April 15 on Lasqueti Island.

Home after some adventures. i left Puerto by plane to Mexico city, and on my flight to Chetumal for Belize I got Covid. I was the only person on the plane wearing a mask! 1 week sick, blah!

Belize was all about the dentist who made me new dentures, excellent work at 20% of the Canadian price, and still 30% less than the Mexicans. $1000 can dollars all in. Those savings paid for my travel, air b&b, and food. After much online searching I finally chose the first one air b&b I,d seen and it was pretty good. A small house in the yard of a dog rescue center, run by an expat American lady $1500 for the month, and a small pool, AC for the hot afternoons, and a hot plate kitchen. Even a hot shower bathroom. I had 6 devoted dog pals who rushed me whenever I went onto my porch. A few chicken scraps go a long way!

Corozol in Belize was boring, hot, flat, no good food, and no cultural stuff. I met a few people, and was surprised by how many refugees there were from Honduras, Guatemala etc. The bay, and it is extensive, was cloudy with the limestone silt that paves the bottom. I never swam there. So, skip Corozol...

Leaving Belize after my permitted 30 day stay was easy.Eddy the fat taxi driver insisted on leaving at 5 30 am to avoid the Easter Sunday border rush. Actually he just wanted to be at the border to pick up the returning Belizean fares. What the heck, it was time to go and he did whisk me through both border stops. Could have had a trunk full of dope! A second taxi(included in the $40 US $ price got me to the ADO bus station in Chetumal, where the online ticket worked except that the seat I,d saved had been sold. Got another further back and except for the disgruntled Mexican woman who had taken my seat it worked. A 3 hour wait for a 6 hour bus ride. But.. the seats were supremely comfortable, ride a bit bouncy, and I had 5 hours of MP3 music to dull the roar. Went through Tulum, unrecognizable. 5 miles by 3, where in 1980 we had 2 restaurants(chickens chopped to order), one grocery store and a pharmacy. 4 lane highway, and a continous string of luxury hotels from there to Playa Del Carmen, where they were more discretely hidden by high walls and gates. Into Cancun by 3 and as suggested by other travellers online I walked out to the street and got a cab for 79 pesos to the Ferry. Ultramar, fast catamarans shuffling thousands of tourists to Isla Mujeres daily $400 pesos one way! But on arrival I navigated the flat streets in intense heat to the Selina hostel. Packed with people for the Easter weekend, but i chose the pricier 4 bed dorm and had it to myself for 2 nights. Typical hostel, euro youth glued to phones, tecno blaring at the bar and dirty pool, and strobe lights slicing the night . Had a big kitchen and i cooked food I bought at Chedraui(by bus). Food was 25%c cheaper than in Puerto. 3 blocks to North beach, a lovely white sand stretch with a zillion pay to sit loungers. I found shade by a fence and swam repeatedly in warm blue water. Very nice! I did walk the promenade, saw the places I,d been to before, and would still recomend the island as a stop for swimming. Wildly overpacked with souvenir stalls and restaurants and the streets are dangerous with hundreds of golf carts rented by oblivious gringos. The uproar dies down somewhat when the last ferry goes a t 9 pm. It wa a 3 day stop for me to make my Westjet flight back to Vancouver.

The usual route to the airport, way out of town was to taxi to the ADO station and take their shuttle. I,d met Amber (Vancouver) at the hostel and she suggested Uber. Well, that was easy, cheaper, and way faster. Westjet was efficient, my papers were in order, and I finally had a cold drink at inflated airport prices. 4 hour wait, and I got anxious when the flight was not posted, so I went looking, found a mass of canadians ready to board. Boeing(bolts?)dreamliner fully packed, 6 hours to Yvr, arriving just as the last skytrain left, I went to the mezzanine and unpacked my sport seats, chained my bags after checking with security, and flopped in the cold for 4 hours. Sleep? More like unconciuosness, but better than a $200 hotel for 4 hours.

6 am Canada line to downtown, bus to Horseshoe bay, taxi to Shannon and Spensers house for 4 hours of sleep, a hot shower, and relax. Kids came home, life ramped up, and i stayed 2 days. Costco , helped Spenser with maintenance in Parksville and on the 2 30 ferry for pickup by buddy Wayne. True the pipes leak, and it,s bloody cold(6degrees) but the sun came out, the sheep have lambs and It,s Spring! First geese went north ,a taliman sign for me, and I,m happy to be home.

Next blog.. life on the rock....See ya!

Corozol boring.

I might have already said so, but Corozol Belize is boring. Flat, hot, crumbling downtown, no cultural events.

Good points are taxis are cheap-$7 BZ anywhere, and they range from decrepit clankers to modern sedans with AC. There is a market downtown, but tourists pay double. I got my fruit and veg from a street stand or the twice weekly Mennonite market. 40 vendors, only 2 of them Mennonite, bu they own the space so get a cut. Cheap cheese, bags of milk, yogurt, and a huge variety of vegetables and some fruit. Fresh coconuts finally! Going to the market early is part of my walk to health program, trying to get back in active condition.

Best point is Dr. Garcia, the very experienced dentist who made me new dentures for one fifth of the canadian price, in fact the same price he charged me 7 years ago! True it took a month, but some work had to be sent to Belize city for lab casting of metal. Dr Garcia is genial, skilled ,an a perfectionist ,just what you want for detail work. When there were sore spots to adjust he set up an open 8 am spot for me and I went back 3 times for fine tuning.He listened carefully and fixed everything,even going so far as to say he,d been thinking about a specific issue and had an unconventional solution that changed the fit to good. He relined my old dentures, so I have a spare set. Usually that involves new moulds and lab work. He short cutted by pouring liquid acrylic and hot fitting it right in my mouth. Uncomfortably hot, but best fit possible. Reline $50 Can. Full upper and lower with metal bridge $1000. He even threw in a free tooth cleaning. I expressed my satisfaction all along the way, and he appreciated someone who understood the process and praised the quality of his work. Mutual satisfaction!

I ate lunch and breakfast at Al,s cafe, a hole in the wall with questionable cleanliness but terrific Belizian food. Eggs with tomatoes(huevos rancheros) came with fry jacks, thin bread dough folded and fast fried in oil to puff into little pockets. Perfect for filling with eggs. Some benches inside but only 2 tables on the street. I saw the same expats there each day and the place did a roaring take away trade. Meals cost $12 BZ or $8 Can. Friendly server, pleasant cook, reccomended.

Mostly i have been cooking at home on a 2 burner hotplate, stuffing groceries in a tiny fridge, and eating a lot of boiled food. Sweet potatoes really are sweet here, and spuds and carotts are good. Nothing green, salads unknown. I eat a lot of fruit, papaya, watermelon, canteloupe and bananas. Since slipping them the chicken skins my dog fan club is totally devoted. Everytime I move they come to the porch gate ,hopefully drooling . The biggest one, an old Staffordshire is huge! easily 150 pounds, mouth big enough to crack coconuts and a neck like bull. His bark could knock the paint off a cement wall, but since I started massaging his big neck he is devoted and comes waddling in a shambling run, mouth open in a happy smile and making oddly endearing deep whines and rumbles of joy. Glad he's my friend ! I chopped a coconut and they scoured the leftover meat with tongue rasps.

They were all asleep after the nightly barkfest when i went out this morning for a walk. None of them are leash trained so i don't do dog walking. At 6 am it's full light, and still cool(18 degrees) with a nice breeze out of the north. I backtracked along a new gravel road, then turned up into the bush, Quickly ran out of houses and sleepy guard dogs, the road degenerated into a limestone track through secondary bush. Lots of invisible birds, no reptiles, quiet and peaceful. I did have some concern that the road/track might peter out at some jungle clearing, but while it did slip to one lane with no truck tracks,it did wander in the right direction. I have a very good sense of direction, so knew where home was, but it seemed very far. Twists and turns, little clearings, nobody at all. I began to wonder if it did join the subdivision I,d biked to, and was puzzled how long it was. Seemed it bore east and I was moving away from civilization, but eventually it joined a larger track which after some right angle turns met the main subdivision road. Probably 2 miles of bush, and i was a mile east of my projected exit. Asked a local for directions to Alta Mira road and he obliged with detailed instructions, which confirmed my estimate. Finally saw the elusive birds.. a small black warbler very tunefull, a bright orange bird the size of a dove and a noisy flock of emerald green parrots with bright red flashes under their wings and yellow heads. It was another mile back home and I was glad to have gone early before the heat rose.

Back at the ranch the water pump was shut off, failing to come up to pressure. Clogged diaphram or impellers crusted with lime. Of course it,s a holiday weekend and the plumber cannot come before Sunday, and I'll be gone then at 5 am. Got a bucket of pool water to flush the toilet.and can shower at the pool with sprinkler cans. Nothing I have not done before, but the landlady will spin out, as she has no idea how things work and will get excited.

