Recommend this . . .

VACATION RENTALS

Rent a Beach Front Home! Contact me for last minute specials!

Casa Que Canta
(House that sings)
Plunge Pool for Summer!

New Pictures of Las Brisas

Spectacular Taj Majahual - (includes Plunge Pool)
Rent the entire property or just one room.

Costa Maya Newsletter > Archived Costa Maya Newsletters > Costa Maya-Mahahual October-2011 Newsletter

Editorial- Report on Hurricane Rina

Hi Costa Maya Neighbors,

For the past few days we have been watching hurricane Rina as it stalled off the coast of Honduras. When it was forecast to become a category 3 and go through the Costa Maya Area our hearts sank. We were told Monday that the internet was going to be disconnected - a death knoll for many of us. Fortunately, on Wednesday the 26th, about 2:00, with the storm only 12 hours away, the storm was downgraded to a category one. Mahahual collectively cheered and we were never disconnected.

Placer is 20 km north of Mahahual, just 15 km from the Hurricane warning area at Punta Gruesa (those of you who know where GVI is located will know how close Punta Gruesa is.) On the morning of the 27th, after Rina blew by, there was little damage. We checked even as far north as Pulticub and there didn't seem to be much damage there, in fact the beaches were beautiful.

However, on the day leading up to Rina, all the locals in the area acted as if the equal to Hurricane Dean was coming straight at us. Despite the scientific weather data online that it was both lessening in intensity and turning north - they were convinced that windows needed to be boarded up, the grocery stores emptied and money emptied out of the banks. I didn't hear the radio reports they were listening to, but I started to look at my own preparations - was I preparing enough, and was I interpreting the data correctly? My stomach started to run flip flops. That brings me to the psychology of fear. When those around you act afraid, you start wondering - "should I be afraid too?" Then despite all the facts, all of the information you get from reliable sources (like the National Hurricane Center), you get caught up in the culture of fear.

Fueled by the media, I can see this fear exploding in the American public's perception of Mexico. Europeans and Canadians are not so fearful of Mexico and certainly understand that the Yucatan Peninsula is safe and one of them even told me that Merida is the safest city in Latin America of it's size. While I can't verify that fact - it certainly doesn't feel dangerous when you are anywhere in the peninsula and just like Rina, none of the data supports a personal safety risk . If any of you have not visited Mexico lately because you feel it is dangerous, it might be worthwhile to analyze whether you too are caught up in a culture of fear. The beaches are still beautiful, the sun sublime, the people friendly and yes, however, some things never change. There is still that issue of the gas station attendant cheating you at the pump. ;-).

Your Costa Maya Neighbor,

Marcia Bales. . .writing this from Placer and Mayan Beach Garden Inn - 20 km north of Mahahual.

Past newsletters can be found at NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES

Sign up for up-to-date info at Costa Maya-Mahahual Live Blog with updates and current events

************************************************

Mayan Beach Garden - New at MBG

Christmas Rentals Going Fast There are only a few rentals still available for Christmas time. Taj Majahual and Casa Porto Vino still have some availability. Mayan Beach Garden is full for some of the dates, but has availability before Christmas and for New Years. If you are thinking of a last minute trip, make sure and make reservations before there is nothing at all left. Mayan Beach Garden opens two new rooms We are just putting the finishing touches on the 2nd of two Caribbean Balcony beachfront rooms at Mayan Beach Garden. We know it is a risk right now to spend money adding more rooms considering the economy, but felt the need to add more beachfront to make up for the ones we lost in Hurricane Dean. We are reserving the room back by the road exclusively for friends and family. This will leave Mayan Beach Garden with 7 rooms, 5 beachfront and 2 ocean view. The rooms will be ready for rent starting Nov. 15th. We've added some pictures below. View of the King sized bed from hand painted mirror, talavera tile and sink. You can see the second level from the beach Talavera sink, conch water spout and hand painted mirror and last, but not least - the view below.
Good bye to Jim Conrad Jim returns to Hacienda Chichen at the end of the month of October. Sadly, Sunday will be the last newsletter issued from Mayan Beach Garden Inn. An excerpt from his newsletter on ......is below. I will continue to post excerpts of Jim's newsletters written here. Today, I'll take my last nature walk with Jim and bid him a sad farewell until hopefully he returns some time in the future.
Spear Fishing teams up with Mayan Beach Garden More Info on Mayan Beach Garden and spear fishing. . .	Those of you who may have wanted to learn how to spear fish with an expert - the time is now here. Mayan Beach Garden is partnering with Mike at Costa Maya Spear-fishing. Spear Fishing is the ultimate in sport fishing. The use of tanks for Spear fishing is illegal in Mexico, but free diving and snorkeling is completely legal. Mike has all the permits needed to take you either from shore or boat snorkel. With a few tips, you'll find you can stay down longer and even maybe spear some fish. Spear fishing is highly selective, uses no bait and has no by-catch meaning no  turtles, Dolphins, Manatee, or other protected species are hurt . With education and proper regulations, spear fishing can be the most ecologically sustainable form of fishing.

