Blogs from Yucatán, Mexico, North America
April 25th 2012
Blog Mexique Nous quittons le Belize et partons pour la côte est du Mexique, le Yucatan. Maintenant sans aucun récif de coraux pour nous protéger des vagues, nous sommes en pleine mer avec un vent de face (du près). Une navigation de 300 milles dans des vagues entre 8 et 12 pieds. Les quelques rares mouillages n'étaient pas de tous repos car la houle venait nous rappeler qu'ont ne pouvait pas dormir profondément mais juste sur un œil. Nous sommes restés sur notre appétit car nous voulions visiter les petits villages de pécheur et les sites Aztèques. Les conditions ne permettaient pas de laisser L'eau-Dace seul à l'ancrage. Nous avons fait un beau mouillage à Tulum ou nous pouvions presque toucher aux ruines, vraiment impressionnant. Enfin arrivé a notre destination Isla Mujares (Mexique), et oui le ... read more
Merida - A Magical City! Blog #13
Published: April 15th 2012North America » Mexico » Yucatán » Merida
April 13th 2012
Merida, population 1 million located in the Yucatan, Mexico is a delightful and vibrant city and well worth the visit. We are so glad we took the time to travel here for a few days at the end of our month in Isla. We took the ferry over from Isla to Cancun and then hopped the Ado bus for the 4 hours journey west to Merida. Any of you who have travelled by bus in Mexico will know it is first class, very efficient and economical. Upon arriving we hailed a cab and headed to our bed and breakfast near the centro called "Cascadas de Merida". Wow what a fantastic place! Friends from Indiana recommended it and we were totally impressed. It was probably one of the nicest places we have stayed at. The original home ... read more
Last weekend with Merida volunteers
Published: March 30th 2012North America » Mexico » Yucatán » Chichén Itzá
March 27th 2012
I had an amazing weekend! I will start with Friday. I think its time I gave some of the volunteering work I do here a bit of a mention, since it is one of the main reasons I have come here. I usually skim over it as it is slightly mundane compared to seeing some of the wonders of the world but it is still incredibly enjoyable and I have learnt loads about the Mexican way of life by doing it. So. Adam and I caught the bus to Kanasin. Originally everyone thought there would be loads of us, but when the word got out that more than enough people were timetabled to go, the numbers starting dropping until there were just 5 of us, and not a single spanish speaker amongst us. We managed to ... read more
March 15th 2012
Yesterday was an odd day. I woke up to find Pete, Joe and Adam (with some encouragement by Hannah) had completely ransaked my facebook page and posted some pretty nasty pictures. I deleted everything, or so I thought - I've still been finding things today - and began plotting my revenge. When Joe or Adam went out, I hid one of every shoe they owned. In the afternoon, whilst Adam was barefoot on the roof, I saw my chance to steal his remaining shoe. I also played some mind games, telling them that Leigh was really upset that they had messaged her boyfriend pretending to be me (she wasn't upset, she thought it was hilarious) and Joe got pretty worried about that. Once Leigh caved in the afternoon and revealed that she wasn't upset, Joe decided ... read more
March 14th 2012
On Sunday, Steph and I went to Uxmal (pronounced Ush-mal). The bus we caught there waa air conditioned and lovely. It took around an hour. When we reached the entrance , there was a museum complex, a few small hotels and a Hacienda restaurant. It was 2pm whe we arrived. Steph had already eaten the lunch she had prepared on the coach but I was starving. We ordered drinks in the Hacienda and whilst Steph was trying out the CLEAN toilets with LOCKS (a novelty for these parts), the manager came over and asked me about our visit. I was polite and told him that we were staying in Merida and visiting the ruins just for the day. I found out about buses back and the entry fee. The Hacienda was beautiful and all the staff ... read more
Blurred visions and a lost half hour at Spring Break
Published: April 14th 2012North America » Mexico » Yucatán
March 13th 2012
It’s so clear it’s like the real world out there. As you put your mask on, your fins and then your regulator in your mouth. You leap into a new world. By the end you’d either push through the fear factor or turn back and say, “This is not for me.” For those who go into the dark caves near Telum, Mexico you will be rewarded. Just when diving looked like tapering off for me, along comes a dive of another kind. You’ll get blurred visions like putting on old mans glasses on and a sense you are in the warm part of the baby pool. Telum is the first major town coming north from Belize and what an introduction to Mexico. The town is just a small town, which doesn’t really excite much, which is ... read more
March 11th 2012
Sunday 11th March Today marks my first week in Mexico. The last few days have been quite busy. On Thursday, Leigh, Steph and I walked to town and checked out some shops. We tried on a few sombreros. In the afternoon we went to Amore Y Vida, and just sat colouring in with the children and playing games. This time we were with much younger children. It was nice and cool indoors, and there were almost as many volunteers as there were children, so it wasnt too taxing. On the way home, I spotted a supermarket on the dual carriageway that we crossed. Leigh, Steph and I bravely got off the bus in unfamiliar territory and walked to the Supermarket. As we walked accross the car park, we started to hear a roaring engine and a ... read more
March 8th 2012
Wednesday 7th March Yesterdays project was interesting. We took a bus out of town to a poorer neighbourhood and walked to the orphanage. I think it is a Catholic one. In the yard there was a rusting set of swings and a slide. The children were inside the house and sat watching TV and looking bored. They looked pleased to see us. Their carers didn't seem the most enthusiastic or caring. Some of the kids had physical disabilities but some seemed fine. Simona asked one of the carers what they wanted us to do today. She told us that we were to teach them some English and not let them play ousdie because she didn't want them to get dirty. Like at Kanesin, the other project I am on, it was hard to teach them as ... read more
March 6th 2012
Saturday 3rd March So this is the start of my big adventure! Today I flew to Mexico, although I won't arrive 'til almost 24 hours after take-off. I am currently somewhere over the atlantic. Saying goodbye went OK, but the hour and a half I had inside the departure lounge at Heathrow dragged. I am sure I will get used to my own company quickly though. The first flight, London-JFK is going brilliantly. The plane is almost empty so I've snagged myself a window seat. I was really excited to fly, not just because I'm going to the other side of the wqorld but because I find flying in itself a big adventure. I last flew when I was 17, over London, the Channel, the Black forest and the Alps. I loved every minute. Today, as ... read more
February 22nd 2012
I don’t claim to pronounce foreign names correctly all of the time but I at least say them how they are spelt. Chichen Itza, pronounced ‘Chi-Chen It-Za’ Coba pronounced ‘Co-Ba’ Not that hard is it? Or is it? Before a trip one day we heard a group of people talking. Person 1-“Where are you going today?” Person 2-“We’re going to Cobo” Person 1-“Oh really, I hear it’s really nice” Person 2-“How about you, where are you going today?” Person 1-“We’re going to Chitzen Itzen. Well, see you later guys, have fun at Cabo” How many times can 2 people mispronounce 2 names that sound EXACTLY how they are spelt lol. We were the last people to be picked up from our hotel before making our way to Chichen Itza, some of the other people had been ... read more
