Saturday 26 February 2011

Things to do with a Watermelon

Sorry, but I blame it on the mescal. We have been adding a little bit to our water, to our sun tea, to our freshly-made juice. You know, just to take the 'edge' off. It might be working. I bought this 'baby ' from the guy who goes around in the truck, loaded down with them. I knew it would be good. And indeed it has provided hours of family entertainment. We tortured it for days before finally eating it.

Monday 21 February 2011

Cows Allowed Off Leash

It's nice being on a beach that you can not only bring your dog, but you can also bring your cows. You can also bring your horse, but I don't have those pictures yet. Mexico is so easy going about those kinds of things. Nobody gets bent out of shape and there isn't a law against this or that. It doesn't get out of hand. Even if everyone in town brought their horse down to the beach at the same time, there would end up being a
FIESTA. Live and let live. Individual responsibility. If you fall off the sidewalk and hurt yourself....guess what? It was your own fault....not the city... not the county.... not the shoe manufacturer... not the hot coffee you spilled on yourself. Yesterday I watched an entire family climb into a barely seaworthy fishing ponga and head out to the open ocean. I am talking mom, dad, aunties, grandma, grandpa and several kids. I had to smile because there was absolutely no safety gear on that boat at all. Nada. Pretty soon they were just a dot on the horizon. Reckless? No, not here. Here is was just a Sunday treat for the family. Yes, something bad could have happened, but something bad could always happen. Travel always reminds me that there are many ways to be in the world. I love the differences. Love them.

Saturday 19 February 2011

Tuesday 15 February 2011

"Violence begins with a fork"

This quote is Ghandi, pure and simple and straight to the heart. You might think that being here with all the beauty of the Pacific and having a holiday I might be in less of a 'mood'. No such luck as I am indeed in quite 'the mood' . As I write this I am also making toast that I will slather with butter and give to some of the neighborhood dogs. These are not what you are thinking. These are not your typical, starving mexican street dogs...no. They are well cared for in the mexican way...meaning they are fed irregularly, never have fresh water available, sort of belong the the people at the end of our lane and are not intentionally, physically abused. As good as it will get for them and not bad. So, I give them some little treats because I can. The first time I put water in a bowl and offered it they looked at me like I was trying to poison them. They backed off and cowered. Then the big one bravely approached the bowl and sniffed. Let's just say they were a wee bit thirsty. I am doing a lot of thinking and ruminating and coming to many of my usual conclusions regarding, well just regarding everything. I am having trouble finding the right words to share. I don't want to preach but I do want the people I know and love to think. This quote below was at the end of a book I just finished reading. It speaks to me and I hope it speaks to you. "Isn't man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife -- birds, kangaroos, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice and foxes by the million--in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills his domestic animals by the billion and eats them. This in turns kills men by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative--and fatal--health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures to these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year sends out cards praying for 'Peace on Earth'" - C. David Coats

Sunday 13 February 2011

Thursday 10 February 2011

Not Exactly Hot...

No, not exactly 'hot' in the way you expect the coastal jungles of Mexico to be in February. Pleasantly temperate. Unusually cool. Less humid. Less tourists too. Its quiet here. Except for the roosters, the dogs, the truck airbrakes, the waves. Thankfully it is not a time of fireworks or fiestas. Its more tranquil and I like that. There are some changes here that I find a little sad. One of them is that more people are speaking English...I know that is a concession that the locals make to survive but I force my Spanish on them anyway. I usually get away with it (my dark hair and olive skin helps). I want Mexico to remain a foreign country to me....does that make any sense? I want it to stay Mexico. I don't want it to be 'fixed'. It isn't broken.