Yucatan Rebirth

The Local Funky Market!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:23:00 +0000

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to head over to Chelem to attend the Local Funky Market. A brainchild of Carol Trumble and Paul Lawrence, it was held at their eatery, Tacomaya (or "Tacky" as it's known to the expat locals).

Notice the clever use of the restaurant chairs to block-off the street. Vendors were set-up both inside the restaurant and outside on the street. The variety of goods, mostly hand-crafted by expats and local residents was amazing.

This fellow came from Muna to sell bamboo furniture, walking sticks (I bought one) and even bamboo charcoal which he claimed was very superior to the stuff you find in stores.

Local artists were well represented operating in a variety of media.

Note the flip-flops. Just about says it all, attitude-wise...

The event was well attended and I think the vendors and buyers were very pleased.

Indra made the most fascinating purchases from a guy who was raising money to move to Acapulco. He was selling his movie props from the film "Apocalypto" and they were impossible to resist.

Large and small, hand-carved drums which are now residing on the stair landing in her house.

And this great shaman's rattle featuring mule deer hooves and intricate bead work.

You just can't find treasures like this at Walmart these days.

Good job Carol and Paul and many thanks to those who took the time to bring their wares to the show,

More later,

Larry

Bodegita

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:09:00 +0000

The time had come for an expansion of the back patio and the addition of a "bodegita" (small storage room) to the house. We have yard equipment, tools, boxes of stuff, Christmas ornaments, luggage, etc. stored in and around the house taking up valuable space. And the larger items, such as bicycles and a car top carrier, have been stored in the original bodegita which was constructed out of heavy paper and wooden poles to house the workers who were building the house over two years ago. It had seen better days...

So, last week our next door neighbor and trusted construction guru, Luis, arranged to have his crew come over and tackle the first order of business: the patio. The extension of the patio would double its current size. The usual suspects cement, blocks, sand and gravel were ordered and delivered.

The foundation for the patio had been built a couple of months ago, so that saved some time so this part of the job was competed in one day.

This is the final finishing on the cement which is given a texture to prevent slipping on it when it's wet.

It was dry and ready for use the next morning! This will also serve as the beginning of the deck for the swimming pool we plan to have built next year....
Then it was on to the bodegita. We had this planned for quite a while. The extension is off our kitchen so we had to give up looking out the kitchen window into the back yard. But the pluses outweighed the minuses.

Luis sent over a man by the name of Vicente who is handling the plumbing and electric on the project. This will include provisions for a washing machine, an outdoor shower, and a pressurized water system. I'll update you on those as the project moves along.

More later,
Larry

Aqua At A Discount

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:13:00 +0000

The water here is safe to drink. It, like most other treated water, just doesn't taste good. So we buy the large bottles. Once you pay the 50 peso deposit on a 20 liter bottle, it's just a matter of exchanging for a full one at the cost of about 22 pesos, or $2.00 USD.
But there is another option we found just a few blocks from our house.

It's open 24/7 and that 22 peso, 20 liter bottle is all of a sudden just 8 pesos. Just bring that empty bottle.
Here's how it works:

Easy peasy. Just insert the empty, close the little door, insert coins, and out she comes!

Forget or lose the cap? No problem as they have free replacements to match most major brands.

Just another little discovery to save some money. Quite popular too as I had to wait for one other person to finish before I tanked-up, and there were two people behind me. All probably wondering what the crazy Gringo was doing taking all those pictures.

More later,
Larry

A Little India In Merida

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:45:00 +0000

I don't get many invitations to gallery openings. In fact none that I can remember until this past week when I got an invitation to attend the opening of Puerta al Este, which roughly translates to East Gate.

Located on Calle 60 between 45 and 47 in Merida, Puerta al Este is owned by Canadians Kerry and Lou, who relocated from Vancouver, British Columbia about three months ago to set-up shop.

(l to r: Lou, Kerry)

I was warmly greeting by their sales associate Maru, a former co-worker of mine from the travel business, and introduced to this wonderful couple. Kerry told me that they have been in the business of importing antiques from India for about six years. Let's have a look.

Kerry and Lou travel the northern part of India working through a network of dealers they have developed. The dealers aquire some of their stock through salvage work. Take a look at this magnificent door frame and door...

Other treasures...

Located across the street from Santa Ana park, you really owe it to yourself to stop by and peruse the eclectic and fascinating item on display. You just may fall in love with something perfect for your home or office. At the very least you will meet a charming couple who has brought a taste of the Far East to Mexico.

Puerta al Este

Calle 60 #415A x 45 y 47 Centro

Merida, Yucatan

Telephone: 999 9-23-24-23

At the IMSS Progreso Clinic

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:42:00 +0000

This is just a brief update on our foray into the Mexican public health system. As reported, we received our paperwork and were told to report to the IMSS clinic in our town of Progreso.

Here we checked in and presented our paperwork fully expecting to get our primary physicals and assignment to a primary physician. It was not to be.
What we did get was our permanent medical record books. They are color coded, the brown ones indicating that we are over 60 years old.

On the inside, they make use of another one of the extremely flattering photos they require on everything official here....

So if you're keeping track, we have now utilized 4 of pictures that came in the packet from the photographer's place. The first page also contains, among other things, our social security number, our address, and the fact that our first visit will be at Consultorio #1.

The rest of the booklet has pages dedicated to various reasons for any visits and is a record of your health that you bring each time. You also hang onto all other patient records including x-rays, lab results, etc. that may occur. IMSS does not store them for you.

Here's a look at the inside..

As I looked through the booklet, I couldn't help sensing something oddly familiar about this whole thing. And then it hit me:

It's the same system our veterinarian uses!!!

So all of us in the family now has a health booklet. We just have to make sure we bring the correct one when we return tomorrow morning for our physicals.

