Rosalba's Halloween Party/Around Merida

On Sunday, we checked out the weekend mercado in town. There had to be a hundred vendors-- everything from tequila to crepes to Panama hats, but alas none of our bank cards would cooperate and we were unable to purchase any of these fun items. Still, we got to check out (briefly) the concert held just across from the main plaza, which mostly consisted of groups of teenagers lip-synching popular music. And we ate some pivi, the traditional Day of the Dead dish consisting of a corn-based dough stuffed with chicken (which I accidently called pipi at first LOL)

Later that evening, we returned to Rosalba's to find the outside patio covered in skeletons, cobwebs, fake tombstones and black paper. Inside, Rosalba and Andrea (her granddaughter) were preparing “finger” food for the guests. In addition to cupcakes decorated like eyeballs and hotdogs transformed into chopped fingers (almond slices for the nails), there were marshmallow skulls. Sara and I made our own callabeza with beans, prepared by Rosalba, and some grated cheese.

We transformed Rosalba into a zombi with a bit of green, white and black paint (which Sara searched for all over town in the rain!!) We checked with her like six times in Spanish to confirm that she was ok with us ripping up her jeans and smearing red meat-seasoning on her old t-shirt. Sara turned me into an eskeleto for about an hour and a half before I couldn't take it any longer and had to wash off all of the paint.

These chicas really know how to celebrate Halloween (three days in a row!). Friends of Rosaltoner stopped by for a few hours of tequila and karaoke, and we got to watch Rosalba get sauced enough to sing sappy Spanish love songs. We hung out with some cool young people that night, the youngest of which were Andrea and her friend Kenia, whom taught us how to play “Papa Caliente.”

Monday was mostly recupperating and hanging out in El Centro (Again? Rosalba asked). We joined her later that night for (yet another) cultural program held in the main plaza. We ate peanuts and watched traditional dancers pull off some pretty incredible performances—including a cool Maypole kind of dance (with streamers). Most impressive, though was the baila where young men and women danced with trays on their heads, balancing beer bottles and glasses of water. One of the young men spun in crazy-fast circles, and all of the water splashed onto the pavement, but niether the tray nor the glasses fell off. Ridiculous! Then, we went back and played a bit of Wii with Andrea. I apparently can't do digital archery very well!

I led Sara on a Terrible Tour of Merida on Tuesday (never been there before, knew nothing about the architecture, could only guess at the monuments—but it was gratis!). After touring multiple churches and mercados, we made our way up to Parque de los Americas, which honors each country of the Americas.

Best Hanal Pixán EVER.

Black spirits. Benevolent, white ghosts. Incarnations of horned gods. Three-tiered altars coaxing the dead back to the realm of the living. Stilts, balloons, drummers, plumes of incense, tons of free food. Bees. Saturday, October 31st brought Hanal Pixán, a Mayan celebration of the Day of the Dead, to Mexico.

Merida is known for its Hanal Pixán festivities, and we planned our trip to coincide with the end of October for this reason. The actual Dia de los Muertos occurs on November 1st (for the children) and November 2nd (for the adultos). The local enthusiasm for Halloween turns the whole weekend into an unforgettable festival whose main purpose is to honor and remember those that have passed, and to have a damn good time doing it. We should take a lesson in mourning from Mexico-- a celebration of life and death.

The Grand Plaza, on Friday, was packed with families and workers building at least 60 palm-roofed huts on all sides of the square. We watched this process without the faintest idea of what they signified until we returned on Saturday to the Centro. Hundreds of people packed the square, wandering in and out of the huts to view the altars they contained. We learned that the altars are built in three tiers to lead the dead inside. Each tier contains sweets, fruit, bread, and other things the particular person liked in life (wooden toys for the children, cigarettes for Uncle Marco). The top tier features a cross (to Christianize the holiday), and candles light the way. There are rules the living have to follow, though. No glass, so spirits aren't scared away by their own reflections (though we saw a Corona bottle on a ship-alter) and, to prevent unwanted run-ins with spirits, no hanging out after midnight.

Annie entered one of the altars, along with other visitors, and received a blessing. One of the Mayan men gave her a small yellow stone to stoke the incense, and another brushed palm leaves over her shoulders and legs. I hope this means she'll have good health for the rest of our trip!

