A Canadian writer's life

Friday, December 21, 2012

The sky is falling. The sky is falling! The Mayan calendar ends.

Evan and Ethan, could this really be the End?

With the 5125-year-old Mayan calendar running out this week, many people have been making a fuss over the potential end of the world. Others debate whether there was an error in calculation, and the end is either December 23^rd, or 24^th, at noon or at midnight, or, in the opinion of one Phd degree-holder, the official end of the calendar happened six days ago.

The news media and social networks have been predicting doom and gloom, urging people to check off an item or two on their personal bucket list of unfulfilled dreams before the end.

(Cue the loud and gloomy music.)

The Mayans, on the other hand, say it is the start of a new beginning, not the end. They are taking a positive outlook with hopes of prosperity and good health for the future. Some venues are planning elaborate dusk-to-dawn events that include Mayan shamans and elders celebrating the beginning of a new era.

There is a countdown to the December 21st display at the entrance of Xel-Há, a terrific marine activity park south of Cancun. When we were there, we still had seven days until the supposed end of the world, so we checked off a thing or two on our lists.

For me, it was the underwater Sea Trek and the opportunity to interact with stingrays. This activity features a walk along the bottom of the ocean at a depth of about eighteen feet, wearing a diving helmet. The helmets are heavy. They weigh sixty pounds!

We were instructed to climb down the ladder until our shoulders were under water, then the staff lifted the helmet over our heads, settling it onto our shoulders.

The weight was considerable, shoving me down the ladder in an awkward manner until the buoyancy of the piped-in air equalized the weight. Gripping the handrail to prevent the inlet current from dislodging us, we shuffled through the fine sand, marvelling at the colourful fish and the grace of the stingrays. We were able to lightly run our hands over the silky skin of the stingrays as the handler coaxed them to swim overhead or beside us. Both Evan, age nine and Ethan, age eleven, were exhilarated by the experience, as was John, our only non-swimmer.

Re-surfacing, we spent the next seven hours exploring additional park activities. We snorkelled in the protected inlet searching out more stingrays and jewel-toned fish.

We trekked to the head of the river and floated on tubes back towards the inlet, stopping along the way to test our strength and agility on tightropes strung across the water.

Evan, the consummate adventurer, tried cliff-diving a few times, or in his case, cliff-jumping. Wearing the mandatory Xel-Há lifejacket, he created a mini-tsunami when he hit the water.

Then, being an all-inclusive park, we were able to browse the buffet a couple of times: once in the morning and once more before leaving the park after sundown.

Fillin’ up the boys for the evening drive back to Isla Mujeres.

The last event of the day at Xel-Há is a sundown Mayan prayer ceremony that includes hundreds and hundreds of floating plastic globes, each one with a glowing candle inside.

Participants are encouraged to launch a globe on the ocean with prayers and wishes for a prosperous new beginning.

The End of the World? Hope not. This world is pretty wonderful.

Kids? What kids? Did we bring the kids with us?

(The photo of the diver and the ray was taken by John with his cool new waterproof Canon camera!)

Grab your copy today!

Friday, December 14, 2012

The ups and downs of Garrafon Natural Reef Park

The distinctive sound of small metal wheels zinging on a thick metal wire, laughter, and whoops of joy; the sounds of riding the zip-line at Garrafon Natural Reef Park on the south end of Isla Mujeres.

We recently spent a day there with John and his two boys, Ethan and Evan. It’s a handy location, right here on Isla, to entertain a couple of energetic youngsters for a few hours with a choice of snorkelling, kayaking, swimming in the pool, or riding the zip-line.

The scenery couldn’t be better, sunshine sparkling on turquoise blue water, feathery green palms, and sugar white sand. My version of heaven.

Being permanent residents and in possession of a Mexican seniors’ card (unfortunately, yes, we qualify as seniors), Lawrie and I were able to secure a 25% price reduction for our entry fee. John and Ethan were the regular price, while Evan was in the 50% off age range.

The snorkelling was interesting, especially with the new Canon underwater camera that John and the boys had with them.

I tried it for a few photos and discovered that wearing a snorkelling mask made it almost impossible to compose a photo. You just have to point, shoot, and hope for the best.

Predictably, we had several photos that included the tail-end of a pretty fish, or a kid-sized arm, or a big pink finger stuck over the lens.

Still, it is something that is worth considering for future snorkelling adventures. John wisely attached a floatation device to the camera for the times when it might slip out of small and busy hands.

