Let's Talk About Hammocks

If you are thinking about moving here, or are moving here, you are going to want a hammock.  And there will be plenty of places willing to take your money.  The places that are most obvious and accessible are in the tourist areas such at the main plaza in Merida or the malecon in Progreso.  We got our first hammock on the drive down here from the States at a toll booth waiting in line.  At $200 pesos (less than $20.00) it seemed like a great bargain and it did the job for a while.  Then, we became more educated on the ins-and-outs of hammocks made in the Yucatan.
These are sold at more out of the way stores specializing on the locally made product.  My hammock came from Hamacas WMS (With Mexican Style), a socially responsible, local industry promoting Yucatan goods.  Visit their website here.  And forget the $200 peso price tag.  Yucatan hammocks go from $650 pesos on up.

My hammock is strung between the back porch and a very large and strong tree.  Most people have hammock hangers in the house but we haven't done that yet.  Yucatan hammocks come in cotton or nylon, but the cotton are the most comfortable.  This one is cotton with nylon end threads.  They are hand woven locally.

It's all very delicate work, but don't let that fool you.  Indra and I have gotten into this hammock together and it held us with no problems.  We've seen hammocks that will hold a family of four!
This is how they attach to the tree.  The rope (provided) is fitted with a steel "S" hook.  Simple.

 

Now, let's look at a store.  We found this place quite by accident while we were lost in Merida looking for Hamacas WMS.  No matter, we went on in because we were getting ready to head north to the States and Indra wanted to get one for her son for his birthday.

Note that they advertise sales, repairs and cleaning.  Full service.
There is no end of sizes and colors......

 

And you can get hammock chairs.....

The saleswoman was very helpful, unwrapping and showing the sizes and colors.

 

 

So, if you're approached by someone selling hammocks on the street, think twice.  Spend a little more money and get the real deal.  They are comfortable and, with the proper care, will last a very long time.

Now, for a very detailed look at the Yucatan hammock, I'm going to steer you to a site called Hammocks of Yucatan.   This guy makes my effort look puny, but I figure why plagiarize or reinvent the wheel.

Happy relaxing.

More later,

Larry

Retirement

It doesn't seem real. Retirement seemed so abstract through the years...something "old people" did. And yet...
Those of you who read this regularly may have noticed I don't use this blog to air my deep personal thoughts or musings. No one would care to read them, nor should they. Instead, falling back on my years as a news reporter, I try to convey the experience of day-to-day living here in the Yucatan, throwing in some humor to spice it up a little bit.
That said, I do want to share some things on a personal note today. The other day one of my co-workers remarked on my retirement and told me I was "lucky". "Not so fast", I thought and informed him that putting in 44 years of labor did not constitute "luck".
But further reflection caused me to concur that there has been some luck involved in me being here. First of all, I've lived long enough. I have friends who didn't, due to war, accident or illness, so even though the odds are stacked against all of us, here I am.
Secondly, I would not have made it to this wonderful life-style had I not met my partner Indra. She and I shared this dream together and without her, it would have remained just a dream for me.

Now. I have been asked many times in the past few weeks just what it is I plan to do with myself. We've all seen the stories about those poor souls who retire only to find their lives meaningless without their workaday routine. That is not me. What do I plan to do? Well, you're looking at one of the big ones. I will be spending more time submitting articles to this blog and for that, I need your help.
Do me a favor: down at the bottom of this, click on "Comments". Then, please, let me know what kind of stories you'd like to see. Day-to-day living? Navigating the beauracracy? Mayan ruins? Let me know. And further, let me know where you are. I'm always curious who reads this thing and were you are living. Are you planning a vacation here? Are you planning a permanent move here?
And finally (and this goes under the heading of Long Term Plans), let me know if you think a book detaling retiring in the Yucatan specifically, would be useful.
That's your assignment, friends.

More later,
Larry

Merida Then...and Now

Sometimes good fortune falls in your lap and you just have to share it.  This good fortune came from a co-worker of mine, Armando, who was sent a series of old photographs of Merida by his sister.  And he shared them with me.  Another co-worker, Tony Pacheco, suggested that I give him my camera and he would take pictures showing what these areas of Merida look like today for contrast.  And that's how I'm going to share them with you.  The time of the old photos is in question.  Some came from the early 20's I'm sure.  Others, by historical dates, are earlier.  But rather than try to pin that aspect down, I think it's just fun to look at the city and what is gone...and still here.  If you double-click on these to enlarge them, you'll see more detail.

This is a favorite of mine because it utilizes two then-emerging technologies:  Powered flight and aerial photography.  An amazing picture when you consider all that.

Of course the most predominate feature is the cathedral and Plaza Grande.

 

 This is a shot of Calle 65 and 56 which at the time was known as "la paseo de las bonitas" or the beautiful ladies walk.

 And how it looks today...

 If you've been in el Centro, it's a good bet you've ventured into the Mercado Lucas de Galvez.  If you haven't, you should because it's an all out assault on most human senses: sound, sight, smell.  As it looked in the 20's...

