Donors Be Aware

During my four-year stint in Yelapa, I have met, greeted, chatted and dined with countless visitors to our rural Mexican village. At some point in casual conversation, the topic will fall to giving/donating to the community. While outwardly, Yelapa presents as a beautiful, time-forgotten, leisure locale along the coastline of Banderas Bay, there are areas of need. These "areas" include health, the environment and education.

Yelapa is home to a beautiful health clinic, which also serves neighboring communities. As a growing population requires expanded health services, the community owned clinic finds itself in need of greater quantities of medical consumables as well as diagnostic equipment. Long-term visitors and locals alike have been abundantly charitable. The benefits of such charity are identifiable and far-reaching throughout the communities. Their services are highlighted on the Face Book page Centro de Salud-Yelapa.

Yelapa offers children a pre-k thru high school educational opportunity. Funding beyond the providing of basic brick and mortar is scarce. Essential student supplies are always in demand. Aline Shapiro, a trusted, long-term visitor, together with a cadre of selfless volunteers, converted a spare classroom at the elementary school into a library/media center for the children. These ladies now bring the gift of literature and so much more to the next generation of Yelapans. The benefits to the population served are immediate and identifiable. Age appropriate mono-lingual (Spanish) or bi-lingual (English/Spanish) books are welcomed. Amazon gift certificates are easily converted into needed supplies. The Face Book page is Biblioteca Yelapa.

Yelapa outwardly offers visitors the appearance of a pristine bay defined by the lush jungle rising above the high tide level. Look just beyond this starting point and you will determine that the "pristineness" is subject to daily assault and degradation. Gray water is directed into the path of the El Tuito River from the time it begins its flow through the mountains south of us. It treks towards and ultimately joins Yelapa Bay. Waste water lines exit the majority of our houses sending pollution into streams or directly into the bay. Septic systems built decades ago to service a single dwelling, now accept effluence from the three or more units built above the original structure. Candy wrappers, chip bags, small plastic juice containers line our paths having been discarded earlier by little hands of children consuming empty calories and nutritionally void snacks. Local families/markets strategically display such items along the path to/from school. No money required here, other than early education as to healthy diet, and environmental sustainability.

A word/s regarding donor caution; a well-intentioned visitor is likely to be exposed to other soft requests for donations. These range from assistance with medical bills to supporting some personal cause. Do your homework. Research whether your contribution will benefit one individual or many. In most cases, avoid giving cash. It cannot be tracked and has proven ripe for abuse in the past. Such organizations as Rotary International operate a Sister City Program. One such relationship exists in Boca de Tamatlan. In reference to assisting an individual with their medical bills, know the person either directly or through someone you trust completely. If you choose to assist, contribute in a manner that is comfortable to you, and to someone whom you trust.

"There is no knowledge which is not power." Just a thought.

Adventures with Teo/Aventuras con Teo

Check the Yelapa Memo Face Book page for frequent updates and announcements.

Gracias--Yelapa Memo

Pelicans a Plenty

Below my window, a clutch of twenty pelicans harvests fish from the bay. They glide milimeters above the ocean, arise and stall, then extend fully into plopping posture and descend into the teaming water below. Countless iterations occur prior to the setting of the sun. Individual and group flight patterns crisscross without incident. Each is accompanied by one or two assistants, a blue-footed booby or perhaps a brown turn. Flanking either side of the great-ballooned cavity, they peck, pry then pluck any morsel available.

At the mouth of the Rio Tuito, a pair of father/son teams performs the ancient art of casting a weighted round net. First the rhythmic delivery by the father as he twists his torso, then casts the net, which descends onto the water in perfect circular form. It sinks, is retrieved and prepared for a subsequent toss. Which is likewise executed with grace and perfection. The young apprentice is beckoned. His slight stature forces him to struggle through each aspect of the process. This only looks easy at the hands of a master. The lad gathers the net clumsily, twists his body and stumbles, awkwardly launches a collage of nylon and lead, then bows his head in embarrassment as the mass drops unopened only a short distance away.  

Further across the beach resides another pair of father/son teams. Each possesses a hand line. The device defines brilliant engineering at its simplistic best. The equipment requires a donut sized spool, a length of monofilament and a weighted hook or lure. Procedurally, the lure is swung over the head and then cast into the sea as the open spool is faced forward. The retrieval process is accomplished through rhythmic intermittent jerks, a pause, then more jerks. Each fisherman develops a distinct pattern akin to the unique bell ringing of San Francisco's cable car drivers.  

The clutch of pelicans remains below my window. They buoy and bob as the afternoon swells arrive. I wonder, do they even consider their counterparts ashore? Just a thought.   

Adventures with Teo/Aventuras con Teo

All nine of the first series are available on Ibooks, Amazon (KINDLE) and Barnes and Noble (NOOK). Just enter "Yelapa Memo" into the search box and my library will be displayed. The giving of a book is not a seasonal issue; it can/should happen at anytime. Thank you for your support.

Yelapa Kayak Rentals

The sand at the base of my platform seems to arrive and depart with uncommon frequency. Be sure to call first (322 146 5064--my Yelapa cell), or ask your lodging manager for assistance. Happy paddling.

Waxing Poetic

Rains presented last evening to linger through current mid-day.

Birds remain universally undisturbed. Pelicans attack the water's surface following any hint of fish presence below. Vultures, in pairs, occupy palm branches and perform exhaustive preening, which drier conditions preclude. Only the Great Frigate Birds are absent.

Rio Tuito re-deploys sand from banks constantly redefined. Current courses bank-to-bank ferrying fallen coconuts like countless bobbing heads; then melds with the bay in a final fit of turbulence. Coffee colored fluid flushes forward to re-image an otherwise emerald body.

Cobblestones embedded in village pathways revert to earlier grandeur as river rock.

Clouds attack and withdraw on Frostian cat paws across ridgelines near and far.

A lone luxury yacht resides beyond my window. The occupants stare landward as local eyes stare seaward in return.

Stress imposed by a morning commute; appointments requiring re-schedule, errands unable to complete; all of these issues for most Yelapans are non-events. If you need to venture outside, one simply expands the uniform: (T-shirt; board shorts, baseball cap) to include a large, customized garbage bag.

It's a great day to be a Yelapan---indoors.  

Adventures with Teo/Aventuras con Teo

All editions are available on the following sites: Amazon, Ibooks and Nook. All you need to do is enter "yelapa memo" into the search box and you will be wafted away to my library of opportunity. Several of you, thank you very much, have acquired entire sets. What a fabulous idea. Give the gift of great literature to a child, regardless of age. Be sure to check my Facebook page (Yelapa Memo) frequently as to news about this series. Enjoy-Yelapa Memo

Yelapa Kayak Rentals

Right equipment, right price and right on the Playita (little beach) under the giant fig tree. Call 322 146 5064 (local cell) or ask your lodging manager for assistance. Happy paddling.

New Item

Check out my Face Book page, Yelapa Memo, for pictures of the items referenced in today's blog.