Lisbon Portugal

Lisbon   —   October 5, 202

   So we are staying in an older part of the city with exquisite buildings on every block.  Our hotel is a beautiful corner building at 

Jardins da Avenida da Liberdade

Rua de Alexandre Herculano

1250 Lisboa. Portugal

   Trying to give a taxi driver that kind of information to get back to our hotel was near impossible for an Arkansas boy.   Some of the taxi drivers spoke more English than we spoke Portuguese.  So we carried business cards of the hotel with us.  Letting the hotel call taxi’s for us to use was also very helpful.

   We refrained from using the subway or trolleys because of the crowded conditions aboard the ones we saw.  We did take the sightseeing busses with the open air seating on top.  These double decker busses were fine, however, not so the people who ran them.  They were among the most rude and less helpful people we have ever encountered.  I give them no thumbs up and only 1 star.  

   We used the Grey Line Company, both the Red Line and the Green Line tours.  We bought extra tickets for their river cruise but due to scheduling conflicts, misinformation and their total ignorance of their own schedules, we were not able to catch a boat.  The boats had either left an hour earlier than we were told on our schedule, or 10 minutes too late because we were told to be at the wrong pier (which we were on site more than an hour early).

  The lady ticket agent at the boat site assured us she would give us a refund because of her misinformation.  When we got back to their ticket booth, the agents there told Debby and Nancy they would NOT refund the boat cost.  It is what it is. 

   It’s too bad they treated us badly two or three times prior to asking for the refund.  It gives Grey Line a bad name and a bad review on Trip Advisor…not to mention me slamming them in this blog

   We have had other glitches with Grey Line in other countries that I have never written about, so this is not really an isolated incident.

   Dear Grey Line Tours,

   You really should educate your service attendants on how to treat customers.  Your people have not had tourists for so long you have forgotten the simple rules that will make you money.

   Traveler beware.  Taxi drivers may overcharge you.  You can ask them the rate before you get in the car.  You can also let your hotel agent set up the ride for you. Also be aware of Grey Line tours and other such organizations.  Be aware that those bread sticks or cheeses sitting on your dining table at a restaurant are NOT FREE.  You may be really surprised at the cost for those little snacks and drinks in your hotel refrigerator! Ice in your glass is rare. Water is not always free.

Traveling can be fun but parts of its where you deal with people can be difficult.

EASYJET

Easy jet.    

 

Up and out before breakfast for our taxi ride to the airport, we were eager to get out of this cold wind!

   The trouble with traveling in this COVID-19 world are the restrictions and paperwork required. Each country requires detailed information about flights, where you are staying or visiting. They want copies of passports, vaccination records, Covid tests and a full itinerary.  There would always be 7 or 8 pages needing to be filled out no sooner than 48 hours before your flight.  These forms must also include your boarding pass information.  That means you can’t finish until you get your Boarding Pass and flight information, including your seat number.

   Old people have a hard enough time trying to figure out how to turn on  a computer or smart phone anyway.  I don’t know what people without smart phones do.  Travelers must use their smart phone to fill out the documents, upload the documents, wait for the country’s approval and then download the approval email.  Really???  These countries desperately want tourism 

but they sure make it hard on people trying to get there.

   Trying to get an attendant to help us has been near impossible.  Just minutes before the gate closes will they help you get on board and tell you to get the paperwork done before you reach customs at your destination.

   To make things worse, the challenge of good WiFi or internet is hard to deal with as well.  Unreliable internet knocks you off line at a moment’s notice.  This causes you to start all over filling out the travel documents.  Even this blind guy couldn’t get help from any of the agents.  If it weren’t for Debby I think all of us would still be stuck in Iceland.  So we got to the airport in Iceland two hours early.  Good thing we did!  We barely made the gate!  Once in London we had to plead stupid and were able to get some British girls to help us finish our paperwork.

   With the exception of ticket agents helping with the electronic paperwork, my white cane often helped us out as an agent would come up to me and take us to a shortcut in those long customs lines, or boarding lines or even struggling with carrying our own luggage off the Tarmac.  Even strangers would help carry those suitcases up stairways.  People are generally kind and helpful.

