so, jacob gets a glamour shot in his blog, and so do i.
here's a portrait that i hope will adequately showcase how i feel every morning, waking up in a beautiful tangled jungle full of tropical birds and venomous snakes, knowing that i'll be greeted by the yips and bays of eighteen attention-lovng dogs while I make my coffee and slowly stretch myself awake..most days preoccupied with thoughts about gardens and herbs and the handsome man anticipating my arrival in a little Belizean village hugged by sugar cane fields.

Oh yeah, this was Christmas dinner, by the way. Look familiar, Jacob? :)
Sooooosheeee.

The infrequency with which this country provides internet for everyone's use is borderline comical.
I stopped at the internet cafe in the pueblo, the cheaper one, to use their Skype in the fan-cooled white tile room.... however, the smiling woman who works there politely informed me that they were "out of internet." Bummer. I went across the highway to the pricier, tourist-riddled Internet Cafe, prepared to spend the astronomical 6 US dollars for an hour of internet, only to find it closed, with a For Sale / Se Vende sign duct-taped to its window. Double bummer. So I dug out my iPod, which can receive wireless internet where available, and was just in the middle of checking things on Facebook when the power died. My frustration level is rising.
So I'm here, at the Papeleria-cum-Internet Cafe, on a yellowing old IBM computer, having just endured two unexpected power outtages waiting for my gMail account to load.
Again, at this point, it's almost comical.

The past few days have nearly drowned the ranch - dogs, chickens, cats and all - in a torrential downpour of biblical proportions. I've been working mostly inside, doing some spring cleaning with Lucy (which involves me pulling down plastic cups and Pyrex dishes from high shelves, hoping that roaches don't land on my head)... and occasionally, when the rain tapers off to a sprinkle, running out to plant papayas and banana trees out by the WWOOF house.
The dogs are frustrated, too, cooped up due to the rain, sleeping on damp blankets that refuse to dry completely in the humid air, and we've had two terrifying dog fights in the past week. As I said to Lucy this morning, the strength of the 'pack mentality' is something one doesn't really understand fully until one witnesses an out-and-out brawl between the dogs. Pulling a Rottweiler off of a hardened jungle pup with teeth flying everywhere and primal snarls and growls from all sides is enough to make anybody a believer in the wild wolf origins of these seemingly domestic animals.
Thankfully, none of the dogs were wounded seriously, and Lucy and I were shaken up, but neither of us sustained any kind of injury, which is good. Just shaky knees and hoarse voices from screaming at them to stop.

I'm winding down here at the ranch, not so much losing steam or motivation... just becoming preoccupied with dreams about Belize. I love working here, and I love Mexico on the whole, but the old itch is nagging at me and I'm ready to move along. Working at Lucy's has been an enriching, exciting, and thoroughly enjoyable experience, but ultimately the property belongs to her, and for all of the work I've done, I won't reap any of the benefits. I'm not upset about this fact in the least... on the contrary, I know that the ranch runs more smoothly with the help of volunteers and I care about Lucy's stress level enough to feel satisfied in just helping things along here, for her sake. I'm excited, though, to get my hands in the dirt of Belize and plant herbs and veggies and flowers that Jake can enjoy for the next two years. Even if it's not me using the homegrown cilantro for salsa, it's someone I care about... and it'll be fun to hear about the progression of the garden once I'm back Stateside.

Que mas.... Thank yous are in order for both my wonderful Nana and my extremely generous Papa, without whose help I probably wouldn't be able to do this whole soul-searching, solo-traveling shebang. Thank you, thank you. :)
More to come as I move on down the coast. Until then,
abrazos
Suzy

They say that the passing of time in Mexico is akin to watching honey drip off of a spoon. It's slow and sticky and sweet, and you get really good at waiting, watching and savouring. However, there are moments interspersed that seem more akin to a fast-flowing river, and if you're not paying attention, you'll look up and see that two weeks have gone by.
I suppose I'm at that latter stage, completely baffled as to how it got to be January 10th, two thousand and nine. And in addition, I keep having these out of body experiences ... I'll look up from my book or my coffee or my plate of huevos rancheros and wonder how in the world I got here and what in the world I'm doing. If I were still in the States, these questions would probably unnerve me, but I'm becoming more content with not knowing the answers. Life is slow and easy here, and there is something wonderful about working your body in the heat of the day, cycling into town, walking the three miles to the beach, cooking your dinner from scratch - it's exhausting in the satisfying way that life ought to be exhausting - and I sleep like a baby at night.

