tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11826585592437228452024-03-13T22:17:56.253-07:00Carolyn's 2centsCarolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-3794053814733388332014-09-16T09:06:00.001-07:002014-09-16T09:06:23.775-07:00The trouble With Our Schools<span class="Apple-Mail-URLShareUserContentTopClass" style="line-height: 14px !important;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today in the Vancouver Sun one of my favourite columnists wrote this article about the teachers strike, ESL & class composition,</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;">I totally agree, and wrote a letter to the editor along the same lines, back in 2009. I believe that if you want to learn another </span><span style="line-height: 22px;">language</span><span style="line-height: 1.4;"> you will have to invest your time and money to do that. If you want to move to Mexico and go to school there, you need to learn spanish on your own dime. Only in Canada will we offer to pay these costs for immigrants, sometimes we Canadians are just "too nice"!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;">I may not have written it as well as Ms Fralic, so I'd like to thank her for bringing the topic up again. Class composition & ESL, should be up for public discussion without the fear of being labeled discriminatory.</span></span></span></div>
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<br style="page-break-before: always;" /><img alt="vasn" border="0" src="http://www.fpinfomart.ca/img/aixpubs/vasn.gif" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px 5px 0px;" /><br /><h1 style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
Immigrant's responsibility to learn the language</h1>
<span class="docdetails" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 0.66em;">Vancouver Sun<br />Fri Jul 3 2009<br />Page: A6<br />Section: Editorial<br />Byline: <span class="dochighlight" name="dochi" style="background-color: #ffff99; font-weight: bold;">Carolyn Keay</span><br />Source: Vancouver Sun </span><span class="doctext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 0.8em;"></span><br /><span class="doctext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 0.8em;">I don't agree with Manori Ravindran's letter of June 30. Why should it be the financial responsibility of Canadians to educate people who choose to immigrate here?</span><br /><span class="doctext" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 0.8em;">Unless you are a refugee, you probably planned to move to Canada. If you want to work and be part of society, you need to learn the language, so why not learn it before you get here?<br />I also disagree with the Canadian government paying for ESL students. Why should we hire extra teachers to teach English to young children whose parents haven't bothered to learn English?<br />If I (a third-generation Canadian) want to learn to speak another language, I have to invest my time and money to learn it. I'm not asking Mexico to pay for my Spanish lessons.<br /><span class="dochighlight" name="dochi" style="background-color: #ffff99; font-weight: bold;">Carolyn Keay</span><br />Surrey</span><span class="docdetails" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 0.66em;"></span><br /><span class="docdetails" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 0.66em;"></span><br /><span class="docdetails" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 0.66em;">Edition: Final<br />Story Type: Letter<br />Length: 129 words<br />Idnumber: 200907030030 </span><br /><div>
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Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-56296695308472219122014-04-21T11:33:00.000-07:002014-04-21T11:33:08.129-07:00Sugar, it's hiding in everything you eat.<span style="font-size: large;">Today I learned that 4.2g of sugar is the same as 1 teaspoon of sugar. </span><br />
The yogurt I love, Olympic, french vanilla has 24g of sugar for 175ml, or sometimes I buy the blueberry 23g of sugar.<br />
So 175ml is equal to 3/4 cup,<br />
24g of sugar is equal to 5.7 teaspoons! Isn't that crazy! <br />
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I always thought I was picking a healthy yogurt, I don't like the taste of plain yogurt, seems sour to me, but I can't imagine having to add 5-6 teaspoons to a small bowl of yogurt to make it taste better. <br />
I also hate the taste of aspartame or any artificial sweetener, and many yogurts have wheat added so that really limits my choices as well.<br />
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In our house we don't add sugar to tea or coffee, we only bring out the sugar bowl when we have visitors. We do not drink pop, or fruit juice because of the excessive calories. I know we eat healthier than we did 5 years ago, but I was still surprised to learn how much sugar is hidden in things we eat. Maybe surprised is not the right word, I do know how to read a nutrition label, I just did not know what 24g of sugar actually amounted to.<br />
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Did you know there are 12g or 3 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of Campbells Tomato soup?<br />
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So that's the sugar I didn't really know about, I do know, I am addicted to chocolate, but I expect that to have sugar. The little chocolate Easter Bunny I had yesterday, (OK I had 2) each had 5.2g of sugar, that's 2.5 teaspoons of sugar, seems reasonable for a treat......the soup is not a treat, it should not have sugar, neither should bread, or spaghetti sauce or sports drinks, ......the list is huge!<br />
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Here is a link to the show I saw on the Fifth Estate, lots more information here. <br />
<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/player/Shows/Shows/the+fifth+estate/Season+39/ID/2410472474/">http://www.cbc.ca/player/Shows/Shows/the+fifth+estate/Season+39/ID/2410472474/ </a><br />
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Did you know you should limit your daily calories from sugar to 5-10% of your daily consumption of food. That is approximately 25-50g per day. (2 bowls of yogurt, or 4 bowls of Campbells soup)<br />
<a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/added-sugar-in-the-diet/" style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/added-sugar-in-the-diet/</a><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><br />
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Then there is the bigger, scarier issue, what is all this excessive sugar doing to our bodies over the years, besides making us fat, and diabetic, could it be linked to the rise in rates of Autism or Alzheimer's Disease? More research has to be done, but guess who refuses to sponsor this type of research.......the food producers who insist on adding the sugar to all our products. <br />
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-19865394963225216092014-03-30T09:42:00.002-07:002014-03-30T09:42:25.643-07:00Gluten free Fad<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">More proof that a gluten free diet is not about getting healthier........I love the last line of this article, <b>“Any time a box needs to convince you the contents are healthful, they’re probably not.”</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/03/28/farewell-to-gluten-free-why-we-are-so-easily-fooled-by-pseudoscience-and-marketing-gimmicks-when-it-comes-to-food/">http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/03/28/farewell-to-gluten-free-why-we-are-so-easily-fooled-by-pseudoscience-and-marketing-gimmicks-when-it-comes-to-food/ </a></span><br />
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-48164561042595715692014-02-25T06:16:00.000-08:002014-02-25T06:16:37.635-08:00Playa Del Carmen, the city that never sleeps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First of all, you must remember why we come to Playa Del Carmen:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwd9z7zTpahD8dFdMvckqFS19nGrBxlDmBUXuTJETgESyFnFiCwcUnrx6Pb5vLxpvuf2mxyCIf61tyt5JlJ6sezrKnkGEDurZL344L5Q6HRsT2xgkTMlSdpul-YAGcbiZefZrh_RdonY/s1600/DSC01989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwd9z7zTpahD8dFdMvckqFS19nGrBxlDmBUXuTJETgESyFnFiCwcUnrx6Pb5vLxpvuf2mxyCIf61tyt5JlJ6sezrKnkGEDurZL344L5Q6HRsT2xgkTMlSdpul-YAGcbiZefZrh_RdonY/s1600/DSC01989.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">white sand, warm water, no water shoes required!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We did our best to pick a nice quiet condo we could spend a month in. We viewed many condos while we were here last year, and Palmar Del Sol was our best choice. Ok, we now realize we did not cover all bases, we let them show us a similar condo to the one we rented, and although it looks the same, the sound proofing is so much different. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Palmar Del Sol has interior condos that do not face 5th Ave that are very quiet, but ours is not one of those. We do like it during the day, and early evening, we can sit out here on the balcony and watch and listen to the people go by. We really like having free access to the Las Palapas beach, lounge chairs and a Palapa whenever we choose, no obligation to buy anything from the bar. Great swimming beach, nice pool area, clean condo, daily maid service, wifi, 24 hr security, right on 5th Ave so we are surrounded by restaurants, stores, we can walk everywhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But what if you can't sleep at night? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have done our best to sound proof our bedroom, but even with spare mattresses up against the windows, we can hear the younger crowd on their way home from the bars, at 4 or 5 AM. We can hear all the music from the stores and restaurants below us. Which is fine during the day, (but I swear they turn it up at night), the Plaza La Fiesta Mexican Outlet store across from our balcony plays Mexican music until 11PM, the restaurant below us, Chez Celine, is busy all day from 7 AM til 11PM with whatever music they choose to play, and then there are all the bars & restaurants within a 2 block radius that you don't really notice until they turn up the tunes, and the sound carries up to our 3rd floor windows. We can hear music and people talking, kids crying, some yelling on and off til 2 or 3 AM. (maybe 4-5AM after the bars close)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes we sleep through it all to be woken by the garbage trucks at 5AM or so. Then, at aprox 7:45AM a VW beetle drives by blasting loud rock and roll to wake all those who are sleeping, just some kid on the way to work who doesn't want anyone else to sleep in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One sunday morning we were treated to the loud music of AC/DC (which is one of my fav's to dance to at night), it was 7:45AM, I was just getting up, (the VW beetle guy doesn't work on Sunday's) I didn't mind this wake up music, but I bet all those you just got home at 4AM were thinking otherwise. The music was for a 5km fun run called Coloreate, where they throw coloured powder on the runners as they go by 4 stations.