95 - TRANSITION
This whole week has been involved in leaving Mexico by way of Puerto Vallarta and arriving at my summer home in Collingwood via Creemore..
Jose, my driver of many years, picked me up on Monday morning for the 4-hour drive to Puerto Vallarta . The Hotel Flamingo at the Marina has been my stop-over spot, both coming and going from and to Canada, for many of the 24 years of winters in Manzanillo.
After a walk around the marina, admiring the beautiful yachts and trying to decide which, of the many, restaurants I would settle for, to enjoy a cold margarita and dinner. Finally, I chose a sports bar, open to the water, with huge screens playing the Canadian hockey game between Toronto and Ottawa! While enjoying my last Mexican margarita and watching Canadian hockey, it seemed the perfect transition between the two countries I love so much.
Dinner was chilies relleno – one of my favourite dinners that I seldom had during the whole winter. It is a poblano chili filled with cheese and covered with a tomato sauce – divine!
At the airport the next day, the young men who are wheelchair pushers are so attentive and caring. No doubt the fact that they are not paid except by tips has a lot to do with their attitude. It is such a difference to the indifference you experience in Canadian airports – and, in my case, particularly at Pearson Airport. I won’t go into that any further, except to say that, for the first time, my experience on Tuesday night was exceptionally good!
A driver I used in the past picked me up and drove me to Creemore to Di & Colin’s, arriving about midnight. Quick hugs, and off to bed, to wake up to a beautiful, sunshiny morning. High of 26C, which we enjoyed thoroughly, complete with an outdoor bbq lunch. It felt like I hadn’t left Mexico, until, that night, the temperature dropped to 0C – yes, zero!!
The Muskoka chairs and table on my balcony, (picture below) made totally of hockey sticks, except for the arms which have a place for my wine glass, are a constant reminder I am definitely in Canada now.
As I write this, it is now Saturday evening and still cold. My desire to stay in Manzanillo for the month of May was well founded. Next year???
Thursday, May 1, with a forecast for rain, Di & Colin drove me to my six-month home on the outskirts of Collingwood, stopping at the liquor store and the grocery story first. We were met by Irena, the part owner of the airbnb and unloaded everything just before the downpour!
Friday and Saturday have been busy unpacking, re-organizing, and beginning to settle in.
I am learning how convenient it can be without a car, even though it's too far to walk to any stores or restaurants. I am learning to use services I’d not even heard of before and finding the results, so far, to be amazing.
For example, I woke at 5 Saturday morning (my body seems to still be on Mexican time) and started browsing InstaCart for some of the supplies that I hadn’t purchased Thursday. I chose Giant Tiger from the twenty retain stores I could order from . Perusing their website, I placed an order for about 15 items, paid for them with Paypal, and at 10 a.m. a knock came to my door. Two bags full of my order were sitting there. The delivery is free for the first two weeks of using InstaCart, and will only be $3.99 thereafter. Much less costly than using an Uber back and forth to the store, plus the time spent shopping. Technology is a dream. And for a 90-year-old nomad, without wheels, living in a beautiful location on Georgian Bay, but where normally you would require a car, this is like a miracle.
Life is grand!