Our Lifestyle Adventures: Succumbing to Mexico's Lure

we are doing the second half of this cruise!

the border in Andrade, California

Los Algodones is a small town at the northernmost tip of Mexico, with a population of 5,474 as of the 2010 Mexican census. Situated near the borders of both southeastern California and southwestern Arizona, Los Algodones has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years. From the US side, Los Algodones is most easily reached via the international border at Andrade, California. From Andrade, visitors park their vehicles for a small fee and walk or drive their vehicles across.

an explosion of clinics

where the town is located

The warm, dry climate of the area attracts snow birding tourists from all over the United States and Canada who settle in the nearby towns of Yuma, Arizona and Winterhaven, California and even on organized day trips from as far as Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona and Palm Springs and San Diego, California. Thus there is an explosion of pharmacies and medical, dental, and optical clinics, shifting the town's focus to medical tourism. Shops, restaurants, and frequent fiestas provide additional fun.

Sani Denal Group

the business district of Los Algodones

Bill and I succumbed to the lure. We went to dental clinic that we was frequented by our neighbors on block 5500 and by many others at Viewpoint. Sani Dental Group, the top dental clinic, boasts of 60 dentists (some of whom are schooled in the US) in three separate facilities. In fact we stayed at Hacienda Los Algodones, the charming top hotel in town which is also owned by the Group. Both of us had our teeth deep cleaned (4 quadrants) for $200 each. The same service is quoted at $1,000 in Phoenix. Even with gas at $60 round trip and $35 for the hotel, it was still about $1,500 cheaper!

courtyard at the Hacienda

Besides I was able to have a short vacation with my sister Cherry and her husband Rick (although we were both in agony over the procedures done).  She was quoted $30,000 for implants in San Diego, California. I told her to check out Sani Dental who gave her five days free stay at the Hacienda. In the final analysis, although they do a lot of implants, they recommended dentures for her instead.  Cherry spent only $2,500 which would have cost much much more for comparable services back in San Diego.

enjoying a Mexican meal at Paraiso (Paradise)

breakfast at Hacienda

And I also had fun looking for some silver jewelry I needed for my daughter April’s Guthrie Castle wedding in Scotland. I could not decide between 2 sets so I bought both! Anyway, each cost only $20! For very affordable prices, we also had great combos of chili relleno, beef taco, chicken enchilada and jumbo margaritas at Paraiso, nachos and pozoles at La Tetilla, and chillaquilles at the Hacienca café. Too bad we had to leave right away to keep Bill’s scheduled colonoscopy the next day.

The other thing is that our European trip has finally been booked! We leave on May 17, arriving the following day in Oslo, Norway. Then on May 22 we go to Copenhagen, Denmark followed by Helsinki, Finland on May 24, and Stockholm Sweden on May 28. On June 1 we leave Stockholm on a 2-week cruise on the MV Explorer whose ports of call are Copenhagen, three cities in Iceland, an island off Scotland, Belfast in Ireland and then we disembark in Southampton in southern England on June 15.

beautiful Cotswolds in England

That is when we begin our road trip from southern England to Guthrie Castle where April will be wed on July 2. Bill and I will rent a car and tour Salisbury, Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds, and Osford. Then we meet Ann and Jingjing in London for a short reunion before proceeding to Scotland for the wedding and a tour of Scottish Highlands.

After this, Bill goes home to Phoenix to resume his CASA responsibilities while I linger at my daughter April’s home in Newcastle, England. Hopefully, I will be able to visit Amsterdam, Glasgow, Dublin, Liverpool and northern England from there! Our European sojourn begins in less than 3 months and it will be 2-months for Bill and 3 months for me! We are so excited!

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Taking a Break from Writing III

the Washington/Oregon/Idaho Potluck Dinner at midseason in Viewpoint

the Newly Wed Game that we won!

I am really not taking a break from writing all the time. Actually, I work on revising about two chapters a week from the Round 1 comments of my editor. I am just choosing to talk about my break time activities. This post is about the tennis socials, the trip we made to Tubac, the dinner party and house hunting.

our jolly emcee!

