Yucatan Living

Yucatan News: Driving and Biking in Merida

Mexico’s Oldest Resident Passes Away
Ana Maria Perez Gonzalez has passed away in Colima at the ripe old age of 119. She was born on June 22, 1890. This lovely lady had 4 children, 2 of whom are still living. She also had 30 grandchildren, 122 great-grandchildren, 105 great-great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-great grandchildren. Our deepest sympathy goes to her family.

New Day Tours from Iluminado Tours
If you are a visitor to our area, or if you are an expat who has already wasted a day or more searching for the location of a particular cenote or other attraction without finding what you were looking for, help has arrived. Iluminado Tours has a whole page of new day tour designed with you in mind. No more wasted time or money. Whether you are looking for a local market, a particular hacienda, a cenote, unique and talented artisans, or small towns and villages, you get these tours your way. Take a look at Iluminado Tours’ Day Tours page.

Electronic Civil Disobedience and Bang Labs
This week, Working Gringa ran across quite an interesting concept. It seems that there is now something called a Transborder Immigrant Tool that is supposed to help migrants cross the border safely. This group of artists have already created Border Disturbance Art projects and are now providing migrants with a simple, inexpensive GPS hiker tool that will guide them safely through the desert. Since people have been losing their lives attempting to cross the deserts at the border for 500 years, this is an idea whose time has come. With militia membership up and Obama set to reduce the numbers of Border Patrol agents next year, migrants are going to need all the help they can get to survive their perilous attempt to cross the border. This is not a time to discuss the right or wrong of their crossing. It is the time to save as many lives as possible. Congratulations and many thanks to the Border Artists who came up with this idea.

Yucatan By Bicycle is On The Road Again!
The weather is cooler now and Yucatan By Bicycle has begun their trips by bike and bus again. This week, they have posted a wonderful video of the cenote in the quiet village of Tixhualahtún. Yes – those are bats you see flying out of the cenote. It isn’t a long video, but will give you some insight into the wonders that are tucked away in rural villages all over our state. While you’re on their site, be sure and look for past trips to places that might be of interest to you.

The International Women’s Club of Merida
There’s a new and improved website online for the IWC in Merida and we just love it! Please take a few minutes to visit the IWC website  to see what they are all about and why you should consider becoming a member. All meetings are held in English, but members are of many different nationalities. Their common goal is to do their part to help with education and health programs in Yucatan.

Driving in Merida: How Dangerous Is It?
In 2005, there were over 1,700 traffic accidents in the Municipality of Merida. Today, the municipality averages about one traffic accident every day and a half. From over 1,700 to approximately 243 accidents per year - not bad for a municipality with approximately 1.2 million people in its immediate vicinity. We know it is often scary and confusing to drive in Merida but, just be careful, drive defensively, take a little longer to get where you are going – and all will be well. Congratulations to the Municipality of Merida for cutting its traffic accident rate so dramatically! We’ll bet that no one else lives in a city this size with so few accidents!

4th Graders in Valladolid Learn About Ecology
The 4th grade students in Valladolid went on a field trip to “U Yit's Ka'an” (Rocío del Cielo – Dew of Heaven) at the School of Agriculture. They learned all about earthworms and how they help in farming, as well as how some insects damage crops. They were particularly excited about learning how 2 liter cold drink bottles can be turned into bug traps and placed in the fields to protect crops. What they liked the best was the pond cultivation site, where they learned all about pond plants and the different organisms that produce either carbon dioxide or methane gas. Look for great things from this 4th grade group. They are fired up and ready to become the ecologists of tomorrow!

News At the Beach

Say It Isn’t So! Dayron y el Boom Breaking Up!
After 3 years together, it looks as if Dayron y el Boom will be no more, beginning in January 2010. The group is made up of Cubans and Mexicans and they are a particular favorite at the beach. We especially like them because of their community service activities and the fact that they inspire so many young people to become engaged in not only improving the quality of life in Yucatan, but helping others in other states and nations during times of emergency. We won’t worry though because we know that Dayron loves Yucatan and will always be with us in his adopted home. Rock or pop, whatever is his ultimate choice, look for Dayron Núñez Nodal to be a permanent part of the music scene in Yucatan.

Quinceañeras Debutante Ball to be Held in Progreso
The Mexican Catholic Action of Progreso has invited the young ladies from the beach towns to begin preparing for a Quinceañeras Debutante Ball. No word yet on the date of this event, but proceeds will go to help support the parochial dining hall, where many of the poor (nearing 200 per day now) receive their only hot meal of the day. For more information, especially if you know of a young lady who would like to participate in this event, please contact the President of Progreso’s Catholic Action organization, Ms. Mary Cen Piste. Phone: 935-0070 or 999 175-2269.

Fire and Rescue Personnel Drill in Yucalpeten
We often wonder what firemen in Yucatan actually do. After all, the houses are made of concrete or stone. Not much chance for fire there. But we forget that Progreso is a major port and trucking hub. Firefighters and other rescue personnel must be ready to fight fires, carry out water rescues, handle gas leaks, and manage equipment safely while they do. For the first time, members of the Secretariat of Public Security, the Red Cross, Civil Protection, and the Municipal Police all came together for a fire and rescue drill in Yucalpeten. It is good to know that our fire and rescue personnel are on the job and up to date in their skills.

Progreso’s Young Entrepreneurs
We have watched as the students of Progreso’s technical college made their way through first one entrepreneurial contest and then another. Each of these young people took many hours of classes on how to begin and operate a small business and now, at the 15th National Entrepreneurial Competition, held in Veracruz, the small business called Caresu has won second place with an artisan sandal called Sandart. Congratulations to Emilia Borges Peña, Desireé Serrano Castellanos and Pedro León Canul for their vision and tenacity. These are the young business owners of the Yucatan of tomorrow and we are very proud of them all!