http://www.elann.com/Commerce.Web/forums/messages.aspx?TopicID=148051 Elann Community Chat Center - Previous Website Chat - I`m Back from Mexico - Messages en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Jitbit AspNetForum Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:44:51 GMT Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:44:51 GMT http://www.elann.com/Commerce.Web/forums/messages.aspx?TopicID=148051 Les]]> Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:44:51 GMT http://www.elann.com/Commerce.Web/forums/messages.aspx?TopicID=148051
benne]]> Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:21:39 GMT http://www.elann.com/Commerce.Web/forums/messages.aspx?TopicID=148051 I must write you. So glad you enjoyed Mexico. A knitting retreat in the Yucatan would be a wonderful idea. I`d be there if at all possible. I know central Mexico and even several areas in the north quite well, but have never been to the Yucatan area.
Sounds like your niece has a good nitch. What a wonderful holiday for you!
I must start helping you on your Spanish. I love teaching Spanish as much as you love helping and teaching people to knit! Nos hablamos mas tarde.
Jamie]]> Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:29:16 GMT http://www.elann.com/Commerce.Web/forums/messages.aspx?TopicID=148051 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:38:24 GMT http://www.elann.com/Commerce.Web/forums/messages.aspx?TopicID=148051
Didn`t see any knitting in the Yucatan Lowlands - embroidery, hammock-making, and weaving with sisal are the chief textiles. Next year my niece is planning an excursion to Oaxaca and Puebla with emphases on textiles and rarely visited archaeological sites. This will probably be early February.
She arranged a wonderful day for us at a restored hacienda when it was between guests. This place is the ultimate in Mexican luxury. We were greeted with cold drinks by Mayan girls in traditional dress. After a tour, we changed in bedrooms decorated with flowers, swam in a pool with floating flowers, had margaritas on the terrace and a traditional lunch at a long table on the covered patio - all decorated with more flowers. Just a thoroughly wonderful place. It`s expensive, but what a place for a knitting retreat!

We visited the Mayan ruins at Uxmal, Chichen Itza, and
Dzibilchaltun, and saw a lot of Merida. The house we rented was right on the beach, east of Progreso, will pool. We used local transport rather than renting a car. At the equivalent of 35 cents to get into Progresso on a `combi` or a local bus and $2.20 return from Progreso to Merida (35 km) on an A/C highway bus, car rental didn`t make too much sense. The combis were `local colour` but they certainly worked. They seemed to be individually owned, converted vans of a certain vintage, which carried 8-10 passengers on bench-like seats. Ours travelled continually on a route between Progreso and Chicxulub, stopping wherever they were flagged down. Calling out "Baja" seemed to be the approved way of getting them to stop. "Stop" consisted of going at full speed, slamming on the brakes, and skidding to a stop on bald tires. We took them many, many times, but never had to wait more than 5 minutes for one to come along. The drivers never hit anything and always managed to stop. We hired a couple of the ones in better condition for outings - about $10 an hour.

Great trip!

Alice
Salt Spring Island]]> Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:27:40 GMT