San Miguel Moment

BOOGER COUNTY BLUES

2020-07-10T10:09:00.000-05:00

It’s four months later and we’re still wearing masks, social distancing and living in lockdown. Mexico set a new record yesterday with 7000 new cases. I can’t say anything good happened during this period of isolation but because of having so much free time on my hands, I was able to finish my book and get it up online.

The book is the second in the Freeman Agency series: Booger County Blues.

PJ Frank Hudson

July 10, 2020

AVAILABLE NOW, June 18, 2020!! A Freeman Agency Novella #2

BOOGER COUNTY BLUES The price is only $4.97, so follow the link and help a starving artist.

When Eric Freeman tries to help his uncle, Jason Carter, regain his life and his dignity, he discovers a beautiful young lady planning to cheat her way into millions. So if you’re tired of the facemasks and social distancing, my new novella BOOGER COUNTY BLUES, will be sure to lighten your mood. Here's the link: https://books2read.com/u/mBgjVN

2020-06-04T15:14:00.004-05:00

It’s something that’s hard to get away from. If you ask people to shelter in place for this long, tensions are bound to build up. We see that on our streets today. People are not just bored but out of work with no paycheck, bills to pay and families to provide for. I have seen nothing like this in the last seventy years. 100,000 Americans dead, 30% of the workforce without a job and a general lack of respect for all that we have. America is truly blessed and we need to share those blessing with our neighbor, no matter the race, creed or color. We know what we should do.

Here in Mexico the problem is the same but they are different. The majority of the Mexican population has not been affected by the greed, materialism and abundance we have in the United States. For my Mexican friends jobs in the city are blessings they have not always had. If need be they are close enough to the land that they can live and subsist just fine without the city jobs. They have done that before and can do it again. They are not at the whim of Wall Street or the fear of the next recession.

But things are getting harder, it appears we have flattened the curve but the number of cases keeps increasing. We now have 27 active cases in Sam Miguel with estimates of a total number in the state of 130. Which indicates we have a long way to go.

The good news of the lock down for me is I have completed my second book and the book is to be released on Amazon June 18. The title is Booger County Blues and is available for $4.97 on Amazon. The bad news is I may have time to write another book before this lock down is over.

Booger County Blues will take you back to Robertson County, Texas. To the time of the Rusty Duck Bar, its lovey bar maids, oil field workers and all the character's you enjoyed in the Calvert Chronicles.

"they danced down the streets like dingledodies"

2020-04-30T11:59:00.001-05:00

San Miguel de Allende, March 30, 2020

Sometimes you can feel these things. Sometimes you can see them. Three days a week I have the opportunity to observe a congested intersection in the privacy of my car. Sitting there drinking my morning coffee as I wait to pick up Juan and Berta. I study the people and their habits in their early morning commute to work. Last Friday as I waited i could count on one hand the number of people not wearing facemasks. This morning, being Monday, I can count the number wearing facemasks on one hand. Why the change? Did I miss something?

The morning broke cool and overcast with a little of the feel of last nights showers in the air. Is it the feel of quiet optimism in the air. Does that mean people are trying to return to normal or at least return to what will be the new normal. Whatever that may be. Lord, I'm so tired of the sheltering in place and social distancing. Maybe there is a universal yearning for inappropriate distancing. Whatever this new feeling is, today it can be felt here in Mexico.

I think about what has happened to us. Happened to us in the last two months. It’s a virus, one that kills, one we were not prepared for. But there is no right or wrong in a virus. The right or wrong was there before the arrival of the pandemic. Sure, the virus has brought nations to their feet and brought the world to a halt.

The right or wrong is there in the people. It is the people that are unconsciously addicted to Racism, White Supremacy, Hatred, Lies, and Corporate Greed. I wonder why in a country as great as ours, we have the highest death rate from this virus in the world. This country is suppose to be a leader in world, in not only medical knowledge but all other advanced technologies. Then why do we have one of the shortest life spans, the highest income disparities, the highest suicides rates and the largest prison populations? The right or wrong was here before the virus.

So, what are we going to do? Our minds are racing back and forth trying to return to that normalcy. But what will that new normal be? Are we going to lose the opportunity to hit the reset button? This crisis has shown us that, the air can be clean, sky’s can be blue and rivers can run clear. Are we going to bring into our new normal all of our old prejudices with us, how about the hate, the avarice, and the dead ideas.? How about the dead rivers and smoky skies, do they come to? We can walk into the new normal and leave all of this garbage behind. I hope we do. At least here in Mexico. As and old friend of mine use to say, "If you want to clean up the town, start by sweeping your own porch."

Speaking of Mexico, in my last letter I promised to enlighten you about tequila and mezcal. The lead-in is the picture of the young lady with a pina on her head. So let's try it from there.

Well, a night out on tequila goes something like this: Rounds of shouts, sing karaoke, dance on the bar, shoot out the lights and… (No, No, No) That’s not right, Gringo. Tequila and mezcal should be sipped and that sipping should take some time. And it does not require salt and lime. The old tradition of putting the salt on the senorita’s neck, biting the line and licking the salt before a shot of tequila, while romantic, is definitely a no, no. We’re not shooting shots; it’s about enjoying the flavors, the experience and the earthy textures of the drink.

Lets start out with the basics: All tequila is mezcal but not all mezcal is tequila. It’s like all scotch is whiskey but not all whiskey is scotch. And Mezcal is the national drink of Mexico, not tequila. There now, you’re smarter than most of the bar hoppers.

The girl in the picture above has the heart of a blue agave, otherwise known as a pina, held on her head. The blue agave or agave tequilana is only from five states in Mexico. To be tequila it must come from these five states. After that pina comes off the young ladies head it will be steamed and fermented.

Both tequila and mezcal are made from the harvested core of the agave plant, otherwise known as the “piña.” However, that’s where the similarities in production end. Tequila is typically produced by steaming the agave inside industrial ovens before being distilled two or three times in copper pots. Mezcal, on the other hand, is cooked inside earthen pits that are lined with lava rocks and filled with wood and charcoal before being distilled in clay pots. While some large-scale mezcal producers have adopted modern methods, artisanal mezcal makers continue to use this more traditional method, which is the source of the smokiness commonly associated with mezcal.

