Tag Archives: Laguna Bacalar

A Time Long Ago

18 Jun

My first foray into electronic communication was a pager. I had a job in 1993 that required field work and my supervisor wanted to be able to contact me. It was also convenient for my partner and children.

Happy Pride
Evening doodles

The only person who didn’t like the pager was me! I felt tethered. It felt weird for people to be able to reach me all the time. I tend to be a private person.

Fast forward to today when EVERYTHING is public. Most of the folks at the gym spend more time posing and recording their every muscle, than they do actually working out. We “follow “ each other rather than having relationships.

Learning to draw faces
My ladies.

And much to my wife’s annoyance, I often forget my phone at home, or in the car, sigh. I am certainly not one who has a phone on my wrist. In Mexico no one calls each other anyway. They use WhatsApp, a texting application which is rarely used in the States.

Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing from people. I enjoy the comments on the blog, Facebook and Instagram (dos_tortas). I guess I’m more a product of the times than I want to admit. But anytime you want to have a conversation, just let me know, we’ll set it up.

DOS. TORTAS

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Preparing For The Bacalar Swim Across

11 Jun

In my first swim across Laguna Bacalar in 2016, I wrote the post The Gods We’re With Us. I also swore I’d never do it again. The race was fun but very chaotic. So how did I come to be signed up and training to swim on June 18? I got strong-armed, that’s how.

Putting on race numbers so they can identify the body. 2016

Let me back up with a story. My first triathlon was in 1991. I was about to turn forty. Imagine back to a time without the internet. I saw a poster on a board somewhere and thought, “why not?” I can swim, bike, walk. I had been swimming a lot that summer and had recently acquired my mother’s old clunky bike. A friend helped me to knock off the excess weight, kickstand and fenders. It was all new to me.

A fun day.

I loaded up the bike on race day and headed to Georgetown, Texas. This was a time before triathlons were a thing with a thousand entrants.

Waiting for the Bacalar race to start.

I had zero information on the event. The swim was in a pool. People literally swam over top of me. It’s a wonder I survived.

The bike ride was a bit disconcerting. I hadn’t thought about riding a bike in public in my bathing suit! I was such a novice. The worst part was that it was a five MILE run, not a 5k (3.2 miles) as I had thought.

I finished the race dead last. The police escort was on my heals. I had to tell them to back off! As I dragged myself to the finish line I was amazed to find a crowd cheering?? The organizers wouldn’t have the awards ceremony until everyone had finished the race. They were all waiting on me.

Practice makes stronger I hope.

The final mind blower was when they called out the award winners over the loudspeaker, they called my name! I had finished third in my age group in a field of three. 😂

So how did I get strong armed into the Bacalar race again? My friend Maria from Mexico City who had a major fall two years ago with numerous broken bones and has miraculously recovered, begged me to swim with her. How could I say no? There will be no calling my name in this field of a thousand swimmers from all over the world, but I can hope.

DOS TORTAS

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Thunder And Lightening

2 Jun

Four nights this week we have had tropical storms (tormentas). Deafening thunder clapped overhead and kaboomed like it was inside of the bedroom. Looking out over the lake, electric streaks were dancing across the sky. It would have been lovely if not a tad bit scary for Stella. Poor baby.

Looks like a couple of nights reprieve.

Stella is our pug. She’s been with us for three years. She is blind but you would never know it. From the beginning of her time with us, she has always hated thunder. She whimpers, shudders and shakes. This week was particularly difficult.

Our sweet little girl.

I took her into our bed and had to hold her down as she fights and fusses. She even fell asleep sitting upright under the covers. It has been hard on us all. As the storm moves away she finally settled.

The good thing has been the rain after a long dry spell. Hopefully the storms will abate or at least be a bit quieter. We could all use some restful sleep

DOS TORTAS

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A Little Bit Of Bacalar in Austin?

21 May

When Lisa and I left Austin,Texas for the jungles of Southern Mexico, we were frequently asked along our travel route where we were going. Curious young camouflage-clad men at boarder crossings, fellow tourists at hotel stops or pyramid climbing site seers would scratch their heads at two older women, one with totally white hair, driving a truck and pulling a trailer to a place called Bacalar. They had never heard of it! Ah, and that was one of the reasons we wanted to live here. I only wish it were still true. (International living.com)

Incredible! 2013

A lot has changed in the ten years since we made that drive. Stores and restaurants have exploded and hotels are multiplying like rabbits. The push to develop is due to the Mayan Train which is currently under construction and the many tourists it’s expected to funnel into this little village, On the positive side many new services have sprung up. Last week I was surprised to see an equipment rental store. It only makes sense with the amount of construction going on. But it’s a first.

