OFF TO MEXICO

 POST # 704

The last time that I was in Mexico was way back in 1985.  I suppose that I was overdue for a return visit.  So after asking my friends Ted and Doreen who live there, whether or not they would like to have a visitor, I booked a ticket, and last Friday, July 24th, I was on my way. I was flying down on Flair airlines, and my only previous trip with them, was three years ago, and I have to say that I wasn't too impressed with the return journey from Calgary, which had numerous delays.  Thankfully on this trip, we left right on time, so things were off to a good start.

I happened to be seated in seat 26A, which was on the left hand side of the aircraft, and as I gazed out the window, there was Shelter Bay down below, where I had just departed from the previous evening, after once again saying goodbye to Mary and Dora-dog.

Our journey southward continued, and along the way there were numerous forest fires, in all three of the western states. The one above was rather large, but later on there was a fire so much bigger that the entire view was covered in smoke.  Due to the amount of time that had passed since our departure, I made the assumption that it was somewhere in California, but this was only a guess on my part.

As we began our descent into Mexico City, I was amazed at just how large it was.  We finally landed and after a very easy journey through customs, I headed out into the arrival area in anticipation of seeing my friend Ted, standing there to greet me.  But he was nowhere to be seen.  

Now what?  Did his bus have an accident on the way here, or was it something else?  I wanted to contact him, but I had no luck connecting to the airport wifi system, so the only thing left to do was just wait, and see if he was going to show up.  The thought of spending my entire visit to Mexico hanging around the airport didn't sound too appealing.  I waited, and waited, and waited some more, and then after a couple of hours, he appeared.  Boy, was I glad to see him.  

We had to hang around the airport for a while longer to wait for the bus to head to our first destination of Queretaro.  By this point in time I had already been awake for almost twenty four hours, and in spite of the excitement of seeing Ted, I was certainly feeling sleep deprived.

Eventually we arrived, and settled in to the accommodation that Ted had arranged for us prior to my arrival.

The next day we went out to explore some of the city, and we found this sign.  We look like a couple of dodos, albiet old dodos

One of the streets in town has Ted's birthday (September 16) on the sign.  No wonder he likes Mexico so much. It also happens to be Mexico's Independence Day.

,

Yesterday, we continued our journey, and arrived at our final destination of Guanajuato, which is where Ted and Doreen call home these days.  

This morning we had breakfast on their deck, which as you can see, has a pretty magnificent view, looking eastward over the town.

After breakfast it was time to put on our shoes and head out on a journey around town, which begins with a very long and rather steep descent of hundreds of steps. We spent a couple of hours or more wandering around and looking at all of the sights, which I really enjoyed, and I am very grateful to have some locals to guide me along the way, and point out any significant historical locations.

Instead of returning home climbing up these same steps, we took this cable car, which saved us a lot of time and sweat.  Soon we were back home, and I finally had my opportunity to write today's blogpost.

It will be my one and only post from Mexico, because I will be back in Canada in early August to take care of a new dog named Purl in Ladysmith.

In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy my time with my friends, and I will try and make the most of it while I am here.

If anything significant happens during my remaining days, I'll update the blog accordingly.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer