Louisiana for Christmas

I woke up in my hammock this morning and opened my computer to find a voice message from my daughter asking me to PLEASE come home...well I couldn't stand it...I was out on the afternoon flight!!
I spent Christmas Eve and Day with my family in Louisiana.....my mother, sister, youngest daughter, aunt, nephew, and cousins, inlaws...my sister and her husband are building a house on the same land where my mother and grandmother were born! I guess Santa thought Kevin was really good!me, sister Pam (the blonde), Bonnie, my youngest daughter and my mom

Mayan Riviera

I have been fortunate to enjoy the view of the Caribbean from some of the finest homes in the Mayan Riviera this week! Whether its from a cabana, a tent, a hammock, a deluxe suite, or a fine home, the essence of the Caribbean is magical!!

Composting Toilet

It is on my mind to become more involved in Dinah's composting toilet projects that she has going on here in the Yucatan.....today she was called upon for her expertise in putting in the final touch to the actual operation of one at a private home in Tulum, Mexico. You can see more photos at the following link http://picasaweb.google.com/divadelmundo/CompostingToilet

Punta Allen

I finally made it to Punta Allen! I was here 29 years ago when it was a very small lobster fishing village....it is still small, remote and fairly primitive. The sandy, rutted, coconut road has improved somewhat but it still took 3 hours to drive 30 miles. Very nice pristine beaches on the way down with treasures of seashells and even a skeleton of a Toucan's beak! The village is at the end of a narrow spit of land between the Caribbean and a lagoon, nestled in Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve. There are cabañas for rent on the beach, also tent camping allowed....and of course FRESH seafood! Creative accommodations as well.
We stayed at Cuzan in this cabaña on the right.

Underground Cenotes

Some of the cenotes here are underground, accessed by a steep ladder in a small opening in the rock or in this case a nice staircase. Because of the small opening, there is a need for artificial light to see the amazing cave atmosphere...there are stalagtites and stalagmites underwater....and crystal clear cool water....it is like swimming in an underground aquifer....it's easy to see why the Maya's say this is the entrance to the underworld...because it is true...this whole peninsula is a honeycomb of limestone(karst formations) filled with water. These are located about 5 kilometers from Coba...called Cenotes Tamcach-Ha and Choo-Ha.

Coba Ruins

Took a little road trip to the Maya ruins of Coba, about an hour and a half south of here. Built in about 500 AD., it has the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan at 137 feet offering a spectacular view. This photo is from a postcard that was obviously taken from an airplane. It is estimated that at the height of the civilization there were 50,000 inhabitants. There were many unexcavated areas that you could walk around in so it didn't feel so touristy. You can also rent bicycles as it is a large site. Also one is allowed to climb the pyramid which is not allowed anymore in some other ruin sites like ChichenItza and Tulum.

Friend from Baja visits

A friend I met in the Baja last year, Tarmo, was passing through the Yucatan and stopped in to see me...its such a small world of international travelers I am finding!.....we shared a big fried grouper and shrimp ceviche at a local restaurant.

Virgin of Guadalupe

One of the most important and spectacular celebrations in Mexico takes place on the 12th of December, when thousands of pilgrims from all over the country stream into the Basilica in Mexico City where the miraculous image is kept, to pay homage to Mexico's Patron Saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe. The celebrations are not just in Mexico City but everywhere....fiestas, parades, dancing, singing, etc.
I was helping a friend shop for a refrigerator in Cancun when this parade passed by. They even threw me candy like we do in our Louisiana parades.

Jungle Zip-Line

I was invited by 2 new friends from Colorado, George and Steve, to try out a new form of entertainment in the jungle...Zip-Lining.....one way of accessing the tree tops!! It consisted of putting on a harness, climbing up a chicle tree to a high platform where you attach the end of the harness to a taught cable that is stretched to another tree. One is propelled by gravity...there were about 10paths of cables so the thrill lasted a while...I allowed myself to be talked into doing it upside down on one of the sections by one of the Costa Rican boys. He accompanied me as the way to stop is to grab the cable with a thick leather glove so he performed that duty. What fun!

Spotted Eagle Ray

An Eagle Ray came to me today...we swam together for about a minute....I felt like a mermaid!!

Life in the Sea!