Once the distillation process is over, both tequila and mezcal are aged inside oak barrels. However, the different aging categories of the two spirits are defined slightly differently. For instance, tequila comes in three varieties: blanco (silver or plato/0-2 months), reposado (2-12 months) and anejo (1-3 years). Mezcal is also grouped into three categories by age, including joven (blanco or abacado/0-2 months), reposado (2-12 months) and anejo (at least one year). So Enjoy.

2020-04-13T11:36:00.000-05:00

Solving My Life’s Dilemma’s

Someday, I really can't guess when but normalcy in society will return, until then we just have to live with what life throws us.

As with most people, I sit here inside my house in the middle of Mexico with not much on my plate. Yes, we have shelter-in-place rules down here. I can look out my office window and see the beautiful purple jacaranda trees and the blooming bougainvillea hanging over the surrounding walls. In my last blog I was having problems in sorting out my short term and long term life’s goals or as I call it a reason to live. I have made some progress, sorting out my life, for now mostly short term. Then short-term activity can leave to long-term commitments.

I have started taking daily walks around my neighborhood, these walks help to clear the mind and stretch the legs that are used to doing nothing that walking to the bathroom and back. That’s life when all you can do is sit and read. The walks have allowed me to meet many of my neighbors and converse with then over the appropriate distance. In Mexico the appropriate distance is far enough back so you can't smell the tequila on your neighbors breath. I’m finding I have a very normal group of neighbors. Some of them run, some walk the dogs and then some sit in the park, like myself, and contemplate their life dilemmas

My next step in this time of isolation was to hire an editor for the book I’ve been writing for years. As most of you know I can’t write so I need an editor. How don’t get excited about reading the great American novel, my book is a short (maybe 60,000 words) comic novella about my life in Booger County Texas. It is the second in the Robertson County series. My goal is the get it on Amazon for price under five dollars.
In my search for life’s meaning I have also taken on a major challenge. I am going to sort out and organize all my computer passwords. When I contemplate life's undertakings this one is gigantic. I found out recently that in trying to transfer passwords from one computer to a new laptop, all passwords could be lost. At that point simple things like just logging in in the morning can turn in to a day’s activity.

It seems I have survived the shelter-in-place syndrome and in the next blog Ill be talking about tequila and mescal. You will want to know what this pretty young girl has to do with tequila and mescal, I will let you know. In the next few days I will be doing extensive research on the subject.

2020-03-27T14:23:00.000-05:00

One custom that is present all over the latin world is that of a kiss and a hug upon meeting. An embrace for the men and a kiss for the ladies. It is a long tradition and as we talk about changes, this is a tradition we do not want to lose.
As we can feel at this moment, the world is changing. I don’t know if I’m ready for it. What we are being asked to do is calling to the surface feelings I have harbored for the past several months. When you get to a certain time and you start to wind down and are faced with an uncertain future. Over the last few years Sandy and myself have worked hard on remodeling a home, planting gardens and also making a close group of friends here in Mexico Now we are faced with the same challenges that we encounter when asked to stay inside your house for the next fifteen days.

This time of social distancing presents the same challenges as I faced in retirement, not of an uncertain future but a lack of direction in my life. Two weeks or two years does have an end zone. We hope at the end of that time things will return to normal, or whatever normal we want to have. In retirement there is also an end zone, but an end zone we are not excited to meet. In both cases you asked yourself in the morning is “What am I going to do today?” Many people have tried to answer this question for me but somehow I do fit into golfing, pickle ball or model building. When you spent your whole life working hard every day at something you love it’s hard when that is taken away from you. Be it something you’ve done all your life or something you are just in the habit of doing. When that is taken away your life changes. Am I being asked to save the world by laying on my couch for two or three weeks or am I being left to lounge on the couch for a much longer time. It is the same with “stay at home” or “retirement.”

So at the moment I am trying to figure out both. I am trying to “flatten the curve” and contemplate this world will look life after this pandemic. This thing has already done terrible things to the world’s economy. Nobody believes that after we begin to recover things will be the same. Small businesses and large are going to be affected. It might take years for the damage to be repaired. The question is “What will the new normal look like?

I hope the world always looks like this man.

Thank you, Vincente Fox

The River of Life is timeless. It is not unchanging, but it is timeless, and it changes in its own time.

2020-03-17T11:45:00.000-05:00

Well, the coronavirus is moving faster than I can plan. I promised you a report on my trip to Real de Catorce but my Doctor had better ideas. It seems heart disease and blood thinners constitute a weakened immune system. Not so by me but that’s a medical opinion. So I cancelled the trip, kissed the advance payment goodbye and dream of doing it at a better time. Will be Sheldering in Place for the near future.

Instead of giving you a trip to an historic ghost town I want to let you know what it’s like living in a foreign country. A country full of foreigners and Canadians. Please note that at this moment people are working about getting out of the country. I will try to answer questions in the order they are always asked of me by my friends in Texas. Please remember that I am living in a modern city that just happens to be 500 years old. When this city was founded Texas was still part of Mexico.

Is it safe? That’s a philosophical question., and by far, the number one question I am asked. When I first moved to San Miguel de Allende, one of the considerations was how safe it was. I had no fear of anything bad happening and would felt safe walking anywhere in town. The relative high living standards attracted a lot of mafia bosses. Also attracted were their children, wives and mistresses. With this investment in the community, by the head knockers, life was relatively safe. Nobody would miss up their own bed. The Centro area was and still is teeming with visitors and tourist late into the evening. Just like any large city you know the places you’re not supposed to hang out late at night. Would you go to Fair Park or South Dallas at 1:00 in the morning? You know the answer. The locals are always ready to help you out anyway they can. Truly they are a kind and generous people and will look out for your safety.

It was about two years ago things began to change: maybe the change in government, the gas shortage or just the coming of a new generation. The old bosses gave way to the new generation, that generation with no families or children, had nothing to lose. Guanajuato has become one of the leading states in Mexico for crime. This criminal violence is not directed at the native population or even ex-pats and visitors. It is almost completely a gang on gang problem. The young Turks need to fight for their territory. It is not the drug deal anymore but extortion of business and pipeline theft in the area, each gang wants to control it’s territory.

