Before our journey began, we figured that the language barrier would be the biggest hurdle. However, in this particular area there are a lot of ex-pats and a lot of the local people speak enough English to make everyday life much easier. Now, having said that, this isn’t true in many of the surrounding towns.

So, back to the point of this post. Without a doubt, the hardest thing so far has been walking Tuck. I’ll bet no one saw that coming. First, the 350 year old cobblestone streets are very rough and when walking, you have to constantly look down to make sure you don’t trip. This is especially true for me, as a bad fall after my recent back surgery would be a really, really bad thing. Second, the streets are very narrow (built for horses and carts, not cars) and the sidewalks are even narrower. If we walk on the street, we’re always having to get back on the sidewalk (I use that term very loosely) to avoid oncoming cars, buses and scooters. If we walk on the sidewalks, we’re constantly having to move back on to the street to let people pass by (Tuck is a big dog and he takes up most of the sidewalk). Third, there are a lot of dogs that run loose in Mexico…it’s just a custom here. When they see a large dog like Tuck coming, they all run up to see him, smell him, bark at him, etc….which makes him (and us) very nervous. Bless his heart, it’s not his fault. No dog likes to be surrounded by other dogs, none of which are on a leash. A lot of our walks last an hour or longer and holding a strong dog like Tuck back for that amount of time is really tough. We arrive back home whipped. I’m not sure who’s the most tired, us or Tuck! This won’t be a problem in the surrounding neighborhoods, but the home we’re staying in now is in the heart of the downtown area and there are few areas to walk him. But, we cope. That’s what you do when you travel. The good news is that we don’t need a gym membership….we get all the aerobic activity we need just walking around.

Cheers,

Wayne, Claudia & Tuck