Christmas in Progreso

Well part of Christmas is already here and gone and we are looking forward to the best part of our Christmas this year when Anne Marie, Mike and Cooper come on Dec 28. We are going into Cancun on the bus to meet them and they will be here for almost two weeks. We are excited about that!

The town hall is decorated for the season

In preparation for their visit we are trying to get things ready which is not always easy without a car as we have to walk to acquire most things we need. It is Boxing Day now so I just walked up to the local grocery/general store to get a few things. It is about 8 blocks away as we are on calle 96 and San Franciso is on calle 88. That is one nice thing about here all the streets are numbered so it is easier to find our way around than if they were names.

This lady has been on the same street corner for weeks selling her pinatas.

One of the remnants of the festivities, I saw a few more staggering up the street!

The other thing that takes some time here is soaking everything we buy that is edible or containers we will be using to store food. We soak it in iodine for awhile depending on what it is in hopes of killing all the germs our stomachs can't handle. With Cooper coming I am even soaking the jug we will put his powered milk in as fresh milk is not easy to find here.

The fruits and vegetables still taste fine after their soaking.

We have been busy these last few days...on the day before Christmas Eve I went with a group of people from here to distribute dispensia boxes with basic supplies to a neighbourhood up the road. Nora, a local woman who works for one of the men in the group, brought us to her neighbourhood and organized us when we got there. This group has been doing this for a number of years and look forward to it every year. Nora's family and neighbourhoods were very nice and where we could tried to make conversation. They were also many "mucho gracias " and hugs and kisses all the way round.

Packing up the vans

Nora and her el padre, her  hijo Rinaldo and her nieces

Bea and Dick distributing the dispensias

The neighbourhood...

Nora's sister

Afterwards we went for supper where I had fresh fish stuffed with seafood,,shrimp, pulpo,calamari.It was delicious as usual, served with rice, salad and papas fritos.

Don and I also decided to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve but got there too late as Mass was much earlier than that. The church which is across from the main square was packed and overflowing in the streets where there were rows of chairs set up for the crowd. The mass was also broadcast on a large screen set up outside for all to see. We did eventually make it into the church to watch the blessing of el Nino Dios, the Holy Child that the Mexicans put in their el nacimento in their homes. Baby Jesus is only placed there on Christmas Day and there were all manner and size of dolls brought forward to be blessed.

The crowds outside the church

Lining up with their el Nino Dios for the blessing..there is one dressed in red another in white

The church decorations were also interesting as they had a huge pinata hanging in front of the altar. And of course there was the beautiful el nacimento set up in the back of the church. The people also kiss the el Nino Dios after he has been blessed. The people were dressed in their finest and all the family members seemed to be in attendance.

Jesus and the Pinata

On the way to church we noticed that all the homes had their doors open and their trees and el nacimentos were lit up. These are quite elaborate and are often outside or near the door so neighbours and passesby can see.We wondered about this and were told that they open the doors on Christmas Eve to welcome Jesus in.

One of the Nativities

 On the way back we noticed that the parties had begun. Here after mass families gather for the big meal and drinks. Children have the pinatas and lots of firecrackers that we heard all night long. The parties go on way into the wee hours and then Christmas Day is a day of rest.



On Christmas Day we sat round the pool for the morning, went for a ride on our bikes, stopped in for a beer with our friends up the beach and then took the bus out to Bamboo Beach for a Christams Buffet which was delicious. There were about 80 people there and there was music and lots of drinks. We paid about 16 CAD dollars each for all we could eat and two free drinks. It was a bit expensive for here but we enjoyed ourselves and we did get to have mashed potatoes and turkey. I particularly enjoyed the smoked turkey.Delicious!



Pam and Don at Christmas supper...


On the way back we passed a dance in the square closer to us...there was a great band playing salsa music with lots of people dancing. As we stopped to look we were invited in to the dance floor, but Don declined, ugh!! I would have stayed and enjoyed the music and the dancing.




Dancing in the square,sorry for the poor quality but it was nightime.


So all in all we have enjoyed our Mexican Christmas and are thankful for the internet that we could see our family over the last few days. We had a surprise web call as well when Dawn and her boyfriend Matt called to say they were engaged. Congratulations to them!!!

That's all for now,will post again when we get back from Cancun.

The Children's Navidad Fiesta

The Children's Navidad Fiesta

On Sunday I went to Chicxulub for the first ever Christmas party held for the town's childrens. Sharon Helgason who runs the food bank and her great circle of supporters put off a wonderful time. Since this was the first Sharon did not know how many children would arrive but planned for 200.There was Santa and his helpers, presents for all the children, chocolate candies and cake and referescos.

This cake was delicious...the lady gave me the last lick off the knife!

Santa was the real deal..

One of Santa's helpers

There were many children and their Moms that lined up for 10am and continued to come until the doors were closed. There were so many happy faces and a few timid ones as well.

The line up begins...

No smiles here...

I don't know about this...

This little guy hid behind his sister all the way in to see Santa

But his face lit up when he got his gift!!

The Moms were happy too!!

One of the local children provided music on her keyboard and the party was deemed a great success due to the generosity of the expats who provided money or supplies so this could happen.

She took her job seriously...

So did I...

Being away from home and not having small children for such a long time this was a treat to see how well behaved the children were and how grateful the parents were for this gift of giving. It made my Christmas for sure!!

I love his hat!!

Isn't she sweet??

We have also met some great people and two of them, Del and Evelyn invited us for a Christmas/birthday party at their house. There was lots of food and drink in a great courtyard with us having the pleasure to meet many more local and long term visiting people from NOB. ( North of the Border). Needless to say they are an interesting lot!

