The Adventures of Tioga and George

2008-05-06T09:44:00.020-06:00

9AM - House 57.
This morning Little Mavicito and I are catching the bus across the road from our room. We are going to the northern part of Jerusalem to a Bed & Breakfast place called "House 57".

You may have read in our Israel Forum [Link] about my Cousin Jacky coming to Israel at the end of May. I believe that House 57 may be a nice place for us both to stay together while here in Jerusalem.

9:30AM - Got off at the wrong bus stop!
The bus stop to get off to go to House 57 is Levi Eshkol Blvd. However, I misunderstood the bus driver, and got off at the bus stop after Levi Eshkol Blvd. Thinking that I was on the correct road, I followed my hand drawn map to House 57. I walked, and walked, and walked. The farther I went, the more lost I became.

I saw a man going into his car, and asked him where I was [showing him my map]. He spoke a little English, and said to me, "Get in, I will take you there."

Wow! Isn't this the greatest thing?!

11AM - A very nice neighborhood.
House 57 is in a very nice neighborhood. Well kept homes. Quiet streets. We followed Midbar Street [Sinai Desert Street in English], and came to House 57.

House 57 in the
Giv'at Hamivtar neighborhood.

[North Jerusalem]

Both Little Mavicito and I were concerned as we went up the many stairs to the office on the top floor of House 57. Cousin Jacky does not do stairs too well. However, after talking with Ilana [owner], we learned that our room is in a nearby home with nice paths for walking!

Jacky and I will live here.

In the pic below are owners Ilana & Dan in the dining room.

Breakfast dining room.

[House 57 is bed & breakfast]

View from House 57 porch.

Cousin Jacky and I plan to use House 57 as our home base. We may have tours away from Jerusalem. And will return here after our tour.

The rental price for 20 days, after discounts, is $1,498US. Jacky and I will share this rental, which means $749/each for a 20 day stay. About $37/day. Pretty good, huh?

1PM - Riding the #4 bus.
A couple of long blocks from House 57 is the Egged [Eh-gehd] bus #4 stop. We waited there for only a few minutes, and up drove the #4. Many of the Egged buses are articulated, having a joint in the middle connecting two buses. This #4 is articulated.

While driving along, we met two young Israeli boys, maybe 12 years old. One of these boys had a bus pass holder, and I asked him where he got it. Right away he asked the bus driver if he had a holder, and apparently the driver did not have one. So, this boy took out his pass and gave the plastic holder to me!

Isn't this the greatest thing? Hmmmmm?

2PM - The Old City.
Little Mavicito and I have decided to go to the Old City of Jerusalem! The #4 bus from House 57 goes along Jaffa Street, and our map shows the Old City close by. We meet lady on the bus who speaks great English [a professor at a Jerusalem university] and she gives us directions to the Old City.

Soon we are at the Jaffa Gate!

Jaffa Gate into the Old City.

Arab/Muslims and Jews together!
Both Little Mavicito and I are shocked as we walk into the Old City. Everywhere are Arabs/Muslims and Jews. Side by side. Working and shopping together. Hmmmmm?

Muslim lady with her child.

Two Muslim men on David Street.

[Old City]

Shop keeper on David Street.

Western Wall of the Temple.
After coming to the end of David Street, Little Mavicito and I made our way thru the many passages leading to the Western Wall of the Temple [Link]. Some passages are very low, and we have to duck to pass under. All is made of solid rock. Heavily armed soldiers and police guards are everywhere as we walk.

In the pic below, Little Mavicito has captured both the Western Wall of the Temple and the Dome of the Rock [Link].

View looking east from high above the Western Wall.
Dome of the Rock is gold on the left.

Note:
We found this link to a video of the Western Wall showing men praying at this most holy Jewish site. It is a beautiful video, it seems to me.

Praying at the Western Wall

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Jerusalem, Israel

2008-05-05T01:03:00.009-06:00

10AM - Going shopping.
A few readers have emailed wondering why I've not visited the Old City of Jerusalem yet? The answer is that I am not an ordinary tourist. My life here in Israel is similar to when I was in Mexico. Slow & easy.

This morning for example, I've just finished breakfast. It is 10am, and soon I'm going to "Mahane Yuhuda", a huge outdoor market place.

