Bacalar

We headed further south to Bacalar....its Mexico's second largest lake according to a guide book.....also known as the lake of 7 colors...so clear and fresh water...they call it sweet water...the swimming was pristine...even swam at night! We are only about 20 miles from the Central American country of Belize. That will have to be another trip!

Fruit stands

Mexico is known for their roadside fruit stands. In this area there are many pineapples and papayas. Here I am buying my favorite fruit, papaya already cut and ready to eat!

Mahahual

This tiny seaside village is one of my favorite places in the Yucatan! Friendly people and good seafood! It used to be a secret but the cruise world has discovered it and now several come here a week....but not on the weekends and that is when we were here!!
We stayed about 4 miles south of town at KohunBeach...quaint cabanas....with good coffee waiting for you when you step out of your room!

Yummy Coconuts

Annie said she wanted a coconut and within a few minutes a guy returned with a machete and several coconuts from the many local palm trees. She drank the sweet milk inside and then ate the tender meat. mmmmmmmm Happy girl!

Critters from the Yucatan

This red starfish was in about 6 inches of water right in front of our room.
Iguanas were abundant and this is one of the smaller ones.

Front and back of the same butterfly that we found dead on the path.

This bird on the pole is not in any of our field identification guides??

Blogging

Some of you have asked how I update the blog....well here is probably the best location I have had....we are in Mahauhual, Mexico...about 4 hours south of Cancun on the Caribbean Sea at Maya Luna Hotel/Restaurant using their wireless internet on my laptop computer sitting seaside and about to have a red snapper Veracruz style..mmmm..... So there you go! I have stayed here before with Laura, Dawn, and Catriona for my 50th birthday! It's good to be back!

More swimming in the Cenotes

Dinah, me, KK and Annie visited 2 local cenotes today. Cenotes are limestone sink holes full of clear fresh water. One of them is mostly inside a cave about 80 feet deep with bats and everything! The other one had ropes that we played on and tried knocking each other off. The water was cold.....about the same as the San Marcos River in Texas. Great fun!!!

Annie and KK are here!!! me too...

I arrived in the Yucatan just in time to get my car running (battery) and pick up my oldest daughter Annie (middle in photo) at the Cancun airport. My good friend KK, from Austin, Texas is here also. We stopped at the beach in Cancun to take a look see, mostly so Annie could say she had been there, though it is a beautiful beach.

Museum in La Paz

I went to the Museum of Anthropology while in La Paz waiting for my plane. There were many artifacts of Baja Indians.....arrowheads and spearheads...but I have to say that the little collection that we found on our beach is pretty darn impressive. We found all of them within a few feet of the palapa except the black obsidian ones that Allan found on other beaches.

Adios to Allan and the palapa

I have had the BEST time with Allan and I love our little palapa on Bahia Concepcion!! We have had everything we needed! and then some....I feel blessed to have been able to enjoy 4 months of living on this wonderful beach with an amazing man. Very magical! I leave with a heavy heart. There is so much I can write about this experience and maybe I will. I am looking forward to seeing my oldest daughter Annie in just a couple days now. We are meeting in the Yucatan. I haven't seen her in 8 months when I went to visit her in Colorado which is where I met Allan and part of this story began! Muchas gracias Allan!!! I already miss you!!

Sunrise

It has been so cool to watch the sunrises...they are still spectacular, but I will have to say the ones in January were the best!! I have also had a great opportunity to watch the cycles of the moon and also the way the sun has "migrated" north since I have been here....the sun used to rise directly in front of the palapa, now it rises above Isla Liebre......where the moon rose in January! Having an outdoor living room and being able to sit in the same place every night (the couch) has helped me learn more about the sky. I just love our big screen TV!!!

Whale sighting

We heard the loud blowing of a whale about 10:00 this morning...and looked out and there was a HUGE whale and her baby....we paddled out to see if we could get closer but they were on the move....the photo doesn't do justice....be assured she was HUGE!

Checking out the islands

Warm water and calm seas make for a perfect day outing to the islands!

Kayak gift

Someone gave me this kayak (Gracias Bob!!!)as it had a hole in it and was therefore not rentable...I fixed it with some plastic cut from a plastic can left in the garbage...and some silicon caulk and Allan's cordless drill.....it works fine!

Scallops

Did you ever wonder what a scallop was or where it came from? Well here it is, a big white scallop (callo in spanish) and its shell. Compared to the shell the scallop is small. The local fisherman will dive for these from their boat using an air hose connected to a compressor in the boat.

Ears of corn

Can you believe?! The popcorn is growing and has 2 baby ears of corn!!!

Homemade Tripod

Necessity is the mother of invention....I needed a tripod to capture all those shots of us together....sooo...cactus wood, hemp twine, wire, yoghurt container, sand, baggie, net to cover and VOILA!! Yes the legs are made of Cordon cactus..those huge tall cactus have a woody structure used in lots of construction here....including our palapa (all the palm fronds are screwed to cordon wood).

A 3000 mile hike around the coast of Baja

I read this book about a guy from England who walked around the coast of Baja in 1982 to 1984. He set out to prove that anyone can have adventure no matter what their financial circumstances are. Beginning with $200, he found a newspaper reporter who ran his story, found a sporting goods store to sponsor him by donating some gear and off he went.... Its a great story! Fresh drinking water was always a concern...and since I am quite interested in the solar still I was curious to find what worked for him.

Mexican mouse trap

What an ingenious invention! A 5 gallon bucket with a ramp up to a revolving stick baited with peanut butter! If the mouse ventures out to have a lick, which they all do because they simply cannot resist...then SPLASH....then well yes its mouse heaven....in the beginning we were getting 1 or 2 a night...then it tapered off....this week we got 4...We MUST get rid of all mice...as mice attract rattlesnakes...which can be a problem here...a rattler has been spotted in another palapa and I don't care to live with them.

Warm water finally!!!!

Today the water is 82 degrees (thermommeter placed a foot deep in front of the palapa)!!...yeah....up from 58 when I arrived January 8th...So this means I will be in the water a lot more! Probably won't even be using this chair in a couple days...Snorkeling around the islands is breathtaking...I plan on catching a fish from my kayak on a hand line as soon as I get a hook....stay tuned..