It is nice to be able to sit out in the courtyard in December.

Don is back to himself after another stomach bug which he suffered through alone as I didn't get it and am thankful for that. We did a trip into town by bus and got a few supplies as we are trying to get everything we need for when our company gets here next week. Not having a car means we live like the locals by either walking or taking the bus everyday to get what we need. It is great exercise as well as a great way to immerse ourselves in the local culture. We get a lot of Holas and Buenas Dias from our neighbourhood.

We are hoping to take in some of the Christmas festivies this week and will hopefully have some pics to post as well. Here are a few pictures of some of the decorations here in the square at Progreso.

These are little Christmas houses with fake snow!

Santa and the town Christmas tree..

Busy in Progeso

Well another week has almost gone and I can't believe tomorrow is Saturday again. This week the weather has been beautiful some really hot days and some others a little cooler because of the nortes coming in off the water. I think they are the north winds but definitely not as cold as our nor'easters!

We got an opportunity this week to help out at the Chicxulub food bank which is in a little town about 6 kms from here. We are now getting used to the combi vans that go by every few mins and costs us 5 pesos. We catch the vans in the middle of town and they wait until they are full and then leave dropping people off on the way from Progreso to Chicxulub.

Here are some of the best looking combis

Ok, how long do we have to wait, not long!!

On Tuesday we went out and met Sharon, Dave and Shirley who run the food bank and are quite committed to doing that. They have 81 families on their list to whom they provide a bag full of supplies every 15th of the month. They also provide vitamins for the children to help with their vitamin deficiencies.Unfortunately they also have approximately 30 families on the waiting list. Most of the money comes from the ex pat and snowbird community who reach out to help the communities they live or visit in every year. We are thinking about donating to sponsor a family as it only costs 80 dollars per year, not a big amount.

Don helping fill the bags

The dispensia has basic items like rice, beans, cooking oil and soap and goes a long way to help the families. Sharon, who is in charge of the list visits the homes of the people who apply and has strict rules about who can get and stay on the list.

Some of the items...

On Wednesday we went to help out with the distribution but there were already enough volunteers so we stayed around to help in any way we could and also got an opportunity to observe the process. I was impressed with the way the process was organized and got a chance to meet some of the families and as usual the beautiful children.

Mother and child...

No smiles today...

The lineup begins.The food bank is located in a local restaurant and bar called Bamboo Beach.

If you are interested in knowing more about their work here is their blog...
http://www.chixfoodbank.com/

We also met some lovely people and got to know them better over a few beers and botanos. We even went to visit with Brin and saw her great house. She is an artist and a super recycler and her house is quite unique with her many art projects. She also came back to Progeso and visited with us.

Brin serving us the local liquour,I had mine with freshly squeezed orange juice.Delicious!

This week was also our anniversary so we went to supper at Flamingos on the Malecon. I had fish cooked in bamboo leaves and Don chose shrimp. Being a fishing town there is always lots of fish on the menu.

It looks as if we are doing fine..

My fish, interestly it wasn't spicy enough for me as this restaurant caters to tourists and doesn't taste as good as the local Mexican restaurants.

Hoping to get to Merida on the weekend and to the children's party on Saturday,will have pictures on my next post.

Domingo en Merida

Domingo En Merida


Sunday is a wonderful day to visit Merida so we decided to take the Auto Progreso bus into the city which cost us around 4 dollars for both of us for a return trip. (dos boletos redondo).

Everyone puts on their Sunday best and comes to the centre of the city where streets are closed to traffic and it looks like a fair is happening.

There were lines of food vendors all around the Plaza Grande

There are many food vendors selling all types of foods from sweets to full meals. Tables and chairs are set up under tents to keep away the sun and everyone seems to be enjoying the food. We saw guys frying chips and wieners, fish fried in banana leaf, and lots of fresh fruit.

This girl was doing the fried fish among other things

Fresh fruit in plastic bags

There are also many vendors selling all manner of goods including beautiful embroidered tops so I decided to buy one from this lady. Don was looking at the Mexican men’s shirts but couldn’t decide.

Maybe senora would like dos?

There are children’s toys as well as many types of the Virgin of Guadeloupe…

The Blessed Virgin...

Hey Senor, put me down or I'll shoot!!

Merida has many squares and in Plaza Grande there was entertainment for most of the day. Many families were gathered to watch the performances which began with a puppet show which really drew in the children. Here are a couple of pictures of some of them as they are all very beautiful looking.

Isn't he handsome?

Do I know you??

After that there was a great performance of folkloric dances of the Yucatan. They were backed up by some really old musicians who were fabulous. The dancers themselves were very good and the costumes very typical of this region.

A beautiful dancer...

The dance troupe

We then wandered around the city looking for a place for Don to get his hair cut and found a place where she charged 30 pesos for a haircut and was very pleased to get 50.

Don`s first Mexican haircut

Overall we had a great day and it was a break from the house though time does go quickly as we are on the go most days exploring the area on foot, by bus or by bike. Friday we took the combi out to Chicxulub, a small town close by and met up with Pam a woman we have met since we came. She was there with her friend Ida May and we had a lovely breakfast and a tour around the town by Pam before coming back on the bus.

We were also invited out to Hotel Yakanuh for Saturday night which we really enjoyed as the company and music were great. There are lots of nice people who live here permanently or for half the year and they have a great attitude toward life. They are quite welcoming and we have met many new people over the last two weeks so we are thinking that this is a good place to spend the next few months.

Wilbert and Tamara at Happy Hour.The place was full of Canadians and some Americans

One of the phrases we are using a lot..Donde esta? Where is? Everyone is so helpful s we manage to get where we need to go