I'm Legal!

Okay, I've been 'legal' for many years, but now I'm legal to stay in Mexico for another year.

This time, our second renewal for our third year in Mexico (That sounds confusing, doesn't it? How about: Our second time renewing the visa for another year, our third.), instead of using a facilitator, we decided to go half the way toward doing it ourselves.  (One can actually input the information into their system and let them bring it up to work on it.  We didn't go quite that far, but believe the Escritorio Publico probably made those entries for us.  If not, we may try doing the whole kit-and-caboodle next year - but see below.)

So we prepared as much as we could ourselves (forms with English translations are available on line) and then went to the Escritorio Publico [EP] across the street from the INM [Instituto Nacional de Migración] offices.  I should say I did as much as I could myself, because our visas aren't due for renewal until August 10th and Michael will renew his after the first of the month to split the cost of the visas over two months' income.

We have always had what used to be called an 'FM2' visa, the step below the equivalent of green cards, so that we could qualify for the green card as soon as possible and not be required to renew each year at 'great cost.'  The cost of an FM2 is greater than the FM3 - which many expats have - but we thought: Why pay for an FM3 for 5 years, then an FM2 for 5 years before getting our green card.  It was always our intention to stay in Mexico and there didn't seem to be a good reason to not just 'go for the gusto!'

Now INM is changing their procedures to follow the new laws, but it hasn't been announced just what the changes will be, so we're proceeding under the old regulations.  Word has it that the new visa versions will combine FM3s and FM2s and only require 4 years before green card status.  We'll see.  We're hoping that our college degrees may give us enough extra points to qualify even sooner.  As long as they don't require that I speak Spanish!!!

The cost for the Escritorio Publico is only $400 Mx pesos - about half of what a facilitator charges.  For this the EP fills out the necessary paperwork, takes your pictures, creates a document that you take to a bank to pay for the visa (the usual procedure here in Mexico, be it a visa or any other fee that is due), and then tidies things up and sends you across the street to the INM offices.

While facilitators make it simpler for you, the process isn't very complicated and the EP charges include photos, which would be an additional cost if using a facilitator.

We (Michael came along) had filled out the form - partially in English, partially in Spanish, so they translated it all into Spanish, took the pictures, sent us to our bank of choice to make the payment, and then sent us with the finished packet to INM.

Once there, we took a number and waited a short time for an official to help us.  Our papers were in order, so we signed a bunch of forms, forms were stamped officiously, and we were told to come back in two days.

Two days later we dutifully returned, took a number and waited for the officer at the visa window to call our number.  Here's where it got a little complicated.

I had stood in line behind the only other person in line when we arrived.  Then others lined up behind me.  At this time, Michael figured out that I should have taken a number, so I did - which placed me behind the others who had lined up behind me taking numbers as they did so.

So I'm okay with that.  However, while waiting interminably to be called, a couple of facilitators whose clients showed up after I did and took later numbers, approached the window and - miracle of miracles - their numbers were called out of order!!!  And some of them must have shown up earlier than expected, because it took quite a while to get their visas printed and issued to them.

Luckily the other facilitator who was lurking around only approached the window after I had finished my business, because I had decided that I wasn't going to stand for this and would cause a scene.  After all, someone had paid those facilitators plenty of money to stand around and wait to be called on their behalf.  If it was taking a while to reach them, so what?  If it hadn't been for Patty Garcia's clients who took so long, we all could have been out of there earlier.  The other folks who were waiting with me seemed to take it all in stride, but I was getting a little incensed about it.  Luckily, I didn't need to throw a hissy fit or get expelled or something. (Though the Federal policeman in our area was kinda cute!)

Although we can do the whole thing ourselves (getting our own photos for around half EP's total fee), it was certainly simpler to use the Escritorio Publico, knowing that this is what they do all day, the forms would be correct, pictures would be in the approved format and sizes, the paperwork for the bank would be correct, and life would be a lot simpler.

On the first day, we accomplished everything (including taking care of another EP client's payment at the bank) within an hour and 10 minutes.  The second day took a little longer, but we'll know the procedure for our next time (for Michael's turn after August 1st).

Anyway, I'm legal again and renewing early didn't change my expiration date.  One less thing to take care of before we head off for Santa Fe, New Mexico for the opera in mid-August.

Rain and Stuff

Are you tired of these weather reports?  I promise to talk about something else today, but first -- the weather!

It really rained again yesterday - most of the afternoon until late into the night (well, early morning).  You'd think I'd spent a great deal of my life in southern California the way I get enthused about rain.  Oh, I did!

