Last Post for 2108

This is it.  The last blog post for Madeleine's 2018 Mexico Adventure....

I fly home on Friday.  I have two days left here. But they're going to be busy.  With my last swims, yoga, packing, trying to finish a painting, and sad goodbyes. I'm weepy just thinking about it...So I won't be posting again.

Before I sign off...Thank you.  To all of you who stayed in touch while I was away. For sure, it's really nice here, and I'm sad to leave.  But it's incredibly comforting to know I'm coming home to wonderful friends and family. 

Pictures
1- There's a school for kids with learning disabilities.  The school yard has a whole bunch of fun play structures made with old pallets and tires.  Super creative and awesome!
2- The sky was sooo moody. Beautiful!
3- The young man with the toque is Roman.  His mother knit the toque for him.   He must've been sweating bullets cause he danced and danced and danced.  Salsa.  But he was so proud of his toque.  Adorable.
4- This is Natali who works at the bulk food place in the Mercado.  I was buying chipotle peppers to bring home.  She seemed surprised at how many I was buying.  When I told her we don't have them in Canada, she got excited.  Asked if I had Canadian money, because she collects currency.  She got really excited when I came back to giver her a looney and a tooney.  I explained the images.  She was so interested and excited.  Very heart warming.
5 - Look carefully.  One motorcycle.  Two grown men.  One lawnmower.  One whipper snipper. One 20 litre water jug.  Amazing!
6-A bus for tourists with a fun paint job.
7 - A mobile clinic with free services in the parking lot of the local grocery store.  I didn't go inside the clinic trailers.  But they looked very well done.  There were about 5 trailers.  Each offering different services: mammograms, x rays, dental care, ultrasounds, blood tests, etc.
8 - Read carefully.  It says rooster eggs.  Hmmmm..... 

Murals

There are many murals in Cozumel.   Some are part of a sea conservation effort.  Some are parts of businesses.  And others are on private property.  Here are some of my favourites.

1- This mural has been here for many years.  I'm sad that someone damaged a part of it.  But it's till awesome!  And about 30 feet high!
2 - For some reason, I love this bear and heart.  It's so expressive!
3- 5 Just fun and happy

James Bond activity and random pictures

Yesterday, I did a "James Bond".  As I like to say.  To visit some friends from Ottawa who are staying at El Cozumeleno, on the north end of the island.  Fun!

Earlier this year, some friends from home, Victoria and Andrew, asked if I could recommend a hotel on the island.  Yep. El Cozumeleno.  I stayed there 3 years ago.  It's on the ocean.  A nice "not too big not too small" size.  With a lovely open air dining area.  They booked there and then!

Earlier on this trip, I biked to there to see if it was as nice as before.  The doorman kindly but firmly asked me to NOT tie my bike to the palm tree in front of the hotel (please tie it over there), and told me I needed an escort/guide to visit the hotel.  OK.

The hotel was just like I remembered.  The guide told me a day pass would be $70 US, if I wanted to visit my friends.  Ouch!

So.... yesterday, I biked to a beach club near El Cozumeleno.  Tied my bike to a palm tree.  And swam the 500 m to the hotel!  I snuck into the hotel from the ocean, like James Bond!  I felt a bit like an intruder who might get caught any minute.  So I wasn't totally zen while there. But it was still a fun thing to do, and a fun visit!

Pictures (not from my James Bond day, but some favourites...)
1- Guitar man in front of the coffee shop.  He was just so happy :)
2- In early January.  It was kinda chilly.
3- Laundry day for the stuffies
4 - I so love roof dogs!  In many houses, the roof is accessible from the inner courtyard / house.  The roofs are used to dry clothes.
5 - An old steam roller in a vacant lot.  It looks like it belongs on Sesame Street!
6 - The cutest high chair!
7 - A firetruck .  Look carefully.  It's from Strasburg. 

 

Buccanos

As I head into my last days here for 2018, I'm "working" very hard to make every moment count. Buccanos seemed like a good place to work today :)

Buccanos is a beach club on the north end of the island.  A 6.7 km ride into the wind on my little bike.  So it actually was a bit of work to get there. But so worth it!

The history of the place is unclear.  There's a hotel with about 10 floors, half built. Vacant except for a few folks authorized to live there to keep unwelcome squatters from living there.  Did the builders run out of money?  A common enough occurrence here. Was the half built place damaged by a hurricane?  Maybe.  I'll likely never know.

The point is that this half built hotel would likely have been beautiful.  Because it's attached to Buccanos. Which is beautiful. Built in old colonial style.  With big wooden beams.  Stone arches. Stone floors.  A pretty pool.  In front of the ocean.

My favourite part was just playing in the water.  The colours and movement of the sunlight on the water surface and bubbles as I looked up from below the surface were magic!

