I haven't posted in a while. My Nan (my grandmother on my mom's side) died this week, and it's left me feeling unmotivated to write and generally sad. I'm still not really able to talk/write about it, so I'll just say that she was a wonderful woman, and leave it at that for now.

It is currently 5:40 am on March 20th, and sadly, I am awake. On Thursday I went to the doctor about my back and neck injuries. My neck has been injured for over 4 years and my back for less than one year, and the doctor thinks he can cure me in a week. So I’m sceptical, but hoping that it might make some improvement (or at least not make things worse!). He has prescribed me 3 injections and a bunch of pills for a week… I just started the injections and pills last night. The doctor warned me they would make me very dizzy and kind of gross-feeling, and he was definitely right. I was immediately dizzy, and my lower back area where I was injected twice is very tender, and I think that's what's keeping me awake.

Anyway, I'm hoping this can help me with the injuries that have been affecting me for far too long. I researched the pills and shots before getting them, don't worry, and they seem fine.

Wish me luck! Years of trying with at least a dozens Canadian doctors of all kinds couldn’t fix me! So I might as well give this doctor a shot!

Sunday March 14, 2010

Today I went to the town Carolina’s grandmother is from. It was really nice. I saw the town, visited the family, saw the straw roofed huts they grew up in and still have, had some ice cream (of course) and went to a farm, where I took lots of pictures and held a tiny, ADORABLE piglet.... who peed all over me. haha.

Pictures to come.

Saturday March 13

Today was awesome. We went out thinking that we were going to a mall or maybe to a place in Progreso where there are flamingos, and on the way we saw a sign for Dzibilchaltun, and started talking about that. Carolina couldn’t remember what was there, and I said that they were ruins, and that it was fairly closeby, but I didn’t know how close exactly and she said “let’s go!” So we went.

Luckily, it was very closeby. Only about 15 minutes outside of town. And when we got there we realized that these were the ruins with the “casa de las siete muñecas” (the house of the seven dolls). They found 7 dolls in one of the houses there, and the dolls are in the museum at the entrance. They’re actually super tiny, barely recognizable dolls, and not at all what I pictured.

The ruins were excellent. We got to go up the stairs into the house of the seven dolls, which had an amazing view from the top and from the windows. From the window you can see a couple of other monuments too, including a big sundial. We walked around the whole “archeological zone” of Dzibilchaltun, but didn’t get to go to the “ecological zone” because the place was closing and we had to go. We’re definitely going back though!! I loved it. While walking around one of the sites I saw the biggest iguana I have ever seen in my life. So, of course I had to take tons of pictures of it. I even got video of it getting pissed off and shaking its head, which I thought was awesome, of course (not that it seemed mad, but how it moved was super interesting). Then we went to more pyramids that we could walk up, which was also super interesting. Excellent views again, but my camera battery was dying. I didn’t bring a spare because I thought we were going to take a few distant pictures of flamingos or maybe even go to a mall. Luckily, I brought my video camera, just in case.

Then we went to the cenote!! The sinkhole. I got to put my feet in a sinkhole for the first time ever! We didn’t bring bathing suits though (due to the lack of planning, once again), so I had to just find a place where I could reach the water to put my feet in. When I did, dozens of fish came over and starting nibbling/sucking on my feet!!! It was hilarious. Most of them had sucker things for mouths. A couple times it felt like they had teeth, but only tiny ones. The bigger fish in the water would look at my feet, but not get too close. I ended up taking a couple of videos and then a bunch of underwater pictures of the fish on my feet. I absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to go back and see the other half of Dzibilchaltun and swim in the cenote, and get more pictures of the fish.

Thursday March 11

1:00 pm

It is hot. Incredibly hot. Unbelievably hot. I looked online and it says that it’s 38 degrees, but I don’t believe that. It must be at least 40.

I went to the mall today (and almost suffocated in the car, and then when walking from the car to the mall entrance), and bought tons of beads and stones and a bunch of stuff from an “Oriental” store. That was super fun. The beads were on sale and an excellent price. Carolina encouraged my shopping, as always, which was fun. Hopefully I can get all of my presents and stuff back home! Carolina keeps telling me not to worry about it, and that I can leave a bunch of stuff for her to bring to me in Canada. I hope I don’t have to do that! But knowing that it’s an option probably doesn’t help me control my spending.

Now I’m hiding in my bedroom, which is the coolest room of the two houses. I’ve put a bottle of water in the freezer, and am using it to drink and to place on my skin, trying to feel normal again. When air comes in through the window it feels as though someone opened an oven and the blast of hot air is hitting you! And everyone has been telling me all day that it gets much worse. I am not looking forward to those days!!


Later that night:
The internet gave out for most of the afternoon/evening, and I’m not sure how predictable the connection is now.



Wednesday March 10

I didn’t do much today because it was too hot to leave the house. I went to the corner store with Carolina and almost melted. So I spent the rest of the day in the house doing some work, catching up with a bunch of friends and family, and lazing around wherever it was coolest.

I just posted the links to a bunch of pictures of my trip. There are still a few albums to come, but browse through my old posts to see where the pictures have been added if you're interested in looking at them! The pictures of my days in Cancun are found with the entry I wrote about Cancun, etc.

And here are some pictures taken in Mérida at various times:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=162400&id=504727002&l=b418b26077

More pictures are soon to come.