In London we landed at one of the 3 major airports instead of flying straight from Iceland to Lisbon.  Easyjet had canceled that flight and diverted us to London, UK.  From that airport, Easyjet paid for a vehicle to transport us across London to another airport to catch our flight to Lisbon.  They did.  

   Looking to get aboard Easyjet to Lisbon, we struggled with our luggage because we were too cheap to check it into the Hold.  We asked the flight agent about checking our baggage for free but the lady told us it has to be 24 Pounds.  Nancy said, “How much?”  The agent girl said it would be 24 Pounds for one suitcase.  Nancy said , “I’m not sure what my suitcase weighs.  Could you weigh it?”  The agent pointed to some scales and Nancy started to put it on the scale.  I said, “No, Nancy.  She means it will cost 24 Pounds.  That’s British money.”  It was then the light came on and we all had a good laugh.

  We carried our luggage on board and got it stowed away.  Soon we were taking off and on our way to Lisbon, wondering if they would let us in the country without all that paperwork undone.

   Once at Lisbon, we entered a long line of people trying to get through Customs.  A nice man came by, looked at my White Cane and said “follow me”.  We told him that Nancy and Ron were also traveling with us and he motioned for them to also follow.  He opened a barricade strap  and let us through, then we followed him to the head of a line where only two people were ahead of us.

  All the Customs lady wanted to see were our Passports, Boarding Pass and asked  where we came from.  I said we came from the UK today.  After checking all our passports and stamping the boarder stamp, we went out to find a taxi to go to our hotel.

   Because we didn’t understand the language and customs of the country, the taxi driver charged us twice as much as we should have paid.  But how was we to know?  After all, we’re just four old duffers with signs across our forehead that say, “Go ahead, cheat me!”  Welcome to Lisbon, Portugal!

Mike 

 

Gilden Circle, Iceland

Reykjavik   October 3, 2021
             

Our breakfast was a selection of just about anything you could think of, European style.  Breads, pastry, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, eggs, sausage, cereals, juice and coffee.  Lots to pick from. 

   Our shutte Zservice picked us up at 9:00 for a ride to the main tour bus location.  There were about two dozen of us tourists.  Today we would be taking a tour of several scenic areas on a route the Icelanders call The Golden Circle.

   This all day trip took us several miles across the barren landscape of Iceland.  Years ago when the first Icelanders discovered this land, trees were abundant.  They proceeded to cut them down to make houses, barns and for firewood.  Because this country is usually cold, I’m sure they needed plenty of firewood in uninsulated homes upon which endless winds blew.

   Today there are few trees because they did not grow back.  The trees we saw on this tour were obviously planted by farmers along the road.

   The distant mountain ranges were colored with snow and looked beautiful.  Glacial snowmelt filled two or three rivers we crossed.  One scenic area we stopped at was a raging waterfall and was beautiful to see and hear.

   There is plenty of geothermal activity in Iceland.  Most houses, businesses and towns enjoy the benefits of free hot thermal groundwater.  In the Reykjavik area, a geothermal electrical plant provides cheap electricity to the residents.

   Earthquakes are plentiful.  The first day we were in a4.5 earthquake.  The latest volcano has been silent for about two weeks.  Most all of the mountains in this country were once volcanoes.  One of our stops was a large crater where a volcano once existed.  It spewed out all it’s magma and then fell in.  Now a walking trail goes around it’s crater rim and bus loads of tourists come and go all day long.  It has a pond of weather in the bottom much like my favorite hike in the Goat Rocks of Washington; Goat Lake.  However, Goat Lake is much more scenic!

   Nearby the crater, Geothermal activity has produced a wayside attraction of steam vents, boiling pools and a geyser that spouts off every 5 to 7 minutes.  It shoots up into the air about 30 feet, thrilling onlookers with scalding water and much steam.  If one stands on the downwind side of the surrounding pathway, one could get seriously burned. I’m wondering why someone needs to be reminded about that?   

