Category: Uaymitun 2020

Welcome to our last blog post of the 2020 winter season!

When I mentioned at the end of the previous post that the topic of this post was a mystery, I never would have guessed the turn of events that have overrun our whole world!

So, to start with, I’d like to let everyone know that we have safely returned home and are currently in “self-isolation” for 14 days as requested by the Canadian government.

While we were constantly watching as the COVID-19 outbreak grew to become the pandemic it is today, life continued on for us in Uaymitun.

We found that the last few weeks of February and into March, the winds were stronger than we remember from previous years. There were a couple of strong Él Nortés as well!

In spite of the windy weather, we had a lot of great times over the past few weeks!

On the Hand & Foot front, the Champions of the 2019 Season, Pam and I, retained our title as 2020 Season Champs by winning the best 2 of 3 matches against 1st losers, Elaine and Raymond!

On the lighter side, blending the ancient history of the area (Chicxulub Impactor) and the current reality of many grocery stores leads us to this…

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread into North America, we wondered if we’d be able to remain in Uaymitun until our scheduled departure of March 31st.

When the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs recommended that all Canadians abroad ought to make immediate plans to come home while they still could and with the strong urgings from our family, we booked alternative travel home! We were unable to contact WestJet through any of their channels to arrange changes to our travel, so we booked a flight with AC/UA through Houston.

We had an 8 hour layover in Houston, so we were very grateful when the Attendant of the United Airlines 1st Class Lounge agreed to check us in as Guests for the day! What a difference that made to our travel day, as we never really slept as we left the beach house at 3AM to arrive at the Merida airport by 4AM.

I don’t know how we would be doing without our family and friends! After a worried conversation with Val & George in Uaymitun and strong urging from Kerry & Bryan about acting quickly we booked tickets home at ~10AM on Sunday for a flight Monday at ~7AM!

It was an incredibly stressful and busy day as we packed up our winter home and our luggage in less than 12 hours! We hope to never have to do that again !

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The support we’ve received at home has been incredible!

Kerry and Bryan drove our car to our airport hotel so we could drive home without putting anyone else at risk. They had also filled several boxes with provisions from their pantry and fridge! Dave & Deb, who keep an eye on our house while we were away, made sure the heat was turned up and put some food in our fridge! Kris, Andy and the girls also delivered some grocery items and some beautiful flowers for us! Trish picked up some important items for us from her nearby store (coffee!!)! While Michelle was in Bright’s Grove, she stopped by Foodland to get some items from our list and deliver them to our door! Cara surprised us with a couple of hydrangeas! Grandson Ryan picked up some items from Superstore and M&M’s and visited through our picture window! Kristy, Madyn, Daryn and Gus shopped for us in Bright’s Grove and made a personal delivery and greeting from our porch! Our neighbours, Rod & Lucy, also dropped some items off for us including Oreos! Again, today, Dave & Deb grabbed some things for us while they were out shopping for themselves and several other people.

We are feeling very fortunate to have such a wonderful and thoughtful extended family!

As I write this, we are in Day 11 of 14 of “Self-Isolation” and the case count in Canada is still rising. We pray that you and yours stay healthy and that we will all see each other soon!

That’s it for the Winter 2020 season! Proximo año!

Cheers from Uaymitun, MX and Sarnia, ON!

Special Note: this blog post was drafted but not published before the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada recommended that all Canadians abroad return home while they were still able to do so!

We returned to Canada on Monday, March 16th and arrived home in Sarnia the following day. We are, as of today, in Day 5 of Self-Isolation at home and I find that I have some time on my hands… so I’ll finish my Uaymitun 2020 blogs!

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This post will highlight a recent outing to the Yucalpeten area to the west of Progreso!

As usual, before the main attraction, here’s a few just cuz pics!

An event was announced to be held at the Crows Nest Club de Yates in Yucalpeten… a mix of a personal birthday party, an antique car show and a Woodstock tribute band. How could you not go to something like that?

Quite a group of us planned to attend: Val & George and us; Bill, Ellen, Greg, Anne and Ann; Peter & Cheryl and Lane & Marie to name a few!

