Chacala Miscellaneous

This is my sixth day living in a regular house, and I am starting to feel comfortable here. Yesterday I walked down to Esparanza's with some stuff for her. She and one of her daughter-in-laws were sitting in the shade collecting money from people using the toilets (5 pesos) and showers (9 pesos). I felt kind of homesick, probably because someone was camping in my spot. But I got to sit with them for awhile and hold 4 month old Wendy and visit. The boys weren't around, but one of the dogs, who used to sleep under my table all the time, came running out to greet me and wouldn't leave me alone. Which was nice. I swam for a bit, and then finished doing my errands at Chico's, Aurora's, Dona's Lupe's Beatriz's and little Maria's.

Aurora called early yesterday morning. It was my first phone call here and I ignored it. Then someone called about 10 minutes later and I answered because I realized the phone had Caller ID, and that it was Aurora. She invited me to come down to the muelle (little harbor) and go to La Caleta and Chacalilla with them in Beto's boat. I grabbed up my stuff and hurried down and then waited for a bit. Sat with Beto, and Aurora's brother Huitchol and some other guys, all relatives of theirs,d I think. A large turtle had died right next to the fishing coop building and the smell was pretty bad. Rotting flesh in 88 degrees can stink. Beto eventually tried to cover the body with rocks and then we left, thank God.

Lupita, who has Casa Chacala, and her mid-twenties daughter from Monterey (also called Lupita), came with us. No kids this time. The were 18 surfers (all gringo I think) in the waves at La Caleta, plus another 10 or so on one of the two launcha's there, and on the beach. There were a couple of little blond kids on the beach, and later someone told me there was a gringo family camping there under the big new palapa. New last year.

We didn't want to swim on the rocky beach at La Caleta, and came back down to Chacalilla. It was lovely. The water was clear and just the right temperature. There were lots of shells on the beach, mostly what someone called "Chinaman's Hats". I collected shells, and we ate, talked, walked, and swam. Then I walked home up the hill directly to my place. The security guy didn't know I had moved back, and offered me a ride to Las Varas in the am. He works 8am-8am, 24 hour shifts, which is handy for me, since he is always offering me rides. I pay him 10 pesos, or sometimes more, same as the collectivo.

A couple arrived here in Chacala a couple days ago, first time visitors from the US, planning to stay at Casa Pacifica for six months or so. When they came thru immigration at the
(Mexico City) airport, the officer asked the person in front of them how many days he wanted on hihs Tourist Visa, and gave him the requested maximum, 180 days. When this couple got to the desk the officer didn't ask, and just quickly gave them 20 days, and wouldn't change it when they requested 180. Said they would have to go to immigration. My suggestion is to keep your Tourist Visa form (the one you fill out on the plane) securely in your hand until you have negotiated the length of your visit with the officer.
A few days after their arrival they went to the PV
Immigration office (located directly south of the dock where the cruise ships come in (upstairs in the building-ask around for it). The immigration people told them to come back five days before their 20 Tourist Visa runs out, and gave them a form and a handful of papers to fill out. Copies of passport, something about copies of some bank thing, and I can't remember what else. Kind of a pain, but nothing like what Mexicans go thru to immigrate legally or illegally to the US.
Just a suggestion.

I have been pruning, spraying with soap, waterings, and generally fiddling with the plants at this house. All but a few are ones we planted last year, and they mostly look okay. I just found an incredible new website www.diana'sdesertbaja, shoot, I can't remember the address.
Anyway, I will add it later. Beautiful photos of desert plants around where Diana lives in Baja.
Really amazing. I am inspired.

I have been trying to find someone to drive me down to the new Puerto Vallarta Botanical Garden/Nursery, about 1/2 hour south of PV, so I can get some succulents and other plants that are hard to find in the nurseries here. But so far no one wants to go to the nursery, so I am taking the bus later this week. I was trying to avoid busing back with plants, but I guess it's unavoidable. I am really excited to the see the Garden. I have seen some great reviews of it, but haven't met anyone who has been there yet.

There are still some short term visitors here, maybe five or six, plus some visitors here for some months, maybe three or four, plus two couples that are builidng on lots off the paved road (herre for two or three weeks this month) and about five long-term residents. I am talking about people from the US and Canada here. One or two yachts a week.