On Feb. 10, as a pre-Valentines activity, we joined the newbie tennis group (1.5ers) at an Evening Social. We had pizza and root beer floats. Little did we know that we would be competing in a Newly Wed Game with 3 other couples who were 50+, 40+, and 30+ years married. The game was heavily rigged in favor of us. Had we not won, it would have been a shame.

But, we won, getting 7 out of the possible 10. Questions were asked to test if each couple really knew each other! These are what we didn’t get: how long we dated before we got engaged, when we had our first real kiss, and whose wedding we attended last. This last one Bill got and I didn’t! But the first were dependent on the interpretation of date and kiss! Our prizes were sparkling wine, a box of chocolates and various implements for better love-making! Such fun!

the vacation home of the Beckers

On Feb. 13, we took a trip to Tubac, Arizona. We had been there before (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2012/12/ola-looking-for-base-in-arizona-tucson.html). 

But, this time Oliver Becker, Bill’s brother from the Sigma Chi Fraternity at Pittsburg State University, was vacationing with his wife Kris at the lovely town. Tubac, about 50 miles south of Tucson and 150 miles south of Phoenix, is a nice little town with the first Mission of Anza and a town center made up of craft shops and fine restaurants.

Valentine's Eve dinner at Elvira's in Tubac, Arizona

They rented a neatly laid out VRBO home for a week.  After a light lunch of salad and grilled chicken, Bill and Oliver played golf while Kris and I shopped. That evening we had our pre-Valentines dinner at Elvira’s, the town’s top fine dining Mexican restaurant bedecked with thousands of colorful lights. Bill ordered our favorite flank steak mocaljete that we discovered in December 2012, Mexican beef stewed with cactus and served on a volcanic pot that keeps it simmering while one dined.

@ the Sculpture Garden

Valentine's Day Lunch at Wisdom's

The next day took an easy hike to the town’s Boar’s Head Bakery for breakfast. Going back, we passed through the Sculpture Garden which had many beautiful, but pricey, sculptures for desert homes. Then we met their other fraternity brother Jim Harris and wife Glenda together with their friends Gary and Mary for lunch at Wisdom’s near Mission Tucumcacori. They were also vacationing twenty minutes north in Green Valley.  After they left, we shopped some more at Tubac’s Tucumcookery and the Santa Cruz spices’ shop near the Mission. Back at the vacation home, we had cheese, ham, crackers, and bread for a light dinner before we headed back to Phoenix.

the fraternity brothers and their wives

Santa Cruz, the Spice Shop

Last night, we had the opportunity to participate in the Washington/Oregon/Idaho dinner. At the height of the season, snow birders from different states in the US or provinces in Canada get together in a party. I brought chef salad to contribute to the potluck. Most came from Washington and, of course, we hooted for the Seattle SeaHawks! But our friends from across our RV Kenny and Sharon were hosting a street party and we joined them after dinner for a cool chat around a campfire.

the Washington/Oregon/Idaho potluck dinner

the entrance at Leisure World

But the activity that is starting to fill our time is house hunting. First, we looked around Viewpoint and its park models and manufactured homes, both old and brand new, for $20,000 to $130,000. However, the high site rentals of $600-700/month led us to look at other Resorts. We found five Thesman Communities which do not have sites for RVs with 200 to 800 manufactured homes per village from ranging from$40,000 to $150,000 clustered around clubhouse complexes. But alas, they also had site rentals of $550-650/month.

tennis patio homes at Leisure World

We decided that we preferred to buy a traditional house and lot but also within a gated 55+ community. 