Now I know the Egged Bus system better. It will be much easier traveling today than yesterday! Breakfast this morning!

11AM - Bus ride to Mahane Yuhuda market.
Israel is a nation in defensive mode. Soldiers, men and women, all must serve 3-years in service for their country. Service is in the police, army, navy or other military.

On our bus ride to Mehane Yuhuda, Little Mavicito captured the pics below of Israelis serving their country.

A zillion armed soldiers.

The pic below is of two women police guards at Mehane Yuhuda market. One did not want her pic taken. However, Little Mavicito was too quick for her!

Women in service in the police.

Mehane Yuhuda Market.
The market place is made up of a zillion aisles filled with stall type stores selling tons of different things.

One of the aisles.

A bread stall.

A ton of halva.
[Sweet middle east confection]

Faces in the crowd.
Little Mavicito is fascinated by the faces that he sees here in Jerusalem's Mehane Yehuda market.

Fruit seller.

A shopper.

Shoppers.

Candy and nut sellers.

Underpants story, Chapter 2.
Yesterday I told you about going to the Hamash Bier Deptment Store where underpants were going for $35 shekels each [$10US]. I refused to buy those high-priced underpants, even though the clerk explained that they were very high quality. Hmmmmm?

Today in the Mahane Yuhuda outdoor market, I bought six (6) underpants for $30 shekels or $1.46US/each.

First view of the Old City!
During the mid-afternoon, my feet were getting pretty tired from walking a lot. So, I decided to climb on to the next bus that came down the road to see where it would lead me. You may remember the bus pass purchased yesterday that allows boarding any bus to anywhere in Jerusalem with paying additional fare!

This bus went by an interesting looking park. There were some student groups touring the park. Little Mavicito and I got off to take a peek.

There was a view point across the park. When we got close, we were both surprised to see the Old City of Jerusalem across the valley!

Old City of Jerusalem.

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Jerusalem, Israel

2008-05-04T08:15:00.006-06:00

8:15AM - Visiting with Sasha.
Sasha Sedan lives in the French Hill neighborhood of north Jerusalem. I rented a Bread & Breakfast room from Sasha in 1998, my first time in Israel. We have kept in contact over the years thru email. This morning I am going to see Sasha again.

Knowing where to go makes a bus trip easy. I walked 1/2 mile to the central bus station. I would learn that the #5 bus goes right past my room! Three times walking around the bus station neighborhood looking for the #28 bus took about an hour. People and bus drivers gave directions, all of them wrong.

Finally I learned of the information window at the bus station and learned that #28 passes directly in front of the station building. Wow!

#28 to French Hill.

Sasha Sedan who lives in North Jerusalem.

11:30AM - Hamash Bier department store.
This may not be the proper spelling for Hamash Bier, a department store in Jerusalem. That is where I went to shop for clothes.

Remember that only the clothes on my back, short pants and an xtra T-shirt went with me on the flight to Israel. And of course I had some underwear!

Little Mavicito and I took the #28 back to the central bus station, then the #21 to the store. Jerusalem's Egged bus system is terrific. Busses come often and go all over. I bought a pass that allows passage for an entire month. The pass cost $220 shekels [$64US].

#21 bus to Hamash Bier department store.

Clothes shopping was interesting. A clerk helped me with find the right sizes. What is needed is, a couple of T-shirts, socks, and underpants. Everything went fine until it came time to pay.

The underpants cost $35 shekels each [$10US]. That price seemed too high, and they were not bought. Got to get them for less then $10!

Buying clothes in Jerusalem! i

Falafel.
Have you ever eaten falafel? There are a zillion things inside besides the falafel balls. Hummas, mixed vegetables, french fries.

A falafel costs $13 shekels [$3.75US]. I am surprised that fast food costs sooooooo much in Israel! The falafel was the cheapest thing sold too. An orange soda drink cost $8 shekels [$2.30US].

Wow! I will not be going out to eat much in Israel.

Falafel for $3.75US.

$2.30US orange soda.

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Jerusalem, Israel

2008-05-03T03:16:00.010-06:00

9AM - Morning walk in Jerusalem.
It is Saturday, and in Israel Saturday is the Sabbath. The 4th Commandment in the bible is to "Keep the Sabbath day holy." In Israel the entire country is shut down on the Sabbath. No busses run, nearly everybody is off work.

