Touring Tokyo with the Mini Geezer

Recently, I added two countries to the countries I have visited. My daughter, Chrissy, and I took a girls trip to Tokyo, Japan, with a long layover in Beijing, China. For this trip, I let her do the planning. I figured this would be her time to stretch her legs for a trip to a country she has been enamored with since childhood. This would be her Geezer-in-Training opportunity. She showed me that she didn't need no stinking training, though. She's just a mini-Geezer. She put together an awesome trip with no real assistance from me! Made me proud. She found us reasonably priced air fare, a relatively nice apartment for our week in Tokyo, learned a few phrases in Japanese, and researched the easiest ways to get around. While there were a few times we walked in circles and I had to prompt her to ask for directions, she did a much better job navigating in a new country than I have ever done. Every time we were walking in circles, those circles were in the general vicinity of where we needed to be, if only we would look right, left, up, etc.

My trip began with a flight to Seattle, where I spent a few days catching up with her before we left for the Far East.  Mt. Rainier welcomed me as we approached Sea-Tac airport.

Chrissy met me at the airport and took me back to her new apartment with an awesome view of Tacoma, Commencement Bay, and Mt. Rainier (when it's clear).  After a couple of days, we headed across the International Date Line and into tomorrow!

We arrived in Tokyo just after midnight, and since the trains and busses had stopped running, we had to take a taxi to our apartment in Shinjuku, a neighborhood of Tokyo.  She had chosen a traditional Japanese apartment with the mats on the floor.  There were a few minor issues with the apartment, but overall it was good, though it could have been just awesome.  I did have a little trouble with the traditional bedding.  At my age, I need more padding than that.  Chrissy didn't have any problems with it, though, so that part's on me.  She made sure I had plenty of ibuprofen, though!

Our first day was spent just getting our bearings.  We got our train pass for the week and looked around the neighborhood a little bit. I had some delicious duck soup with udon noodles for breakfast, and Chrissy had something with vegetables.  A few initial observations: Tokyo reminded me of New York City, with many high rise apartments along with business skyscrapers.  The sidewalks in Tokyo tend to be wider than I remember them being in New York City.  There are also very few benches or places to sit, even in parks.  I'm convinced that the reason many people carry suitcases around with them isn't just to make carrying their purchases or other items easier, but also to give them portable places to sit!

Also, when going to the bathroom, you must check the door.  Not all bathrooms are created equally.  Squat toilets are very popular over there!  I just couldn't --

Some are pretty high tech, though, with heated seats that start heating when you sit and bidets with multiple options.

On the second day, after we got our train passes and I stopped marveling over the toilets, Chrissy took us out to the SkyTree, also known as Tokyo Tower.  Our cab driver had pointed Tokyo Tower out to us on the way to our apartment from the airport.  It was the high tower lit up off in the distance.  Chrissy got us there with ease.  Tokyo is the largest city in the world, more than twice the size of New York City.  It's on the water, and there are lots of georgeous bridges.  The SkyTree is treated much like the Empire State Building with 360-degree views of the city from elevations intended to allow you to see far and wide.  It was mostly clear the day we went, so views were nice.  You could see Mt. Fuji in the distance, and some of the traditional architect interspersed with the modern skyscrapers.

At 350 meters, there is also a glass floor where you can look straight down into the city below you!

After visiting the SkyTree and enjoying the view from 450 meters (over 1476 feet), Chrissy parked me at a table and went shopping in the massive mall.  It turns out, Tokyo puts these massive shopping complexes in many of their larger train stations.  That worked just fine for Chrissy.  She does like to shop!  And, with the dollar being strong and there being lots of sales on for the New Year, she found some excellent deals!

After the SkyTree, we headed out to our first temple, Senso-ji Temple.  This is the oldest Buddhist Temple in Tokyo.  From the moment you reach the area, its stature impresses.  The entrance is the dominating structure of Kaminarimon, or "Thunder Gate".

Once inside the temple grounds, you follow the street, Nakamise-dori to the temple.  Nakamise-dori is 250 meters long and lined with approximately 89 shops.  Here, you can get everything from street foods to kimonos and everything in between.  It is festively decorated with lanterns, dragon kites, and various other banners.