I still have no problem in going out to restaurants and pubs late at night. Just remember Fair Park and South Dallas. Safety right now is relative ifs the corona gets us all.

What is there to do? Unlike Porte Vallarta or Cancun we are not on the beach. It’s a 5-hour drive to get to one. It’s easier to fly to the beach than drive and, no there is not a Diamond’s International in site. San Miguel de Allende is located in the middle if the country and 7300 feet high. (That’s at my house) We are in a valley surrounded by mountains. Although it is a desert climate we are covered with blooming flowers and trees. As I write this I can look out on rows of bougainvillea and purple blooming jacaranda trees. Lets not talk about spring time allergies.

But I’m getting off the subject, what is there to do? San Miguel is considered the wedding capitol of Mexico. Think,“Here comes the Bride”. To support that their are some 400 plus restaurants, ranging from street tacos vendors to fine French restaurants. There is plenty of live entertainment every night of the week. There are several Playhouses and Live opera. Try outs for New York’s Metropolitan Opera were held here in November. That being said, as of today the party life is canceled by the city government.

The town is also located in the historic equivalent of Concord, Mass in terms on Mexican history. When Spain needed to be sent home or the revolution needed starting, it happened here.

We do have a trip planned for Palm Sunday weekend. We will visit Morelia and Uruapan in the Sate of Michoacán. Weaken immune system or not, I will make this trip. For today I will say adios and see you next time.
P.S. That trip is canceled also.

2020-03-13T11:26:00.000-05:00

Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.

At this point we don't know what is going to happen with the coronavirus. I don't want to tackle this, my best guess is a lot of us will get sick. So wash your hands and that's my best advice at present. My main concern is what I'm doing with the rest of my life. I will be addressing that in the coming weeks. Right now I need to come back to where I live and why I intend to stay here.

My first clue that something might be wrong came in 2011.That year we had many days when the temperature was above 110. Our life consisted of running from air conditioned cars to air conditioned houses and offices. Them came the fires to central Texas. Large sections were burning. That was went my wife, Sandy, said, It’s time to get me out of here. For somebody born and bred in Texas, that was a hard thing to admit. The heat and fires had pushed her to the point of no return. “Find me somewhere to live that is not as hot.” We had attended seminar at Texas A &M that addressed climate change. The prediction for our location was not encouraging.

Since I was approaching the time for retirement, I decided she was right. If the climate did get hotter and drier, we needed to be somewhere that living was more comfortable. My first thought was we needed to be somewhere cool. A quick computer search produced the 10 best climates in the world. Eight of the ten locations were scattered around the world, but two of them were in Mexico. Mexico, I thought, that’s drivable if I needed to come home but still it was going to be cooler.

We did still own a home in Florida, right on the river, still very humid and hot. The old home had been raised high above the ground because of flooding, which happens several times a year. That along with pollution and the yearly threat of hurricanes pushed us to the conclusion that Florida was not for us. It is when I realized that we could probably, because of our age, avoid the worst of climate change. Not a conscious decision but just a fact of life.

Of the two locations, the one we decided on, after several visits was San Miguel de Allende. San Miguel is located at 7300 feet on the central mesa of Mexico. It’s a dry desert climate but high in the mountains. It is a town of seventy thousand people of which a large number are Americans. There would be no lack of friends or lack on amenities. The town has many restraints, theaters and art galleries. Gringos had been coming here since after World War Two. It would be our little piece of paradise.

In this blog I will try to impart what it is like being an expat and living in Mexico. Next week I will be visiting Vincente Fox’s ranch near Leon and later in March, we will be visiting the old mining town of Real de Catorce. Stay tuned.

The Absolutely Best View in San Miguel de Allende

2020-01-27T15:08:00.000-06:00

In trying to recovery one of my old blogs I discovered this from 2017. Old but still valid. This place is beautiful. By the time I send this out it is the winter of 2020. I still love Mexico and San Miguel but the growth in this area has been tremendous. Along with that growth we have had an increase in crime. Each area of the country has its own self style cartel. It makes you more careful about where you go at night . Some cities are off limits even in the day time. My Sweetheart will not go to the closest Costco or Home Depot but instead will drive the extra fifteen miles to go to Queretaro. The road to and the town of Queretaro being a lot safer than going to Celaya.

But again I will say I love it here and have no plans of going back. The people are wonderful, the weather is amazing and the town of San Miguel de Allende is beautiful.

The Boy's Coffee and Camel Club

Our Wednesday morning coffee group was looking for a new place to meet. Each member had a suggestion, one of those places suggested turned out to be a great undiscovered find. The View Hotel is easy to find if your willing to travel to places not usually seem by tourist or locals. Of course if you are a local from the community of Las Cabras you are well aware and the in credible vistas offer by the small hotel and restaurant located quietly on the top of the Picachos mountains surrounding the Presa Allende.

The presa (lake) in the distance.

Presa Allende

A Gift for My Friends from 12/27/2012

2016-05-27T16:56:00.000-05:00

I found this article on Yahoo last week and it made so much sense. With people seeming to wake up in a bad mood or coming into work feeling like everyday is Monday. I felt this should be passed on to my friends. So this is a gift for all us.

