Saskatchewan Gypsies

A small home near the saltwater lagoon in Chuburna

As one nears the edges of the village the houses become flimsier such as this one made with corrogated iron sheeting.  As we passed this home only metres from the salt water lagoons that lie to the south of the village, we saw three little children playing while their mother was busy preparing some food under the eave of the roof.

We spent some time looking out at the salt marshes and at the collection of tiny white boats that were poled around the marshes on the search for shellfish and other edibles.  Then, we turned to walk back into town.  In a number of disorderly yards we saw large piles of beautiful shells, discards once the soft edible seafood had been removed. 

Plucking a chicken for the mid-day meal.

Mother preparing lunch

As you can see, the homes are basic.  In this part of the world, there isn’t the need for glass windows when a screen with leavered wooden shutters covering the screens to both allow in light and keep out the frequent wind that carries sand from the sea which lies several hundred metres away.  Many have no electricity and use wood for their cookstoves.  No one heats their home.  It just isn’t cold enough.  They have little and expect little.  They make do with basics hoping that the day’s catch from the sea or the marshes will allow them a few extra pesos.

A little corner store with a limited assortment of items for neighbourhood villagers.

As we wandered through the village we found quite a few small shops, some with almost nothing in stock except a few crackers, soda pop and junk food.  We found three shops close to each other, that sold fruits and vegetables.  One also sold a bit of meat, sort of a butcher shop minus the cooler display of meat.  People lined up and when it was their turn, indicated which piece of the larger hunk of meat they wanted.  The butcher then chopped it off and the sale was made. 

Further down the road, this small corner store presented a more modern appearance, somewhat like a small confectionary.   Like other shops, junk food, pop, beer and a few basic items were on display.  The adjacent business was selling mobile phone cards.  Rarely does anyone have a land line here in Chuburna.  It’s all about keeping it simple in a community where the average daily wage is 70 pesos, that’s seven dollars.

The ruins as seen from the beach

Another day, another adventure.  With the weather being bit off for strolls along the beach, we decided to head into town along the back lanes.  Once we made it to the village we decided to keep going further in hopes of finding the ruins we had heard abot.  We ended up following some back roads which were sand trails, not too sure exactly where they were taking us.  Along these trails we saw that the locals had been using the area as a convenient garbage can.  Finally, in the distance I spotted what looked like a spike of stone sticking up which suggested we wouldn’t have to walk much further.  After hiking for about five kilometres we had come upon the ruins.  They weren’t the most impressive ruins, obviously as you can see from the photo, but to us they were definitely worth the long walk. 

The two of us within the centre of the ruins.

We wandered around in the ruins looking at all there was to see.  We did see an old well, a cooking area, likely for smoking hanging fish in addition to the walls.  In the centre of the opening, someone had recently built a stone circle, perhaps for a fire pit. 

Of course, we just had to take some photographs of ourselves at the site.  Hopefully, the pictures capture the scene as well as the atmosphere.  There is no doubt that we will be heading that way again someday, perhaps when it is sunny so that we can take photos under different lighting conditions.

Morning in our villa, checking e-mail while having a cup of coffee.

Every morning is a good morning here in Chuburna.  Typically we go for a walk before sitting down for our first morning cup of coffee.  When it is cool and windy, we have our coffee in the villa instead of out on the patio facing the sea.  It’s a good time for checking e-mail and reading various online newspapers.  Of course, it is also a perfect time for talking with family using Skype. 

With breakfast over and ready for another walk, we decided to walk along the highway, a narrow, rough paved road for a different path in hopes of seeing different scenery.  We did get to see and photograph a number of things, birds and such along the way to the village.  At the entrance to the village, we came across the sign indicating that the village was also a port (puerto).  We haven’t been to the port yet, that will come on a different day. 

 We walked through the town until we came to the community graveyard on the northwest corner of the village, not too far from the beach.    We wandered among the grave markers, some of which were shrines and some of which were simple wooden crosses.  Looking out from the back of the graveyard, the sand and scrub bushes continued westward.   Walking along the sand trail we came across this family fixing their palm-leaf stalk fence.

 We then headed back to our villa so that Maureen could get ready for an afternoon outing with her friend Kathy.  The two women were headed to Merida leaving me home alone for the afternoon and early evening.  Not to worry though, as I had planned for a walk with the camera to the south, to the sea lagoon that stretches from Progreso westwards to points yet undetermined.

I walked for about three hours with camera in hand making sure that I took more than enough photos.  Perhaps someday I will show some of them to you.  Just ask.  But for now, this post is done so I will say, hasta manana – until tomorrow.

All lined up in a row

Another beautiful day in Chuburná, Mexico.  Our morning walk took us about two hours, most of it out in the water at a good distance from the shore.  Walking out further from the shore, the water actually gets quite shallow in spots.  I had no worries about walking out quite some distance carrying the camera.

