unforeseen

Saturday, July 1, 2006

(Seth’s words)

We met a young air force guy back from Afghanistan to celebrate the 4^th with his family who are meeting him in Houston. His name is Matt and he’s a heavy machinery engineer. Seth gave Matt his business card so that his 5^th graders could write to a soldier this coming fall. Matt was excited at the opportunity and will contact Seth soon. Seth and Matt had a long conversation about what’s happening over there, military life, Matt’s future plans, building runways, growing up in small towns and everything in between. It was truly a blessing.

Seth learned a new restaurant, Pappadeaux, which was actually on the second tier of the Houston airport. It was nice because we weren’t bothered by passersby or crazy airport people. We had a relaxing dinner, which was a welcome oasis on a freakin long lay over- which happened to be extended by 1 ½ hrs when we landed in Houston. We both had awesome dinners! Seth had shrimp stuffed with Jalapeno Jack cheese, wrapped with bacon, covered with 5 spices (they wouldn’t tell us what they were!!) and served with dirty rice. Amazing! Emily had melt-in-your-mouth crabcakes Maryland style smothered with white wine cream sauce.

We spent our last 2 hours in Terminal E listening to a mission trip group go over their praise songs and a guy who couldn’t play guitar and sing at the same time. Seth was getting frustrated, because he wanted to go teach the guy to do it better, but he calmed himself down. We actually met a few different groups of people going on completely different mission trips. It really makes you think about how many people are being reached around the world by young and old people of different denominations- not just our little LCMS world.

Emily LOVES people watching and Seth gets even more of a kick out of it when he’s with her. Airports are great places to see a variety of interesting people. Sitting across from us in the terminal was a woman named MaryAnne and her two beautiful daughters Tara (11) and Tais (9). Their father is from El Salvador. They are from Austin, Texas. MaryAnne is a Montessori teacher and so we all had a long conversation about education and Austin culture…she is VERY AUSTIN.

Our second and final flight was like a fiesta on crack. There were tons of noisy Mexicans with their overly loud children, but Emily got to sit next to the smelly, nerdy, rude, bloody Englishman who continued to elbow her throughout the entire flight without so much as an “oops” or “sorry.” He was the epitome of NERD with a HUGE Jay Leno chin and smudged glasses. Oh yeah, we took his cab from him in Merida at the airport, because he dropped the ball and didn’t know what the Mexicans were saying.

We got into Merida at 11:30pm and stood in customs for “an eternity.” We met some New Yorkers who we have to describe to you…

(Emily’s words) Manny from Brooklyn had black and white snakeskin boots, black dress pants, black and white, furry cow-print belt, sweaty wife beater, black sweater tied around his neck “prep style” and a straw Bermuda hat. On his wrist he had a cheesy, gold bracelet an inch wide and about 5 gold, bling necklaces. Plus, he had thin sideburn “chops” that came to points along his jawline. His wife was originally from LA and had been married to him for 25 years. She had on gold flats, black shorts and shirt 2 sizes too small and a Bermuda hat as well. We talked about the war, but we agreed that the liberals of our country want to turn us away from God and keep focused on money. We talked about how Israel has always and will always be fought over and there’s not really anything anyone can do about it. It was a very interesting and God-filled conversation in a quiet, customs room with a variety of religions and cultures present. It would’ve been fun to spend some more time talking. We hugged, shook hands and wished each other God’s blessings.

We got through customs, got our taxi, arrived at our beautiful hotel about 1 AM and crashed immediately.

Sunday, July 2, 2006

(Emily’s words)

We woke up after a long, much needed sleep and decided to have breakfast at our hotel, El Castellano. This was our first taste of the incredible food that the Yucatan has to offer. The food here is Mexican, but it has an exciting and tantalizing Caribbean flair. We are both very much into trying new foods, so the enormous buffet breakfast was right up our alley. Seth especially enjoys the fried plantains. To add to the ambiance of the great room with gorgeous arches and stunning paintings, a mariachi band played sweetly in the background.