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Honestly, it did not look like they were having that much fun, they were wiping their eyes and coughing a lot, there were some colorful looking dogs that didn't seem to mind though</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Colour'ete 5 Km Sunday morning 8AM</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We delayed our morning walk until all the racers had gone by, the color in the streets lasted for a couple days, and for even longer on our balcony, even though we scrubbed it several times.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We now realize we must find a condo out of the city in the future, Playa Del Carmen is a fun city for the weekly tourist. The new development is geared toward a traveller with money to spend, whereas, we are looking for good value for our money to make it last for several months of travel, not just a week or two. Then there is the fact that we like to sleep at night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have talked about not coming back here again next year, maybe we will try Florida........and then we go for a swim.....<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">............and we are not sure we want to leave at all.</span></td></tr>
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-63509815913364984402014-02-21T16:05:00.000-08:002014-02-21T16:05:10.518-08:00Vino Tinto<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Last year I had trouble finding a good glass of Vino Tinto (red wine) in Mexico, this year it has not been a problem. Note: that I am a strong believer that a good smooth glass of red does not have to cost a lot of money.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am recording my favourites here, mostly so I don't forget.<br /></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Vinos Domecq, Valle De Calafia, B.C. <br />101 to106 pesos<br />When I saw the label on this bottle I thought it might be from home, but B.C. does not stand for British Columbia, it is Baja California. Pacific Coast of Mexico</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Angaro, Malbec/Shiraz Argentina, 89 pesos</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zh4Uh6x9OkSpkOc8pY7bMjFChG25mfT-9Qn0Yq1m1ZwvaRPsC3qlJtBLF87yzELT-FbRLYVyROGbpX2SgUwVE24vVWwymjB7a3luItDK-uuUMEnlGAECFQqL1PS9zxf3LbT8ux4CDlE/s1600/DSC02015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zh4Uh6x9OkSpkOc8pY7bMjFChG25mfT-9Qn0Yq1m1ZwvaRPsC3qlJtBLF87yzELT-FbRLYVyROGbpX2SgUwVE24vVWwymjB7a3luItDK-uuUMEnlGAECFQqL1PS9zxf3LbT8ux4CDlE/s1600/DSC02015.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Santa Ana Malbec, Argentina, 97 pesos</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">This is one of my fav's at home too, but the label is different.</span></span></td></tr>
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Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-6157597743513529872014-02-20T06:20:00.001-08:002014-02-20T06:34:43.889-08:00Staying active is easy in Playa Del Carmen<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGqor2gxBwrevukHBfnIA35BT6tKrPKEO7K7VocXdrwTkc2R6W_CAc4NyoVVlMUNKj8vh183a5gO_S8WP8LE4q8vrytR6AO1E7gOD5VpULXF4EeSE3zbdGurHIRcSmVCCPIXyiGERzf0/s1600/DSC01996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGqor2gxBwrevukHBfnIA35BT6tKrPKEO7K7VocXdrwTkc2R6W_CAc4NyoVVlMUNKj8vh183a5gO_S8WP8LE4q8vrytR6AO1E7gOD5VpULXF4EeSE3zbdGurHIRcSmVCCPIXyiGERzf0/s1600/DSC01996.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5th Ave toward 50th street</td></tr>
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Daily decisions in Playa Del Carmen:<br />
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Where to walk to today? the beach in bare feet or the street with running shoes? <br />
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Not only, do we like to be active, we purposely go on vacation to be somewhere warm, so we can be active outside. Our daily walk usually takes 1.5 to 2 hours, but sometimes we just keep going and don't get back to our condo for 3 hours. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJC8Zq7KLkMcSwVenJLdj2bDkFRDF3NhOL9Nk1RqD-3a2rOWBWprs1sDyai_kE7GJuu8ubShtnZBjtU8uyNeSjPnl6b5Lcmu2Rhq7102d4DKyVMYM2DU1v_yXCBgFfwU9ASuuGBmym3g/s1600/DSC01990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJC8Zq7KLkMcSwVenJLdj2bDkFRDF3NhOL9Nk1RqD-3a2rOWBWprs1sDyai_kE7GJuu8ubShtnZBjtU8uyNeSjPnl6b5Lcmu2Rhq7102d4DKyVMYM2DU1v_yXCBgFfwU9ASuuGBmym3g/s1600/DSC01990.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Playacar beach, a 30 min walk in the sand, great workout for your legs, sore feet and calf muscles make it hard to do everyday</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Our condo is on 5th Ave and 32nd street. 5th is the pedestrian only road in Playa Del Carmen most of the restaurants and shops are toward the lower numbered streets. The businesses are slowly expanding down 5th toward 46th street, but is still not as busy down there. Last year they finished a beautiful pedestrian/ bike road all the way past Paradisus Playa Del Carmen resort to Grand Coral Resort entrance, @ 112 St. The road has a few cars, joggers, bikes and walkers, but it is not well used. A few weeks ago, there was a lot of garbage around and we wondered why the government would spend so much money to build this and not maintain it. Last week there was some clean up done, so maybe they heard us?? Anyway even with all the abandoned looking buildings, and squatter shacks, it still feels safe, so we enjoy walking that way, away from the road noise and busy traffic. We have walked through the gates to the Grand Coral Resort as well, this would be a good place to bike ride to, wide sidewalks and very few cars. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">We did rent bikes one day, quite inexpensive at 90pesos, but we did not feel safe in traffic (we road over to Playacar) and didn't really work up a sweat on the flat roads. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgonvJIOMbLVMxi0wK_tbdSBwZfB2YFXsYB4OTjDuX2C5NZhrd_y7TEScqh5r5claXVbgJ4_4x529_jt_knbh9zo7_dtZ_Mdmt3RO0niL-HUsmixFTs8EK1hzgiPWaD9cb6qT6jLN-E10/s1600/DSC01997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgonvJIOMbLVMxi0wK_tbdSBwZfB2YFXsYB4OTjDuX2C5NZhrd_y7TEScqh5r5claXVbgJ4_4x529_jt_knbh9zo7_dtZ_Mdmt3RO0niL-HUsmixFTs8EK1hzgiPWaD9cb6qT6jLN-E10/s1600/DSC01997.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view down 5th Ave</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugaYE7nUa9pBVbrvsSFfkgs0fUt77QCGvSbe1wtwfax3G5Z_AeiHXLeop8zZ6GehttN2SIyzFRHCf778gjwW9ZktDEEKOgBZCgRZL5K2oGABA2Dl4pc_EN7ECF2lGvCkV7cJfuLy-B1Q/s1600/DSC01998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugaYE7nUa9pBVbrvsSFfkgs0fUt77QCGvSbe1wtwfax3G5Z_AeiHXLeop8zZ6GehttN2SIyzFRHCf778gjwW9ZktDEEKOgBZCgRZL5K2oGABA2Dl4pc_EN7ECF2lGvCkV7cJfuLy-B1Q/s1600/DSC01998.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice new street, but many run down buildings</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPVEGa_ELNL2hvjtu18dUeXAWmMrFGOZnp1QJgEJ84NVCtudf2Reee17mxhKMoO3NczDwCaAaMWd5qb442JQXLC8jtEMp5e7qFLvYuSFciQfRFCWU4GlCIVVqUuEeoSHmiekURyloaow/s1600/DSC02000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPVEGa_ELNL2hvjtu18dUeXAWmMrFGOZnp1QJgEJ84NVCtudf2Reee17mxhKMoO3NczDwCaAaMWd5qb442JQXLC8jtEMp5e7qFLvYuSFciQfRFCWU4GlCIVVqUuEeoSHmiekURyloaow/s1600/DSC02000.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One side of the street has these shacks, hard to believe people live in them</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many half finished buildings, they look abandoned, but some have people living in them</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarZWdQ1EqNclHhHRy5RAnpmy-H78OOUn3T5eN3fjIktO-qGK5ZtY8k8soUZN0wSOOdPFiRn86YzCrf3weCDcoKaS_f4zmutnPq1CLVtv88af5RPhPg80_OK7K8bPNpcVHPWmDSAHm62w/s1600/DSC02002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarZWdQ1EqNclHhHRy5RAnpmy-H78OOUn3T5eN3fjIktO-qGK5ZtY8k8soUZN0wSOOdPFiRn86YzCrf3weCDcoKaS_f4zmutnPq1CLVtv88af5RPhPg80_OK7K8bPNpcVHPWmDSAHm62w/s1600/DSC02002.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are also new buildings and resorts on the same road</td></tr>
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We have also found a park 2 blocks away that has some stairs & monkey bars, for pull ups and benches for step ups. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2VAyD-sqCVyL_cO2NRhZP5a_VRwZyMJsGQFWmbiyemZ0i41H_AQIcgXQMIXuaJDHXIMT0EbxCtOdtzdezbCQsZoF4bpFhbkTMbcHReq1oBYc48mZt-fmVvGrg41x4KACRMQuDmVSQZY/s1600/480-0-main.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2VAyD-sqCVyL_cO2NRhZP5a_VRwZyMJsGQFWmbiyemZ0i41H_AQIcgXQMIXuaJDHXIMT0EbxCtOdtzdezbCQsZoF4bpFhbkTMbcHReq1oBYc48mZt-fmVvGrg41x4KACRMQuDmVSQZY/s1600/480-0-main.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It doesn't look as nice as this photo, very rusty now, but they are ugrading the whole stadium so maybe it will be restored to look like this again.</td></tr>
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Then there is our large roof top deck that has a nice breeze (usually) I can use that my "swork it" workout. (Check out the "swork it app" in the app store, pay the 99cents to make it more useable , totally worth it, a great random work out) Our use a timer and make up your own workout.<br />
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After a variation of all of the above each day, we often walk to the grocery store as well, and carry our food back home, then we really deserve a rest under a Palapa on the beach, maybe a swim in the warm ocean. (more calories burned if you actually swim or jump over the waves for awhile)<br />
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It is tiring just reading all of that, but remember we are not just here for a relaxing week in the sun, we are trying to live like we do at home only in the sunshine. We choose not to join the local gym, due to the cost, and the fact that we would rather be outside anyway. We have learned al lot from our Personal Trainers at home over the years, hope we make them proud!<br />
