Long Overdue Update

What a whirlwind it has been for the past few months. For those of you checking in here faithfully I thank you for your patience. I hope to begin updating here regularly and chronicling my adventures in paradise.

So a quick update - there will be more details about the trip and settling in over the next few weeks.

We left BC on a rainy dreary cold Saturday at the end of January loaded to the roof and toting a Thule roof rack crammed with things. The last week of packing and sorting is a bit of a blur and that morning I must have been as foggy as the weather. I left the cooler with snacks and water in the fridge, left a few key items behind in my haste to get on the road. I thought I would feel more sadness or nostalgia driving out of the driveway that last time but really I didn't.

Crossing the Canada/USA border a few minutes later was a huge pain in the butt. I figured they would want to have a second look and they did. At least the Homeland Security officer was polite which is a change. Usually they are snarly jerks. I usually use more colourful language.  Eventually I convinced him that we are not settling down as illegals in his country and were allowed to continue. I guess having a years worth of Mx car insurance, a deposit on a rental in Ajijic, the GPS programmed to "Home" in Ajijic, MX, maps of Jalisco province, info on moving to Mx etc convinced him.

I was concerned about my beloved cat Eppie, AKA the Tiger, or El Tigre Del Norte and how he would adapt to a long trip. I expected yowling, hissing, etc but he was very subdued and not a peep out of him the entire week.

The first stop was a pet friendly motel in Oregon. He headed for under the bed and remained there most of the evening and overnight. He did come up on the bed for food and cuddles. Next morning I lost an hour of driving time trying to get him out from under the king sized bed and into his crate.

The second night he was fine. Also, the bed was on a built in platform so he couldn't hide under it :)  By the third night he was on to the routine and hopped up on the bed, waited for his dinner and cuddles and watched with interest as I unpacked our supplies and readied the next days maps, clothes etc.

We crossed into Mexico at Nogales at the Mariposa truck crossing. It was easy and almost boring except for me making a wrong turn because of construction and driving behind the building back over the border so I had to drive through the first entry point again. Luckily no one seemed to notice....

It is an automated system. Red light you stop and get spoken to. Green light you keep going. I got two green lights in a row thankfully.

The next customs stop is around 25 Km's later and you stop, go in, get your tourist visa, passport control etc and get your vehicle import papers and sticker. A half hour and we were on our way. I had the documents and photocopies ready which speeded things up a bit.

Last checkpoint was another red/green light stop. We got red. The customs agents were all under 25 and didn't really want to sort through all the stuff in the truck. They looked at El Tigre in his cage, said Oh look, el Gato, and waved me on. No cert of health or vaccines or any questions. Nada.

Driving the first few hours I guess I was overly cautious as I was passed on the Cuota (toll highway) by not one but two B-trains. These are trucks with dual trailers. Once it may have been going uphill.

More on the road trip soon! I am "home" now and loving it here. My house is great, the weather is perfect, even the glitches and delays you experience with moving or a new home are funny rather than aggravating. Well all except crazy Casita Lady. I need tequila to tell that tale. And I will share it.

Today my pool guy Gustavo pronounced the swimming pool officially ready for use! The weather is perfect for it and I am excited to take my first plunge. Oh, it is not heated. And despite the days that hover near 80 F the nights at an elevation of 5,000 feet surrounded by 3 mountain ranges are cool. Locals think this is winter! *snort* So the water is a bit frigid. But I will love it as summer gets here.

I adore this part of Mexico with a passion and a respect that grows each minute I am here. The food is amazing! Fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood from the Pacific Coast a few hours away, smiling people, wonderful views and always great people watching. Flowers everywhere and a rainbow of colours on the buildings that you can not begin to describe.

Tomorrow there is a Chili cook off sponsored by Corona in the afternoon, a drumming circle by the lakefront Malecon at dusk, my favorite band The Tallboys is playing at the Beergarden in Chapala, a few villages to the east and I will hear music from my terrace high above the village until late in the evening.

So to those missing my updates I am alive and well and having a wonderful time exploring my new home.  More about everything soon!

Grizzy