Pictures
1- There's a large covered patio / open building with arches and wooden beams at Buccanos.  This is the view from just inside.  A bit like Chateau Montebello
2 - The pool at Buccanos
3- Just beside / inside the building, there's a little waterfall/pond with these huge tree roots exposed.  Kinda fairytale like.
4- The details, like the wooden furniture and little turquoise cushions at Buccanos are really pretty.
5 - A pretty section of the bike path to the north end of the island.  Very safe and pleasant.
6 - They're building climbing towers / aerial park features at Buccanos.  Look at the scaffolding being used to build the structure.  A little scary....

Carnaval 2018

 Apparently, the Carnaval celebrations in Cozumel are the biggest in all of Mexico.  I don't know how true that is.  But it certainly is a big event!

Carnaval is an official 5 day celebration before the Catholic lent begins. On the first 4 days of Carnaval, there are costumed performances in the streets and the selection of a King and Queen. Actually, the selection of several Kings and Queens - the main adult ones, junior ones, and even special needs ones.  It's very inclusive.  There are also 3 parades,  on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings.  With floats and marching bands, and people on the floats throwing candy and beaded necklaces into the crowds. On Monday, they take a little break.

The big event happens on Fat Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras, like the one in New Orleans!  People line the street hours before the parade.  Some in costumes. Many with tables and chairs for comfortable viewing.  There seems to be a sofa as part of that furniture every year!

This year, I officially discovered that my favourite part of Carnaval is not the Mardi Gras parade.  But the few hours before that parade.  I really enjoyed watching the preparations.  Both the participants and the viewers.  It's fun to see how real these people are, and how fun the anticipation is. 

Pictures
1- Santiago, the son of a teacher at the school.  He's so proud of his little dog.  The legs move and he barks.  Way cute!!
2- A little boy getting ready to be on a float.  He definitely was posing for the camera.  Lion style!
3 - I love the fact that grown men are having so much fun.  This one was reluctant to let me take his picture without the head on.  At first.  He said it ruins the illusion for kids.  I told him I like the humanity of seeing that the characters are real people.  He seemed to like that point of view. 
3-4-6 - People in the audience in their costumes.  So much energy!
5 - Men in drag getting ready for a float. Notice the "riding bull" on top of the shopping cart!
7 - Vendors sell these eggs.  They're real egg shells, emptied of the yolk and white, and filled with confetti.  Kids break them on their heads.  Who thought of that??

I'll be in La Baptistina!

La Baptistina is a little art publication here in Mexico.  Each edition focuses on a part of the country.  The next edition will feature art in Cozumel.  And one of my paintings will be in it!! 

How did this happen?  Basically, one thing led to another….

Last year, I met an artist called Valeria Unanu while she was painting a mural at my friend’s home.  I bumped into her again this year while she was painting the outside of a coffee shop.  We chatted.  I showed her my most recent paintings.  She suggested I go to a new little art store to talk to her friend Diana about showing there.  The art gallery in the store isn’t ready for showing any art.  But after Diana saw my paintings, she invited me to be in the next edition of La Baptinista!

So my cows and chickens will be in the publication?  Nope. That was the catch.  I had to paint something inspired by Cozumel. So I went to El Bungalo (I’ll miss that place…),and  took hundreds of pictures of pelicans.  I experimented. Failed. And eventually came up with something I liked.  Happily, Diana likes it too!!!!

I’m excited.  This is a small step towards I’m not sure what exactly.  But a direction I’ve been wanting to try for some time!

Pictures

1-My pelican painting that’ll be in La Baptinista!

2-Me and Diana, the editor of the Baptistina.  We had a lovely conversation about all sorts of things.  About 1.5 hours all in Spanish.  I was really tired at the end.  That was a lot of thinking and really paying attention!
3 - The mural Valeria made outside of Barbara's kitchen window
4 - A pretty plant my landlord put in my staircase, just for me.  How incredibly sweet!
5 -A cover from a past edition of the La Baptistina

Street Vendors

I so love the variety of street vendors here!  They’re so creative.  And determined.

There are street vendors for almost everything.   

The biggest, and most professional in some ways, is the Zeta gas truck.  It drives through the streets with loudspeakers playing the Zeta gas jingle “Zeta, Zeta, Zeta Gas”.  Similar to that is the water truck.  Everyone drinks bottled water here.  Including the locals. Most everyone buys their water in large 20 litre jugs called “garafon”. I think you just stop the trucks, and buy your gas/water.

But my favourites are the small guys!  Each has his distinctive sound. And vehicle.

There are the sweet bread guys who clap their hands loudly or honk their little horns. They ride bicycles with big baskets on the front. At all hours of the day / evening.  I’ve never bought a sweet bread from them, but this year, I got my little kitchen knife sharpened by the sharpening guy.  So fun!  He uses a little whistle, a bit like zephyr, but hi pitched and simple.  For 40 pesos, he made my knife sharper than it’s ever been in it’s whole life!!!

Pictures

1-The knife sharpening guy.  He uses a foot pedal to turn the sharpening wheel

2- The pest control vehicle

3- A street musician

4 - These are the types of bicycles the sweet bread guys, who clap their hands or honk a horn, pedal. 

5 - The knife sharpening guy being happy!