More later,

Larry

IMSS - The "Public Option" in Mexico (Days 3,4,&5)

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:50:00 +0000

Day 3 - Back to the German Consulate (and a gamble)

Tuesday saw us returning to the German Consulate to pick up Indra's translated and certified birth certificate. When we had visited before, Magdalena, who helped Indra, also offered to translate and certify my birth certificate as well. Not being German, I politely declined. Instead I contacted several of the translators from the list provided by the U.S. Consulate, and attempted a few phone calls, but no one seemed too anxious to assist me. So Tuesday, I decided to take Magdalena up on her offer.

Of course the "gamble" was going to be submitting a birth certificate from the U.S. bearing the official seal of Germany. It was Magdalena who suggested that as long as it had a seal and looked official, that would suffice. She did the translation on the spot, the consul certified it, and I left with this:

Singing, Deutschland My Deutschland, we headed home, fairly confident that the next day we'd be welcomed with open arms at the IMSS office.

Day 4 -IMSS North Office and an unpleasant surprise.

On Wednesday morning we headed back to the IMSS North intake office to present our credentials. Alejandro, whom we had met on our first trip, recognized us and told us he hoped we weren't upset with him for making us go back and get the translated birth certificates. Of course we weren't, we assured him. We understand the difference between rules and those who have to enforce them.

We got our number and sat down to wait:

So we waited, eyes cast up at the flat panel screens, waiting for our number to be called. About 45 minutes later, it was. Window #7. We told the man at the window what we were up to and he was confused over the fact that although we share the same address, we are not married. He was blunting attempts by us to present our hard-earned paperwork and then his eyes brightened. At the IMSS North office, they handle only applicants who live in Merida. Residents of other cities in the state need to go to the IMSS South intake office. See ya, folks.

This is another example of not relying on everything you read on the web. In this case the information was posted, very recently, by a company in Merida which charges expatriates to assist them with such things, that either IMSS North or IMSS South office would process anyone. Before we left, we were each given a form to list our medical histories which is also required.

A few words about T.I.M.

If you are moving to, or planning on moving to Mexico, be prepared to roll with the punches. By example: Last week I took a couple of our outdoor chairs to a local carpenter for some repair work. He assured me that they would be ready the next day. The next day came, I went back, and the chairs had not been touched. "Tomorrow at 6 p.m.", he told me. So the next day I went back and still the chairs were not ready. "Tomorrow for sure", he assured me. We went back today and they were done. Now, in the States, such customer service would be met by red-faced, screaming anger at the least by many; at the most, it would be a trip to Judge Judy for a sarcastic tongue lashing.

But here, you learn to just look at each other and say, "T.I.M". Translation, "This Is Mexico." Much better for the blood pressure.

So it was at IMSS North.

DAY 5 - IMSS South and Success!!

IMSS South was a fair distance from Progreso and, according to the map, the easiest way to get there was via the Periferico, a freeway that more or less circles the city.

If you're going, take the Calle 42 exit. IMSS South is directly across from a very large military base. As you approach it, there is a side street on the south side and this is where we found the office.

"Sur" meaning south.

We checked in at the reception desk, told them what we were up to, and were promptly handed another one of these:

So far, so good. We took our seats, (which are quite comfortable, by the way) and let our gaze drift to the trusty flat panel...

Please note that the notification is in English. Believe me when I tell you, this is the only thing you will see in English here. Or at most government offices for that matter. Mexico's attitude is, "You live here, learn the language!" No coddling. bilingual nonsense here. Difficult? You bet. That's why Indra and I are attending Spanish classes twice a week.

The place was crowded, just like the other office, but the efficiency is remarkable and the seating was seldom half-full.

Our number was called in about 20 minutes and we were again directed to Window 7. Fortunately last night Indra took the time to carefully arrange all of our copied documents into two folders to facilitate things with a minimum of clutter on the counter. At the window, the woman in charge proceeded to fire off a string of questions in Spanish and began to look at our folders. Noticing our slack-jawed looks of confusion, she called down a young man named Israel Cantos who became our angel. He spoke pretty good English and it turned out the same confusion over our living arrangement was causing a problem here. He explained to the woman the situation, and in a few minutes he told me that we would each need to write a letter explaining our sharing the same address without God and the Church's blessing. Or something to that effect.

At this point I sarcastically blurted out, "Do they have to be notarized at the Embassy?", briefly abandoning the T.I.M. credo. Sensing our frustration, Israel said, "I'll write them for you." Can you believe it? He did, the woman in charge approved them, we signed them (and a lot of other papers). And a new form was presented. Because Indra is listed on all the utilities, and it's her house, we had to complete a form that listed me (I'm not making this ups) as Indra's "concubino". Yes, I am Indra's concubine, or Mexico's way of saying, "Larry is Indra's bitch." Then Israel asked us to take a seat for about 20 minutes and we'd be good to go. It was more like an hour and a half. T.I.M.

During this break, Indra decided to use the restrooms and came back insisting I include the following report which is deference to any women who may be reading this: At IMSS North, there were no seats on the toilets (common here), no toilet paper and no way to dry your hands after washing them. At IMSS South, all three were available. Much better.

So, we people watched...

Notice the man yawning. That sums up the waiting.

Eventually, Israel called us up to sign a few more papers and presented us with our bills for our annual fee. My German certified, U.S. birth certificate passed the test. T.I.M. This fee had to be paid today by closing time at 2:00 p.m. That gave us about 2 hours to get to the bank and return. When dealing with government agencies you soon learn that they do not handle money. You take their bill and pay it at any bank, they give you a receipt, and that's what you present to the agency. Cuts down on light fingers in the till, I suppose. Also we were told to get two copies of everything we were given.

