Our Backyard Makeover: Before and After

So waaaay back in August I told ya’ll that we were going to redo the backyard, which we did! I hadn’t gotten around to taking pictures of it until this weekend, mainly because I am stuck in the office during daylight hours. But now I finally have the “After” shots! Here goes…

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Unfortunately, the grass was damaged by the recent “Backyard Pool” incident. Then again, it wasn’t growing in well to begin with! If anyone has advice on growing grass, I’m all ears.

We’d also like to paint the walls white, and eventually remove the potted tree and potted bush. We’re still thinking that one over, though… we really hate that tree, but it does provide good shade. We’d replace the tree with my new orchid tree. After my last post on it, a reader (Thanks, Pauline!) identified it as an orchid tree, not a plant, which is very exciting! No shade from that baby for a few more years, though.

The total cost for this makeover, including palm plants, grass, dirt and patio, was somewhere around $300 US. Not bad, eh?

Tags: backyard, backyard makeover, backyard patio, cancun house, Cancun yard, house, landscaping, makeover, palm plants, palm trees, yard

Jorge Probably Just Knows Me All Too Well

Remember how Jorge and I went out to a bar this weekend? Well I was super tired and left early around 2 am. Jorge walked me out to get a cab and told me “Don’t forget to call me when you get home so I know you got back ok!”

Well… I forgot.

I probably forgot because I was busy keeping the dogs from slamming into the back of my knee and causing me to collapse on the tile floor (happens a lot when I walk into the house).

Then I went straight to sleep (and by “sleep”, I mean read Hunger Games in the middle of the night) and turned the sound off on my cell phone so I could sleep in the next morning without interruptions.

Aaaand Jorge called me 10 times.

Finally around 3:30 a.m. I noticed my cell phone was lighting up, so I answered. Jorge told me he had been calling me non-stop and was really worried for my safety. How sweet!

OH. WAIT.

If he was so concerned about me being assaulted by a taxi driver and/or home intruder, why did he not come check on me after AN HOUR AND A HALF of not answering my phone?

I mean… I would have felt bad that he had to cut his night short because I forgot to call him when I got home… but still!

Then today my cell phone dies at the office (grrr). I just get an e-mail from him saying, “When you didn’t answer my calls today, I was worried you were kidnapped by a taxi driver.”

And yet he never showed up at my office to check on my safety.

I mean… I would have felt horrible that he had to take a bus to my office to check on my safety because my cell phone died… but still!

And this is exactly why I shouldn’t be trusted with a cell phone.

**Update:** I just confronted Jorge on this via e-mail, and his response was “Well if you’re kidnapped by a taxi driver what can I do? It’s not like you’ll be at home when I get there to rescue you.”

Touche.

Tags: cancun, cell phone, husband, living in cancun, marriage, return phone call

Dear Chaac, Thanks a Lot.

After a week of lovely weather, Saturday afternoon was suddenly filled with ridiculous amounts of rain. Strange, since rainy season is now over. (Here in the Yucatan Peninsula, we like to attribute these shenanigans to Chaac, the Mayan god of rain.)

Luckily our house doesn’t flood, but several hours of non-stop heavy rain did cause my backyard to look like a pond:

Aaah, paradise.

Luckily the rain cleared out by Saturday evening. We had to cancel our plans of going to a nightclub in the Hotel Zone because of flooding, but we did get to go to one of my favorite downtown spots, Ora Si! Mariscos y Chan Chan (horribly long name, great place).

With the sun shining and the birds singing, on Sunday Jorge and I toured the Hotel Zone a little (our new Sunday tradition), then went to his aunt’s house for fried fish, pico de gallo and tacos.

In the end, a potentially wasted weekend was saved by sunshine once again!

Tags: Cancun flooding, Cancun rain, Cancun weather, flood, rain, storm, tropical flood, tropical rain

My First Alux Encounter

When I first moved to Mexico, I was fascinated by all the stories about run-ins with ghosts, hauntings and mythical creatures. Being the skeptical American that I am, I brushed it off as a cultural difference for several years.

But now… I’m starting to realize that Mexico is just filled with some crazy, crazy stuff.

Long-time readers may remember the stories about the mythical Yucatan alux (pronounced “ah-LOOSH”) that friends and family had told me. The stories made me start to think, “Maybe there’s some truth to this.”

And then on New Years Eve, I’m pretty sure I saw one.

Jorge and I were riding in a 15-person van from Cancun to Chabihau for his cousin’s wedding. During the 4-hour drive along the highway, we pass through mostly jungle with a few small villages along the way.

Around 7 pm, it was already dark. We were just leaving one small Yucatan village and entering the jungle again, going slowly because of the village’s speedbumps. Up near the driver, I saw the head of a black figure standing right by the van, in the middle of the road. From the height, the shape of the head and the way it moved, I immediately thought it was a child, except it was … blacker than black? As in I couldn’t even make out features or anything, just an outline filled in with entirely black. I was unsettled and wasn’t sure why.

