Getting Back To Blogging

It's been a while since I sat down to share our life experiences with others.

   I have been struggling with my desire for privacy versus the advantages of sharing our experiences with family and friends  Many of us have realized for some time now that privacy, in the age of the internet, has been eroded. Thanks to Snowden, the whole world now knows that personal privacy has been eroded to virtually nothing.

   So what the hell....  Apple, and CSIS know where we are. You might as well know too!

    Since our last blog entry, in March 2013, we returned to Canada and spent most of the summer in Kaslo, BC working on the renovation of the old house.  Although not yet complete we made great progress and completed the vacation rental space (www.kaslohouse.com) and a major landscape project.  We returned to Sayulita mid October, then back to Canada in December. We spent Christmas, New Years and a few birthdays with family and friends before returning to Sayulita at the beginning of February.  Our plan is to stay in Mexico until mid April.
 
   So...  currently Linda & I are happily settling into our rented studio apartment in Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico. We are gradually accumulating a lot of "stuff" down here in Mexico. Moving piece by piece? Quien sabe? Quizas?  (I'll leave that for you to translate)  Anyway... we are planning to return to  Canada when it starts to warm up, on April 10th.

We drove our VW Golf from Fernie to Sayulita this time....  4200 K and 6 travel days. Fortunately, we lucked into good weather all the way. The weather in the western US has been warmer and dryer than normal so highway conditions were excellent. We stuck to the interstate highways, as much as possible, to make good time. The speed limit on I-15 is 75 or 80 MPH, except for busier sections though cities (where everyone does 75 MPH anyway).  I set the cruise just under 140K and you can make good time at that rate!  I was happily surprised that we manged over 50 MPG as well.

   We brought the car to Mexico so that we have ability to transport the mountain bikes and paddle board to trail heads and surf locations. Also, to help determine if it is an advantages to have a vehicle down here, other than the motorcycle.  Our temporary resident visa expires in 2 years and a decision on how to proceed with the visa has to be made.   How we proceed with the visa process affects vehicle ownership in Mexico.  It's complicated and the situation is uncertain because the laws regarding vehicles in Mexico, for non permanent residents, are in limbo and likely to change. Enough of this!

   The night before we reached Sayulita, we stopped in Mazalan to visit with Lee. We arrived early and got settled in the Lerma Hotel, Lee's "home in Mexico". We had plenty of time to go for a nice walk up one of the hills in old town Mazatlan before being treated to supper at a restaurant in the main market.  After supper Lee took us on a walking tour of old Mazatlan, through the busy commercial areas,  the more touristy areas and finally along the malecón.  We had a very enjoyable evening reacquainting and educating ourselves with old Mazatlan.

Mazatlan Bay looking north from old town.

Early morning fresh catch for sale.

  We spent the last couple of days getting settled and reorganizing our belongings. It is always fun bumping into old friends and catching up on the latest rumours and stories.  It is a holiday weekend and the town is very busy. It is Superbowl Sunday as well. We watched the last half of the game in "Fajita Banana", a restaurant and bar. By then there were quite a few drunk and happy Seahawk fans whooping it up. 

Well that is a quick summary of the last 10 months of our lives...  More to come.