Well, the photos aren't ready (let's face it, I haven't had the oomph to attack the photos, yet) but I suppose I should say something about our recent vacation.
Yes, we're retired and yes, we needed a vacation. This doing-nothing-in-particular is hard work! Nothing like they promised when I was still working and dreaming of retirement. Of course, one of the allures of retirement was the ability to travel without regard to the need to issue paychecks or to ask for time off from a boss that didn't believe in taking time off herself.
You all know we're a couple of Disney nuts, right? Disney fanatics, perhaps. Disney freaks to a few close friends who don't understand our endless fascination with most things Disney.
So the Wonder has been on the West Coast recently. Spent the summer doing Alaska; winter is spent doing the Mexican riviera. So the ship has to be moved from the northern climes (it sailed out of Vancouver for Alaska) to the southern climes (it sails out of Los Angeles for the MR). So we booked ourselves on the west coast repositioning cruise from Canada to L.A. And as long as we were on the ship, we decided to stay on the ship for the first MR of the season. And while we're in L.A., it's been a long time since we visited the Disneyland Resort.... Nearly three weeks of Disney, Disney, Disney!
The first cruise was primarily sea days - our favorites! We flew from Mexico City to Phoenix for immigration and customs, then on to Vancouver the day before we sailed. We had reserved a room in the Pan Pacific Vancouver hotel which is built on the top of the wharf from which the Wonder was to sail. The hotel upgraded our room so that we had a wall of glass onto the bay and the city beyond. That meant that we could stay awake and watch the Wonder as it sailed from drydock to the wharf. Quite a sight. We didn't stay up all night, but it was out there, lit up for all to see each time we awakened.
Morning eventually dawned and we showered, dressed, packed, and headed out for a bite of breakfast. After all, lunch wouldn't be served until 11:30 or 12:00. Just how long are we supposed to wait?!? The hotel is a bit pricey, so we zipped downstairs and found breakfast in the mall beneath street level. After that we only needed to walk downstairs from the first floor lobby to the cruise terminal and check-in. The hotel took care of moving our luggage to the ship for us.
We had obtained an early check-in assignment, so there was plenty of time to wander around the wharf and check out the Wonder from outside as well as a couple of other ships. She was our first Disney ship and I think will always be our favorite. Yes, we're booked on the Maiden Voyage of the Fantasy in the spring, and I'm sure it'll be nice, but the Wonder is a smaller ship (about 2500 passengers) and more 'homey.'
Met some nice folks while in line waiting for check-in whom we would run into aboard ship. Lots of 'family' aboard, but most of them too infatuated with themselves to say 'hello.' I wonder if they would exchange greetings if we were running for the lifeboats and let them go first....
The first cruise was wonderful. We did stop the first full day in Victoria, where Michael and I visited the Natural Science Museum after wandering around the downtown area. The Museum has amazing re-creations of the seashores with the appropriate wildlife as well as a huge walk-through early Victoria Island exhibit. We had a great time and stopped by the Empress Hotel for a quick peek at the famous tea rooms before heading back to the ship for lunch.
After that we were at sea until we visited Ensenada for a day before heading back north towards Los Angeles. Although we hadn't planned on getting off the ship in Ensenada, we took a tequila tour with lots of history and tasting involved. Much better than one earlier trip to Ensenada when we took a tour of a brandy distillery that included singing a song that included every person's name who was on the bus! Did I mention that we were in the back of the bus....?
I would have preferred it if we had stopped over in San Francisco (that was the midpoint stop on the northbound repo cruise in the spring), but that wasn't in the cards. Since the cruise had originated in a foreign country there was no requirement to stop at a second foreign port (Ensenada), but there was time to burn, so that the ship arrived ready to disgorge the repo passengers and embark with new folks for the first Mexican Riviera cruise of the winter season the same day.
I'm going to be a bit sketchy about goings-on aboard ship. It was the usual Disney entertainment, meals, and activities. Didn't partake in too many organized activities, but had a swell time. Became fast friends with the bartenders in the Promenade Lounge mid-ship on Deck Three. They even rounded up cucumbers for our gin and tonics made with Hendrik's gin. We were sailing with the owner and the IT person from the Florida-based travel agency that we use, and our meals were synchronized, so that was fun! Always good to be with Rick and Andrew. In fact, Rick and his wife will be on the Maiden Voyage of the Fantasy with us. We're hoping we'll be able to match dinner reservations there, too. Guess we'd better call Kim, our agent.