Blooming
Our entrance to the laguna.

Today I was reading online, and came across a very confusing story about Bacalar. It took me awhile to figure out that it wasn’t about our Bacalar but a restaurante soon to open in Austin named Bacalar. Award-winning Mexican super chef Gabe Erales, with familial ties to Bacalar Mexico is opening the restaurant and hoping to share the unique regional cuisine of this area with the world. The restaurant will be located in a young trendy downtown Austin area. I’m sure it will be a great success.

Gabe Erales

So much for anonymity. The cat is definitely out of the bag. One of my teachers in college in Mexico once told me, “there are getting to be fewer and fewer good places to hide out.” Ain’t it the truth.

DOS TORTAS

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Happy Mother’s Day

14 May

Six direct generations of the women in my family.

My daughter and granddaughters
Me at a wedding two weeks ago
My mother
My grandmother
My great grandmother

I hope you recognize the mothers in your life however you can. ❤️

DOS TORTAS

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Remembering To Be Grateful

6 May

This week Lisa did our taxes and we had some overdue conversations about finances. We are blessed in so many ways. We have very similar sensibilities about money. Spending has never been a source of contention since we are both quite frugal. Our conscious spending and wise investing means we don’t have to worry about our retirement income. We are very blessed and grateful.

Such lovely mornings in Bacalar.

It’s always a challenge to figure out how long we’re going to live. Illness and disability can eat up savings and death can cut off pensions and diminish social security. Living in Mexico has been a blessing for us. Our house is paid for and expenses are relatively low.

The view that reduces stress.

We have been working on improving our health through eating plant-based and cutting out salt, sugar and oil. My blood pressure is such that I’ve halved my medication and am close to being able to cut it out all together. My cholesterol is lower than it’s ever been.

In my second year of weight training.

I am so grateful to Lisa. For years we have eaten very differently. Her recent willingness to explore a plant-based diet has been a huge help. From what I’ve read eating predominantly fruits and vegetables reduces inflammation and is the way to go. At this rate, we could all live vibrantly to 100 and beyond.

DOS TORTAS

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Easter Respite

8 Apr

Whether or not you celebrate Easter, Passover or Solstice as a spiritual practice, it’s a good time to take a break. Semana Santa or Holy Week is a widely celebrated national holiday in Mexico. Everyone gets a week off work, banks and businesses are closed and Bacalar is a vacation destination for many. Surprisingly the past week has been relatively quiet in our neck of the jungle, much to the chagrin I’m sure, of the million and one new hotels that have been popping up in anticipation of the Mayan Train.

Rooftop Easter sunrise.

I thought I’d share some of my latest artwork. Procreate is a drawing application that allows me to play with color, line and form on my iPad mini. I am totally a novice and use very few of the features it offers.

Let’s Dance
Find The Ice Cream Cone
Bacalar Sunrise
Hacienda
Best Friends

I hope you enjoy your week.

DOS TORTAS

More Easter sunrise from our roof.

DOS TORTAS

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Let’s Wrap This Up – Acapulco 1973

2 Apr

The remote places of Mexico were easier to find in 1973. Three students, of which I was one, traveled down a beach road to a time forgotten. We spent a week with a family who was eeking out a living on the Pacific coast south of Acapulco.

This odd “parking space” was for drying coconuts! Taken on my old film camera.

Probably the most memorable activity of the week was drinking cold rum and coke. There were glass bottles of coca cola stacked against the house. One day, the fishermen were taking a run into town for supplies and asked if we wanted anything. Thinking we would provide a little fun for everyone, one of my fellow students gave them some pesos for a bottle of rum. When the rum arrived, we discovered to our surprise that none of the guys wanted any.

We bought our coke from Maria and proceeded to pour ourselves a drink. It was then that one of the fishermen casually asked us the most amazing question … “Quieres hielo?”

Old cases of coke,

It doesn’t take much Spanish language skill to know that hielo means ice. ICE? With no electricity and no running water, how could he be asking us if we wanted ice? My brain imploded with confusion.

