September 21st, 2007
After living in Mexico for 6 years or so, you get a little relaxed about things! Despite it being a week later, I still want to tell you about Mexico’s Independence Day. You always know the date is near when you start to see vendors on the street selling mexican flags, horns, streamers and more in the colors of green, white and red! Cars and homes and parks are often decorated with the flag and colors.
It is celebrated on the Sept 15th night and Sept 16th day. The history goes like this… In the year 1500, Spain conquered Mexico and named it New Spain. Life was difficult under Spanish rule and many of the native Mexicans (The Mayas and Aztecs) were forced into slavery. More than 300 years later, on September 16, 1810, a priest named Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla started a revolt against the Spanish. The Spanish were finally defeated in 1821 and now Mexican Independence is celebrated every year to remember the beginning of the struggle for freedom.
To remember this historical date, the celebrating begins on September 15 (the eve of Independence Day) by having crowds of people gather in the zocalos (town squares) of cities, towns, and villages. People sell confetti, whistles, horns, paper-machete helmets, and toys in the colors of red, white and green. Food is a big part of celebrating.
The people watch the time and when the clock strikes eleven o’clock (PM) the crowd gets silent. On the last strike of eleven the president of Mexico steps out on the palace balcony, and rings the historic liberty bell that Father Hidalgo rang to call the people. Then the president gives the Grito de Delores. He shouts “Viva Mexico” “Viva la independencia” and the crowd echos back. People do this at the same time all across Mexico. While the crowd says this they fill the air with confetti, streamers and noise. Castillos explode in showers of red, white, and green. Then people prepare for the next days’ celebration.
Personally, I celebrated with a group of friends with amazing mexican food, music and conversation. The next day it is typical for guests to return to the home of the party giver to eat leftovers! – Sherry Stevens
September 10th, 2007
The amazing VIDAS Volunteer Vets, Techs and Students came to the Yucatan Peninsula to help our local animals and community. They set up their temporary animal sterilization clinic in Playa del Carmen Aug 8-11, 2007 in the colosio at a Primary school. They offer their services for free in hopes to prevent animal suffering due to starvation, disease, and other health problems associated with pet overpopulation, recognizing also that overpopulation of animals also contributes directly to human disease. Their focus is safe sterilization, vaccination and parasite control for the animals and education for the local people about safe animal handling, zoonotic disease and general animal husbandry and health care.
After finishing a 4 day clinic in Playa del Carmen, they broke down the clinic and moved it to a school in Puerto Morelos and completed a 2 day clinic there as well, Aug 13 &14, 2007.
The total number of animals sterilized and treated (Includes cats and dogs, male and female).
Playa del Carmen in 4 days: 201
Puerto Morelos in 2 days: 97
Here are some photos to take you through some of a day of the Playa del Carmen VIDAS clinic.
After advertising the clinic weeks prior in local papers, radio and fliers around town… people start showing up for the free clinic in the morning at 8 AM.
First, we check them in with owner and pet information. Then they wait their turn for general exams.
Volunteers have plenty of time to meet and greet all the friendly customers. This is the best part!
Next, they get the pre-med ready for each individual animal in the surgery room.
This is US VET Meghann Burgland, she is in charge of everything that goes on with the medication doses and the flow of the surgery room. She is basically the backbone of the surgery room. Keep in mind they averaged 50 surgeries a day!
In one of the classrooms of the primary school they have their surgery room with 4 operating tables made especially for animals, other stations for sterilizing equipment etc.
Dr. Erica Periman beginning a surgery.
At 1:00 or so everyday, one of the Visiting Vet Students that is fluent in Spanish, taught classes to the local children.
Teaching them basic animal care and safety.
They LOVE it!
Kids having a ball with Vidas Volunteer Teacher, Nolan Zeide. He is a vet student at Purdue University.
Showing off their work!
This is the recovery room where all patients go after surgery to recover and wake up.
Volunteer, Deborah Payne checks a sweet Playa puppy for ticks.
