Rain Brings Mosquito Plague to Yucatán

Above is a photo of yesterday's front page news.  The 'plagas' or plagues from the rains they report about are mosquitos and "baches", which I learned from the article are 'potholes' in the streets.

These problems are the result of the incredible amount of rain we have had lately.  I wrote a post the other day called, "Will It Ever Stop?" about the rain, but as I finished writing it, it did stop, so I didn't post it.  The heavy downpours let up for about a day and a half.

The weather has been strange since the last week in June.  That is when Alex, yet unnamed, was twirling about in the Western Caribbean, causing lots of showers to drift over our way.  As the storm moved northwest, slowly, we had several days of what I might call Seattle weather, gray skies for days and days.  Adding convection heating to the peninsula's already saturated ground, we were in for heavy tropical rains every afternoon.

As the first system moved through, the second tropical depression had already begun to head our way.  It never took on a name, even though it almost became Bonnie as it crossed the Yucatán on its path from the southeast. Eventually TD2 (tropical depression 2) was born in the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico, just west of us, where it picked up more moisture and is currently plaguing northeastern Mexico and deep southern Texas with more rain than they need.

These storms brought with them other plagues.  Some folks have blogged about them, Debi's is good...She talks about the night we had flying fornicating ants.  They had it worse at their house, oddly enough, just a few blocks away, as we only found a handful of them the day after.  We had more of the flying termites the night before the flying fornicating ants....the wings covered everything.  But those were one time events.

The plaga began two days ago.  MOSQUITOS.  We have mosquitoes around year round, I won't deny that.  This week I felt like I was being eaten alive and tortured.  As hot and humid as it is, 100% even when it is not raining, I put on long pants and a long sleeved shirt to avoid the mossies.  That didn't work. They bit right through the hammock and Bali pants and I had bites all over my ass.  We have an armada of weaponry to fight mosquitoes.  We usually start with the Raid Lavender Mosquito Coils.  I call them Mexican incense.  The locals call them 'killers'.  They HELP but do not solve the problem. 

We have bigger guns to break out.  Slightly off topic, in the photo a few paragraphs below on the left is ANT POISON POWDER.  That is lethal stuff and we don't use it often because of the cats.  They don't sell anything like it in the US.  (They use muriatic acid like it was Joy! and lots of other toxic materials here.)  We basically have an ant invasion every day before a rainstorm.  They come in through the electrical outlets, from tiny crawl spaces in the window jams, or parade in proudly through little side routes in the doors.  I probably kill ants fifty times a day in the kitchen, maybe a few, maybe a big parade. I have other weapons I use before the ant powder and I apologize for not taking a photo of them.

On the floor I use medicated talcum powder, or whatever talc I can find during an invasion.  It confuses the ants,  and the only problem with this method is the floors become super slippery.  And of course it looks like someone spilled flour or cocaine all over the floor and left it there. Another remedy is vinegar.  For a while I had a spray bottle of vinegar on the counter, that also confuses them, and in my case drowns them.  But I don't always want to smell vinegar.  So I replaced it...and the spray bottle now has undiluted Ajax Expel.  That kills 'em dead!  So much for the ants.  They didn't make the front page.

Sometimes we have to vacate and spray entire rooms with one of the two bug sprays in the center of the photo.  These are also used against ant invasions, the occasional palmetto bug that flies in, or other critters that people find unacceptable.  I don't think these sprays kill all the mossies, maybe they are becoming resistent to our current killers.

And on the right is the trusty spray repellent. I am not crazy about spraying that toxic crap all over me, but I can be driven to it - often enough that I want a full can sitting there at all times.  I really hate being eaten alive, and it's happened to me too many times to count.  We won't get into the crazy situations I was in to be eaten alive; that would take a long time.  I'd rather mention that it is important to kill these mosquitoes because there is a threat of dengue fever, transmitted by these particular mosquitoes' bites.  According to the Diario, in the Yucatán there have been 600 cases reported in the past couple of weeks, and 40 of those were hemorrhagic. They might not call it malaria, but it can be as deadly!  

This past week someone mentioned to me that ZAP RACQUETS were available here. I think I saw one at my neighbors' house a long time ago, but I never gave it a second thought.  I remember Maxine had one in Hawaii, and it worked great! When we were invaded this week, I went straight to Win Fa Chinese Restaurant, across from Santa Ana Park, an picked up two of these raquetas.

After the initial charge, I decided to see how many mosquitoes there were in the house.  After sweeping through the house like a desperate housewife in a fantasy tennis tournament, I had killed dozens of the little buggers.  But I was only getting started.  I pulled chairs away from tables, and underneath...ZAPx3. I went into the closet and ruffled the clothing...ZAP x100. I went into the bathroom. They seem to come up from the drains...ZAPx50. I went outside and ruffled leaves on the ground, ZAPx30 per ruffle. I was on a roll. I killed flies, fleas, ants, a stink bug, and a tiny centipede.  When Pablo sat at his desk and was immediately surrounded by blood thirsty mossies, he gave his racquet a try, and ZAPx25.  We both took on mosquito zapping as a sport, and the house was bug free for several hours.  Until the next rain when the whole thing started over again.  But the improvement was drastic and quite noticeable.  THIS IS THE BIG GUN!  The racquet.  Unfortunately the racquet scares the cats, but they will have to get used to it.  I would NEVER have been able to concentrate enough to finish this post without my tool, because the two coils I have burning near my feet are not doing the job this afternoon.

Below is a photo of me in position for a thunderstorm.  Often I will sit more upright and use the time to write, but other times I just like to turn off the lights and watch the lightning in the sky.  If we get a late afternoon rain worth hitting the hammock for, that is where I usually end up for the rest of the day, whether it continues to rain or not.  When I tire of reading or writing I find the remote control.