So, sucessful dental work, and an ok place to stay. Having a tiny cabin, with private bath, and shady porch looking at the tiny pool is fine. Being able to cook saved much money and cold water to drink is always welcome. Ok bed, fair wifi (I,m spoiled) and a TV with netflixs rounds out the amenitys. Sure I did need the AC afternoons, especially the 2 days when temps hit 39(100 degrees). All in all I accomplished my goals, stayed healthy excepting Covid and I brought that with me, and am very ready to go home. It seems a bit daunting to pack up and taxi/bus ferry to Cancun, a 12 hour day, but it seems to take 12 hours to get anywhere, whether it,s endless airports, or long bus rides, sort of the cost of travelling to exotic places. So far so good and I,m glad to go!

Belize birds

I,ts the morning bird show! Up at dawn(5;30) to an outpouring of bird calls.The land behind where I,m staying has been let grow back to jungle and it's birdland.Trees are 50 feet tall, and the understory is too dense to walk through, perfect habitat. First calls were parrots, foot long squawkers,yellow underbellys with emerald green backs. they fly with that peculiar beak down flap glide, yapping all the way. There's a dead palm tree with a perfect parrot sized nest hole 40 feet up and the loudest bird made frequent forays back and forth from the surrounding trees. I',ve no idea what they are finding to eat, but there are ornamental palms lining the road with big bunches of grape like clusters of seed, like oil palm seed. I,ve been days trying to figure out what the very rapid flyers are that zoom across the sky in zig zag flight , black against the glare. Likely parrots. A smaller parrots, landed on the low growing palm tree in front of my porch, perched clearly visible. Size of my hand, very busy hopping from frond to frond, disturbing the tiny hummingbird zipping about from leaf to leaf hunting spiders. The parrot was classic golden bellied with a brilliant emerald green back, and short green tail feathers. It's overcast this morning, making distinguishing birds against the glare very difficult. A yellow breasted woodpecker, robin sized, made an erratic path hopping up a tree trunk, hammering a way for insects, while an as yet unknown bird, bit bigger than a robin called excitedly to the rest of the unseen flock.

After much searching i finally found the bird I started out looking for. Size of a slim turkey, very long sweeping tail like a quetzal, colour undistinguishable against the sky. Way up in the top foliage, calling with a remarkably harsh loud voice, something that sounded like "crocodile!crocodile!"Very sharp and promptly answered answered by 6 more, fellow flockers spread out unseen in the surrounding jungle."Crocodile!Crocodile!" Now the nearest crocodile is 10 miles away in the New river, so I know that's not what they were saying, but it's as close as I can get to it. Erect posture, long drooping tail as long as the body, and hoping easily from branch to branch, and running along the bigger limbs. I saw this ame species one early morning at Chichen Itza in the scrub jungle there. Most resembling a Quetzal without the brilliant colouration, no doubt a relative. Same call, same branch dashing progress. Very gratifying to have a backyard bird show!

Barrio

Barrio -- MEX March 15 2024

Just 2 blocks from the busy Benito Juarez airport, behind the big expensive airport hotels,are backstreets. Double parked cars clog the road, taco stands and tubs of boiling pig fat fill what little sidewalk there might be. shady looking characters lounge predator like on filthy corners.

This is the route to the Hotel Casita del Arbol, an off street set of cement rooms($25 canadian single) fronted by a tall full steel gate that opens into a surprisingly large gravelled courtyard filled with a blooming Jacaranda tree dripping blossoms and filling the sky with a cloud of purple flowers. Planters made of old pallets line the walls, carefully filled with succulent sand trailing vines. there seem to be lots of staff who sweep, water, and clean carefully. this is not the hotel for the fastidious, but it's a conviently located, clean and cheap overnighter right at the airport.

Getting to the Casita from the terminal is made safe by calling and having a young man come meet the guest at the #5 exit. In my case he humped my 25 kilo suitcase up to the second level, across the pedestrian bridge far above the 3 lanes of speeding airport traffic, down more clanging iron steps and onto the littered pavement. 50 feet up to the right, then left 2 blocks past the curious vendors and loafers, then turn right 50 feet to the entrada.

Room 108, right at the back ground level, 10 by 12 cement room bright LED overhead light, double lumpy bed, with a shelf over, an old executive leather chair(reclines abruptly),a shelf for miscellaneous bits, and a useless old pouf in the front corner.The glass windows and door are screened by mesh and privacy curtains that are pale and thin and do little to block the all night courtyard light. Sleeping masks, earplugs for the jets, trickle hot shower in the spotlessly clean next door bathroom. there a re 6 rooms down and 2 more up a rickety steel fire escape. The shared kitchen is well equipped with a microwave, all dishes and utensils, all very well scrubbed, and a shared refrigerator.Even free filtered water.

I tanked upon water, showered and answered all my mail (WI FI).Had my cheese bun, cookie and granola bar for supper.

That rickety old fire escape leads to the cement roof top cluttered with old lumber, broken chairs and former shelves. The hotel and all the street front buildings back onto what was once a big courtyard, now in filled with hovels. Close to me was a 2 story cement building , perhaps 10 by 10 feet square, with access to the roof by a ladder from the obscured yard. 3 Pomeranian crossed dogs yipped about on the roof of the next building. A plank walk led to a ragged curtained doorway on the second floor. A young boy climbed the ladder , carrying a food bowl,pushing through the interested Pomeranians,and crossed the single plank bridge to deliver the food. A furtive man popped out of the curtain, snatched the bowl, and ducked back inside. The dogs settled, then had a fit as large cat crossed slowly across the roof of the next hovel, slid through the roof top clutter, and , knowing he was safe, turned and insolently regarded the frantic Poms. Dog free zone. Now cats can tell when something is watching them, and this one repeatedly looked up at me, and nonchalantly inspected his usual space.

Beyond these crumbling buildings the entire interior block space was jammed with tin roofed one story shacks, jumbled together in no discernable order. Every roof was piled with an mass of junk, rusty bed frames, old broken bicycles, rotten lumber,and garbage sacks of?? All crisscrossed with sagging clotheslines. There must be access past the streetfront buildings and pathways between the shacks cramming the airless interior.What about garbage? Sewage? Even the roof tops of the street buildings had 2 storey tiny rooms no bigger than a bed facing into the squalor.Dark , dirty, noisy, and probably unsafe. this is where the poor live, no doubt paying a fee to the controlling gangs, and living crammed together like rats. this is where the poor of Mexico city live, unseen from the looming luxury airport hotels.

I was glad to have a safe clean place, screened from the barrio by razor wire,and happy to have overnighted in an inexpensive friendly casita. Up at 6:30 to shower, shave and eat my granola, repack,(again). Another friendly fellow escorted me through the trash filled streets where vendors were yawning and already setting up for another session of day to day living.Looked a lot safer in the daylight.

So: A cheap overnight crash as close to the airport as you can get. 5574519610 whatsapp or 18887411010 Booking.com $18 us$

Covid March 2024

Covid? Really? After dodging this disease since it began through 4 countries , I got it on a mexican plane. Only one on the plane wearing a mask, which proves the conspiracy theory.. Masks give you Covid.

I had no symptoms until arriving in Corozal, then accelerating from a dry cough to sneezing, low fever, lethargy. Hard to tell lethargy from laziness, but the fever was the tell tale. Tested positive(hot red lines instantly 2 days in a row), rats. So, self isolate for 10 days from 1st symptoms, which may be more than needed, but folks here are mostly not vaccinated, so best be safe.

Luckily I'm staying in a little house, with hot plate, tiny fridge, and choice of fan or AC. Comfy bed, airy porch with Adirondack chairs, hot shower. Air B&B, and the landlady lives in the big house, so she checked on me daily. She runs a dog rescue center here, currently 6 dogs as well as her own fat German shepard and even fatter Staffordshire. These are all friendly dogs and I'm one of the pack, giving neck rubs and pets equally. like all tropical dogs, they sleep most of the day, saving up for the nightly barkfest, when all the dogs in the neighbourhood(and everybody has at least one dog) bark out the news, scaring imaginary thieves, making a racket and generally having dog fun. Earplugs.

Being sick away from home is boring. There,s nothing to do except watch old movies and veg out. I do have a food delivery service, ordering on Whats app and getting stuff dropped off by motorcycle courier. Small fee, and way easier than shopping my self in a series of tiny stores. I can get lots of fruit, especially citrus for vitamin C, and chicken fully frozen. All commercial chickens in Belize are factory produced and frozen. Sanitary I hope. Potatoes, onions, peppers, all are here. There is a tiny fruit stand one half mile down the road who had one of the best papayas I,ve ever tasted. So, eat, doze, internet. Sounds like a winter at home except it's 32 degrees.

Bloody hot,pretty humid, with a strong trade wind to stir the air. Days a re 12 hours long, with happy mosquitoes at night (screens) which means no sitting out in the tropical evenings. That's a travel agent myth. Everyplace I,ve been has mosquitoes, from Bali to Hanoi, Costa Rica to Mexico. That's how Dengue spreads as well as Malaria. Never had malaria despite so much tropical traveling, and never want it!

