In terms of our usual activity level, Bob and I have been pretty “chill” here in Mexico. We have gotten out a few times in Chelem and have continued to visit Progreso regularly, usually in association with doc appointments related to my dog bite. More on all of that a bit later.
Our big trip to date was back into Merida to visit the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya. To get to Merida, we walked out of the house, down the driveway, and across the street to hail a colectivo to Progreso. Once there, we walked around the corner from the final stop in Progreso to catch a large bus into Merida. We were able to get off the bus right next to the museum which is on the outer edges of Merida. The entire trip (one-way) took a little over an hour and cost about $1.45. Not a bad deal!
The Mayan Museum is beautiful and interesting. Most of the posted information is in both English and Spanish, with some in Mayan as well. There are films that are shown throughout the day but those are only in Spanish. The museum actually covers prehistoric times in general before focusing on the Mayan history and culture. I am fairly ignorant regarding ancient history, so a lot of the information was new to me including the news that a huge meteor/asteroid had crashed into Mexico, in the Yucatan, significantly changing the world, and its inhabitants, at that time.
We are headed back to Merida on Saturday for a hair appointment for me. Bob will be doing some exploring while I’m getting worked on.
In Chelem, we have often been lazing the afternoons away either inside with the cats or outside by the pool. Bob has become proficient in pool care in terms of filtering, checking the chlorine, etc. He is also in the pool more often, as I have been focused on keeping my wound dry. He enjoys watching the birds dive for fish as well as the various boats go across the water. One day when there seemed to be an inordinate level of boat activity, we learned on the local website that it was likely due to the start of sea cucumber season.
We venture into town, about a 30 minute walk, to visit one of the produce stands, hit the pharmacy, or pop into one of the local restaurants. We have been to El Bullpen twice for their weekly art and wine flight event. Last night along with our $3.50 flights of white wine, we had dinner and I traded in my used English language books for some of theirs (with the approval of the owner). It was awesome! I scored 2 unused, New York Times crossword puzzle books (my favorites) plus a Nathianel Hawthorne novel and a Norman Mailor book. Give me some books and running shoes, and I’m a happy girl (okay middle-aged woman –but the point is I’m happy).
Last Sunday, we had tried to stop into a bar/restaurant called Lizard Joes. Our homeowner had told us about it. It is known for its live music, and is co-owned by Joe King Carrasco, who we have heard of from Austin. Lizard Joes is only open from Thursday through Monday. Unfortunately, they had a sign out on Sunday that they were closed, so we stopped at another restaurant that had been recommended by the homeowners –La Terracita.
The grilled pineapple with tamarind was pretty good. Tamarind is spicy. It seems to be on everything here — savory or sweet.
As I said, we continue to get into Progreo, mostly in conjunction with doctor visits. the doctor who has treated my injury is Dr. Herrera at the Clinico Medico on the square in Progreso. He speaks English and has treated the wound, wrote the prescriptions for anti-biotics, and stitched up the hole when it wasn’t closing on its own. He sent me to the health center for the rabies shots. The health center is just across the bridge from Chelem (45-50 minutes by foot), so we generally walk to those appointments. We are charged for services at the clinic, but not for those at the health center.
Peckish Travels 