A Thank You

I frequently get emails from readers who are planning a trip here to the island. They are from some very thoughtful people. Telling me how much they love the blog (which I love and need to hear once in awhile!) and asking if they can bring me anything.

I almost invariably tell them that I am happy and don't need anything. I ask them to bring something for my charity for the kids instead. Which they do.

But in a moment of weakness, when Lisa from Minnesota asked, I turned selfish. Here is what I asked for and what she made space in her suitcase for:




I am in pig heaven!

Lynn, I hope your birthday week here was really great. I know you sure made my day!

Next Update

Sorry, folks. There will be no post today or tomorrow. Join me again on Wednesday.

The Blues Have It

On a bright, clear day, I never tire of the view overlooking Garrafon Reef Park.

Can you blame me?

Hiding In Plain Sight

One of my commenters made a remark last week regarding my post about South Point.

She referred to the picture of "Larry the Lizard". I corrected her that it was really "Ivan the Iguana".

Well, here's his cousing, Igor. Hiding out in plain sight. Which is the crack in the rock and which is Igor?




Clever little buggers, aren't they.

Crossing Over

No, not the kind I thought I was going to do last fall when I was so sick. The kind you do when you want/have to get from the island to Cancun.

I had a cardio appointment last week and was very happy that it was a bright day. The water was by no means calm, but at least the sun was out.

Here's the view looking north from where I have to stand in line before being released to get on the boat.





This guy caught my eye. We were about in the middle of the crossing when I took this picture. He was approaching fast and not veering off track. He passed behind the boat with about 10 feet to spare. Daring or stupid?

I Went To The Dogs

There was a dog show recently in Cancun. Having bred, raised, trained and shown dogs in my previous life, I was very excited about this news. Despite the fact that I do not own one now, I am really more of a dog person than a cat person.

I was looking forward to seeing all of the different breeds on display. However, when we got there we discovered it was only an Obedience and Agility Competition. No matter. I used to compete with my little pound rescue girl in Obedience and my Wire Fox Terriers in Agility.

I was disappointed only in the size of the show. It seemed a very poor turnout. But some very good obedience work was on display.

So what are these people doing?



They had just given the "down, stay" command to their dogs and walked across the lot away from them. Silently praying that their dogs stayed down.



The only one who slightly disobeyed was the huskie, second from the right. And then he/she only got up when the owner approaced. Just too excited to have Mommy back at hand. Of note, the dog right next to the huskie is a pit bull. A very well trained pit bull. Too bad all owners aren't that responsible.

I fell in love with this little guy. Most likely a Jack Russell cross of some kind. What an adorable little fella he was!




I hope Cancun hosts another dog show soon. But next time I would like it to be a confirmation class so I can get a look at all the breeds represented in Mexico. Rest assured, if they do, I will be there!

A Step In The Right Direction

I heard voices yesterday morning in front of my house. Lots of voices. I stepped out onto my front porch to see what was going on. Being the naturally inquistive sort that I am.

This was only a small portion of the school children and their parents who were slowly circling the island. Can you tell what they are doing?




Maybe the signs they left behind will give you a clue. This one says "Put your garbage in the proper place to preserve the cleanliness and health of our beaches."




And this carefully handlettered sign says "Take care of our beaches to have a better planet."




Yup, this was a community school project to clean up the beaches and collect trash. I am not going to go into how the trash gets there and who puts it there in this post. I am just overjoyed and thrilled to see the younger generation taking an interest in our planet....and their community.

Right after I snapped the above pictures, I looked up to see this heading our way. Time to scurry back across the street to dryness and safety!



It came on us very fast. Not many people were expecting this downpour. It had started out to be a brilliantly sunny day.

Since she had her bathing suit on already, what was a little rain? Neither rain, nor sleet nor hail shall get in the way of hunting for shells!

You can see how hard it was coming down by the bouncing of it off my neighbor's roof.

And it didn't take long for it to grow into a swiftly moving river down my street.

The rain passed and I again took a look over at the beach. These next two pictures are just sad.

At least they tried. I commend them for that.

Out Of Commission

This ill-conceived sky ride out by Garrafon Park has not functioned for centuries.

But it does make for a nice landmark and something to contrast against the brilliantly blue sky.

A Trip To South Point

It seems like it has been cold and gray here forever. Or at least since last November or so. So when the sun came out last week and blessed us once again with warmth and blue skies, I grabbed my camera and headed out on my scooter.

