Brother Peter

My brother visited us last month for two weeks. He's been here before but not for a couple of years, his acting duties having kept him otherwise occupied. So, in the wake of the release a film (Parker) in which in which he had a small part alongside Jeremy Stratham, Jennifer Lopez and Michael Chiklis and wrapping the U.S. premier of a new British adaptation of Hamlet, he needed some R&R.  

We rambled about the Yucatan Peninsula visiting places familiar and new:

In ancient times, the city of Izamal was a center for the worship of the supreme Maya god, Itzamna, and the sun god, Kinich-Kakmo. A dozen pyramid temples were devoted to these and other gods. It's no wonder then why the Spanish built a huge Franciscan monastery there and why the Izamal is known as La Cuidad Amarilla (The Yellow City). Many of the city buildings are painted yellow..


Convento de San Antonio de Padua was started
in 1533 using stones from a major Maya temple.
It was finished in 1561. The huge atrium is said
to be second in size only to the Vatican's.

 

 

Coba, Maya for "stirred by the wind," was a city that once covered 43 square miles. It was occupied from 100 AD until the Spanish conquest. Set deep in the jungle near five lakes, Coba has an estimated 6,500 structures, only a few of which have been excavated and restored. The restored buildings are spread so far apart that it's wise to use a bicycle to see them all. You walk/ride on ancient sabeob (white, stone-paved roads) that interlace the site and run up to 62 miles long, the longest in thr Mayan world.

Coba has stelea, stone tablets,
that depict female rulers from Tikal in
Guatemala, giving rise to belief of
an ancient alliance between the two
powerful Mayan cities.

Dee, on the left, decides not to climb 138-foot high Nohoch Mul, the
second highest Mayan structure on the Yucatan Peninsula.

One of two ball courts at Coba.

 

Then it was on to Tullum on the coast. Oh my, what a spectacular site to build a Mayan city.  We took the advice of our hotel manager and used the back entrance along the beach rather than the main entry which makes you walk through a Disneyland-style place and past rows of hawkers selling everything. 

Peter and I wanted to swim on the magnificient Tullum beach so, on the advice of the hotel manager, we headed directly there when the site opened at 8 a.m. We had the beach to ourselves for about 10 minutes.

This beach belongs to the turtles and is off-limits to humans.

Peter decending to the human's beach.
 

Our beach.
 

Well, not ours alone.
 

Dee up there wathing us swim.
 

Pete and Dee finally taking a look at  the ruins.
 

Not too shabby of a location to build your city.
 

A Mayan summer cottage by the beach?

The manager's info was spot-on: Use the back entrance. Arrive when the site opens. Go directly to the beach to get your swim in. Leave the beach as people arrive. Tour the ruins and get out by 9:30 a.m. As we were leaving we had to step off the pathways to let the hundreds of bus tourists flow into the site.

Holbox

Isla Holbox (hole-BOSH), 16 miles long, sits off the northeastern corner of the Yucatan Peninsula, around the corner from Isla Mujeres and Cancun. Unlike those two, Holbox is a laid-back, quiet, non-commercial refuge with no cars or trucks allowed. Here, the waters of the Caribbean and the Gulf mingle and whale sharks gather by the hundreds in the summer, creating a thriving tourist industry. The rest of the year tourists come in small numbers to enjoy the beaches, bird watch, do a little fishing and relax.

Recently my neighbor Hank and I joined Pono, our contractor friend, and his right-hand man, Santos, as guests of Eduardo for two days at one of his two houses on Holbox. Eduardo, Mexico’s former ambassador to Algeria and Guatemala, also has a house across the road from Pono here in Chuburna. He also has a house in Merida, which is where we picked him up early one morning.

Three and a half hours later, after parking the car in the mainland village of Chiquila, we hired a boat to whisk us across the bay to Holbox. The only means of transportation on the island are golf carts, ATVs, scooters and bicycles. We didn’t need any of them as Eduardo’s house sits on a corner lot at the marina.

Eduardo's Mayan style house sits at the harbor.

 



Soon after arriving we went to this piece of beachfront property that
Eduardo owns. 

 

Lunch was a grilled red snapper served on seagrape leaves for plates.
Oh, yes, some beer was involved, too.
 

Eduardo allows a local man to use the property to operate a horse
riding business.

Eduardo wants to sell this piece of beachfront property, one of the last available
pieces on the island.

This is the view from another piece of property he owns
on the western end of the island.

Eating dinner outside the harbor house. (Santos, Eduardo, Pono, Hank)

The next morning we head for coffee at a French-run cafe.

 

Carnaval 2013

Today is the last day of our week-long Carnaval (Spanish spelling). Many people have today off as they did yesterday. It’s not an official government holiday but so many people take the day off the schools, post offices, banks, etc. are closed.

The initial Carnaval ceremony sets the tone for the week…the burning of bad mood...this year on Feb. 6. Daily parades follow, the first one being the traditional Desfile de Prescolar (Pre-School Parade). Floats of mystical beings from childhood are full of children in colorful costumes. They say put aside bad humor so everyone can enjoy the light, color, music and joy of Carnaval.

The last parade occurred yesterday…Batalla de Flores (Battle of the Flowers). I don’t know anything about it but Dee and I have promised ourselves that we will dive into the mayhem of Carnaval next year by getting a room at a hotel in downtown Merida to be in the thick of things.  The festivities come to a close tonight with the Burial of Juan—his widow cries and reads his tongue-in-cheek will which he leaves for the citizens and authorities of Merida.