Little Mavicito and I take a walk around the neighborhood. We have a package to mail, and head up to the nearby Renaissance Hotel in order to post it. The streets are relatively empty of traffic as we walk toward the hotel.

Renaissance Hotel - Jerusalem.

Little Mavicito wants to take a pano pic from the upper floors of the hotel. So, we take the elevator to the 12th floor and look out the hallway window.

Looking southwest from Renaissance Hotel.

Street signs, bus signs, nearly all of the road signs of Jerusalem are in Hebrew and English. It is relatively easy to get around Jerusalem if you know where you are going.

Hebrew/English construction sign.

Why have I come to Israel?
Awhile back it occurred to me that if I am able to afford to live in the USA and Mexico, that I may be able to live anyplace.

And so, I have come to live in Israel for three months. My options opened up in my mind, and I exercised them.

If not now, when?

Near my room in Jerusalem.

West Jerusalem.
This afternoon, I went walking to the northeast. Just exploring. While resting in a small playground, I met a man who told me that I was not in East Jerusalem as I had thought, but in West Jerusalem. In fact, my room is close to the entrance road from Tel Aviv.

I am going to have to reposition my location in the Google maps below.

Why does Israel have no roads?
My GPS has not locked on to my location here in Israel. So, I am trying to find where my room is located in Jerusalem using Google maps. However, I was surprised to find that Google maps does not show any roads in Jerusalem.

If you click on the Google Map below, you may see that this map shows no roads in all of Israel. In fact, no cities are shown in Israel.

Egypt to the west has roads and cities. Jordan to the east has roads and cities. Syria and Lebanon have roads and cities. Only Israel, in all of the Middle East, has no roads and cities.

Why would that be? Hmmmmm?

No roads or cities in Israel.

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Jerusalem, Israel

2008-05-02T03:47:00.015-06:00

9:35PM - Tel Aviv.
The El Al flight to Israel was terrific. There was no air turbulence. No even once! The plane landed exactly on time.

The ATM eats my card.
The first thing needed is to get some Israeli $money$. In the air terminal is an ATM machine from Bank Hapolim. Using my Bank of America ATM card, all goes well until I am waiting for the money to come out of the machine.

My card comes out, and then goes back in. But no $money$. I do not know what to make of this. Then the card comes out a second time, and still no money! Then the card goes in a third time, and the terminal tells me:

Your card has been retained.

Wow! What is this? I find out later that in order to get the money, I have to remove my ATM card. If I do not remove the card, the machine "eats" it because it figures that I have forgotten my card. I try using another ATM card, this time removing the card when it first appears. I get my money.

11AM - Taxi van to Jerusalem.
Now I am looking to find a taxi van, to go to Jerusalem. Leaving the terminal I see a bunch of these vans. One van driver asks where I am going and I show the address of Gershon Mendlovitz, the fellow from whom I am renting a room.

This van is filled with passengers. I am the last person to board.

12 Noon - My room in Jerusalem.
The taxi van takes me to the neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe, a residential neighborhood filled with many apartment houses.

My room is on the 2nd floor.

George in Jerusalem.

6PM - The sabbath.
The entire country of Israel shuts down for the sabbath. Business and stores begin to close during the early afternoon on Friday, and do not re-open until Sunday.

You may remember that my plan was to travel to Israel with only the clothes on my back. Then, I would immediately go shopping for more clothes. Not on the sabbath, however! I will have to wait until Sunday to go shopping!

In my room at Gershon's place.

8PM - Supper!
This afternoon, Gershon cautioned me that the nearest grocery would close at 2pm because of the Sabbath. At 1pm, I walked to this grocery, a small store run by the owner. I bought eggs, a potato, tomatoes, banana, orange juice and some frozen salmon.

Little Mavicito took the pic below after I had already taken a few bites. It doesn't look wonderful, but tasted great!

First supper in Jerusalem.

Note: GPS maps below are approximate positions.

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Jerusalem, Israel

2008-05-01T03:59:00.004-06:00

Israel: T - 1 Day!

