A Word From Yelapa

LA REINA DE LAS FIESTAS PATRIAS/QUEEN OF THE NATIONAL FESTIVALS

 

 

This blog on Mexico's Independence Day is from three years ago...Iris and her court of princesses are all grown up - check the album to see some of our favorite girls..

 

LAS PALABRAS; El Grito de Independcia - the cry for independence; Fiesta - festival, holiday or party; Escuela Telesecondaria - school combining satellite and in-class instructors; Panaderia - bakery; Zocalo - public square;  Viva Mexico! - long live the Republic of Mexico!

In addition to the traditional El Grito commemorating Mexico's independence from Spain, cities and pueblos througout the country elect a queen to preside over fiestas celebrating this important holiday.

Last night in Yelapa was no exception.  The community gathered to watch four beautiful girls compete to become Yelapa's queen.  The girls were judged by a panel of teachers and community members and the event was organized as a benefit to raise money for the graduating students from the Escuela Telesecondaria. 

Categories included appearances in evening gowns, traditional Mexican clothing and casual wear.  This year's event also included talent and an oral presentation of each girl's goals and aspirations for the future.  Like beauty competitions everywhere, all of our girls' goals are to do wonderful things for Yelapa and Mexico....

Most surprising is the confidence and poise of these young women, aged 12-14.  They all handled the last minute change of locations, due to ever looming rain, with nary a stutter or stammer or trip or slip.  They are all absolutely delightful and each and every one would be a wonderful representative for Yelapa. 

While the judges tabulated the results, a group of younger girls entertained with very popular dance routines. Being Yelapa, there were tremendous cheers, foot stomping, horn blowing and pan banging all at a decible level equal to el presidente Calderon's Grito in the Zocalo in Mexico City as the emcee called out each girl's name over and over.  We will not be outshouted except by each other!

Only one girl can ever win....and I am very pleased for you to make the acquaintance of Senorita Iris Amairani, La Reina de las Patrias en Yelapa and a very popular choice.  Iris is the daughter of Roberto and Hortencia, owners of Yuri's Tienda.

Congratulations to all of our princesses.  We all have so many fond memories of watching these girls grow - Natalia playing with her Barbies in front of her mom, Rocio's panaderia; Iris helping in the store when she was too tiny to reach the counter; Natali with her brother and Sister, impish and swimming along with us in front of Tino's restaurant, managed by her parents, Miguel and Malana; Alma - oh Alma, how we all have watched you growing up, totally bilingual thanks to Mexican dad, Ernesto and American mom, Pegge, both maestros in our schools.  Our memories are of babys, toddlers and now of princesses and queens.  Thanks for the memories!

Viva Mexico! 

Viva la Independencia!

 Maria

 

 

 

 

VIVA LA INDEPENDENCIA ! VIVA MEXICO!

Las Palabras: El Grito - the shout, the cry (for independence); El Jardin - the garden; Fuegos Artificiales - fireworks; Pirotecnias - pyrotechnics;  La Iglesia - the church; Bandas - bands; Ensenada - inlet

A big part of my recent visit to San Miguel de Allende included the celebration of Mexico's 1810 independence from Spain.  The grito originated in nearby Dolores Hidalgo and September 16th is the biggest fiesta day in the region.  Though the President of Mexico only comes to Dolores Hidalgo to deliver the grito in his election year, there was no shortage of cries of Viva Mexico in the small Jardin in San Miguel, while President Calderon issued the traditional call for independence the seat of government, Mexico City.  Complete with towers of pyrotechnics and fireworks bursting in air (explosions being a Mexican birthright,) bandas and local celebrities, a very verbal good time was had by all.  It was great to see so many families relaxing throughout the day in the normally quiet, serene park across from la iglesia.

In spite of my supportive attitude toward Mexican independence and other celebrations throughout the year, I admit to total self-interest in being cool, sometimes cold and I was selfishly loving the wearing of long pants and long sleeves.  I was more interested this year in the weather in San Miguel de Allende and my hope that it would not warm up.  Rest assured we never broke a sweat.  While others were worried that too much rain would spoil the celebration I worried there would be no rain, no reason to close doors and windows, no reason to fire up the gas log fireplace.  The Mexican rain gods did not disappoint any of us - there was rain almost every day but not enough to spoil anyone's good time.  I slept under covers every night and enjoyed days of shopping without that Yelapa summer feeling of walking through a wall of water.

