Chaos in Cancun?

I have been working in Cancun since Monday 1/10th. My airfreight finally showed up last night at 5pm. (7 of 10 pallets - the other is still in Miami.) It has been even more hectic than usual and certainly much more 'hassle' than it should be.

I will post some photos soonest. busy today with catch up.

-Worker Bee

Wed 1.5 Isla Mujeres part V.

I have to look at my watch now to see what day it is. (the time no longer matters) I’ve been here long enough now where I don’t feel pressured to do anything. It’s relaxing just to sit and read. It makes me sad to see other travelers who rush and don’t relax, trying to squeeze every minute with an activity. I’m sure they will arrive home more ‘tired’ than when they left it. (*reminds me of the train to Copper Canyon – Divisadero, Mexico where the passengers got a fifteen minute delay to photograph the view. They all rushed off the tracks in mass buying some trinket, posing together with the valley behind them, smiling and saying cheese, then running back up to board the train. Often never turning around and really looking down at the amazing view at all…) How many of these tourists will return home without really ‘seeing’ mexico? Oh well, I better jump down off my soapbox before I fall and hurt myself…

Yesterday I survived the mighty moped without incident. (I did scrape the undercarriage on some speed bumps, but no wrecks.) The ‘other end’, Punta Sur, the south end of Isla is all residential. (I couldn’t find a restaurant to eat lunch at all, not one.) It sits a little higher up off the water and has some hills. (~100ft high?) the shoreline has cliffs and bluffs instead of flat sand beaches. Imagine a baseball bat with the town (where I’m staying) on the handle end, and then an airport down the shaft and last all the houses on the bat end. (*the airport: I saw one helicopter there. Period. No tower, no hanger, no planes. Just a mile of runway, two guards and a navel rescue copter. It’s not even entirely fenced in.) So, my moped. For $350pesos ($35us) you get the big moped, or for $250pesos you get the tiny moped. I went small. I went top speed about 30-35mph. plenty of power to climb the massive 100ft high hills. The worry for me was the slack tension in the brakes. The rolling down hill at 35mph toward water with mushy brakes kept me honest! I survived without incident. There are two roads to the end of the Isla, one north and one south side and both have shoreline views. So I did the ‘Cancun’ side on the outbound and the ‘Cuba’ side on the return. First I went to the Turtle Farm ($3 admission) and did the quick run and shoot photo stop. Not really much to see. Just glad they are trying to save the turtles. It’s a few big tanks with some babies, a sand lot fenced in where I assume they nest them? A tiny lab where they have a do not enter sign. Nothing too scientific looking anywhere. Second I went to the park at Punta Sur. ($3 admission) I am sorry to see that they have chosen to ‘include art’ at the park. For whatever reason they have many statues placed out on the ground at the point. It also has a Mayan building of some kind on the very tip. I felt that the artwork was distracting and ugly. (im no art critic) imagine riding your tiny moped half an hour to the “most beautiful view” of the point where the cliffs overlook the ocean, the Mayan ruin sits, only to find lots of gaudy painted crappy sculptures sitting in the way of a great photo. (I’m sure the artists mothers are all proud – but I didn’t like it. My opinion and again be careful when stepping down from the soapbox.) The scenery was spectacular and the day was perfect for photos. I got some sun, some shots and finally felt burned and hungry and had to run off in search of shade and food… (chicken tacos at a little spot back in town. $3.50us) Third note; the prices are high on the island. I know it’s because everything is so labor intensive. Nothing can be trucked in. well it is trucked in, but it comes by boat. And since the town streets are so tiny they have to offload everything and carry it on even smaller trucks. I guess I should say the prices are higher than I expected. Ultimately it’s a tourist destination and that’s what drives everything. Charge what the market will bear. But how do the locals live? How can they afford to live on the island? I did see some shanties on the Cuban side of the road. Also several new million dollar homes hanging onto the edge of cliffs. I wonder if some of the service industry takes the ferry back and forth each day from the mainland? (I’ll investigate and report later!)

sitting across the street watching for hours.

Base/Dodge/Kick BALL… My favorite new sport! for several nights I have been intrigued watching the locals playing some game on the basketball court. So I watched a game and am now ready to report. It’s two teams, numbers don’t matter as it can be even or more smaller kids against fewer larger ones. Also no set number is required and you can stack the outfield. The ‘first base’ line is the Basketball baseline, half court line is second base, and third is the other end of half court, home is back where you started. Picher stands in an area and rolls the ball to the ‘batter.’ He then Kicks it. A kick which lands on top of the church is an automatic out. A kick that hits a storefront is an automatic out. All else is deemed fair play. A kick caught on the fly is an out. A runner who is tagged, or hit by a fielders throw is out. (thus the dodge ball) So the team sits on the wall behind the basketball baseline awaiting their turn at bat, while the opposing team is spread all to hell and gone across the basketball court, back to the city park behind – for the long fly ball. I see them playing this starting about 5pm and have seen it going on till after 11pm. It seems to be enjoyed by everyone. (*note; 2 nights ago during the middle of the Base/Dodge/Kick game, a pickup game of basketball between two guys commenced on the goal situated in what is ‘the infield.’ Much to my surprise no one said anything. Both groups are happily playing their separate games overlapping the same space. My fear was a line drive kick into the head of one of the two basketball players but it never happened. To my amazement both groups appeared to be oblivious of the other.)

Well I’m hungry now and need to got find something to eat. There’s a light breeze from the east and it’s partly cloudy today. Great weather for a nap later!

