1/13/2020 Monday, Guerneville, CA, Long time no write! I start a new trip tomorrow, again to Mexico. To the Yucatan. Mostly based in Merida. I am going to the dentist ( at long last!). A hard day's travel. Then a day of relative rest, before my first appointment on the 16th.
2/23/12 Thursday..Isla Mujeres...Well! This is my last day here...in fact, I will leave here on the ferry in about two hours to catch a taxi to the airport! Amazing trip! I´ve met so many wonderful people along the way! Today I got up really early to have a last swim in the beautiful light turquoise Carribean sea, it was great! Then a shower, a change of clothes, and breakfast...now I´ll go back to the hotel, pack up the last bits and pieces while watching TV, maybe have another shower...certainly have another change of clothes (I can´t go back through San Francisco and home wearing the light weight garb suitable for this climate!). Then I´m pretty much off to the ferry! Think of me having a safe journey ! With luck the next entry will be from home!
2/21/12 Tuesday..Isla Mujeres...Did I mention that this is Carnival time here? Mostly what that means to me is lots of little girls in incredible costumes riding around in trucks with music blaring ( and until you´ve heard Mexican blaring, you ain´t heard nothing!), then they stop at an intersection, and all the kids get out and dance for a very long time...the age range is from about 3 to 11 or so...then they pile back on the trucks, and move the act a few blocks over...but last night, there was an adult group, which stopped in the courtyard of my hotel, and they were amazing to watch! There were about twenty women, local women aged somewhere between 25 and 50 or so...and they were geared up like a Las Vegas troupe (gorgeous costumes!) , and they danced for half an hour or so...it was incredible. And I realized that these women have been dancing like that here since they were 3 or 4 or so! And together! Wow! It made a different impression on me entirely!
Well, I am swimming in that very blue ocean every day now, and generally resting. I´m almost back home, and can´t wait! I look forward to seeing all of you soon!
2/18/12 Saturday...Isla Mujeres...three days in Tulum, and I was feeling a bit under the weather...cold or something, anyway, I spent the time in my hotel, watching TV, napping, and generally just resting with forays for food...today I left around 10am, and arrived here via several colectivos and taxis and a ferry. I got here about 2pm...checked into my hostel...decided I wanted a different hotel here, and left to find one (I can move on Monday and I will). I´ll try the hotel Carmelina for the last 3 days...maybe I´m just past hostels! Anyway this place is a lot busier than it was in November! I´m looking forward to just relaxing and swimming!
2/15/12..Wednesday..Tulum...Well I´m here! Just got off the bus from Laguna Bacalar (3hrs), checked into my favorite hotel, Casa Rosa, a cross between motel 6 and the holiday inn...but U.S. luxury for me, with air-con, cable, marble bathroom and hot water! What could be better? 3 days here to rest a bit and eat good food, then I´m off to Isla Mujeres for the last 5 days of this trip! I can hardly believe I´m up to this point already! By the way, Daniel and Veronica had their baby yesterday(!)...I went to leave a small gift...and they were home already! So I got to see the baby! He´s beautiful and they are so happy! I´m so glad for them...and it makes me anxious to be home and be part of welcoming my newest grandchild-to-be! ...As well as being able to help my daughter Talia with what ever is left of the preparations for same! Then this summer, my daughter Lisa will give birth so that will make 3! (God willing of course)...but I begin to be excited about those things, and happy that I am going home so soon!
2/14/12 Happy Valentine´s Day to you all! Well, I moved to Carolina´s yesteday, and started a painting there and worked on it today, and tomorrow I will finish it and leave for Tulum....last night we had a spaggetti feast (about 14 people). It was good. Today Carolina and Chrystal both left (along with a passal of others) so today was pretty quiet. I went to lunch at Daniel´s place to find that they were in the hospital, with Veronica giving birth (no report yet, but I´ll pass by there on my way back to see if there is any news...I hope it all goes easily for her!). I´m sad/glad to be leaving, but mostly glad to know about this place, and to hope that I might be able to come back sometimes....
2/12/12 Sunday..Lake Bacalar....What a nice place this is! Last night there was a beautiful party at Casita Carolina´s , with congenial company, drinks, dinner, live music and dancing under the tropical stars.....it doesn´t get much better than that! My first night back here too. And before that, in the afternoon, I went to ´La Maison¨for lunch, my friend Daniel´s restaurant...he and his wife Veronica are expecting their first child nearly any day now...I got to see Veronica too, and we all had a long chat while I had lunch. Then they treated me! Honestly, it feels like this place could be ´home´. ...or at least a ´home-away-from-home´! Also there was a carnival here last night...but I couldn´t hear them from my bedroom (ahh, bliss!)! And this morning I had breakfast at a local place where I saw people I know, and had a nice chat with some lovely travelers who live in other parts of Mexico...... My reservations are confirmed for the last 5 days in Isla Mujeres, and I know the confirmation number for my flight home. All in all, things are good here. I will leave here on the 15th.... right now I think I will go straight to Tulum till the 18th....and then to Isla. I can feel the vibes of home around me now...Talia´s due to give birth the week I get back, my Mom and sister and Pamela will come to visit the week after, I begin to worry about whether my car will be functional, and generally, my thoughts turn towards home....
2/11/12 Saturday..Lake Bacalar...Back here again...staying for a few days...I really feel I´m on my way home now...I may do a small painting here at Casita Carolina, but I don´t anticipate doing many more now...I haven´t counted them up yet! But I feel pretty done...most of my thoughts turn towards home now...
2/10/12 Friday..Chetumal...Beautiful day today! I was out early and breakfasted well in my favorite restaurant...then I asked them where I could get my sandals repaired. I got directions and went there. It was open, and the guys said they could have my sandals fixed in 20minutes, and I could come inside and sit with them while they fixed them. So I did. We had a pleasant conversation, and they told me about 2 new communities in the Yucatan that are small, on the water, and not touristy...names I never would have seen on the internet...then they charged me 85M (a bit less than $7) for glueing and sewing my shoes all around, we wished each other well for the coming year, and I left. I stopped to ask how much for the bus to Lake Bacalar (25M), bought a fresh cut tropical fruit salad in a plastic container(10M) for lunch, and came here! I am somehow feeling more cheerful today than I have been in a while...I think I felt a sense of opression/depression(?) in Belize...not mine...but within the country...anyway, despite the nice people I met there...I don´t think I want to return there...whereas, here, there are lots of places I hope I will be lucky enough to be able to return to, and see again! I wonder if it is partly my facility with Spanish?...more later
2/9/12 Thursday...Chetumal, Mexico...Back in Mexico just now...settled at the hotel, it feels so good to be back here and somewhat on my way home...I am comfortable here. And I´m glad to be out of Belize. I´ll write about that later, right now I´m tired and want to go and shower, and take a nap! More later...
2/8/12 Wednesday..Corozal...Well I stayed one more day, which was good...I feel much more rested today and capable of carrying on tomorrow! Last night I went back to my hotel, and ended up in the hotel's 'pub' yakking and having a drink before finally getting to my room, it was fun! The owner of the hotel is Welsh, which probably accounts for the fact that he knows how to develop that kind of atmosphere...I've never understood how come in the U.S. we seem to have only 'bars' , whereas in England and places aligned to same, they know how to have 'pubs'...such a difference! Last night one of the guys explained it like this," A pub is where you go to meet with and talk with people, and they sell liquor there. A bar is a place where they sell liquor, and often people are inside." Well, maybe it's not exact, but it sure feels pretty accurate....
So anyway, tomorrow I'll go to Chetumal and once again be in Mexico! I've managed to spend down my BZ dollars, and should cross the border with only pesos left....home soon now.....
2/7/12 Tuesday..Corozal...A day of rest for me...I went out for breakfast early, and then to the market for fruit and yogurt for tomorrow and the next day, then to my room to wash all the clothes I'd been wearing, take a shower, and drowse in front of the TV for the rest of the afternoon (very hot today)...only out now for dinner, then back to my room for the night...I can't decide whether to leave for Mexico tomorrow, or to stay one more day still resting. On the whole, I think I will stay...I feel pretty tired and not too inclined to be on the move again...that would still leave me 10 days to get to Isla Mujeres...it's funny to be at the end of this trip, with time suddenly getting short...it's been so long since a day or two or three has made any difference...now all of a sudden, increasingly....it does.
2/6/12 Monday...Corozal...Well, I'm back on the mainland now, returning to a town I've already spent some time in...and I have to say it's a relief! From now till I get on the plane, I'll be re-visiting places rather than going to new locations all the time, and I'm glad! It's been a long trip...I am frankly tired, and ready to be home...still, I think I will enjoy the re-visiting aspect of this part of the journey...and it will give me another look at just my 'favorite' places..and this is certainly one! It was a 40 minute journey in an open boat (!) today...it was harder and scarier (for me) to get into the boat, but it was also a much smoother ride than the larger covered boat they usually use. I had emailed the Sea Breeze to reserve a room, so it was ready when I got here, I sat and had a drink with the proprietor (Gwyn) and C.T., and Misty, regestered, and went out to my favorite restaurant here (Patty's Bistro) for a good dinner, walked over here to the internet cafe', after which I shall walk to the hotel, take a much needed hot shower, and watch TV till I fall asleep! Sounds like heaven to me! I'll stay here 2 or 3 days using up my Belize dollars, and then it will be back to Mexico for the slow winding trip home...I'll be glad to get back to Mexico too! So all is well.....
2/5/12 Sunday...Sarteneja...I have to admit this place grows on one...I think I've got the breakfast thing down now, which helps, and the weather's been great, and I keep meeting very nice people! So all in all, I'm glad I came here....it does take a bit of work to figure things out here because it isn't a tourist ghetto! So now that I can take care of myself here, I will finish my painting tomorrow morning, and I will leave on the 4:30pm water taxi to Corozal...where I will stay in the same hotel (the Sea Breeze), and start my return journey towards Cancun. It's hard to believe that I only have 18 more days to this journey, and those days will be spent backtracking through some of the places I've already been, seeing again, people who have become friends on this trip, and finally staying where I started in Isla Mujeres before comeing home! Too much to think about! Time for bed now...more later....