The airplane trip to Israel.
This afternoon at 2pm, I will be flying to Israel. This is a non-stop flight from Miami, Florida to Tel Aviv, Israel. The flight takes 12.5 hours and covers 6,588 miles. My arrival in Tel Aviv, is tomorrow morning at 9:35am.

It sure would be neat if there is internet access aboard the airplane. Wow!

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Jerusalem, Israel

2008-04-30T04:27:00.011-06:00

Israel: T - 2 Days!

6:30AM - Why two days in Miami?
Reader Steve wrote asking, "Why are you staying two days in Miami and not flying thru to Israel?"

That's a great question! An extra day is needed to transfer everything from Ms. GQ, our old laptop to our new Sony VAIO laptop computer. Ms. GQ was purchased in October, 2005, and is literally falling apart. Several screws from inside Ms. GQ have dropped out during the past couple of months. A very bad thing. Ms. GQ's keyboard has worn away, and several keys have no description. And finally, the four directional arrow keys don't work anymore.

Also, Ms. GQ does not operate fast enough in today's demanding computer environment.

Sony VAIO.
Yes! We bought a new laptop computer from Amazon.com
Sony VAIO VGN-NR330E/S 15.4" Laptop 1.73 GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T2370 Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium

This Sony VAIO was shipped to reader/friends Jim & Chris Guld, known as "Geeks on Tour" [link]. Jim & Chris are here in the Miami area visiting with their family.

9:30AM to 2:30PM - Transferring files.
Jim Guld has hooked up a cable between our old laptop and the new Sony laptop. However, there are problems. The connection is sort of flakey. We decide to go with a purchased software names "PC Mover." This software seems to work.

Jim working on the file transfer
between the old and new laptop.

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Jerusalem, Israel

2008-04-29T01:23:00.010-06:00

Israel: T - 3 Days!

2AM - Too excited to sleep!
Man-O-Man! Mimi & Jonna will pick me up at 10am for the trip to the airport in Cancun. There I will board Mexicana Airlines flying to Miami. And here it is, 2AM, and I am too excited to sleep!

This evening, all the usable food in Mr. Dometic was given to Mimi & Jonna. Even all of the frozen chocolate chip cookie balls. Then, Mr. Dometic was defrosted and cleaned up.

All that remains to be done is to give MsTioga a good carpet cleaning with Mr. Breeze, our little tank type vacuum cleaner.

A new backpack!
Yesterday after saying good bye to Boid at Kathy & Jamie's palapa in PalMul, I drove to Office Depot in Playa del Carmen. Office Depot has a really neat backpack with a zillion compartments, wheels for rolling along a sidewalk and a handle that extends from the top.

This backpack is really comfortable on my back too. I was going to use a "soft" backpack, but that proved not a good idea. Not enough compartments in the soft backpack, and the thing sagged when it was on my back.

Jerusalem weather sticker.
Guess what?! We just added a Jerusalem weather sticker to our blog. Look below and you may find it. Jerusalem weather is looking good!AM

10AM - Ready to go!
In the pic below, I am waiting for Jonna & Mimi to pick me up at MsTioga's Camp. As you may see, I am carrying the new backpack that has wheels.

MsTioga will remain Camped here unless a hurricane comes along. In that case, Mimi & Jonna will move MsTioga out of harm's way!

Ready to go to the airport in Cancun.

11:45AM - Cancun airport.
There is a big line for the Mexicana Airlines check-in. However, the line moves steadily, and in about 20 minutes, I am at the counter. Then a glitch comes up.

I have NOT been assigned a seat by Cheap Tickets. So, it seems as though all passengers with assigned seats must be checked in, and then I may get a seat assignent.

I wait somewhat anxiously near the check-in counter. After about 1/2 hour I am given a boarding pass. Wow! I was a little worried for a bit!

4:15PM - Miami, Florida!
The Mexicana Airlines flight takes off at 1:45PM Cancun time. This is a 1.5 hour flight, but we cross a time zone and arrive in Miami 4:15PM.

A rental car beast is waiting for me. After phoning for a pickup, the rental car shuttle van comes by to take me to the off airport rental lot. The rental beast is a Nissan Sentra that costs $87 for the two days.

Flying over Miami.

6PM - La Quinta Inn.
Mr. DeLorme [GPS] and Ms. GQ guide me to the La Quinta Inn where I'll spend two nites. My room has a BIG desk with a nice chair. And guess what else it has?!