After trekking down Nakamise-dori, you come to an inner gate, Hozomon, or "Treasure House Gate".  It's pretty imposing, as well, and is the entryway to the inner temple grounds.

Once inside the temple grounds, there are little shacks on either side of the street where the believers shake their paper fortunes out of little drawers and boxes.  They tie these fortunes on posts outside of the shacks.  Once actually at the temple, there is a law wall around a small pool into which people throw coins. 

After the temple, we took a rickshaw tour around the area.  We saw the traditional, Edo, portion of town.  We heard a geisha practicing her shamisen as we were parked outside the geisha house.  And, we saw "bar alley".  After the rickshaw tour, we picked up some sweets and had tempura for dinner.

The next day, I didn't feel very well.  It was the first time I've ever had the normal "traveler's malady" when traveling.  Not something that was expected in one of the most developed areas in the world.  Chrissy did an awesome job finding a pharmacy and getting some meds that helped me out.  By evening, I was back up, and we made it to our reservations at the Robot Restaurant.  We knew it was going to be a little over the top when this was the waiting area!

The show was excellent.  There were robots that were basically stages that carried drummers and other musicians around the stage.  There were dancers with dark clothing and light tubes.  There were fabulous costumes.  And, there was a story in which the water and forest inhabitants fought off the foreign invaders with more impressive robots and characters as it kept going, starting with Po and the characters from Kung Fu Panda.  It was beyond description and an awesome time!  It's a dinner theater.  They brought us our food, pulled a cord, and told us to wait 10 minutes.  Then, the box started steaming.  It was delicious!  I'm not sure what it was.  Looked like some kind of beef in rice with veggies.

Another day, another temple.  This one, the Meiji Jingu, a Shinto temple.  The temple is surrounded by a forest, which was initially planted by hand as a place for the souls of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken to reside in.  After 90 years, it is now a natural forest with undergrowth and streams, and a lovely place.  The Emperor and Empress (the Dieties) are known for their contributions toward industrializing Japan, and every year, various breweries give offerings of straw barrels of saki.  French wine makers have consecrated a number of casks of wine in honor of the Dieties' commitment to preserving the traditional ways while modernizing and incorporating Western processes, as well.  I was never able to learn the significance of the blue and white lanterns.

Upon entering the main temple grounds, there is the building for getting fortunes.  There is an area where you can have a wooden tablet painted with your personal prayers and thanks, which will be conveyed o the Dieties by the priests in the morning ceremonies.  At the front of the temple, is the same pool where coins are tossed.

On leaving the main temple area, there is the washing fountain (Temizuya).  The washing is a sign of respect and is independent of any religion, though there is a specific order for washing.  You fill the dipper from the water running into the fountain and rinse your left hand.  Then, you rinse your right hand.  Next, you pour water into your left hand and rinse your mouth out, spitting the water into the fountain.  You rinse your left hand again, and finally, you rinse the dipper, allowing the water to run out the handle.  

After the temple, it was time for more shopping.  So, while Chrissy shopped (again finding some really awesome deals), I rested my weary bones.  This time, at McDonald's where I tested a Big Mac.  Again, it tasted like a Big Mac anywhere else (except Saudi Arabia).  The mix was a little off, with extra lettuce and not as much special sauce as normal, but it was basically a normal Big Mac.  So, the only country where the Big Mac has tasted different (so far) is Saudi Arabia.  That night, we had the fried pork at a little restaurant close to the Okubo train station (the one closest to our apartment), where we met a man who lived in Shinjuku, but had spent a few years in St. Petersburg, Florida.  We had some good conversation about Tokyo and Florida.  Chrissy got me some chop stick "trainers", and after watching me struggle for a while even with the trainers, he asked the waitress to bring me a fork.  I used the fork for a little while, but I was determined to master the use of chop sticks!

The days are running into each other, and the next morning started at Tokyo Station.  The entryway is a dome, and the exterior is lovely.  Inside is an entire mini city full of shops, restaurants, and grocery stores.  Another shopping opportunity for Chrissy and a resting opportunity for me.

