14-15 October 2009; Merida, Yucatan --
The afternoon of 14 October Grumpy boarded a Passadore Airlines communter airplane at the Ribeirao Preto airport, after bidding goodbye to Bob and Adelaide, and Yvonne (Adelaide's older sister). The Passadore flight was of 40 minutes duration, taking me to the big international airport in Sao Paulo. I would have a four or five hour wait in Sao Paulo before my overnight flight to Mexico City.
In Sao Paulo, I had a light meal and a cup of coffee before I checked in with AeroMexico and went through Brazilian Customs. When I found the waiting area for AeroMexico airlines, I looked for a 110 volt outlet into which to plug the laptop I had been carrying for Victor. Alas, every one was occupied by those who got there first! Oh well, I decided to go to one of the many stores accessible in the secure area and purchase a voltage adapter! After a frustrating hour and a half to two hours of seeking and not finding, I finally sat down and, using my reading glasses to magnify the fine print on the back of the power module of the HP computer, I discovered that this power module was designed for "wide input power range" spanning 90 to 240 volts and from 50 to 60 hz frequencies! I gingerly connected the power module, thinking "I can always replace Victor's power module if this doesn't work". Nothing happened, so I then connected the power module to the computer and connected to the terminal WiFi. Now I could write the Grand Mother an e-mail to let her know where I was and what I was doing, and update my BLOG!
Alas again!! After writing a full page of the "best love letter" I have ever written to my Bride of 61 years, I discovered that the WiFi had "gone down" at about line three!! I shopped around for another internet access, including one that would charge me 15 "somehings-or-other" per 24 hours. But I was stymied here, in that that internet access required my "BCP number". The BCP number, I found out, is the Brazilian citizen's "document" number -- I didn't have one because I'm not a Brazilian citizen! I finally had to give up and wait until I arrived in Merida to get on the internet. By that time I had forgotten all of the nice things I had written in the original letter -- all lost to the bottomless "bit bucket"!!
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The AeroMexico flight from Sao Paulo to Mexico City was via a Boeing 777. This aircraft sports two aisle, with three seats on each side and three in the middle. The aisles are narrower than the single aisle aircraft, but with special service carts there is no problem. Walking up and down them is also no problem because the seat backs are available to steady yourself if necessary. The leg room in this AeroMexico 777 was generous and Grumpy got some decent sleep during the approximate eight-hour flight.
Upon arrival in Mexico City, I had to go through customs to enter Mexico, then through the open (outside of security) terminal to the "domestic" airlines concourse from which AeroMexico service continued (but now on an Airbus A320 airplane) to take me to Merida. The flight time from Mexico City to Merida was only about 2 hours, but the wait in Mexico City airport seemed long; I was anxious to get to greet my Granddaughter, Olivia whom I hadn't seen in about three years!
The services on AeroMexico was better than any I had enjoyed in recent flights on U.S. carriers, possibly excepting Alaska Airlines. We were issued a sleep mask and head phones, shortly after boarding the 777 in Sao Paulo. Although it was around midnight by the time we left Sao Paulo and had climbed above the turbulence in the lower altitudes, we were served a hot meal! Then about an hour and half before we reached Mexico City, we were served another hot meal -- a breakfast! Of course there was the usual complementary cold drinks -- coffee, tea or milk -- to go with and following these meals. Grumpy was duly impressed; it was like the good old days in the U.S. The aircraft was nearly full (90%?), so AeroMexico had to be making money!
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At last, in Merida as I came down the ramp from de-planing, Grumpy was rewarded by this welcoming visage! Did Olivia remember her Grandpa? Her smiling nod indicated, "Yes! (or was that "Si!"?) Could Grumpy still call her his "Little Punkin"? Again, the smiling, affirmative nod! We hugged, I cried!The dress she was wearing, her Abuelita Maria told me, was her school uniform. Although she had attended school that morning, I was later to find out that she had been excused from attendance the following days while her Grandpa Z (Abuelo) was there. We would have some happy times together!!
Grumpy brought a "little green computer" for Olivia, an OX model, designed and manufactured under sponsorship of John Poindexter, a philanthropist whose vision is to have one of these computers available to children in third world countries. By purchasing two of these computers, one being donated to a child in some foreign country, I was able to have one to give to a child of my choice. The OX uses the Linux operating system, has a soft membrane covering the keyboard and is not damaged by being subjected to some rain or a momentary dash of liquid. It is powered by a built-in battery that can be recharged from a wide variety of power sources -- probably not including D.C.Olivia was extremely proud of "her computer" and was fascinated by what would happen if she pushed this button or that button! She had the most fun pressing the button that rotated the image by 90 degree increments!! -- as Grandpa was trying to show her the letter he had written to her long ago when he had first received this computer for her. Like old times, Olivia giggled and squealed as Grumpy growled and grimaced each time she flipped the screen! Her impishness entertained Grumpy as he recognized her familiar, inherited characteristics.
The next day after Grumpy's arrival, we (Abuelita Maria, Olivia and Grumpy) walked 1/2 mile or so to her school -- Grumpy wanted to see what her school was like. On the way, Olivia took every opportunity to jump up on these occasional blocks which appeared randomly along the sidewalks or walkways beside the streets in Merida. Her bottomless energy made Grumpy smile to himself.
The school was very clean and full of life, with a playground/activity center and seemingly well-equipped classrooms, and plenty of teachers and assistants. Before, when Grumpy asked Olivia's Papa if English was being taught, his response was, "NO! If they teach her, she talk like me! When she comes back, you teach her, then she talks like Ramiro!" And that was that! And a very nice compliment.
Most fascinating of all was the attraction that Olivia's computer had when she showed it to some of her friends at school. There wasn't enough room for all the little brown heads that wanted to see what it could do. Grumpy reassured Abuelita Maria that Olivia should be allowed to bring the computer to school if the teacher permitted. It will be interesting to learn what transpires.
In the photo at left, Olivia's curly locks (left-most in the photo) distinguish her head from her classmates'. The computer can be glimpsed as the green object peering out below the nearer heads.
An evening out was to follow this already full day. But that is another story.
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