Hello Cusco, Peru!

Written on Wednesday, November 11, 2026

On Sunday October 25, we said goodbye to Playa del Carmen, Mexico and began our travel to Peru, specifically Cusco.

Last Moments In Mexico

Since we were leaving our VRBO stay early (we booked it through November 6), we could leave whenever we wanted, not being constrained by checkout time.  This was good since our flight from Cancun left at 6:40 PM.  We had one last coffee and breakfast at our favorite morning spot and then headed to the ADO bus station.

If you ever fly into Cancun but are going to Playa del Carmen, I highly recommend it.  The seats are comfy, it is air conditioned, it is clean, it drops you right off at the airport, and it only costs $12.00 (depending on the exchange rate of course).

Our trip to Cusco was two flights on Latam Airlines:  Cancun to Lima, Peru and then on to Cusco, Peru.

Since the first flight to Lima was over 5 hours long, we splurged for the premium economy.   This was our first time on Latam Airlines, a common airline in South America.  Premium economy was just regular economy seats with an intentional empty seat between passengers, but it did include checked bags, an actual heated meal, drinks including alcohol, and a snack before landing.  The food was shockingly good. 

Layover in Lima, Peru

We got into Lima at 11:55 PM. We had to pick up our checked luggage and go through customs/border control before re-checking in for our domestic flight to Cusco and going back through security.  The line at border control was not too bad.  AI told us to expect about an hour and a half wait just at border control with the whole process to get back through security to the departure gate taking two to two and a half hours.  The whole process took about an hour and a half total.  Not too bad actually.  We weren't in a hurry since our flight to Cusco left at 5:10 AM.

That Lima airport is the oddest airport we've ever been in.  That airport is open 24-hours with many stores and all the restaurants open all night long.  This is our second layover in Lima and both layovers were in the middle of the night.  It is so common, tons of people were there and that is why everything is open all night.

The Lima airport at 2:08 AM.  My favorite part of this photo is the huge frog!

We spent some time in the Priority Pass lounge after getting Peruvian currency at an ATM and before heading to the gate. While the trip was long and included an overnight in an airport, it was a really smooth travel day. 

First Moments in Cusco and Altitude Adjustment

The airport in Cusco is really small with only 12 gates.  Our bags came out quickly and we grabbed a taxi to our AirBnb.

The street our AirBnB is on.

We were so relieved to find our new accommodations to be much more comfortable and lovely than the place in Playa del Carmen.  That stay turned us off to VRBO.

Our Cusco AirBnB living room and kitchen.

The first thing we did was take a long nap.  We had done some research regarding acclimating to the high altitude in Cusco and it was recommended we do next to nothing the first day or two with only walking to a nearby restaurant and that's it.  We quickly learned that altitude sickness is very real and no joke.  We both had horrible headaches, loss of appetite, nausea, and we were easily out of breath just sitting still. The only thing we did that first day was walk (uphill) to a neighborhood market for water (since you can't drink the tap water) and ate at a little restaurant on the way home.  The second day, all we did was walk to the grocery store for supplies.  Each day we did a little bit more than the day before but to this day - two and a half weeks after arrival - we still get winded very easily and have to take occasional deep breaths while at rest just to get more oxygen.

How high is the altitude here?  Denver, the Mile High City, is 5,280 feet above sea level and Cusco is 11,200 feet above sea level.

I fully expected to have problems given my asthma and the extra weight I should not be carrying but I honestly did not expect Blaise to have any problems.  I think his headaches were worse than mine.

Us in the first few days in Cusco.

What is Cusco Like?

Population and Terrain

We are really enjoying Cusco!  Cusco houses roughly 550,000 people but it seems smaller than that to me.  It feels and looks more European than I anticipated.  It is in the Andes so you are rarely walking on flat streets.  You are either walking up, way up, down, or way down.  It is taking some getting used to.  Because of the altitude, we make lots of stops even for what would normally be a 20-minute walk.  The great thing here is all you have to do is walk a few blocks before hitting a plaza or park where you can sit and rest a bit.  And the locals do just that.  Sometimes it is hard to find a place to sit.  The walking pace here is slower than any other place we have been.  I am sure it has to do with the altitude and getting tired easily because of the oxygen level.

A typical Cusco Street

Short People

What really surprised me is the height of the people here.  The locals here are short.  Really short to me.  I'm sure they look at me as a freak of nature.  But they are lovely people who do NOT speak English for the most part.  According to our Machu Picchu tour guide last week, only about 1% of Peruvians speak English, and these are supposedly only the wealthy people.  It is a good thing Blaise is learning Spanish!  I would be using Google Translate much more if he didn't speak passable Spanish.