We did manage to visit the adult-only, premium restaurant on board, Palo, a total of six times during the two cruises. We're blaming that for the weight gain. Also - because of the time spent in Alaska - the adult's only Cove Cafe (sort of Starbucks with free pastries) - had been enlarged to include an enclosed second story. Spending time reading in the Cove Cafe while the watery world slipped by, munching on delicious pastries and drinking sweet coffee drinks didn't help the ole waistline, either.
We weren't lucky enough to sail in the same cabin on both cruises, so we had to pack up after the repo cruise, but our second cabin was just next door, so the cast members moved our things while we got off the ship for about 20 minutes between cruises. Well, it was probably a bit more than 20 minutes since we had to go through immigration and customs and that line was s-l-o-o-o-w. But we got back on fairly quickly and then we were off to Mexico!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
It's the Fifth of July!
Yes, it's the day after Independence Day here in Mexico. Okay, it's not really July 5th, and Independence Day is September 16th, not July 4th. It is a great holiday, which is celebrated beginning the night before with the reading of El Grito - the call to independence from the Spanish, proclaimed in the nearby town of Dolores Hidalgo by Father Miguel Hidalgo. And it wasn't Dolores Hidalgo then - just plain Dolores. As San Miguel de Allende was just San Miguel el Grande. The first town to which the peasant army marched was San Miguel, where the Allende family lived and young Sr. Allende was in the thick of the revolutionary planning. So it's a big ole holiday here in San Miguel. And you can probably see a pattern emerging here: Dolores = Dolores Hidalgo; San Miguel = San Miguel de Allende, eh? Where it all began! (I'm not kidding, you can look it up!)
Although the party began on Thursday, September 15th and continued on into the 16th, we missed it entirely last year. We were on our way to Barcelona, Spain - where they don't celebrate Mexico's revolution for some reason. Can you guess why? Anyway, we then sailed westbound across the Atlantic, meandered through the eastern Caribbean islands, spent some time in WDW, and eventually made our way back home to Mexico. It was all over by then.
This was our chance to participate in the festivities first hand. After walking past the stands selling patriotic gear (flags of various sizes, car pennants, bric-a-brac, and those Vuvuzela horns that were so effective at the World Cup last year) for the last couple of weeks, we tried to stay up until midnight on Thursday to watch the fireworks from our rooftop patio. Failed; fell asleep before they started.
On Friday, we walked into Centro and tried to reach the Jardin at the center of town. Got about a block from it when the crowds became unmanageable and we abandoned the Jardin for lunch at Hecho en Mexico. And in a shocking display of the lack of patriotism for our host country, we ordered bacon-guacamole burgers! [They were great, by the way!]
We were thinking of walking part way into town to watch the parade later in the day as it reached out into the non-Centro area, but there was a terrific thunder storm that shook the town about the time the parade was to start. We don't do crowds and we don't do electrical storms (don't get us wrong, we love them when viewed from inside). So we missed the parade which started after the storm abated. We also missed watching the bullfights - well, not so much.
When we walked into town this morning, things were pretty much back to normal. The crowds were still with us, though not so very many. Actually the Jardin looked quite normal for a Saturday morning. But Starbucks was jammed! There was no place to sit, so we walked over to those lovely looking, iron benches in the Jardin that are not so lovely when sitting before we made our way home; four miles according to the trusty pedometer.
Now to pack a few last things and head off to the Mexico City airport really, really early Monday morning for this year's trip down the coast of the western United States, the Mexican Riviera, and a few days at Disneyland - where it all began!
Although the party began on Thursday, September 15th and continued on into the 16th, we missed it entirely last year. We were on our way to Barcelona, Spain - where they don't celebrate Mexico's revolution for some reason. Can you guess why? Anyway, we then sailed westbound across the Atlantic, meandered through the eastern Caribbean islands, spent some time in WDW, and eventually made our way back home to Mexico. It was all over by then.
This was our chance to participate in the festivities first hand. After walking past the stands selling patriotic gear (flags of various sizes, car pennants, bric-a-brac, and those Vuvuzela horns that were so effective at the World Cup last year) for the last couple of weeks, we tried to stay up until midnight on Thursday to watch the fireworks from our rooftop patio. Failed; fell asleep before they started.