One amazing thing was, contrary to most government offices (like immigration) copies of visas, passports, etc. are always compared to the originals. We were not asked to show originals of anything. Strange.

Being we were in a totally unknown (to us) part of town, finding a bank was difficult but we eventually did. Back at the IMSS office there are copy stores across the street so we beat the deadline with 45 minutes left to spare. Israel was glad to see us and upon getting our payment receipts, we were issued these:

This is a temporary insurance card (featuring yet another flattering photo) that we will present, along with a stack of other papers, to the clinic in Progreso on February 1. At that time we will get our physicals and be assigned a primary physician just like an HMO. That doctor would, if needed, refer us to any specialist we might need.

This is the IMSS clinic in Progreso on Calle 27...

So there you have it. Like most expats here, the IMSS insurance would not be used for the everyday stuff like a case of the sniffles or a case of "Hustle and Flow" one might get from eating bad tacos. For that stuff we go to the private clinic. But for more serious and expensive problems, we'll go to the IMSS clinic.

More later,

Larry

IMSS - The "Public Option" in Mexico (Day 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:00:00 +0000

"A Tale of Two Consulates"

If you'll recall, day one of our journey to obtain Mexican public health insurance (IMSS) revealed among other things that we needed to get copies of our birth certificates, translated into Spanish and notarized and they had to be done by our respective consulates.

In my case, this would entail a trip to the U.S. Consulate in Merida, a trip I made before and chronicled in this blog post. If you haven't read it yet, you should as it will prepare you for today's report and although it wasn't nominated for a Peabody Award, it damn well should have been.

My companion, Indra, being born in Germany, has a German birth certificate which meant we also had to locate the German Consulate in Merida. This was done with very little effort on the internet and with a check of our handy-dandy Merida street map, we were relatively certain we could find it.

So off we went this morning, first to the German Consulate. Ladies first, you know.

When we arrived near the pinpointed spot on our map we were detoured off the main street due CFE (power company) crews replacing a bad transformer. Nonetheless we parked near where we believed the consulate to be and walked to it. Here it is:

Not quite the over-the-top architecture we are accustomed to in our taxpayer funded public buildings, but we have learned to roll with the punches in the past couple of years here, so we strolled up and knocked on the door.

We were let into a small outer office/reception area where we met the very helpful Magdalena. She spoke English, Spanish and German and for all we knew, other languages as well. She registered us in her book and then Indra showed her the birth documents from 1946 Germany. Magdalena looked them over, translated them on the fly for us in English to confirm that they were indeed birth documents and apologized that she could do nothing today due to the power outage going on from the soon to be replaced broken transformer. She noted the fragility of the documents which bear a close resemblance in consistency to the Dead Sea Scrolls and provided Indra with a web address where she can obtain new, updated versions. By the way the new versions from Germany already come translated into five languages including Spanish. Here's Magdalena explaining all of this to Indra...

She called the Consul out from the rear office (I think these were the only offices in the building) and he confirmed he could do the notarization from Xerox copies so Indra could keep the originals. She even offered to translate mine, but I decided that since IMSS wanted it from my country's consulate I'd stick to the rules. We will go back next Monday or Tuesday to pick Indra's up.

At this time we were less than an hour away from my appointment at the U.S. Consulate per my appointed time. Yes, you need to have an appointment which is done online here.

I had popped on to make my appointment Tuesday and the next available time was for today (Thursday) at 12:00 noon. In fact it was the only time available today.

We parked across the street and as we approached I thought it was a good time to get what we in the news media are trained to get: an Establishing Shot.

Unlike the German Consulate, ours comes with anti-crash barriers. As soon as I took this picture, the two armed Yucatan State Police standing in front started yelling and gesticulating wildly something about picture taking of this hallowed edifice not being allowed.

I briefly figured since I was on a public street, I could do what I damn well wanted. But on second thought I realized that I could be arrested for spying and I doubted that Bill Clinton would commandeer a plane to fly down and save my ass like he did for those two young women in North Korea. So I pocketed my camera and as we passed by my cheerful "Buenos Dias" was met with icy stares.

Up we went to the bulletproof booth to announce ourselves and our purpose for being there. Of course the jack-booted, beret-wearing rent-a-cop that U.S. taxpayers employ to check everyone in, spoke no English. This is at the U.S. Consulate! He had to make a call to get another rent-a-cop to come out who spoke a little English. Back in the day, before our armed forces were sent out to fight a couple of wars in the Middle East, these duties were performed by U.S. Marines (Semper-Fi) who, no doubt, enjoyed a little break in the action.

After checking our passports, we were admitted to the screening area. Here we were relieved of the following items before going through the metal detector:

A pack of cigarettes

A lighter

My camera (no photos allowed inside either - State secrets)

Both our sets of car keys

All loose change

A bottle of hand sanitizer (I guess the swine flu media panic had not permeated security either)

A bottle of mosquito repellent
Fortunately we were not asked to remove our underwear.

Then our bags were put through the scanner, our passports checked one more time, and then we were passed through the metal detector. Since I could not take a photo of this, you'll have to use your imagination. I imagine that if given the chance, they may resort to body imaging like this:

This was the first of three checkpoints needed to pass before entering the hallowed area for my "appointment". We cleared the other two without any problems and when we entered the main area we were given a number: 2004. We didn't have to wait as there were, no kidding, in a room with at least 50 chairs and 8 help windows, no other people waiting. I mean it was, except for one of the rent-a-cops and Indra and me, deserted. Said rent-a-cop directed us to the two windows reserved for Americans and we rang the buzzer. Soon a gentleman appeared behind the double-paned bulletproof glass and, through a microphone that continuously shorted out, asked us what we needed. I needed an "appointment" for this?