Free food was everywhere (this is where the bees came in). We tried the traditional pan of Day of the Dead at our favorite Mexican diner, Los Bisquets Bisquets Obregon. Another important dish that Rosalba introduced us to is Pivi - a cornmeal and chicken pie-like food wrapped in (corn) leaves. The third was Xec, a fruit dish of oranges and jicama with cilantro and hot pepper. Everyone was eager to help us understand what was going on: no sooner did I point to a dish of Xec and ask,"What's that?" that one person explained and another passed us a plate. Though this wasn't the solemn celebration that no doubt takes place in more remote Mayan towns, it was a serious and fascinating display of the tradition that everyone, locals and travellers alike, was thrilled to experience.

We took a break (while everyone in Merida went on siesta) and got some decent pizza at Vito Corleone's. This was a cool little dive, complete with an oven accented in yellow ceramic tiles. At seven, we returned to Santa Lucia, where children and horses were waiting to begin the desfile. Confession: Annie's not really into parades, but this was the coolest exhibit she's ever witnessed. Led by a horned god on stilts, a gathering of (first) black and (then) white ghosts hanted the street. Students dressed as mestizos (common term here) with faces painted like skulls carried candles in a solemn procession. We followed actors and fireworks to the cathedral, where the first theatrical production of the dead was performed. The cast spoke quick, clipped Spanish, and we were only able to get some of the jokes (ex: a large woman joked that she was a fat skeleton), but the songs and costumes were fabulous. Everyone was merry and generous. When Sara tried to get a couple of candles (they were all out), Jorge returned with two just for us. (He actually looked a lot like Sam Baker, Sara's cousin).

Though we weren't saturated with "Thriller" (as all of you must have been), we confess that this is the best Halloween ever.

Couchsurfing at Rosaltoner

Mexico is seductive. Even though I've been cursed with Montezuma's Revenge since we got to this country (with the exception of the last two days), I love being here. We definitely plan to get back and discover other regions. In this trip, we will settle for a taste of the Yucatan and Chiapas.

Merida, the Yucatan's capital, is one of the coolest cities we've ever explored, like Guatemala's Antigua on a grander scale. Merida could have been the creation of a magical realist: perpetual celebration and the conquest-era buildings (constructed out of pieces from Maya pyramids) feel reminiscient of 100 Years of Solitude. The people we've met have been really kind, patient and friendly. Everyone we have asked for help has gone out of their way to lead us to our destination or explain a custom that is new to us, in slowwww Spanish (mas despacio por favor). So many kind, kind people have told us we look so much younger than 28. We tell them how tall they are.

At Plaza Grande, vendors hock tacos, roasted corn, ice cream, clothing, and souvenirs during the all-day fairs on Saturday and Sunday. Every Thursday night, at Parque Colonial Los Heroes next to Santa Lucia (for 40 years!), the city enjoys Serenata Yucateca. We attended #2,251, where Trio Los Andariegos performed a few ballads and Ballet Juvenil del Ayuntamiento de Merida demonstrated traditional dance. There was even a Declamador, who delivered something between a poem and an oracion, of which we understood approximately 65%.

We were surprised to see that men on stage wear heels. It seems to be a popular choice for entertainers.

To be entirely honest, our introduction into Mexico was through Playa del Carmen (with a brief stop at Chetumal, which was pretty cool). Playa-- though not as obnoxious as Cancun-- may as well be the U.S. (Note: There are at least 3 Starbucks on Quinza Ave.) The beaches were beautiful, the church was lovely, and it's a great getaway for people who want to stay close to home, but we tired of it after just a couple of days. Though there were hundreds of people around, nearly all of whom spoke English, we felt isolated and unable to connect.

On our way to Merida, we dropped in for a few hours at Chichen Itza-- which was fairly disappointing after experiencing Tikal. The ruins almost became secondary to the hundreds of vendors selling cheap souvenirs, and none of the temples could be climbed. Still, the Great Pyramid was an incredible sight. The coolest thing we saw, though, was a snake chasing a lizard up a tree. It moved too fast to capture on film.

Rosalba (59), a Couchsurfer host, took us in on Thursday (for free, of course). She is very sweet, hardworking, generous & fun. An hour after we arrived, she took us for a tour of the city (and then to the program at Santa Lucia). We instantly felt at home and comfortable with her. Trevor, an American who was born in England, is also staying in the house. He has been travelling solo since Seattle, planning to drive his motorcycle all the way down to Panama.

Rosalba and her daughters, Andrea and Gabriela, her granddaughter Aileen, and four dogs live below their family-run/woman-operated business Rosaltoner. Right now, we are staying in Aileen's bedroom, which is pink and populated by Barbies. It's great to be in a house with pets and kids, even though the dogs are a bit Jekyll and Hyde. Lola, the dachsund puppy, just celebrated her first birthday (Aileen wanted Rosalba to make a cake). Aquiles, one of the three sheepdogs, is our bestest friend during daylight hours, but becomes ferocious at night. Griselda follows suit, but Rufino is so old he couldn't be bothered. Being hosted by a family is so much more rewarding than staying in an anonymous hostel. Conversations are much richer, if confusing at times, and Rosalba's family offers all kinds of advice on where to go and what to see.

