Mexico Connect
Forums  > Areas > Central Highlands


Papirex


Jul 16, 2009, 8:58 AM

Post #1 of 8 (4580 views)

Shortcut

A birthday

Can't Post | Private Reply
   
Today is the birthday of one of the leading expatriate residents of Cuernavaca. Me. I follow the US law that dictates that after 50 of them, you are supposed to quit counting them, so I have picked this as my 29th birthday. At my age, it is a blessing to still be alive to celebrate any birthday.


This morning, I was up before everyone as is my habit when I heard the “Voz de Oro” singing the cumpleaños birthday song. Doris was playing her favorite guitar and singing as she came down the stairs. She is a retired cantante and she does have a voice of gold. Her Mom was singing with her and the dogs both joined in. It was a good way to start my day. After she finished singing the cumpleaños she sang Happy birthday to me in English. She was a little annoyed at the dogs, they can't carry a tune worth a darn.


We discussed where to have a nice dinner tonight yesterday, but no decision has been made yet. We have narrowed it down to 3 places though. It will either be at The Tequila restaurant which is a little expensive, but very elegant, it is located in the 500 year old former residence of Hernan Cortes, or possibly at The Mañanitas. http://www.lasmananitas.com.mx/index.php The Mañanitas is probably the most expensive restaurant in town, and very elegant, or my favorite Chinese restaurant, the Shanghai Gardens, also expensive, but elegant. Wherever we dine tonight, it will be nice.


Please don't send any presents. We already have 2 dogs, 2 cars, and I have a wonderful wife and family and a big ego. What more does any man need?


Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo



mazatlanlee

Jul 16, 2009, 11:14 AM

Post #2 of 8 (4554 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Papirex] A birthday

Can't Post | Private Reply
How about a big "Feliz Cumpleaños!!" from Mazatlán? Enjoy every minute of your special 29th birthday, Rex!

Lee
Lee's Photos: Beyond the Guardrails


tonyburton / Moderator


Jul 16, 2009, 11:18 AM

Post #3 of 8 (4552 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Papirex] A birthday

Can't Post | Private Reply
Many happy returns, Rex. Tony


Oscar2

Jul 16, 2009, 12:35 PM

Post #4 of 8 (4529 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Papirex] A birthday

Can't Post | Private Reply
¡Felice cumpleaños Rex! The last 10 years or so…..I’ve celebrated my 29th but now my family says I’m officially 39. What can I say….;-)



May you have many more,
Oscar


jerezano

Jul 17, 2009, 6:40 AM

Post #5 of 8 (4476 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Oscar2] A birthday

Can't Post | Private Reply
Hello Rex,

A happy birthday from me as well. I was planning to send you two sacos grandes of dog food as a present until I noticed that you didn't want any presents. Not even a new guitar for the "Golden voice" of Doris can be considered. So just a feliz cumpleaños, nada más.

jerezano


Papirex


Jul 17, 2009, 2:15 PM

Post #6 of 8 (4442 views)

Shortcut

Re: [jerezano] A birthday

Can't Post | Private Reply
   
Thanks for the many good wishes on my birthday. So far I am in reasonably good health, I don't need to take any medications regularly (knock on wood), I used to get a physical exam every year in Alaska when The Indian Health Service was paying for it, now that I have to pay for them I get one every 3 or 4 years at the Army hospital here in Cuernavaca. Very cheap.

We went to the Tequila restaurant for dinner last night. It is also a small hotel, I don't know how many rooms there are, probably only 4 or 5. They have remodeled the restaurant a little, and the grounds a lot since our last visit a couple of years ago. It is still a beautiful place. Cortes picked a sweet spot for his home. It is built on a slope, from the terraza where we were eating, we could look down the beautifully landscaped back patio (yard) and see our van in the walled, secure, parking lot. Before they landscaped that patio it was just a rough hillside with no walks or even a path to get down to our car. They have added cement walks and stairs now. It's a long climb up, and the ladies had to stop to catch their breath 3 times. I pretended that I was OK and just waiting for them while I was catching my own breath.

They used to have valet parking, if you stopped at the front door at street level, a guy would take the car around the block to the parking lot on the lower level and a maitre D would seat us at a table. There was nobody attending the front door last night so we drove around the block to the parking lot. After we were sitting at our table, Doris asked the mesero (waiter) why there was no valet parking? He told us that they had changed the procedure and if we wanted to ride up the hill, we should stop in the parking lot and ask an attendant and one of them would get in the car and ride around the block with us and take our car back to the parking lot for us after we got out at the front door at street level. There is no charge for parking, we just tipped the attendant 10 Pesos (about 75 US Cents).

Doris and I both ordered a rib eye steak. They were American sized nice and thick. I ordered mine to be cooked medium rare. When it was served to me, guess what? It was - medium rare. There was plenty of leftovers for our dogs. They ate like king-dogs last night. When we go out to dinner and I tell them we will bring them a "treat", they know that they will get some good people-food later. It being an upper class restaurant, they knew how to make good dry gin Martinis too. Doris forced me to order a total of six of them. OK, she didn't exactly force me, but she didn't stop me either.

It was a very elegant meal with many Mexican specialty salads, etc. people that never go in to a true Mexican dinner house will never discover the delights of true Mexican cuisine. There was something that looked like a huge porous potato chip in the center of one of the salad bowls. None of us knew what it was. Doris asked the mesero and he said it was cheese. It had obviously been cooked, but I have no idea how, we all started breaking pieces off of it and eating them. Delicious. Double delicious. The place is a little pricey by Mexican standards, but what the hell, I can always dig up one of the bags of gold I have buried in the back patio. The total cost for a dinner for three with an average of 2 Martinis each was $1,172 Pesos (about US $87.30 Dollars) plus a $400 Peso tip for a grand total of $1572 Pesos or about US$ 117 Dollars. With 3 birthdays and a wedding anniversary to celebrate every year, it is not a budget breaker to spring for a really good dinner once in a while. And it is a lot of fun.


Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo


esperanza

Jul 17, 2009, 5:06 PM

Post #7 of 8 (4422 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Papirex] A birthday

Can't Post | Private Reply
Happy belated birthday, compañero! Sorry I missed the Big Day--I've been out of town since Monday and just returned. It sounds like a beautiful celebration, surrounded by the ones who love you--including the dogs! Congratulations!




http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com









Papirex


Jul 18, 2009, 9:54 PM

Post #8 of 8 (4372 views)

Shortcut

Re: [esperanza] A birthday

Can't Post | Private Reply
   
I have no particular problems with driving at my age, but for several years, I have been more comfortable as a passenger, and Doris loves to drive. About the only time I drive now is when she is in México City with her Mom and I need to go to the store, or to pay a bill. It also allowed me to have 6 Martinis at my birthday dinner since she was driving. It is amazing how many more things I see or notice when I am a passenger and not the driver.


I thought maybe I better add this little note since I blabbed about how many drinks I had the other night. I'm not really a heavy drinker, I usually only have a drink on special occasions. It has been at least four years since I had a beer. I'm not a big beer drinker anyway. I think we still have one bottle around here somewhere, it is all that's left of a couple of six packs we bought for a party a few years ago.


I do drink gin Martinis when we go out to dinner, because they are so good for my health, but everybody knows that.


Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo
 
 
Search for (advanced search) Powered by Gossamer Forum v.1.2.4