There was even a hint that there might be a Henna Tattoo artist in attendance!

In closing, a few final additions…

That’s a wrap for this blog post! Next issue is still a mystery!

Cheers!

Love to all,

-Doug and Elaine

This blog post is about spending time with family and friends!

But first… just some stuff that makes our time here memorable!

It was a real joy to be able to spend time with Bill and Selena while they were visiting! Some highlights!

We were happy to arrange an afternoon with them at the Faces Jam Session!

Before Bill and Selena returned home, the 6 of us drove into Centro for dinner and a walkabout!

After dinner we went for a walk around the Plaza Grande to take in the evening sights! We weren’t disappointed!

We were also fortunate enough to spend time with our Uaymitun friends, too!

That’s a wrap for this blog post! Next issue will highlight an event in Yucalpeten!!

Cheers!

Love to all,

-Doug and Elaine

Welcome to our Valentine’s blog, which highlights our getaway with Val & George!

Valentine’s Day has come around once again! Last year, when we stayed at The Pickled Onion in Santa Elena with Dave & Deb, we booked a two night there for this Valentine’s Day! That was fortunate, as our frequent spot for celebrating “Dia del Amor”, the Technotel San Benito is undergoing renovations!

Also part of our planning was to visit the Mayan ruins at Kabah, which is only 10 minutes down the road!

One of the great things about the Pickled Onion is the food!

Once we were settled in it was pool time!

After a relaxing afternoon at the pool we got ready for a delicious dinner in the restaurant.

The next morning, after a nice breakfast on the patio, we drove 10Km down the road to the Mayan ruins at Kabah. They have only uncovered less that 1/4 of the entire site, but the buildings are very impressive.

Of the many, many photos taken that day, here’s what I hope are the best from the excavated area known as El Palacio!

After leaving the El Palacio area, we crossed the highway to the mostly unexcavated portion of the site. We could catch glimpses of the “Gran Pirimide” through the trees, but it’s heavily covered with vegetation still.

Our goal is the “El Arco” arch which marks the entrance to the city from the SacBe, the Mayan road between Kabah and Uxmal about 15 km away.

By the time we’d finished Kabah, the heat and humidity were rising, so we headed back. After a tour through another of the area’s B&B’s, the FlyCatcher Inn, and a drive through Santa Elena, we headed back to enjoy the Pickled Onion and the pool!

That’s a wrap for this blog post! Next issue will highlight some good times with family and friends!

Cheers!

Love to all,

-Doug and Elaine

This post will catch up with some good times with friends and family and highlight a non-Gilligan style 3 hour cruise! 🙂

Firstly, just a few random pics!

It was a real treat for us this year as Val & George’s granddaughter, Rachel, and son and wife, Bill & Selena, came to visit them!

Friends, Gerry & Dave, hosted a Yucatecan Dinner Party at their place a few days ago! They arranged through Pam from Yucatan Vacations for two ladies to come and prepare a wonderful dinner of Pollo Mole, Poc Chuc, Arroz Verde and Flan for dessert! Yumm!

And now the section you’ve all been waiting for… our 3 Hour Cruise! 🙂

We were very grateful to our wonderful beach house owner, Gaby, for allowing us to use her boat to go fishing the other year when Kerry, Bryan and sons Jack and Ben visited us.

Again, this year, she offered us the use of her new boat to go for a cruise… yes, a 3 hour cruise! We waited for the weatherman to forecast winds out of the SE so the waves wouldn’t be daunting and finally the day arrived.

We car pooled it down to the West end of Progreso where many of the marinas are and found Marina Akumal where Gaby’s boat and pilot, Gilberto (aka Caballito) were.

On the way out of the marina we passed by new housing developments, revitalized marinas with some very large yachts and a large fishing fleet that is largely dormant until fishing season.

Once we left the marinas, we headed out into the Gulf towards the end of the Progreso pier. There was supposed to be a large Cruise ship in that day, but it must have left before we arrived. The winds were moderate but from the SE so the waves weren’t too upsetting to those of us who had taken Dramamine!

Our pilot asked if we’d like to go a bit faster… so… sure!