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-13638558125445515912014-02-10T07:19:00.001-08:002014-02-10T07:19:44.234-08:00Trip Report Playa Del Carmen 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first 9 days in Playa Del Carmen, have gone by quickly, it took a few days to settle into our condo, as it is a lot noisier here at night, sucks when you can't sleep! Our condo is great, otherwise, we solved the noise problem ourselves, as the management had no other room to move us to, and offered no other help. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We took the 2 mattress' off the beds in the 2nd bedroom and stood them up against the windows in our room, had to stuff a few pillows around them and place a chair against them, but they are now covered by the drapes and the sound is greatly muffled. Now that we can sleep we quite like it here!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can check out the details and photos here:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rivieramayasuites.com/wordpress/?page_id=204">http://www.rivieramayasuites.com/wordpress/?page_id=204 </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The weather has really improved from a couple weeks ago on Isla Mujeres, we now talk about sweating too much and enjoy sitting in the shade under a Palapa....Yeah, it is a tough life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walking down 5th Ave there are many changes. There are new Hotels being built, a beach front Hyatt, and a large mall on 5th Ave that was only a shell last year, now is a 3 story modern shopping mall, with Victoria's Secret, Forever 21, Nike, Sanborns and much more. Honestly I don't think it belongs here, but apparently that is the future for Playa Del Carmen. Progress apparently. There are many small Mexican stores mixed in on 5th Ave, some across the road from this big mall, some have a new Designer store beside them, it is quite a mix, I do hope the keep some of the mix.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEl6yGz7CSKaaMTFFUHHIZsle_qW2qsH93PH1y-N4A3ju_nT1W6c4sYVD3ayno7I3RmLb8mK7NhMp3X2hCv0ROHPIlaPGuMkoWz5YhtPvUk4yDfVG0iQ0aPBLeowA9xWanlskP9b3i4_c/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEl6yGz7CSKaaMTFFUHHIZsle_qW2qsH93PH1y-N4A3ju_nT1W6c4sYVD3ayno7I3RmLb8mK7NhMp3X2hCv0ROHPIlaPGuMkoWz5YhtPvUk4yDfVG0iQ0aPBLeowA9xWanlskP9b3i4_c/s1600/images.jpeg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this was the mall Feb 2013<br />
below is part of what it looks like now, Feb 2014<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of the great restaurants we found last year are still here, some have moved, some have raised there prices. We are happy that La Tarray still has a great fish fillet for 90 pesos (Huge plate of fish with rice and salad) La Chevre del Chango still has the amaranth crusted chicken stuffed with cottage cheese, but the price went up to 138 pesos, still worth it, but won't order another margarita there as that went up to 100 pesos, crazy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are </span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">exercising every morning, on our </span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">roof top deck, followed by a long walk on the beach or thru town, more later, have to get moving before it gets too hot!........... </span></span></div>
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Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-21626730045262540912014-01-30T15:59:00.000-08:002014-01-30T15:59:29.852-08:00Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres, Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the beautiful beach of Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres, we fell in love with this beach when we visited this island for one day last year. The warm water and white sand reminded us of the islands in the Bahamas. Nothing but soft white sand under your feet as far as you can walk in the water. Angel fish swimming around your ankles, so amazing! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbm0b7l94ypDDH7LxBNFV8JMfBZ7jeBMEfatz8nJ0A077BFNrQNR9n8h8IlXr_1LnPbzTAM5QhfvTd4Z9taF4GL4cOeHIaIJ8x2kB5_E2TP9slyhsek-K3pmWMsAcpoRJaNRW4ye_msM/s1600/DSC01975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbm0b7l94ypDDH7LxBNFV8JMfBZ7jeBMEfatz8nJ0A077BFNrQNR9n8h8IlXr_1LnPbzTAM5QhfvTd4Z9taF4GL4cOeHIaIJ8x2kB5_E2TP9slyhsek-K3pmWMsAcpoRJaNRW4ye_msM/s1600/DSC01975.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the nicest beach on the whole Island of Isla Mujeres (which is quite small only 7KM long), so if gets quite crowded on a sunny weekend. Obviously, there are many wealthy yacht owners that like to visit!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is amazing how one beach can look so different day to day. We have had some days of wind and some with a bit or rain, today we had large waves which is quite unusual for this side of the island, but fun for folks who like to play in the waves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We have been here for over a week now and we never tire of the view or the sunset!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We have had 5 days of great weather in a row now, it did rain for about an hour today, but under the beach umbrella it was still warm and not worth leaving the beach for a few raindrops! (although most people did leave) The weather has not been as good as last year, but when it is, you forget all about the chilly nights and the sweater I had to wear last week!</span></div>
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Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-52581151245973436552014-01-24T15:41:00.000-08:002014-01-24T15:41:02.625-08:00Today in Isla Mujeres<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hola Amigos,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have now been in Mexico for 9 nights out of the 7 weeks we plan to be here. We started out on the Riviera Maya, and arrived on the Beautiful Island of "Isla Mujeres" 2 days ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I don't want to complain about the weather, but I want you to know it is not as warm as last year.....and I packed for last year's weather! One sweater, (that I don't really like), all of my large wraps/scarfs are in a drawer at home (cause I didn't need them last year). I don't like shopping in Mexico so I just keep hoping that tomorrow will be warmer, but today is cloudy & really windy(35-40Km), not cold (21C) but tonight I will be wearing that sweater again!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am inside on my computer because I can't find a sheltered place to sit outside right now. We did go for a 2 hour walk this morning, and I am sure we burned some extra calories taking into account, the wind resistance. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, enough about the weather, I know it is so much colder at home!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Isla Mujeres is a small Mexican fishing village, friendly people, many who only speak spanish, but so far no problemo! There are many great restaurants here, and not as many tourists as last year(that could be due to the weather) so competition is fierce to entice customers into their restaurants. The main "Pedestrian only" road, is called Hidalgo, it is a really nice stroll, through stores and restaurants, all with the usual salesman trying to get you into their establishment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Prices for food are a bit higher than we remember from Playa Del Carmen last year, because the island is so small and everything except fish is imported. We have had to increase our daily budget for meals, but we still look for the places off the main road. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We found a great little place last night, with fresh tuna steak and red snapper fillets, our dinner cost $330 pesos,(about $30 Cdn) they had promised one drink included with each dinner, but gave us 2!</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Gotta like that!</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> We also had shrimp tacos and Chicken Fajitas today at lunch, at a sandy beach restaurant, 280 pesos (Including 2 cervesas and really good </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">guacamole) My only complaint was the 4 mosquito bites I got (again cause of the lousy weather).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hope we all have a sunny day tomorrow!</span><br />
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Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-91628198622312181102014-01-24T15:14:00.002-08:002014-01-24T15:14:51.483-08:00Why are Adult's Only Resorts so expensive?<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We just spent 7 nights at the Lovely All inclusive Excellence Riviera Cancun Resort, near Puerto Morales, Mexico. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">There really is not much to complain about at this resort, the grounds, rooms, buildings are all very clean, the nicest I have ever seen. No musty smells anywhere. The food & service was always good, sometimes really good. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There was just something missing though, I think we were expecting "WOW",(because of the price and reviews) and we never felt the "WOW"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We like a happy hour bar, with a view, a fun place to meet new people & enjoy a cocktail before dinner. The only bar like that was the Martini Bar, no view, no music, and a big divider in the center so you could not see people on the other side. The bartenders were slow and often forgot what you ordered, it was just sad. (No Myers Rum or Grey Goose Vodka unless you pay more to be part of the Exc</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ellence club)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We like long walks on the Beach, and this was the perfect place for it, walking in the powdery white sand everyday, no need for shoes! We walked to Puerto Morales one day, about 90mins round trip, but you could go even farther if you wanted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />I also like to swim, but the po</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ols are not heated, apparently this is not a problem when it is hot out, but it was very chilly the week we were there, so the pools were very cold, I could not get into that water, too bad because the pools look so inviting. The ocean was warmer, but walking into the water you had to walk through weeds, I hate the icky feeling of weeds around your ankles, it was like that all around this area.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />We have been to many AI (All Inclusive) resorts in Mexico, and love the "Adults only" ones, but always wonder why they are so much more expensive? A 5 star AI that has kids at it has to provide extra activities, kid food, and the kids often stay for free, so why wouldn't it be cheaper NOT to have kids at the resort?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The prices online for Excellence start at $500+ US a night, we booked early and paid $348US, seemed like a great deal, but without a fun bar, heated pools, and the "WOW" we were expecting, I think it was overpriced.</span></div>