Habits That Will Make You Happier

Happiness is the only true measure of personal success. Making other people happy is the highest expression of success, but it's almost impossible to make others happy if you're not happy yourself. With that in mind, here are nine small changes that you can make to your daily routine that, if you're like most people, will immediately increase the amount of happiness in your life:
1. Start each day with expectation. If there's any big truth about life, it's that it usually lives up to (or down to) your expectations. Therefore, when you rise from bed, make your first thought: "something wonderful is going to happen today." Guess what? You're probably right.
2. Take time to plan and prioritize. The most common source of stress is the perception that you've got too much work to do. Rather than obsess about it, pick one thing that, if you get it done today, will move you closer to your highest goal and purpose in life. Then do that first.
3. Give a gift to everyone you meet. I'm not talking about a formal, wrapped-up present. Your gift can be your smile, a word of thanks or encouragement, a gesture of politeness, even a friendly nod. And never pass beggars without leaving them something. Peace of mind is worth the spare change.
4. Deflect partisan conversations. Arguments about politics and religion never have a "right" answer but they definitely get people all riled up over things they can't control. When such topics surface, bow out by saying something like: "Thinking about that stuff makes my head hurt."
5. Assume people have good intentions. Since you can't read minds, you don't really know the "why" behind the "what" that people do. Imputing evil motives to other people's weird behaviors adds extra misery to life, while assuming good intentions leaves you open to reconciliation.
6. Eat high quality food slowly. Sometimes we can't avoid scarfing something quick to keep us up and running. Even so, at least once a day try to eat something really delicious, like a small chunk of fine cheese or an imported chocolate. Focus on it; taste it; savor it.
7. Let go of your results. The big enemy of happiness is worry, which comes from focusing on events that are outside your control. Once you've taken action, there's usually nothing more you can do. Focus on the job at hand rather than some weird fantasy of what might happen.
8. Turn off "background" TV. Many households leave their TVs on as "background noise" while they're doing other things. The entire point of broadcast TV is to make you dissatisfied with your life so that you'll buy more stuff. Why subliminally program yourself to be a mindless consumer?
9. End each day with gratitude. Just before you go to bed, write down at least one wonderful thing that happened. It might be something as small as a making a child laugh or something as huge as a million dollar deal. Whatever it is, be grateful for that day because it will never come again

2016 MONARCH BUTTERFLY MIGRATION

2016-02-18T10:24:00.002-06:00

Once a year the Monarch Butterfly Migration reaches its culmination in Mexico. At the Rosario Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve the butterflies arrive for their winter retreat lasting five months. Starting in early November, on the Day of the Dead, millions of monarch butterflies arrive after their 3,000-mile journey from eastern Canada and the United States to mate.

The UNESCO protected World Heritage site is located in the mountains of the eastern part of the State of Michoacan, Mexico. Each year millions of the Monarch Butterflies (Danaus Plexippus) arrive at the reserve. They are the fourth generation of the butterflies that left this very location just seven months before. Each of three generations live just one month but as if selected by God, this current generation lives about nine months. It must be the same Hand of God that leads this generation to return to this very spot.

This years population at the reserve is estimated at one and a quarter billion butterflies. In cool weather they cluster on tree branches and in warm weather they are flying everywhere.

We started our trip in San Miguel de Allende with a five hour bus ride to the Aqua Blanca Hot Springs Resort in Jungapoe, Michoacan. The Resort is in a beautiful canyon flowing with hot springs and natural beauty.

AQUA BLANCA HOT SPRINGS RESORT

Upon arriving at the Resort we were treated to a luncheon on the grounds. Spring is just coming to this area and the trees and flowers were in bloom. We were about 150 miles south of San Miguel de Allende and much lower in altitude. The Resort is hidden in a valley with hot springs flowing out of many different springs.

Mexican Buffet served on the grounds.

The next morning it was off to see the butterflies. The Rosario Biosphere Reserve is at about 10,000 feet and depending on where the butterflies were today it could be higher. We were all prepared for colder weather at the higher altitudes.

The butterflies start their annual migration from here in March by flying north to Texas. There they breed and the next generation continues the journey north. There will be two more generations before they begin the return to Mexico. Each of the first three generations live only a little over one month each while the fourth generation lives approximately eight months. It is the fourth generation that makes the return trip and winters in the high mountains. How they make this miraculous journey is yet to be determined.

MIGRATION PATHS

When we arrived at the Reserve some chose to hike to the top and some chose to ride horses. I took the horse, the climb from the parking lot to the camp headquarters was enough for me. The weather was warmer than expected and the butterflies were already active and flying as low as the basecamp. Our guide, Norman, said this was a good sign. When we reached the top the skies were filled with millions of butterflies. In the air, on the ground drinking from streams and clustering on trees.

BUTTERFLIES IN FLIGHT

We learned to tell the difference between the male and female. Yes, some of us needed to be taught. The first one below is the female and the second is the male. The females has thicker bands on her wings than the males and the males have two black dots on the lower part of the wing. That is enough for the biology lesson today.

FEMALE MONARCH BUTTERFLY

MALE MONARCH BUTTERFLY

I would like to thank the people at Travelian Tours for hosting this wonderful trip. It was well organized and the tour guides were delightful. Thanks to Anita at Aqua Blanca Resort for taking care of us and provides great meals. Also the guys below who provided the horses that saved me from the 800 foot vertical hike to reach the nesting grounds. These guys were great.

Thanks, J. F. "SUGAR" Hudson

2012-05-31T12:56:00.001-05:00

Why San Miguel? And definitely why Mexico. Those questions haunt me continually. I'm mid sixty, reasonably healthy and enjoying some of the best business years of my life. So why, for heavens sake, would I risk it by moving to Mexico? Life is one long journey that moves through a world of sight, of sound and smell. To be alive is to experience these sensations to the fullest. I have always been jealous of my friends who live in their old neighborhoods and still have, for a best buddy, their friend from first grade. That did not happen to me. I've been pushed and pulled along all my life. Because life is comfortable doesn't mean I'm coasting to the finish line. I can learn to speak Spanish, I can eat lamb brain quesdeasas, I can make an exciting new life, with the woman I love, in a place and culture completely different from what I know. Life is like a travel book and some of us never get past the first chapter. I know to fully love life you need to keep turning the pages. My head long rush is not going to be a complete abandonment of Texas civilization as it may appear. My sweetheart and myself are currently looking for a part-time home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Mention this to a Mexican and he'll tell you it's a Gringo town. This is true. The continuous presence of tourist and expatriates makes the town livable but also keeps prices high, the housing bubble has not completely deflated here. Starbucks coffee and McDonalds burgers are available if not completely approved by the locals. Bullfights still occur in the town's bullring and strolling musicians cover every venue. Night time is still for strolling around the town square and TV sets are not glaring from every window. Life here is still "Manaya", if it doesn't happen today, it isn't over, your on Mexican time. The world climate change is doing a number on us here in Texas. It's just the first of June and the heat index is forecast to be one hundred and eleven tomorrow, so in the tradition of many former Texans, we're looking for a summer home. In the past it was the great migration to Colorado in the summer, but that's getting pricey. Right now, as I see it, the best climate at the best price is six thousand feet up in the desert mountains of Old Mexico.