I explained that the folks over at IMSS told we needed my birth certificate translated and notarized by the U.S. Consulate in order to apply for benefits. The nice man then informed us that, yes, they could notarize such a document for $30.00 USD, but the translation was not done there. For that, I would have to hire a government certified Mexican translator to do the job. Then he/she would bring it over to the consulate, have it notarized, and then return it to me.

He then provided me with a list of certified translators in Merida. This list carries the following proviso:

"The U.S. Consulate Merida assumes no responsibility of liability for the professional ability or reputation of, or the quality of service provided by, the following persons or firms. Inclusion on this list is in no way an endorsement by the Department of State or the U.S. Consulate."

Well, that's a confidence booster.

I told him about what Alejandro at IMSS had said about having it translated by the consulate and the man behind the bulletproof glass replied that they had probably just seen the official consulate seal on the translated document and assumed the translation was done there. "We're going to have to straighten them out on this the next time we see them", came the dubious promise from the man behind the bulletproof glass.

We exited with the list, collected our contraband and headed home.

Indra and the Germans definitely came out on top today. I'll let you know what happens next.

More later,

Larry

Insurance: IMSS - The "Public Option" in Mexico (Day 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:00:00 +0000

While the prospect of government involvement in the matter of health insurance continues to pit a lot of Americans against each other over the inclusion of a so-called "Public Option", here in Mexico it's a matter of public policy.
Known as IMSS (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social) or the institute of Mexican Social Security, it's available to everyone. That includes those of us who have established residency here from another country.
Here is part of the IMSS charter:
"In its extent, the Article 2 of the Social Security Act (SSA) states that the purpose of the social security is to guarantee the right to health, medical assistance, protection of the means of subsistence, and the necessary social services for the individual and collective wellbeing, as well as the granting of an allowance that, in its case and previous fulfillment of legal requirements, will be guaranteed by the State."(my italics)
Anyone in the States thinking of coming to Mexico (or any other foreign country for that matter) needs to know that Medicare does not apply outside the U.S. So that leaves private insurance companies or, in this case, the Mexican government's health care system.
With this in mind we decided to enroll. Now, health care here is inexpensive in comparison to the States for the minor everyday things. But should something more catastrophic happen, it could still put quite a dent in someone's retirement budget even here.
IMSS does not offer full coverage the first year and for certain pre-existing conditions, the insurance benefits do not kick in until year two or even year three. However, in the first year many basic medical problems are covered and drugs from the IMSS pharmacy are free.
An in-depth investigation by me on various websites turned up a few inaccurate bits of information which I will clarify as we go. Keep in mind I'm operating in the State of Yucatan, but I believe that since this is a Federal program, the rules would be the same everywhere.
As I found when we got our senior discount cards, rules here change either at the start of the new year or a change in political parties.
We decided to start with obtaining photos. All the websites I checked stipulated we needed to bring 2 or 3 (depending on the site) passport sized photos. We actually asked the guy at one of our local photography joints (and they are everywhere!) and he told us that what we need were 2 infantil sized photos. Here's the difference:

That's infantil on the left and if we had taken passport sized photos, that would have been a deal breaker. By the way, the photos come in a set of 6 and cost 50 pesos (less than $5.00). So we have extras if anybody wants one (and who wouldn't?).
Next step was to find the location of the IMSS intake center. In Merida there are actually two of them; one south and one north of the centro. We opted for the closer one in the north. The rest of this will probably just be of interest to those living here or planning on moving here, but what the hell. Stories of governmental red-tape are the stuff of good party chatter no matter where you are, right?
Here is the address of IMSS north:
Calle 7 No. 432 X 32 y 34
Col. Residencial Pensiones C.P. 97217
This is actually easy to find. We came south into Merida on the main drag, Calle 62. At the Mega store we hung a right (west) onto Circuito Colonias. Drive west until the street curves to the left and get ready to turn right just past the Chevrolet dealership. That street is also Circuito Colonias. Just a little trick they like to play on us gringos. Drive down the street a few blocks and on the right you'll see a tall hospital building. Then the street name changes again to Av. Alfretta Barerra. Keep going about 3 more blocks and on the right you'll see this:

This is actually the clinic. We parked around the corner and walked back and to the north (or the left as you're looking at the building) we stumbled upon the intake center. Easy-peasy!

We knew, of course, this was not going to be a one stop deal. It seldom is here which adds to the "Amazing Race" quality of it all. If you watch that program, think of this as a Roadblock.

Let's take a look inside.

This is the line to get a number. When we got our number (which was from a security guard) we were directed to the person just to the left who's name was Alejandro. And Alejandro spoke English!!! This was going swimmingly!

So Alejandro, after finding out what we were up to, asked if we had all the required documentation. He even gave us a checklist to be sure. In Spanish, of course, but you get these when getting or renewing a visa, so we were prepared.

Taking it point-by-point:

"Comprobate de domicillio" That's an original and copy of a utility bill, either Telmex (phone) or CFE (electricity) will do. "Check"

"Identificacion oficial" Think passport for us, and FM2 or FM3 visas and copies of each. "Check"

"Acta de matrimonio" Marriage certificate. "That ain't gonna happen"

"2 fotografias tamano infantil. "Check"

"Acta de nacimiento" Birth certificate. "We've never been asked for that before and none of the websites I checked mentioned that"

CURP si ya cuenta con el. Yep. Got the CURP when we got our senior cards. "Check"

Documento que contenga su Numero de Seguiridad Social. Does not apply to us.

And that long last one is a completed questionnaire concerning our medical history which is done at this center.

Also note the annual cost for the insurance for 60+ years of age, $3211 pesos or $251.00 USD at today's exchange rate. Again, that's per year. This is luring a LOT of retirees to move here. And regardless of any horror stories that people who have never received treatment here like to carelessly spread, I can tell you first hand the treatment is top-notch. And you actually see a doctor, not a physician's assistant.