On Friday, we walked into Centro and tried to reach the Jardin at the center of town. Got about a block from it when the crowds became unmanageable and we abandoned the Jardin for lunch at Hecho en Mexico. And in a shocking display of the lack of patriotism for our host country, we ordered bacon-guacamole burgers! [They were great, by the way!]
We were thinking of walking part way into town to watch the parade later in the day as it reached out into the non-Centro area, but there was a terrific thunder storm that shook the town about the time the parade was to start. We don't do crowds and we don't do electrical storms (don't get us wrong, we love them when viewed from inside). So we missed the parade which started after the storm abated. We also missed watching the bullfights - well, not so much.
When we walked into town this morning, things were pretty much back to normal. The crowds were still with us, though not so very many. Actually the Jardin looked quite normal for a Saturday morning. But Starbucks was jammed! There was no place to sit, so we walked over to those lovely looking, iron benches in the Jardin that are not so lovely when sitting before we made our way home; four miles according to the trusty pedometer.
Now to pack a few last things and head off to the Mexico City airport really, really early Monday morning for this year's trip down the coast of the western United States, the Mexican Riviera, and a few days at Disneyland - where it all began!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — He needed a little push before speeding backward down a makeshift slide. Once in the water, he popped his head up for one last look. And then he was gone. The wayward emperor penguin known as "Happy Feet" was back home in Antarctic waters after an extended sojourn spent capturing hearts in New Zealand.
Wellington Zoo veterinarian Lisa Argilla said Happy Feet's release went remarkably smoothly given that the boat was being tossed about in 25-foot (8-meter) swells in the unforgiving Antarctic ocean.
"He swam away, not caring about us anymore," Argilla said.
She paused.
"And that's a good thing," she said.
Wellington Zoo veterinarian Lisa Argilla said Happy Feet's release went remarkably smoothly given that the boat was being tossed about in 25-foot (8-meter) swells in the unforgiving Antarctic ocean.
"He swam away, not caring about us anymore," Argilla said.
She paused.
"And that's a good thing," she said.
Another Weather Report
I know you've all been waiting with baited breath for a new weather report. Now, it doesn't have the same immediacy as the remnants of Hurricane Irene, which hurled wind and rain up the Eastern seaboard and on states as far away as Vermont, flooding and isolating towns that are still waiting for their electricity supply to be reconnected. Nor is it even on a par with Tropical Storm Lee, delivering up to 20 inches of rain on the Gulf Coast this weekend, but we did receive 2 inches of rain over Friday night!
We had nearly given up on any further rain; it's pretty far into the rainy season here and our 9-month dry spell will soon be under way, so everyone we spoke with was quite happy with the deluge. It caught us by surprise since after a few bouts of sprinkles in the early evening, most of the rain poured down later in the evening - after we'd retired for the night. Even with the cupola in the bedroom ceiling, the house is pretty well insulated from noise and the rain didn't wake us up until morning. Two inches probably isn't enough to make a noticeable difference in the presa, but any rain helps!
Luckily, it had rained itself out on Friday night and things were dry last night (okay; a few muddy spots remained) when we walked into town and back to enjoy a PreHispanic meal at a new restaurant. Actually, it is going to be a new deli specializing in meals-to-go using ingredients, seasonings, and cooking methods from the PreHispanic era. For instance, the mashed green bananas which played a part in the casserole of sweet, spiced chicken required two days of preparation. Even slower than the recent rage for slow cooking, eh? The meal - which included a salad with hibiscus flower dressing, a potato croquet stuffed with cheese and a spinach-based salsa, and the aforementioned casserole - was very tasty, particularly the casserole. I think they're having another dinner next Saturday; we may try another menu.
The chef is from Oaxaca, a hot bed of indigenous folk with distinctly 'early' cooking styles and recipes. Though formally trained in Italy, he has adopted the Oaxacan styles of cooking to good effect. It's his native part of Mexico and he combines the native styles with his formal training nicely. It did involve sitting at large tables with - gasp! - strangers, but we made the best of it. At least they were interesting without being slightly wacko. You have to be careful around here!
In even lesser news, we've finally gotten our hands on the correct battery charger for the new camera. It took two tries, but this last one seems to be the real deal. The camera came without a separate charger because it has the ability to recharge a battery while it is still in the camera, but I wanted to be able to travel without dealing with the cables, et cetera that are required to connect the camera to power. We also have a back-up battery that I wanted to be able to recharge while using the camera out-and-about.
