Diane goes to the dogs and I go diving

Whenever we walk to Siempre (also known as Walmart) to buy some stuff, we pass the Palacio Municipal.  Occasionally, they light it up rather attractively.  Recently, I’ve been buying watches in Walmart, as I need to time things underwater when I’m teaching students.  The first one cost 140 pesos, about £7.  It lasted about a week.  I’m on my second now, also for £7, so stay posted.
 
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Outside our language school is a restaurant called Byblos.  The owner runs an charity which takes in stray dogs and cats, of which there are more than a few round here, let me tell you.  Diane offers to spend a morning walking dogs to help out.
 
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As I’m tied up in diving school all day, Diane takes a trip to Tulum, about half an hour away, where there are more Mayan ruins.  And a Coati Mundi, in fact.
 
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There’s iguanas everywhere round here, also.
 
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Anyhoo, here she is at the ruins, which are by the lovely Caribbean sea.
 
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There’s a demonstration of that thing the Mayans do where they dangle by ropes from a big pole.
 
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As regular readers will know, I’ve been engaged on a PADI instructor course for the last couple of weeks, here in Playa del Carmen.  This involves a lot of classroom and swimming pool work, but eventually we make it out to the sea.  Here we are assembling our equipment prior to teaching a few skills in the open water.  I’m in the hat, as it was pretty hot.
 
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Our boat pulls away, we travel about 200 yards and then we stop.  Six metres depth on sand.  Just like diving in Sennen Cove J
 
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Anyway, after the working bit of the dive, demonstrating various skills, we pop off for a real dive, and run into bull sharks !  Result !!  There’s a picture the course director took during the dive on my Facebook page.
 
Meanwhile, Diane’s been lurking on the beach at sundown.  The thing like a lighthouse is, in fact, a bar called Wicky’s.  We’re staying in a hotel about 50 yards from there.
 
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Meanwhile, back at the dug-up road, they’ve really got going.  Now they’re digging wonking big trenches with a giant ham slicer.  I get the feeling that, were I to return in six months, the road would be much the same as now.
 
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Meanwhile, it’s approaching Christmas, I believe.  They have a giant tree in the square next to the Palacio Municipal.
 
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They’re also into jigging here.  This, I believe, is fishing without a rod, but just jigging the line up and down.  They do this for Amberjack, and catch some pretty big ones.
 
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Good eating, apparently, as they’re barbecuing them.  I have my Instructor Examination at the weekend, and then we’re moving on to Belize so that I can go, er, diving.  More soon.
 
 

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