#tbt

It was a big journey from the decision to come to the actual move but they did it!

You will be happy to made the leap.

Dates here in Mexico are written DAY/MONTH/YEAR.

Today I had the opportunity to write 11/12/13 a bunch of times on paperwork at immigration.

Immigration…

pfttt

…it’s the Achilles heel of living here.

grrr

In the 3 years we have lived in Mexico we have spent soooo much time with immigration.  Someday I will actually write about it but for now it causes so much hassle that I can’t bear to think about it any more than I have to.

This much I can say- if I could spend time blogging while waiting in lines (1 hour just to get in the door and 20 minutes to put my name on the list and ??? waiting for my turn to be told that we are still missing some random document that they neglected to include) multiple times each week over several months, you would be reading volumes instead of these little quickie posts.

Also, there are 5 of us.  We started all having the same date to renew but now -because this is one of the most random cycles of craziness- we are spread out all through the year.  That means that as soon as Mikee and I had our new visas, we had to begin the renewal process for Austin.

Won’t even go into describing how many times we have gone into town to come to the office only to find it’s closed either for a holiday or just because they did not pay the power bill and there is no electricity.

Or the time we watched 3 workers sit on the floor sorting through dozens of manila folders spread all around on the floor.

There are some who choose to leave the country every 180 days to renew -that’s a little too expensive and has it’s own mess of insecurities.

There are some who tell us we should skip that and just return back to the US -well, we are not in Mexico right now because it’s an easier way of life but we are here because the benefits for our family outweigh the hassles.  Even the hassle of being having legal temporary resident status.

 

#tbt

Our little Nicolina is all grown up now, but I will forever remember gently combing out what the “tangle fairy” left behind in those baby curls and learning all the different shades of pink (light pink, hot pink, fuchsia pink,…) and this picture that was taken just before we were nearly swept out to sea in Newport, Rhode Island.

Thanks for your sweet comments today.  Makes my heart melt.  It’s been a treat to watch you grow up and share this special day with you…

How is it possible that already 3 years have passed since that marvelous weekend that brought close friends in from all over the world to watch you say, “I do.”

I am so proud of all you have accomplished and all that you have ahead of you as you pursue theocratic goals.

::sniff sniff::

 

This weekend was the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival.

What a fun night on the beach!

 

How much can I say to describe what a fun experience this was to be on the beach with the waves just crashing on shore while we stood in a crowd of 15,000 with some good friends eating our quiches and cookies and “water” while listening to Earth, Wind and Fire play.

Oh, there is this…

…there are 3 nights of shows that each start a 7pm on Mamitas beach and are free admission.

…we just show up on the beach with beach blankets, beach chairs, a variety of beverages and some friends, (and umbrellas) and enjoy the show.

…the weather would be clear and skies starry until a cloud would roll by and we would all put up our umbrellas for 2 minutes and then put them away as soon as the cloud passed.  Lost count of how many times we did this.

…first up was Celso Pina -imagine a fusion of salsa, reggae, latin, african with an accordion thrown in.  Very cool!  Then a traditional jazz dude.  I like jazz but sometimes my attention span is too short to really enjoy it.  Especially since the first group was such fun dance music and we were really waiting to see the final act.

…the final act –EARTH WIND AND FIRE– came on at 11.  We are not late night people but we figured to stay and it was worth the wait.

…Austin said we came to see Earth, Wind and Fire but also ended up with the element of water.  Rain.  A little rain did not get in the way of a good time, just made us a little extra damp and sandy.

…we weren’t sure what to expect as far as crowds and figured we’d set up our chairs and stuff a little way back to hear the music be able to get up and dance and just have some room.  Within a half hour I realized the crowds would be tight.  Our chairs gave us a little extra space (and it was nice to have a spot to sit) as the crowds pressed in.  It was a mellow crowd, but I have never seen this many people here in Playa in one place.  Nighttime in Playa is completely different than the rest of the day -and we are not ever around for that.

…we started off with plenty of space and ended up packed pretty tight.

…if you can tell from the video our distance from the stage, keep in mind that 2/3 of the people were behind us.  Mucho gente.

…I think everyone we know from here was at the beach -kept bumping into people and seeing everyone’s posts on instagram.

…glad we have a car that can hold 10 people and all the beach chairs and picnic  food.

…can I just say again that we are ON the beach!  Not nearby.  The ocean is 50 feet to the right of the stage.

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And here is a snippet from our informal pre-concert party at the ‘Casa de Coolest Chicas.’  😉

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#tbt

Donkeys in Jocotepec, Jalisco.

Back in Joco, this was a common site.

Their little clop-clop-clop would be heard daily.

We lived high up in the mountain and it was normal for people to climb up and gather firewood to use or sell.

Lots of flavors here in Playa del Carmen.  People live here from all over the world.  People visit here from all over the world.  What a melting pot of culture and diversity -and food.

Sunday we went to the…

Taste of Playa is a culinary event in Playa del Carmen that celebrates the creativity and cultural influences of chefs throughout the Riviera Maya.

You buy tokens (10 for 100 pesos) and pay 1, 2, or 3 tokens for mini portions of food from different restaurants in town.