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Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-87950067736118445362014-01-09T17:38:00.000-08:002014-01-09T20:16:22.295-08:00Why I write Trip Advisor reviews<br />
A couple days ago I wrote a negative review about a restaurant, on Trip Advisor & Yelp and I mentioned it on my Facebook page. I did wait until the day after to write it, but my daughter is now questioning why I would so this at all. She works as a waitress, so that may be part of the reason why she doesn't like to hear about negative restaurant reviews. She also said "I just don't want people to think you are a grumpy old Hag!" (or words to that effect)<br />
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Her point was only that I should not post negative things on Facebook, or on the internet period, she believes we should only post happy, positive stuff on Facebook. OK, I do agree with this for the most part, I often scroll over negative, or complaining comments, so I will try to remember not to post negative things on Facebook anymore. In my defence I would never criticize or say anything negative about a friend or specific person on Facebook, I am not a bully or "a grumpy old Hag".<br />
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However I don't think I will stop writing reviews.<br />
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Years ago, before trip advisor or maybe before I had a computer, (no, I was not alive when the dinosaurs roamed the earth) I used to write letters if I had a complaint about a service or product. I often received coupons, refunds or discounts and always some kind of written acknowledgement of my concern. I don't write letters anymore, I send emails or write reviews, often without a response. I am not a big complainer, I just don't let things slide when I think I have been treated incorrectly, or charged too much money. (Really I don't complain about everything!)<br />
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I believe I am doing this to inform others, as I am always searching the internet for information that others may have to inform me. So I guess writing reviews is like giving back, I share information with you and you with me. I find it very helpful when I am searching for a hotel, or a great beach etc.<br />
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I truly appreciate the time most people take to share information, it would be great if we could all say only positive things, but nothing is perfect all the time. All I can do is share my honest opinions and hope others are doing the same.</div>
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It is really unfortunate that there are many people writing fake reviews about competitors or just to be mean (who knows). </div>
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This makes reading reviews is a big job, some people go out of their way to find the negative, (Really, I try not to do that) and some write their reviews before they have had a chance to calm down, or maybe sober up. <br />
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So I weed through all the reviews and find some like minded people, I look at the reviewer's history, and discount all reviews by people who have only written one review. These are most likely to be fake. If a reviewer has a long history with many reviews I read several of their reviews, to see if they think like me. These are the ones I use to help me make my travel decisions. This can be time consuming, makes you wonder how we managed to take vacations, or find a good restaurant before the internet.......(OMG I'm sounding like a dinosaur again)<br />
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-33733718806050467052014-01-07T10:29:00.001-08:002014-01-07T10:31:27.581-08:00I still love Blue Rodeo, but......<br />
Last night we saw Blue Rodeo live at Prospera Place in Kelowna. I have seen them before live, in Malkin Bowl, in Stanley Park, that was so good, that we jumped at the chance to see them again here in Kelowna.<br />
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Tickets were a very reasonable $69 and that included a copy of their new CD which was mailed to us before Christmas. There are some good songs on there so we were looking forward to seeing them in concert again.<br />
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On the most positive note, I must say that Jim Cuddy's voice is still GREAT!, just love to hear him sing, and we wished they would have just let him sing more. Instead, they continually added in long instrumental solos, featuring a pianist, an electric guitarist, drummer....and on and on....this is fine to show off each members talent, but in every song? It was just getting too boring, the music on their albums is not like this, so yes I was disappointed. The crowd may not have felt the same way as me, they cheered and clapped politely, I guess I just don't appreciate long, ad lib, instrumental solos. I'd rather hear the song they it was recorded.<br />
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The Very best part was the Encore, when Jim Cuddy sang "Trust yourself" and then the group (including his son's band, The Devin Cuddy Band" who were the opening act) sang "Lost Together" ...that was the music I was expecting. It was obvious, by the reaction of the crowd, that is what everyone wanted to hear.<br />
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The worst part was the new songs written by Greg Keelor, all inspired by heartbreak and sadness (yes he told the audience this), this guy really needs some happiness pills! I am not saying the whole new album is sad but the songs Keelor choose to sing last night were all very sad in too many ways!<br />
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-58862019025516414542014-01-02T09:45:00.002-08:002014-01-02T09:45:21.259-08:00Have you heard of this "Dukan Diet"?Ok, I have few pounds of cookies to loose after Christmas. Yes, I am blaming my extras pounds on cookies, although I am sure red wine, cheese and a few other goodies could take some blame as well.<br />
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So, as usual, I sign back on to myfitnesspal.com and log in my current weight and start recording everything I eat. This always works for me, something I learned from weight watchers, 15 years ago. myfitnesspal is free, and easy to use.<br />
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I came across this Dukan diet from an ad somewhere, and being curious I had to read about it (you know, maybe hoping it was the next best thing ever!) It seems a lot like the Atkins diet, high protein, low carbs. I did try the Atkins diet years ago, I couldn't do it, I just could not function without carbs. What really caught my eye, is this Dukan Diet mentions your "<b>True Weight</b>" as a goal.<br />
<b>So aren't you curious what your "True weight" is?</b><br />
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There is a simple online calculator <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.dukandiet.com/calculate-your-true-weight">http://www.dukandiet.com/calculate-your-true-weight</a> </span><br />
They do ask for your email address, but so far they have not sent me anything, hoping no junk mail follows. <br />
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So you put in some info, height, weight, gender, goal weight, wrist size, pregnancies etc. Then they give you a figure for "<b>True Weight</b>". Mine was .8 lb over my goal weight. Interesting........so I did it again and changed my goal weight to 10 lbs less than my first entry. Now my "<b>True weight</b>" was less, by 3 lbs. So, I did it a few more times, and each time my "<b>True Weight</b>" changed with whatever goal weight entered. What good is that? <br />
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I am sticking with myfitnesspal, obviously my "<b>true weight"</b> is whatever goal weight I choose.<br />
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Do whatever works for you, set an achievable goal, and don't spend any money on a weight loss plan without some research and a reasonable expectation that you can follow the plan you choose. <br />
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-83237776964604975922014-01-02T09:17:00.000-08:002014-01-02T09:17:11.882-08:00It's a New Year, it must be time to............Do you make resolutions each New Year? I never have, but I often think I can improve something each year, maybe lose some weight (but that is an ongoing process of life, so no point just resolving that at New Years), maybe a new hobby, or sport or maybe just practice the ones I know. <br />
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So here's my plan, (or wish list but I am not calling it a resolution)<br />
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<li> to blog more than last year, (which should be easy, looking at the short list of my 2013 blogs) </li>
<li> be a better golfer this year, I look forward to practicing. </li>
<li> swim more, I'd like to get back to swimming 20 lengths at a time, I used to be able to do that in 30 minutes (of course that was over 20 years ago), much more practicing required!</li>
<li>sew more, I made a few shirts and dresses this year and I enjoy it, so why don't I do it more often!</li>
<li>paint something, like a big picture for my wall. I used to paint animals on rocks, and I took painting courses for folk art painting, which is acrylics, and copying someone else's designs. I am not good at drawing my own stuff, but I am hoping I can come up with a simple painting of my own. More practice.</li>
<li>continue with bootcamp 2X a week, walking at least 3 times a week. Maybe do more hiking, up hills instead of just a walk.</li>