Gilberto then suggested we head back along the pier and cruise the Malecon! We actually cruised along the shore almost to the Chicxulub Pier!

Gilberto then turned around and we headed back to and under the Progreso Pier, where we anchored to have a light snack, beverages and to await the sunset!

As the sun slipped closer to the horizon, we all perched in vantage points everywhere on the boat. The sunset didn’t disappoint!

On our cruise back to the Marina… Bill favoured us with some musical requests via Spotify! Dancing music for sure!

After thanking Gilberto for a great cruise and for not making us Castaways, we all went to dinner at Alamedía on the Malecón in Progreso!

The food was great as was the ambiance!

That’s a wrap for this blog post! Next issue will highlight our Valentine’s Day getaway!

Cheers!

Love to all,

-Doug and Elaine

My apologies in the delay between posts, but we’ve been very busy with family and friends the past 2-3 weeks! 🙂

An outing… a day trip… making memories… whatever you may call it, we visited one of our favourite places the other day! Hacienda Yaxcopoil!

I know that pictures from Hacienda Yaxcopoil frequently show up on these blog posts, but we love visiting there so we typically try to go once a year. Please please bear with me!

That’s a wrap for this blog post!  Next issue will highlight a different kind of Day Trip!

Cheers!

Love to all,

-Doug and Elaine

Welcome to Blog #5 of the season… it was a “Super” Super Bowl, except for the final score! 🙁

Super Bowl Sunday… with a brilliant strategy I avoided watching the Pre-Game Show and the Pre-Pre-Game Show and the …… you get the drift!

We were, however, invited to watch the big game with Bill, Ellen, Greg, Anne and Ann and others at their beach house! Lots of food… lots of fun!

Great food, great fun, great friends… sad end, for some, to the game! A good time was had by all!

This is the Uaymitun Potpourri section of the blog… or Uaypourri for short!

Had another great morning walk the other day. This time I walked with Val & George down to the Uaymitun Flamingo viewing stand and back!

While we have no visitors coming to stay with us this winter, Val and George do! Their first guest is Rachel, their grand-daughter and our grand-niece! What a joy it is to have her around for 2 weeks!

Each year, Elaine prepares a meal that we would typically have back home and shares with our valedores Miguel and Maria and family. And they do the same for us! It’s a great tradition!

Another interesting pastime is to watch how the local folks accomplish certain tasks in ways that are different than back home! A case in point, the owner next door contracted someone to repair their pergola by the pool. A pickup truck arrived with ~12 burly young men who manhandled a giant wooden beam out of the truck to replace a rotten one. Here’s a short video of the actual ‘lift’!

That’s it for this “Super Bowl and Uaypourri!” blog!  Next issue will definitely highlight a Day Trip to a special place!

Cheers!

Love to all,

-Doug and Elaine

This blog will highlight some of changes in Progreso and other goings on! 🙂

In an earlier post, I included some photos from the new International Malecón. To start this post, here’s some pics that highlight the changes on the main Malecón.

That day we walked from the square down Calle 80 and then the whole length of the Malecón, stopping for a light lunch at the new Almadía restaurant.

As we were about to go in, we encountered a couple of lost souls dragging suitcases. It turns out they are from near Regina, SK and had recently bused from the island of Holbox north of Cancun to Mérida to Progreso and were walking and dragging the luggage looking for their hotel. With a little help from Google Maps, we eased their worries by pointing them to their destination a block and a half away!

We’ve been enjoying a fairly restful few weeks… hard to believe that February is upon us already. We usually take in the Wednesday FACES Jam Session and have been able to get out for some card games with family and friends!

Every few days we try to either revisit an old fav or try a new place. After FACES this week we arranged to meet up with Val & George to head towards Mérida to revisit another fav!

This past week also marked out first trip into the Altabrisa Mall where we were looking in Soriana for a few items we’ve not been able to find elsewhere. It also offered us an opportunity to have a late lunch early supper, “Lupper” at our favourite Oriental restaurant, PF Chang’s!

On the way home, we stopped of at Walmart in the City Center Mall, as we were still on the hunt for an item.