JUST FORWARD MY MAIL

2011-12-04T14:47:00.000-06:00

Ajijic is a town about 3 miles from, and a part of, the municipality of Chapala, in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. Situated on the north shore of Lake Chapala is surrounded by mountains, Ajijic enjoys a moderate climate year round. The population is around 15,000 of which about 15% or American or Canadian.
This wonderful world is where my sweetheart and myself decided to spend a long weekend and by the third day we were visiting with the local real estate agents. You get to Ajijic by flying into Guadalajara and taking a taxi ride up over the mountains at the south end of the city. In about 45 minutes you cross over the mountains and view Mexico’s largest fresh water lake that forms in a basin that sits up 5100 feet in the air. Imagine tropical vegetation, coconuts, mangos, citrus and bananas in a high mountain valley.
National Geographic magazine rates it as one of the three best climates in the world. Most of the year, it is warm, dry and sunny during the day, and cool nights make it great for sleeping. This is not a place where air conditioners are running all the time, in fact, this is not a land of air conditioners. None, Nada. There is a rainy season -- which is the favorite of many residents because everything turns lush and green -- from June to October, but it usually only rains in the late afternoon or evening and at night. In the morning everything is fresh and clean, with blue skies overhead once again.
This is not an oxymoron. Ajijic is a traditional lakeshore village with a shady plaza, parish church and adobe homes. Ajijic is a magnet for expatriates all along the shore, and the foreign influence has given rise to a cosmopolitan offering in arts, entertainment and dining. Home to artists and writers since the early 1950s, Ajijic is the locale of the Auditorium for concerts and dance performances. Art galleries, restaurants and beer joints abound in the village. The vast variety of restaurants offers cuisine from traditional Mexican to Chinese, Argentine, Greek, Thai, German and much, much more.
Ajijic’s growing group of expatriates come for the foreign culture and the diverse, creative population living and working here. They also come for the very low cost of living. Obamacare stops at the border but you can still live quiet well on social security. Nothing about Ajijic feels contrived or fabricated: instead the village hums with authenticity. The village slow pace serves as a welcome change from the fast paced life in Guadalajara just one hour to the north. As I said, just forward my mail.

2011-11-13T11:27:00.001-06:00

When I’m away from my blogging career, hopefully, I’m working hard at my real job, it helps pay the bills. . I’m back now to rescue my readers that I abandoned in the middle of the Czech Republic. We head north to another incredibly beautiful city. Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. It is one of the larger cities of Central Europe and has served as the capital of the historic region of Bohemia for centuries. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava River, the city is home to about 1.3 million people. My Sweetheart insisted we get a glance of the city by doing a short and quick city tour before we started roaming. The city tour occurred in a low roofed mini-van at about the speed of a Nascar race. I remember seeing Prague’s famous Crazy Building from ground level as a burr passing by quickly. By the time we reached the Prague Castle I was ready to bale and bale I did. Of course this means I would have to walk from the Castle District back across the Charles Bridge to our hotel in Old Town. The Charles Bridge is a famous historic bridge that crosses the Vltava River and was constructed in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava until 1841, the Charles Bridge was the most important connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge or the Prague Bridge but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870. Today after my long walk up and down it’s entrance stairs, I have my own name for the bridge. The bridge is 1675 feel long and nearly 40 feet wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. The steps leading up from the bridge and the Old Town bridge tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas. The most popular is the statue of St. John, a Czech martyr who was executed by being thrown from the bridge into the river. Rubbing St. Johns belly is suppose to bring good luck and also ensure your return to Prague one day. During the day the bridge and all of Old Town is a very busy venue with painters, owners of kiosks, and vendors alongside numerous tourists crossing the bridge, but at night Charles Bridge turns into a quiet place and it is in this area of Old Town we found a wonderful sidewalk restaurant for dinner and a glass of the local wine. Weakened by my long walk and the cooling night air, I slept in the following morning while my sweetheart visited the Jewish Cemetery. She enjoyed the guides tour of the cemetery and I enjoyed a much needed rest before we headed for Dresden, Germany.

I Left My Heart in Cesky Krumlov

2011-09-03T15:04:00.000-05:00

The last time I left my readers, after war damage in Europe, the Vienna woods and sunset on the Danube River, we were crossing the Alps in the snow to arrive in the Czech Republic. For those who are fascinated by that last sentence, it was designed to optimize my hits on the internet. A blatant act of self promotion by the blogger who travels the globe to educate his fellow man. I can feel the new hits already.
Anyway, we did arrive in Cesky Krumlov. Cesky Krumlov is a small city in the southern part of the Czech Republic and is best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town. The Castle in Old Český Krumlov is a World Heritage and was given this status along with the historic Praque Castle. During the communist era of Czechoslovakia, Krumlov fell into disrepair, but since the Velvet Revolution of 1989 much of the town's former beauty has been restored, and it is now a major holiday destination popular with tourists. The Old town is surrounded by the Vltava River with many cafes and restaurants overlooking the river. If the café is not overlooking the river it is buried in one of the many underground caves and wine cellars.
The Cesky Krumlov Castle is unusually large for a town of Krumlov's size; within the Czech Republic it is second in extent only to the Hradcany castle in Praque. Inside its grounds is a large garden with an extensive bridge over a deep gap in the rock upon which the castle is built. The castle itself, which has many different parts dating from different periods of time. Český Krumlov Castle preserves its Barouqe theater, built from 1680-82 and renovated with modern stage equipment in 1765-66. With this original stage machinery, scenery and props it is among only a few such court theatres that still exist. Due to its age, the theatre is only used three times a year (only two are open to the public), when a Baroque Opera is performed in simulated candlelight. My Sweetheart in her unsupervised wandering stumbled into one of the theater company’s practice sessions.
This town is the cradle of endless Czech culture and seems stuck in is own time warp. I would highly recommend visiting the restaurants, shops and Castle, and even staying a few days, because visiting Krumlov means visiting the old world in the Czech Republic, and it is an experience you will remember for a lifetime. It may be a little trying on old knee joints as you stroll up and down the narrow cobble stone paths but there is always a comfortable chair and glass of wine around the next corner.