Back in Puerto Vallarta I phoned my pal, Olga, to hear that my house had not fallen into the river, the electricity had remained functioning most of the time and it was still hot and humid.  It is always a huge relief to round the corner into our small ensenada and see the pueblo just as it always appears - green and growing more lush with each rainfall. Greetings from my friends made me truly feel back home again.  I had said to my pals, what could possibly have happened in Yelapa while we were away - Nothing!  This was not the case and I'm not sure I am caught up on all the news yet but everywhere I go I discover that things have changed while somehow remaining the same.  The new municipal sewer system is under way with actual machines which dig up the cobblestone trails to lay pipe.  Hopefully, the water system is also still on the table for completion in my lifetime. I was only gone for 10 days so I wasn't expecting anything to be radically different and it was reassuring to find things more or less as they always are.

That night we were treated to one of our major summer storms with thunder that shakes the earth, lightning that lights up my house and the cresting of my little river so loud I could not hear the television whose Sky signal soon failed anyway.

Monday, as I was ready to write the blog post, the power went out and remained out until that evening.  Again the thunder roared and the rain poured and Desi hid out in the bathroom - the one room in my house that almost closes up.  I somehow felt comforted by the intensity of the storm and the inability to hear anything above the roar.  These are the Yelapa storms, our version of nature's grito and the seat of my own freedom and independence!

Viva la independcia!  Viva Yelapa!

Maria

DOG DAYS OF AUGUST

Las Palabras:  Las Ranas - the frogs; Los Juegos Olympicos - the Olympic games; Boxeador - boxer; Equitacion - equestrian; Esgrima - fencing; Natacion - swimming; Vela - short for Sailing; Las Medallas - the medals; Oro, Plata, Bronce - gold, silver, bronze; Hay Mucho Calor - there is much heat

I don't know how I could forget from one year to the next just how very hot August weather can be especially if we are not getting rain.  Plants need to be watered almost daily and Desi and I need to be watered a lot more than that. 

I spend a lot of time looking back at the rain records and comparing this and last year to more normal rain years.  We've only had one 5 minute downpour during the past week, not enough to be cooling.  I spend another chunk of my day checking my spiffy new digital thermometer, reassuring myself that it is indeed hot and humid.  Finally, after forcing myself to hit the trails for our daily walk and swim, I spend some hours in what can only be called semi-consciousness - a heat stupor.  If it's a great day someone calls - then I will listen compassionately to their heat induced babbling.  Worst of all is Jim, who stops by to joyfully tell me how much he loves this weather.  Anyone who can enjoy being wet and sticky must be a reincarnated rana.  No offense intended toward Jim or the frogs.

On the plus side these days is the wonderfully warm bay water for swimming, hours spent with good and bad books, more hours contemplating the beauty that surrounds me, my life in a hammock and when all fails - watching los juegos olympicos in Spanish.  Now that is a learning experience where the announcers speak so rapidly I can barely catch the adjectives:  Que barbaro!  How brutal/savage! - boxeador; equitacion; esgrima; natacion; vela and on and on.  Las medallas son de oro, plata y bronce.  That may be all I can actually grasp but no matter the language, to me the athletes are all heroic and in spite of any politics there are always surprises and thrills.

Entonces, like all smart Yelapa dogs, I am definitely laying low, sticking close to my casita comforts such as ice cold water and the shower, and waiting for the rain to return.  It is somewhat consoling to note there are only 9 more weeks to mid-October and much, much cooler nights!  Until then I will just continue to exercise my bitching rights since I live here, everyone does it and we are entitled to say-Hay mucho calor-as often as needed!  Stick with us, this too shall pass.

Como siempre, con abrazos!

Maria 

WHAT COMES TO YELAPA STAYS IN YELAPA!

Las Palabras:  Tianguis - yard sale; Pilas - batteries; Bodega - storeroom; Cosas - things; Un Articulo Extraordinario - an unusual item

A friend recently mentioned that she would sponsor another Tianguis to raise money for the clinic.  My most recent broken-record statement is "good luck with that"...I use this phrase these days when I think there is more chance of the proverbial pig flying, etc...It's not because we won't go to buy, it's more that we don't like to part with anything to be sold. 

Yard sales of every type are held all over the world and there are huge mercados filled with everything from pets to plants to pots and pans.  In Yelapa tianquis are seldom very glamorous affairs but are still very successful because we are a pueblo of people that rarely sheds our possessions, even when they are maimed and broken but we will always buy more.  Last year's sale managed to raise over $300 U.S. A lot of that success was due to Frankie bringing several darling girl's dresses, most of which I could not resist for some of my favorite little girls, plus a lot of left over items from David's move back to the states.  The rest was the usual jumble of tools/craft tools, books and some art work.  In spite of the last minute staging most items were hauled off to take a spot on someone else's shelves or to sit in their bodegas. 

I took no goods to be sold since I am an old Yelapensa and believe I may someday need whatever it is I have hidden away.  I admit to having caught the minor Yelapa mental disease of never throwing anything away.  There's the boom box sitting in plain view that only plays on batteries and has been sitting for over three years. Every now and then I put in pilas to make sure it still works and has not become a home to some pushy insects.  I would give it away but any kid who would like to have it could not supply the batteries to keep it going.  More important I may need to use it someday should my beloved Bose radio ever fail me and because life without music is unimaginable.  Never mind there is a perfectly usable boom box packed away in my closet...I also have every mop handle I have bought in the last three years...once in a while I get the old mops together and saw off the old heads by hand saw.  These poles I keep because I have had this hobby horse idea for many years and will need them should I ever actually begin this children's project. 

My first year here I recall going to casas that seemed to be overflowing with "cosas."  One of my friends had so many kitchen items and spices that I could not believe she could find anything when she actually needed it but she knew exactly where everything was and I came to envy her supplies.  It didn't take me long to understand that items that make it all the way out here to Yelapa will never leave Yelapa.  It's a struggle to get things out here.  Most of us don't have cars in Puerto Vallarta and just getting things to the pier, on and off the pangas and finally hauled up to our houses is really a chore.  A few years back Lance & I shared a panga to bring over some large furniture/appliance items.  Neither of us thought we could fill a panga but as we left Vallarta there was only room for us to squeeze in so we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies - one of us sitting in a new/used chair.  I can not even tell you what things I brought that day but they have all been absorbed and found their places in our homes.

If I do find I have an excess item or I replace one with something newer or better my personal philosophy is to give things away rather than sell.  While Yelapa is not a poor pueblo by any Mexican standards there are many people who are "minimum wage" workers and they, like workers all over the world, do not always have basic needs met.  I was surprised to find the old cushions I gave had become a child's bed, the old suitcase I finally emptied is a girl's closet, my old bed pillows have been washed and are still in use and the brothers are still using that little old refrigerator that once belonged to the other Maria, then I used it for three years, then Lucky used it for two years more.  Even Desi, who has every toy ever given to him plus all of the organic goodies he has hauled into his lair recently gave away a doggie carrier which he outgrew during his first few months. 

Are we in recovery?  Far from it - we just need to make room for whatever is coming next and nobody is looking forward to the next tianquis more than I.  Maybe I'll find that one special part, the irresistable book for the overflowing bookshelf, the missing lid for my saucepan or most likely, something that is just too appealing to pass up, no matter what it is! Un articulo extraordinario!

Como siempre, con abrazos! 

Maria

ONE FINE DAY/UN DIA MUY BUENO

Las Palabras:  Cuando estoy floja - when I am lazy; Sorpresa - astonishment/surprise; Una Nina - a girl; Cuando No hay nuevo Blog, es porque no tengo ganas de hacer nada - when there is no new blog, it is because I have no desire/inclination to do anything; Disculpame! - forgive me/I apologize!

Once in a while there are Mondays when I just blow the blog off and let it ride one more week.  Sometimes it is due to power failure or a trip to the big city or some other major interruption but there are also days and weeks during the summer cuando estoy floja - I just don't feel like it - lazy, hot, busy, bored - all good excuses to spend a beautiful day somewhere away from the computer and away from home. 

Many summer days, which are quite long, I feel almost no incentive to produce work of any kind.  No one is looking to see if I have dust bunnies, dirty dishes or any other telltale signs of sloth.  Instead I turn to my books or other amusements but ultimately I just get pueblo fever and can't resist the urge to go forth and find friends.

Years ago during a run of daily downpours I would get cleaned up, dressed neatly and open the door to be met by a sheet of rain...Hastily slamming the door on the needed but depressing sight I went back into my pit and waited for a break in the weather that never seemed to arrive.  Finally, I just grabbed my stuff and made my way through the pouring rain, lightning and thunder to the only other friend staying the summer and pounded on her door, which was always fragile  She flung it open shouting "WHAT?"  "Let me in - I just have to look at someone elses walls."  I helped her finish mopping up and we spent the afternoon over the scrabble board, laughing and gossiping and occasionally sweeping the water out.

Though we are not yet into the most tedious rain days, when the mood strikes me each day I gather up my gear, my wonder dog and out we go in search of friendship or just another soul to share some chat.  These are most often los dias mas buenos - the very best days.  There are now many more crazy people like me who choose to spend summers in Yelapa.  I had a wonderful visit with an old pal, Celeste, who lived here in the really old days and who shared some recollections as she tried to catch up on people who were children when she first lived here such as Leticia and her family.  For those who know Leticia, the store owner, it is easy to picture the young bride already managing the fish business with her equally young husband.  She's one of the best businesswomen in the pueblo and Celeste remembers when.  The very next day I spent an afternoon with Susan and Maria (the other Maria).  Our really long chat covered books, food, community projects and the possiblity of Susan writing just one teeny blog post for me before she launches her own site...she owns the Cafe Bahia.  We barely moved, they in the hammocks and me lounging on the swinging bed.  Life was indeed very good that day.  I could hardly believe my good fortune to get a call from Janice, who is seldom in residence, but is here full of plans for her new digs and, being a chef, gave me a superb lunch and a special afternoon. And at last, one of my best pals, Lance, is here and I will trek to his place, Casa Arriba, with one of the best Yelapa views, and do more of the same lazy stuff - floating in his mini pool, chatting and catching up on pueblo politics and people.

To my sorpresa, I now find there are more people than I can possibly see, just like during our so-called high season and not even including my Mexican friends, who also have a little more free time.  Rosa and I have much to discuss as we await the birth of her daughter, Vero's first baby, una nina.  Like Celeste I remember Vero as one of my first little friends - now married and making her own little family.

Once I leave my casita and walk the two minutes to the pueblo I am already too hot and dripping with perspiration.  Nevertheless, the urge to mingle is much stronger than any heat I have encountered throughout my many summers in Yelapa.  I know when I find one of my pals, they will sit me in front of the "big" fan, give me something cold to drink (thank you electricity) and then the really fine day is truly upon me.

Entonces, cuando no hay nuevo blog, es porque no tengo ganas de hacer nada.  Disculpame!

Como siempre, con abrazos!

Maria

BAJALE! VIVE SIN PRISA!

Las Palabras:  BajaLe! Vive Sin Prisa - Slow down! live without haste; Autopista - Turnpike; Si Dios Quiere - If god wishes; Poco a Poco - little by little

The overpasses on the autopista between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta are posted with signs telling people to slow down and live without haste or hurrying. I think it is a really sweet way to get speeders' attention.  A pal was quick to tell me - there's a mesage there; they are trying to tell us something, don't you think?  Methinks the message says something more than quit driving your car so fast. While I have watched Mexico moving ahead in the world's economy and within the country, there is something so reassuring and comforting about a country which continues to maintain a national philosophy that tells us we will live longer if we just slow down. I think it pretty much sums up one of the main reasons so many of us have gravitated south.

Moving here requires not only leaving behind the rush hour life, shop till you drop, spend to the end existence most of us were living but it also means a major shift from impatience to patience, intolerance to tolerance and the faith that whatever it is we think we needed yesterday will arrive manana or will get done poco a poco...just wait and see but be prepared to wait awhile!  If you try to get someone to say positively they will do something by any certain date you will most likely hear - "si dios quiere!"  I'm not so sure this is faith based as much as a way to tell you no one can guarantee anything positively in life, so relax.

Entonces, moving to Yelapa is taking the slow down philosophy just a teeny bit farther.  While I love going to Puerto Vallarta to visit friends, visit the big stores and see the sights, I am always relieved to leave behind the noises, crowds and much louder hum of the city.  I have been asked again and again how I stand living here year round, through heat and rain, humidity and bugs, electrical outages, too much water or not enough water.  I'm astounded that the small stresses I live with could ever be compared to traffic jams, crowds and louder, more insistent noise and work intrusions which seem to be the norm outside of the pueblo.  I have been watching a friend, who recently took up full time residence, finally grasp the manana concept - she was so busy and task oriented and is now perfectly guilt free spending a couple of rainy days watching three seasons of a popular show on DVD. Our lists will keep, the rains will stop (someday) and life will move quickly or slowly without any need for us to do anything but be willing to have an accepting heart and a belief that slower is not a bad thing.