  A fourth stop was where governing officials used to meet to discuss political business.  It was located ona fault line between the North American Tektonic Plate and the European Tektonic Plate.  The ground is filled with fissures of various widths and lengths.  Ron and I walked down into one such fissure, a wide gap between the rock cliffs.  It led down into the valley where our bus drove down and plucked us up at Parking Lot #2.

   Just to our north was a large lake.  The true fault line runs beneath this lake a few thousand feet underground.  It is the lake that divides the two continents.We walked in North America with the other side being in Europe.  So technically, Reykjavik , although not part of the European Union, is actually part of Europe!

   Icelandic horses are unique in the world.  They have long hair and are very short.  They must cop an attitude because one was standing along the fence holding a sign that said, “I am a horse, NOT a miniature pony!”  

   Back in Reykjavik, we walked about 4 blocks to a place where several restaurants were located.  We went into one building where a food court was bustling with many people having dinner. I enjoyed a typical Icelandic meal of Cod fish covered with cauliflower bisque , lemon sauce and grape sized potatoes with a crispy exterior.  It was delicious! Debby had some Spanish food. Ron had chicken and Nancy had Spanish, as well.

 We did not taste the Icelandic beer but did have some Gelato.  Pretty tasty!

   Back to the hotel to pack our things and get ready to vacate about 6 o’clock in the morning.  Our speedy taxi will be picking us up!  We fly out to London at 9:00.

Mike Thomas 

Reykjavik, Iceland

ICELAND   —   October 2, 2021

Our flight from XNA to CHI was uneventful. We landed in Chicago on time but with a looming 9 hour layover ahead of us. Fortunately, we were able to relax in United’s

VIP lounge where we enjoyed comfortable 

chairs and endless snacks and drinksQhad access to United’s VIP Lounge where we relaxed in comfort . We had access to all the free snacks and drinks we wanted. It was much better than sitting out there in the terminal listening to endless announcements of departing flights and CDC safety warnings.

Our flight to Iceland took about l7 hours and we landed around u AM Iceland time. After clearing in with all the entry paperwork and exiting customs, we grabbed a taxi for a short stop at a COVID testing station as required for our flight to London in two days. TYhe taxi driver was eager to wait on us because the meter kept running until we were back on the road.

The trip to Reykjavik was about 45 minutes. Our hotel was called Baron, a FOSS hotel chain. It was okay. The rooms were typical European, even though Reykjavik s not in Europe. We left our luggage in their storage room as we could not check in until 3 PM.

We took our swim suits and whatever else we wanted to carry and caught a taxi to a resort spa called the Sky Lagoon. We had originally. Inteneded to go to the Blue Lagoon but it was full. TYhe Sky Lagoon was newer and much less crowded anyway. Someone told us they liked the Sky Lagoon better than the Blue Lagoon anyway. Both are man made.

We checked in and stored our things in our lockers; then headed down the steps into the warm pool water. It was very warm and comfortable. I took my camera into the pool to check out the IPhone 12’s water resistant features. No problem.

For the next couple of hours we ventured out into the pool to experience a waterfall, ocean view and swim up bar. We took a cold plunge in the cold water pool, freezing our buns off before entering a sauna with an ocean view.

The salt scrub with fragrant oil was fun. We walked into a room that was like a misty rain coming down before the scrub. Following the scrub we walked into an even hotter sauna for a few minutes. We then went back out into the main pool for some more relaxing time.

We were allowed to remain as long as we wanted. After getting water logged , we headed for the showers and got dressed.

Our taxi arrived and took us to our hotel. We relaxed, took a nap and then walked around the city for a while.

TYhe RIFF Church had another longer name. It was a Lutheran church, quite unique and beautiful. In front was a statue of Leif Erickson, the famous explorer; a bronze statue given to Reyjivik by the United States years ago.

For dinner, we went into a little eatery called the Reyjivick Fish and Chips. We all had fish and chips. There was plenty of fish and fries; very tasty.

The weather was very cold with the wind chill factor. The wind was very strong and walking around for us was difficult.

Our evening excursion was a bus tour to a parking lot out of town thirty or forty minutes to watch for the appearance of the Northern Lights. It was so cold and windy that most of sat in the bus most of the time; venturing outside for brief moments. There were only faint Northern Lights in the distance and quite a few shooting stars. It was a long evening and we got back after midnight. We had to be up at 8:00 for breakfast and a pickup for our second day’s excursion.