But I digress.

We explained to Alejandro that we did not have birth certificates with us and that the mere possession of a passport proved that we were indeed born because the U.S. government requires a birth certificate to get a passport. He was very nice and took the time to instant message two superiors to plead our passport argument but both were adamant that we had to have them. And then Alejandro upped the ante: The birth certificate had to be translated into Spanish. "Not a problem", I thought, "We have plenty of friends who would do that for us." Alejandro, seemingly reading my thoughts, kicked it up another notch: These translations had to be from our Consulate. And notarized by them.

Anyone who read about my trip to the U.S. consulate could well understand the feeling of dread I was experiencing at this point. The other shoe had dropped. We would not be joining these happy people today...

To add yet another dimension to the mix, my partner Indra will not be utilizing the service of the U.S. consulate office. She was born in Germany. So we will also be visiting the German consulate. And we're not even sure if her baptismal certificate will count.

This is going to get interesting.

More later,

Larry

Christmas At The Mall

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Some last minute shopping dictated we go to the Galleria Mall in Merida yesterday. I thought it would be fun to share some shots with you.
This is the "anchor" store, Liverpool. Something like Nordstrom's or Macy's. In other words an expensive but necessary store for finding things totally unavailable elsewhere.

You get the idea...

In the actual mall, the decorations are very tasteful and plentiful...

The mall tree...

From the upper concourse...

Looking down on a well-known, seasonal celebrity...

And even though it was 88 degrees outside, winter recreation was available on the ice rink...

And they even had their version of "Paul Blart: Mall Cop"....

One of the many Christmas displays dotted all over the mall...
The "kicker" to this story is that I was having a great time with the camera while Indra was busy looting the Liverpool store. That is until I was approached by the State Police and was humorlessly told in no uncertain terms that photography was not allowed and I was to cease and desist at once. Too late, muchachos, the damage was done. Enjoy the illegal spoils!

More later,
Larry

Happy Holidays Eveyone!

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:08:00 +0000

Here's to a great 2010!

Let's Go To The Fair!

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:03:00 +0000

November means many things in the state of Yucatan. It's the end of hurricane season which saw Category 1 Ida slip between us and Cuba, heading north to the States as a rather benign tropical storm. It also means the end of oppressive heat and humidity and the start of Norte (storms from the north) season and cooler weather. And it means the nearly month-long state fair at Xmatkuil (pronounced Eesh-ma-quill) is here.
In honor of Indra's birthday, we headed down there this morning to see what was new and to do some Christmas shopping for our unsuspecting relatives.
This is the front entrance....

The admission price went from 10 pesos last year ( about 85 cents) to 12 pesos this year (about 97 cents) but we sucked it up and didn't give the ticket agent any sob stories about being Senior Citizens living on a fixed income, etc.

Once inside we were introduced to the fair's theme, sort of a winter wonderland thing...

"o.k" we thought, "It's 82 degrees out, but we can roll with that. We soon found out that this winter theme was being promoted throughout the fair grounds and imagine our surprise when we ran across this...

A crowd of school children witnessing their classmates engaged in a....SNOW BALL FIGHT!!!

Much tamer than I remembered from my childhood. I mean we didn't have protective headgear and goggles or a net to prevent ice missiles from hitting us smack in the face, but these kids were having the time of their lives. And it's probably one of the only times they will see snow in their lifetimes.

And next door....

A snow hill where one can ride down on these tubes...

It was early in the day (shortly after noon) by Mexican standards, so the big crowds would not arrive for several hours yet. Good for wandering around, but bad for photo ops. We did, however, find Santa! And we had a kid to sit in his lap!

I don't know how Santa could come all the way from the North Pole and wear that heavy suit, but I had the feeling that the snow wasn't the only thing melting.

Even the landscaping had the winter/Christmas thing going on...

Like most state fairs, this one also featured the farming and agriculture aspect including these really fine tractors which appealed to me, I being raised on an orchard in Washington State....

Among the tractors was a small pen holding what looked to be a wild pig. What he was doing there, we don't know, but he was so cute we took a picture...

Speaking of livestock, they always have a good selection over in the beef barn.

Here is a very nice looking Brahma Bull...

And even though she was trying to sleep, I cowed this one into letting me take her picture too...wait a minute...that's a bull.

For three years now we have been unsuccessful in locating the poultry barn. We asked these chicks, but they didn't seem to know anything either...

We concluded that perhaps the poultry barn does not exists.

We did, however come across some adorable little piglets snoozing in their pen..

The area schools bring busloads of children to the fair, all dressed in their uniforms, being overseen by harried-looking adults whom we did not envy...

As the day wound down, so did we. But before we left I took these pictures of some very interesting hand-made furniture that was for sale. Quite unlike stuff you see at Levitz...

So that was our day at the fair and we'll go back next year as we never know what we will see then.

More later,

Larry

Hurricane Ida

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:43:00 +0000

We were feeling pretty smug that with the end of November in sight we would escape the effects of any hurricanes this year. Well, we just ended four days straight of downpours that we can attribute to the outer system of hurricane Ida. According to recent reports from the National Hurricane Center U.S., the tropical storm will gradually increase its speed in the coming days, which alerted the population of Yucatan, Quintana Roo, and Campeche which are now under Yellow Alert. That means to basically be on alert for the Red Alert (how many times can I use "alert" in a sentence?) and to expect high winds and rain.

Ida moved to 15 miles per hour north and is expected to turn toward the northwest "with a gradual increase your speed in the coming days", the statement of the U.S. agency, based in Miami.

Its winds have accelerated and now reach 95 mph, with gusts up faster. It is expected to gain more strength and could become a hurricane on Sunday when Ida reaches the Yucatan Peninsula.

Here's how she looks today:

Here is a shot of Cancun today and the ADO luxury buses that we take when we go there:

We'll keep you posted.

More later,

Larry

A Small Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Sometimes the beauty here comes in small packages...like this little butterfly Indra spotted this afternoon. I grabbed him and he was nice enough to pose for some close-ups....

A "stop and smell the roses" moment.

More later,

Larry

Cruise Ships and Tourists

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:47:00 +0000

When we go out onto the upper deck of our house, we can always see when the cruise ship has arrived. This happens roughly twice a week and I wondered what they actually see when they visit Progreso. As I have mentioned before, this is not a resort town in the model of Cancun or Mazatlan, but a fishing town which just happens to have a stretch of beach that caters to the tourists when they arrive on the cruise ships. So off I went to see first hand what the tourists see.
First of all, the pier where the ships dock is also the port for shipping of goods to and from the Yucatan. The next major port on the east side of Mexico is in Veracruz. Due to the wide, limestone shelf, the Progreso pier had to be built five miles into the Gulf to get to a water depth that would accommodate cruise ships and freighters. Here's a shot from outer space:

I went out to the Progreso cruise terminal located at the end of the pier via Auto Progreso, the same bus company on which I used to commute when working in Merida.

By the way, this is the only way we locals can sneak out onto the pier. It is pretty heavily guarded..

I wandered through the shopping plaza that is also in the arrival area, and there she was: The Carnival Line's pride and joy, the "Behemoth of the Seven Seas"...

O.k., I know it says "Fantasy" on it, but it is big.

Now a look at the shopping plaza at the cruise terminal...

By the way, everything here is sold in dollars, not pesos.

I'm not sure what the "Summer Clearance" thing is all about as it is pretty much summer all the time here.

I imagine this is as far as some of these folks go, buying a souvenir and then back on to the safety of the boat.

So, onto the bus and into town where the shopping is more interesting.

The main plaza in town converts to a bazaar selling the usual trash and trinkets when the ship is in....like pipes for your smoking pleasure...

And jewelry...

There's even a clown selling balloon animals...or hats...or something....I wonder what this discussion is all about...also, he should watch his placement of the lower balloon...

One thing you're sure to run into is the Cuban cigar salesmen hawking very nice wood and glass boxes of Cuban cigars. However, these are fakes, made in Honduras. The Cubans are very selective about who they let sell their cigars.

For us locals, the people watching is great sport. Here's a good looking group...

I pray she just sat in something wet. Nice sombrero, though...

One thing I've always wanted to do was ride the touribus that scoots through town while a guide gives valuable information such as who founded the town, when the lighthouse was built and so forth. So for a mere 20 pesos I decided to take a ride. The funny part was when the tour guide, Julio, looked at me and said. "But you live here. Why do you want to go on the bus?" I explained that I was freelancing for National Geographic, blah, blah. He just laughed. I just told him it was for this dog and pony show called my blog, so he wrote down the website so he could see it later.

This is Julio..

The bus...

Julio was right. There wasn't much new to learn on this trip. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful day. Here we are on the malecon or main beach boardwalk..

Passing the "wedding cake" house...

Cool ride.
So, what did I learn? Not much except that this commerce is necessary to supplement the economy here. Fishing and tourism each by themselves cannot sustain this town. Together, they can, but it's still economically touch and go most of the time.

I had a nice conversation with a young man from Atlanta who, when asked what he thought of Progreso replied, "Not much going on here." "Exactly", I smiled.

More later,

Larry

The Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:09:00 +0000

This has a small back-story. Our friend, neighbor and cleaning woman, Debora, always brings her daughter Kimberly with her when she cleans the house. Indra has grown quite fond of Kimberly and last year she was invited to the little girl's birthday party. It was held in a tiny house and it was very crowded. This year, Indra volunteered this house for the festivities.

Thursday night was set as the date, and that day Debra started delivering the party supplies first thing in the morning.

Including Snow White, the pinata...

Later, Kimberly arrived to help decorate and set things up. Indra swung into action.

Let the decorating begin!

We didn't really know how many to expect, but when a pickup truck arrived and dropped off 50 folding chairs and two gigantic steel tables, we had an idea that this fiesta was going to be big.

It's not like in the U.S. where you drop off your child and come back later to pick them up. These children arrived with their moms, dads, siblings, aunts, grandmas, babies, everyone turns out.

We had everything set up in the back, but as it got darker the consensus was to move everything into the front yard where we have better outdoor lighting.

We figured there had to be 40 kids and about as many adults.

Of course there was food. The main dish was a huge pot of spaghetti and a lot of small sandwiches. And a cake!

The last official act of the evening was the Snow White pinata....Here she is posing with the birthday girl, 11 years old.

I was under the impression that the kids would be blindfolded, given a big stick, and start taking whacks at it. Instead, each was given a turn to pummel poor Snow with their fists. This proved to be ineffective and eventually Snow was ripped open and, to the shouts of "Aqui! Aqui!", the candy was thrown to the little ones.

As you can imagine, there was quite a bit of wreckage left over after people headed home. No problem as Debra and her crew took over and picked up everything. And the next day she came over and cleaned the downstairs. A fun and interesting evening.

More later,

Larry

The Morning Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:42:00 +0000

Sometimes it's fun to take a camera along on one of our morning walks just to see what pops up. That's what I did today. We walked to where the marina opens into the Gulf...

We sat down to watch the fish jumping out of the water, and the fishermen heading out to make a living. We enjoyed the fact that these boats carried two smaller boats on them...

And all the while we were observing, we were being observed....

