Another Week & A Half In Paradise! Plus a link to tons of photos!

Wow, how time flies.  I will attempt to update you on the last few weeks, but things may be a bit out of order.  If you wish to view more photos, then have a look at this link:

 

http://www.oneboulderchiro.com/Site_2/Photo_Series_1.html  

 There are now 3 Photo Series listed at the top.

 

 Let’s begin with our second trip to Guadalajara.  Now being less intimidated, we decided to head into the heart of the city and have a look around before my second visit to the Endodontist. 

 

On the trail to the falls

El Centro

Guadalajara El Centro

Guadalajara Cathedrl

Endodontist Office Waiting area

First Day of Summer Camp

Exercise location

Talaquepaque

Guadalajara

Guadalajara Street Racing

In front of the Cabanas Museum

We wander round the historic centre and go to San Juan de Dios.  Guadalajara has a stunning downtown area. There’s a series of 7 plazas that make up the centre situated around the iconic Cathedral with a range of museums (from the sublime, Orozco’s murals in the Instituto Cultural Las Cabañas, the Government Palace, or the Regional Museum to the ridiculous, the Wax Museum, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not), and tons of statues, monuments and sculptures so there’s plenty to photograph. Go on a weekday and there’s lots of people, but Saturday and Sunday is when it comes into its own with everyone and their grandparents strolling and hanging out feeding pigeons, buying balloons and snacks and, strangely, having their shoes polished.

For me the highlight has to be the Mercado Libertad or San Juan de Dios, a gigantic 3 level market that caters to if not all needs, then a good few. You could spend hours there and not see everything. There’s sections for local handicrafts, fruit, meat, veg, DVDs, computer programs, bags, sugar cane drinks, shoes, cowboy boots, guitars, sombreros, stereos, car alarms, watches, battery replacement… and the list goes on but half the fun is stumbling into a new section and seeing something you didn’t know you needed and haggling for it. Going in without a clear idea of what you’re after is probably your best bet.

The Mercado

One word of warning; If you are of a nervous disposition or vegetarian or both, and find yourself in the butchers section on the ground floor, immediately do a 180 degree turn and walk away fast. Or alternatively grab your camera and start snapping pictures of meters of tripe, pigs heads and cows’ feet… 

We chose to find a nice quiet restaurant out on the main plaza for lunch, took a horse drawn carriage ride and just soaked in the sites.  Then a little before 4:00pm, we headed to the Endodontist to complete the final phase of my root canal.  Forty minutes after arriving, I was back in the waiting room with Tracy and the boys heading back to the car.  It was amazing, I was now completely pain free and feeling like I had never had the pain.  The whole thing cost me a total of  $260 pesos, plus gas and parking.  I am pretty certain that back in the states it would have been about $1,500 dollars. 

