Que pasa!!

Yesterday I was told by a Mexican to say mejorando when asked how Colin was doing.  That is the Mexican way!

Colin has now been back here in the RV for a full two weeks since leaving the General Mazatlan Hospital. It has not been easy on either of us. Poco a poco as they say. But each day is better than the last – well for him. I am still struggling to go hour after hour without a break but I now find I am a bit stronger. I certainly am learning a great deal about doing all I need to know about running an RV.  Good thing I am a whiz at the nursing part.

Please take the time to go back and read each and every comment I made to those who actually commented on the initial post about Colin’s stroke.  You will learn much about what happened and why and what our future plans are. I have not one extra minute to repeat myself with individual replies to emails. I may or may not continue posting here every few days.  I have not yet decided.

Today the last of my English speaking support system have left for the season. It makes it more difficult and time consuming to get things done. What you need to know is that Colin needs someone here all the time. That I can’t just go out and purchase a few groceries  ( no veggie trucks this year ) here on the Isla. I can’t drive because of my eyes. Getting into Mazatlan to do banking is important but takes an immense planned effort to execute as I can only use the main Embarcadero lanchas re safety for myself. I will soon run out of cash, how will I get more?  Everyday new mountains present themselves to me to sort out. Nor just here on the Isla but things happening back home in Canada as well as in the background.

Written by Colin May 12th at 11:14AM…. …………….Relearning My process is likened to a wave. I get this enthusiasm, this strength, this I can do it, I can stand, I have done it before.

The wave approaches and I give it my best and, I fail. I fall down and the wave passes me by.

I didn’t crest it, I got lost in the depression, sadness becomes me, and think I cant do it.

But, that energy and strength didn’t leave me. It is still a part of me. It is an invisible force that I created which unbeknown by me is resting and and waiting for the next crest, the next wave.

The waves become stronger and larger. I focus more intently on my goals, I become stronger and capture the success and inspiration to continue and achieve my goals………..

Right now I have 836 messages in my inbox with 108 unread.

A well meaning local made a comment about us simply sitting each day watching TV 😳 If Colin isn’t exercising he is sleeping from exhaustion.  And I am doing all in my power to keep him motivated and our family together moving forward.

Yesterday was the first time we were all able to sit together for thirty minutes and just relax.

This lovely vessel is in our bay right now…..more info here…..https://www.facebook.com/neptun.marstal

Thank you Dallas for sharing this photo. We are enjoying watching this ship directly across from us.

Also happening locally is the 3 -7 day event that only happens once per year.  Read about it here…..

It would be great to try these sometime.

Photo taken by Dallas last evening. We could see the lights from here but I was unable got get a clear shot.

We live in a magical area.

 

 

It was a life changing moment

Some of you already know about what happened. This is the first free moment I have to share this news with the majority of you. Even family has no idea what has transpired. We have been living in crisis with beyond extreme stress since the event.

It was about 10:30PM Monday, April 28th and we were looking at our back to back computers and about to get ready to go to bed. I could not see him, just hear him. Colin’s computer mouse fell on the floor, he bent down to pick it up and then again a moment later when it fell again. He fell out of the chair onto the floor the third time. I got up to see what was happening. He appeared stunned. ” I think I just had a stroke, he said” I thought he was joking around. He wasn’t. Colin’s entire right side was paralyzed.

That started a flurry of phone calls to our doctor here who would not come because at that time of nite it was not safe in his opinion to drive here to the Isla. Finally we made a decision. I called a few people knowing I would need strong men to carry Colin and one fellow brought his car. Colin was manhandled into the car, onto the lancha ( 24 hour emergency ) and into a waiting ambulance ( you call simply call 911 which I did not know about ). He was taken to the General Mazatlan Hospital.  We have no medical insurance and FYI our Canadian medial insurance ran out two days later. A year ago we had been advised to used this hospital should the need arise.

