Storm Stories

Posted on February 9, 2013February 9, 2013 by Dusty Roads

The New England Blizzard of 2013 is winding down. The storm centers are starting to compare past major storms to this one. My favorite storm was the Blizzard of ’78 but I’d say this one was handled much better. With a driving ban starting yesterday at 4 pm they avoided having cars stuck on the expressway and stranded drivers which was one of the most horrific memories from ’78. The storm surges are still battering the coast with widespread evacuations but I haven’t heard too many reports of homes being washed into the sea the way they were in ’78.

I was a property insurance adjuster in 1978 so had first hand exposure to the devastation. Now in 2013 I’m a dispatcher for a telecommunication company so still on the front lines, just in a different way.

Here are some pictures from 10:30 last night.

Our Entryway door at the condo in Taunton

Plowing the parking lot

The tree in front of out building

And then 9 am this morning.

Still snowing

Nice job clearing our walk way

And the stairs but what happens at the bottom???

Wake me up when it’s spring.

Where’s my car?

The Walled City of Tulum

Posted on February 9, 2013February 9, 2013 by Dusty Roads

True to the guidebooks’ promise the little shuttle dropped us at the entry to the ruins of Tulum but we hadn’t caught up to Paula and the rest of our group yet.

We had a new guide who was very considerate and kind. We had some stone stairs to climb before we actually reached the main ruins and he graciously helped some of the older guests as I helped a lady who had somehow attached herself to me. He never rushed anyone and always asked if we were ok.

Finally we saw the site spread out before us. Paula and our group were off the path ahead of us so our guide sent us to rejoin them and he went back for the next tram.

The site spreading out before us was impressive.

Paula was pointing out the various structures and points of interest before turning us lose to explore on our own.

While she was giving us a history an animal ran out from a clump of trees.

Of course I had to interrupt by loudly asking “What’s That?” and pointing. Paula looked and quickly dismissed it as being “our raccoon”.

It didn’t look like any raccoon I’d ever seen but before I could get a picture one of the other guests stepped between me and the animal. According to the internet it’s a coatimundi and it is called the Mexican Raccon.

Finally Paula pointed us in the direction of the beach and told us when we were done to come back to the bus. She gave us a time because we had to get back to the ship or end up staying in Mexico.

A Mayan/ Mexican Ritual

Posted on February 8, 2013February 8, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Our Mexican jumping bean of a tour guide’s name is Paula. From the moment she introduced herself she was just a bundle of energy. One of the first things she did was tell us all to sit on the lower deck of the ferry for the return trip and to close our eyes. She said she would guarantee we would not be sick if we did that.

That out of the way she began explaining the true meaning of the Mayan calendar.

You know the one… the one that was supposed to end the world on 12/21/12. Having prepared us with the history and true meaning of the calendar we pulled into a trading post.

She called it a shopping center but it wasn’t anything like our shopping centers. It was a super sized souvenir stand.

There were some amazing things there including replicas of the Mayan Calender.

We spent about 30 minutes there before we all climbed back on the bus to finish our trip to the ruins.

I would love to go back with pockets full of cash!

Maybe 45 minutes later we pulled into the parking lot at Tulum.

The tour description said there was about a mile walk to the ruins. Miss Ball of Energy said it was a 5 -7 minute walk. Still suffering from a blister on my foot I opted to take the “tram” instead of walking. I was sure I could walk that far but not that I could keep up with Speedy Paula with my sore foot. Joe headed off with Paula on foot.

While those of us too “infirm” to walk waited for the tram we saw a group of costumed mexicans begin climbing a huge pole.

As they climbed one person stayed on the ground playing a flute.

When all reached the top he began to climb up too still playing the flute.

I asked a passing native what was going on and they said something about a rain dance. If it’s a rain dance , it’s working!

At about that time the men began dropping off the pole. They had ropes around their waist allowing them to spin like a carnival ride.

Slowly they were lowered to the ground where once on their feet , they walked away.

We got to see the whole thing while we waited for our ride.

The tram showed up right as the spectacle came to an end. It wouldn’t be long now before we’d see the main reason for the tour. The ruins of Tulum.

The Sights of Playa Del Carmen

Posted on February 7, 2013February 7, 2013 by Dusty Roads

We didn’t get much time for sight seeing as we were hustled right to the bus but I did steal a moment to grab some street scenes.

Joe in Mexico

Hammocks for sale

more balconies

balconies

our bus

Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen

Posted on February 6, 2013February 6, 2013 by Dusty Roads

The ferry to the mainland crosses the Cozumel Channel, part of the Caribbean where the gulf stream gets funneled between the mainland and the island of Cozumel. This creates some choppy seas in the best of weather.

The tour description mentions that the crossing from Cozumel to the mainland can be rough and when Joe booked it he asked me if I would be ok with that. Forewarned is forearmed and I prepared accordingly. I made sure to have sea sick patches with me specifically for this trip. I didn’t need them for the cruise but for the ferry…well better safe than sorry so I put one on first thing in the morning. For the patches to be most effective they need to be on for 4 hours before you head off to your adventure.

Now we sat on the upper, open deck waiting for the ferry to cast off. It was windy with some drizzle so it was certainly expected that the crossing would be rough. What I wasn’t prepared for was how rough!.

Once we cast off the ferry wasted no time in accelerating but even so sometimes it felt like the forward progress was overshadowed by the side to side rocking and rolling and I mean rolling! We were on the top deck and as the boat rolled left everything and everyone slid that way. It felt like you could reach out and touch the water. At times I was afraid we wouldn’t right ourselves and we’d all be thrown into the cold, gray sea. But instead we bobbed back up only to roll to the other side.

It didn’t take long for those around us to start dropping. The crew handed out plastic bags and cotton balls. Joe was fine and I was too as long as I didn’t listen to the sounds around me. Water splashed all the way up to our level! My mantra was “I believe in my patch”.

I would guess the crossing took 45 minutes to an hour but it was hard to be sure. I bet it felt much longer to those who were sick. This trip was far worse than the trip to see the Puffins off the Maine Coast last summer where almost everyone there got sea sick too.

Finally docked and unloaded in Playa Del Carmen we were directed to the buses and loaded in there for the drive to the Mayan ruins at Tulum. Our guide was an energetic Mexican with a great sense of humor.

Her non stop monologue could have been a stand up comedy act. She was going to make this tour a winner! As she said to us…her livelyhood depends on it.