The Path of Least Resistance

We had decided on Sunday to start shopping around for a mini-split. With temperatures during the day in the 90's, we have found ourselves turning on our bedroom window unit more and more at night. With company what would we do? Flip a coin to decide who got to sleep in the a/c room? Terry did some internet research and yesterday about noon we headed out with a mission in mind. We measured rooms and knew the correct BTU's needed, we knew the control part of the unit could only be so big because of the space where wiring had been run previously, we knew what wiring was in place --- good to go! We even studied some Spanish vocabulary words we had never needed to know before - words for wiring, etc.

Headed out and went to Ultra Hogar first then on to Sears. We talked about going out to one of the LG stores or to Home Depot. But, we headed for home instead, without a purchase.

After a quick stop at the brand new little paleteria a few doors down from the house for my comfort food - a pina con chile frozen bar ---- love those fresh, big chunks of pineapple mixed with the spiciness of the chile!---
I got on the internet and emailed Sr. P. Within a couple of minutes I received an email back. "Hoy por la tarde estoy fuera d merida. Pero manana le puedo ver a las 10:00 am. Saludos!" "Today I am away from Merida. But tomorrow I can see you at 10am."

Yes, I think we just may be taking the path of least resistance!

Perfecto! Sr. P. first helped us replace the gas tanque two years ago when we stupidly and naively allowed the bombero to carry it off from the house we were renting. (It will come up tomorrow again, I am sure, and he will get another laugh at us for that one). Last year our paths crossed again when he just happened to do the maintenance on the house we rented on calle 70 after the turbanado came through. After we bought Casa Kahanek, who should we call to install the gas tanque and run the line for the range? Sr. P! And he helped with several other projects as well. We have laughed about it...little did we know when we met Sr. P he would come to our rescue over and over.

Ummmmmmm....Tulum

We had passed right through Tulum town several times as we've traveled to other places, but never made Tulum our destination. In fact, it wasn't even our first choice on this getaway, but plans changed before we ever left home.
Tulum it was to be!
We're back and can say we loved the beaches of Tulum and the little posada where we stayed....would highly recommend Las Palmas Maya. Owners Frank and Cheryl, along with onsite manager Tomas, are the best.

When reading up on Tulum everything is separated between staying in town or staying out on the beach. If you stay in town there are plenty of places to stay, many fairly inexpensive, and plenty of places to eat. To get out to the beach you either need a car, bicycle with bicycle savvy, or catch a taxi. We chose the beach. If you stay out on the beach it is going to be rustic beauty. The beach hotels and posadas are off the electrical grid so....no A/C and in some cases limited power and water pressure. Just know before you go. I suppose your other choice is to go the resort route - don't know about those.

No A/C was not a problem with the fresh breezes from the beach. The beach road and the paths to the beach are jungly and tropical. The Caribbean water is the deepest emerald I've ever seen. And, we saw some really beautiful people on the beach. I suppose with Tulum being a mecca for yoga worshipers it draws a health-concious, multi-cultural set. One does have to be careful taking pictures since you have to work around the topless sunbathers.
We ate good, drank good, and met some really great people while staying at Las Palmas Maya. We loved the communal kitchen at Las Palmas Maya where everybody gathered in the morning for the best coffee ever made promptly at 7am by Tomas, followed by a little chat about each day's lack of plans, and being able to buy cheap beer directly from Tomas.

We caught a taxi to the nearby Chedraui and bought supplies to make our own breakfasts each morning. We took long walks on the beach each morning, lounged on the beach most of the day and got intelligent, ate small lunches, then went out for dinner.  One night the gang from Las Palmas Maya walked the beach down to a place called Las Lunes something or other and listened to Tomas' friend Nick sing and play the guitar. We had a beach buffet of freshly grilled seafood, chicken and beef with all the goodies. Another night we had a fried mixto of vegetables/seafood and seafood risotto with surprisingly expensive wine. One night we had Argentinian black beans and rice and black bean/rice burritos for a whopping $125 pesos.

 

When it was time to leave we couldn't bear to go through with it. Luckily we were able to squeeze in one more night by moving to "the treehouse" room. We sat on the balcony after dinner and had nightcaps and watched the goings on down below us. We never learned the end of the story of the girl that got out of the car with the guy where he tossed her mattress into the shrubs down below us and drove off. Nor did we ever find out if they located the car that ran through the fence, narrowly missed a parked car, and hit the concrete building next door at the OM parking lot. The one thing we knew for sure is that whoever left the gas tanque by the street was taking a BIG risk with the bomberos. Oh  the memories!!!


