Friday, February 28, 2014

Passing Time in Progreso

Well three months has gone by quickly and we are getting ready to leave Progreso and head to the west coast of Mexico for the month of March, and as usual we have enjoyed our time here and are a little sad to leave.

People wonder why we come back here year after year and it is a lot about the people who live here. The local people are very welcoming, always a Buenas Dias, a smile or a wave. They even put up with my bumbling attempts at Spanish!

Many of the local women still wear the traditional dress.
There is always music and dancing in the streets.
Curious children
 

Little old men on their carts

 

Piñatas to take to the fiesta

 

And then there is the beauty of the place.....

 

The wonderful sunsets...

The sun setting on the fishing fleet

Taken on our cruise around the bay....

Trucking on the pier which is around 6 kms long and a main transportation hub for the Yucatan Peninsula.

 

The town of Progreso is also a fishing port where many people struggle to make a good living. Some of the houses look like this...

Others owned by rich people from Merida look like this...

However Progreso always has something on the go...

Most weekends on the Malecon there is a race of some kind.

And there are always groups marching and sometimes with a band. This group of girls were practising one afternoon as I walked along...

This is a picture on Calle 80 which is the main shopping street and always busy...

However a lot of people also shop at the Mercardo...

Here's Don checking out the produce.

There are lots of places to get good seafood, such as this restaurant where the lady was suggesting Don choose this for pescado frito...

There are also lots of activities to be involved in...

Zumba around Mary's pool led by two great local instructors. A wonderful way to start the day!

On other mornings there was Yoga with Tamara from Pura Vida Yoga Therapy... Meditation under the Palapa

Then there was knitting group at Andrea's house with a wonderful group of women who were very helpful to a beginning knitter.

 

Here are some of the headbands I knit as well as many other items which I left here for the Food Bank to distribute.

And of course there was English Lessons with the Grado Sixto class on Thursdays.

( photo credit...Lise Raymond)

 

And there was always time to get together for food and music...

At the Jazz Festival in support of Education programs....

At the German Beer Fest

 

A great meal with friends from Casa Destino and Bob and Rachel...

 

And lots of BBQs here at Casa Destino...

 

We also managed one day trip to Celestun, a small fishing village which is also the winter home of the flamingos...

 

 

We took a boat out on the Ria to get up close to the birds which were beautiful. The water is shallow enough for them to stand and feed on the rich beds of grill.

After that great seafood and a swim in the warm ocean...

 

So what is there not to like about this place? Like the flamingos who winter here every year we too will be back again next year. Adios Progreso.... Nos vemos el año que viene!