Tuesday this week, the Mérida Weather Underground forecast called for a 90% chance of 59mm of rain.  That is 2.32 inches.  I think we got more than two inches.  The photos below are the street in front of my house that USED TO flood all the time.  Recently the city cleaned the drains or drilled more or new ones....they did something, and there was no River 75 for at least three weeks!  But since there is no sewer system(click for a link to Mikey's sad but true story about Merida's "system"), the new drains were unable to stop flooding this week.  The accumulative amounts of rainfall have been impressive. 

The waves sloshed into our carport underneath the gate, but you can see some of the folks across the street took in some serious water.  Everyone is used to this sight during the rainy season, but it never ceases to fascinate me.  If I have to blog about the rain again, maybe I will explain the complicated system of keeping water out of the house as the sideways driving rain gushes in through tiny little openings unseen in drier times by the naked eye.....

 

A Mérida Day in May

The temperature reads 102°F.  It's 3pm.  I'm half in, half out of the swimming pool reading and writing.  On top of the tall cement wall sits a three foot iguana.  We are familiar with each other.  I like to watch him look at the mamey tree.  He turns his head from side to side as if wondering how to get at that fruit.  I think he looks at me with scorn because the branch - THE access branch - was sawed off to raise the wall three years ago. He will have to search the ground for fallen fruit instead. 

I hear him eventually saunter away over the broken glass protectors and flop on to the tin roof next door.  He doesn't move gracefully, but he is a beautiful creature.  He isn't the only iguana around either, but I think he's 'da man'..

I hear a bird making all kinds of racket.  His are odd noises, as if he is imitating other birds, cats fighting, or a rooster crowing.  I can't see him, he's up in the giant Batfruit Tree next door, which is growing a huge new batch of bat fruit seeds.  Sometimes I whistle back at noisy bird and we banter.  Then he laughs at me for being a lousy whistler and he flies away.

I look up into the sky.  Lately a hawk has been hovering over the hood.  He makes several passes swooping low enough to just get a look at his white head.  When the birds have moved on, the plant life wakes up.  The mamey tree has dropped the last of the leaves, the patio is all cleaned up, and now the fruit hits the cement like coconut bombs.  The new bright yellow leaves sprouting from the tips of the empty branches create a beautiful contrast against the bluest sky. 

There is a hot breeze today.  I  set up shop in the shady section of the pool where my body feels cool and the hot winds take my senses down  tropical memory lane. This helps me recreate parts of the past I am attempting to describe in writing. I can hear occasional traffic passing, buses farting, cars honking, brakes screeching, loudspeakers blaring political messages; but it is not a constant or loud noise.  It is just enough activity to remind me that THEY are out there suffering in the heat while I sit here and enjoy my interactions with nature, nurture myself in the cool aquatic medium, and write and rewrite the beginning of the sail story.  I may have written the opening paragraphs fifty times so far, but I feel like I am making great progress. How hopeful and positive is that?  I am am applying what I am relearning in the book ON WRITING WELL by William Zinsser.  It seems to make much more sense to me the second time around.  I have stopped overwhelming myself, and that is a great feat for me.

I don't write this to brag about my life.  I have so much self-doubt at times I think I should be on antidepressants. I suffered writer's block all winter, perhaps because I was also stressed about finances.  The warmer season awakens me, and once I am back on track exercising, feeling healthier and toting a little color, my confidence strengthens, and everything else seem to fall into place.    I think I have gotten real about the writing, am enjoying the intense heat, seeing people enjoy the pool, and life just moving along.  It's just another  Mérida day in May.

Mierda! It's Hot in Mérida!

It is nearly 8pm, I just got out of the pool, showered and I feel refreshed and comfortable.  We started our EVENING SWIMS again.  From Mon thru Fri at 6pm we open the gates. If you have read previous blogs, you know it's not a large or grand pool, it is the only pool around.  The morning exerciser(s) come back in the evening just to cool down the body temp, and others come to move around a bit and then relax.  Our evening hour is more laid back than the morning hour, at 8am, when we really walk around in circles a lot, and everyone has his/her own exercise agenda.  Oh yeah, I am happy to have the evening swims again. 

The Mérida summer heat has set in for real. The outside temperature is still 96.8°.  The fans are blasting hot air.  We are using the big guns, the helicopter fans.  Big loud round fans with names like CYCLONE, etc. They are noisy but move plenty of air.  Unfortunately they don't cool the air they just move around the hot stuff.  But at least it's air.  When the humidity is high and the air is so thick it's practically liquid, it's refreshing to have dry air blowing on you. When you are sweating profusely the fan cools you as it dries the dripping perspiration. Maybe it doesn't sound that appealing, but it sure feels great.

You change your drinking habits when it is this hot because you are always thirsty.  Never leave home without a bottle of drinking water; in my case I don't leave the kitchen without at least a big cup of ice water.  I make six trays of ice twice a day because I like my beverages cold.  That idiosyncracy is left over from my living on a boat for three months without refrigeration, just an empty cooler longing for ice, in the tropics, crossing the equator. Since then, 1990, I admit to being a little anal about having ice in the freezer.  I am willing to maintain a big zip bag of it and I am generous with it.  All I care about is I feel like a new person chugging an ice cold Coke.  Oh, I mean water.  Speaking of ice, ten minutes ago I filled a glass with ice and water.  I sucked up the water in two gulps and the ice is almost gone.  Ten minutes.  After a couple weeks I will be bored with water and move on to iced tea, try this year's new flavors of Tang, make fresh lemonade, and who knows what.  This year the Tang flavors are from all the countries in the world cup....El Mundial, which is coming up soon.  I've already tasted the surprisingly refreshing plum flavor from Argentina, and something wickedly (too) sweet from Brazil. 