Gas Tanque 101...don't leave your gas tanque beside he road unsecured....unless you want the bomberos to take it away!!!

The last day in Tulum, we were sitting on the beach when we realized if we were going to leave at all we probably should head to the bus station. We got up, dusted off the sand, went back to pick up our backpacks and say our "thank yous" and "see you laters". Since it was after check-out and before check-in Tomas had made a trip into town. We spoke with the Argentinian cleaner and made our exit. We never say "adios" anyway, just "hasta luego. We were spared saying either...which means we will certainly go back again.

Ummmmmm......Tulum. We will be back.

 

 

 

Juxtaposition

Yesterday, I walked the bici-ruta alone. Terry was at home coughing. I had my camera and was glad I did. My favorite sighting was on my way home. I walked back down Calle 62 headed south rather than take the same path back down Calle 60. When I got to the Olimpo I kept walking through the portico "behind" the street festivities. From one spot, I could listen to a clarinetist warming up as white-clad band members anticipated their later performance, see the kiddy activities in the street, and observe four Mexican, stately gentlemen playing chess seated along the far portico wall underneath a gorgeous mural I had never noticed before. The juxtaposition of it all made me think to myself - "This is one of the many reasons I am so captured by this city." 

 



Other things that made me smile -

We have spent the past week doing the following - painting (me), playing guitar (Terry), scraping walls (me), going to the beach (us), cooking/eating (us), studying Spanish (mostly Terry), and celebrating St. Valentine's (us).
Carnaval ended here on Ash Wednesday and it's been rather quiet in Merida.
Speaking of "Carnival" - I have to admit I became intrigued with the stranding of the Carnival "Triumph" and spent quite a lot of time reading various news articles online about it. I am saddened by its economic impact on Progreso and realizing it won't be making routine trips to Progreso and Cozumel for quite some is disappointing. And, it will have a negative impact on Galveston as well. But that had nothing to do with me being intrigued. I was intrigued and amazed at the media reports and the way people onboard were depicted as reacting to their ordeal. In awe, I read the reports of people reacting from one extreme to the other - many were making a bigger party out of their cruise, many were totally disgusted and felt Carnival was responsible for all things bad that had ever happended in their lives, and I would imagine many fell somewhere in between making the most of a bad situation. However, much like in any society one never hears about the people silently making the best of the situation. I just kept seeing this ship as a microcosm of a bigger society, and realizing that the people on board that couldn't handle the discomforts aboard this floating hotel where things went awry for 5 days would be the same ones that would flip out if faced with a more far-reaching adverse event. In a bigger society there would just be more of them. I decided I want to hand-pick the people I want to be around in the event of a disaster ---- people I know back home, and the people I see here in Merida....the people that are self-sufficient and know how to face and handle adversity.
And, I am glad our friends Ken and Lorraine decided to re-book on another Carnival ship. We won't be able to meet them in Progreso, but we will be meeting up with them in Cozumel when they sail from Tampa aboard the Paradise.
We spent Valentine's Day in Progreso on the beach. Although it was Thursday the ship from NOLA did not come to port either. It was a slow work week for the beach vendors and restaurants in Progreso. We enjoyed watching the people of Progreso enjoy their own beach by going for a swim---- the grandmothers, dogs, uniform-clad school kids, and a handful of Mexican tourists made us smile as we basked in the sun amongst them. Another juxtaposition.


The abuela in the black dress eventually went for a swim in her black dress

They stripped from their school uniforms down to their skivies and took a swim

Then, we stopped off at Los Henequenes for beer and botanas. It was a slow day for them and I think they must have been serving us the food that the cruise shippers would have normally ordered from the menu as they brought us so many "snacks" we couldn't eat them all.

Cerveza y Botanas

 Our waiter was extra attentive and when I excused myself to go the the RR, Terry paid the tab. I came back up to the table just in time to see our waiter look to the heavens, make the sign of the cross, and mouth gracias. I found out later Terry had tipped him well for his excellent service. He deserved it and was another victim of the week's non-existent cruise traffic.

We headed back to the bus stop and along the way Terry bought me a rose from a street vendor. It was an excellent Valentine's Day.

