Paradise Week # 5

November 20 to 26, 2022

The Sunday market was the action place again this past week, I

 am not adding any photos in this post  because you have seen so many already. Be assured though, I will post pictures and comments  in the future of anything I see that catches my eye.

I mentioned in a previous post that there would be a couple of surprises this year...well, the first surprise is our  stay at the Grand Park Royal in Cancun.

These two photos were taken from their website.

We haven't stayed at an all-inclusive since about 2013, I had forgotten how nice it was - great food, entertainment, service and relaxation.

The reason for our stay was to visit with friends whom we haven't seen in a while. Vic and Jayne are regular Cancun visitors with their time share so we visit in Cancun several times during their stay but his son Lanny we hadn't seen in 9 years and his wife and family we had never met. 

The morning sunrises were beautiful. We enjoyed them very much because living here in the Colonia of Puerto Morelos we don't get to see them unless we make a special trip to the Port. That is a little too early for my liking.

One morning we had the privilege of seeing the newly hatched sea turtles head out to sea. Apparently when the mama sea turtles lay their eggs along the beach, volunteers  gather the freshly laid eggs and move them to a cordoned off area at the resort  where they stay safe until they hatch. Once they are hatched, a few at a time  are set free into the ocean. In the photo above you will see a hotel worker gathering the little hatchlings from their man-made nest in the sand to be released this day to their forever home, the Caribbean Sea. 

The most common sea turtles to inhabit the oceans near  Cancun are the Green Turtle, the Loggerhead Turtle and less common in the area is the Hawksbill turtle. They mate near the South part of Isla Mujeres in May, June and July. Their incubation period is 6 to 8 weeks and the hatch and release occurs between July to November.

I am thinking our baby turtles were Green turtles which can live for at least 70 years or more. Female green turtles reach maturity at 25 to 35 years. Every 2 to 5 years they undertake reproductive migrations and return to nest on a beach in the general area where they hatched decades earlier.

In a single nesting season, females lay between two and six clutches of eggs, each containing 65 to 180 eggs. That calculates to a possibility of between 130 and 580 eggs in a season. The clutches are laid approximately every two weeks, and the period between female nesting season ranges from one to nine years.

The Adult Green Sea Turtle grows to be 3 to 4 feet long and weighs between 300 and 350 pounds.

This was not our first experience with Sea Turtles, in 2013 we were in Costa Rica when the sea turtles were laying their eggs. That was a beautiful experience, one we will remember for years to come.  Sea turtles will only lay their eggs in the protection of darkness, so they will usually lay their eggs from 11 PM until dawn.

At the resort we were staying, the community volunteers  watched nightly during the laying season and as the mama turtles came to shore they stayed with them while they were laying their eggs. We were allowed to quietly walk up behind the mama turtle and stand to watch the event. The workers sat on the ground with a flash light shining into the nest and counted each egg as it was laid. They had to ensure the light was not shining at their heads or into their faces, if that happened the turtle would quit laying.  When the turtle was finished she filled in her nest and headed back out to sea. The volunteers would secure the nest with a surround fencing and mark it with information including the day of the nesting and the number of eggs laid along with the expected date of the hatch. This allowed them to be at the site during the hatching to ensure the little turtles got to sea. 

In our experience this year at Grand Park Royal the guide gathered 3 baby turtles into a pail and watched overhead for birds. When the birds had continued on their way in for food the guide gave us each a turtle to set free. We put them on the sand and while they scurried into the ocean we walked along behind - again protecting them from any hungry birds that may come by. The guide followed the baby turtles into the ocean to ensure their safety until they were able to get into deeper water . Wow!

The resort was well equipped and laid out with areas for family swimming, a water sports pool and an adult swim up bar pool. 

We had access to quiet beach lounge chairs under palapas on the beach as well. 

This was the view from our room - all rooms in the resort face the ocean. What a beautiful view.

The view from our room at night time.

This night we ate at the Chinese restaurant, 

the food was very tasty but it could have been partly to do with the company we were sharing the meal with.

Allan here taking in the sights one afternoon before getting ready to go out to dinner.

We always enjoyed sitting outside and eating our breakfasts and  lunches at the buffet restaurant.  

Father and Son enjoying a relaxing afternoon.

Even the kids enjoy the all-inclusive life style. This young man is so happy to be in Cancun and not back in Canada right now.

Lanny and Carrie enjoying some time with us.

Allan and Jayne seem happy with the menu selections.

Thursday was American Thanksgiving, the buffet restaurant had quite the spread! 

The restaurant was nicely decorated and mariachis played as we ate.

The turkey was cooked to perfection and was delicious!