After Tokyo Station, it's off to another temple.  This time, it's Gotokuji Temple, more commonly known as the maneki neko or the beckoning cat.  There are many legends about the significance of the cat and what makes it lucky, but the one endorsed by the temple says that the pet cat of the monk of the poor temple waived down some passing samurai who came in for a rest and waited out a storm.  During the storm, the monk preached to them, and they were moved, feeling that the Buddha had sent the cat to bring them to hear this monk's words.  Upon returning to their homes, the samurai donated rice fields and other lands, making the temple wealthy.  Therefore, the beckoning cat is a symbol for incoming wealth and luck.  There are real cats living inside the temple.  People purchase the porcelain cats and offer them to the temple.  They also tie their fortunes on the trees and bushes outside the main temple.

After the quiet of the temple, it was time to go to the Shibuya.  Just outside of the train station is the intersection believed to be the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world.  Estimates are that as many as 2,500 people cross at this intersection with each light change during rush hour.  We were a little later than rush hour, but it was certainly busy.  The crosswalks are painted in for almost any possible path you could want to cross, including diagonally.  When the light turns red for vehicle traffic, all vehicle traffic stops, and all pedestrian traffic goes.  This is a huge intersection.  In this one spot, there are 5 jumbotrons, multiple cross streets, a busy station courtyard, and lots of shops. I'm not one to get intimidated by crowds or have agoraphobia or anything like that.  But, there was a rush of adrenaline when that light changed and we waded into that sea of people to cross diagonally.  Remembering years ago when I had Chrissy take my hand in crowds to make sure she didn't get lost, I instinctively reached out for her - this time to make sure I didn't get lost.  Definitely a hopping area with lots of shops.  Once again, we parked me to rest while Chrissy went shopping..  Please don't think there is anything wrong with this.  She likes to shop, and I don't.  I needed to rest as much as possible so that I could have the stamina to see the things we saw.  I also love to people watch.  So, while she was shopping, I was people watching and resting my back and hips, not to mention my Achilles tendon, which I had just taken from the walking boot.  (Wonder how the doctor's going to react when she finds out.)

The next day, we were off to see the Mountain.  It was a clear, sunny day, so we were expecting some beautiful sights.  On the express train, it took us about 45 minutes to get out of Tokyo.  The more we got into the rural areas, the more traditional architecture we saw.  At the next to last stop before getting to Fuji Five Lakes, we were treated to an awesome view of the mountain through the train windows, and we stayed put for a little while for some good shots.

We visited one of the Fuji Sengen Shrines, celebrating the diety Princess Konohanasakuya, who is associated with Mt. Fuji.  Supposedly there is a trail head for those who are hiking to and up Mt. Fuji, but we were there in the winter, and there was snow and ice.  Trail heads couldn't be seen.  We didn't have the right shoes for traipsing through the snow to see all of the grounds of it. A lovely shrine, with the red buildings making a stark contrast to the pristine, white snow.  It was lovely.

After a few additional sites, we made our way to the Ropeway, the cable car to the best viewpoint for Mt. Fuji.  We barely made it before they closed.  In fact, I sent Chrissy on up to get our tickets instead of helping me get up the steps.  There were handrails on both sides, so I could pull myself.  We were so close that by the time I got to the cable car building, they were putting up the closed sign.  They let me in when I gasped out that my daughter was already in there with my ticket.  By the time I made it up to the cable car, I was barely breathing, and the people on the one little bench hopped up, helped me in, and plopped me on the bench to sit and learn to breathe again.  The views were magnificent.  Worth every step.

We had some regional soups for dinner at the train station before heading back to Tokyo.  Note my green trainers.  By this point, I've gotten fairly good with the chopsticks.  The soup was delectible!

On our last day in Japan, we started with the Tsukiji Nippon Fish Port Market.  Lots of neat stuff with a bunch of restaurants scattered throughout.  Some were standing and some had seats.  We chose one that had a menu and a selection of items that drove past on a conveyor belt, and you picked up what you wanted.  Horsehair crab miso soup makes for a delicious breakfast!

We were hoping to take in a sumo wrestling match, but by the time we got there, tickets were sold out.  So, we just went to another part of town we hadn't been to yet and finally found Godzilla!

After wandering a while, we headed to the airport where we met our luggage and checked in for our flight to Beijing.  A short nap on the plane, and off in Beijing.  We made it through immigration and customs without problem, with our 24-hour visa free stamps in our passports.  I had made arrangements over WeChat (the Chinese version of Facebook) for a guide to meet us at the airport.  Peter was right there when we cleared customs, and off we went to the Great Wall of China.  We were there just as they opened.

