Help Mexico

Right now, a good stiff dose of tourism would help! Restaurant freezers being full, the fishermen's cooperatives are not going out, saving gasoline. Vegetable stands are getting bare because there is no one with money to buy stuff once it is transported.
The son-in-law of the feet above was forced to lay off workers at his two restaurants this week. Garrafon laid off 70, Dolphin Discovery 50. The lists go on.
The feet above belong to the head of housekeeping, whose husband is a fisherman. Her son-in-law and daughter have some food staples in the restaurants.
But...when will she be able to buy a nice pair of leather sanals again? Not soon!
When Johanna came a week ago, a week late, she was carrying these shoes for Carmen, that I had bought on eBay as a Mother's Day gift. She was near tears!
I also had bought 1 10 pack of romaine lettuce at Costco for 30 pesos. I gave her 2 for the grandchildren. Little things in addition to pay.
If you think H1N1 is the killer flu, think again. It is the tour agencies and airlines that made the decision, misreading WHO and CDC warnings, and cancelled flights and tours to the region. If people don't start coming back, real, intractable suffering will deepen. And it is not the fault of a virus. It is the fault of ignorance!
My Facebook friends and I are involved in a campaing to Help Mexico. You do not need to send aid. You need to come if you can and tell your friends that no, the resort towns never had a case of swine flu and Mexico is beautiful!

Return to normal....for residents of Isla Mujeres

Kafri is a high school girl who lives on my side street. This morning, 5 minutes before the 7am start of school, she was the last kid to catch a cab to school! But she made it.
Teachers had put in extra time sanitizing their buildings over the weekend, just to make sure any germs were gone. Not that anyone has come down the the H1N1 virus on Isla Mujeres.
However, if reservations to not resume, I do fear for the health of Islenos. Already fruit purchases are down. Instead of building up the immune system, cheap food is being eaten and it is less nutritious.
The pulled pork vendors were a long way from sell out at 9am yesterday. Johanna and I had our breakfast tacos around the corner at Elena's, after running Lora with the golf cart.
We had lunch ad Soggy Pesos and there were even less people than last week. Johanna then went to Centro looking for the May crowd, only to find apartments and small hotels with no guests at all.
It's just not right! There are more cases of the H1N1 flu in the US than in Mexico and there are none for hundreds of miles from here! The old flu shots did build immunity for it and a hotelier faulted the media for not saying so. But I learned it from on line newspapers!

Category 5 doldrums

Mexicans are free to go back to work and non essential government jobs, since the H1N1 flu virus appears to have been slowed through social isolation. That, for the past 10 days or so, was the unwritten rule!
But now, we are free to sit in a crowded restaurant, if only we could find one!
I went to Centro this morning to pay the water bill and enjoy some of Lenora's chilaquiles at Alexia and Geovanny's. I took the long way in, past the church and hospital, past Manana and Ciro's. When I took my table, I looked around the loncherias and among the few customers there were five non-Mexicans and then Donna Jane came in. With me about 8 now!
Afteward, I went to pay the water bill. I saw two people at Jax as I drove by. That was it for my gringo head count.
All in all, Isla Mujeres feels like it did after the three-day hit of Category 5 hurricane Wilma! It is dead.
I cooked in the last two days, saving money to pay the guy who washed out the apartments' water tank, dug up failed zuccini, washed the deck, painted over stains.
At breakfast, I shared a table with Luis, the bartender at Sergio's. He pointed to a newspaper, Sunday's, that showed empty beaches. They are going to be that way again today.
I guess every Mexican dark cloud has a silver lining. The government is giving property owners tax abatements in the form of credit on last years monthly declarations as reconciled on annual returns filed. Also, a 25 percent discount on health insurance paid by employers. All in all, the average small business stands to gain 2500 pesos. Aren't you all glad I pay an accountant to file all the declarations and pursue the rebate?
That is the kind of government action that helped islenos build second stories after Wilma. Now there are also low interest loans available for that sort of thing.
Meanwhile, at the ferry dock, everyone is having their temperature taken with infrared thermometers, coming and going. Despite advise to eat more greens and vegetables, there were few takers when the fruit truck came by yesterday, and almost no veggie ladies on the corners this morning. So I am picking the India spinach and being creative, using it in omlets, salads and soups.
I kind of like the island without a lot of tourist and the favors we are doing for each other. Reminds me of post Wilma days.
My headline of a post earlier "Under the inluenza" is catching on here. Baja la inluecia translates to under the influence, a commonly used phrase in Mexico. Baja la influneza will be our state for a while.

Under the Influenza

The Skippers' Reception at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club's El Sol Del Sol Regatta yesterday was under the influence of influenza. It was Day of the Child in Mexico, the day Regatta participants have come to enjoy giving presents to children. Today, the boaters were to have taken the island's children aboard their boats for a race to Cancun and back.
The alternate plan is to race six boats in the name of each of the public schools and give the shool directors the gifts for the children. As the nation enters the first day of a total shutdown - no non essential government offices are to be opened, restaurants are being limited in seating, we are to practice social isolation - it's hard not to feel victimized. We are also taking an financial hit!
There have been no case of H1N1 influenza in Quintana Roo or Yucatan, two states with vibrant economies heavily dependent on tourism and culture. But we will stay home. Annual tax returns, always hand delivered, will go underlivered today, although my accountant is coming by at 11am for signatures. Tagging the golf cart will wait, too.
The kids, already off school til the 6th, will stay in the neigbhorhoods. A friend I met after the Regatta reception yesterday said it was curious that kids haven't been going to the beach. No, they are under the influenza. In a country where old wives tales abound, there are no cold beverages being enjoyed in my immediate vicinity. Cold beverages are believed to cause so throats.
No, were are under the influenza, to immerge in 5 days. And hopefully then there will be some answers about how we can to be on the verge of a pandemic.