On to Vienna

2011-08-07T18:20:00.002-05:00

On to Vienna
Wait for a lifetime, dream for a lifetime and suffer an enormous disappointment. I'm glad that was not me. We arrived in Vienna on a cold, rainy day. There were some periods of sunshine but the overall feeling was depressing and gloomy. But my expectations for the capital city of Austria were never high. In fact my expectations were non existent. Because of the rain and our schedule of tour buses and sightseeing my enthusiasm for the city never got off the ground. With our arrival luncheon being a stop at McDonald's, shopping on the Ringstrasse never gained the feeling of grand excitement that I hoped for. Of course, we did the city tour, visited the Schonbrunn Palace and walked the Ringstrasse at sunset but my itchy feet kept wanting me to move on. And move we did.
Feeling we had not left anything behind in Vienna we hit the open road to the Czech Republic. We were shortly rewarded with looming forest and open fields that looked like they had been growing from the beginning of time. Somehow scenery like this always makes me hungry so we pull into local truck stop. No menu's, only a buffet so I order something that looks familiar and the lady behind the counter keeps asking me something in the local language which baffles me completely. After three try's the truck driver behind me say's "she wants to know if you want gravy with that". Don't let them fool you, they all speak some English. Back on the road, we get a light dusting of snow as we cross the mountains into the Czech Republic.
My advance reading about the area helped in my hasty retreat from Vienna. My guide books all mentioned a small Czeck town called Cesky Krumlov. Opposite my feelings of Vienna, I wanted to stay forever in Krumlov. This is a town out of medical times, a real Brigadoom. More next time on a city I wish you all could visit, Cesky Krumlov.

Out on our own or Which Way is Vienna?

2011-07-24T14:24:00.000-05:00

After our days in Budapest, it was time to hit the road in our rental car and go out on our own to explore eastern Europe with no tour guide!. The road in this case being the one following the Danube north to Vienna. The drive would take us to Visegrad and the “Bend in the Danube”. Before the bend the river rises into the Black Forest in Germany and flows easterly north of Budapest. There the Borzsony Hills force it to bend sharply southwards through Budapest. The way along the river you can see delightful towns and the natural beauty of the area with the forested hills looming over the river. Being close to Budapest there are many lodges and guest houses along the river. We were told by a previous tour guide that the lovely homes along this beautiful stretch of river flooded every year. Yet they still come back after the river recedes. I don’t believe they have FEMA to help either.
It was still early in the day and I had had enough of natural beauty so when we reached Esztergrom, I decided it was time to cross the river into Slovakia. My only instruction to my Sweetheart, who was driving, was I did not want to spend the night in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. I had been warned in advance but sure enough on this side of the river there were no quaint lodges and attractive quest houses only open farm land and farming villages.
Shortly we arrived in the “cultural center of Slovakia” Bratislava, with its’ universities, museums, theaters, galleries and other important cultural and educational locations. But as the tour book said, it has very few hotels. The hotel we finally found was of the soviet era. There were Asian students with backpacks hanging around in the lobby, always the tourists. The hotel had an Asian restaurant attached, a step or two down to a beautifully decorated area. Many, many tropical plants, lush ivys hanging from the ceiling, a true jungle effect. The true restaurant wasn’t open for dining, but we were encouraged to try the buffet. Felt just like we hadn’t left Texas! The rooms were large plain suites and sparse furnishings, beautiful very bright overhead chandeliers and a balcony in both the living area and bedroom. Good modern bathroom, lots of hot water, industrial thin carpeting, queen bed & white naughahide couch and chairs in the sitting room. You could tell they were trying their best, but just hadn’t quite made it yet. On one balcony there was a single black fish net stocking left behind by a previous guest. The parking was in the construction area in the back, just don’t park in front of the huge bulldozers!
I missed the museums, theaters and galleries, most of our visit here consisted of driving through the city with me sticking the camera out the window. My major observation was of the famous soviet watch tower built over the bridge crossing the Danube. I don’t remember who they were watching for. It looks like the original invaders in the old movie “War of the Worlds”, it gave me the creeps but I understand that with the new capitalist influence it has been turned into a restaurant. I was happy to tell my Sweetheart to turn the car west and head for Vienna.

2011-07-20T13:41:00.002-05:00

“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow.”

The Scenery is looking up or Shakespeare Bloom arrives in Budapest

2011-06-27T18:10:00.002-05:00

Sometimes we just have to skip over things. An organ recital in the cathedral where Joseph Listz was a organist and a Hungarian cowboy taking a bullwhip to my sweetheart. The recital was fabulous and the cowboy was flirting with my sweetheart for the amusement of two hundred onlookers. But all this was a prelude to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was not just the bikini clad girls outside my hotel window, the Budapest Hilton but the entire city of Budapest was beyond words. Of course, the girls were a nice touch. Said to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest straddles the banks of the Danube. On the Buda side is the Castle District, with its narrow winding streets, old citizen houses and the Castle district of Budapest which reflects a medieval atmosphere. On the other side of the Danube, Pest or the flat side, is Heroes’ Square, the monument square at the end of Andrássy Avenue that sums up the history of Hungary. The millenium memorial commemorates the 1000th anniversary of the arrival of the Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin. It appears the rich, affluent and tourist lived on the Buda side and the working man lived in Pest. Both sides of the city had its own vibrant and interesting sites, after visiting the socialistic counties of eastern Europe it was refreshing to see a city of well kept streets and beautiful old buildings.
Budapest is the city if spas and geothermal springs. The Gellért SPA is one of the best known and most favored among the thermal baths of Budapest. It is in the same building as Hotel Gellért, which was built in 1918 in art nouveau style. The hotel is at the foot of Gellért Hill where the Citadel is located. It is from the Citadel that the best panorama of Budapest is available, Gellért Hill definitely worth a visit. The old fortress and the statue of Liberty can be seen from far, they are an important part of the cityscape The thermal water was already used in the middle ages, and during the Turkish occupation of Hungary in the 15th century a bath house was built on this spot. In the Second World War the building was badly damaged, but later it was reconstructed preserving its oriental decoration and atmosphere. Today it has a thermal bath, a swimming pool and an open-air section, supposedly for those girls in Bikinis.
We were lucky to arrive the weekend of the Antique Festival in Pest. The streets were alive with vendors and even a street side opera was going on. We enjoyed the festival and then stumbled our way to a local Hungarian restaurant. The restaurant was crowded with locals and the food was excellent at about one third the cost we would pay in a tourist restaurant. One must advice you about the taxi; always have the restaurant or hotel call for a taxi. The taxis you see standing on the streets are private taxis and you will have to save a lot of euros at local restaurants to make up for the outrageous prices they will charge. Unfortunately I learned this on going to pick up my rental the last day in town.