Corozal is flat, hot and boring. there are no beaches, just muck, and no scenic attractions. There are some tiny ruins, but having climbed most of the pyramids in CA, so what. Seems like a place where weary travelers crossed the Mexican border and stalled. Mostly blacks with some chinese, and an increasing population of Mexicans and central americans,. Supposedly an English speaking country, lots speak only Spanish, and the locals have an accent that needs google translate. Friendly enough, but crime is rife, and there,s no safe nightlife. A typical 3rd world mix of very poor and very rich with a thin layer of rising middle class. The traditional wooden homes raised up on pilings are being replaced by the more durable, bug proof cement block shacks. These vary from simple cubicles to 3 story palaces, depending on the owners wealth. The handyman here tells about earlier times when he had a Dory(rowboat) on the New river which divides Belize from mexico and had a thriving trade, moving bales of grass into Mexico and illegal immigrants into Belize. Boats would anchor offshore to drop off goods. Were there police? Yes, he said, but only 3 of them, and they wanted no trouble. Then came cocaine, big money, gangs, and cartels.Guns and gang wars. He quit in time, but now there are shoot outs, contract killings, and , trouble. Parts of the highway are no go zones at night, and chopped up bodies get dumped into the cane fields to be burned beyond recognition. Ugh!

I recall 20 years ago meeting a nice local guy in Placencia who had built some beautiful hardwood cabins for rent. Financed by bale fishing. What's that i asked? Drug runners chased by coast guard boats would dump their sealed bales of pot(50 pounds each), and locals would recover some for resale. my friend found 3, and sold the first one to the dealers for $5000. Second time they told him 2500,and when he brought the 3rd one they flourished guns and said he had to work for them. He said take this one for free and I no longer have a boat, goodbye.. Made enough cash to build his resort and retire. While we were chatting a gorgeous woman came bleary eyed out of the cabin, Miss Belize 3 years before. She was there with her boyfriend, shaved headed and wild eyed. Just out of Belize prison, one of the worst in the world. He did 4 years for manslaughter. Hey, my friend asked, how's Jimmy doing in there? Oh said Mr convict. He got the chop! What? Yah mon, we standing side by side in the morning count line when somebody behind him reach around and cut his throat. Nobody say nothing. Literally: Hey mon, how Jeemy do dere? Oh, heem. He done got da chop.Say wha? Yah mon, we all standin in da mawnin count line and some foker dey reach about and slash him troat. Nobody say nuttin, yo knaow?

I do meet interesting people! Makes covid sound like fun!

Blog Blah

Nothing exciting to report which is actually good. Dengue recovery complete, mind returned from dopey ville, and getting back to walking,shopping, eating. See/ Blah... So.. odds and ends.

Butterflys: Most of them here a re small, pale colours and very fast flitters. Erratic flight patterns foil predators. What eats butterflys? Did have a medium sized(4 inch wing span) mottled brown land on my cabina thatch. Had i not seen it land I,d never have found it, the four shades of brown overlaying each other in a camo pattern that perfectly blended with the old tan coloured palm thatch.. Was it a monarch that cruised the bouganvillea? Vivid yellow background with sharp black markings, about 6 inches across. Oddest one was an all black, huge (8 inch) flapper that very lazily hopped from flower to flower in the red blossom bush over my outdoor bathroom.

What I was calling the pea tree had the same creamy white frilly blossoms as the roadside tree, but in fact grew long pods like a pole bean. Old pods, new forming pods and flowers all at once. Very popular with the hummingbirds,both jet blacks and grey shaded zippers. Growing on a steep slope below the lookout(Ok it,s the sewer transfer box, but the town built a shaded set of benches, and it has the best view of the beach and sea horizon), so the flowers are at eye height, right next to an acacia(long reddish brown seed pods that make rattles).

More trees seen. African tulip(orange trumpets against a lush deep green foliage), red bouganvillea covering a big tree and flooding across a steep valley, a tall slim tree covered in what look just like cherry blossoms, a shrub with upright candelabras of mixed orange, red and cream, unscented, and a stunning cream coloured, pink edged frangipani that had 10 times the scent of the usual reds, quite overcoming to sniff.

And a new bird,,shaped like a skinny upright sparrow but with tangerine breast and tail feathers and black chest , throat, and back. Perky, silent,alert. of course there are the usual pelican fleets, line astern over the waves, gliding on ground effect until the wave breaks,then soaring sharply on uplift, only to dipdown and scud along the wave face. They hardly ever flap, and seem to be going somewhere. this is not feeding formation, where they break column and dive perpendicularly into the ocean with a mighty splash, emerging beak first to gulp down the captured fish. There seem to be 2 kinds of buzzards here,the familiar turkey vultures we see at home, and the all black buzzards(zopilotes). The turkey vultures a re better fliers, rarely moving a wing,soaring on imperceptible updrafts, tilting with the gusts and manoevering around buildings and upright unfinished rebar. the zopilotes are less steady, lighter, tilting with any change of breeze, but like wise rarely flapping. Cormorants seem to travel in flocks. There are also gulls, medium size , black marked, on a white colour so bright it looks almost blue, who like the pelicans plunge suddenly into the sea and emerge fluttering to shake off the water, often with small fish in their beaks. They gather in flocks(packs?) on the foreshore, just a t the edge of the surf surge, and all face the sea breeze ready to launch when disturbed.

Many of these things were seen during a road trip to roca blanca beach with 2 friends. 1 hour by rocket ride van up coastthan a 1 hour stroll through a tiny village(people are friendly here), then a flat walk passed cow pastures , across a crocodile swamp, and out to an very long gold sand beach which runs for miles undeveloped towards Puerto. The beach terminates a t a rocky point, forming a small curved bay suitable for swimming, and backed by an iguanerium(sp?), brick walled with internal fences where iguanas are fed and protected. While there are 8 palapa restaurants, only 2 were open and we went to Lulu and jose Galivans, where the ebullant and very friendly Lulu cooks the fresh fish that Jose skindives for.. Large palm frond thatched palapa right on the sand crest above the beach, endless view, Roca Blanca rock white with bird poop, and warm water surf. the usual plastic chairs which are surprisingly comfortable and a few hammocks for post prandial lounging. After some swimming and reading we ate a fine lunch. the girls had shrimp, i had Lulus reccomendation, a long snouted fish, deep fried(but not too much) with garlic and rice. tender white mild flavoured flesh, easy to peel off the few bones. Yum! Hammocks, books, swim, loaf, perhaps snore, this was the way i remember Mexico from the 90,s. So nice that e lingered all day, only walking out when the sun was low and the heat abated. Dirt road, kids on bikes , roadside houses, pretty pleasant.

The return van had a big TV screen facing the passengers blaring the adventures of Scoobie Doo which was intrusive. what was scary was that the dangerous driver tailgated everything in order to pass on blind curves and jam up behind the next pickup, all the while watching the movie on his dash mounted phone. Sheesh!

My friends from St Albert Alberta a re staying near the beach. Sadly Jim has dengue(not from me!) and is very sick . They will go home early. At casa Dan one guest left early to go to his sick wife, and 3 people just left to go tend a sick husband. We are all aging out, and illness really cramps ours styles. I never considered going home early, having lots of ongoing plans, and really the medical care here is excellent, neighbours solicitous, and the treatment is rest and fluids best done in a comfortable place with tropical climate. Always an option to bail, and next year I may just take evacuation insurance rather than the increasingly expensive comprehensive medical plan. Medicine is cheap here, and if I,m really sick i want the plan that flys me home in a Lear jet direct to nanaimo hospital.

Blah, blah, blah blog. Finis!

Birds Flowers and Butterflys

Happily healthy again, as normal as I,m going to get! Dengue laid me pretty low, actually considering "is this it? Is death near?" Felt like it.

Back on the road to health, and on the road to the mercado. Made an exploratory trip to Super Che for big boxes of juice, some cheap chicken legs, free run eggs, avocadoes , "Look, they're cheaper in the mesh bag!" Yeah,because they are so small you are buying avocado stones. Hrumph... And as always at Che it took longer to checkout than to find things." Why put on more clerks? these people will stand in line for a half hour. They have a cart full!"

Anyway, flushed with success, I went the next day uptown by combi to shop the big mercado area. Actually don't go in the mercado anymore, having found all the same goods nearby in tiny stores for better prices. A cast west from the collectivo stop and there was the shrimp shop, a regular storefront filled with chest freezers. 2 kilos of medium shrimp in a box for 360pesos, about $24 canadian. It was only when i got home that I saw these shrimp were from Nicaragua, product of mangrove clear cut grow farms. Not eco food. Damn tasty though! Next to the tortilla factory where dangerous unguarded machines press corn dough into 6 inch tortillas and cook them on hot rollers,mass production. 24 pesos a kilo($2) and I got a half kilo, which is some 15 tortillas. now tortillas only keep about 4 hours before they dry out and roll up into tire patches, but seperated by paper and plastic bagged, they freeze very well. I had enough used (washed bags from produce) to freeze a lot, packed between coffee filters as paper dividers. Ate 2 fresh with 6 boiled shrimp and mayo. Major meal!