On Friday, Sara and I explored the city, did a little shopping, viewed the amazing esqueletos featured in storefronts. Sara even learned how to play the saw (one song, anyway). When we returned home, Rosalba invited us to a fiesta, which we thought was happening downtown. Instead, we pulled up to a dark house accented by orange balloons. Three guys stood to greet us, and we thought for a moment that we were joining a family gathering. Not until we saw the flyer on the table did we understand that it was a Couchsurfers' party. Turns out, there's a pretty active Couchsurfing community in Merida, and everyone who turned up for the fiesta was connected to the site.

Playa del Carmen

Good Catch!

Want to taste termites? Feed bananas to howler monkeys? Meet a shaman trapped in a young man's body? Then come spend the day with Shane, the Rasta who runs the Bermudian Landing Baboon Sanctuary in Belize!

On Wednesday, we took the boat to Belize City (1 hr), waited 45 mins for the bus to Bermuda Landing (1 hr) and met Shane at the bus stop [his grandmother was on the bus with us, and we helped her carry out her groceries-- she bought them after winning the lottery last week!] Shane first pointed out some giant iguanas and a very rare bird, the Montezuma Oropendo, which has a strange, remarkable call. [See video] Then he pointed out a termite nest and ate a few of the termites (they taste like carrots! and were once used to treat venereal disease!). He encouraged us to try them (nope).

Our first acquaintance in the jungle was a giant, furry tarantula. After that, we met the family of howler monkeys that Shane has befriended. Happy, one of the younger monkeys, came down and ate the banana out of Shane's hand, but he got a little freaked that we were so close. We still got to see Happy's little brother, who is a really cute 3-month old howler monkey.

Shane concluded the tour by telling us a couple of secrets:

1. He is a shaman reincarnated in a young man's body and his mission is ecolution (ecology + revolution)

2. He uses howler monkey feces to fertilize his "jungle plants"

On Thursday, we went swimming with the fishes & sharks. Oliver and Karl took us out to Hoi Chan Marine Reserve, where we swam with eagle rays, nurse sharks, and a bunch of giant fish (including parrot fish). Karl likes to hug the sharks and rub their bellies, and really it's pretty clear that they're a bit tame (we rubbed their backs, which felt like sand paper). But their eyes are creepy! The best moment, though, was swimming just feet above a tortuga with a beautifully mottled shell. In the water, it looked like it was flying.

The guys took us beyond the reef to do a little deep-sea fishing. I've never even held a fishing rod let alone caught anything before, so I was pretty psyched. I learned that I can't cast a line (I think I got it past the boat like twice), but I was still able to pull in a few decent fish:) A lot of them got tossed in the bucket as "shark bait," but I caught a really cool trigger fish (named for the fin that disarms it). At the end of the day, Sara and I had red snappers, gray snappers, and a yellow-tail (Belize's filet). I was hoping to be able to clean the fish on the boat (see goal # ), but Oliver kept baiting us so that we'd keep the poles in the water (there was a lot of pressure-- he wanted us to get bigger, better fish LOL).

Nonetheless, we came back with a whole lot of fish, and Sara and I prepared and cooked two whole red snappers and a bunch of filets (wasabi, lime & sesame oil + garlic & olive oil+ black pepper & Marie's Hot Sauce). Good eats! We celebrated with bailey ice cream smoothies & episodes of The Office and 30 Rock.

Tomorrow we'll be volunteering at SAGA again. Saturday, we head to Tulum, Mexico.

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize

Last Thursday, we arrived in San Pedro on the island of Amgergris Caye, a 40 minute water taxi ride from Belize City. San Pedro is a small but very developed town, with lots of beachfront resorts and restaurants. It is hard to grow tired of staring out into the Caribbean.

Kate, a friend from architecture school, very generously offered us a place to stay at her beautiful, beachfront home. She lives here with her sister, Jennifer, while she is single handedly designing a boutique hotel and villas across the road, on the lagoon side. (This part of the island is only wide enough for a string of properties on the lagoon side, a string on the beach side, and a dirt road in the middle). Jennifer handles marketing and accounting. The hotel is still over a year from completion, but Kate took me through it and showed me the plans and it looks like it is going to be amazing: 30 suites, each with a bathtub on the balcony, a rooftop pool and bar with a 360 degree view of the water, a spa and restaurant on-site, plus 24 villas, each with their own pool. It has been very interesting to hear Kate and Jennifer's stories about how they have managed this project as two foreign women who continuously have to remind the men that are working for them that they are in charge. They are smart and tough though, and handle it all brilliantly. It is all being done through their uncle Tony's firm, based in Long Branch, NJ.