A high speed internet connection! Man-O-Man!

At the La Quinta Inn.

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Jerusalem, Israel

2008-04-28T06:25:00.008-06:00

Israel: T - 4 Days!

7AM - Going commando!
My good reader/friend Terry Taylor described my way of traveling with only the clothes on my back as, "Going commando!" Wow! I love that.

I am now living completely out of my packs. Don't want to forget anything. Even when writing everything down, something may be missed. By living out of my 3-packs [while still here with MsTioga], I reduce the chance of leaving something behind.

In the pic below, are my three packs. The backpack. The belly pack. And Little Mavicito's belt back! Do I look commando? Hmmmmm?

Commando George!

9:30AM - Bye, bye Boid.
I borrowed Jonna & Mimi's Toyota pickup to take Little Boid to PaaMul where he will be living with Kathy, Jamie and the kids. You met this family a few days ago when Boid paid them a visit.

Taking a chance on love! Wow!
I love Little Boid. He and I have a thing together. And now I am going off and leaving Boid behind. Did I make a mistake when I took Boid into my life, and now into my heart?

It is my belief that I have to take a chance on love. Yes, it hurts to leave Boid behind. Breaks my heart. You know something? If I had to do it all over again, I would take Boid into my life and into my heart again!

In the pic below, I am telling Boid that I will be back soon.

Good bye Little Boid.

5PM - Supper with Jonna & Mimi.
Both Jonna & Mimi have treated MsTioga and The Team to the very best time!

We are always welcome at their wonderful condo home. They found MsTioga a place to Camp, and a home for Little Boid. Loaned snorkel gear so that I am able to look at the fishes in the bay. Wow! We are soooooo grateful. Thank you, Jonna & Mimi.

The three of us went out for a going-away supper. The restaurant was open air and right next to the Bay of Akumal.

Jonna, George & Mimi [L-R].

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2008-04-27T08:36:00.008-06:00

Israel: T - 5 Days!

10AM - Knocking off the punch list!
This morning, knocking off punch list items is high on the agenda. A punch list is a construction term and is a list of things to do to complete a project.

Some of these punch list items are:

Charging MsTioga's starting battery.
Checking solar battery bank.
Paying rent for MsTioga to stay at Akumal [$5/day]
Giving Jonna & Mimi written authorization to drive MsTioga

Of course, snorkeling in the bay is high on the agenda too!

Note to Gene Fischer in Wyoming
The name of the Dometic dealer in Casper, Wyoming is: Rec-Vee Service and Supply
My emails to you are not going thru.

1PM - Tacos in the jungle.
Two gorgeous salmon patty tacos were prepared for lunch. Also, a nice salad with 2000 Island Dressing. While eating lunch, the sounds of the breeze moving the palm leaves just outside MsTioga's window are heard. Blows me away!

Our Camp is at the edge of the jungle. Little Mavicito was looking out at the jungle and decided to show you what we see. Little Mavicito used all of his mighty Nikon powers to make this difficult shot for you.

Our Camp at the edge of the jungle.

4PM - Snorkeling with the fishes.
This will likely be my last snork in Akumal Bay. So, I am going to go way out near the reef. Mimi captured this pic of me so that I would be able to share with you!

Thank you, Mimi!

George in Akumal Bay.

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2008-04-26T08:41:00.012-06:00

Israel: T - 6 Days!

7:30AM - Hilario Hiler comes to call.
I'd just put Boid in his cage to hang from the palm tree. A man walking by stopped to say "Hi" to Boid.

His name is Hilario Hiler. His work is being a guide and writer. Hilario has lived here in Akumal for 15 years. His home is in the top story of the condo next to our Camp. Hilario asked me if I would like to look at a book that he helped prepare.

The book is, "The Modern Maya" by Macduff Everton. In this book, I found Hilario's story fascinating. Perhaps this view into the life of the ancient Mayan people has not been addressed before? And so, I am sharing a few pages in the pics below.

Hilario Hiler today in Akumal.

