This blog post is filled with many photos - it was an interesting week, so if you are planning to do its viewing in one sit bring a pot of coffee, a few beer or a bottle of wine - it is lengthy.
Sunday we spent part of the day at the beach
with Howard and Theresa
and had lunch at Ojo De Agua - great place,
a nice cool spot with good food.
Monday Allan and I had to go to Cancun for an errand - our neighbour across the street in Villas Morelos Uno was visiting from Guatemala, he told us about this restaurant close to the ADO bus terminal - La Parrilla in Cancun. We stopped there for lunch and what a great place to eat. If you are in Cancun and wish to try it turn left when you leave the ADO terminal (west), then follow the road North 2 streets on the left hand side, then go left again for 2 streets and bingo you are there.
Tuesday we made a trip to Playa Del Carmen for another
errand, we left early in the morning on the ADO. While waiting for our bus to arrive we sat at the 7 eleven in a nice air conditioned spot.
We were fortunate to get one of the newer buses.
Paintings on bridge supports at Playa del Carmen
Children at play in one of the school yards we passed by.
Hey ladies---strippers of the night in Playa del Carmen - any of you interested in a weekend away?
The sense of family is so strong here in Mexico - you don't see mother talking on the cell phone as she is walking her children home from school. They are actually verbally communicating with each other.
Our north american parents could take a lesson from these Mexican parents. They take such pride in their families.
While in Playa del Carmen we ate at the Mission, nice place, great food and a very pleasant atmosphere.
The perfect whiskey tree!
They served complimentary soup, natchos, guacamole and salsa.
Great food!
The meal ended with complimentary ice cream!
On the way back to Puerto Morelos I was able to catch the fire hall in Playa del Carmen with the fire truck on the roof.
Valentine's Day we had dinner with Howard, Theresa, Sharon and Dennis at My Little Italy in on the port side.
The organic lawn mower is out again.
One morning on a walk about the colonia we came upon a construction crew making something hot for their refreshment during the day.
Second day at the beach this week, we met
Howard and Theresa for lunch.
I am not sure but I may have shown this 11 unit condo on the beach in a past post, rumor has it that it is being built by a Texan for his family.
This is the tiled pool surround that is currently being done. - what a beautiful piece of artwork!
The beach is quiet midweek. Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days.
Friday we took a full day tour with
Francisco of La Siesta Tours to Ek Balam ruins and Rio Legartos. What a wonderful day!
The excavation began in 1994, there is still lots to be excavated but lack of funds is causing a delay in the process.
This was our knowledgeable guide, he and his family were part of the archaeological crew to unearth the ruins we saw today.
Our group climbed up to the tomb
of the king and viewed the hieroglyphics on that level.
The view from the level of the King's Tomb.
The view from the very top of the structure.
Here we are with our tour guide Francisco.
Sharon thought this looked like a layered birthday cake
We were treated to lunch on our way between
Ek Balam and Rio Lagartos.
This is a map of Rio Legartos - it is a river where ocean water flows inland from the Gulf of Mexico.
A fisherman threw some fish into the water so I could get a photo of these birds in action.
As you can see the water is very shallow in the area where we went to see the pelicans. I wasn't able to get any photos of the many jelly fish we saw.
Some old boats have been anchored off shore just for the pelicans to sit, quite interesting to see for sure.
A black eagle came to the side of our boat for
food from our captain
These trees have long shoots that come down to
the water for nourishment,
This is the nodule on the end that collects that needed nutrients and oxygen from the water and sediment on the bottom of the river.
Another black eagle.
I enjoy taking photos of wild life but need much more practice to get to that state of "Peter Baumgarten" perfection.
Fellow boaters coming down stream from the salt flats.
A pelican watching and waiting for his next meal.
An Egret
Blue Heron
A crocodile resting on a log.
Another crock enjoying the afternoon sun so much he didn't pay any attention to us.
This old fellow was already in the water and looking for food keep you hands inside the boat people 'cause he is on a mission.
This was the next lucky creature to get a free fish
from our boat.
Then we arrived at the salt flats, our guide Francisco was the only one in our group in the mood for a dip.
Salt water is brought in from the gulf and put in troughs to evaporate, The content is 80% salt and 20% water. You float here the same as you would in the Dead Sea. When Francisco got out of the water you could see the salt crystals on his body.
A plaster of salt mud is applied to the body and allowed to dry. Good for the skin they say.
Another Eagle, - the Fish Eagle, this one wasn't so social,
he wouldn't leave his perch.
A thorough rinse.
Not much English spoken in this part of Mexico, thankfully Francisco is able to translate the menu for us.
Lunch was delicious, you can see that none of us
are smiling - we all have our mouths full.
El camarón de coco es delicioso
Back in Puerto Morelos late Saturday afternoon we took a walk about while waiting for that evening's Carnival festivities to begin.
These are a few of the flowers I came across on our walk.
This man is a metal worker painting one of his pieces of work.
We needed some mosquito spray and found it here at this little store.
One family still had laundry on the line.
This family have their laundry drying on the
roof of their home.
This lady must be in the Carnival, these are wigs she has on the line ready for the evenings dance performers
Even here they have games of chance in the stores for people to play.
Theresa met up with a friend from last year, America and her little brother Joshua. What a wonderful reunion for them both.
Another dog taking a nap - seems to be a lot of that here.
The night begins
Love between siblings
The King and Queen
Junior King and Queen
Intermediate King and Queen
We are way at the back somewhere!
Many rides and games of chance for all to enjoy.
This fellow had to shut down his pizza stand as he sold out!
The crowd of people was immense causing a need for heavy security.
I hope you can make out the armored trucks
with soldiers standing at their machine guns ready
for action if the need arises.
The police were in heavy presence too.
This is a very safe community but they still take precautions as you hopefully can see in the photos. Allan and I were just talking, neither of us gave a thought to our safety when we were walking among this massive crowd of people. The added security is just another fact of life and gives one comfort in knowing they are here for our protection. We felt as safe at the Carnival here in Puerto Morelos as we would in our little hamlet of Manitowaning.
It has been another wonderful week in Paradise!
Hasta luego from Casa Pura Vida, Puerto Morelos.
Have a great week, stay safe and enjoy each day as it comes.
Remember - Never hate people who are jealous of you, but respect their jealousy because they're the ones who think that you're better than them.