2/4/12 Saturday..Sarteneja...It's a glorious day here today! Sunshine, but a strong wind, so it's not too hot...I'm still painting from the terrace...and I'll still leave on Monday or Tuesday, but what a difference the weather makes! Also, I've met some nice people here, some travelers, and some people who live here, and some people who live here part-time...at this point in my journey, it's the people who are most important to me...I've heard of lots of other places I could visit here...but I'm not up for seeing just another place (even if it's beautiful) I'm mostly interested now in re-visiting some of the places I've been...mostly to see the people who have become friends...and then heading back home...I am looking forward to spending that last week in Isla Mujeres, just to swim and relax and get a last taste of that gorgeous raspberry blue water! In the meantime, I begin to enjoy Sarteneja (thank heavens!) and so onwards!....
2/3/12 Friday...Sarteneja...It rained all night and all morning till about 9ish...now it's settled down to a drizzle, so it's possible to go out a bit...looks like I will be here through the weekend, then either Corozal or Chetuamal/Lake Bacalar. Today however I will paint from the terrace of the hotel where I am staying, which fronts on the Bay here...there I will be out of the rain, and at least moderately comfortable (I have to sit on a picnic table to get the view...but Lord knows there are worse things!). I finally managed to get breakfast and a coffee to go (!), so life looks a bit more cheerful....more later....
2/2/12 Thursday..Sarteneja...moved to 'town' this afternoon...but I'm still not sure I want to stay...I dont really feel happy here, and can't seem to find proper restaurants or even fast food places, but the sea is beautiful, and light green in color, so perhaps I'll feel better about things here tomorrow, and maybe I'll be able to get fed, and begin to paint!
2/1/12 Wednesday...Still in the Backpackers Paradise...truth is I slept pretty well last night, and also I'm pretty tired today from yesterday's travels, so I will rest here at least one more day...then perhaps move to town...one of the things that makes me feel better today, is that when I finally came in for breakfast there was a nice Canadian couple here...they were just here for breakfast...and they invited me to sit with them (not many tables here, and we re all within the same age range), and Lyle and Paddy and I had a really nice conversation over breakfast...made me feel more peaceful about this place! Then this afternoon Paddy picked me up for an afternoon 'tour' of the area, including the local hotels,And I found a new hotel to move to! I already saw several views I might like to paint. The hotel will pick me up tomorrow and take me to my new digs...I'm kind of excited about having a new view of Sarteneja! ...the water was a beautiful color! I guess it's true what they say, "Location, location, location!"
1-31-12 Tuesday...Sarteneja...Well, here I am at the, -Backpackers Paradise-, and it doesnt seem so paradisical to me...at least its not for travelers of my age! Too far from town, doesnt have "views" to paint, so I will go elsewhere tomorrow, but that is likely to be beyond my budget, so I think I will return to Corozal for a bit before leaving Belize, and returning, rather thankfully to Mexico! More later...
1/30/12 Monday...Rained late last night again...and early tonight! ( -Will I ever get off this island?!). Last night, before the rain, I had dinner with a great group of people living in the same resort I am in. We sat outside at picnic tables and had grilled vegies with quinoa (Talia take note!) and some wonderful conversation about life and the universe. Afterwards we had strong hibiscus tea with honey...a good night was had by all! Today, I finished my painting (at least as much as I need from here). Tomorrow I plan to go to Sartenjea (sp?) a penninsula near here...I hope to spend the last of my non-traveling time there...if it's nice...so hope the weather holds for me! Or....I'll still be here....more tomorrow....
1/29/12 Sunday...I got up early this morning, and went to breakfast prepatory to going out painting...while I was in the 'Happy Lobster' cafe', it began to pour. And I mean pour! It rained cats and dogs for more than an hour and a half. The streets here are still puddles! Locals say the weather will stay like this for another 3 days...I was planning on leaving tomorrow, but truthfully I don't relish the idea of being in small boats on a sea like this...and with rain like this, so I'll just have to see what it looks like tomorrow...I may have to stay another day or two! At least the dust problem is settled! Also, I met the couple next door to me who live in Canada...very nice and interesting people, into healing herbs and such (Jamie I'm gathering info for you!)...so I will see if I can paint a bit now or a bit later...I did a small painting from the cafe' this morning of the view across the street, but I still have to finish the one I started two days ago! Best laid plans and all that....
1/28/12 Saturday Caye Caulker...about 8am...waiting to hear if Chrystal and Carolina have made it to this island! So far, no word...so I am off to paint...feeling a bit better, as I am keeping myself on Zyrtec! More later...I do have some things to say about this island, there are many charming things about it...for one thing it's 'cuteness' is not really 'tarted up'....though it does remind me of Newport Beach a bit...and most of the people are willing to be friendly, though they do have the aspect of humans who see too much tourism...ie. many of them pass one without so much as a look beyond the fact that one is not a known person...there are about 3,000, people who actually live here. And amongst themselves they mostly speak the local patois...which is a combo of English, Spanish and I guess some kind of French-ish music, with a spattering of (?) African? Or? thrown in...difficult to decipher, even for a natural language buff like me!.....More later...
1/27/12 Friday Caye Caulker...I started a painting today at the back of the island...so that means I'll be here for at least two more days...then, I don't quite know what...I'll have a better idea tomorrow...so I'll write more then...I've been having some trouble breathing here, and I think it's the dust (which is everywhere)...I do have an allergy to dust...so I took a pill in the middle of the night, and I am doing better today, but it kind of lets this place out for me.......more later......
1/26/12 Thursday Caye Caulker...I took the day off today...just stayed in my 'new' room and read and napped...I didn't have to go out for food because I bought a papaya yesterday, and some yogurt, and I had part of a loaf of bread and a bit of cheese and a tomato, plus water...that took me up to dinnertime, and I got some chinese take-out (hot and sour soup)...which I ate in the courtyard of my hotel...so getting to the computer is really my first excursion of the day! I needed the rest! After a day of travel to get here, no sleep the first night, moving hotels the next day, I had no desire to do anything! Maybe after a good night's sleep, I'll be ready to start one of these paintings tomorrow! Otherwise, it's off to Sarteneja for me, sooner than I thought!......
1/25/12 Caye Caulker....Well I had to change hotels today...so I was up early and out and about checking rooms and prices, because my hotel had a 10:30am checkout...I had to change because last night there was a group of young men sitting on the outside porch above my room and having a very good loud time of it...they were at it till about 3am...at 2am they began to sing....well, good for them, but I couldn't sleep, and I am past the time of life where I can handle that! So I am now around the corner, actually in a more comfortable room, costing about 2/3 of the first one! So I guess I should thank the guys!...I never would have moved otherwise! But it slowed me up by a day....so today I got settled...and hopefully tomorrow I can begin painting!
1/24/12 Tuesday Caye Caulker...Just arrived here about an hour and a half ago...I was taking a walk towards the 'best beach', and bumped into this internet cafe'...so I'm writing a small message to let you know I arrived safely! I arrived safely. That means that I got up at 5:30am in Corozal, gathered my stuff together, and walked 20min. to the municipal pier in order to catch a 7am ferry to Ambergris Caye, where I took a taxi across the island lickety-split to catch another ferry at 10am to Caye Caulker. Getting here at about 11am. Not too bad for a travelling day...then I found a hotel 'the Tropical Inn" for BZ50, breakfast (finally) for another 8BZ, and here I am! This place also sells ice cream...which sounds pretty good right now as I continue my scouting expedition towards the beach...more later.....
1/23/12 Corozal...Monday... The only internet cafe in town was closed over the weekend (!). I've been having a pretty good time here. It's pretty comfortable...but I'm not painting...so tomorrow early, I'll catch the 7am ferry to Ambergris Island, and from there another ferry to Caye Caulker...so if I'm out of touch for a couple of days,(I hope) it's because I'm getting settled, and finding the internet cafe there...that's my last stop this year before I begin wending my way back towards Cancun and home...I think about home a good deal these days, and about my daughters, (both pregnant now), and my friends and family and how I will be so glad to arrive to the miracle of all of you in my life!
Meanwhile, I'm still here, and hoping that I'll feel inspired on Caye Caulker....I've rested in Corozal, and met some wonderful people. As far as the people...it reminds me a bit of Puerto Morelos...a nice place to live, and or spend a couple of months a year....but I think I would need a car to explore enough to see if there were places I wanted to paint....and there are rumblings about it being somewhat dangerous to be in the hinterlands around here...ex."It's okay in town , but.....etc." So......
1/19/12 Corozal, Belize...Wow! This place is beautiful...sits on a bay...I'm staying at the Sea Breeze Hotel which fronts on the Bay...its so nice here...I've only been in town a couple of hours, and I've already met so many nice people! And everyone has been so kind and helpful. I got on the second class bus in Chetumal with some trepidation! I realize now that this was the first time I was making a land-crossing of a border in more than 16 years! But the driver's assistant in the bus helped me on and off with my bags whenever I had to move them, and another nice thing happened...I was talking to a lady on the bus, asking her a few questions, like, 'How much would a taxi cost just around town?", So when we got to the bus terminal, while the driver's assistant helped me down with my bags, a taxi driver came up and asked if I needed a cab...I said yes, and he grabbed my bag and went round the corner. I followed, and saw that there was another person in the cab...he plunked my suitcase in the trunk...and I went towards the cab, thinking it was some kind of 'colectivo'...like in Mexico...but no...it was my friend from the bus in the back seat! It turns out that this was a taxi that she had reserved for herself, and she sent him back to pick me up, so I would be safe! As if that wasn't enough...I only had 4 Belize dollars (there was no money changer that I could get to on the way), and the taxi ride was '5'---so she gave me a dollar so I could pay him! Then she told him to give me his phone number so if I need a reliable driver I can call him...as she uses him exclusively herself! Wasn't that a nice beginning?! Then the hotel had a room for me (which is not quite ready yet...so I'm wandering around a bit) for BZ40 (about 20US), and there was a nice restaurant around the corner where I could have breakfast looking at the sea...and they let me pay in pesos, 'cause I still had no BZ....I also met a very nice ex-pat couple, Dusty and Victoria, and before we parted, we exchanged emails, etc....that's not all of course, but it gives you an idea....so far, so good!.............