I just love that I can swim everyday in the warm and beautiful Caribbean Sea!! The reason I came to this area long ago was for this body of water. There is a barrier reef that parallels the shore about a half mile out, for the entire length of the Yucatan Peninsula and continues to Central America. The area between the reef and the shore here in Puerto Morelos has been designated a National Marine Park
...therefore not only am I fortunate to swim everday but also to swim in a park is amazing!! This is the Google Earth image of this place, I have marked the path I swim from the dock and back, paralelling the shore as it's too dangerous to swim out to the reef in case a passing boat does not see you. It's one kilometer exactly (.62 miles)....which is nothing compared to my dentist who swims from Cancun to Isla Mujeres (12 kilometers) a couple times a year....maybe that is my goal??!
I swim with a mask and snorkel so I can see all the amazing sea life...these are some of the creatures I saw today. Stingray
The Baracuda live under the dock...despite their reputation, they don't bother humans, they are only curious so sometimes they follow at a distance...though I have to admit I don't swim with any shiny jewelry.

Rebuilt Transmission

I know this is a weird thing to blog about...but I personally have had curiosity about what the inside of a car engine or in this case a transmission really looks like and maybe you do too!? And since I had to have mine repaired this week to the tune of $950 (thats US Dollars, I understand it would have cost twice that or more in the states!) it was sort of a big deal!! So the owner of the shop took time to show it to me. It was explained to me (in spanish so I may have missed some) that a transmission's purpose is to slow down the output speed of the engine and increase the torque....not sure how it does it but through things like valves, pumps, hydrolics, fluids, bands, gears, etc. Ends up the gear box was bad and had to be replaced. One thing I like about Mexico is they will repair things if they are repairable, instead of replacing.....like when we traveling to Copper Canyon the Alternator went out....if we had been in the states they would have put in a new alternator, but not Mexico, they took it apart and put new brushes and we were good to go!

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving here in Mexico at the home of Nora and Colleen, who is from New York. We were 30 in all, 29 women and 1 man....brave soul....it was so multicultural...women from all parts of the world.....almost everyone knew spanish so that was the main language spoken.....
we had 2 turkeys (one prepared by team Mexico, one prepared by team America) with all the traditional trimmings...I made cornbread....Everyone not from America wanted to know the story of Thanksgiving, so it was very interesting to hear the interpretations, with the funniest being from a New Yorker who told it like it was! About an Italian named Christopher Columbus who was a thief...etc...and well the rest is history...

I missed being with my family but was thankful to be able to talk with my mom and 3 daughters through Skype.

New swim mates

I am back in the groove of swimming and now have some new swim buddies....we start from the dock at La Ceiba Resort which is a few houses away from where I am staying.....every morning! Today we swam even though it was chilly and started drizzling....we are dedicated! Maite, me, Dinah and Francesk...also Maite teaches Flamenco dance classes of which I am enrolled now! More on that later.

From New Mexico to Old Mexico

Today I am returning to where I am calling my residence for now, the Yucatan of Old Mexico (well my car is there with a few of my possessions so that will do). I look forward to the warm weather and the Carribean waters!!! I miss swimming everyday and of course I will love seeing my friends. It has been almost 3 months since I ran from Hurricane Dean and its bout time I got back. I have thoroughly enjoyed my leisure visits with family and friends here and I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be so free now!! Its been over a year since I quit my job, left my house, told my daughters goodbye and drove south. I have had some amazing experiences and lots of time to think about life and what we as humans are really supposed to be doing here on this earth. I am still wondering about that one. I have more exploring to do!!

Ancient Pueblo Indian cliff dwellings

Named Bandelier National Monument, these cliff side ruins are incredible. The ancestors of modern Pueblo people built thriving communities here about 600 years ago. Several thousand dwellings are found among the pink mesas and sheer-walled canyons. The cliff was formed from compressed volcanic ash or tuff.
The people lived in caves they made by scooping out the soft talus rock with harder stone tools and they used the canyon wall as the back wall of rooms....you can see the indentions where the wooden roof supports were placed. Some of these structures were 3 stories tall. There were ladders you could climb going up to a couple of the structures and it felt really good to be inside one of them!!
I could live here.....well if it weren't for the cold weather.......I need to find a place like this in the tropics!!!

Not sure I would want to live in this one, but it sure was dramatic!