Aloha Oe

A plumeria blossom floating with a single droplet of rain in honor of my friend Bill.


Last week while cooling off in the pool, a wind whipped up and a few plumeria flowers drifted down to the water. Watching the flower floating in the calm clear water mesmerized me back to all the great times I’d had living in Hawaii. Hawaiian music sweetened the air and I realized how much I miss my friends there. I appreciate the quality friendships I earned during my twenty years in the islands. It was a pleasant reminiscence but one without regrets, because I am happy here in the Yucatán. I still think that my best survival and recuperation option was to relocate, and for me this feels right.

Luckily in today’s world we can stay in touch via Skype and Facebook and Twitter, etc. Today, not only can I talk to my friends, we can watch each other AGE on our webcams!

When I first moved here I was staying in touch with several friends, but we all got busy with our ever-changing lives and the communications waned. Time passes and we realize we have lost contact with those who we hold dear.

Two days after my Hawaiian moment in the pool, I received word that two of my friends in Kona died last week. Today is Wild Bill Burke’s burial. I am sorry I can’t be there to say a final farewell, so I offer the above photo to send my aloha and my condolences. Bill was a great person, and he will be missed. He was a crusty foul mouthed sailor with a New England accent. He was as wild as he looked and he liked to suck up the scotch. These were part of his most endearing traits, because he always kept us laughing. As a friend he was always there for you when you needed him. I doubt he ever did another person wrong, although due to his generous helpful nature, people took him for granted sometimes; he even took that in stride. He could fix anything, and was invaluable to the success of the Fairwind operation for years. He was an excellent sailor and boatman. Bill went to lunch with friends one day last week, enjoyed his cocktails, spun some tales, and when he went to sleep that night he never woke up. He lived his life to the fullest until the very last day. Since he passed in peaceful sleep, I feel confident he is in eternal peace right now. Or raising hell in some other time or space.

Here we are, left to right, Bill Burke, me, and Dave Winter enjoying an authentic kava party at the coffee shack in 1991.

The most important rule at a kava party is that everyone don a 'lava lava' (men's pareu)...here Dave, Todd and Bill are learning to securely tie on their first skirts!

Our other friend who passed away was not someone I knew very well, but she was part of our Fairwind family. She had been around in the early days of the family business and knew just about everyone who passed through Fairwind doors. Penny was frail when I last saw her a few years ago, and her health had been failing. I do hope she is in a happy place. She is already notably missed by her loyal kitty and close friends. In her honor, I would like to offer this floating flower to send my sympathies to all her friends and family.

The Night Swim

Before it gets too dark, check out these cool wall decorations our students gave us. Everyone knows I love dolphins.


This macaw is life size and almost looks alive.



I often mention the aquatic exercisers. I have to give these folks credit for their determination to stay in shape. Mike, pictured below on the left, is very dedicated in his workouts. He comes every morning and a few evenings a week. Most of the time he works hard for an hour or more, but we have some night swims that are more relaxing, laid back, and sometimes include a sunset cocktail or two.

Also pictured below is Theresa, another regular aquasizer, but her "Husband" is sneakily hiding from the photo! Often in the evenings the water is warmer than the air, and it feels so velvety and soothing as we gracefully(?) move around the liquid medium. We actually feel a little chilled when we get out, which is refreshing because it lowers our body temperatures after a long day of intense 100 degree plus heat.



I started writing this post in May, when Jill, another occasional swimmer/imbiber joined us for cocktail night. I have been promising to post these photos for nearly three months. I guess having my main computer on the fritz is inspiring me to work on some unfinished projects.

The look on Mikey's face is more likely guilt at being caught on film drinking during exercise hour than actual inebriation. We really only have a couple of cocktails, if any at all. Jill is in the background acting out YMCA to the disco music we are moving and drinking to.

Just in case you wondered, the air temp is mid 80's and the water 88! Come join us some time! Watch the pitaya flowers open, the cats chase geckos, walk around the pool stopping only for a sip of margarita, michelada or tequila, or just float and meditate.