The weekend was spent just hanging around the village; we met a super nice couple from Australia with two kids that are on the last leg of their 6 months of traveling through Mexico. We had dinner later the next week with them and went hiking to the Falls.  Then came Monday and life started to get really busy.  Andrew started his Spanish tutoring with his soon to be teacher.  He has three weeks on intensive Spanish class from 8am-10am Monday through Thursday.  Then we take him to Summer Camp from 10:10 to 2:30, where he joins up with Zach and some of the kids that we have met along with mostly Mexican kids from his soon to be school and others.  The boys absolutely love the camp.  They do yoga, swimming, art, futbol (soccer), tennis and art.  Tracy and I actually get to spend some time together.  Last week on the first few days we ran around gathering the kids school supplies, shopping for groceries, trying a few of the local restaurants for lunch and getting caught up on the things that are just no fun with kids in tow.  Oh, my favorite restaurant here in the village is Tango.  The food is fantastic, the prices are perfect and the atmosphere is everything I have been looking for.  There are huge palapas, great art on the walls, the décor and decorations are exactly what I would put in a place if it were mine.  During the week, we walked the Malecon, the village and back to Chapala for more exploration.  During the week of camp, Andrew has become very close to another young boy from Guadalajara.  His name is Raul and is here visiting his aunt.  Well as things progressed, the two boys (nether speaks the others language) became fast friends and our entire family was invited over to their house for lunch this past Friday.  It just so happens that we were technically the guests of honor.  The house is situated right on the lake and is possibly the most spectacular location you could ask for.  It feels like you’re at a resort on the ocean.  We were fed and had a really nice visit with the family and a handful of others that had been invited over to meet us.  Every one of them spoke some English and with our Spanish, we were able to carry on a very nice conversation.  We have now been invited back a second time and for exercise classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings on the back porch facing the lake.  I actually attended the class last night and it was super cool.   I was a bit out of place, being the only male, but it was still really great.  It was a cross between yoga, Thai Chi and stretching.  I will be going back tomorrow evening with Tracy and the boys if all goes well the next 24 hours.  Thursday we had a wonderful home cooked meal with our new friends from Australia.  The house that they have rented is right in the heart of the village and is juts the best.  It is a large horseshoe shaped house with a good size outdoor garden and hot tub

Now back to this past weekend.  We once again got the exploration bug and headed to the city of Tlaquepaque on Saturday.  It is an artisan community with tons of galleries and outdoor markets full of anything you could ever wish for your home or office.  We had such a blast walking into all the shops and galleries and the kids loved all the stalls with toys and knick-knacks for sale.  We had lunch at a great Mexican restaurant with Mariachi music, but we were all tired and headed out just as it started.  Then off to El Centro in Guadalajara again to try and catch the double-decked bus ride through the city.  We found our way back into town, found parking and even found the place to buy tickets for the bus ride.  Well, the kids needed a bathroom and water and best laid plans, we missed the bus when Tracy and Andrew ran to get water and the bus filled up.  Zach and I tried to save seats on the top, but were told that that was not okay to do, so we exited the bus just as it hit capacity.  Tracy and Andrew got there just as we got off.  Feeling a bit pissed and bummed that we missed it, we got our money back (they sold to many tickets for the bus) and headed back to the car.  On the way back there was a place on the main Plaza renting battery operated mini cars for kids to drive, so we indulged the kids and got them a 15-minute ride for $30 pesos each.  They had such a last, but the coolest thing is that you would never ever see this kind of set up back in the USA.  No waivers to sign, no helmets, no roped off course, just a free for all on the plaza.  There were a few close calls, but not one of the 20 cars struck anyone at least in the 20 minutes we were watching.  Its almost like things just are expected to flow and no one anticipates that it will cause a problem.  We have heard that Mexicans just typically don’t sue each other.  Everyone is expected to take responsibility for their actions and watching out for what is happening around them.  Well then, back to the car and head for home. 

Sunday, we went to the Falls with Charla, Andy, and their kids along with David and his tow girls.  The trip up was a bit rough and especially when we got to the top where there was a race going on.  It started in the village center; they ran up the mountain and then back down.  Watching the runners come down was like watching a controlled fall with a lot of stumbling and a few wipeouts.  The way we found out it was a race was when Andy had just put his little boy down when out o the trees cam a runner decked out in USA red white and blue.  He was coming so fast and none of us knew what was going on, that the runner almost took out Andy, his son and himself.  Once we figured out what was going on, we sat back kin the pools and watched the racers come down the mountain one by one.  There is no way I would ever choose to run this course, it was 10K with crazy trails and up hills filled with jagged rock and cliff drop offs, if you should miss judge your downward path.  He trip down was much easier as we were pointed in the direction of an alternate trail down.  The views were just as intense, but the path was much easier to traverse for all.  We saw all kinds of beetles, caterpillars, plants and flowers.  It was so beautiful and such a blast.  We all went to the local Chinese Restaurant and had a wonderful late lunch.  It was a great way to cap off the hike.

