The Packers beat the Eagles

Ted is a Packers fan, but so far we don't have tv here. We have a nice flat screen set, but no satellite connection yet. I walked to the village this morning and found that "our" restaurant will play the game for us on their tv.
This is the footbridge we cross to get to the village. It is easy to cross if you are alone, but if anyone is behind you it sways and it's hard to resist holding the rail. Of course if kids are rushing across, there's no chance of looking poised.

This is the Mismaloya river we cross. It's quite pretty with all the boulders. During rainy season it looks much wilder.

Juan and Only (our favorite restaurant) is on the left, and this is where we saw the game.

Money in Mexico

There's quite a difference between how we handle money in the US and how it is done in Mexico. I'm a bookkeeper, so I am accustomed to putting everything on my Visa card and keeping careful track of the transactions on the computer. Here, cash is used much more often, and credit cards seem frowned upon. When you pay in cash, frequently you don't receive a receipt. It makes me wonder how businesses keep track of what they are doing. It is normal to use a debit card in grocery stores.

We opened an account in Bancomer Bank the last time we were in Mexico. They have a special unit just for foreigners. Paulina, on the left, is our representative. See how Ted is enjoying her company! Her English is perfect, and she has been walking us through all our transactions, including teaching me to use online banking (in Spanish!!) They have a special teller line for their "preferred customers" so usually there is no waiting. Until recently, no banks showed any interest in their non-Spanish speaking customers. I often wonder who woke up one morning with the brainstorm of making a specialty of working with foreigners. This is a city full of tourists. I'm sure it was a hugely profitable move.

So here I am now, retired with no income of my own, learning how to easily use a joint account, and on top of that, learning how to use mostly cash. How will I keep track of things? Maybe a notebook....or maybe just not keep track at all. This could be my biggest adjustment.

The first thing we wanted to see was the new floor. When we bought the house, the tile floor was sort of pink, and Ted really didn't like it. The new floor was done while we were in Virginia. It's redder than it looks in the picture, and we are really pleased with it.

The other change that was made while we were in Virginia is the rail by the pool. The sort of "split rail" fence that was there when we bought the house looked really dangerous, considering it's quite a steep drop from the terrace to the land below. We like the new iron railing, and I'm sure I won't lose a grandchild now.

New Years day started off with a bang.

There is a lovely spot for a fountain by the front door. It was never completed, and the previous owners kept lots of plants there. Ted just couldn't wait to get started making a fountain. He found a little pipe near the floor that looked like a good starting place so he managed to un-cap it. Man oh man, water was gushing everywhere! Luckily there is a drain in the bottom, and he was able to get the water to stop spraying all over by wrapping a towel around the pipe. But the water kept coming, and the pressure pump for the whole house system kept pumping. Soon water was flowing down the street. We were really lucky that he found a business card for 24 hour plumbing repair in a kitchen drawer.

Ted finally turned off the water to the house and the next morning we washed our faces with water from the pool. A few hours later Teresa and Emmanuel Aldeco came to our rescue. They moved here from Georgia five years ago, and as you can see, Teresa is an American. So no communication problem at all. Teresa is a bubbly, fun filled person who seems to know everyone in Puerto Vallarta. And Emmanuel solved our gusher problem, and a few more besides.

Now we are here.

We arrived in Mismaloya (our new home, about 6 miles south of Puerto Vallarta) four days ago. We were lucky that our plane wasn't late, and we didn't have a major delay with customs, so we were able to eat dinner at Juan and Only, a great little place, within walking distance of our house. A late dinner of tacos and margaritas really hit the spot. It's a good thing we brought flashlights though. Walking on cobblestone streets and crossing a small river on a foot bridge that sways when more than one person is on it can really be a challenge in the dark.