Hope it’s perfect where you are.

Xo Pirate Skip

Tuesday 1.4

Well i wrote a note for today but the darn machine in this internet cafe cant open it... (my favorite cafe isn't open yet.)

We learn to take the good with the bad here in Paradise. (the different keyboards are challenging. the lack of software is also a surprise.) WELL WE FIXED IT. he moved me to the computer at the desk next to mine...

Tue 1.4
I am ‘trying’ to squeeze a lot into this day. I am enjoying a cup of coffee and the sunrise with a light breeze from the south/east, partly cloudy and cool. (cool right now) Today I will rent a moped scooter and drive to Punta Sur. The southern tip of the island. I have been told that it’s very lovely and photogenic. We’ll see.

These photos are an effort to try and capture some local color, the people and beaches. The four ladies are: Cheryl, Gin, Natalie & Rachel. They graciously invited me to share dinner with them last night. Today it saddens me to say they are traveling back to the world and colder climates. My darlings, you will be missed.

I finished book number two and am well into book number three. Yesterday I am ashamed to say I slept in and took two naps. I also went to the bank, got my laundry done and made a grocery store run. Plus I worked on the computer to get these photos finished.

Well I’m gonna try and get an early start to get out and use my time wisely on the Moped. (imagine an elephant sitting on a tricycle and you will pretty much have the visual.) Top speeds 20mph. but it sure beats walking!

Hot time in Mexico! Xo Pirate Skip

New Years Day 2011

"Wow! These Mexicans sure know how to party!" - the lady in rm #9

It's 7:44am and the Band is still going strong. i slept through most of it. After midnight i decided to 'rest' for awhile and let the amateurs leave the scene. (the party does not start till after midnight mass. it's quite a juxtaposition with half the crowd standing in the doorway of the church and speakers pointed out into the town square filling the courtyard with 'church'. the other half of the crowd is sitting at reserved tables, all dressed up with party hats on.) during my rest i fell asleep twice and decided i might be tired. At 5:15AM i awoke to the band playing and a deep bass pumping through the foundation of our building. It's still dark out but the same band is still going strong and the crowd is still about a thousand strong.

Lots of 'happy' people, but no real drunks. (police are very noticeable and protective. thick as flies) it is a dignified well dressed dancing crowd. some sleeping children. some sleeping parents. hundreds of locals. the locals outnumber visitors 20 to 1. Lots of great photo ops to be had as the sun slowly rises in the east and the band plays on...

8am exactly and the band stops. i now hear the rustle of the palm trees, the pounding surf replaces the bass beat that band played from midnight till 8am. i never heard them take a break between 5am and 8am. maybe they took a rest between midnight and 5?

i just hope everyone is quiet today during nap time!

Happy New Year from Isla Mujeres, MX. Xo Pirate Skip

You say ‘tomatoe’, I say ‘tomato.’ I forgot to mention the photo of the vendor holding two Roma TOMATOES is mayan. I stopped to ask directions and “had a conversation” with him. (conversation?) I am informing him my Spanish is poor and he laughs, informing me he is mayan and speaks Mayan to me… then he proceeds to tell me the Roma’s are called, “Poc.” (sp?) I did get enough info to find my destination!

Another quick note you cant see. In the photo of the Tacos from yesterday lunch, notice the far right corner. She is making individual tortillas’ one at a time and then cooking them on the grill. (the silver thing is a tortilla press. She grabs a handful of doe, rolls it out and then squeezes that thing over the top of it) This takes place in a storefront just down the street from my hotel. At noon locals gather and line up to buy them, very fresh and hot. Speaking of hot. The little room they cook in has no window, no fan and gets roasting. The space is about 14feet x 20 feet. Now imagine a crowd pressed in there all standing. Sure makes the breeze feel good! (yummy tacos)

The fireworks. I forgot those till I saw the photo… at about 12:45am they set off a round of fireworks a few feet behind my hotel. (there is no safety zone, no OSHA, no big brother here) I’m thinking the party is going along fine and this is the noise level? Then a barrage of explosions starts. I run over and look up to see these monster fireworks going off almost directly overhead. This was a world class party!

The P.A.R.T.Y. I estimate 3,000 plus people in the town square. There was seating for about 1,500 and many more surrounding who could not get a table. ($500 pesos) Plus everyone milling about all over town. From my balcony I could hear another band south of the park and I saw and heard four others along the restaurant row. It’s safe to say the entire village, the entire island was partying. I put in earplugs when the band kicked off so I don’t know for sure how loud it was. But the quiet now is so smooth and relaxing I can only guess it was way above healthy levels. You can see sunrise in the photos of the dance. I mentioned that I ‘accidently’ fell into my bed asleep between ~ midnight and 5am. Well when I got back at 5:30am, it was still going strong and the band didn’t take a break, the dancers never left the floor till 8am. This was truly some kind of wild fiesta! The band was exceptional. (I’ll try to find out more about them and report) they never said one word of English. (duhh) they played all over the charts, not ever getting stuck in one rut, and all of it was great. Clear crisp vocals with harmony and some hot lick guitars along with traditional Mexican instruments. No, I didn’t recognize a single song. Not one. But I sang along to several and found myself whistling them.
(this just in. the band is Super Crack. they are from Marida, in the Yucatan.)

I just woke up from Nap #1. It’s about 11:45am and I think I’ll try to find another taco for today! Hope your new year is going great? xo from Mexico.

Pirate Skip