In the spirit of what I have now adopted as my personal motto - slow down, live without hurrying - I enthusiastically sign off to go forth with my little wonder dog to visit friends, have a swim between storms and just fritter away a lovely, green hilled, blue skied Sunday afternoon.

Deseo lo mismo para ustedes!  I wish the same for you!

Maria

 

AND THE RAINS CAME DOWN!

Las Palabras:  Las Lluvias - the rains; huevos poches sobre las tortillas - poached eggs on top of tortillas;  Un Milagro - miracle; Si El Dios Quiere - if god wills it (generally said for almost everything); Hasta la Proxima Vez! - until next time

Since I have been worrying about how little rain we have had thus far, only 5", it is only Yelapa reasoning that the rains would begin and maybe decide to never stop.  In ten hours during the night we gained 10 1/2".  Fortunately, I woke up in the night to empty my rain gauge which was almost full and again this a.m. there were 5 inches more.  Of course it is still raining and I have logged 2 1/2" more since 7a.m. and it really doesn't look like it will stop soon.  The only ray of light is not from the sun but from the fact that the falling rain may now be a little lighter than the sheets of rain that were pouring down on my casita, under the door of my casita and even in from the patio of my casita through the night.  Apparently there really is a limit to what our surfaces can handle.  I don't know about other parts of the world but an inch of rain per hour without a break is a major downpour.  Of course I remember another storm with this rate of rain per hour and we here all agreed it was a major disaster. 

I used to wonder how other villages throughout the world could be washed away during tropical storms - why didn't the people leave their homes?  It's really about no place being safer than home and there really being no place else to go.  As a youngster I loved Dorothy Lamour, a sarong wearing brunette who starred in the Bob Hope, Bing Crosby movies.  So I always had the notion that, like Dorothy, I could lash myself to a palm tree during a hurricane and be saved.  I now know that outside in a monsoon is the last place anyone should ever go and a falling coconut can literally kill you, so, like people all over the world I am hunkered down inside, mopping the floors when necessary, mopping Desi when necessary and just generally trying to keep up with any damage this storm might cause.  Was that really me who was wishing for rain?

I did make my usual storm trek to the waterfall to see if they were all okay up at Piri's restaurant...as though it were any other morning they were open for business and while I had to sit with the family in the kitchen my breakfast of huevos poches sobra las tortillas was as good as ever.  The mist from the falls weren't allowing anyone except our crazy kids to sit under the palapa.  Everyone had the same manic energy we always have when we realize that for now we have survived a major message from mother nature.  No 4th of July fireworks display can ever equal our lightning, thunder and suddenly deafening, swollen rivers. 

I have heard, but not yet seen, that our bigger river Tuito is roiling and emptying sand, soil, sludge and anything else caught upriver into the bay.  Entonces, there will be no swimming for a few days until the bay clears up.  However, we still have electrical power (un milagro) and it is blissfully cool - almost cold - forget I said that since I have not been cold in such a long, long time.

If the rains slow sufficiently before evening we will all pour out of our casas to check on our friends, the size of the waves on the playa and the river and I can guarantee we will all be wet but gleeful and excited.  The onset of the rainy season is always stressful and the end of a storm brings relief in the knowledge that we have not been forgotten by the seemingly mischievous weather gods.

Now the weather can relax too and maybe just come every afternoon and give us 2-3" of rain and then move along, leaving our evenings cool and comfortable.  Si el Dios Quiere!

Since my internet connection has disconnected more than once today, I am leaping off the page here, grabbing my plastic poncho and heading down to see the sights and hear the sounds of Yelapa at full roar.

Hasta la proxima vez!

Maria   

 

CHISMES....RUMORS & GOSSIP

What does he know and where did he hear it?

Las Palabras:  Chismes - rumors; Verano - summer; Compadres - friends, pals; Reunion - assembly; La Gente Dice - the people say; Hasta Hay Noticias - until there is news

Since verano seems to have arrived whether we are ready or not and so many pals have made their way north, those of us remaining rely on each other for Yelapa gossip and news.  When everyone is here, including all the vacation visitors, word travels quickly via the jungle grapevine.  Everyone wants to be the first to tell the news - did you hear?  Do you know?  Many a visit gets spent trying to track down the origin of a rumor in order to decide if the news is truth, partial truth, someone's imagination or someone just not hearing the story clearly.