Explore Yucatan's

Sacred Spaces

NOTE: Are you the kind of person who would enjoy a trip to the jungle ruins of Mujil-Chunyaxche and Sian Ka'an which features a diversity of ecosystems: sea, cenotes, jungle, mangrove, marsh, savanna, and lagoons renowned for bird and butterfly observation?

If this is you, then give Hilario Hiler a phone call. Get a personalized family tour. An adventure of a lifetime! (+52) 984-87-59066.

3PM - Cabover clearance lites leak free.
Once last summer while driving somewhere in the western United States, MsTioga was in a cloud burst. The rain came down soooooo heavy! For maybe 10-15 minutes the torrent continued. MsTioga could not drive in such weather. We could not see thru the windshield one bit!

After the rain stopped, water was found in the cabover. Our equipment manuals are kept inside the cabover cabinet in a plastic tub Those manuals got very wet.

There is a screw anchor in the front of each cabover clearance lite to secure the fixture and electrically ground the circuit. We believe that those anchors are where the water leaked in. Yesterday we sealed those anchors with epoxy. The rear screw holding the clearance light fixture was sealed with mastik adhesive.

After the five clearance lite fixtures were re-installed, we ran water over the fixtures for about 1/2 hour. No leaks were found!

Do you like the look of MsTioga's re-installed clearance lites?

4PM - Touching up exterior paint.
MsTioga got her 3-color paint job in 2007 at Jose's Fiberglass shop. That was in the City of Constitución in Baja California del Sur. Do you remember that time? Hmmmmm?

We are taking this opportunity to touch up the nicks that have occurred since then. We have three little buckets of paint, one for each color. The paint has thickened up, and needs to be thinned out. But the paint is usable, and does a nice job.

Supper time - Am I going to miss MsTioga?
Tuesday morning when Jonna and Mimi drive me to Cancun for my flight to Miami, I will be leaving MsTioga. And I will not return to MsTioga until the last days of August, four months from now.

Since I brought MsTioga home on February 25, 2003, I have never left her. I've slept in different beds for a short while, but MsTioga was always close.

When my life as a Vagabonder-Supreme began, I had no idea what adventures were before me. No idea what changes would be happening in my life, my emotions, my self-discovery. Beyond my wildest dreams. And it all happened in this tiny home that MsTioga provides for me.

Am I going to miss MsTioga? You bet I am! I love MsTioga. We are pals.

I will definitely miss
MsTioga's kitchen!

NEW!
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2008-04-25T09:02:00.008-06:00

Israel: T - 7 Days!

9AM - A backpack for Israel.
A few weeks ago, I made the decision to only carry a backpack with me on my flight to Israel. In the pack I will carry things most important. Laptop computer, Little Mavicito, rechargeable batteries and charger. Stuff like that. Clothing that I need I'll buy in Israel.

This morning I began to fill the pack. As I put stuff into the pack, my journey to Israel struck me. And for awhile, I was brought to tears!

I am soooooo happy!

Showing the pack to Baby Boid.

3PM - Kicking back on the Mayan Riviera.
They call this coast of the Carribean the "Mayan Riviera." And I am a very lucky guy to be here. Most of the work preparing for my trip to Israel is done. Now I am down to a punch list of less than 10 items. None of them critical.

This morning there was time for snorkeling in the bay. And for making a batch of salmon patties. On MsTioga's roof, anchors for the clearance lights are being locked down with epoxy.

We are mellowed out and kicking back on the Mayan Riviera.

Salmon patties.

Clearance light anchors
being locked down with epoxy.

4PM - Back in the bay.
Does it seem as though I am living the life of a zillionaire here on the Mayan Riviera? I sure feel like a zillionaire! Rooms around here in Akumal go for $180 - $220/nite and in Playa del Carmen maybe more. Wow!

Boid and I went back to the bay. Boid stayed on a little table sitting on the white sandy beach. I went out snorkeling looking for giant turtles, manta rays and fish.

Boid on the beach.

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2008-04-24T06:17:00.010-06:00

Israel: T - 8 Days!

6AM - The rear window is still leaking.
Yesterday afternoon somebody on The Team decided to test the rear window for water leaks again. You may recall that this window was sealed yesterday at "El Pavo" in Playa del Carmen.

