We were all up at 2am, not sure why. Tim played the guitar softly for awhile, I read to Leo and he went back to sleep, I gave Dylan permission to watch one episode of The Simpsons on our portable DVD player, and I am blogging! It could be the wind. Our first few nights here were very windy and the constant howling, together with the sound of waved breaking in the distance, was difficult to get used to. The last 2 or 3 days were very calm, but tonight the wind is back. Although I must say that one of the things I enjoy the most here is to sleep with the windows open and feel the night breeze, something I can never do at home because of our downtown location (bar patrons talking as they go to their cars in the middle of the night). Here it's the dogs that bark once in awhile, but I like that. They keep us safe at night.
There are two dogs here at the house, their names are Café and Tigre. Café is not trained and has no dog manners whatsoever, and the kids named him 'Psycho Dog'. He playfully jumped on Dylan one day and would not stop, and as Dylan got more agitated Café jumped even more. Dylan got really scared (he does not panic easily...) and Leo came to get me. Tigre doesn't have much more manners, but at least he understands Spanish. So as much as possible, we try to keep the dogs away from the boys.
Dylan and Leo had their heart set on watching the Grey Cup today. They made a list of things for their Grey Cup 'Party', and we went to town this morning. They each got a bottle of pop and a chocolate bar. They set-up the palapa (where we get our internet signal) with cushions on the chairs, and candles on the table. Everything was ready... except for the signal. There was problems with the satellite reception and after a couple of hours, they resigned themselves to accept the situation.
Okay, I think that sleep is coming... sleep tight !
Somewhere between Izamal and Sudzal, Yucatan.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Precious times
December is around the corner and we have news that winter has settled in Toronto, with the first snow, the ice rink opening at Dufferin Grove, Santa's parade and the Grey Cup. If I was home I would probably be cooking something homy for the cold days, like a big pot of chili, or curry chicken. I would be putting the fall clothes away and pull out the hard core winter attires like the snow boots, mitts and scarves and hats. And we would probably enjoy our fireplace this weekend. Getting together with friends, and planning some Holiday gatherings. Our life in Toronto is filled with precious moments, and we will be very very happy to come back to them after being away for so long.
The boys made their Christmas list, and it triggered a discussion on giving - as opposed to receiving - and creative ways to make a difference for some kids who live in the great places we are visiting. We are letting the idea simmer... This motivated me to go for a little venture and Léo and I drove to the village today. We found the store for school supplies - it's entire inventory can be neatly placed on a kitchen table, but they have the essentials. I finally found some real printer paper - but here we buy it by the sheet because it's a rare commodity. I use every single sheet on both sides - something I should do at home too! While in town we also looked for fresh chicken, but it will be available only tomorrow (just like the gas, good old Mexican Ma ñana!), and we looked for a bakery - no such thing in Xcalak. Only the basic necessities. Only what we really need, and a little more (like cookies, and candies!)
We went for a nice snorkel today. We went out on the kayaks, found a great spot and dropped the anchors, and put our snorkel gear on. Just as I let myself in the water the bottom of by baiting suit got caught on a hook on the side of the kayak - and I was stuck in an impossible position, unable to reach and unhook my rear end... Dylan tried to rescue me, but it's Tim who finally untwisted the fabric. My Hero!
I started to look into an excursion we could take in this region, on the sea of course. Deep sea fishing is an option, or boating to Belize to spend a day in San Pedro, but I must say that the one I would like to do the most is going to the Chinchorro banks - about 20 miles off shore. It is said to be the last intact coral garden in the Caribbean, and is has a number of old ship wrecks. Very few people get to see this, and who knows how long it will remain healthy. The effect of global warming on warm seas like the Caribbean is causing the water to heat-up more than ever, and even a couple of degrees can be devastating for coral reef. It causes discolouring of reef formations, it is know as the 'bleaching' effect. A gray reef is a very sad sight. Just today, I was showing Léo to not look only at the fish, but also at the purple and pink and orange reef vegetation and their many different shapes, and the unique quality of the light underwater. It is so beautiful! Does he really see it? I hope so. And I hope that it's still there when he will want to show his children.
The boys made their Christmas list, and it triggered a discussion on giving - as opposed to receiving - and creative ways to make a difference for some kids who live in the great places we are visiting. We are letting the idea simmer... This motivated me to go for a little venture and Léo and I drove to the village today. We found the store for school supplies - it's entire inventory can be neatly placed on a kitchen table, but they have the essentials. I finally found some real printer paper - but here we buy it by the sheet because it's a rare commodity. I use every single sheet on both sides - something I should do at home too! While in town we also looked for fresh chicken, but it will be available only tomorrow (just like the gas, good old Mexican Ma ñana!), and we looked for a bakery - no such thing in Xcalak. Only the basic necessities. Only what we really need, and a little more (like cookies, and candies!)
We went for a nice snorkel today. We went out on the kayaks, found a great spot and dropped the anchors, and put our snorkel gear on. Just as I let myself in the water the bottom of by baiting suit got caught on a hook on the side of the kayak - and I was stuck in an impossible position, unable to reach and unhook my rear end... Dylan tried to rescue me, but it's Tim who finally untwisted the fabric. My Hero!
