A Canadian writer's life

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Salt of the Earth, Isla Mujeres, Mexico!

Some time ago, our friend Freddy Medina mentioned that his island ancestors gathered salt from the island's landlocked briny lakes. The salt was used for preserving fish right up to the time that electricity and refrigerators became available. I thought that was an interesting story, so I decided to research the salt works on Isla Mujeres.

Salina Grande on Isla Mujeres

For several weeks, I had been cruising the internet trying to find more information about the salt works without much success until I found the Aztlan Association and website. This association is a group of forty-five or more experts on all things Meso-American. Their backgrounds range from a professor at the University of Arizona, the curator of the Ancient America Museum Exhibitions, a PhD Candidate at the University of Texas, to a Gallery Specialist of Pre-Columbian artifacts at Boca Raton Museum of Art, Florida. (You get the idea!) The number of PhD degrees, attached to the various names, is amazing. I am one of a handful of “amateur” members of the Aztlan Association. Thankfully, a number of the professionals were more than happy to answer my questions.

Some of the inhabitants of the Salina Grande

The gist of the story is that when the Spanish discovered Isla in 1519, the islanders were already using salt as a preservative as well as trading it to the mainland villages from what is now Puerto Morelos in the south up to as far as Veracruz in the north for other supplies. According to Fernando Alcocer, the salt was traded for products like skins, meat, jade, obsidian, cotton blankets, and honey. The salt works were exploited by the villagers of Dolores, the original name of the town at the north end of Isla Mujeres, which is now referred to as el Centro on the island.

As Rae Clare, another member of the Aztlan Association, sent me a quote from a book written in the 1880s by Alice lePlongeon: "At the beginning of the fishing season, men and women would collect the salt that was deposited by evaporation on the shore of the pools. They seemed to regard it as a kind of picnic, though the work was laborious, especially for the women, who stood up to their waists in muddy water all day long, putting the salt into large turtle shells that served as vats. It would have been almost impossible to transport the salt by land to the village of Dolores; the only roads are narrow pathways through the thicket, and the soil is so rocky and uneven that it would have been very tiresome to walk, much more so to carry a load."

Looking to the west side of the Salina Grande

The Spanish Salt Survey of 1605 stated that Isla Mujeres produced around 650 tons of salt annually; however, in 1977, one of the Aztlan members interviewed a long-time islander, Don Ausencio Magaña, who thought the total would be closer to 100 tons annually. Around 1974, the three salt pans were abandoned, and they became an unofficial location to dispose of household garbage.

At some point between 1979 and the present time, the Salina del Cañotal, which is now referred to as the Salina Grande, became a city park. It has been refurbished with a wide and relatively smooth walking or biking pathway that circumnavigates the Salina, along with lighting and benches. The concrete walls surrounding the Salina Grande are repainted every three years in the campaign colours of the current presidente/mayor. We have been through the purple and orange administration, then the pink and blue administration, then the navy blue and orange period, and recently pale pink and green.

A side benefit to the Salina being cleaned up is that there is a variety of birds that have taken up residence in the former salt pans.

We have seen spoonbills, herons, egrets, frigate birds, and gulls of course.

Good photo-ops for nascent National Geographic photographers!

Friendly neighbours

It always amazes me what information can be found on the internet. But I wouldn't have thought to research the salt works without the original comment from Freddy Medina, who started me on this quest.

Hasta Luego
Lynda and Lawrie

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

What's the favourite colour of a bamboo chicken?

Red, orange, or yellow!

Green Iguanas (nicknamed bamboo chicken) are attracted to bright colours such as red, orange, and yellow. From personal experience, I'd say that this bit of trivia found on a website dedicated to the care and feeding of pet iguanas is correct. We have had iguanas munch on our yellow hose nozzle, attack the orange handle on the rake, or beg for treats when I wear my red gardening gloves. But lettuce, cucumbers, and broccoli hold absolutely no fascination for them. Iguanas don't have teeth as such, just bony ridges that can, as my sister Joann discovered, do damage to fingers if you forget to keep those pink-wiggly-things out of the iguana's mouth.

Iguana salad

They primarily reside in rock piles along the beach, or in empty lots, but they will also tunnel under houses, or take up residence in just about anything that can be considered a burrow - such as the large drain on the side of our house.

Their biggest enemy seems to be dogs, especially dogs that are hungry or dogs that like to dig. We have seen a few dead or about-to-be-dead iguanas being carted off by a dog or two on the island. Some of the dogs get quite excited, yipping while digging up the burrows, and that's when we use our super-duper water cannon and chase the marauders away. However, occasionally the dog is a quiet, efficient hunter and secures his prize before we can interfere. Score: Dog - 1, Iguana - 0.

Municipality installed iguana-crossing signs

Iguanas also have a poor survival record when crossing the busy sections of the island's roadways. The municipality has recently started a campaign to make drivers more aware of favourite iguana-crossing locations on the island by posting caution and yield-to-iguanas signs.

