Airbnb Archives - Iron Roamer

Working Away in Medellin Ville

After exploring Bogota, it was time to get back on the road and ride to Medellin, Colombia. Once there I would spend a month in an Airbnb I rented. The reason for spending a month there was to wait out the rainy season, get caught up on my blog posts, study Spanish, and do some housekeeping.

As a retired police officer, Medellin was infamous for its drug trade. However, I understand things have changed. Can’t wait to explore the city I’ve heard so much about over the years.

Ride to Medellin

As I was planning my ride to Medellin I couldn’t seem to figure out how long it would take. Each map I looked on gave different riding times. Because of that I left early.

The first part of the ride seemed to take forever as I negotiated the Bogota traffic. Tortuous! Once out on the open road though it was a nice leisurely ride through the hills to Medellin.

I arrived at my Airbnb at 2 pm after leaving at 7 am in the morning. At first I couldn’t figure out which was the apartment complex and no one seemed to be coming out. I spoke to a manager of one of them to see if he could help. Even though I didn’t understand a word he said, eventually he hooked me up with the mother of the person I was renting from. The Spanish here is Colombia is quite different than what I have been used to in Central America.

After a quick explanation of the rules I got settled in.

Laundry

My first order of business was to find out where I was, what was around me, and to find a laundromat. There is a washer in my Airbnb, but I figured if a laundromat was close by, why fiddle around with laundry.

Well, I walked everywhere and asked everyone and there just wasn’t any laundromat anywhere near me. Very strange. In Mexico and Central America they are everywhere! I guess I will do my own laundry.

The good thing about trying to find a laundromat was that I got to know what was around me.

For my first full day I planned on going to a local coffee shop to get caught up on my blog posts. I got there at 9 am but it didn’t open until 10 am. Well, this wasn’t going to work. I sat there for a bit and said to myself, “screw it,” and headed off to the nearest Starbucks that was about a 35 to 40 minute walk from my Airbnb.

From that day on for the next week and a half, I had my routine.

The Day in the Life of Brian in Medellin

I would leave my Airbnb at about 9 am each morning. The Airbnb I have it really nice – 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 7th floor.

The garden outside was decorated for Halloween.

Walk down my street to the main road.

Cross the busy intersection.

You can see Carulla on the left of the picture. That is where I get my groceries.

Then walk along a beautiful tree lined street up and down over a small hill.

As I head down to an overpass I reach Santuario De La Virgen de La Rosa Mistica. At first I didn’t know what it was, only that people were there all the time.

At the entrance is a small store to buy candles mostly.

Walking inside you see tile plaques everywhere thanks Rosa for answering their prayers.

And then stairs up to Rosa Mistica.

From what I can gather, this shrine has a bit of a sinister past. It was once owned by Pablo Escobar for his henchmen to go and pray for protection and bless their weapons. Apparently half the plaques there are from criminals thanking Rosa. It is also known as the virgin of the assassins.

From there I walk down and up to the Santa Fe mall.

One really cool thing about the mall is that it has a parking entrance just for motorcycles and bicyclists.

Inside the mall if a very cool play area. Hey Mia and Ben (my grandkids) I wish you were here so we could go play in it!!

As I walk past the mall I can see in the distance a car park that works with elevators!

Ahead is a sign that seems to be welcoming me ha ha

Past the flower vendor I reach my destination. It has it all 🙂 Starbucks, a BMW motorcycle dealership, Hard Rock Cafe, Krispy Kreme and a fitness centre.

The Starbucks here is always filled with people working.

Up to the Barista to order, in Spanish ha ha, my usual.

And then to my spot, ala Sheldon, to work on blog posts and read for the next few hours.

Once in awhile there there is some impromptu entertainment like this photo shoot outside.

Often by the afternoon it starts to rain. I wait for it to subside a bit before walking back home.

In the evenings I hunt for dinner 🙂 and either watch the World Series, NFL football, or just Big Bang Theory, which I downloaded the first 10 seasons to watch.

And that is it for the first week and a half here in Medellin.

My Route on October 23, 2017

My Location from October 24 to November 2, 2017

Out of Sorts in Alajuela Costa Rica

After arriving back in Alajuela Costa Rica from my 2 week vacation in Vancouver to see my kids, I was feeling a bit out of sorts. My head felt like my brain had turned into cement. I’m not sure why. But these are some of the reasons I came up with:

I was suffering from another sinus infection.
After 2 weeks of being around my kids and grandkids almost 24/7 it was lonely back at my airbnb and not having people to talk to and play with.
I miss my kids and grandkids.
Vancouver Canada is beautiful and things are clean and orderly, whereas Alajuela lacks the charm and character of other places I have visited like Oaxaca Mexico, Antigua Guatemala, or Leon Nicaragua.
In Vancouver it was daylight until 9 pm. In Alajuela it gets dark at 6 pm.
I am getting tired of the rainy season.
14 months of being a transient takes its toll.
Just a normal cycle.

I’m not really sure. Perhaps all of the above.

Airbnb

My Airbnb in Alajuela was pretty nice. It was also under my budget as I had booked it for a month.

I definitely got some exercise though. It was a 2 km walk up and down hills to get to Starbucks where I spent most of my days working on blogs. For the first few days I felt it in my calfs.

Starbucks

Yes I know …Starbucks Starbucks Starbucks ha ha. I fell in love with the chain back in 1993 when I was working in Vancouver. There was a Starbucks right below my office. A group of us would go there each morning for coffee. Back then it was a novelty and not the ubiquitous entity it is now. It was cool then. Now people like to put it down because it is a chain. But I don’t care. It is my home away from home. And free Wifi to do my blogs 🙂

The one in Alajuela is particularly nice, both the building and the staff.

Ever since the first day I arrived in Alajuela they remembered my name and greeted me with it as I walked in each day. It is the small things like that that make a solo traveler feel good.

Routine

I spent 2 weeks in Alajuela and developed a bit of a routine. First thing in the morning it was off to Starbucks for my morning coffee. I couldn’t leave too early though. Unlike Canada where Starbucks opens at 5 or 6 am to catch all those commuters needing their morning coffee on their way to work, here Starbucks didn’t open until 8:30 am on weekdays and 9:30 am on weekends.

I would work on my blogs until lunch time. Then I would head to a fast food place. Everything is soooooo expensive here and so to stay within budget, fast food is all I could afford. For example, a Starbucks Grande coffee and a blueberry muffin cost me $7:30 Canadian. A Big Mac Combo was $8.50.

After lunch I headed back to Starbucks to work some more. Then came the tricky part. Everyday, starting in the afternoon, there is a thunderstorm and torrential rains.

The trick was to figure out if I should wait it out or head home before it started. I had to judge just how quickly the storm was developing.

Before walking back home I would stop at Subway to pick up a meal for dinner.

Another cheap eat for here anyways.

Yes, the mall where the Subway and Starbucks is is modern. A lot of cities in Mexico and Central America have a North American style mall somewhere to cater to the more well to do people. It certainly doesn’t represent the rest of Alajuela. Although, Costa Rica in general is a wealthy country compared to the other Central American countries I have visited so far.

Errands

There were a few things to take care of while I was here. I wanted to get my teeth cleaned. I made an appointment online. However, when I arrived I was met with a closed door.

Turned out they had moved from that location. They hadn’t updated their website or confirmation response.

My motorcycle needed cleaning too. Some people take pride in a bike covered in mud. I like to ride a clean motorcycle 🙂

It just seems to perform better when clean ha ha.

With that I was ready to leave Alajuela. Too long here.

My Location from August 14 to 16 and September 1 to 9, 2017

New Year and Back Home Hospital

It is almost the new year, 2017, but I am more focused on heading back home to Vancouver, Canada, for my daughter’s wedding.

New Years Eve

To usher in the new year I planned on going to a Mezcal bar called In Situ.

Mezcal is all the rage here in Oaxaca. There are Mezcal stores, tours and bars everywhere. Tequila seems to have taken a back seat. Unlike Tequila, which is only made with blue agave, the Mezcal varieties are achieved with a mixture of different agave families.

I started my New Years Eve with a walk around town to see what was going on. The Zacalo was buzzing with people setting off fireworks. Unlike Canada, there seems to be no regulations. They were being set off everywhere. Some just missing people watching.

It was getting close to midnight so I headed off to In Situ. To my surprise it was closed! I guess it is more of a lounge than a party spot.

There are lots of bars and clubs in town so I walked around a bit to see if there was anything that would interest me. Most of them were pretty quiet and I didn’t feel like going in by myself. So I went back home.

As midnight struck there were lots of fireworks being set off. Interestingly though, there were more fireworks on Christmas Eve. It appears that the biggest celebrations are reserved for religious events.

Like the old guy I am, I went to bed 🙁

Going Home

More important than New Years was that I was going home on January 4 to attend my daughter’s wedding on January 14. The plan was to return back to Oaxaca on January 18 and stay there until the 31st.

The flight home was uneventful. I picked up a rental car and went to my youngest son’s place in Langely where I would be staying while I was here.

The next day we met up with Carllee and her fiance Ian at where else ….. a Mexican restaurant in Vancouver for dinner.

Hospital

After I got back to Nick’s place (my youngest’s son) I started to feel ill. I thought it may be just travel fatique and perhaps something I ate. As the night wore on it got worse and worse. I was vomiting and had diarrhea. Later rather than sooner I realized this was not an ordinary illness. I was in lots of pain. Nick drove me to Langley Memorial Hospital.

The hospital energency room was packed. There was no place to sit. But I had to sit somewhere. I took a chair that was obviously reserved for someone but there weren’t there now. I didn’t remain seated for long. In pain I went to the floor and vomited. That is one way to by-pass emergency room line-ups! It wasn’t long and I was in a hospital bed hooked up to morphine.

Once the pain had subsided I went for numerous tests. The results? I had a hiatal hernia. Complicating matters was that my stomach had slipped through it and was now twisted in my chest! Apparently this is rare for adults. This would require surgery.

The surgeon at Langley Hospital told me the specialist in this procedure were at the Surrey Hospital. A transfer ambulance later I was there.

Decision Time

For the next three days I had nothing but jello and juice 🙁 And for the last day nothing! The Doctor came into my room and said I could have the surgery right now if I wanted.

After some discussion, he said there would be a 20% chance I would miss Carllee’s wedding. But if I didn’t take the surgery now who knows when I would get in again. That meant my trip could be in jeopardy if it took months. Compounding the problem was that my motorcycle permit in Mexico expired on March 28 which meant I needed to get the bike out of the country by then. In the end though it really wasn’t much of a decision. The 20% chance of not walking my only daughter down the asile were odds I was not willing to take. I said no to the surgery.

With the decision made, and my twisted stomach settled down, I was released from the hospital to attend Carllee’s wedding.

My Location for December 26 to January 3, 2017

My Flight on January 4, 2017

I did make a stopover in Mexico City though.

My Location from January 4 to January 12, 2017

Spending Christmas in Oaxaca Mexico

This year I decided to spend Christmas in Oaxaca, Mexico. I will head home for 2 weeks on January 4, 2017, to attend my daughter’s wedding.

This isn’t the first time I have spend Christmas alone. I have done that 4 times now. It isn’t the best, but then again, Christmas is not my favorite time of the year. There are so many expectations that have to be met and I always feel like I don’t meet half of them 🙁

My favorite Christmas ever was going to Disneyland with the family. The expectations were few. It was all about us and having fun together. And being at Disneyland meant there were lots of things to do :-). I really don’t like just sitting around during Christmas.

Routine

It has been awhile since I posted 🙁 This is largely due to getting into the routine of staying in one place for awhile. It is actually a good thing for a bit after traveling for 5 months.

I wake up … go to Cafe Brujula for coffee.

In the courtyard there is a nativity scene. Don’t ask me how the baseball players got there 🙂

After coffee I do errands like Christmas shopping, grocery shopping, laundry, etc … walk around the city to see the sights.

Then it is back to my Airbnb where I watch the news, study Spanish, play a computer game and just relax.

Oh … and watch my toe nail come off. This was from Japlan where I banged my foot against the pavement while trying to control my bike as I hit loose gravel around a corner.

As it gets dark at around 6 pm I head out again to see what is happening at the Zocalo and grab dinner. At night I watch some of the TV shows I downloaded before I left. Then bed.

Zocalo

The Zocalo, or town plaza, is bordered by restaurants, a church, and a government office. It is a place where people gather to eat, relax, and just walk around. Every night during the Christmas season there was entertainment. This included, bands, orchestras, dance, nativity scenes with a petting zoo, a food craft display, and even Mass.

At this food craft event the place was packed. At one point I was moved by the crowd and there was nothing I could do but laugh.

I find the different priorities between back home in Abbotsford and here in Oaxaca interesting. Back home it appears to be more about saving money, creating and maintaining infrastructure and cleanliness. The puritan work ethic I guess.

You wouldn’t find free entertainment each night at a central place like here in Oaxaca even though Abbotsford, and Canada in general, is much richer. Oaxaca seems to do this at the expense of infrastructure maintenance and cleanliness.

I am not saying one is better than the other, only that the priorities are interesting and thought provoking. Perhaps we have something to learn.

Ice Rink

By the church there is a Christmas tree and ice rink. People love watching people skate. Well … most people don’t actually skate. They get onto the ice, hang onto the boards for dear life, and then inch their way around the boards until they get back to the door. They have fun though experiencing walking on knives on ice 🙂

Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve I was invited by the Airbnb host to a pot luck dinner at 9 pm with others in the Airbnb complex which consists of 4 residences Only one other couple showed up besides the Airbnb hosts. However, it was fun. The other couple, from San Francisco, just got married and are traveling the world for a year before deciding on where to settle down.

At midnight it was like New Years Eve in Canada. Fireworks erupted and lots of noise. They love fireworks that just make a loud boom in the air. I don’t get that as I much prefer the fireworks with a colorful display.

We ended our get together at 2 am. However, I could hear loud parties until 4 am.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day was pretty subdued. Most the people on the streets were white tourists. Where did all the Mexicans go?! Sleeping I guess 🙂

My Location for December 13 to 25, 2016

Blockades, Rivers, and a Crash on the way to Oaxaca Mexico

The day started off fine on my way to Oaxaca. However, as it wore on I encountered road blockades, rivers, GPS problems and finally my first real crash 🙁

Changing Roads on the Way to Oaxaca

I started my journey to Oaxaca from Puebla along the free road. Eventually though I was getting tired of village after village and speed bump after speed bump. The scenery wasn’t even nice. Just dusty villages. When I checked my time of arrival in Oaxaca it said 3:30 pm. I wanted to be there by 2. So I made the decision to switch to the toll road which would get me into Oaxaca at 1:30!

The toll road was amazing, a great road with beautiful scenery and no traffic. I just cruised along enjoying the ride.

At the last toll booth the attendant said something to me in Spanish. I only understood something about taking the free road up ahead. I carried on blissfully ignorant.

Road Blockades

As I carried on I came across a long line of trucks. After a few minutes I rode along miles of trucks to where I encountered a mass of people across the highway. I was told to turn around. So that is what the toll booth guy was talking about.

I hit “detour” on my GPS. It took me into a nearby town and down a road to where there were burned out semi trucks and buses across the road. Again I was told to turn around. I should have taken pictures. I get so engrossed in the predicament that I forget.

Teachers Strike

I don’t know much about it, but apparently teachers from a dissident union in the state of Oaxaca have been on strike since May over government reforms and have blockaded the roads.

The police have been clamping down on these. A few days after I came across the roadblocks, the police went in on the roadblocks I faced and people were killed. You can read about it here.

Finding an Alternate Route

I then began the search for an alternate route around these roadblocks. My GPS took me down dirt roads until I met a couple of rivers. I really didn’t feel like crossing the rivers for an unknown result at the end.

I tried my own intuition and I didn’t fair much better.

For 2 hours I tried to find a way around the roadblocks. Finally I gave up.

Waved Through the Roadblock

I went back into the town where I saw the burnt out buses and semis. Rode my way up to the front of the line and sat there for a few minutes looking at the situation. I saw that they were letting cars from the opposite direction through for a few moments. I thought just maybe they would do the same with us. Nope. Didn’t happen.

Then all of a sudden a guy waved at me to come up to the roadblock. He let me through! And only me! The only problem was that 50 yards up the road was another road block. I rode up and asked the people there if anyone spoke English. They just ignored me. I sat there and then this time asked in English if anyone spoke English. Finally a man came up to me and asked where I was going. I said Oaxaca. He escorted me to the chain across the road and instructed the men to let me through.

I was through but on a road I didn’t know and wasn’t on my map. I was trusting my GPS.

GPS Issues

My GPS started taking me down dirt roads that eventually led to rivers! I wasn’t going to cross them as it just didn’t seem right. I was getting pretty frustrated with it. I doubled back and saw a sign that said Oaxaca straight ahead. I should have followed it. But I stupidly decided to follow my GPS again as it led me down another road. This time at least it wasn’t dirt.

Crash

As I road along a curvy mountain road I started to question my GPS. I remember looking down at it. When I looked up I was heading towards an embankment with a small cement drainage ditch at it’s base. It was too late to avoid it. Down I went. I remember sliding across the road with my bike. The next thing I remember is coming to a stop with my horn blaring. My tank bag had lodged itself again my horn button.

I was saw I was in the oncoming lane not far from a curve. I wanted to get out of there quick before some car came around and it me.

So I took off my tank bag and dry bag, and lifted my bike upright. While doing that I was looking to see if there was any damage to my bike. Alaska came to mind where my windshield had broke when I dropped the bike. I consider that just a drop. This was a real crash and I was afraid of the damage it may have caused. And would the bike even start again.

The bike did start. Phew! I put on my bags and moved my bike out of the way. Slowly I rode down the rode thinking about what had just happened. As the adrenaline subsided I noticed the palm of my left hand was hurting. It didn’t feel like anything was broken though.

I also noticed rips and holes in my riding suit.

That was discouraging. However, knowing that my riding suit had done its job of protecting me was consoling. The holes looked repairable. Thanks Klim for protecting me!

Sorry for the lack of photos 🙁 It is like someone else takes over my body to resolve the situation. He doesn’t think about taking pictures ha ha.

The Road to Oaxaca

After the crash I decided to turn back and go to where I saw the Oaxaca sign. My GPS showed it as a major road. When I got to the road I saw 2 buses with “Oaxaca” on the front of them. I made the decision to follow this road no matter what my GPS said. Of course my GPS was still directing me to turn off along dirt roads. I ignored it.

Eventually my GPS kicked in and pointed the way to my Airbnb. The street anyways.

Airbnb

I found my Airbnb. Almost finished this day. I parked my bike on an undulating cobble stone roadway outside and rang to buzzer to the compound.

The housekeeper came out, warmly greeted me, and directed me to ride my bike up the ramp into a beautiful garden.

As I got on my bike I couldn’t get it upright enough to kick out the kickstand! It was leaning over too far and I just didn’t have the strength to get the heavy bike upright. Fortunately, a lady from the restaurant next door came out and gave me a nudge. Quite the day.

I rode up the ramp and unpacked. As I unpacked I noticed a metal shank in my tire. Crap.

Eventually I was just able to relax in what is the nicest Airbnb I’ve had to date. And by a long way the cheapest place I’ve stayed at. Time to recoup all the money I expended traveling the US and Canada that put me way over budget.

