggling and shy when greeted by us in English.

We stop off in Barra to eat at a beach-side restaurant, but it is closed. A number of places close on Mondays. The other restaurants we found too expensive for a light lunch. Back on the bus to Melaque where beach-side restaurants have simpler, maybe, food, and for about a quarter of the price. There is no place like home, I thought.

I had such fun in the afternoon reading a few articles in the newspaper without using a dictionary to test my reading comprehension. I went to the central area in Bungalow where our landlady sits with her mom, and this week, her aunt.

They were happy to let me give my resume and then correct me where I'd gone off. I might have passed one of our CLB tests - level 4-5 on two of the articles (politics and the astrology readings), but, missed some central points in an article about an accident. I had both the man and the women drivers dead, when, the man was, in fact still living. I did have most of the accident details correct. Yeh! And we women all enjoyed the discussion and sharing.  Neat!

Movie 

I am still watching the series in Silvana Sin Lan, Netflix. I have to read along with the Spanish sub-titles, but I still believe that listening to the target language pays off. :-)

Thank you! to the ones who have given me feedback and encouragement on this blog! Probably, 2 more posts. Ha Ha.

Beginning to Say Goodbyes to Melaque

Today, as I head into my day, I often think: this may be the last time; I enjoy the day fully.

After meditation in my journalling fashion and language study, I head out to the beach and Barra just as the sun comes up.

I walk through the deep sand, conscious my muscles saying, 'Thanks', gazing alternately at the sea, the lagoon, the tiny bits of seashells on the wet sand that stretches between me and the incoming tide, and I am happy.

Barra reached, I stop for an espresso, and what do you know, they serve me cream! 

Tired after the walk to and fro from Barra, I take my first catnap. Yes! Then out to the beach again for a swim, but this time the other way. After a great! swim, I sip a tonic water under an umbrella, and have fun with my amateur sketching.



In the evening, it is a pleasant upscale restaurant, Salamander,  where I finally eat the shrimp I  have been hoping to eat before I leave. Well-made food, live music and friends make for a suitable end to this day.

Quiet Day

This morning, I am up at 4 and I, therefore, have plenty of time to work on Spanish, to read, and to journal. 

I put on 3 shirts as the day begins cool for a "jeanne", and my helmet and hop on my Norco to meet the bike group for a morning ride. Two people I met a few days earlier on the Cuastacomates road, join the bike group today. At one point Bets, Dave and I find ourselves alone. We reach a crossroads and hindsight tells us - a good 30 plus minutes later - that we are 'lost' on some country road east of Melaque. At least, I think it must have been east. Just after we turn back and decide to retrace our path, the group "sweeper" finds us. He is tired and rather annoyed, but, heh! the more experienced riders should have looked out for the newbies. He gets over it about 30 minutes later, and we arrive fashionably late to the breakfast meet-up place. We enjoyed seeing the farmers' fields of mango trees, corn, and avocados. And we got a very good workout. Probably my last bike ride with group. Fun.

I hang out in a cafe off the central square and watch a small family drama unfold as two Canadians with a good make of a 3 wheeled bike, show the father and two of his daughters who have Downs Syndrome the advantages of this bike. The oldest girl takes to the idea very quickly and happily rides around the central square. The Canadian couple plan to help the family procure a bike. I learn that the two girls have done the artwork on the tables that I have admired during my visits this month to drink an espresso while I read or draw.  Watching the happiness on family's faces was a gift.

In the evening, Dijie invites me out for a taco supper at a street side restaurant. She has come to this place several times and she and the owner continue their conversation about families and tacos. Another lovely moment.  

Everywhere there are Stars

Talking with mom today about how the weather affects us, I thought, we have to be the stars when the sky is too cloudy to reveal the stars. This morning, walking to Cuastacomates, 


I seemed to see stars everywhere.  and I felt connected - even saw 'hearts' as I walked into the still sleeping village.




While walking along this road up and over the hill to the fishing village below, I thought of the long walk of La Compostelle. 

I came back to hear that I had missed the tremors from a 5.8 ocean earthquake just off the coast. I hear that on balconies, plant pots swayed and balcony rails shook.  I think about my conversation with Mom; we are indeed fragile creatures, and truly much is out of our control. What then to do, but walk with stars (estrellas) in our eyes.  :-) (Sounds better in French: étincelles de lumière. :-))

PS I know my drawings are "a piece of work", but including them as they are part of this journey. 


Website Kits in Case of an Earthquake

1. Earthquake kits - what to have ready at all times.

Creating Beauty

Today, I see that I have only 6 days remaining. How can I live in the moment and create beauty?

I start with a bike ride just with the first glimmers of dawn (rather wild on one street with four 4 largish dogs very close to biting me. I have to break out my loud take charge voice to stop them).  Reminder to self: do not bike on that back street again. :-)

 I find myself at the sea and I push bike on the stand, take a yoga seating position and breath in and out with the waves. Means for some long breaths! Nicely meditative.

I walk into town and decide to

buy a bracelet off a young girl on the street - more to encourage her - all of 10? and working on her own.  

Next,  I look for a small non-tourist restaurant. I find one in the 'fish alley', closest thing here to the ambling covered markets in African cities I have visited. I have huevos revueltos  and instant Nescafe. Fun. 25 pesos for the eggs and 10 for the nescafe and a great ambiance. Turned out to have a number of gringo visitors. Guess they liked the place as well. 


















I return to my drawing of yesterday and redo it on unlined paper, trying to get the proportions better. See the result below. I like it.

Later, not done with the outdoors, I walk to Barra and and sit up on the empty rooftop bar patio- nothing but me and the ocean breeze. I read and nap. :-)

I decide to take the bus home since I have not yet done that on my own and what do you know, I meet two new-to-me friends, Dan and Joy.

Then, I am gifted with Ruhr Eier and short ribs by my neighbor. A true Mennonite dish. Delish. I take the recipe. I will try it at home. I also am introduced to Star anise; this spice looks like a starfish. Soo good in the chicken soup, Tina lets me taste. I shall call my soup, when I make it in cold Alberta, starsoup.  Estrellas.

Yup! a good day. Happy I looked for beauty today.