I had no idea how far it was – took me about 50 -60 minutes door to door each time I went.  A very basic hospital but with great doctors. The biggest downfall is that it is Spanish speaking. A huge reminder that the onus is on us to learn the language of the country we are living in. The hospital provides a sheet over the mattress and a thin sheet to cover the patient.  No pillow and no heavy blanket to stay warm in the constant air conditioning. And no water.  Great meals. Lots of nursing staff. Within one day I figured out the system and a friend brought the much needed pillow and heavy fleece blanket. Someone needs to be with the patient 24 hours per day. When medication is needed the medical staff hand you a piece of paper with whatever is required and you have to go outside to the front of the hospital where a man on a moto ( motorcycle ) goes to the pharmacy ( no restaurants, no stores, nothing is close to the hospital ) and comes back in about 15 minutes with the medication or needles or whatever.

Colin was at the hospital by midnight but was frail with low vital signs. They did a brain scan which confirmed the stroke. However he was too weak to receive that life saving stroke drug which diminishes the side effects of a cerebral infarction. They were worried that his brain would bleed out and he would die.

I did not go that first night, I was in shock and couldn’t speak Spanish anyway. He had two wonderful people with him who kept reporting back to me. I never slept for three nights and I don’t think I ate for about 4 days. While he was in emergency being assessed I was online researching. I sent messages out to Octavio, the physiotherapist I used back in 2020 when I had meniscus surgery, started making arrangements for care for the dogs so I could head to the hospital first think in the morning and I can’t remember what all. The first three days were a blur. As aside here, Octavio came to check on Colin twice that first day to assess him and one more time after that before Colin came back here.

Our Mexican neighbor Humberto whose sister in law works at the hospital checked on Colin and got back to me.  When I got there Erik the RV tech was there and one of his helpers. Humberto showed up a bit later and then spent hours taking me to all the departments in the hospital where I had to go – no idea why – my mind was spinning. And my body was breaking down. Colin has been my caregiver since last September. My mind was willing but not my body but I pushed myself. I learnt what I had to do. A few good friends I reached out to online gave advice, did further research and just kept me going. The most difficult was not knowing how to really use the iPhone re copy/paste so I spent much too much time retyping things over and over to different people. This is when my eyes started to tear and burn. I still had not picked up my new progressives ( I have since and they are useless ).

Fortunately we have Heri, Colin’s godson who is living in Guadalajara ( he is in the band that came to play at the last minute for the Kings Coronation during Carnaval ) who is on call 24/7 for translation. Except being a government hospital the medical staff refused to talk to someone outside of the hospital. I begged many times. Once or twice a day I got lucky and found someone who could speak a bit of English or were willing to use Google translate with me. Beyond frustrating.

To be clear the only thing wrong with Colin is that his right side was paralyzed. However that changed a bit in that he has developed numbness on his right side of the face. Sometimes it makes it difficult for him to talk. But overall his mind it totally clear and functioning perfectly. Just loss of movement on the right side. In his mind his life was over. No more guitar playing, no walking, no driving the RV – never mind any vehicle. His life changed in a single moment. There was nothing to live for and he wanted to die. It was an emotional time for both of us. We did get through that bit but even today he has very bad moments and days. So he slept and I ran around the hospital trying to make things work. I spent hours every day trying to find someone to spend the night with him as he could not be left alone. He is right handed and he is learning to now use his left but those first few days he needed constant help whether using a urinal or eating.

So many little problems that seemed like mountains to climb. From emergency he was put in a five bed ward in ‘internal medicine’. First morning a nurse told him to get up and to use the bathroom and I had to explain that he was paralyzed. They did don’t know. Another time a doctor came and asked how his stomach was feeling that day. This was a daily occurrence to explain that he was there becomes of a stroke and paralysis. All in Spanish!

