A Locals Road Trip from Houston to Playa del Carmen
Monday, 11 December 2006
By: Suzanne Marie Bandick
The Road Trip: Houston, Texas to Playa del
Carmen, Mexico
My husband and I
have just returned from the road trip of beautiful country sides, wonderful
people, speed bumps and construction zones. We traveled from cold Houston, through Mexican mountains, to the Caribbean blue ocean. Now, we are not
newbie’s to Mexican road trips as it was about 5 years ago we drove with our
kids from Canada into Puerto Vallarta and one year later packed everything up
and drove from Puerto Vallarta across Mexico to Playa
del Carmen. This time for our trip, we flew into Houston,
Texas to pick up our new Toyota
4Runner and then drove it back to our home here in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Offices to be closed in Cozumel, how to file complaints against authorities and businesses, and new changes in passport laws for United States citizens. For complete information on any and all of the above please read more below....
Surviving The Rainy Season in Playa del Carmen Mexico
Tuesday, 03 October 2006
By: Suzanne Marie Bandick
Rainy season in paradise is pretty tough.
I know what you are
thinking, poor babies living in paradise having to endure a little rain.
However, you have to understand the hardship when it rains a lot for several
days in a row. We are just not well equipped to handle it, for instance . . . .
Get ready to make some noise, Mexican Independence Day is just around the corner!
Mexican Independence Day is coming September 16th,
so get ready to celebrate in true Mexican style. In the zocalo, located in downtown Playa del Carmen, there will be food, music, beer vendors, and
fireworks that will all start on September 15t. September 16th
commemorates Mexico’s
independence from Spanish rule, and this holiday is celebrated by Mexicans all over
the world......
The low down on how to decipher, and enjoy, the many complexities of tequila.
Mention
tequila and one may think about Mexico, sipping on margaritas, and perhaps the
odd shot or two! For some it may remind them of things that they never thought
they would do; like dancing on tables, kissing total strangers…you get the
picture. Often people say that tequila gives you a “different” buzz than other
alcohols. Most likely, after they have had a few. By the way, there is no proof
of this.
If you continually misplace something on your trip, don’t blame your traveling companion—, it may be an alux (pronounced “aloosh”) playing pranks. Aluxes are, according to Mayan superstition, mischievous elfin or child-like creatures who live in the tropical jungle and play tricks on people that do not believe in them or give them the respect they deserve. Some stories claim that the aluxes were originally clay or stone carvings that were placed in the Mayan religious temples and then later came to life.
I’m not really a
foreigner - or am I? I mean, I was born in Canada, and lived there for thirty
nine years (oops, mistakenly revealed my age with that point)! But after five
years of living in Mexico –
I sometimes feel a lot like a foreigner when I return to Canada. Allow
me to ramble ………
Mexican Machismo through the eyes of a Young, American Woman
Mexican men, like the rest of the world, get their ideas about American women from watching talk shows, soap operas, and movies. Therefore, they think we are terribly easy, unfaithful, and willing to hop into bed with any man who comes along. We all get divorced, none of us want children, and in general, we are all fierce feminists who wish to make life miserable for all men. We do NOT wait on anyone but ourselves. And, to top it all off, we don't like tortillas, and we have no tolerance for spicy foods or tequila.
On the other hand, American women also have their stereotypes of Mexican men. They are unfaithful (marriage does not mean monogamy), yet none of them ever want to get divorced. Instead, they prefer to cheat on their wives, neglect their kids, and openly carry on with their lovers, all the while trying to maintain the appearance of the perfect family. And Mexican men will never, ever, get up and do anything themselves if their wives are around.
Happy New Year! Some say that July 26th is considered the Mayan New Year, but do the Mayans see it that way?
The 26th of July is considered by many to be the first day in the Mayan New Year and - accordingly - today is the beginning of the year 5,120 - Happy New Year!
But. Others say this date is an artificial idea from the Spanish Conquest and that Mayan elders and timekeepers disagree with it. The original Mayan calendar is actually several calendars combined and does not have the concept of a 365 day year. So, they argue, it is nonsense to have a 'New Year' annually in July.
Pueblo SacBe, is an eco-development located just north of Playa del Carmen.
They often host various celebrations marking solstices, equinoxes, and in this case, A Day Out of Time. A Day Out of Time is a Planetary Peace through Culture Festival, and wll be celebrated with music, songs, dance, and general merriment. Around the planet, this day is reserved for festival and community: Planetary Peace through Culture, stop business as usual, attest to the truth that "Time is Art!" forgiveness, atonement, freeing of debts, purification, and the art of peace.
By Amy Kirkcaldy de Gattás
