Chile at last!!

I left my home in Forestville on Tuesday, January 5,  2016 and arrived in Santago at around 5:30 pm on the 6th.  Quite a switch.....from Xmas

And rain, to.....

Rob picked me up in Santiago and we drove 1 1/2 hours south to La Casita where he has been living.

I settled in and reorganized by stuff getting out all the things I had brought down here for Rob

And we talked and talked, catching up on our lives since we'd last seen each other 7 or 8 years ago.

Thursday we headed up to San Antonio to see the harbor, a mall (Chilean style), and to hunt for wi-fi.  No luck on the wi-fi so who knows when I will be able to publish my blog.  And I can access by gmail acct on Rob's computer, but no luck with my comcast acct. which is my business acct and the way I do my banking etc.

The mall....3 stories full of fast food and stores ... No wi-fi here

And down along the waterfront for lunch

Congrio Colorado Margarita (Congrio is a eel-like white fish and Margarita is a white sauce with shrimp, clams, and mussels)

Sea lions and Pelicans waiting for their suppers from the fish market.

After leaving San Antonio, we drove down to Santa Domingo and along the beach.  It reminded me of Santa Cruz.  Back home to the La Casita and my bed.

Saying Goodbye

I had a wonderful time with Suzanne in Mexico!!  And it is always hard to say goodbye when it is time to leave for home.

Suzanne with Her Casa Hoy hosts, Katy, Gerardo, and Amelia.

And again, her host family

I left Cuernavaca at 9:45 am and arrived home at 11:30 pm.  I had a wonderful 18 days!  And it was great to sleep in my own bed with my cats beside me.

Until my next adventure away from home........hasta luego

A small adventure in Cuernavaca

Yesterday (Tuesday) I went with Suzanne to one of the schools where she is volunteering.  She works at this Waldorf daycare-like school every morning during the week.  Neither the teacher or the children speak English, so Suzanne's Spanish improves daily. On Tuesdays she is alone with the class of 8 to 12 years old, and she decides we will make frogs and lizards from beads she brought from the states.  We looked up some words that we would need to do the projects and made a vocabulary list the evening before.

It takes two buses to get to her school and so we leave the place where she lives about 7:15.  The teachers and the students eat breakfast and lunch at the school, so we didn't have to eat before we left.

I knew the children would love this project and they did.

For a break we go down into the barranco ( ravine) where the children have cleaned up and planted a garden.

After lunch we leave school and catch a bus out to NPH (an orphanage) where Suzanne's daughter, Meghan, volunteered for a year after she graduated from college.  We toured the campus and ate a meal there. (Meghan, these pictures are for you)

I couldn't take pictures of the kids or dorms etc., but it is an impressive place that does much good for children throughout Mexico and South America.

It took 3 buses to return home.  So six buses in one day!!!  I have loved all of our travels and adventures, but I won't miss the bus rides.

Today is another day of sun, swimming, and reading for me as Suzanne is at work.  I figure I need to take advantage of the pool here as it will probably be 5 weeks or so before I swim much at home.

Sunday in Taxco

Another day trip to the town noted for its silver jewelry.  There is only one silver mine operating there now, but silver is what most  shops sell.  The town is built on a hillside and has very narrow streets.

This is a two way street

We climbed up many blocks to get to the square.

We had a morning snack here so we could look at the view of the church and town.

The taxis here are white VW bugs.

Around the church looking for a way to sneak up into the bell tower.  We failed!

The stone streets have designs made of different color rock.

Every street is steep and narrow and there are no sidewalks, so we had to plaster ourselves against the building to stay alive.

It was a good trip that got over too quickly.  

Today I stayed home while Suzanne went back to work.  It felt good not to ride in any kind of bus! I enjoyed reading, walking to a store, eating at a street side stand, swimming ang sitting in the sun in the yard.  Tonight we did go to some friend's of Suzanne's for dinner which was very nice.

Tomorrow a new adventure......

A day spent in Tepoztlan

We came back to Cuernavaca yesterday afternoon and went right to a little store to get fruit.

We got carne de reyes tacos at a corner stand for dinner.  

We woke up this morning to my first view of the volcano, Popocatepetl.  It's last large eruption was in 2013.  I don't know how far away we are from it, but it is over 15,000 feet tall.

We caught a bus out to Tepoztlan for the day.  It is a new age town in the mountains (lots of incense, tarot reading, and different kinds of things for sale) and there is a pyramid that people can climb up to.  

And an ice cream shop with at least 50 favors

The mural on this archway is all made of seeds and grains.  Suzanne said the whole design changes.  She has seen four different scenes.

We came back to Cuernavaca and got pastor tacos at a little stand in the marketplace.  We took another bus home and went for a dip in the pool.  Another great day!!!!!!!