  Awe ----Blooming Onion! It tasted as good as it looked. I have tried to make these but they never turn out as good as this one.

The desserts were plentiful and well displayed, what I had made me want to go back for seconds. I would have but my tummy  was just too full.

This is the happy lot at the completion of a great dinner.  Why do these meals always taste better when someone else does the cooking?

The day we left we had another beautiful sunrise to make the start of our day perfect.

Hasta luego and gracious to Grand Park Royal Cancun for their services and hospitality and a special GRACIOUS to the Weltons for inviting us to join them for a few days. It was great to see Lanny again and to meet his wonderful family. We left with great memories.

I believe this is a spiny or black spiny Iguana we saw on the shore line of the Cancun Lagoon just across from the Resort:

Did you know that 

- A spiny iguana can grow to be 4 feel long

-Usually, an Iguana will drop its tail as a defense mechanism, so the predator will be left with a flopping tail in its mouth or on the ground, giving the Iguana enough time to get away. Sometimes an Iguana won't even need to be touched for this break to occur; just the threat or harassment of some kind can cause it.

-The Iguana can regenerate its tail.  It is possible, however, that the new tail is larger and darker than the original. Depending on the Iguana's age, it may take months for a new tail to grow completely. The Iguana's tail can be removed up to 12 times, but the majority of the time, it will not regrow it.

-Nervous and flighty, they do not make very good pets as a rule. 

-Spiny-tailed Iguanas spend more time on the ground than in trees, though they are excellent climbers when the need arises.

 

-Young spiny-tailed Iguanas also stay up off the ground more, probably to avoid being eaten by larger specimens.

-Most species aren't particularly aggressive towards humans or other animals unless they are provoked or stressed. 

-Their sharp teeth are specifically created to tear plants apart, but could be really painful to humans. Fortunately, they give a warning before doing so. It will stand up on its legs, lean forward, wag its tail in a whipping fashion, bob its head up and down and hiss as a sign that they feel threatened

- They are known as the 'chicken of the trees'. This is because the black spiny-tailed Iguana is sometimes hunted for its meat in Central America.

-Spiny-tailed Iguanas are omnivorous, which means that they need to eat both plants and animals to get the nutrition that they need.

- The spiny tailed Iguana is considered and endangered species

The Resort sits between the Caribbean sea and Cancun's Nichuptéis lagoon shown in these two picture. Yes, the lagoon has crocodiles living in it. Although there is signage warning people to stay out of the lagoon waters people either don't read, don't understand or just want an adventure and defy the Crocks.

Look what I found in my research on Crocks in the Cancun Lagoon:

"Contrary to what might seem, the crocodiles located in the Nichupté Lagoon in Cancun's Hotel Zone are harmless to tourists"

Does that mean they just attack the locals? Is it because they taste better??

Who wants to put this statement to the test?? Hmmmm?

I guess that crock's wide open mouth is a jolly heartfelt laugh.

I don't mean to be tough on Crocodiles but I do have a healthy respect for wild life and tend to stay my distance.

We arrived back home on Friday afternoon ready for a much needed rest from resting and relaxation - go figure! 😪😪

That is it for another week in Paradise.

Do take care, everyone  stay happy, stay healthy and those  back home, stay warm.

Before closing I had to go looking for a Crocodile joke....

How many arms does a crocodile have? 

It depends on how many people he is eating.

Take care everyone!

Paradise Week #4

November 13 - 19, 2022

We made our usual trip to the Sunday Market again this week. Some from Puerto Morelos who have been following my blog have asked where it is, so I prepared the map below to explain where it is. Follow the blue dotted line starting at the Highway by the 7/11.

On our way to the market we passed by this tree which is called the "Angel Trumpet Tree" 

which can grow up to 30 feet tall, the flower is just beautiful. 

I do love this colour. however they do come in a variety of colours.

Often it takes me a while to complete my blog because I try to research some items I mention in the post. 

To my surprise I found this: 

Q. Is the angel trumpet tree poisonous? 

A.  Yes, all parts of the tree are toxic. Symptoms may include intense thirst, difficulty with speech and swallowing, vomiting and diarrhea, fever, confusion, hallucinations, delirium, dilated pupils, seizures and coma.

Dang, who'da thought something so beautiful could be so harmful - a true wolf in sheep's clothing

The first market vendor we came upon was selling pulled pork tortillas

which are made from blue corn flour.

Blue corn is a nutritious corn variety native to Mexico which is ground from blue flint corn (aka - Indian corn). The ground flour is a greyish colour which turns more blue when cooked. This variety of corn is easier to digest than its yellow counterpart, as it has less indigestible starch. It also has about 20% more protein than yellow corn and a lower glycemic index. This means less sugar spikes and crashes. 

