Down South... April - August, 2009

Sun & Study
Playa del Carmen, MX

I remember thinking when I was 19... every place I want to be is 'South' of where I am. And until I was 'South' - I wasn't at home. In college, South always meant home, heat, desert, mom & dad, and (yes again) heat. And a decade later, it still seems - every place I want to be is South of where I am. Oh - until now :)

Jim & I rented a place here for 6 months - committing to the first 3... and contemplating the last 3. It all may depend upon my learning curve (no pressure). I didn't find fluency in my two-week February experience, so I'm back for more!

The following 4 pictures are views from our new casa. And the direction you choose to face, may very well effect your mood. One direction, you're a goddess in your very own palace - the next, an every-day Mexican - coming up for air in between smells of sewage & fish.

Our landlord is a retired 1980's NBA player, who designed & built the place. He & his wife live in the main quarters, and we live in one of the 3 rental areas.
George is our neighbor below. Today he brought me a mango, and taught me the best way to cut & eat it. He speaks Italian, Spanish, & English - and gives me good advice about my studies! This is the view of our Courtyard.

This is the view from where I'm sitting now on the roof-deck. You can barely see the ocean, but it's still great right!? Our landlord said when they built it, none of these building you see were there - it was all ocean-view.

...and from the front of the house.

We've got word out on the street that we're looking to buy one of these sweet puppies, but we're still hunting. This one was a rental.

Jim will go back & forth for the monkeys of course... 7 days here, 5 in SLC with them (a whole LOT of plane tickets). And soon, he'll fly our plane here - with the idea that we'll travel to the more remote & rural areas of the country.

We visited the Island of Cozumel last weekend. It's 10 miles of sea from PDC. We took a 30 minute ferry there, and then rented a scooter for the day. It took us 3 hours to cruise around the entire island. And, oh how Jim loves my driving!

Here, we stopped at a spot where the waves crash upward through holes in the sea-rock. It's amazingly lively and gorgeous!

Is this true?
Because I've been looking for my ticket in!

To be continued... the boys come for a week in June & again in July. I MISS them.

And everyone else too!

Un beso!