January 21, 2025 - I Didn't Go Fishing But There Were Fish Involved

I had no idea what to expect today when Juan Carlos picked me up to go fishing.  My understanding was I would not have to climb on the rocks of the seawall and poles would be involved.  That did not happen. I don't know why and don't really care.  Instead, we drove out the main road, past the airport to an inlet where men were fishing with nets.

We stayed, watching and chatting with the fishermen, for about an hour.  Then we headed toward Boquilla.  I thought we were going to watch more guys fish but instead we drove into a small town where the people who work in Cartagena live.  

I hope you enjoy the photos from an excellent day.  I'll be adding more tomorrow, since tomorrow is my "spa day" and nobody wants more photos of me getting a pedicure.  Meanwhile, be sure to check out the videos at the end of this post.  Impressive technique.

A typical start to my day.

With a view that I love.

Another gourmet lunch.

See the bridge over Cielo Mar?  That's where we were.

Juan Carlos explained the geography of the area and why this was a good place to fish but I didn't get the details.  Have I mentioned we only speak Spanish?   The guy with the yellow cap was fishing.  The guy in the white hat came over to help get the fish out of the net.

Although we were very close to the airport and next to a busy highway, the area is beautiful.  It's about 15 minutes from my apartment.

They caught several of these small crabs and threw them back.  They look like the blue crabs that places charge a fortune for in Florida.  

This little guy lived another day.

Some casts, he got one fish.  Some, he got none.  Occasionally, he got 5-7.  He sells them for about $14 for ten.  I've tried fishing with a net for bait fish in Florida.  It takes practice and requires a lot of core strength.

That's the opening where the water comes in from an adjoining body of water.  I didn't know the word he used - it wasn't lake or bay- and I can't figure it out from Google maps.  

This yellow railing is between a narrow sidewalk and the water.  I'm not sure what the thing is that they were standing on.  Some sort of filter?  Gate system?  Dunno.  But it has clearly been there awhile.

I ducked the first time a plane took off.  Did I mention the airport is a stone's throw away?

The fish are small.  About 10 inches long and a few inches in diameter.  I think they were mullet but my lack of knowledge of both Spanish and fish is showing.

Good cast!  He got several this time.  If you've ever tried to take a fish out of a net, it is not easy without tearing the net.  These guys were fast and never stopped working.

As with other local people I've met here, the fishermen were friendly and didn't mind me taking photos and watching.  

Note the clothing.  One guy who came to stand next to me was wearing a hoodie, with hood up.  The "feels like" temperature was 99.  Sun protection.

Watching these guys was like watching a ballet.  This is how they make a living and they moved smoothly, never tangling the nets even though they were throwing them so close together at times. 

I was trying to get a shot of the plane and didn't even notice the ambulance passing on the highway.

Fish!

Before they threw the nets, they watched the water. The tide was going out and "upstream" I could see tons of tiny bait fish jumping, and headed our way.  But I couldn't see anything where they were throwing the nets.

Most of the men were fishing from the bridge but two guys were throwing their nets from the shore, next to the blue boat.  Even though I saw most of the bait fish jumping near the shore these guys didn't seem to be doing any better than the guys on the bridge.

A bucket of fish.

They didn't talk to each other much and didn't stop, except to wait for whatever signs made them throw the net.  He's taking a fish out, to toss in the bucket and cast again.

Fishing from shore.  Not a pole to be seen.

The location reminded me of bass fishing next to the 408 and Executive airport in Orlando.

I am Not in Control - the Challenges of Flying Standby

Monday, January 7 2019 was going to be my last full day in Guadalajara.  I didn't have big plans, which is good because I woke up with achy joints (at least I woke up), which is an issue as I get older.  So I opted to stay in, catch up on some reading and just enjoy life. 

It felt very lonely on Tuesday morning at 6:00 a.m. as I waited for the hotel van to take me to the airport.

It was especially nice to chill since I'd gotten very little sleep the night before.  Room 211 at Hotel Morales overlooks a street with several small bars.  The bars might be small but their sound systems are large.  I was awake until after 3 a.m. trying to determine if the singers were doing karaoke or just really bad professionals.  In either case, they seemed to be enjoying what they were doing.  I think my dad would have called it caterwauling. 

Luckily the gates opened when the van arrived.  

Tuesday morning came early - 4:30 a.m. to be precise.  I'd set the alarm for 5 but when I woke up, got up, showered and got ready to head to the airport at 6.   The van for the hotel (only 250P compared to 335P in a taxi) drove through the still dark and quiet central historic district.  As we headed to the outskirts of the city traffic picked up considerably as Tapatios headed to work.

It was easy to get my boarding pass at the airport.  Then through security, where I had to remember to take out my laptop.  And was told to put my large purse in a bin, it could not go on the conveyor belt unless in a bin.  Seems it is most countries that some employees find it necessary to be firm about the rules in kind of a snotty way. 

Surprisingly, there was no immigration after leaving security.  Usually, you get into another line and get your passport stamped saying you'd left the country.  Nope, instead, the small entry paper that I was given upon entry was stapled to my boarding pass by the United agent when I checked in.

Next, the long walk past all the fancy duty free stores and downstairs to a relatively small and very crowded space.  There were multiple "gates" with people lined up before them.  One of them was mine.  These were gates for planes who didn't get a jetway.  Instead, when your flight was called you handed over your passport and boarding pass/entry card.  They kept the entry card, handed back the rest and sent you through a doorway to a waiting bus.  Presumably the bus took you to the plane where you'd climb up the stairs and be on your way.  I couldn't wait to get on that bus because that would mean I had a seat on the flight to Houston.  Just an aside, I always thought it would be fun to have people get on the busses and then take them on a tour instead of to the plane.  Good thing I'm not CEO of an airline.

