New City, New Friends

People often ask if I get lonely when I travel alone.  Nope.  I enjoy my own company.   And I find that when I travel alone it is very easy to meet people, if I want to.  Some of those people turn into life-long friends - like my friend Donna.  I met her on my first cruise alone.  She and two friends were my dinner companions.  That was in 1997.  She's a close friend and will be visiting me in FL in a couple of months.

Sometimes I'm not in the mood to be sociable.  Years ago I was working Boston and opted to spend the weekend after the meetings at the Cape.  On Friday evening I was at a lovely seaside restaurant having a quiet dinner alone.  After several days of work/people/stress, I was very much enjoying the solitude.

The waitress came over and said that two ladies (who waved cheerfully from across the room) would like me to join them since I was alone.  I asked her to tell them I appreciated the offer but was enjoying dinner alone.  I also asked her to take them a bottle of wine.  Before I left, I went over and thanked them and explained why I didn't join them.  It was clear they were a bit miffed.  "But we felt sorry for you."  "I would NEVER eat at a restaurant alone."  Good to know.  Have a nice night.  Sorry I wasn't in the mood to be rescued.  It was kind of them to offer. 

So far this trip, I've met six people.  By that, I mean people whose names I now know, who shared conversations and time with me.  In one case, it was the two boys I mentioned in an early post who came over to join me for breakfast.  Most recently I met and spent time with a lovely couple, Mark and Kieran.

I met them in the elevator.  If you see me in an elevator, please know that if you make eye contact I'll probably talk to you.  Doesn't matter what language, I'll give it a shot.  So there we were, with poor Mark and Kieran trapped in an elevator with me, a talker.  We continued talking in the lobby.  I ran into them again the next day (and they didn't run).  We decided to meet for breakfast on Sunday morning, then take the Tapatio Tours bus to Tonola for the weekly craft fair.

I won't share their whole back story but the guys are from England and Ireland and have been partners for over 29 years.  They retired, sold their house and have been traveling for eighteen months.  They're midway through a Latin American trip.  We had a lot to talk about.

After spending the day together, we separated in the late afternoon.  They were heading on to a cafe and I thought if I had to walk one extra step besides what it would take to get me back to my hotel room, they might have to carry me. 

They had surprised me on the bus coming back to Guadalajara with a beautiful necklace from the fair.  I was touched by their thoughtfulness and it was hard to say goodbye.  We'd only spent a day together but I felt as if we were old friends.  They'll be heading back to England and buying a house and getting settled again.  They offered me a place to visit when they have their new home.  I offered my home as a place to crash while they get settled, or any time they want to visit.  We shared numerous hugs and a couple more selfies. 

The guys are moving on this morning to Mexico City and I'll miss them.  But, it's my last day in Guadalajara and I'm happy on my own.   Here are some photos of our day.  The craft fair was so crowded I didn't take photos as we shopped. 

Kieran and Mark

A side entrance to the Guadalajara cathedral. It was a SRO congregation for Sunday mass on 3 Kings Day. 

Sadly, we passed a funeral procession.

Hard to see but there is a car with a large flower arrangement on top that is following the hearse.

Been a long time since I saw a Texaco sign.

Guadalajara has a lot of statues around the city.

That's a lot of sugar.

Perhaps you'd prefer salty snacks?  The plazas were packed by the end of the day.

The bus dropped us off a few blocks from the street fair.  I've found it's a good idea to take a photo of where I need to go back to in case I get turned around.  It has happened.  

Those are some "statement" toilets. 

So many items for Day of the Dead.  This one is over six feet tall.

One of the statues at a main intersection in Tonola, a suburb of Guadalajara.  The street fair goes on for blocks and starts just behind the statue.

Mark was surprised at how comfortable this chair was.  A three piece set - two chairs and a table with storage, made of old car, motorcycle and bicycle tires.  Very clever recycling.

A tire chair.

While Mark and Kieran did more shopping, I enjoyed a cold drink at a nice restaurant with patio seating.

They ensured that my bottle of Coke Light was kept clean.  Notice the glass?  Hand blown locally.  I really, really wanted a set in pale blue.  I do not need them.  I'd asked Mark and Kieran to slap me if they saw me pull out my credit card to buy a set.  Kieran seems a little too happy with the prospect.  LOL.  He kept pointing out glasses to me.

I just had a coke but the menu looked good as did the food being delivered to tables around me.

Another tiny car.

I liked these plant holders but resisted.

Need any shoe strings?

They sell them everywhere.

The beautiful necklace that Kieran and Mark gave me to remember our day together.

New Friends

The internet has made the world so much smaller.

I got an email from a charming lady from London recently.  She'd been googling Zeygo market because she was coming to Myanmar with a small tour group.  She stumbled upon my blog and not only took the time to read it, she emailed me about it.

After a couple of email exchanges, we agreed to meet up when she was in Mandalay.  I'm so glad that we did!

We agreed that I'd pick up Dorothy and her friends Diana and Miki at their hotel at 4:00 p.m.  on a Friday evening.  I must confess, as the day progressed, I was not looking forward to it.  My Friday evenings are usually dedicated to being a sloth and relaxing after a tiring week.  Having said that, I knew that once we met and got out, I knew we'd have a good time.  I was right.

Another teacher and I met the ladies at their hotel and we planned our evening.  I was a bit concerned that they had passed on their group tour of U Bein Bridge and dinner to spend the evening with us.  Especially since we weren't taking them to the tourist sites, but rather to the places that we go to regularly.

We started at Mingular market, the produce/wet market where I buy most of my food.  We wandered around and tasted some of the local fruits.  Miki and I agreed that dragon fruit is a big damn disappointment.  It is beautiful and has an exotic and misleading name, since it is one of the blandest fruits you can find.  Dorothy was impressed, as I am, with the Mandarin oranges, which are relatively cheap and plentiful here.

Our next stop was a quick one at Gandamar market, which is a local grocery store.  Dorothy was interested in buying some soap for souvenirs and I've bought thanaka soap there.  Less than a dollar, smells like sandalwood and foams up nicely.

Next we headed to our primary goal - Style Star, the salon where I go at least once a week.  It was busy on a Friday night but we each got a treatment fairly quickly.  Three of us went for the shampoo/shoulder and arm massage and blow dry.  Two of us opted for the foot/leg scrubbing and massage.  The hotel where the ladies stayed charged $70 for a foot massage.  Style Star, which is for locals rather than tourists charges $6.50.  The shampoo/massages were $2.50.  The ladies seemed quite pleased and seemed to really enjoy the pampering and local experience.

To top off the evening we headed to Joy Garden on 62nd St., near 35 to have a Myanmar dinner.  Rather than ordering from the menu, we went for the barbecue.  We chose the sticks of stuff we wanted - paneer cheese, okra, spring onions, goat, chicken, pork, spicy fish in banana leaves, a whole fish, lotus root and more, along with a bottle of white wine, some sodas and a beer for $35.  Our visitors generously paid for dinner. The food and the conversation were terrific.

I so enjoyed meeting these ladies.  We found so many things in common.  We had so many common interests.  Intelligent conversation.  The serendipity of spending time with like-minded strangers.  I'm sorry we only had a few hours together.  They each generously offered to host me at their homes in London.  I hope they realize I was very serious when I said I'd take them up on it.  I'm already checking dates and flights.  Really, 70 countries and I've never been to England?  I have to correct that.  Having new friends there will just make it better.