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Home Sweet Home Bacalar MX

No matter how many wonderful things we see while traveling, expansive vistas, crystal blue ocean, comfy hotel rooms, or ancient pyramids, it’s always good to be home again. I love walking cobblestone paths, peering in quaint tiendas, hanging out with family and friends, but nothing beats coming back to center, being in a familiar environment, clean laundry and eating my own cooking.

Vacations are both restful and exhausting. For Lisa and me, we trade one paradise for another. So why do I feel tired? Note to self, I don’t seem to do well with living out of a suitcase. I prefer a home base.

One of our recent vacation stops was the island of Cozumel. We rented a scooter to zip around and stopped at the Mayan pyramids of San Gervasio.

A covering to protect an ancient temple.

Description in three languages.

Our tour guide.

An archway built without mortar.

Lisa the explorer.

Orchids growing in the parking lot where we parked the scooter.

San Gervasio is a temple to the Goddess of love and fertility, Ixchel. Women traveled here to ask for relationships and babies. While visiting we said prayers for our daughter who is having her own fertility challenges. Just to be sure, we stopped at the little Catholic church in town to cover our bases.

Tags: San Gervasio

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Adventure, Retire Mexico, Travel

Kayaking Laguna Bacalar – Hawks, Bromeliads and Wild Orchids

6 Jul

By all reports, this summer has been windier than normal on Laguna Bacalar in Southern Mexico, resulting in a choppy lake and few trips out in my kayak. I have missed the quiet mornings of gliding along the mangroves feeling like an early explorer discovering a new world.

This week has provided the delightful surprise of waking to a flat, quiet laguna and I’ve been off in my little blue kayak.

Perfect kayaking conditions.

The opposite shore is thick with beautiful mangroves. It takes me about 15 minutes to traverse the lake from our house. The endless rains of last fall made it easy to cut through the mangroves to explore the canals east of the laguna. This week I managed to travel south along the groves observing the large black and white hawks known as kites that are out in search of snails for breakfast.

The cool mornings allow a private tour of the peaceful edge of the laguna. The mangroves are a haven to sea birds and air plants. Bromeliads and wild orchids cling to the branches waiting for the rainy season to begin in earnest.

Wild orchids.

Today we had another sort of lake excursion planned. Our friends from Tulum were visiting for a weekend getaway, and Lisa arranged for a launch to take us out on the laguna for a day of swimming and picnic. We could not have picked a better day.

Heading out to enjoy the lake.

Our friends Hillary and Amir brought their boat around and picked us up for a four hour tour. Hillary’s mother and aunt follow my blog from Canada, so this shout-out is for them.

Greetings from Hillary in Bacalar.

A fun day was had by all.

Tags: Laguna Bacalar, mangroves, quiet mornings

Comments 11 Comments
Categories Adventure, Expatriates, Retire Mexico, Travel, Uncategorized

World Cup Football – Just Don’t Call it Soccer

29 Jun

I began watching the World Cup four years ago and became enthralled with the passion, skill and enthusiasm of the game. Soccer as it is called in the US is right up there with watching paint dry for most Americans. There’s the endless running up and down and low score that keeps most people at the chips and quacamole in the kitchen instead of glued to the big screen.

The general feeling among the expats has been to cheer for Mexico, and Central and South America over Europe, Africa and Japan. Of course there’s also the US matches which have been nail biters as well.

The locals have been quite curious and appreciative as we scream for Mexico. No beers required.

La Playita a great little restaurant for World Cup viewing.

Today is a big game for Mexico which determines whether they advance or stall. EVERYONE in Mexico has plans as to where they will watch the game. A huge screen will be set up in town for mass viewing. Restaurants are advertising take away food so no one is stuck in the kitchen during the game. The energy is electric.

Hotel Bacalar provides food and a beautiful view.

