Funky Monkey Market

         

A  local cafe Taco Maya, in the fishing village of Chelem which we are only 5 minutes from, held their annual Octoberfest Funky Monkey Market. 

The cafe operates Thurs. Fri and Sat. from 10:00 - 2:00 by  Englishman Paul and his partner, Carol from Quebec. They serve regular and mexican breakfasts and the best coffee... so if very popular with the expats.         Def'n of expat is someone who is living in a country not of their citizenship...or who hates snow!


Every year they hold this Market, serving Mexican food and German beer! 
 The fish you see above are made from the part of the coconut tree called the inflorescence from which comes the branches the coconuts grow on... .with shells glued on for the gills and mouths..  and painted..


This hombre makes 

Bamboo screens, garage doors, deck furniture.  He will make some bamboo screens for us  to close in some openings in our wall facing the beach access so the air can move through but we have more privacy.  

Local artisans..some Mexican; some not.. 

The local plant guy.... expert in Bromeliads and landscaping ... He will be taking out some of our coconut trees in another few weeks..

 Green gourds are very heavy compared to when they are dried and painted.













Which gourd did we buy? 

Our next experience is the Day of the Dead (" Día de los Muertos) or as our Mayan community calls it, Hanal Pixán.  Originating with the Aztecs it has been celebrated for 3,000 years.


It is  a holy day celebrated on November 1, when the spirits that traverse on the earth are welcomed and remembered fondly. Family members and friends  pray for and speak of all the funny and trivial things. 


Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds  and the favorite foods such as Pan de Muerto ( see below) and Mukbil chicken or Pib  and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.


It is believed that the souls of the dead will visit the altar and consume the offerings. Of course, the food is not really eaten, but its soul or essence is consumed by the spirits. The same food is then consumed by all the family members. 

When the spirits come down and are not happy with the offerings made to them, they return unhappily, without blessing the family. Therefore, many people take the rituals followed in this festival very seriously. A lot of time and money is spent on the decoration and the offerings made, to please the souls of the dead.


más por venir más tarde ( more to come later)

Coconut Harvest

``Monkey Man``` arrives with two others to harvest our coconuts. They drive up the beach road, honking their horn to announce their arrival at the beach.. We go out and wave them in... 

The deal is they get to keep the ``cocos`` which they sell and in return they limpia (clean) the tops of the arbols (trees,) take down dead fronds and rake the ground.

 

Using hands and soles of his feet, he scampers up the tree taking a rope along with his machete... 




















He chooses a bunch, makes the cut with machete swinging, ties them off and lowers the very heavy bunch down to the ground. 

 There are 4 kinds of coconuts at the beach..
verte (green), amarillo (yellow), naranja (orange) and
rojo (red )


 

I was treated to a taste of the coco milk.. the papa used his machete to cut off the top; add a straw and mmmm good..   There are many road side stands where the coco milk is sold as is the pulp..


They will be back every 3 months to harvest again... 


Hasta luego ( See you later) is what we said when they left


Watch for our next blog on the upcoming Funky Market......and some photos of our beach dog... Yes, he has found us and he is a very ..bueno perro...(good dog.)  


Buenas noches
Dorothy and Gord 

Settling Down in Mexico

Hello everyone... thought I would get to this current post sooner but we have been very busy cleaning, repairing, and sorting out the house after 10 years of renters; and the  beach beckons all too often.  And yes, there is laundry to do too!.. My washing machine is tucked into a sheltered corner outside the back door;  and there is sunny windy spot to hang the clothes. A little CLORO and the hot sun results in whiter than white!!! The breeze and humidity take care of the wrinkles.  Any bedding we are not going to use is being taken by a wonderful woman in Progreso  for the local senior`s home there.  

Settling in means buying all that stuff in the pantry you take for granted. We've made our trip to Cosco and Home Depot in Merida for the staples.  Otherwise it is the local market for the fruit and vegetables. The Bodega ( very small Walmart) in Progreso is perfect for the occasional trip to the store and only a 15 minute drive.  We`ve just learned today that there is a `pollo` 
(pronounced poyo) chicken store in Progreso that we just have to try. 

A well deserved cervasa on the terrace. 

Gord has been fixing, fixing, ( thank goodness he is so handy) getting the plumbing, electrical and pool in order, setting up the satellite TV ( Shaw direct ) with a little help from 2 neighbours.  SKY TV serves the local population, is mainly in Spanish with some English stations, but does not cover CFL or NFL so of course we need those stations as well as one for movies when the winter Nortes keep us inside.

I am going to learn how to fish from the shore like this man.... many do it  on  the beach . 

I just about have everything unpacked and every room in the house spotless. We hired a local fellow, Rene,  to clean up the yard...lots of coconuts and palms had fallen in the weeks since our last renters left. El patio se ve maravilloso. ( the yard looks wonderful ) 

                   We are waiting for the coco guys to come to help themselves to the coconuts. 


Last night the panaderia (bakery) van drove up and down the sandy beach road selling baked goods..  They honk a funny horn as they drive along. You meet them at the gate (yes, that gate in the photo above). They open the back door of the van and there is an array of choice.... MMMM  hot dog buns, cookies, donuts to die for...and for such a few pesos...  Of course it would be rude to say no gracias...so one must buy!.

I close this post with two photos taken today.. We have mucho mucho to be agradecido (thankful) for on this eve before Thanksgiving.  Good friends near and far plus the chance to live and learn here.  

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

s.