Well we are home, got in last night about 9:30pm. Had a lovely time at Houston's customs and also at security. In Cancun we got picked at security for all our bags, they went thru everything! Then we get to the gate and Graham is pulled aside with computer bag and searched at the gate. Whew ok on the plane, its only 2 hours to Houston and we had a hour and 15 minute layover before our connecting flight to Seattle.
We get to Houston on time and proceed to go thru immigration. The lines are HUGE! So we get in one line, which of course has the immigration officer from hell questioning everybody, taking forever, so what do we do? Sneak over to the next line thinking aha, this will be quicker. Unfortunately someone else snuck in right in front of us at the same time, a mexican couple, women in a wheelchair and her son I think. Can't exactly push them out of the way so we wait and we wait as they are fingerprinted and questioned and god knows what else. FINALLY we get up to the officer and he is such an ASS!
So he starts with "why were you in Mexico"? Us, "travelling and buying property sir". "Why were you gone so long he says". You know you want to say "what the F(#*)(''s it to you? So we say, "needed a long vacation". He says "hmmmm, do you have more than $2000 dollars on you"? I say, "no". By the way whats with the $2000 dollar question? Isn't it ok to bring up to $10,000 into the US?
Arrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhh...then he says "do you have any duty free"? I say, "yes we have three bottles of tequila and four hundred cigarettes. So then Graham does all the fingerprinting thing and then he writes a big C on the form and says ok go.
So then we come to Customs, he see's the C on the form and says ok go over there...we walk into this big room with three people ahead of us in the queue and three people already having their bags searched. By this time its about 40 minutes until boarding time. We figured there is no way we are going to make our connection. The people in line are grumbling about a police state and how this country isn't free anymore...blah blah blah....finally a guy gestures to us and says let me see your form. Then he says "oh for gods sake", its because you have 600 ciggies not 400...unbelievable...he tells us forget and go.
Then we have to go thru security AGAIN! It is utter chaos! Huge queue, people beeping with metal objects and everybody being scanned and patted down. We finally got thru.
We ran ran ran for the flight and JUST got on...it doesn't end there. As we board the plane I have the tickets and I ask Graham to look at them to see what numbers are seats are...seeing as I am BLIND without my glasses on...he says 30 C & D. We proceed to our seat, we tell a women she is in our seat and she says "no I am not" we are like, yes you are look. So she says her confirmation has the same number! We get the flight attendant and he says "this is weird hold on a minute". In the mean time I have started to get in my seat and one guy has moved over as he doesn't want the window...I felt like we were in a Benny Hill sketch. Nowhere to move, people putting up their luggage in the bins and we are at the back of the plane.
The steward comes up and looks at the ticket as says "your seats are not 30 C & D, they are 10 C & D. Hahahahahahaha....omg ridiculous! So Graham is as blind as I, but get this...he guides us to our seats and they are in Economy Plus Seats! BONUS!
The End!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
It OURS!
Got the news from Joe yesterday that the property is OFFICIALY OURS!!
Why aren't there icons available here..my husband was playing Texas Hold em at La Luna last night when I got the news...I did a dance of joy not see by anyone thank god!
Told hubby when he got home...WE ARE SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY!
NOW, onto the BUILD!
Went to the beach early yesterday and then stopped at Minino's for some food...OMG the Best ever Coconut shrimp! Also caught the local fisherman cleaning their catch and they brought two huge red snappers into the restaurant...doesn't get fresher than that!
Going home is not so bad now....
Why aren't there icons available here..my husband was playing Texas Hold em at La Luna last night when I got the news...I did a dance of joy not see by anyone thank god!
Told hubby when he got home...WE ARE SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY!
NOW, onto the BUILD!
Went to the beach early yesterday and then stopped at Minino's for some food...OMG the Best ever Coconut shrimp! Also caught the local fisherman cleaning their catch and they brought two huge red snappers into the restaurant...doesn't get fresher than that!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
New plans for house!
Hi, haven't posted for awhile....we are having a wonderful time....wanted to wait until we got some final plans for interior of house. We met with Joe and we think we are good with final plans for the interior of our house. We have made it a full two bedroom. While we LOVED the dramatic sky high entry it was not practical for guests and for future rental potential. So....we now have a full two story with two full baths and second balcony off guest bedroom for view to Cancun.
We told Domingo we wanted a more rustic feel to the house...we love the modern idea but in reality its not us. We really really loved the traditional colonial feel to the houses in Merida with as much character as possible in a new home.
We have asked for wooden beams on the ceilings of the first floor, second floor to be decided. We also have decided on polished concrete floors! Love that...also will probably be scratching the rock wall as well. We are thinking it might be two dark and make it seems smaller without the super high ceiling. By adding the wooden beams I think we will get the character we want and we are also having a couple of arched doorways as well.
