Day: February 17, 2015

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Back in the Saddle

My friend Janet organized a beach trail ride for today with two other friends and myself. This was her first time inviting me and we are going to try to make it a weekly event for the four of us since we get along well and the cost is only 100 pesos for an hour!

There are lots of horses on Isla, but some are better cared for than others. The ones right on my street are sickly and dirty with protruding ribs. I would not have felt comfortable riding such a horse.

Lending a sharp contrast, the horses we rode today appeared nearly as well tended as any horse I’ve ridden back home. They were obviously well fed and groomed and had decent saddles.

Janet is a very experienced rider, having owned a horse for years. Next up with experience was myself, and then one lady who has been riding casually on Isla the last few years and another lady who has only ridden two or three times.

Our handler paired us with a mount suited to our experience and off we went to the beach. I regret not bringing my camera because what a memory that would have been, the tide low, the sky bright blue, and the palms and ocean framing us. Wow. How did I get to be so lucky?!

We mostly walked and trotted, but we did get in a good canter in both directions. It was absolutely exhilarating!

My horse, Diamante (Diamond) and I fit well together. I had no trouble posting at trot and was well seated for an exceedingly smooth canter. My only complaint was the stirrups digging into my ankles since I had to wear my Keens, not having had the foresight to bring my cowboy boots to Mexico.

Our guide was hilarious, joking about how lucky he was to be riding with four gorgeous women. Between our guide’s limited English and my Spanish, we were able to banter back and forth, learn about each other and Isla, joke, and have a great time.

I still have no complaints about my Mexican life, the recreational opportunities available to me, or the cost of living. 😀

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Banking Misadventure Update (and an Early Morning Town Run)

Back in late December, I had the misfortune of requesting money from an ATM, the money being taken out of my account, but not actually receiving the cash.

I called (actually Skyped) my bank as soon as I found out and the representative was very sympathetic and said that she would start an investigation right away for me. However, I was warned that the Mexican bank had 30 business days to respond to the investigation and an additional 60 business days to actually give me back my money. Oy.

A month later (fewer than 30 business days), I Skyped again to see if the investigation was till in process. I had been told that I would either get a letter saying that the investigation had concluded against me or that I would see the money back in my account. Since I don’t have access to my mail, a quick call was the best option to know if this was resolved or not.

This representative told me that the investigation was still pending and that the Mexican bank had not replied. Moreover, this representative was a bit more familiar with Mexican banks and said that Bancomer is notoriously difficult to work with. I should hang in there. As soon as the initial 30 business days were passed, CIBC would be able to get nasty.

I decided to call CIBC once again at the start of February, but the days got away with me. And to be honest, I’d mourned the loss of that money, made up for its lost, and had moved on. I just wasn’t expecting to see it again.

So imagine my surprise this morning when I logged onto my online account and found not only the missing 2,000 pesos, but a sufficient additional amount to cover related fees and interest related to this whole fiasco! Thank you, CIBC!!!

That sure put a spring in my step! I was trying to drag myself out the door to run to town to withdraw cash at Santander and also get a few groceries, but I hadn’t had enough sleep and was facing a full day and was moving sloooooowly until I got the good news!

I left home around 7:00 and didn’t waste any time getting to the bank. Maz is super quiet that early in the day with almost nothing being open, so there were no distractions. I made a nice big withdrawal that could last me a month, then went around the corner to Panamá.

There, I picked up a ham, cheese, and jalapeño sandwich to eat right then, an almond croissant to enjoy with a cup of coffee when I got home, and a pineapple stuffed thing to eat later this afternoon.

Next stop was Ley for few groceries. I’m doing a big Soriana run possibly tomorrow afternoon, so it was more of an emergency top up of things that were on sale than a proper stock up, including getting a container of my favourite yoghurt for only 23 pesos!

Then off I went home, where I arrived at bang on 9:00. The day was already getting hot, a brutal shock after the wet and chilly weekend we had, so I was glad to get into my cool home.

Now, a bit of work, a fun excursion, and then lots of work. Might as well make hay while the sun is shining. Literally.

Life in my tropical paradise continues to be wonderful beyond measure.