Most of the thunder and lightning was off in the distance last night, so I suppose another area got even more rain, but it was fine here.  Rain in our little town tends to simply fall from the sky.  No big winds to force the rain to strike at an angle - just straight down.  And down it came last night.  It does make it handy for leaving your windows open - without the winds to drive it into the house, we can enjoy the sound of the rain falling and the cool temperatures that accompany it.

We're only up to a little over an inch this month, but there's more predicted for the next few days - if the BBC Weather site is to be believed.  We sure can use the water; our main presa is way low.  It's going to take a lot of rain to raise it up to something approximating normal.  We've heard that there has been some water rationing in other parts of town. Luckily, the section in which we live - La Lejona - has its own water supply wells, so we've not had a problem thus far.  And all our houses have tinacos on their roofs, which hold a supply of water and provide water pressure to the house.  Once the water comes back on, they automatically refill, using a float valve like that in a toilet tank.  Our house also has a big cistern under the parking area - full of water - but without a functioning pump and valve to haul it up to the tinaco.  I suppose we should look into that some day.  Just in case....

But on to other things.  Cruising, for instance.  What else do we do?  And a suitable subject from a place many miles from the nearest ocean and about a mile-and-a-quarter above it, eh?

We had a Panama Canal cruise preceded by a short Caribbean cruise that included a stop in Key West scheduled for next May on Disney, of course.  As we looked at just how much money we needed to amass by the due date we began to reconsider.

So there was a deal on Norwegian on a ship we had previously sailed, the Star.  Not one of their newest, hugest ships, but one that we liked when we sailed on her back in 2005.    We're waiting to hear back from our travel agent re: what cabin she's managed to reserve for us and the total cost.  We're hoping for an aft balcony (always wanted to sail looking at where we've been) or a mini-suite (that aft balcony cabin is still no larger than any other balcony cabin; the mini-suite is about 60 square feet larger and it's less expensive than the aft balcony.)  It would be nice to see both sides of the Panama Canal at the same time from the aft balcony, but I won't complain if we are 'forced' to take the mini-suite.  It's a tough call, but I'm sure we'll be happy with whatever she can come up with.  And it doesn't sail until January 2014, so there's more time to afford it!

In the meanwhile, we've just booked a flight to San Diego (well, actually Tijuana) at a greatly reduced rate for next May, so we'll still be traveling somewhere.  We think Billy Elliot will be playing in San Diego and hope to get tickets for that show.  We were just in San Diego via Tijuana a couple of weeks ago for a performance of Wicked!  Love that show.  And on the trip we discovered that instead of crossing into San Diego at San Ysidro - where we waited for hours on our last trip - we could go to nearby Otay Mesa and cross almost immediately.  There were agents waiting for customers.  Now, the Red Car Trolley doesn't go as far as Otay Mesa, but Paula and Tim now know how to get there to pick us up.

We did a lot of shopping while we were in town: Target, Ross, and of course, IKEA!  However, we did leave some things un-purchased, and we tend to order items on line and have them delivered to Paula and Tim's, figuring that we'll eventually pick them up.  They're very kind to accommodate us.  So we booked some extra baggage weight for the return trip to accommodate all the possible 'stuff' with which we may return.

Otherwise, life continues apace here in San Miguel.  We'll be in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the opera season mid-August and there's still the Disney Hawai'ian cruise in mid-October (how could we ever give up on Disney???).  So travel we must.  We've just finished booking our shore excursions for the islands and have prepared a packing list, so I think we're doing fine.  I suppose we should turn our attention to what we need for Santa Fe next.

We've just received some disappointing news about friends here in San Miguel, but I'll write about that later.  They're having a party tonight and we've made Mexican Chocolate ice cream (with espresso and a bit of spice) as well as a Southwestern Coleslaw to contribute to the feast.  There will probably be a large turn out, but I've promised Michael I won't try to bring enough to feed the whole group.  You know potlucks - there's always lots to go around!

More on Rain!

I know I've already posted on the rainy season, but just wanted to say that it's really raining right now! Lots of thunder and lightning. Oh, boy!!!

We'll soon be leaving for San Diego 3:30 am tomorrow night) to see our 7th (or is it 8th?) production of Wicked.  We hope it will continue to rain while we are gone and continue through at least July if not August.  Not sure how much longer we'll have electricity - those last two bolts were really close!  Set the dogs a-barkin', for sure. Make that the last 3 bolts!!!