It was a fun night.  We discovered a Thai place we did not know about and are looking forward to eating at.  Sampled some yummy pastries.  Managed not to lose any kiddos in the crowd.  And bumped into a bunch of friends.

Last weekend was the OHL Classic at Mayakoba -Mexico’s Only PGA TOUR event.

This weekend was the Taste of Playa International Food Festival

Next weekend is the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival

…the winter tourist season has officially started.

 

Today was fun.  Not what we had planned.  But fun.

The “not what we had planned” is a reoccurring theme.

Ikkil Cenote

One of the most impressive cenotes in the area! Come along for a fun day of exploring, swimming & goofing around!

Takes 2 hours to reach by car…so bring supplies for the day! We will be near restaurants for snacks/lunch and can stop by for lunch or dinner at the charming town of Valladolid!

Depending how many want to join, we will arrange car groups! More info to come!

This was the original idea.  A bunch of people who are visiting and some who just moved here heard how amazing IKKIL  is and wanted to check it out.  In case you didn’t know, we are the parents of teenagers and they didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to hang it with their friends visiting a fun place.  Most of the people here do not have cars and do great using public transportation or just walking.  This is one of those days that would be me with as many people as we can cram into our Toyota Sienna and a lot of driving.

But there is a problem…

It has been raining.  A lot.  It has been raining every day since August.  We have had such an unbelievable amount of rain.  People who have lived here 20 years are shaking their (drenched) heads in wonderment at how much water has come down.  Even in rainy season, it’s expected to get a cloudburst quickly move in and downpour for 15 minutes and then pass on.  Still, there will be beautiful clear skies much of the day and then showers in the evening.  That usually ends in September.  Here we are at the end of November will constant torrent.

We have thousands of cenotes here in the Yucatan and hundreds that are accessible to visit right here.  So, the long drive on roads that have been worn away by bad weather made the trip “iffy” -is that a word?

Ikkel is such an “experience” with the sun streaming down into the 85 foot hole and shining off the foliage that hangs from the top all the way to the water surface that is wet from the lacey waterfalls that it looks almost like a magical ‘Pixie Hollow’ fairy land.  (You can see the influence our little Ginger Kitty who loves Tinkerbell has on how we describe things)

We have been there a couple times.  To check out some of my fav photos of Ikkel just CLICK on the pretty blue letters.

This morning, my friend Darci and I were texting back and forth on the thought of cancelling or changing plans.  We have all been a little stir crazy since the weather has cut down on our usual amount of outdoors activities.  We decided to alter our plans and head to the Coba cenotes.

Coba is a historical Mayan ruin that you can visit but more about that in another post.  😉

Bathing suits on.  Snacks packed.  Meet up.  Cars loaded.  Hit the road.  Get to Coba… and I almost didn’t not recognize the area.  All these months of rain have flooded the little town.  The lagoon is spilling across the road.  So much so that the parking lot for the Coba ruins in under several feet of water and the crocodiles from the lagoon have actually taken up residence in the parking lot.

 

The cenote we like there is actually a cavern that you go down into the ground.  We asked the dude selling the tickets if the cenote is still open (and safe) to visit.

When you descend this tight little stairway into the ground you find yourself in on a platform where you can put your towel, shoes, phone, camera.

No platform.

It is still there.  Just submerged under 2 meters of water.  The water level is 6 feet higher than normal.

So, we leave everything locked in the cars and go down the stairs ready to just jump right into the cenote.

There are 2 diving boards there that everyone had fun jumping off of.  The lower is about 3 meters and there is another above it that is probably 6 meters high.

Yes -Austin does them both.

Not too many pictures since it was tricky to bring the camera down.  In person, this is a pretty impressive cenote.

 

Afterward we all had different destinations.  The people in our car were hungry and wanted to do something else.  We grabbed some quick food and headed over to the beach at Tulum.  It seems we had used up the brief sunny weather and as we parked on the sandy dune, the rain poured down.

 

As we drove down the road we saw that there is flooding everywhere.

It has to stop eventually, right?

Cannot emphasize enough the need to be able to constantly readjust and be flexible.  That is how we find ourselves retelling the adventures with a smile and not wasting time being upset that things didn’t turn out the way we expected.

That night we ended up chilling out with some friends for a bit to recount the daily ‘adventures’ while Austin, India, Ginger Kitty along with Jake, Paige and Sammy set off fireworks on the roof.  Gotta love living in Mexico.

 

PS- I realize having finished this post that I casually mentioned 3 different incredible experiences that people come from around the world to see.  It is something amazing and unique about this area and our family loves the opportunity to be so close to this and the many other charms of the Mayan Riviera.

1. Check out this list of 27 SURREAL PLACES PLACES TO VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE (Ikkel Cenote)

2. Check out this list of MOST BEAUTIFUL ANCIENT MAYAN TEMPLES (Coba Ruins)

3. Check out this list of WORLD’S BEST BEACHES (Tulum Beach)

Of the thousands of cenotes in the Yucatan, the incalculable amount of Mayan ruins all over Central America, not to mention that it would never be possible to count the number of beaches in the world -these 3 items are tops on the list!

 

#tbt

Inside of this house drove us nuts but we LIVED on this terrace.

Looking out over the west side of Lake Chapala onto Jocotepec from up in Raquet Club.