<li>volunteer somewhere near home</li>
<li>go kayaking, and paddle boarding </li>
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Apparently, the common theme in my plan involves exercise &"practice", .......I better add in more napping ..........and you were wondering what retired people so with their time!</div>
Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-51337154764579936162013-03-25T18:14:00.000-07:002013-03-25T18:14:06.717-07:00DIY drapes; find a "How to" BlogI have made my own drapes before, but unless you do it regularly it is hard to remember the steps and the math. There is actually way more measuring and figuring, than there is sewing, in most drapes. I had a book to help me, but I found this blog to be much more helpful.<br />
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<a href="http://www.textile-love.com/2012/01/diy-pinch-pleat-drapes-pleating-and.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">http://www.textile-love.com/2012/01/diy-pinch-pleat-drapes-pleating-and.html</span></a><br />
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This blog gives photos and step by step instructions that were very easy to follow. There really is no need to buy a book for "how to" for anything, anymore. Blogs like "Textile Love" are amazing!<br />
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Here are my finished Drapes. It was a lot of work & a lot of fabric but I saved money and gained a great feeling of accomplishment. Thank you to Megan for blogging "Textile Love".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPT4IzMK62ny6aVJFgsrjz3XuPaBs6bNJadxsgrlL0LN37-sD5tWuxgf1SaPRNOu3-1UNAhlYAbG859FJKu7WlR4vQq8vDnU1V3cM1JBSPIKIEBbYukidRKT0LDDN-2ojL9-kIQdvP2k/s1600/DSC01382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPT4IzMK62ny6aVJFgsrjz3XuPaBs6bNJadxsgrlL0LN37-sD5tWuxgf1SaPRNOu3-1UNAhlYAbG859FJKu7WlR4vQq8vDnU1V3cM1JBSPIKIEBbYukidRKT0LDDN-2ojL9-kIQdvP2k/s320/DSC01382.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxfOg0JkxTameVyuKcoXtD1eSGhIKYvq5Ihw0nKZ279BJX4u8ARQKJoa0L4i3BCZz4BFEVIcjO54R_8MkdQLkCLI1lTGnwOMdO8WMsc8C1AeQvtI9bgBf50fbYx7mLVVL8_W9VvAigvw/s1600/DSC01383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxfOg0JkxTameVyuKcoXtD1eSGhIKYvq5Ihw0nKZ279BJX4u8ARQKJoa0L4i3BCZz4BFEVIcjO54R_8MkdQLkCLI1lTGnwOMdO8WMsc8C1AeQvtI9bgBf50fbYx7mLVVL8_W9VvAigvw/s320/DSC01383.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCh6-ksOJ06KDzuUh5YDjSppDxnVsy5y2cMx1jiAVw7wDwZconde95Or69nU0s1oIpNm58TcikTaOwvA-xOzHZ_gjIeV-49foaZQp0310_BwOHnQONxZKVZxXr_pdhxJYgj5Uxy8JX7-Q/s1600/DSC01402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCh6-ksOJ06KDzuUh5YDjSppDxnVsy5y2cMx1jiAVw7wDwZconde95Or69nU0s1oIpNm58TcikTaOwvA-xOzHZ_gjIeV-49foaZQp0310_BwOHnQONxZKVZxXr_pdhxJYgj5Uxy8JX7-Q/s320/DSC01402.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-30935860960176809322013-03-25T17:56:00.000-07:002013-03-25T17:56:42.988-07:00What to do with those 3 little windows?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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This is the wall in our master bedroom, those 3 little windows will be above our bed. The sun rises on that side of the house so we need to cover these windows with something. Roller blinds seem to be what most people use, but what color and where do the cords go? The price we were quoted was $540 for roller blinds on these 3 little windows.......I didn't think it was worth it, there must be something nicer. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3QpXcJQjP1_C3uJH0UsZyzA5XrURTy6_Xc9i8zgiILTbPCVVSid4xNRF70wcbB1whXME0ppFI0lxq9PPEwCatLMegNA-p1FKXUtX5-NRS-frkQunJhmCXxba3lImnUpmnE1gmOMHC7s/s1600/IMG_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3QpXcJQjP1_C3uJH0UsZyzA5XrURTy6_Xc9i8zgiILTbPCVVSid4xNRF70wcbB1whXME0ppFI0lxq9PPEwCatLMegNA-p1FKXUtX5-NRS-frkQunJhmCXxba3lImnUpmnE1gmOMHC7s/s320/IMG_0092.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The salesperson who was selling the blinds, said that other clients have used pillows. That sounded interesting, so I bought a pillow, but it wouldn't fill the whole window or even stay up there, it was too puffy. I also thought of using a framed canvas, or covering a frame with fabric but it looked too flat, we needed more depth. So back to the pillow, I needed to square it, to make it fill the window completely and to make it stay in place.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WoK264mHp6j1HJkYmcpU4qPzHPfgDYlVBOzubTgIp3t5zPu0TWEC50LmOWa-26mXbmlL3KB5JBSW4MGfiPTPdGh_sKpWcMtR6rn_5XuFyxSdtzaTuKHUTFV9UBRf702DjcDSnBX8lfo/s1600/DSC01395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WoK264mHp6j1HJkYmcpU4qPzHPfgDYlVBOzubTgIp3t5zPu0TWEC50LmOWa-26mXbmlL3KB5JBSW4MGfiPTPdGh_sKpWcMtR6rn_5XuFyxSdtzaTuKHUTFV9UBRf702DjcDSnBX8lfo/s320/DSC01395.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So I picked open the seam of the pillow, and removed the stuffing,</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTw9s8W8wlmgHIBD9ObddFBmUVL3DQSYHUsMjjGLqZ99jwlZUAXCJndsGjGu9_afNKKGUWvuNqQFa4DEW_Lwjvi9RGmhjOXP8lfApDTiuEUyvpg7HijaqkE5ol2dCEdXwhZN9mSdBCS4/s1600/DSC01396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTw9s8W8wlmgHIBD9ObddFBmUVL3DQSYHUsMjjGLqZ99jwlZUAXCJndsGjGu9_afNKKGUWvuNqQFa4DEW_Lwjvi9RGmhjOXP8lfApDTiuEUyvpg7HijaqkE5ol2dCEdXwhZN9mSdBCS4/s320/DSC01396.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I bought some foam core poster board, and cut it the same size as the window</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAqVr-f1ivatOgLlYr1MblS0GdFKMDt2_s3KPms5akSRCMTOXuFgOnxFdG732q0-RlyA8rZcwWgLYdXyxa6PypiAhBo_YdhToxyS0FCRPe1oIFkeqTplZ4KEgSloUOScc3iSXyIwtLh0/s1600/DSC01397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAqVr-f1ivatOgLlYr1MblS0GdFKMDt2_s3KPms5akSRCMTOXuFgOnxFdG732q0-RlyA8rZcwWgLYdXyxa6PypiAhBo_YdhToxyS0FCRPe1oIFkeqTplZ4KEgSloUOScc3iSXyIwtLh0/s320/DSC01397.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then slide the poster board into the pillow casing, and put some of the stuffing back in, but not much, just enough for one side of the pillow to be puffy while the other side stays flat</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hand sew the open seam back together, and place into the window. It fits quite snug, but I may add a piece of velcro to make sure it doesn't fall on us during the night.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcd_Ldq7Zoqf_0or0sFuDRY1O0yvtj6T1LQExwZWnI2UbxKwxoekYupotdUJb4TC_urXe0tFCxEaCJ6B7tpyohAEhsuhafBAzy4UfPc5JfT6DdWOk82fJlkTuPMG7AiQsa9DYCmxl-LM/s1600/DSC01398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcd_Ldq7Zoqf_0or0sFuDRY1O0yvtj6T1LQExwZWnI2UbxKwxoekYupotdUJb4TC_urXe0tFCxEaCJ6B7tpyohAEhsuhafBAzy4UfPc5JfT6DdWOk82fJlkTuPMG7AiQsa9DYCmxl-LM/s320/DSC01398.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is the final result, quite cool I think!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS6fBMVHrgvMJIu9Fe1H-EqP8mLGJB8rhJDeeKd0XQmii3k2ELToYEl-SsqpGvFAfGG7E8f6TghQCgSqydUzBTDAhyGWghyphenhyphenSdhXxcVDSeOjZyZtdr77aw-XGkWr_dnG2DhvphNQ-NNs0/s1600/DSC01402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS6fBMVHrgvMJIu9Fe1H-EqP8mLGJB8rhJDeeKd0XQmii3k2ELToYEl-SsqpGvFAfGG7E8f6TghQCgSqydUzBTDAhyGWghyphenhyphenSdhXxcVDSeOjZyZtdr77aw-XGkWr_dnG2DhvphNQ-NNs0/s320/DSC01402.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When we get the bed with the black faux leather headboard in here it is going to look great!</span></td></tr>
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-21880417270649214832013-03-22T09:52:00.002-07:002013-03-22T09:52:58.300-07:00Renos never go as planned do they?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have been up in Kelowna for the past couple of weeks, doing some work on our future retirement home. We are hoping to have it all set up for the summer, or whenever our other house sells. (fingers crossed that will be sooner than later) </div>
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We made ourselves a big "to do list" including some renos to 2 bathrooms. </div>
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This is the master bathroom, the sinks are so high in here it looks like giants live here. The cabinets are 36" high and with the vessel sinks on top I would need a stool to drink from the tap. So we bought new sinks that will mount under the granite. Of course, this granite cannot be reused because of the cuts made for the exciting sinks. So we have to buy new granite, and think we will go with something black to add some drama to the room. Of course we have been trying for over 2 weeks to get 2 quotes to do this, and so far have only received one. Trades in Kelowna work at a very slow pace for some reason? (you'd think it was mexico)</div>
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The other bathroom we left for last on the list because demo was going to be messy and we didn't want to live in the dust for long, but it did not go as planned...........</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;">The plan was to remove the bathtub on the other side of this wall, making room to cut a closet into this wall. Unfortunately, when Mark started cutting off the drywall he found a whole lot of wires! Lucky that he did not take out the bathtub first! Rewiring the house to make a closet is too expensive. We were disappointed, this house is really short of closets, the one in the master bedroom is 1/4 of the size of our current closet (yes I will have to downsize my wardrobe!)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After sleeping on the problem, we came up with this as the only solution. The room will be a bit smaller, but we are only using it as an office and it is still a good size for a future buyer to use as a bedroom, (aprox 11X11)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: medium; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span>Mark had this framed in a few hours, and will drywall it today. So lucky to have a good handyman around when you need one!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">So now I need to decorate a boring powder room, can I hide a tub we will never use? (but will have to clean!) We have ruled out spending too much money on this room, and just to think of it as good for future resale, as the room we just added a closet to, could be a bedroom. So I guess I'll go shopping for a shower curtain, rug and maybe pick a darker paint color? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> What would you do?</span></div>
