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Published: January 29th 2017
"Music is a piece of art that goes in the ears and and straight to the heart". Al and I love music and there's no shortage of it here in the Riviera Maya. Stroll the beach and live music is flowing along with the sounds of laughter and glasses clinking. Then at night, 5th avenue is filled with the sounds of strolling mariachis, rock bands, and jazz trios. It's a big draw for the bars and restaurants to have live music.
Music forms an integral part of our lives. Music can evoke memories of our childhood, past and current relationships, and can bring you back to a place and time in an instant. It is the thread of life, connecting us as family and friends. Funny how music can make us so damn happy one minute and crying the next.
Mexico is a country brimming with music. Their music is about pride, patriotism, and family. Mexico is a huge country, and its music varies by region, shaped by its diverse cultures and landscapes.
When you think Mexican music, many immediately think of mariachi which is a huge part of the fabric of Mexican music. I do
have a great appreciation for the mariachis in all their white or black dress, and on occasion the traditional sombrero. They are fabulously talented musicians (most of them), and when the violin, trumpet and voices come together in perfect harmony, it's like the heavens opened. You cannot be in a bad mood when being serenaded in this way. (UNESCO has finally recognized mariachi music in order to preserve this traditional music. Long-live mariachi and its meaningful traditions that is handed down from generation to the next.)
With so many talented musicians in the area, we often get groups of 2 or 3 strolling by and will play you a tune for a few pesos. We've been around long enough to know the seasoned pros from the sub par.
There are also generations of musicians here. The older men sing a form of 'American country music' called Ranchera music. The name Ranchera started from the rural ranch lands and the workers who worked the ranches and embraced the poetic lyrics of strife, struggle and the lives of the less privileged which was big at the time of Mexico's Revolutionary period. Basically it was a rebellious type of music that
grew out of the dislike they had for the aristocratic music that the old rulers favored.
Music has been around forever and stories from the Bible and wall cave drawings were witness to the fact people were busy making instruments. I think there was an Elvis Presley caveman shaking his hips for all the cave women who were sitting in awe around the fire! Think about it "Hunka hunka burning love" (the fire was lit just from Elvis's hips!) Woo hoo!
When the older men start to sing, it is full of emotion and sentiment. They'll often close their eyes as if they are perhaps seeing their parents, siblings, grandparents or an unrequited love. Sometimes they sing in a high sorrowful pitch which can bring a tear to the toughest guy's eye. It reminds me of dad and our uncles who sing Irish ballads and songs recounting the history and pride of Ireland. It is history handed down by song.
Then after a ballad, boy can they get into the lively songs which gets everyone singing along, even if they don't know the lyrics in Spanish. 😊 The Irish have their jigs, and the Mexicans can get
you up out of your chair in no time. Wasn't that a party or in Spanish, a 'fiesta'!
The other but rare instrument they play here that I absolutely enjoy is the harp. Once they start running their thumbs over the strings, I feel myself drifting into the music. Of all the instruments to haul around, imagine hauling a big harp along the sandy beach, in the tropical heat of Mexico?
We've have really enjoyed when the bongos are part of an act, accompanied by guitar and keyboards. There's also an instrument called a viheula which is a small deep-bodied rhythm guitar which when played well is a real treat for your senses.
Live music is alive and well here in Playa for those of you looking for a tropical vacation spot where you can get out and engage, laugh, sing, dance, eat, explore and experience. You can enjoy live rock on the beach and around various clubs at night. There are piano bars, Latin jazz, and of course the electronic music that takes over the dance bars at night.
Work - Scuba Dive - Relax - Repeat We pretty well finished up our work
for the condos and then next came videos (and photos) of 5th avenue, the beach, and other resort beach towns we happened upon. Al used his Go Pro video which offers wide-angle panoramic views. This will be an added benefit for our condos at the two boutique condo hotels we'll be staying at. It's a challenge to video 5th avenue as it's generally teeming with people. However, I am very proud of our effort. I can't wait to see the finished product and I may vlog the video (voice-over on the video explaining the merits of the condos and a visit to Playa and other areas.) My buddy Pierrette suggested I should do this. She's a sharp cookie that one. (Well she did marry Jacques 😉 We'll see how that works out and if it's my thing.
Al went south to dive at Tortuga (turtle) and Barracuda dive sites on the reef between Playa and Akumal. He really enjoyed this dive, and he was buddied up with a master diver and another guy getting his advanced certification. He saw a large turtle, several stingrays with big black fish hopping onto their backs for a ride while they skimmed the
ocean floor for food, and some lobsters with their antennas spanning two feet. Wow. He also saw a large moray eel swimming in the open, a rarity as they are usually seen poking their heads out out from the safety of the coral.
Thursday night was our 'big' night out in the sense we splurged. We went to one of our favorites where they do flambee, and they do it well. Al had the Filet Mignon flambeed with Roquefort cheese in a brandy garlic sauce. I don't eat much steak but talk about a party in your mouth. Hardly needed the use of a steak knife. I had the Caribbean lobster tail. Do you see me smiling right now? Talk about two happy people clinking our glasses to 20 years together.