I started to look into an excursion we could take in this region, on the sea of course. Deep sea fishing is an option, or boating to Belize to spend a day in San Pedro, but I must say that the one I would like to do the most is going to the Chinchorro banks - about 20 miles off shore. It is said to be the last intact coral garden in the Caribbean, and is has a number of old ship wrecks. Very few people get to see this, and who knows how long it will remain healthy. The effect of global warming on warm seas like the Caribbean is causing the water to heat-up more than ever, and even a couple of degrees can be devastating for coral reef. It causes discolouring of reef formations, it is know as the 'bleaching' effect. A gray reef is a very sad sight. Just today, I was showing Léo to not look only at the fish, but also at the purple and pink and orange reef vegetation and their many different shapes, and the unique quality of the light underwater. It is so beautiful! Does he really see it? I hope so. And I hope that it's still there when he will want to show his children.
Friday, November 26, 2010
A Day in Majahual
We spent the day in Majahual yesterday. I had a meeting at 3pm with the woman who helped me organise the music classes, and we also wanted to do some food shopping and enjoy the beach, so we decided to leave by 10am for the drive to Majahual which takes a little over one hour. To our big surprise as soon as we got in the car, we realised that the time in the clock in the car indicated 9am, and after some thought we realised that we have been living one hour off since we're in Xcalak! Wondering why we could not sleep so well? That could have something to do with going to bed at 8pm! Wondering why we missed the Skype meeting with the tutor? That's because he we were one hour early! Wondering why Hockey Night in Canada started one hour late? Well that's because it was actually on time! So now... what's the right time? The one on my iPhone, or Tim's iPod, or Dylan's ipod, the MacBook? Very confusing for us. : )
We tried to buy some gasoline in the village as we were low on gas and when we found the right place after searching and asking for about half an hour, the lady told me that they were out and that they were expecting the truck in the afternoon. Okay, maybe next time!
We finally got to Majahual (yes, one quarter of a tank is enough) and there was a cruise ship at the pier which makes for a busy day in town - since the town is located at a 5 hour drive from the Cancun ariport very few people drive there, and the entire economy relies on those cruise ships. The cruise port name is 'Costa Maya', much more catchy than Majahual... It's a lovely place despite the soul touristic development of the beach strip. Majahual is also special because all along the Mezoamerican reef barrier (750km long - second longest in the world) it is the only place where the reef barrier is so close to shore that one can actually walk to it (about 100 meters on low tide). The beach is super there too, with a rare sandy shore along this coast (mostly algae and reef by the shore) - perfect for swimming. And a lot of the beach bars and restaurants have wireless access, perfect! We settled at the same place where we had lunch in March 2008 when they were re-building the town after hurricane Dean. Now a fully developed operation, much like most of the beach strip - good to see! So took advantage of the wireless and did some work, and for a couple of hours I had a killer office!
At about 1:30pm we left the beach strip to make our way to the 'casitas' (aka New Majahual). We had lunch at a groovy little cafe called Aroma, apparently the hot spot in town. Then we did our shopping, the store is not so big but carries most of what we had on our list (except for meat and cheese). And then I met with Rebecca at 3pm - a great woman, very nice and friendly, and we had a good chat with Tim and the boys before we made our way to the Montessori school, one block away. First music lesson at the Montessori school of Majahual. I was not sure how many kids would show-up, and I was ready for a very small turn out - and about 20 kids showed-up! The first class were all JK and SK age, about 12 of them. The second group was up to 7 years old and there were 8 kids. I kept a simple program and most of the class content was made of songs and activities that I translated from English or French - it worked very well, kids had a lot of fun and parents feedback was amazing - I am very much looking forward to going back next week. The ice is broken!
I was done at 5pm and we left immediately so that we could arrive before sunset... but missed that mark by a good 45 minutes. But the road is very well done with reflectors all along, and there is basically no traffic (we crossed 2 cars in one hour). Got home, made dinner and made it movie night with The Burbs (with Tom Hanks... funny!).
Today is Leo's big day for his evaluation, he completed 9 pages and did great!
Gabriel, the care taker of the house, went fishing in the laguna and brought back a nice 3 1/2 feet baracuda - pictures coming soon on FB - and prepared nice filets for us. He is so kind! The fish was delicious - just pan fried with butter. Life is good!
We tried to buy some gasoline in the village as we were low on gas and when we found the right place after searching and asking for about half an hour, the lady told me that they were out and that they were expecting the truck in the afternoon. Okay, maybe next time!
We finally got to Majahual (yes, one quarter of a tank is enough) and there was a cruise ship at the pier which makes for a busy day in town - since the town is located at a 5 hour drive from the Cancun ariport very few people drive there, and the entire economy relies on those cruise ships. The cruise port name is 'Costa Maya', much more catchy than Majahual... It's a lovely place despite the soul touristic development of the beach strip. Majahual is also special because all along the Mezoamerican reef barrier (750km long - second longest in the world) it is the only place where the reef barrier is so close to shore that one can actually walk to it (about 100 meters on low tide). The beach is super there too, with a rare sandy shore along this coast (mostly algae and reef by the shore) - perfect for swimming. And a lot of the beach bars and restaurants have wireless access, perfect! We settled at the same place where we had lunch in March 2008 when they were re-building the town after hurricane Dean. Now a fully developed operation, much like most of the beach strip - good to see! So took advantage of the wireless and did some work, and for a couple of hours I had a killer office!