Futol (as opposed to American football) does not play to TV audiences. There are no breaks for advertisers that have paid millions for a 30 second piece of you. There is amazing skill, honed from childhood, beautiful muscular bodies that are every straight woman and gay man’s dream, amazing acting when bumped and tripped by the opposition, and even front page drama when one player has this weird proclivity for biting his opponent.

This week while making small talk with our new young doctor, Lisa asked him about futbol and his face lit up. There’s something about not referring to Mexico’s pride and joy as soccer that is greatly appreciated and shows respect.

So if you’ve never watched World Cup futbol (it only happens every four years), now’s your chance. At least catch the final match on July 13, 2pm CT. Go to a sports bar and pick a team and yell with the crowd and above all, don’t call it soccer.

Tags: mexico, Soccer, World Cup

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Adventure, Expatriates, Retire Mexico, Uncategorized

Adventure Begins When Something Goes Wrong

22 Jun

When living in Mexico, buying property and building a house, we are ducks out of water, way out. The best way to have things go wrong is to have expectations of how they should go in the first place. Try as we might to be open to surprises, we didn’t see this one coming.

Our house is being built in an ecologically sensitive area. New laws are being enforced and as with any bureaucracy, it’s a moving target. We were told that to avert paying for a very expensive study on our lot, we would have to remove fifteen “protected” palm trees. It mattered not that the trees were planted by the previous owner and that we had no intention of molesting them in the building process. We would have to remove the trees from the lot and replant them after the building permit is granted or pay as much as $6,000us. Huh?

Now try wrapping your brain around moving five 30 foot high royal palm trees.

It was suggested that we give the trees to a vivero, landscaper, who would remove them for free and sell to a hotel in Cancun. NOT! Fade to me hugging trees and crying.

Six smaller “foot of elephant” palms that also had to be moved.

After having a conversation with Pedro, who does yard work for us, he assured us that, much to our amazement, the trees could be dug out by hand and moved and he knew other workers who would help with the endeavor.

I have never seen men work so hard in my life. They used picks, levers and ropes and achieved the impossible. Lisa’s truck was commandeered and a small front loader rented. The trees were removed and placed in a protected area so they will hopefully survive. We will then reverse the process to place them around our house to provide shade and beauty.

Even Mexicans scratched their heads as we tried to explain what and why. We decided that it was an opportunity to landscape that we would never have taken otherwise. Hopefully this time next year I will be writing my blog from a back porch in paradise, under my rustling palms. Fingers crossed.

Tags: Adventure in Mexico, expat living in Mexico, Laguna Bacalar, Retirement Adventure, royal palm trees

Comments 5 Comments
Categories Adventure, Expatriates, Retire Mexico, Uncategorized

Finding The Blessing of God in Bacalar

8 Jun

One of our favorite aspects of life in Bacalar, Mexico is finding a basic, inexpensive, hole-in-the-wall restaurant, where the locals hang out and the food is good. One day we asked our juice lady in the mercado for a recommendation for breakfast and she pointed across the street to La Bendición de Dios (The Blessing of God).

Open for Sunday morning shoppers at the town market across the street.

There are no menus at this comida económica. Whatever has been prepared for the day is what is available, until they run out. Some places operate like a small cafeteria. Waiters lift the lids of several succulent dishes and you make your selection. Meals include beans and rice and sometimes a drink for a price lower than you could prepare it at home.

A quiet Sunday morning.

A great place to people watch.

In this southern region of Mexico, the basic fast food is a taco, a catch-all for chalupas, tostadas, or gorditas. They can be served with different kinds of meat, fish, sea food or refried beans, and topped with avocado, shredded cabbage, onions, cheese and drizzled with crema, a sour cream popular in the area. Add your own salsa for some additional heat.

Homemade tortillas are the best.

We are always welcomed by Aro our hard working waiter. He zips from table to table, always with a smile.

