Our time in the Yucatan and beyond

What a tropical wonder the Yucatan penisula is. We spent over two weeks there and it was very hard to leave. We entered from the east coast and spanned the whole way across and then all the way down. We visited both Chichen Itza and Tulum while we were there. The majority of our time was spent working on Goyos property, in Puerto Morelos. It was a beautiful place and we really helped it along. The group that was there was absolutely wonderful and by the end of it we were all like bothers and sisters, except there was no fighting, only the good stuff. We made paths through the property which included sifting sand and using simple tools like a steel bar to break up rock. Since we are all so strog it was no problem. (Yah right!) Good hard work to weather the hands and toughen the body, exactly what the youth of America needs, so it was great for us. We as well spent a night out on Isla Mujeres, which was the most pituresque tropical I have only seen in my dreams. I have never seen so many colors in the natural world. (other than Santa Barbara sunsets) We camped on the island with a morning view that was postcard worthy. Back on the mainland the little town of Puerto Morelos treated us so well that we felt at home and the last couple of days before we left we would walk through the center of town and see so many people we knew. I think that is the amount of time you need to stay some where before you really start getting connected. A regular day at the compound was, wake up around 7-7:30 get ready and start work at 8, work vigourously until about 10:30 and then eat a huge breakfast, short break in a hamok then back to work until 2-3pm, and after that changed day to day. Some days we would sleep for a little while then go to town to do internet and hang out with the jovenes en Puerto Morelos. Other days we would stay on the property the whole day and make big meals, play instuments, read, write exchange stories from the past and learn words in the mayan dialect from our host Victor. The property was so tranquil and peaceful that it was hard to leave. While we were there I got a wonderful rash similar to posion oak. This is the super version spreads quicker and lasts longer. I must tell you it was a pleasure experiecing it. The great thing about it is that the cure for it is another tree that grows directly in the same region. So you boil a tea with the leaves of the Palogringo and when it cools apply to the infected area. It worked like a gem and I used no antibiotics or wierd chemical creams. Good oldfasioned leaves. They call the tree that gives the medicine the palogringo because it has flaky red bark. So when gringos come to the Yucatan the usually get sun burned then their skin flakes off and looks very similar to the trunk of the tree. So we have a tree named after us in the Yucatan. You should all be happy about that. Well we are now in Palenque looking foward to working with a friend of Nicholas that does work with some real revolutionaries in the area. We visited the ruins here and we absolutly amazed. Its raining again so we got to have a day inside. Tomorrow its back to exploring the jungle and finding pools to swim in like the Mayans did so many years ago.