Well guess what? The window still leaks. We were all thinking about how the window could be leaking when it is now completely sealed up! Then we spotted a "gutter/cap" at the top of the emergency exit window. This cap had been designed smaller than the window. This is a mistake, because the cap serves as a gutter, and gutters should extend beyond what they are guttering. Hmmmmm?

An engineering blunder.
Apparently Fleetwood discovered this small "gutter/cap" engineering blunder, and corrected it with a big gob of sealant on each end of this gutter/cap. But in a heavy rainstorm, water enters below this unsealed "gutter/cap" and is now trapped by the big gobs of sealant. Eventually, this trapped rainwater enters the RV. Double hmmmmmmm with sugar on it!

An emergency exit?
The emergency exit window makes little sense to most logical minds. No such emergency exit is provided for persons sleeping in the cabover of MsTioga. Hmmmmmm? I suppose that a person sleeping in the rear of an RV and awakening at nite to find their RV completely engulfed in flames would use such an exit?

Who figures out these things?
Another example that is similar to the rear emergency exit door thing, is the exit sign.

Below is a pic of an exit sign over MsTioga's driver's side door. Hmmmmmm? There is no exit sign over the passenger side door. Apparently the passenger has to figure out an exit strategy on their own while the driver needs help to know where "outside" is located.

Signs of our times!

11AM - Boid's new home.
We are heading north to "El Pavo" in Playa del Carmen in order to fix the leak in MsTioga's rear window. However, on the way we are stopping to drop off Baby Boid at his new home with the family of Kathy, Jamie and the four kids! This is just a visit with the family. Boid will not be "moving-in" until the day I fly out of Mexico.

You may remember that the family is living in a huge palapa in the RV resort at PaaMul. That palapa is open to the outside. So, Boid cannot be free from his cage except inside the trailer or Bodega room.

Everybody went into the Bodega room, which is air-conditioned, has a TV, sofa and soft chairs for lounging. When Boid flew out of his cage, he buzzed the Bodega room with the speed of a P51 Mustang! Boid bumped into a few windows, but was not hurt, and then settled down on a window to look out at the jungle.

The kids in the family are, Jessie, Pikey, Caroline and Ellen. It was Ellen who was the most active with Baby Boid. And Baby Boid responded to Ellen, first enjoying while Ellen petted his chest. And then hopping on Ellen's hand to eat some seeds! Wow!

Ellen pets Boid as
brother Jesse watches.

Boid flew on Ellen's hand to eat his seeds!

12:30PM - El Pavo to get the window sealed.
All that is necessary to finish sealing the rear window, is for Esteban the mechanic at El Pavo to lay a line of sealant along the top window joint. Then, I will re-attach the "gutter/cap" and the window should be perfectly sealed.

We cannot water test this newly laid sealant for at least three hours, because the sealant requires that amount of time to set-up. We will test the seal when we return to Akumal.

4PM - Back at Akumal.
On the way back to our Camp in Akumal, we pick up Boid at Kathy and Jessie's palapa in PaaMul.

Back at Akumal, we want to go snorkeling in the bay. The bay is across the road from our Camp. But first we want to test the window for leaks. A hose is connected to MsTioga's water system, and we run water across the newly laid sealant for about five minutes. Checking inside we find no water leaking in.

Then we run water from near MsTioga's roof line down the entire rear wall. Checking inside again, there are no leaks! Wow! The rear window is leak free!

5PM - Snorkeling in the bay.
Mimi loaned me fins and a snorkel outfit so that I may snorkel in the bay. Do you know about snorkeling? A mask is worn that fits snuggly around the face so that water may not enter. The snorkel tube sticks out of the water for breathing. The other end of the snorkel tube curves around like the letter "J" and fits in the mouth for breathing. It is pretty neat.

However, I had not shaved for two days. Don't go snorkeling with a beard. The water leaks in. I was only out in the water about 20 minutes, before this leaking got uncomfortable. During this time I saw such beautiful things!

Little bright blue and yellow fish about 2" long. Bright violet colored plants. Some of the living things out there in the water are sooooooo vividly bright!

Tomorrow morning I will shave and go out snorkeling again!

6PM - Mimi and I go out for supper.
I invited Mimi to go out for supper at a restaurant. Jonna has gone to Merida to arrange for things at the home that Mimi and Jonna are building there.