To get to the wall, it was a short walk to the shuttle bus, a ride most of the way up the hill, a nearly impossible hike up the steep part of the hill (in which we needed multiple stops so I could breathe again), a cable car ride, and a relatively short set of stairs up to the courtyard at the foot of the wall.  We had to stop a few times climbing the steps, too.  Chrissy helped me up the stairs actually onto the Great Wall.  She basically had to pull me up those YUGE steps, but we got me onto the wall.  We walked to the closest guard tower.  After that, it was time for me to go back to the courtyard and let Chrissy have the opportunity to walk however much of the wall she wanted.  As she was helping me down those monster steps, one of the workers came up to take me from Chrissy and make sure I got down into the courtyard safely.  Once I got down and caught my breath, he started pointing out various vantage points to me.

All in all, the mini-Geezer did an excellent job on this trip.  I would trust her to plan any trip for me in the future.  And, though she was frustrated with having to stop so frequently so I could breathe, she got that built into our routine, and she searched out places for some short sits so I could catch my breath.  If she hadn't been there looking out for me, allowing me to lean on her when we couldn't find a place to sit, and encouraging me to take my time getting my breath back so I could finish up, I probably wouldn't have made it up to the wall.  Wouldn't have made some of the hikes we took, either.  Excellent trip with an excellent kid.  Love you, Chrissy!  Next time, let's do someplace warm, though!

Historic Madison, Alabama

When US Hwy 70 got to Nashville, we turned south.  This time, we took the interstate.  The Nashville skyline is always lovely.  I especially like this shot of the Batman Building behind the football stadium.

We did stop at the welcome center when we crossed the Alabama State line.

A bit further down I-65, we got off the interstate.  Apparently, nobody knows what happens if you turn right.  We went left, though, so the world may never know.

We finally arrived in the stately town of Madison, Alabama.  Madison seems to have a booming peripheral area.  Plenty of restaurants, shopping malls, and other activities.  Being mostly surrounded by Huntsville and in close proximity to Redstone Arsenal, the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center, and many other high-tech industrial employers, the area is relatively affluent.  The offerings in the area reflect that.  But, there's a part of Madison that is reflective of a slower pace and less glitter.  Here, they still have park benches on the sidewalks so you can visit for a while.  It was a rainy day when I went, so they weren't being used, but I could envision old folks sitting on those benches whittling or drinking tea while talking about recent events.

Across from the row of shops is the railroad tracks.  For safety, there's an ironworks fence separating the tracks from the park beside them.

The park by the tracks is full of history.  There are two memorials for veterans, sorting out the vets by the war in which they lost their lives.

There was also a replica of the first city hall, called The Roundhouse.  We tried to walk up the steps and go inside, but the door was locked.

To top it off, throughout town, the old antebellum homes have been restored.  They each have little plaques in the front yard telling the year the home was built and the original owners.

Yes, the big tourist draw for the area is the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center.  I've been there multiple times, and it is an awesome place.  But, when you go, keep some time open to go off the beaten path and visit Madison, Alabama.  You'll be glad you did.

Tennessee Back Roads

Around Thanksgiving, we took a drive around some Tennessee back roads.  Tennessee has some lovely scenery and is just chocked full of history.  We were a little late for the foliage, but with such a dry summer and fall, the colors would be kind of dull anyway.  Nonetheless, it was a beautiful drive down those little one-lane gravel or dirt roads that we always seem to end up driving when I get to navigate!

We started at Parker's Crossroads in Tennessee.  Sites of major civil war battlefields tend to be preserved for their historical value, and Parker's Crossroads is no exception.  At the visitor's center, you can get a map and audiotape tour of the battlefield and surrounding areas.  Parker's Crossroads is the site of General Nathan Bedford Forrest's successful raids on Union troops, but local lore prefers the tale of Mr. John Parker, who was in favor of the Union until this battle.  The tales say that when Union troops wanted to place cannons in his yard, he contested it out of fear for damage to his home.  When asked which was more important, his home or the winning the war, Mr. Parker responded that his home was the more important.  From that point forward, Mr. Parker became so bitter toward the north that he made sure he and his family were buried with their feet pointing north so they could kick them Yankees back where they came from!

While spending some time with one of Bruce's long-lost cousins and taking in some unsuccessful deer hunting, we explored the Huntingdon area, which is also along our path of some civil war historical sites.  No major battles happened in Huntingdon, but one of the interesting things about Huntingdon is the Huntingdon court house.  Huntingdon and Carroll County were pretty much equally divided between cotton farmers (who wanted to secede from the Union) and livestock farmers (who wanted to remain in the Union).  During a heated meeting to discuss secession, the attendees were so divided that the half that wanted to remain in the Union left by the door facing north and those who wanted to secede left by the southern door.  Without being there and having directions oriented for you, you can only tell the north from the south by looking at the markers.  I think the first picture is the southern entrance/exit.

Turning east on US Hwy 70, we traveled for a bit down the Broadway of America.  It's going to take a while, but eventually, we'll travel the whole thing, from Arizona to North Carolina.  Obviously, not all of the sites along Hwy 70 are civil war related.  We weren't sure whether the "Redneck" referred to here is the bondsman or the bailee or both.

And there were some replica pioneer homes along with plenty of antebellum-style homes.

We also found Bruce's town namesake,

And the spot where Patsy Cline fell to pieces.  (Boo, Hiss.  Yes, I did it.  I love Patsy Cline, and that's one of my favorite songs. Bruce tried to keep me from doing it, but I just couldn't resist!)

I also walked down this path in my walking boot.  Bruce had to help pull me back up, though.  It's kind of hard to walk uphill when you can't bend one ankle!

We turned off of 70 for a little bit to see the TN Freshwater Pearl Farm located on Tennessee's Kentucky Lake.  With tour prices running at $55 per person, a minimum of 15 people, and advance notice required, we didn't see much.  It is supposedly the only freshwater pearl farm in the US, though.

Back on Hwy 70, we headed to New Johnsonville, another civil war battlefield site.  Before they flooded Johnsonville, it was an important supply town because of the railroad hub.  We hiked out to see some of the old pilings where the railroad had been destroyed in General Forrest's raids.  This time, I tried to stay on level terrain.

These iron works have an active railroad running under them.  I would have loved to explore them more, but it just wouldn't be safe with this boot impeding my progress.

Continuing on down Hwy 70, we found a huge catfish.  This was on a list of roadside attractions.  What I found amusing though, wasn't the catfish, but that the Catfish Kitchen is pushing their quail dinners!  Can't beat fish and fowl!

The Harpeth River is always beautiful.  I had wanted to catch a view of the narrows, one of the spots where it pretty much turns around on itself with only a thin strip of land between the two pieces of river.  Unfortunately, the road remained in the river bed, and you have to hike to the higher ground where you can see that.  Again, the boot got in the way, and that was a climb I just couldn't make without being able to bend my ankle.  

I'll be so glad when my Achilles' tendon gets better and I can walk like normal again!  Maybe we'll try the Narrows of the Harpeth again once it's healed.

Riding Out Hurricane Matthew

Just a month after coming back to the US, six months after the big earthquake in Ecuador, we found ourselves bracing for another natural disaster. Thankfully, hurricanes come with plenty of warning. We studied the projections of both path and wind speeds, and decided to stay in the forest. Matthew was expected to hug the coast line, not coming inland. We're in the Ocala National Forest, which is inland. With Matthew's strongest predictions, the wind speeds we were expecting here, in the forest, were maximum sustained winds in the 40s with gusts up to 65 miles per hour. Really no worse than a strong thunderstorm. One of our neighbors stacked their plastic chairs up and tied them to a tree. Most of the neighbors left flower pots and everything else out.

Some friends offered that we could stay with them during the storm since we're in a trailer. Mostly, they were located in the path of the strong winds. Bruce laughed about the idea of us evacuating INTO the hurricane warning area. I did seriously consider one, though. Buying cake was the major part of the preparations. It was probably a really fun time over there! But, we just spent a small fortune on new spices, and if something happened, I wanted to be able to save them.  As it turns out, I should have taken her up on the offer!