As we passed the thing, I turned back and saw that the figure was actually hunched over and huge. It was shaped more like a dog than a child, but at the same time the street dogs in the Yucatan aren’t giant or black (at least none that I’ve seen!) Plus… dogs just don’t move like that.

I later told Jorge and his family that I’d seen an alux, and they didn’t seem the least bit surprised.

Tags: alux, mexico culture, Mexico superstition, mythical creature, yucatan, Yucatan alux, yucatan peninsula

Mexican Traditions: Cake and the Baby Jesus

Those of you who took high school Spanish might remember a popular Latin American holiday: El Dia de Reyes (or “Three Kings Day”).

Falling on January 6, this holiday is celebrated throughout Mexico. The three “Reyes Magos” (aka the Three Wise Men) bring gifts to little kids, Santa-Clause-style.

Another popular tradition on El Dia de Reyes is cutting the Rosca de Reyes (King’s Cake). If you find a tiny plastic Baby Jesus in your slice of cake, that means you have to bring tamales for everyone to enjoy on February 2nd, El Dia de la Candelaria (Candlemas Day).

This past Friday, my office department ordered our Rosca from a popular local bakery called Tere Cazola, complete with cream cheese filling. (yum!) I did not get the Baby Jesus figurine at our office Rosca-cutting! Saved!

My Jesus-less slice at the office

In the evening, however, Jorge and I were invited to a get-together with some of our friends. I wasn’t feeling well and stayed home, but Jorge cut my piece for me. Turns out I  got the Baby Jesus and will be one of the lucky 3 friends bringing tamales to our get-together on February 2nd.

My coworker's slice of Rosca, complete with Baby Jesus

In other words… El Dia de Reyes is a great excuse for Mexicans to throw TWO parties: the rosca-cutting on January 6th, and the follow-up tamale party on February 2nd. Gotta love Mexico, right?

Hopefully I’ll get to blog about all my tamale-parties on February 2nd! Can’t wait

Tags: Dia de Reyes, Latin American traditions, mexico culture, Mexico traditions, Rosca de Reyes, Three Kings Day

20 Pounds To Go!

You may remember that back in December I had made the decision to see a nutritionist to lose some weight after a shockingly traumatic run-in with a sales girl.

I have to go in to the nutritionist for a weigh-in every two weeks, and the following day she sends me a new menu to follow.

Jorge often helps me prepare my breakfasts, lunches and snacks every morning for me to take to the office, and he always says, “This is SO MUCH FOOD!” And it is. This is seriously the best diet ever… I spent all day stuffing my face, except now I’m eating mostly fruits and vegetables (as opposed to my previous diet of cinnamon rolls, Domino’s pizza and cheese). Last night I even made some fish tacos with tomato, cucumber and chipotle mayo. AMAZING.

I’m supposed to lose between 1 and 2 pounds per week, so I was happy to lose 4 pounds after the first two weeks! Hurray!

The second two weeks included my Christmas trip to the US and a weekend in Yucatan, plus my gym was closed for the holidays, so I didn’t lose any weight this time around. I didn’t gain any, either, which quite frankly is a miracle considering the amount of Christmas cookies, burritos and soda I had while away from home… so I’m happy!

My mom and dad also bought me some very cute gym clothes for Christmas this year and I no longer appear homeless when working out.

At 4 pounds lighter I’ve already had several comments that I look thinner, so now it’s time to keep it up!

I used to look at thin girls and think “I hate you”. Now I look at them and think “I’m going to be so much hotter than you in a few months”.

Tags: diet, dieting, lose weight, low calorie diet, Mexican food, weight loss

Honeymoon in Rio de Janeiro: Ipanema Sunset

Last night I realized I hadn’t finished showing you guys our honeymoon photos from Rio.

The photos today are very special to me.

Here’s the story behind them: Jorge and I had just been through one of the worst days of our lives as we missed our flight back to Mexico. I’d spent all morning crying at the airport and making desperate phone calls, then we went back to our vacation apartment for an afternoon nap. We woke up late afternoon, still with no idea how or when we were going to get home, and walked out toward Ipanema because that’s where the Subway shop was (extra vacation days = poor).

When I saw the sunset on Ipanema Beach, I knew that this was the reason we’d missed our flight. God wanted us to see this…

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Tags: Brazil travel, honeymoon, ipanema, rio de janeiro, Rio de Janeiro attractions, rio de janeiro beach, rio de janeiro vacation, sunset, travel, vacation

Año Viejo: New Year’s Tradition in Yucatan

For New Years, we once again went to the fishing village of Chabihau in the state of Yucatan to visit Jorge’s family. This year there was even a wedding! Jorge’s cousin Yeni (pronounced like “Jenny”) got married to her long-time beau, Armando.

We also did some crocodile watching out on Chabihau's salt lagoon

I’d heard before about a special tradition in the Yucatan known as “Año Viejo” (“Old Year”), but this year was the first time I got to see it. On our ride from Cancun to Chabihau, we passed through several villages that had dummies set out by the front gate of the homes. These dummies are known as “Años Viejos“, and they’re filled with rockets and fireworks.