Ghost Crabs excerpt from www. backyardnature.net (Authored by Jim Conrad)

Just about anytime during the day as you're walking along the beach or the scrubby rise between the ocean and the mangroves, but especially at dawn and dusk, you see the white, black-eyed, fuzzy legged crab shown above. About the size of a saucer, this is the Atlantic Ghost Crab, sometimes referred to as a sand crab, OCYPODE QUADRATA. You can see in the picture that one of this species' claws is larger than the other. This points to the fact that the genus Ocypode resides in the same family as fiddler crabs, the Ocypodidae, famed for having a single claw so large that it looks like the crab is playing a fiddle. In the short time I've been here I've learned three things about our ghost crabs.
First, they dig deep slanting tunnels into moist sand (four-feet deep, at a 45° angle, I read), and if a favorite ornamental plant stands above the tunnel the digging's disturbance may damage or kill the plant. Second, ghost crabs eat an enormous variety of foods, such as the blackened, brittle, dried leaf the one in the picture is munching on, and; third: If you're jogging down a road at dawn and come upon a ghost crab, if it figures it can't outrun you, it'll stand its ground and try to face you down, holding its white claws before it like a judo expert keeping his dangerous hands out front. In dim dawn or dusk light, the white claws are very conspicuous, almost seeming to glow. A good-sized dog wanting badly to sniff the critter, seeing the spectral white claws brandished before him, cedes his sniffing rights. Many crab species are aquatic, but Ocypode quadrata is beautifully adapted for life on land, only occasionally returning to water to wet its gills. Ruppert & Fox in 1988 published a work describing how the species also can moisten its gills by extracting water from damp sand, using fine hairs near the base of its walking legs to wick ground water up onto the gills through capillary action! The species also must be close to water at mating time, for its females release their eggs at the water' edge. In Wayne and Martha McAlister's Life on Matagorda Island, an online "Google Book," I learn that Ghost Crab tunnels enter the sand at 45° angles and are directed so that they catch the onshore breeze. Often two tunnels join into a Y, possibly to create a draft through the lair. Other tunnels are simple Ls or Js, the bottoms enlarged so that the crab can rest and turn around during the day when normally it's belowground. The tunnels descend to just above the water table, and usually there's just one crab per tunnel.
Ghost Crab tunnels aerate the sand, but also newly hatched sea turtles tumble down them. Ghost Crabs prey on both turtle eggs and recently hatched turtles. A study in Malaysia with a different species of ghost crab found that when the crabs tunneled into turtle nests they would break open several eggs. This began a sequence of events normally resulting in the entire clutch being destroyed -- though the crab may actually eat only a few eggs. The crab's tunnel serves as an entry point by other predators, such as ants and fungi, plus diseases affecting the whole nest arise from the broken eggs.