Left to our own devices during the summer months, we use the phone more to try to find out just what is going on around here.  It's too hot to go out to gather the news so I rely heavily on my compadres here, both Mexican and international, to let me know what is the what in Yelapa.  Although we do pass along reunion announcements or upcoming fiestas we really want to know who of us is doing anything even remotely exciting.  As far as I can tell there is nothing to report.  We are all waiting for rain, sunning and swimming and logging a lot of hammock time. 

At a recent water meeting (no, we don't have any) I asked a pal if there was any truth to the rumor that she & her husband were planning a takeover of the playita....really, all I heard was a possibility they might rent the rest of the house they live in.  But how dull would that news be?  I did tell her I couldn't remember where I heard the rumor - maybe it came from me.  Fortunately she did not think that would make the rumor any truer.  If someone would have been eavesdropping I can assure you by day's end the story would be that a foreign investor was building a Club Med on the playita.

Speculation on what Yelapa's future may hold has always spurred the most frightening rumors.  When I first arrived and right up through today there was/is the rumor that a BIG hotel will be built on the playa - I wonder where they will get their water....The other rumor that sends chills through our easy going bones is the onset of the "coastal road" which will end somewhere near Peppermint Patty's house.  That one doesn't get me going much since I think if they started tomorrow at Boca de Tomatlan and there were no delays, no changes of government, no problemitas of any kind, the road would still not be completed for about 10 years....entonces, no coastal road is about to appear...probably not at all in my lifetime.

I even get rumors via email, mostly questions about the weather conditions or inquiries about if someone's house is still standing after a severe storm.  Since we have yet to have any real storms there is nothing to any of those rumors either but the weather is still the best summer topic for the rumor mill.  Some years ago, when Yelapa went through Huricana Rosa no one seemed to know about it until after the fact - maybe no one believed it.  I felt that ignorance was bliss and if I had known I was in a hurricane while staying in a grass hut I would probably have been hysterical rather than merely terrified. Right before Huricana Kenya hit us I was at Byron's watching the news on his TV.  I told him he should come look as the announcer was speaking so quickly I couldn't keep up but I did understand the big red arrow pointing to Puerto Vallarta which was covered by a huge red ball.  I barely got home when it hit Yelapa.  So much for staying on top of the weather.  These days we have Cheryl Harleston's satellite map and storm information at www.elexion.com/local/ , internet access to the weather stations and yet we still cannot say with any surety whether it will rain tonight.  As for the temperatures - hot is hot, humid is humid and that's all I need to know about that subject.

A lot of rumors and gossip carry more weight whenever someone starts by saying "The gente dice.."  That means everyone is saying it is so and therefore it must be true - indeed it is true!  Usually this statement is a good way to determine what the pueblo is thinking about a subject, i.e. the water is coming, the water is not coming, the sky is falling, the sky is not falling.  If there is a majority consensus we can sometimes believe the water is coming because everyone wants it.

So if we are all home surrounded by our summer toys - crosswords, jigsaws, hammock, books, movies - is anything happening here?  I think not, or surely I would have heard some version by now. I do know I am happy to see almost anyone who has ventured out and wants to chat me up, the only disappointing telephone call is from Telmex telemarketing and I am so glad I go swim most days where I encounter mostly summer visitors who don't know the gossip but are bubbling over with enthusiasm for Yelapa.  Since this is the most tranquil time of the year in Yelapa I can easily sing that song with them.

Hasta Hay Noticias! 

Maria

EL DIA DE LOS MARINEROS - MARINER'S DAY

The school color guard on La Guera, captained by Neto, whose dad died at sea.

Las Palabras:  Con mucho gusto - with great pleasure; Ensenada - cove or inlet; Vacas - cows; Brecha - gap or rough cut road; Los Vaqueros - the cowboys; Gringos Permanentes - permanent international residents; Club de Yate - the Yacht Club

This morning everything was so quiet, so still that I thought the electricity had gone off - a fairly common occurence in Yelapa.  Only the birds were up and singing, loudly announcing their plans every minute of the day.  The power was just fine and the only thing missing were the people of the pueblo - Yelapa was sleeping following the biggest one day fiesta of the year. 

