Arriving in Mérida

It is really nice to touch down in Mérida only two hours after our departure from Houston. Our checked bags arrived moments after we reached baggage claim and we both got the green light through customs, so it couldn't have been more than 15 minutes before we were in a taxi headed for Calle 47-A.

As we approached the house, we could see lights and the front door open and there was Ruben standing on the sidewalk. He seems to have this uncanny sense of when we come and go. It is not unusual for us to go out for a few hours and when we return, within a few minutes, Ruben is at the door to see if we need anything. It is wonderful having him, literally, just around the corner.

We always perk up, no matter how tired, when we walk into the house. Everything is just as we left it the last time, with only a few things slightly moved around. It had been 5 days since the house was cleaned, so there was a bit of dust -nothing bad. We could manage until Tuesday, our regular cleaning day.
Ruben did inform us that Jazmin now has another (better) job and her cousin Mari Carmen is the new housekeeper. We hate to lose Jazmin, but Mari Carmen is very nice and seems to understand my poor attempt at communicating. We need immersion -badly.

Here's looking at you...

We did discover that a framed print that had been hanging in the master bath was missing. We thought that perhaps it had been taken down to clean and was resting someplace against a wall. We looked high and low and could not find it. It was a very inexpensive print I had purchased from Art.com and had framed here. Oh well, no great loss. On Monday morning, Alan discovered the print, face against the wall in the laundry room. I liked that the print was hanging on the wall opposite a large mirror, so that when you pass by the bathroom you see, reflected, two vividly colored impressionist faces. Alan discovered that when occupying el trono, it appears that the two faces are staring at you. We can only conclude that a guest did not like the intrusion and simply removed the print, or maybe it was the housekeeper?

I didn't mention that the weather here is superb for April. The days are warm with very low humidity and pleasant breezes and the evenings are cool and refreshing. It couldn't be more perfect.