I need theme music for my life.
While crossing the Pont au Change, I found myself humming "I Love Paris." In Rio it was (yup), "The Girl from Ipanema." I am not very original with life scoring.
On this trip around Mexico, it has been "Old Friends."
In Guanajuato, I reconnected with with my friend Vanya -- and I got to meet her father as a bonus.
When I started this blog in Salem, Vanya and her husband, Shawn, were living in Nevada at the time, and she became a regular commenter. More than that, it turned out they had lived in the same beach house that would be my first home in Melaque.
By the time I got to Melaque, they were living in Barra de Navidad. We spent a lot of good times together -- before they moved to Guanajuato.
Those times together were destined to make our reunion one of the high points on my first trip inland.
I had never met anyone in Pátzcuaro prior to going there. But I did know someone. Most of us do. "Felipe Zapata."
His was one of the first blogs I started reading when I was making up my mind whether Mexico would be my retirement home. Since then, we have established a regular patter on each other's blogs. Especially now that I am on the move in Mexico.
When we met, we met as old buddies sharing an afternoon of coffee. Having spent time in the blog trenches, we have a bit of shared existence.
I did not think I would have a similar experience in Mexico City. After all, the only other blogger I knew there (Gary Denness) was in the process of trading in his tacos for shepherd's pie.
But the blog spirits were not content with that. Just as I was getting ready to leave for Mexico City, I received an email from Kim G. of Boston.
You know him. The fellow with the witty PS at the close of every comment. Noel Coward in a banker's suit.
The email was a pleasant surprise. Kim has been a wealth of advice and encouragement since I decided to move south. I wish I could have put some of his advice into practice -- like selling my Salem house before I retired.
After a few false starts by trying to set up a meeting by texting, we met at my hotel. I had boxed myself into a time corner by committing to join some of our tour members at a Cuban restaurant that night. But we agreed we could at least meet for drinks -- Coke Light for me.
He suggested one of the hotel roof-top restaurants on the Zócalo. It was a perfect choice. While we sipped our drinks, we could look down on what looked like the type of movie set where the government was about to fall to libertarian freedom fighters. (Some of us have odd dreams.)
This was another of those meetings where there were no tentative, nervous pauses. We simply launched into conversation as is if we had been doing this type of thing for years. Which, of course, we have. On the blog.
We ranged over a wide field of topics. Life in Mexico. Investments. Bloggers. Personalities. Restaurants.
I was really reluctant to leave for dinner -- where I may or may not have contracted my little stomach bug. But I look forward to meeting with Kim again. And with Vanya. And "Felipe."
After all:
"Hey, old friend
How do we stay old friends
No one can say, old friends
How an old friendship survives
One day chums, having a laugh a minute
One day comes and they're a part of your lives"
15 comments:
I am surprised of how easy and stress free it is to meet the people that we correspond with via the blogs. I have met several people and it is like you say....it's is as if you are part of their family and live next door to them, knowing all about their families, happenings in the barrio and seeing their kids growing up. It is for me at least a warm and rewarding part of my life to be a part of the cyber community.
I have enjoyed meeting and making friends with people who followed my blog, and subsequently came to Honduras. Not as a result of my blog, but in rather indirectly. Lots of fun. If you ever meet the elusive Felipe, clue us in. Woudn't it be fun if he was the opposite of who he says he is? Rather than a crusty curmudgeon, he may be tender hearted and fun!
Aw! Its not always easy to find kindred spritits in foreign lands. Sometimes you have to go and seek them out. We look forward to seeing you again too!!
What a good post! My meetings with fellow bloggers have been so sudden and surprising. Senor and I were walking on the Mazatlan malecon and poof! There were Nancy and Paul. I was in San Carlos and poof! There was Bliss! What I really enjoy is folks who come to Alamos, they are not bloggers, but we connect and they say, Oh, you are the lady that writes that Alamos blog or when KD and Ian are here and people come up to them and say, Oh, I read about you all the time in your mom's blog..........
And unless people are part of the blog community, they often find it hard to know just how close we can all draw together.
And I shall return.
He is fun. And tender-hearted. But I find most people are -- especially as we get to know them better.
I suppose that is true because most people who write blogs pour a good deal of themselves on to their pages.
I am a tender-hearted, crusty, fun curmudgeon.
F and I met Felipe (and Lady Zapata and the Sister-in-law, and the little Vaquero) in 2007, and found him quite the charmer. My only regret? Having done the entire conversation in Spanish. I still want to someday hear his Georgia accent.
Saludos,
Kim G
Where, alas, we have no charming regional accent.
Steve, Thanks for the kind comment. I too enjoyed our all-too-brief drink together. But hopefully our paths will cross again.
Saludos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we are literally plotting our move to Mexico.
And the accent is worth the price of admission.
I read this post twice, but somehow I didn't use my basic comprehension skills. I am glad you met the tender-hearted crusty curmudgeon. I am tired this week due to hosting a group of New Orleanians who are traversing the country of Honduras in search of mission work as well as a bit of fun.
Kim, I have many charming regional accents, as I have a penchant for mimicking accents. What do you want? Cajun? New Orleans? Puerto Rican? Cuban? Honduran? I can even do a fair Spanish lisp when needed. My Texan is a bit rusty though.
That means I was not very clear.
Post a Comment