Saturday Leftovers ---- Again?!?!

As of today we've been away from home 2 months, with about 5 weeks to go. There's still lots of new things to see and do here (time for a haircut??). But here's another batch of pictures that are left over. Please help me think up a caption for any one of them--- just click on "comments" at the end of this posting. SnorkelGirl will pick the winner. PRIZE!! -- I will blog about your choice of topic down here, complete with photos...

Carnival (With an "I") in Isla Mujeres

Anybody remember the old-style travelling carnivals that would set up at the edge of town? I hadn't seen one in a long time, but on the weekend there it was on Isla Mujeres. Swirling and noisy like the Carnaval dancers all over town. Pop-a-balloon with a dart and get a cheap doll (a toy, not the girl at the counter!). Throw a hoop over a pop bottle and get a fuzzy dog (a toy, not the guy at the counter!). The merry-go-round with real wooden horses. The Tilt-A-Whirl. The Caterpillar. And a sight to make a boy's blood run faster--- the Bump-Em Cars!! A dozen beat-up (duh!) electrifed cars with broken steering and wonky "gas" pedals that you could use to smash into other beat-up cars. How great is that? We (I) couldn't resist, and my neck is still aching from the whiplash...

Pancake Tuesday

Today is Mardi Gras (="Fat Tuesday" in French) or Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday. "Shrove" comes from the olde English "shrive" meaning confess. Strictly speaking people were to suffer by giving up fat, flour and eggs for 40 days, symbolizing Christ's time in the wilderness. Making pancakes was just the easiest way to use up those 3 ingredients! In my home, mom made great pancakes a couple of times a week so I never attached any significance to having them on Fat Tuesday. These days pancakes bring back memories of a loving mother and a kind-hearted aunt. So, tucked away in our supplies from home was one portion of pancake mix, which we're "using up" today.

The other custom is to give up or abstain from something you really enjoy, for 40 days. What would you give up??

More Scenes From Carnaval (With an "A")

Our discrete little _____(your Product Placement name available here) digital camera snapped over 150 glimpses of the colour and fun of Carnaval in Isla Mujeres on opening day, Feb. 21. Here are some more...

Carnaval (with an "A") in Isla Mujeres

These past 3 days were celebrated as "Carnaval" in mostly Catholic regions, including Mexico. It's a time for uninhibited anything-goes partying before the 40 days of sacrifice for Lent. Some famous parties are in Rio de Janiero, New Orleans, Quebec City, and Trinidad. There you'll see eye-popping costumes or nakedness, throbbing music, and widespread public craziness. But many smaller towns have parties that are just as full of joy, even if they're not world-famous. On Isla Mujeres we got swept up in the street dancing, drums, and pure adrenalin of the just-as-crazy locals. The first day is claimed by the very young (3 to 14 years) and the very mature (80??) who take over the narrow lanes to bounce their music --- and other jiggly bits --- from wall to wall.

Who's Paying for the Wedding??

The online news reports that Selma Hayek, the Mexican-born actress, married a millionaire in Paris on Valentine's Day. No problem paying for that Mexican's wedding. But for many Mexicans, a wedding is a major money matter. One reason is that typically 500 to 1,000 attend the reception. Another is that the bureaucracy and permits are also relatively expensive.

So in 2006 the Mexican government encouraged couples to tie the knot by elminating their fees --- on Valentine's Day only! This has lead to the custom of "bodas colectivas" (collective weddings) across the country. In Cancun on this Feb 14th, hundreds of couples gathered in a zocalo (town square) for their big day. Grandparents could finally tie the knot, younger couples saved some pesos, and pairs of all ages and social classes rubbed shoulders --- and other things!

We Got VD and Sharks on the Same Trip!

Took an overnight on the island so we wouldn't have to hurry back home after dark. Sad to say the peak tourist season is on, with higher prices and mobs of mindless day-visitors who binge on cerveza then buy their sombreros. But when they're gone by 5pm, the sunset is a relaxing and eternal antidote. We wandered in the tropical breezes and got VD early (Valentine's Day!).

One of the advantages of going back on the old cargo ferry is that you're in open air on the top deck and can see all around you. We were puzzled at first at noticing a smallish fishing boat docked where they seldom do, away from the main fishing area. Then we noticed a very large dark mound with fins sticking up. This fishing crew had the biggest day of their lives --- they had hooked 22 sharks, one at a time, in 8 hours on the seas. The sharks are not officially endangered and there is no limit because you are lucky to get even one these days. The primitive dockside scales showed they weighed about 300-400 pounds each. After shuttling them onto waiting trucks, the crew loaded up with bait (15-pound albacore!) and headed back out. Senseless slaughter or big payday for the needy locals?

Saturday Leftovers

It's a lazy routine Saturday with a drive to a different beach area, 10km discovery walk, grocery shopping, and then Liverpool Rummy and reading on the sand in front of this building. (The highlight of the day was an email from my dear Lithuanian friends, and I return the best wishes to Linas, Jonas, and Egle!) But it's a chance to post some leftover pictures of local scenes---- can you create captions for each??

The Weather Ferry

If you want a throwback to the 1950's, ride the old cargo ferry S/B Isla Mujeres for 45 leisurely minutes across 5km of impossibly blue-green seas to---can you guess--- Isla Mujeres. With all the boat traffic in this channel, how does the water stay so clear and clean? No oil slick, no algae, no floating blobs of plastic.

This ferry and its identical twin S/B Isla Blanca transport beat-up old trucks loaded down with cement blocks, steel beams, Donkey Show energy drink, and food from a company called "FUD". Also on board are a few beat-up private cars and walk-on local passengers. This trip there were 4 couples from Quebec on small Yamaha scooters --- you think they drove them the 5,500km from Montreal? And a guy had his fishing gear spooled out behind the boat --- would have to be a determined sea bass to keep up with the bait!

Yesterday we had enjoyed a fish dinner on the sand but returned on the open top deck of the ferry with a dark storm planning an ambush from the north. Had some great views, got a little wet.

Groundhoguana Day! Groundhoguana Day!

Naturally there was a lot of buzz about the big game yesterday in the tourist zone. We couldn't get the game streamed on our laptop, but the rest of our building either cheered or groaned when something happened. So I guess the pretty red birds were whacked by the big steel guys??

But the real BIG event (El Suceso Grande!) was an hour ago, next door. There is a concrete block wall and iguanas are squatting in all the hollow sections of the blocks. So this morning all the international media set up their satellite trucks and HD cameras to record Groundhoguana Day. Quite a scene as the Mexican news anchors with their short skirts and plastic everythings (and that's just the men!) shoved each other to get the best look. We had a good vantage spot from our second floor balcony.

No question about it --- definite shadows! Thing is, groundhoguanas LIKE their shadow and did not run back into hiding. So, six more weeks of this terrible sunny weather...