The more they find out about the ancient Mayan civilization, the more impressive it is to be right here in the heart of it and see the sacred places of these people.
National Geographic recently published an article about a cenote, a large sinkhole leading into an underground river/cavern system, in Yucatan. The cenote seems to have been used a burial place for the bodies of nobility, as attested to in the ancient Mayan writings. The idea was that the people had originated from the cenotes, and that they were returning them to their place of origin:
“The work has already yielded significant new insights into the cenote that many here still believe is guarded by a large serpent, that some say has feathers and the head of a horse.
“We have located 15 human crania and a large number of other bones, attesting to the use of the site as a burial location. Some of the remains are as delicate as small finger bones, sternums and a patella (knee cap). Indications are that there are many more bones located below the heavy silt that blankets much of the floor of the feature.
“Early data suggests that the site contains burials of both sexes and a range of ages from young adult and up. Ceramic fragments from water jars and a plate show a mix of Preclassic and Postclassic Maya use of the cenote. We have recovered a small sample of the bones (two femurs, a mandible and a tibia) that we will used to gain radiocarbon dates for the burials themselves.”
Here are some pictures of the cenotes and the discoveries:
Diving down into a cenote is purely magical; it’s easy to see why the Mayans connected these places to the underworld and afterlife, so dark and isolated, yet teaming with a secret life of their own. This is part of why living in Mexico is so cool!
We always like to highlight events in Playa del Carmen, and every year events of all kind – fun, interesting, international, prestigious, delicious, or simply nice to see – are more and more common.
Just last week Playa del Carmen welcomed the beautiful young women who represent their various countries for the Miss Latin America.
Just a little food for thought on this beautiful day! It is no secret that Mexico has been the target of bad publicity over the recent years. But why does Mexico get hit so bad without the mention that there is awful news happening all over the world?
It seems American’s are still incredibly fearful to travel to such an amazing place like the Riviera Maya, yet they remain content while crime is rising in their own back yards. The fact is that no matter where you are things happen! And that’s the truth!
But an interesting reaction that happened in the news struck me this week, after an Australian baseball player had been shot and killed, by two Oklahoma teenagers, while out for a normal training run. Here’s the worst part – they said it was “just for fun!!” It seems we hear this kind of bad news more and more lately in the United States, yet the U.S. is never listed as a dangerous place to travel.
For what seems like the first time, a former Australian Deputy Prime Minister made a statement by encouraging a boycott against travel to the United States. Although this was not an official travel warning it was definitely a message pointing out that loose gun laws in the United States are offering more opportunity for these kinds of horrific scenes and it is indeed dangerous.
Remember Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut this past December? The United States definitely has its fair share of life loss by innocent victims who were simply just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am not in any way bashing the United States, as I am American and love my country, but merely pointing out that their efforts to scare travel away from Mexico are not very justifiable when they have their own set of concerns.
And with that being said, I think that for the first time Australia made a bold move to point this out!
As an American living here in the Riviera for quite some time now I can honestly say that this is wonderful safe place to live and travel. The type of crime that people are warned and afraid of in Mexico is restricted to other areas in which neither tourists nor expats are entering; and on top of that the specific kind of bad guys you are thinking of are not looking to kill or kidnap innocent bystanders, or to do it “just for fun” like the two kids in Oklahoma. This is a misconception that has been twisted by the media.
There are so many horrific things that happen in this world; killings, kidnappings, bombings, domestic violence, abuse of all forms but unfortunately there is no safe haven from those things. They happen everywhere and yes, even in the United States as you can see on the news every day! I would encourage you to use your best judgment and listen to your gut all the time and everywhere.
Don’t refrain from an amazing country or city just because you heard a bad story on the news; you could actually be doing yourself a terrible disservice not discovering something so wonderful.
An American friend of mine recently expressed her feelings after coming back from Mexico City. Her reaction was that she is sad that so many people in the United States will never know such an amazing beautiful city rich in culture, beauty, delicious food and fun, because the U.S. media has continuously worked to demolish its reputation.
I have to say I agree as I spent many years living, working and enjoying Mexico City as I do today in the Riviera Maya.
Over the past week, we’ve seen a couple of videos about Playa Animal Rescue and its founder, Jan Northenscold. But when we hear about an animal shelter, or pretty much any other charity, we’re often left with a bunch of questions:
How does it work?
Where do the animals come from?
How can people take one into their home?
How do you teach a street dog to be a family dog?
Can I volunteer?
What would I get to do?
Jan has taken some time to answer these and similar questions for us:
Again, it’s wonderful to see the work that Jan, Playa Animal Rescue and so many volunteers do! 150 dogs rescued each year and put into nice homes!
The great greek philosopher not only wrote about physics, poetry, mathematics, rhetoric, politics and biology, he also knew the basics of friendship and, as seen in the pictures, is timeless, it doesn´t matter if you are in a beach in Greece or in Tulum!
The beaches of Playa del Carmen are among the most beautiful in the world, and no doubt that life on these beaches is a central part of being an expat. Yet, being an expat is much more than just relaxation on the beaches.
As we’ve seen with the stories about the Keep Kids in School program (KKIS) over the past week, many expats contribute to the community through volunteer and charity work.
We’ve also posted about the Playa Animal Rescue program. Here’s another video about this program – this time an interview from the expat woman who founded it last year:
This is such a wonderful story! She came to Playa, saw the need and did what she needed to open this shelter. I’ve been there, and these dogs are simply adorable creatures!
By the way, if anyone is looking for a dog, this is an excellent way to find a wonderful companion; as she notes in the video, the dogs are healthy and clean. It is also very possible to take the dogs back to the U.S. or Canada.
School started YESTERDAY in most areas of Playa del Carmen! And with the help of the KKIS Project many deserving kids will be well equipped and ready to take on the new year!
