Christmas in the Caribbean

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Isla gave to me:

Twelve Boats a Bobbing:

I wonder if Santa Claus could fit one of these beauties in Lawrie's stocking?

Any Sunday afternoon at North Beach a collection of yachts and mega-yachts can be seen anchored just off shore while their passengers enjoy a dip in the warm aqua-coloured sea water. These yachts are a fairly recent phenomenon as Isla was originally a fishing community. Walk any beach on the west side of the island and you will see numerous small multi-coloured panga-style boats pulled up on the beaches waiting for the work day to begin.

Eleven Loungers Laying:

Starting at seven in the morning the employees of the beach restaurants and bars begin to get organized for the day, setting out sun loungers and umbrellas for potential customers. 

Every business has their own colours to identify their area. Waiters will deliver food and drinks to the loungers allowing holiday travellers to just relax and enjoy the sun, sand and surf. 

Lawrie tried to train me to do that at our casa.  It didn't work out so well for him.

Ten Taxis Racing:

Even though the island is only seven kilometres long and a kilometre wide, the taxis are always in a hurry to get somewhere - where ever that somewhere is. Taxis are reasonably priced and can usually be flagged down from anywhere on the island. The main taxi stand is located near the passenger ferry docks. It is still best to ask the price before you ride as the rates can be higher in the holiday season.

Nine Snowmen Waiting:

These nine little donut-snowmen lined up on a baking tray at the Chedraui Super Store made us laugh. 

Snowmen, in the Caribbean? Thank goodness they are not real, and are only in someone's imagination. 

We've done our time with snow: no mas.

Eight Palm Trees Swaying:

Nothing says “the tropics” like a sugar-white beach and stately palm trees swaying in the breeze. Beware – those picturesque, and very hard, coconuts hanging above your head can knock you out if they connect with your softer noggin. 

Usually around this time of year the city workers are out and about removing the almost ripe fruit from the trees in an attempt to prevent injuries. Still, sitting in the shade of a coco tree is just so darn romantic it's hard to resist – potential head injuries be damned.

Seven Hammocks Hanging:

Swinging in a hammock strung between two coco palm trees, sipping on a cold cerveza: ah, bliss. 

We recently planted two little cocos in our small patch of sand on the ocean-side of our house. We daily check their progress to see if they are hammock ready. 

Unfortunately five feet high doesn't quite qualify. We have a few more years to wait. 

Six Massage Tents Ready:

Stressed from gift shopping or flying economy class? Why not hit the beach for a massage. 

Located on the beach, across from Jax Bar & Grill or the Posada del Mar Hotel, are five or six massage tents where the staff will give you a relaxing light massage, guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit.  

Alex, Daniel, Freddy, Inez, Joao, Pepe in back, and Gustavo

Five Freezing Coooold Beers:

Merry Christmas to our good friends Freddy, Joao Gustavo, Alex, Daniel, Pepe, and Inez and of course Sal and Mal Richards at the Soggy Peso Bar & Grill. 

They have the biggest smiles while they serve the best freezing cold beer on the island!

Four Trees in Centro:

The smell, the shape, the decorations of a real Christmas tree brings back great memories for anyone from northern climates, but I always wonder how did a Christmas tree become synonymous with Christmas in the Caribbean? 

As ex-pats we really enjoy seeing the trees, in centro, at the passenger ferry docks, and on top of the City Hall. It's a beautiful thing.

Three Church Bells Ringing:

Christmas time is very special to the islanders. It is 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 Guadalupe on December 12th, Posadas Navideñas December 16^th to 29th, Noche Buena December 24^th, Christmas December 25th, and ending in January with the Night of the Kings on January 6th. The three large Catholic Churches on Isla Mujeres are beautifully decorated and overflowing with worshippers during the holiday season.

Two Christmas Parades:

There are two Christmas parades: the official Municipal Santa Claus Parade, and the Christmas Golf Cart Parade organized by a local carnival dance troupe. Last year we participated in the golf cart parade for the first time, dressed as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, tossing candy to the crowds of kids. This year the parade was scheduled for Saturday December 20^th, but due to the high possibility of rain has been moved to Saturday December 27^th starting at 5:30 in the afternoon. It is so much fun to ricochet around the island in a decorated golf cart, trying to follow the lead vehicle when the route is being planned just as the parade starts. The crowds of little kids waving and yelling hello make it all worthwhile. We'll be there again!  