Mike

To Europe and Beyond

       On the road again

                  

   I love that song by Willie Nelson.  “🎶The life I love is making memories “with my friends and I can’t wait to get on the road again.”,🎶  That’s what I’m talking about! Debby and I are off once more with our Pinkerton friends to Iceland, Europe and beyond!  We actually leave October 1st. Our house sitters will be busy while we are away. I will leave a book of jobs. 😎

   Debby has put two years into creating and planning a special trip for us as we all celebrate a milestone or two in our lives.  Ron and Nancy are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, while their daughter, Rhonda and her husband, Steve (who are meeting us in Paris) celebrate their 25th!.   Also, Debby and I are  celebrating OUR 50th Anniversary,  WE will also be celebrating my 75th birthday, hopefully in Paris. I’ve never celebrated a 75th birthday in Paris before!  So it’s going to be fun!

   Our trip in a nutshell:  we leave Chicago October 1st for a United flight to Reykjavik, Iceland.  We will stay in the downtown area for two  days checking out all the ice.  Then we fly to Lisbon, Portugal, staying 3 days in a gorgeous downtown hotel with awesome views.  Next is Madrid, Spain for 2 days and then Barcelona for 3 days. 

   Catching a train, we head for Paris.   After 5 days in Paris, we head for Milano, to  Venice for the day, then to Florence for 3 days. 

   Next stop is Italy’s Cinque Terre National Park to stay in a familiar downtown Manarola apartment for 3 days, one of our favorite Italian destinations. 

   We then head to Milano for our flight to Athens, Greece.  Here we board  Viking Cruise Ship headed into various ports in the Mediterranean.  It will be exciting to cruise with the Vikings!  I hope I get one of those hats with the horns!

  We will also be meeting up with Tom and Lynn Gaumer and a half dozen others for the cruise!  That should be fun!

  Our cruise ends near Rome where we will sightsee for 2 days before catching our return flight to New York City on November 2nd. 

   We are very excited to see new places and feeling blessed to be able to take such an awesome adventure together.  

   I leave behind my four-legged friend and companion, Toronto.  It was simply too much hassle and paperwork to get him in and out of all these places.  He will be well taken care of by our good friend, Tess Carter, a bonafide  Guide Dog puppy raiser.  She will also help us take care of the Resort while we are away.  There are always a myriad of jobs to be done around here.  I am confident that Tess will do a great job.  Our neighbors and the Johnson City Police will also help keep an eye on the place.  We live in a good neighborhood

   We are barely a week away from our flight to Chicago.  We have appointments to get our  COVID test the day before we leave.  Iceland and Viking requires vaccinations AND a COVID test.  Guess they don’t want to take any chances!  But that’s okay, so does Italy and the USA return.  The Viking cruise lines also requires almost daily testing during the cruise, especially when we return from a shore excursion.  Luckily, they just do a temperature check and a saliva swab.  I much prefer those to the invasive brain swab with a foot long Q-tip!

     Mike 

    

Tucson – 2021

 

   We drove into Oro Valley Sunday afternoon and checked into our 3 bedroom condo on the second floor. It is very nice. We went to buy some groceries and choke down a burger for dinner. 

   Ron, Nancy and I went out to visit the old Biosphere facility the next day. Not even a handful of tourists were there. This experimental station was once the home to eight cactus huggers who sequestered themselves inside thus self-contained glass house, making their own way by raising their own food, making water,oxygen while trying to get along with each other. Apparently it was pretty difficult.  

   Me and Ron and Toronto spent time relaxing around the hot tub this afternoon. It was nice. Debby and Nancy wanted to go find some 

exotic stores and do some shopping. They came back bragging about bargains they found at Ross, Marshall’s, TH Max.  Aren’t those stores in Springdale??  

   The next day or two we visited Th Sonora Desert Museum and walked around inside. We saw many varieties of cactus and desert plants. We walked through the animal habitat and seen the Mexican Gray Wolf and a few reptiles. Seeing a selection of gemstone found in Arizona was very interesting. 