At about 1:30pm we left the beach strip to make our way to the 'casitas' (aka New Majahual). We had lunch at a groovy little cafe called Aroma, apparently the hot spot in town. Then we did our shopping, the store is not so big but carries most of what we had on our list (except for meat and cheese). And then I met with Rebecca at 3pm - a great woman, very nice and friendly, and we had a good chat with Tim and the boys before we made our way to the Montessori school, one block away. First music lesson at the Montessori school of Majahual. I was not sure how many kids would show-up, and I was ready for a very small turn out - and about 20 kids showed-up! The first class were all JK and SK age, about 12 of them. The second group was up to 7 years old and there were 8 kids. I kept a simple program and most of the class content was made of songs and activities that I translated from English or French - it worked very well, kids had a lot of fun and parents feedback was amazing - I am very much looking forward to going back next week. The ice is broken!
I was done at 5pm and we left immediately so that we could arrive before sunset... but missed that mark by a good 45 minutes. But the road is very well done with reflectors all along, and there is basically no traffic (we crossed 2 cars in one hour). Got home, made dinner and made it movie night with The Burbs (with Tom Hanks... funny!).
Today is Leo's big day for his evaluation, he completed 9 pages and did great!
Gabriel, the care taker of the house, went fishing in the laguna and brought back a nice 3 1/2 feet baracuda - pictures coming soon on FB - and prepared nice filets for us. He is so kind! The fish was delicious - just pan fried with butter. Life is good!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
The Bridge
I met Jane yesterday afternoon. She is a very good friend of Gisèle, the owner of the house we are renting, and she dropped by to introduce herself. She is a vibrant woman, a retired early childhood teacher, and she is actively involved with the school library program here in Xcalak. She is also starting and ESL program at the school next week. She is from Minnesota, and spends six months here every year with her husband. Their house is about 2km down the road and she invited us to snorkel there as she has a nice shallow reef in front of her house - perfect for the kids. She will also take me and the kids to her ESL class on December 7, she said that it is a must for the kids to see what a classroom looks like here (they barely have a piece of chalk...). Looking forward to the experience.
She also told us how the bridge that used to link the beach road to Majahual went down. It appears that two Mexicans had a huge argument one night, and they burned it. There you go! I guess their affairs are settled now! She said that it's not a bad thing, since Majahual is the bigger town on this part of the coast and Xcalak is much more quiet and safe since the beach access has been... well...burned down (okay then...).
School work still going well - although for some reason we were not able to Skype with Leo's teacher this week. The session was postponed to Tuesday and while we waited for him to connect, we did the home work and after a half hour, he was still not there so we signed out. When the home work is completed I take a photo of each page and email it to his teacher. Today I tried to do this with my camera instead of my iPhone, but the resolution was too high and the filed were too big - so this will be done with the iPhone from now on.
We all went snorkeling a little farther yesterday, Leo's first time on a reef. I partnered with him and was holding his hand and the entire time he kept pointing at each fish (big blue, and yellow and purple ones) and I could hear him exclaiming his joy and surprise through his snorkel - what a pleasure to share this with him!
Time to prepare to go to town, I will put the final touch on my lesson plan and we will hit the road to Majahual. The last time we were there in March 2008, was 6 months after the town was completely wiped out by hurricane Dean and they were very busy re-building. It will be great to see the new town, the boys remember the way it was so they will appreciate the difference. We'll do some shopping too, I wonder if our list in realistic... the 'big' store there might not be exactly our idea of 'big'. We"ll see!
She also told us how the bridge that used to link the beach road to Majahual went down. It appears that two Mexicans had a huge argument one night, and they burned it. There you go! I guess their affairs are settled now! She said that it's not a bad thing, since Majahual is the bigger town on this part of the coast and Xcalak is much more quiet and safe since the beach access has been... well...burned down (okay then...).
School work still going well - although for some reason we were not able to Skype with Leo's teacher this week. The session was postponed to Tuesday and while we waited for him to connect, we did the home work and after a half hour, he was still not there so we signed out. When the home work is completed I take a photo of each page and email it to his teacher. Today I tried to do this with my camera instead of my iPhone, but the resolution was too high and the filed were too big - so this will be done with the iPhone from now on.
We all went snorkeling a little farther yesterday, Leo's first time on a reef. I partnered with him and was holding his hand and the entire time he kept pointing at each fish (big blue, and yellow and purple ones) and I could hear him exclaiming his joy and surprise through his snorkel - what a pleasure to share this with him!
Time to prepare to go to town, I will put the final touch on my lesson plan and we will hit the road to Majahual. The last time we were there in March 2008, was 6 months after the town was completely wiped out by hurricane Dean and they were very busy re-building. It will be great to see the new town, the boys remember the way it was so they will appreciate the difference. We'll do some shopping too, I wonder if our list in realistic... the 'big' store there might not be exactly our idea of 'big'. We"ll see!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Life by the sea
We arrived here in Xcalak one week ago today, and we're still getting used to living by the sea. The weather was very rainy for the first 3 days, and then it turned for the better - with the occasional quick rain storm (very windy!!!). All of us, except for Leo. have difficulty sleeping the night and we can't quite figure out why. It's not too hot or cold, the beds are very comfortable, so maybe the silence! For me, the mosquitoes have a lot to do with it. My feet are covered with bites, and it's driving me CRAZY!!! Especially at night... I try every single cream that we have to sooth the itch, some kind of work better than others. We're going to town tomorrow (Majahual) and I will look for something more efficient. Anyone knows of a natural way to sooth mosquitoe bites? Please let me know!!! I'll try anything - lemon juice, banana peel, butter... really!
