Tag Archives: Inspiration

Mexican Driver’s License – Take Two

23 Jun

At the post vacation bus heist in April, Lisa and I got our US driver’s licenses stolen. I told the humorous tale of acquiring my shiny new Mexican license in the May 5 blog. https://theadventuresofdostortas.com/?s=Mexican+driver’s&submit=Search

This week we went to Bacalar to repeat the process for Lisa, only to find a sign posted on the door of the license office. Whenever we assume that we’ve got something, anything figured out in Mexico, we receive the expat slap upside the head. This was no exception.

The license issuance process is in Chetumal until further notice. Note, no location is provided.

Dang, now we had to drive to Chetumal, an hour away, for her to acquire said license. It’s been a stormy few days with flooding in low parts of Chetumal. We took advantage of a lull in the tropical storm to venture out. Prayers were said.

We went to two different government offices before being directed to the right location. With our list of required documents in hand we went to breakfast. After all this was going to be an all day adventure! Girls need pancakes!

Not our favorite place to eat but ok in a pinch.

The documents were the same as what had been required of me in Bacalar. However Lisa had to watch a video and take a written test IN SPANISH with no assistance from me.

Thank god for Google Translate.

Her language skills are not great, but with the help of Goggle Translate she managed to get through the video and written test. The only problem was, she failed the test, oops. Back to watch the video again.

With a smile and a good attitude, much can be accomplished.

Lisa has such a way of charming people. After the second go round the official didn’t even look at her test. With a wink and a hand shake, she passed and we were on to the driving test.

Park between the cones and don’t forgot to put on your directional.

When you’ve been driving for over forty years, it’s hard to have beginners mind. Also we had my car which Lisa had only driven twice before.

Smiling through failure.

Needless to say, she did not pass the driving test either! Truth be told, it was designed to trip her up. I couldn’t have done any better. This time the official wagged a finger at her before signing the form and sending us on our way back across town to pay the fee and print the license.

The face of exhaustion.

We were extremely grateful that the weather held, everyone was so nice and the mission was accomplished. We love Mexico but it is always a head scratch and a test of patience.

DOS TORTAS

Want to learn patience? Move to Mexico.

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It’s Got To Rain To Find The Leaks

16 Jun

Thursday night was the first rainfall in months. I woke to streaks of lightening and house-rattling claps of thunder. Poor little Stella was shaking so hard she almost fell off the bed. It’s how she started sleeping with us in the first place. She’s terrified of thunder, poor baby.

Our blind pug.

In Austin, after months of drought, we woke one morning to find an inch of water standing in our dining room. A drainage problem that we didn’t know we had, made its presence known after the first spring downpour.

Our rear yard in Austin sloped slightly towards the house.

Gracias a Dios there were no major leaks this week in our Bacalar jungle house nor water gushing down the wall. When building nine years ago, yes, it’s hard to believe it’s been that long, we did everything we could to channel water away from the house. We also built drains on the porch. If water came in the front door, we could help it out the back. Our house sits at the bottom of a steep slope.

Before we added French drains around the house. 2015
Much has changed in nine years.

We did find a leak from the palapa over our front door. Palapas only last about five years. Of course we’ve had our fingers crossed so as to avoid the replacement expense. It’s time to call the palapero.

DOS TORTAS

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That Time Of Year

9 Jun

Next Saturday is what we affectionately call the Swim Across, one of several athletic events held annually in Bacalar. There’s a kayak marathon in the fall and a new half marathon in September. I made the commitment to swim this year because, why not? This week it was time to kick training into high gear. I use the word “training” loosely.

I haven’t set an alarm to wake up since I worked for The State of Texas. Back in the day I would rise every day at five a.m. I walked our Austin neighborhood in the dark relishing the quiet and solitude, before heading home to pack my breakfast and lunch and catching the bus to work. It seems like a lifetime ago.

2015

This week I’ve been rising at six before the wind picks up causing a choppy laguna. I still love the quiet and solitude. The clouds look like wisps of cotton candy before the sun pops over the horizon.