On The Twelfth Day of Christmas Isla Gave to Me - One Brightly Lit and Noisy Party Bus:

It's bright. It's noisy. It's fun. Every year around this time the party bus, or as some people call it the disco bus, or the funny bus, comes out of storage and begins doing nightly runs around and around, up and down the island.

Loud music. Bright lights. And people have fun. It's become a favourite with Bachelor and Bachelorette party celebrations. 

It drives me nuts when I am trying to sleep, but it has become part of the annual holiday celebrations so we have learned to laugh, and go back to sleep muttering: “It's just the party bus.” We have plans to use it soon, and it will be our turn to be silly.

Feliz Navidad to you all – may your Christmas be Merry and bright!

Lawrie & Lynda

You can find us on the web at:

http://lynda-notesfromparadise.blogspot.mx/

AND

Humerous stories about critters we have known:

http://animalsandfamilymembers.blogspot.mx/

Sex in a Hammock

"Swingin' in a hammock in the palm tree shade..."

When we first moved to Isla six years ago, I jokingly asked a Mexican friend, “So, how do you have sex in a hammock.” 

His face turned bright red in embarrassment and he chuckled. “If you sleep every night for one year in a hammock, I'll tell you,” he replied.

Bright colours

Hammocks are common in local homes, strung across the main room maximizing space in a limited-size home, and providing comfort for the entire family. They were originally developed in Central and South America as a portable method of keeping the sleeping person cool and reasonably safe from venomous snakes, scorpions and disease carrying insects. 

These useful accessories eventually make their way into the Yucatán Peninsula area of Mexico a couple of hundred years before the arrival of the Spanish explorers.

Manuel Jesus Pech Pat - in his Isla store

Around 1590 many European naval sailing ships were using the idea of a canvas sling hammock, to accommodate more sleeping spaces in cramped quarters and to prevent the sailors from being injured by rolling out of their bunk beds during rough weather. 

Many sailors became so accustomed to this way of sleeping they brought their hammocks with them while on shore leave. 

In recent years, during the Apollo Space program, the Lunar Capsule was equipped with hammocks for the captain and the lunar module pilot to sleep in, between space walks.

Julian Cauih

Originally made from tree bark and sisal modern day tropical hammocks are typically woven from either cotton or nylon yarns. Several villages like Ek Balam and Tixkokob near the City of Mérida specialize in making hammocks for sale in Mexico or around the world. They are hand woven by men, women and children, while the larger hammocks might be made on a loom.

Located inside the Mercado del Artesano on Abasolo

On Isla Mujeres, a display of colourful hammocks caught my eye as I was walking past the Mercado del Artesano in centro on Isla Mujeres. I stopped to chat with the vendor, Manuel Jesus Pech Pat. He was born in his family village in the Yucatán, and has now lived on Isla for forty-two years. 

Manuel told me that the average chair hammock takes about sixteen hours to create, while the larger two-person hammocks take up to thirty-two hours to weave. A good hammock will have the knots in the twine at the ends, not in the middle of the sleeping area. The weave will be reasonably tight and even.

Manuel weaving a hammock

Chatting as he demonstrated the hand-weaving method of making hammocks, he hardly looked at what his hands were doing - muscle memory preforming the intricate stitches. He and his uncle Julian Cauih share the little bodega. On sunny days you can see Manuel walking the beaches selling his hammocks to tourists and Cancun day-trippers, while his uncle minds the store. Stop in for a visit at their store and check out their supply of hammocks, blankets and handwoven jackets. Their store is in the Mercado del Artesano on Abasolo Street, facing the Poc-Na hostel.

As for the original question to my now very good friend; well we didn't fulfill our part of the bargain by sleeping in a hammock every night for one year, so I never did learn the answer to the question. More research is required!

Hasta Luego

Lawrie & Lynda

You can find us on the web at:

Humerous stories about critters we have known:

http://animalsandfamilymembers.blogspot.mx/

AND

The Adventures of Thomas the Cat: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Adventures-of-Thomas-the-Cat-Las-Aventuras-de-Tomás-el-Gato