Interior design of kitchen and bathrooms to come! Pretty sure I know what I want in the kitchen been going on line to see different kitchen design and have found a couple I love...
The owner of property is flying in today and will be meeting to sign papers today or tomorrow...so then it will be officially ours! Next door neighbor has started to tear down building on his property and has taken down one side of our house in the process which is fine less for us to do. Surveyor will be out this week to nail down property lines as well.
Here are some pics of property as is now in semi tear down state. At least you can see the view now!!!
Soooooo thats where we are now! We leave Isla on the 24th which will be painful! Gotto go back to work! We hope to return about 6-8 weeks before the house interior is finished so we can pick out tile, fixtures, appliances...all the FUN stuff! Sooooooo excited to furnish this house! Joe has told us it will be ready by Xmas....wowee what a present that will be! Ciao!
We told Domingo we wanted a more rustic feel to the house...we love the modern idea but in reality its not us. We really really loved the traditional colonial feel to the houses in Merida with as much character as possible in a new home.
We have asked for wooden beams on the ceilings of the first floor, second floor to be decided. We also have decided on polished concrete floors! Love that...also will probably be scratching the rock wall as well. We are thinking it might be two dark and make it seems smaller without the super high ceiling. By adding the wooden beams I think we will get the character we want and we are also having a couple of arched doorways as well.
Interior design of kitchen and bathrooms to come! Pretty sure I know what I want in the kitchen been going on line to see different kitchen design and have found a couple I love...
The owner of property is flying in today and will be meeting to sign papers today or tomorrow...so then it will be officially ours! Next door neighbor has started to tear down building on his property and has taken down one side of our house in the process which is fine less for us to do. Surveyor will be out this week to nail down property lines as well.
Here are some pics of property as is now in semi tear down state. At least you can see the view now!!!
Outside Street Facade - very close to what we want with a few tweeks we will be there!
 |
| First Floor |
 |
| Second Floor |
 |
| Roof Deck with Pool |
Soooooo thats where we are now! We leave Isla on the 24th which will be painful! Gotto go back to work! We hope to return about 6-8 weeks before the house interior is finished so we can pick out tile, fixtures, appliances...all the FUN stuff! Sooooooo excited to furnish this house! Joe has told us it will be ready by Xmas....wowee what a present that will be! Ciao!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Easter Weekend on Isla....
Well we have left Maria Pilar where we stayed for over two weeks. We totally enjoyed our stay there but one year ago I had made a reservation at Maria Leticia hoping to get in to this place as it is always booked. His earlies bookng was April third so I took it! We went to see Nivardo, owner, to confirm our reservation. I had called him from the states as he does not do email or fax. He does speak english but very little and wasn't sure they would still have the booking but he did and here we are.
I now know why this place is booked consistently. This has got to be the best value on the island and have read this for years on the my isla message boards. We didn't have far to go, just down one block and and a left on Juarez and there we were. When we got here he asked us if we wanted to see the apartment and we said yes! I have been wondering what this place was going to look like and been pestering the board members on my isla board for pictures of this particular room as it is his largest I believe.
It is a one bedroom with full kitchen, two balconies, one of the kitchen and a smaller one off the bedroom. We were not disappointed when we entered the apartment. Very spacious, spotlessly clean and good beds!!!! A real bonus here in Mexico. Two double beds, cable tv, air con, and a lovely big bathroom.
Nivardo's lovely manicured garden with a soft bed of sand. He is meticulous and is out here everyday, pruning, raking and tending his garden. I am posting these multiple pictures for the benefit of all those people on the myisla.com message board who wanted to see the inside of our room 12B.
We had some trouble with the wifi when we first got here. I mentioned it to Nivardo and he had a technician out here the next day! Turned out they had copied the password down wrong...hahah...hope that visit didn't cost him too much, I think they made the signal stronger as well. Which it is!
There is also plenty of books in the office for people to share. We love this place! When we came in he said "what price did I tell you". I was like "I think it was $47 per night", I really couldn't remember but knew it was cheap, He says, "no no, $40!" Honest as well what a sweetheart! The cleaning lady, Daniella, not sure if she's a family member or not, broke my mirror while cleaning, He came to me with the broken mirror and looked so worried! So sorry, we pay you. We just went, no no, no problem, not my seven years of bad luck! He laughed.
This is Easter weekend here on Isla and the island is packed full of Mexican's with their kids on a long weekend. We love it! We were at our favorite loncheria the other day and it was packed! We did manage to get a table while they were rearranging the entire restaurant to fit in their big families. It was very entertaining watching them. Kids screaming, adults chattering away while taking the tables and moving them and then a couple of glasses crashed to the ground while they all walked around it, didn't stop them for a minute.
Yesterday, Saturday, we went to Playa Sol as we heard there was a Corona beach party on the beach. It was sooooooo freaking hot yesterday, 90 degrees without about 80% humidity! Needless to say we were in the water alot and doing alot of people watching. I have never seen the beaches this packed!