Time to take the kids upstairs to bed and snuggle down under the duvet.  And it's pouring down - not just lights and noise.

A note from the next morning - it finally let up around 4 am, so we got a good soaking, much needed.  It's still overcast this morning, though.

Talk to you all soon....

Rainy Season at Last?

It's probably too early to announce the beginning of our annual rainy season, but there have been signs:

• Last week it poured down one night; not too heavily, but rain with thunder and lightning for about half-an-hour;
• Sprinkles after the Day of the Locos parade on Sunday;
• Last night it rained again, arriving late in the evening but it was rain leaving us with thunder and lightning on it's way out of town, followed by brief showers early this morning.

We often have glorious clouds - and even threatening-appearing dark rain clouds overhead, but it doesn't rain often.  More often the clouds blow away leaving us with glorious sunshine instead.

Rain is cool; rain is sorely needed (the Presa is woefully low); rain brings cooling breezes and a freshness that is missing at times during the rest of the year.  Rain means summer has arrived.

To paraphrase Oliver!  'Rain, glorious rain: showers, storms, and just sprinkles...'

How Did You Spend Your Summer Vacation?

Just returned from eight weeks in the Midwest, where I'd helped my sister and brother-in-law refresh a home from pre-1898 (some accounts say it began life as a Civil War farmhouse, but that seems questionable).  Many of the supplies that were determined to be needed had to be procured in Terre Haute - about 30 miles away - and innumerable trips were made when local suppliers could not provide our needs.  Our tasks involved painting, patching, staining, tiling 2 bathrooms and a kitchen floor, installing kitchen cabinets and appliances, light fixtures, window coverings, carpeting, buffing up the wooden floors, a laundry, re-constructing a back deck, painting the porch, replacing part of the porch ceiling, installing doors and a bit of door-bling.  Nothing quite like 10-foot ceilings and huge windows, eh?

So I returned to San Miguel on Tuesday, the 12th - after driving like the wind across the United States from Indiana - to the sound of aerial bombs!  It was Corpus Christi and that called for hourly explosions, as expected here in Mexico.

But they didn't stop.  The next day, while enjoying margaritas at the rooftop bar of La Azotea, the hourly bombs turned into fireworks as the sun dropped behind the hills to the west of town.  What a way to celebrate the return of normalcy!

And, speaking of normalcy, tomorrow is the parade of the Locos - a chance for folks to dress crazily and parade through town.  We're hoping to snag a viewing spot near the Instituto (which is near the beginning of the parade) and avoid the crowds at the Jardin.  We've at least one  friend in the parade so we'll be looking out for him and cheering him on.

How could this be compared to life in a little burg in the midWest???

In the Air

[Herewith a rather abbreviated finish to the trip report.]

So here we are in the air between Miami and DF.  We got ready a bit early this morning so caught an earlier bus from the resort to the airport.  Check-in was simple though busy.  Got our boarding passes, checked our luggage, and headed for TSA Security screening - notorious at MCO for slow-moving lines. 

Surprisingly, our line moved pretty well and we were on our way to the AA module pretty quickly.  Found a bit to eat and waited for our flight to be called.

The first flight of the day was rather short - about 25 minutes, but the total time was about an hour what with loading the passengers, taxi-ing to the runway, et cetera.

Miami International is much nicer to navigate when you’re flying domestically!  No long treks to Customs/Immigration.  What we thought would be a long layover between flights turn into 45 minutes before our announced loading time.  However, it turned out to be the normal half-hour before takeoff, so it wasn’t too hurried and we had time to pick up a sandwich for the flight.

The flight was marred by a screaming child - in the row ahead of us!  I felt really sorry for the family, who were trying to figure out a way to quiet their son.  The other part of the family group (in the row behind us) made suggestions, but nothing seemed to work for long.  At least I think they were suggestions - it was all in some foreign tongue.  He quieted down once we landed, so methinks it may have been inner-ear related.

Once we got through customs and immigracion, we collected our luggage and headed out to find our shuttle pick-up.  They offered us a choice: the bus/car combination that we'd paid for or share a shuttle van directly to our home for the same price.  There was just one more party to show up.  Guess which one we picked?

So five hours later we eventually arrived in San Miguel, tagged our beds, and fell asleep.  Dogs to be delivered tomorrow....

Crusing on the Fantasy Maiden Voyage

[Herein a summary of our week-long Western Caribbean cruise.]