We go out to a restaurant that Mimi describes as serving "down-home country food." I order grilled Mahi fish that was caught just this morning. Mimi orders a steak. Everything is soooooo good!

For dessert we share a chocolate mousse which is to die for!

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2008-04-23T00:00:00.007-06:00

Israel: T - 9 Days!

A first for The Team.
Since MsTioga and The Team began their journey together in 2003, we have always returned to our Home country of the United States each year. This year, 2008, will be a first for The Team.

Jorge, Little Mavicito and Ms. GQ will return to the United States in 2008. However, MsTioga and the rest of The Team will not.

We on The Team are not understanding what is happening here. Not completely. Not yet. But something is going on, that's for sure!

George and MsTioga
Benicia, California February, 2004

7:30AM - MsTioga's rear window leaks.
Yesterday the emergency window was sealed for water leaks. This morning a water hose was used to test the entire window. The window leaks.

When MsTioga was manufactured at the Fleetwood plant, the hole for this window was cut too large. There is a gap between this hole and the window. This gap is located in the upper right [behind the ladder in the pic below].

A few years ago, I repositioned the window to adjust for this gap. However, I now feel that my adjusting and resealing work was not good enough. Also, my sealing of the emergency window is inadequate as well.

We need some help with this window. So, MsTioga is heading up to Playa del Carmen this morning to find a parabrisa store where they fix windshields.

The leaky rear window.

10AM - El Pavo.
In Spanish, El Pavo means The Turkey. And that is the name of the carroceria [body shop] that MsTioga is at to get her rear window sealed.

The mechanic doing our work is Esteban. The asking price for this window sealing job is $1200 pesos. That is a great deal of $money$ in Mexico. Even here in the ritzy Caribbean Maya coast area that is a lot of dough.

I offered to help with the work and countered with $800 pesos. Still a lot of $money$. However, MsTioga needs this work done badly. We cannot afford to have any leaks!

The $800 peso offer is accepted. [$80US]

Esteban cleaning the window frame.

Esteban estimated that this job would take about two hours. Three hours later, the cleaning had been completed and the adhesive sealant is being applied. The emergency window has already been sealed.

Applying the adhesive-sealant.

The window is re-installed, and the window frame/clamp secured with screws. Afterwards, we see that the sealant has squeezed out beautifully all around the outside of the frame. This indicates that a good seal has been made.

We get a hose and test for leaks. The window is water tight!

3PM - La Floresta Taqueria.
Yesterday when Jonna and I went shopping in Playa del Carmen, first we stopped at La Floresta Taqueria. Jonna claimed that this place served the best fish tacos around!

A fish taco at La Floresta costs $15 pesos, and there is enough fish in one taco, to easily make two tacos. A huge bowl of fresh salsa with corn chips arrived at our table first. Everything is sooooo good! The tacos are deep fried with a wonderful light batter that is slightly crunchy.

All today while at El Pavo getting MsTioga's rear window sealed I was thinking about La Floresta. Now I am there. I order two fish tacos with three extra corn tortillas. I am able to make 5 fish tacos from the fish of 2 tacos. Wow! I am sooooooo full. No supper for me tonite!

La Floresta Fish Taqueria in Playa del Carmen.

My fish tacos at La Floresta.

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2008-04-22T06:01:00.007-06:00

Israel: T - 10 Days!

6:30AM - MsTioga at her new home.
As the day was breaking, MsTioga moved to her new home where she will live during the trip to Israel. Jonna & Mimi's condo is across the road.

If you use either of the Google Map links below, you may get a better idea of MsTioga's Camp

MsTioga will live here until we
return from our Israel Trip.

3PM - Tweaking the leak points.
There are two places where a tiny amount of rain comes in when driven by strong wind. One is the rear window emergency exit. I've sealed up the perimeter of that exit window with "Sonoplastic NP-1" my favorite sealant.

The other place is thru one of the cabover clearance lites. I am going to open those lites up tomorrow, and reseal the wire exit points.

Getting rid of ants.
One of the things that my Yucatan friends have spoken to me a great deal about, is the subject of getting rid of ants. Especially KatheK and Jonna. Both of these ladies have different solutions to this vexing problem.

Do a Google search for: "Getting rid of ants" and you may find a zillion pages of how-to info.

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