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-25989467401236375022013-02-23T15:28:00.003-08:002013-02-23T15:30:31.116-08:00Smart Meter, only as Smart as the Human who installed itHave you ever thought about actually checking your hydro meter reading against your BC Hydro bill to see if it matches?<br />
How about checking the actual meter number with the meter number listed on your BC Hydro bill? Although BC Hydro hates to admit they make mistakes, they did make one in our case. The actual meter # 4122752P263 does not match the one on our bill. <br />
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You will find the Meter# listed on your bill under the heading Meter reading information on the left hand side. Ours was off by one number.<br />
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We have only owned this house in Kelowna since Aug/12. The house is empty, no appliances, no lights are on, the only power being used is from the fan on the gas furnace. Our first Hydro bill was $121., the next $479??? That's when I started asking questions. BC Hydro agreed that the $479 did seem high, and advised us to get someone to read the meter and get back to them. BC Hydro will not go and double check for you.<br />
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I spoke to the neighbors who had noticed that the construction workers were plugging extension cords into our house and my sister went and checked the house for us at the end of December and confirmed muddy foot prints leading from a construction site to our outdoor plug. I then contacted the Developer who investigated, and acknowledged the error, workers had been using our power and they promised it would not happen again. Now we'd have to wait until the next bill came in to figure out an appropriate amount of reimbursement.<br />
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But the next bill was even higher $875....how could this be? I called BC Hydro again, they mentioned that the smart meters had just become active for this last billing. The chance of the meter being wrong was less than slim, it would more likely have been wrong when a human had read it. We have all heard bad stories about these smart meters so I was skeptical. But again, the only thing we can do is check the meter ourselves.<br />
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The developer insists they have not used our power, and offered to go check our meter for us. We were about to drive up to Kelowna (a long drive on a snowy highway) when we received an email with the photo of our meter, from a nice man who works for the Developer. We were all surprised that not only was the meter reading way off, the actual meter # was not the one we were being billed for. <br />
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I called BC Hydro again, they too were very surprised and will now be investigating. We do not have to pay the last bill, they will contact us when they figure out what the bill should actually be. I am more than relieved, this was really getting frustrating, but my happiness is going to bring anger to one of my new neighbors............the meter # we were being billed for belongs to one of them. Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-36632945739885639892013-02-22T10:27:00.002-08:002013-02-22T10:31:22.233-08:00Playa Del Carmen, ConclusionThings I learned during our extended stay in Playa Del Carmen:<br />
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<li>The beach is one of the best we have been to, miles of white sand to walk on, sand that never gets hot, and swimming in the warm, clear turquoise water........heaven!</li>
<li>The weather is great (most of the time) you can't rely on the online weather forecasts but it will rain once and awhile. There will also be really hot days, even I (dedicated sun worshipper) needed shade.</li>
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<li>There is no old town left in Playa Del Carmen. The City is bigger than I expected. There are still poor areas of town, away from the tourist area. The beachfront has been transformed to appease tourists, with high end condos, designer shops, McDonalds, Starbucks & BugerKing, all mixed in with the little Mom and Pop places trying to sell T-shirts and souvenirs. </li>
<li>Don't eat at the expensive restaurants on 5th Ave, not only are they overpriced the food is just disappointing.</li>
<li>Avoid Senior Frogs, every port has one, walk by, beer is 20-30 pesos($1.60-2.40) most anywhere else on the beach, $5US at Senior Frogs (price example, the whole menu is overpriced)</li>
<li>Although the restaurants and bars all look modern, the bathrooms are still mexican, no paper allowed in the toilets, as water pressure is too low. Although in the resorts and condos, it is just like home.</li>
<li>Shop & eat at local Mexican merchants when you can, Walmart may look safe and familiar to you, but the prices and quality is better at the little Sorianna Super, and the restaurants off 5th Ave give great service because they love your business, prices are cheaper and the food is great!</li>
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<li>No need to rent a car, Taxi's are cheap and much safer, but you can walk everywhere in Playa Del Carmen, it keeps you in shape, and convinces you that you deserve Happy Hour!</li>
<li>Apparently that stinky sewage smell near the beach by Mahakel, Los Palapas & down near La Pirata is not from sewage but from contaminated ground water.......but it still stinks!</li>
<li>Don't rent a condo on a busy street or near a noisy beach bar. Cars, motorcycles, ATV's, dune buggies, buses, whatever they want to drive, may or may not have a muffler.....day or night 10th Ave is just too noisy!</li>
<li>We toured a few condos while we were there and next time hope to stay at Palmar Del Sol, or somewhere in Playacar, but we have yet to find the right place there.</li>
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<li>Tourists are being overcharged for condos here, shop around, just because they are asking $350 a night doesn't mean they actually get it. The rates for long term rentals can be 1/3 of the cost so most places will negotiate. If you are Ok paying $350 a night stay at a high end. Adult only, all inclusive resort, like The Royal.</li>
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<li>Isla Mujeres is worth at least a day trip and we would like to spend a week there next time at the Ixchel Hotel</li>
<li>We wish we had visited Akumal, apparently that is also a great place to rent a condo, 30 minutes from Playa Del Carmen.</li>
<li>If you love techno beat music and DJ's you should visit Playa Del Carmen during the BPM festival at the beginning of January every year, ....if you don't like the BOOM BOOM music, you should delay your stay until after Jan 15th.</li>
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-56081665384713494042013-02-20T10:25:00.002-08:002013-02-20T10:25:15.499-08:00Playa Del Carmen, week 7- Isla MujeresNear the end of week 6, I came down with a cold, so I am behind in my Blogs. We are actually home now, but I need to write about our trip to Isla Mujeres ( eez la Moo hay ris). We loved this small island off of Cancun. <br />
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On Tuesday we took the ADO bus from Playa Del Carmen (48 pesos per person) and then a cab(60 pesos) to the Ferry dock at Gran Puerto. Even though I asked the cab driver to take us to Gran Puerto, we ended up at the other ferry dock of Puerto Juarez, we had no idea what they looked like so we were tricked! It was still a ferry dock, but not for the nice Ultramar ferry, this was for Magna ferry.<br />
We did save 5 pesos each, but not quite the same ride! (5 pesos = 40 cents cdn)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is Ultramar</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what we got instead...........magna<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Luckily this was the only disappointment of our trip, and a small one at that! This small island looks like a fishing village when you arrive. Of course there are salesman trying to sell you tours or rentals of scooters or golf carts, and there is shopping, but it just has a more laid back feel, we noticed a difference almost immediately. There are very few cars, some taxis but mostly everyone drives golf carts or scooters, so it is so much quieter.</span></div>
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We could not rent a golf cart when we go there, it was a busy day for the Carnaval celebration. (Now what they think is busy is 100X quieter than Playa Del Carmen) So we walked, had lunch at a beach front seafood restaurant, which was great and inexpensive(just as we like them). So we continued to check out the town, and some really nice beaches, and decided to stay the night.</div>
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We walked into a couple hotels and they kindly gave us tour and showed us the rooms, prices were good $128 US at the Avalon Reef Club, but the hotel was old and nothing special to put it nicely. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avalon Reef Hotel....looks great from here, disappointing inside.</td></tr>
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We decided on the Ixchel Hotel, $139 US for a King size bed, very clean, quiet and the beach was just like one in the Bahamas! Loved this place, we will go back for a week next time.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ixchel Hotel from the water<br /><a href="http://www.ixchelbeachhotel.com/">http://www.ixchelbeachhotel.com/</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach in front of hotel, facing west to watch the sunset, shallow, warm & fish swimming all around you<br /><br /></td></tr>
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We sat in beach loungers and watched the sunset, then went to find a restaurant on their pedestrian only street called Av. Hidalgo. It is a smaller version of 5th Ave in Playa Del Carmen, but great looking places, all very reasonably priced, we had trouble choosing one. We tried a Mexican place called Don Chepo, 2 for 1 drinks and very good food. It would be fun to be here for a week to try more places, and so nice that they were not overpriced like Playa Del Carmen.</div>
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The next morning we had breakfast at the Rooster, and I had the best yogurt and granola I have ever had at a restaurant, covered in berries, sadly it was too big for me to finish it all! Then we rented a golf cart and drove around the island, took about an hour, stopping to see the sights. </div>
