Time's getting short - as usual.  Somehow though, I knew the right moment would present itself for me to write this blog - so here goes:

 They came about 10 days ago.  They arrived and it was as if we had seen each other only a few days ago, and not the 15 months it had really been.  She was still my beautiful darling Pao and he was as always the strong and handsome, supportive and easy-to-please Andre.  They were ready for action the moment they touched ground it seemed.  Hardly a moment to chat, take a look around and it was time for them to get ready to go to a wedding.  From there, they would be going to another wedding.  We'd be in contact by phone - we thought - though as it turned it out, it took quite a bit of experimentation to make our phones accept each other as cell-mates!  (international codes and all).  Meanwhile it turned out that I had an unexpected gig myself and, since Carm and Sam came with me, we were all gone that first day, so we practically didn't see each other at all!  On the second day, I asked André to come with me for more recording and he was so accommodating - he went with no expectations or conditions... just enjoyed it and it was a nice "rato".  We also stopped to buy supplies on the way home, and when we got there, Pao and Carm had cooked, Anto and Sam were cleaners and we had a nice lunch together.  The rest of that day Pao had commitments with friends and Andre hung out with Anto and Sam. (I of course was translating) Then it was Monday and my regular work-week demands took over for me.  Everyone else had stuff to do to... besides, André went to pick up their friend Jorge from the airport in Mexico city where they spent the day.  Pao got over her jet lag... and so the week began.  She rented another car (all ours were either in use, or of doubtful reliability for big trips) and they made day trips to places up to 2 hours away by car, coming back to the home base each evening. So the week passed.  Until it was Saturday morning and we started on our journey to Merida and the Caribbean.  It began well enough - started out only an hour.later than planned..But the rain settled in early on to accompany us most of the way and when the motor decided to get cantankerous, we had to stop.  Here came an interesting pause in the trip.  We managed to drive the van until a gas station and pull in under a roof to check things out.  There we stayed while Sam conversed with Lu by phone and together they worked out all the possibilities of the problem until coming up with a solution.  Sam got his first taste of near-electrocution which both energized him and sobered him to the dangers of tinkering with the motor when you're wearing someone else's 'leather' gloves (they weren't really leather you see!).  But in the end, he figured it out and fixed the problem and a scant 5 hours later, we were on the road once more.  Since reaching our destination the same night was out, we decided to stop for a grand dinner (having eaten but chips and cookies all day) after which we would look for a cheap hotel to catch some winks, and get on the road early the next morning.  The dinner turned out to be totally yummy, relaxing and cozy.  We had no trouble finding the place, getting a parking space and washing up in the bathroom.  The food was delicious and certainly "hit the spot" as they say.  So we were ready afterwards to get out of Villahermosa and head for Frontera, where we'd wait out the night in a little roadside inn.  Weeelllll.... that turned out to be the low point of the trip.  Talk about a HIDEOUS hotel!!  And it was supposedly a 3-star hotel! Very depressing at first sight, and you basically had to close your eyes and just walk into the room, take a quick shower (with your flip-flops on) and shake out the sheets and gingerly lie down and hope for sleep to come quickly.... which it did in my case.  So that the next morning, before 5 we could be up and about and on the road by 5:30.  There in the pre-dawn fog, André took the reigns to drive us thru the grim pot-hole-ridden stretch between Frontera and Ciudad del Carmen, (sorry you got that gig André, but you came through the experience with flying colors!), then there was more relaxed driving from there till Champotón, a stop for brunch of shrimp cocktails on the beach, and then, on to Mèrida.  We got there in pretty good time, even with the erroneous signs that kept saying Merida - 51 km. for about 51 km.
Seeing Lu, it was like old times with the whole family together, although Anto isn't with us this trip.  Lu had us laughing ourselves inside out with his zany interpretations, stories, observations and impersonations of people and events from the real to the outer realms of the unreal!  He also took us to eat unbelievably greasy food, where the flies and mosquitos were so thick he had to set up a mosquito coil to ward them off.  But it was Sunday evening, so we took what we got, and then there was a walking tour of downtown to compensate the after-dinner sluggishness, and André at least got some great photos of that - I keep trying to get them to come out with my camera, but still don't always manage to program it right for the different light conditions.



  The next day was super cool - a drive out to visit 3 hidden cenotes.  It was quite a journey, most of it made by sitting in a little cart pulled by a horse over an ancient track running straight through the jungle for 18 kms.



 There are 3 stops - each for a dip in a different cenote - all of them lovely, fresh and cold - and with entrances you look at dubiously... in one place, there was a hole in the ground with a ladder going straight down - maybe 20 or 30 rungs, and you could barely fit through the hole with your backpack.  When you got to the bottom it was so dark you couldn't see where you were walking.  But in every case, I just went to the platform and jumped to the depths below where the water was icy cold and totally inviting.  Of course you can't touch bottom in these cenotes, so you are basically floating, dog-paddling or downright swimming the whole time you're in them, unless you can find a place to cling to on the rocky sides of the cave.  At any rate, a totally enjoyable day - dios bo ti (Mayan for thank you) - with time out for beer and chips, and later a good shower and meet-up with cousins for a dinner in an outdoor cafe in the balmy evening breeze on the main avenue with delicious "cheladas" and tortas ahogadas, with good conversation and lots of laughter.


Last night, more of the same, but today, oh today.... today, in a few minutes I will have to say good-bye to Pao and André.  They're going to Quintana Roo and the Caribbean and we are staying here to visit nearby beaches in Yucatán.  They're equipped with sunblock - be sure to use it guys! - mosquito repellent (Jorge, with luck there won't be moscos on the beach) and chile habanero readily available.  Meanwhile, I have to reckon with the inevitable good-bye scene, and I hate saying good-bye when I'm the one who's staying.  It's always easier to be the one who leaves.  You know you're going somewhere new for more adventures, whereas the one who stays can only remember the good times and miss the ones who left.  I will truly miss them.  I think I've had the most wonderful moments with them ever.  Actually exchanged several mutually heartfelt hugs with Pao, and she and I are not usually the hugging type.  I hope they both know I enjoyed every minute with them, even if I was tired out from too much jiggling around in those "trucs" or even if the heat had me totally floored... just having them around made everything wonderful.  I will miss you guys and here's hoping your trip continues with more great photos, great food, delightful adventures, and a turquoise ocean to swim in.