Always a Celebration in Merida

We always have something to celebrate in Merida. This week has been no different. Sunday was El Dia de Candelaria,  Monday was Dia de la Constitucion, and Wednesday the weeklong Carnaval began. Amongst all the festivities we also got in three days of  beach time to celebrate the absolutely beautiful weather we are having.

The first nighttime Carnaval parade was last night and we went to that. It works out very well for us as the parade route ends in our neighborhood. So we are able to walk up the 4 blocks to San Juan Parque and watch from there. All of our neighborhood streets get closed off so it makes it rather nice.
Of course I took pictures and of course they didn't turn out great...very difficult to work with lighting, distance, and moving objects when I don't know what the heck I'm doing...but I gave it my best shot. What I didn't get pictures of included some very elaborate floats, lots of stilt walkers (and dancers!), lots of jiggly, dancing young guys and gals, and lots of colorful and elaborate headdresses. Ok...read on -

This following picture was of my favorite float. Not because it was the most elaborate or colorful, but because the young boys that cut out the styrofoam horse, unicorns and other intricate objects, painted them, and then constructed the float have been working diligently on it for quite some time. They did the work in a vacant house just a block away from us and we passed by them almost everyday. Of course, I would always be the peeping Tom and peek in the door and exchange a few words with them.

Terry and I talked later and we discussed how we enjoy watching the crowd of families gathered to watch the parades as much as we enjoy the actual parades themselves. Kids seem so content and well-behaved, and we found it endearing when the dad paid for his two young daughters to have a front row seat while he hung back in the free section and watched. We chatted with a young mom with her young son and 4 month-old daughter who patiently stood right beside us. We saw nothing but smiles then sleep from the baby. We had to laugh at the father and son that had waited as long as we had for the parade....over two hours. And of course, just prior to the parade starting the little boy had to use the bathroom. Dad tried to get him to "just go" next to the big tree, but the little boy was a little too shy for that. About that time, a teenage girl hit the ground from what we presume was a heat-related faint, and all eyes were on her and the bomberos that came to her rescue. When we all turned back around Dad and his son were walking back to their spots. Perfect timing!

 

 

 

 On our way back home traffic was starting to roll again down our street....kinda. A car was stalled in the middle of the street and the drivers behind him were doing what they normally do in those situations....honking their horns. Terry jumped in there and helped the driver by giving him a push to the side of the street.

He was responsible for giving the drivers behing the stalled car one more reason to celebrate in Merida!

What a Difference a Day Makes

It's Tuesday morning and I am sitting on the front patio since the free parque internet is better out here. I think I hear Henri/water delivery coming down the street. I always like to watch him bring in the water - two 20 liter bottles at a time. He is quite the muscular guy.

The day the Norte blew in....not one soul on the playa!

Sunday we had decided no matter what, we were going to the beach on Monday. We got up yesterday to one of the most beautiful days ever.....very dry and not a cloud in the sky. As the day wore on the temperatures rose and it was one fine, glorious day. It was the first time we had trekked to the beach since we had gone to Progreso and met up with Ian several weeks ago. That day a norte blew in on our bus trip over, the cruise ship wasn't in port as we expected, and there was absolutely not one soul on the beach. Yesterday was a holiday. There are a lot of holidays in Mexico between holy days (Sunday was Candle Mass Day...El Dia de Candelaria) and recognized federal holidays. Yesterday was Anivirsario de Constitucion. We have a Mexican calendar with each holiday marked in red, and there are a lot of red dates throughout the year. Many businesses, including the city offices on our street, were closed yesterday. So, between it being Galveston cruise ship day and a holiday, Progreso was filled with an equal amount of cruise shippers and Mexican families enjoying their Monday off from work and school. Quite a change from our last trip to the beach.

What a difference a day makes!

We did our normal thing and walked down the beach away from the downtown area until the crowd thinned out somewhat. That always puts us on the edge of all the action without us being in the middle of it. Pretty much how we seem to always position ourselves, I would say. On our way back to the bus, we ended up stopping off at Los Henequenes for a couple of beers and botanas....it was around 3pm. It was an interesting observation because almost on queue we watched as the cruisers started leaving the restaurant while simultaneously Mexican families appeared and sat to enjoy their traditional afternoon cold drinks and botanas. The timing of it all seemed to work out perfectly for the cruisers and the Mexican families on holiday. And, I'm sure Los Henequenes was happy as well!