Well another week has begun.  Andrew has tutoring, no camp today, so we explored the Jocotepec malecone on the west side of the lake today.  It is a new Malecon or at at least updated with giant fish fountains, a soon to be kids water park and a beautiful walk way.  Zach’s favorite area was this strip of grass on the south side of the park that had all of this cool outdoor exercise equipment.  There were spin bikes, elliptical machines, weight lifting equipment and more.  He played on it like it was built for him.  We had a really nice time just hanging with “Z” while Andrew was at the tutor.  Later that day, I went to my exercise class, while the boys came along too and played with their new friends (Raul and Kurt, brothers), life is really awesome.  Tuesday today has been an interesting day.  It is the first time that Tracy and I had nothing to really do while the boys were at camp.  I got up with Andrew, very early for his tutoring, which is about 20 minutes away on the other side of San Juan Cosala, came back and got Zach at the tennis courts where Tracy was subbing for one of our new amigos that has pulled a quad. Muscle.  Then I drove got the boys to camp.  Went back and watched Tracy finish playing.  Then we went home, she showered and then headed into town.   Visited with a few folks, went to the bank to see about opening an account and had lunch again at 60’s in Paradise (The best burger in the village).  Then off to get the boys from camp, then home and watched Harry Potter (The 4^th installment, as we are trying to see all of the old ones before heading to the theatre to see the newest and final) and off to bed to start another day tomorrow.  More to come…

One reason we moved to Mexico.

I love this story.

An American businessman stood at the pier of a small coastal village in Mexico, when a small boat carrying a lone Mexican fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.”

The American then asked, “If it took only a little while to catch these fine fish, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The fisherman explained that this catch was enough to support his family's immediate needs. The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The fisherman replied, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, señor.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then L.A., and eventually New York City, where you would run your expanding enterprise.” The fisherman asked, “But señor, how long will this all take?”

The American replied, “Fifteen to twenty years.” “But what then, señor?” inquired the Mexican. The American laughed and said, “That's the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.” “Millions, señor? Then what?” asked the Mexican.

The American said, “Why, then you would retire, of course—move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll into the village in the evenings, where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos

Tracy's Birthday, Root Canal, Gudalajara, Can-Am festival and Hiking

Friday:  I want to start with a big Happy Birthday to Tracy.  July 1^st and we are still deep in Mexico on Tracy’s birthday.  I am pretty sure that, never in her life did she ever think to herself, “hey I think I would like to be in Mexico on my birthday”.  So the day started with the boys making breakfast in bed for the birthday girl.  The two of them were so cute; they made their mom cards, pictures and a birthday crown to wear.   

The Birthday Girl and her boys

Then Tracy was off to Ayuvedic class in San Antonio with Ana.  The boys and I hung out around the house.  We picked up, made beds and played some games.  Then the adventure began.  We gathered up some snacks, water and maps for our long day adventure into Guadalajara. 

Libriamento out of Lake Chapala are to Guad.

Sing says it all

Picture doesn't do Guad justice, it is a huge city of 4,095,853

It was “root canal” time for me and I thought it would be good to make a trip in and explore a bit.  The drive in was actually a piece of cake.  We found the building where I would be seeing the Endodontist, then ventured out to the “other” Costco.  Yes, Guad is enormous in size and has two Costco’s.  We found it with relative ease and spent a little time exploring and shopping.  It’s pretty much just like being in a Costco anywhere in the US, except almost everything is in Spanish.  

Centro Magno Mall

 After our trek through the store, we headed to the “Centro Magno” mall.  Wow, it is one of the nicer malls that I have been in anywhere.  They have fancy shops, eateries, bowling alley, the Cinépolis Centro Magno, and a lot more.  We actually parked in the underground structure and stayed through my procedure.  Walking through the mall was again, like anywhere USA.  The shops looked the same and the thing that really stood out was the young Mexican kids.   They are really beautiful and handsome and just plain cool.  From the way they dress, their hairstyles and the attitudes, it is apparent that the world has blended styles and cultures from corner to corner.  Tracy and the boys went to the movies and saw Cars 2 while I ventured off to my appointment.

