Hmmm! Vacations are for rest. Right?

A reading of the posts for the last week would seem to indicate that we are on the go all the time.  Yes, you are right, we have been on the go.  Today we declared a rest day, well nearly.  Tuesday is the day Rosa arrives to clean up the casa, so we needed at least to hang outside.  That resulted in the younger residents swimming twice.  I worked on setting up the new blog with Katy as my tutor and consultant, and Mary Ann thinking about meals, shopping for fruits and vegetables in the mercados, and spending a lot of time reading on her kindle.  Geoff was on his second mountain bike ride with Carlos up into the Benito Juarez National Park, at an altitude of 7,500 feet and into the forested areas.

This is the first winter vacation where we are so connected with the world.  I have always had our laptop with us to post on the blog, but now everyone has their iPhones and personal laptops.  Mary Ann has an iPad, Iphone, and an unlocked cell phone which we have bought a sim card so we can make local calls without roaming charges.  Thank goodness our casa owners have provided an excellent Wi-Fi system or we all would be lost.  Florencio was insulted (he is the techie guy of the management team) when we actually used the DSL line, so we do not do that now!

After lunch on the outdoor deck Katy, Mary Ann, and I headed for a short car tour of the Trinidad de Viguera and San Pablo Etla villages which are on each side of us.  It was fun to see all of the area where we are living and not just the access roads.  We then headed out north on the free road (there is also a toll road to Mexico City) to the market village of Valle de Etla to stop in the mercado to get the fixings for dinner.  Mary Ann planned on cooking tacos and so we bought tomatoes, lettuce, Mexican crème, avocados, a mixture of cheeses, and the main ingredient of chicken.  The chicken we got at one of the corner Pollo Rosticero stores where they are cooking the chickens.  When purchased the chef cut it up with scissors (very sharp), added rice (arroz) and some very, very hot salsa.  The dinner with refried beans was muy fabuloso.  Along with the margaritas, it was a great finish to the day.
 

Mary Ann on the prowl in Valle de Etla Mercado for fresh fruit.  She is looking at her iPhone which has a currency converter app.  You know how frugal she is!  Katy is in the background chatting up the vendor.

 

Quirky Living Note

 

The UV index – I admit, I have never paid any attention to such things.  However, in Oaxaca we are a lot closer to the equator than Chelan, Washington.  When you go to check the weather on weather.com it will also show the UV index.  Here the rating on most days is 10-very high or 11-Extreme.  Do you suppose that is why Mary Ann and I both got sunburns the first day just walking around the Zócalo?  Go figure!  We now put on sun block and wear hats.

 

Oaxaca, Mexico Weather

Updated: Feb 7, 2013, 2:28am Local Time

91^°FHigh

Mostly Sunny

Chance of rain:   10%

Wind:   WSW at 3 mph

Humidity:  33%

UV Index:   11 - Extreme

Snowfall:   0 in

Plenty of sunshine. High 91F. Winds light and variable.