With full bellies, we set out to explore our new surroundings. Merida is so colorful and full of people. We just so happened to begin our adventure on the same day as the national elections, so many people were lined up to vote. Our plan was to walk a few blocks to the main square, but we barely made it past a block before we were stopped by Juan, a university student wanting to practice his English. Apprehensive at first, we weren’t sure if he was just being friendly or if he was trying to sell us something. We later learned that Merida is jam packed with honest, friendly people who have good intentions, but there are also a fair share of pushy salesmen who want to rip you off. After Juan, we spent a lot of time soaking in the sights, doing the tourist thing and taking some creative shots, and observing the culture around us.

Dripping in sweat and maybe a little dehydrated, we set back for our hotel to cool off and relax. The conversation revolved around the feeling of being alone in the culture and not knowing how we fit in or how we were going to fit in the rest of the week. After our quick nap, we soon learned that our prayers had been answered. We found a charming restaurant with a quaint atrium complete with a fountain, large bird cage, lots of green plants, and pretty archways. The food was fun and adventuresome, full of new tastes!

Soon after lunch, as we were gazing up at one of Merida’s many ornate iglesias, we met Victor, and old English teacher and Meridan tour guide. He just began to speak to us without introduction, as if we had scheduled to meet him there. One thing we have noticed about Yucatecans is that they need no introduction. You’re just amigos from the beginning. So friendly and willing to share what they know for nothing in return. Victor told us many things about the church we were standing next to and how it was built from the stones of a Mayan temple.

Not long after meeting Victor, God led us to Jose. He was an English teacher begging to practice his English on us as well. Jose took us a few blocks down to get some much needed tour books and proceeded to walk us through all the local favorites. He told us more about Merida and the Yucatan than we will ever have the pleasure of enjoying. Jose also took us to a store where Seth was able to purchase a hand-made hat. While sipping on the Cokes, Jose’s treat, we met Pablo and Carlos, the store owners. They taught us all about the intricacies of the hats. (They are made usually in caves, to keep the hats moist, and done by hand using a plant called Hennequin…this is the plant raised on original Haciendas, like cotton on a Southern Plantation-we later learned these facts from Ivan). During this time, the sky turned dark grey and it began to pour. We walked back to our hotel in the rain, but it was well worth it. Seth changed shoes and we headed back out.

Using a tip from Jose about where the natives live, we walked about 7 blocks down from our hotel, past the Mercado, and decided to join in Mass at another Catholic church. On our way out, we met John and Irene, two New Yorkers who were just about to finish the renovation on a house they bought in Merida eight months ago. They invited us to come see their house tomorrow morning! We’re both so excited! Both of them were very warm and welcoming in conversation and we can’t wait to see them again.

We found a nice, romantic restaurant for dinner, with an atrium and pretty décor. Seth ate tuna stuffed avocados which were extremely refreshing, yet satisfyingly filling, and Emily had yummy chicken enchiladas, the best ever, knowing she’ll never have another plate like it. For dessert, we shared an hacharada, a creamy rice almond drink, and dulce de leche tortillas with chopped pecans. Succulent!

After such a long day, we headed back to the hotel once again, basked in the warm shower and thanked God that Seth chose a resort with air conditioning!

Monday, July 3, 2006

(Seth’s words)

We walked the few blocks to John and Irene’s in the morning. Their new home is going to be gorgeous. Few notes…a pool inside their house in a small, open air courtyard. A master bedroom, 2 guest bedrooms, very large kitchen, living area, at least 15ft ceilings. ALL CONCRETE!! Beautiful columns, archways, strong wood, and everything done by hand. (Mayan workers are paid 50 pesos for the whole day- $5) John and Irene paid $49,000 for the house and are putting in $100,000. In relation…our condo in Eagan with its 1200 square feet is just a few thousand more. They had about 2000 sqft. Unbelievable.

John and Irene showed us around the house and took us to a very small café down the street for a Yucatecan breakfast. We had panchos con jamon, juevos, cheso, y tomatillo. Mucho Bueno!! We thanked them, exchanged info and they offered us a place to stay anytime whether in Merida or New York.

We headed back to the Hotel and made reservations for a drinking tour, which is located on an old Hacienda.

Our tour guide picked us up at our hotel about noon and took us to the Hacienda, just north of Merida. It is not a “true” working hacienda, but we learned a lot, tried some great alcohol, enjoyed our tour guide (Pablo), and bought some drinks for home and a special one for Emily’s dad, Ted. It was quite touristy, but we had a good time.