If you are planning to EAT on a day like today, you have to plan for that early.  I finally understand why in Fiji (the first place I exprienced this) the women cooked dinner early in the morning, right after serving breakfast.  By mid-day it is too bloody hot to be considering using a hot stove. On the days I decide to cook, I often opt for the crock pot because it causes the least external heat... so we eat lots of Wodarski stews.  They could be anything.  Other days I prepare food that we can eat later, but cold, like potato salad and roasted chicken.  Of course because we are human we also occasionally do use the stove when it is 100° during the hottest part of the evening.  Tonight Pablo made us dinner so he's recuperating with the helicopter fan on high for a spell.  Like I said, I am still refreshed from the pool!

Deciding late in the day to prepare dinner is no problem in this climate.  A package of meat will thaw in less than an hour at room temp, but you have to stay on top of that one, because no one wants ecoli.  Another issue is salt.  We lose a lot of salt when we sweat.  Remember the days people who sweat a lot took salt pills?  When you find you are craving salted nuts or chips, eat'em because you need'em.  We like to use sea salt because I have convinced myself it is actually GOOD for me. 

By evening, it seems that everything you touch feels cuddly warm.  Not that you are looking for CUDDLY warm, au contraire!  The bed seems to generate its own heat at night after a long hot day.  Therefore
this is the time of year it is more comfortable to sleep in the hammock, as the air flow helps you reach a comfortable temperature allowing you to sleep.  There is a short period of time just before dawn when I want a sheet, and just after dawn I wake up when Buster pulls my hair to let me know I am late serving breakfast in the cat world.  At that time, around 6:30ish, it is already at least 80°.  So by the time we get into the pool at 8am, it's starting to warm up for the day.  The pool is maintaining an 85°F average, and I swear that morning swim, using the term loosely, is the best way to start the day.  I am such a wuss when the air is cold and the pool isn't mid80s that I am happy for the heat.

Architects

If buying a ‘fixer upper’ house in the US is a challenge, buying an old colonial in a foreign country and restoring it amid language and cultural barriers should be at the top of the five most stressful life situations list.

Naturally only adventurous souls even consider such moves, but it never ceases to amaze me how many such enterprising folks there are in the world. I consider myself adventurous, if not a little crazy, since I bought a fixer upper colonial in Mexico. I didn’t undertake a complete renovation like some foreigners I’ve met. Although I could have made more aesthetic improvements, I took a more practical route. With the help of my (honest and reputable) realtors, I hired a good contractor with reliable competent workers.. They resurfaced lots of cement, painted, retiled some areas; oh it was a disaster site for months. Plumbers and electricians worked along side them. It was nuts.  But then it was over.

I understand that many renovation or restoration projects require architects, their official designs, lots of stamps and permits, etc. I picture architects like attorneys, a necessary evil, and should I require their services, I would seek the most honest and least greedy of them. I didn’t feel the need for an architect for my project so when a potently perfumed, spiffy dressed one showed up unsolicited I was taken aback. Our one meeting didn’t really go too well.

To wit,

This sink is in my dining room.

The room is connected by arches to the tv room and the kitchen. The first words the architect spoke were, “That doesn’t look good, it has to go.” I strongly disagreed. It is the handiest, most convenient sink in the house and invites guests and/or diners to frequently wash their hands. In my opinion, that is a good idea for a dining room.

Moka likes it.

These are glass doors between the two front living rooms and the tv room.

This glass and the doors are one of the back entrances to the house.

The architect said all the glass had tobe removed to restore the colonial look of the wide cement arches. I see the arches through the glass, and I think the glass partition is another great idea…for privacy if nothing else. Those two rooms closed off with the half bath provide comfortable living quarters for our renter. When I use the rooms to write, I can close out other house noises with those doors. I like ‘em.

The back entrance has sliding glass doors and screens. Those come in very handy in the rainy season. When closed, they protect the house from the pounding sideways tropical afternoon rains and winds. Not to mention possums and other vermin seeking catfood at night. The glass is protected by a huge wall of iron work. In case of hurricane the iron would minimally deter larger flying objects, and the glass would stand a chance of helping, not hindering, as a wind break.

So that is as far as I got with the architect. I decided that my contractor and his brothers were not only more practical, but incredibly more creative. When I came up with a hair-brained idea, they had the nerve to tell me. We’d discuss it and find the best solution.

Other people buy houses needing total restoration, and often want the outcome to be upscale and trendy. I feel that people new to the area are easy prey for a fast talking realtor or a greedy architect. They arrive in a state of overwhelm, often foreign to tropical living, even foreign to foreign living. They create impractical visions of their dream houses in their heads. They turn to the architect for his or her expertise, and in turn are provided with plans specific to their original ideas. I would say they design mostly eye candy. Their designs are aimed to please and look good on paper, but don’t spoil the customer’s visions with any harsh realities. Most of these professionals are bilingual which increases the level of trust they receive from their clients. After three years here I am sorry to say that much of the work of the name-dropped designers doesn’t impress me. (I don’t like name droppers to begin with,tho.) I have also seen some fabulous architects' results, so honestly I am not trying to badmouth the profession.

I am not going to go into any specific design snafus that may have spurred this post, because this is not meant to be a personal slur against anyone in particular.  It is just an eye opener in general.  We have to be very careful and become 'Mexican street wise' to successfully achieve great results and be charged fair fees.

I am an oddball, I know. I came here to live Mexican style, rather than create a north of the border sterile trendy ambience. I had more hammock hooks cemented into the walls than the house already had. I picked out the brightest colors and  have a life size palm tree on one wall. But I came with decades of tropical living and the ability to communicate in Spanish. My project lasted about four months, and my home has been livable and comfortable ever since. I am not saying that I haven’t had any problems, or that nothing had to be redone…. but I am grateful that compared to the nightmares other folks have gone through with builders and contractors, I have been lucky and my first three years’ experience has been quite benign.

I may require the services of an architect. The person would have to offer me a balance of practicality and beauty. I would prefer an honest person who told me if my visions were faulty, who would work with me not just for me. An honest architect with realizable visions would be a valued treasure, and if I ever come across one I will be sure to spread the word.