Chocolate is a big agricultural crop in the mountains, second only to coffee(and dope). The Mayo Domo chain sells fresh ground chocolate(mixed with sugar) cheap. A kilo cost $4, still hot from the press. They also sell pure chocolate in cubes at a much higher price, used for hot chocolate drinks and Mole which is chocolate mixed with various hot peppers used as a sauce on lots of food. And the shop is AC, so I tend to linger. Stopped buying their chocomil drink, a sweet blend of choc and milk blended in an old fashioned milkshake mixer. Too much dairy!

While I had planned to hoof up the street 4 blocks to the nicer fruit stand, I caved and went into the chaotic "Cabelleros" store, a wholesaler where the public shops as well. Aisles filled with toppling bags of carrots, onions,potatoes, bins of tomatoes, red, yellow, and green peppers, avocados, bananas usually overripe, mushrooms, mandarin oranges, papayas,onions, cilantro, dried peppers, cinnamon ranging from pure powder to sacks of bark rolled into 3 foot long sticks, and all that in skinny aisles filled with aimless shoppers debating the ripeness of tomatoes et al.and a steady chain of overloaded workers packing in the full sacks off a truck conveniently double parked on the street, shouting to make way as they stream into dark back rooms or upstairs to crammed lofts. Anything a shopper at the till can't find gets brought out by calling a boy to fetch it from the caverns. Not unusual to see someone carry out 40 pound boxes of tomatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers, or onions. I think that many of the stores in the mercado across the street send runners over to replenish stock. While it seems chaotic, the stuff gets selected and rapidly sold at one of 3 tills. No half hour waits here. Electronic scales and tills that print a detailed receipt. Of course things are much cheaper here which makes it all worth wading through the discarded leaves and squished oranges, or risking an avalanche of fruit from the shaky pyramids. Cash only, always busy, it works. Got all my list, 40 pounds of stuff, shopping bags(bring your own) groaning full, stagger up to the combi corner to truck on home.

Oh yeah birds /flowers etc. Totally different experience. There's a lookout near my hotel with a clear view of the beach and the endless rolling waves. Steep bank covered in trees and a favorite place for local birds. The "pea tree" which yields a red circular pod of pea like seeds is in bloom, cascades of frothy creamy blossoms, loved by hummingbirds, and frequented by both the tiny jet black zipper,and the slower greenbacks. A bird new to me was a robin sized one with a red breast and shoulders, black throat and cape, and white and black wing bars. Sounding like a sparrow cheeping was another bird, upright posture, sparrow sized but very slim, grey with black marks. All those in one spot with a convenient bench providing an eye level tree top view.

I count it a good day when i see something special, and this week it was flowers. Bouncing along in the back of a combi pickup on the carretera(highway) we passed an African tulip tree in full scarlett trumpet flowered bloom. Next in an arroyo(gully) was a red bouganvillea, climbing a jungle tree and filling the space with a tree covering cascade of flowers. Then deeper in the arroyo was a full blooming pink blossomed tree looking just like a cherry tree but much bigger. Pretty nice to see so much beauty.

Blabbed on far too long. Just catching up after a 3 week involuntary pause. More as it happens.

Dengue

Dengue

Dengue fever, I,ve got it. Mosquito borne, dreadful symptoms, no cure or drugs. Fever, nausea, vomiting, aching bones,brain fog, lassitude, delerium, aka feel like crap. The maid had it but came to work anyway, so the mosquitoes were happy, not so much me. last year 5 people got it, it,s endemic. The virus infects the blood cells to reproduce, and the resultant toxins plug the liver. Liver failure is the chief cause of death.Mine swoll up, platelets count dropped alarmingly, and blood volume was way down. Doctor Omar, that canny physician, was concerned but reassuring. Basically healthy(he tracks) it was a matter of time and rest to recover. I must say that for a couple of days i was too fevered to care. Lost in a fog of semi delerium I had the clarity to wonder if this was "it". Death.... Felt like the edge was close and i really needed to pull back. Not a pleasant feeling at all.

Lucky for me I have good friends here who checked on my all the time. offers of soup, salad, coconuts noodles etc. i could only drink the cocos, all else came right back up, furthering my dehydation. Pete and Jill borrowed a car and took me to the lab and doctor, got me fruit, and generally watched my progress. I could have stumbled along by taxis but having a guardian was reassuring.

Medicinal treatment was acetaminophen 650,s 4 times a day. Lowered the fever and eased the aches so i felt better. acetominophen is very hard on the liver, so there needs to be a balance there. No other drugs are effective, and some like aspirin and ibuprofen actually harmful, causing internal bleeding.

So here i am, 2 weeks in, able to totter about, eating, drinking gallons, stinking as the toxins come out, and showering 3 times a day. Another week and i,ll be right as rain!

Nothing like a near death experience to concentrate the mind. Have i done all I wanted? Not yet. Have i regrets? Oh yes. Generally has my life been well lived? It sure has. I,ve done more good than harm, helped other when i could, been positive, and seem to be popular with those i meet. My SE Asia experience was designed to see if total strangers accepted, and even liked me. I ended up in some very odd and out of the way places, where the locals took to me with interest and kindness. I showed respect and received it in return. Mostly i was interested in their lives, and they brought me into the spaces of their culture. Very rewarding, and lots of lessons learned. A life well lived friends well met, and places of wonder found. It is a beautiful world, and the people are alike at heart. Nobody wants war or famine, nobody wants destruction. People want to live well, safe and happy. Me too!

The christmas party;

Dan puts on a Christmas party for his staff, and as an adopted member of the family I was invited. My courtesy and frequent licuados make me a friend.

20 staff and 5 gringos rode a chartered bus to Agua Blanca to a restaurant for food, fun, and games. Only one male(?) staff member, all else were the maids, cafe workers, and office women. Much excited chatter on the bus and a happy throng piled into the reserved long beachfront table. Agua blanca has been described in previous entries, suffice to say that these women were here to party, not swim. The manager, Yuri, had her brother passing out cold beer( he drank 8 in 2 hours!) and my those small women could gulp em down. While waiting for lunch Yuri led party games like egg and spoon races, relays involving swilling a beer in a tag race and a similar gulp fest using Jamaica drinks. Lots of squealing and encouragement, slopped drinks and general hilarity. The event that elicited the wildest approval was musical chairs with 8 chairs and Christmas carols for tunes. Some wild friendly pushing and shoving and Yuri won due to her massive bulk. Oddest of all was a contest with electrified sticks , the winner the person who could hold the sticks in her hands longest while the current was turned up. Plenty of shrieking, but harmless.

Lunch, prepared by the restaurant ,was to- order fish or shrimp, garlic or diablo. I chose the garlic, Maru said the diablo was muy pica! Big farm shrimp, rice, tostados, salad(sic) and juice. Like the beer these people know how to eat! Fast meal, more beer!

I went swimming in the rock pools which were relatively calm and the sea was very warm. Sort of a jaccuzi with foam and swirling sea water. Most Mexicans don't swim,and only 3 of the staff came in.

Really, this was a chance for these people to socialize rather than just work together.and the chatter was busy. Don Dan watched with his daughter, granddaughter, and ex wife(he has 4), and they enjoyed the fun too. There was a big pile of presents, drawn by lottery, and fine gifts they were: blenders, coffee pots, glasses, crock pots, all things that these women could use.They also exchanged gifts among themselves, likewise drawn from the hat.Jewelry, watches,clothing, all new ,all nice.

The beer was flowing, party got louder, and the music made many dance in the sand. All styles, all graceful, fun to see. I swam again and again to keep cool.It,s plenty hot despite the sea breeze and shade. Scheduled to close at 5 , the dancing was ongoing, and the social more voluable. Dan drove home at 5, we waited through a nice sunset and finally got half the crowd on the bus by 6:30, home by 7. The remaining ladies stayed much later, and came home loaded(sic) in the back of a stake side truck. Next day 3 called in sick, and everybody else was in slo-mo

That's my Christmas fun and nice to feel included. There are religious festivals and parades every other day. I went off on a bus towards the Agencia where there might have been a party, but the bus went way up oaxaca street and turned right into the residential area. i hopped off and went further uptown in time to see a Virgin of Guadalupe parade. Local folks,flower filled truck, brassband, and perhaps 50 marchers. Oddly costumed characters passed out balloons and people fired sky rockets all the time,Bango!. Got a combi towards home and passing the Agencia saw a lit stage but no crowds. the fiesta was school closing and probably occured while I was uptown. Incredible traffic and the combi filled to overflowing(19 people!). I was glad to get home safe and enjoyed the whole experience. Fact is, I,ve been feeling well and happy lately, all is well.