We started to practice snorkeling in front of our beach house to get used to the equipment, and the boys and Tim loved it! Tim spotted a lion fish the first time we went in, too soon and too close... these are a real pest but I'm glad that the boys could see one up-close, and that they are aware of them. The following day we practiced some more and we saw a barracuda, again I was glad that they could see small one and that they are now able to identify them. There are many little fish as soon as we get in the water, a lot of little striped yellow and black fish, some little purple ones with a yellow belly and tale, and many sand colour fish. Dylan seemed a bit concerned about going out farther to snorkel since we got here, and he did not want to go for kayak rides. Yesterday I accompanied Tim and Dylan to a small reef near our house and not too far out, for their first real snorkel experience (Leo and I had to Skype with his teacher). They were amazed at the difference in the fish so close to shore, and swam through schools of blue fish and saw many other beautiful ones, all around this small reef garden. They loved it, and Dylan wants to go every single day now!
The birds are also plentiful around here. Many migratory birds like cranes and cormorans, and others which we would like to identify eventually. On is black and twice the size of a robin, with beautiful bright blue wings and a bright yellow bill, and they travel in groups. I saw a yellow parakeet, and as I am getting better aquainted with our camera I will try to capture some good images to better identify them.
The sea shore is covered with conch shells, never saw so many - there are thousands! Unfortunately even in such a remote location, the beach is also littered by all kinds of plastic waste carried by the sea. Sad sight, but eye opening for the boys.
Today will be a busy day, a lot of school work for Leo since I received his evaluation papers for this trimester. I am helping him revise the subject matters every day, and give him the document to complete on Friday morning. I will find a good reward, he works hard and it's not easy for him to do school work here. I also have to prepare for my first classes which will take place tomorrow. I already translated some songs and activities that I do in French - this way I am comfortable with the material instead of learning all new songs. Let's get to work! Hasta luego!
We started to practice snorkeling in front of our beach house to get used to the equipment, and the boys and Tim loved it! Tim spotted a lion fish the first time we went in, too soon and too close... these are a real pest but I'm glad that the boys could see one up-close, and that they are aware of them. The following day we practiced some more and we saw a barracuda, again I was glad that they could see small one and that they are now able to identify them. There are many little fish as soon as we get in the water, a lot of little striped yellow and black fish, some little purple ones with a yellow belly and tale, and many sand colour fish. Dylan seemed a bit concerned about going out farther to snorkel since we got here, and he did not want to go for kayak rides. Yesterday I accompanied Tim and Dylan to a small reef near our house and not too far out, for their first real snorkel experience (Leo and I had to Skype with his teacher). They were amazed at the difference in the fish so close to shore, and swam through schools of blue fish and saw many other beautiful ones, all around this small reef garden. They loved it, and Dylan wants to go every single day now!
The birds are also plentiful around here. Many migratory birds like cranes and cormorans, and others which we would like to identify eventually. On is black and twice the size of a robin, with beautiful bright blue wings and a bright yellow bill, and they travel in groups. I saw a yellow parakeet, and as I am getting better aquainted with our camera I will try to capture some good images to better identify them.
The sea shore is covered with conch shells, never saw so many - there are thousands! Unfortunately even in such a remote location, the beach is also littered by all kinds of plastic waste carried by the sea. Sad sight, but eye opening for the boys.
Today will be a busy day, a lot of school work for Leo since I received his evaluation papers for this trimester. I am helping him revise the subject matters every day, and give him the document to complete on Friday morning. I will find a good reward, he works hard and it's not easy for him to do school work here. I also have to prepare for my first classes which will take place tomorrow. I already translated some songs and activities that I do in French - this way I am comfortable with the material instead of learning all new songs. Let's get to work! Hasta luego!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Apple Cake - Enjoy!
Yummy Easy Apple Cake
2 cups diced apples (small cubes)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup flour
1tsp baking soda
1/4 sp salt
Cinnamon and vanilla to taste
Mix the diced apples with the sugar and let sit for 30 min. Add oil and egg, cinnamon and vanilla and mix, add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a prepared 8'' or 9'' pan, bake at 350F for 40 to 45 min. To add a special touch after it cooled a bit, I poked the top with a fork and drizzled maple sirup on it. Yummy yummy! I will definitely make it again!
2 cups diced apples (small cubes)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup flour
1tsp baking soda
1/4 sp salt
Cinnamon and vanilla to taste
Mix the diced apples with the sugar and let sit for 30 min. Add oil and egg, cinnamon and vanilla and mix, add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a prepared 8'' or 9'' pan, bake at 350F for 40 to 45 min. To add a special touch after it cooled a bit, I poked the top with a fork and drizzled maple sirup on it. Yummy yummy! I will definitely make it again!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Driving to Xcalak - what you should know
It occurred to me that as I was preparing for this trip I did not find much information about driving - so for the folks who are looking for such details, I will take a moment to share what we have learned.
