spanish refresher course

 

a bit of easy vocabulary to get started

 Having consumed a lot of effort boxing the bikes for flying we have decided not to get them out during our week in Mexico.  It's a relief.  It's such a lot of faffing to put the racks and mudguards and handlebars back on, only to remove them so soon.   It's a worry.  What if the bkes have been damaged in the flight from Washington to Florida to here?  When we get to Cuba there won't be a bike repair shop with parts.  It's a cost.  We have to hire a people-carrier taxi to take us to Puerto Morelos, the little town south of the airport.  It's a pain in the arse.  We're staying in the town, not at the beach, so we either have to get the minibus down to the beach or take a longish walk.  A shrug of the shoulders. No hay importa.

We have a simple appartment in a small block on a small new estate on the edge of the small town.  Walking around I notice the people are small.  The tacos we eat at a taco stand are small.  The beach is small too, but very long.  Some days small tropical storms brew up over the sea and whisk over.  After being in the United States for so long the scale of everything seems much reduced.  I need to recalibrate my perceptions.

small sofa

small beach

small scorpion in the bedding

We spend a week doing nothing special, acclimatising to heat and getting used to wearing shorts and sandals again.  This is a nice feeling.  The town and beach area are low-key and low-rise and the only disquieting note is the presence of paramilitary police in pick up trucks.  But the drug violence in Mexico sadly might necessitate such a show of force.  It's not a great image for a country.

After a very quick week we have got used to speaking Spanish and are eager to get on our plane to La Habana.  The bikes are getting claustrophobic.