Food, Fun and an Interesting Visitor

If you are like most people, a trip involves questions like: "What are we going to eat?" and "Where are we going to eat?"  And if you are in a foreign country sometimes you may ask "What is that?" or How do you eat (or prepare) that?" 

We have asked all of those questions - and more!
So today Dave is going to show you how to cut up a mango. Some of you may know how already, but some folks have never cut one.  He is also going to show you a local avocado and the basics of cutting one of those.  I am sure many of you have done this, but there is always someone who doesn't know how to do it.


Enough talk - cue the video! (and watch for the visitor at the very end of it.)

Avocados and Mangos

This 'n' That -Gene's Wanderings

We have been slow posting to the blog and I do apologize for that.  I haven't taken as many photos as usual because so many of the things I have seen are things we posted on our last visit.   But for today, I am sharing some of the photos I have taken.

One day in the main square, downtown, there was a group of drummers playing.  One young man was videotaping the performance although I don't know what it was for.

I also visited the Mercado Lucas de Galvez which is the HUGE local vendor market in town. This thing covers several blocks and in places has an upper level as well.  The market is somewhat divided into sections based on what is being sold.  I loved walking through the produce section.  There were mounds of lovely local produce.  Some of the prices are amazing too.

The tomatoes are 8.99 pesos for a kilogram.  That translates to about 45 cents USD for 2.2 pounds of tomatoes!
Other vegetables that you may recognize are also plentiful.

Squash, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, and precut mixed vegetables.  There is also chayote in this picture - it is a native type of squash.

Here we have onions, potatoes (2.2 lbs for $1.11) and more carrots- (50 cents a pound!) You may also see the garlic hanging on the post above the potatoes. I almost missed it.
I also love the fresh fruits here.

Yes, I know this is mostly vegetables  - but look at the pink things here.  Those are "Pithaya" or Dragon Fruit.  I didn't get any but I have had it in the past and it is delicious.

This morning I went to the main square again for "Domingo en Merida" (Sunday in Merida.) . The streets around the square are blocked off and vendors set up around the square.  Both in the park area and in the streets. Generally the food vendors take the street area. 
I was wandering around the merchandise area and saw two ladies making the items that they sell in their booth.  Sometimes the booths are resellers and the items are made in factories elsewhere- so those that are making their own products are most interesting to me.

 I did ask permission before taking the photos and the lady in the lavender shawl smiled and said yes.

Here are some closeups of the booth.

I would have asked for prices but I didn't want to interfere with the lovely handwork they were doing.

The blog posts this year are a bit slower and less frequent because we are simply being lazy and enjoying our time here.  All is well in our Yucatecan world. 

Politics and Religion- Yikes!

Gene

It is said “Never discuss politics or religion in polite company.”  But this isn't that type of discussion.  (wink!) 

Apparently we arrived in a political season here in Merida.  The election for Governor and Senator is quite evident by the signs that seem to be all around.   One day in the park in the very center of town, I saw a group gathered and was curious.  I knew it was political because I could see the signs.   When I got close enough, I could see that one of the candidates was sitting in the park speaking one-on-one with the people.  I managed to get close enough to take a photo. 

The picture is a bit fuzzy as I had to edit this from a larger file and cut out the "background" crowd."  AS I was walking away from this still looking at my camera, a group of guys holding signs posed for me.

Just for reference, the building behind them is the Cathedral of the Catholic Church in Merida. I remember learning in school that Mexico is a predominately Catholic nation - but there are certainly other religious groups that are represented strongly here.  In this same park I have seen a group of Mennonites that I spoke to, but they declined to have a photo taken.  The men wear straw hats and either denim overalls or blue jeans with suspenders.  The ladies wear the traditional dark mid-calf black dresses and bonnets.The family in the house to the south of us are Jehovah's Witnesses, but I have also seen groups on the streets in town handing out literature.The house across from us and slightly south is a group of Mormons.  I have also seen young men dressed for their mission on the streets in town.  I make no judgements, that is for God to sort out!  I say live and let live.

Today, because I was passing by, I visited the Catholic Church in Santa Lucia to take some photos.

One of the first things that caught my eye was this:

After a bit of research (thanks Google) I found that this is not that unusual and is carried in processions on Good Fridays. 

There are several other statues that I will share without commentary.

So there you are,  religion and politics.  Hopefully I did not offend anyone with this "discussion" and photo journal of my roamings.