But it didn't look good.  According to the United website for passholders (which I'll just call "eres" to save time), the flight was overbooked and there were 17 of us standing by.  After group five was called to get on the bus, a large group of us looked at each other.  I was standing next to a woman from Calgary, also flying standby.  She was revenue standby, though, which means she'd bought a ticket but had overslept and missed her original flight.  They called her name.  She glanced back as she walked toward the bus.  A sad moment.  Like a scene from Titanic, she got the last seat on the lifeboat.

The gate agent announced the flight was full and us losers (he didn't actually say that but it was implied, in my mind) would be moved to the waiting list for the next flight, which left 5 1/2 hours later.

I wandered upstairs and found a quiet place to sit.  It was peaceful, had a place to plug in my laptop and was freezing.  I pulled a couple more clothing items out of my bag and layered up and started looking at my options. 

According to Eres, the odds weren't good for the next flight.  Way oversold and even more people on the standby list.  My creative juices kicked in.  What if I buy a ticket to Mexico City and then fly United from there?  Excellent idea, except flights from Mexico City to Houston were also sold out.  Aha - how about I use my Delta miles to get me to Houston?  Or Orlando, for that matter?

Well, I could but for the same amount of miles I could have flown first class to Europe and back.  No, thanks, Delta.  Well, what if I bought a ticket to Houston?  Well, no, not on United because all the flights were sold out.

I decided to just relax and see what happened after the next flight.  I assumed I'd be staying in Guadalajara and started looking for a hotel.  When I checked out of the Hotel Morales, I'd asked about rooms that night but they were booked.  How could that be, when everyone seemed to be trying to leave the country?

As they called passengers to board the 1:35 p.m. flight to Houston, us standbys looked around at each other.  Some had been standing by for several days.  Others, like me, were newbies.  The mood was odd, like a cross between Hunger Games and E.T.  On one hand, you would do anything to be one who gets the seat on the plane.  On the other hand, you felt for those who had been waiting and really needed to get home.

In any case, it didn't matter.  There were no extra seats to be had.  We were all losers, again.  There was another flight, 3 hours later but I decided not to bother staying to watch more people get on without me.  I cancelled my flight on Eres and booked a hotel.  I decided that since it looked like I'd be spending a few more days in Guadalajara I'd treat myself.  I'd considered staying at the  Hotel NH Collection Centro but didn't want to spend the money.  I not only booked a room, I upgraded to a room with a private terrace overlooking the main Cathedral and plaza.  Money means nothing to me!  Besides, the fancy room was still less than $70 a night.

The hallway from the hotel lobby to the parking garage.

When I first arrived at my gate, this area was packed since 3 flights were departing within minutes of each other.  Now, a ghost town.

Not nearly enough seats for all the waiting passengers when the flights were preparing to depart.  And Mexicans seem to take the same view as Americans.  First come, first served.  Young people did not offer up seats for their elders.

This is the upstairs part of the terminal where planes have access to jetways.  This security guard had a big stick.

There were lots of places to sit or shop.

My new gate.  I chose to sit alone for awhile since it was hours before boarding.  The people sitting together were waiting for a flight to Las Vegas which left from my gate prior to my flight.  And no, I couldn't get on that flight either.  It wasn't a United flight.

Apparently I was so excited about seeing a Chilis that my hands were shaking.  No, I didn't not go in.  I did check out the menu and it was some standard Chilis stuff along with typical local food.

So many Day of the Dead ceramic statues.  

Let's say I ponied up the $200 to buy this ceramic statue.  Exactly how would I get the three foot tall thing on the plane??

So many inappropriate things came to mind when I saw this.  Mostly - "This is how you want to represent the men of your country?"

If Chili's doesn't suit your needs, how about Johnny Rockets?

Honestly, is there anyway that doesn't have Subway?

This piece of artwork captured my attention.  Completely covered in beads.

Can you imagine the patience?

I wonder if it was created by someone flying standby on United? 

This group has artwork around the airport.

Another one of their pieces.  A bull's head, carved out of a large piece of wood.

Boston in June

June brought a trip to the Boston area to visit another old friend (our relationship is old, not us).  Donna lives in Winthrop, just outside Boston and has an awesome wrap-around porch.  The porch offers a great view of Boston Harbor and the planes landing and taking off from BOS.

We didn't sight see.  We hung out and caught up.  We did a bit of flea-marketing at Todd Farm in Rowely, which was fun.  I found a fabulous old blue sign that spelled out BEACH in giant, cursive letters.  It would have looked great on the wall behind my pool but shipping a six foot long, three foot high, one foot thick sign would have been a challenge.

Mostly, we, along with assorted family members, hung out on the porch, enjoying the company and the view.  It was a great trip and United came through on flights.  Got me there and back with only a couple of minor delays on the way home.

Here are some photos:

I loved watching the planes landing and taking off.  This one is landing.

After perusing the flea market we stopped for breakfast at the Agawam Diner.  Donna and Diane opted for breakfast but when I heard the special was roasted lamb, made by the Greek owners I was hooked.  Stuffed with cloves of garlic before roasting, the lamb was perfect.  For a great food and service experience you have to try the Agawam Diner.  Get there early, though, or be prepared for a wait. 

Sunrise, looking toward Winthrop.

Sunrise on the porch, looking toward the Boston airport.

For years, I've loved the chai tea (or, "tea tea" if you will) that Donna always has on hand.  She normally had the David Rio "Elephant Vanilla".  Recently, though, they came out with "Flamingo Vanilla" which is decaf and sugar free.  And just as delicious.  World Market was having a BOGO sale so I now have a cabinet full of Tea, Tea.