Friday fish lunch has become a predictable destination for us. We head for Cevichazo. Find your way onto Avenida Jacinto Canek, which is basically an extension of c.59-a, which is a bit north of the zoo at Centenario park. Avenida Canek is the name of the road once 59-a crosses Itzaes. It’s a major road, shuttling many buses toward Caucel, Hununcma, and Sisal. It passes that huge modern courthouse designed to make everyone feel tiny and helpless when dealing with authority. But, let’s eat!

We had been looking for hardware recently when we stopped here. A friend had told us about a fereterria across from a major fish market, Atlantida. Fisherfolk from the shore bring their catches here, and buy all sorts of supplies, even boats, in this neighborhood. We had heard of this little restaurant, and here we were – and we hadn’t eaten yet.

The place is only open during the day, and it was about 4:00. So we had a very tasty lunch, and I went across the street to the hardware store, which was well stocked, but didn’t have what I sought. When we arrived home I learned that I had managed to drop my cellphone from a shallow pocket while in the restaurant. We came back immediately, but the place was already closed. So I visited the next morning, and was happily reunited with my phone. Instead of losing a phone while hunting for not-to-be-found hardware, we discovered a place which has drawn us back most Fridays. We love their ceviches, particularly the Chef’s mixto. And the crispy shrimp is amazing. Victor Cruz and Jorge Angeles are doing a superb job at serving up lunch. Visit, before it gets discovered. 

“The BOMB”

The law of unintended consequences wants to argue that sh¡t happens. History shows us that it has. ¿But is it history if it’s been kept locked up? Who knew about all these bomb incidents?

After  enlisting  (I was drafted, but joined to beat the draft, and stay out of Vietnam), I was sent to Spain. I learned after arriving that the US had lost three 70 kiloton nuclear bombs over Spain. – one fell in the ocean, and was never recovered. Now I learn that there was also a total meltdown in Morocco, which was kept secret. And it gets worse, according to this hair-raising report from Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. (If you want to read about the bombs lost in Spain, click here.)

In the words of Fats Waller, One nevah knows, do one?

Photo by Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

No matter where we live, we’re being watched by government, industry, corporations. Thanks to a courageous young man who recognized serious evil potential, absent consent, we now have opportunity to alter the surveillance state. And here’s the best essay I’ve seen yet, on what that change might look like.

Oink if you love Ah-mun!   Amen?

We went to Ticul with our friend Pat recently. The town, about an hour from Merida, is famous for ceramics, leatherwork, and crafts. I was delighted with some of the work, which was very affordable. It got me pondering the many and varied approaches to worship; and the arrogance of those who are so certain of our own righteousness.

So many denominations assert an orthodoxy (“true teaching”). And physicists spin their wheels imagining multiverses. Yet it seems arguable that there can be only one reality. ONE is a hallmark of many approaches to worship and reality. I often add an additional descriptor to my personal position: nondual Christian heretic. (Nondual means “not two.” Even so, these words yield many varieties of practice.

While I readily identify as a nominal Christian, albeit a heretic – no longer sitting in pews (nor conducting organized worship anymore), I often add the word heretic to my claim, as Jesus himself was a heretic. He was regarded as an outsider by those in the hierarchy of the Temple Cult. He didn’t found an organized religion. Indeed, he toppled a false version of one, replacing it with a one-on-one relationship with the Divine. This can’t be organized, in my view. It can only be honored (or dishonored) by private practice.

A man I don’t know, but admire, has a cd which bespeaks this attitude, titled Audience of One, which I’ve enjoyed listening to several times over. (While I doubt he would have described himself as i do, perhaps we share a perspective.) And here’s another guy with a compelling approach, although not necessarily nondual – but open minded.

I realize that these words will probably attract some who might be describable as christian taliban, so comments will probably get turned off quickly on this post. (Sorry if I’ve offended anyone.) The Maya teach their children that we are all made of corn. And they have a saying here: In La’kesh  – “I am another you.” Be kind to yourself!

Photo by Paul Rounds

Our friend Paul, author of the blog Hammockman, is in Sao Paolo. He has posted some exciting photos. We didn’t attend carnaval in Merida this year, as it was moved out of the city, into the fairgrounds in the suburbs. Our cleaning lady went twice, perhaps to sell food, and she told us it was rather dull, with few children in attendance. According to her, many families went to the beach, instead. We hope it comes back to the city next year.

Author j. Snodgrass   (The fun starts about 30 seconds in.)

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to study at seminary (or, in my case, a nondenominational divinity school), this guy will give you a refreshing taste. A great storyteller, he’s got humor, coupled with admirable scholarship, and a healthy sense of self-deprecation. Having been there many decades ago, I can say that his book, depicted below, is much more enjoyable, and truly a bargain. (Printed on demand. Thanks to SpeakEasy for review copy. Review also shared at Amazon.)

Mexican pizza with cornmeal crust, top and bottom. Kids here are told they are made of corn. Could be!

A few weeks ago we went on a market tour of the main market in downtown Merida. And this morning our friend Butch took us to a big flea market near the city jail, that a maid at the hotel told him about last year. (Take a bus marked Penal Directo south from c.58 – or 60? – we drove – early Sunday morning; it’s just a bit south of the east end of the airport runway, right across from the prison.)

Habanero chilis at the main market

Bananas arriving at main market

WaWaMelon Man, at the flea market. We bought an entire melon for 20 pesos. (About $1.60 usd.)