We make comfy soft places to lay them and while they are still sleepy, we do a lot of extra care such as, cleaning ears, picking ticks, and a lot of TLC.
Any animals in need of parasite control or have skin conditions are treated at the clinic.
Volunteer, Diane Patterson from Michigan takes care of a tiny black kitten in the recovery room.
After waking up and going through the recovery process, it is time to go home. The owners are told when they could return for their pet according to when they were dropped off. Some pet owners stay and wait the whole day and even help in the recovery room.
”Mom, I am ready to go home!”
It was a prefect success. Our community is grateful to VIDAS organization and volunteer crew. All of the visiting crew comes from the US or Canada, paying their own way and use their vacation time to come to this area and volunteer their skills!!!!- We love them for this!
During the clinic we have many locals and local businesses that have donated housing, meals, transportation assitance and hands on help. The Blue Parrot donated wonderful lunches for all the crew and volunteers, as well as, a thank you party at the end of the clinic. Mexico Escape donated two beautiful properties, as well as, an individual, Judith York Newman donated her condo for the visiting crew.
Vidas provides new collars and leashes to any animals in need! These dogs came with electrical cords as leads. (on the black dog in this photo you can even see the plug around his neck). If you have interest in getting involved with VIDAS or helping the animals please check out http://www.vidas.org/ or go to our local animal charity page.
I want to give my gratitude for the locals and visting volunteers that helped make this clinic work!
Thank you to Dr. Sandra Valdez, Dr. Claudia Lewy Sanchez, Dr. Diego Queijeiro G, Glenda Gabriel, Brenda Lee Carson, Deborah Ritchie, Libby and John Bekas, Paula Tunstall, Madi Collins, Deborah Payne, Marilyn Wall, Dale Cabauatan, Diane and Richard Patterson, Leslie Clark, Claire, Judith York Newman, Jan and Larry Hoffman and Pam and Tom of the Blue Parrot and their lovely staff – Sherry Stevens
August 22nd, 2007
Hurricane Dean made landfall well south of the Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya. We had a little wind and rain, nothing more. We are sunny and blue skies again, Come join us!- Sherry
Please see the below article published by BBC NEWS earlier today. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6955163.stm
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6955163.stm
Published: 2007/08/21 12:25:08 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Hurricane Dean hits Mexico coast
The storm is expected to cause widespread flooding
Dean hits Mexico
Hurricane Dean has struck Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula near the border with Belize, bringing driving winds and lashing rain.
Cancun and other tourist resorts were spared a direct hit as the storm came ashore at 0330 (0830 GMT) about 40 miles (65km) north-east of Chetumal.
The storm has weakened to Category Three, with winds of 125mph (205km/h) as it crosses land.
It could strengthen when it hits sea again after crossing the Yucatan.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Florida said the eye of the storm had made landfall near the town of Majahual.
At 1200 GMT the centre of the storm had moved inland about 40 miles (65km) north-west of Chetumal, travelling west at about 20mph (62km/h).
‘Windows shattered’
Last-minute evacuations took place along the coast as Dean was expected to bring a heavy flood surge.
The NHC said the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize as well as Guatemala and northern Honduras could expect heavy rainfall which could cause flash floods and landslides.
Tens of thousands of tourists have been evacuated from resorts in the Yucatan but many others are still there, huddling in shelters.
The resorts have been boarded up and offshore oil facilities are closed but there is concern for residents of poor communities living in flimsy homes.
Andrea Montalvo, of the US-based Spanish-language Telemundo television network, said the storm was wreaking havoc in the Mexican city of Chetumal.
“Inside the hotel it is really bad, every 10 or 15 minutes you can hear windows shattering and people are coming out of their rooms in panic,” she said.
City officials said there were power outages as the wind knocked over trees and sent debris flying through the air.
Ernesto Calzada from Quintana Roo radio and TV told the BBC: “I looked out of my office window and saw an enormous tree close by topple over.”
Further south, in Belize City, officials closed the hospitals and urged people to head inland, saying the town’s shelters were not strong enough to withstand the hurricane.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who is attending a trade summit in Canada, said that he would leave on Tuesday after a meeting with his US and Canadian counterparts.
