Well, today is the last day for us here in Palenque. We went again to see the ruins and to make sure we didn't miss too much - although that would be impossible, because there is so much to see. We will head back to the boat tomorrow - taking our time along the way as we have the rental car until Monday. We are stopping at some waterfalls, some more ruins, and an old colonial town. It has been a great vacation from our regular 24-7-365 vacation. And the refrigerator parts we ordered cleared customs with no problems, and if the shipping does not get screwed up (always a concern when you are out of the country) we should have a functioning frig again soon. I know I talked big about doing without, but that was just talk, probably trying to convince myself I didn't need it. Of course, that gets into the difference between "need" and "want." I could live without refrigeration - if I wanted to live as though I were camping. Which I really do not. I like having cold drinks, milk, eggs, and other stuff. I have read enough to know there are many, many sailors who do without, but then they are usually content to sail without an engine too. Mike may be gung ho to sail all the time even if we make 20 miles per 24 hours, but even he would not give up the engine all together. So - here's to a functioning frig!
So far I have not been bitten by any bugs - which is good because there is dengue fever down here, and that is not something I want to get. It is carried by - you guessed it - mosquitos. We brought some Deep Woods Off (which has DEET) but I hate it because it smells so bad and I can never seem to keep from getting it in my mouth somehow, and the taste is hard to wash away, even with beer. I have heard there are other things that work well that do not smell bad, but I have my doubts about the efficacy of Skin-So-Soft and other things. I am not willing to risk dengue to test it out, either.
The jungle is amazing and so are the ruins. I will post pictures when I get an internet connection that is strong and fast enough. We did take quite a few. We were standing today thinking about what the place must have been like in its prime - thousands of people, colors, statuary, and everything that went with the pomp of the Mayan rulers. The artwork they found in the ruins is not to be believed - jade was the favorite precious stone, and the jewelery is stunning. They had quite a system of drainage and aquaducts too - some real engineering marvels.
Today we saw a tiny lizard with the most beautiful colors - blue and yellow and black. He (or she) was so handsome. He was hesitant to post for a picture, but I think Mike got one. I also saw a hairless dog. He was black, and a bit bigger than a chihuahua. Sort of pug sized and shaped. He was friendly and ran around the jungle restaurant where I was drinking agualimon (sort of a not too sweet lemonade) and reading my kindle while Mike took a nap. His owner (one of the resident hippies) had to keep corraling him, but he was too friendly and curious to behave very well. I really miss having a dog, but I know I do not live in a good environment for that right now. Especially if we do head off to the Pacific islands like Tahiti - the island nations have really strict rules about bringing animals in, and I don't blame them because they don't have rabies and don't want it. It can be almost impossible to do everything required to bring a pet in, especially if it is by boat. So no dogs for me for the forseeable future. I will content myself with petting other people's dogs when I get the chance.
It is really interesting to note that while we have been here, Americans are definitely the minority as far as visitors go. Lots of Brits, Aussies, French, Germans, Dutch - when I have breakfast, there are so many languages swirling around me that I can't even recognize English without listening very closely. I have been speaking more and more Spanish - and am looking forward to taking a language class in Guatamala later this spring. Or at least that is the plan. Mike is going to do it too.
As much fun as I have had, I am looking forward to getting back to the boat and sleeping in my own bed again. And making my own coffee - although the place here has great coffee, and I learned to drink cafe macchiato - espresso with some milk, stronger than a latte. It is my new favorite.
So that is all for today. I plan to do some reading, then turn in, even though it is early. Marching around in hot humid weather always takes it out of me, even though I handle it way better than I did before I started living in tropical conditions. We will get an early start tomorrow and see how far we get - we never drive at night down here for a variety of reasons. So adios - y hasta manana!
"Respect for the rights of others is the way of peace." Benito Juarez
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