Before Matthew's stronger bands hit Ft. Lauderdale, wind speeds were adjusted down, and by the time it started raining here, forecasted wind speeds were down to maximum sustained winds of 30 with gusts to 45 miles per hour. Really nothing more than a long, windy shower. So, we went to bed, feeling safe and confident. I did forego using Darth Vader (my CPAP machine). Just in case the forecasts were wrong, I didn't want to break my neck being pulled back into bed because of being attached to a machine! The night went quite well. I had some work come in just before bedtime, and I had some vague thoughts that maybe I should stay up and work on it. I decided to go to bed, instead. Bad choice.

Just as I was getting up Friday morning, the electricity went off. I really should have stayed up. Oh, well. The storm wasn't bad, so we just propped open the front door and watched the rain off of the front porch. A few lizards took shelter on the porch, but they didn't try to venture in. We watched some birds flying around, and some of the residents had canvas covers on their golf carts, so they were driving around from house to house checking on folks. At one point, when the rain wasn't so heavy, I went out to take pictures. There were some good gusts, and we had lots of Spanish moss that got blown off the larger live oak trees. Some twigs, small branches, and palm fronds got blown around, but I saw no real damage in the park.

The owner weighed down this little jon boat with cinder blocks.  The rest of the boats were left docked out in the lake.

At some points, the wind kept the little waves going one after the other in our little lake.  We even had a few little white caps out in the deeper water.

It was difficult to get these live oaks from this angle without raindrops on the lens.

This bench and flower pots were never brought in or secured at all.

I spent some time writing on a book, and finally my battery and my spare battery ran down. So, we decided a trip to McDonald's, where they have free wi-fi, was in order. I like this McDonald's. It's about 10 miles from our home in the forest. Just like most of them these days, there is free wi-fi and plenty of plugs. We sat at a table instead of a booth. While charging my computer, the extra batteries, and my phone, we had some lunch. There was a guy in there who appeared to be homeless. He was pleasant and nice to talk to. It seemed like they let him hang out in there regularly. People coming in and out spoke to him, calling him by name. He never asked anybody for money or anything else, but he sure liked to talk to folks. When I got some things that I needed downloaded, we showed him the radar and the projections for Matthew returning, and he asked about shelters and such. When we got ready to go, Bruce gave him a couple of dollars for a sandwich.

On the way home, we decided to drive further into the forest a little bit. It didn't take long before we found a likely source of our electrical problems. A tree had fallen into the power lines. Who would have thought! But, I did learn the answer to that age-old questions: If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, yes, it does still knock out the electricity! 

 As we kept driving, there were a few more trees bouncing around on power lines. Some trees had fallen into the road, but the county was out working to clear them. 

The stand this seaplane was mounted on was tied to the truck.

We also saw numerous convoys of cherry picker trucks and state troopers heading toward the east coast to provide relief. Not one was tasked with getting those trees off the power lines in the forest, though.

By the time we got home, we learned that the reservoir for the water in the park had run out, so not only did we not have power, but we also didn't have water. Unlike in Ecuador, I couldn't just run to the cistern and pull a bucket out either. I'm not sure why we didn't think about pulling a bucket from the lake to pour into the back of the toilet so we could flush, but we decided to get a hotel room, instead. We knew there was both power and water just up the road.

We stopped at a couple of places, who mostly said they had had a cancellation, so they had a room. Many of them didn't have wi-fi, though. One place said their internet provider had said they wouldn't be restoring it until Monday. The prices were a big concern to me, though. I'd be willing to bet there was a lot of price gouging going on. Let's put it this way, Days Inn advertises weekly rates of $199 in Silver Springs. The little local hotel down the street from them advertises weekly rates of $150. In what universe would I believe that these no-name or budget hotels have normal room rates in excess of $85 plus tax, in some cases even charging extra for the wi-fi password. In fact, that same Days Inn was quoting prices of $103 including tax if a room were to come available. They wanted me to believe they charge more for two nights than they do for a week? I was not born yesterday, folks. I'll probably report a couple of them for potential price gouging. It's illegal in Florida during a hurricane.