Two Cocktails and a Camera

I wonder... how long ago you could get keys made here 24 hours a day? Looks like it's been a while.

This is a typical night time street scene in Mérida. I am not sure why there are sparkles on the hood, and I didn't notice it at the time I took the picture. Just reflection, I imagine. On my walk tonight I decided to take some photos. As you can see, it started out ok.

Tonight I went to my friend's house for cocktails. I first met her over the phone when I was looking for Buster in August 2007. She called me a year later to cat sit for her for a few days. Since then, we have gotten together once every few months for "cocktails" at her place.

I can say she is British, somewhere in my generation, a writer, a reporter actually, a very interesting and eccentric person. We always have two scotch and sodas. No more, no less. One time we went out on her upstairs patio and I got emotional in some rant; my glass flew out of my hands! Straight up it went, and when it came down, the pieces managed to land on the upstairs and downstairs patios, and probably each step in between. Well, that was it for me. I was cut off and I figured I'd never be invited for cocktails again, having flung her last cocktail glass around her house.

But no, we've gotten together since then. I now have to take my own glass, just in case, but we still have just the two cocktails. Today's were hefty ones, not surprising after we both admitted it wasn't the best of days in each of our worlds.

This was the night of the Revolution Day Parade. Pablo took his art to the zócalo. He dropped me off at my girlfriend's house and parked close to el mero-centro. (the heart of the monster) I volunteered to walk to the zocalo, as my friend's house is only 8 blocks away. It would have been impossible for me to park at the hour I would be arriving. So on my way, I saw things I wanted to photograph. I thought I would try another feature on my camera, however, my glasses broke as I was walking and I didn't quite master what I had in mind. And maybe the results will only be funny to me, at this moment, because I am a bit lit on that scotch, but when I saw these pictures I had to laugh, and I had to share them. It's just been one of those days.

So I admit that I was trying a new function on my camera, but I didn't stop to check the photos, I just kept shooting.

Considering I was a little loopy from scotch, I found it funny the way the beer store came out.

But the next thing you know, aliens entered into the pictures.

Luckily I found Pablo.

I actually DO have a few photos from tonight's festivities, which I will post tomorrow. I don't find this all so funny any more. I'm going to go lay down.

Wearing Shoes in the House

In Hawaii it is customary to leave your shoes outside the door. Not only at your own house, but when you visit other friends' houses as well. Most people wear "slippers" (chanclas)(flipflops) and literally flip them off before entering a residence. It may have been influenced by the Japanese population there. Half of Hawaii is Japanese-American and the influence is noticeable in foods and lifestyle behaviors. We lived for ten years in a coffee shack, and learned that by taking your shoes off at the door you leave the dirt outside. The floors are cleaner because no one is dragging around mud or twigs or other flotsam.

In Mérida you are required to leave your shoes on in the house. The floors are cement tiles and very hard on your feet and body. Plus, the Yucatecans are very superstitious about bare feet. Evidently illness creeps up through a humid floor, a cold floor, or a hot floor...well, I guess any floor. Pablo insists I have something on my feet at all times. As far as leaving the dirt outside, here that is simply impossible. This is a dusty place. Since we haven't gotten our rains, it is even dustier than usual. The amount of dirt that collects on these floors is surprising. The winds blow all kinds of dirt and dust and even leaves into my house.

Here's a good reason to wear your shoes in the house. Today Moka was announcing the results of her morning hunt and I turned around and saw a giant centipede on the floor. Without thinking I grabbed my shoe, conveniently located on my foot, and "FLWOP!!!!!!!!!!!" It is a dead centipede.

When this happened to me in Hawaii I would be scrambling around looking for a shoe or a book or something to whack the monster. They may be small but they are powerful and they must die. Today the concept of keeping one's shoes on one's feet really hit home. As I was making certain the centipede could no longer hurt me, memories of bug hell passed through my mind. I could write a book about bug hell. Maybe I will.

Meanwhile back at the hacienda, this is how Mokito came home. Moka stepped in front of me as I snapped this photo, so you are looking at camouflage Mokito through the whiskers of his Mom.

It is funny, at first. These are some super sticky weeds. All the cats came home with them but Mokito was covered, branches and all. I've been slowly working them out of his fur for three days now. Knowing Mokito, as soon as he is cleaned up he will find a new batch of trouble.

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.

Wishing for Water in the Well

I probably shouldn't read my horoscope at all, but definitely not in the morning. Today it said that the planets would cause a disjunct day and due to unexpected occurrences I would not get my work done. My work is writing. I have been writing most of the day, but the average is two paragraphs or half a page of notes before I get distracted and stray off on to another unrelated topic and start writing something else. That is often how my day goes. I am getting used to that.

But then there was this: we had a water overflow problem this weekend and a plumber fixed that yesterday. Today we ran completely out of water. Japay, the water company, sent two guys out at 4pm. They asked if it was maybe the 'flotador' (bobber) in the 'tinaco' (water storage tank) and I said "No, that was repaired just yesterday and the plumber noticed the low pressure."

So one guy walked across the street,assessed the situation, and said, "Well, we are going to have to dig up the street and change the tubería (pipes) as there is probably a leak." Probably? Wouldn't they want to check the actual tinaco and house piping, at least take a little peak, before tearing up the street on a whim? Then they asked if I would be home in an hour so they could return with the equipment they need. I was thinking: Oh great! Jackhammers at the end of the day should please the neighborhood. Well they came back in fifteen minutes with an axe, a mallot and some pipes and tubes. Guy #1 had the street ripped open in a few hacks of the axe and sure as hell, water was geysering up into the sky. I snuck a few photos. When I went back out a few minutes ago, Guy #2 showed me the rotten pipes. They look like they may be from the Mayan Pre-Classic era. New pipes are being installed as I write this.

Look at the monster I created!