One friend strongly encouraged me to get a neurologist to see Colin. They do not have specialists like that nor cardiologists in this hospital. However on the Wednesday morning I went in and insisted on Colin seeing a neurologist. No they  said. I found a sympathetic doctor  ( Dr. O ) who had a bit of English and brought in a personal friend of his. I paid well for this visit. He was there within 40 minutes. We were unable to get a cardiologist to come in. The neurologist did a very thorough bedside test and immediately ordered three tests. We tried ever so hard to get him sent by ambulance to get an MRI but all the medical MRI machines in Mazatlan were occupied even though I was willing to pay more than double. Eventually the doctor said it was not worth it as the time to try the special medicine was definitely beyond the point of even a chance of it helping.

One was a carotid artery test and this is where he believes that the stroke came from. The special bloodwork was done but the second brain scan was delayed 48 hours. Personally I think it was because this hospital required a certain amount of time between scans.

So the brain scan happened about 5PM Friday May 2nd. I later discovered that my private neurologist and Dr. O consulted with 5 minutes after the scan and agreed on the medication ongoing. Suddenly Colin was discharged. I won’t go into all of that nightmare but we did get him back here to the RV by 9:45PM. Thanks to those who lifted Colin out of the car and into the RV.  And then they left.

Now it was up to me with Colin’s help to get him started on his new path forward in life. Octavio came Saturday to check on him. Official physio started Monday the 5th and he is getting it 6 days per week. Fortunately we had purchased a set of two attached electronic recliners and this is where he has been day and night. But he does get to see the ocean and the activity.

We have had extreme challenges just before the stroke re discovering that all batteries in the new to us RV were faulty. In fact we did not even have starter batteries. And that explains all of our electrical issues over the past months. I was able to order 8 new batteries – the last of them until August due to a shortage or ??? One day in the middle of all of this at the hospital I got a text asking to be paid immediately  for shipping ( and  of course they upped that price ). Another good friend from out of nowhere offered to pay the bill no questions asked. She has since been repaid. That was another problem as our bank had locked us out for not doing online banking. Colin would just go in as needed in person. So with 7 minutes notice one night the batteries were delivered. Well 7 out of the 8 were delivered. That one battery is still traveling around Mexico – but it has now been found and somehow will get back here. Once it is here we can move our RV as needed.

Our Canadian insurance expired two days after the stroke. We are allowed to be out of country only 7 months before starting again with a three month wait. Yes we can be out of Canada for up to 18 months once every 5 years or so but you can only start in January or some silly thing like that. I could have hired a driver to take us back to Canada but we are comfortable here. No sense flying back as everything we own is in this RV.

So here we sit overlooking the beach and the wonderful waves at this tine of year. Likely we will have to move in a month. It was suggested that we do because of hurricane season. We will be flooded even high up where we sit. Our pre stroke plan was to stay put until we could not take the heat. Then we would head to the Lake Chapala area for the summer.  Well the heat is here – I can’t imagine it getting any worse. But we know it will. Our electricity is very iffy and almost impossible to regulate. Of course we need to stay in the area re medical help, physio and closeness to the hospital.

So we likely will relocate within a month to Las Jaibas. We have been given permission for Erik to set us up with a full 50 Amps. We will no longer have our ocean view which means so much to us but there is a swimming pool which will help with his therapy. The walk to the sandy beach is about as far as we are now. It is going to be so hot that we will like just live inside all summer and study Spanish.

Our new life path will be a day to day journey. The girls are very aware that something is wrong and take turns staying at his side. He is never alone. I just a day ago found someone to walk them to the beach at 7AM while it is cool enough and she will also make us the occasional pot of soup or a casserole meal and salad.

What comes after tomorrow. I have no idea. Right now each day is an immense challenge what with new obstacles to overcome – often several times per day.

I honestly don’t know how often I can update you all. Right now I am lucky to get a shower every three days. But I will answer any questions you send here within the comment section. I simply don’t have time to answer individually. I only just today had time since Colin has been home to review my paperwork from the hospital. And this is the first time I have had a moment to contact you all. Colin has been sleeping most of the day, he did do his physio exercises earlier. We are working on creating a new routine in our lives. One priority is sorting out the electricity.  If not we will have to leave sooner.