The first charger had the additional ability to charge from a vehicle's battery, but didn't fit the batteries. Luckily, this second charger was cleverly researched before ordering and it specified that it would work with the battery series with which the camera operates. Additionally, this charger did not get entangled in our mail delivery service: it was dropped into the USPS mail on August 23rd and reached us on September 2nd - about 10 days, which is about right with the additional courier service to SMA. So we've got both batteries charged up and we're ready for our pending vacation!
Speaking of vacations, it was very strange to go to Costco in Celaya last week without two of our good friends. Their remaining aunt had passed on recently (oh, that's a long and separate story) and, as a result, the girls had a modest inheritance. They've been without a car for about five years (it was sold to finance some knee replacements) so once we arrived in town they stopped taking the bus to Celaya and we traveled together about every two weeks to Costco/Home Depot/Sam's Club in Celaya. This was particularly imperative when they opened a restaurant and needed supplies on a regular basis.
Well, what with the aunt's demise, the restaurant was closed; with the inheritance a small car was purchased; and now they've gone off to Europe for six weeks to re-visit Italy and sail around the Mediterranean on the Queen Victoria (another 30-year bucket list item to check-off). So it was a bit strange to visit Costco and not share a pizza with them - but that meant all the more for us! Lunch and dinner, yum!!
There's not much else to report this week. The dogs are getting brushed out before being sent to the doggie B&B while we're on vacation; there are no pressing transcripts at this point (our reporter is on vacation, herself); we're sorting out how to pack for two cruises and several days in Disneyland with formal clothes and piraty outfits and stay within the strictures of airline baggage limits (I think there might be an extra bag or two). We've simplified our pirate costumes for the trip: no big frock coats, no tri-cornered, plumed hats, no thigh-high boots. It was going to cost us $80 to UPS our hats to Canada for the first cruise! It'll be dreadlocks, instead. They pack much more compactly....
We had nearly given up on any further rain; it's pretty far into the rainy season here and our 9-month dry spell will soon be under way, so everyone we spoke with was quite happy with the deluge. It caught us by surprise since after a few bouts of sprinkles in the early evening, most of the rain poured down later in the evening - after we'd retired for the night. Even with the cupola in the bedroom ceiling, the house is pretty well insulated from noise and the rain didn't wake us up until morning. Two inches probably isn't enough to make a noticeable difference in the presa, but any rain helps!
Luckily, it had rained itself out on Friday night and things were dry last night (okay; a few muddy spots remained) when we walked into town and back to enjoy a PreHispanic meal at a new restaurant. Actually, it is going to be a new deli specializing in meals-to-go using ingredients, seasonings, and cooking methods from the PreHispanic era. For instance, the mashed green bananas which played a part in the casserole of sweet, spiced chicken required two days of preparation. Even slower than the recent rage for slow cooking, eh? The meal - which included a salad with hibiscus flower dressing, a potato croquet stuffed with cheese and a spinach-based salsa, and the aforementioned casserole - was very tasty, particularly the casserole. I think they're having another dinner next Saturday; we may try another menu.
The chef is from Oaxaca, a hot bed of indigenous folk with distinctly 'early' cooking styles and recipes. Though formally trained in Italy, he has adopted the Oaxacan styles of cooking to good effect. It's his native part of Mexico and he combines the native styles with his formal training nicely. It did involve sitting at large tables with - gasp! - strangers, but we made the best of it. At least they were interesting without being slightly wacko. You have to be careful around here!
In even lesser news, we've finally gotten our hands on the correct battery charger for the new camera. It took two tries, but this last one seems to be the real deal. The camera came without a separate charger because it has the ability to recharge a battery while it is still in the camera, but I wanted to be able to travel without dealing with the cables, et cetera that are required to connect the camera to power. We also have a back-up battery that I wanted to be able to recharge while using the camera out-and-about.
The first charger had the additional ability to charge from a vehicle's battery, but didn't fit the batteries. Luckily, this second charger was cleverly researched before ordering and it specified that it would work with the battery series with which the camera operates. Additionally, this charger did not get entangled in our mail delivery service: it was dropped into the USPS mail on August 23rd and reached us on September 2nd - about 10 days, which is about right with the additional courier service to SMA. So we've got both batteries charged up and we're ready for our pending vacation!
