A Night Out

 Thought you might be missing The Sphere - I steal all these pictures from on line. Liked this one, different. Weather here is better than Vegas. 

I do the blog first thing in the morning, when Bill is still in bed. So the lighting in the room is pretty much non existent. Forgive all the typing errors I miss. So how are we enjoying stay here? Mixed emotions. Not used to being in a space that isn't ours, miss our stuff. Also woke up this morning to no water. Guess the tank on the roof is empty - update it is broken. Glad we have Wet Wipes and bottled water. Bill is having problems with the bed and his back. So far I've been sleeping good. The weather is great. And we've managed to keep busy. He had another dental appointment first thing in the morning and then we had a good French Toast breakfast at Pancho's. 

Later in the afternoon we took an Uber to the Centro Historical. This beautiful old building is empty and going to ruins. Lots of big trees showing above it  roof line. So Sad. 

We  went to the Plazuela Machado and ran into an old friend. Guitar player and singer, Ramon. He and Bill have a standing joke. Bill always pays him not to play and sing. He says it is less busy this year than it has been. They had a good talk and lots of laughs. 

I've already posted a picture of this Monigote - the correct name for what I call the Carnaval statues - but feel like she deserves to be posted again. 

Got a little different view of her this time. Hum.....Just walking around her I didn't notice her attributes until I looked up. 

Pretty flowers on the bushes in the Plazuela. 

These benches were so beautiful when they were installed several years ago. Now they really need some TLC. The plaque says who donated it. 

I mentioned Beach Burger a while ago. It used to be right here. Now it is a pizza place. There are two different building in this picture. The one on the left has apartments upstairs. The one on the right is empty up stairs. Really a shame. 

This is the same building The Juarez Building. Restaurants, jewelry store and newspaper office on first floor, like I said empty upstairs. 

Most of the buildings surrounding the Plazuela are from the mid 1800's. This is a new plaque telling about the building. 

This building is across the street. Equally beautiful. It houses different art schools. Several young people were entering it with their musical instruments for a class. In another section of it painting classes are taught. The old clock doesn't work. 

This building has no roof. It is a parking garage. Many, many times we parked the Jeep there. At least it is being used and kind of kept up.

The plaque on its wall. First time I've ever seen any information about it. 

A not so good picture of the Plazuela. Lots of vendors and restaurants. The gazebo was being used yesterday for a concert.

We were wondering how old this tree was. There are about four of them growing along here. There is an ice cream shop behind it. 

Another majestic building. The Angela Peralta Theater. 

And there is Bill. If a person will stop he'll talk and talk to them. A security guard outside a now closed hotel. 

Another view of some of the restaurants in the Plazuela. 

Many years ago this showed up in the Plazuela. No idea why or where from. 

Look at the size of that plant. Good climate for it to grow in I guess.

The entrance to an art gallery and hotel the restaurant is outside. Lots of interesting art inside and out. 

Their mission statement. Haven't  eaten there, should give it a try. 

Will stop for now. We were going in search of cinnamon rolls this morning but plans are made to be changed. Probably will go to a supermarket to get some pastries. Oh - yesterday we got in 4800 steps. Working on increasing them. 

Bill went to dentist, mostly lazy rest of day

Yesterday morning we got an early start. Bill had a dentist appointment at 7:30. Luckily we could walk there, only took a few minutes. We got there before the Dentist, Dr. Paty. Just wondering what the heck the pigeons were eating. Didn't look like there was anything on the cement. 

It was a really nice morning. Humidity is staying low thank goodness. Dr Paty's sign. She is a favorite of the gringos - meaning more expensive than a local's dentist. But Bill likes her. He is getting a bridge/partial to replace the teeth he had pulled. One of the reasons we came here. 

Watching some of the colorful busses going by. Busses with air conditioning are 13 pesos, without 12 pesos. 

Went home after leaving dentist. Bill is having trouble sleeping on the hard mattress. It is funny the mattresses are not on wooden frames, but set right on top of concrete frames meant to hold a mattress. And the pillows stuffing is not in cloth covers but plastic ones with of course cotton pillow cases. But the cases slip and slide all night. Another weird thing. I happened to pick up the sheet over my head and realized I could see through the material. I could read a book through it. It was so thin, but very soft. 

