LAST MONTH IN SCOTTSDALE ... HELLO DEBBIE IN OAXACA .

      Heather called a couple days ago to say the doctors found a lump in her breast when she had her annual mammogram done.  She went in yesterday to have it removed and I haven't heard from her yet.  I am off to my eye operation that I have been waiting since July to complete and hopefully regain my full sight. 
     My ping pong players will be happy to have some competition. I do not recommend playing Table Tennis with one eye...very difficult and frustrating especially when you opponent discovers which is the bum eye.

     Wish me luck.
     Well I had to discontinue the Table Tennis because the Eye Surgeon said I couldn't bend over for a few weeks and chasing the ball around the room required that.
     I saw my Cardio Doc and he was happy and gave me a script for Nitro on my request to be safe.  Jeannie carted me back and forth a few times, even days I got my appointments wrong.  We went to Uncle Sam's for a fabulous thank you dinner.  She had a salad and I ate Steak with Roquefort Cheese Mushroom Sauce and Green Beans.

    I packed 3 suitcases and was ready to depart on Thursday the 17th when Jeannie showed up with a smile to assist me and drop me at the American Check in.  The trip went smooth and when I arrived at my front door in Oaxaca, Lu-Lu and Alejandro, her father-in-law were waiting to help me.  I took the big suitcase and after reaching my door I noticed Alejandro struggling with my other BIG suitcase.  They go out of their way to make you feel welcome and had the condo all clean and ready as could be since I packed away and covered all before I left over 6 months ago.  It felt so good to be there.  I unpacked one of the suitcases and reopened the TV, storage,  refrigerator, hot water heater, etc before bedding down at 3 am.
      I woke Friday at 9 and continued unpacking until late that afternoon when I walked to the ATM then the bakery to eat.  Still late when I got to bed and late when I woke Saturday determined to get some food in the house but still it was around noon when I left.

     Sunday, Tom, my friend,  and I met at Catedral for dinner and to catch up on what's happened in the last 9 months.  We had a good time as usual.
    I woke with a bout of Montezuma's revenge and debate whether I should decline Tom's offer to take me shopping.  I couldn't get off the "Throne" .  I think it was some Tuna I ate the night before.   I went to with Tom to Cherdaui, Sorina's, Walmart, Sam's Club and Home Depot.   Both of us emptied the shelves of liter boxes of wine in two supermarkets.  He took the white and I the red.  We were gone 3 hours and walked 3.3 miles in Box Stores. 
  I was still sick.

BOB DYLAN

       Spent 3 days inside, no food, couldn't eat, no appetite, didn't dare leave the throne to venture out.  Watched a lot of movies.  In the Shadow of the Moon, The Bookshop...both excellent, Copenhagen and another I wouldn't recommend. 
     Last night I watched Zero Tolerance on Frontline and then watched The Great Hack.  Both very alarming , eye opening Documentaries. 
      When I arrived in Oaxaca I went right to my HSBC Bank that I was drawing money out from their ATM to pay my annual rent here.  The ATM asked me to accept or decline a 5.5% charge on my withdrawal to convert the $ into Pesos.  I thought I had to accept to get my money but after 5 $500 withdrawals I noticed they had taken $30 out in fees for each $500 withdrawal totaling over $150 that I never had paid before. 

      I googled it and discovered it was a BANK SCAM to make more money called Dynamic Currency Conversion and that if I declined I would still get the same money without the 5.5% fee because our American bank automatically converts it at NO charge to their customer!  So I declined and their was no 5.5% added on BUT the bank doubled their local fee of 34 pesos to 68 pesos when I declined so they did get a little more...$5.   So I posted it on FB and Richard, my friend, had just returned from 6 weeks in Europe and remarked that HSBC in Europe did the same to him.  The last time I used HSBC and declined the fee, I was charged the normal amount.  I learned an expensive lesson.