So when we accidentally came across Leisure World, we were wide-eyed about the possible new lifestyle! With 2,600 houses and lots around two 18-hole golf courses, two areas with tennis courts, and two clubhouse complexes in 19 acres of gated land, homes ranged from $100,000 to 500,000 with HOA dues that range from $239 to 431 a month. We have done two afternoons of home viewings there.

the blue house at Barrio de Tubac

I also so loved the vacation home of the Beckers so much that Kris and I looked at a few homes for sale at Barrio de Tubac. The next day I showed Bill a blue patio home and a yellow single dwelling.  But, he felt Tubac, though very pretty and with lots of interesting festivals throughout the year, is too remote. He says we should make sure we have surveyed the Phoenix Metropolitan area very thoroughly before we decide! Anyway, even if this takes a year, home hunting is always fun, especially for the wife!

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Taking a Break from Writing II

what we found at the Mesa Market...our flags!

This past week many events prevented me from writing very much: Superbowl, dinner and games with a friend, shopping and dining at a Filipino restaurant, a hike to the Tonto Ruins, a flea market, and a fundraising dinner/dance.  Fortunately I was still able to work on about two chapters of the book!

with Val and Wayne watching Superbowl at the RV

Superbowl is one big American event. That is when the NFC (National Football Conference) champion duel with the AFC (American Football Conference) champion. This is the first year I really got involved. Why? Because the 2014 NFC champion is the Seattle Seahawks, the team Bill followed from the Preliminaries to the Playoffs and to the Superbowl. He had season tickets for the ‘Hawks for the first 20 years they were in Seattle, but Scouting then took precedence.  They dominated the duel with a 43-8 performance over the Denver Broncos and Seattle burst into one explosive celebration. 700,000 people (the population of Seattle) spilled into the streets to welcome the team, the first time in its history!

Lilybeth and Mark after dinner and games

Then we had Lilybeth Brazones, Ann’s sister, and husband Mark for dinner on Tuesday.  I served pasta Bolognese, which simmered for five hours, carrots and celery with ranch dressings, garlic bread, and red wine. Since Lilybeth celebrated her birthday earlier in the week, we also had a small chocolate ganache cake and vanilla ice cream. One of my fiercest competitors in Words with Friends, Lilybeth brought Taboo. We also played squabble and Rummikub. Hopefully, this will not be the last!

Manila Sunrise Gourmet, a Filipino restaurant

When we went out shopping for Bill’s pants, golf hat, and golf shoes, we also got the chance to go to the Manila Sunrise Gourmet Restaurant owned by Rosario Soliman’s (a FB friend based in the Philippines) husband. We loved the beef kaldereta and pork sinigang we ordered. Chef Angelito is a great cook! Now we have a place to frequent and order catered Filipino food.

Lower Ruins from the parking lot

The following day, we went with 12 for our friends from Viewpoint on an outing to the Tonto National Monument. It was a 2 hour drive from camp and a 4 hour hike up and down a 3 mile round trip trail. We had our picnic lunches at the Upper Ruins which were the Salado (from Salt River) Indians’ cliff dwellings for some one hundred years from 1200 to 1300 AD.

the group at the Upper Ruins looking out to Roosevelt Lake

Upper Ruins, up close

I was so glad I made it to the top, learning about jojoba bushes, cholla plants, saguaros, sotals, barrel cacti and other vegetation the Indians made use of in their everyday living. We also got to enter some of the ruins and learn more about the construction and lifestyle of these Native Americans. The lovely Roosevelt Lake created from the construction of the Roosevelt Dam provided such a beautiful backdrop to the narrations of Peg, our NPS guide. We all ended the day with an early Asian dinner at Wok In!

resting and dining at Wok In

Yesterday, we also went to the Mesa Market, a flea market just like the ones we went to in Florida. One of our finds was a tandem of flags: a Filipino flag and an American flag, both 2 x 3 feet. Now we can proudly hang them to proclaim a biracial partnership in our RV, I suspect a rare occurrence in the RV communities. I was also able to find my Dawg house slippers and some nice green chile chowder soup mix! And we enjoyed sausage pizza and a chili dog for lunch!