Catholics and Papal Visit

About 80% of the population here is Roman Catholic.  That is probably why the Pope is going to be here on Sunday!  Blaise and I considered going to see him but they are expecting about 100,000 people at one location he is stopping at and 50,000 at the other.  Add to that  - there is now rain in the forecast - and it has become a very unappealing situation for me.  I will have to be content in being in the same city as the Pope and hope he blesses all of us in the city. I could use a Papal blessing.  Couldn't we all?

Plaza de Armas, one of the places the Pope is visiting.

The people here are also still rooted in their Traditional Andean spiritual beliefs so a mix of Catholic and Inca traditions predominate here.

They even have their own Christ the Redeemer.

It’s A Festive Town!

They do like their festivals and celebrations.  The first weekend we were here was not only Halloween but All Saints' Day (Dia de Todos los Santos) and All Souls' Day (Dia de Los Muertos).  The plazas had stalls with all kinds of vendors - food, clothes, jewelry.  By Monday, all the stalls were gone but were replaced with new stalls last weekend.  Apparently this past weekend was when all the schools in the area had their homecomings/reunions.

This past Sunday, we stumbled upon a procession with music.  It was kind of like the Olympic procession that starts the Olympics, where the graduates of each school year for each school are dressed exactly the same and walk behind a flag indicating their school and year of graduation.  It went on for quite a while. I wish I had thought to take some pictures.  After they completed their procession, they would congregate with other years of the same school and chant and/or sing in various places around the parade area, usually in front of a church.

Also on Sunday, was the Cusco Bar Association's Anniversary Parade.  My people.  We missed this because it was at 9:00 AM and we were still in our AirBnB.  It was their 133rd anniversary.

I am sure they will have plenty of stalls and celebrations this coming weekend in all the plazas and parks since the Pope is coming! I'll keep you posted.

We have also seen two other processions or parades since we have been here.  They seem to be rooted in some sort of religious celebration.

Stray Dogs

There are lots of stray dogs in Cusco.  Not the most we have seen in a location but significant enough that you have to make sure you look down so you don’t step in dog poop.

The Sky

The sky here is unlike any place we have been.  It is so brilliant.  The blue is so blue and the clouds are so white.  I am not quite sure how to explain it but it is beautiful, especially against the mountainous background.

Look how beautiful the sky is!

The Food

We are enjoying the food here.  It is not as spicy as Mexican food but it is quite flavorful.  Lots of empanadas.

The first day we were here, we ate at a little local place.  The lady there spoke zero English.  There wasn't a menu.  The lady said something in Spanish Blaise thought he understood but obviously didn't because the next thing you know, some soup we didn’t think we ordered arrived at the table.  Although I have no idea what it was called, it was a delicious brothy soup with chicken, veggies, and different kinds of pasta.  After that, she gave us a choice between two different items.  Blaise was full from the soup.  I was almost full but ordered something anyway.  It was meat, rice and some sort of thick green sauce.  It was tasty but I became full rather quickly so I took the rest back to the apartment.

Something we have never experienced anywhere else in the world - they charge you a small fee for take-home materials. Whether it is a to-go box or pizza box, they charge you for it.

We found a great pizza place near our apartment.  We have eaten there twice already.  When you order a pizza, they bring out some complimentary cheese-stuffed bread that looks a bit like a calzone. Our medium pizza and bottled water only cost $10.00.  It doesn't matter where we go, I can always eat pizza.  

Guinea Pigs

They raise guinea pigs for eating here.  Since we had a guinea pig when the kids were growing up and she was so sweet, we simply can’t get to the point where we can eat one.

What is even weirder is the restaurants that serve guinea pig (called “cuy”), they have some sort of art outside the door with an adorable guinea pig - either some sort of painting, picture, or colorful statue/paper mache. Why would a depiction of a cute little guinea pig entice someone to go in and have some?

Aren't they adorable?

They are not as adorable as they once were.

They are cute again when it is time to eat them.

Money

The currency here is the sole.  Currently the exchange rate is 3.45 soles (pronounced “so less”) to one dollar.

Everything here is reasonably priced.   For example, we went to the grocery store earlier today and bought one roll of paper towel, one four-pack of toilet paper, a bar of bath soap, and two sleeves of oreo-type cookies for 15.60 soles or $4.53.  We have a wonderful coffee shop across the street from our apartment and get a hot Americano and iced latte for 16.50 soles or $4.79.

