Another site visit, we're getting close

We were back down for another visit. Angie had some vacation she needed to use before April and so, whether the house was done, or not, we were booking our flights.

We were staying a little over a week this time, rather than my quick hops down when I only spent a few days. It would be a nice chance to relax, for a change.

Another new experience was meeting Glenn and Derrick. A couple that had recently purchased a house in Mérida.

I had met Glenn on the Travel2Merida Facebook page and he friended me and we started chatting over Messenger as he was house hunting. We became friends pretty easily as I returned to the house buying hunt, but this time not actually for myself. 

After a pretty thorough search, we found them a house right in our neighborhood! We could be neighbors!

We arrived in the evening again on smooth flights and I was up the next day, eager to walk over and see the house while Angie slept in.

I walked over and let myself in. The floors in the main house were being worked on as well as the final bedroom, which up until this point had been used as storage for construction material.

I looked around a bit but didn't linger too long, knowing I'd be back later when Angie was up and ready.

I then walked the 4-5 blocks south to see Glenn and Derrick's house. Of course, I had walked by the front of it and seen plenty of photos and video of it. But this would be my first time inside. As well as my first time meeting them both.

We met with hugs and I got the tour. We did some measuring in the back yard, trying to decide if a casita might fit. And about that time Angie was messaging me. She was awake and in need of a coffee run.

I went back to our rental and found Angie getting ready to go. We walked to a coffee shop and she got her coffee and we walked over to our house.

We wandered in through the garage and into the hallway, stepping lightly to avoid the fresh grout being placed into the pasta tile gaps.

And wandered through our nearly complete house. Into the living room and the kitchen and out through the wide opening into our backyard. The pool was full of blue water as well as some leaves and other debris. But it was all still beautiful.

We spent some time looking around and taking photos, but we didn't stay long. We'd be back the next day.

We met Glenn and Derrick at one of our mutually favorite spots, Zinc.

The food and drinks were great and so was the company. We sat until my rear end was numb from the plastic chair. We said our goodbyes, Glenn and Derrick tried to get into a random person's car they tought was their Uber and we walked back to our rental.

The next day promised to be a busy one.

We started our day walking over to the neighborhood pool supply store.

One of my zen things to do in Mérida is skimming the pool. The net at our rental was broken, so I was denied the ability to clean there. But our pool, well, it presented a real messy challenge.

So I bought a large net and a long pole and we walked to our house where I started cleaning the debris from our pool.

Honestly, it was a waste of effort. We weren't going to swim in it and the water was eventually going to be drained anyways. This was just a test run of the pool to check for leaks, etc. But it was still satisfying to clean my own pool. The first time I could ever say that in real life and not mean a tiny baby-sized pool.

Soon, Fabián arrived with Isabel and Rosy and caught me in the act of the pool cleaning. I'm sure they thought I was an extra-special goof. We walked around and I asked some questions and we discussed a few landscaping ideas. Once that was settled we left and let everyone get back to work without us bothering them.

That evening, we walked down to Glenn and Derrick's  house and Angie got the tour of the place. Then we all walked a block to Cadadia for dinner. More great food and drinks and company. By the time karaoke started, it was our cue to clear out and head back to our AirBnB.

Our third full day and we were up and at the house again. We met Isaac, our real estate agent and gave him a tour of the house, then the artist from Cuba showed up with his daughter and the paintings of the Tres Madres rolled up. Then a little while later, Glenn and Derrick walked up from their house and I gave them a tour of the house.

Later in the evening I worked on another thing I wanted accomplished on our trip. I had been trying to get the internet hooked up at the house for a couple of days but had been having zero luck. I was on hold, and waiting in help chats and waiting for emails to be returned, all to no luck.

Finally, I was able to get someone on one of the help chats for Totalplay. They would message me in the morning with a time for the hookup.

The next morning I was up early waiting for the call. I got a WhatsApp message that the installers would be at the house in an hour. I hustled to get ready and out the door and over to the house to wait for them.

They showed up and I watched as they started up a couple of blocks and, with a heavy piece of metal attached to the end of a fiber optic cable, they walked down the street and as they would come to a crossing wire they'd wind up and toss the weighted fiber optic cable over top of the other cables. When it landed on the other side, they'd pick it up and continue walking down the block.

It took about an hour for them to bring down the line and install it, but once they were done we had internet at the house!

We did some shopping for lights in the house later that afternoon. Then in the evening we met Glenn and Derrick at Texas Roadhouse since we were all on the north side of town. Us with our lights and they were shopping for pots and pans for their kitchen.

I know, Texas Roadhouse in Mexico? But it was still an interesting experience. The food was good and, again, great company.

The rest of the week was a fast moving blur. I bought a few small containers at WalMart so we could store some of the clothes and other items we wanted to leave at the house.

We went to Salon Gallos for the first time, yes with Glenn and Derrick, again. Every dinner would be with Glenn and Derrick from then on, they just made everything so much more fun.

Salon Gallos was a very interesting place. Very nice and great decor. Food ranged from really good to interesting. The drinks were great. It's a tish expensive for what you normally expect in Mérida, so it's probably more of a "treat yo'self" place more than a regular dining spot.

The next night was Cafe del Sol, which we ate outside in the back patio. Great burgers and wonderful staff. It was one of my favorite dining experiences on the trip, honestly.

Our last night dining out was Querreke at Paseo 60. It was a sad night for me, knowing it was our last night in Mérida for a bit, but mostly it would be our last night with Glenn and Derrick for a while.

I am pretty easy going and can befriend most people. But it's really hard to find people you legitimately click with. But, we'll all be back again!

Hopefully soon!