Friday, November 27, 2015

Random thoughts


-Art, its everywhere, it's on the fishing boats, it's in the streets, on the buildings,  people are wearing it, making it, selling it sometimes without even knowing it.If you have even an iota of art in you it will appear. 

-Fishing is an art, it is humbling and therapeutic, almost spiritual. I believe watching the fisherman is just as therapeutic.

-Paddling in the ocean  on a calm morning on a paddle board is surreal

-Paddling at sunset with high surf, will roll you to the bottom of ocean and then spit you out before you even know what happened. Seems I need a lesson in wave watching.

-Yoga underneath the clicking palms and whispering banana leaves, I Pinch myself.

-Shrimp/ribs/fish platter on the beach with friends is the new normal.

-James 5:13, is anyone sick, pray, is anyone cheerful, sing! And we did, we raised the roof of that little church with joyful song. Good to be home, where we can sing and dance uninhibited...even in church.

-True story, man and son get off the ferry boat in front of me, boy stumbles and drops a 2$ plastic pistol in the water, father leans in but it floats away, he kicks off his flip flops and jumps in, rescues pistol. This is how you become your son's hero, not by buying expensive things, or by saying "we'll buy you another one tomorrow".  

-Patience, it should come with your tourist visa card that you fill out on the plane, you need it here, everything takes longer here. Whether you are here for the winter or for a 2 week vacation, relax and just let things happen....oh and  a little bit of shut up and listen goes a long way too.

-There are some that would argue  that Alberta grade A beef is the best in the world, I would challenge that with some carne asada grilled on the street here.

-A food journal, why didn't I buy one years ago?

-I feel a desperate need to paint my toe nails as soon as I get here.

-Life revolves around the moon here, the tides, the fish,  the weather, the bugs....yup even the bugs.  We talk about the moon all the time and we always know where it is......do you know where the moon is today?

-I will be getting motorbike lessons from my housemate this year, yes he is still here and I adore him and his pretty girlfriend. He's back from sea and is on his Christmas break until the new year now, all tuna boats coming in now are staying in until after the new year.

- to bring a whole cake across town and across the water requires a skill I do not have yet, there was an incident in a store (yup, didn't even make it out of the store) and another incident where a cake ended up in the garbage. I must keep practicing.....poor cakes.

-there was a duck chase on my street, my tio and I chasing a wild duck. I don't know why, he wanted a duck and I wanted to help. We were both underneath a truck, had it cornered, brother happens to come along at this time. "why is my sister and my papa lying in street?" there was much laughing....Oh, just help us already. Duck got caught, my tio had a new pet, until someone left the gate open one day. Never a dull moment.

-Did I mention it's hot, it's hot.

-Do you know you can buy little wee 12gr balls of yarn here, this may change my life. No need to buy a massive big ball when you have a small craft project......do I have a craft project...of course.

-I always thought it would be cool if I could find some kind of work that could be done via the internet so I could make money while traveling. Not cool at all. I did bring about 80 hrs worth of work with me this year to be done via the internet and computer. It is not fun to be in doors when Mexico is outside.....not fun at all and hard to concentrate. Very hard. Your head is just not there.

-I spied on my neighbour one morning, cutting cocos, with his son helping (standing by anyway) I listened to them quietly chatting all morning, like 2 people that were genuinely interested in each other. He wasn't teaching him anything or expecting him to help, he was just chatting with him, 4 hours the kid stood on the truck, listening, talking, giggling and sometimes even helping. I love watching him with his kids. I'm posting this because I know if I asked him if I could he would say yes, I just didn't want to interrupt them. We are good neighbors.

-As I write we are anticipating hurricane Sandy, I have my emergency kit  ready, toilet paper, yogurt and fruit.....there was supposed to be a cake but.....not, and I've since eaten my yogurt. We are not too worried. It's been on the news for a week now, they change prediction every 1/2 day or so, you get tired of hearing about it and soon become desensitized and stop listening. This how small villages are wiped out and you watch the news and wonder "why weren't they ready?".  This is why. By the time the hurricane got there they've eaten their emergency kit.


-Sorry I've been so slow in updating this space but there is that work thing looming over my head, i finally have a good excuse. 

found this coconut blossom in the street already flat, perfect for hanging.

Restaurant journal, should have had this years ago, this is what my child will inherit when I die, details about the best places to eat. 

Watching this man repair his nets is a wonderful thing

When you have banana trees there is some work involved in keeping them. You have to trim the old leaves off

12 grs each, I am learning how to crochet granny squares (no pun here) I know most people do that when they are 12 but I didn't, I was busy running around in the bush making teepees.....which is a good skill to have too. 

Thanks to my house mate's girlfriends we are ready for Christmas
 
My friend's new apartment. he says "come on up". I say "no, you come down" he says "you afraid of heights" I say "no my friend it is not the height I am afraid off"
 

Me trying to take a selfie with my tio and me and his new duck, duck not cooperating. 

My neighbor and his son.....4 hours they spend on this truck. Look how he is sitting on his cutting board to anchor it. Smart he does this on his truck so that when he is done he can just drive to the dump and  drop off the debri. Not his first day cutting cocos.

when life is messy

When I arrived  the road behind my house was barely passable due to a big mud hole, the whole road was full of water, they did have a rain just before I got here. 2 weeks passed and it didn't dry up, clearly a different problem. I keep thinking "why doesn't someone fix this". 


"why doesn't someone fix this?".

One day I am doing laundry and the water starts coming out of the drain, not how a drain is supposed to work from my experience. I explain to my housemate about my little problem, he nods his head with a sad smile and points to the muddy street. "we have a little problem there" he says. "we?" I ask. "yes, we" he smiles." Turns out that's our  laundry and dish water out there in the street. How embarrassing, thinking of all the times I've thought "someone should fix that".

"ok, what do we do, let's fix it". "We are waiting for my brother come to come home, this is his problem too, and he will know what to do" he says. His brother lives next door and we share this drainage pipe. His tuna boat hasn't come in yet.

The day after the poor man comes home he is told of "our" problem, no rest for him, shovels and picks and hoses are gathered. He's been at sea for 3 months, I'm sure he has other things he would rather be doing.

House mate says "all is good, brother will do the hard work, I will buy the new pipe", it's a good deal for us he says. I agree and want to share in the cost.

The street is closed off today and brother is up to his knees in muck digging and chipping away, little brother is standing by and running around the village on his motorbike gathering whatever needs gathering....another hose to siphon water, a bigger hose to siphon water, a bigger shovel, a sharper machete (nothing gets done here without a machete), cold drinks and then for a while he just stands by in his clean shorts and chats with brother, but he is a good brother and soon picks up a spade and helps. Around 1 pm he asks me "what time do you want to go to bed tonight?".  They are anticipating working until late. "don't worry about me, it looks like I am getting the best deal of all".  "Why don't we just make a swimming pool ?" I ask.

Blocking the road off makes everyone curious, soon there are a few spectators and a few experts I imagine. I have faith the brothers know what they are doing.

Seeing 2 brothers working side by side makes me smile, seeing them working side by side and chatting  all the while makes me smile even more.


Soon I smell cooking, of course......the mother showed up, there will be food soon. Life is good, even when it's messy.