It's been three weeks since we went to Tonala. The weather has been up and down. One week we had cool cloudy weather that kept us from the beach for a couple of days. Only stayed away because it was too cool and breezy to enjoy the beach. Now cool and breezy is all relative, depending on where you are living. I think of this cool and breezy in relation to cool and breezy at Harald's Park near the end of August.
At the end of January, hubby went into a charity golf tournament at Campo de Ensueno. He enjoyed himself and received a t-shirt out of the deal and helped raise money for the after school activity centre here in Lo de Marcos.
I'll have more pics to show later in this blog.
On Febrero cinco (February 5th), the town celebrated Los Amigos do Lo de Marcos. The day started out at 8 am with registration for a town walkabout. I put in this photo to show the stage at the back of the plaza and how nice it has been painted this last fall.
There were over 80 gringos signed up and were split into three groups. Some of the places we visited included the primary school which taught up to grade six. There is no grass in the courtyard, but they do have a large football field behind the school. Los amigos has helped with the school by providing doors on the washrooms to give more privacy; one lady has donated Spanish language books for a library so that children could read for pleasure and they are building a palapa over the concrete tables set beside the outside cafeteria. The rooms are crowded with desks and the one room we saw had only one white board. The students are provided with lunch every day. The teachers drive from Tepic; 100 kms away; every day.
We had walked past this place many times and I couldn't see any buildings when I peeked through the gate lock. We went into the yard and found that the building was at the back. Didn't look like much from the outside but we were pleasantly surprised by the size inside.
This is the medical clinic. It is on a side street that I wouldn't have found it I hadn't seen it a few weeks ago on a walk with Bev. It has one doctor who lives on the premises and he is not a full fledged doctor yet. He is like an intern or resident doctor who has to do one year in a clinic as part of his schooling.
Our next stop was a walk past the home that is volunteered for the sterilization program for dogs and cats that is run at least two times a year. Unfortunately no picture. It wouldn't have turned out anyway because it was so surrounded by trees and palms that all we could see was the beautiful fence.
We continued on to visit the Senior Centre. I never knew what this building was for when we were here last season. Now I know. Folks from Niagara Falls staying here in Lo de Marcos put on a Christmas party for 90 seniors in this room. The seniors were very surprised when Santa showed up bearing gifts. It was the talk of the town. Next year, look out Lloyd and Lisa. One big problem getting the seniors here is that the roads are so rutted and full of holes and rocks that the elderly have trouble walking on them. Some gringos with golf carts go and pick them up so that they can go to the Centre and enjoy the company of their friends. Cars also have a hard time driving on these roads because of their condition.
From the Senior Centre we walked down a street that we were told had another kindergarten. Sure enough there it was; in a little house with about 15 children attending. These parents cannot afford to send their children to the State run kindergarten so they take turns helping out and providing meals every day. This little school helps those not as fortunate. The teacher is a professional teacher who is hoping that Amigos de Lo de Marcos will put her school on their grant agenda for next year. I hope so too.
Down the street from the kindergarten are stables that house horses being trained to "dance". I even saw a turkey back in the trees. Anyone who has been to Mexico has probably seen the "dancing horses" in parades and at fiestas.
Our last stop was the recycling centre. Anything the gringos do has to have the approval of the town council. This is a money making venture and it employs locals year round. Every Friday we see the gringos collecting plastics, aluminum and glass.
Later in the day there was a silent auction, a rummage sale, and live auction. The local restaurants sold their foods on the street beside the plaza. Great fish tacos, chili rellanos and more.
Thanks for walking with us. It's always better in person and there were guides to tell us about the different areas we visited and what they were doing. It was a great day. We look forward to seeing what the Amigos do next year. If you are interested in finding out about theAmigos de Lo de Marcos you can go to their website: http://www.amigosdelodemarcos.org/.