La Reforma:

Way back in the hills , deep in a valley , lies La Reforma, a very small town beside a winding river. Accessible by a rough dirt road that snakes across the cattle stripped hills, this is where the gringos don,t go. Oh they used too, when the road to the waterfalls was intact, and the cabinas there were functional, but neglect and rain have ruined the road, and the stand alone solar system failed for lack of maintenance leaving the cabinas unusable. Too bad, because the waterfall at 100 feet vertical was a wonderful sight, and the rushing stream tumbled over big boulders out of the box canyon into calm swimmable pools. The cabinas were run by volunteers from La Reforma in a bid to bring in tourist dollars, but the food was poor and the road was too bad.

My friends Jimmy(Tortuga) and Tracy were planning to take their motorcycle in to some new cabinas at La Reforma, so i took public transit(sic) to join them. Given many contradictory directions, I found the old bus station uptown and the San Pedro caminettas(collective taxis).Frequent and cheap(26 pesos) . While Puerto has expanded up into the hills, the road remains the same gully twisting paved cow trail.The steep foothill terrain has discouraged development. An optomist had marked out lots(10mby20m) on a 45 degree slope, soon to slide away. Dozen of beehives a re placed off road to catch the last of the rainy season flowering trees. 1 half hour to the crucero, where the collectivos to La Reforma wait. Well i waited in shade on a plank bench, no collectivo. A stream of tuk tuks ferried people from the village nearby to San Pedro, but approached said it was 1 hour to La Reforma, no go.A totally overloaded truck disgorged a vast load of fruit and vegetables into the stand at the corner, and in turn smaller trucks came to pack the food off for distribution to tiendas. Cabbages bigger than basketballs were tossed , leaves flapping ,into the shed, only to be shot putted in to the buyers vehicles moments later. Crates of oranges, hands of bananas, heaps of canteloupe,, piles of potatoes. I was just about to call Jimmy, when they pulled up on their motorcycle with Gaeten on his spiffy 200 alongside. They sat in the shade pulling on beers and just as they were leaving along came a collectivo truck. Not that that meant departure, we had to wait for more passengers to make the trip pay. Only got one more guy but picked up a chica en route and a peon with a Husky chain saw with a 3 foot bar(?). Biggest tree in sight was 1 foot thick. All the hills have been logged, leaving scrub, vines and cow ploughed hillsides. The corn planted in the clearcuts only grows well for a couple of years until the soil is depleted and washed away. Nice cemnt paved road for 2 K then eroded dirt track. Mud dust, dirt, very steep switchbacks with tiny streams rolling down across the dirt at intervals. Terrific (terrifying) views across the valleys to the far mountains, I was admiring the eye level tree tops until I looked down and saw that the tree were 100 feet tall, rising vertical beside the track. too steep to pull out and thus saved. the hill swere green patched with corn , mostly harvested, and jungle vines coated the roadside shrubbery. Despite this abundance of greenery, this is the edge of desert, and cactus poke out of the scrub everywhere. The driver was calm(old) and safe, but he had to carefully navigate the washouts and roadslips dropping 100's of feet vertically into the hillsides. 30 K top speed, often a low gear crawl.

La Reforma after a 1 hour bumpy ride and dropped right at the gate(40P) of Mario Lopez who has built 3 cabinas for rent at the end of the road right beside the river where the stream gushes out of a jumble of big boulders. Here i found my biker buddys, swilling beer and relaxing. The place is run by Marios family, who live in the roadside houses and cook for guests. Pati 954 123 9805. Yes there is WiFi. Cabinas are 400 pesos and food is ok. Very green and shady, dirt paths, friendly but little English. My Spanish is acceptable, and if I rehearse I can ask for most things and make simple conversation. Usually i can pick the verbs out of the replies and guess at the context.

Cabinas, here called Cabanas, are new, brick built,clean, tiled, and have cold water bathrooms and comfy beds. Secure, quiet, restful. The chicken shacks of yesterday have given way to cement and tile, the dogs a re friendly, and the people ,like most rural Mexicans, are curious and friendly if given respect. La Reforma has an elementary school, a high school, basketball court, police station and an ambulance.Pretty good for a town of 1500 spread out along the river valley.No mercado, tiny tiendas with junk food and that's all. Bring food for the cooks, fruit and treats to share .Gramma makes great rice and tortillas, and everyone hangs out in the open air kitchen area. Food is cooked on a comal , wood fired, thought there is a gas stove. Electricity, artesian water(I drank it with no ill effects), caged chickens(no rooster) a quiet discouraged parrot and a puppy. The only sound is the rumble of the river where it tumbles over 10 foot rocks into a deep swimmable pool then froths across gravel and boulders ,perhaps 20 meters wide and up to 1 meter deep downstream to the town. Odd lily like flowers sway in the shallows, white with long narrow petals, safe from goats. The poolis where the local kids walk to for afternoon swimming and fun. They are shy but friendly if spoken to. the cabinas are the only accomodation in town so gringos are a novelty.

Jimmy, as chef , cooked chicken in Panko and cornflakes, cruchy coating, tasty chicken. The chicken came a bit late out of the freezer so dinner was abit late. Next night he cooked Dorado from our fishing trip, delicious! All shared with the family, who were happy to eat so well. Breakfast were cooked by sandra the waitress, maid and friend Huevos Rancheros using the onion and green pepper I brought to share. Surprisingly the slad fixins I packed were still good and Jimmy and Tracy ate sprouts for the first time. For lunch I had boiled eggs I,d brought and grapefruit off the tree(bit dry and tangy, but good). Jimmy says the kitchen food usually tough chicken in mole sauce. Glad we brought supplys.

Rivers talk at night. this one had a voice for every rapid ripple and a bass chorus from the falls.The tone and volume is never the same. Unlike the pulsing heartbeat of beach waves, the river chats and chuckles. Other than the river it was quiet , pitch black at night and felt safe and peaceful Really feels like a different world from urban Puerto. Friendly family, safe place, nice cabinas, great cold swimming hole , an affordable getaway. My total bill for 2 nights, 400pesos per night for the cabina, breakfast 100P and miscellaneous, total900 Pesos. I,ll go again....

3 layers high

lazily lying in my hammaca, looking up through the ficus branches, i see that the sea grape tree flowers are blooming, tiny white trumpets absolutely buzzing with honey bees. 500 feet above them a frigate bird is cruising effortlessly, across the cerulean sky, never a wingbeat, hardly a feather moving. And 15000 feet above all that, on the same course as the bird is a jetliner. 3 worlds in one view.

Saturday market,where i went to restock my fridge with fruit and veg, only to find that Saturday is when all the people from the surrounding villages come to buy and sell. The already crowded aisles are now packed with piles of produce, crafts, and dried fish(PHEW!). The happy crowds mill about, mostly looking,occasionaly bargaining, always slowly moving. It's not at all unusual for old friends to meet and stop to chat, blocking the path, but patience rewards and eventually a hole opens and one can slip through. Being so North American oriented I'm impatient to get to my next stall and buy and go, but that is not how it works here. Customer eye the variety, fondle the goods,put them back(wash your vegies), and maybe make an offer, usually rejected and a counter offer is advanced, only to be greeted with exclamations of astonishment," Can it really cost so much?" More back and forth, all good natured, and not always are agreements met.Usually the vendor will throw in an extra to sweeten the deal, perhaps some spices or an old onion for free. What's confusing to me is that most of the vendors have the same stuff, rows of tables loaded with home grown tomatoes, piles of fruit, or braids of garlic, and i don't know how one chooses. There are always strolling guitar playing troubadors, touts calling out "get the best here", kids running wild,a few stray dogs, and some very old people brought from the farm for an outing. Fewer beggars than in the past, though I did pour spare change into one little old ladies begging.basket . I think that anyone who has to beg deserves my charity, and older women especially. The Maria Sabina juice bar still does a good trade and I've had juice there for many years. A large cup of carrot juice costs $3.50, and uses more carrots than you'd think. Totally refreshing,and sanitary. Like the tortilla stall,change is given by a hand wrapped in a plastic bag. It,s a relief to sit down and have a drink while watching the passing throng In a small world moment i see that the juice bar uses the same juicer that I have at home. Should I tell them about the internal fuse and Samcos ingenious external breaker installation?