Our last morning began with breakfast at Olivia’s after leaving our packed suitcases in the room, tagged for the ship, for transportation to the Fantasy.  We had four luggage tags with our room number and cruise confirmation on them, so our previously checked and carry-on luggage was transported for us to the ship.  The limo (a gift from our travel agency) picked us up early and had us at the cruise terminal just as their doors opened.  After a brief wait in the check-in line, we walked on to the ship.

Once checked in and onboard, we headed to Remy/Palo to secure reservations for dinners.  This is our last cruise as Gold members of the Castaway Club (a previous-guest club), and since it’s the Maiden Voyage of Disney’s latest ship, all the Platinum members had scooped up the ressies before the Gold members had a chance! 

We were able to secure a dinner at Palo, a wait-list slot for brunch (only served twice during the week-long cruise on sea days), and eventually scored a dinner reservation at Remy for that night!  Hope those tuxedos show up and aren’t too wrinkled!

At Sea Day

Today we’re recovering from our meal at Remy’s and trying to remember what we were served and what we drank.  They serve a five-course dinner (two main menus - earth/sky or sweet/savory) with matching wine flights in addition to the a la carte menu and very extensive wine list.  They do things very much as in the movie Ratatouille - very posh, wonderful food, well-matched wines, gracious service.  And there was a thank-you card and box of chocolates waiting for us in our cabin when we finished our three-hour meal.

[I’ll think on this and try to remember some of the dishes we were served.]

And now it’s time to close the computer and adjourn to the deck as we sail south into the Caribbean.  I understand we should be near Cuba by evening.

This was a great day and what we most enjoy about longer cruises: days at sea.  No hurry to make port excursion times; no reason to worry about anything, just relaxation.  We met our travel agency friends for The Art of the Theme Show tour of the Fantasy to learn about creating the special Disneyesque- style cruising experience. CM Philippe-Luc from Quebec City led the tour and was very well informed on the precepts followed by the Imagineers who designed the ship.

Drinks in the Skyline Lounge, where the ‘windows’ reveal scenes of seven different cities around the world.  Dinner was in Enchanted Garden, a restaurant patterned after a large conservatory.  Excellent food and service by the team that will follow us from restaurant to restaurant through our rotations.

Grand Cayman Day

Today we decided to remain on board rather than take any port excursions.  So a day to explore the ship further, read, lounge, nap, do laundry, and generally loaf!

Chatted with friends we’d met on board while in the Cove Café.  And we had to listen to a cast member go on about working aboard ship, prompted by an inquisitive couple at the coffee bar.  We finally abandoned the coffee bar for a ride on the AquaDuck (where we got drenched) and a laundry run (there’s a launderette here on Deck Two!  Very convenient, but also rather busy.)

Breakfast was at the Royal Table restaurant - one of the rotational venues at which we had not yet dined.  I think it’s scheduled for dinner tonight, so we’ll be able to see it in its night time finery, too.

It’s a bit after 4 pm as I write this, and I see out our port hole that we’ve left Grand Cayman, so in a few hours it will be a show with Larry, the Cable Guy and then dinner in the Royal Court.  RC takes pride of place like Triton’s (on the Wonder) or Lumiere’s (on the Magic), adjacent to the main atrium on the Fantasy.  The atrium on the smaller ships featured a Y-shaped staircase up to the second level.  On the Fantasy it’s an asymmetrical, curving staircase the reaches the third level.  Very grand with a statue of Minnie Mouse a la 1930 and a grand piano at its base.  Both the main chandelier and other ceiling fixtures on the individual levels surrounding the atrium feature crystal beading, creating a really special ambiance with faceted light rays illuminating the areas.

While today the serving staff were dressed in a more usual vest and shirt costume, tonight they will be wearing an interpretation of a royal frock coat with lots of gold all over it.  A really special look for dinner.

In re: Larry the Cable Guy, there are three production shows on the Fantasy: Aladdin, Wishes, and Believe.  Acts such as LCG fill in the schedule.  We skipped the first night’s non-Disney show, but have decided to see Larry.  At least he’s a known-quantity.

I hear Buffalo wings have just been ordered from room service…guess I need to sign off!

Cozumel

Although we canceled today’s port excursion to the Mayan ruins at Tulum, we decided to leave the ship and walk about Cozumel this morning. The excursion, it turned out, involved a 45-minute ferry ride to the mainland ‘through rough seas’ and then a 90-minute bus ride before reaching the ruins which, in turn, involved strenuous walking and climbing to view the site - and then the return bus and ferry rides for a total of  a seven-and-a-half hour day, supported only by a sandwich and bevvie around 3 pm.