Off to the Endodontist, Dr. Alberto Diaz Tueme.  It was only a block from the Mall and it was absolutely beautiful with marble floors and colorful artwork.  I sat in the waiting area for less then 5 minutes for my appointment.  The assistant came and escorted me upstairs to a very high-tech surgical room.  The doctor came in, explained what he wanted to do, he began with taking a film of the tooth, then proceeded to tell me that I had an infected tooth, with an abscess at the root area.  He detailed on the film the area of inflammation and how the body was actually trying to push the tooth out of the it’s place.  I could totally see exactly what he was talking about and gave full permission for the root canal that he suggested.  The cool part was that I got to watch almost the entire procedure on the TV Monitor overhead (he did ask me if I wanted to watch and of course I said yes).  The procedure took less then 50 minutes and was almost pain free.  The only bit of pain came when he had to measure the depth of the nerve with a small needle like device that was put down the root canals.  On a scale of 1-10 pain, it was a 2.  The entire experience was simply amazing and a lot less traumatic then I had built up in my head.  I do need to return this next Friday so that he can complete the cleanup work in the canal, but no big deal.  The two (2) visits are going to cost me exactly $2,600 Pesos (about $250 US).   I did call my amazing dentist back in Wheatridge, Colorado, Dr. Frank Harmon and ran the entire thing by him before I made any decisions.  He was so calming and supportive.  He was convinced that the tooth would need a root canal someday and he had been right over a year ago.  Thanks for the encouragement and support Dr. Harmon; you’re the best Dentist I know in all of Colorado.   I sat in the waiting room until Tracy and the boys got out of the movies and we jumped in the car and headed to the Burger King indoor play structure that we promised the boys.  I ran across the crazy roundabout to the closest pharmacy to get my antibiotics and pain meds.  I was a bit worried that if the anesthetic wore off I would be in screaming pain.  So in the rain and traffic I got there bought my meds and got back to the BK.  The kids played and Tracy and I had a few moments to chat.  I admitted to her that I had been a lot more freaked out in my head then I had let on and was so relieved that everything went so smoothly.  I took my meds and to be honest, I was already feeling 80% better then an hour before the surgery.  We drove back to Lake Chapala in some really heavy traffic, but still managed to get home before 10:00pm.  Even in the pouring rain.

Saturday:  The first full night of sleep in over a week.  No pain and I even stopped stopped taking my pain meds at 2am to see if I really need them or not.  We woke up, had breakfast and then Tracy’s Birthday gift arrived.   

Tracy is under there somewhere.

We got her a 1.5-hour stone therapy massage that comes to your door.  An amazing woman by the name of Luz came and set up.  The kids and I went and ran some errands downtown and putted around until 1:30pm, then headed home to pick Tracy up for the Can-Am Festival at the Lake Chapala Society.  We met up with a group of our new friends and had hotdogs, chips, soda and desert.  It is an event to celebrate both July 1 in Canada and July 4 in the USA.  There were tons of people and we had a really nice time. 

On the way to the LCS

Our Gang

Afterwards, we headed home for a short rest and then took an awesome walk in the neighborhood up the hill and behind our home.  It was magical, the rain was a bit drizzle, the sun was setting and the streets were relatively empty.  All kids of noises coming from inside the houses we passed, the smell of dinner cooking, people laughing, kids playing and the roosters crowing.  It’s the best hike to date that we have taken.  Home and all in bed before 10:00.  What a great day!  Oh and still pain free!