I do have many things and photos to share with you so over the next months whether you are still here reading or not I will still post them.  And knowing me I will likely post more often then not, to let you know how Colin is doing.

Que pasa!

Have to start with something fun. Our doxies have always loved vegetables but Carlie has a problem digesting anything other than dog kibble so we are unable to hand out fresh veggies freely.

Ciela however will always keep asking and has developed a unique style…..

So getting tired of using my eyeglass readers most of the day. Just have not had time to get into Mazatlan to pick up my progressives. We spend a huge amount of time simply waiting for Erik, the RV tech, to ‘show’ up. We arrived on the Isla a full 6 months ago with a rather large to do list. Still waiting on getting those items off the list. We feel like we have been put to the bottom of the pile ( mostly because we are not leaving like everyone else ) – Erik has so many RVers ( all over Mazatlan ) who need his help and then he has those who stop here heading south for repairs and yet again on their return north. We were fortunate to see him for a bit Tuesday and Wednesday and more time on Thursday. That is how we got the RV battery situation figured out. Erik is not a communicator and over the years we have adapted to just waiting. Well I decided to be pro active and at this point we have appointments in Mazatlan both Tuesday and Wednesday. I passed that info on along with a note that we will be home by 2PM each day.

As to the batteries we both spent at least 8 – 10 hours both Thursday and Friday working on our battery situation. The best that the RV dealership can do for us is sell us 7 batteries at cost which is only a savings of $886.77USD but they will not ship them anywhere for us. At this point ( after hours of internet research and phone calls ) I am hoping to get the batteries delivered here to us on the Isla for about $4700.00USD. That includes paying for the batteries at cost, paying for a shipping company to deliver them from Southern California to Nogales, Arizona. Then we have to pay 19% import cost into Mexico and arrange for a Mexican shipping company to pick up said batteries and deliver them to us here on the Isla. FYI the pallet of batteries will weigh 632 pounds ( these are large batteries )  and the pallet is 42″ long by 40″ wide by 30″ tall. I had actually worked out five different scenarios and the most expensive was $5450.80USD. Of course we don’t want to have to pay at all but have no choice as we are pretty much stuck here until we replace the batteries.

We have two ”chairs” made of bricks to sit on at Contessa’s Corner, just sitting watching the shipping channel traffic.

Who knows however this will all pan out. We were told late Friday afternoon that the batteries need to be made first ( 2 -3 week delay ). I imagine that tomorrow, Monday the 28th, the phone lines will be burning yet again. Hurricane season starts in a few weeks and we want the option to leave. At this point we are thinking the Lake Chapala area for the summer. We don’t have to go back to Canada this year and would prefer not to enter the USA but will do so if we need to. Of course if we could safely and for certain rely on these RV batteries we would go to Tucson to get the replacements. Not calculating fuel we would have been able to save $1505.31USD.

We have had a busy weekend catching up on do’s, taxes done and paid, sorting out RV and Jeep insurance as well as rv and home contents insurance.

Nap time for Miss Ciela. No matter the temperature they always like to covered with a blanket. She is laying on two for softness and is covered with one. We have had a few warmer days but have never got above 81F inside the RV. Our windows are wide open allowing all the dust to come on in!!  Well, we are camping after all!

The local tides are at extremes right now. Low tide at 2:03AM was -1.48 ft and high tide at 8:22AM was right up into the restaurants at 3.35 ft!!  We went for a walk about 1:20PM today but the beach was totally and the incoming waves were high and almost sucked us out. Ciela simply turned around and headed back home ( Colin caught up to her ) while Carlie simply swam.

This guy was catching a great many fish. I was worried that a wave would sweep him away.

