The #$@&! Fridge Door Fell Off!

The door fell off the fridge last night! We have had so much trouble with Dometic fridges I am almost tempted to find another solution! Last night Norma opened the fridge and the bottom hinge broke right off the door.

We stayed up until 2 am gluing the plastic pieces back together with crazy glue and modifying a couple of metal “L” brackets to add some strength. We then used some two part epoxy to glue the “L” brackets to the door, finishing it off with a couple of screws into the door. We let it dry for an hour or so and then put the door back on.

It was still holding this morning when we opened it so hopefully it will be good until we get back to the States where I hope it is still under warranty. They charge $1500 USA for these tiny capacity fridges and then put plastic hinges on them!

Popo & Izta

I am only going to spell these out once, so pay attention. Popocatepetl (5462 m) and Iztaccihuatl (5220 m) are the second and third highest peaks in Mexico and we passed them on the way to Puebla. Only one of them, Popo, is an active volcano but I swear I see steam coming from both today. I pulled over to get a shot of both of them in the same frame. Popo is in the foreground and the one in the background, through the haze, is Izta.

Legend has it that Popo was a warrior who fell ion love with Izta, the emperor’s daughter. The story goes on to say that Izta died of grief when Popo went off to war and she received a false report of his death. Upon his safe return, Popo created the two mountains, laid her body on the peak of one where from a certain angle, the form of a reclining woman is clearly visible. Popo then stood on the other peak holding her funeral torch for eternity. His torch smokes to this day.

The Road To Puebla

The road we took from Cuernavaca to Puebla is a good toll road. We passed through four toll booths, the most expensive of which was $35 CAN. Despite the nice roads, we got lost twice! First in Cuautla where an overpass was being built and the road detoured around the construction. We missed our turn and ended up in the Centro. A couple of friendly pedestrians sent us back on course. There was a brand new Autopista for most of the rest of the way to Puebla and the left turn we were looking for never materialized and we ended up far too close to Puebla’s Centro before we stopped and hired a cab to take us to the RV Park. Norma rode in the cab and I followed with the cab driver taking great care that I stayed with him in the busy traffic. The RV Park turned out to be a very long way away from where we stopped so it was a good thing we admitted defeat and called for help.

We checked in, hooked up and went grocery shopping with the car. There is a huge mall very close by so we both made appointments for haircuts in the morning and then we ate at the Food Court. Norma had a Big Mac and I had two pizza slices. Not very Mexican and not all that good. Our taste buds are spoiled by the excellent Mexican cuisine we have been treating ourselves to so it was a bit of a shock for us to taste “western food”.

Tomorrow, after our haircuts, we will explore the Centro Historico of Puebla!

Moving Day

Today we move to Puebla. Puebla is about a three or four hour drive East on good autopistas (toll roads). Once there we will check into the Las Americas RV Park. This park is pretty rustic with only 15 amp electric and I don't know if it has WIFI. It is the only park in the area. There is much to see in the Puebla area so we will spend two or three days there.

Puebla is also the site of a major victory over the invading French army on May 5, 1862 which is still celebrated as the "Cinco de Mayo" holiday. The French came back later to kick the crap out of the Mexicans but that is ignored and the original victory is celebrated. ;)

We have really enjoyed our time here in Cuernavaca and stayed for more than three weeks which is almost a record for us. Umberto and his family made us feel very welcome and we made good friends here which we will maintain. I have Hector's phone number in the cell phone just in case I need some help down the road. Hector is a lawyer so I trust I will never need his help in an official capacity but it is reassuring to have that contact.

Our cozy, shaded spot

Our neighbour

Don’t forget, if you are thinking of renting a vacation house in this very central area with excellent golfing, check out my previous post on these houses.

Día de Reyes, or, Day Of The Kings

January 6 is Three Kings Day in Mexico. Twelve days after Christmas the Three Kings bring gifts to Mexican Children. Santa visits some families but he is seen as an imported custom and Three Kings Day remains the traditional day for gifts of toys. Children write notes to the Kings and leave these notes on their Christmas Trees.

On our (Norma’s) bargain hunting trip to Liverpool today, I was banished to walking the mall for a couple of hours instead of “helping” her shop. As luck would have it, the Three Kings happened to be in the mall talking to children about what they would like to find either under the tree or in the shoe left outside their bedroom door on the 6th. I took a couple of shots of the Kings and their Helpers and then waited for a child to happened along so I could get a shot of the Kings in action.

As I waited, a security guard came up to me, introduced himself, shook my hand and informed me I could not take photos of the Kings. It seems the Kings sell photos of their visits and do not want any competition. I apologized in my very best poor Spanish and we parted friends.