Lookin' for the Heart of Saturday Night

We went to the centro Saturday night to dance in the street under the stars. As usual, the streets around the zocalo were closed to vehicular traffic for the weekly event. The restaurants' tables were decoratively set up in the streets but only a few tables were occupied. Vendors sat on their stoops watching an occasional couple straggle by. There were very few foreign tourists and surprisingly few Mexican National visitors. It wasn't just a slow Saturday Night In Mérida, it was downright disheartening.

There were NO salsa or cumbia bands set up anywhere. There was an occasional karaoke-kind singer with a boom box, an old man playing his saw, and a few strolling guitarists, but the bandstands usually located every half block were noticeably missing. An unreliable source told us the city administrator had suspended the program. When I asked for how long, our friend said "When his term is over." Whatever that means.

We enjoyed a pleasant walk around the zocalo and were relieved to see they were setting up for Mérida en Domingo, where every Sunday it is full of families, artisanry and food stalls, and two bands play while people dance in the street. At least all tradition has not been lost, and it left me hoping the free programs currently suspended will be reinstated when life lightens up around here a little (flu and economic crises)....

As we walked back to the car we figured we would head into the Mayan Pub instead. It was closed. Blacked out with stickers plastered all over the door saying CLAUSURADO (Officially Shut Down!) We were there just last week and everything seemed fine. There were plenty of people, mostly university students, and a live band playing. I hope it doesn't remain closed, I have history there. I met Pablo at the Mayan Pub, Jude celebrated a birthday and I celebrated finding my Mérida house. Naomi tended bar there one night. The list goes on.

But we are real troupers and went to Plan C. Cubanchero.....the Cuban bar/restaurant with live music. It belongs to a family member of one of the Buena Vista Social Club musicians. We sipped their mojitos, got up and danced, and the night was saved.

We were picked to go up on the dance floor for some halftime humiliation and fun between musical groups. Pablo took the photos as we danced and did silly things.

Chocolate Tequila

There was a buy two - get one free oferta at the supermarket Sunday, and TEQUILADOR tequila was one of the specials. The bottles are beautiful, and we found the tequila to be top quality. We bought one white tequila, one gold reposado, and one Chocolate tequila.

The chocolate tequila reminds me of Bailey's Irish Cream; in consistency, not flavor. It was very tasty as a shooter or a sipper. It is 100% agave combined with Belgian chocolate, 17% alcohol content. Absolutely delicious. I just poured a taste tester to write this description. I think it would be good poured over ice, or mixed with kahlua and maybe a tad more tequila.

This was not an inexpensive extravagance, but it was a worthwhile one. When we got home from buying half the supermarket (we were hungry, breaking rule #1 of grocery shopping: always shop after eating, not before) we decided to taste the chocolate liqueur.

The new roommate needed an attitude adjustment to overcome computer frustrations as well as to celebrate her first two weeks immersed in the bizarre life we lead in Mérida...extreme heat, lots of people, weird black food, Spanish TV, etc. Pablo received a disturbing phone call while we were driving home from the store, and I was just in the mood to catch a good buzz. I too had been stressed out all week. So we broke into the gold tequila. It was smooth and delicious. Before we sucked that dry, I put it away and broke out the white bottle. It seemed pretty tasty, and it was definitely doing the trick. I had to make a phone call and was blabbering for about an hour in another room away from the tequila, or the difference of another 4 or 5 shots consumed by Pablo and Anonymous roommate. We laughed, told stories, and got to know each other better. Pablo's English improved immensely as roommate's Spanish flowed more fluently. We were dancing in the dining room. We had a great time. Then Pablo hit the hammock and was fast asleep, or passed out, depending on your assessment of the situation. Anonymous roommate went upstairs, not necessarily remembering the end of the fiesta the next morning. I went to bed too, planning to watch a midnight CSI without seeing even the opening scene.