1/18/12 Chetumal...Got up this morning and after breakfast went to the Museum...it was good...but due to cutbacks, may of the electronic devices giving either information or glitze, didn´t work. And many of the carvings and Stelae are copies (which don´t do it for me). Afterwards I had a word with the site manager and we talked about what is ´missing´. But! (and this was a big ´but´for me!), what they do have in two separate places are pages from the actual codices!!! At one point, I was in tears looking at them...they have pages from the Madrid, the German, and one or two from the Paris Codice. Wow! That was terrific to see, and for my money, (M59) worth it! I only wish they had even one better description of a page...then I went to the bookstore...where I found a book on the Glyphs...but it`s in Spanish, and pretty intense technical reading...I come away with a pretty fierce desire to learn to read the glyphs...maybe I can find something in English in the States....I know the numbers...at least the easy ones...those pages were fascinating! One showed a crocidile with fish in it`s stomach, and a man´s head in it´s open mouth...the pictures and glyphs around it described what looked like various weather states, and each had pictures of the fish (some sad, some happy, some dangerous looking) it looked like a kind of yearly manual describing the liklihood of catching various species given differing weather at different times of the year. The book pages are also smaller than I thought they would be...but the pictures are wonderful, and the painting is deciperable for me which is part of what was so moving for me....my admission is good all day, I may go back this afternoon! Otherwise, it`s back to the hotel for showers, TV, lite reading, naps, and probably a take-out sandwich and soda lunch in my room.....maaaybe some detailed work on paintings in the afternoon (if I don´t go back to the museum), an early night, and an early start in the morning to Corozal, Belize (!)....
1/17/12 Tuesday..Chetumal..I had a lovely morning in Lake Bacalar, Christal, who is managing the Casita Carolina, invited me to breakfast, and made us papaya and banana with yogurt and granola...and we talked while different guests came in and out...two young women came (Aura and Isabelle) hoping to engage the hotelito for Aura`s wedding...and in the process of talking, they heard I was coming to Chetumal, and they offered me a ride which I accepted! We left the hotel, and toured several other places in the area where they needed to check to see if they would be suitable for Aura`s wedding. Sweet ladies...by the time we left the second place, I was sharing my opinion (how like me, huh?) as to which place would be best...when we arrived in Chetumal, Isabelle went to some trouble to drop me at my hotel...and I felt like I had a new friend...what a nice way to enter a new city! Tomorrow I will visit the nearby Museum of Mayan Artifacts..then the next day I think I will be off to Belize (!). I took a taxi to the `nuevo mercado`where the buses to Belize leave, and where one can buy tickets! Wish me luck!
1/16/12 Monday...Still Lake Bacalar...I was going to leave this morning...but my room was suddenly available again, so I`m staying another night! This gives me a chance to finish the last of the 5 paintings I did here! I think I can get an oil out of the five of them! So that`s two oils so far from this trip! Pretty good...if I can get it up to 5, I`ll have enough for a year`s work, which would be great! Meanwhile, yesterday`s boat ride took a while to get started due to engine trouble...I nearly backed out, not being a great `boat`person anyway...but I went...we saw some beautiful lakefront houses on the way to a lovely resort where we had breakfast...this was one of those `magazine`places with fantastic cabañas on the water (perfect honeymoon stuff) and yoga lessons under the two story palapa on the water, etc., we just had breakfast looking at the beautiful light turquoise water...then we left..I learned more than I wanted to know about the Spanish fort, the channels to the sea, the presence of crocodiles, etc. before we stopped to `swim`---I stayed in the boat thank you just the same...and then spray coated and wind worn, we buzzed back to Casita Carolina. Incidently, if any of you are planning on visiting here, I highly recommend it, and highly also recommend this hotelito! It`s just lovely here, and hard to leave! This place definitely stays on my list! ...And yet...I am definitely off to Chetumal tomorrow (!) to continue this odessy towards Belize! Plus, I am writing a book! I can hardly believe it myself, but for those brave souls who can stand it, you can read my beginnings under the `writings`button on this blog! The book is a handbook for learning to paint and draw (!) The idea came to me in a dream (where I believe so many good ideas start). I write whole passages in my head while I am doing other things...so far what is written here, came out of only one (!) session at the computer! Who knew I had so much to say about it! I won`t write today, but I have a whole section drafted in my head on pencils. It`s kind of amazing to me! Well, if you read it and have my email address, I`d dearly love to hear any comments...more later...
1/14/12 Saturday...I went to the party last night...great evening...margaritas and fajitas...and a fun group of people most of whom live around here...I was up too late, and didn`t get out this morning till about 6:30am...but I got quite a bit done before I was invited to go out to breakfast and swim in the nearby ´Cenote azul´, so I quickly changed and just came back from there...I`ll go back for a shower and a snooze while the sun is at it`s zenith...tomorrow I´m invited for a breakfast boat tour of the lake with the same crowd...I tell you one could get used to this life very easily! I may have to pospone leaving here for another day or two at this rate! More later....
1/13/12 Friday Lake Bacalar...I am presently working on 5 (!) paintings at this place! I can hardly believe it myself! I was up at 5am this morning and down at the lakefront by 6am to begin today. Three are ´large´(11 x 14") and two are about 5 x 7...but still...it´s a lot of work to finish by the 16th! Still, I´m at it! So that´s good! Tonight I´m invited to dinner by the hotel manager...it´s to be a party with many of the expats from around here, so that should be fun!
I want to try to enter some of the photos I am taking into this blog...so I will try to bring my camera next time...it´s another lovely day here...this could definitely be a place to come back to!
1/12/12--Thursday Lake Bacalar...Well, I am now staying at ´Casitas Carolina´ on the lake, and it´s a charming place...beautiful property going right down to the lake, with a long dock leading out over the water to a small hut where one can enter the water...very nice. I have the smallest, and cheapest room! But it took several days to get it! First there was the trailer, then I had to change hotels for two nights...which I spent in a very basic hostel, before my room was free for the next six days! So it was a bit of a slog, but I am comfortable now, and working on 3 paintings there so far...there are two more I would like to do, but I don´t know if I will have the time as I have to be out by the 16th! Still, things are always better when I´m painting! I´m not exactly sure what will happen next...I will go to Chetumal next, the capital city of the Yucatan, and the border crossing for Belice. I will stay in Chetumal for a couple of days (they have a not-to-miss museum of Mayan artifacts). Then I guess I will head into Belice...somehow I feel a bit anxious about that...new country and all, just when I´ve gotten used to this one! But they speak English there (Carribean/British sort)....so I guess it will be all right... I confess to being a little travel weary, and begin to have looking-forward-thoughts of home...well that´s good I guess, and if Belice is interesting, I´m sure I will enjoy it...I just don´t want to have many more hard traveling days for a while! But meanwhile, it´s a beautiful day here, I had a good morning painting, and now I will go back to my room for a rest. Later, I may start one of those óther paintings, and have a swim...yesterday I took a taxi to the ´Blue Cenote´ which was very like a large lake...good swimming! It made for a nice afternoon, but I have to stay close to ´home´for the next few days in order to be able to finish the work I´ve started. Last night I went to one of my favorite restaurants here, ´La Maison´, the owner is a nice young man named Daniel...his wife is pregnant, and due about the time that Talia is due...anyway, we talk about lots of things,and I brought the 9 paintings I´ve done to show him...anyway, I met some other ex-pats there who invited me to sit with them, and I ended up showing them my paintings also...they were very complimentary...and we all had a good time! More later......
1/7/12 Lake Bacalar...Yesterday I woke up in Mahahual. I got up at 6:30am. Took a shower. Got dressed and packed up what little I had unpacked and trudged my stuff out to the ´street´(really a sandy track), where I sat for about an hour and a half, waiting for the one bus that comes daily through there and goes to Xchalak. I got on the bus, and for 50pesos I had a ride of about one and a half hours through seaside jungle scrub to get to the ´town´. Then the bus parked about half a kilometer from ´town´, and the driver got down, and said he would be back at 2pm. for the return trip. I dragged my suitcases about a quarter of a mile, when someone stopped, introduced himself as Bob, and said he heard I was looking for hotel ´Casa Carolina´...he said he was the owner, and he had one room left for $75US. (This is too steep for my blood). I said I couldn´t do that...and he offered to drive me back to the center of ´town´anyway...very nice of him, and very much appreciated by me. Now I had set some store on arriving inthis place, and finding it the ´town of my dreams´...which it certainly wasn´t! It is very tranquil, and I was told there are beautiful spots to see (which I don´t doubt)...but what I could see was a few small shops, fewer restaurants, on a dirt road with ramshakle houses and falling down abandoned properties. And everyone has a car or a motorbike to get from one place to another. I realized it would take me about a month to understand and appreciate the place, and I would have to have a car besides. I did check at the hotel in town (the first time I went in there was no one there at all! I walked straight through to the kitchen and towards the back yard, everything was open! ). The prices were okay--not cheap 350M, but the rooms were depressing...the woman was very sweet though, and let me leave my luggage in a room without taking any money for it! I offered, but she said it wouldn´t be bothering her and no one would disturb it, and she was right! Meanwhile, I hadn´t had breakfast, and it was fast approaching lunch time, when the restaurant would open. So I walked around a bit, and confirmed my desire to leave with the bus at 2pm. I had a fish burger with fries at Toby´s restaurant (delicious!) along with several conversations, of the ´where-are-you-from-what-are-you-doing-here´variety with the young men working there. After which I moved to the chair in front of the hotel, and sat with my luggage for another hour or so till the bus came back to pick me up. Then there was the same ride back to Mahahual, and a further hour to get to the main road. (No bathroom on this bus by the way, and I missed the one bathroom stop he made by not recognizing what was going on as lots of sellers of food got on at the same time). So the ride went on and on...the driver said he could drop me at the road that leads to Lake Bacalar where there were taxis...frankly I was filled with much trepedation (sp?) at this point, as it was past 5:30pm by then, and I had no reservation, and no idea what the town was like or what the taxi would cost, etc.---but I did have the name of a hotel that I had researched, ´Casita Carolina´, and there was a taxi, and he took me to the hotel-ito...and they had one last room...a small trailer really, just on the edge of the lake...which I gratefully took, and is where I spent the night! All of which is to give you an idea of what traveling can be like when things don´t go the way one would like...meanwhile, I am exhausted, and will spend the next three days recouping/resting as much as possible...there are problems with the hotel as well, but I won´t go into that now...suffice to say I have a place to sleep tonight, and again three nights from now...I will sort out the rest today...I feel good here, I took my laundry to a laundromat service this morning, I had breakfast, and am wandering around town a bit, including finding this place.....where I will return to write more later!