We came back and had a late lunch at the café just around the corner. The waiter stood there the whole time by the counter and didn’t move unless he had to bring a menu, the food, or the check. The food was awesome, which we’ve so far had about 95% satisfaction, but he was not attentive at all and there were only 2 other couples in the restaurant! What the hell are you doing senor??!?! We waited for our check for about 10 minutes.

We made a stop at the hotel to catch up on some fluid intakes, naps, rest, A/C, etc. It was back out for dinner, which was an adventure. We didn’t intend it to be, because we wanted to get to the Plaza early enough for a good seat to see authentic Yucatecan dancing and music. BUT…when we usually walk around…all we see are restaurants everywhere…yet you know how the story goes… Murphy says that when you really want something you’re not gonna find it. Thus is true. We walked for what seemed like forever, probably because we were constantly dodging Yucatecans getting off work. Think about New York City sidewalks jam packed (15 feet wide) during rush hour, now put 4 foot people on 2-3 foot wide sidewalks and a million of them. Fun times. We finally found a place to eat near the Plaza, got some food, had to wait forever again for the bill, and headed to the Plaza.

The dancing and music were interesting and we had our fill after about 15 minutes. The girls and guys both wore heeled shoes/sandals that were white. The guys had hats and white linen clothes. The girls had white dresses with flowery embroidery. They danced an elaborate tap dance with a partner and group movement. The trumpet player kicked ass. Really fast, high, unfathomably articulate, and great tone. Saxophone players played very obnoxiously and squawky…weird.

Night night time. (with some Mexican sweets for a snack!) And a coke…Yucatan is the largest consumer of Coke in the world!! They even have it with breakfast!

Tuesday, July 4, 2006

(Emily’s words)

Happy Independence Day! We saw no signs of the Mexicans celebrating American independence. Go figure … heheh.

We got up early and had breakfast at the hotel restaurant again so that we would be prepared for our back roads tour at 8:30. We really didn’t know exactly what to expect, so when Ivan (pronounced EE-von) showed up, we were excited to get started. Ivan took our bags and we hopped in his car. One of the first things he asked us was where we wanted to go. That definitely caught us off-guard because we still did not know what this tour was all about. All of a sudden we realized that we had a personal guide to take us wherever we wanted to go! So, we told Ivan that we were interested in seeing cenotes (underground cave with fresh water … a refreshing place to swim) and haciendas (Mexico’s version of plantations … instead of cotton, it’s hennequin) and that we wanted to buy some hand-made goods. We were also interested in seeing real life in the Yucatan … and that was just what we got.

The whole day was like a dream. We got to see so many different things. Ivan answered all of our questions with confidence and ease. He spoke very good English and he was very well educated. He was a true entrepreneur and very cultured. Ivan had traveled many places around the world, so he had many experiences to share. The conversations we had were not just about Yucatecan culture, but also about politics, psychology, family, beliefs, history, religion, relationships, etc. All of this while traveling the Mexican countryside. We probably traveled over 100 miles throughout our 12 hour tour.

It’s very difficult to describe the true back roads and native culture of the Yucatan without seeing it with your own eyes. Many of these people live in extremely poor conditions, yet they are happier and feel more fulfilled than many Americans. Food, family, health, and God are all they need. There are no extras. They do have running water and electricity, however, many of the homes are one or two rooms surrounded by concrete walls, no air conditioning.

While eating lunch with Ivan, he told us he figured we were all about the same age, 35. He was shocked to find out we were 10 years younger than him and that we had only been married for a week. Apparently it was not our outward appearances that misled Ivan, but our ideas, conversation, interaction, and maturity. It was such a high compliment to both of us! Ivan continually brought up the age subject throughout the rest of the day because he was so stunned by reality.

All around … an amazing day we’ll NEVER forget.

There are so many great pictures we took this day that I just decided to put them after the post.

Wednesday, July 5,^,2006

(Emily’s words)

We ate an early lunch at a place Ivan suggested called Los Almendros. He said it has some of the best Yucatecan food in Merida…it was good … we’re not experts, so it wasn’t anything incredibly special to Seth. It was interesting that we were having lunch at noon, but there was NO ONE in the largest restaurant we had been in so far. They turned on the A/C just for us. Mexicans eat their meals MUCH later than Americans.