Culture shock in Mahahual

Culture shock is a phenomena that I have just begun to analyze. I've read several psychologists explain the factors that lead up to it, but mainly it is the effect of being immersed in an unfamiliar culture. To put it in the context of Mahahual and Southern Quintana Roo, foreigners here may be bothered by the fact that first, They don't understand the Mexicans here and secondly, Mexicans do not understand them. This difference has nothing to do with language but is compounded when the foreigner doesn't understand Spanish. When we try to make sense of some behavior we are experiencing, we interpret the unknown, often incorrectly. What happens next is a feeling of social isolation from the new surroundings, despite it's beauty and we begin to be critical of the new culture and we begin to romanticize the culture we came from). I've passed out of the culture shock phase, but I can see others struggling. Things don't bother me so much anymore, and in most cases, I've embraced many of the differences, I don't even stress myself out any more when I'm late to something. However, the ability of a Mexican to wait in line for a very long time is something I'm sure I'll never acquire.

I've listed below the 10 items that most people run into when they are here, some annoying and some of them are lovely differences.

1. Land of Manana. The thing that makes Mexico nice to visit and vacation makes it infuriating to get anything done. The inability to plan anything can be extremely frustrating. It can take forever to get something done.
2. Kissing on the cheek: I could write an entire article just on this, but basically, kissing on the cheek is a charming custom where friends, or even casual acquaintances greet each other, but I think I did it incorrectly when I first came to Mexico., No one explained the rules of kissing to me, so it took me a while to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. A) kissing is on the right cheek, B) Traditionally it is practiced Woman to Woman, Woman to Man but not Man to Man. C) If it is just an acquaintance, kiss the air and just touch cheeks. D) While some men kiss every woman, it is traditional for the woman to make the first move E) it isn't necessary to kiss the cheek of those you see every day like a neighbor or employee. F) It is appropriate to kiss someone at the time you are introduced. Here in Quintana Roo, they all do it. I've been at meetings where they
3. Provecho : I really like how people say "Provecho" in a restaurant. What they are saying is "enjoy your meal." Sometimes complete strangers in a restaurant will say Provecho to another table as they leave the restaurant, especially if they have just enjoyed the meal. Replying with "gracias" is always a good idea.
4. Culture of tolerance: Mexicans as a rule are some of the most tolerant I've ever seen towards other religions and lifestyles. It is not uncommon to belong to more than one church. Still, it is predominantly a catholic culture and evidences of this are everywhere from local holidays, fiestas, artwork, love songs, nativity scenes and alters on government property and a general celebration of catholic ritual. It is one of the things I love about Mexico - the freedom to celebrate and embrace religion without fear of reprisal. Whether or not you are Catholic, you can enjoy the cultural festivities along with the rest of Mexico. You will notice also, how quickly they embrace the festivals and celebrations of other cultures as well. Some of the cultural activities may inconvenience you, such as the annual pilgrimage on Dec. 12, and the only option is to embrace it and enjoy it rather than get frustrated.
5. Telling you what you want to hear: At some point, you realize that Mexicans will tell you what you want to hear because it is polite. Transversely, if the truth were unpleasant, it would be impolite to tell you. What that equals is people telling you that things are possible when they are not, and telling you that they will make something happen which never does, or that the price will be $$ when in reality they never added $ and $ making it $$$$. I've learned not to believe the "yes" that comes too quickly. You can get mad, and they will still provide a smiling, "yes" over and over again and then never deliver. Jim Conrad, who has lived with Mexicans for many years says that if you were in their circle of friends and family, and they told you something that was what you wanted to hear, but probably untrue, you would know that about them and not worry about it. Or, if they start to welcome you into their circle, some of them may even begin to tell you the unpleasant things you don't want to hear (like my longstanding workers). But it is not polite to say something to a gringo or stranger that is unpleasant..
6. Mountains of Paperwork. This is a country of paperwork. You can give your paperwork to someone and two weeks later they will ask for it again. You must save every piece of paperwork you have because inevitably you will have to produce it. Furthermore, make sure it includes the stamp - or it isn't legal in many cases. Coming from a digital society, this seems so foreign - but hey, we are in a foreign country so must get used to it And oh, by they way .. . that document on the wall is proof that they know what they are doing. Whether or not they have experience, if they don't have the certification, they can't get the job.
7. Family is the most important thing: I once had a man tell me he didn't understand Americans. He said that in the US, when someone gets married they move out of the house to get away from their parents. In Mexico, they move in with the Inlaws. "Why do you want to be away from your family?" I couldn't answer that. You will also notice that they seem very admissive to their children, especially male children. They don't yell at their children, rather they let them run all over at will.
8. Mexican helping hand: This is one of the best things about Mexican culture. If you have a problem with your car, if you are lost or just need help. . . someone will come to your aid. Helping someone is just part of the culture. They can't say "no" to someone in distress. Kim and I have been the recipient many times. Complete strangers have stopped to ask if we needed help on the side of the road, even consulting with their friends to solve our problems.
9. Noise tolerance: Yes, the blaring loudspeaker, the constant music and the deafening music is everywhere. My staff can't work without music, and it has to be loud. I was attending church one day while outside music blasted. It was hard to hear ones self think. I asked one of the members why they didn't ask them to turn the music down. Yes it was loud, but she said it had never occurred to her to do it.
10. Language: Even though a good percentage of the people in Mahahual speak English, and even though you may speak a little spanish, the nuances of language may be completely lost on you. Think of all the miscommunication that can occur between two English speaking people. If one person is Primarily Spanish speaking and the other English, the differences can be huge. I don't know how many times I think I'm telling them to do something and they think I said NOT to do it. This lack of communication can cause you to miss a lot of what is going on. That creates a feeling of isolation and confusion.