His back was feeling a little better later on in the day so we took and Uber and went to Cerritos. He doesn't want to ride a bus, says they are too high for him to step up to get into. This sign wasn't there a couple of years ago. 

They are in the process of painting the big restaurant and the benches. I thought wow they fixed the benches before they painted them. 

Well, no I guess they didn't. The edge of this one is as rough as ever.  Signs say wet paint. Notice the chunk of bench edge on the ground. 

The restaurant is already finished.

Zooming out to the rocks. The tide was really out. 

Again no one on the beach. 

I don't think I'd want to sit on this one. Pretty soon there won't be any seat part left.

Lots of vendors here. Bill was talking to the daughter of the owner of one of the shops. I've bought a lot of my favorite woven blouses there over the years. She said it is really and she hasn't made a sale in a couple of days. Cute little kids clothes. 

We didn't stay there very long. Another Uber back to hotel. Pretty much just relaxed we went out to eat. A week since I fell. Hands are pretty well healed, but still sore if I bump the scab. Knee is still swollen and bruising is moving down the leg. But the road rash is pretty well healed. It hasn't hurt to walk on it thank goodness. 

Out for breakfast at La Antigua

 Yesterday morning was beautiful. Blue, blue sky with wispy clouds. Low humidity and temps in mid 70's. Perfect. I was sitting on the patio waiting for Bill to wake up when this guy went by. Yes there is a guy under that dead Christmas tree. In his other hand was a plastic bag full of empty aluminum cans. Wonder what he is going to do with the tree. Fire to keep him warm maybe.

As I said a beautiful day.

Around noon we caught an Uber to go over to the Centro Historico to go to one of our favorite restaurants for breakfast. A really nice mosaic mural on a building. 

La Antiuga restaurant. We like eating in the patio of the old hacienda that is now a restaurant. The lady in the white blouse manages/owns the restaurant. She recognized Bill right away and had to give him a big welcome hug. I get a hand shake!

It is such a neat serene place. I love all the tile work on the fountain and the greenery. There are a lot of little birds singing in the trees. 

Inside the hacienda is this beautiful stained glass window. Through the years they have been restoring it. Almost completely done now. 

The fireplace is all tile and carved wood. 

Small tile frames around the outside of the windows in the patio. Also stained glass instead of regular window glass.

Another window in the patio. 

And what does this restaurant serve? Well crepes of course. This one is filled with cream cheese and thinly sliced bananas. Drizzled with caramel sauce and chopped nuts and whip cream decorations. Soooo Good. I ate it all. 

Inside window sill. Bigger tiles. 

Ceiling beams in main room. Looks like they were had cut. 

Just a little weird drawing on the wall of a building across the street. 

This area has a lot of the original homes and buildings. Many of them have been restored or kept up. Unfortunately there are quite a few that are in ruins. An apartment building across the street. Buildings used to be so pretty and original. 

One of the old homes along the street has been restored. Parking area in front of it. Most of the homes are narrow but go way back and have a second floor. So they are bigger than they look from the front. 

This bougainvillea is huge. A pretty side street. 

Building being painted. Long tall ladder. 

OMG this made my knees shake. Couldn't watch this for long. No safety equipment. 

We stopped at the Panama Bakery on the next corner but they were just getting a delivery and had nothing out that either of us craved. So we were good and didn't buy any pastries. Bill had taken a pill to help him sleep the night before and it was taking a long time to wear off. So we opted to go back to hotel until he could nap it off. 

I took most of the remaining pictures from a moving Uber. These stairs have been repainted many many times over the years. Always in a different design. I think I would get dizzy going up them. 

Have taken many pictures of this building over the years. Always saying I hope some day it will be restored. Was so happy to see it has been and is now the Maritime Museum. 

I just read, in the Pacific Pearl - a magazine for the tourists, that there are almost 94 new high rises along the malecon. Looks so different from when we first started coming here. Not sure if it is an improvement. Many, many of these are just in the construction stage. I hope they have a lot of people to rent or buy the condos. That is going to be a different one.

Just a few of them. 

Some of the tallest ones are in the area called The Golden Zone. Very touristy.

Entertainment at the stop light. 

Then on to the hotel. Naps and checking photos until time to go to dinner at Pancho's. It is in walking distance and has good food. We both had chicken milensea and brought home left overs for todays lunch.

Bill had a 7:30 dentist appointment this morning and another one tomorrow morning. So he is napping now.