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We just love this Island, it is so different from Cancun, no all inclusive resorts, no Coco Bongo, so much more our speed.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Punte Sur, with a really big Iguana</td></tr>
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Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-63712513794237505432013-02-08T09:58:00.001-08:002013-02-08T09:58:28.221-08:00Playa Del Carmen, week 6- Condo rentalsOn one hand I cannot believe we only have 7 days left here in Playa Del Carmen, but on the other hand we both agree we have been in one place a bit too long, not that we want to go home, just that we wish we hadn't rented just one condo, in just one place. <br />
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The condo we have been living in is very nice, a small building of 11 units, quiet neighbors that come and go every week, but we have not meet many people here. One month here would have been perfect, on week 5 we were both ready to move somewhere else, but we are locked in.......so we will know better next time.<br />
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When the weather is not cooperating, it would be nice to have the freedom to take off to Puerto Vallarta, or maybe down to Belize? But I am really not sure I could just get on a plane and decide where to stay when I get there, I like to plan, I want to stay in a nice place and get a good deal, and not have to pack up and move every week. (probably an age thing, I like to think it is wisdom)</div>
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We have started looking around at other condos, trying to find the quietest nighttime area, but still within walking distance to everything, like we have now. I would love to stay in Playacar, as the beach is beautiful down there. So far we have found some nice places but most of them are very pricey and a very long walk to town. <br />
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I don't understand how this part of Mexico got so expensive, all of the beachfront condos are $350 US a night. You can stay in a very nice all inclusive resort for that price (or less) or you could rent a whole house for $400 a night, so why are people paying these kind of prices? Most of the beachfront condos here do not even have a nice beach in front of them (El Taj, Ocean Plaza, El Faro, Luna Encanta), or they are beside a noisy bar. Come on people, supply and demand, do your research before you pay these prices! ( I feel like ranting but I will stop there)<br />
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We are not sure wether we will come back here next year or not, when prices are over $5000 a month for a condo we could go to Hawaii. We like Mexico but it is supposed to be better weather than Hawaii and much cheaper. The food, alcohol and restaurants in Mexico are still half the price of Hawaii. You are not going to get a cold beer in Hawaii for 25 pesos ($1.96 cdn), or a restaurant meal for 2 with drinks for 300 pesos ($23.50). <br />
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The locals say that the 2 weeks of rain we got here at the end of January was very unusual, and I have found a few nice condos that are closer to the $3000 a month range, so we haven't ruled out coming back here again. We are touring some condos, The Meridian, Luna Maya, Parmar Del Sol, & Pueblito Escondito this week, but probably won't make any decisions until we get home. We have ruled out "The Elements" although it looks wonderful, there is a beach bar close by that plays loud music (boom boom boom) night and day that just ruins the ambiance. <br />
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Also, we know we can still rent a beautiful condo in Nuevo Vallarta for $2250 per month (example here:<a href="http://www.vrbo.com/155100">http://www.vrbo.com/155100</a>). The only thing missing there is the beautiful warm turquoise ocean with the white sand. Pacific coast beaches just do not compare to the Atlantic, but the seafood on the pacific side is so much better so there are pros and cons to everything.<br />
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Doing a quick search of condos in Waikiki, Hawaii, it would not be hard to find a one bedroom there for under $3000. (example <a href="http://www.vrbo.com/346287">http://www.vrbo.com/346287</a>) It would not be beachfront, but the ones I am looking at in Playa Del Carmen are not beachfront either. <br />
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While doing my condo search online I came across the blog of Wandering Earl it is a great read if you have time, not just this one post but the whole thing. <a href="http://www.wanderingearl.com/how-to-find-an-apartment-in-playa-del-carmen/">http://www.wanderingearl.com/how-to-find-an-apartment-in-playa-del-carmen/</a>.<br />
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Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-84588147040971734152013-02-03T14:05:00.000-08:002013-02-03T14:05:08.508-08:00Playa Del Carmen,Week 5<br />
It was another mixed bag of weather this past week, a couple of real rainy days where I did not even get to put on a bathing suit (yes that is bad). When the sun was shining this week, it was very humid, so we needed to go to a beach restaurant for dinner just to have a breeze. There are not many beach restaurants open for dinner but La Tarraya, at the foot of 2nd St is one everyone raves about. We had been there once before and they overcharged us for the chef's special so we were not impressed. That was a few weeks ago so we forgave them and gave it another try, very glad we did! They make the best fish filet for 90 pesos, not a fancy place, but delicious seafood, great prices and good service, so good, we went back again last night! <br />
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We also stopped in at Wah Wah's beach bar for their 1st anniversary party, which was packed. Good live band, and good dinner specials, but it was so busy, finding a plastic chair in the sandy bar was difficult, but not impossible, we ended up sharing a table with a nice couple from Calgary. We will have to go back and try the ribs, and smoked pork, it did smell wonderful!<br />
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Wah Wah's doesn't look like much from outside, but it advertises free lounge chairs during the day, you just have to buy your food and drink from them of course. The waiter's all wear t-shirts that say "WAH you want".<br />
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On the big scene behind the band they were showing a slide show of people and the beach over the past few years. It showed how they rebuilt the beach in Early 2010 after storms erroded the beach away. An amazing amount of sand was dredged up and rebuilt in front of this bar and the surrounding hotels, there is not much left now. The beach restoration project cost 71 million dollars so I wonder if they can afford to do it again?<br />
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With the full moon last Saturday came changes in the tides, there was a much lower tide in the morning giving us a nice 20 feet more flat area to walk on. There is never the big tide changes like we have in BC though. So our beach walks at the beginning of the week were a nice change but by the end of the week the beach looked like this......<br />
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This is what it looks like a couple weeks ago, and pretty much what it looks like again today. Except there is very strong winds today, so the waves are huge, the tide is in quite high, leaving very little room to walk, or suntan in some places. The waves are also breaking much further off shore, so quite a lot of sand has been pulled out to sea. It was too rough to go in the water today, but we wonder if it will be shallower when we go in tomorrow?</div>
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The good news this week is that the Pedestrian only section of 5th Ave has now been extended to 46th Street everyday after 4PM. It used to run from 1st Street to 32nd St. Our condo is at 38th St, so we had to dodge a bit of traffic for a few blocks before we got to the pedestrian only part. (no big deal really) It is nicer now though, we have noticed a decrease in traffic noise, (although 10th Ave beside us is still very busy and noisy) and it is just nicer to walk down the middle the cobblestone road with no cars. Restaurants around us now have tables out on the street and are hoping to get more business obviously. The downside will be when more restaurants and bars move down here, and create another disturbing night time noise. (they seem to stay open til the sun comes up here)<br />
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<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-21372999034425879752013-01-29T09:27:00.000-08:002013-01-29T09:27:56.859-08:00 Hotels & Beaches, week 4<br />
Last Thursday we had to change our plan of going into Cancun for the day, as the weather was not looking good, so we took advantage of a break in the clouds and went for a big beach walk. We planned on walking as far as the beach would take us (or the weather would allow) and taking a cab back. <br />
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We headed north as that was the direction that looked the least cloudy. I have already told you about the first part of this walk, in my week 2 blog. This time I am trying to record all the hotels and beaches we saw on the way, as Google earth is not up to date, and a map search only seems to give you some of the hotels. I am sure the names are always changing as well. Often we cannot tell the name of the hotel from the beach either, so I will do my best to find it.<br />
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Hotel Las Palapas <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.laspalapas.com/">http://www.laspalapas.com/</a> </span><br />
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Mahekal <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.mahekalbeachresort.com/">http://www.mahekalbeachresort.com/</a> </span> Now these 2 hotels are right at the foot of 38th St, where we start our beach walk every day. And everyday for 4 weeks there has been a horrible smell around these 2 hotels, apparently it is from contaminated ground water, but it smells like rotten eggs or sewage, and I just would not recommend staying here unless you have no sense of smell, or it was really cheap? Otherwise they look like great places, nice beach, nice looking buildings, good location.</div>