   We drove alongside the Saguaro National Park. Those are awesome cacti. I was impressed at the hundreds of cacti varieties. All of them looking very wicked!

   We were blessed to get to spend time with Patty & Philip, life-long friends from school days. It was great catching upon a few years of life and seeing their gorgeous home. 

   We also met Cathy & Terry Gilmore at Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe for some real Mexican food. It was great catching up on things with these long time friends. 

   Today ends our time here in the WorldMark at Oro Valley. The Pinkerton’s fly home to Arkansas and we fly to Portland OR to visit family. 

 

 Puerto Peñasco, Mexico... Day 7

 

   Ron and I decided tho try our hand at golfing.  Compared to me he is a pro.  The best part was him letting me drugged golf cart. He, apparently, forgot that I am legally blind and don’t have a driver’s license.   What are those little brown animals called?  I might have hurt a couple.    But we didn’t do well at golf. I couldn’t see where my ball went and Ron couldn’t remember. 

   Ha Ha!  😂 Just kidding about golfing!  I made all that up because I wanted something fun to write about on our last day!  A little blind humor, if you will. 😎

   Hot tubbing, sunbathing, snacking, a napping around the poolside today.  Room service pizza and rolled tacos for dinner tonight. 

   Me and Toronto walked out to the surf after dinner. Picked up a few seashells for a wind chime idea I have. I used to love beach combing. Back inside to pack suitcases and prepare to go back to Arizona in the morning. 

   Back out to the beach again to salute our last sunset. 

 

*sigh

 

 

   

    

 

Puerto Peñasco, Mexico..Day 6

 

   Today’s high temperature is projected to be in the mid-60’s. The wind is about 20 knots and, once again, coat and hat temperatures. 

   We had breakfast in Ron & Nancy’s  condo this morning. The girls had a spa treatment at 0930 so we had a little time to do laundry. 

  I had a spa treatment myself at 11:30. Toronto and I walked the two Codger miles so we could limber up. First up was a Swedish massage .  It was a wonderful experience!  I should’ve been doing that all week!

   Next up was my pampered pedicure; nail trimming, heel buffing, and feet massage.  Well worth the half price discount we got for sitting through that sales presentation.  

   After rolling me out of there, I met up with Debby along the way.  She detoured me over to meet up with Ron & Nance for lunch. The shrimp was an excellent choice!

   Looks like more tourists are coming in this evening. The workers here are excited about the potential Spring Break crowd.  It’s hard for the locals to make much of a living when the resort is barely 11% occupied. 

   Tomorrow is Saturday, our last full day. It’s been a very relaxing week!

 

 Puerto Peñasco, Mexico... Day 5

 

   Thus far, our visit to this Mexican resort has been fun. We are mindful of COVID risks and we take every precaution. What we do and see is very much like what we do in the states. The main difference is we virtually have this huge resort to ourselves!  Walking from one end of the garden area, alongside the swimming pools and the Lazy River, to the other end, we usually see only 3 to 6 people. It’s almost like Nancy booked this whole resort for us!

   I am still awed at crossing the border into Mexico. There was one security guard. The 7 of us walking in with our luggage was asked only one question.  “Are you only bringing in your clothes?”  One or two of our group answered “yes” and he waved us on through. We were not asked to show passports or id. Nothing was asked of Toronto. 

   It does seem a bit chilly here. The wind picked up again this morning. We had planned to take a taxi into town and do the whale watching tour today but yesterday, Eric the Booker said the sightseeing boats would be grounded today because of bad weather. Perhaps a storm is brewing. The wind is blowing 40 km/hr today. It should be a good day for Ron to play golf. All he has to do is make a good chip shot and let the wind carry the ball to the green!  

   We walked to the restaurant this morning at 9:00 to have breakfast.  Once again we saw no other customers. 

   Lounging around the pool this afternoon we saw only 5 other tourists. Word has it that this resort will be at full capacity in a few days when Spring Break comes.  That means 1000 - 1500 people. I suspect it will be hard to find even a lounge chair!   But this week, we have our pick!