These are the dreaded Giant Brain Sucking Lizards of the Yucatan and are quite harmless during the day. In fact, when approached, they disappear into the rocks. But at night, if one should find you sleeping, they silently creep up and....o.k., I'm making this part up. They're harmless.

As are the pelicans. We found this handsome fellow taking in the sun....

At the end of the road we were offered this nice look at the new Progreso-Chelem bridge which was built to cut the drive time between the two towns by about 30 minutes.

A nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

More later,

Larry

It's The Cops!

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:46:00 +0000

"Larry, the police are outside and their guns are drawn." Thus, Indra ended what was starting to be a pleasant afternoon siesta yesterday. After performing a mental checklist of my past transgressions, I ruled out the possibility of said guns being aimed at me, and we went out on the upper deck to check it out.
What we found was a common site here, although not on our street: the drug and guns checkpoint.

These stops can be quite unnerving at first until you get used to them, even when you know you don't have any guns or drugs even though you might want some.

As you can see, even the people on the lowly mopeds are not immune from searches. I used to be searched when on the bus from Progreso to Merida going or coming home from work. In fact, I was usually the only person on the bus being searched as I was the only Norte Americano. I just smiled and went along with it because...

...well, you get the idea. After 2 1/2 years here, they don't even bother to stop our car anymore as it is well known as the only Subaru in Progreso.

So, we watched the action for about five minutes with Indra cautioning that if the lead started flying, we were to duck for cover. When we checked about five minutes after that, they had vanished. We don't know if they set up this roadblock for anyone in particular or what the deal was. Just part of life south of the border.

More later,

Larry

The Bank Token

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:11:00 +0000

This is one of those things that sort of grabs you as another, "this is so different" moment. When you open a bank account in Mexico, at least at Banorte, and you want internet access to your account, one of the things you are given is a "token". Take a look:

Cute, huh? What you are seeing is a personal electronic device that is getting a signal from a satellite. Every 60 seconds that 6-digit code automatically and randomly changes. If you look carefully on the left hand side of the display you can see a series of lines that act as a countdown to the numbers changing again. Each token has a serial number and when you go on line to set-up your internet banking, the system wants that serial number, your user name and your password. Once activated, this is what you need to log on with the most current "token" number being displayed, so it's different every time. They say that this will operate for 5 years before the battery runs out and there is no extra charge for it. Unless you lose it.

I tell ya, these third world countries...!

More later,

Larry

Mice and Mousetraps

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:29:00 +0000

We've had a mouse in the house. This is our second one (that we know of) and the first time we had to go hunting for mousetraps. Here, they do not have the spring-loaded, killer version of my youth instead opting for a more humane (think PETA), small plastic pad coated in a sticky substance that I suppose the little rodents find attractive. And for our first mouse visitor it worked.
This new guy is apparently smarter than that and we see him occasionally darting about out of the corners of our eyes. The dogs have tried to sniff him out, but to no avail. We can't use a cat because the dogs don't want to share the space in the house
So it was back to the sticky traps. Unfortunately, they trap indiscriminately.

Sure hope this wasn't Lenny...

More later,

Larry

El Pulpo

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:49:00 +0000

Progreso for all it's efforts to be a tourist destination for cruise ships, is a fishing town. And the main harvest here is pulpo or octopus. When we first arrived we were told the harvest was robust and the pulpo was a major export to Spain and Japan. When we would walk our beach we passed scores of pulpo boats that had had arrived from fishing and lined the beach. Last year, they disappeared. Over fishing and poor management pretty much wiped out last year's harvest and this year, while supposedly improved, it still expected to be light. Here are some shots of the boats that have come back this year.

Only about a half dozen could be found. I asked one of the fishermen if they were catching much and he replied "very little".

These small skiffs are rigged with long bamboo poles fore and aft. From these hang fishing lines and the fishermen use crab as bait to lure the octopus onto the line.

Word on the street has it that there are many poachers fishing the pulpo illegally this season and they are being hunted by the authorities. We hope they get nailed because this town is poor enough without these hard-working souls being robbed of their livelihood.

More later,

Larry

Let's Talk About Hammocks

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:23:00 +0000

If you are thinking about moving here, or are moving here, you are going to want a hammock. And there will be plenty of places willing to take your money. The places that are most obvious and accessible are in the tourist areas such at the main plaza in Merida or the malecon in Progreso. We got our first hammock on the drive down here from the States at a toll booth waiting in line. At $200 pesos (less than $20.00) it seemed like a great bargain and it did the job for a while. Then, we became more educated on the ins-and-outs of hammocks made in the Yucatan.
These are sold at more out of the way stores specializing on the locally made product. My hammock came from Hamacas WMS (With Mexican Style), a socially responsible, local industry promoting Yucatan goods. Visit their website here. And forget the $200 peso price tag. Yucatan hammocks go from $650 pesos on up.

My hammock is strung between the back porch and a very large and strong tree. Most people have hammock hangers in the house but we haven't done that yet. Yucatan hammocks come in cotton or nylon, but the cotton are the most comfortable. This one is cotton with nylon end threads. They are hand woven locally.

It's all very delicate work, but don't let that fool you. Indra and I have gotten into this hammock together and it held us with no problems. We've seen hammocks that will hold a family of four!
This is how they attach to the tree. The rope (provided) is fitted with a steel "S" hook. Simple.

Now, let's look at a store. We found this place quite by accident while we were lost in Merida looking for Hamacas WMS. No matter, we went on in because we were getting ready to head north to the States and Indra wanted to get one for her son for his birthday.

Note that they advertise sales, repairs and cleaning. Full service.
There is no end of sizes and colors......

And you can get hammock chairs.....

The saleswoman was very helpful, unwrapping and showing the sizes and colors.