Most of my shopping is done at the wholesaler who sells mostly to vendors but lets me shop.Vast bins of vegetables, piles of fruit(apples are a big seller here, direct from Washington state), sacks of onions , carrots, potatoes, shifting heaps of tomatoes, all shuffled by knowing buyers (wash hands again, soak vegies in clean water), buckets of garlic, bags of coffee, and lots of rough looking roots that even I can't identify. Mushrooms, avocadoes , mandarins,bananas, and tomatoes are best put in the bag last. i bought all those things and more, Peppers green yellow and red, Jamaica for tea, papayas if they have them(papaya is a major crop here but prices are stupid, most going to Mexico city for sale there), mangoes ,but they come from Yucatan and are 100 pesos a kilo($8 ). There are bags of buns, cilantro by the bale, and all packed in overflowing aisles, where shoppers pick their choices, and porters continually trot through the crowd , packing boxes and bags of produce to dark back rooms or up already crowded stairs to upper floors. That store moves a lot of food,perhaps enough to keep their prices down Joining the old women and campesinos shufffling towards the tills, i get some avocadoes, snatch a hand full of mushrooms, and have to ask for a bag of jamaica. Electronic cash registers, fixed prices and printed receipt, No b.s here, I added my produce to the walnuts from the specialty tienda, got an over priced papaya in the main market, got to the coffee shop too late for honey. Total load 40 pounds, cost all in $60, enough produce for a week when added to the salad fixings, sprouts i make, and lots of juices. Shopping at home was never like this!

Fishing! Tortuga Jimmy got me out with 2 other guys for a days offshore fishing. Nice boat and a calmer day, gorgeous sunrise(we leave at dawn(6:30) and after a slow start landed 3 dorado. I got a small one which i would have released but for the eye ball hook. Shared out 4 ways we each got 2 kilos of fillets, expertly sliced on a board by the deckhand. Dorado don,t fight much, and are boated by the deckhand simply by hoisting them in board by the line, Dorado really are the florescent(sp?) green you see in pictures, but in dying fade to a royal blue, then mottled green. Mine thrashed around inside the boat, splashing my pants with blood which took salt soaking and bleach to remove. Now my pantlegs are a bit grey on top and nice and white from the knees down! 15 miles offshore, looking for birds feeding or driftwood where the dorado lurk. We were visited by dolphins who swam right under the boat, too smart to take a lure, and saw dozens of really big turtles. We also saw 25 kilometers of set lines, long ropes festooned with hooks and flagged and each end they catch everything, are totally illegal, and will kill the sports fishing here. The captain was understandably reticent when asked about who fished them, said there was nothing his association could do, and when we saw the pickup boat it had a tarp cover to disguise it from satellites. Big money, crime pays.

And to round out the week,it,s the International surf competition, here. Puerto is #6 in the world for surf, and locals are very good. 1000 spectators watched from the beach, as the surfers rode big waves(5 meters) doing some fine rides. The specialty is running across the wave inside the falling crest, pulling out before it folds, then doing 360 degree spins on the rest of the wave. 3 mornings have seen suitable waves, and it,s big deal here. Although there is a music event each night, surfers are early risers, so the blaring rock faded by 10pm, to be replaced by the disco thump of the cactus beach club till dawn. Mexico is always noisy, traffic, music, dogs, roosters, vendors, delivery trucks at llhours,and the ever present deep vibration of the surf, pulsing in a backbeat..

Beaches and birds

Despite or perhaps because of the great heat here, i have been to 3 beaches this week. Temperatures have been 33 in the day(90 oldspeak) dropping only to 25 at night. A mild tehuantepc wind stirred from the south bringing big waves, so that when i went to Agua Blanca with Pete, Jill and Lorraine the tide pools were giant washing machines, swirling in breaking foam, then gushing out with terrific force over the sand bar. This made for a swift cruise downstream then a difficult standup. So difficult that i could only plant my feet and wait for the flow to moderate(it really never stopped) before wading out. I seriously considered if I were swept out to sea could I body surf to shore further down the strand.. There were no crocodiles visible, nor fish nor birds in the lagoon, largely because a net caster had muddied the waters.

The beach kitchen we were at had a good palm thatched palapa right on the shore with a 180 degree view up and down the coast., developed to the north btu empty for miles south Good shade and a good breeze. As usual the breakfasts were tepid eggs. I think they cook each plate sequentially, so that by the time the third is done the first is cold. Knowing this from past experience I brought leftover pancakes. and washed them down with a coconut. Some hammock time and good conversations then taxied back to Santa Elaina just in time to step into a van to Puerto. I hopped out at the Mercado and bought the biggest chicken breast I,ve ever seen, bigger than most whole chickens. The bakery had Polvorones, the closest thing a Mexican bakery can come to an edible cookie, and I bought 10, thinking to stretch them out over days. Hah!Ate 3 a day and they are gone!

Trying to get up earlier before the heat bakes the streets, and did get to manzanillo beach for some snorkeling and sand loafing. Palm shade, soft gold sand, a pareau to lay on and a book to read, pretty satisfactory. mind you by 11 AM it,s getting hot and the beach fills with tourists, so I climb the steep stairs and the long hill back to the highway. Home to shower and swim in the bath temp pool..ahh.

Had to get to my favorite beach Carrizillo, which is a perfect golden crescent at the bottom of a very steep hill, 160 cement steps, and a long way up! There was shade under the big sea grape tree, and while the sea was warm,the waves were big, over 40 surfers learning on the inside corner of the bay. I had to time my way out of the surf to coincide with a wave running up the beach over the dropoff. most beaches have Mexicans rolling in happiness in small waves, shrieking with excitement. Even the old Grannies wading in their black dresses get knocked down "accidently" and join in the mirth. Not so at carizzillio, swimmers only. Manzanillo was where Jan saved 2 people from drowning when they stepped over the drop off and had no idea of how to swim. We were lounging in the shade when Jan suddenly bolted down the beach and seal dove into the water. She,d correctly spotted their inexperience and panic and with powerful strokes pushed them coughing back over the drop off edge where they collapsed in fright. I,d not seen the crisis coming, but Jan saved them, receiving the utmost thanks from the anxious family.

All this beaching involves riding combis, the taxi trucks that run a regular route along the highway and indeed off into the hills to remote villages. 12 pesos this year, a 100% increase over 3 years. Flagging a combi is easy after you dash across the relentless traffic and casually wave a languid hand downwards. They stop in the most awkward of places, and sometimes climbing down onto the welded slippery back step is fraught with peril. Being a courteous folk, the locals always help old folks (not me yet!) in and out, passing clinging children and off loading everything from baskets of nopales(cactus leaves) to flats of homemade cake. I always say Buenas Dias as appropriate and true to their culture everyone replys the same. Some drivers a re cowboys running on the theory that the sooner you make the trip the sooner you can come back for more passengers, or maybe they just like speeding. Happily the highway is increasingly dotted with topes(speed bumps) and even the cowboys slow right down to save their trucks a hammering. Most drivers are sane, and all goes well. Traffic here has exceeded the capacity of the 4 lane road, all this increase in the last 5 years since the Carreterra was 2 lanes. The addition of traffic lights(surprisingly obeyed) have broken up the flow, but a t busy times there can be 10 minute backups , rush hour in Puerto!

Birds! Well i have no bird book, but over the years have noted over 100 different species. Most of them were in the Manialtepec lagoon where the migrant birds nest and feed. A surprising number are right here in the backyard where trees overhang the end of the pool. Grackles are common, as a re doves both big and small, pigeons, sparrows, and swooping turkey buzzards, while far overhead the frigate birds glide effortlessly never moving a wing. Recently it,s been small lemon yellow birds with black tail tops and wing bars. They are flighty and twitch their long tails like sparrows. They prefer the ficus tree that shades my cabana, picking insects off the leaves. That same tree often has hummingbirds zipping about, both the thumb sized all black one up to the light orange much larger birds with bright orange big bills. One tried very hard to pull off a trailing fig vine for nesting material. By the pool grows a leguminous tree perhaps 10 meters tall with newly setting seed pods that start pea green , then shade to pink and curl into a coil, finally turning bright red and spitting out brown flat seeds like lentils. Very popular with all the birds, both for the seeds and for the insects that gather there. Finally got a good look at a woodpecker, not the cactus nesting ladderback but a breeding plumage smaller bird with dun feathers and a yellow nape and a red mask. Busily pecking on the loose bark of a dying tree. The female lacked the red face but had the yellow nape in a more subdued shade. All this backyard birding is done while floating in the pool, gazing up at the trees. Good excuse for loafing in the bath temp water.

A neighbours neglected cat has adopted me. Very skinny black and white male, bit of a yowler, but very friendly Probably got worms and ear mites, but I,ll get meds and do a treatment This cat did not know what a raw egg was but did an impressive job chewing a chicken carcass down to a few big bones. Much quieter when fed! Now the cat has taken to lying on my doormat and waiting to be petted or better still fed fish scraps. The hotel has a don,t fed the cats policy, but this one is starving and I,m a sucker. No more squirrel raids on my fruit bowl since I have a cat. My kitchen is all outdoors under the big thatch roof that covers all the cabana, and night raiders were eating avocadoes.

Heavy rains at night . i got up to go to my outdoor bathroom and was puzzled to see the cement path between my cabana and the neighbours was running an inch deep in water. Just had a downpour! the rain helps break the humidiy but by 10 AM it,s sunny and hot. Not complaining, indeed things are going very well. Don't mind having to alternate hammock book reading with pool cooling, and with 3 full on fans I can watch netflics a t night and sleep without a sheet cover till dawn. More as it happens.