The remnants of pipes sitting next to the mallot below are the ancient tubes that were discovered here today.

So they are finished and gone. The water pipes from house to across the street fresh and new. The problem is we still don't feel the water pressure going up the other tubes and into the tinaco. I am going to have to just have faith, hope and keep my fingers crossed on this amazingly rapid and extensive road/water pipe repair and hope that due to the time of day, lack of rain, and high heat, perhaps water pressure is low everywhere right now and with some patience we will back on track in the morning. If not there may be another chapter to add.

If my neighbors are reading this, the guys said tomorrow someone will be by to patch the asphalt on the street and my sidewalk. I am not placing bets on the mañana plan, but I am hopeful.

To top off my day without purpose, I was expecting to spend the afternoon writing and reading, and three students who had abandonned swim class a month or more ago called and wanted to return to classes. Today. The weather held out and perhaps they all just felt like a swim in the 'hood and needed Pablo's great exercises and obstacle courses.

La vida te da sorpresas, sorpresas te da la vida. Wish me luck. Use water sparingly.

Wow! What Weather!

It happened so fast. At 2:45pm Saturday it was 36°C (96.8°F), sunny and hot. Pablo was teaching a class and in the pool. I looked at the sky and saw clouds in the distance so I went to the computer to check the weather satellites and the cloud cover looked dense. I went upstairs to rescue the laundry before the rain, and saw big black clouds marching toward us. As I collected our clothes the wind picked up. It picked up the mats, the balls, and the pool toys and flew them around the patio. It tossed big tree branches into the back yard.

Then the rains came. By 2:55pm it was 25°C (77°F). The temperature had dropped over 20°F in just ten minutes. It poured down hard, sideways…directly into the living room, bypassing the door’s double rain guards, gushing in at the corners of the door creating a lake in two rooms. It rained hard for about half an hour, accompanied by sharp lightning and earth rattling thunder. The rain lightened up but it continued to rain steadily for at least an hour. It’s the longest hardest rain we’ve experienced this year. The streets were flooded, as usual. It was the first time the entire back yard became a swimming pool. I’ll admit we have one trouble spot in the yard where rainwater collects for a while after a heavy rain, but the ground was saturated yesterday and the water had NO place to go. The swimming pool is nearly full to the brim. I would venture to say we received nearly four inches of rain in less than an hour.

At 4pm the 24 hour temperature low was recorded at 21.5°C (70.7°F). This is a typical low temperature for us IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. Not in the middle of the afternoon. The rainy season, adrenaline fodder.

Weather Check

The rainy season is approaching. We have had a few freak afternoon rains the past two weeks blasting us with just a taste of the upcoming tropical rains. The storms have rolled in quickly, turning a bright blue sky into blackish gray clouds in minutes, followed by tornado like winds and a heavy sideways downpour. The patio has already flooded a few times, but the true gauge that this is just a glimpse into the near future is there have been no lake effects in the street. The afternoon rains often flood 75th Steet in front of my house. There are little waves that wash into the driveway. A small row boat would be practical for negotiating Mérida´s numerous flooded streets.

Our first tropical wave is passing over the Yucatán Peninsula as I write this. It had the potential to intensify as it crossed the land and threatened to form into a tropical storm when it entered the Gulf of México west of us. Conditions have changed. Our forecast of 80% chance of rain yesterday fizzled into a few passing black clouds, distant thunder, some high humidity, and a slight drop in temperature. But we had no rain. Current conditions are such that we could see light fluffy clouds pass over all day, or they could become heavy cumulo-nimbus reaching far up into the sky and we could find ourselves in another major downpour. Or not.

Hurricane season has begun. The seas around the Caribbean and Gulf of México are quite warm, and there is a lot of unstable air aloft. I am a weather watcher and thought I would share with you my favorite weather sites. Many of them are formattable to provide the forecast in your area of México, if you are not in Mérida.

For the regional map from Weatehr Underground, go to: http://www.wunderground.com/global/Region/CA/IRSatellite.html

For the specific Mérida forecast and details, go to:
http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/76644.html

Direct link to the National Hurricane Center from the National Weather Service
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml

My favorite satellite pics, through the University of Hawaii meteorology site. I like to see the bigger pictures and these are great satellites.
http://weather.hawaii.edu/satellite/index.cgi?thumbs=on&satgroup=tropatl&banner=uhmet



And last this is Hurricane 2008! (it probably says 2009 by now) from Accuweather.
http://hurricane.accuweather.com/hurricane/satellite.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&basin=atlantic&anim=1

Ok, one last thing. The curent list of hurricane names for the season.


Atlantic names 2009

Ana
Bill
Claudette
Danny
Erika
Fred
Grace
Henri
Ida
Joaquin
Kate
Larry
Mindy
Nicholas
Odette
Peter
Rose
Sam
Teresa
Victor
Wanda

Pacific names 09
Andres
Blanca
Carlos
Dolores
Enrique
Felicia
Guillermo
Hilda
Ignacio
Jimena
Kevin
Linda
Marty
Nora
Olaf
Patricia
Rick
Sandra
Terry
Vivian
Waldo
Xina
York
Zelda

My Pet Iguana and the Pitaya

Just kidding! This is NOT my pet iguana. This one was handed to me when I entered the reptile exhibition at the Bali Bird and Reptile Park in Indonesia. I wasn't expecting it as I crossed through the portal, but I was open to the experience. I like to talk to animals, and I enjoyed the feel of the leathery skin. He was a very mellow iguana.

There were lots of iguanas at the Bali Bird & Reptile Park.

This is actually my "pet" iguana. This guy lives on the other side of the wall, but he enjoys sunning on top of it. I talk to him when I am in the pool, and he turns his third eye toward me and makes gestures, but I don't know what he is saying. He is difficult to photograph, although little by little he is allowing me to get closer.

