Ahhh.....Home!

I flew from Cancun to Austin nonstop for $77......now VivaAerobus is running the same flights for $49..including taxes.....I highly recommend them...

http://www.vivaaerobus.com/default.aspx?lng=2e8356f8-1dae-4cb3-9387-8b89101a0cb5

you fly out of a separate terminal in Austin and in only a little over 2 hours you have landed in Cancun airport and in just 20 minutes or less you are in Puerto Morelos. Amazing!! AND now is a good time for Americans to go as the exchange rate is in the U.S. Dollar favor.....15 pesos to $1....for example a meal for 200 pesos used to cost $20 now it's $13.

All that said.......It is good to be back home!! I am here for several reasons...one of which was the fact that a dear friend I have known since I was 17 has passed on. Gary King will be missed by a lot of people....you could always count on him for laughter!!! And besides the obvious of visiting family and friends I am here to look for a Camper Van. I think I want something that does not look too "camperish" (ie..those VW vans) or too difficult to find parts for...therefore, I think more like a Ford Econoline extended wheel base with a raised roof...nothing over 10 years old....I would like to outfit it myself so a gutted interior would be fine.....sooooooooo....if any of yall know of such a vehicle for sale I am ready to purchase one.....I am looking on Craigslist, Ebay and AutoTrader. I just know it's out there for me....

Ahh....the Caribbean!!!

Came back to the beach for the last few days before I head back to the States. I just love this place of Puerto Morelos.......the beach, the people, the town, the mangrove, the birds, the fish, the boats, the clouds....THE WATER!!!! It's all amazing!!
View of the town square from the pier early this morning.

I have been getting some emails asking about the safety of Mexico...this is what I have to say...I have just traveled across this country and back and we did not see or hear of any of the type violence or crime I was asked about. I don't watch TV, read newspapers or listen to the radio, except XM, so I don't know exactly what ya'll are hearing but I can imagine it is a marketing strategy of the United States to scare people from coming to Mexico so they keep their dollars in the country instead of spending them here (ie. Springs Breakers coming to Cancun)! Maybe the border is having increased problems, I don't know and of course ALL big cities have their problems, no matter where they are in the world. Probably if you want to deal drugs, it's not a good idea to come here, but then none of yall are doing that!! Really there is nothing going on down here out of the ordinary. So come on down to Mexico, Relax and Enjoy yourselves!!!!

Passing by the Gulf Coast heading home

On our way back to Puerto Morelos we traveled along the Gulf Coast again! Flor de Maria's little Jeep made it just fine for our 5,000 kilometer journey and we were thankful that we had absolutely no problems with anything or anyone!! The decal on the jeep was the closest we got to any pirates!Stopped for dinner at Pelicanos 2 in Champoton, Yucatan and couldn't resist swinging in their yard.....running for the camera to get this shot of the sunset and the pelicans.

The Italian Coffee places are sprinkled throughout Mexico (like Starbucks are in the States) and we are always on the watch for them...I even have them marked on my GPS....we made sure to stop at this one before we left Champoton and headed inland for what was to be an 18 hour drive home today arriving in Puerto at 1:30 AM....we don't normally drive at night but we feel very safe in the Yucatan because we know the road... it is straight and flat and there is hardly anyone on it because it's an expensive toll road. We are glad to be heading home to the warmer climate, and have had the most fantastic journey!!!

Contemplation time

Upon return to Puerto Morelos, I left almost immediately for the pueblo of EkBalam a couple hours inland. I was going to help a friend out at her EcoResort there and ended up at her nearby ranch. It was nice to have time to contemplate what I had experienced the last month of our whirl wind travels and also to realize that I was only about a mile away from one of the finest Mayan ruins in this area....EkBalam! Lee had planted 500 Neem and Noni trees here and it was cool to know that the Mayas had been cultivating this very land over a thousand years ago!! I wonder what type trees were growing here then??As it turned out I got very sick when I was there (still not sure from what?) and was so weak that I literally could not get out of this hammock for 2 days. It really wasn't that bad as the place was lovely, quiet and I had an amazing view, from the hammock I watched the full moon rise and a big owl come to visit and sit on the branch of this tree for a long time!!

SheWee heaven

OK I just have to blog about this because I think it's one of the coolest inventions to hit the market for women travelers!! It's a Shewee, a portable device allowing women to pee while standing and without taking off clothing...... and well just read on.......it really really works and saves time when travelling, just pull off the road and wee next to the car like the guys do....no more dirty public bathrooms for us! And is discreet as noone would ever guess what we are doing.

Cost is $13 (including shipping and the extension) from a company that sells brewing supplies...go figure! http://www.thebrewshack.com/ We heard about them from the European women who travel down here....but a little internet research turned up a company in the U.S. that is selling them.

