El Norte

We have arrived in the Yucatan on the tail winds of "El Norte". The local weather channel, a.k.a. the fishermen, happily attempt to explain the wind. After much finger pointing and playful acting, we decipher that an "El Norte" or "Norte", are northern winds off the Gulf of Mexico. They can be a mild breeze to hurricane strength winds; we are being welcomed somewhere in the middle. As we wander the streets of our new neighborhood, my husband and I have our hands interlocked in a vice grip and are huddled closely together in fear of one or the other being blown away!

The small fishing village that we will be calling home, for the next 5 months, is truly "Old Mexico". It is a port town where fishing is the number one industry. Even though the port is host to 2 weekly cruise ships, tourism has remained limited. With that said, there is little need for the locals to speak a foreign language. Ahhh, exactly what we were looking for!

We have a great rental house. I say this with much enthusiasm because we rented the house virtually sight unseen, via the internet. The only photo available, for our viewing, was of the living room. It appeared small, pleasantly furnished and bright. Keeping our options open, prior to our arrival, we committed ourselves for only one month. The little house is a furnished 2 story, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, with an upper balcony that has a view of the water. We are even on a sand street. I think we will be very comfortable here!

Purchasing household essentials has been quite the experience. We are getting by on what few words we remember of high school Spanish, sign language, charades, big smiles and the sign of the cross for good measure! To spice up the challenge, our only means of travel is by foot or local bus. Boarding the local buses, is similar to trying to catch a ride on a moving train. The driver will slow down just enough for you to get a foot on the platform and then take off at record speed. Pretty comical sight when boarding with a broom, mop, bucket and your hands loaded down with groceries.........

La Senora