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!

Rio Grande again!

The Rio Grande just seems to be everywhere I travel these days.......I was on it in the Big Bend of Texas as it formed the border between Mexico and the United States and now in New Mexico.
Here it is as it flows into Cochimi Lake....ummm...Kelly, are those golden trees along the bank, salt cedars or cottonwoods? or both??
This photo is about 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe. The Rio Grande is the second-longest river in the United States, flowing 1,885 miles from headwaters in Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico! I am currently reading a book that Keith Bowden wrote (The Tecate Journals) about traveling by bike, canoe and raft along the Rio as it forms the internation border.

Kashu-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

This place is only about 35 miles from Annie's apartment and really an incredible hike. One must cross the Cochiti tribal land so they have a booth set up to collect a $5 fee.....half goes to the Cochiti tribe and half to the Bureau of Land Management. You can see some of the formations from the road but most are seen after you walk through a narrowly sculpted canyon for over a mile with a steep (630-ft) climb to the mesa top for excellent views of the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez, Sandia mountains and the Rio Grande Valley.


The cone-shaped tent rock formations are the products of volcanic eruptions that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago and left pumice, ash and tuff deposits over 1,000 feet thick. Precariously perched on many of the tapering hoodoos are boulder caps that protect the softer pumice and tuff below. Some tents have lost their hard, resistant caprocks and are disintegrating. While fairly uniform in shape, the tent rock formations vary in height from a few feet to 90 feet.

Miraculous Staircase

This staircase is located in the Loretta Chapel in downtown Santa Fe. There are 2 mysteries surrounding it; the identity of the builder and the physics of its construction. The stairway's carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today. The staircase has two 360 degree turns and has no visible means of support. Also, it is said that the staircase was built without nails—only wooden pegs.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe (Holy Faith) is situated in a valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains on the Santa Fe River. Originally a Pueblo Indian village, it is now a city of about 62,000 folks with a very high concentration of artists. One of the most striking aspects is the architecture of the buildings and residences....Spanish Pueblo Revival look with accent on adobe construction, though most now is faux-dobe. One of the things I like about this place is their outdoor lighting ordinance! Lights have to be shielded and there are strict clauses....with words like "light trespass, nuisance glare, light pollution". It makes for a nice city to be outdoors at night!!

On to Colorado Springs, Colorado

My oldest daughter Annie is moving from Colorado to New Mexico so I thought it my motherly duty to go help. Colorado Springs is nestled next to the southern part of the Rocky Mountains with a great view of Pikes Peak. I was only here a couple days before we left in a rented UHaul truck, headed south, hopefully in my mind for warmer weather.

Club in Austin

I did manage to get in a little night life while in Austin. There is a new club in the warehouse district...QUA Bottle Bar...that features a 19,000 gallon underground aquarium with dancefloor on the top.
There were spotted leopard sharks and several types of sting rays. I am not sure how long the club will remain open as there were ongoing protests from PETA(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). I have to agree, it was very ecologically imbalanced, but it was a cool visual effect....the aquariums behind the bar were amazing!

Train from Creel

Upon arrival in Creel, I checked out the bus and train schedules to Chihuahua City. The bus was cheaper at $19, the second class train at $31......I took the train as I knew it would be more scenic and safer!
The Chihuahua al Pacifico, known as ChP or Chepe links the town of Chihuahua to Los Mochis near the Pacific coast for a 400 mile journey, mostly through the Copper Canyon. It is run by a private company that took over in 1998 from the Mexican government. It was interesting to note that even in a major logging town like Creel that the railroad ties were made of concrete.
At the train station, I met 2 twin sisters who were on holiday from Mexico City. I could understand practically everything they were telling me in spanish except the fraternal twin part, but we got around it by them explaining they were born in different bolsas (bags) HA!! We had some great laughs....ended up all rooming together in a great little hostel (Casa Chihuahua) directly across the street from the train station in Chihuahua City. That was very convenient as we got in around midnight and we all had early flights out the next day. From there I flew to Austin Texas.

Casa Chihuahua Hostel run by a lovely family. Very clean....they have a big front room where they project a video of local attractions on the wall.

Leaving Batopilas

Tarahumara Indians walking along the road that follows the Batopilas River.
I stayed on in Batopilas for a few days after my friend left. If I had realized that it was so difficult to leave I might have gone with him. The public transportation here consist of a "Bus" (it was a suburban with 11 other people inside) leaving Batopilas at 5:00 in the morning for the 5 hour climb to Creel on weekdays only and not all weekdays. However the hiking was incredible and there was a German artist who offered me his studio to stay in so I felt at home.