I was surprised to learn that Green Iguanas are classified as "Threatened" and are so listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). We have at least 15 to 20 Green Iguanas currently in residence along this stretch of the beach. It's hard to get an accurate head count because the little devils all look alike.

One of our resident iguanas, enjoying snacks

There is one other natural enemy that I should mention - hurricanes. The big waves associated with tropical storms and hurricanes can drown them inside their burrows. Iguanas need heat to be active.

Typically, we experience a rapid drop in temperature with storms, making it difficult for the lizard to escape the inundation of water. So, between dogs, vehicles, hurricanes, and small boys with slingshots, these hapless critters can use a helping hand.

Treats for iguana at local marina

Keep in mind, though, they are vegetarians. Don't feed them cat food, dog food, cheese, leftover pizza, biscuits, or anything with protein, wheat or corn in it. A diet that contains animal proteins will lead to kidney failure, and this is a terribly long and drawn-out way for an iguana to die.

The fresh fruit or vegetables should be shredded or chopped into small pieces. Remember, they don't have teeth. Some suggestions on the pet websites include green beans, winter squash, sweet potatoes, yams, and carrots. Fruit can also be offered, such as strawberries, cantaloupe, or raspberries. Not my raspberries! I'm not sharing my imported raspberries with iguanas. I do share the local papayas, pineapples, mangoes, and bananas. They adore bananas. When I appear with a dish of bananas, those lizards run so fast their four little legs barely touch the ground.

A couple of other funny facts about iguanas.

Shedding!

1. They shed. Depending on its growth rate and age, an iguana will shed from once to many times in a year. An iguana's skin will begin to turn a dull, hazy shade of grey, indicating it needs to shed. It's a messy affair with bits and pieces hanging off in a state of disarray. The fresh new skin will be shiny and brightly coloured.

2. The male iguanas have a hemipenis. That's two - that they can use alternately. Twice the fun!

3. A group of iguanas is called a lounge of lizards. As my character, Jessica Sanderson mused in Tormenta Isla Book #3 of the Isla Mujeres Mystery series;

My attempt at hand-painting a sign

She supplied chopped fruits and vegetables to the lounge of lizards in the garden. She’d read that amusing expression on YucatanLiving.com. A group of lizards was called a lounge. So, she supposed, a group of lizards hanging around could be thought of as a lounge of lizards lounging in a lizard lounge.

Hasta Luego from paradise
Lynda and Lawrie

My second attempt at hand-painting a sign.

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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Why retire on Isla Mujeres, Mexico?

Caribbean Blues!

Wow! Pink sand beaches that stretch for miles on a narrow scimitar of land in the Bahamas, on an island named Eleuthera. It fascinated Lawrie for months, fantasizing about living on a long, empty stretch of beach with no one around. There is a total population of approximately 8,000 people (mainly English-speaking) in this former British colony, with the nearest city, Nassau, located fifty miles by air.

Whoa! Stop! I'm fine with rural or semi-isolated areas, but not Robinson Crusoe remote.

In 2002, we fell in love with the turquoise sea of the Caribbean, and the search began for the perfect property for our dream home. We had a choice of over 7000 islands in and around the Caribbean Sea, including 501 in the Bahamas, 43 in the British Virgin Islands, 12 in the Cayman Islands, 58 in the Turks and Caicos, and 81 in the US Virgin Islands.

Ah, but then, reality pokes its pesky little head up and says - what about obtaining building supplies for the dream-home? A construction crew to do the work? Furniture? Milk? Meat? Veggies? Doctors? Dentists? And what do you do when you finally get bored watching the ocean? As fascinating as it is, eventually you have to do something else with your day.

Our outdoor decision-making office.

So, when the opportunity arose to purchase a slice of heaven on Isla Mujeres, we decided it was definitely worth considering.

We opened a bottle of our favourite wine, took two glasses, and a bowl of mixed nuts and retired to our home office - the lakefront patio. After lighting dozens of candles and lanterns to set the mood for serious consideration of our future, we started to list the reasons why Isla Mujeres would be a good decision:

1. Close to the City of Cancun, population of approximately 800,000, with shopping centers, grocery stores such as Costco, Mega Commercial, Soriana's, Sam's Club and Wal-Mart

2. Home Depot and other large Mexican chain stores for building supplies

3. Three excellent, and very affordable, hospitals in Cancun with American-trained doctors

4. Only 20 minutes via water taxi (passengers only ferry) to the mainland

New Chedraui Grocery & Super Store.

5. Only 45 minutes via a car ferry to the mainland

6. Easy air access to and from Canada to visit family

7. Easy air access to South America, as we have not had the opportunity as yet to visit that area of the world

8. An active ex-pat community from the US, Canada, and Europe

9. Pleasant oceanfront temperatures of between 20 degrees C (70F ) and 33 degrees C (95F)

10. Cooling ocean breezes, swimming and snorkelling. (We later discovered the sea turtle nest annually in front of our casa.)

11. Not much rain, even in the rainy season, as the clouds skid rapidly across this low island, heading to the mainland

Four Amigos!