Yesterday morning prior to leaving for Progreso, an older Volkswagen van parked right in front of the house. We could hear the family of five that was inside get out. So being both curious and nosy I came to the front part of the house to see what was going on. It was obvious they were trying to decide how they were going to get the cargo out of the back of the van...I could see that it filled up the entire back of the van. I expected to see a large piece of furniture. Well, it was the many-tiered long, red skirt to the red and gold bodice their tall, willowy, perfectly-coiffed teen-aged daughter was wearing. It took Dad, Mom, younger brother, and little sister to carefully help her get into her dress. Many families come to La Ermita park to take pictures of their daughters having quinceaneras...or maybe this one was for Carnaval 2013 which starts tomorrow here in Merida. Whichever, she was a beautiful girl to photograph.

Looking out the front window....

 

We Watched Them; They Watched Over Us

Ramon the Ramrodder

For two years now, we have talked and loosely planned a trip to Rio Lagartos but for various reasons we never quite made it there. I guess this time, the stars were lined up right and we made it to Rio Lagartos. The biggest decision we had to make during the planning and actual journey to Rio Lagartos was: "Should we take the bus to Valladolid and then head north from there, or should we go on the thru Noreste bus?" We elected to get up early and catch the 6am bus to Valladolid and worry about the rest of the trip when we got to Valladolid. Seems we made the right decision as we had to change buses twice, but each transfer was at the perfect time with very little wait time.

We made it to Rio Lagartos right at noon, and before our feet hit the dirt street in front of the bus stop "Ramon" was there to try and line up a bio-reserve tour and help us find a place to stay. I call these guys "ramrodders". As it turned out, Ramon did a great job watching over us. Our one requirement was to stay on the waterfront and we wanted a mirador. (maybe that makes two requirements) We got that and more for 400 pesos per night. It was perfect! We shared the posada with 3 Canadians and 4 German women. There were a total of 4 rooms.

 

How to describe Rio Lagartos? The people are the nicest, most tranquil you would ever want to meet. Food was great as long as you love seafood...which we do. Botanas were some of the best we have had anywhere. There were few tourists this time of the year. The waterfront is all malecon, ie, no sandy beach and the town is off the Gulf about 2 km. on the inlet. You can see the Gulf and can easily get a boat to take you there. It's a water town. One observation we discussed was the town's cantina that opened in the morning for the fishermen that fished at night, then opened again in the evening for the fishermen that fished during the day. We decided this must be where all the consumption of alcohol takes place by the local fishermen as there was absolutely no public consumption of alcohol along the waterfront. This was unusual to not see.

 

It was interesting being invisible from above. From the mirador, we could watch the fishermen come and go, enjoy beautiful sunsets, watch children trying to net bait and just generally act like kids, we saw the occasional vehicle go by, we observed the elder dapperly-dressed couples strolling along in the late evening, and grinned at the Gringo tinkering with his two mini-splits on top of his second-story recently built home. We always say each village has its own personality and Rio Lagartos definitely has one as well. Both of us really liked the laid-back gentleness of the town.

We thought we might possibly have to contend with rain, wind, and cooler temperatures as a norte was expected to blow through, but it never happened and we had beautiful weather for our boat tour into the bioreserve the next day with Ramon----we saw an abundance of birds including osprey, a baby osprey, hawks, herons, and flamingoes. I floated in the water at the salt flats and took the mud bath. The highlight of the trip was the close encounters we had with the crocodiles. A little too close for me!

We stayed two nights and could have easily hung around longer. We have already made tentative plans to meet back up with Diego and do some fishing, partly a result of Terry seeing one of the guys casually bring in a freshly-caught trout and place it directly in the freezer at one of the restaurants we ate at. But, we hugged the owners and their son that watched over us, promising them we would be back, put on our backpacks and headed for the bus station. We had decided to take the longer route back to Tizimin just to pass through San Felipe and take a look. This was confusing to the woman at the bus station....why would we take a later bus that would take longer? She was just watching over us. It also confused the Noreste bus driver when coming into town. When he spotted us walking a couple of streets from the bus station, he stopped the bus, rolled down his window, and hollered to ask us if we were needing a ride. And, there was Ramon waiting for the next bus to arrive, so we hugged him too.

You just gotta' love that feeling of everybody watching over you!