Back home to give them a proper bath with soap and massages. Then all the plants got fertilized. Almost time to start my homemade pizza crust for dinner. Maybe I will find some time to read a book tomorrow 😆

Can you believe I actually was up to see a sunrise? Taken this morning at 5:31. Only because I had to use the bano. Sorry this was taken thru our dirty ( the humidity likes to streak our windows.) windshield. It was magnificent but no way was I going outside, the girls would have followed yipping and barking and waking our neighbors. I did my business, enjoyed the sunrise and took the photo to share here.

Colin took this for you either last night or the evening prior.

 

Life is not always perfect even in paradise!

We have just spent three days with our rv tech on our battery issues. Basically we now know why we have had battery issues including a few weeks ago when the power line was cut.  We sent this letter out yesterday.  No direct contacts mentioned – yet!

As per my conversation with T, D will be selling us the following batteries at cost.Screenshot 2025-04-24 at 1.38.59 PM.png

Plus we will pay the shipping to Mexico and the duty to important into Mexico.
As you know there were Lifeline Batteries on the coach when we viewed it online and paid for it.  You may recall that we did have battery issues from day one while we were getting the coach serviced by you. The previous owner  ( we found the paperwork ) had starting batteries which were Lifeline GPL – 1400T. You switched those batteries to Interstate batteries which are DCM0060 which are not engine chassis starting batteries
We had the incorrect chassis starting batteries installed which is why the RV would not start – remember when we were in Reno at the notary!  We could not even start the RV to drive into your shop to work on the do list the next morning. Your tech did check the batteries ( twice I think ) and assured us that they were just fine but they were not starting batteries. A very serious error.  We left D on October 11th. We had to run the generator to have power the night of the 11th. On October 12th we pulled into Las Vegas and had no battery power. We then spent $2,000.00USD on an alternator because that is what we thought the problem was. But it was because of your mistake.
Also when you switched out the Lifeline Batteries you put 4 house batteries in place which are Interstate AGM4D and they are no good and do not hold a charge  We discovered this when we lost power for 2 days and could not even start the coach without plugging into house power. These batteries will not hold a charge for even 6 hours. 
We assumed we were getting Lifeline Batteries as per your video but ended up with deficient batteries. We were lucky that we got here. We have been parked hooked up to 50AMP since we arrived October 24th.  
At the moment we are stranded and can’t purchase batteries here. 
Can you please give us a very good price on the above 7 batteries? As the battery companies deliver to you or anyone else at no charge we would like to have the batteries delivered to Eagles Pass, Texas.  We can supply you with the address. At our expense we will arrange to import the batteries into Mexico  ( 19% ) and to have them delivered to us ( $1500.00 USD ) here as well as installed. 
The above explains why we have had so many issues with our batteries since we left the RV dealership.

Someone planted a plant in my corner. How fun it will be to watch it grow.

Meanwhile Thursday morning, from 2AM until 3:30AM we had a totally and I mean that literally naked female climb over the wall from the front street onto our site. She alternated between screaming, throwing our bricks out onto the road, to curling up in a fetal position on the gravel next to the RV and then back to screaming and then throwing fistfuls of gravel against the RV and after more screaming to start banging the wall of the RV with her fists.
That was game over for Colin who corralled her towards the street. She on her own climbed up on to the fence and laid on her back ( oh not so pretty to see with no clothes on ) to have a nap. Then the screaming yet again. There were 2 to 4 fellows out on the street who said ( in English that they were the police – they were not!!!  They said that they would look after her but she and they ignored each other other than her screams ). Colin edged her over the fence street side. She fell onto my bougainvillea hedge and uttered no sound. Must have hurt with all those thorns. Then she lay on the road, still naked for her next nap. Two minutes later the screams started again. Our upstairs neighbour came out to check on the noise.
Long story short, this went on for over 90 minutes. Colin kept watch as we were concerned about the guys on the other side of the fence. At one point we brought our barking girls out but the female was not at all affected by their barking. It was a strange event. Likely our fence height will be raised in the next few months.
We now have two different ways to have the police called if something happens again. In all the years of wintering here I did not know that there are actually police who sleep here on the Isla. Good to know. However no one has given us the direct phone number, just a call me and I will call the police or come and knock on my bedroom window.  Not to worry I plan to get the phone number.
Turns out that my new eyeglasses were ready last Wednesday the 16th but the phone number they had for us had been written down with one incorrect digit. I discovered this yesterday. However with motorcycle week in full swing I am not sure today is the day to go into town to pick them up.

