Wednesday, January 06, 2010

It's All Relative

I heard once that the definition of relative is this: one hair on your head is relatively little; one hair in your soup is relatively a lot. So I guess it depends upon your point of view.

Relative or not, it is cold here. I don't care if you are living someplace that is having below zero temps Fahrenheit right now or not. What is relative to me is how cold it is here, where I live. And it is cold.

Last night saw a new all time low for me here. It was actually 57F when I checked just before retiring for the evening. Now that's cold! We have all acclimated to the tropical weather that we so enjoy living here. So when a cold front like this comes through, it is hard to bear. We have no furnaces, no fireplaces, no way to get auxiliary heat at all. All we can do is close our doors and windows and put on every piece of warm clothing that we own. Which isn't a lot!

And according to our local paper, the end is not yet in sight. There is a cold front dropping down on the Yucatan from the southern USA. Temperatures this weekend are expected to hit a new low of 52F, 12C. I can't wait for that! NOT!

I feel sorry for the tourists. Imagine dreaming of your vacation all year and then getting here and freezing. It is so cold that people are avoiding the beach like the plague. You won't catch me there right now. And you especially will not see me in the water! The poor tourists are leaving just as white as they were when they got here.

But golf cart and motorcycles rentals are at 100%. There are none left to rent by 11 AM every day as people look for alternate forms of entertainment. And inadvertently make life miserable for all of us who live here. Yesterday a cart full of screaming, drunk tourists drove by and threw their empty beer bottles onto the beach as they passed. So don't criticize me for criticizing them please.

On another note, which tourists here may find interesting, there has been no fishing allowed for the past 10 days. So any restaurant that tells you that the fish or lobster is fresh today is lying to you. It will be frozen. Except for the restaurants that feature live lobster tanks. But really, even fish, lobster or shrimp that has been frozen for 10 days is likely to be fresher and tastier than anything you will find in the frozen northlands right now.

Along with the ports (ocean) being closed to fisher people right now because of the high winds (gusts of 45 mph so don't tell me we don't have wind chill!), they are reported that their overall catch is below 50% of what they were catching last year at this time. Especially lobster.

I wonder if all that dredging for sand for the tourists of Cancun has anything to do with the lack of lobster beds? Or is just over fishing. Remains to be seen I guess. Or maybe we will never know for sure. Either way, people who depend on this industry for their living are suffering right now.

And so goes it in Paradise.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Swell.

Just swell.

I arrive Sunday for a week of ..... snow, maybe????

Swell.

O Robert

Ann said...

Yikes! So sorry that it has been so cold! I think I will play it safe & bring a few warmer clothing items with me....

Unknown said...

We're sledding everyday now that there is a few feet of snow on the ground. We had a big bonfire last night. The kids are home on winter break, they were still whooping it up when the "adults" were getting ready for work this morning. No tan lines here.

Jane said...

Yes, it's miserable, and I still remember vividly the year my daughter and I spent hours next to Rolandi's wood-fired pizza oven, trying to get warm! After that, I began to collect and distribute gently used winter jackets to Isla, which led to some quite wonderful and eye-opening experiences. And even though I know that "the sun will come out tomorrow," I plan to deliver winter jackets again this year, in spite of those who still don't believe it sometimes gets cold there.

Isla Deb said...

It's getting cold all over the country up here. Supposed to be in the 20's and 30's here in south Texas! Try to stay warm, Wayne!

- Mexican Trailrunner said...

FREEZING! Absolutely freezing here too! No sun, layers upon layers of clothes, no heat — with the exception of an electric blankie which I can wear and go from plug to plug around the house. To make matters worse, I have an 'open' Mexican house. You know what that means. Brrrrr. Can only hope this ends soon.
Stay warm, beach guy, love your blog!

Bluesky said...

Wow, this is really, really amazing to me that it is THIS cold there. Is it a record? I heard Florida was 20 degrees and their crops are freezing! Yeah, I feel really bad for the tourists, not the beer can throwing ones!!!! This is the time of year everybody goes to escape the cold weather. I feel bad for all the locals too, how can you all keep warm? I know when I pack to visit, I never pack anything but a light sweater, and that's just for the plane!!! So sorry, and so, so wierd...????

Anonymous said...

WOW! That IS cold for the tropics!!!
I never stopped to think that you might ever need heat down there and have none.

I imagine the cold is affecting the fish supply as well.

I sure hope it warms up for you soon.

Linda
IC

Life's a Beach! said...

Wayne, thanks for the update. I knew people were saying it was cold down there, but overnight lo's in the 50's -- brrrrrrr. I feel sorry for the tourists. I know I wouldn't be prepared with clothes for those temps. I don't take anything more than a light jacket when I go to Isla. We were in Bermuda one time when they had a cold front and I didn't have the clothes to get warm. It was miserable.

BlueSky said...

Wow, it's hard to believe it's that cold there! Is it a record? I feel sorry for all the tourists, not the beer can throwing ones!!! This is the time of year they go to escape the cold! I feel sorry for the locals too, how will you all keep warm? When I pack to visit I usally only bring along a light sweater, and that's for the plane ride!!! So sorry, this can't be good for anyone!!!

KfromMichigan said...

I know this is chilly for you, but I sure would love to be there at 57 compared to our 6 degrees and snow! I hate that 4 letter word! Seems like it is cold all over the US. Stay warm!

Calypso said...

We have the same problem here in Xico - We are NOT used to 50F at night and as you suggest have no method for staving off the cold save lots of layers.

A couple nights we ran to our camper in Ursulo Galvan - there is a forced air heater in there. But we are back at our rental in Xico now - this weekend maybe back at the Lance.

We had a GREAT time giving gifts to kids today amigo - all thanks to you and your friends.

Happy New Year!

Jackieinpdx said...

I did go into the water twice today. It was cold but the 2nd time the sun was out and it felt good for about 10 minutes. I can count on one hand the number of times over the years that I have worn long pants and tonight was one of those.

Jonna said...

I ran off to Akumal hoping it would be warmer, it was just as cold as Merida. I am living in my sweats and flannel pjs and fuzzy slippers. I can't go anywhere because I'd have to take them off. I should have put a fireplace in my bedroom, now why didn't I think of that?

Kathy said...

I remember last year, one particularly horrific norte, Jamie and I both ran to the car and drove it around, basking in the warmth of hte heater. We used to just drive around at night for the opportunity to use the heat.

Bundle up - it's currently 62F/17C and dropping. I noticed the same temperature here last night - 58F when I went to bed and I thought I was going to die! Everyone fights over who gets to sleep with the dog - he is quite the efficient heat source. :)