I have to admit, we didn't try any on this visit because we had just eaten before heading to the market. I strongly recommend you do not eat before leaving home as there are some amazing eateries along the market route.

The market route had many more vendors this week and lots of people shopping and just sightseeing.

One of our friends comes often to get her walking steps in for the day - it is a slow leisurely paced route and helps maintain a healthy mind and body.

There was such a variety of items for sale - you could even purchase chickens today. That would make for a good pet don't you think? I wonder if you could walk her on a leash? Yep, you can --check out YouTube for "How to train your chicken to walk on a harness and leash". Who would ever have thought? Interesting isn't it?

A handyman's paradise.

BBQ'd corn again this week.

It is the first year that I have seen this vendor at the market. All of their produce is well displayed and looks delicious. Many people stop and buy here.

In English this sign at this fruit market says "if you don't bring your own  bag you will be charged $2.00 pesos". That price sounds worse than it is - today on the market our Canadian dollar buys $14.27 pesos  according to my financial conversion app. We always carry a packsack and an extra carry bag with us with the expectation we will buy something. Like back in Canada, the major stores in our part of Mexico do not hand out plastic bags however, the little shops and vendors do - at a price.

There is always a large selection of clothing every week. I am not a rummage shopper for clothing but many people are, I much prefer shopping from the rack and trinket tables. 

This little Christmas dress was so cute, can't you picture a toddler wearing it?

Sox galore, no need to have cold feet. I can't understand why there are so many racks of sox when everyone wears sandals. Come to think of it, I have never seen anyone in sandals while wearing sox. Perhaps they wear them inside the home or like me, wear them to bed?? Yes, I do from time to time wear sox to bed, even here in Puerto, but not when wearing sandals. 😀😀

Hair accessories are seen at several of the vendors - those girls like to have their hair looking nice.

These look like handy flyswatters --a little play on words there.  I guess you could have one for each hand - one right and one left. LOL.

We met with our friends, Maurice and Susan, at La Cabana for dinner one evening. Susan just dropped in for a short vacation this time but is looking forward to returning to Puerto Morelos  in the new year for a longer stay. Maurice on the other hand has been here for quite a while and doesn't plan on going back to Canada any time soon. He shivers at the thought of going back to Manitoba  before the weather warms up in June or was that July he said?

Claudia and her friend Mauricio stopped by one evening to pick up some things we brought back for her from Canada.  Their bike was fully loaded for their trip home AND it rained a huge downpour before they got there.  She was like a kid at Christmas with all her treasures! 

Much to our delight, the garbage truck comes around three times a week. Everyone is out to meet it when it comes down the street, even Piolin the cat.

The driver and one other worker are people we remember from last year and they remembered us. Big smiles, huge waves of the hand and jolly HOLAs greeted us on their trip past when we arrived mid October and they continue to do so every trip past since. We love our little piece of heaven here in Puerto Morelos for so many reasons, the biggest I think is that the locals  treat us so well. The neighbours seem so happy to see us return. It makes us  feel good and feel a part of the fabric of the community.

Piolin, the hood cat likes to lay on the cement in the late afternoon, early evening to keep his tummy cool I think.

Although one of our favourite restaurants, La Cabana, is closed on Tuesdays don't let that fool you because this ambitious and prosperous family is still hard at work.

The whole restaurant is getting a new facelift.....

The hand painted wall murals are so well done.

Currently they have one part of the cooking facilities doing fish/seafood, the second part cooks burgers, ribs, baked potatoes and everything else on the menu....

AND... GET THIS! They are opening a café which will sell  non alcoholic beverages and sweets! Wow eh?

The wall murals in the café are so well done too, 

I am anxious to see the project completed --- I think it is going to be beautiful!

We even caught the artist at work! I was so in awe with the whole project I stepped in wet cement out on the sidewalk and didn't know it until Allan brought it to my attention. OOPS!

Following our viewing of La Cabana, we finished some errands and stopped for lunch at El Sazon Jarocho, otherwise known as the red chair restaurant by us gringos and expats.  The restaurant used to have red chairs at their tables  for years, that is how it got the nickname "The Red Chair". The name stuck even though the red chairs didn't, so I see they have a stack of red chairs on the left of the building. I guess they know it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks. lol   

We ate our favorite dishes at El Sazon Jarocho -- me shrimp cocktail and Allan his fish fillet.

This concludes another week in Paradise, I hope you enjoy the post. Another will follow soon, so until then, stay safe, stay warm and keep smiling ...The world will say --"What the heck is going on with those people, what are they so happy about??"

😀