     It's Friday and I'm now leaving to pick up Debbie, my friend and guest for 10 days, at the airport.  We unpacked at the Casa and went to Tres Bistro to eat.  On the way, I heard "David" and turned to see Arno and Salma driving by in their car with the window down yelling to me.  I assured them I would stop at their restaurant the next day for breakfast.    Arturo  greeted us when we arrived at Tres Bistro and one of the owners stopped over to the table to discuss our "electric bikes". He and I both have similar fold up bikes but after 3 years his broke and he can't get the part to repair it. 

     We stopped in the outdoor Cafe to have a "last call".  She asked if I had any Mezcal, so when we left, I went to the Casa de Mezcal and purchased a bottle their "house" Mezcal" Cedron and put it on my Credit Card.  It was the last time I saw that card. We took a taxi in the rain then tasted the Mescals and ended staying up until 3 am.  

        Saturday we didn't get up until 10 am and took off around noon for Arno and Salma's restaurant to have a fabulous breakfast.

They invited us to join them the 31st for Tamales and Chocolate at the XOXO village then on to the cemetery for the Day of the Dead at their family grave. It was free for me but I said I have to give something so Arno said 100$ ($5) for Debbie and I!  We wandered around the city, taking in the other Organic Market 
         Then we took a bus to the HSBC ATM so Debbie could get some money but didn't bring a Debit Card but a Credit card that didn't work. 
          She bought her Pesos from me with her dollars.  We walked the park , visited a pharmacy so she could get her list of drugs filled to take back to friends that requested it.

       We walked all day to different places.  Organic Market, a Nunnery, Churches, the Zocalo, then ended up at Biznaga to eat.  We were waiting to be seated when William and Thad, friends of mine , saw us and asked if we care to join them .  We did and had a wonderful 2 hours chatting and eating .  The food wasn't the usual high standard but we enjoyed it.

         When we left, a  Day of the Dead parade in my neighborhood was just coming down out street.  It was 4 pm so we stayed to watch while they went home.   We watched the entire parade then went to the gathering at the Danza Plaza where it ended in a big fireworks display.  We got back home around 10 pm.

        Sunday we returned to Salma's for another great meal then to a NEW ATM that had  been recommended but it was out of money. 

We walked around keeping busy while Debbie  shopped for souvenirs.  That afternoon we stopped in the Zocalo for dinner when I realized my regular Credit Card was NOT in my wallet.  I panicked, Debbie payed the bill and off we went to the Casa to see if I had left it behind...I did not.  We went to the last place I used it to buy a bottle of Mescal...the same person was there and he remembered me and said he handed it back to me.   That evening I got on the internet and reported it lost when Bank of America asked if the pending charges were valid.  Then I noticed one wasn't...for $520 !  It was the maximum I could get at one time from an ATM but NEVER used that card for an ATM.  Then I remembered there was an ATM at the place I bought the Mescal and the owner could have had access to it and used my card that he just processed a purchase of Mescal with?   

        I called B of America Monday and protested the charge and they credited it pending further investigation.  Now I was really angry at myself for letting it out of my hand and NOT taking it back that night and allowing 5 charges with high fees before catching the scam. 

 [I was wrong about being  robbed by Casa Mescal the night my C Card was lost...That they stole it and used it to get my money out of their ATM.  Well my bank refused to credit me and rightfully so.  After I got the refusal I was pissed and out to prove them wrong. Before I did that, I thought I should check my ATM withdrawal receipts ...and sure enough I had withdrawn that money myself from the ATM near Llano.

       I took my guest Deb there that morning to withdraw some money so she could have pesos while visiting for the week.  When she realized she didn't have the right card and couldn't get money from the ATM I decided to use my card and she would just pay me for the pesos...BUT I didn't have my regular ATM debit card either so I used my CMA Merrill Lynch card that day to get her the pesos she needed.   That day we were busy all day and went into the night .  Exhausted and caught in the rain as we made one last purchase at the Casa de Mescal before taking a taxi home in the rain.  That is the last time I used the card for purchase goods.  I believe I lost it in the taxi or in the rain and the rush out of the store into the taxi.   So now I have to apologize to everyone that I reported to that the Casa Mescal stole and processed a large payment from their ATM ....because I did it early that day.  I discovered the receipt in the pile of 14 ATM withdrawals the previous 10 days.  I didn't discover the card missing until I had to use it 2 days later and had forgotten about that morning trying to help Deb.]

