Sunday, 5 March 2017: Mahahual

View from our room at Travel In'

It rained a bit during the night and we awoke this morning to an overcast sky.  



Gemma was eager to play with her new friends -- Justa and Albert have poodle-ish Zita, puppy Tess and big dog Yogi.  Justa asked Justin if he'd groom Zita and, nice guy that he is, he said yes.  Now Zita is almost two years old and she doesn't get groomed regularly.  I stepped away quickly and got involved in working on our blog but Justa was very present in trying to help cajole Zita into cooperating.  The next several hours were truly animal against man and the 4-6 pound wiggling animal was winning.  He didn't want to terrorize her and at a few points, you'd have thought he was torturing her.  Maybe she is just a little drama queen. 

Mar and Allen are also here on the property.  They came here as "volunteers".  I want to check out the websites of HelpX and WorkAway.  These sites connect individuals who work  in exchange for food and lodging  Surely Justin and I have some skills that would be of benefit to someone, right?  Since I don't really want to "work" it is a long shot, but I'll check it out.  Mar is Spanish and 41; Allen is from Ireland and is 39.  This is their life and they are following their dream.  They got to Mexico in January and they will work their way down through South America.



Trimming session morphed into cooking lessons.  Justa and Albert had a visiting chef /friend who was hosting a cooking lesson for Albert, and for Chef Stephan's father and a few cronies.  Justin ensured that I was invited too.  I made the icing and topped the carrot cake, I separated the wrappers as others rolled lobster spring rolls.  I peeled, chopped, shredded and diced as we made a dozen Indonesian and southern Indian dishes.  The restaurant at Travel In' is closed on Sunday's but this evening we joined a more "family" type meal.  Fortunately we didn't have an unplanned visit from the food inspector.  Who are all these people in the kitchen?  Where is their safety and sanitation certification?  Do I see four dogs in this kitchen?  Where are your shoes?  I certainly learned a thing or two and since is has been months since I'd been in the kitchen I did enjoy myself.  

Daniel called this evening.  He is the guy in New Orleans who owns the property we are interested in in Celestun.  We had a fairly long talk with him and found out more of the ins and outs of owning property in Celestun.  Perhaps we will be able to go meet with Daniel when we go to Louisiana to see Cousin Terry later this spring.

The Travel In' is very eco-friendly with solar collectors and rain water as well as waste management that is totally green.  Since the weather has been overcast, the electricity went out just after dinner.  Everyone quickly transitioned to flashlights and candles as we wound down from the day.