We all suffered the next day, but the hangover of quality poison! My stomach didn't bother me at all, I had NO headache, and the only ill effects I felt were an insatiable hunger, thirst and approximately three brain cells in operation. I was able to do my daily chores, of which there are many right now with the cat sitting jobs besides the normal chaos of swim school. Luckily for us, we don't drink much alcohol and very rarely get bombed. But the full moon was rising and we had some bonding to do. We continued bonding with our mutual hangovers later. After a three hour nap in the hammock and another bowl of Midwestern chicken stew, I felt human again. Now it is 2am and I am fully recouperated and my mind is chock full of things I would like to post here. Onward nature lovers and crazy fun loving adventurers! (Onward Christian soldiers doesn't work for me.)

Next food item I have to try will be from the authentic Yucatecan Lebanese Taquería. Maybe we should take the chocolate tequila with us....it all makes about the same amount of sense to my taste feelers.

Another Christmas Passed

Jude, Pablo and Jill on Pre-Christmas Eve.


The Navidad altar.

Busmo guards his present.

We celebrated Christmas Eve on the 23rd: Pablo, Jude visiting from Georgia, Jill visiting from down the street...actually she was taking on the commando during our absence over Christmas, the commando and me. There were a few gifts under the Christmas altar, and Busmo was particularly attracted to one which happened to be their new scratching post. The catnip inside probably clued him in. Watching the cats enjoy opening gifts was more fun than receiving gifts myself.

One of my gifts from Pablo was this cool pair of "slipper" slippers.

I macramed some friendship bracelets with the clay beads we brought back from La Calma, Honduras. Daniela, Pablo and I painted most of them. I also made some keychains. People love bracelets around here, so I was able to gift several. It was not my most artistic year, but at least I made an effort.

Busmo wins the cutest photo of the week posing in the canoe.

I will catch you up on the holiday happenings as soon as I get reorganized. Happy New Year! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Botana

Mike, Lin and Pablo enjoying a Friday afternoon cocktail and some botana at Los Barriles.

Most places have an entire band, but these two performers provided a pleasant ambiance. As you can see the duo did not draw in huge crowds.

When I lived in the Yucatán in the 80's, I used to come to Mérida for vacation. One of the unique features I remember from several visits to the city are the restaurants that serve up tons of botana. I would describe "botana" as samplings of lots of different dishes. In Hawaii we call them pupus.

There is Eladio's, which now boasts 9 locations. There is Los Henequenes, and I know of at least two of them. Last week we tried Los Barriles. These are mostly daytime restaurants. They are great places to have any kind of get together and often you see people celebrating something inside. The Yucatecans are fond of eating, drinking, music and dancing, and by mid afternoon most seats are occupied. They usually have two live bands that rotate so that there is no lull in the dancing music.

Once you are seated, your drink order is taken. In "the old days" the table would decide whether they wanted rum, tequila or brandy and a bottle would be set on the table with several cokes and mineral waters so each person could make his own cocktails. Today they have extensive bar options, including the fufu drinks so popular among tourists. Before your drinks arrive, several waiters bring plate after plate of botana. The standard fare is tortilla chips and salsa, guacamole, refried black beans, a local style potato salad made with onion, cilantro and lime juice. Also popular are kibis, the Lebanese fried finger hummus. At Los Barriles, they brought us papadzotes (rolled tacos of scrambled eggs and chaya, a local green), chicken in escabeche, tamalitos, tamales, rice with vegetables, empanadas, sopes, and chile verde. That was with the first drink. If you sit there drinking, they bring out more plates with new items. They want you to keep on drinking, but they like to see you nibble at the same time. The drinks are a little more expensive in these restaurants, but well worth the "free" meal you get.

This botana was brought to us at Viña del Mar in Progreso, where we went for mariscos after our trip to Xcambo last week. The orange is potato salad, the black refried beans, one salbute covered in red onions, and a snail ceviche. This was not conch, I think it was some kind of sea snail. It is very common to have a table full of snacks to accompany your main dish.

Of course I ordered the whole fried fish again. This is boquinete, or hogfish. Mouthwatering and delicioso! It was another beautiful day in paradise so I took a photo from our table looking out at the Gulf of Mexico.

In Search of Don Pepe

Don Pepe y Linda.