Transition

2 worlds, 2 realitys. Somehow that plane ride bridges the gap,

Getting here was actually pretty easy,though i may come through Mexico city next year. A brief overnight might be preferable to the Huatulco taxi experience. Shuffled through immigration, glared at by the ugliest woman agent yet(hey it was Sunday night and everyone else was partying the end of Dia de Muertos). Actually got the green light, the sniffer dog detected the walnuts in my bag, but i said"No, No food" so no check,and the agricultural inspector was easy too. Yes I had a jar of peanut butter and a bag of sprout seeds, but I neglected to tell them. Outside in the heat of the day the taxi mafia wanted too much so I walked to the road where the more organized drivers wanted 1800 p to Puerto. Got a collectivo(shared cab with 4 others) for 1200($100). I,d imagined we,d drop people off along the highway, but no we went to Mazunte, a 1 hour crawl , dodging drunks and dogs, to spill our extra people, then zoom to Puerto. Seems if a taxi tailgates and flashes it,s lights before racing the oncoming trucks, everything goes faster.

2 hours to Dans, and the key was under the rock as promised. Hot shower, quick snack (Pete and Jill had kindly put tortillas and eggs out for my arrival-delicious!) and a welcome bed in #3 cabana. I spent Monday unpacking my 20 kilo bag and 10 kilo carry on. Seemed OK till I dragged my garbage bucket of last years stuff out of storage(stinky stale clothes despite packaging in Big ziplocks), and the box I,d had to add on my return from MEX, and the beach umbrella, and the beach chair, and ... Bit of a treasure hunt dipping into the bin, and found that I had duplicated many small items. Looks like I,m good for razors and Q tips for some years!. Probably left them off my left behind list last year, thinking"Of course I,ll remember them!" However, clothes hung in the sun quickly cured, and the extra shirts and pants will go to the charity sale here. the corner store had fruit, granola,yogurt and juices, so all set.

Tuesday I went to the Banamex for cash and the machines liked me, then up to the supermercado for bulk goods, a 40 pound load. $1000 pesos! Somehow i packed it all to the highway and got a combi home. I waited till Thursday to go uptown for fruit and veg from the oh so busy wholesalers, another 40 pound set of bags. Lots of walnuts, almonds, cashews, for snack feeding , and a double bollio for a cheese and lettuce sandwhich. All in all i went way over budget.

What is my budget? Well I get $1800 a month pension, so that should be the limit, but since prices have shot up here just like home, I,ll be spending more. Have enough savings to cover the overruns. Mexico is no longer cheap, but it,s still affordable. With health insurance,tickets, and higher costs I,ll probably spend an extra $1000/month, but that includes a trip to Belize in March and the 1000$ for the dentist. I could find cheaper accomodation, but right now I,m up on a shaded terrace with a surf view, sea breeze, and a very safe place. Bath temp lap pool, big room and kitchen, privacy and good friends to chat with...it,s worth the xtra. As the value of the dollar slides against the peso there,s the hidden cost of inflation, but that also means my saving are depreciating, might as well spend the dough while it has any value.

Did i say it,s sunny every day, hot and bright? What,s that worth?

The sticky humidity and 33 degree temp has moderated after the roaring thunder and Gods flashbulb lightening, and hot rain, so it,s still hot but the sea breeze in the day and the mountain breeze at night keep it tolerable. I sleep under 3 fans, gradually decreasing the volume as the air cools, until first light(6am) when a sheet is cosy,

And i have a volunteer cat, skinny black and white howler who I foolishly fed and now seem to be an adoptive cat dad. Prefers chicken, eats yogurt, never seen an egg, but relents when no snacks are forthcoming. Wild? Sure likes being petted!

Enough detail for now. I,ll try to be more descriptive next time, less day to day. Adios!

Mexico 23/24

on leaving:

With all the good wishes and fond farewells, it"s hard to leave. yet while those friends put the sunshine of love in my heart, their strongest feeling cannot turn back the shadow of winter and the long dark nights.The dreary rainy grey days creep by oh so slowly, yet suddenly night falls, like hope extinguished. the cold creeps in through the walls, the window glass beads with chilly moisture and floors are swept with eddys of winter, like a splash of cold water on bare skin.

it,s not the friends i leave, but the land so silent, so still. Those oh so long black nights rob me of my harmony, leaving only the bass notes of depression.

So with a certain sadness, and a quickening anticipation, I flee the closing in of winter for the open sun of the south. The days begin early at 6 am. The cooling breezes off the mountains stop at dawn. Light comes not slowly, but leaps over the hills. Suddenly it"s full day and the life of the land awakens. Small birds sing and begin the daily hunt for food. Golden parrots with lime green backs fly screeching into the mangoes, while deep red breasted birds like small robins hop in the acacia. The lemon breasted black backed seed eaters are in the pod trees,and yellow bellied fly catchers chat back at the grackles. there are single butterflys , gold , tan mottled, very fast ,flit busily in the flowers. Such flowers! Just on the beachfront there are stalky marigolds, black flowered peas, matts of purple trumpets,and black eyed orange frilled daisys the size of my fingernail.The sun heats the rocky uplands and the rising air pulls a stiff breeze in off the rolling sea. The warm air quickly heats tile and brick, and soon shade is imperative.It may drop to 20 degree at night, but it pops up to 30 in the day and the humidity is still high. the sunshine feels like it has weight. 12 hours of cheery brightness,and the cycle rolls over again.

Last blog

Well probably, as I am leaving mexico tomorrow for Canada, and I did not keep the blog going last year.

Public transit in Mexico city is good if you know where to catch what Happily there is transit to the airport and the bus ran right beside my hotel, where I,d seen buses marked Buenavista /aeropuerto. Having gotten the right bus(6pesos) i rode to the transfer point(with much useful advice) and no crowding at 10 am. My Metro pass was empty, but the driver let me on anyway, and I had to refill it at the station. Again a helpful employee showed me how and i put another 30 pesos in, the fare to the aeropuerto. Delivered right to the Terminal 1, and still time for an ice cream, before struggling with the crowds surging into Volaris airlines(cheapo flights, full) Had a few bum steers, but having done this before I was able to find the security entrance(no signs, just follow the anxious looking people), and passed after emptying out all orifices. Being the cheapo Volaris gets the end gates so it,s a walk, but at least it was not the delivery busses that Aeromexico uses to get passengers to planes waiting on the tarmac. I was anxious about my boarding pass, printed out by the cooperative lady at Hotel Isabel, but when the time came the harrased attendent did not even scan the bar code, just a wave through. Full plane, easy flight and down into the hot air blast of Puerto at 3 pm. Phew, it got hotter over my 2 week absence! No signage for collectivos, did I want a taxi? More asking and presto here is a collectivo, only 80 pesos to Casa Dan. Taxi 200+. By 4 oclock I was back in room #3 and showered, unpacked and in the pool. Water , which was chilly in January is now soup, a tepid bath, but floating free was very relaxing.

Made a trip the next AM to the old mercado for nuts, coffee, and fresh fruit, a huge bag. Prices a re climbing, and though I shop at the wholesalers I see things generally costing 20% more than in October. Cabs have doubled in a year, and collectivo trucks up 30%. Room rates at Dans are up 20% too, so my room is now $1200 canadian a

month, still a good deal, and my favorito.

Only 5 days in town, so I went to Playa Manzanillo for a swim, but the sea was covered in brown scummy foam. probably harmless die off of algae in cold water, but definitely not appealing, so I just loafed on the beach in palm a shade. By 11 the beach was filling up, time to go to Tere comedor for Huevos Mexicana with those fresh tortillas. Place is always busy, as the food is cheap and traditional, and the service is surprisingly good. All I could eat, a nice break, and back to the pool. And that,s where I,ve been, reading in my hammock, watching the sun go down from the top terrace, and eating well. Got a few things at Super Che like granola and yogurt, big juice boxes, etc. so am stocked up till departure.

Mornings walking my daily mile along the beach and back on Calla Morro. There.s a new boutique hotel there that looks good, AC rooms, cafe, shared kitchen, reasonable privacy, gringa owned with a pool in the works. No I,m not leaving Dans, but it,s good to have on site knowledge of alternatives, so 1400 Can a month , new clean, a bit away from the strip so quieter, but not yet a place I,d be comfortable walking to after dark. Of course I,m always home by dark, and Taxis are an alternative if I,d gone to the Split. Speaking of the Split, 1st I,d heard that Aldy had bought it, and 2nd Barry fell down drunk. Situation normal. Aldy from Quadra island in BC is a character, one of those people who can drink beyond believable amounts, and who has WCB pension for life that allows him to indulge in a series of follies.

Peaches and Barry have left, and i,m the only old guy/long stay left. Effusive welcome from the staff, and they have been enjoying more fruit smoothies. I arranged to leave a tip for all 10 of them , only 100 pesos each, but equitable. The maids get tips en season. The 100 is sort of a thank you for all their kindnesses.