I think about how much everything costs at home these days and wonder if people at home knew how reasonably priced things are in different parts of the world would they consider moving elsewhere for retirement or just to live and work, if they are younger?

Children and Schools

We see children all the time here going to and from school.  They all wear uniforms.  This seems the norm nearly everywhere we have been, even in public schools.  The uniforms here range from track suits to dress pants with white shirts and ties for boys and plaid pleated skirts with white shirts and v-neck sweaters for girls.  Unless it is a private school, children only attend half a day five days a week.  Some kids attend in the mornings while others attend in the afternoons.  This morning we sat on a park bench next to some pre-teen girls in our favorite plaza who clearly met there to practice for some presentation they had in the afternoon.

Tours While Here

Our only purpose for being in Cusco is to go to Machu Picchu, which we did last week.  Truly a lifetime-dream-come-true for both of us.  I will write a blog solely dedicated to that tour.  Anything after Machu Picchu is gravy.

Next week we will take a tour of the Inca sites in and around Cusco and the following week, before we leave, we are doing an ATV tour of the Maras Salt Mines and Moray (an Inca archeological site).  Both are in the Sacred Valley which we experienced the day before Machu Picchu when we visited other Inca archeological sites and rode the train through the valley to get to the town closest to Machu Picchu.

Up Next

On November 25, the day before Thanksgiving, we leave for a month in Lima.  I have already booked us a Thanksgiving dinner in Lima.  This year I am struggling a bit with not spending the holidays with family. Last year we were in Chiang Mai, Thailand for Thanksgiving and I failed to anticipate that I would need to make an advanced reservation for Thanksgiving dinner so we didn't have one.  I was not going to make the same mistake this year.  We might not be with family this year but at least we can have a Thanksgiving dinner.

The next blog will cover our 2-day tour to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

Leaving Mexico

Written Saturday, October 24, 2026

Today is our last full day in Mexico!  We are both ready to move on. Although, Blaise wants me to let everyone know he does not dislike Playa del Carmen like I dislike it.

What have we been doing for the past few weeks?

First, I had my first appointment at INM on Monday, September 28.  It was quick and easy.  I think I already mentioned this. On Saturday, October 3, I heard from my facilitator that INM was ready for me to come back so they could fingerprint me, take my picture, and give me my residency card.  I went to INM the following Monday morning, October 5. The appointment was about two and a half hours of waiting - OUTSIDE - to be called into the office.  Then less than ten minutes for fingerprints, picture, and card. Yes, they make you wait outside.  Not in the air conditioning.  Remember, it is hot and muggy so by the time I was called in, I was hot and ugly.  Needless to say, the picture on my residency card is worse than any driver’s license picture I have ever had! 

Once that was done, it was just a matter of waiting to leave.  Again, we’ve already done all the tourist things.  And the beach sucks now.  And it is hotter than Hades. By the time Monday came, we had booked an earlier flight than originally planned out of Mexico to Cusco, Peru with the plan being to abandon our VRBO stay early.

The beach at Playa del Carmen - The sargassum makes it yucky to swim in.  It also smells and the water is not as pretty as it used to be. 

What is Wrong with Our Accommodation?

Someone said they did not mind my going into details as to why we hate this place. So if you don’t care about why we hate this place, no need to read this section. I will try to not sound too whiny but when you are complaining, it is hard not to.

First, it was not as advertised.  It was advertised as “stunning.”  Yes, that was the exact word used in the title of the VRBO stay.  With that comes certain connotations that this place does not fit.

It is a studio, which we knew going into it so I can’t really complain about that.  The more we do this slow travel, the more I dislike the studios.  It’s all one room, which means in most places, your only place to sit comfortably is on the bed. I don’t like living life on a bed.  Despite this, we chose it, because it still looked nice.  I can better put up with a studio if it is nice and the building has good amenities outside of the apartment.

There are not good amenities outside the apartment.  There is a pool that looks nothing like it does in the VRBO pictures.  The wall by the pool has a huge faded painting of Frida Kahlo.  I am sure at one point, it was a lovely depiction but now it is just tired and uncared for. There is an unfinished lounge area on the roof with absolutely no shade.  I am taking Blaise’s word on this.  I’m not going up four flights of stairs to look at that.

