Tips/Tipping

As before, Sunday morning commences with three birria tacos garnished with cilantro, onions, guacamole salsa, chile salsa and lime washed down with a cup of birria consume. All consumed while looking onto Yelapa Bay from the upper deck of Shambhala. Generally, that’s an adequate food intake to last well into the early evening. Think back to the last moment/place where you felt mellow and satisfied. Now double it; that’s the sensation which surrounds you. Put that on your list of must do’s when you arrive here—Sunday birria @ Shambhala. Revisit several of my earlier posts to grasp a fuller picture of my affection/affliction for Shambhala. (or visit TripAdvisor)

 Tips/Tipping

Visitors frequently ask “When do I tip, or how much should I tip?” Those who travel know that some countries calculate a gratuity and include it on the tab. As long as you are aware the calculation exists, then it becomes a no-brainer; you pay the largest amount on the bill. Mexico is not one of those countries. Tipping guidelines are similar to those in the States (e.g. 10%-15%). Unlike in the States however; casual workers do not receive any type of minimum wage. Here in Yelapa, tips are the ONLY earnings received by waiters, luggage handlers, guides and helper bees in general. So my solution to the “how much” issue is driven by what was the value to me of the service performed. Would I pay someone 10 pesos for carrying a 5 gallon bottle of water up two flights of steps? You bet! Would I pay a baggage handler 50 pesos for pushing suitcases uphill in a wheelbarrow? In a heartbeat! Would I tip a waiter 20% of the bill for an excellent meal with excellent service? Done deal! This approach mirrors what I would pay stateside.

Where confusion and awkward moments can arise is when you pay for a specific service (e.g. fishing trip, horseback riding, a guide for a specific period of time/destination) and the agreed upon service at the agreed upon price is completed; are you then expected to offer a tip? This should be totally discretionary on your part. If the level of service provided was excellent, then certainly any tip you feel appropriate will be appreciated. Keep in mind that you may wish to return to this particular vendor and, rest assured, they will remember the parting moments of the prior transaction.

A word of caution. Problems can occur innocently (or ignorantly) when the traveler is not familiar with the appearance/denomination/value of the foreign currency they are holding. We’ve all joked at how another country’s currency reminds us of Monopoly money only to experience at the end of the day that the $500 US dollars we just exchanged has evaporated from our wallet. Currency in Mexico is a distinct color and size for each denomination (20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000). Learn the denominations and appearances of the various bills in advance. Certainly the adage of “time is money” is apropos. Spend some time with yours, you’ll enjoy it longer.

Commercial Break

The sun rises 8-ish, the sea is calm, the weather is superb. Why are you waiting? Fly, hike, swim or water taxi down to the Playita and catch up with Memo today. For the best in kayak equipment and service, Memo is your man.  

Sunday Evening

As the sunshine retreats from our little village, a subtle sequence of events unfolds. The Great Frigate birds who dominate the skyways from early morning are alone and scattered. Common vultures cease their circling and select palm trees to house their awkward hulks. Snowy Egrets, who devote their day to strutting on the beaches or wading in the river, amass to roost up river. For the ensuing hour, the playa will be populated by fishermen, their sons, and their son’s sons spinning and casting hand lines into the surf. It is the essence of tranquility.

The jungle abounds with vibrancy. It also is home to death and recycling. We humans likewise live vibrant lives and then we die. That’s a fact. Our village experienced two deaths this week, one man and one woman. Both were natives whose years had accumulated into the four score range. As is the local ritual, once the embalmed body is returned from Puerto Vallarta, family and friends execute a twenty-four hour vigil to afford protection from bad spirits to the departed. The following morning the coffin is carried from the home by four men up the hill to the town cemetery. The balance of the day is spent in celebration of the deceased’s life.

The whale collisions continue to render our taxi drivers just a tad anxious. Two more incidences occurred; one at night which resulted in the loss of a motor and people spending time in the water. No explanation has surfaced for this behavior. Instead, there appears to be a quiet acceptance that this dilemma simply presents itself to those who ply the sea. There definitely is a heightened incidence of individuals making the sign of the cross as well as wearing of life vests on all water taxis. I guess it doesn’t hurt to cover both religious and secular basis.

On the elementary school fund raiser front; a stove, refrigerator and three new mattresses were delivered. A bid was obtained for the electrical work and the dangling five pound coconuts were plucked from their precarious perches. A donation jar was placed at one of our local markets. Today is the last day for matching the $10,000 challenge pledge offered by an anonymous visitor. Thank You for what you brought to our community.           

Lastly, there was a full blown town clean-up launched today. In observation of which, I descended upon the Playita and scoured the entire beach from in front of my “office” to all the way past the Yacht Club.

Clouds rest upon the ridges which surround our village. The glow of newly kindled lamps stretches across the bay silhouetting visitors returning from their evening repast. Juanito-the son; Pedro-the father and Don Juan the grand-father approach their abode, clean their catch and deliver it up for cooking. This trio will retrace their steps in the morning to welcome the first rays of the sun and whatever catch the bay might surrender.  We are a pueblo at rest. Buenas noches!