First - if you land in Cancun I highly recommend that you spend the first night somewhere on the coast between Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen. The drive will be a little over four hours from Playa del Carmen, and it's better to avoid driving after sunset.
Second - Plan on leaving sufficient room in your car to pack the food supplies you will buy. In our case, we are a family of 4 so we purchased a rooftop bag (roofbag.com - good price and fast delivery) to store our clothing luggage. We also carry a banjo, a mandolin, a violin and a guitar, so the bag was absolutely necessary. Playa del Carmen has a few super stores, we went to Chedraui, but you could also go to Sam's - they are both very easy to find on the East side of the 307 in Playa del Carmen. We bought 2 styrofoam coolers, lines them with a garbage bag (the coolers may leak over time), and 2 bags of ice to store meat and dairy products. This type of cooler is not too big and gettin two is easier to place in your trunk than one big cooler.
Third - Get cash, there are no banks in Xcalak and the closest ATM is in Majahual (60km).
Fourth - fill-up you gas tank in Tulum, and when you get on the road to Majahual, fill it up again at the gas station located about 5km before arriving in Majahual (the only gas station here...).
Fifth - The turn off to Xcalak is just before the gas station, so you will have to go back on the road and turn left on to the Xcalak road and you should arrive in Xcalak in about 40 min. Thist is the only road going that way but there are no big signs, just a bunch of small ones. This is the ONLY road to Xcalak at this time (mid-November 2010). There used to be access from Majahual to Xcalak along the beach road, but one bridge has collapsed and has not yet been rebuilt.
FINALLY! You should know that the tortilla guy drives down the road every single day, a package of fresh warm corn tortillas cost $150 pesos. A food truck comes by twice a week, on Tuesdays and and Fridays. They have plenty of fruit and ) veggies, and meat (chicken, beef and pork). The beer truck also comes by twice a week, also on Tuesday and Friday.
The people who liv here are mostly Mayans, and they are honest, kind and simple people. And last for not least - Enjoy you stay!!!
NEXT POST : Yummy and simple apple cake recipe!
First - if you land in Cancun I highly recommend that you spend the first night somewhere on the coast between Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen. The drive will be a little over four hours from Playa del Carmen, and it's better to avoid driving after sunset.
Second - Plan on leaving sufficient room in your car to pack the food supplies you will buy. In our case, we are a family of 4 so we purchased a rooftop bag (roofbag.com - good price and fast delivery) to store our clothing luggage. We also carry a banjo, a mandolin, a violin and a guitar, so the bag was absolutely necessary. Playa del Carmen has a few super stores, we went to Chedraui, but you could also go to Sam's - they are both very easy to find on the East side of the 307 in Playa del Carmen. We bought 2 styrofoam coolers, lines them with a garbage bag (the coolers may leak over time), and 2 bags of ice to store meat and dairy products. This type of cooler is not too big and gettin two is easier to place in your trunk than one big cooler.
Third - Get cash, there are no banks in Xcalak and the closest ATM is in Majahual (60km).
Fourth - fill-up you gas tank in Tulum, and when you get on the road to Majahual, fill it up again at the gas station located about 5km before arriving in Majahual (the only gas station here...).
Fifth - The turn off to Xcalak is just before the gas station, so you will have to go back on the road and turn left on to the Xcalak road and you should arrive in Xcalak in about 40 min. Thist is the only road going that way but there are no big signs, just a bunch of small ones. This is the ONLY road to Xcalak at this time (mid-November 2010). There used to be access from Majahual to Xcalak along the beach road, but one bridge has collapsed and has not yet been rebuilt.
FINALLY! You should know that the tortilla guy drives down the road every single day, a package of fresh warm corn tortillas cost $150 pesos. A food truck comes by twice a week, on Tuesdays and and Fridays. They have plenty of fruit and ) veggies, and meat (chicken, beef and pork). The beer truck also comes by twice a week, also on Tuesday and Friday.
The people who liv here are mostly Mayans, and they are honest, kind and simple people. And last for not least - Enjoy you stay!!!
NEXT POST : Yummy and simple apple cake recipe!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Xcalak, Quintana Roo - Mexico
We arrived just after sunset on November 17, and it has been overcast and rainy since then - we are told that it's the first rain in about 15 days. It's fine - not too hot and just enough rain breaks to go and enjoy our surroundings. We went swimming in the sea this morning - lovely and warm, and a lot of life above and below water. So many big conch shells that Leo actually took for mission to take the ones on the beach and put them back in the water, saving them.
We realise that although we did by a fair amount of food, we will need to get fresh fruit and veggies regularly. So after chatting with Gabriel, our property care giver, I found out that there is a pretty good food supply system along this little secluded beach road. First, the tortilla guy goes down the road every day on his motorcycle with a cooler filled with fresh warm corn tortillas (I LOVE the smell of warm tortillas), then the produce and meat guy comes twice a week - Tuesday and Friday - just like the beer truck. I actually bought some fruit today, and beer too - it's just too funny to wave the beer truck and buy a 24 !