The Ravages of War, your Reporter visits Vukovar, Croatia

2011-06-17T15:17:00.000-05:00

The next morning we docked at Vukovar in eastern Croatia. The name
Vukovar means the town on the river Vuka, which is the river that flows
into the Danube here.

Before the war for Croatia's independence Vukovar was a prosperous small
town in the country. The town was an important objective for the
Serb-dominated Yugoslav army. Before the war Serbs and Croats occupied
the town in about equal numbers, then the Yugoslav army set about ethnic
cleansing. After a three month siege in November of 1991, Vukor was
completely destroyed. The towns' beautiful red brick water tower was used
for target practice
by the Yugoslav army, that tower has been left as a symbol of the Croat
resistance.

Today the town is making a remarkable recovery. We enjoyed
the local beer at a street side café and noticed that a first priority in
their reconstruction was installing ATM machines for the tourists. It
seemed like there
was a "bank-in-the-wall" at every corner. The town did have modern shops and
stores but what was not seen was the
beautiful old architecture from before the war.

The planned bus tour of the day was to Osijek, Croatia which was about two
hours away and is the
economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region. But, I was
one bus ride over my limit, so we soaked in the newly restored atmosphere of
Vukovar.

My Sweetheart shopped till she dropped. I carried her back to the ship where there was a party going go. We dined that evening on local cooking and local beer. Of course, finished off with plum brandy.

Wag the Dog or A Day in Belgrade

2011-06-09T13:13:00.002-05:00

The next morning we woke up in Belgrade, the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on the banks of the Danube at the mouth of the Sava River. Our tour bus was waiting to show us the city. Belgrade, which translates in English to the White city, has a population of 1.7 million, making it one of the largest cities of southeastern Europe. It is a beautiful and totally modern city and as I looked out the bus window all I could think of was, OMG, we bombed these people less than twelve years ago. For those who don’t remember the Kosovo War in 1999, NATO’s bombings caused substantial damage to the city. Among the sites were that were bombed were the RTS (Radio, Television of Serbia) building, the Central Committee Building and another government building. Two of the buildings are currently covered with construction tarps, and one, the Central Committee Building, left open for all to see. There is talk of making it a monument. NATO’s bombing campaign in Kosovo has been the subject of much debate. One criticism was the timing of the NATO intervention, coming as it did on the heels of the Monica Lewinski scandal led many to suspect that the intervention was an opportunistic attempt to distract the American public. One great American movie put it this way:
"Why does the dog wag its tail?
Because the dog is smarter than the tail.
If the tail were smarter, it would wag the dog."
The Cathedral of Saint Sava is an Orthodox church in Belgrade, it is named after a young monk who became a great leader in the twelfth century . The Cathedral is built on the location where the poor monk’s bones were burned by the Ottoman Turks some 400 years after his death. The Cathedral dominates Belgrade's cityscape, and is the centerpiece of the city. Construction of the Cathedral started in 1935 and today the exterior is complete but work continues on the interior.
After visiting the church, my sweetheart and I enjoyed lunch at a street side patio café. We had a wonderful garlic soup and the Serbian National dish of Ćevapčići, which consists of grilled ground meat patties, that are heavily seasoned. Meals, in Serbia and Bulgaria, are traditionally followed by plum brandy which was perfect on the cool, sunny afternoon.
After the brandy it was time to visit the fort. Fort Kalemegdan is a large fort that has been turned into a urban park in Belgrade. Fort Kalemegdan is the core of the oldest section of Belgrade and for centuries the city population lived only within the walls of the fortress.. The view from the fort is over looked by a large statue of a nude man called “The Victor”. The statue was originally supposed to be placed on a square in the middle of town, but ended up at Fort Kalemegdan after people complained about its nudity. Fortunately he faces out over the cliffs and not back into the park.

Syfogin Kostolac, Serbia and the Roman Camp Viminacium

2011-05-29T16:48:00.001-05:00

For a history buff this stop has to be heaven but for someone more interested in the gastronomic delights of the area, this stop was a dog. The cute river weekend houses were interesting and the gypsy children play in from of their dilapidated apartment building added a touching photo op. We did not go into the town of Kostolac but landed on the banks of the Danube north of the city. Except for the large coal fired power plant, it looked like the residents enjoyed a quiet life fishing and cooking outside on their grills.
Kostolac is a small Serbian town slightly removed from the Danube river The remains of the Roman capital Viminacium are located some 15 miles to the east of Kostolac. Viminacium was the capital city and military camp of the Roman province of Moesia (today's Serbia). The archeological site occupies a large area that is in competition with the strip mining operation for the local coal. The city dates back to the 1st century AD and contains archaeological remains of temples, streets, squares, amphitheatres, palaces, hippodromes and Roman baths. It lies on the Roman road Via Militaris, that’s the Military Road for most of us. It was built in the 1st century AD and ran from Belgrade to Constantinople.
Viminacium was one of the most important Roman cities and military camps in the period from 1st to 4th century. It’s exceptional strategic importance was reflected both in the defense of the northern border of the Roman empire and in turn of communications and commercial transactions.
To enter Serbian waters we needed to clear Serbian Customs. This had something to do with catching old war criminals and admittance into the European Union. My sweetheart came through with flying colors and I was the one in the line grumbling about state’s rights. This had something to do with the absolute lack of iced tea on this trip.
After this fun filled day it was back to the ship to contemplate my new sense of history over a cold glass of the local Serbian Chardonay.

