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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Would you like bees with your bread? Day in San Blas

Tuesday a.m.
Need to hurry and get this posted as today we are going to take a boat ride to see the crocodiles and the manglares - Mangrove Forest. Hopefully we’ll see some neat stuff. Have all my camera batteries charged and ready to go.
Yesterday, Monday, our neighbor Carol called to me that there were dolphins swimming past us. Went out to watch them. There were two of them and they were jumping clear out of the water. Of course my camera was inside. Ran in to get it and then they stopped jumping. This was as good a picture as I could get. Grrrr.
Click on the pictures to enlarge them. And turn you sound on for the videos.
Later we set off to do some errands in San Blas. On the way we stopped at the manglares boat tours and set up our excursion for tomorrow. A couple of their buildings – I think the orange one is the baños – bathrooms.  
From there we went out to the ocean. John and Carol wanted to check out the little boats that take people out to see the rock not too far off shore that looks like Jesus. And it really does. Click on the url to check it out from my blog last year. I have a couple of good pictures of the rock. Here is the link to last year.
I was looking through my telephoto lense across the water at the men in the little boat. Just as I snapped the picture the gentleman on the dock lifted his shirt. A half flash I guess.
Then we wanted to show them were the bakery was. Off the main streets the roads are cobblestones and mud. This one was no exception. Notice the puddles right next to the clean laundry. Hope all the cars go by slow so as not to splash.
The panaderia – bakery. I had never been in there. Usually waited in the car while Bill went inside to buy things.  
He always talked about the bees. I thought he meant the bees flying around outside. NO he meant the bees flying around inside. Inside? He said the workers say the bees won’t sting if you don’t molest them. Hummmm??? So of course I had to go in. And yes the place was full of flying and buzzing bees. Looking into the production area. Those are all rolls waiting to be baked.
A look at some of the pastries. The girl is sorting them to send out to stores and hotels. The bees were flying all around her and us.
A close up of one of the cakes – yes here are some of the bees- bees not nuts.
After leaving the bakery – we didn’t buy anything. We wondered Do bees poop???? Maybe I’ll look it up. Well here’s the answer. Yes they do but……"All bees eat is honey and pollen, and (for our purposes) that's all their poop contains. It's probably the least noxious poop in existence and quite safe to consume, at least when it's fresh." More information than you needed?
This long block wall is completely covered with graffiti type paintings. Each section has a message.
Downtown street in the center of San Blas. Very busy one way street. Church on one side – plaza on the other.
Parked and ate lunch at a restaurant called McDonalds. Very good food. I had quesadillas with guacamole – some of the best I’ve ever eaten.
After lunch we walked back up to the plaza and were surprised to see the government building being painted. It was repainted the two shades of blue only a couple of years ago. Bill got into a conversation with a man watching the painting. When he asked why it was being repainted so soon the answer was surprising. When ever the governing party changes hands the building gets painted in the new governments colors. The old party was blue, the new one is rust and beige. Interesting. As the guy with the roller painted the side of the building big chunks of the fading and peeling blue paint were coming off on his roller. Keep track to the guy in the upper left hand corner. The one in the blue shirt and jeans.
This guy was a joker – he climbed up on the tower and started to ring the bell. Everyone was laughing at/with him.

Now it was time to move the scaffolding. Everyone grab part of it to move it. As it was moved it swayed back and forth, creaked and groaned and threatened to collapse. See the guy in the blue shirt and jeans. He is standing on the ledge outside of the wrought iron railing.
Scaffold is in place.
The guy in the blue shirt was stranded outside the closed doors of the middle window. His paint was still on the balcony at the first window. So he carefully climbed across the ledge, over the railing and into the open window. OSHA would have a stroke. But everyone was having a good time. We stood and watched this quite a while.
On the other side of the plaza is this purple building. Kind of fancy – the pillar is made of sea shells.
Purple with deep purple trim and a palapa roof. I know I take a lot of pictures of buildings but the colors and architecture are so interesting.
Again watching the Huichol Indian doing some beading. He was making a bracelet. All of the Huichol vendors here in San Blas are related in some way. They live in a small town near Santiago Ixcuintla. And he told Bill that they only marry within their tribe. They do not marry outsiders.
Looking at the bell tower of the old church. Don’t think I’d even think about climbing those ladders.
When leaving town we were surprised to see the arch over the main street leading into town was undergoing some kind of renovation? Painting? Rebuilding? We’ll find out next time we go to town I guess. Nothing was being done to it when we passed through it going into town.
And on the way home we bought a seedless watermelon that was one of the sweetest we’ve ever eaten. For 10 pesos - 1 US dollar is worth 13.82 pesos – so it was less than a dollar.
Saw on TV that there was rioting in Indianapolis over Air Jordan tennis shoes. Actual rioting – not just pushing and shoving. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StQVCeVoqVI We live 40 miles from there. And Mexico isn’t safe? Read this a.m. that another 9 year old girl was found murdered in Indiana.
It got pretty cool in the afternoon and almost cold at night.
Now we get ready to take another boat ride in the mangrove forest with all the animals there. Hopefully I'll have lots of pictures.

1 comment:

  1. Oh I enjoyed your post so much! The photos are wonderful and so is your narrative. I too love the colors and architecture there. I can't wait to read more - and get to visit Mexico via your blog. And - I think I'll have to skip the Bee Bread. LOL!
    --Jool

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