Day 2 - Sunny's Restoration Project

We were up early today to wave good-bye to Doug and Nancy..yes, they will be back in a week but here at Hacienda Contreras we like any reason to get together...

Today was the hottest day we have had since arriving 3 weeks ago!  You had to be outside in limited amounts or you would fry!

Sunny's painters arrived at 9am this morning and immediately got back to work.  The drivers side is now completely ready for step 2, which is I guess, taping and undercoating.  The passenger side is 2/3 of the way scraped clean.  Wow, what a difference!

Otherwise a quiet  and uneventful day..

Thanks Kathy and Mike for joining my blog!

Hasta Luega!

Day 1 – Motorhome Beautification Project

We have to remember we are in Mexico.  That said.  Monday came and went without the painters showing up.  There was a slight “miscommunication” but they started work on Tuesday.

They arrived about 8:30 and started scraping off the old decals and the clear cote with RAZOR BLADES. 

Amazingly it didn’t take them long and they had one side almost completely done.

Sunny parked in the nice spot....

the old paint job..

Jesus working hard

and his helper...and yes it is 30 degrees out!

it looks better already!

oh yes, we went to Mazamitla on Monday for a walk around.  Mazamitla is a "Puebla Magico", this means it has been deemed a beautiful town by the Mexican Government.

It looks like a Bavarian Town, similar to B.C.'s Kimberley.  We walked around, bought a few souvenirs, had a late breakfast/lunch and bought some meat at the market.  In fact we bought a sirloin roast and bbq'd it.  It was delicious! the best beef we've had  in Mexico.

Thanks to Nancy for taking all the pictures of Mazamitla!

Here is a picture of our only neighbours while we have been banished to the back forty!

Don Quixote and Fiona

Hasta luega!

Feb 17- Feb 24th Another Week in Paradise Minus the Ocean

I forgot to tell you about our adventure Sunday afternoon.  I won’t got into a ton of details  (if you want more info read Nancy’s blog at RunningawaywithDougandNancy.blogspot.com).

Anyways, we went to a Mescal distillery.  Now Mescal is similar to tequila but grown from a slightly larger leaved plant.  This was a property up in the hills and they produce about 2000-3000 litres per year, and only sell to their friends.  Yes, basically Mexican moonshine.  We are hoping to bring a bottle home with us (as long as Al doesn’t drink it or the border crossing people don’t take it) so we will be giving sample  tastes.  Maybe at Laura and John’s wedding!

the old fashioned way the tequila is distilled

it takes 12 hours to fill one of these carafes

Caballero in training

filling our bottle

doesn't taste quite the same but?

Monday, was a slow day for Al.  There has been a touch of a bug going around the park and he was a bit under the weather.  So I, of course, took it easy too!

Tuesday morning we walked across the street to Sal’s cousin’s orchard and picked fresh oranges, limes, lemons, pomegranates,  avocadoes and apples.  There was also a fruit that was new to us a lima (in Spanish) it is a mix of lime, lemon and orange.  It smells and taste like all three.

Wednesday, we went into town with another couple at the park, Ed and Eunice, from Saskatchewan.  We had lunch at a small lunch counter that specialized in “hamburgesa’s”.  This was a thin burger patty, Mexican wieners which are turkey, lettuce, tomato, peppers and cheese slice.  Different is the only way I can describe it.

 Al went to a carpenter shop and had some molding made for the rv.  40 feet for $120 pesos or approx $11.

Thursday, we had a quote on having the rv totally sanded and re-painted back to what it originally looked like.  The quote was for 1/10^th of the cost in B.C. and the work is guaranteed for 10 years and they will come do the work at the campsite.  So on Monday that adventure begins.

Friday was a park bbq for dinner.  Everyone brought their own supper and we cooked and ate in the “recreation room”.  It was fun.

Oh, yeah, our entertainment this week has been watching dump trucks, graders and shovels working on the property next door.  They are making a new gas station or Pemex.  There has been so much dust blowing around!

Saturday was work on the motorhome mouldings for the the floor day.

 It looks great too!

Saturday evening 15 of us went into Mazamitla to El Troje to have a celebratory dinner.  It was our 35^th Anniversary on the 24^th of February and another couple here in the RV park, Kathy and Mike celebrated their 35^th on February 1^st.  Nancy added up the years that all of us sitting at the table  had been married and the total was 285 years!  Quite an accomplishment!

On Sunday, first thing was the donkey race...Everyday they move the 2 resident donkey's down the property to the gardens and today Ed decided we should see how fast the male would run on his own.  He made it in 18.55 seconds.  We were all amazed!  Next time the girl gets to try!

Fiona and Ed waiting at the finish line!

Don Quixote waiting for the starting gun!

who knew donkey's can run that fast!

so who's the ass .. the donkey or the people watching!

We packed up from our nice spot and moved way down the property in preparation for a painting job on our motorhome.  Jesus and his son, the autobody people in town, are starting work on our “Sunny” tomorrow morning.   Stay tuned as I chronicle the whole process.  It should take between 2-3 weeks to totally do.

Hasta Luego amigos!

By the way...it would be nice if anyone reading joined my blog so I knew who you were!

Feb 12 – 17 Hacienda Contreras’ Field Trips

We had a busy week!  They kept us hopping here with lots of outings, happy hours, bonfires and even a waffle breakfast on Sunday!

On Tuesday we went to a Parque Aquatico at La Garita.  It had nice hot springs pools and also small waterslides for the kids. 

After soaking for a couple of hours we went to the restaurant attached to the place for lunch.  Al, Doug and Sal ordered Rainbow Trout.  It was cooked in spices and wrapped in a tinfoil pouch.  They said it was the best they had tasted.

all that's left are the bones!

and every meal needs a shot of tequila to end!

On Wednesday we went to town for groceries and I had my nails done by a lovely girl named Maribella. (who didn't speak any English)   The cost was a whopping $100 pesos or $8.  They are acrylic not gel but at that cost I could get them done weekly!

On Thursday, Valentine’s Day, (Happy late Valentine’s Day everyone!) a large group of us went to the town of Jiculpan, about a 45 min drive and we wandered the town with direction by the tourism director a nice woman named Marta.   We went to a “Silk” factory, where they grow silk worms and then harvest the silk and make scarves, bracelets, tapestries etc.  Very interesting.

Only 7 passenger seating so the 8th was in the back! and guess who it was...

the bus to the silk factory..

Nancy modelling the scarf.. only $5000 pesos or approx. $450cdn

the harachi's I purchased!

Friday was a quiet day..thank goodness, we sure need those…

Saturday was market day and we had tacos at a stall in the centro (main square in town) at $10pesos or 80 cents each they were fantastic...sorry no pics..

Sunday was a waffle breakfast, my waffle maker was a success..

Sorry this entry was so late, but it is hard to sit inside when it is sunny out!

two last pictures...

would you wear these shoes?  I can't believe she could walk in them....