Looting fears
The hurricane has already claimed at least 11 lives in the eastern Caribbean, but largely spared the low-lying Cayman Islands on Monday.
Cancun and other popular Mexican resorts are escaping a “direct hit” but that has not stopped around two-thirds of Cancun’s tourists leaving the area.
Some holidaymakers camped overnight at Cancun’s airport to find a flight while others were turned away.
Police officers have been deployed to prevent looting while residents boarded up their homes ahead of the storm.
Mexico’s state-oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, has evacuated its workers and shut down production on the offshore rigs.
The hurricane is moving steadily west over the Yucatan and may regain strength when it hits sea again over the Bay of Campeche on Tuesday night, the NHC said.
It is due to hit Mexico’s coast for a second time near Tampico in the state of Veracruz.
Dean is expected to be less damaging than the Category Five Hurricane Wilma in 2005, which lingered over the Yucatan for a day, killing 10 people and wrecking large areas of Cancun.
Category Five storms are rare – only three have hit the US since record-keeping began.
In the US, the return of the space shuttle Endeavour was brought forward by a day, to Tuesday, in an attempt to beat the hurricane should it eventually reach Texas, where Nasa’s mission control is based.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6955163.stm
Published: 2007/08/21 12:25:08 GMT
© BBC MMVII
August 17th, 2007
Since I live in Playa del Carmen, I will make this short and sweet. We are all watching the path of Hurricane Dean today, August 17, 2007. We like the following site for information: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200704.html
Along The Riviera Maya coast, we are preparing with boarding up windows, gathering water and non perishable foods, candles etc. It is routine for us living in this area and it is not difficult to prepare. It is always possible to change course but at this moment it appears that it could reach land on the Yucatan Peninsula Monday sometime. If you are traveling to this area in the next few weeks or so, please check the above website and watch the storm. Our community seems to get things back in order pretty rapidly even if we get hit by a hurricane so don’t assume your vacation plans are ruined. I will be posting what it looks like on our end as soon as possible. – Sherry
July 30th, 2007
If you are looking for another reason to LOVE Mexico… a good one is the SIESTA!
Mexico takes its nap time very seriously. Many stores, shops, and offices close between the hours of 2 pm – 4 pm for the traditional siesta time. I am not sure if they all run home to jump in their hammock or not, but it is a brilliant plan if you ask me. If corporate America would follow suit, I am sure the productivity level would improve drastically. It worked for all of us in kindergarten, why not in adult-hood. Kudos to Mexico! We love Siesta time here! – Sherry
July 11th, 2007
Congratulations Mexico!
Chichén Itzá has won a position as one of the NEW 7 wonders of the world!
Chichén Itzá, the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization. Its various structures – the pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, and the Playing Field of the Prisoners – can still be seen today and are demonstrative of an extraordinary commitment to architectural space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.
If you would like to plan a tour while in the Riviera Maya, Mexico we have a Private Official Guide that is available for persoanlized day tours or we can offer you a bus tour to Chichén Itzá.
To view the official 7 wonders site, http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php?id=315
Come see it for yourself! – Sherry
June 12th, 2007
Living in a country with the native language being different than your own can be a challenge and entertaining.
Here is one of my favorite signs in Playa del Carmen. It is painted on the side of a prominent building as you exit Fase 1 of Playacar. It always makes me smile! Don’t get me wrong, I have made many many mistakes when speaking Spanish in this country and locals have been super patient with those of us who have managed to butcher the Spanish language at some given point. I am guessing there could be a great job opportunity for proof readers in Playa del Carmen.
I hope the local Mexicans find my mistakes as charming as I find theirs. Who cares as long as Playa del Carmen has the ”best beer in the word“. – Sherry
June 4th, 2007
One of the best things about living in an amazing vacation destination is that friends and family will come to visit! Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing one of my old college buddies and his family here in the Riviera Maya, Mexico.
