Jan 21

One of the interesting things about Mexico is the banks here. We have one in La Penita , but there are ATMs as well here and in Guayabitos. Yves had said which one is the one that works best with our Canadian cards. However, the ATMs will run out of money and there is no telling when they will be serviced. We tried yesterday to get some more cash, there was a lineup out to the street in the hot sun. By the time we got to the front of the line, every North American walked away shaking their head. No money, or the machine would not accept their card. This can be a problem because the stores here don't accept credit cards , travellers cheques or US funds. The bank here will not convert US into pesos either. There are money changers , but the rates are akin to pickpocketing. So its important to not wait until you're almost out of pesos before going to the ATM.
I went again this morning at 8 and had no lineup and no problem getting cash. As a matter of fact , there were no other gringos around at that time. It was interesting seeing the town as it woke up. The restaurants and groceries (fruiterias) were the only places open.

 The ocean was covered with a thick fog, I think it was smoke as much as fog. They burn a lot here. The buildings are all cement or brick so its not  houses burning. Its wood, trash, garbage etc. We came home one night and people up our street were burning trash on the street. The streets are cobblestones, and very bumpy and hard to walk and drive on. In the rainy season, the stones could get dislodged as not get fixed for weeks. We live on a mountain so there are streets that suddenly stop and there is a cliff !  Walking up our street from town is more difficult than some our our streets back home in Vernon. We have a more gradual slope there, but here the street follows the rise of the terrain. Some vehicles have difficulty driving up .
We walk everywhere when we can. If we have to take a cab, it costs 25 pesos ($2.50)plus we tip. The taxis are fairly plentiful. Some have interesting drivers ! The cabs are all small cars, not quite enough legroom for me and my knee-brace. You can also take a mini-van or "combi" for less but it stops along the way to pick up others passengers too and you're really a sardine then.
It would be nice to have a car too, but the traffic laws are a bit different here, gas is tres  expensive and you have to park it in a safe area. Its just easier to cab it . Mimi and Yves have a van here to get around. They've been kind enough to give us a ride sometimes too.

This is one of our companions here. There are 2 geckos and they take care of the insects for us. Helene sceamed "iguana" when she first saw it, but it is a gecko. They chirp to let us know they are on the job each night.

At least there will be a supply of cold Corona for the weekend !

From last night, it gets very dark by 7 PM. I was trying to watch the UBCO-Sask  and UFV-Regina basketball games online but the Canada West feed sucked. Apparently so did the games !

Have a great weekend !