12. Electricity available curbside

13. Internet service available curbside

14. Municipal water system

15. Municipal sewer system for the side of the island where we were proposing to purchase property

16. Two gas stations on the island

17. A variety of small grocery stores on the island, and later in 2011, a Chedraui Super Store

18. A variety of restaurants

Home Sweet Home!

19. A choice of banking options

20. Doctors and dentists on the island, with many more available in Cancun

21. The best reason of all, we enjoy the Mexican culture very, very much

By the time the wine was gone and the candles had burned down to nubs, we had decided that yes, Isla Mujeres would be the perfect place to build a dream home.

It is! And we are never bored!

Hasta luego, Lynda and Lawrie

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

We should have learned Spanish!

Baños? ¡Gracias! ¡Buenos días! ¡Cerveza, por favor!
We all know those words.

North of Puerto Vallarta, before the influx of tourists

Back in 1966, when Lawrie first visited Mexico with a travel agent friend, that was the extent of his Spanish vocabulary.

Their trip started in Mexico City, then Acapulco, and finally, an adventurous drive over the mountains to the fishing village of Puerto Vallarta. Three years later, he was on the first jet, with the same friend, plus six other travel agents, who were on the first jet to land in Puerto Vallarta. The Captain announced over the plane's p.a. system that if the plane wouldn’t fit on the runway, they probably would have enough fuel to return to their departure location! This group of travel agents was on a scouting mission in Puerto Vallarta for future tourist locations when there were only three small local hotels in the downtown area, and nothing but white sandy beaches on either side of the village.

Puerto Vallarta in the 1980s.

My first visit was in 1982 with Lawrie and two family members. We had a package deal for the flight and one night in a two-star place north of the hotel zone in Puerto Vallarta.

About two in the morning, there was a god-awful bang and a flash of light. I thought a revolution had started and tried to dive under the bed. Oops. The bed base was made of concrete, with no room underneath for a frightened gringa. No more sleep for me that night.

Early in the morning, we heard several men laughing outside the hotel. We looked to see what the source of amusement was and discovered a Mexican utility worker perched on the top of the power pole in front of our hotel room, holding a cartoon-style, stiff, dead cat upright by its tail. Apparently, the unlucky cat was the cause of the loud bang. It had electrocuted itself by touching the power transformer. The remainder of the trip was very enjoyable and not nearly as heart-stopping as our first night. We discovered the wonderful Fiesta Americana chain down the road from our two-star place and promptly moved into a two-level townhouse on the property. Five swimming pools, several restaurants and bars. Heaven!

Time-share hustle in Puerto Vallarta

Over the next twenty-plus years, we frequently returned to Puerto Vallarta, staying in various hotels, condos, and apartments. By 2002, we were tired of the Puerto Vallarta time-share hustle and decided to try the less populated Barra de Navidad area for two weeks. We flew into Manzillo and took a long taxi ride to a small one-star hotel in a bay north of Melaque. The mosquitoes soon drove us out of that hotel and into the town of Barra de Navidad.

Lawrie's birthday treat

Here we stayed in a slightly better place with a great view of the 5-diamond Grande Bay Hotel & Resort, perched on an island in the bay. Lawrie suggested that we take the small water taxi over to the island to check out the hotel, and maybe have a drink in the bar. You would think that after being with him for twenty-three years, at that point, I would have been able to predict what was going to happen next. Well, it was March, and after all, it was his birthday the very next day, and a 5-Diamond hotel really was more his style. So, yes, we moved to the Grande Bay Hotel. Fabulous place!

About then, other family members had purchased property and built homes on Isla Mujeres near Cancun. We decided to spend a week or two in the area to see why they were raving about the Caribbean side of Mexico. The first place we stayed was at a delightful rental cottage on the west side of the island. This was our first time on the Caribbean Sea. Wow! The colours were exquisite. That clinched it – we were not going to return to the Pacific side of Mexico anytime soon. A few more trips to Isla to show our Canadian friends the island, and we were completely hooked. So, when we heard that the ocean-front property, located just two lots north of his sister's house, was for sale, we promptly contacted the sellers.

September 2007, Patricio gave us our house keys.

We started dealing on the property in June of 2006, and by January 2007, we had a deal. By September 2007, our fabulous local contractor Patricio Yam Dzul had the house completed, under budget and on time! We spent our first delightful winter here on Isla Mujeres from December 2007 to March 2008, arriving back in Canada on March 10^th 2008 to a blinding snowstorm. That's it! We were done with winter. We wanted heat! We wanted palm trees! We wanted flowers all year!

In October 2008, we left Canada with all of our worldly possessions stuffed into the Nissan Altima and headed south to Mexico. (I confess, not all of our worldly possessions were in the car. We left 54 photo albums and Lawrie's custom-made Tuxedo stashed with the family.) We love it here. We love the climate, the scenery, the people, and the food. The only challenge we face is the lack of Spanish. It's a bit frustrating to struggle with casual conversations with our local friends.

Living in Paradise!

So, back to the first sentence…we should have learned Spanish about 30 years ago when our brains were much younger and we were much smarter.

Hasta Luego
Lynda and Lawrie

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