Dan Pajo, his parents, his wife, Dawn and his precious 6 year old daughter came to Mexico for vacation. They currently live in Louisville, KY. During their vacation they stayed in an all inclusive resort in Akumal. I asked Dan if he would share some of his personal thoughts and tips for travelling with children.
-Sherry Stevens
Here is what he had to say…
“Here are some tips that worked for us.
1. Love the A/C – sprinkle in some cool down spots with A/C, cold drinks… and ice cream is always a welcome addition
2. Exploring Adventures are great, but not with kids. I used to love going down the side streets when traveling and getting a real taste of the area. No longer. It’s worth paying a little extra to remove all doubt about safety and security.
3. Instead of renting a car or taking the bus, take a taxi or a taxi van if the group is larger than 3 or 4 people.
4. The last thing that you want as a parent is to be in an unfamiliar area, unable to speak the native tongue and in an uncompromising situation (out of gas/broken down, lost, unknown neighborhood, dehydrated, overheated, etc…). Our hotel even arranged to have a taxi wait for us while we shopped and when we went to Tulum. The prices were already pre-arranged and it did not cost extra to have them wait. Just that little peace of mind was nice… Not having to worry about your ride home. And you knew that they would be there waiting because you don’t pay until you return to your hotel!
5. It seemed like the Tulum Ruins were popular with the kids. Some may not be interested, but Eliza (age 6) was enthralled, curious and hung on every word. Plus, it did not hurt that you could not spit without hitting a lizard. She was bummed that we did not get in the ocean at the end of the tour, but the water was pretty rough.
6. Always have water activities (swimming) planned at the end of the trip- whether it’s the pool or the ocean, it is very refreshing and gives the kids something to look forward to.
7. Get a good sun hat for yourself and the kids. Just getting the beating sun off of your face will help you stay outdoors longer. And it will make it more enjoyable if your kid is comfortable and not making it implicitly clear that it is time to go.
8. Take plenty of water with you when you go out, even if you’re planning on buying drinks there. Same reasons as above.
9. Put on your sunscreen in your room before you go anywhere. Many places are environmentally concerned (and rightfully so) and won’t allow you to put on sunscreen while in pristine areas. But you can’t let your kid turn into a bacon strip either, so be discreet or invest in environmentally friendly sunscreen if possible.
Our thoughts on staying in an All Inclusive Resort
We went to a brand new all inclusive resort due to having a six year old daughter. It really was great having all the meals, drinks, etc… ready and waiting at all hours. It is very nice to not have to consider where you’re going to dinner, how long it will take and whether there will be something that your child will eat or not. They can be pretty headstrong.
The negatives are that we got no real sense of the culture as the environment was anesthetized or watered down, if that makes any sense. We were wanting eat real Mexican food, but we did not get that at all in the all inclusive resort. Oh, and the shows… My God. The shows were horrific. But if you looked at it as if very bad entertainment is funny, then you might be able to stomach them. I, however, could not. But there were a lot of people who seemed to enjoy them. The people who enjoyed the resort entertainment ranged in age from maybe 40-60 (this age group is not that far off for me!).
After we returned, my wife Dawn & I discussed going the total opposite route next time and go to a very small place.
Here are the must haves, in our opinion:
Clean
Close to authentic restaurants
Close to the beach without having to cross traffic
Nice pool
It would be nice to go to a place that offers at least one meal a day so you don’t always have to go out.” – Dan Pajo
*Eliza LOVED the abundant Iguana’s and Gecko’s of Mexico. If Eliza was not satisfied with the stuffed animal lizard Grandma bought her as a souvenir, I would not be surprised if the Pajo’s have made a trip to the local pet store and had to purchase a lizard of thier own???
May 27th, 2007
Before I moved to Playa del Carmen,Mexico I had never even heard of whale sharks. Last year I had the unique opportunity to actually snorkel with them.
My day began at the uncomfortably early hour of 3:00 am. I was instructed to meet our local guide, Jason, at 3:30 am at a local hotel for our trip to Holbox Island and the Gulf of Mexico (not all tours depart at this time). After sleepy introductions were made with my fellow whale shark ‘hunters’, a group of 8 from Colorado, we loaded into the van and began our journey to the other side of the Yucatan peninsula.
