Valentine's Day

   Beso Beso to all and Happy Valentine's Day.  I'm leaving Posada Margarita and moving back into El Mariposa.  I'll leave my bags and return late this afternoon to check in after my sortie into the countryside.

Mexicans celebrate Friend's Day today and renew and share friendships as well as take their sweetheart out to an expensive place for dinner and dance.

   I met Jan, a retired "social worker" from Chicago that has lived for a time in Venezuela as well as travel most of Western Europe.  She speaks and teaches Spanish but now in her late 70's she has lived here for 15 years and is trying to sell one of two of her homes in the country.  She is a doer and helps Mexicans with deformity to get plastic surgery, dental work, teaches the children English and even is taking a lovely 15 year old to Chicago to try and get her into the University of Chicago program for entrance. She has donated not only her time but money for libraries in villages and other good causes.  The house is too much for her so we took a taxi to the bus or mini bus station and hopped on a "Suburban" for the 40 minute ride to her village. Then after viewing the house and having lunch together, we took a taxi to another nearby village to give Valentine's Day presents to her 15 year old friend and her family.

    I walked around town and took some photos, bought some Mescal, drank some Mescal with the store owner then bought some pastries in the bakery before returning to get my directions back.  Her friends gave me a bottled water and had also bought some pastries for me to take back!
   They walked me to the center where I caught the Suburban back to the base station in Oaxaca.  I then took a taxi 40 Pesos, back to El Mariposa where my bags were in the room and my key waiting.  I spent almost an hour and a half trying to get on the internet to find out about my other inquiries.  Once I connected  and noted two messages to meet the following day but lost the connection when I tried to reply.  I was tired and stressed so on the way to Happy Hour I ran into Nora the lady that hosted me at her home last week. She suggested I come with them to Happy Hour so I joined their group.  She apologized for not making the call I requested to a Spanish landlady the evening I was there and asked if I would come my on Sunday and she would do that.