I also inquired about gas for the car, and we have just enough to get back to the gas station in Majahual, 68km from our little beach house. There used to be access to Majahual from the beach road, but the bridge collapsed so currently we can only get there with the jungle road - about 45 min. drive. I have leared that there is a good general store there and we will be able to buy some paper supplies, beach toys and other things we will need in the coming month.
Breakfasts and lunches are pretty simple, and an afternoon snack in needed since we tend to eat smaller meals here. Dinner is the bigger meal - I made a pasta sauce yesterday, cooked black beans which we eat every day as dip or in rice or any other way one can eat black beans! I am cooking chicken legs tonight, and will use the bones to make sopa de lima (my favorite soup!). I will share the recipe later this week. Tonight I will also bake a simple apple cake, and share that recipe as well as soon as I know if it works... you never know.
Schooling is going well so far, we have a shift in the morning and another one in the afternoon. For Leo's hme work, I took photos of each completed page with my iPhone, and emailed them to his teacher. She is supposed to email me his new home work today - and I will print it on our fine and dandy HP portable printer. It's amazing to be so far away from everything, with only solar power, and be able to communicate and skype with the satellite connection on this property. Awsome!
Over and out for today - I must go and chop some apples!
We realise that although we did by a fair amount of food, we will need to get fresh fruit and veggies regularly. So after chatting with Gabriel, our property care giver, I found out that there is a pretty good food supply system along this little secluded beach road. First, the tortilla guy goes down the road every day on his motorcycle with a cooler filled with fresh warm corn tortillas (I LOVE the smell of warm tortillas), then the produce and meat guy comes twice a week - Tuesday and Friday - just like the beer truck. I actually bought some fruit today, and beer too - it's just too funny to wave the beer truck and buy a 24 !
I also inquired about gas for the car, and we have just enough to get back to the gas station in Majahual, 68km from our little beach house. There used to be access to Majahual from the beach road, but the bridge collapsed so currently we can only get there with the jungle road - about 45 min. drive. I have leared that there is a good general store there and we will be able to buy some paper supplies, beach toys and other things we will need in the coming month.
Breakfasts and lunches are pretty simple, and an afternoon snack in needed since we tend to eat smaller meals here. Dinner is the bigger meal - I made a pasta sauce yesterday, cooked black beans which we eat every day as dip or in rice or any other way one can eat black beans! I am cooking chicken legs tonight, and will use the bones to make sopa de lima (my favorite soup!). I will share the recipe later this week. Tonight I will also bake a simple apple cake, and share that recipe as well as soon as I know if it works... you never know.
Schooling is going well so far, we have a shift in the morning and another one in the afternoon. For Leo's hme work, I took photos of each completed page with my iPhone, and emailed them to his teacher. She is supposed to email me his new home work today - and I will print it on our fine and dandy HP portable printer. It's amazing to be so far away from everything, with only solar power, and be able to communicate and skype with the satellite connection on this property. Awsome!
Over and out for today - I must go and chop some apples!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
DAYS 1 TO 5
Yeepee - we're here!
Our flights were on time and painless, we had a quick connection in Charlotte, North Carolina, and thank God our luggage made it!
No problem through customs, and finlly got picked-up by our car rental company to get to the car. Another unforeseen expense which I should have researched : liability insurance. Very important here in Mexico - for us it's an additional $800 for 3 months. Okay... now for adding my name as a driver? The guy says at least $500, but he can do it for $100 cash (HA!). While I'm talking Tim is looking at the contract and sees very clearly that spouse can drive under this agreement. So I told the guy that Tim would drive, we're just fine thank you very much : )
Got to our hotel at about 1:30 or 2pm - Occidental Allegro Playacar - beautiful place and very friendly staff, perfect beach. We got in our swim suits and the four of us ran together in the Caribbean. The boys were over the moon with all the perks of the all inclusive (especially the buffet 3 times a day) and as we were walking around Leo and Dylan were chatting and saying 'wow, what more can there be around here?'... that's when we got to the giant chess board and they both stopped and exclaimed 'GIANT CHESS!!!!!' We had a good laugh. I think the guys thanked me one hundred times on that first day. Leo did his homework, and we Skyped with his school tutor on Monday as scheduled.
I thought I had done a great job packing - I usually think of everything and more... but this time to my dismay I realised that the boys had no underwear... another good laugh! So we went to Playa del Carmen to shop, got what we had on our list including a new guitar for Dylan - made in Paracho, Mexico, just like my mandolin. Paracho is famous for its string instruments, mostly guitars. $80 with the case, perfect!
On November 17 we packed our bags after breakfast, installed and loaded the rooftop bag, checked out and hit the road to go grocery shopping. It took about 2 hours. We have 2 styrofoam coolers which we filled with ice together with the meat and other cold food, and we had just enough room in the car to pack the food we bought. Finally... we left to get to our next destination : Xcalak.
It was a 5 hour trip, including one pit stop to eat lunch. Of that 5 hour drive, about 4 is literrally in the middle of nowhere. From the highway we turn on to a road going west (towards the sea) and drive for about 45 minutes, then turn right on to the road to Xcalak for one hour - and it seems like the jungle is taking over the pavement pretty much all along. We finally got to the village as the sun was setting. Great... now we had to find the house in the dark! Got on to the dirt road along the sea shore and about 8km from the village - finally arrived at Casa Caracola. Good thing, we only have 1/4 of tank of gas left in the car! No gas station in town... Oh well, we'll take care of that somehow. We're here for one month!