Our friendly mesero (waiter) Aro

With Lisa’s coke and my fresh melon juice, our meal came to $6.50US or 85 pesos. We recommend La Bendición to our friends but have only see a few tourists frequent this great little eatery. The Blessing of God has been a blessing for us too.

Tags: La Bendición de Dios, mexico

Comments 6 Comments
Categories Adventure, Expatriates, Retire Mexico, Travel, Uncategorized

The Check Engine Light Must Be Obeyed

3 Jun

Leaving Austin, Texas last September required leaving far more than family and friends. It meant leaving all those pains-taking connections that took years to build…a hairdresser, plumber, electrician, and above all truck mechanic.

When the red blinky light came on in our precious Ford F150, it was hard not to panic. It’s not like the teeth cleaning or eye exams that we’ve been putting off. The check engine light must be obeyed.

Local expats suggested premium gas but it did nothing to help, so a notice went out on the Yahoo Listserve for a mechanic. Taking the only two we received into consideration, we made an appointment at Nani’s in Chetumal.

We were told to expect to pay “more” but that they were the best, so off we went on a Torta adventure.

Every experience is an opportunity to learn new words in Spanish and to stretch the brain in interesting ways.

Alex was there to explain and help.

We left our baby and headed off to the movies!

Two thumbs up on Maleficence.

After a long day and many filters changed, the truck runs as well as it ever has. A new resource has been made, yeah! Now for that dreaded call to a dentist.

Comments 3 Comments
Categories Adventure, Expatriates, Retire Mexico, Travel, Uncategorized

Healing a Not Broken Leg – Isn’t Life Amazing?

25 May

Memorial Day weekend 2013, our daughter was getting married. Life was busy with selling our home, getting rid of most of our possessions and winding down our jobs. We went from crazy busy to retirement life in the jungle of southern Yucatan.

Life here is not for everyone. We did not want a large English speaking community with all the amenities of the US. Our nearest city and the capital of the state of Quintana Roo (Row) is about a 40 minute drive. Chetumal (pop 260,000) sits on the boarder with Belize and the Bay of Chetumal. It is not a tourist destination in spite of efforts to make it so.

Museum of Mayan Culture

Chetumal is where we go for medical care. Friday was three weeks since my fateful bike accident and time to return to the traumatologist. Don’t let appearances fool. While the buildings look right out of the 1950’s, the care is top notch.

Clinica Independencia

My experience thus far with medical care has been that it’s low tech but very hands on. Doctors take time. It’s not that high tech isn’t available, MRIs, etc are reserved for more serious situations. Dr Diez-Torres removed my cast, gently manipulated my knee, assessing pain and range of motion. He explained using a model what was going on. Our conversation was in both English and Spanish. We looked at the X-rays again and agreed that my leg probably wasn’t broken. He told me to return to normal activity as I was able and use light weights to do leg extensions to build muscle strength. I felt like I was talking to an equal.

My knee continues to heal. I look forward to swimming and no pain. While life in this corner of the globe is not for everyone, the lack of stress and beauty that abounds makes it perfect for us.

Tags: bacalar mexico, Chetumal mexico, expat living in Mexico, Life in the Yucatan, move to Mexico, retire mexico, US Expats in Mexico

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Adventure, Expatriates, Retire Mexico, Travel, Uncategorized

Today’s Spanish Lesson ¿Dónde está el baño?

18 May

When out and about in the US, one rarely thinks twice about bathrooms, unless you’re at an outdoor venue and forced to use a port-o-potty.

In Japan I once stumbled into a unisex bathroom which was a surprise to say the least.

Japanese Unisex bathrooms contain stalls and urinals.

In the airport bathroom in Istabul there was a sign asking people to please not wash their feet in the sink. International bathrooms are full of cultural experiences.

Istanbul, Turkey

You can’t miss this sign at a roadside Mexican restaurant.

Pull over I gotta go.