 This entrance is long gone, but if you look in the background, you'll see los Portales.  They are still there...

 Here is a look at the army which was stationed at what is now the San Benito market.  If you look in the distance you can see what is now the mercado pictured above.  The lower part of the tall, black water tower is still there.  Since this is a shot of Benito Juarez with the troops it has to date pre-twentieth century.

 See that building in the background center?  The first floor is still standing and in use...

 On the west side of the main plaza, across from the cathedral, is the municipal building known as El Olimpo.  This is how it looked in the 20's..

 And it's still there today, or so I thought.  It turns out this building was torn down to make a parking lot.  And the version we see today is a replica.  Here it is..

 The main cathedral is arguably the most historic building in el Centro.  This is a look at the interior and alter at the turn of the last century.  Very ornate, lots of gold.

 Today, much more subdued....

 There are probably many reasons for the transformation, not the least of which occurred during the Mexican revolution in 1915 when a Communist general by the name of Salvador Alverez set fire to the cathedral.  And all the gold went missing.  Here is a picture of the aftermath...

The church remained closed for 15 years as repairs were being made.

Here is a look at the north side covered in vines back then...

 And today...

 Directly south of the church is an alley that is the home of artisans selling crafts to the tourists.  And to the south of that, the Macay Museum.  But it wasn't always so.  A look at pasaje a la revolucion and the roof, now gone, cristales y hierro (crystal and iron):

And today...

The army use to be headquartered next to this alley...This is probably the best contrasting shot of this whole exercise..

Now the Macay museum...

The Hotel Madrid...Calle 63 y 64..

Today....

Calle 65 y 60....

 Today, the Del Sol...

The Bank of Mexico...Calle 59 y 56..

It was torn down and replaced with this unattractive, utilitarian, Banamex building..

Finally, a look at Santiago Park and the Nicolas Bravo Elementary School..

These days, people gather in the park on Tuesday nights to dance under the stars to a big band orchestra.  And the school is still there.  And it's still the Nicolas Bravo Elementary School, proving that some things in this world remain the same even as the inevitable changes go on all around them.

Thanks to my friends Tony and Armando for their help with this.

More later,

Larry

 

Sometimes living nearer the Equator has its drawbacks....

Lenny the Lizard

Just a picture of our resident lizard, Lenny.  He hides behind pictures on the wall during the day and comes out in the evening to eat any bugs he might find around the house.  He can walk on glass blocks.  He chirps like a bird.  If you live here, you must learn to love these guys. 

A Night At The Opera

Ask anyone who has known me a few years and they will tell you.  When it comes to my preference in music, it's primarily good time, get-off-your-butts and dance, rock and roll.  By example, from about 1979....

 

But that's not to say I've not been open to other kinds of music.  Jazz, blues, country, Latin, as long as it's played well, I'll listen. 

So last weekend I surprised Indra with two tickets to the opera being presented at the local classical theater of choice in Merida, Teatro Peon Contreras.  The opera: the well-known (by those in the know) Barber of Seville.

It's an Opera Bufa, which means "musical comedy".  The tickets were available for Sunday evening and wouldn't you know it:  the the handy-dandy senior discount card got us 1/2 off.

Dressed in our opera finery, we composed ourselves and drove into the big city, not knowing what to expect except an interesting evening.

Before we get to the music, let's take a look at the hall.

This is the theater on Calle 60, between 57 and 59.  Built 102 years ago, it is the showplace for the Yucatan Symphony, opera, ballet, and many other performing arts.

The seating layout shows the arrangement of the almost 700 seats...

 Our seats were located on the first balcony, section six on the right of the diagram.  Each of these had a separate entrance from the hallway in back and contained 6 chairs which could be arranged as we needed.  For my 6'7" frame, this meant I could make my own leg room which was a treat.

I made this panorama shot from here.  Double-click on it to get the full effect...

 

Looking across at the little cherubs that separated the first from the second balcony, we noticed one was wearing a derby!  This shot is a little grainy...

So we all settled in and listened to the orchestra in the pit tuning up.  There wasn't much else to do but people watch and leaf through the program to get a sense of who was singing and what they were going to be singing about...

A glance upward to the ceiling brought on certain "Phantom of the Opera" vibes....how appropriate...

Then, the lights dimmed and we were underway.

This is the star of the show singing the part of Figaro, Jose Adan Perez, a Mexican native who is now with the Los Angeles Opera.  His story is a fascinating one, and my friends over at Yucatan Living have a great interview with him you can read here. 

 

The bad news was, being written by a guy named Rossini, the whole thing was sung in Italian.  The good news was that subtitles were projected above the stage.  The bad news was they were in Spanish.  No matter, we got the gist of the story and it didn't affect the full-throttle sound of the Yucatan Symphony blending with the wonderful voices entertaining us.

I'll leave it to the experts to comment on the musical and technical aspects of the performance.  I would encourage anyone who is interested to periodically check into what performances are on tap and take in a night at the theater.

More later,

Larry