Speaking of vacations, it was very strange to go to Costco in Celaya last week without two of our good friends. Their remaining aunt had passed on recently (oh, that's a long and separate story) and, as a result, the girls had a modest inheritance. They've been without a car for about five years (it was sold to finance some knee replacements) so once we arrived in town they stopped taking the bus to Celaya and we traveled together about every two weeks to Costco/Home Depot/Sam's Club in Celaya. This was particularly imperative when they opened a restaurant and needed supplies on a regular basis.
Well, what with the aunt's demise, the restaurant was closed; with the inheritance a small car was purchased; and now they've gone off to Europe for six weeks to re-visit Italy and sail around the Mediterranean on the Queen Victoria (another 30-year bucket list item to check-off). So it was a bit strange to visit Costco and not share a pizza with them - but that meant all the more for us! Lunch and dinner, yum!!
There's not much else to report this week. The dogs are getting brushed out before being sent to the doggie B&B while we're on vacation; there are no pressing transcripts at this point (our reporter is on vacation, herself); we're sorting out how to pack for two cruises and several days in Disneyland with formal clothes and piraty outfits and stay within the strictures of airline baggage limits (I think there might be an extra bag or two). We've simplified our pirate costumes for the trip: no big frock coats, no tri-cornered, plumed hats, no thigh-high boots. It was going to cost us $80 to UPS our hats to Canada for the first cruise! It'll be dreadlocks, instead. They pack much more compactly....
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Bang! Pop! Pow!
Holidays, fiestas, saints days - they're all big things here in Mexico. And they are all celebrated - usually with fireworks beginning at dawn. And fireworks include aerial bombs, i.e., loud explosions.
We thought we had escaped most of the noise when we moved to La Lejona. We have no church in our section of town (it's a fraccionamento, not a colonia) and the nearest churches are some ways away, so what bombs that are set off are not near. The dogs don't even notice them.
So imagine our surprise this morning when it was Bang! Pop! Pow! We hurried up to the rooftop to see if we could find out what was going on. It sounded quite close, so if it was next door we could throw a bucket of water on the offenders!!!
However, it was about a block away: a procession on the road out of town towards Celaya. Dozens of folks walking down the highway in the outside lane, accompanied by several police vehicles with flashing lights, flag men to remind drivers to use the inside lane, and a band in bright orange/red suits (playing slightly out of tune). Banners were carried by members of the procession that stretched for some ways.
It was kind of neat, actually, and I was glad they were out of reach of our buckets of water. The instruments would suffer from the damp - though they sounded like they had already suffered.
We later found that it was a saint's day - San Pacual Bailon (thanks, Viktor) so all is square. San Pascual was a religious born on Passover (hence, the name Pascual) in 1540 in Aragon, Spain. Until he was 24, he was a shepherd, then became a Franciscan brother. He later became patron of the Eucharistic Congresses and nighttime Adoracion.
Not sure where the church of San Pascual is in town. Perhaps just a neighborhood that celebrated the saint's day. As usual, we're guessing here. Isn't Mexico fun!
We thought we had escaped most of the noise when we moved to La Lejona. We have no church in our section of town (it's a fraccionamento, not a colonia) and the nearest churches are some ways away, so what bombs that are set off are not near. The dogs don't even notice them.
So imagine our surprise this morning when it was Bang! Pop! Pow! We hurried up to the rooftop to see if we could find out what was going on. It sounded quite close, so if it was next door we could throw a bucket of water on the offenders!!!
However, it was about a block away: a procession on the road out of town towards Celaya. Dozens of folks walking down the highway in the outside lane, accompanied by several police vehicles with flashing lights, flag men to remind drivers to use the inside lane, and a band in bright orange/red suits (playing slightly out of tune). Banners were carried by members of the procession that stretched for some ways.
It was kind of neat, actually, and I was glad they were out of reach of our buckets of water. The instruments would suffer from the damp - though they sounded like they had already suffered.
We later found that it was a saint's day - San Pacual Bailon (thanks, Viktor) so all is square. San Pascual was a religious born on Passover (hence, the name Pascual) in 1540 in Aragon, Spain. Until he was 24, he was a shepherd, then became a Franciscan brother. He later became patron of the Eucharistic Congresses and nighttime Adoracion.
Not sure where the church of San Pascual is in town. Perhaps just a neighborhood that celebrated the saint's day. As usual, we're guessing here. Isn't Mexico fun!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Just a little more, please....
