Aye, Perro Loco!

A good place to conch out

2008-06-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

A house that looks like a conch shell? The Stay Puft marshmallow man searching for pan dulce to fill? Or the Michelen Man waiting for scooters to blow out tires?

My, what a difference 500 years makes

2008-06-06T12:22:00.001-07:00

Tulum today

Tulum then

Baseball Tacos

2008-06-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

As Peter gave me a mini-tour of the island on his scooter, he pointed out the baseball field and told me about "Baseball Tacos," which are supposed to be the best on the island. Open from about 8:30pm until the wee hours of the morning, they have great tacos and a big salsa fixin's bar. Or so I'm told. Last night I went out to find them. I rode around the baseball field a couple of times. No, not around the bases, around the perimeter. No tacos. When I got home I checked a couple of the online island forums. Everyone loves 'em. But they've moved. They're no longer at the baseball field — yes, politics rears its ugly head everywhere — and they were scheduled to open two nights ago! Talk about salsa serendipity.

Determined, I set out around 10:00 pm to find it for future reference. Apparently it's not far from the house here, in La Gloria. I ride around. Back and forth. All over the place. Still no tacos.

Tonight I take the dog for a walk and, more determined than ever, set out to find it. About six blocks away...there it is! Still under construction. And it looks like it will be at least a week — my guess is longer — until it opens.

I may never know if they're any good, but at least I know the real name of it now: Taqueria El Cachirul.

We know where you live...

2008-06-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

When I start up my browser it goes to Google Mexico. When I spell check this blog it turns almost everything yellow because it's spell checking in Spanish and doesn't understand English. You know, the opposite of my problem. I have a feeling if you zoom in using Google Earth right now you'll see me typing this. If I don't leave the house for the rest of the week you'll understand.

Turtles, the new biofuel?

2008-06-04T19:51:00.001-07:00

There's a turtle farm on the island (it's a Tortugranja for those speaking Spanish at home). No, they don't raise them for food, they gather the eggs and raise them until they're about a year old so they can release them, giving them a better chance of surviving. They're endangered, you know, so stop eating that turtle egg omelet right this instant.

There's also the world's smallest Mayan ruins, a 5' x 5' — okay, 2 meters x 2 meters — piece of wall which is all that's left thanks to hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, lots of beaches, and golf carts galore. No golf courses, just golf carts.

Casa de Pedro y Meg

2008-06-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

It's a big place, they put a lot of work into it so it looks great, and these photos don't do it justice. But they'll have to do for now.

The front of the house

The entry way (from the front porch)

The outdoor patio in front.

Cirque du Luna

2008-06-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

What would be the first thing you'd do when you got to an island on the Caribbean Ocean? Okay, after you had a quick shot of tequila with Peter and Meg. Go to the circus, of course! Some kids on the block insisted we go, so off we went. While eating popcorn with picante we saw two lame baton twirlers, a guy who did handstands on chairs while his 7-year-old daughter kinda sorta danced to the side, two clown/comedians recreating vaudeville, and a bad Barney imitation that the kids loved. Then one of the baton twirlers danced a little salsa while someone flipped the tent lights on and off rapidly and a boy turned a light pole around to follow her like a spotlight. Then a young girl did beginner's contortion/gymnastics, the comedy duo came out again, and before you know it, it was intermission. We were starving so we left. Popcorn and picante can only hold you so long.

Ferry from Puerto Juarez

2008-05-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

No, it's not Juarez as in the city near Texas, but Puerto Juarez in Cancun. It's where you catch the ferry to Isla Mujeres, and none too soon. If I never see the hotel zone again I'll be very happy. But at least there was a nice sunset on the way to Isla Mujeres. Kind of took the sting out of the hour-long wait to check in at the airport (good work, Spirit!), the 90 minutes it took to get through immigration in Cancun, the luggage that was still sitting in Ft Lauderdale because we were so late checking in (good work, Spirit!), and the water splashing us as we crossed the bay. Oh yeah, the luggage was delivered here to the island. Okay, 24 hours after I got here, but hey. Good work, Spirit!