1/5/12 Still Mahahual but now about 5pm. I am back in the internet cafe´, with a story....when I wrote earlier the cruise tourists were still here, I walked back to my cabin....and checked out what the food and water options were around there...nothing to write home about....so I left to walk back to town. I met two people on the way one of whom was carrying a 5 liter bottle of water (something I needed). So I asked where I could buy one, and they gave me some directions. So I continued walking till I got to the corner where the store was supposed to be...there was no store visible. But near the corner, a young man was doing something around his truck, so I asked politely if he knew where the store was. He(his name is Fidel) asked what I wanted to buy, I told him, and he offered to drive me there and back. I said no, it wasn´t necessary, but he insisted, and I asked him why he wanted to offer so much to a stranger. He said he could see I had a good heart. I cannot adequately explain how this touched me. I accepted, and told him it was he that had a good heart...and we drove, not too far to the store. I bought my water, and I told him that I wanted to come to the internet store, and then to eat something, but that later, I would come to his house and show him the paintings I have done up till now. It turns out that he is an aspiring painter, and we had a bit of that kind of conversation before parting. He also told me about a cheap good place to eat (where I will go after this). And here´s the clincher....as he was driving away he said to me, ´Thanks to God that you exist!´..at which point tears came to my eyes....
1/5/12 Thursday..Mahahual...Here I am, all the way from Tulum this morning! it´s still only 3pm here, but I am ensconced in the ´Cabañas del Doctor´ in Mahahual, and tomorrow morning at 8am (or thereabouts) hopefully, I will be standing on the little road outside the Cabañas waiting for the one daily bus that goes toXclack...a small village at the end of the peninsula that is supposed to be quiet and beautiful and again hopefully, I will feel like staying, and painting! Otherwise, I will be off to Chetumal, and then Lake Bacalar! Meanwhile I am here. And at the Sea again...this is a strange environment...very expensive, it´s set up to be a place where large tour boats come in for an afternoon, and then depart. So its very busy right now, but locals say that about 4pm they all go back to the ships, and it´s very quiet. So I´ll see tonight...but the water is pretty good (not as good a color as Isla Mujeres yet!) so I have hopes for Xclack! I may stay around for another day if I can´t get up early enough...but probably I will keep going! Anyway this is kind of a strip mall town with lots of selling of tourist crap going on, and not much else attractive visible...having said that I am actually sitting in a nice internet cafe (the only one in town) about 5 blocks (along the beachfront) from my hotel, and it´s an actual cafe, and it looks like they have good food too! So I might eat here after I finish this...
1/4/12 Wednesday morning....Yesterday, I saw the ruins at Coba´---very interesting...but a lot of trouble to get there, and lots of bus tourists on day trips in groups of up to 30, either walking with a guide or on bicycles...its a big site that covers about 5 square miles...I took a ´bike taxi´ which consisted of a very nice young man who pedaled the bike, while I sat in the front on a foam covered bench built over the bike...it cost M100 for a trip to the main pyramid and back (about a mile plus each way)...so it was great for me, as I wouldn´t have made it all the way there without him! The ruins were about a mile from my hotel as it was! And they were very interesting...still not as spectacular as Chichen Itza! I did not climb to the top of the big pyramid! I poked around at many of the sites, the observatory here is particularly beautiful...my guide took a picture of me in front of it...the ball court was a small one and there was another small one about a mile away, which leads me to suspect that Coba is really a collection of small towns grouped around the central great structures...the most facinating thing I saw here was that you can still see the beginning of the raised roadway that used to lead from Coba to Chichen Itza (think yellow brick road here)...it is now a platform about two feet high, with trees growing out of the top, but the beginning of the road is still squared off, and it´s direction is perfectly aligned with the front of the observatory...it brought tears to my eyes to see it. Those roadways used to connect all the major towns (sic ruins) and they were smooth white stuccoed surfaces about 10 feet wide, enableing people to transport themselves and goods fairly easily throughout what is otherwise dense scrub jungle requireing a machete to pass through even today....
1/2/12 Monday...in Coba´now...Wow! That´s the first time I am writing 2012! It´s really here, the New Year...so fast! And this is the one that the Maya say will be definitive! I was talking to some Maya in Valladolid the other day, and they were saying that the prophecy that they have suggests that what will come, will be a huge Tsunami, that covers the Yucatan, on or about 12/21/12. This is according to a prophet who lived a bit more than 500 years ago...well, if we`re lucky, we´ll see...
Meanwhile, I was in the pueblo of Ek Balam over the New Year...staying at Genesis Resort, and working on sparking up the mural they have on the front of the hotel...finishing it up in spots...and touching it up in others...also adding a part which required me to hang out a second story window and reach as far as I could to paint some leaves and palm fronds surrounding the window...intensive work! I hope the owner, Lee, really likes what I did (she says she loves it)...Lee had more projects in mind for me, and I could have stayed longer, but after all, I have my own agenda, so I am out and about again...
Coba´ is much less of a town than any so far...a more primative ´road-side strip town´than Tulum...though one could see it developing in that direction if the ruins here begin to attract more tourist attention...having said that, I arrived here at about 1:00pm. I shared a taxi from Ek Balam (Genesis) with a German girl I met there, her name is Sylvia, and she wanted to see the ruins here too, so it was a good deal, because that way it only cost a bit more than it would have to first take a taxi to Valladolid, and then take a bus to Coba´...all the while lugging my bags with me! So we have each taken a room in the ¨Sac-be¨ Hotel ---the room looks clean enough. has a bath attached, and if there are no bed-bugs, (my current bottom line!) I will be happy enough for a day or two...before heading back to Tulum to connect up with a ride south.....anyway, Sylvia and I had a very nice buffet lunch here at a restaurant which faces the lake here (lake includes crocodiles...haven´t seen any yet). and I left her to walk around, while I am here writing....I will go back to my hotel for a nap after this, and perhaps meet Sylvia later...she goes further north tomorrow...
Tomorrow I will go to the ruins here...they are supposed to rent seats on ´pedi-bikes´ in order to tour the ruins...which I will do, as the ruins here cover several miles(!)...I have to remember to take my camera! Did I mention that English spelling looks very strange to me right now? I often have to come back to a word I have typed in order to add or subtract a letter(!)...I think it´s a result of all the Spanish!....More later......
12=31=11 Saturday..Happy New Year tonight! I hope it is all great for all of us! I am presently staying at a small eco'resort called Genesis (look it up on the internet) in the small village of Ek Balam...I am doing a work exchange for room and board , by helping to finish a mural which covers the outside of the hotel. I´ll be here another two or three days working before I head off to Coba...to see more ruins, and perhaps to paint there...meanwhile, my access to this computer is limited, so I don´t know if I will be able to write again till I leave here...soooo,,,,meanwhile, Happy New Year! Love to all1
12/28/11 Wednesday...Well, I finished what I could at the cenote today..I still feel unsure about the painting, but whatever I need to do, concerns the painting now, not the scene, so I will leave it for a while, and give myself a chance to gain some distance/perspective before I do anything else to it. I found an email address for a hotel I am interested in, in Coba. I sent off a message, I`ve been trying to reach them by phone for the last few days with no success! It´s a bit frustrating...meanwhile, I am mostly packed to leave here...I have two outfits left out...I wash the ´day´outfit each time I wear it and it drys by the next morning! The évening´outfit, I was every other day, as the nights are much cooler....Tomorrow I will go to the town of Ek Balam, and that will be my last commitment here...I will leave the day after I have decided...if I cannot clinch a hotel from here, I will leave in the early morning, and try to arrange something as I arrive...worst case senario, I will take the bus back to Tulum, and catch a ride south from there...(I´m hoping for a hotel!).
12/27 Tuesday...Another day at the cenote..I think I will have to go back tomorrow again, just to finish the painting I am working on...even though it will be 4 days---and I said I didn´t want to do more than 3 anywhere...but this one is worth it I think...it´s interesting...for myself, I cannot choose the spots I paint---they either move my heart or they don`t...and I cannot tell from the start, which paintings will end up being extraordinary...some will, some won´t. This one may be. So it´s worth another day. And another day here in Valladolid....meanwhile, I had to change rooms again....there were little tiny ants that would come out in the night and eat me! Their bites were very hot! So I changed last night, and slept well again. I´m not sure if I mentioned at all that I had changed rooms once, because the hot water didn´t work in my room. But I did...I was kidding with the staff that by the time I leave, I will have checked out numerous rooms there! Other than that, I´ve been having trouble getting ahold of the ´hotels` in Coba---there are only two...and I´m a little nervous about going there with no reservation...it would probably be all right, but on the other hand.....so I´ll try to look them up on the internet tonight after I finish writing, and see if I can make some intelligent progress! Also I have to send an email to Genesis, and let them know that I will (try to) visit on Thursday...Then I am finished here...3 paintings done, and the holidays past, so I can get on with the ordinary dimensions of this voyage...I can´t quite believe that I still have about 2/3 of this trip left to do! Onwards!....