Don Pepe is one of the first people I met when I came to scout out Mérida a year ago April. I met him at the Casa de Todos, a night spot where we like to hang out to smoke, chat, listen to music and play dominos. He is 78 years old. As bouncer he managed to keep the young guys under control. The regulars are under-thirty local guys who usually paid Don Pepe the respect he deserved, but some of them are rascals and gave him a hard time. I doubt they know who Don Jose (Pepe) Medina Medina really is. He is a famous Meridan journalist, a great ballroom dancer, for starters, and he journals his life all day every day. Don Pepe was not in the best of health when I met him, his diabetes giving him problems with his legs, his arthritis, etc. But a year ago he danced a waltz with me. It was a very special dance.

It came to my attention that while we were tripping through Central America, his conditioned worsened and he had to have a leg amputated. He had been living in a room in a pension, but would soon be confined to a wheel chair and would no longer be able to live in his own place. So they put him in an old folks' home.

Having a soft spot in my heart for Don Pepe and a genuine concern for the elderly stuck in nursing homes, I expressed a desire to visit him. Pablo wanted to go with me. We asked the few people close to him where he had been taken after surgery. We went on a wild goose chase to one place that is for old alcoholics. It didn't make sense he would be there, not being an alcoholic. There was another retirement home nearby but they didn't have him there either. We searched the hospital and one more home. No luck. We decided to ask the owner of Casa de Todos for more specific information: his real name and where he was actually staying. Ok, hindsight we all know is 20/20!

A week later we found him. We went to visit him and the gate was locked at La Divina Providencia. A nun let us in for five minutes but warned us we could only visit him during official hours, on Thursdays from 9 - 11 am and Saturday and Sunday from 4 - 5 pm. Doesn't the frikkin' Bible say to visit the sick and the elderly? How could they limit visitations to these lonely old folks? I was shocked and dismayed.

We have since had two visits with Don Pepe. He looks great, his spirits are incredibly high, and of course he awaits our visitations sitting next to the clock. He called us and asked for pens and paper and a shoe! He called another friend to bring him a towel and toilet paper. What do they supply in these places, I wonder.

Visiting hours.

Great Review in Mérida Insider

Hey, check this out! The pool exercisers Theresa and Mike, featured above with Maestro Pablo, wrote a nice review on the Merida Insider website. I thought I would share it with you along with a photo of Mikey and Theresa working out. We really do have fun! We all look forward to class every day. People are seeing results: muscle tone, more strength and energy, and in some cases even weight loss. What Pablo and I have noticed is that everyone seems a little cheerier. We like that.

The swim students are also improving vastly and soon we will be handing out certificates of completion to our first graduates. Then we are heading off on a little vacation. When we get back, we have to get serious about the solar power and paint the swimming pool for the fall classes. We have really been enjoying all the pool activity going on here at Ko'ox Báab. Gracias a todos!

Aquatic Exercise and Swimming
Ko’ox Ba’ab - Let’s Go Swimming!! If you have ever wanted to participate in aquatic exercises, or just have an occasional hour of free time in a nice pool, this is the place you need to be! Linda Dorton, a certified scuba instructor, and Pablo, a physical education instructor, offer a variety of programs to suit every budget and every individual need! If you are looking for a low impact exercise program you should check this out! It is slow paced, fun, designed to your individual needs, swimmers and non-swimmers, those who are afraid of the water and those that wish they were a fish, and is definitely affordable. There is a definitive bottom line here: if you do not want to have fun, go join a gym! We have been known to dance the “hokey-pokey” in the pool, play volley ball, catch, swim, float, and sometimes laugh so hard you have to literally catch your breath! It is fun, easy, healthy, affordable, relaxing, and just plain old good for you! I highly recommend you give Linda a call at 928-7549, cell 999-172-3330 or 999-201-7477, and check out the variety of programs she has to offer. This is probably one of the greatest things to come along in a long, long, time!
Added: June 29th 2008Reviewer: meridamikeyScore: Related Link: http:meridainsider.comHits: 64Language:

Aquatic Exercise and SwimmingPosted by Theresa on 2008-06-30 19:41:41My Score:
I have to agree with MeridaMikey, this is the first time that I have enjoyed exercising. I know some people who are taking swimming lessons and they are very happy with the instruction. Theresa