The van was quiet and cool, and we all dozed during the 3 hour drive. We woke to the sun rising as we reached the coastal town of Chiquila. From the dock in Chiquila we boarded a speed boat for the trip to Holbox Island. Once on Holbox, Jason checked in with our guide, Roberto, to obtain our permits while the rest of us used the time to stretch our legs, grab a ham and cheese croissant and use the facilities. I headed straight for the coffee.
We hopped back aboard the speed boat and we’re on our way. During the 1.5-2 hour ride, Roberto gave us an informative talk on the whale sharks we hoped to see, as well as instructions on how we were allowed to interact with them. We would be allowed to enter the water, two at a time, with our guide. We would not be allowed to touch them or swim underneath them. These rules were developed in an effort to cause as little stress to the whale sharks as possible and any breach of the rules could result in our tour being stopped.
As we sped along the green waters of the Gulf, we all kept our eyes open for the other marine life that is frequently seen along the way. Our group was elated to spot several wild dolphins as well as a manta ray. Truly an added bonus!
It wasn’t long and we got word to start watching for whale sharks!!! Until that moment I hadn’t really given much thought to what I was about to do. I was about to jump into the water with a shark. Not just any shark, but a shark the size of a whale! Even though I knew I would not be in any danger, I was more than a little anxious when our first whale shark was spotted. This yellow-spotted fish seemed as large as our boat!
The boat maneuvered into position and I watched as the first group donned their masks and fins and entered the water. The smiles on the faces of the other guests as they emerged from the water was enough to quell my fears and turn up my excitement.
My turn, and I’m ready to go! I lower myself into the water as Roberto reached for my hand. Together we swam toward the enormous creature. Had I not had my teeth firmly sunk into my snorkel, my jaw would have surely dropped in awe. We kicked hard to keep up with the shark, but it was as if Roberto and I moved in slow motion as the whale shark swam effortlessly by. My memories of this first encounter play like still photographs in my mind; the large, wide mouth, the deep blackness of its eye, the gaping gills so large they seemed as though I could swim right through them. A flick of the tail fin and it was gone.
For a couple of hours we motored around, stopping to snorkel with several different whale sharks, each of us having three or four chances to swim join them in the water. All too soon it was time to say good bye to the whale sharks and make our return trip to Playa.
The drive back was quiet as most of the other guests slept. I was too exhilarated to sleep and chose to relive this once in a lifetime experience of swimming with the whale sharks.
- Tyra Hamilton
Whale sharks migrate to the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula during the months of June to September. For more information about whale shark tours: http://www.travelrm.com/activities/whale-shark-adventure-seasonal/. For general information about the whale shark: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark. Drawing by Robbie Cada, http://www.fishbase.org/; Photographs courtesy of Jason Sartain
May 18th, 2007
While wandering around Playa del Carmen, you can not help but notice construction here, there and everywhere. We are growing like a weed. I began to notice crosses on the top of most construction sites and finally had to find out what it symbolized! Mexico is known for its celebrations and abundant holidays. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone to the bank to find out it was closed for a holiday that I had never known about.
The crosses on the top of buildings in progress were to celebrate the DIA DE LA SANTA CRUZ (Day of the Holy Cross). It is celebrated on May 3rd.
This day is celebrated as the day of the bricklayers and the builders. On May 3rd the construction workers build altars to the cross, adorn them with flowers, sails and sometimes streamers of many colors. The construction workers work half day, and most likely celebrate and enjoy the second half of the day work free!
The crosses are made with scraps from the construction site. The cross is placed in the highest point of the site. As soon as the cross is installed the holiday begins. In many cases, the acquaintances and family members of the workers are invited to celebrate the day. They share in fun and a meal such as fried pork, corn stew and tamales.
The crosses stay up long enough for people like me to wonder what they mean. This country has so many celebrations and traditions. As I continue to learn more and more about this country, I will share it with you. – Sherry
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