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The Elements <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.hotelelementsplayadelcarmen.com/index.html">http://www.hotelelementsplayadelcarmen.com/index.html</a> </span>This is a nice looking building, new condos can be rented off vrbo.com. It is set back off the beach, but has it's own beach club which is basically reserved beach chairs. Nice swimming area in front of the beach club.<br />
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Hotel Grand Coco Bay <a href="http://grandcocobay.com/">http://grandcocobay.com/</a> This Hotel looks much older now than in the photos, has a swimmable beach, but also a lot of fishing boats parked in front of it. Good location, walking distance to 5th Ave, but nothing fancy.<br />
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Next is some unfinished condo's the sign says "I'M", nice beach but obviously a funding problem has stopped construction here for some time.<br />
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Paradisus La Perla <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.paradisuslaperla.com/photo-gallery.php">http://www.paradisuslaperla.com/photo-gallery.php</a> </span>We cannot see the actual hotel from the beach here, just the beach chairs. Hopefully the pool and grounds are nicer than the beach, as it is too rocky for swimming and very little sand to sit on. Quiet beach area, nothing else around here.<br />
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Public Park/beach area, nice shallow bay, some rocks but not a bad swimming area<br />
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Mareazul, Condos, <a href="http://www.mareazul.com/">http://www.mareazul.com/</a> This is one of our favorite swimming beaches. The condos look quite empty, New development with a great beach area. Too far to walk to town for dinner though, we are about an hour into our walk now.<br />
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The Royal Hacienda <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.royalreservations.com/the-royal-haciendas.asp">http://www.royalreservations.com/the-royal-haciendas.asp</a> </span>This place was very large, huge pools and nice beach here, some rocky areas for snorkeling as well as a sandy swimming area. <br />
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Now I am trying to remember what came next so I checked Google earth and they have The Reef Coco Beach & Viva Wyndam Maya next, but both of those hotels have addresses in Playacar, which is no where near here, so beware if you are using google earth! <br />
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Sandos Caracol <a href="http://www.sandos.com/hotels/riviera-maya/sandos-caracol-eco-resort-spa/">http://www.sandos.com/hotels/riviera-maya/sandos-caracol-eco-resort-spa/</a> This was a very busy beach, lots of children, not that much sand to walk by all the people. Beach does not look as nice as in the photos. Website is saying this is 10 mins to town, that would be by car.<br />
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Azul Fives <a href="http://karismahotels.com/HotelsResorts/ForEveryone/AzulFivesHotel">http://karismahotels.com/HotelsResorts/ForEveryone/AzulFivesHotel</a> We could only see the pool area here, and noticed they had sand that was grey, they must have trucked in dirty sand from somewhere else, which looked strange. <br />
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La Reve <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://hotellereve.com/">http://hotellereve.com/</a> </span>We loved the look of this small boutique hotel, not much of a swimming beach in front, kind of rocky, but not far to find a sandy spot to swim. Of course this place has rates starting @ $339 US a night and it's not all inclusive.<br />
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The Viceroy Hotel <a href="http://www.petitlafitte.com/classicGallery.php">http://www.petitlafitte.com/classicGallery.php</a> Not a great swimming beach, but they have built a private pier to walk out to where the swimming would be better.<br />
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<a href="http://www.petitlafitte.com/classicGallery.php">http://www.petitlafitte.com/classicGallery.php</a> this does not look anything like the website, but I do recognize the red roofs that were hidden amongst some trees, looked uncared for.<br />
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Grand Sunset Princess<a href="http://www.princess-hotels.com/hotels-riviera-maya-hotel-grand-sunset-princess-5-stars-photos.htm">http://www.princess-hotels.com/hotels-riviera-maya-hotel-grand-sunset-princess-5-stars-photos.htm</a><br />
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Coming up to this next hotel, we were both in total agreement that we could definitely stay here<br />
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Grand Velas <a href="http://rivieramaya.grandvelas.com/">http://rivieramaya.grandvelas.com/</a> .....until I looked up the price...$707US per night! Not in the retirement budget<br />
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Banyan tree Mayakoba, looked like expensive condos right on the beach, <a href="http://www.banyantree.com/en/mayakoba/">http://www.banyantree.com/en/mayakoba/</a> It was really start to get windy here, and we realized this part of the coast is no longer protected by the Island of Cozumel, rougher water, but it was not a great day for weather.<br />
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Next was a small wooden walk way over a part of the beach that was eroding, looking inland we could see the Mayakoba golf course, great view from the fairway and green on this hole!<br />
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Fairmont Mayakoba hotel <a href="http://www.fairmont.com/mayakoba-riviera-maya/">http://www.fairmont.com/mayakoba-riviera-maya/</a> You can just see beach villas here, but judging by the website there is a lot more we could not see.<br />
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Ok, we have now been walking for at least 2 hours, it is getting really windy, and it feels like time to turn back. We never did look for a taxi, just kept walking. We were really tired, sand walking makes your feet, ankles and calves quite sore. Four hours may have been a bit too long, the map says we covered 20kms, no wonder we were tired!<br />
<br />Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-16368674553468206522013-01-27T08:15:00.001-08:002013-01-27T08:15:41.368-08:00More from Playa Del Carmen<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really am feeling sorry for any vacationers who came to the Riviera Maya for just one week, if you arrived last Saturday and left 7 days later, you really did not see much sun! That is pretty rare for this side of the world. Yesterday was beautiful again, so hopefully that trend will continue this week!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had planned on going for a bus trip to Cancun and over to Isla Mujeres last week but didn't want to do that in the rain, so we will do that this week for sure.(I am using the power of positive thinking to ensure good weather!)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In week 3, we did a bus trip to Tulum. <span class="Apple-style-span">The bus ride there and back was very comfortable & reliable, big new tour busses and only cost 66 pesos ($5) each way. Now I am not a big fan of touring ruins, (I am not really a history buff) nor do I enjoy touristy tours, but I wanted to see what the town of Tulum looked like, so might as well take in all Tulum has to offer. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was quite a long line to get into the Archeological site, and of course only one ticket window open! To us it seemed very much like the Ruins we have seen in Turkey and Greece, but with palm trees and shade. We did not do an official tour, just listened in on the other tour guides talking and had a nice walk around. </span><br />
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Now you notice in that last photo, the nice blue water in the background, yes, there is a beach, so another reason I didn't mind seeing the ruins. Apparently there are 2 beaches that can only be accessed by paying your entrance fee, but the biggest one was closed due to turtle hatching season. ( we could not see that) We gladly went down to the little beach that was open because it was so beautiful, had to a swim because the sun was out making us sweat again!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">After exiting the ruins we walked to a near by beach, had lunch at a beach bar, delicious seafood Tostadas and then laid on the beach for a while, then took a 50 peso cab ride into the little town. We walked around a few streets but not much to see, not on the Ocean at all, so nothing to draw people there. There are many young backpackers, so it must be a reasonable place to stay. No big hotels, or American restaurants which is nice to see for a change. We stopped and had a cold cervesa at Charlie's Restaurant next to the Bus station, that looks like a great little place! We quite enjoyed our little day trip to Tulum.</span><br />
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Carolyn's 2centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12968588250164367066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182658559243722845.post-75521194608557648812013-01-24T06:19:00.000-08:002013-01-24T06:19:49.062-08:00Rain in Playa Del Carmen<br />
Even I did not believe this until yesterday, it does rain in Playa Del Carmen!<br />
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Yes, a whole day of clouds and rain! We had to take an umbrella so we could go for a walk, it was almost like being at home, (except it was 22C).<br />
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We have laughed at the weather forecasts for this area, as they always say chance of thunderstorms, or 40% of rain, a sometime during the day a big black cloud blows through and you get wet for 5 minutes, but most often it does not rain at all. We have been here 27 days now and been rained on maybe 3 times before yesterday, so don't be scared away by the forecasts on weatherundergound or accuweather. They are never quite right, none of them predicted a whole day of rain for yesterday.<br />
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So far today is looking better, I even checked the forecast .....(LOL not sure why)<br />
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