Each out-lying community (Progreso, Chelem, Chuburna, etc.) puts on its own version of Carnaval. Unfortunately, we have not participated in any of them because we’re old. Explanation: Saturday we hustled to the plaza in Chuburna about 9:15 p.m. to watch the parade which was to begin at 9 p.m. (We’ve learned that nothing is punctual in Mexico.) While a stage had been set up, there were very few people around and no sign of a parade forming anywhere. After driving around and asking about when the parade would begin, and getting shoulder shrugs, we headed home. The next morning I asked Adam, a father of one of our English students, when the parade took place. “10:30,” he said. We have not yet learned well enough that time is not a driver of life here.

In our little celebration of Carnaval, we treated ourselves yesterday to a meal at a local restaurant, Los Delfines (The Dolphins), the most popular eatery in Chuburna. We were the only gringos there. One of the reasons for Delfines popularity is the quality and quantity of their botanas.

Botanas are appetizers/snacks that are served free at many restaurants. In most cases, as long as you order drinks (beer, wine, soda, cocktails) the botanas will keep coming. Given the number Delfines provides, one doesn’t have to even look at the menu to fill the gut.

Between the two cups of vegetable soup are the remains of two chaya patties. Chaya, the most nutritious green in the world, is combined with corn meal and fried as patties. Continuing left is a plate of fish ceviche, black bean dip, chips, kibee (patties made from garbanzo beans), brown bean dip, and octopus ceviche. Those and a couple of beers provide a great meal.

We eased off some of the botanas so we could enjoy platters of camaron diablo (spicy hot) and camaron empanzada (breaded and fried). As you can see there was no skimping on the shrimp. I couldn’t finish my diablo so we’ll have the rest on a salad tonight. All that (beers, botanas and meals for two) for about $17.

Delfines also provides a swimming pool, smart marketing and a delight 
for parents and children, alike. 

 

My Sister's Closet Fashion Show

This past Saturday the Chuburna Puerto APOYO Escolar Program hosted its third annual fashion show and boutique fundraiser.

The Mexican government requires that each child go to school until the 9^th grade, but each student has to furnish all his/her school materials/supplies, sometimes even to the point of toilet paper. Families will turn themselves inside out in order to find the money to buy the required uniform, shoes, books, supplies and transportation.  Some families simply don’t have the money. The APOYO (apoyo means support in English) Program helps both types of families. APOYO Sponsors give between $125 to $200 a year, depending on a student’s grade level, to help the family with expenses. In return, each student has to maintain an 80 or better grade point average and write their sponsor a letter each year.

The program is managed by a volunteer committee of gringos, or in our case gringets. Any extra money raised via fundraisers is used to improve the schools. Last year’s funds were used to build a lunchroom at the primary school. This year the funds will go to create a pre-school facility.

My Sister’s Closet refers to the un-wanted clothes gringo women in these parts have dug out of their closets and donated to the cause.  The whole thing started three years ago when a fashionista who moved here wondered what she was going to do with all the clothes she hauled down here that she no longer wanted. Wise heads came up with the idea of a fashion show. That first show consisted almost entirely of her cast-offs. There were a lot of them.  Since she is not one to shop where most women shop her unwanteds were eagerly snatched up. Now women up and down the beach, and even some north of the border, donate to the show. (Friends and relatives bring the clothes down when they come down for the season.)  

This year’s show was held at a very lovely private home on the beach just around the corner from us. The beautifully landscaped yard provided a pretty backdrop as the models walked the “runway” of winding paths. The day was bright, sunny and full of light breezes.

While last year she served food, this year Dee modeled. And she performed like a pro. Below are pictures of the event.

 

 Dee on her initial presentation.

 

 

 

This is not Dee, just an overview of the garden.

 

A pro always knows where the most important
camera is.

 

 

OK. This requires some explanation. This year's theme was "In the Spirit of

Carnival."  Beginning Feb 6., Merida will host it's week-long celebration of Carnival,

the Spanish equivilent to Mardi Gras. A half million people will crowd the

streets for each daily parade, hundreds of live concerts, street performances,

food vendors and general wild-assed merry-making that people do around the world

before shutting down for Lent. So, the fashion show organizers decided to create

costumes that women can rent for Carnival. Luckily, Dee got to wear one of the

more modest ones. We're not sure what she's supposed to be but we're calling her

 Queen of Carnival. All hail the Queen!!    

 

 

 

 

Blessing of the fleet

We attended the annual blessing of the fleet which took place at the Chuburna harbor. We understood very little of the ceremony but were impressed by the solemnity and the number of people who attended. 




Dona Eloisa, her daughter Margarita in the background
and a granddaughter. Mother and daughter are
English class students.

Oscar and Veronica, English class students,
 flanking their mother and sister.
 

Marieli and Lilliana, her mother, are English class students.

Jesus, alterboy and English student.

Hummingbirds

For the last two years when we arrived here in October, a mother hummingbird has been building a nest on a hook on our porch. This year she was busily at it when we unlocked the front door.  A few days later she settled down into the quarter-sized nest to stare at us as we stared at her while sipping wine and gin and tonic. A week and half later we noticed she was leaving the nest for longer periods of time. Eventually, we saw tiny beaks sticking out of the nest. The next several weeks we watched the tiny, tiny things grow into tiny birds.

 

 

Mom taking a break.

 

 

See, Bro, this is how you do it.

 

 

Crap. You mean I gotta do this by myself?

 

 

This is the last time I'm feeding you. Get out of the house!

 

 

Yo, Ma. Lookit me!

 

All three of them continue to hang around, drinking from the feeder, dive-bombing us as we sit on the porch and attacking any other hummers that come close to "their" feeder. Dee talks to the mother: "Oh, what a pretty girl you are. Yes, you are." She whistles tunes to them. Tells them that we mean them no harm.

 

According to my reading they will head north across the Gulf sometime in late January/early February for a summer up north before returning here in September/October.