Clothes for the nation

Three Amigos - fishing tournament shirts

Mexico is kinda unique in North America.  

Unlike its northern neighbours, who love t-shirts emblazoned with sports team logos or various rock stars, Mexico relies heavily on political events to clothe the nation. A favourite giveaway during election time is a t-shirt with the name and slogan of a political candidate featured prominently, perhaps accompanied by a photograph.

Political rally for the Governor and Presidente

Even though we are residents, not citizens, and therefore cannot vote in the elections, we have on several occasions been offered a t-shirt from a political party, but we can’t wear them. 

As non-citizens, we are not allowed to be involved in anything political. 

 Fishing Tournaments

Another source of free t-shirts for locals is their employers. Many tour boats, or fishing charter boats, outfit their crews in white, long-sleeved t-shirts emblazoned with the boat's name. It’s a great way to keep the crew looking professional and to advertise the boat to tourists.  

The long-sleeved style is the preferred shirt when working out on the sun-reflecting water. They are hotter to wear, but do a better job of preventing sunburn. We know from the half dozen or so times we have gone fishing with friends. We usually returned in late afternoon, hot and sweaty, and relatively burn-free.

Winners in Ladies Tournament 2015

A free t-shirt also comes with every entry fee for the numerous annual fishing tournaments.  

There are the standard white fishing shirts for the regular tournament and the prettier pale pink shirts for the ladies-only annual tournament that took place this last weekend.  

A boatload of our friends participated in the ladies’ tournament last year, and judging by the photographs, they had a heck of a fun time.  Of course, with fishing, there are always copious quantities of cold cerveza, bringing smiles to all of the participants.

Crews and participants, long-sleeved shirts

With the political giveaways, the locals are pretty savvy. It’s a fairly common strategy to profess support for different candidates until the t-shirts have been handed out. We were out walking the other day, and spotted a clothesline with several t-shirts drying in the sun. Wow! We could go back at least nine years of political candidates, from all parties.  And best of all, they are free.

Different political candidates represented here.

We have amassed our own personal collection of free t-shirts gifted by business friends who wanted to spread the word about their company: restaurants, bars, and breweries.  

Hey great!  Free clothes.  Thanks.

Hasta Luego

Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Thomas

Isla Mujeres Mystery series

Or

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

May on Isla Mujeres: What to do, what to do, what to do ……

North Beach - Playa Norte  L. Lock photo

It’s May in paradise, and surprisingly, there is still a lot happening on the island, just at a slower pace.  

The weather is consistently warm, with light winds and seldom any rain. 

In a few days, the whale shark season officially opens, allowing access to these beautiful forty-foot creatures as they leisurely swim and feed.  

Whale Shark, National Geographic

Whale sharks are slow-moving filter feeders in the carpet shark family. They suck in a mix of macro-algae, plankton, krill, crab larvae, and small squid, then expel the water through their gills, trapping the food against their scale-like dentils.  

They aren’t interested in eating the annoying critters that thrash in the water around them, faces squashed into diving masks, and words of awe bubbling to the ocean’s surface. When I swim with these leviathans, I lose my obsessive fear of the ocean, if only for a little while. It’s amazing.

Sea Turtles mating at Punta Sur  L.Lock

Later in the month, the giant sea turtles congregate at the southern tip of the island, enthusiastically mating. The lineups for the available females are long, as two, three, or four males anxiously paddle along behind waiting for their turn. It’s a pretty cumbersome business, with the smaller male piggybacking on the larger female. 

They both seem happy with the results because the process is repeated year after year. A few weeks after fertilization, the females will come ashore at night and lay up to 180 eggs in a deep nest laboriously dug with their flippers. If you are lucky enough, you can sit quietly nearby and watch the females lay their eggs. Don’t touch or disturb them. Just let the ladies do their difficult job, and then return to the safety of the sea.

Details for May 2016 Fishing Tournament

And for those of you who like a bit more action, there is always deep-sea fishing, fishing tournaments, and just plain fun fishing.  On May 20^th, 21^st, and 22^nd is the annual Torneo Internacional Pesca that features prizes like 350,000.00 pesos for first place (About $20,000.00 USD). The second-place prize is a pick-up truck. 

Third place, won by island friends of ours in 2013, is 100,000.00 pesos. Other prizes include a boat and motorcycles. Judging by the happy faces at the end of the day, everyone had a great time hanging out with their buddies, drinking beer, and catching fish.  Winning a prize is an added bonus.

Happy fishermen!  

Most of our Canadian and American friends have returned to their northern homes. They are looking forward to catching up on family news or gardening, golfing, and fishing. 

We have settled into a less hectic routine, fewer parties, more quiet evenings enjoying a good book and a glass of wine on our ocean-side patio.  

Ah, May, in paradise.  Our favourite time of year.

Hasta Luego

Lynda, Lawrie, and Sparky

Boats  racing to check in before the deadline

Isla Mujeres Mystery series

OR

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries