Happy New Year!

It's a long, long way from Sabalos-Cerritos, where we're staying, to the public market downtown. Some days - like today - it's even longer.

Kristin had an appointment to have her hair done in La Zona Dorada at 9 o'clock this morning, and I said I would meet her there at 10:30 so we could go check out the market. Robin decided to come along, so the two of us left here just after 9:30 - lots of time. Well, really lots of time, as it turned out. There was some sort of glitch in the colouring process, so when we got to the salon, Kristin was still being basted and foiled. When we had run an errand and had a cup of coffee, she was still being cooked. We decided to go to Mega (supermarket) and do our shopping. Then R would go home in a taxi, and I would get off at the salon and meet Kristin. Great plan.

Except that the taxi driver who picked us up at Mega seemed really unsure about where we were going, and he took a route that went nowhere near the salon, and altogether I thought it would be best if I just stayed with the taxi (even a little Spanish can be important if your taxi driver is lost). So I did. I rode all the way back to Mar-a-Villas. We sent the driver on his way, and I went out to the road, where I caught a bus back to the Golden Zone. By this time, I had been gone nearly two hours.

I asked Christine, who owns the salon, if she knew where I could find my friend. "Oh, she left a long time ago!" Oy.

I looked around outside, saw no sign of Kris, and had to make a decision. Either she had gone home, or she had gone on to the market. As I had already invested the entire morning in this project, I decided to go on to the market. I located the correct bus, and off I went.I figured Kris would call me if she were really concerned. It turned out that she didn't have her cell with her, and the phone at the salon was not set up to call cell phones. Kris had actually just gone in somewhere to get something to eat.

So off I went to the market. I got about 2/3 of the way there when my phone rang. When I didn't appear (it seemed) Kris had gone home, and now she and TJ were both trying to hook up with me. Where could we meet? I had never even been to the market before.

The Canadians sitting behind me had been talking about going to a restaurant downtown, so I asked them for the name of the restaurant, which was supposedly across the street from the opera house. It was called El Tunel. I agreed to meet TJ and Kris there.

There was further confusion when El Tunel proved to be closed for renovations, but Tom and Rose (my bus neighbours from Calgary)and I settled in at a patio table in front of the restaurant next door, ordered a pizza, and waited for Kris and TJ, who did in fact find us, against all odds. We ordered a second pizza, had an enjoyable lunch, and then the two groups parted ways.

After that, things were much simpler. We went to the market, which was only three blocks away. I managed to find the vendor who sold extensibles - watchbands - and had Robin's broken band replaced. I also found Erin's cazuela. Hers is fancy-schmancy. It has decorations - and a lid.

We caught the Toreo bus home and got here just in time for sunset, but nobody had the energy to walk to the beach. The last I saw of them, TJ and Kris were heading home for a siesta in preparation for tonight's festivities.

Robin and I plan to celebrate the New Year in our traditional fashion - by sleeping through the midnight hour.

So. Happy New Year to all, and to all a Good Night.