We ended the day with a stroll around the centro and a drink at La Luna sitting in their comfy chairs right on the sea. There was an amazing full moon last night about 9:30. Damn camera ran out of charge! We sat there thinking about this is what we will be able to do everyday when our house is built. It will be a short 2 minute walk along the malecon right into the centro. Can't wait to fall asleep to the waves crashing! Heaven...
Oh and a quick note about the house. We met again with Joe and Domingo to go over plans for the house. We changed a few things, quite major really. Instead of doing a one and a half story with the dramatic 30 foot entry. We have decided now that being as the house will be small, we really do need to use that space for a second bedroom. So the house will now be two full floors plus roof deck! We are adding some beams in the living room for character, perhaps a few arches and the living room as you enter the house. We will still have the one pool on the main deck first floor and also the one on the roof. We moved the bathroom under the stairs on the first floor for more streamlined effect, which actually makes the kitchen larger...which I love! I can't wait to cook in my kitchen!!!!
Final designs as far as inside are a ways off. We did stress to Domingo that we wanted more rustic then modern. I want black iron railings on the decks but we will see what the budget can take. Should be closing soon, owner of property is flying into Isla to sign papers. This time next year we will be in our house or sooner! Woohoo!
I now know why this place is booked consistently. This has got to be the best value on the island and have read this for years on the my isla message boards. We didn't have far to go, just down one block and and a left on Juarez and there we were. When we got here he asked us if we wanted to see the apartment and we said yes! I have been wondering what this place was going to look like and been pestering the board members on my isla board for pictures of this particular room as it is his largest I believe.
It is a one bedroom with full kitchen, two balconies, one of the kitchen and a smaller one off the bedroom. We were not disappointed when we entered the apartment. Very spacious, spotlessly clean and good beds!!!! A real bonus here in Mexico. Two double beds, cable tv, air con, and a lovely big bathroom.
Nivardo's lovely manicured garden with a soft bed of sand. He is meticulous and is out here everyday, pruning, raking and tending his garden. I am posting these multiple pictures for the benefit of all those people on the myisla.com message board who wanted to see the inside of our room 12B.
We had some trouble with the wifi when we first got here. I mentioned it to Nivardo and he had a technician out here the next day! Turned out they had copied the password down wrong...hahah...hope that visit didn't cost him too much, I think they made the signal stronger as well. Which it is!
There is also plenty of books in the office for people to share. We love this place! When we came in he said "what price did I tell you". I was like "I think it was $47 per night", I really couldn't remember but knew it was cheap, He says, "no no, $40!" Honest as well what a sweetheart! The cleaning lady, Daniella, not sure if she's a family member or not, broke my mirror while cleaning, He came to me with the broken mirror and looked so worried! So sorry, we pay you. We just went, no no, no problem, not my seven years of bad luck! He laughed.
This is Easter weekend here on Isla and the island is packed full of Mexican's with their kids on a long weekend. We love it! We were at our favorite loncheria the other day and it was packed! We did manage to get a table while they were rearranging the entire restaurant to fit in their big families. It was very entertaining watching them. Kids screaming, adults chattering away while taking the tables and moving them and then a couple of glasses crashed to the ground while they all walked around it, didn't stop them for a minute.
In the middle of all this a guy casually strolls up and sets up his harp!
Yesterday, Saturday, we went to Playa Sol as we heard there was a Corona beach party on the beach. It was sooooooo freaking hot yesterday, 90 degrees without about 80% humidity! Needless to say we were in the water alot and doing alot of people watching. I have never seen the beaches this packed!
We ended the day with a stroll around the centro and a drink at La Luna sitting in their comfy chairs right on the sea. There was an amazing full moon last night about 9:30. Damn camera ran out of charge! We sat there thinking about this is what we will be able to do everyday when our house is built. It will be a short 2 minute walk along the malecon right into the centro. Can't wait to fall asleep to the waves crashing! Heaven...
Oh and a quick note about the house. We met again with Joe and Domingo to go over plans for the house. We changed a few things, quite major really. Instead of doing a one and a half story with the dramatic 30 foot entry. We have decided now that being as the house will be small, we really do need to use that space for a second bedroom. So the house will now be two full floors plus roof deck! We are adding some beams in the living room for character, perhaps a few arches and the living room as you enter the house. We will still have the one pool on the main deck first floor and also the one on the roof. We moved the bathroom under the stairs on the first floor for more streamlined effect, which actually makes the kitchen larger...which I love! I can't wait to cook in my kitchen!!!!
Final designs as far as inside are a ways off. We did stress to Domingo that we wanted more rustic then modern. I want black iron railings on the decks but we will see what the budget can take. Should be closing soon, owner of property is flying into Isla to sign papers. This time next year we will be in our house or sooner! Woohoo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)