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Weekly News

I delayed publishing this week until Diana and I could attend a major pueblo event last evening; more on the particulars in just a bit. First, there are several news items which require attention:

The sunshine in Yelapa is honored and ascribed the status of a natural resource. Its absence is universally considered an ill-omen. Allow me to explain. Late last week a storm front moved into the area and delivered two afternoons of rain. We then enjoyed three spectacular (typical) sun-filled days.  Shopkeepers grinned, children sang “hola” to all who passed and the local clutch of canines actually smiled as they napped in patches of brightness. Then BAM!!! We were cast into three days of clouds and mist. Shopkeepers snarled, children hung their heads while babies and dogs howled as if to beckon the return of some lost companion. Occurrences of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) approached epidemic status requiring the local clinic to extend normal hours as well as provide emergency housing for husbands who felt their lives were at risk should they be caused to return home. We became a village in turmoil.  

In perhaps an unrelated incident, one of our local water taxis was en route to Puerto Vallarta and experienced an up close and personal encounter with a visiting hump back whale. Apparently the thirty foot, multi-ton water mammal breeched just as the taxi was passed; causing a minor collision between boat and whale. Damage was sustained by the taxi resulting in it being towed to Yelapa. No human injuries were reported. Numerous attempts to contact the whale for comment have not proven successful.

Yelapa’s social calendar is limited to high decibel music originating twice a week from one of three sources. Aside from that, the village is quiet. This week was a significant exception on two fronts. Sunday afternoon brought people together to share the baptism of Fernando and Kendra Garcia’s daughter Kayden. Naturally food and drink followed to properly punctuate the occasion. The upper level of MiraMar Yelapa served as the gathering site for good people, good food and beverage.  Paternal (Enrique/Emma Garcia) and maternal (John/Becky Knoll) grand-parents joined countless cousins to celebrate.

The second event requires a modicum of background material. Yelapa is proudly home to a pre-school, elementary school, middle school and high school. This grants a pre-k through 12^th grade educational experience to all the local children. The system engages nearly one hundred and eighty children. Sounds good so far, right? Enter Pamela Rojas; Mexico City trained veterinarian, restaurateur, mother of two (3 & 7), activist and Yelapa resident. Two years ago when her daughter Naia entered kindergarten, Pamela volunteered to teach nutrition, socialization skills and ultimately English. She befriended the staff and discovered that three of them, including the principal, slept on mats in their classrooms at night. One teacher tended her three children nightly. Bathing was limited to washing in a sink. Pamela went into action and last night was the project launch. A fund raising dinner (garden salad, chicken alfredo, cake) was held. Locals, ex-pats, visitors and a handful of village canines pushed the attendance easily past the three hundred mark. Each grade level performed to the delight of parents/teachers/friends and visiting humanity in general. One anonymous visitor offered a $10,000 USD matching contribution. Pamela you are our hero.  It was a great night to be a Yelapan!

A slide show high-lighted the faces of our innocent children eager to learn. It also illustrated areas of deferred maintenance and pathetic teacher living conditions. I will gain access to this collage and reference a link as soon as possible. Should any of you stateside elect to contribute, I will investigate that opportunity as well. Please share this posting. Thank you-memo      

"i-s-h"

There are a great many prefixes and suffixes in American linguistics, yet none more easily translates into Spanish than “ish.” We inventory such words in English as “selfish,” “relish,” “fish,” “ wish,” “ swish,” “ dish,” and “ Polish.” Only one of these (Polish) would seem to offer any tangible link between the base word “Pole” and the suffix “ish.” In Spanish, a less complicated language than English, the connection is clear, concise and instantly understandable. It purely relates to the future arrival of a remotely specific instant in time.

Allow me to illustrate. As you all are aware, everything enters and then departs Yelapa via panga (if you are uncertain as to what this is, stop and look it up). Locals, visitors, trash, beer, vegetables, dry goods, building materials and medical supplies all arrive; are consumed; and then depart in one form or another via this mode of transportation. Now in order to support a village of twelve hundred men, women, children, dogs, horses and mules a highly sophisticated scheduling infrastructure must be in place, right? Nope!!! All life here in Yelapa aligns with the “ish” concept. If you are traveling to Puerto Vallarta tomorrow then you choose the panga which departs from the town pier 8:30ish. Now this is not rocket science, it simply means that the panga will depart sometime within the time span defined by the first part of the expression. In this case, 8 refers to an hour, so that as long as the panga departs within an hour of 8:30, it is still considered to be on time.

Perhaps a few more examples might prove helpful. One day each week Sammy ferries a panga full of scrap metal over to PV for sale. If the word circulates that he is departing Thursday, since Thursday relates to the identification of a day, he could actually depart Thursday or Friday and still be considered to have kept his original schedule. Get it?  Ok, one more for those of you who are challenged by the nebulous dimensions of space and time. Last week, I ran into Nacho, the plumber. We discussed a small kitchen repair which required his assistance. He responded that his schedule was full but that he would be happy to stop by the following week.   Question: What actual period of time does Nacho have to appear and still honor his original promise?  Answer:  Two weeks!!!!

Travel Hint: Seek to adopt the concept of “ish” when traveling in rural anywhere. Practice the concept in advance of your departure. Randomly remove a device from your person which identifies the actual day/month/date/year/hour/nano-second. Start off slowly, perhaps ten-one to three minute repetitions. Let me know how it goes.

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