12/25/11 Sunday...Quiet here all of a sudden! I thought there might be festivities, but nearly everything is shut down! The town seems to have emptied out overnight! The streets are empty! Of course most of the stores are closed. Thank heavens the internet cafe is open! Last night I organized `tips/presents`for the staff of the hotel where I am staying...there are 12 people working there, so I gave each person M20 ( the smallest bill that I could get). I know it´s not much, but I made small envelopes for each person, and painted a couple of holly leaves and berries on each envelope to say thank you for all the help they have been to me (I´ve been there nearly a month after all!)...I think they were touched by the thought--and it was nice for me to have some `gifts`to make, and some people to give them to...while I am so far from home....
This morning I walked through the nearly empty streets to the ´best restaurant in town´(guidebooks)...what they do have is the best coffee in town! Come to think of it, it`s not a bad deal all round...They serve fresh orange juice, a couple of eggs (as you like), toast, and an endless pot of their very good coffee for M90 (including tip). The exchange rate right now is about 13.6US to 1M. And I get to sit at a small table overlooking a small garden square with a fountain in the middle...really very pleasant...
I am getting ready to leave here though...today I cleaned out my roller suitcase, prepratory to packing it up. I`m also trying to weed out a few things so as not to be traveling with my bags packed soooo full! Still I have a few days to wait...I started another painting at the Cenote yesterday...so that means another two days here at least...maybe three...then I want to visit the town of Ek Balam before I leave here (that`s another day), and I have to make reservations someplace before I move! So I made a small `timeline´for myself from my larger itinery... and after I finish writing this, I will try to make a few phone calls from here and see what I can arrange! More later......
12/23/11 Friday...Today I was going to take a `field trip`to Ek Balam (the town not the ruins) so I got up early, packed my day pack, including umbrella (!) and set off....however, Life intervened...as it usually does! There was no one else interested in going today! So I changed my plans, went back to my hotel, packed up my painting bag, including my umbrella, and set off for the Cenote. This was about 9:30 this morning. Since I was going anyway....I took the painting I had been working on, as well as new paper for the next one. Well, I ended up working all the time on the first painting! I think it was worth it, I`m happier now with what I have than I was this morning! By the time I left (around 1:00) it was drizzling a bit so I put up my umbrella and walked to the square...where I had lunch. As I sat down (restaurant with the arches overlooking the park), the sky just opened up! I don`t think we have a proper word for how much rain came down nearly all at once! `Poured`doesn´t seem to be intensive enough! Anyway, it was nice to sit there looking at the park, eating my cooked vegetable salad, and drinking a cup of hot tea while the rain came (down in buckets?!). By the time I was finished, the sun came out again, and I could walk here quite comfortably. I don´t think I`ll try to go to Ek Balam now until after Christmas...the town just keeps filling up! And I think travel anywhere right now is too dicey! Oh Well.....I am beginning to look at my ìtinery, to see what I think would be good next...
12/22/11 Thursday...Well, even in the hinterlands of inner Yucatan, things are ´hotting up´for the holidays! Right now, as I am sitting here at the internet cafe, I can hear a band practicing in the park across the street...and the town has been filling up day by day...so that now the streets are more crowded, the hotels more full, and there are lines at the restaurants in the municipal bazar(!). I am definitely staying put here till after Christmas...maybe till after the first of the year, though that will mean I will have been here in Valladolid about a month! Still, I`m not sitting on my hands! I went to the Cenote today, early , and took a swim before settling down to paint...I pretty much finished the one I was working on....I mean I still have some work to do, but I just need the painting for that...sooo, I guess I´ll start the other view tomorrow...it just occurs to me that with both views, I may have enough for a large oil...which would be the first of the crop! Good news I guess...It rained a bit as I was leaving the cenote today...luckily I had my umbrella! So a walk in the rain, and a stop for `Lime Soup` before heading back to the hotel for a needed rest! A quick word about Lime soup...if I haven`t said so before...it`s delicious! Picture a steaming bowl of hearty chicken soup with fresh tomatoes, cilantro and lots of lime juice and you´ve got the idea! It`s one of my all time favorites here! And just the day for it! But its not cold guys...just a bit rainy now and then. Last night was the shortest night of the year...here or there...so I took myself out for Italian food to celebrate! Anything outside of the usual culinary offerings is much more expensive of course...but it was worth it! I had a glass of Perrier, a salad (beautiful) and some wonderful cheese ravioli with a spinach/tomato sauce. Yum! Come to think of it...a word about vegetables and how lucky we are to have the huge variety we do...I miss that. And I am happy to be in the part of the year...here or there...where every day is a little bit longer...it cheers me up no end!
By the way, yesterday, as I was leaving the Cenote, I ran into the young woman (Maria) I was talking to at lunch the other day...and after yaking about this and that, she asked me what I was doing for Christmas (= nothing) and invited me to join her in what she is doing...she´s supposed to contact me by email, and I haven´t heard yet, so maybe nothing will come of it, but still, it was nice to be proffered the invitation! Well, it`s dinner time here...so more later.......
12/20/11 Tuesday..Kind of a slow day, I got up late (around 10am) due to watching ÈT`in Spanish on TV till 12pm. (!) Not my usual style...but I was upset...it may sound silly, but I was having a problem getting hot water in my room! There have been several days in the past week, where there were `hot water incidents`. I won`t list all of them, suffice it to say that yesterday, when I got home from the Cenote at about 4pm, I would have liked to take a shower....there was no hot water. I called the front desk. They said they would get to it right away. There was no hot water at 5pm, none at 5:30pm, at 6pm, I went storming down to the front desk, steam coming out of my ears, ranting and raving about you-know-what! The owner of the hotel was there, (a nice man with whom I`ve had several pleasant conversations). They sent me back to my room saying don`t worry hot water will arrive! No hot water at 6:30pm, at 7pm a trickle of luke-warm water arrived, and I made do...but it left me feeling badly treated, without knowing why, or if I had done something to offend the guy who turns the hot water on! So I was up late, and slept somewhat restlessly. This morning, I was thinking about what to do, feeling frustrated and uncomfortable, and maybe like I should change hotels...anyway I went to the front desk to pay for the room for tonight, and the owner was there, and he told me that in fact they were having some kind of technical problem with the hot water in that room, and he wanted to change me to another, so I would be comfortable, and they could set about fixing what was wrong! I cannot tell you how relieved I was! First that the problem was technical, and not personal! Second, that they had considered my needs and figured out how to get me more comfortable right away! But the upshot of all of this is that even though I had my pack, and was ready to paint today, I had to move rooms this morning before I went out, and by the time I finished `breakfast` it was past noon, and the walk to the Cenote would have been too hot, and the light would have shifted too much, so I`m dumping painting today, and I`ll start tomorrow more at my usual time....the interesting thing is that I made an email connection with a resort near here (in Ek Balam) it`s called `Genesis^,,,I don´t know if I`ve mentioned it before...owned by a Canadian couple...one of the èco`resorts around, and really past my budget, but I want to see what they have there, and as we´ve been emailing, Lee (the owner) just sent me an email suggesting that we might trade, as she needs some help finishing a mural there...funny, the last mural I did was on the dining room wall of the American Ambassador to Singapore!....so I guess I could handle it....
12/19/11 Today I walked to Cenote Zaci, here in Valladolid, and guess what! It turned out to be just what I am looking for! Beautiful, and about halfway open, so there`s enough light to paint by, Yea! I took a swim, and began a painting, tomorrow I`ll go back and hopefully really be able to get some work done! On the way out, I saw another view I`d like to paint, and between the two, that would keep me busy for about six days, which is about what I need! It`s amazing really how things work, this Cenote, which I dismissed in favor of those further away and more famous, thus more expensive to get to and to get into, turns out to be just what I was looking for...and its within walking distance (about 1k) and only cost 15M for a ticket! I`m so glad I finally tried it!
I also was able to contact the lady from Genesis Retreat in Ek Balam (finally!) by email, so maybe I`ll be able to stay there for a few days before departing for Coba...Anyway, it`s being a good day. And, I stopped in for a cold drink(Tamarand!) at the Bazar on my way `home`, and ran into a girl who works around here, and we talked about lots of things while having `lunch`. Now I will go to the hotel, wash all my clothes, take a shower, and climb into bed to rest for a while, and peruse what`s on TV...I don´t know if I`ll go out tonight or not...