Read that again… rockets and fireworks.

On December 31, the Año Viejo dummies are set out by the front door, and at midnight they’re ignited in the street to represent the end of the “Old Year”. Make sure to keep your distance! It can get pretty loud.

An "Año Viejo" in the town of Cansahcab, Yucatan

From what I could gather from Jorge’s family, it seems Año Viejo is a popular tradition throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as in the state of Veracruz.

Since I was at the wedding at midnight, I didn’t get to see the Año Viejo lit up this year, even though we did have some regular fireworks and sparklers. Oh well, there’s always next year!

What did you do for New Year’s?

Tags: Año Viejo, Año Viejo Yucatan, chabihau, culture, mexico, mexico culture, New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve Yucatan, tradition, travel, Yucatan culture, Yucatan towns, Yucatan traditions

Why I Love Cancun’s Plaza La Isla

Sometimes when you live in a beautiful tourist destination like Cancun, it’s easy to get sucked into everyday life. Even though I’m just minutes away from some of the world’s best beaches and most incredible All Inclusive resorts, I often forget there’s more to life than wake up, go to work, go to the gym, watch TV, sleep, repeat.

So when I really want to feel like a tourist in Cancun, there’s one perfect place that’s just a cheap bus ride away: Plaza La Isla.

Plaza La Isla is a beautiful outdoor mall set in the middle of the Hotel Zone, complete with charming canals, luxury boutiques, inexpensive brands, high-end department stores, fast food, fun restaurant and upscale dining. It’s unbeatable location right on the lagoon makes it the perfect spot for a romantic evening.

One thing I love about Plaza La Isla is the fountains, which always manage to draw in a crowd! Everyone oohs and aahs over the jumping water fountain, while kids can be seen running through the ground fountain by the lagoon.

See? Kids can't help themselves

So many of my best Cancun memories have been in Plaza La Isla: margaritas with my sister, dinners at Thai Lounge, a quincenera party at Planet Hollywood, tons of photo ops by the fountain, shopping at Guess (my favorite), root beers at Johnny Rockett’s, petting a shark, panoramic views of the Hotel Zone from the top of the parking deck, and of course… Jorge proposing to me by the lagoon.

Next time you’re in Cancun, make sure to visit this beautiful outdoor mall. I recomend arriving around 4 pm so you can see it in the daylight, at sunset and in the evening.

View of the Hotel Zone across the lagoon

What’s your favorite place to shop in your city?

Disclosure:  I am being compensated for my work in creating and managing content as a Community Manager for the Mexico Today Program.  All stories, opinions and passion for all things Mexico shared here are completely my own.

Tags: cancun, cancun hotel zone, Cancun lagoon, Cancun mall, Cancun tourism, mexico today, Plaza la isla, shopping, tourism, travel

Christmas and Culture Shock

Hello all! I’m back from good ole Richmond, Virginia, and it was a very Merry Christmas indeed. This was my first time back in Richmond after more than 3 years, and I got to see family and friends I hadn’t seen in forever.

Jorge LOVED the US. He liked the houses, mainly because they “don’t have bars on the windows, like in Mexico”. Very true. I took him to my favorite outdoor mall, and he was a bit overwhelmed but definitely enjoying himself. I have to admit I miss US malls, too… although I did feel bad for the shirtless guy standing in the freezing cold of the Abercrombie and Fitch entrance.

I was excited to be back in my hometown of Richmond! I got to see lots of friends and family I hadn’t seen in over 3 years. Jorge got to see my high school, middle school, elementary school, church and old house.

Everything seemed so much bigger and grander than I remember. In Cancun all the houses are right next to eachother (no side yards, shared walls) and yards are usually just tiny squares of concrete. The bigger houses here have walls around them, and almost all houses here have bars on the windows. In Richmond, the yards were so huge and the houses so much larger than they needed to be that I felt like I was way in the country or something (even though it was just the suburbs). Even houses I used to think were small growing up, today they look immense!

All the shopping centers and restaurants looked so pristine it was overwhelming. Immaculate storefronts were surrounded by massive amounts of parking space. Where were the flimsy taco stands? Where were the family-owned corner stores? Why are there so many SUVs? Who would go to a huge shopping center in the middle of nowhere? (a lot of people, apparently)

The only thing big about Cancun is the potholes.

I was seeing the first stages of reverse culture shock, and I was only there for 3 days. Everything from the cars to the houses, restaurants, movie theaters and malls was just so BIG and PERFECT. It was lovely, but I was glad to get back to the sun and tiny concrete houses of Cancun.

Here are a few pics. The lights are from the James Center in downtown Richmond, and the rest are just family photos taken at my grandparents’ house.

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How was your Christmas?

Tags: christmas, christmas lights, culture, culture shock, family, holiday, travel, trip, USA, vacation