Vidin, Bulgaria and the Iron Gate

2011-05-21T10:36:00.002-05:00

Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. Vidin's main landmark, the Baba Vida fortress, was built in the period from the 10th to the 14th century. In the middle ages, Vidin used to be an important Bulgarian city. Of course, I missed all this while looking for a cold local beer. The beer was good but I missed the historical tour. The beer only cost 2 Bulgarian Lev, not to be confused with the Romanian Lei of which I still have plenty of, or about $1.50. That would have been 150 Lei but the countries don’t take the others currency. Money changers make a good business in these countries but be advised, nobody, but nobody wants Romanian Lei. Mine are now part of my coin collection.
The Iron Gate is a gorge on the Danube River. The Iron Gate is considered the gateway to Transylvania. The riverbed rocks and the associated rapids made the gorge valley an infamous passage. This gorge forms part of the boundary between Romania and Serbia. To enter this region your riverboat must be raised to level of the river behind the Romanian-Yugoslavian lock. We accomplished this at about two in the morning. I woke up to loud crashing noises and reached for my camera. The only pictures I got were those inside the lock before I fell back to sleep. The construction of the joint Romanian-Yugoslavian dam that would finally tame the river commenced in 1964 and was completed in 1974. The construction of these dams gave the valley of the Danube below Belgrade a long reservoir, and additionally caused a 100 foot rise in the water level of the river.
Back on the ship we head for the small Serbian village of Kostolac, the site of the Roman Camp, Viminatium. The seventh Roman legion was stationed here in the first century AD. But before that it’s time for another dinner watching the sunset over the Danube.

Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

2011-05-14T12:16:00.000-05:00

As we leave Bucharest the country becomes progressively depressing. Quaint county farms and villages that remind me of the west side of Calvert, back in the good old USA. For those who have never been to my home town, the west side is perpetually stuck in a time lock of the eighteen hundreds. After a two hour ride we arrive at Oltenita, Romania. Our river cruise ship, the Primadonna, is moored to a small dock on the banks of the Danube. Here I must point out that the word Danube, and all if it’s derivatives, means Brown. Forget about the “Blue Danube” that only exists in Schubert’s mind. As we board the ship and are handed our first glass of champagne, things begin to look up. The ship with it’s open atrium in the center is modern, spacious and comfortable. With room for only 140 guests we soon begin to meet everyone on board and at dinner time we all dine in the beautiful dining room with meals equal to any you will find on the large sea going cruise ships. The first nights cruise takes us to Russe, Bulgaria. The one problem with a cruise on this part of the Danube is that the sights you want to see are usually a two hour bus ride from the port. Today’s bus ride took us to Veliko Tarnovo. Veliko Tarnovo is one of the oldest settlements in Bulgaria, having a history of more than 5 millennia, as the first traces of human presence dating from the 3rd millennium BC are on Trapezitsa Hill. After a shopping tour of the town we had a traditional lunch in the village of Arbanasi. Goulash served with the local wine and beautiful dancing girls in their native costunes. After lunch it was a sleepy ride back to the ship on the Danube.

Constanta and the Black Sea

2011-04-30T19:08:00.000-05:00

Constanta, Romany, built on the ruins of the roman city of Tomis, is a treasure trove of artifacts for the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Attempts are being made to display the old finds but the day we visited their museum the plumbing was out of order. Such was the state of many of the facilities in Romania. Constanta is memorable in that the entry points into the city have large ships with the name “Constanta” on the ship hull. Nice signage!
All my life I have felt sorry for the folks who were forced to live under communism. You know, bad apartments, long lines, no food and dismal beaches. Now I find out I was wrong all along. Yes, they have those ugly concrete apartment buildings, they did stand in lines, but as for beaches, they are class. Although looking like Galveston six months after Hurricane Ike – patchy construction and reconstruction, vacant buildings that at one time were the site of many wonderful parties. We were there in early April and the beaches were deserted but I am sure by mid June they will look like Padre Island during spring break. (Floridian that I am, I always check out the beaches.)
The Romanian government didn’t seem to be stingy when they were building structures to impress the world. Their citizens, they didn’t really put too much thought to them. Down to each tour guide, we were told of the deprivation of the public. Romania in particular, under the agonizing oppression of the dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, suffered greatly. While his subjects suffered severe hunger and cold for many years he sold the countries food and products to the world for money he would put into grand building schemes. His royal place in Bucharest , still unfinished, is the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon Building. Dictated to be made exclusively of Romanian materials the palace is gorgeous. Five types of marble, huge crystal chandeliers to make the Queen Mother swoon and fabulous rugs made to cover the stunning pink marble floors. Acres and acres of rugs! The new Republic hopes to have it finished in six years. It is certainly a site to see. Sorry old Nicolae and his wife won’t get to see it – they were tried, found guilty and executed in the 1989 uprising by the people. Whoop!

Syfogin Bucharest, Romania

2011-04-23T11:47:00.004-05:00

Our hotel in Bucharest was the Palace Anthenee Hilton, it was interesting having breakfast were Adolph Hitler actually held meetings. This trip was interesting and I must describe to you what we saw, both the beautiful and the ugly.

Romania suffered under Socialism for over forty years and it can be seen in the land and in the people. Bucharest, once considered the Paris of the East has many structures built in the art nouveau and Baroque style. The area around Revolution Square is a busy modern city. It is in this area we spent our first day in Bucharest. After exploring a little and trying to keep on a daytime/ nighttime schedule, we looked for a place for an early dinner. A little underground restaurant with very good local food & wine was just around the corner and also "just right".

After a restful fifteen hour nap, we were ready to see Bucharest for real. Our first stop was “Caru cu Bere” the famous beer garden in Old Town. A great place to enjoy sausage, beer and sauerkraut. Built in 1897 (the year the "Pink House that's Now Blue" was built) the woodwork and Victorian flair was absolutely beautiful. One local said you must see this most beautiful church and across the street visit the most beautiful beer garden in Bucharest. Food was good, beer was great!

After lunch we took in more of Old Town and then headed to the Museum of the Villages. This outdoor museum is a collection of old houses and barns moved into a park like setting in town. It consisted of structures dating as far back as the 1700’s. Homes built partially underground, thatched roof, handmade fences and structures of all kinds. There was one windmill, flour grinding stones, grist mills, and all sorts of things they used then.

By now we had figured out the good taxi, bad taxi routine and were able to take a cab back to our hotel to meet our Aggie friends for dinner.