Living in Mexico in the 70’s gives me a point of reference for baños. It was so much worse then. Public restrooms were hard to come by and toilet paper, as we know it, was not common (newspaper, comic books). A lesson my grandmother taught me, and every woman in Mexico knows, never leave the house without tissues.

In Bacalar.

Today, there are clean functional toilets (most of the time) in Pemex stations where you stop for gas. The trouble is, they charge $3-5 pesos, $.25-.40 per use. It is a clear discrimination against women, since men have no trouble peeing on their tires. I’m not sure what’s up with the whole peeing on the tires thing, but you see it everywhere, pull over and pee on your tires!

Then one day I came across this –

They can’t refuse you service.

Handing a few coins to the bathroom attendant in the bus station, restaurant, government building, grocery store or hotel is the norm. I figure that I can afford it and it’s a way to circulate money to people who’s income it is. It’s the same for the people that pump your gas, sack your groceries or help you park your car (whether you need it or not).

So when looking for the baño in México, remember to bring your tissue and always have a pocket of change, or you too could find yourself peeing on your tires.

A Favorite Laguna Bacalar Picture

Tags: bacalar mexico, expat living in Mexico, retire to mexico, southern yucatan, travel Mexico, US Expats in Mexico

Comments 14 Comments
Categories Adventure, Expatriates, Retire Mexico, Travel

Feliz Cinco Ya’ll – Take Two

4 May

Due to a mishap over the last few days, I’ve decided to repost my Cinco de Mayo blog from last year. We sure have come a long way in our relocation to Mexico. On Friday I went down hard on my bike and have a hairline tibial fracture behind the right knee. I will be in a brace for three weeks. This morning I’m on pain medication and not thinking too clearly. A handsome traumatologist got me seen, xrayed, diagnosed in and out in two hours for less than $200 Xays, brace and medication.

A Repost From 2013

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Austin by waving green, white and red Mexican flags. So much so that I once heard someone point to a Mexican flag and refer to it as a “Cinco de Mayo” flag. It’s a day for family, friends, eating tacos, listening to conjunto and drinking cerveza. Few know what the holiday is really about. When living in Mexico, I visited the Fort de Puebla where a fight for independence took place in 1864. The French, with their highly trained forces thought they had a cake walk in taking over Mexico. A rag-tag militia of about 500 strategically placed Mexican soldiers proved them wrong. Mexico’s independence took years of battles with French, Spanish, US, and British troops. It’s no wonder everyone celebrates a win by the underdogs.

But Cinco is a celebration of much more than the Battle of Puebla. It’s the celebration of a strong, proud, independent people who love to celebrate just about anything. As a youngster from New Jersey, I was wary of a picnic in a cemetery for Day of the Dead. It was a delightful day that allowed me to experience another culture in a very personal way. There are birthdays, saint days, quinceñeras, religious holidays, Sunday picnics, and many more events that I hope to learn about and participate in.

We continue to pack containers, take books to Half Price, have dinner with friends and plan our escape. There are no “final” goodbyes. Just about everyone is invited to visit. So if you think that southern Yucatan may be a vacation destination in your future, get your passport, practice your Spanish and bring a “celebration state-of-mind”, and remember your hammock.

Tags: adventure mexico, bacalar mexico, Cinco de Mayo, living in mexico, preparing for retirement, retire mexico, Retirement Adventure

Comments 6 Comments
Categories Adventure, Expatriates, Retire Mexico, Uncategorized

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the adventures of dos tortas

Home Sweet Home Bacalar MX

Kayaking Laguna Bacalar – Hawks, Bromeliads and Wild Orchids

World Cup Football – Just Don’t Call it Soccer

Adventure Begins When Something Goes Wrong

Finding The Blessing of God in Bacalar

The Check Engine Light Must Be Obeyed

Healing a Not Broken Leg – Isn’t Life Amazing?

Today’s Spanish Lesson ¿Dónde está el baño?

Feliz Cinco Ya’ll – Take Two

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