Friday (Viernes) We decided to hit Tulum yesterday but instead of heading to the ocean, we wanted to focus on the old part of the town. Tulum has initiated an amazing project of bringing street artists from all over the world to participate in creating street murals in the town area. Impressive just doesn't do it justice. We were so interested in exploring this so we
were excited about this day trip. Unfortunately we were tired from all the work the day before (on our feet a good part of the day), and slept in longer than we hoped. The room has black-out curtains so you have no freaking idea if it's day or night or if you are coming or going, or in this case, snoozing.
We hustled to catch the colectivo van to Tulum and got there by noon. Folks if you visit here you do not need to rent a car or pay for a private rental. Hop on this colectivo with your friends for all of $3 CDN to get from Playa to Tulum or any parts in between. The leaving point is at 15th avenue & 2 Calle (Str). Tell them where you are going and they'll point you to the appropriate van. The driver will call out spots in advance to get off. If not be sure to tell him where you are going as well & he'll direct you off. Our van was brimming with tourists going to the Mayan Ruins.
Anyhow after arriving, we did some touring around, and really enjoyed seeing some of this jaw-dropping
and emotive murals.You can rent a scooter there for $35CDN which is great if you wish to explore the old part of the town and the street art, and visit all the little shops and fantastic bars (bars are almost better than the ocean-perched ones.) Note: if you wish to rent a scooter or car be sure to bring your driver's licence plus your passport. They are very fussy about this and will not accept a copy of your passport. I guess they don't want you driving their scooter back to Canada? (I hate having to carry my passport for fear of it getting damaged etc.) Trust me, it's the last headache you want in a foreign country. The beach bars & restaurants stretch the beaches and cabs can be pricey so the scooter option is a great idea for a couple. Everyone loves to rent bikes here and they are all over the place. But I don't feel the need to peddle in scorching heat 20 km to the beach and back. I'm practical like that 😊
It was just a fun laid-back day of cruising around, eating, having some drinks and listening to some live music. We
hit a well-known bar called Batey's. They converted an old Volkswagen beetle into a sugar cane grinder because this place is known for its homemade mojitos. (Batey refers to the little villages in the Dominican Republic that produces the sugarcane). If you mosey up to the car, you can see the lengths of sugar cane where they will grind it right in front of you for your mojito. Yes senor, the mojitos there are DYNO-mite! What a fun laid-back vibe.
We enjoyed drinks at Don Cafeto which had this live 3 piece band playing music in the early afternoon. What fun those guys were and great musicians. It was the middle of the afternoon and people were up dancing! Margaritas were great, and cheap, and they gave us a bowl of a pickled vegetable salad with nacho chips and salsas on the house. The vegetables were carrot, potato, beans, sweet onion, jalapenos,& peppercorns and oh so flavorful.
After the music was done, and we'd had our share of Mexican bites, we stopped at a little Italian bistro Trattoria Romano and enjoyed a chicken stuffed with ham and cheese in a tomato lemon sauce with a mixed salad for
a total of $10CDN. Pretty tasty and good for the price. I think a glass of Italian wine was around $5 and a beer around $2. *If you want to order chicken in Spanish, it's spelled 'polla' but you pronounce it: POY-YO. You are welcome for the free Spanish lesson today.
Tulum is fun and I've got a big crush on it because it has something for everyone but I will tell you, eat in town at one of the great cheaper restaurants before hitting the beach. You can find great places to drink 2for1 if you walk around. There's much more to discover there; cenotes, caves, lagoons, so we'll be going back.
We ended up the day at a little bar playing a game of pool. We hopped the colectivo back to Playa arriving around 6:30. We enjoyed a lovely dinner out under the stars enjoying the soft sounds of music filling the air, and a walk along the beach with the moon as our friendly guide.
PS No vacation can go unpunished. I decided to do a quick load of laundry last night in the condo. I put in a small load and it ran
and ran and ran. I checked the washer and it hadn't even emptied. So Al tries to adjust the setting to just drain it and spin it. It's clear this new washer was not installed on a level basis. After an eternity of waiting (sweet Jaysus) it was finally done. It was built up on a ledge and the opening is narrow and as I'm trying to dig down to get out my laundry, as my head came back the side of my pony-tailed hair snagged this latch thing poking out of the washer lid. So now my hair is caught and I'm stuck in the washer. I yell out to Al and he's listening to music so no chance of a girl getting her hair untangled. (We don't have one of these hook type of things at home on our washer.) Anyhow, I finally get unwound and put the laundry into the *%$@ dryer, and go out to tell Al that I just had a go-around with the washer, and he just shook his head and laughed. Oh Sal he says...
Bottom line: don't do laundry on your holidays.
Signing off in the land of wonderful music,
great food & warm people (and very sketchy washing machines).
PS I miss you my kids. I'll be doing a video call soon although I spoke to one of you today! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Mom's happy face here 😊
Oh and my
personal assistant, who is supposed to review my blog before going public seems to be off sipping a cerveza. So I'm on my own on this. Here I go...😊
Sal & her handsome partner, Jim Beam. (Pics below. Thanks for reading. I am almost ready to retire my blog and let it go to la la land. Isn't that the big movie this year? More rest, less typing. I'll see how it all unfolds... 😊
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danielle
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please e-mail me (privately) so we can discuss get together this week.