Settling in, it rained A LOT overnight, today is overcast and we're exploring the permises.
Over and out!
xoxo
Our flights were on time and painless, we had a quick connection in Charlotte, North Carolina, and thank God our luggage made it!
No problem through customs, and finlly got picked-up by our car rental company to get to the car. Another unforeseen expense which I should have researched : liability insurance. Very important here in Mexico - for us it's an additional $800 for 3 months. Okay... now for adding my name as a driver? The guy says at least $500, but he can do it for $100 cash (HA!). While I'm talking Tim is looking at the contract and sees very clearly that spouse can drive under this agreement. So I told the guy that Tim would drive, we're just fine thank you very much : )
Got to our hotel at about 1:30 or 2pm - Occidental Allegro Playacar - beautiful place and very friendly staff, perfect beach. We got in our swim suits and the four of us ran together in the Caribbean. The boys were over the moon with all the perks of the all inclusive (especially the buffet 3 times a day) and as we were walking around Leo and Dylan were chatting and saying 'wow, what more can there be around here?'... that's when we got to the giant chess board and they both stopped and exclaimed 'GIANT CHESS!!!!!' We had a good laugh. I think the guys thanked me one hundred times on that first day. Leo did his homework, and we Skyped with his school tutor on Monday as scheduled.
I thought I had done a great job packing - I usually think of everything and more... but this time to my dismay I realised that the boys had no underwear... another good laugh! So we went to Playa del Carmen to shop, got what we had on our list including a new guitar for Dylan - made in Paracho, Mexico, just like my mandolin. Paracho is famous for its string instruments, mostly guitars. $80 with the case, perfect!
On November 17 we packed our bags after breakfast, installed and loaded the rooftop bag, checked out and hit the road to go grocery shopping. It took about 2 hours. We have 2 styrofoam coolers which we filled with ice together with the meat and other cold food, and we had just enough room in the car to pack the food we bought. Finally... we left to get to our next destination : Xcalak.
It was a 5 hour trip, including one pit stop to eat lunch. Of that 5 hour drive, about 4 is literrally in the middle of nowhere. From the highway we turn on to a road going west (towards the sea) and drive for about 45 minutes, then turn right on to the road to Xcalak for one hour - and it seems like the jungle is taking over the pavement pretty much all along. We finally got to the village as the sun was setting. Great... now we had to find the house in the dark! Got on to the dirt road along the sea shore and about 8km from the village - finally arrived at Casa Caracola. Good thing, we only have 1/4 of tank of gas left in the car! No gas station in town... Oh well, we'll take care of that somehow. We're here for one month!
Settling in, it rained A LOT overnight, today is overcast and we're exploring the permises.
Over and out!
xoxo
Thursday, November 11, 2010
3 DAYS TO DEPARTURE
It's actually 2 days since we are leaving home at about 4am on Sunday morning. I finished packing and weight our bags - we are allowed up to 50lb per bag, otherwise we will have an insane surcharge. And we do have 50lb per bag - yeah baby!
We're busy with last minute errands like banking, copying house keys, leaving photocopies of our passports and legal documents with our emergency contact, Tim is reviewing our insurance coverage, I finalised a bunch of winter schedules and invoices, the cleaning lady just came to do the ground floor, I cleaned the dining room windows, etc. It's certainly looking like we're moving out!
I am beginning to relax and let go now. The house will be ready, and so will we! : )
We're busy with last minute errands like banking, copying house keys, leaving photocopies of our passports and legal documents with our emergency contact, Tim is reviewing our insurance coverage, I finalised a bunch of winter schedules and invoices, the cleaning lady just came to do the ground floor, I cleaned the dining room windows, etc. It's certainly looking like we're moving out!
I am beginning to relax and let go now. The house will be ready, and so will we! : )
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
5 Days to departure
Well, I'm so wired that I'm not sure how to define how I feel - excited, stressed, scared, anxious, stressed, happy, exhausted, stressed... I think that 'freaky' is a pretty good word actually. Sitting down and taking the time to write is pulling me out of the madness for a few minutes - so I indulge.
I went to my dentist today, I was supposed to get a small surgery which had been re-scheduled twice (by him). I like my dentist. He is a crazy, creative and unconventional individual. He takes his entire team to Haïti once a year to offer free treatment to hundreds of people there. It's his home land. So today, he kept telling me how this intervention is a piece of cake, that would be out of there in half an hour, etc. and once everything was set-up he sat down and looked at me and said - 'you know, there is another way to do this. It's harder for me, but better for you - so that's what we'll do' His assistant rolled her eyes, and changed the entire set-up for the change of plan. It took 2 hours, and he worked hard. When it was all done he said 'if you have trouble with this tooth again when you get to Mexico, here is my number. I'll be in Playa del Carmen on Monday'. He is too much! And best of all, I have no pain - not even the slightest tenderness around the tooth he fixed. I think it's worth at least one margarita!