Just when we thought the rainy season was over, it rained last night! The day had been overcast most of the time and there were big storm-like clouds in the evening, but we were still surprised when the rolling thunder and lightning turned into real rain. Often the clouds - and even thunder and lightning - come to naught.
Now, there wasn't much (only 0.44 inches overnight), but it was the first rain we'd had in August. The Presa (the large reservoir west of town) is quite low. I've even heard that you can see the roofs of the homes in the village that was flooded to form the Presa - though we haven't gone looking ourselves and it may be a bit of hyperbole. Since we are headed into the dry season, we need every bit of rain that can be squeezed from the clouds overhead.
Even now, there's thunder and a few sprinkles. Although it will play hob with our plans of going into town for dinner, the rain is needed. Let's hope it produces more than sound and light effects!
Now, there wasn't much (only 0.44 inches overnight), but it was the first rain we'd had in August. The Presa (the large reservoir west of town) is quite low. I've even heard that you can see the roofs of the homes in the village that was flooded to form the Presa - though we haven't gone looking ourselves and it may be a bit of hyperbole. Since we are headed into the dry season, we need every bit of rain that can be squeezed from the clouds overhead.
Even now, there's thunder and a few sprinkles. Although it will play hob with our plans of going into town for dinner, the rain is needed. Let's hope it produces more than sound and light effects!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
One of Life's Accomplishments
We successfully had our garbage picked up yesterday! Now, that may not be big news for most of you, but it is for us.
In the states we had these three big, rolling bins - one for trash, a second for green stuff (lawn clippings, etc), and the third for recyclables. Here in Mexico we have nothing. It's all do-it-yourself.
In Colonia San Rafael the trash was picked up 3 times a week (good when you don't have garbage bins to hold the trash): Monday, Wednesday & Friday morning about 7:30. We knew when the truck was nearing our street because the neighborhood kids would ring our doorbell and ask if we had any 'basura' - which they would be happy to hand in to the truck on our behalf, and thanks for the tip.
The trucks are not the automated things we had in the states. They are open-topped trucks with high sides and there are at least a couple of men in the back, accepting the bags we handed up and spreading the garbage around the truck, separating any recyclables and putting them to one side.
When we moved to Fracc. La Lejona, we were told trash days were Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday, so we were prepared to take our trash out the first trash day after our move. Surprise! The days are actually Monday, Wednesday & Friday - just like back home in San Rafael. However, there are no children in our neighborhood to assist with the trash pick-up. And there's no one to pound the piece of metal with a bar to alert the homeowners of the impending truck.
The folks with the truck will pick up your bags of trash from the sidewalk if you aren't there to hand them up yourselves (thus ensuring their Christmas tips), but if you put them out too early, the neighborhood dogs are likely to tear the bags open and help themselves to a snack.
And since their pick-up time is variable - and we might not be home during the afternoon on a trash day - it's always a good thing when we manage to get our trash picked up. Sort of gives you a sense of accomplishment!
In the states we had these three big, rolling bins - one for trash, a second for green stuff (lawn clippings, etc), and the third for recyclables. Here in Mexico we have nothing. It's all do-it-yourself.
In Colonia San Rafael the trash was picked up 3 times a week (good when you don't have garbage bins to hold the trash): Monday, Wednesday & Friday morning about 7:30. We knew when the truck was nearing our street because the neighborhood kids would ring our doorbell and ask if we had any 'basura' - which they would be happy to hand in to the truck on our behalf, and thanks for the tip.
The trucks are not the automated things we had in the states. They are open-topped trucks with high sides and there are at least a couple of men in the back, accepting the bags we handed up and spreading the garbage around the truck, separating any recyclables and putting them to one side.
When we moved to Fracc. La Lejona, we were told trash days were Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday, so we were prepared to take our trash out the first trash day after our move. Surprise! The days are actually Monday, Wednesday & Friday - just like back home in San Rafael. However, there are no children in our neighborhood to assist with the trash pick-up. And there's no one to pound the piece of metal with a bar to alert the homeowners of the impending truck.
The folks with the truck will pick up your bags of trash from the sidewalk if you aren't there to hand them up yourselves (thus ensuring their Christmas tips), but if you put them out too early, the neighborhood dogs are likely to tear the bags open and help themselves to a snack.
And since their pick-up time is variable - and we might not be home during the afternoon on a trash day - it's always a good thing when we manage to get our trash picked up. Sort of gives you a sense of accomplishment!
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