My sort of Route for November 30, 2016

San Miguel de Allende

After the Day of the Dead I still had 2 more days in San Miguel de Allende in my Airbnb.

I love what the Lonely Planet says about San Miguel:

Many people say that San Miguel is a bit like a Mexican Disneyland for foreign (mainly American) retirees and visiting chilangos (those from Mexico City). While there is a certain contrived fairy tale feel to the place – and not a colonial brick out of place in its historic center – it is, nevertheless, a beautiful city, with colonial architecture, enchanting cobblestone streets and striking light (especially popular among photographers and artists). Regular festivals, fireworks and parades dominate the local scene.

The town’s cosmopolitan panache is reflected in its excellent restaurants and high-class accommodations. Numerous galleries are stocked with quality Mexican artesanías (handicrafts) and cultural activities are on tap for residents and visitors. There are few major sights in the compact centro histórico: San Miguel is the sight. The city – with El Jardín, the principal plaza, and the Parroquia, the large church, at its heart – was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 2008.

Economically speaking, this is no budget destination and is a far cry from the 1940s, when beatniks and artists shacked up here on a shoestring to pursue their creative ventures. While the foreign influence is pervasive (more than 12,000 foreigners are believed to live or have houses here), on the whole, the population coexists comfortably.

Beneath the smart B&Bs and fancy shops, another Mexico emerges. You only have to laze in the main plaza, visit the food market or interact with the local people to sense a different ambience, color and vibe.

Airbnb

My Airbnb was just a short walk to the center of town.

It was a nice place. A full size kitchen, living room with a flat screen TV that got CNN International :-), and one bedroom. There were also two patios. One was shared but the other came off of my bedroom with a view of the street below through the wires ha ha.

I enjoyed spending time there.

My Days

I spent the next two days going to Starbucks in the morning and then wandering the street or relaxing at home.

Starbucks was an interesting place. It seemed to be the place where all the English speakers would gather. It seemed to be the cetre of life. I observed a verbal fight between 2 guys where one said he would break every bone in the other’s body ha ha. There was a woman crying uncontrollably. There was a funny beggar woman who would show up to ask for money. I overheard an interesting talk between two men I think must of been professors. People were taking Spanish lessons. It was like its own microcosm.

I had to do laundry as well. In a weird way I enjoy it as the people in the laundromat are always friendly and rarely speak any English. So I get to practice.

Police

One day as I was at the main plaza, I saw lots of police all lined up. I am not sure what it was all about. I think it had something to do with getting brand new cars.

The ceremony ended with the the cars driving off with sirens blaring.

My Location for November 3 and 4, 2016

Día de Muertos Preparations in San Miguel de Allende

According to my Google search, one of the top ten places to watch the Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations was San Miguel de Allende. It is just ride from Santiago de Quertaro.

Leaving Santiago de Quertaro

I was in no rush to leave this morning as it was only a hour or so ride to San Miguel de Allende. So the first thing was coffee. Now I found out there isn’t a Starbucks downtown, but I did pass one the day I arrived just a few blocks from my hotel. That is where I went to enjoy a hour or two before leaving.

The ride to San Miguel de Allende was fairly routine. There was a beautiful viewpoint just before going down into the town.

Finding My Airbnb Residence

For staying at San Miguel I had booked an Airbnb. I put the address in my GPS. My GPS took me on Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride down and around narrow pot holed cobblestone roads. I was dying inside. The weight of my bike takes a lot of energy to control for the unskilled rider – me! When I got there I didn’t see the address. It just so happened there are 2 streets with basically the same name and they both have the same house number. A lady parked in front of me and was trying to help me with directions to the other street. As we were figuring it out, another lady came up to me and said, “Are you Brian?” Well I was taken aback. Who do I know here? She then said she was the owner of the Airbnb and it was just up the block. YAY!

The place was quite comfy. I’ll show photos in another post.