I will never win this event, even as the field narrows. Perhaps if I’m 100 and still swimming but I doubt it. I did buy some new goggles to motivate. Maybe they’ll make me faster.

Team Bacalar 2016

DOS TORTAS

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Hoping For A Hurricane?

2 Jun

I have been sitting on my arse all week wilted and without motivation. If a hurricane would bring rain and perhaps cooler temperatures, I’d be willing to risk it.

2024 Predicted Hurricanes

I’ve been modeling my activity level after the dogs. They don’t seem a bit guilty to be lying around all day.

The breeze off the laguna continues to be smoky due to annual burning, irritating lungs, stinging eyes and causing fits of coughing. I occupy my time with my latest audiobook.

The book is set in India. If there were a competition for stifling heat India wins hands down. Living in a hot, humid, tropical environment does add a touch of realism to the story.

This weekend is Mexico’s presidential election. Mexico is poised to elect its first presidenta. As everywhere, people run under the banner of CHANGE. So far I’ve seen lots of promises and little action. It’s a big job no matter who gets it.

I’m grateful for electricity which keeps the refrigerator cold, internet going and ceiling fans whirring. We only use air conditioning at night which is a privilege that many in Bacalar do not have.

Stella loves the sun.

So do your best to stay cool, warm or dry depending on where you live. We are making plans to escape for awhile, but that’s news for another day.

DOS TORTAS

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Even My Teeth Are Getting Old

26 May

I have made my life’s work studying health with a Master’s Degree in Health Education. Even before college, my bedside table was stacked with books on nutrition and exercise. I know to get enough sleep (however much that is), move my body and eat my veggies. This week I was blindsided by a health challenge that I wasn’t expecting, TEETH!

My mother had beautiful teeth. Unfortunately I didn’t inherit that trait.

I recall as a child walking solo to dentist appointments. Yikes. As an adult, I’ve probably spent a fortune on cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals, and two bridges. I also had impacted wisdom teeth removed in college. Sadly I am not a candidate for implants.

Broken root.

I use the best electric toothbrush and floss twice daily. So the X-ray that revealed a broken root came as a shock and unexpected expense.

Our fancy new toothbrushes. I love them.
Old teeth, young hot dentist.

There’s so much no one has told us about aging. Many people are having knees and hips replaced. I’m having teeth. Call me naive but I never considered that fillings, caps, bridges etc. had a shelf life! Consider yourself forewarned. Take care of your teeth.

DOS TORTAS

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Howlers And Mayan Pyramids

19 May

We are off for the day to explore the extraordinary Mayan pyramids of Kohunlich. My niece is visiting and seeing these masks is required.

Giant masks are unique to this particular site.

Here’s a blog from 2017 when we visited with my dear friend Harper.

https://theadventuresofdostortas.com/?s=Relax+and+hug+a+tree&submit=Search

Howler monkeys at the entrance to Kohunlich.

We have lost count how many times we’ve taken visitors to experience this amazing place among the howler monkeys and towering palms.

Austin friends Milton and Margo 2018

Getting up early is necessary to beat the heat and dodge the mosquitoes and tourists. Lisa is a great tour guide. So kick back and enjoy your Sunday. We will return with our regularly scheduled program next week.

DOS TORTAS

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How To Stay Cool 101

11 May

My lovely niece is visiting from Austin, Texas. Amidst the ungodly heat, rolling blackouts and flickering electricity we have done our best to not be cranky.

However you measure it. It’s toasty!

There’s no better way to cool off in Bacalar than to get out on the Laguna.

Blake and Aunt Alex

Thanks to our friend Steve with his sweet ride we pulled together a motley crew of friends to enjoy a day of cold drinks and wind in our hair.

Lisa and her mom.
Arco the swimming dog loves the boat.
Nothing better than staying cool with friends.

Wishing everyone a happy Mother’s Day no matter however and wherever you celebrate. It’s good to be grateful for something every day.