Friday was a special day for us at Top Mexico as we were invited to help the KKIS Project put a lot of smiles on the faces of kids at Pelopidas School in the Guadaulpana neighborhood of Playa del Carmen in the morning. As we have mentioned before, the KKIS Project works hard all year making various efforts to support keeping the kids of Playa del Carmen in school.
Their main effort his summer has been to collect school supplies and search sponsorships from people to help provide filled backpacks to the children in need before the start of school at the end of August. Yesterday we visited one of the last schools on the list. We loaded the back packs into the trucks and gathered into a room with 58 back packs and plenty of kids and parents.
One at a time the child’s name is called and the child or parent came to accept the back pack. It was very touching because the kids showed so much appreciation in their face. It was also very nice that each name that was called had a couple moments of fame as their photo was taken and everybody clapped. It just made the experience so lovely for the kids!
Afterwards the KKIS project was thanked graciously by one of the parents who were speaking on behalf of all the families. The kids even came around and hugged and thanked each one of the volunteers.
The efforts of KKIS are now coming to a close as the final deliveries are being made. But they will not stop! Come October they will continue their efforts with new projects all intended to help the kids in school and enjoy learning.
If you are looking for some way to give back to the community and get involved here in Playa the KKIS Project is a sure way to do it; and they are always happy to have more help!
On Friday I posted about the variety of health care options available to choose from on a day to day basis in Mexico. Today, I’m going to share the story of an expat who’s worked in the office here for the past few years and their experience with the public hospitals, specifically his wife and childbirth. While most expats we know won’t be going in to have a baby delivered any time soon, it reflects how good the service is even in Mexico’s “working-class” health care system.
Here it is in his own words:
“My wife and I have had 4 children; the last 2 were twins, so it was 3 childbirths for my wife – the first was in a semi-charitable hospital specialized in childbirth and maternal health in Mexico City, the second was the public-insurance hospital (IMSS) in Playa del Carmen, and the third was a hospital in Canada.
“As for cost, for the one in Canada my wife – who is Mexican – was not yet covered by public health insurance, so we had to pay it out of pocket. While they gave us easy, interest-free payment options, it was a HUGE bill, by far the most expensive.
“The cheapest? The IMSS hospital in Playa del Carmen. Our entire family was covered by my wife’s insurance; we had started a little family business, and I had “hired” her. The monthly fee was pretty low. In any case, I know you can also get full coverage on a person-by-person basis for about $350 a year. However you get this insurance, it’s simply cheap.
Best Service
“Now, you’ll never guess which was the best treatment. The specialist hospital in Mexico City was very professional, and without a doubt knew what they were doing, but my wife said it was impersonal. Canada – well, it was Canada. Nice doctors, nice nurses. Did everything right, and were very friendly, but nothing above and beyond.
“The public-insurance hospital in Playa – she remembers going in; the nurse put on music, and made a real effort to make her comfortable. It was the longest birth of all them, but she never felt like they were rushed or anything, she was comfortable and well-attended the whole time.
“After the last birth in Canada, she said the level of service and comfort was a close call, but Playa del Carmen’s IMSS hospital still won out – and this is considering that it was all but free!
The Choices
“Now we had our options in Playa. There were excellent private hospitals that would’ve charged anywhere up to about $1600 for childbirth – a far cry from the $8000 we paid in Canada! There were also private gynecologists who charged about the same or somewhat less.
“We were thinking about those options. But in the end we thought: we have this insurance already; there’s a brand-new, pretty-looking IMSS hospital in town. Previously they would’ve had to send us to Cancun, which we weren’t terribly interested in, but with the new hospital we could be a 5 minute drive from our house. We knew people who work at the hospital, and had been there for some of the pre-natal check-ups. Everything seemed professional and well run.
“We decided to go for it, and – considering it was the cheapest and BEST treatment my wife had – we’re glad we did.
The Down Sides
“Not everything is rosy and perfect. We had only one major complaint; I wasn’t allowed into the delivery room. This is standard practice in all public/low-cost hospitals in Mexico. The private options I mentioned would’ve allowed it. Since all the options looked really good, the question came to this – was it worth $1600 for me to be in the delivery room? Since we were still paying off the little townhouse we bought, we decided ‘no.’
“My wife would’ve liked. I would’ve liked it. But the excellent treatment they gave her helped to balance that somewhat.
“The other downside was the quick shipment out the door. They definitely took the time to make sure she and the baby were in good shape and that she had rested enough to go home. But the baby was born at 6 am; by 2 pm, she was at home. “Same day delivery” I guess …
“BUT Canada was no different! While I did get to be in the delivery room, she was also out the door before at the soonest possible moment.
“So, in the IMSS hospital, I stayed up all night in the waiting room, read an entire book of The Lord of the Rings, drank about 10 cups of coffee (there’s an all-night OXXO, like 7-11, across the road) and probably paced a hole into their brand-new floor.
“I remember when Tom came by to pick me up around noon so we could get my older son and mother-in-law to welcome our new baby as a family; we didn’t have a car, and I wouldn’t have been in the shape drive any way. I must have looked like a wreck, but I was the happiest man in the world. I had just talked to the doctor, who also looked like a wreck after being up all night delivering babies; but, as attested to by wife, he has spared no effort to make everything go well.
The Bottom Line
“The bottom line is that IMSS, one of Mexico’s “cheap” options, gives Canada’s first-world healthcare a run for its money, which cost about 100 times more (if we count all the usage we got out of it); even if Canada had been free, IMSS still won out on the comfort they provided for my wife.”
So, there you have it. I’m going to dig up some more health care stories from expats here in Mexico in the future. I can tell this already; while it’s not all perfect, you begin to see a pattern – lower cost, better service.