Taken April 21st.

My new plant.

It has been busy week with the renewal of our RV and Jeep vehicle insurance.  Then we had to sort out insuring the contents of our RV.  Anything that is not fastened down is not insured. We also had to sort out lawn cutting back in Canada and getting our irrigation up and running. The finding of the new batteries has taken oodles of time as well as sorting out transportation here to the Isla. I seem to be as busy as when we were back home.
Our compound neighbors Genie and Joe left Tuesday for their summer back in the USA. Interestingly we have had only one feral cat episode since they left. Perhaps because the critters no longer have a place to hang out day and night.  By the fall there might be different cats so our dog barking may be over. The girls still watch all day long but few four legged critters have been spotted 😎

The naming of the UTV and the rock area are complete

Thanks to you all and the 62 votes I received plus more via email, a decision has been made.

The UTV/Razor often referred to by us, as Put – Put  ( that name came in 3rd ), has a new and final name. Turtle, a very good suggestion came in second. With more than double the votes the winning name is Grasshopper 😀  Simply perfect. A special thank to the person who suggested the name.

Looking forward to taking Grasshopper out for a run later today. He still needs to be taken out to the beach but that will come in time.

Semana Santa is over. But tomorrow is the beginning to Motorcycle week. The Mazatlán International Motorcycle Week, or “Semana Internacional de la Moto Mazatlán,” is a yearly event held in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. In 2025, it will take place from April 23-26, coinciding with Easter week. The event draws bikers from around the world, featuring bike shows, concerts, races, and various other activities. It’s a celebration of motorcycle culture, with a focus on camaraderie, adventure, and the thrill of the open road.  Thousands upon thousands of bikes are expected.

“The Mazatlán International Motorcycle Week is an annual event where ten of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from Canada, the United States, Mexico, and other countries ride to Mazatlán to enjoy the weather and many associated events!

During the week, there are many organized events that take place.

The events include concerts, beach parties, freestyle shows, regional tours, stunt rider competition, biker girl competition, tattoo competiton, bikini competition, and after hours parties!

The highlight of the week for many is the Saturday Grand Parade Down the Malecon where thousands of motorcycles ride from Olas Altas to Punto Valentino on the Malecon!”   Just another fun week here in paradise 😎

My significant spot up on the rock has become so special. There were many names suggested that appealed to me but fortunately it was your vote that made the decision. Three suggestions were almost tied but the winner won by one vote. I really love ” Contessa’s Corner” but then all of your suggestions meant something unique to me. You all put so much effort and energy into your proposals. It truly means a great deal to me and my heart that you were all part of this decision.

Taken at sunset Monday the 14th.

I had been simply sitting on my homemade brick stool enjoying this wonderful moment that Mother Nature was painting when Colin came up behind me and asked if I had seen the heron?

I had to stand up to see it. Such a special gift. It flew off just seconds later. FYI that is a tuna boat with the bright lights in the upper right area of the photo.

 

 

 

It was time for me to see the ophthalmologist

….but she was a bit blurry 🙁  Definitely the stage in my life to get my eyes checked since my cataract surgeries the end of last August. By now there will be no further changes to my vision as a result of the new lens implants.

This post happened last Monday, April 14th. I had the perfect start to the day. We always take Didi ( so much easier, faster and very inexpensive ) to travel about Mazatlan. As we were sitting in the car my ears perked up. Could it be? Way back since our RVing days in Acapulco where we experienced many wonderful musicals times ( almost every evening ) with the other RVers, my favorite song has been Under the Boardwalk. Only it was being sung in Spanish!  It just doesn’t get much better than that. Great start to the day.