12/18/11 Sunday...Yesterday I went to the Dtzinup Cenote...first I took a colectivo, then there was a choice about which cenote to go to, there are two close together. I chose the more famous one, which was a long walk to get to, and then a series of kind of scary stone steps cut down into the earth, to finally arrive at a large-ish area with ropes and lifesaving devices hung around poles. Not too many people were there when I arrived (about 9:30am), I was wearing my swimming suit, so I stripped down and got in. Now up till that time, I have to confess, I was feeling like the whole outing had been a miss. But the water was simply lovely! I had a nice time swimming around, had some good conversation with a woman and her daughter who were visiting from another part of Mexico...I managed to change back into my clothes right there after swimming(for which ability I will ever be grateful to my English friends!)---and then I went up to the outside to catch a `colectivo taxi`back to Valladolid....except there aren´t any...which means they wanted me to take a taxi (by myself) which would have cost me M80 instead of M15...it´s a bit of a scam they have going, and it made me a bit mad...so while I was´discussing´this with one of the drivers, a Mayan woman walked by me, held up her hand, and a car stopped for her. She said as she passed me that she was going to Valladolid, and nodded towards the car (which looked pretty full to me, and was unmarked)....I approached, and asked if there was room...the driver said, `Hay algo`, which means, `there`s something`, and is kind of funny in Spanish.....so I got in, and off we went. As he pulled away the taxi driver and the driver of my car had one of those silent hand/facial motion arguments that essentially said, ´What the....are you doing?!` My driver responded in kind with a ¨it`s only got to do with me, not you¨ , and we went on our way. There were six of us in the car. Me and a variety of Maya from the nearby village. It was a 20 minute ride to the city, and we had time to have some interesting discussions...like how sad they are that the Mayan language is disappearing. We all agreed that it was very important for them and for the children to keep as much of the culture as they can, but it`s hard, there is a lot of poverty amongst the Maya, and not much support from any direction to keep the culture/customs alive...even while interest in the ancient Maya is booming! Anyway, we got to the town, and most of us got out...the driver wouldn´t take any money from the villagers, or even from me! He said he had been going into town anyway...I don´t know if I can sufficently share with you how touched I was by this. It brought tears to my eyes, and I know I will remember that young man all my life. It isn´t about the money. It`s true, he saved me M80 if I would have taken a taxi by myself, but that´s not the point. It was that he treated me like the others, like a friend, a known person. That was what brought the tears. Anyway, it is morning now, and I am going to go and change my book at the youth hostel, then, I think I will go for a swim at my hotel. Or first, one of the `poor-man`s´tours...ie. a round trip on a local colectivo, just to see the neighborhood! But a quiet day, while I think about what I want to do next. The sad part about the Dtzinup cenote, was that I didn´t want to paint there at all, which means that so far, in this location, I`ve done only one painting....begins to make me feel a bit grumbly....
12/16/11 Friday...On Thursday I went to a private house owned by the Venados family, which houses the finest collection of Mexican folk art that I have ever seen! Not to mention that the house itself is beautiful and this is a tour that anyone can take, whether the family is in residence or not! I think they are also on the web, so you could look them up and see part of it on the internet...very interesting place/people! It was a long tour however...they have sooo much art everywhere...and I was pretty exhausted by the end of it so I went back to my hotel for lunch/rest, and ended up staying in for the rest of the night...then I didn`t sleep very well, so I woke tired this morning and feeling a little under the weather...so I stayed very close to home today...I did visit the local youth hostel this morning, and I will go back to that area after finishing this tonight because there may be some kind of dance performance near there. Anyway it is a beautiful hostel, laid out with lots of tropical gardens in between everything...but I`m not going to stay there...my hotel gives me more. (Yea! Hotel Zaci!) Tomorrow, (Lord willing and the creek don`t rise!) I`ll try to visit the famous Dztinup Cenote (that`s pronounced, `tzee-nup`for all you purists), and see if I want to paint there....otherwise ....options abound, but most in this area are off any beaten track I investigated before I came...soooo.....
12/14/11 Wednesday..Yesterday I finished my painting in the park..I think it came out pretty good...That was really all I did yesterday...I ended up sending off some emails early in the day, doing my painting, having a meal at lunch, and going back to my hotel to rest from the 3hr walking tour of the day before! This morning, I set off to get to Ek Balam, a ´new´or rather newly exposed/discovered (1996) Mayan city. Getting there involved connecting with a kind of longish distance collective taxi...I got one about 9am. today, and was at the ruins by about 9:30! I walked all over, thank heavens it is still a place where you can go inside, climb up to the top of buildings, etc. ! No sense of Disneyland here! Another really interesting thing is that it is a site that they are still ´developing´, that is to say that there is a big building/temple? that they were in the midst of excavating while I was there! About 70 people are working on it presently...They were in the process of constructing a thatch roof over some large carvings of some of the ancient kings of that place, and due to the ability of archiologists to deciper the writings, they even know the names of the individuals who are represented! Pretty amazing stuff I think! I couldn´t get myself to climb up to the top of the highest bldg....after all...I am in my seventieth year! And I remember so clearly climbing to the top of the pyramid at Chichen Itza in 1964! And that´s about 4 stories high! (What I remember quite clearly is how terrifying it was to climb down!) I did climb about one story high on another bldg facing the ball court today.....and that was enough for me! Of course I clambered all over the lower steps and went inside as many places as I could! I´m glad I went, and glad I went early! Because by the time I was leaving, about 11:30, there were suddenly many groups of tourists arriving and crowding the place up! Now, here´s the really interesting part of the day....so I walked out, stopping to take a photo with a young man dressed (so he assured me) as a traditional Maya would have been dressed at the time when Ek Balam was a functioning city! Then I entered the small rotunda that serves as a place to buy tickets, drinks, go to the bathroom, etc. there are seats inside where one can be out of the sun. So I picked a bench that looked out over the landscaping that forms the entrance. There was a man sitting there also. We started to talk (Spanish of course). He asked me if I was a guide at that site (flattery) I thanked him and said no. I told him more or less what I am doing here in Mexico. He told me that he is a driver of the bicycle taxis that take people to the Cenote that is on the same site as the ruins. He is Mayan, and lives in a small village near Ek Balam. When I explained that I was looking for a place that I could come back to year after year, he told me that he thought I could find a house to rent in his village quite cheaply. I told him that I need to be in a community where I could contribute something, not just receive. He said they could use teachers of English, and that he thought if I would give classes, the community would supply me with food. I don´t know if I can explain to you the experience of having one´s fate cross in front of one. But that was what it was like. We talked about it, the feeling I mean, he told me he is always there at the ruins, and if I was interested, I should come there next year (if I can make it as I said) and he will take me around, and show me some places I could live in if I like. And we spoke about the sensation of a crossing of potential futures that might be good for so many more people that he and I. About how a casual/accidental (?) meeting might provide some kind fitting of many needs. A sense of (at least potential) destiny.
Thinking about it now, I realize that I have been obsessed by the Maya since I was about 12 years old. I discovered a book in the library on the Maya, and was so fascinated that I ordered everything they had and read volumes about the culture long before I came here. Also, I made it my business to get here by the time I was 24, when no one was here except the archiologists and the Maya of course! At that time, Cancun didn´t exist. Nothing was here except the jungle and the Maya living in it. The closest one could get was Merida..and one had to fly in...there were virtually no roads (except those the archiologists hacked out), there was one road to Chichen Itza, made of shell/gravel (where it was paved at all) the road was like a washboard, and it took 3 hours of that bumpy travel just to reach the site....not to mention that it took us (Saul and I) about 3 days to find anyone who was willing to make the trip! Most people couldn´t understand why we wanted to go! ´´There´s nothing to see there but a bunch of old stones´, seemed to be the general opinion...what a contrast with the present! And now this...well, it´s not the kind of community I was thinking of when I was back in the states...I did want to be by water...but somehow, at least today, I am struck with a sense that destiny may have me in her grip!....more later....
12/12/11 Monday...Happy Birthday Lisa! There is a big celebration here in town for your birthday! Well, actually it`s for `La Virgin de Guadalupe`, but they had the sense to hold it on your day! There have been groups of kids, all wearing the same kind of T-shirt, on bikes with flags at the back, some with balloons, or flowers, all with some kind of siren (!)...they ride around the square, also trucks and cars with same, groups with different shirts from all over the Yucatan, come to pay their respects to the Virgin, in the Church I am painting. It`s all kind of exciting...last night there was supposed to be a big dance celebration, but it was rained out, so it was nice to see the celebration undaunted tonight! Meanwhile, today I took a walking tour around the city. It was offered for free by the city of Valladolid, and consisted of two young university students, studying `tourism`. They walked me around for about three hours (my limit!) and told me many interesting things. One of the pleasantest stops, was at a Mayan `choclateria`...or a place where they are beginning to make chocolate in the original Mayan way. I treated my guides to a drink of traditionally made chocolate drink(=beans+honey+chili+water), served in native gourd cups. It was delicious! Then we had a tour with an demonstration of how chocolate is made from the original seed pod, to various finished products, with taste tests all along the way! (my kind of tour!). So I bought some. They also had some actual ´chicle´, the original stuff that chewing gum is made from, just as it comes from the tree (a process a bit like maple syrup or rubber)...so I bought some. (I`m chewing it now...it`s interesting, not quite like gum, a bit more elastic and seems to go on forever... When I got back to my hotel, after washing all the clothes I`d been wearing, I went for a swim in the pool and managed to do about an hour`s worth of laps! After which, a nap before coming out for dinner seemed in order! Well, tomorrow, if the nice weather holds, I´ll finish my painting of the church and park.. Then I want to do a day trip to a site called Ek Balam, a newer unearthing of a Mayan city, near here...there`s an interesting hotel there that I´d like to check out to see if I want to spend a few days there....and still a cenote to visit near here, where I might like to paint...of course I have to see it first! After that, I want to go to Coba...another archeological site, and see if I want to stay there a bit and paint before heading further south....but for now, its back to my `digs`, and a well deserved rest! Goodnight all and God Bless!
12/11/11 Sunday...This morning it is overcast and drizzly, so I`m in here hoping that the weather will clear so I can finish the painting I started the other day....today will be my third day there (and so my last), with my new resolution to finish within three sittings...it`s coming along well. But I may not be able to work today at all because of the weather...so I may take a different tack, and visit a cenote, or take my `poor-man`s tour`of the surrounding area by a round-trip on a local colectivo...I`ll have to let you know! Yesterday I went to yet another restaurant, where I could get a `ceasar salad with chicken`...just to try it out...it was okay, but I still like my place with the arches best! The salad thing is because I`m beginning to worry about how many carbs I`m ingesting on a daily basis. I feel very fat here.....I don`t think I am any fatter than I was, but somehow I am feeling it while I am here. My current hotel has a large mirror in my room, and I am constantly horrified by the profile of my figure! So I am looking for options that don`t include massive amounts of tortillas (no matter how homemade and good!), or chips, or rice &beans...or sugar-soaked drinks...(what was I thinking coming here!) What I`m finding, is that it is possible, but not easy to find lighter food, and it is certainly more expensive! But I don`t care...I`m going to keep trying to stay with more salads and soups and vegies and less starch, till I like what I see in the mirror better! To wit, this morning I had two boiled eggs and a roll and coffee (no cream, no sugar) for breakfast at my arches place...so far, so good....Well, those are my thoughts on this rainy morning....