Sunday: Stayed in PJ’s until 2:00pm.  What a great way to start the day.  Then we just hung at home, watched movies, played games, did our Spanish lesson and chilled.  Then we got the bug to go out a bit earlier and do the same walk as last night.  So, we headed out and walked for a bit.  Then we just happened to stumble on a trail head leading up the mountain and all decided to se what was up a the top.  It was simply stunning.  The views were breathtaking; you could see the lake, the entire town and more as far as the eye could see.  The colorful buildings, the church, town plaza, and even our house.  What a surprise to find the trail and have it be so cool.  We followed it back down further west into the village, walked the streets to our favorite coffee shop “Cafe Grano” and had our usual Carmel Frap.  Walked the rest of the way home, had dinner, watched Kung Fu Panda and then off to bed.  Another great week in paradise.  So much more to come this next week.

Corn on the hill sides planted by the locals

Entrance to a really cool hike

Racing up the hill

What a view

Upper Village Walk

Cool Sculpture on the town Plaza "Jardin"

Viva Mexcio, Swimming, The Beach, Dentist and Skate Park

Pool at Fred and Rita's

Sunday:  We hung out around the house, drove into town and just chilled out.  That afternoon, we headed over to Fred and Rita’s.  The boys swam and swam and we got to visit. 

Viva Mexico Rest. in San Juan Cosala

Then off we all went to Viva Mexico for another incredible meal.  Always tying something new there and the winner was Rita’s Shrimp dish, it was incredible.  The boys actually found a way to keep themselves occupied by trying to wear placemats on their heads.  It was a really fun day.

Monday:  School for the boys today!  We dropped Tracy off at her yoga class and the n I took the boys to their school for testing and a chance for them and the teachers to see how well they would fit in.  No tears, no begging to stay with me, they just walked away with the teacher as if they have been there all their lives.  I was the one that got weepy when I got to the car.  Met Tracy back at home and we went and talked with someone about getting our FM2/3 at the LCS.  I think we have decided to wait and see what happens with the new legislation that has just been signed into law.  According to the government, it will take a few more months to get everything organized and it should actually be much easier for us to get our Immigration status figured out.  Then back to the cell phone company to get help setting up voicemail and how toe retrieve messages.  (Still don’t get it yet J).  We went shopping for groceries and then off to pick up the boys. 

The boys were glad to see us, but kept playing with their new friends.  We went in a met with the director and she said that both boys did great.  The only real concern is Andrew, because he is technically 2 years behind in his work compared to where his age group is in Mexico.  That is because the Mexican schools try and cram everything into the first 6 years of school instead of 8.  They are doing things at 10 that no one in the states will do until they are 12 to 13 years old.   This is the case because many Mexican kids drop out of school at 12 to go and work.  

The Beach in Chapala

Then we headed to the beach, yes I said beach.  In Chapala along the Malecon, there is a sandy beach on the lake.  We met up with Brandi, Joe, Alisa, Jared and all the kids.  They swam and played in the sand for at least a few hours.  The lake is super shallow for at least 30-40 feet out, so they just walk out and it’s pretty much only up to their waist.  It was a beautiful spot and the weather was a bit overcast, so it made for a very pleasant outing.  

Swimming at the beach

We headed towards home, everyone was starving, and so we stopped at one of our favorite taco places for dinner.  Everyone ate and got stuffed for only $120 Pesos or around $11.00 dollars.

The Resort

Tuesday:  Spent some time just exploring some more, then off to Scott and David’s for some swimming.  The pool is so awesome, you feel like you’re at a super fancy resort.   

We swam for a few hours and then went to Tony’s for dinner.  The kids and I had burritos and they were incredible.  There was a wonderful 4-piece band playing a variety of music and the violin player was just incredible, he actually played the violin, the fiddle, harpsichord, and guitar.  He couldn’t have been more then 25 years old.  I think we need to have them play for us should we ever have a party here.  Andrew and I then headed to Wal-Mart to pick up some ice-cream and then headed home.  