So, if you're approached by someone selling hammocks on the street, think twice. Spend a little more money and get the real deal. They are comfortable and, with the proper care, will last a very long time.

Now, for a very detailed look at the Yucatan hammock, I'm going to steer you to a site called Hammocks of Yucatan. This guy makes my effort look puny, but I figure why plagiarize or reinvent the wheel.

Happy relaxing.

More later,

Larry

Retirement

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:09:00 +0000

It doesn't seem real. Retirement seemed so abstract through the years...something "old people" did. And yet...
Those of you who read this regularly may have noticed I don't use this blog to air my deep personal thoughts or musings. No one would care to read them, nor should they. Instead, falling back on my years as a news reporter, I try to convey the experience of day-to-day living here in the Yucatan, throwing in some humor to spice it up a little bit.
That said, I do want to share some things on a personal note today. The other day one of my co-workers remarked on my retirement and told me I was "lucky". "Not so fast", I thought and informed him that putting in 44 years of labor did not constitute "luck".
But further reflection caused me to concur that there has been some luck involved in me being here. First of all, I've lived long enough. I have friends who didn't, due to war, accident or illness, so even though the odds are stacked against all of us, here I am.
Secondly, I would not have made it to this wonderful life-style had I not met my partner Indra. She and I shared this dream together and without her, it would have remained just a dream for me.

Now. I have been asked many times in the past few weeks just what it is I plan to do with myself. We've all seen the stories about those poor souls who retire only to find their lives meaningless without their workaday routine. That is not me. What do I plan to do? Well, you're looking at one of the big ones. I will be spending more time submitting articles to this blog and for that, I need your help.
Do me a favor: down at the bottom of this, click on "Comments". Then, please, let me know what kind of stories you'd like to see. Day-to-day living? Navigating the beauracracy? Mayan ruins? Let me know. And further, let me know where you are. I'm always curious who reads this thing and were you are living. Are you planning a vacation here? Are you planning a permanent move here?
And finally (and this goes under the heading of Long Term Plans), let me know if you think a book detaling retiring in the Yucatan specifically, would be useful.
That's your assignment, friends.

More later,
Larry

Merida Then...and Now

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:27:00 +0000

Sometimes good fortune falls in your lap and you just have to share it. This good fortune came from a co-worker of mine, Armando, who was sent a series of old photographs of Merida by his sister. And he shared them with me. Another co-worker, Tony Pacheco, suggested that I give him my camera and he would take pictures showing what these areas of Merida look like today for contrast. And that's how I'm going to share them with you. The time of the old photos is in question. Some came from the early 20's I'm sure. Others, by historical dates, are earlier. But rather than try to pin that aspect down, I think it's just fun to look at the city and what is gone...and still here. If you double-click on these to enlarge them, you'll see more detail.

This is a favorite of mine because it utilizes two then-emerging technologies: Powered flight and aerial photography. An amazing picture when you consider all that.

Of course the most predominate feature is the cathedral and Plaza Grande.

This is a shot of Calle 65 and 56 which at the time was known as "la paseo de las bonitas" or the beautiful ladies walk.

And how it looks today...

If you've been in el Centro, it's a good bet you've ventured into the Mercado Lucas de Galvez. If you haven't, you should because it's an all out assault on most human senses: sound, sight, smell. As it looked in the 20's...

This entrance is long gone, but if you look in the background, you'll see los Portales. They are still there...

Here is a look at the army which was stationed at what is now the San Benito market. If you look in the distance you can see what is now the mercado pictured above. The lower part of the tall, black water tower is still there. Since this is a shot of Benito Juarez with the troops it has to date pre-twentieth century.

See that building in the background center? The first floor is still standing and in use...

On the west side of the main plaza, across from the cathedral, is the municipal building known as El Olimpo. This is how it looked in the 20's..

And it's still there today, or so I thought. It turns out this building was torn down to make a parking lot. And the version we see today is a replica. Here it is..

The main cathedral is arguably the most historic building in el Centro. This is a look at the interior and alter at the turn of the last century. Very ornate, lots of gold.

Today, much more subdued....

There are probably many reasons for the transformation, not the least of which occurred during the Mexican revolution in 1915 when a Communist general by the name of Salvador Alverez set fire to the cathedral. And all the gold went missing. Here is a picture of the aftermath...

The church remained closed for 15 years as repairs were being made.

Here is a look at the north side covered in vines back then...

And today...

Directly south of the church is an alley that is the home of artisans selling crafts to the tourists. And to the south of that, the Macay Museum. But it wasn't always so. A look at pasaje a la revolucion and the roof, now gone, cristales y hierro (crystal and iron):

And today...

The army use to be headquartered next to this alley...This is probably the best contrasting shot of this whole exercise..

Now the Macay museum...

The Hotel Madrid...Calle 63 y 64..

Today....

Calle 65 y 60....

Today, the Del Sol...

The Bank of Mexico...Calle 59 y 56..

It was torn down and replaced with this unattractive, utilitarian, Banamex building..

Finally, a look at Santiago Park and the Nicolas Bravo Elementary School..

These days, people gather in the park on Tuesday nights to dance under the stars to a big band orchestra. And the school is still there. And it's still the Nicolas Bravo Elementary School, proving that some things in this world remain the same even as the inevitable changes go on all around them.

Thanks to my friends Tony and Armando for their help with this.

More later,

Larry

Sometimes living nearer the Equator has its drawbacks....

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:23:00 +0000

Lenny the Lizard

noreply@blogger.com (Larry) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:15:00 +0000

Just a picture of our resident lizard, Lenny. He hides behind pictures on the wall during the day and comes out in the evening to eat any bugs he might find around the house. He can walk on glass blocks. He chirps like a bird. If you live here, you must learn to love these guys.