Bucerias

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Almost an uneventful day but then that would have to be somewhere else besides Mexico.









I woke up, ate breakfast, did a little yoga, went back to sleep until 3:00 pm. How bad is that? My excuse - I was very tired and did not even know it.

We checked our many options here at Los Arroyos Verdes from camping, to Airstreams to several different casitas. We chose "Casa Fressa". Love it! It is one big room, kitchen on one side, dining area in the middle and bedroom on the other side. The windows are on two walls. There is a small bathroom. The big surprise is that the shower is outside. No we are not closet nudest. There is a walled, small courtyard that locks and that is where the shower is housed. It is a huge shower that is enclosed and the floor has non slip matting on it. The warmth of this area makes this a viable, welcome option - no excess humidity in the huge, studio room after someone takes a shower. The floors are tile, a different type of Saltillo tile with a stamped design. There are patches of stone work on the floor - kitchen, bathroom and entrance way. We have ceiling fans, air conditioner, flat screen TV, fridge, stove with oven, microwave, dishes plus lots of art touches and modern furnishing.

The housekeeper came today - ugh, forgot her name already - actually did not really catch it because it was a name not common to me. She only speaks Spanish.   

Friday, January 24, 2014

Today when we woke-up I stayed awake, not like yesterday. At  Los Arroyos Verde they have an exercise studio set up, especially centered on yoga. It is near the front gate and upstairs above the laundry area. It is quite huge and there is even art in that area. Upon completion of yoga we decided to walk around the grounds, amongst the trees and plants. We saw a herd of sheep, including some babies, hens, roosters and peacocks. Ken wanted to cool off so he took a quick dip in the 82 degree F pool, very comfortable. The pool area is so lovely, well decorated, lots of little secluded areas in which to read or relax. It has many trees and plants to provide shade.

When our friendly housekeeper arrived we attempted to discuss our concerns over the curtains. The big grommet curtains slide on a metal rod. Ken tried to explain that perhaps cleaning the rods and adding a little oil might make the curtains easier to move. She decided the curtains themselves needed cleaning, so she took them down and washed them. Her "muchacho" came and brought us new rods and she returned with the we curtains to be dried on the rods. Made sense to me, plus they did not need ironing after that.

We went into Bucerias to a street festival. Lots of people enjoying the warm air and music. It was set up like a giant mercado.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Yoga was pretty well first on the agenda. We discovered a fenced-in area for running or keeping dogs. This place has at least four, friendly dogs. One is a German Shepherd. There are also cats and kittens. After yoga we walked the grounds again, but discovered a little oasis in the trees, actually a couple of them in behind our casita.

I stayed here at Los Arroyos and painted. It does not look as though I accomplished much but I took on a particularly tedious and intricate aspect of the piece. I feel good about being able to get set up in yet another spot we are staying at and continue with my passion of painting.

Ken again took a dip in the 82 degree F pool. Nice to cool off so quickly! He sent Frank M a lengthy e-mail, one which required more brain power then anything he had been doing lately. He also was working at editing pictures, etc, generally catching up on the blog.

A real switch from the ordinary was staying here, taking advantage of our kitchen and preparing our own supper. Supper consisted of steamed vegetables, brown rice and chorizo sausage (mine being vegetarian). It was actually a very delicious meal.

We ended the day with a Netflix movie.



Sunday, January 26, 2014

Out for Sunday breakfast at the Las Arroyos Verde restaurant - yum! We split a salmon and cheese omelet. This splitting the dish is practiced by us because we realized we were generally eating too much. Many restaurants give you way too much food anyway.

We actually drove to the La Cruz market. Ken found a parking spot in the shade behind a large, tall strata title building, which has a show suite. Right away I found interesting arty things to look at in the market. We have been here before and head out on the peninsula for lunch.  Lots of vendors have sample food products to try, all samples were delicious. Ken had quiche, I, greek food.

We saw an adorable, gray coloured dog hanging out in the center, but away from the band that was set-up. The marina is very close with the outstanding view of many sailing ships. Leaving the market we saw some unusual flowers. Huge heads on them.

Before getting in our van we thought viewing the show home would be fun. A fellow from Ashland, Oregon greeted us and took us up to his fourth floor suite. Spectacular views were the main attraction for this modern style, two bedroom apartment. He kindly invited us for a drink out on the deck of his corner suite over looking Banderas Bay - amazing view!

We drove to three towns passed the huge store Mega. They were San Jose De Valle, San Juan Abajo and Valle de Banderas. Intriguing names I would say. Then home for a swim.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Yoga as a starter with a yummy granola, yogurt and papaya breakfast. Lots of fruit for breakfast is a real treat. Topped off with "cafe frio con leche y ice".

I painted, having done some of the easier parts first, the coconuts. I am now doing some of the central bits between the coconuts and what holds them in the trees. Here I have real life examples of this fascinating bit of nature at the far end of the Los Arroyos Verdes property. I can view them up close and personal.

We drove into Bucerias, but not far, just in to get the car washed and vacuumed. A walk was in order so we could find a place to eat lunch. Bucerias has one particular street with many restaurants and it was only warmish, not hot because of the shade trees block some of the sun's rays. This was a couple of kilometer walk in total, nothing for us. We ate lunch outside on the patio of the restaurant. Ken had the best burrito ever.

Sometimes I feel I am getting more used to the heat. Other times maybe not so much. The trick seems to be that you must stay out of he direct sun. When we went to pick up the car it was parked in the sun, seemed like the hottest part of the day, especially when driving to Mega to buy a few groceries.

Back at Los Arroyos we went poolside. I love that pool and its perfect temperature, just swam around without a care in the world. We met Mary Anne from Kamloops who is staying here, too.