Tony's

Wednesday:  So, I been keeping it a bit of a secret, but at our last movie outing on Fathers Day, I was eating some popcorn and bit into a kernel and it sent me through the roof.  The pain has been getting steadily worse now for about 4 days, so I finally made an appointment to see a dentist.  I will get to the outcome of this in a bit. 

We went back to the school for the boys to get all of the paperwork taken care of and find out what they wan to do with Andrew.  We met with the director and one of the English professors from the US.  They decided to start Andrew in 3^rd grade and over the summer we are to get him a tutor for Math, Science and Spanish.  There hope is that by the time we get to January, they can bump him to the 4^th grade.  Andrew seems to be more then okay with the whole idea as the recess and lunch is spent with the 3^rd and 4^th together and he has a couple of kids that he really clicked with that will be going into 4^th.    Zach is on track to start Kindergarten as scheduled. 

Tracy and the boys went over to hang out with Brandi and the family, while I got to venture out for my first foreign dental visit.  I went to Hector Haro DDS and was seen by a Doctor recommended by a number of friends down here.  He name is Dr. Pilar Ramirez and she was just wonderful.  They took films, did and exam and actually filed down my lower right bicuspid a bit to help with the pain and swelling.  It felt like the tooth was trying to crawl out of my mouth and every time I took a bite it would strike the upper teeth way before any other tooth.  Then I got the good news, they wanted me to go into Guadalajara as soon as I could and get an opinion from and Endodontist there.  They suspect a root canal is in the cards for me and I have got to say that if that’s what it will take to get rid of this pain, I am all in.  Made an appointment for Friday evening at 5:00pm.  I am a bit bummed, because it’s Tracy’s Birthday then, but hey I thought “I bet she never ever in her life thought that she would be exploring Guadalajara, Mexico on her 37^th Birthday”. 

Thursday: We hung out at the house until around 12 and then headed into town to pay for school and our rent.  The way they handle all utilities, school payments, rents, etc is that you take cash or check to the local Bancomer and make a deposit into the specific accounts.  The lines are typically long, but people are over the top kind and patient.  No one seems to complain about the wait, the heat or the sheer number of people.  It is totally part of their every day life here.  This is a cash society.  Now one takes credit cards except for places like Costco and some of the high-end stores in Guad.  So, everything you do here is in cash or you go into the bank and they tell you the current exchange rate and you write a check for the US equivalent to what you owe in Pesos.  Then we headed home to pick up the kids scooters and drove out to the Skate Park in Chapala.  The boys were amazing; they jumped right in and started skating with all the other kids, younger and older.  They didn’t show any sign of intimidation or fear, they totally went for it and we stayed of at least 2 hours. 

Ajijic Town Plaza

The boys running back from getting Gum Balls

Chapala on the Lake Front

Fishing Boat getting scrapped in Chapala

Chapala Skate Park

Cozumel Rest. in Chapala

My favorite street in Chapala so far.

Then we went to a local restaurant “Restaurant Cozumel” that was recommended in a must have book “The Insider’s Guide; Mexico’s lake Chapala & Ajijic”.  The shrimp was incredible, Andrew had fried beefsteak and Zach ordered a quesadilla, but ate everyone else’s food instead.  One of the dinners was Shrimp stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon, yummy!  I had butterfly shrimp in butter and garlic, it was incredible.  The whole meal with drinks included, and we were beyond stuffed was around $40US Dollars.  It was a bit pricey for this area, but being Tracy’s Birthday dinner we were not holding back.   We walked back to the skate park ad the boys played for another 30 minutes and I told Tracy that I had to stop eating as if I was on vacation, she laughed and agreed for the both of us.  I know that I have said this before, but the food here is absolutely wonderful and for the price I think it makes it that much better.   We headed home, showered the boys, read to them and lights out.  Looking forward to our adventure into Guad tomorrow, after Tracy’s Ayuvedic Session with Anna.  More to come…