   We had a delicious dinner inside tonight. Spaghetti with meat sauce and salad. Worth every penny!!

   Following dinner, Ron and I explored the beach during our   lower than normal low tide.  It was interesting that beyond the regular sandy beach we normally have, the sand is hard packed and wavy like corrugated tin on a barn. With a minus 0.7’, the surf seemed to be another 1/4 mile farther out. We had to remove our shoes and socks because there were 4 or 5 bodies of water we had to cross. Toronto was a little apprehensive but soon became adapted to the task. Ironically the quantity of seashells diminished the farther out were got and we found only one. Both halves were still attached. It was about 4”across. A nice one. 

   We spotted one toe-size soft shell crab and a green starfish. Toronto enjoyed frolicking in the sand, getting pretty rambunctious. He. Almost knocked Ron down; hit him so hard!  

   It was a nice hike and we enjoyed the sunset. Toronto got us back to the exact same spot we started.  He had no trouble navigating us in the dark. Our feet were so cold when we got back that we decided to stand in the shallow end of the hot tub and equalize. Sure felt good!

   

 Puerto Peñasco, Mexico... Day 4

 

   As we had no firm plans today we decided to take a stroll along the swimming pool and see about making a reservation for Whale watching.  We pretty much have this whole place to ourselves and booking a Whale watching excursion was easy. In fact, it was so easy that Eric the booker talked us into going out today!  So we did!

   In 15 minutes, Eric picked us up in front of the Mayan Palace and we were off to town. 

   The bot was nice and roomy; offering seating for about so dozen tourists. They provided drinks and snacks for a 3-hour tour. I don’t know the boat’s name but pretty sure it wasn’t the USS MINNOW!  

   In due time we spotted a group of Dolphins having a good time. We hung around and watched them for a while before heading on to bigger things. 

   Out a little farther we pulled up into an area where a couple other tour boats were parked. They had been watching a couple of Whales so we joined them. We spotted them a couple of times but we were not treated to anything spectacular. 

   It was a good trip. It was also good to pull into the harbor to catch our ride back to the Grand Mayan. We were all tired from the busy day’s adventure. 

 

 Puerto Peñasco, Mexico... Day 3

 

   The Grand Mayan is a huge condo structure that went up in 2016 and is still under construction. Only a handful of units are actually open. We have one on the first floor, #3111. The Pinkerton’s are down the hall in 3104. 

   Our patio balconies have a small pool of water that we originally mistook for a hot tub. It is, however, a summertime cool down pool. Right now the 40 degree water is uninviting. The tub apparently runs full of water. So much do that it overflows it’s rim and drains down to recirculating pumps. I can’t imagine the water is fresh and drains out to the sewer!  The problem with our tub is the noise. It makes a loud sound like when you drain a bathtub, only much much louder. It did no make this noise the first day. But it is now!  It started yesterday and has been gurgling all night!  It’s like a Chinese water torture chamber!  I barely got to sleep!  We’re notified maintenance 3 times. They came out the first time we called but the noise returned as soon as the guy left. Now we can’t get them to respond. We may have to take blankets down by the Lazy River tonight if we can’t get their attention!

   Debby made coffee this morning. The strange coffee maker is temperamental. She put in 4 cups of water and it yielded 2 cups of coffee. Now how does that work??

   When we checked into the Mayhan resort on Sunday afternoon, they told us they would upgrade us into the grand Mayan  if we would listen to a sales presentation. It sounded like something we wanted to do so we agreed. We made an appointment for Tuesday morning at 9 AM. Breakfast would be included. So today is Tuesday so we met our host in the main lobby. We walked to the only restaurant open for our breakfast in the beginning I have a sales pitch. We had to smooth talking salesman with us this morning. I figured it might be a hard day. I was right.