This year there were more pangas in the bay than I can ever recall.  The tradition of the holiday is to honor the mariners - the fishermen - and being a traditional fishing village Yelapa celebrated con mucho gusto, beginning with the laying of wreathes upon the bay.  The pangas are all loaded with children and families who boat out into the bay and a list of those who have died through the years is read and prayers are said for their souls while the wreathes are spread.

After the solemn acknowledgment of the dangers facing those who go to sea the fleet of pangas all begin the return to shore.  But then something else begins to happen.  Boats begin to pick up speed and soon it is a race between all the boats.  There is a huge release of sorrow, a letting off of steam and a return to the natural gaiety of Yelapenses. 

Water and eggs become weapons of attacking other pangas and people - even pets are not exempt from a tossed bucket of water.  Everyone has contributed something to the event including the indigenous comunidad government.  Free beer begins to flow, food begins to cook, there are treats for sale and the band strikes up the music.  These days most of the goodies are located on the playita with the band set up on the deck of Club de Yate.  Spontaneous boat races begin and the water in our little ensenada de Yelapa is soon churning from sharp turns, kids shriek and once again we marvel at the skill our capitanos have with these fairly small boats.  Everyone eats and drinks, probably to excess.

The rodeo is held upriver and also remains a tradition among Yelapenses whose economy includes cattle ranching and farming. When you walk upriver everything changes from the sea, boat, fish life to the rural, farming life of El Paso, which is an undefined but heavily inhabited area on the river, that begins just beyond the village area.  Vacas are driven down the brecha by Vaqueros who ride from the Chacala pueblo, and at some point in the day, everyone goes home, dons their cowboy hats, buckles and boots and treks up to the corral for ridin' ropin' and revelry.  One year the cattle did not want to come out of their holding stalls, let alone be roped or ridden.  Our resident U.S. Veterinarian at the time was on hand to make sure the cattle were not being abused but since they spent most of their time lying down, we all thought there was little risk of anything going amiss unless one of the cows woke up angry.  It was mostly a hilarious afternoon of trying to get them up and out into the corral but no one seemed to mind.  The vaqueros are mostly known for fancing horse riding and fancy clothes and there are always some good looking high steppers - horses, that is.

Yes, there was dancing...isn't there always?  What can I tell you - I didn't last that long.  I can say I agree with my pal, Susan, who said this is her favorite Yelapa fiesta because the business of tourism is mostly over, it's truly a day for Yelapenses to enjoy themselves and those gringos permanantes still here are generally well liked and not afraid to get a little egg or water in their hair.

The only thing left to do is go out today, visit around, hear everything that happened that I missed, eat some leftovers and go swim with the kids, once again grateful to live among such energetic, fun loving and tolerant people.  By this time of day - 3 p.m. here most of the pueblo should be awake! 

Como siempre, con abrazos.

Maria

IMAGINE THIS!

Would you want to leave this very often?

Las Palabras:  Cohete - rockets; Ensenada - cove/inlet; El Dorado - the gold rush

Imagine reaching home by panga, rounding the last bend into Yelapa Ensenada to all the familiar views and faces of home.  Imagine feeling safe and snug in your casita, knowing once again that all is as you left it only two weeks ago.  Imagine the comfort and warmth of all your old familiar friends and home.

My walk home took me past my neighbors, and a Latin love song that made me feel like dancing was playing at the Rosewood Shop where I was greeted warmly by Jorge...everyone knows when you leave and when you return. 

In spite of the rather loud blasts of cohetes that now accompany the fiesta of Guadalupe in the pueblo I am instantly aware of the different beat within the pueblo.  There is now a stillness, a quiet in the air.  Imagine the clouds, the ebb and flow of the tides of the sea, the now quiet tinkle of water as the river runs down - so far removed from the roar that will come with the first rains.  The horses, cows, burrows, mules roosters, dogs and wildebeests of the jungle sing their song as do I.  Nothing is threatening and everything is more restful.  The rush of friends, family, fiestas, the rush for the tourist el dorado is mostly behind us these days and one can feel the collective sigh of contentment as once again we return to our peaceful pueblo, most of our days now free for roaming or resting.

Imagine your song blending with all the other songs of the earth when you feel as well as hear the very vibrancy of life right now in this moment.  Many adventurous times lie ahead that promise excitement, drama, theatrical shows of nature and the ever looming heat of summer.  But for now we are all settling once again into our softer, gentler season of long swims in warm water, long visits with old friends and long dreamy days. 

If you can imagine this you are where I am - home!  Estoy en casa!

Con abrazos, Maria