12/9/11 Friday...Last night I took myself to `the best restaurant in town`...at least according to the guide books! It was a lovely setting...tables around a fountain with trees and tropical vegetation, the soft night breeze blowing, and the food was pretty good....but I like my first choice with the tables in the archways overlooking the park better...so I won´t be going back there I think...after dinner I walked back to my hotel, and got my painting pack in order for work today...and after I finish writing, that`s where I`m going, over to the park to paint a view of the church.
Yesterday, I did finally find the `taxi colectivos`to take me to the Dztinup (sp?) Cenote! This was an achievement because people kept telling me there were no colectivos here---so it was good to finally find them! I `ll probably take a ride out there in the next day or so....just to see if I want to paint there, or swim there, or anything there! I also found a more local `colectivo`that goes around to different neighborhoods, and the guy told me that it would cost me 8 pesos to take a `round-trip`ride, so I´ll probably do that in the next day or so also. I find that`s a good kind of `tour`to take of an area...
12/7/11 Wednesday...I thought I might not write today...but here I am! This is kind of addictive! Today I had a good day, easy and slow...I woke late, and didn´t leave my hotel till around 9:30am....I wandered towards the square, found the `municipal bazar`, where there are cheap eating stands, with lots of nice seating in a covered colonade (=good breezes), I had breakfast, sent a quick email, went to the ATM at the bank, and on the way back to my hotel I bought some cheese, a tomato, a yogurt and some mandarinas (do we have them? a kind of cross between an orange and a tangerine...I love them). When I got to my hotel, and finished washing everything I was wearing, I took a swim in the pool...I actually managed to do some laps..and swam for about an hour. Then I went in, took a shower, and made myself a cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch...after which I took a nap, and only woke in time to get ready to go out to dinner. Did I mention that I found a nice restaurant on the town square facing the park where I sat in an archway tonight overlooking the well lit park and had a bowl of `lime soup`...which turns out to be a wonderful dish full of shredded chicken breast and tomatoes and homemade tortilla chips and of course lots of lime! Delicious! About this time, a youngish man asked if he could join me and sat and had dinner with me...he is a social worker from Toronto here with about 40 people for a wedding...but he was èscaping`tonight from their luxury digs near Tulum....a very pleasant evening...then while we were sitting there, another couple that I met in the bus station on the way here (she is from Venezuela, he is from Italy,,and they had been on their way to Coba),turned up here...passing the restaurant...looking for a hotel...so I told them about mine...and they may be there now! It`s so interesting to travel!....
12/6/11 Tuesday...I`m in Valladolid! I just got here...checked into my hotel (The hotel Zaci, room 116) which looks very nice, has a lovely entrance, and a swimming pool that looks like I could swim laps (!), and I`m in a nice room with attached bath and hot showers, 3 TV stations (spanish only) and a small city around me. Right now I`m sitting in an internet `cafe`(no coffee--just machines!) just off the main square, which has a park in the middle...nice! I`ll write more later, but this looks good, it`s a bigger town than I`ve been in, but definitely not a tourist getto! Though there are other tourists around, it definitely feels like a real town. So far so good.....
12/4/11 Sunday....Today I went to the Cafe garden, Él flor de Michoacan´, for the last painting session there...it was good, and I have only another bit or two to finish on it which I can do át home´...or rather in my hotel room...I didn´t get up to the ruins today though, mostly because of the weather....expected winds of 30-50 kilometers...so I stayed in town...I was tired...still, I´ll go tomorrow first thing, and no more time in the cafe, which feels like a relief! I have to remember that I don´t like doing more than 3 sessions in any one place...it feels too hard! So this morning after painting, I went to breakfast at a small outdoor cafe I´ve been frequenting, and I had Mole´enchiladas for breakfast! Ahhh...what bliss! I love Mole´! Then I went back to my room and alternately slept and watched TV for the rest of the afternoon! Feels pretty decadent to me....But I think one more session at the top will finish what I need to do here, and I can move on to Valladolid for Xmas/ New Years, and that should be interesting, its a bigger town, less touristy, and in the middle of some of the newer ruins...I´m also planning on visiting some of the Cenotes in that area as they are supposed to be some of the most beautiful around......I also wish I knew how to add some of the photos I am taking to this blog, so if any of you reading this know how to do that...send me an email!......
12/3/11 Saturday---I overslept today, and didn´t leave my room till 9am! I figured I must be tired! So I went to the cafe and painted for a while---with the painting at a difficult point...then I left and went to have breakfast at a kind of health food cafe...after which I returned to my hotel (!) instead of going to the ruins......I guess I was afraid it would be windy again, and I would have the expenditure of energy for nothing.....so I went back to the room instead.....I took a shower, washed some clothes, ate a bit of fruit later, and worked on two of my paintings in my room instead today! I even used my camera to check the look of the vegitation at one point, which worked! So all in all it was a good day, and I think I will be ready to leave by Wednesday at the latest...maybe sooner!
12/2/11 Friday---I did my stint in the cafe this moning, and that painting is going well...then I went to the ruins....It was sooo windy up at the top, that I literally couldn´t work on the painting of the ¨Brujo´s castle´...my site was too close to the edge of the cliff and the wind kept moving my paper out of my hands! I had to move back to another site, and start a new painting...even then after an hour or so, the wind picked up and I had to pack it in! Oh well! Tomorrow´s another day! I´m getting a little tired of this town...it´s still okay, and my hotel is bug free (bliss!), but..... I begin to feel ready to move on, only it will still take me three or four days to finish the work I´ve started here!...so it goes...
12/1/11--Ahhhh! At last I was painting today in the Ruins! What a relief! Also I found a small cafe with a beautiful garden at the back, with a fountain and I am now also painting there in the early mornings...everything´s always so much better when I´m painting! More later.........
11/29/11---Well that was no go...I mean the room was pleasant but the bed had bugs! Yuck! I got out of bed at about 3:30am. and re-packed my bags, I waited till about 6:30am and walked out, took a colectivo to town, checked out yet another hotel (which I didn´t take), went to breakfast, asked the proprietor about hotels, he recommended one around the corner--I went there and it was nicer and clean, so I took the room, went back to the other hotel, carted my bags by colectivo again to town, moved in, did some laundry, took a shower, and spent the rest of the day lying in bed watching old American movies in English on TV (!) and treating my many insect bites! I guess this is my lowest point so far on the trip. I still haven´t been painting in the ruins. In fact, I haven´t painted a single thing since I was in Isla Mujeres! Very discouraging...I´m pretty tired after moving all my stuff for three days in a row...so I may not go to the ruins tomorrow either! I´ll have to see how I feel after (hopefully) a good night´s sleep...
11/28/11 I changed hotels this morning...that means packing everything up and trundle-ing it around till I finally made it to my new room! Actually I think it´s lovely...painted with murals, a king-size bed and air-con. I couldn´t resist! It´s a bit more expensive ($31US) than what I´ve been paying, but it is right near the ruins, and the people are very nice, meanwhile I am traveling back and forth to ´town´in order to use the internet, or to shop, or whatever....somehow I don´t care...today I went to the market and bought stuff for sandwiches, and tomorrow I will take my paints to the ruins and try to paint there for the first time...I hope they let me! If they do I will spend the next 3 or 4 days finally getting to paint in Tulum. This is a strange town, but I like it. It has a friendly feel and fairly small town despite the fact that the country´s main north-south highway runs right down the middle of town, and one has to be careful crossing the street so as not to get run down by all the long distance buses, trucks, colectivos, taxis, etc. that are madly racing to other destinations. still there are enough slow spaces that one can get from one side to the other! Meanwhile, in town, there are several levels of trips going on here. One is the ýouth hostel´spend-all-day-at-the-beach trip, another is the luxury spend-all-week-at-the-beach trip, another is the hoards of tourists that arrive at the ruin entrance for a quick hour or two of sight-seeing while they are on their way either to or from somewhere else. Then there´s me. Well....Incidently, the weather´s turned cold here if you can believe it! I´m sitting here in a sweater, long pants, my velour hoodie and socks, and I have my umbrella handy! Who knew?!
Well, Wish me luck tomorrow!
11/27/11 Tulum I made it! Today I left Puerto Morelos at about 7am. took the colectivo to the main road, picked up a colectivo to Playa del Carmen (even with all my stuff!) and from there another colectivo to Tulum, and I was here by 9:30am! I got a room at the weary traveler hostel for tonight, but I´m not going to stay there...I already booked a room at the Hotel Las Cruceros for tomorrow---It is right on the entrance road to the ruins. Then I walked to the ruins (not again though! One can take a taxi or a ´train´kind of thing to the entrance for about 20 pesos there and back---believe me it´s worth it to save the 3/4 of a mile walk just to get to the entrance! I did it today though... and then I walked all around the ruins looking for likely spots to paint from...and I found a few! So I´ll change hotels tomorrow, get myself set up and comfortable, and either then or the day after I´ll enter the ruins again and hope that they will let me work there for a few hours a day till I get 2 or 3 paintings finished! We´ll see...they have it pretty well disneylanded up, but so often people don´t mind if one paints in a place...I will let you know...but if they do let me work, I´ll probably be here for about a week or so. Mañana...
11/26/11 Well, I found myself packing tonight...so I guess I´m leaving tomorrow...heading for Tulum where I hope I will feel like painting! I´ve been trying to get to Tulum for so many years now! I couldn´t seem to get a hotel reservation from here...makes me kind of nervous, but I guess I´ll leave early and I´ll find something when I get there...I don´t know what the internet cafe scene will be like there...so.......