       We did more of the shopping and sight seeing until we stopped at the Catedral for dinner then home. We got caught in a torrential rain storm on the way home and both were soaked when we arrived.

       Tuesday I lost track of, until 5 when we were scheduled for a Day of the Dead Lecture at the library. We had two Mexican guest speakers. One lady gave a talk about her family and how they celebrate the occasion at home with an alter that took two weeks to complete while working everyday all day.  Then of course the visit to the grave.  The other speaker was a Zapotec from Teotitlan de Valle, where I have my casita.   He talked about the difference between the Zapotec community and the lady and her celebration. It was interesting but just before the lecture was over, the rain started again.  I forgot my umbrella so again got soaked. We managed to make it to Luna y Sol Restaurant up the street for two pizzas before taking a taxi home.

      Debbie was up and out when I got up.  So I watched Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes on the computer from Sunday.  She returned around 11 am with more Retin-A and souvenirs. I was working on this blog and managed to get caught up.  Tonight we go to dinner with Michelle , my friend who I share her Casita in Teotitlan de Valle.   It was a large party with a lot of my friends.  My Doctor was there, Michelle and her brother Nick, Doug and his wife Joan, Larry the Hike organizer, along with Jill and more.  Michelle paid for over 13 Appetizers that kept coming all night while we bought our drinks at the open bar and listened to a Mariachi band that she had also paid for. It was  a really fun night.

OUR BEAUTIFUL HOSTESS AND FRIEND MICHELLE

       Thursday was the 31st and the start of the trips to the Grave Yard for the Day of the Dead Celebration.  We joined Arno and Salma along with a couple from Holland, a couple friends of Dick, our Manager of the condos, that were from Oregon, an Australian lady who lives in Mexico city, a Californian that gave away everything and just moved to Oaxaca, and a couple others.  We took a van to XOXO and arrived at Salma's Grandmother's home for dinner.

      After a wonderful feast of Tamales, Moles, and Mescal, we all walked through the crowded village to the Graveyard where Salma's family were already waiting at their Grandparents grave site.  We chatted and did introductions with some Mescal then walked through the graveyard to another of her family's ancestors grave site where one of her relatives sang a song over a karaoke machine.    We returned to the grandparents grave where music was playing and dancing commenced.  

       Finally we had some free time to roam then returned to the house and home after a wonderful evening.

     Friday we took the bus to Monte Alban for a couple hours then stopped at Quinque restaurant for lunch.     We visited the Oaxacan Painter's Museum before heading home for a rest.   

 That evening we had dinner at Berliner German Restaurant owned by Gabriel and Johanna.   The Bratwurst and Goulash were a nice change and very good.

    Saturday started with breakfast at Las Ramblas to visit Arno and Salma and thank them for a wonderful tour with their family.   

We then   visited  the Textile Museum then some time in the Zocalo to watch the world go by.   Later that afternoon we finally got to the bakery for their Pizza.  It was so good, we decided to take another one home for a snack/dinner.

    Sunday at 5:30 am my alarm went off and I managed to get up, help Debbie take her suitcase out to the front where NO TAXI WAS WAITING.   Shortly one stopped when he saw us but said he was not the one we called the day before.  It was 6:10 so she took the taxi and arrived in time to catch her flight to Mexico City, then to L.A. then to Portland and home.
    
      It was a busy but nice visit and we both enjoyed it.   I returned to bed and never left the house that day.😏 

PS       I don't have to listen to Trump shit here.   I did see on the news that Trump went to a baseball game and when they showed him in the audience on the big screen....everyone chanted "lock him up" .  I hope that wasn't fake news.