The cactus you see is pitaya. In Hawaii it is called dragon fruit. The plant is growing on the other side of the wall but the fruit is spilling into my yard. Whether I get to enjoy the fruit or the iguana gets them first remains to be seen.

This is the blooming pitaya flower the NIGHT AFTER it bloomed. I missed it. I found out from my knowledgeable morning swimmers that the flower only blooms for one night. The fruit will follow. I haven't tasted the pitaya yet.

I am watching this little bud and hope to capture the flower in full bloom.


Below is a fruit stand on the road between Mérida and Celestún with typical Yucatecan fruit, mamey and pitaya.

San Pedro Nohpat: Los Cuartos

Breaking ground. Part three of San Pedro Nohpat project.

Pablo asked the engineer about putting up rooms. I thought five would be reasonable, but Pablo got caught up in the moment and ordered ten. That would probably be over-extending the finances a little. But what the hell, ya’ pays ya’ money ya’ takes ya’ chances. As the construction began and started taking shape, several ideas came to mind about how to occupy the rooms. My first thought was that the obreros (albaniles and other construction laborers) would be interested in weekly or monthly rentals. Many of the laborers drive long distances from their pueblos to various job sites. People working around here could use a place to hang their hammock during the work week.

We also fantasized about the entire project being rented out by the government or some big medical corporation. We imagined a small pharmacy, doctors’ offices, a reception bodega, exam rooms. I can’t remember the fantastic rent they were going to pay us as they offered decent medical care for the folks out at San Pedro Nohpat, Kanasín, and other less developed areas. But it was just a dream. It was a fun fantasy though. The kind of fantasy that helps pass the time between “the rooms will be ready a week from Thursday” and five months later, when the rooms are actually ready.

When the guys got together they too cooked up a fantasy. Pablo and Manzana talked about renting the rooms by the hour. I wasn’t too thrilled about that idea. In fact as a legal alien resident here I am not allowed to engage in illegal activities, such as running a bordello. Luckily that idea sounded pretty complicated once they considered the details involved, so the guys scrapped that and kept on thinking.

The rooms were just completed three weeks ago. They are small, accommodating a matrimonial size bed and a few other belongings. If the space is used creatively, as in building up on the walls, I could see it being an efficient little studio. Each unit has a bathroom which is also small, but complete. Shower, shower curtain, sink, toilet, toilet seat cover, and toilet paper. That is pretty complete, right?

If these look familiar, it's because I did a swap. I took my old beds out to the terreno and will be getting two new sturdier frames and fresh firm mattresses this week!

As of today, we have 7 rooms rented out. Three more to go. And two bodegas. We ended up renting them on a monthly basis. The price is unbelievably cheap, but until the road is paved and there are more services out there, I think the priority is to keep them rented out. Our first renter, Don Gilberto, arrived on the exact day we needed to find a new security guard. He and his wife live in the room toward the back of the property with their three young children. Gilberto is our caretaker/vigilador and is doing a great job out there. He has been gracefully showing the bodegas and cuartos and cleaning up the property.

Don Gilberto, caretaker and Licensiado Pablo, project manager.

I answered several of the inquiry calls. That got a little complicated. Giving directions was hard enough, but “What bus do I take to get there?” stumped me.

“Hold on, I’ll ask.” I said. But before I could get to Pablo teaching class IN the swimming pool….the lady said she’d call back and hung up. She called me five times. I never seemed to have the answer she was looking for.

We originally purchased five beds. I thought folks would prefer to sleep in hammocks, but people asked first thing if there was a bed and a bathroom. So we ordered five more beds. The bed winning over the hammock surprised me. The engineer didn’t put hammock hooks in the rooms. He must be a chilango. I won’t speak badly of chilangos (people from Mexico City) because a few of our renters are from DF.

We began this project in October of 2008. Our world has changed a lot in just 7 months. The international financial crisis has negatively affected the real estate business in all of the Yucatán. There are a lot of expats who came here to flip houses. Unfortunately that market is not lucrative right now. I am glad we didn’t jump on that bandwagon and struck out on something unique, original and more useful for everyday folks. We are helping people and they are helping us. Isn’t that what makes the world go round?

The big picture. Project complete...except for adornment. Little by little.

Project San Pedro Nohpat: The Bodegas

Welcome to Part Two of Pablo’s and my development and first construction project. This is the property with the beginning of the bodega creation.

The bodegas went up, and things were going smoothly. Pablo talked to the architect/engineer about putting some rooms in since they were already digging and building. After a well and septic tank are in, one starts to think about perhaps a little bigger picture.

The bodegas are well constructed cement buildings. I believe they are 4 x 6 sq. meters. There are four of them. Each has a half-bath. The roll-up doors are handy for storing and they lock securely. A truck can back up to the bodegas for loading and unloading.

So far we have two of four bodegas rented. If you are reading this in the Yucatán and know someone who may need to store belongings, please send this information to them. The price is reasonable, they are well constructed, and we have a 24 hour security guard. I am pleased with the bodegas. By next year they may actually be locales, where you can shop, get laundry done, shoes fixed, who knows? Dirt bike parts? My imagination has been inspired now that I see the buildings!

This is the finished product. I am pleased. We have our own little development. We are land barons. Kings of the Barrio. Call it what you like.


Here I am sitting in the bodega as we get ready to set up phase three....the cuartos.

México Gets The Short Straw

As I was catching up on the other bloggers' news, I came across this tidbit. It is a very well written article and is worth a read. I linked this from Debi in Mérida's blog post from two days ago. It is called, "Let's Blame Mexico"...give it a go.

Toilet Paper and The Kitchen Sink

I have been thinking about some of the more subtle differences I experience living in another country. There are constant major hurdles of language and culture differences. I speak Spanish reasonably well, but there are times when I get completely lost in conversation. I cannot imagine what it must be like to go through this culture shock and not speak any Spanish. Mérida is not an English speaking city. Cancún, Cozumel, sure! They want the Almighty Dollar and have learned to speak some English, and even Italian, French, and German. But much of our tourism in the Yucatán comes from Mexican nationals. At the present, of course, there are NO tourists due to the worldwide panic pandemic.