It looks like the dining table and bed frame and headboard are homemade with unfinished wood.  Not my thing.  I hate the painting of Frida Kahlo on the wall in the apartment.  (Yes, there is a theme for this building.) 

The TV is not proportional to the room.

This was taken from the door to the apartment right before we left forever.  You can see the lovely headboard and TV that we stopped using after a day and just watched shows on our Chromebook.

There is a huge outline of hands making the heart sign, like they started a painting but never finished it.

The lovely bed with the outline of the hands above it.

The bed.  Oh, the bed!  While I think the sheets were of good quality at some point, they are not now.  They are old and worn with stains.  Not sex stains but things like pen marks, maybe food stains, etc.  Not all of the sheets. But enough to be annoying.  The bedding IS clean but they were stark white at one point but you know what happens when white things age. The mattress is old, old, old.  It’s a king-sized bed with a hump in the middle we call the Pyrenees and valleys on both sides.

The kitchen has what we need to cook simple things but I’m not sure they hired a professional to put in that kitchen either.

There is a big hole where the air conditioner meets the corner of the room.  When I say big, I don’t mean HUGE but it is about 2-3 inches in diameter.

The walls in the shower are not tiled or even prefabricated.  It is what appears to be a concrete wall with some special paint on it.  The floor is unfinished concrete where the water pools on the floor opposite the drain so when you are done showering, you have to sweep the water toward the drain with your feet so it doesn’t sit there all the time.

We have had neighbors intermittently during our time here who believe we, and the whole neighborhood, value their taste in music.

There are a few good things.  We pay extra to have a housekeeper come clean, change the sheets, and give us clean towels.  We pay a bit less than $20 weekly, give or take, depending on the exchange rate that day.  She is an exceptional cleaner and if it weren’t for her, we may have left already.  The place IS clean. The water in the shower is lovely.  It gets nice and hot and has good pressure.  The location of the apartment is decent and relatively safe with a locking gate that, for the most part, stays locked by the guests.

I would say this is one step up from a hostel, but with a higher price tag.  We are too old to appreciate a hostel lifestyle.  I also did not work my ass off my whole life to live in a hostel at this point.

And with that, I will no longer mention this place.

Our place in Cusco looks more like a house with a proper living room, a full kitchen and two bedrooms.  As long as it is clean with hot water, it will be an improvement.

Travel Day

Tomorrow will be a long travel day as we head to Peru.  We have our VRBO in Playa del Carmen booked until November 6 but since I completed the permanent residency process on October 7, we decided to bust out of this place early since neither of us like our apartment at all.

Our trip to Cusco, Peru happens in two legs:  Cancun to Lima, Peru and then Lima to Cusco.  The flight from Cancun leaves at 6:40 PM and since we have the VRBO until November 6, we can leave whenever we want.

We will take the ADO bus to the Cancun airport.  Once we check in and drop our bags off, we have to go to INM to get our passport stamped.  This is an extra step in the exit process since we are both permanent residents of Mexico.  If we don’t do this step, then there are financial penalties and we risk the revocation of the card we worked so hard to get.  The irony of getting a permanent residency card in Mexico and promptly leaving Mexico is not lost on me.

We will arrive in Lima around midnight.  The flight is over five hours so we sprung for the premium economy tickets.  Our break-off for buying business tickets is six hours.  We figure we are too old to cram into those tight economy seats for long haul flights so we implemented the six-hour threshold.  This flight was close to six hours so we compromised with premium economy, which also gave us premium economy from Lima to Cusco, a less-than-two-hour flight. AND there is no first or business class on this flight.

We are flying Latam Airlines. (And yes, we have checked their safety record.  We always do).  Their version of premium economy is really just a regular economy seat with an empty middle seat.  We were able to select our seats so we are sitting right next to each other which is nice.  We don’t normally pay to select our own seats so often we don’t get to sit together.  It’s really the principle of having to pay extra for something like that.  I don’t think you should have to pay to select your seat.  We also get an amenity bag, pillow, blanket, hot meal, and free drinks including alcohol.

The layover in Lima is nearly six hours.  In the middle of the night.  The good news is the Lima airport is open 24-hours a day.  Have you ever been to the Lima airport?  We’ve had a connection in the middle of the night there before.  It is quite common for people to have overnight layovers in the Lima airport. I think it is difficult, if you are passing through Lima, to not have an overnight layover there.  I have no idea why.  It’s the craziest airport we have ever seen.  Everything is open in the middle of the night; all the stores and restaurants.  We saw children running around and playing at 2 in the morning when we were there.