Walking into Town

The centre of San Miguel was only a few blocks from my place. It was early in the day, so I went out to explore.

Like every Mexican town, there is the main plaza usually with a church at one end. San Miguel has several “sub” plazas I guess you could call them.

But the main plaza, Jardin Allende, has a massive cathedral called, La Santa Escuela de Cristo.

Around the plaza preparations were taking place for the Day of the Dead taking place the next day. People were building memorials for loved ones. They were elaborate and not somber, but rather fun and celebratory.

Lunch-Dinner

I hadn’t had anything to eat since the morning. Now when I walked around the main plaza I couldn’t believe there was actually a Starbucks there.

You will be proud to know I resisted it though ha ha.

Instead there was an Italian place with a patio overlooking the plaza.

When I eat at a restuarant, I try to get my vegetables in. So that is what I had.

The slivers of pickled jalapeno on the tomatoes made it extra tasty.

By the evening it was time to call it quits and head back to my Airbnb to settle in for a few days.

My Route for November 1, 2016

Back to La Paz for a Week of Rest and Relaxation

Today I head back to La Paz for some rest and relaxation.

Highway 1 to La Paz

On the way down to Cabo I took Highway 19. This time I took Highway 1 back up. Although I had planned to Cabo Pulmo. Somehow I missed the turn off. My GPS isn’t very accurate in Mexico. And the signs aren’t that instructive for gringos. Oh well, it was a really nice ride. Lots of nice curves. Perhaps I will get to Cabo Pulmo on a day trip from La Paz. Right now I needed to give my knees a rest. There have been hurting.

Airbnb

I have been using Airbnb for some of my accommodations. Often it is cheaper than a hotel, especially in urban centres or in vacation spots.

I looked around in La Paz for a hotel but found what looked like a great Airbnb apartment neat the water and malecón. The only issue was that there were no reviews on it. However, the person renting it out had other properties and the reviews on them were good. So I had booked 9 nights until my ferry to Mazatlan left on the 16th.

Like I said, my GPS in Mexico is not that accurate. I put in the address of the Airbnb apartment and it took me there. So I thought. The addresses on the houses were non existent but it looked like I was at the right spot. I arrived at the appointed time and no one was there. I waited and waited. Another problem I have is that I am relying on free Wifi. I don’t have a phone number.

Eventually I went to a nearby hotel and used their WiFi. Turns out that I was a block off.

My La Paz Apartment

I met Gabriela at my apartment and she took me around. There it is behind the blue gate.

The gated area is awesome to keep my motorcycle safe!

It looks like that this is a storage facility for the Marina across the street. There are storage lockers everywhere. I am assuming that at one time this apartment was a caretaker apartment.

Awesome patio with a great view.

The inside was your basic bachelor pad. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the kitchen. Just a hot plate, sink and small fridge. The plan was to do some cooking while I was here. Well … make sandwiches anyway ha ha.

I settled in for a nice week.

Ride to Medellin

Laundry

The Day in the Life of Brian in Medellin

My Route on October 23, 2017

My Location from October 24 to November 2, 2017

Airbnb

Routine

Errands

My Location from August 14 to 16 and September 1 to 9, 2017

New Years Eve

Going Home

Hospital

Decision Time

My Location for December 26 to January 3, 2017

My Flight on January 4, 2017

My Location from January 4 to January 12, 2017

Routine

Zocalo

Ice Rink

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

My Location for December 13 to 25, 2016

Changing Roads on the Way to Oaxaca

Road Blockades

Teachers Strike

Finding an Alternate Route

Waved Through the Roadblock

GPS Issues

Crash

The Road to Oaxaca

Airbnb

My sort of Route for November 30, 2016

Airbnb

My Days

Police

My Location for November 3 and 4, 2016

Leaving Santiago de Quertaro

Finding My Airbnb Residence

Walking into Town

Lunch-Dinner

My Route for November 1, 2016

Highway 1 to La Paz

My La Paz Apartment

My Route for October 7, 2016