Before I go on I would like to say that Yucatecans are very clean people. We didn’t need any of China’s alcohol or cotton balls here! These folks shower several times a day. This is understandable, especially when the temperature is in the 100’s from April until November. The men here wear long pants, socks and shoes. The women wear dresses, nylons and sport high heels. Walking to the corner I break out in a full sweat wearing a singlet and shorts, but I can jump into the swimming pool when I finish my walks. These folks enjoy an occasional cold shower, a heavy dousing of talcum powder, and on they go to the next task in the midday heat.

Let’s talk about toilets. If you have been to México, you know that most toilets do not have seats. Toilet seats are not an expensive item, so cost can’t be the problem. A 45 peso investment could comfort your hind end for years. Maybe they don’t want people to get in the habit of sitting on the toilet. Maybe the idea is to make sure you squat. I happen to like toilet seats, so my five bathrooms have them.

Why is toilet paper such a coveted item? I know when we travel we wouldn’t go as far as Chichén Itzá without carrying our own roll. The Pemex gas stations along the highways constantly surprise me. I always carry my own paper, and sometimes am pleasantly surprised to find a super clean, nicely tiled restroom, with toilet paper, soap and hand towels. Other times I have to hold my breath, squat over a disgustingly full toilet, and just be glad I have a place to relieve myself as I unroll the flimsy paper I had smashed in my pocket, having not a square to spare, so to speak. Those situations are when you MOST want to wash your hands thoroughly, but of course there is no water…..or the toilet would have flushed six users ago.

Mexican toilets are not built to accept foreign matter. No one throws their paper into the toilet, let alone feminine supplies! There is always a trash receptacle next to a toilet for used paper, even if there is no paper provided. Every now and again I forget and accidentally throw my paper in the commode. After several flushes, it will finally swirl down. It is enough hassle to remind me to use the trash bin.

Now here is what confuses me. Considering an entire culture that doesn’t throw paper in the toilet, I don’t understand why they think it is ok to throw shitloads of food, paper, or whatever, into the kitchen sink. There are no garbage disposals. Sinks are always plugging up. Why? Because there are wrappers, chunks of food and all kinds of gross shit in there blocking the drain. If the toilet couldn’t take it, what makes them think the sink can?

Next up, dental torture.

A Time To Rant

A time to live, a time to die, a time to rant, a time to sigh.

Things are pretty difficult right now in México. The entire country has been closed off from the world for an undetermined amount of time, at an undetermined level of security. The Yucatán insists there have been NO CONFIRMED cases of the AH1N1, or Human Flu. Yet we remain sequestered. The Mexican people are being punished.

The only event I can compare how this flu is affecting us in México is 9/11, in so far as it feels like we are under a terrorist attack. Life is practically at a standstill…very little traffic – pedestrian or vehicular, few flights, no ships, no tourists, no sports, and mandated closures. Schools have been closed for a week and won’t reopen until next Monday, the 11th of May. All sporting events will go another week with no spectators allowed. Officials are worried about gearing up to normal life again because it may be too soon to tell how widespread this influenza is. Mexico is reporting no new deaths in the past five days, but many other countries are reporting increases in flu cases.

I was shocked to see the US has nearly 380 confirmed cases in 36 states, yet México has only 840 cases confirmed in 4 states (out of 32). How could that possibly be? The influenza was first discovered in México. If it has been here longer, how could it possibly spread faster in the US than here? As the days quietly pass, the less sense it all makes.

The streets of Progreso were quiet.

Friday we got cabin fever and drove to Progreso for fresh fish. We were the only patrons in the restaurant. Pablo swallowed an habanero chile seed which made him cough. The waiters all flinched and started watching us closely to make sure we weren’t sick. Paranoia is rampant.

The Chinese sent México an airplane full of cotton balls, alcohol and hygiene supplies, as if to say…….Cleanse yourself, people! Although it was a nice gesture, it went over like a lead balloon. Now China is simply sending all the Mexicans home!

Excerpt from Yahoo News 2pm, 5 May 2009: China, Argentina and Cuba are among the nations banning regular flights to and from Mexico, marooning passengers at both ends. Mexico and China both sent chartered flights to each other's countries to collect their citizens, with the chartered Mexican plane hopscotching China Tuesday to retrieve stranded residents. Argentina also chartered a flight to bring Argentines home.

My friend in Isla Mujeres said there are approximately 50 tourists on the entire island. I’m not surprised after last week’s closures of large hotels, restaurants and bars in Cancún and along the Mayan Riviera that sent tourists scurrying home. Those who stayed behind were advised they would be quarantined IN MEXICO if they got sick here. That was enough to send some people running. (What some people don’t know is that we actually have GOOD medical care available.)

Another friend was planning to cruise to the Yucatán on Carnival Cruise Lines. She called to get information before booking and was advised that all cruises to Mexico were cancelled UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Tourism is down 70%. It was low before we got the flu because of the world’s economic crises.

I have no confidence in the tests or the statistics. If it takes two weeks to get a blood test back, then too many patients have been dismissed prematurely. I don’t want to see this become a level 6 pandemic. I want it to go away. I want time to stop and back up and AH1N1 just disappear. I want a lot of things…..like beachfront property for free and a pot of gold!

Is there a worldwide movement to send all ‘nationals’ back to their ‘nations’? A pharmaceutical company takeover? A political act to shift focus from the world’s financial crisis? Biological warfare? A media event? Or just a pesky pandemic?

A Week of Sundays

The Van Gogh Jigsaw Puzzle



On Sundays, most of Mérida seems like a ghost town. The families that go to church in the morning are likely hidden in their patios in the afternoons. Lots of people head to the beaches. There is almost no traffic. No one is out walking around.