After the honeymoon is over, how do you climb out of the depressing phase of cultural shock on the Costa Maya? Experts say to learn the language, get involved in community projects, and Ex pat groups, communicate via email and phone to those in your country of origin and realize that after the culture shock phase is over, the reason you came to Mexico to begin with will be revealed to you.

is mexico safe?

Quite a few of my guests had told me that their friends and family have told them that Mexico isn't safe and they are crazy to go. I mentioned the psychology of fear in my editorial, but here are some links to some articles on-line where others are speaking up candidly about the travel conditions and safety:

Is it Safe to Travel to Mexico Now - Peter Greenberg Peter Greenberg interviews Robert Reid, U.S. travel editor for Lonely Planet

The O'Reilly Factor: Should Americans continue to vacation in Mexico: Video replay from Fox News

Is it safe to Travel to Mexico, an entire web site devoted to travel in Mexico, with statistics to back it up sponsored by San Miguel Homes and Real Estate.

Mexico Taxi Project Mexico is spending $30 Million dollars to convince Americans that Mexico is safe. This web site is part of the campaign. In the taxi project, hidden cameras photograph Tourists on their way to the airport candidly talking about their vacations. Upon their arrival, they are told of the project, sign permissions and maybe will be seeing their faces showing up in advertisements.

Picture of the Month

This photo was taken by Harvey Steeves. He received this flat tire driving along the beach road. Not sure how he got a wrench in his tire, but at least he had a spare!

XCALAK POLLY

It has been an absolute pleasure to accompany Jim on his "walks" these last months. He is a mine of information, so knowledgeable, happy to pass this on to those of us that were, are, interested. I will look forward to receiving his nature observations weekly in his newsletter. Still being able to get answers to what critter I have found and don't have any idea what it is. I will miss him as will many others. Perhaps next year Jim? or maybe a trip to Merida to see what you have over there!

After a great evening with friends, dinner and good company, I had the long, uncomfortable drive back down the beach road to the Pueblo. So driving very slowly trying to miss the biggest potholes (cenotes), chanting the road mantra, "I hate this road, I hate this road", when I saw two pairs of amber eyes staring from the side of the road. As I got nearer the headlights picked out two Ocelots looking at the car curiously.

Classified Adds

Classified adds have moved to this link Classified Ads. If you have something you want included in the classifieds, please send it to info@mayanbeachgarden.com. Limit text to 100 words and pictures no larger than 600 pixels wide, but preferably 432, so that text can go side by side the photos. Include a contact email or phone number. It is a good idea to use an email address that is not your primary address to limit Junk mail coming your way. There is no charge, this is a community service for sale by owners.