….and in Spanish. So sensual 😎

This specialist was referred to me by general medical professional, Dr. Garcia. There is no normal for a doctors office here in Mazatlan. This was on the second floor of a building in a multi block area of medical offices, laboratories and pharmacies. We soon figured out that this was the general waiting room and we had to find a sign on a door for the eye specialist.

I only had to wait about ten minutes before being ushered in the office. Dra Diana Raya, asked me the usual information re my past eye history. She then checked me on three different machines. Bottom line, the lenses that were put into my eyes back in Kelowna this past August give me perfect 20/20 eyesight. While 20/20 vision is considered normal, it doesn’t necessarily represent perfect vision. However both of my eyes are in great condition she said.

The usual 1, 2 or 3 choice re best vision. Funny thing is that she gave me a card to check my reading once I had made those important choices. It was in Spanish and I understood most of the words. Life is so good here. Oh and of course I could see them clearly. Looking forward to picking up my glasses next week.

As you know I have been using readers since my eye surgery and it appears that my left eye requires ‘help”. So I have the choice of using regular eye glasses for walking around the house and using the readers as I have been doing. Or I can go back to progressive lenses which I have been wearing for many many years. Not sure if I have mentioned this before, but I have been wearing eyeglasses since I was three years old.

Next stop was a quick trip by Didi to Pancho’s Restaurant on Av. Gaviotas for breakfast. Haven’t been here for a few years.  I kept changing from readers to sunglasses and back and forth. Sigh!

My Eggs Panchos’s which were delicious until I spotted the ham sticking out.  There was no mention of meat on the menu which is why I chose this item. They re did the dish for me.

Collin had a Spanish omlette.

The large “mountain'” is El Faro. From here in the Golden Zone you need to go around it and to the left to the Isla de la Piedra at least by water. There are two other ways to cross via passenger ferry.

Today was Monday, day 2 of Semana Santa. Lots of Mexican tourists everywhere. This huge extended family were all cramming to get into this lancha which they eventually did. Most entertaining.

So many beach activities to choose from. I did this once many many many many years ( really yes –  that very many ) in Barbados. Once in a lifetime is enough.

So I decided to go with progressives. That will work for both my reading and my computer use plus I will have be able to measure soap for the washing machine and chop veggies, read a recipe, etc. However because my distance vision is good I can simply sit out outside and watch the ocean or go for a walk on the beach. However at a restaurant I will need glasses ( or readers ) to read the menu.  They were supposed to be ready Wednesday but it has been Semana Santa and therefore only a 3 day work week. I never got the call so I can’t tell you yet how the glasses are working.

But I can tell you that the medical system here is fantastic. No longer than a one week wait to see your specialist of choice. 800MXN ( 56.00 CAD/ 40.00 USD ) for the consultation. I am using my own frames, my favorite teal ones and the cost for the progressive lenses are 2350MXN  ( 165.00 CAD / 118.00 USD ). Much much less than we would pay back home in Canada to see the eye doctor and considerably less to buy new lenses.

So what next – Monday was a busy but really great day!  Did a bit of local shopping. Trying to  get some driving chair covers made. A work in progress.  Next a quick trip to Soriana via Didi. I have actually run out of wine this trip. However I got a good tip from a friend about a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc “Vina Maipo”. I can afford the price per bottle but it certainly isn’t a great Canadian or American vino blanco. My taste buds will have to adapt. Who knows when we will cross a Northern border to replenish the wine cellar?

So back to the Playa Sur Embarcadero with our 12 bottles wine. Four Didi’s used this day for a total of 218 MXN / 15.00 CAD. Well worth every peso. Of course this is when we were treated to our private concert on the boat back to the Isla.  Reposted for you just below…..loved all the music today.