Excuse the diversion, but speaking of a Dynamic Duo, many would immediately think of…

1. Batman and Robin
2. Frodo and Sam
3. Thelma and Louise 
4. Bert and Ernie

But there’s another Dynamic Duo to be found at the City Center Mall!

That’s it for this “Progreso and more!” blog!  Next issue will highlight a Super Bowl party and perhaps a short road trip!

Cheers!

Love to all,

-Doug and Elaine

For our 3rd blog, I’m going to highlight spending time with family and friends in Uaymitun! But first, please indulge me as I include a few random pictures!

Somehow I missed this photo from a few days ago!

The week could have been called a “FACES” week… Wednesday afternoon was Jam Session (see our last blog), Thursday evening was Steak Night (yumm) and Friday evening was a music night with Ken Pinchon (one of the Jam Session regulars) and his band from Winterpeg!

On Steak Night, Jim had a couple of local musicians softly playing guitars… very nice background music to enjoy delicious and expertly prepared steaks and ribs.

Ken Pinchon has been a regular member of the mostly Canadian Jam Session musicians. Back in the day, he lead a band in Winnipeg and they like to get together still.

We were happy to celebrate Greg’s birthday the other day!

We dropped by to see Paul & Kari’s new beach house for the season! It was a time for renewing acquaintances and attempting a group IT intervention! It’s a “guy” thing!

For the first few years of our Uaymitun winters, Panchita and her family were the valedores at our beach house! We still love to get together with the whole family at least once a year… Panchita, Mayra, Isidro and little Kenneth surprised us with a short visit last Sunday!

Panchita was also valedor for Raymond and Pam when they lived next door!

Elaine and I had family and friends over for dinner that day too! Val & George, Raymond & Pam and Dave & Gerry! That was followed by some enjoyable games of cards… 5 Crowns and Golf! But nothing newsworthy happened, Raymond… no “Breaking News” to report!

That’s it for this “Settling in!” blog!  Next issue will highlight the changes to be found in Progreso!

Cheers!

Love to all,

-Doug and Elaine

As always, it takes a bit of time to get totally settled. During the everyday activities and occasional shopping excursions, it’s always interesting to look for “somethings old”, things that haven’t changed from last year, and “somethings new”, things that are new this year!

Somethings Old!

Morning Walks

If you ask folks down here, there are some who say “walks are for the beach” and some who say “walks are for the road”. I usually opt for walks on the road as it’s level and firm. Although there seems to be more traffic on the Coast Road this year!

Chicxulub

For the first few years, very little changed in the small fishing village closest to us. But the rate of change has really quickened. Here are a few of the things that really haven’t changed!

Progreso

There’s a long list of things that haven’t changed much, but one highlight is Elio al Mare, our favourite Italian restaurant in the area. It actually could be added to both sections given their new building opened last year after being closed for a year, but it ended up in this section because of the food!

This part of the blog wouldn’t be complete without mentioning FACES. From our first years here, where it was held next door at the old Yacunah Hotel, to this year, with its new renovations, the Wednesday afternoon Jam Session at FACES has been a mainstay of our weekly enjoyment.

A note for Canadian Rock Music enthusiasts… this week’s Jam Session featured, briefly, a Canadian rock music legend. Jim Henman, co-founder of April Wine (1969) and member of the Canadian Rock Music Hall of Fame hopped on stage to join the regulars!

Somethings new!

Chicxulub

And here’s some of the new stuff in Chicxulub…

Visible from our Coast Road and from the highway from Mérida is a new wind farm. It has been developed in the last 9 months as it wasn’t there before we left last April. Also, not really new are the flamingos… just lots more around here than in previous years.

Progreso

A new mayor in Progreso is making quite a change to the vibrancy of the city. Since taking office the mayor has directed a lot of energy towards increasing the level of tourism. Quite a bit of money has been spent on upgrading the Malecón area. The street itself is having a major upgrade, which I’ll show in a future blog. The area west of the pier has added a number of attractions.

One last update… a sad one for all aficionados of steam table chinese food…

That’s it for this “Somethings old… Somethings new Blog”!

Cheers!

Love to all,

-Doug and Elaine