I came home and I packed some Christmas items. Some familiar objects for our tropical Holiday season. Snowman and icicles in Yucatan!
I went to my dentist today, I was supposed to get a small surgery which had been re-scheduled twice (by him). I like my dentist. He is a crazy, creative and unconventional individual. He takes his entire team to Haïti once a year to offer free treatment to hundreds of people there. It's his home land. So today, he kept telling me how this intervention is a piece of cake, that would be out of there in half an hour, etc. and once everything was set-up he sat down and looked at me and said - 'you know, there is another way to do this. It's harder for me, but better for you - so that's what we'll do' His assistant rolled her eyes, and changed the entire set-up for the change of plan. It took 2 hours, and he worked hard. When it was all done he said 'if you have trouble with this tooth again when you get to Mexico, here is my number. I'll be in Playa del Carmen on Monday'. He is too much! And best of all, I have no pain - not even the slightest tenderness around the tooth he fixed. I think it's worth at least one margarita!
I came home and I packed some Christmas items. Some familiar objects for our tropical Holiday season. Snowman and icicles in Yucatan!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
ONE WEEK TO DEPARTURE!
I am completely overwhelmed and trying to keep my focus clear on the priorities - there are many...
I found a cleaning lady and the plan is to have her come 3 times before we leave - once for each floor, beginning with the basement at 2:30 today. We are still discarding items as we are cleaning, organising and packing, and Tim will probably do a trip to Value Village today or tomorrow.
I met with the boys teachers last Wednesday, and we have a good plan for the schooling front. Leo's will require much more work than Dylan's, and it will be a great opportunity to be creative and make fun projects together. We will explore Canada's first Nations and the first French settlements, and we are encouraged to note differences and similarities with those of Mexico. In Science, we will study the world of plants, their structure and their use - and the timing happens to work with our stay at the farm!
Dylan will have to keep a weekly journal, and prepare a presentation on Mayan civilisation. He will also have to keep-up with his math. The books represent a heavy load - I packed them in a separate bag.
I made the poster for the classes I will offer in Majahual, 3 family circles for accompanied children up to 4 years olds, and 3 classes for unaccompanied 4 to 7 year olds. It will take place at the little Montessori school of Majahual. I will arrange my teaching in the village of Xcalak once we get to our first house. I have a lot of small instruments to donate - it feels amazing to give songs and games and instruments to children, and know that they will keep playing after I'm gone.
For Le Petit Atelier, I met with my biggest client last Wednesday morning and everything is fine and dandy. Happy client, happy teacher, happy kids - I couldn't ask for better. I will be meeting with 2 other big clients this week and fine-tune the schedules for the next trimester, and then everything will be lined-up until April 1 inclusively.
For The Little Workshop, all the schedules are finally settled. This was the most challenging part as Tim is a very popular teacher and his absence is being felt. However everyone is continuing - and our 3 teachers are well booked and ready for the upcoming months. Because our hard drive died about 2 weeks ago, I had to re-enter all our email addresses and phone numbers. This is actually a good exercise because I now have the info on my iPhone as well, and we are leaving with an updated address book in our computer.
This all sounds so dry and serious and boring... it is the unavoidable organisational phase which is not so much fun. But that's how we can pull this off - I can't wait to lighten-up!
I found a cleaning lady and the plan is to have her come 3 times before we leave - once for each floor, beginning with the basement at 2:30 today. We are still discarding items as we are cleaning, organising and packing, and Tim will probably do a trip to Value Village today or tomorrow.
I met with the boys teachers last Wednesday, and we have a good plan for the schooling front. Leo's will require much more work than Dylan's, and it will be a great opportunity to be creative and make fun projects together. We will explore Canada's first Nations and the first French settlements, and we are encouraged to note differences and similarities with those of Mexico. In Science, we will study the world of plants, their structure and their use - and the timing happens to work with our stay at the farm!
Dylan will have to keep a weekly journal, and prepare a presentation on Mayan civilisation. He will also have to keep-up with his math. The books represent a heavy load - I packed them in a separate bag.
I made the poster for the classes I will offer in Majahual, 3 family circles for accompanied children up to 4 years olds, and 3 classes for unaccompanied 4 to 7 year olds. It will take place at the little Montessori school of Majahual. I will arrange my teaching in the village of Xcalak once we get to our first house. I have a lot of small instruments to donate - it feels amazing to give songs and games and instruments to children, and know that they will keep playing after I'm gone.
For Le Petit Atelier, I met with my biggest client last Wednesday morning and everything is fine and dandy. Happy client, happy teacher, happy kids - I couldn't ask for better. I will be meeting with 2 other big clients this week and fine-tune the schedules for the next trimester, and then everything will be lined-up until April 1 inclusively.
For The Little Workshop, all the schedules are finally settled. This was the most challenging part as Tim is a very popular teacher and his absence is being felt. However everyone is continuing - and our 3 teachers are well booked and ready for the upcoming months. Because our hard drive died about 2 weeks ago, I had to re-enter all our email addresses and phone numbers. This is actually a good exercise because I now have the info on my iPhone as well, and we are leaving with an updated address book in our computer.
This all sounds so dry and serious and boring... it is the unavoidable organisational phase which is not so much fun. But that's how we can pull this off - I can't wait to lighten-up!
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