We have been told that you are unable to leave comments at this time.  I have looked at all the settings and see no reason why you cannot leave comments - so I will assume that Blogger is just having more "issues."  If you wish, you can email your comments to me 

A Lazy Saturday

Dave

Saturday morning! Always a time to sleep in and not have to get up running. Even though we don't have to get up running during the week here in Mexico, the din of the streets as others go about their weekday routine makes it difficult to sleep late. So, Saturday has always been that day of an extra cup of coffee and a leisurely breakfast.

Our Saturday Breakfast

So this was our breakfast this morning: fresh scrambled eggs, fresh mango, fresh squeezed orange juice, bacon,  fresh French bread and yogurt with mango. The cheese on the bread is edam. (Gene's Notes:  Edam Cheese is called Queso de Bolla here - i.e.  a ball of cheese.   I don't eat eggs, so the yogurt is my substitute.)

A little more laying about then off to the market to get a few things as the markets are closed tomorrow. I got a liter of fresh orange juice, avocados and bananas. Went by the meat guy and got another kilo of bacon. Then back home as it was starting to get rather hot and extremely humid. Hope we have a t'storm this afternoon to cool things down. The last two days have been very hot! But it is that time of year, a transition time of year when the hot dry winter gives way to the cooler rainy season. It can get very interesting when the strong storms rolls in. As you may know, thunderstorms in the tropics can get extremely energetic. To the point sometimes you want to crawl under the bed! Once the heat dissipates, the really energetic ones go away and the usual old summertime growlers come in from time to time. We have visited Mexico in all the seasons but the hot one (this one!) Now we will have experienced all the climatic cycles and if we move here at some point in the future, we will be well prepared and no surprises.

We decided to have dinner and some shopping at our favorite mall. The food there runs the full international course from McDonald's, to local favorites; to Chinese to Italian and beyond! All of it good and well prepared, not to mention the price. Speaking of McDonald's, I find it interesting the menu is the same as in the States, the taste and quality is the same. I have to say the translation of the product across the border is impressive.

We finished our shopping and sat on the comfortable benches in the middle of the corridor to rest and just enjoyed the activity and music of a Saturday night in Merida. We used Cabify again, there and back and again a good experience, still, so far, so good. We shall see!

Gene

This morning I did a run into town looking for a couple of items but mostly just to look and enjoy the city. In the Municipal Building there are several offices. One of these is the office of tourism.

This warning sign made me laugh a lot.  Let me give you the full view of it.

You see, over the years of coming to Merida, we have been approached by many fast talkers who have told us most of these lies.  I do believe on our first trip we bought a few things to help support the Mayan families who work in the cooperatives.  We now know better and do not engage in conversation with these people.  I have to say that I have seen fewer of them on this visit and on our last visit.
Just so you know, wearing a panama hat tells every vendor that you are a tourist AND an easy mark.  But it is easy to look around and see that you don't see the locals wearing them.

Flowers in Merida

Gene

While out roaming the city,  I was strolling through a plaza of a group of local merchants/small businesses.  In one booth, there was a lady diligently working on some needlework.  I stood slightly behind her and watched.  Her husband saw me and politely asked if I was in need of something.  (I seriously have no idea what they were selling - I was too interested in her work.)  I said "No gracias, solo mirar" (no thanks, I was just looking.)  Then I pointed at her hand work.  She smiled broadly and started showing it to me.  I walked into the booth for a better look. The work was stunningly beautiful - and it looked as good on the back as on the front.

I did ask permission to take photos.  She graciously posed so I took this one showing her also.   She told me that she is making this for her house.  There were several panels, but I only took photos of this one.  Yes, I should have taken more, but the flowers were my favorite.

To the right you can see the edge of another one, with Watermelon or "sandia" on it.
A few words of Spanish and a big smile will get you far with many of these people.

We also met the American ex-pat neighbors across the street.  They are in their late 70s and are a true delight.  They are remodeling the house and have a great deal of it done already.  I have not asked to take photos of the house, but I did take one of a plant that was on the deck in a pot.

I understand that this grows into a small tree. I just loved the colors. 

Happy hour is calling.  Hopefully I will get to post more later.   It is quite hot here this time of year so we are taking it easy and getting some good relaxing time in.

As the saying goes - it's five o'clock somewhere!

Dave

Good afternoon on another hot one in Merida. It has been nice to stay pretty close to the AC today, but I think we are slowly getting accustomed to the heat. 

If you followed us last time we were here, you know that Uber treated us rather badly and has since gotten in trouble with the local government and the taxi companies. We found a new ride service called Cabify and it has the blessings of the government and the taxi companies. So Gene signed up and found out that it would not take an international credit card but would take PayPal. Using PayPal the account was approved and we decided to give it a try. We needed to go over to Plaza Sendaro (the large shopping plaza 3 miles away) to the big grocery store as a few things are not available through the market or the small local stores. Gene used the App and within about five minutes we were on our way. The cost was slightly less than the cost of a taxi, but since we don't speak Spanish we don't dare call a taxi direct!