Even though Garrafon Natural Reef Park opens at nine in the morning, the zip-lines don’t start up until eleven, so we spent the first hour snorkelling and fooling around in the two-person kayaks. These two activities and equipment are included in the entry price, while the zip-lines are an additional $10.00 US per person.

The kayaks were fun for a few minutes, but the area they are confined to is quite small, allowing a couple of back-and-forth trips before it becomes repetitive. I accidentally strayed too far out of bounds and was promptly whistled back inside the boundary by the beach instructors. “Don’t go there!” Oops, sorry.

As it turns out, the big disappointment of the park was the zip-line rides; only one trip per person, and both boys had to be accompanied by one of the park instructors. The age for riding alone is thirteen and older, as the braking system consists of applying pressure to the metal lines with a wooden block. It is too primitive and difficult for younger hands. Last year at X-Plor, south of Cancun near Playa del Carmen, the boys were able to do the zip lines on their own, as that park has a better braking system. Evan was so keen to ride the zip-lines that we convinced the instructors to use John’s ticket and then my ticket to give him two additional rides. Luckily, in Mexico, there is usually a creative way to get around most rules.

The other thing that was a little bit annoying was that the park had two different buffets set up, one for people who came in the main entrance, and a better one for the day-trippers from Cancun who arrived via the Garrafon company boats.

The boys managed to find enough food to satisfy them after a morning of activities.

This sounds like we didn’t enjoy ourselves at all. But we did, and I bought the complete photo package to remember the fun.

It’s just that having been to X-Plor last year, we are spoiled. The upside of Garrafon is the location, convenience for islanders, scenery, and it is less expensive than X-Plor. The downside is that we kept comparing the amenities to X-Plor, and Garrafon comes up short.

Hasta luego,

Lynda and Lawrie

Grab your copy today!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Celebrating the Patron Saint of Isla Mujeres

Cowboys, bull fights, church services, baptisms, feasting and parades starting November 29^th and lasting into the first week of December; this year, we finally have an inkling of what it all means. It’s the Feast of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception.

This is an important celebration throughout Latin America, but doubly important to Isleños as she is also the patron saint of the island.

Recently, we were chatting with an island acquaintance, Jorge, and he tried to give us a sense of what this event means to local people.

Beautiful horses and thirsty cowboys.

Every village, city, or town has its own patron saint who people hope will watch over them and their families throughout the year, bringing good health and prosperity to everyone. Local people offer prayers, food or gifts to the patron saint, hoping to attract her goodwill. This is also the time of year when many children are baptized or confirmed into the Catholic Church. It is also the start of a six-week-long celebration that includes The Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th, Posadas Navideñas from December 16^th to 29th, Noche Buena on December 24^th, Christmas on December 25th, and ending in January with the Night of the Kings on January 6th.

And in the northwestern parts of Mexico, where the drug cartels are powerful, they have their own patron saint of thieves and drug dealers, San Malverde. Sporting a thick black moustache, neckerchief and pistol belt, San Malverde does not look like a typical saint. (I think his name translates to Bad-Green, perhaps a reference to money?) Although he is not recognized by the Catholic Church, his festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm on May 3^rd in Sinaloa. His popularity among drug lords is so widespread that his followers have built chapels and shrines in his honour near the Mexico/US border.

Presidente Hugo Sanchez 2011 parade

Personally, we enjoy the pageantry of our local saint with many island neighbours participating in the event. I am always amazed how quickly the year rolls past us. It just seems like last week I was snapping photos of the 2011 Feast of the Virgin of Immaculate Conception parade, complete with island Presidente Hugo Sanchez riding with the cowboys. And here we are again in early December, and the celebration of the Feast of the Virgin of Immaculate Conception.

_______________________

Esto y lo Otro:

Gladys Galdamez and Susan Stowell have teamed up with other creative people to open a new retail outlet: Esto y lo Otro, which Google translates as That and the Other. But, I am guessing it means something closer to This and That.

You can find them in the Plaza Isla Mujeres between Juarez and Hidalgo Avenues, behind Fredy’s Restaurante.

Take a few extra minutes to browse through the beautiful jewelry creations!

Tonight at Barlito’s on Isla Mujeres, Kay Cole showcased her first novel, Lonesome Knob.

It is a novel loosely based on her life growing up “at the end of a dusty road on a remote and desolate West Texas farm known as Lonesome Knob.”

Best wishes, Kay, for much success with your book.

Hasta luego

Lynda & Lawrie

Grab your copy today!