Annie and I couldn't believe it when we rolled up to the house. It is stunning from any perspective, but especially from a "I've been staying in hostels for four weeks" perspective. We have our own studio apartment, with our own bathroom, television and fridge, plus access to the beautiful main part of the house with a big comfy living room and fully stocked kitchen. We were so thankful for the opportunity to cook for ourselves again. Kate and Jennifer have helped us with everything, from setting us up with bicycles to recommending places to eat and things to do, and helping us find the best deals. We have even used their golf cart a couple of times (the golf cart is the standard vehicle on the island; it is just too small to accomodate cars.)

The Caribbean Sea is beautiful. We still can't get over watching the sting rays glide by under the docks so close to shore. The smallest one we have seen was over 2 feet across. They're our favorite. When they aren't around, we lay on the dock and watch hundreds of tropical fish swim by, turquoise and purple and yellow and green. Tomorrow we are arranging for a half day fishing and snorkelling trip. Annie is going to catch our dinner!

We had a bad couple of days beginning on Saturday, we think because of the Chloroquine anti-malaria tablets. Saturday was our second time taking them, and we both had acute physical and emotional reactions that lasted until Monday afternoon. We will not be taking them again, as we are apparently in the small minority of people who have these kind of reactions. None of the locals take any kind of anti-malarial, of course, and we have actually heard that the disease is very rare around here. We will rely on diligent bug spray application and our dear friend mosquito net from now on.

Yesterday, we decided to volunteer at SAGA, the local animal welfare organization. We showed up at 8:30, expecting to be cleaning cages but instead we spent three hours just walking puppies and playing with kittens. Not a bad gig. They are doing great work, though it must be hard to feel like it is not just a drop in the bucket on an island with so many strays. We passed more homeless dogs on our bike ride there than they actually had at the shelter. It is a sad thing, but we are very thankful for the organization's work. They are having a benefit party on Sunday with a Halloween theme, including a pet costume contest.

Today we are getting ready to go to the baboon sanctuary. The baboons are actually not babboons but howler monkeys, which are called baboons in Creole.

Tobacco Caye

If Newark and New Orleans got together, Dangriga might be the love-child. It looks a bit run down, but this is a chill spot-- even at 8 a.m., everyone's either got a beer (Belikin) or a joint (or both). Really, everyone just wants you to join in the party. Once Sara and I got a chance to walk around for a bit and meet some locals, (and chat with our favorite aunt Judy), we decided to stay.

We moved to Val's, which is a really comfortable hostel run by friendly owner Dana. We've mostly got the place to ourselves, except for this guy staying in our dorm who just bought an island off the coast of Belize. He's currently surveying the land and designing a square house. Sara was trying to see if he'd hire her as an architect, but he's in love with his design (though Sara says the roof will probably cave in). He's a vegan and says that this makes him wise and able to exist without companionship. He explained to us that if we weren't meat-eaters, we wouldn't need other people.

We split and shared a breakfast of eggs, bacon and fryjacks (sort of like funnel-cake pockets minus the sugar) at Riverside Cafe. There, we met fisherman Clifford and his homies (as he calls them) and jumped a boat to Tobacco Caye (pronounced key).

This island is the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my entire life. White-sand beaches, aqua-blue water, no roads, no cars. We rented some snorkeling equipment and went to check out the amazing fish and coral. I even saw a pre-historic looking barracuda.

Around noon, we went looking for food and met up with Devon, a scuba instructor (currently listening to The Alchemist on his i-pod). He taught us how to play dominoes. We lost every game, but I still consider that goal #8. The rest of the day, we chilled snorkeled, and skipped lunch because the island doesn't serve food during off-season. There's plenty of liquor, though. When I got a half-inch splinter in my thumb from jumping off the pier, Clifford pulled it out and then he and another guy poured rum to dissinfect it.

Today we spent our hours at Pelican Beach-- swimming, swinging in hammocks, and reading. I'm halfway through Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (it's so good that it literally makes me weep). We were hoping to get back to Raati's for dinner, which is a new spot operated by a family and offering just a few options, but they were closed. (Note: In off season, all of the restaurants close whenever business is slow, so almost nothing was open to us).

Tomorrow, we are heading to San Pedro (the same San Pedro in that Madonna song) and staying with Kate, who is very generously letting us crash for free.