Day 5 Day of the Dead

Day 5 Day of the Dead celebrations

Woke at 6 so I packed my bag ready for tomorrow. Luckily some things will stay behind and I can pick them up on the way back. Most of the food items will be gone by the end of the Houston section.

After breakfast I did a load of washing and drying then sewed up Teagan’s costume for Halloween. It needed to be adjusted, so I was able to find and use Susan’s sewing machine.

Susan had an appointment downtown, so she left us to it. The task took until 11, so there was no time for a quick trip down to AT&T to check on my phone. We were concerned that it was still reading International Roaming. However once Susan returned, we left Oscar and Troy behind and went via the phone shop- all good and he fixed a minor connection issue. From here it was up to the bank where I had a major problem with my ATM card. It could NOT withdraw cash. We tried two machines. Fortunately the bank was open on a Saturday, so I was able to withdraw cash from my cash card! Something to talk to the bank about when I return home!!!

This bank needs to have a visa code on any card that withdraws from the ATM?

Money in my bag we set off for Hollywood Cemetery along with many other people. A slow start then a good run. We parked in a local school grounds for $20 for the day (school fundraising) then walked a few blocks to the cemetery. Fascinating seeing all the dressed up people. The Day of the Dead is not Halloween. It is a time to remember all those who have died and to celebrate their life. And boy do they celebrate! I took many photos. The altars were so colourful, many costumes, entertainment, food etc and walking through the graveyards of the rich and famous and sometimes of the unknown. Sort of sad that some had HUGE monuments while others barely a little stone/ cross. Art displays were everywhere all on a theme of the dead.

We ate our lunch watching the entertainment. Altogether we spent many hours there, because there was so much to see. At the end of our time Susan and Teagan had their faces painted- beautiful creations by both artists. Then we walked back to the car park about 4:30. By now the streets were filled to overflowing with cars. The event lasts until midnight. They were announcing they the expected night crowd was 40,000. Possibly known by the pre-sales of the tickets.

Traffic coming back was heavier and the trip was slower. Susan took us via Hollywood so Deb could see some of the sights, then we used secondary roads to get back as the freeway was very slow. We stopped at Ralphs for salad, chicken, fresh bread for dinner. Deb and I quickly prepared dinner and we all sat down and ate it, washed the dishes/ watched TV. Once again time to type up today’s news and download all the photos. Hopefully an earlier night tonight because we have an early start to catch our flight at 8:15 am.