One of my stop was South Point. I was curious to see how the work out there was progressing. I arrived and squeezed my little Honda in between this line of tourist golf carts.




Passing through the fake Caribbean Village, I was met with this view of South Point and the ocean beyond.




I was pleased to see that the wall they had been working on last time I was here was now finished.




They have even had some one replicate authentic Mayan bas relief sculptures on the wall. They look like the clay is still wet. But it isn't.

The wall was necessary because signs alone did not stop the ever intrepid (read: stupid) tourist from venturing to close to the crumbling edge of the cliff. I have written about that phenomenon until I am blue in the face.

I will admit, looking down into these crystal clear blue waters is quite mesmerising.

They have even posted guards all around to make sure that people abide by the signs!

One look at these crumbling edges is enough to keep me from getting too close.

Looking towards my house. It's about 2 miles down the coast. Right by that cell phone tower. You might have to enlarge to really see it.

But the crowning glory of the new construction is this pergola. I must admit, I had my doubts about this when they first started. But I will be the first to admit that they have done a great job with it.

As you can see from this view, that line of garage like doors are stalls to keep the vendors all in one place. And the place looking neat and orderly. Maybe they are too expensive to rent or something, but vendors were set up everywhere but in these garages.

I especially like the way the shadows play on the cement.

The corners with their fake fastening method fascinated me.

It's like a piece of modern art.

If you visit, I would recommend a trip out to the south point of our little island. Which is also the most easterly point in Mexico and has the first sunrise over the country. Enjoy the views. Enjoy the sun. Enjoy the sound of the ocean. Enjoy ignoring the overpriced vendors.

Tinker Toy Town

Raise your hand if you know the story of the pirate Mundaca and his importance to this island. If you don't know, maybe someday I will retell the story here. Suffice it to say that he was a very important figure in the history of the island.

In the middle of the island stands the remains of his hacienda. I took you on a tour here.

Well, the powers that be have decided to spruce up the parking lot out front. By spruce up, I mean totally obliterate the entrance and make a gaudy area for tourists to buy even more cheap souvenirs as they make their way around the island.

These shots were taken from left to right as you pass by.

I hope when it is done that it looks better than what it promises. It would be truly sad if they made it so nobody even notices this important landmark behind it as they pass by.

Once Unfolded

Remember that picture of a messy pile of fishnets I posted last week?

Here's one unfolded, spread out and being repaired.

I guess they do know what they are doing!

Somebody Must Have The Answer

I'm going to have a problem later this year. I know it because I had the same problem last year. I think one (or more) of my readers will be able to help though.

I am going to have a major problem with wireless signal strength to my laptop. Just like I did last year. Here's my dilemna:

* I am going back to Huatulco for a month again this year.

* I will be staying in the same unit in the same condo.

* The internet wireless tower is locked in an office. I do not have access to it.

* My laptop will be located more than 150' from said tower.

* If I go onto the balcony, I may or may not get a weak signal.

What I need is something that will boost or relay the signal from the tower to my laptop. I want something that maybe just plugs into a USB port on my computer.

* I am running the new Explorer 7 as my browser on a Toshiba laptop.

My internet search has turned up a few possibilities. Unfortunately they either are not compatable yet with IE7 or have bad comments by end users.

Do any of you have any suggestions for me?

Beach With A View

You've all seen this area before here on the blog. It is (was?) the most popular beach on the island....Playa Norte. Just an update of what it looked like about a week ago.

And finally, when you spread out your blanket and look up and see something similar to this, move.

Welcome?

I checked out my favorite piece of beach last Monday. On the edge of the NaBalam hotel, across the water from the Avalon Reef Club.

I love this area because one can actually swim right away and it is hardly ever crowded.

I use the stick that you see in the water just to the right of the sand bags as my beach barometer. It tells me how much the beach area has shifted. Sometimes this stick is actually in the sand of the beach. Not on this day though.




The beach area has actually eroded quite a bit here. Even if I wanted to spread out my blanket and catch some rays, it would be hard to do now. Almost all available space has been encroached upon by the NaBalam's "beach concession". This allows them to put out umbrellas, built those palapas and spread out their beach beds. And charge for the use of them! Not many takers on Monday.

Although it is totally legal, I really resent them turning this area of beach into rental property.