Cancun, Nashville and the trip to Dallas.

For Derick and Laurette Boliter - Herbalife bag for a town gardener in Cancun, Mexico.

One of the beaches where I consolidtaed my tan after the cruise. The water is cool, not cold, and crystal clear. I was able to watch a Pipe Fish or Tumpet Fish as some call them swimming nonchalantly by less than a meter away. Just beautiful.

I walked for miles on these magnificent walks in Cancun. I did a walk to the North for 4 miles and to the South for 5 miles on the first two days. I also walked around the shopping precinct near my hotel, the Aloft.

This, compared to the Baboons in Cape Town. I would take on the Baboons any day. The alligators are in the lagoon in Cancun, so bes to swim in te sea! These signs are on the sidewalk in the city!

I had to take a shot of the Blue bench and Blue Lamp standard. My favourite colours. These are scattered around the city alongside the walking paths. This one overlooks the lagoon with the alligators!

This too is in the city. Mangrove trees all along the lagoon embankment. This is where the Alligators and Iguana's live. Lots of fish around here too as they spawn amongst the roots and trunks of these amazing trees.

Top deck of my hotel, the Aloft. This is the pool deck on the 10th floor taken early morning.

View of Cancun from the pool deck accross the lagoon at 06.00 in the morning.

Foyer of the Aloft taken as I waited for the bus for the trip to the Mayan Temple. If you look carefully, you can make out the word 'swak' on the reception desk on the left. No-one seemed to know what it meant, but they were intrigued by the South African English usage - "That was a swak chirp guys!" or something like that.   

Undergraound limestone cave with beautiful cool, clear water and some pitch black catfish who I guess have lived there for thousands of years. we were allowed to swim in it as it is a touris attraction so it is not used either for water to drink, etc. or for thei religious ceremonies. Other caves are used for these two purposes. The wate in the ceremony caves may not be removed for personal use.

Not a great shot, but these are the holes in the roof of the cave and swallows buld nests inside and enter here. Those are stalactites/mites (?) Hanging down things!

Mayan co-op near the temple. They produce a range of artifacts and cloth and all the money goes into their community to build schools and purchase bicycles for the schoolgoers and for the restoration of their temples. The Mayans do not have or need clinics as they live off fresh produce from the land, forests, streams. Their own traditional doctors know what to give them for condidtions they may have. They also do not get cancer because of what they eat and their lifestyle! Their houses have breeze throughs to allow breezes and winds to continually clean the air. No closed doors and windows and natural slits in the walls. They are all so healthy looking, even the elderly. Makes one think!

A view of the restaurant area of the co-op. Beautiful Palms and Elephant Ear plants, etc.

Mayan 'Alphabet'. You can purchase a necklace with a silver tag with your name engraved using these Mayan symbols - at a cost. My SA Rnads did not stretch that far!

The Mayan calendar. 18 month recircling calendar. They had their clock/time down to a number of a 16 second deficit every 52 years. They knew something!

Our bus. Yes, it is Blue. In fact the only Blue bus out of about 20 on the trip out to the temple. My luck, my colour!

The sign at the entrance for the Mayan temple at Chichen Itza.

This is a distant view of the Ball Game Court at Chichen Itza. Partly restored. They still have some work to do, but already it is looking glorious. The block building on top is where the high priest sat for the games On the left is the dignitary's pavilion. Right of the temple is for the Upper Middle class and opposite for the plebs.

The principle temple which is oriented to the poles and East/West. If you stand in the clear patch ahead and clap your hands three times, the echo is the sound made by the Quetzal Bird which was sacred in their beliefs. It is quite uncanny. We did it 5 times with our guide. Just amazing. Perfect engineering.

This is the 'Pavilion' Temple where there was a food market and an area for warriros to train. The area which used to be covered, has 800 pillars to hold the roof. It is a massive courtyard area. Most of the pillars have been resored The trees to the right are all in the original space.

The Ball Court. It was a One Kilogram Rubber Ball. It could only be propelled by foot, knee, thigh and hip and never touched by hand. Seven (7) on a team. The captain was stationed on the platform running along the side of the court and he was the only one who was allowed to score.

The Goal on the centre of each side. The Court is about 50-60 meters long. Very few goals were scored as can be imagined due to the small size, height above the platform and the weight of the ball and difficulty of propelling it. If you stand opposite either goal and clap your hands once, there are exactly seven (7) echoes. Uncanny. Perfect engineering.

Some of the 800 pillars forming the Courtyard for the market and training area.

Could not resist taking this shot of the Bubba Gump Restaurant Chain Logo. They have a small tin pail on each table with a bogroll in it for 'serviettes'. Quite a nice touch. Each Restaurant also has a gift shop with Forrest Gump memorabilia for sale. Again, Rands did not permit!

My totally luxurious bed in Simon and Marth Henley's home in Brookside, Nashville.

Martha and Simon (left) and friends after our Braai on Saturday 5 April.

Simon and I. What a really special person Simon is. Love him.

I had to take a picture of Simon's Toyota Camry for two reasons. One, for Paul Giliomee who worships Camry's whether his one, Tom's with 349 000 miles on the clock, or that of Kyle Busch in the NASCAR series. Second, because it is my colour Blue!

Simon spending time with the neighbour and both lamenting the need to do 'gardening' and 'pruning' and 'cutting the grass' and 'redirecting rainwater', etc.

Martha on the deck adding valuable insight into the DIY conversation.

Simon and Sam at Sam's Montessori pre-School on the day I reluctantly left.

Highway in Tennessee!

Highway in Arkansas!

Highway in Texas! 10 hours of superb highways and a DVD book to keep me humming along at between 70 and 75 mph. Actually 74 and 78! But then who checked me. I was not even going as fast as some 52 foota articulated trucks! Bit disconcerting being overtaken by these juggernauts at those speeds! And there are lots of them. Lots! This was around 6pm just before my GPS directed me through farmlands and villages to Plano, a town which is a part of the Dallas sprawl where I am now staying with Gavin Boliter  and his wonderful wife from Taiwan. Thanks to Gavin, I was able to diagnose the fault of the battery and we got a new one at 21.15 at the local Auto Parts Store. Not in South Africa you wont. They checked my deceased battery and I bought a new one. Rand/$ exchange rate 'klapped' me, but still cheaper with the car than buses, trains and cabs. Thaks to Doug Rohde my amazingly generous friend at Google in NYC. Yay Doug!