We decided it was going to be a “down” day, so our only plans were to find some more local goods. The customary shirt worn by Mayan men is a short-sleeved, collared, button down, cotton or linen, shirt with some kind of pleat or embroidery. We bought one for Emily’s brother Eric.

After walking around for a while, we stumbled upon a store that makes custom ironwork. The owner didn’t speak any English, but he was very respectful and easy to work with, and because we both remembered a lot of Spanish and he was willing to be patient. Emily had an idea in mind of what she wanted and we used, pictures, measurements and examples to get the point across. It was a lot of fun!! We’ll pick it up on Friday.

After some more relaxing down time at the hotel, we visited Ivan and Paula (his business partner) at their art gallery. It was sleek, in a Mexican sort of way, far more modern than other stores in Merida. We chatted for a little while and saw some of his photo prints. They took us over to the office and we ordered one of Ivan’s prints, which we’ll pick up Friday at one of the art shows. Ivan and Paula (who is a 50-year-old white woman from NY…soon to change her citizenship) live together above the gallery. But, we can’t figure out if they’re together or something else…he’s a 35 year old Mexican. Interesting people.

We left the gallery and took off for the same restaurant we ate at on Sunday. They had told us about live music from Wed-Sat, so we came back for that as well as the ambiance and food. Interestingly, 90% of the patrons were white…mostly from Italy we were told. We dined slowly for over 2 hours and had a large salad with chicken for an appetizer while we sipped on a Pina Colada and Horatcho (an almond, rice drink-no alcohol). Seth had Mexican style shish kabobs and Emily had what she had the first time (Chicken Enchiladas) because they were so good. During dinner Emily had a fabulous Mojito and Seth had a Chorida (sp?) which is beer with lime juice on rocks and salt around the glass edge. Then we ordered flan for dessert with some coffee. How much you ask? $40. Amazing. The musician was awesome too…singer/songwriter guitarist…but in Spanish…still sweet. We found ourselves inspired by the atmosphere and the happenings of the last few days. Putting our heads together, we began writing the lyrics to a song meant to evoke the feelings we’ve had since we’ve had the pleasure of being here. Hopefully when we get back to the states, those lyrics will come to life through Seth’s musical genius.

Thursday, July 6, 2006

(Emily’s words)

Seth went all by himself and picked up panchos for breakfast, three of these delicious sandwiches for $28 pesos … that’s about $2.50! Far better than McDonald’s!

We set out around 1 to have lunch at a little restaurant where we both ordered Mexican burritos. There was nothing out of the ordinary special about this place, but there were constantly these little Meridan people walking straight into the restaurant, up to the tables and trying to sell their products. It’s unbelievable! Many of the restaurants and shops do not have the typical doors on hinges, they’re just big garage-type doors that raise up when the store is in business and close when it’s not. Therefore, most of the shops are just open to the outside and not air-conditioned. It’s very easy for a vendor to walk right into a restaurant, stand in front of your table while you’re eating, and try to sell you fans, necklaces, hammocks, maracas, etc. They won’t leave until you say, “No gracias,” at least 5 times. We both started to get really annoyed at the rude interruptions during our meal.

After lunch, we went down to our hotel pool to read and cool off with a swim. We both got in a little nap as well. Next we walked many blocks and outside the Merida city walls to find this restaurant called Eladios. We had to stop and ask directions of random people several times until we finally made it to our destination. Eladios is a really unique place. As long as we ordered beer, they kept bringing us free authentic Yucatecan food! Totally awesome!! There was also live music, which we thoroughly enjoyed. For four beers, two mixed drinks, and at least six plates of different dishes, we paid just under $200 pesos ($20 USD).

On the way to find dessert, we came upon a small Mexican woman who was selling her handmade necklaces and bracelets. Seth thought two of them would be perfect for Aaron and Abby! Then we walked much closer to our hotel to go to a café called El Hoyo. This place had character. It was very hot inside, but we cooled off with mocha frappe machiatos and a slice of gourmet vanilla ice cream pie. Divine!