Palo Lluvia (Rain Stick)

Our friend Tavo makes these beautiful rainsticks out of bamboo and then woodburns a design on them. It is difficult to travel with a long stick so he cut one in half for me. They are made with little shavings of bamboo put into holes drilled in a spiral pattern and then dried seeds from the chilalaga or platanillo tree are added and as they drop through the maze of little sticks they make the rain sound.

I chose the pattern of the Mayan having sex with one of the gods.

Visiting an Herbario

Pedro took us to meet Nicolas Temich who lives up near the top of the volcano. We went from a warm sunny town of San Andres Tuxtla and in 15 minutes or less we were in a rainy, COLD environment. We stopped and got out of the car just to feel this rainforest. Joanne joined us....she has been traveling in Veracruz for 4 months now and is also interested in medicinal plants.

It was raining and of course Nicolas was prepared with his homemade raincoat, we on the other hand froze our butts off, but were determined to look at his collection of over 140 species of plants. As it turned out Nicolas owned a Restaurant where we stopped and had fish that he raises in the backyard. It was so cold as we were not prepared for the sudden change in weather, we were given a blanket to share so we could sit there and try to enjoy our fish. His wife Maria and niece Laura cooked our meal with the best tortillas I think I have had. All cooked on a fire on the fogon (remember that elevated wooden table)...I have begun to collect photos of just those tables...they fascinate me.

We returned the next day with a plant press that we made for Nicolos to preserve his plants, almost all of them medicinal and/ or edible. Flor de Maria explains to him how to press the plants and flowers using newspaper and cardboard between the layers. We think he will do it as he asked a lot of questions. We will return and make him a book, further documenting his work. I just love going back to where we have been....it feels so homey now...well and it has a lot to do with the fact that these people are soooo friendly, inviting and generous!!

Making a Plant/Flower Press

This was a team effort...first buying the plywood, having Gabriel cut it and drill holes,





me sanding (my momma would be proud as she taught me to always sand the wood first),


Flor de Maria gluing the washers as the guys serenade us with Jarana music.
and Tavo woodburning the inscriptions.

The final product!!

Pedro's Vivero (Nursery)

We were introduced to Pedro Peña, a forester who is growing native trees from seeds in order to reforest the area. The government gave him a little piece of land to work with and he gives the trees to anyone who will plant them.

There were thousands of trees in various stages of development.....Some seeds were placed on top of the ground such as nogales (walnuts) which were just starting to sprout.

Pedro had the assistance of an 105 year old man!!! Nicolos....he works there everyday keeping the place clean of falling leaves, branches, etc.....he rakes, fills a wheelbarrow and heaps them onto a pile. He works constantly, moving probably 6 loads while we were there....

He did stop to talk to us for a bit....he said his birthday is March 3...which is tomorrow we reminded him!!....he talked of his family and growing up here....hand digging the water wells for this town...the near death of one of his sons as he was 70 meters down in the hole and took 3 days to resurrect him from a coma....but the old man could stay down there and take it...he was a hardy fellow who laughed constantly.....another true treasure of Veracruz!

Laguna Encantada (Enchanted Lagoon)

As usual I investigated the area we were visiting by looking at it on Google Earth...I saw this enormous black area which indicates water and so we went to take a look.... This crater lake is only about a mile from San Andres Tuxtla, yet there is harldy anyone here. A hidden treasure! Later we were to discover that noone has really done an investigation of what lies underwater, the bathymetry etc,....sounds like a new project for the INAH Underwater Archeology to me!

There were a couple small makeshift rafts near the shore.

At one end was a lovely grass field with 2 white horses, the sun was shining, it was warm and the wind had died down....a perfect afternoon. This would be an ideal place to camp! I love the way they do their fences here...very sustainable.......they put up a fence and then plant trees between the posts (in some cases the posts start sprouting too)....once the tree grows then they cut it about 6 feet from the ground to make more fence posts, leaving the trunk to grow more posts......great concept!

Fandango in Catemaco

We have returned to the state of Veracruz...I love that we are revisiting areas we were in just 2 weeks ago...seeing friends we made.....something about returning so soon solidifies the experience!!! As soon as we arrived in San Andres Tuxtla we were rushed out to the nearby town of Catemaco for another Fandango (Dance) of the Jaraneros. I didn't blog about it when we were here 2 weeks ago because my photos weren't very good as my flash has quit working, but I just have to document this regardless.

Recently the young jaranero musicians started meeting in the park every Saturday night to play, sing and dance as was the custom a long time ago. We noticed that 2 weeks ago it was mostly young people playing the jaranas and dancing but this time the old timers were joining in ....I have a feeling I am here to witness the seed of what will become a very popular event here in Catemaco.A fandango consists of the jaraneros all standing around a wooden platform as they play their little guitars and sing, improvising as they see fit, while usually a couple dances on the platform, with very strong footwork and hardly moving the upper body...it is fascinating to watch.