So we got our stuff, had some lunch and goofed around some then Gene used the app again on his cell phone to get a Cabify. Within five minutes, the ride was in front of us and we loaded our purchases up and went home. Good clean trip, courteous driver and good overall service. We will continue to see how this works as we don't plan on renting a car this trip due to the new insurance regulations and the costs that brings to renting a car. Okay, so I'm off to Happy Hour, then dinner! 

Saturday Night Street Dance

Gene

A local monthly event is a street dance in the neighborhood we are staying in.  The dance "started" at 8 p.m. although it was about 15 minutes late.  This is Mexico!   I got there just after 8 and got a good seat on the end away from the band. I do have sensitive ears and I saw the speakers as I walked up.  The street was closed in the area - which is common for many events in Merida.
While I was waiting, I took a photo of the band getting ready.

The saxophone player was warming up as was one of the other musicians - I couldn't tell for sure what the instument was.

Once the band starrted playing,  people got up to dance.  Across from me was a family of five . The Dad danced with his daughter.  He clearly knew what he was doing, she appeared to be "humoring Dad."

Still it was nice to see the family doing things together.  Although you may notice that the youngest boy has a phone in his hand.

I took a video of some of the dancing.  Remember that this was early, the crowd grew on the "dance floor" was the night progressed.

I particularly enjoyed the older couples dancing. One couple danced every dance while I was there.   This was just about two blocks from our apartment.
For those getting this by email, here is the link to the youtube video. 

Sunday morning I had to go to the main Square in the center of town to enjoy a little bit of "Domingo en Merida" (Sunday n Merida.) I only took two photos this time.  The reason for them was not for the blog, but because a friend who lives in this neighborhood had told me that she has not seen corn on the cob here.  I told her about "elotes" - so when I saw it, I took the photo.

It is boiled (or sometimes roasted) corn that is husked right when you buy it and condiments are added.  These are cream, cheese, salt, chili pepper and lime.  Sometimes there is mayonaise also.   It may sound strange but it is delicious.  I have eaten it before and will need to have it at least once on this trip!

The weather is hot and a bit humid here this time of year,  but life is good.

Today, I took laundry - about a week's worth- to the lavanderia (laundry) that we had used two years ago.  The proprietor remembered my name - that really surprised me.  We had 6 kilos of laundry, which is just over 13 pounds, and on my ticket he marked it 61 pesos- roughly 3 dollars.   A guy could get used to that.
Till next time,
Gene

A Couple of Days In

Gene

We are finally rested a bit after the wild adventure getting to Merida.  We have settled in and started to develop a little bit of a routine. This morning I went to the mercado (market) and got some mangoes, tomatoes and avocados.  These are all locally grown and delicious.

Since the two local markets do not have real butter I took a combi (a mini-van type of taxi service) into town and got a "barra" of real butter. The "barra" is a bit more than two regular sticks of the butter here. I also bought a quart of plain yogurt for me and some cheeses. I am sorry but I didn't take a picture of the groceries I got in town.  I did take a couple of pictures of the combi.   My driver had his name badge hanging on the mirror.  I was the first one on and I took the "shotgun" seat because I enjoy watching where I am going.
So here is a picture of his ID badge showing that he is licensed and a part of the union (I think.)

I did block out his last name- because it felt like the right thing to do.
In front of us as we were waiting to pull out into traffic was another combi, going to a different location.

The sidewalks at the combi stops and bus stops are often lined with people waiting to get on and ride.  The standard fare is 8 pesos which is about 45 or 50 cents - and well worth it in my humble opinion.  The driver was very nice, as most of them are.  When I saw that we were nearing where I wanted to get off I told him the street number - and yes I did say it in Spanish.  He stopped right on the corner and let me off with a smile.
You may notice on the combi in the last photo that it says "Paradas Continuas" that means "frequent stops."  I remember on one of our earlier trips how we laughed and called it "The Continuous Parade."  And it does seem like you see the combis and buses everywhere.
This evening I took a walk to our favorite restaurant and got supper to go.  I chose Puerco Empanizado - which is a breaded fried pork. One dish from this place is enough for two easily.

The pork is in the front right and is three layers of meat.  To the front left is a salad of lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Back left is standard white rice. In the bag there are plenty of delicious black beans. I really wish I knew how he seasons them.  There was also six flour tortillas to go with it all.  We plated it up and both of us ate our fill.  I washed the dishes just before a thunderstorm struck.   It is the "rainy season" here and rain is possible daily.  The nice part is that the rain cools everything and then the evening breezes soothe your soul.