Confirmed my flight and bus times. looks like I can take the Sur bus at 11 am and be at the airport by 1pm, 4 hours before my flight, in case of immigration difficulties. Packed sandwiches for travel (Westjet does not feed the cattle car section) and spent many hours cramming my load into the overloaded suitcase. Booze for friends, coffee, cinnamon, nuts, vanilla, the things that are here. I did get all the leavers into the bucket for the bodega storage, then decided to add a cardboard box of bits to the pile. Suitcase came in overweight but I don't believe the bathroom scale as It,s older than me. Oddly, the real hassle is clothes. I live in flip flops and shorts, now I must put on underwear, long pants, t shirt ,long sleeved shirt, vest , coat and raincoat, socks are wool, all is heavy. I'll try to take most in a bag and put it on as I progress . Vancouver is 12 degrees daytime, 4 degrees at night. Brrr!

And just to encourage my leaving we had a 5,1 earthquake at 8 pm, a bed shaker, but no damage or aftershocks. I,ve ridden out a 6.1 and a 6.5 here, so a teremoto tremblor is nothing. Maru wrote that she was at her ancient aunties 17th floor apartment when the sirens went off, but there was nothing she could do but hope. Mexico city shook , but no damage. Seems the subways are built to float, bridges are engineered for quakes, and people just carry on. New in CDMX is an aerial tramway 4 miles long linking the favellas on the steep slopes to transit. People can take the tram(9 pesos) to the subway in 10 minutes instead of 1 hour in a mini van. Looked very odd sweeping over the city. like where,s the snow? With 35 million people to move its an alternative.

A few emails home, much packing, I,m ready! Watching the sunset last night a thrush warbled in the fig tree and the sound was so like robins in the spring that i got choked up. Memories , lost love, springs we'll never share. I shall throw myself back into Lasqueti society and move on.

So blog fans, keep well. dream big. live life fully, and there will be more...... Jack

Templo Major

Templo Mejor

Last day in Mexico city for museums. There are several I wanted to see but were closed or overbooked. A wander through the local area put me on street of fabric vendors, stores filled with rolls of every imaginable colour, slabs of foam, curtains and tablecloths. Left turn up towards the Zocalo, but the City museum was closed, so next on the map was the Templo Mejor, the site of the Aztecs main temple, discovered by street diggers, destroyed by Spaniards for building blocks for the cathedral. Long a vacant lot, planned for access, but not far underground was a huge stone disc with hyroglyphics(sp?). There proved to be a square block of ruins, some 20 feet deep. Plaza, temples, tombs, all carefully excavated, and artifacts removed to an onsite museum. From the street it looked like every other old site, crumbling walls, busted blocks, a few glyphs. However, the museum was one of the best yet, with a thousand items well displayed over 7 salas on 3 floors, well lit, but only Spanish plaques. As the authors are only guessing about the history and uses(no native history left) not reading the cards was OK. What continues to amaze me is the sheer volume of stuff found, lots in good condition. Clearly these people had a thriving crafts and tool market, and lots got dumped or lost. Thousands of spear points, obsidian knives, blades and pottery, bowls and cups, water coolers, and ritual pieces. The figurines were in excellent condition, some with original paint. Here were the childrens toy animals , pull toys on wheels, the only use of the wheel in this civilization(odd!). Despite the annoyance of having my water confiscated at the entrance, the 90 peso fee was well worth it,.

Up towards downtown(OK it,s all "downtown"), and I ambled into a museum only to realize i,d seen it before. Out and the National Museum that I really wanted to see was fully booked (tours only) with a standby maybe at 1 pm. Next i went through the huge wooden double doors to a magnificent 3 tiered courtyard surrounded by an art museum. Realized I,d been here too, but more salas were open and the rest were well worth a revisit Some of the paintings of streams and forests were 10 foot by 20, with massive gilt frames, and all well done, It's hard to paint water, but the ponds and streams seemed to flow, and the series of Mexico city as a pueblo on a lake had good perspective. I wandered the ballroom again with the frescoe 50 feet overhead and slogged up the marble staircases. All museums have washrooms which is convenient.

I,d gotten hungry so actually stopped at McDonalds for a chicken burger and gulped a Sprite(remember the confiscated water?). Crap food, but filled the spot. On to the Alameda searching for the Cafe Pagoda with the quality bakery. A few missteps and a couple of questions and there it was. More Strawberry shortcake and apple strudel(supper) and a tart for breakfast. The crowds were still surging up and down the pedestrian only streets and i realized that the sheer volume of tourists never stopped..Many of them could be from Mexico city, having 35 million to draw on. Anyway, an ice cream cone and back to Hotel Isabel to try and fit all my stuff into a daypack. It,s been a goal of mine to travel light and for these 2 weeks I have. Washed the shirt de jour nightly, stuffed my new tapetes in the bottom and abandoned my flip flops. books and odds/sods.

Now it,s off on a bus, hopefully the right one, for the aeropuerto

and my Volaris flight to Puerto. This has been an interesting and succesful trip, stimulating and challenging, just what i wanted. More from Casa Dan.....

2Days behind

The zoo was good, mostly because it was in Chapultepec park, a cool shady green space. Sunday, so there were a lot of people picnicing, waking dogs, or just loafing. Entrance to the zoo was free(sunday) and the crowds did not show till noon. As zoos go, this is a good one, with the animals in large outdoor spaces with vegetation, fake rocks,and even streams for the bears. My first turn on the winding path was to the large animal area, and some deer. The keepers had just put out the grass food, so all the herbivores were out. I drifted to a glass walled wire roofed enclosure labelled Bengal tigers. Sure enough the female was loafing up on the rocks, and as I pressed to the glass for a pic, the male came sliding around the corner, inches from my face. Heart stops! These babys are big! Huge head filled with fangs, feet the size of tennis rackets, and a long powerfully muscled body with a sinuous annoyed tail. He was interested in the deer which he could smell but not see, and he paced back and forth with controlled power. What a start to my visit!

I slid quietly away, no eye contact, and made the tour of the other cages/enclosures. Giraffes, gnus, several antelope species, brown bears(with a stream and rocky hideout) , black bears, grizzlies, peacocks, I could go on,but it,s a zoo and well stocked. I wandered against the people flow, dodging the noisy children(go rap on the tigers glass!) and really enjoyed the walk. Skipped the reptiles, enjoyed the birds, and had a pleasant traffic free afternoon. Across the main street,part closed for cyclists, and into the Rufino Tamaya art gallery. Call me old fashioned, i like realism in art, and smashed pianos , one eyed monsters, and plain abstract junk glued to canvas was pitiful. My grandkids make more comprehensible art. Glad it was free!

Back on the subway, which stops one half mile short of my street, closed for repairs but no signage. it,s fast and outside of rush hour it's good. I got another chicken taco to go for super(25 pesos) and the cook first made the tortilla, then cooked it, then stuffed it as full as possible with a big handful of shredded chicken and cheese. Full meal deal! It was good to have the secure clean and safe hotel to flop in.

Next day was an out of town excursion to Teotihuacan ruins 50 K north. More subway travel (only went the wrong way once, there a re no signs because everybody knows the deal), and got to the Autobus del Norte station, from which any bus going north anywhere in Mexico departs from. Huge halls, hundreds of buses and thousands of people. Good instructions online, and the taquilla was almost where they said. Even avoided the obvious mistake which would have been to take the bus labelled archeologica because it goes to a nearby town, not to the ruinas. Right bus , comfy window seat and 1 half hour ride just to get to the suburbs, Gads Mexico city is huge! Favelas climb the hillsides in a pastel block pile, small corn fields squeeze between factorys and bodegas, and overall runs a sky tram with swinging gondolas for miles. ? Once on the Autopista we made good time and it was only 1hour total to the ruinas. Now my guidebook was the source and I dodged the hundreds of sellers of tourist crap and took the backroad to the museum. Bloody hot, and no shade except one tree where I stopped to swill water. I bekieve that's the first time I,ve been apart from people for weeks, and it was pleasant to rest and birdwatch(bright red bird?). More hot walk and into the museum filled with artifacts. It amazes me how much stuff they find for display. i know 10,000 people or more lived in these places, but they sure left a lot behind, dishes, tools art.

The actual site is miles across, and is centered around a broad walkway from the lesser pyramids a up to the huge ones at the far end . These ruins are ruined, flattened by time and weather, bare walls rise up to where temples topped painted platforms. The archeologists say alot about the use of the structures, ranging from Markets to sacrificial stones, but really they are just guessing, nobody left a record, and what they had the invaders trashed. Regretably the tombs and underground rooms a re off limit, so no frescoes could be seen. Millions of tourists come here, and if everybody walked the steps there would just be gravel left. All I can say, having climbed the major pyramids from here to guatemala, was that this was the most massive one. No climbing of course, and frankly it was so hot i would not have gone up if i could. Out the back exit, caught the bus and home to relax. A nice time outside the huge city.