Then this fellow proceeded to walk over to a large pile of wood chips that I hadn’t even noticed. And there, buried deep underneath was a block of ice. He pulled out an pick and hacked us off enough to fill our glasses. Voila! Cold rum and cokes. Talk about having to pinch yourself!

Cuba libre

I sat with my companions and watched the sunset, feet in the Pacific, miles from anywhere drinking cold rum and coke. We later realized that the ice was used to keep the fish cold for its trip to market in Acapulco. Wood chips provide adequate insulation. Who knew.

The boss showed up to haul the week’s catch to Acapulco. He is weighing the fish.

We three students from California, Connecticut and myself from New Jersey would never be the same. I think this is the first time I really talked about the experience in detail. The three of us went our separate ways after our adventure and never hung out again. For me, having met people with so few possessions who appeared so happy changed me. I realize that I was only there a week. I don’t want to glorify poverty as I’m sure they had their own problems. In the repaired van we said our goodbyes to return to classes having to force money on them to cover our stay. And like the 1954 musical Brigadoon, the veil closed and we went back to our student lives. Forever changed.

DOS TORTAS

A Gene Kelly taps with men in kilts from the magical village of Brigadoon.

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A Story Too Good Not To Tell Acapulco Part 7

17 Mar

Our beach vacation to Acapulco in 1973 was a step into a very different world from today. Heck, it was a different world from the rest of Mexico in 1973. The family we stumbled upon was operating a kitchen to feed a group of men who slept by day and fished by night. Maria, the chief cook was unfazed by a few more mouths to feed, hospitality at its best.

Our days began with breakfast which included fish in all its variations. The men were fishing in small boats by gas lantern and our meal had been caught the night before.

The child to the left retrieved water from God knows where with buckets balanced on poles across her shoulders.

The tortillas that were part of every meal were hand formed and cooked on a flat iron griddle called a comal. The comal was balanced on bricks over a hot wood fire. Maria delivered the tortillas to the table and we could barely retrieve them from the traditional woven basket in the center. Her hands were smooth leather and the piping hot corn disks tasted like no tortillas I had ever eaten then or since.

Staying in such a remote location we had to question where everything we consumed came from. There was no quick trip down the street to a little tortillaría or person who showed up on a scooter to deliver a kilo or two. Today, every restaurant in Bacalar has a delivery scooter on speed dial.

Tortillas are still a staple of Mexican diet.

One day a man showed up in camp leading a donkey with two burlap bags of corn cobs slung over its back. Maria and grandma shucked the corn and put the kernels to soak in a tub of water with lime powder. The process is called nixtamalization and causes the kernels to break down. Most tortillas in Mexico today are made from highly processed corn flour and taste like cardboard. The softened corn is then fed into a hand grinder and made into masa and the best tortillas in the world.

Non-GMO corn is quite tough.
The stock photo setup that is far more sophisticated than Maria had.

Few Mexicans today have ever tasted real tortillas. You can buy masa to press and grill your own, but the dough is made from highly processed corn flour.

A simple tortilla press can be found in most homes. Today you can buy ones that press and cook the tortillas right at the table, similar to a waffle iron.

The family we stayed with worked hard. But after the stunning Pacific sunset, a gas lantern provided the only light, and intense games of dominos ensued. One of my companions brought his guitar which was a big hit. Thinking back, all I can say is, “what an experience “.

DOS TORTAS

Amen.

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Palapas – Thatched Huts Of Mexico

19 Feb

When planning our escape from the United States in 2013, I spent hours researching house construction for tropical living. When all else fails, look to the indigenous population for a cooling, inexpensive, and sustainable construction. Palapas, i.e. thatched huts can be found in the fanciest hotels in Cancun or the simplest villages deep in the interior jungle. They are beautiful, functional, traditional and synonyms with the Mexican Caribbean and Pacific.

Acapulco
Rancho Encantado Bacalar

We have used palapas as overhangs to keep rain and sun out. Our dock is covered with a palapa to provide shade while viewing the laguna or reading in the hammock.

The front of our house.

Only this week did I have the opportunity to view up close and personal the construction of a palapa porch for our new guest room. They really are a work of art and their builder a true artisan.

Grass fronds delivered.
A porch to provide shade,
Original laundry room transformed.

There are many details that only the artist knows. The angles must be specific, the grasses woven correctly and the netting applied to keep the whole thing from flying away. Of course a tropical storm or hurricane can do the job, but we’ve been lucky.

Inside is a welcoming space.
Our dock.

DOS TORTAS

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