Tope

Pronounced "tow-pay". Or several, as in topes "tow-pays". This is the Mexican version of a speed bump, and they are everywhere in Mexico. And, they are very effective.

Dia de los Muertos

Day of the Dead. November 1st and 2nd are Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico. It's actually one of the reasons we're still here at Hacienda Contreras as originally we were expecting to have headed out by now.

October, our cheapest month ever!

Well, in keeping with our budget goal of $1,000 a month, we are pleased to report record low spending for the month of October! Living expenses came in at a total of $707.14.

Hunting for wild potatoes is like fishing!

And I'm not into fishing. However, we still had a fun day out in the mountains. We picked up Martin and his father Don Jose, and drove out of town at just after 6:00am yesterday morning. Don Jose grew up in these mountains and knows the area well.

Picking potatoes?... at 6:00am?

Well, not quite but we will be leaving here at 6:00am...therefore posting this before going to bed!

Panama?

I was reading about RV'ing in Guatemala and Belize, and I thought we might take a trip through there in the spring. Then I thought, if we're going to do that, why not go all the way to Panama?

What a game!

If you think baseball is boring, then last night's game would have changed your mind. No point in going into detail, because if you're a baseball fan then you already know, and if you're not, then you don't care anyhow!

Back to Canada!

That's it, we've had enough of this damn blue sky and sunshine. And I'm tired of having to wear shorts and t-shirts every day!

The view from under our awning.

Another beautiful blue sky day. Last year, we managed to go three and a half months without a drop of rain. Wonder what the record will be this year!

A visit to the outskirts of Guadalajara

Yesterday, Barb was going back to Chicago to visit their daughters for a week and a half. Sal was driving her to the Guadalajara airport, and they asked if we wanted to go along for the ride. They were also going to stop at the Sam's Club and the Walmart, so we could pick up any items we might need.

Nice hike and then a meal out

Ruth and I went on a nice hike up another hill in the area. We could see a road in the distance on the hill, and wanted to see where it went. It was a private road with gates and fences, but the rancher working at the bottom said we could go for a walk, no problem.

Saturday is market day

Barb was going into town, and Saturday is market day in Valle de Juarez, so we went in with her. First, we stopped at her house and used Skype to say hi to our son, then we went to the main square and picked up some meat at the carneceria (butcher).

Hacienda Contreras (day 21)

Wow, I can't believe we've been here for three weeks already. And although we're not bored yet, we are getting excited about moving on especially after planning our route yesterday!

Planning our next destination

Well it looks like everybody who wanted to vote took the time to do so, and we want to thank everybody who participated in choosing where we're going next. It looks like we're taking the route around Puerto Vallarta, so I've been doing some planning for that trip!

A busy day with lots of photos!

More perfect weather, so we decided to hike up the hill in front of Hacienda Contreras. But first, Barb was going into town to see the metalworking guy who was building the frames for the windows for the new addition.