Getting There 2018

Dave

Good morning! June 1st and as James Spann says, the first day of hurricane season, and the first day of meteorological summer! Seems it has been summer for sometime now, but now that we have arrived in Mexico, it is certainly warm. It's the tail end of the "hot season" going into the rainy season. So, what does that mean? Hot, humid afternoons with thunderstorms all around, sometimes it rains on you, sometimes you just get the cooling breeze for a little while. Either way, it's warm and sticky!

But let me go back a couple days. We had a rather eventful adventure getting here! Monday evening after I got to Gene's house, Gene was about to start preparing dinner. The power blinked a few times and was gone! So we sat about and waited... and waited... and waited some more! Finally we decided to just run out and get a sandwich. Fortunately we were just about all packed except for the few things you drop in as you close the suitcase. The power finally came back on much later and the air conditioning had enough time to cool things down before bed.

Up at 4am to catch a 930am flight. I have been up long enough to get the sleep wiped out of my eyes and start heading toward a cup of coffee when the power goes blink... blink... blink... gone! I reached for the flashlight and turned it on and turned to look behind me and Gene was standing there. He said, "Now what do we do?" We both hoped it would be back on shortly. At 440am, still no power, we had already rechecked our checklist and knew we were ready to close the suitcases. Finally Gene says he is going to make coffee on the gas grill outside. So off he goes with a pan of water out the door. 10 minutes later, we have coffee and still no power. And as most all of you know, coffee is a MANDATORY staple in our houses! Okay, coffee down and the power comes back on just we start the shower process. We get everything else finished up and the suitcases closed. Gene's brother arrives to take us to the airport. An uneventful trip even given the fact that tropical storm Alberto is right on top of us. The airport and Delta advise no delays, all flights on time! That's a good thing!

We hop out at the Delta entrance and get processed in quickly and easily, bags checked. Now through TSA. But this trip should not be a bad one through TSA as both of us got our Known Traveller number a couple months back. The process costs $85 for a five year certificate. But let me tell you, it is by far worth it. Through PreCk, no shoe removal, no unpacking, just put your carryon on the xray conveyer, walk through the detector and done. And maybe it was early and in our location, but the TSA folks seemed in much better frame of mind than others I have had to endure.

We get to our gate just as the last of the early flight to ATL is loading. We sat down and in just a few minutes the gate person announces that there were four empty seats if anyone who was going on a later flight to ATL could get. Gene and I walked up and the gate person looked at out ticket and said we could not get on as we had checked baggage and by TSA decree, you must ride with your baggage! So we didn't go. Looking back, it was a sign all was about to fall apart!

We sat for about 20 minutes when the gate person announced that our flight out of ATL to Birmingham was delayed due to a late arriving crew member, but it was in route to BHM and would be there about 10 minutes late, but would depart on time. That's good as we only have about an hour to make the connection. The actual flight over to Birmingham from Atlanta is actually about 20  minutes. So after what I thought was the right amount of time I started watching for our flight. During this time one of the spiral bands that has so much wind and rain was passing over. I could just see landing lights intermittently in the distance due to the rain and clouds. I figured it was our flight. As it got close to the end of the runway, it suddenly started back up... a missed approach, a go'round. You could hear the roar as the aircraft climbed back into the clouds. Several minutes later, our aircraft rolled up to the gate. All the passengers got off and the outgoing passengers started to load. Good, we will make a timely departure. We were waiting for our zone to be called for boarding when those who had already boarded came marching back off, followed by the pilot who walked up to the gate agents desk and started talking with the gate personnel. By the look on his face I could see it was not good. The pilot then picked up the microphone and told us that during the approach they had hit some major turbulence that caused an alarm of a latch failure in one of the forward passenger doors. They had tried to reset it and it would not reset so in accordance with FAA regulations, the air craft was grounded until it was properly inspected and repaired. OH GREAT! So everyone sits back down and start scanning their cellphone to see if there is another flight out or make an alternate connection. I knew there was no need in looking for an alternate connection as our flight to Merida was the only one each day. So after the gate personnel and the pilot make several phone calls they announce that Delta was dispatching another air craft to take our broken one's place. Estimated arrival in BHM... 2 1/2 hours! Great! No direct Merida flight today. Should not be too much of a problem to get a reroute, just get in a little later.