   Because our tiny waiting pool I was so noisy all of yesterday afternoon and last night, I made every effort and took every opportunity to tell them I was not happy with the unit and asked if we could relocate. Of course, they had nothing else. Come to find out, there was no heat In the regular Mayan so sticking us into the Grond Mayan was to their advantage anyway. They simply made it sound like they were doing us a favor by giving us a free upgrade if we listened to their spiel.  I asked Carlos how many units were available for people. He said a number more than 300. I asked what their current occupancy was. He said 38. I said, “So you have something else I can move into”?  He said no. I asked him if they had a special unit for the Presidente. He said yes. I said, “Well he’s not coming. Could I have his room”?  He didn’t answer me. 

   Francisco and Carlos treated us to a good breakfast with coffee and juice, omelets, sweet rolls and fresh fruit. They began to talk about the perks to being part of the Vidanta Resort to organization. After an hour or so we walked back to the office for more in depth information.

   It was a tough day. During the course of talking with these two guys, a more powerful salesman came over to financially help seal the deal. The presentation was intense and we felt the pressure.  The bottom line began at $87,000 plus   Over the course of 6 hours, the price was adjusted each time they felt we looked like we weren’t going to buy. The final cost toys was less than  $11,ooo for each couple. They would not let us take the contract back to our rooms and read it unless we paid their down-payment, signed the contract and left our passports with them. 

   Although we were on the fence a few times, good sense took over and we said “no”. After that, our “friends “, Francisco and Carlos did not say goodbye or anything!  

   Our final gauntlet was apparently the General Manager who tried to get on our good side by playing a better new friend than the other three. He even sweetened the pot with a few more perks. By the time this 4th salesman came along, we were toast!  Stick a fork in me...I’m done!  This whole day was short!  Time for dinner!

   I came back to our room, pulled the concrete lid off of the pool control box and closed the water valve. I doesn’t stop 100% of the gurgling noise but it did cut it down by 95%. 

   This evening, Toronto and I took a stroll on the beach. The tide was so far out that we couldn’t make it to the surf. There are literally thousands of various sizes and types of seashells in the sand. I picked up a few for souvenirs. 

   Toronto found one live animal in the sand. I couldn’t tell what it was. When I touched it with my finger, it moved a little, as of closing up.   It was mostly smooth and felt like really tough skin.  I took a couple of pictures but still couldn’t make out what it was. 

   I watched the sun go down taking a photo and headed back. It was dark before we got back but Toronto knew where he was going. I merely let  him lead. After all, that’s his job. 

 

 Puerto Peñasco, Mexico...Day 1

 

   Up at the crack of dawn, well, maybe a little later, we met up with Ron and Nancy for an 8:30 am breakfast at Denny’s. By the time  the second cup of coffee kicked in we were ready for that Home Run, or Slam Dunk or Grand Slam,... whatever they called it. 

   Following our private church service, we took our suitcases out front and met our lady driver for our shuttle ride to Rocky Point, aka Puerto Peñasco, about a4 hour drive from Phoenix. Lynelle started her shuttle business several years ago. She and her husband, Mike run five 15-passenger vans between Phoenix and Puerto Peñasco nearly every day. It was great having a professional driver pick us up at our Motel and drop us off at our Resort. Lynelle was extremely knowledgeable about the area as she has been going there with her family since 1967. She knew a lot about the sights along the way. Her stories made the trip seem to fly by. 

   We stopped in Ajo, AZ for gas and grub, learning much about the area copper mining and the Air Force flight training areas. 

   We had to walk through the Mexico border gate with our luggage. It was Toronto’s first border crossing. There were 7 of us tourists walking together. The single border guard asked if we were only carrying clothes.  We said we was and he let us all go through without so much as showing passports or anything!  Our driver net us on the other side and reloaded our luggage. 

   Lynelle dropped off her other passengers first and then drove us through Rocky Point, pointing out some cool places and interesting sight...like where Al Capone stayed when he came there. Also where John F Kennedy stayed. We stopped at a grocery store to pick up a few things for our condo, and then on out to the Mayan Resort. 

   We checked in and got our rooms in the Grand Mayan. The rooms are spacious with 19’ ceilings, a patio pool with a view of the Sea of Cortez and sporting more square feet than my first house!  

   After dinner in their huge restaurant, named Bakdl, we ended our day. No glitches. No hiccups. Smooth. Tomorrow we get to explore a bit.