Took three nice sunset shots this Monday but only sharing one right now.

Taken from my new you know where – oh yes the names are to be announced soon. Too busy enjoying life….

A wee glimpse into Semana Santa

I was more into a point and shoot mode this week and now that I look at my photos I am sad. What I was hoping to see did not transpire. I am getting closer to ditching my iPhone and going back to my camera for what I want to see on my blog. The photos here are just a glimpse of this special week.

Fortunately the high tide turned into a perfect beach for those traveling here to enjoy their annual Easter vacation on the Isla.

The purpose of this photo is to show you that the lifeguards have a special tool at their disposal this year. On the right in white is a lifeguard seated on a see doo and he is using it to herd these folks closer to shore. It has been fun watching him zip back and forth along the shore. However I think he is have the best time ever.

Lots of various watercraft.

Personally I think there have been less folks on the beach but others disagree. Most days have been overcast but usually the sun comes out for a few hours in the afternoon. Friday I counted 3 banana boats on the water and 12 sitting on the beach! But today most were zigzagging back and forth. Hopefully the local restaurants will do well this week. It has been a difficult year for them.

Mazatlan has been very busy.

I think it was Thursday night there was a spontaneous party and the streets and to be shut down to traffic.

Mexicans certainly know how to party.

I was very happy with the sunset this evening.

About 2 minutes after getting back into the RV I had a look out the door and ran  ( well walked fast ) back to my special place.

The colors in the sky changed quickly. The Baja Ferry never sailed this evening – at least not as of 8:30PM

Just one of the many party boats crossing in front of the ferry.

Perhaps tomorrow I will take a bit of a walk along the shore. I had a medical treatment on Wednesday that created an allergic reaction and I have been homebound. No worries, I am already up and about again. This is different Semana Santa for me this year but I am so happy to call this home.

Happy Easter to you all.

A VERY fun lancha ride back from Mazatlan

I had a medical appointment Monday in Mazatlan ( that post coming soon ) and on the return to the Isla we were the only passengers on the lancha – literally accompanied by our own personal band.

When the video moves to the front of the boat you can see an all yellow and white house. We are directly to the left of that house and you can even see our RV.

Just another day in paradise 😎

Que Pasa

Today, Palm Sunday, is the first day of Semana Santa. I have read that the hotels here in Mazatlan are over 85% occupancy. Higher than during Carnival. Great for the local economy. Elsewhere I also read an article that Easter week is expected to bring 3.6 billion USD dollars into Mexico 😀  Looks like we are living in the right place in today’s world.

Mazatlan itself has brought in 14,000 military people of various types to protect the city for the week.

Unfortunately Mazatlan is experiencing extreme tides right now. This is creating high high tides while low tides in most areas are sill keeping  the upper areas covered in a layer of salt water.

High waves and high tide.

Usually at this time of year, pop and mom duos are creating one or two and sometimes more small palapas to rent out for shade for a daily rate to the many beach visitors. Because of the extreme tide this is not happening – perhaps a few but not the very many that normally happen.

Our two very tiny papaya trees are doing very well. Today we moved them into even more sunlight.

Between the poopy water ( from the sewage plant at the base of El Faro ) or perhaps a few of the local restaurants dumping their sewer into the Isla bay or ??? it is not pleasant to walk along the Isla beach this past week. Now with the extreme high tide it is even more difficult. This morning we saw some metal structures battered down flat into the sand.

Just barely enough space in the sand for the girls.

Semana Santa on the Isla is known for its umbrella to umbrella and person to person occupancy on the beach. Hopefully nature will help it all work out as it should. Normally there is little space to walk the beach but now with little actual sand this will be an even greater challenge.

The market that we all shop in here in Centro. Photo from 1902.

It will be interesting to see how the week ahead pans out.

Sunset tonight complete with a sunset party boat coming back to dock in the harbor and a lancha heading back to Mazatlan with the final one of the day coming back to the Isla.