In the evening, the same street block group of friends went to a Softball fundraising hamburger dinner/dance. Carolyn, one of our friends, was a member of the Gems women’s softball team which entertained the audience with fun dances on stage. There were 900 of the possible 3600 campground residents there, or 25% of all of Viewpoint! The campground’s ball park is the best in the valley. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 13 of Viewpoints’ teams and those from other resorts in the area compete and the park takes on a festive atmosphere with burgers and hot dogs and other fare available at the concession stand. Bill and I then danced the night away… okay, only  ‘til they shut down at 9:30 pm!

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Taking a break from Writing I

at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with Dave Eck, Bill's financial adviser, who flew in to finalize my investment

Carol @ tennis

With the book project ongoing, I am now able to take a break and also give you a break from the boring reports and tell you more about our adventures!  Anyway, all work and no play makes one a dull girl! First, tennis: Bill accuses me of wanting to play tennis only to get a new wardrobe! Although he is partially right, I was devoting some 4.5 hours/week getting the ball to the other side of the court and another four hours at the Fitness Center.  I have managed to keep my weight at 125 lbs., although a far cry from the 101 lbs. I brought into the US.

Bill with the giant golf ball at PGA Superstore

Bill @ tennis potluck

Unfortunately, on my third tennis clinic, just as I had completed my new wardrobe of two tank tops, two bottoms, a tennis racket, and tennis shoes, all in my favorite yellow and black motif, the calf muscle on my right leg got torn! I was out of active tennis for a whole two weeks!  The sweet guy Bill is, he just kept me practicing hitting the ball without moving my legs! And we were both able to attend a tennis club general meeting and contribute to a tennis potluck social! Athletic Bill has golf in addition!

Niall, our guru

Then I found this free course of ten sessions, An Introduction to Practical Philosophy, every Saturday morning at the West Community Center of Mesa. It is offered by the School of Practical Philosophy as a prelude to all its other courses, philosophy and economics, et al, leading all the way to a meditating life. The School was founded in England in 1932, was introduced to New York (now its headquarters) in 1964, and brought to the Phoenix area in 2009. It is now in seventy countries (but not yet in the Philippines). I consider finding it as one of the benefits of living in a big city!

Next thing we knew, we had a visit from David Eck, Bill’s financial adviser, who flew in from Washington, had a layover of three hours in the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, giving us enough time to finalize our discussions about my own investments. I had sold one of my houses in Quezon City and, with interest rates in the Philippines almost the same as here, I have opted to have more passive income in an annuity fund that is closer to home, here in the US. We signed the documents at the airport and he flew back to Washington!

wine and truffle tasting @ Vino in Scottsdale, Arizona

movie and dinner @ Studio Movie Grille

January is also the time to enjoy the stocking stuffers! One of those I gave Bill was a wine and truffle tasting event in Scottsdale. We enjoyed ourselves immensely at Vino and even brought home a bottle of exceptional wine blend and gifts for Trisha and April, both wine lovers, who are celebrating their birthdays soon. Another stocking stuffer I gave Bill was a ticket to the Studio Movie Grill, also in Scottsdale, a luxury theater with reclining chairs serving dinner to boot. He got another ticket for me and we had fun watching The Lone Survivor, downing nachos and salsa for appetizers, tenderloin tips pasta and pasta pomodoro for dinner. Sadly, although the movie was ok, the dinner wasn’t.

huge breakfast @ Denny's

Good news is that I have stabilized not only my eyes’ health, but overall health! Although the bone density exam showed early osteoporosis on my left hip and general osteopina, Dr. Crawford said it is to be expected at my age. Hives have not recurred since October. Although GERD is still there, it is largely controlled. Besides I now have my regular supply of alkaline water (another benefit of being in a big city.  And the ultrasound of my upper abdomen revealed just the same old gallbladder polyp that has not grown any bigger. In other words, he pronounced me in general good health, now that the thyroid hormone is stabilized (which could have been the root of all my problems). I am to come back and see him in six months, after our European sojourn! We celebrated with a huge Denny’s pancake breakfast!

The other good news: Bill has completed his CASA training and will soon work on his first case! Bill and I are both pretty much on track, living balanced lives: part-time business, payback time, and  play time!