That almost describes Mérida this week. The difference is that the people are all hiding in their patios, and no one is at the beach.There is practically no one outside. The schools closed down on Tuesday. Immediately following were NATIONWIDE closings of museums, movies, parks, archeological sites, gathering places of all kinds, swimming pools, etc. Sporting events will be held but without spectators. Cruise ships to México were rerouted to other ports. This list keeps growing.

I read today that restaurants and hotels that accommodate more than 80 people in Cancún closed. That would explain the mass exodus of 40,000 tourists from Cancún yesterday and today.

The Mexican TV stations and news people call it "el psicosis de la influenza". The media loves to sensationalize. When they first reported this there were 69 deaths in México and 3,000 suspected cases. Now the stats are down to 12 confirmed and 68 suspected deaths in México. The officials are playing it down now. There are NO confirmed cases anywhere in the Yucatán. And personally, I doubt there will be any confirmed cases reported here. The public would panic if we confirm its existence here. I have a good friend who came down with the flu last week and this week is in the hospital with pneumonia. The tests for swine flu came back negative, I was told. Some coincidence, though, isn't it?

The Yucatán is shut down until at least May 6th. Recent news flashes on the radio and TV hint they are considering extending that date to May 11th. The death toll rises as I write this. This is my third attempt at a post on this flu pandemic. Yesterday there were changes before I could finish one post and I just gave up.

The good news is that almost everyone we know here is healthy. We really don't mind having to stay at home in this city. It is built for us to live in our own little worlds. I personally have tons of projects started, other ideas occurring to me at random, the pool...where I pass a good amount of time on these hot days. Pablo and I like to play board games and we have a jigsaw puzzle spread out on the table. We are eating well, taking vitamins, and going with an anti-psychotic flow, hoping life returns to normal one day soon. Not that we would know normal if it hit us in the head....

The 2nd Annual Bloggers' Meet and Greet

Theresa is my neighbor and friend. She comes over almost every day to exercise in the swimming pool. Early last year she told me about her blog WHAT DO I DO ALL DAY?. I started to read her blog regularly, check out and follow several of her links, and even was inspired to create my own blogs. I’d been trying to keep up with my family and friends by email since I moved, but it got to be difficult and repetitive. I figured it would be more fun and effective if I created a blog to post information and photos of my new life in Mérida. That way, if folks were interested, they could read my stories and later, email correspondences would be easier to handle.

Last year Theresa went to a bloggers’ meeting in Isla Mujeres. She had a great time and enjoyed meeting other Yucatecan bloggers. She decided to organize this year’s event in Mérida. A few months ago another aquatic exerciser, Mikey, started Adventures of Merida Mikey. The three of us discuss blogging in the pool, and we talked about the bloggers’ meet and greet while it was in Theresa’s planning stages. She invited us to participate.

The first event was a cocktail party on Thursday, April 16, at the home of Blah Blah Blah Ginger. Jonna and Mimi showed off their beautiful home by sponsoring our first event. At the party I met a few new folks, but spent more time photographing and petting the animals. Out in the patio I had good conversations with Wayne of Isla Mujeres Gringo In Paradise and Mikey. Mike is a close Mérida friend, and Wayne seemed familiar, like I already knew him. I talked to the hostesses but just barely, probably about Akumal and animals. I enjoyed talking to Nancy and Paul from Countdown to Mexico but I don’t remember what I was jabbering about. I drank too much, ended up in a discussion with Heather in Paradise about dog poop, and as a result I imagine I made a lousy impression.

Photos from Jonna & Mimi's cocktail party, April 16, 2009.

Next , on Friday at my house, speakers gave presentations. Wayne, Theresa, Ellen of YUCATANLIVING, and Paul of Hammock Musings from Mérida spoke about using digital photography, making money, finding focus and inspiration for our blogs. Sixteen people attended. I learned quite a bit, not only about blogging, but about bloggers. It was interesting, fun, and I managed to meet a few more of the participants. I also learned how to link these folks up on this blog, causing the delay in posting. It took a while to figure all this out and put into action.

Presentations on Friday, April 17, 2009 at my house, Ko'ox Báab.



After meeting 20+ bloggers, it struck me that I had not read everyone’s blogs. I know I spend plenty of time on the computer, but if I try to read 30 blogs a day, I will never get anything else done. I might have to schedule actual blogging time so I don’t get carried away .

After the presentations we all went to the Las Ruinas bar and restaurant, chatting and sucking up a few beers, enjoying botana of various pickled vegetables and pigs’ innards, etc. What a great place Theresa found!

I was tired from the day’s activities and skipped the walking tour of the Centro, but Pablo and I met up with the group at Los Cumbancheros restaurant. Pablo and I enjoyed dancing to the live Cuban music, and some of the others joined us on the dance floor. The food wasn’t great but the band was terrific.

Saturday I had to work, so I missed the breakfast at the Hotel El Castellano. It was a long hot day at home with swim classes from 8am until 5pm. We were wiped out and decided to crash in the hammocks early…never going anywhere that night.

Sunday’s plan was to meet in the Centro and walk around again. I thought about going, but it’s the only day I can relax with Pablo. I could only attend so many functions. Later I found out Sunday’s plans changed to a farewell breakfast. I may have given the impression I wasn’t interested in people by missing Saturday’s events. That’s not true, and I would like to say to Dodwells Head South, YOLISTO, DEBI IN MERIDA and TOM'S BLOG, Livin' The Lisa Loca, Not The News - Life in Mérida, and anyone else I didn’t get a chance to chat with, that I enjoyed our blogger weekend. It was a pleasure to meet everyone. It is interesting to meet other expats and learn why they decided to live in México, hear about their journeys, their special places, etc. It was a great learning experience that I would enjoy participating in again next time.

We are going to link up all our blogs on a site called Mexico in English. When we get that organized, I will update.