I am one of the first ones to get to the gate agent who is helping reroute people. He looked at out tickets, scratched his head as said "... this is going to be a tough one!" After standing at the counter for about 20 minutes, he told me to go have a seat, he was going to make a phone call for some help. Over an hour later, he called me back up. He advised me that there was no seats available from any airport that connected on to Merida. He called off all the airports that they had tried to get connections on any carrier through and none of them had seats. He told me I had only two choices, to go to an alternate destination and hope for a later standby seat, or a different end destination, or we could go home and come back tomorrow and try again! No, we are here, so let's see where we can go. We know we can get to Merida from Cancun via bus so let's try Cancun (CUN). After another 15 minutes of computer work and a couple of phone calls, he offers two seats on a late flight from ATL to CUN, arriving around 9pm. Okay, we will take it.

Oh, but Fate is not done with us yet, that would be far to easy! As they close the door on the CUN flight, one of the flight attendants came up the to the lead steward. They had a conversation and went into the cockpit and spoke with the pilot. They reopened the cabin door. Now what I wondered. After some discussion with the gate attendant, the lead steward announced that Sky services had not properly stocked the aircraft for the trip and we would wait for them to bring what they forgot to load. Twenty minutes later, the Sky services people show up with ice, beverages and snacks! They get off, the cabin door is closed and we start our push back from the gate. We taxi out pretty quickly, and I am hoping for a speedy departure, but NO! We are number 6 in line for take off!

Finally, our turn and off we go, wheels up at last! Now 40 minutes behind schedule! We climb out from ATL but instead of turning south, we head out on a westerly course, not totally out of the ordinary, but still, something was different. As we continue to climb to our cruise altitude, the pilot comes on and tells the flight attendants to remain seated as there are thunderstorms that are going to cause turbulence. He goes on to say we will be heading west for a while to go around some stronger thunderstorms further south. Okay, so now I understand the westward track.

Showing the flight track from the aircraft data system.

Well as you might guess, some additional time was lost in that trip west and we arrive in CUN almost an hour late. We are the only plane there and we zoom right through immigrations. Ahhh, on the ground in  Mexico, is Fate done with me? NOPE!

In my travels to Mexico for the past 13 years, I have never been searched at Customs. But this time I got the dreaded RED light.  They opened and inspected all my baggage. They were efficient and very professional. It really did not bother me as I have seen this happen to others. But what really hurt me was they took my Cuban sandwich which was going to be dinner! Pork without an import permit is not allowed, so my Cuban, primarily pork, was put into a quarantine bag and sealed. They packed it all back up pretty well and sent me on my way.

Gene was waiting outside Customs and we walked outside the terminal to the ADO Bus Shuttle which would take us downtown Cancun to the main bus terminal. When we got there we bought our tickets for the trip to Merida tomorrow (Wednesday) mornings and went the half block to the hotel. It's now 1125pm and I am sooo ready for bed. Both of us have been up and going since 4am!

Wednesday morning

The cackle and calls from the peacocks next to the hotel awake us at about 645am. I suppose having been so tired I did not sleep well, but enough to keep the "B" side of me quiet! Gene dressed and went out and across the street and brought back coffee! That will further help keep the "B" side of me calm! We sat and talked until coffee was gone then showered, dressed and repacked. We check out and it is almost 9am. Our bus leaves at 1030am. So we have time for some badly needed breakfast. Fortunately the bus terminal has several good little local eateries in the main waiting area so we had a proper Mexican breakfast and I even found one vendor who sells FRESH made expresso and cappuccinos, (made from real coffee grounds, not out of a package!). So I treated myself to the wonderful delight of a fresh cappuccino.

When you purchase a ticket on the express bus (ADO GL) to Merida, your baggage is checked and you have an air conditioned waiting area with water, coffee and small snacks. All you have to do is get up, and board the bus. They even give you a bottle of water and ear phones for your 4 hour trip. The bus even has free Wi-Fi! There were two movies during the trip, I didn't watch any as I slept a good part of the way. We arrived in Merida on schedule and our friend picked us up just moments after we got off the bus. He took us to our apartment and helped get all our stuff up into the apartment. We sat down and rested, drank some water, then had a beer. Feeling somewhat refreshed, we went in and unpacked.

After unpacking, Gene went down to one of our favorite little cafe's and got us dinner. It was a wonderful dinner, especially since we had not eaten much since breakfast in Cancun. We rested some more then called it an early night.

Gene's addendum:

I think Dave gave a very good description of the trip.  I was grateful that Delta treated us well as we waited in Birmingham.  They brought out drinks and snacks for those of us who were delayed.  Our wonderful host in Merida and I were in contact during this time and he suggested the hotel we stayed in while in Cancun that was so conveniently located. The hotel was low-priced and while it wasn't a four or five star place, it was clean and the bed was comfortable.