Teacher of the Year

A list of students for five classes, a new writing tablet, and two automobile tires. It sounds like a writing exercise in a creative writing class. This is what Maestro Pablo was given to substitute teach physical education classes this past week in a private school. Having taught in schools that provide no equipment, often not even a soccer ball, this was just a small challenge for him. He had the kids make paper balls, and set up a makeshift basketball court, or maybe it was a soccer field. After their hour of throwing and kicking paper balls into the tires, races and contests, the students fell in love with Maestro Pablo. He came home beaming with pride. Not only did the maltreatment of the other teachers toward him not affect him, but he showed that initiative and imagination generate success and in this way he earned the students’ respect. By the end of the first day they hoped their regular teacher would not return. Alas, the Maestra did return, and Pablo is back on the massive list of instructors awaiting teaching assignments.
Meanwhile, Pablo is working wonders with the students in our swim school. He now has a 24 year old kid with serious physical deformities and watching Ivan’s first class brought tears to my eyes. What a patient, kind and conscientious soul is Pablo. He is fulfilled at the end of every day after working with these kids. The glowing smiles on the kids’ faces after overcoming a particular fear are priceless. The parents who watch their kids learn to swim radiate with pride. Maestro Pablo is making a lot of people happy.
It pleases me to see Pablo have the opportunity to use his excellent teaching skills. Breaking into the public school system here is a near impossibility. The teachers with tenancy never leave, no matter how old or outdated they become. They certify hundreds of teachers every year and there are only a few positions available. When the school year started, Pablo was driving 90 kilometers to the village of Oxcutzcab three days a week to teach preschool phys ed. The Department of Education did not process his paperwork and kept running him from office to office to try to get paid. Finally they paid him for his work from September through December just before Christmas. Four months work with no pay to show for it, and having to fight to receive it at all. He was instructed to return to class after the Christmas holidays. He taught in Oxcutzcab for the entire month of January. When payday arrived, he was told they did not renew his contract and he would not be paid for his time and he could simply stop going there to teach.
Pablo’s mission in life is to improve the educational system in México. The new teaching methods he learned are quite innovative, but the current government will not commit to making any changes in the old ways. He did not take his dismissal from the preschool lightly. He went to the newspaper. He wrote to all the necessary officials, including the governor. All he got was more run around and more frustrated. Just two weeks ago, four months after the fact, Pablo received a call from the Governor’s office and he was given a meeting with her. If her people actually follow up Pablo is going to receive payment for his work in the month of January by the middle of June. With any luck at all he will be offered a permanent teaching position in the fall.
My vote for teacher of the year obviously goes to Pablo Francisco Chavez Ceballos. He deserves a break today.

Buster says

If you would like to read about our neighbor Theresa’s view of life in Mérida, please link to “WHAT DO I DO ALL DAY?” below. She has been blogging for quite a while now, and has some great stories and photos on her site. Theresa has a great sense of humor. It is a fun site we recommend.
We would like to recommend you visit COCO HARRIS’s website. She is a published author, instructor, creative diarist….just to name a few hats she wears. Coco lives in the Golden Isles of Georgia . She is amazing. Don't just visit her site, participate in her journaling projects as well.
Our niece Jen has a fun blogspot, Black Cat. She writes from Virginia. Jen has interesting information about health and life issues. Check her out.
We have added links to Akumal Dive Shop and the house Gonzalo rents out on Half Moon Bay in Akumal. If anyone has an interest in a trip to the “Mayan Riviera” we can offer info and highly recommend diving in Akumal, snorkeling in the lagoons around the area, and visiting the ruins of Tulum and Coba in Quintana Roo.
Of course I had to add a link to a weather site. Just in case there is a storm brewing around here somewhere and you are curious or worried about us.
I hope you enjoy meeting some of our friends and family through this medium…the blog.
Aloha and hasta pronto,
Buster

Caribbean Photos

Cenote at Tankah.
On the aqua sea.
Gonzalo y Pablo.