DOS TORTAS

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Mexican Drivers License

5 May

We had our bags pilfered on the bus ride home from our recent vacation. The loss included my Texas driver’s license. It can’t be replaced until I return to the US, thus the need for a Mexican license.

It took me three trips to the Office of Transportation in downtown Bacalar. The first time I was informed that May first was a holiday and I needed to come back on Thursday. I got the list of documents that I needed. One was certification of my health, obtained from a ten minute visit to a local clinic and costing $4.00.

I gathered up the required copies and returned on Thursday. Oops testing starts at ten. After a coffee to take up some time, I returned for a third time to find a full house. The testing space was small and bursting with men all getting a driver’s license for the first time, mostly to drive a motorcycle, and me.

A friend had told me that the process was quite easy and the questions were bordering on the ridiculous. But when the woman handed me three pages in Spanish I became nervous.

As I read through the questions, breathe relax, I trusted my skill, finished fairly quickly and looked up. It was then that I realized that I probably read more Spanish than anyone else in the room. There is not a high literacy rate in Bacalar. No problemo, everyone was relaxed with heads together helping each other! I almost laughed out loud. One young man sitting across from me looking very nervous leaned forward to ask me the answer to the question, “who has the right of way, the driver or the pedestrian?” He had the correct answer. I told him that I had put the same answer. Mind you I was the only woman and a white haired foreigner to boot. He must have been desperate.

When I handed in the test, the clerk scanned the pages quickly then rolled her eyes. I didn’t know the color of various street signs so I just guessed. Oops. To my surprise, she pulled out a bottle of white-out and proceeded to CORRECT MY MISTAKES! Her comment to the other clerk, “She’s a foreigner.”

It’s official.

I am now the proud owner of a shiny new driver’s license and another story to tell that tickles me about living in Mexico.

DOS TORTAS

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A Peek Into My Art Journal

28 Apr

I took my journal to Europe but didn’t have much time for sketching.

Press on picture.

Here are drawings from our travels and from our couch.

Sitting in the train station waiting to leave for Paris.
Neuschwanstein Castle Bavaria

I also like to draw sitting on the couch in the evening watching TV.

Faces are some of my favorite things to play with.

I’m using mostly permanent and water color pens. I’ve liked to doodle since childhood. I find it relaxing and creative. I have numerous books of my drawings. it’s fun to see my life journey in art. Enjoy.

DOS TORTAS

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Travel’s Trials And Tribulations

16 Mar

As I sit on the Eurostar train between London and Amsterdam I contemplate this astounding trip so far. It’s been almost 15 years since Lisa and my last overseas adventure. A lot has changed. I am 72, she is 60. After Lisa’s multiple back surgeries, neither one of us can walk for hours nor stand gazing at antiquities. We return to the hotel in the late afternoon and collapse for the evening.

Stock image.

When I was pick pocketed in Athens in 2005 and had my passport stolen, we got to experience the darker and inconvenient side of travel. Any trip might include loss, loss of cell phone, hat, or scarf. I once left expensive headphones on the plane home to Mexico.

Amsterdam Canals

In an attempt at prevention I try to turn around from any stop and make sure nothing is left behind. To prevent pick pocketing, I carry a  shoulder bag designed for travel with zippered pockets to protect phone, money and identification. And still it happened.

I lost my credit card.

In London everything is paid by tapping your bank card on a terminal. Some restaurants don’t accept cash at all. In order to hop the underground (subway) I had placed my card in a side pocket with my phone. Apparently I pulled out my phone and dropped the card. After searching everywhere I contacted my US bank.

Saturday Market

Fortunately we have other plastic but it could be so easy to get stranded with no money. The worst part was the sleepless night and self flagellation.

Thank God I’m over it. There’s nothing more I can do until I return home.

Dutch apple pie.

The trip continues and we’re having a great time. Weather has been unprecedented with sunshine in both London and Amsterdam.  Crowds are small compared to high season. For an unscripted holiday, we’re doing very well.

DOS TORTAS

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