We have already checked and the lounges are also open 24-hours and because we have premium economy, we have access to Latam’s VIP lounge.  There is also a Priority Pass lounge we can use so we have options.  It is my hope one of these lounges is comfortable enough to grab a good nap!  If you do a great deal of air travel, lounges can make all the difference in the world!

We will arrive in Cusco at 6:35 AM after an hour and a half flight.

Cusco is our launching point for Machu Picchu for which we have a 2-day tour including the Sacred Valley on November 4-5.

Cusco is quite a high altitude so we have to take some time to acclimate to avoid altitude sickness.  We have looked at other things to do in the Cusco area which I will outline in a later blog.

But the highlight of this trip, and really the purpose, is Machu Picchu!

Next Steps

We have a much firmer outline of this trip in that we have all the accommodations booked and flights booked for half of it.

Here is the schedule:

• October 26 - November 25 Cusco, Peru
• November 25 - December 27 Lima, Peru
• December 27 - January 27 La Paz, Bolivia
• January 27- February 27 Buenos Aires, Argentina
• February 27- March 9 Mendoza, Argentina (wine region)
• March 9 - March 29 Azamara Cruise from San Antonio, Chile to Miami

We have all of our flights booked through La Paz.  Peru requires proof of onward travel when you enter so we had to make sure we had that.  If I remember correctly, Bolivia and Argentina have similar requirements.

If you have been to any of these places and can recommend anything, let me know.

Playa del Carmen, Permanent Residency, and Future Travel Plans

Travel to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

After our cruise, on September 6, we made our way from the Orlando airport to Cancun on JetBlue. It’s always a good flight on JetBlue. We have flown them a few times and have had good experiences. The seats are comfortable, they have been efficient, and they still serve snacks and drinks that you don’t have to pay for. Not to mention the free WiFi! You still have to pay extra to check a bag but unlike airlines in Southeast Asia, there is not a weight restriction for the carry-on luggage - just a size restriction that they don’t check even before you get on the plane like many low-cost carriers do.

I was always curious about the merger (that didn’t happen) of JetBlue and Spirit.  I know they are both low-cost carriers but they are very different vibes; very different products.  I did wonder if Spirit would rise up to JetBlue or if JetBlue would lower their quality to Spirit if the merger was approved.  I guess we will never know now.

We arrived in Cancun and took the ADO bus to Playa del Carmen.  When I first heard about taking a bus in Mexico, I thought it was going to be some dirty old bus having seats with bad springs and the occasional goat and locals carrying chickens.  That is not the case.  It is a comfortable bus with comfy seats and TV screens playing a movie.  The movies are usually American movies dubbed in Spanish so i

t’s not so easy for me to follow unless I have seen the movie before. But it is some entertainment.

We made it to our VRBO apartment with no issues, walking the last part of the way from the bus station.  It got a little hot toward the end of the walk.  But this is where traveling light has a benefit.  While we ARE lugging (I always say I am a pack mule when we do this), it is not overwhelmingly difficult since there is not much to lug.

Our Accommodations

This was our first time using VRBO.  The fact that we do not like this place is probably my fault.  Blaise wanted to stay at an AirBnB where we have stayed before.  That place was clean and in a fairly new building with a lovely rooftop pool area.  I did not want to book that place because there is only one window in the place and very little natural light.  In hindsight, I should have agreed to it, but I didn’t.  The devil you know, right? A lesson I have learned again.

This is the first time in our travels where I have felt misled by the pictures.  As well as the description.  The name of the place has the word “stunning” in it and if it was ever stunning, that was a very long time ago.  But based on the quality of the workmanship inside the apartment, I’m thinking it was never stunning.

That is really all I am going to say about it.  I feel like I have spent a chunk of time lately on this blog bitching about stuff and no one wants to hear that. I am trying to keep it real without whining which is a hard line to walk.

Our Time In Playa Del Carmen

We are essentially living here until I can complete the permanent residency process.  My appointment was scheduled for Monday, September 28.  I was told by the facilitator before the appointment that after that first appointment, it could take 1 ½ to 2 ½ more weeks to complete the “bio-metrics” portion of the effort.

We are hoping we finish early so we can be on our way to the next destination.

In the meantime, we have a general routine.  We get up and go for coffee and breakfast in the morning and take a walk.  We stay in during the day since we seem to be, yet again, on the surface of the sun.  Then in the evening, we take a walk coupling that with dinner and/or a trip to the grocery store.