After a late awakening and breakfast at Cabanas, we grabbed our camera and headed off the ship.  One of our first encounters was with a Starbucks, which provided a wi-fi connection for Michael to check emails.  They used the same user name and passwords that the San Miguel Starbucks used (it’s printed on the receipts), but when it didn’t work, we figured out that they probably had changed the password on the first of the month and not re-programmed their cash register yet! Things were fairly peaceful in the world at large. 

So at that point we headed over to the local Mega.  What a large enterprise!  Two-stories tall with interior escalators, it was spaciously laid out and held a lot more inventory than our local SMA Mega does.  There was even a CFE office (the national electric company) with automated kiosks from which we could determine that our home CFE bill had been paid by our local bank in our absence.

Continuing down the thoroughfare toward the resorts and the three cruise ships anchored near them on foot, it was interesting to see the remains of their hurricane of a few years back.  There were some shops that had been re-opened, a dauphin experience place that was up and running (we could watch from the street what was happening in their pools, with people and dauphins cavorting together!), and some other businesses, homes, and hotels that had reopened.

We turned around before reaching the resorts/ships as the wind was intermittent, and without the wind the humidity was rather oppressive.  We decided that we’d not move to Quintana Roo (the state in which Cozumel is located) as we couldn’t imagine what the hot months would be like!

Once back at the ship (the Magic was moored right next to us!) we headed to the adult section (Cove Café, pool, et cetera) to recharge our inner batteries and grab a quick bite for lunch.

Afterwards I headed to the cabin for a nap, only to awake to news of the severe storms centered around Dallas.  American Airlines had cancelled flights into and out of their airport and released all their staff in nearby Arlington.  Hail had been reported in golf-ball to softball sizes; semi-trailers had been flipped over onto their backs; and word was that the storm had touched down around the area (five was the reported number - later amended to twelve).

So we’re watching the news on Fox (we’re sort of like non-resident Texans, having a mail-drop address in Texas and having Texas as the nearest part of the US) to see what will happen.  Not that we like being considered Texans - their present governor is an idiot; their former governor having proved his lack of brains.  But it’s the most ‘happening’ thing on TV at present!  And we flew to the US on American Airlines and will return to Mexico the same way.

We’re hoping we’re on for dinner at Palo tonight.  Michael just walked up to the restaurant to check on our reservation, but couldn’t find anyone with which to verify it.  At least we believe it’s at an early hour, so if it’s not tonight, we can appear at our assigned restaurant for dinner and no one will be the wiser!

It’s also Pirate Night onboard, so there’s the pirate party on deck and fireworks afterwards.  Woo-hoo!!!

Michael brings news that our ressie is for tomorrow night at 6 pm, not tonight.  So it’s dinner tonight in Royal Court with friends, then a bit of the pirate party (we got there just in time to see the fireworks), and then to bed.  Not even sure if they have a ‘midnight’ buffet on this ship - and couldn’t care!

And the evening outfit for the servers in Royal Court are sort of reminiscent of a military tunic with lots of gold braid - a la Prince Someone.  The tunic works better for some than for others.  Perhaps with a bit more tailoring….

Costa Maya

This morning is the port adventure exploring Mayan ruins which we did not cancel.  An early breakfast and meet-up in the Buena Vista Theater, then off to the bus that would carry us to the Checcohoban ruins.  Very, very neat with several pyramids unburied and restored; others in various stages of overgrowth.  Other than the weather, which was a bit warm and sticky, a very enjoyable experience.  We switched to the adults-only version of the tour to be with two pairs of friends who had had the foresight to initially sign up for the adult version.  There was a total of about 99 people, broken into two groups.  Great guide, interesting venue, and only an hour’s ride, not a 45 minute ferry ride followed by a 90-minute bus ride.

Before the tour happened, Michael went to guest services and added gratuities and transfers to our account.  The adding of the transfers required that our cards be re-printed and there was a problem with their printer.  So he came back to the cabin with the new cards and we thought we were set until we tried to leave the ship for the tour.  Buzzzzzzz!  Managed to talk our way off the ship, and back on when we returned (the departure officer had made an entry about the difficulties with our cards), then headed to Guest Services again, where they managed to print new cards with the additional information and that worked, too!

At lunch we found two of the friends who we had joined for the tour and promptly joined their table.  Just can’t get enough of good friends, eh?

Now for a quick nap before our 6 o’clock Palo ressie.  We hope to be finished before the 8:30 show of Wishes, the new show written for the Fantasy and Dream.