Anyhow. I'm in Playa del Carmen at the moment - the most cosmopolitan, vibrant, European, crowded, goodlooking, good smelling, overstimulating place I've ever been. I made the trip up here with Elaine and Simon and their friend Cormac who recently flew from Ireland to travel with them for a few months. We're staying at a rundown, quirky place called Urban Hostel that seems to be populated entirely by disarmingly good looking Argentinean women and a pack of shirtless Italian men. Everyone is beautiful in that haughty, off-putting kind of way, but we four gringos are thankfully secure enough to just shake our heads and smile at them all.
Playa is nice in the way that I'm sure Miami is nice.... it is probably the most luxurious of places if you have money (there are spas and cafes and stores selling Gucci sunglasses on every corner) ... but if you're on a budget, it's a bit overwhelming. We went to a posh club last night on the beach with white leather square couches and a ton of beautiful people, but I found myself standing around a crowded bar, trying to seem taller, thinner, and prettier in order to get the barman's attention. Everything seems to be a competition here, and after a while that kind of environment starts to mess with your head. Like I said, though, it's an outrageously entertaining place.... I'm just ready to head back to my sleepy ranch now. :)

More to come... Jake and I have decided that February is not only the shortest month we could've picked for a visit, but he'll also be gone for the last week to Belmopan for Peace Corps things.. So I think I'll be heading down to Carmelita early - in about ten days - to lock in as much time as possible before I head out again. I hope everyone is happy and healthy and safe and warm - I miss and love you all!
Suzy

More to come about the absolutely wonderful trip to see Jacob in Sarteneja (and then Carmelita, because who can say goodbye after only two and a half days?).... for now, here are a few photos to sum up the experience.. and judging by the grins on our faces, I'm sure you can figure out how delighted and relieved we were to be reunited again. :)
I'm safe and sound back in Akumal and missing Jacob something fierce, but it's just a few more weeks of doggies and gardening before I head back to Belize for more doggies and gardening (although, it'll be a nice treat to have mango juice brought to be by Jake when I'm sweltering in the heat!) I hope everyone's New Year was safe and enjoyable.. Family, I miss you all and think of you all the time, and wish I could squeeze Brennan and make hot chocolate with Kaya and eat festive sweet potato casserole and show off all the pictures from this trip, but alas. Soon enough!
Love to all.
Suzy

It. is. hot.
It's currently about ten thirty in the morning, and I am covered in dirt, sweat, bleach water, dog hair, soap, more sweat, and more dirt. It's also a blistering eighty degrees in the sun. At ten thirty in the morning. In December - nearly January. I am more and more convinced that I picked the perfect timing for this trip - I don't even want to know what July feels like here.

Yesterday was a lovely day - we were all lethargic and dizzy from the heat and deserving of a day off, so Elaine and I went to the beach in the morning. The water is bathtub warm and I finished my book in about an hour. Feeling quite accomplished, I figured a nap was in order. We dozed and woke, dozed and woke, stirring only to take the occasional sip of water, and spent three sun-drenched hours doing absolutely nothing.

We made our way back to the ranch around mid-afternoon and decided to cook a bit. Elaine made a really yummy banana bread with raisins, and I called up Mom to refresh my memory on her outta-this-world quiche recipe. I handmade the dough for the pie crust, rolled it out, and then chopped up peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and brocolli. Stir-fried the veggies with some spicy chorizo sausage, then mixed in the sharp cheddar cheese, eggs, and milk. We put both pans in the oven to bake and went for a nice long sit on the rooftop balcony, tanned and sleepy and covered in handprints of all-purpose flour.


This morning, elaine and I have been beating/washing/bleaching/wringing/drying the dog blankets and doing a bit of clothes washing too. This is my first load of laundry since I've been here. :) Hopefully that gives you some olfactory insight into what my aroma is like these days.
I suppose 'healthy' is a good term. Although 'smelly', 'stinky', 'ripe', 'sour' and 'hippy' are also all applicable.

What else...
I planted jalapeno, habanero, and serrano peppers a while back, along with a full packet of cilantro seeds, and they're shooting up like weeds. Hopefully I'll get to reap the rewards of my efforts before I leave here. Nothing like saying, "I think I'll put some basil in this pasta primavera", and then stepping outside to snip a fresh bunch from the basil plant!

I'm heading to Belize tomorrow for four days (!!!) ... Happy New Year to all - be safe and be merry!
Love,
Suzy