It was a perfect location to shoot a number of photos featuring birds.  Of course, the most common birds were seagulls and pelicans.  Also joining the crowd were a few cormorants,

A black bird that had a wingspan and spread out tail that reminded me of a dove.

sandpipers and an interesting looking black bird.

If I had my bird book handy, I could likely find out exactly what kind of bird it was.  For now, it isn’t all that important.  It was enough to get the photo and enjoy the moment.

A living sea shell.

A quiet day, a sunny day, the perfect kindof day for a long walk along the beach in order to discover small things while allowing our bodies to adjust to the sun.  Our stay here will likely have many such days, good days.

Walking along the beach, collecting shells, we came upon this beautiful shell to add to the collection when we noticed that there was a life form inside the shell.  It wasn’t too long before it emerged outside of its shell in order to check out what was happening with its eyes on long thin stalks searching out the new environment up in the air.

The tide is out showing more of the homemade property boundaries which also serve as beach protection.

The tide was out which allowed us to follow the shoreline much easier as there are a number of properties that have their walls go all the way to the water, illegal of course as there is a law requiring a set distance between buildings and walls and the shoreline. 

An attempt toget close to a row of seagulls perched on the breakwater posts Provided me with a great photo opportunity, one which was too hard to resist.  Once we returned to our villa, we put out our collection of shells to dry in the sunshine. 

Of course, posting here seems to be always an exercise in catching up.  I guess the habit of trying to put up a new post in the morning means that I will always be using photos from the past day to tell the story of that day.  In real terms, this doesn’t matter as one day is like the other – a day worth remembering.

Our task for Friday was to learn how the bus system works so that we could travel around the area more easily.  Our local bus is really a large van that is refered to as a “combi”.  We walked to the village square where we caught this combi.  When we got there, two others were already in the van waiting.  We paid our 78 cents each for our fare to travel about 20 kilometres to the centre of Progreso, the largest town of the beach communities, really, a small city.  It wasn’t too long before there were enough passengers for the trip to begin.  This is how a driver decides when the journey begins, not by a timed schedule.  As we drove towards Progreso, we made a few stops along the country roadside to pick up a few more passengers.  We also stopped in two villages en route.  There are no bus stops.  The driver stopped when people waved to get his attention.  Interesting.

Once we got to Progreson, a half hour earlier than planned, we went on a quick walkabout to check out the area near the bus centre so that it would be easy to find our way back to the centre when it was time to go home to Chuburna.  We saw a few areas of interest that we wanted to return to and investigate at a later time.  Then, it was time to return to the bus centre to meet our friends from Sask Landing, my golf buddy Roger and his wife Suzanne.  Our first stop was their apartment in a beautiful small complex for lunch.  With full stomachs, we then began a walking tour of Progreso led by Roger.   

A "frigate" bird sails above the Malecon beach in Progreso.

Next stop was the Malecon, a boardwalk along the beach where there are beach restaurants, views of the six mile long pier extending out into the Caribbean and a few craft markets.  While walking along the beach, we got to see a pair of frigate birds gliding above the beach which was relatively busy with both Mexican and foreign bathers and swimmers.

Little beach friend

Today the morning is quite misty out with humidity sitting at an even 100%.  It is still a bit cool with the temperature sitting at about 22C.  The noise from the crashing surf has become quite gentle rather than sounding like a winter blizzard.  Something tells me that it will be a cloudy day for us here.  This is good as we don’t want to overdo the sun bathing right off the start.

Our walk down the beach yesterday morning was relaxing in the sunshine.  As we walked, Maureen was beginning to pick up seashells for her collection.  I imagine that over the next three months it will become quite the collection that will need culling before we leave so that only the best get taken home.  Of course, I was busy taking photos.  This little guy, I mean he was little, decided that I was an interesting subject of study.  He was busy scooting around until I took out the camera.  Then, like any natural cold-blooded animal, he posed for a picture (or two).  The beach is interesting.

Maureen's favourite flower which was growing along side of a villa wall.

At the end of our walk along the beach, we visited a couple from Nanaimo.   It was a good visit as she was an ESL teacher and SpecEd teacher in BC.  He was also a teacher, basically teaching and administering a computer tech school.  They are just about finished building a brand new bome on the second row of villas.  We will be visiting them again, likely on Sunday.

With that visit done, we walked back to our villa along the beach taking more photos and collecting a few more shells.  Once back at the villa, it was time for a swim before setting to work making a pot of vegetable and noodle soup.  Home cooking can’t be beat.

The sandy lane between the beach villas and the second row of villas.

The afternoon was a time for reading, relaxing and just plain enjoying the fact that we were alive and well in Mexico.  I guess you could call this “siesta” time without the sleeping part.  Yes, we are starting to go native.