We do not have a vehicle here so we walk everywhere.  There is not much that is interesting to write about.  We have already seen all the things - cenotes, Mayan ruins, Cozumel… It is not my favorite place outside of seeing those things.  It is very touristy and the sargassum (free-floating brown seaweed) on the beach is an ongoing problem even with the preventative measures they have taken.  They clean up the beach in the mornings, piling up the sargassum, but it doesn’t get picked up and trucked out until later in the morning and early afternoon so you have unsightly stinky mounds of it for the chunk of the day during which we are interested in going to beach. So we don’t go.  We have only been to the beach twice.

We have found some great local spots for breakfast and eating as well as our grocery store.

It will be four weeks this coming Monday that we have been here.  When we first got here, we were lucky if we walked two miles a day.  The humid heat took us some time to acclimate to.  I would not say we are completely acclimated, but at least we are up to walking between four to five miles a day.  More than five maybe once a week and less than four about once a week.

Changes In Playa Del Carmen

There have been a couple of changes in Playa del Carmen since we were here last. First is the cost of everything.  It used to be, the cost of things here was much less than back home.  That is not the case anymore.  While it is not as expensive as home these days, the price gap is much smaller and in some cases, things cost the same as home.  If you are thinking you are going to come here, live, and save money, you really won’t anymore.

This is odd to me because it feels like the place is dying, tourist-wise.  Used to be, you would walk down 5th Avenue (the busy pedestrian walking area) on a Friday night and it would be packed with people.  That is not the case.  Many businesses are shuttered and the flow of people is sparse.  I wonder if the price of everything is so high in hopes of making up for the loss of tourist volume.  It is my lay opinion that if they don’t do better solving the sargassum issue and lowering the prices, people will just stop coming here. It looks like that has already started.

Another really odd thing we noticed is a greeting change.  While you still hear “hola” and “buenos dias,”  you now have “bom dia.”  What is that about?  “Bom dia” is Portuguese.  We did not expect to hear that here at all.  The last time we were here (three years ago) you didn’t hear that.  Of course, I had to Google why this would be.  Google says, and I have no idea if it is true, that there has been an influx of immigrants from Brazil, particularly Rio de Janeiro, to Playa del Carmen.

Major Benefit In Playa Del Carmen

One benefit here in Playa del Carmen (and it is significant for me, is that I found a pharmacy which sells my hot flash medication (Veozah) without a prescription and at a decent price. In Texas, I used to be able to use a coupon that reduced the price of the medication from roughly $600 a month to $30 a month.  However, I recently changed my health insurance and have no prescription insurance, thus I am ineligible for the coupon.  In my head, I cannot justify $600 a month even though it is a huge quality of life changer for me.  Why I am nine years past menopause and still getting horrible hot flashes and night sweats, I do not know.  (And what is up with getting pimples at my age?!)  But $600 a month?  It is just too much.  I guess I was poor for too long in my younger years to be able to justify that kind of money.

BUT - here, I only pay $80 for a month’s supply.  For that, I will hoard it while I am here.  I feel like one of those prescription drug addicts shopping at multiple pharmacies and doctors to get their fix. In my defense, it is prescribed to me in the U.S. and I take it as prescribed.  And I get my blood-work done as recommended to make sure it’s not affecting my liver function.

***Rant Warning***

(Feel free to skip the rant, but I am getting it out)

I would not have to hoard it in Mexico if the U.S. medical, health insurance, and prescription drug system wasn’t so messed up.  I have done my research regarding the cost and availability of this drug in other parts of the world.  In most countries outside of the U.S. where it is available/approved, the monthly cost ranges between $65 and $85.  The highest I found outside the United States is $120.  All way more manageable than the $600 in the U.S.  Yes, I understand why - it is still under patent. I remember that class in law school.  I call bullshit!  If you can sell it for so much less outside of the U.S., then why not in the U.S? Let’s screw the Americans because we can?  Yes, I know we are the richest country in the world and some of us might be able to afford more than others in other countries.  I get it.  But $600 a month is cost prohibitive for 95% (or more!) of those in the U.S.

This drug is the only thing that has worked for me.  I have tried all the over-the-counter options and many herbal remedies.  None of them helped. My gynecologist says due to my family history of breast cancer, I should not do hormone replacement or options that have estrogen or progesterone.  Veozah is it.  It truly is a quality-of-life-changer for me.  Not only does it almost completely eliminate hot flashes and night sweats, but I run less hot when I take it, thus my heat tolerance is much better.