Here are the Three Kings with no children:

And the Nativity Scene:

Restaurante Casa Hidalgo

We enjoyed our previous meal at Casa Hidalgo so much we decided to stop again on our way home from bargain shopping at Liverpool. We sat on the second floor balcony overlooking the Cortez Palace and the dining patio below. Our meal was very good but what really captured our attention was a young Mexican couple right below us with a one and a half or two year old toddler. It was obviously a very special occasion for the young couple but their son was doing his utmost to make their celebration as difficult as possible. He kept fussing and trying to pull the table cloth off the table so the waiter brought about ten little packages of soup crackers to occupy him which he went through in about three minutes, with most of them ending up on the floor and on his parents. He then reached up and ripped one of his mothers earrings out. Ouch! As she grabbed her ear and bent over in pain, he saw his opening, reached over and ripped out the other one! Double ouch!

One of the services the restaurant provides is a babysitting section and the child was immediately picked up and taken over to the young lady offering her services for tips. Well, she had her work cut out for her! She already had three other very well behaved charges, which was lucky for her because this new one was a hand full. She finally got him interested enough in breaking her crayons and ripping up her paper that he no longer kept trying to make his way back to mom, I suppose in hopes of finding another earring. The young couple breathed a huge sigh of relief and, with the odd dabbing of blood, were able to pay attention to each other and their romantic meal. I hope they tipped well!

Restaurante Casa Hidalgo

Views from the balcony.

The babysitter earning her tips! (note little spike-hair)

New Years Day

On New Years Morning we had a real treat! Little Martha (11) made Banana Hotcakes for all of us. I have a large flat grill pan that fits on top of the barbecue that cooks six of them at a time and Martha made a big platter full. They were very good and best of all - no leftovers! Thanks Martha!

New Years Eve

We had a small but nice gathering here at the El Paraiso RV Park in Cuernavaca. There were our Mexican friends Hector and Martha with their charming kids Charlotte, Martha and Hector. Joining us were an American couple who had pulled in just the night before. Dwain and Sharon are retired school teachers from Colorado and they have taught all over the world. Warren, a long term resident from New York joined the party as well. Everyone had a good time with Hector and Dwain, both Harley riders, making an appointment to ride to Sturgis together later this year.

Umberto, the park owner lit a huge bonfire to welcome in 2009 and then came over with his wife to bring a large bottle of apple cider for a toast. Martha had prepared a great shrimp pasta meal which we shared while waiting for the hour to strike. Charlotte tuned in the countdown on TV and made sure we celebrated at just the proper time. As she counted the seconds down I made a noble effort to eat my twelve grapes and make the accompanying wishes for the New Year. It was a great time with good people. This is what Mexico is all about! The weather cooperated nicely and it was still t-shirts and shorts temperature when we went to bed at about 12:45 AM.

Taxco, The Silver Town

On the way home from the Caverns we stopped in Taxco, an old silver mining town in the State of Guerrero. Taxco is no longer producing silver but has become the main silver handicraft town in Mexico. The town is built on the very steep banks of a mountain containing the blocked off mines. We parked, wandered the Centro, toured the 250 year old Church and had lunch. I managed to find some very nice pure silver gifts for our granddaughters for a fraction of the price we would have to pay in Canada. Sorry girls, you will just have to wait until we get home!

Grutas Cacahuamilpa

On New Years Eve Day Norma was trying to get over a chest and sinus cold so Hector and his 14 year old daughter, Charlotte, decided to take me on a little sightseeing trip to the very impressive but little known (outside of Mexico) Cacahuamilpa Caverns in the neighbouring State of Guerrero.

These caves are the result of an underground river changing course many millions of years ago in the Cretaceous and Jurassic Periods. Left dry but with constant minor infiltration of surface water, huge stalactites, stalagmites and columns formed. The part of these caverns open to the public extend over two kilometres into the mountain, accessed by a concrete walking path. these caves are much larger, higher and wider than anything I have ever seen! The ceilings of some of the chambers are over eighty metres high. One of these Chambers was the scene of a Pavariotti & Bocelli Concert that would have been amazing to see and hear.

Less than half of the cavern is open to the public with the rest being reserved for scientific study. These caverns were discovered in the early 1800’s and were declared a National Park in 1936. Constant improvements have been made since then.

It was a long two kilometre walk into the cavern and an equally long walk back that felt like uphill both ways. On the way in there was a Zip Line set up that was 100 meters long and 50 meters high! As soon as Charlotte saw it, she wanted to try it. She was a little nervous as they were buckling her into her harness but, being the tough girl that she is, she gritted her teeth and went for it. While she was preparing, her dad and I rushed over to the landing area to get some photos.

It was a wonderful day for me and once again I thank our Mexican friends for their hospitality in showing us some of their beautiful country, parts that I would be unlikely to discover on my own. The photos do not do the Caverns justice. Slow shutter speeds resulted in blurred photos and washed out colours.