In the late afternoon, it was time to again go walking, this time down the sandy lane in the opposite direction.  Quite a ways down the lane, we came across another Canadian couple, from Ontario.  Of course, we had to go in and have a chat and a beverage in order to be friendly.  They have also been here for just a few days as well.  They drove down and so have their car with them.  By the time we finished our “getting to know each other” chat, it was dark.  We then walked back to our villa along the lane which had street lights.  Back home, it was time to eat a bit of supper, check out the news, weather and sports.  I listened to the last period of a hockey game for a while, then joined Maureen in playing some on-line bridge.  And that ended our day.  It’s a tough life.

Pelican skimming along the surface of the sea.

Our second day in Chuburna began warm and sunny, just what we had been looking forward to.  Without Internet service, the usual morning checking of e-mail was missed, as well as reading the local newspapers from home – no loss as we then sat outside in the morning sun to appreciate the beautiful weather.  While enjoying our morning coffee, we watched the pelicans and the seagulls fish for their meals.  Particularly interesting was how the Pelicans would float just above the surface of the water.  When the need for more speed came, they simply rose a few inches with a beating of their wings then again return to the gliding position.  Awesome to watch.Children playing a video game in the doorway of their home.

Children playing a video game in the doorway of their home.

As soon as the women got back from Progreso, we decided to head out for a late lunch to a small local restaurant.  While waiting for our food and enjoying a great lemonade, I saw two young children playing a video machine in a doorway across the road.  Our walk yesterday showed us that most stores had at least two of these game machines.

Beside the front entry on the privacy wall, a shrine to St. Mary.

After finishing our meal, we ended up checking a small corner store while Kathy made a purchase.  The store was beside a relatively beautiful home that had an interesting privacy wall built around it.  We noticed that this home was a bit different from other homes as it had two shrines honouring St. Mary.  So far, we had noticed that many homes had one such shrine.  There is no question that this is a Catholic country, at least in the rural Yucatan area. 

We then returned back to our villa and made contact with our family so that they would stop worrying about our safety.  We had our first Skype conversation in Mexico with grandchildren.  Life seems back to normal now for all of us.

With evening approaching we decided to go for one more walk in a different direction.  Along the way we got to say “Buenas Tardes” and “Hola” to a number of local people who were finishing up their work on various villas undergoing seasonal repairs.  It was the end of the workday for them, a good day from the looks of the smiles on their faces as they passed us by.  We walked as far down the trail as we thought wise as it was beginning to get dusky. 

Turning to walk back to our little home on the beach, the sunset painted some incredible scenes.  I was particulary impressed with the colours, different from the sunset we watched the night before.  We sure didn’t rush our walk back, as we walked along the shoreline.  We got back to the villa and had some tea sitting out on the patio listening to the waves before heading in for a relaxing evening reading our books and catching up on news from home thanks to our Internet connections.

Our little "casa" on the beach, the villa on the left hand side.

We made it, safe and sound and without any trouble!  We landed in Mérida about 6:30 on Monday evening, and were met by someone who drove us straight to our villa at Chuburna as seen in the photo.   Of course, it was too late and too dark to get much of an idea of where we were, that had to wait for the next morning.  We woke up earlier than usual and began to check out the area, especially the beach.

The water is clean, crystal clear.  As we walked in the water, small schools of fish swirled all around us.  Of course, we had to go for a swim in the slightly cool water.  It didn’t take me too long to remember just how good it felt to swim in the sea.

Taking a rest and enjoying a good visit with friends and family.

Further along the beach we watched pelicans become dive bombers in their search for food.  There are a lot of birds here, seagulls, pelicans and others.  The beach has a series of sticks serving as boundary markers for various properties as well as for protection of the beach from erosion.  The posts also serve as resting spots for birds needing to catch a rest from the daily hunt for food.

A small starfish that we decided needed to stay in the sea rather than become a part of our collection of sea shells.

After a lunch, we decided to walk about two kilometres into the village of Chuburna along a dusty sand road that separates the beach homes from a second row of homes.  A number of the homes are occupied, but most are empty as they wait for both Easter holidays and summer holidays when their owners will come with their families to enjoy the seaside.  In the village we looked for an Internet café only to discover that none existed in the village.  We did check out the small fruit and vegetable shops as we walked through the village.  We saw many tiny “mom and pop” kind of restaurants which held only a small handfull of tables.  Obviously, tourism has not quite reached the area.  It is a poor village with only the most basic of things for the residents who make a living either fishing or in their miniscule shops.

Sunset from out patio.

Back at the villa, we met our neighbour who has the Internet that we will be borrowing for our time here.  The owner of both villas had arranged this for us as we didn’t want to lose connection with family and friends.  Our neighbour’s name is Kathy, a nice person living alone in Mexico.  She fell in love with the place and will be a good source of information and help as she has been here for over a year. 

The Internet caused us no end of grief and so we made arrangements for a technician to come out from the city to deal with the problem in the morning.  Obiviously, the problem got fixed as I am posting this journal entry. 

With the Internet issue settled, we spent the evening enjoying some wine and the sunset.  That is the story of our first day in Mexico.