***Rant Over***

Immigration Appointment on September 28

My first appointment to finalize permanent residency happened on Monday, September 28 (two days ago).  This happens at the Instituto Nacional de Migracion (National Institute of Migration - INM for short).  The office is about a 25 minute walk from our apartment.

We (I say we but I really mean we - Blaise just came along for the ride) had to meet the facilitator in her office at 10:45.  I had an appointment at 11:30 to change my address at the INM office which is right around the corner from the facilitator’s office and another one at 12:30 for the permanent residency.

I did not have to go to the INM office at 11:30 for the address change; the facilitator handled that for me.  So we just stayed in her office until it was time to walk over for the 12:30 appointment.

When I was in the facilitator’s office before the meetings, I signed all the documents, and was given an overview of what to expect at the INM office at 12:30. I was told that at the end of the appointment I would be told one of two things.  If I was told to wait outside, I was going to get my bio-metrics done that day, get my permanent residency card, and I would be finished with the process.  Or I would be told I was done for the day and would have to wait for an e-mail that would tell me when to come back for the “bio-metric” portion to complete the process. Usually you get the e-mail the day before you are to come in for the bio-metrics. When I asked what determines if I complete everything that day or if I would have to wait, she told me it depended on what agent I got.  While waiting to go to the INM office, I was encouraged because a couple came back from the INM office to the facilitator’s office to wait because they were told to come back at 1:30 for their bio-metrics.

At 12:20 the facilitator walked me over to the INM office.  I waited outside (yes, outside in the oppressive heat - at least it is a covered area) in a seating area for my name to be called to go inside.  I was called inside at about 12:25 (five minutes early).  I had to sign in.  It looks like one of those guest books you find at various landmarks and tourist places around the world, where you put your name and country.  Here I had to add the date and time of the visit.  So I did that and sat down and waited again for my name to be called.  The inside was comfortably air conditioned. I was sitting there for maybe two minutes before my name was called.  I should mention that once you are inside, you are on your own.  The facilitator must wait outside so that is why she gave me an overview of the process when we were in her office.

Keep in mind, everything in the INM office is done in Spanish.  My Spanish is limited. Blaise is the one learning Spanish.  I am learning Italian since we love Italy and hope to spend more time there.  (Side bar:  Did you know that learning a new language can delay cognitive decline and potentially delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's when you are older?)

So I struggled through the Spanish catching enough bits here and there to do as I was told. I paid my fees and was then told I would receive an e-mail telling me when to come back for the bio-metrics and to get my card.  The facilitator told me this would be anywhere from 2 days to 1 ½ weeks but likely the latter.  I guess that is better than the original potential 2 ½ weeks.

So, I wait.

Cost Breakdown

How much did all of this cost, this time around (not including the last two visits for the temporary residency)?  Here’s the breakdown (USD conversions are as of today):

Facilitator Fee:                               9,000 pesos ($498.01 USD)

Bank Statement Translation:          600 pesos ($33.20 USD)

INM Reception Fee:                       1,847 pesos ($102.20 USD)

INM Permanent Residency Fee:    13,578 pesos ($751.33 USD)

For an all-in total of $1,384.74.  This is way higher than what we paid when Blaise got his permanent residency.  I don’t remember exactly how much it was but I certainly do not remember it being this much.

And no, I have no idea what that reception fee is for.

Is this all worth it?  I don’t know.  I just know we have put so much time and effort into this process up to this point, it doesn’t sit right to just let it go, especially since Blaise has his permanent residency already.  Also, even though living in Mexico for even part of the year is less appealing to us than it used to be, it never is a bad thing to have options.

Final Playa Del Carmen Analysis

Not every place we go can be a home run or an exciting place.  Sometimes it just is what it is and you make the best of it.  I am ready to move on to the next destination.

Roadmap of Future Travels

We have some pretty exciting stuff coming up - on this trip and another trip we will begin next June.  Some of this is booked but much of it is not.

South America

The only thing we have booked past Playa del Carmen thus far is a cruise to return to the United States, leaving on March 10 of next year.  It will be an Azamara cruise from San Antonio Chile through the Panama Canal ending in Miami.  We booked that in the last month as an alternative to a long flight back home.

Once we are done in Playa del Carmen, we add a new country to our growing list of countries visited and head to Peru to check a place off the bucket list - Machu Picchu.

Recently, it has come to our attention that some do not know what Machu Picchu is.  Fair enough.  Briefly, it is a 15th-century Inca citadel in the Andes mountains.  I think many know the place by the picture but might not know what it is called.

