We arrived in Merida after dark on the night before New Year's Eve. We arrived at the casa where my AMIL (almost mother-in-law)/friend and her new friend are staying. Out front were laundry lines, a garden and a big lighted showcase that displays a relic of the Virgin Mary.
Our friends told us that a tiny stray puppy appeared inside their gated front yard the night before. He was so tiny. I picked him up for a snuggle and noticed that he was riddled with fleas. I decided to give him a good scrubbing. He felt and looked much better afterward. He got a second bath the next day too. He also had ticks, and his ears were filthy inside. I wish I did a "before and after" of him. He hung around with us for several days, then we discussed finding him a new home, a task that is not as easy here as it would be in Canada. There are stray dogs and cats all over the place across Mexico. Some appear well-fed and others are skin and bones. Our neighbor here told us that someone was feeding poison to the strays in the neighborhood. It's sad, and I wish I could think of a simple solution to the overpopulation. Well, the little guy must have heard us talking because he disappeared that night as quickly as he showed up, hopefully to a safe new home.
Besides the domestic wildlife, we have been learning to love the outdoor critters that invite themselves inside. The beige geckos scamper across the walls and ceiling when you aren't looking. You occasionally spot one, but you can mostly tell they are around when they make their loud call that sounds like wild laughter. In the bathroom the other night was a large millipede. As we cooked supper, a huge cucaracha zoomed across the kitchen floor. If you have never encountered one, it is the insect equivalent of a racehorse when it comes to speed, and they make a creepy skittering noise. We captured it and took it to the vacant treed lot across the street. One night, a spider the size of the palm of my hand waited at the front door for a visit. There are iguanas of all sizes lounging on the tops of cinder block and stuccoed walls, soaking up the sunshine.
Thank goodness for Mexican auto insurance. We used a company based in California called Lewis & Lewis, recommended by a friend of a friend. It came out to about $40 CAN per month- Much cheaper than in British Columbia. There are traffic circles all over Mexico called glorietas. They, like many other things in Mexico, are a bit tricky and a little unpredictable. In Mexico, turn signals seem optional. Anyway, on New Year's Eve day, we had a slow speed crash with the side of a Honda SUV at one of these glorietas. Luckily for us, our trusty Jetta just got away with a couple of scuffs on her front bumper. The SUV was less lucky. The passenger door was crushed in. We both called our insurance companies, which happened to be the same company. A friendly police officer showed up too. We were so grateful that our Mexican Amiga, Melvy, was with us to translate. She is blind, so she couldn't really see what happened but nevertheless, we would have been there all day long if it wasn't for her assistance. Papers were signed and we all went on our way. They all wished us a happy new year and asked if we were going to party. We weren't sure what to expect on New Year's Eve in Mexico.
We were invited to our friend's family's home for a party on New Year's Eve. We made guacamole and a dessert to bring with us. The party was at their neighbor's home. They were from Honduras. There were lots of Mexican family and friends and also a couple from Colombia. By the end of the night my brain felt scrambled from working so hard to translate and speak in Espanol. Mexican parties seem to focus around food. Soooo much food. There was Latin music thumping from a boom box. We got a tour of some Mayan ruins that were just across the street from the party. There were many stone structures and a deep stone well that was fed from an underground cenote, or spring. We were given a chunk of stone with seashell fossils in it as a gift. It was a good intro to the many Mayan ruins that are scattered across this part of the country.
After dark, the fireworks were in full force, along with burning balloons floating all around us in the sky. They are called globos aerostaticos and they are paper balloons that are lifted by a fireball that is lit underneath. The ones at this party were homemade and were unsuccessful in flight. Flaming fire balls flew through the air and fell to the ground. It sure was exciting.
The next morning, our friend's papa came to harvest a bunch of bananas or platanos, as they are called here. He chopped them down using a machete and they were set aside to ripen. After a banana tree gives a bunch, it dies and is cut down to make way for the next little sprout to grow and give a bunch. It's an endless cycle.
We love going to the mercados for fresh fruits and veggies. The colors, smells and music are a fun experience each time. Fresh produce is very affordable here and it's delicious too. Some of my favorite things so far are the giant aguacates (avocados), the piñas (pineapples) and the sandias (watermelons). Mmmm!
Internet is not quite as common in the average household here. Not everyone can afford it and the networks are limited. There are many Internet cafés here where you can pay a small fee to use the wifi. However, there is no guarantee that there will be a good connection at any given time. This is how I am posting my blogs. This particular cafe we are in is big and new and breezy and the owners are very sweet. The first time we visited here, we ordered coffee and exchanged some rough English and Spanish with them. Many people know as much English as we know Spanish so it's a fun conversation! They said "here is a gift" and they gave us two heart shaped cookies. That is the real Mexico. Peace and love. Paz y amor.
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