11/25/11Still Puerto Morelos-- Today I went snorkling...for those of you who have seen the great barrier reef---even in Malaysia as I have---I don´t recommend going here. And I´ve heard that Cozumel, which has such a great reputation is no better! Really it just made me sad. The plants are struggling...and a sort of uniform greyish green. There was an occasional ´fan´coral which showed some traces of purple, but really mostly all the coral looked as though it were of a uniform shade...different shapes of course, and not many fish, and those with bright colors were small...aquarium size...the water was nice though...I am definitely finishing up here...leaving either tomorrow or in the next day or two...I haven´t done a single painting here!
11/24/11 Puerto Morelos Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today I took a day trip to Playa del Carmen, to see if I would like to stay there...the answer is a resounding no! What a huge tourist getto! I would rather go to Miami Beach! Having said that...I had a rather nice day.....at about 8am this morning, I jumped on a small ´collectivo´(a little shared bus/van) which took me from the square here,for 5 pesos, to the main road, where I was just in time to catch another collectivo (with air-con!)which took me to Playa del Carmen for 20 pesos (!). I wandered a bit, saw a little old man (probably younger than me!) with a stand, making fresh orange juice---there were 5 or 6 native humans standing around buying some (always a good sign!) so I joined them, and for 15 pesos I had a large glass of fresh juice, wonderful! Then, I was standing there looking a bit bewildered I guess, when a young man asked me if I was looking for anything in particular. I told him this was my first time in ´Playa¨and I found the tourist scene not much to my liking...I asked him if there was anywhere I could go that was more real . He gave me various directions to another ´collectivo´(another 5 pesos), which took me to the ¨Plaza de Las Americas¨ . A shopping center that local people use. There was a varient of ´Wallmart´ there, with a huge supermarket and a really reasonable cafe, and a general atmosphere that reminded me of shopping centers at home, or in Hong Kong, Singapore or any regular place. Not the ticky-tacky crap that seems to abound in what I´ve begun to see as the tourist gettos of Mexico. Anyway, I did my bits of shopping, took my 5 peso ride back to the getto, and by noon I was back in Puerto Morelos and glad to be here! I only wish I felt like painting here...but I don´t. If I did, this would be the perfect place! It is just the right size, easy to get around, full of ex-pats of various sorts, with good restaurants, apparantly good diving and snorkeling , and lots of places to rent as well as a few comfortable small hotels...nothing big. I like that.
I made arrangements to go snorkeling tomorrow at 8am., which you do from a boat, out on the reef...I´m a little scared as I may be going out by myself with the guide...I´m hoping some more tourists will come along and join this event! Hopefully I´ll be able to let you know more about it when I get back tomorrow (the hopeful part is that I get back)! Meanwhile it´s dinner time, and I´ve promised myself one of the specialties of the region, which is a whole fish (some variety of snapper), scored and sort of flash deep fried...it´s supposed to be delicious!
11/22/11 Puerto Morelos --I arrived here a few hours ago--I haven´t even had a chance to look around the town...I walked out of my hotel to take a look around and the first place next door to it was this charming internet cafe, with air-con and coffee and pastries...I couldn´t resist the internet, so here I am! I started off this morning still in Isla Mujeres...trying to pack my stuff up...I couldn´t believe it! Somehow, in a week, I could no longer fit everything into my two cases! I know I didn´t buy much of anything, so what happened!? Luckily I brought one of those nylon daypacks that folds up into a pocket size, so I whipped that out and filled it to the brim, and I was off! A taxi to the port (I´m too old to walk my luggage around town!) and a boat ride to the mainland...on the boat I got to talking to a woman who lives there (ps. from now on assume that all conversations are in Spanish--), I asked about a bus to the CanCun bus terminal---and she suggested I take a taxi to the bus station...I asked if she knew how much that would cost (about M30)...I said sure for her , but not for me! She offered to tell the taxi driver for me...well actually we ended up sharing a ride to town. We dropped her (and her two small children) off, and then the taxi driver took me to the station. Along the way he asked me where I was going...I told him, and he offered to drive me there...he quoted a price which was too expensive, but after a bit of back and forth, he said he would do it for $US20.00, plus a tip! So I said okay...actually it turned out to be a long drive....but the nicest part was that I just had to go from the boat to the taxi, and he dropped me off in front of my hotel, by which time, we had talked about our lives, our children, etc. Julio is his name, he has two teenage sons and lives in Cancun---he also lived in California for a while with his aunt and uncle in San Rafael---it really is a small world! Oh! One more thing--when I arrived, I was shown to my room which turns out to be really charming, with native rock walls, whitewashed ceiling, and towels shaped like swans on the bed! PosadaAmor---nice place, I may stay a while---especially if I feel like painting---And its costing me M300 a night, plus they may give me a discounted rate if I stay more than 3 days....feels pretty good over here...I think I´ll walk around now and see the town before it is completely dark!
11/21/11---Today is my last evening for a while here...I leave tomorrow for Puerto Morelos...I have a reservation at a hotel there for a few days...just to give me a chance to look around and see if I like that place. I did make reservations back here for a few days before I fly home---just in case I want to rest a bit before leaving. I never made it to the south of the island...I do have three paintings though...and I can see the rest of the island in February....or? I spoke on the phone to my new friend Leticia, who lives in Akumal, and after next weekend, when I will be closer to her house, we will try to get together and do something fun. Tonight I had a chef´s salad for dinner at my hotel, sitting outside in the patio, with the soft breezes blowing. I followed the salad with a piece of flan that I bought from a lady selling food on the street outside the supermarket. It was all good! I´m glad to be going tomorrow...and I´m glad I stayed till I felt like leaving! Traveling like this is sort of like riding a bicycle--once you know it, you don´t forget, but one can get rusty and awkward and need some practice time...this has been a good safe place to knock some of the rust off!
11/19/11--- Sorry about the scrolling down guys...I´m new at this and my daughter Lisa just emailed me with the exciting info that I can start at the top (!) and save all of us the scrolling down! So from now on....
Yesterday was a bit hard...I went to the beach to paint, but I really just wanted to stay ´home´and rest. So I got there and it really was work ....after a couple of hours I began feeling grumpy, and suddenly said to myself, ´What am I doing?´´---I packed up and left.
Last night I took myself to a restaurant on the sea and had a beer, and a fresh caught fish grilled on the fire, while I was sitting and staring at the boats rocking in the shallows--making that ´slap, slap´´ sound.
And today I took the day off. Much better! I mean I suddenly realized I had ´hit the ground running´, and I don´t need to do that to myself---a good lesson to learn at the beginning of a trip! So today I just ambled around town taking care of small errands, and deciding to rent one of those golf cart things to take to the south of the island tomorrow--just so I can see it. I´ll take photos, but I don´t think I´ll try to paint. Maybe snorkel... then I think I´ll leave Monday or Tuesday....on to Puerto Morelos next I think...though I did talk to a travel agent today who thought Isla Holbox might be just my cup of tea....however, I asked and she said the water was not that raspberry blue---which is a deal breaker for me right now...maybe later....
11/8/11 Well, here I am, one step away from the beginning...I confess to a jumble of excitement and nerves---I just have to keep reminding myself that the most important part of beginning a journey is to close the door (abet softly) behind one....next in Isla Mujeres......
11/12/11--In L.A. visiting Mom--flight tomorrow to Cancun---
11/14/11---I remember standing on the dockside last night waiting for the ferry to take me to Isla Mujeres. I could feel the warm soft breeze coming off the ocean, and I felt so comforted. I wont go into the 15 hour day that got me to that moment---let´'s just say it was worth it! Meanwhile, it is morning, I slept alright in a whitewashed concrete room with a ceiling fan---two wind-ey staircases up(!) And I´ m about to have breakfast---so far I´"m paying for everything with dollars as I haven"t yet been able to connect with either an ATM or a bank! But no worries--this is such a "tourist-y" area that everyone will convert "small" money (20 or less) to pesos. ---I can smell the toast, so.....more later...
.....I had a reasonably nice day today...I found one spot to paint...so I´ll start that tomorrow or the next day...I decided that I´m going to start writing some things under the ´writings´button...in this space, I feel constrained to keep to a ´trip log´---because I´m sharing this with so many of you, and who knows if you want to read all my musings....and yet, I need a place to put them, so if you want more depth, try that--and let me know if you´d just as soon I write everything here....Thanks....
11/16/11 Still on Isla Mujeres...Today I swam in the sea for the first time...the water is the right color (such a relief!) Not quite as warm as Thailand, but comfortable enough to spend an hour in the sea! I´ve started 3 paintings---which means I´ll be here for at least another 4 or 5 days...Two paintings of the beach and one of the place I´m staying... I´m sitting in a small bldg nearly in the street right now, where I am able to use this computer for about a dollar an hour. The air is balmy and soft, it´s nearly 6pm here and its night already. I have plans to go to dinner...so I´d best get about it!....
11/17/11 I was thinking today how one lives wherever one is...I´m so much here. I am meeting people and talking about taking an apartment (really for next year), but talking about it with people I am already feeling comfortable with. I´ve been buying freshly made juice every morning on my way to the beach to paint. Mercedes makes and sells the juice (one liter is a little less than US2.50). Today I had grapefruit. Mercedes introduced me to a lady who makes tacos and sandwiches accross from her stand. I took two tacos to the beach and had one for breakfast and the other for lunch---the ´blackened chicken´was the best food of any sort that I´ve had in a long while! I´m going to get some again tomorrow! Both these ladies have food stalls in the municipal market where locals buy vegies and eat breakfast...aside from food, my paintings are coming along well--I have one more day at the beach site, and two or three more sessions with the one of my hotel´s outdoor dining room. I am feeling somewhat frustrated because I haven´t been able to get down to the southern part of the island---which is supposed to be beautiful---and I won´t be able to try till I finish the work I am doing---then what? If I find a spot I want to paint---I´ll be here for another 5 days! By that time I may have bought a washing machine and moved in some place! I keep thinking wouldn´t it be ironic if this turns out to be the place I want to come back to? More later....