Machu Picchu

We will stay in Cusco, Peru for a month and then on to Lima, Peru for a month.  Cusco will be our home base for visiting Machu Picchu.

During the time in Lima, we hope to see another location on Blaise’s list - the Nazca Lines.  I did not know what this was until Blaise told me.  It is a collection of giant ancient drawings on the earth located in a desert in Peru. Blaise must really want to see them because you have to view them from the sky in a plane and he is not a fan of heights.

One of the Nazca Lines

Another one of the Nazca Lines

After Lima, we will head to La Paz Bolivia for a month(ish).  We are not sure what we are going to do there yet, but neither of us has been to Bolivia.

After Bolivia, we may go to Buenos Aires, Argentina, it really depends on when we leave Playa del Carmen, which is still up in the air since I don’t have my permanent residency card yet.

Our last stop before hopping on the cruise on March 10, will be the Mendoza region of Argentina where we hope to meet up with friends there.  Mendoza is Argentina’s wine region so it is kinda their version of the Napa Valley.  Part of the time there should be during harvest season so I am hoping my friend and I can channel our inner Lucy and Ethel and stomp some grapes.  That is how I picture it in my mind.

So we are seeing the Nazca lines for Blaise and are going to Mendoza for me.

Our Cruise out of San Antonio, Chile leaves on March 10, ending in Miami on March 29.  Our stops are as follows:

• Coquimbo, Chile
• Iquique, Chile
• Arica, Chile
• Pisco, Peru
• Callao (Lima), Peru
• Panama City (remember we got quarantined here for 10 days back in 2022)
• Panama Canal (this will be our second trip through the canal)
• Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
• Isla San Andres, Colombia
• Cozumel, Mexico

While we have been to Chile, all the stops in Chile will be new to us as well as Pisco, Peru and Isla San Andres, Columbia.

We have wanted to spend some time in South America and while this does not hit all the spots we want to visit, it is a good start.  With any luck, we will return to South America.

We will spend about 2 ½ months home before we head back out again.  During this time, we will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and both our nieces as they graduate from an Occupational Therapy doctoral program and nursing school (Boomer Sooner).  We are so very proud of them!

Europe

On June 10, we will leave again for a long trip.  This time we are heading to Europe via an Azamara cruise from Miami ending in Tilbury (London), England on June 28.

This will be another great itinerary with a stop in the U.S. at a huge city I have never been to.  Of all the places we have visited, it is surprising I have never been there.  Can you guess?

Here is the exciting itinerary for that cruise:

• New York City (yep, I have never been! If anyone has an idea of how to spend only one day in NYC, your suggestions are very welcomed. How do you spend just one day there?)
• Newport, Rhode Island (neither of us has been here either)
• Cruise the Cape Cod Canal (I had no idea there was a canal there)
• Boston, MA (Our biggest memory of Boston is Brandon throwing up in the Cheers bar when he was a kid)
• Halifax, Nova Scotia
• St. John’s, Newfoundland (My sister was born in Newfoundland when my dad was stationed at Goose Bay, Labrador but we won’t be anywhere near Goose Bay.  This will be my first return to Newfoundland since that time.  I am looking forward to this stop for that reason.)
• Cork, Ireland
• Plymouth, England
• Le Havre, France (The hope is to see Normandy Beach!)

Once we disembark in London, we plan on spending time in England, Scotland, and Ireland before beginning a 12-day Gate 1 tour on August 28 leaving out of Helsinki, Finland and visiting Tallinn, Estonia; Riga, Latvia; Vilnius, Lithuania; and Warsaw, Poland.

Why Gate 1?  Gate 1 is a very structured itinerary with a bit of free time.  I am not sure we are going to like this since we are used to doing our own thing once we are on land but we wanted to give it a try because we are considering something similar in Egypt for safety reasons.

After the Gate 1 tour, everything is fairly open.  We hope to spend some time in the Balkan countries and maybe go back to our most favorite country to visit - Italy.  We have also talked about going back to Paris since Blaise has not yet been to The Louvre.  He was in meetings when I went since I was with him for a portion of a work trip many years back.  I had the free time; he did not. And don’t you have to see The Louvre if you can?

In Conclusion

We hope to get the next couple of months scheduled and booked in the next couple of weeks.

I’m thinking I might write next a bit about some of the logistics of traveling like we do - things we bring, things we don’t, and how do we handle certain things.  I’m still thinking on it.