PRIEST, PINATAS AND AGOUTI

Christmas has come and gone but with some cultural twists here. For example, neighbours wander the streets and knock on the doors of strangers, who promptly tell them they can't come in. It's to symbolize "no room at the inn" for Mary and Joseph of biblical fame. And kids don't get presents until January, symbolizing the gifts brought by the Three Wise Men looking for the newborn.
 
We did get what looked like the Star In The East but it turned out to be a full moon. Retail decorations still stand but the food displays have changed to alcohol displays for the 31st. The tiny original town church was standing room only and at last a reminder of the real meaning of the day. Pero no cell phones, por favor!

Many pinata parties to be seen too. Blindfolded stick-wielders try to break open the paper-mache orb while the crowd yells "Dale, Dale, Dale". No, not THAT Dale -- it's pronounced dah-lay and they're yelling "Hit It" and it represents the fight between good and evil. Good wins out and candy/nuts/toys spill out to be grabbed. Newer traditions include Michael Jackson and Storm Troopers posing for pesos!

The beaches are jam-packed and 90% are the prosperous Mexican middle class on holiday. Not much modesty in swimwear, not much pretense or attitude among families. It's a good time to go off-beach and notice all the  murals. Or get caught in the rain delivering carrots. Or be impressed that there's still ruins from the original Mayan inhabitants. Among those ruins sharp-eyed Pat spotted this mammal called "agouti". Hard to believe any wildlife could survive here, but we're told they're about as common as our porcupines.

The weather is hot and muggy, so much humidity that mold is growing on my leather watchband. Winter storms have caused a lot of erosion on the shores. Mounds of sea weeds are raked everyday. Still, we're glad there's lots new and different to discover. Let's all look forward to a Feliz Ano 2016!

A MESSY MEXX-Y CHRISTMAS

(SPOILER ALERT! Late and messy today. We are traveling with a tablet computer and point-and-shoot camera, and should have practiced before we left to see if they are compatible working together. NOT. These pictures are all that's left of some good ones that can't be retrieved from digital heaven. And they are pictures OF pictures. We took them off the screen with a phone, then transferred them back. So my apologies for the worst images ever posted in this blog. I'm sorrier than anyone--- these are our souvenirs...)

Last Monday we put the car away in Toronto in climate-changed unseasonably warm weather that is continuing through New Year's. No snow means no snow shoveling but no snow sports either. Next day we lost our modesty when U.S. customs ransacked our luggage, and we lost some cheese snacks when Mexican customs did the same. But eventually we arrived in the Yucatan, greeted from the air by the beloved Isla Mujeres. An hour-long bus ride and we're met by record heat and our hosts Howard and Fanny. A very friendly Belgian couple, they get us oriented and return to their apartment upstairs from us. 

Casa Esquina (The "Corner House") was a fixer-upper redone well in new appliances, bedding, and lights. It's minutes from the beach, tourist zones, groceries --- and across the street from the only green space park around. The apartment is about 430 sq. ft. with private patio. One month over the holidays is US$2100. The number is the lowest I could find, but our record-low Canadian dollar means we have to add 37% in our currency! Think about that --- 37% more. Americans should be swarming Canada for huge savings on everything...Pat is the Queen of the Casa but I have to improvise to make coffee. "Dec's" the veggie store is nearby: can you pick out Pat in the lineup?

Playa del Carmen has exploded in size over the years I have been here. It was a fishing village with 2 avenues. Then a modest gateway to offshore scuba spots in Cozumel with 10 avenues. Then a favourite beach with Europeans, growing to 40 avenues. Today it's a mega holiday spot and the avenues stretch to at least 120. Still some Euro charm but anchored by all the high-end international fashion and food brands. Sadly, this has happened to every beauty spot on Earth... Still, locals live here and school here and surf here and walk the aisle here. 

The heat breaks once in a while with dark clouds announcing downpours. We took cover in a cloudburst but luckily I got to check out a 1968 VW bug and an unknown '60's British sports car sadly abandoned to the elements. Car crime!

There's daily hikes and swims and the waves are as much fun as they look. But we will be missing our family and friends on Christmas and we'll be with you in spirit. Our vision of a Merry Christmas will be much more in focus than this one!

DOES SUMMER GO IF WE DO?

(Blogger's Note: There has been a huge spike of hundreds of views of this blog in Russia. Just curious about why ---if you're in Russia, please add a comment explaining your interest. Spah-SEE-bah.)

It's the last full week of Autumn but all the seasons showed up. Most days started with fiery sunrises. Weather has been springtime mild, enough to walk the golf course in long autumnal shadows. The coast guard cutter removed the navigation buoys because it's December --- the shipping season is supposed to be officially over! Calls haven't been coming through on our landline, so the Bell guys repaired that outside, grateful for soft ground to dig in.

But all the Christmas-y rituals are in full swing. Decorations are over the top, and one guy wants a Chevy in the driveway. The annual Festival of Northern Lights is under way, something a small town with a riverbank does really well. This year a walk after dark hasn't meant cold and snowy.

Sorry to keep chirping about this, but the ultra-rare Summer Tanager is still here and causing a frenzy among local birders. (She?/He? is gorging at the feeder as I write this...) For the third week in a row this "vagrant" is keeping in Kemble instead of mixing in Mexico. Regional birder committees are meeting to study the images and will be archiving in detail. 15 minutes of flying fame?? Here's the final posting of Summer, in still and video...

But it's a dismal rainy morning and winter is forecast to show up in a few days. We're loading our backpacks lightly for another adventure, but we'll be thinking about The Bird. The feeder will empty shortly. If we go does the Summer go too??