We did finally find a nice place. It was called the Alamo Motel, right on Highway 40. I'm not sure if it's officially in Ocala or if it's still in Silver Springs. It was a little old and shabby, but it one of the cleanest hotels I've ever been in. Not even the hint of mold or mildew in the tiniest corner of the shower. I mean, this place was spotless. The carpeting was worn. The TV was an old box-style set. The towels were thin and worn. The tiles in the bathroom had been patched in spots. But you could have run a white glove on the window sills and in the shower. Everyplace else was just as clean. It's run by a man and his wife. He says they care for it themselves with no help. They take great pride in the cleanliness of the place, and wouldn't dream of price gouging. In fact, he gave us the room for the weekday rate instead of the weekend rate because of our circumstances.

I learned that Clay Electric (our power provider) wasn't even going to start working to restore power until Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. I just don't have a clue why I decided we needed to go back to the trailer to wait for the lights to come back on, but we checked out of the hotel and headed back home. We drove through the forest for a while before going on in. It was 10:30. Clay Electic had managed to put caution tape around the trees that had fallen onto the wires.

So, back to the house we went to wait for electricity. We did quickly reach into the freezer to throw out the ice cream before it melted into a big puddle, making a mess of everything. It was HOT. No air conditioning. No fan. Not only would this weather not be allowed in Ecuador, but C-Nel had electricity back on in Puerto Lopez the morning after a 7.8 earthquake. What's the problem, Clay Electric?? Florida Power and Light, Duke, and Orlando Utilities had been working around the clock, even during the storm. They had wind speed limits at which crews were grounded for safety. By early afternoon, almost everybody I knew who lived in the hurricane warning areas had their power restored. There were only a few exceptions. Clay Electric started in the northwest corner of their coverage area. We live in the far southern sector, just east of center. It was going to be a while before they got to us, so we went back to the hotel.

We got the same room for the same rate, and went looking for dinner. Bruce felt like Mexican. We tried this place called El Toreo and were kind of underimpressed. It wasn't bad, but it really didn't satisfy the desire for Mexican food. It was the first time I've not really enjoyed a chile relleno, even when it's made with a bell pepper instead of a poblano (and this one as made with a bell pepper). The GPS said there was an El Azteca, which is a chain we've often enjoyed in various places. Unfortunately, it was no longer there. So, we found this little hole-in-the-wall taqueria called Taco N Madre. Trust me. It satisfied! Bruce got a taco and a tostada. I got a pork burrito. We each got beans and rice, and we got an order of grilled jalepenos to share. I think these jalepenos grew next to some ghost peppers! These babies were HOT! Even Bruce couldn't finish them off. The pork in my burrito was spiced and delish! The burrito was huge, and not full of fillers. It was mostly pork with some onions and cilantro tossed in. I didn't taste Bruce's stuff. He put it away too fast. The food reminded me of the stuff we got in Mexico, especially in Tijuana. Add two sodas for me and two Dos Equis beers for Bruce, and the total charge was under $15. We'll definitely be back there! Seems like our only options for good Mexican food in this area is Taco N Madre (very authentic) or Tijuana Flats (not so authentic, but very good for what it is). Unfortunately, Bruce can't get a margarita at either of those.

After another comfortable night in the hotel, in which I got a lot of work done, I woke and checked the Clay Electric power outage map. We still didn't have power. But, they say they will finish restoring power by night. It was a beautiful, sunny, hot day in Ocala, which meant that trailer was going to be a roasting pot with no air conditioning or fans. So, I suggested we stop at a sit-down, mom and pop place for breakfast before going home. We tried the Silver Springs Restaurant. There wasn't a place to sit, and we had to wait. This was a good sign, especially for such a small town. We met another couple that was waiting, as well. When our table was ready, it was a table for four, so we invited them to sit with us. It was a good meal for a good price with good company.

After breakfast, we headed for home. There was a cherry picker at the gas station close to the park, filling up. That station hadn't had power, too. What did we find when we got home? We had power!! It had been on long enough that the meat had refrozen. I checked the USDA website, and it said that if the meat had been thawed in the refrigerator and not on the counter and had not been handled, it could be refrozen. It did say that the cuts would be degraded to a lower quality, but that it would be safe to eat. Because of that, we're eating the meat. So far, we haven't gotten sick, but we'll let you know if it happens. The weather has seemed to break, and it was cool enough to go out walking this morning, so we can start exploring around here. 

Hopefully, we can finally get settled in so we can start travelin' soon, too.