So where did we leave off….arh yes, Paamul. An RV park on the Riveria Maya and it’s New Years Eve. We’re parked in the carpark and it’s a good excuse to get the awning up and the sofa out (which has travelled 15k miles from Tunbridge Wells to Mexico and been brought out a total of 3 times. That’s an average of five thousand miles a sitting, YES people FIVE THOUSAND MILES, I don’t take my soft furnishings lightly!  Anyway we got everything out for a New Years eve party….

Jonah didn’t make it to 7pm, the steak taco’s were a disaster, the music from the restaurant next-door we were hoping to liven our event was barely audible. Thank you to Kirsten & Toady with kids Malcolm & Owen (pictured here with our boys) for smiling through my lame party, our friends on holiday here from San Fran who we will hopefully catch again on the West Coast tour.

So for the last month despite several attempt we haven’t left Paamul, it appears to have a magnetic force  keeping us here.  There’s been lots of swimming,

rock pooling,

making tons of wonderful new friends,  first off was Rasa and Leonor, 2 beautiful sisters from the Canary Islands… who lived next door for a week and saved our bacon with info on a Mexican cell phone deal!

Kim (husband Mike is in Texas working for this shot) with 2 of her 3 kids Jake and Zach, fed us, opened her house to us, loaned us cars, golf buggies, washing machines, iPod chargers and was just the sweetest, and most generous of ladies. (She’s a blond Karen from Will & Grace it anyone’s a viewer)

Jen & Jerry with 3 of their 4 plus Lucy the dog. Inspiring couple who’ve seriously lived ALL over the world. We’re hoping to trade a shabby chic RV for their cottage in Hawaii (only for a week, honest!)

Nathan and Camerel with 4 of their 9 children. All beautifully behaved, curteous, bright children, she puts us all to shame…I can barely control two!!  Parenting lessons please Camerel !!!

Rich and Debs from Illinois, one of the first couples we met in Paamul, intrigued by our travels they joined us on the first party we attended, we’ve had the pleasure of many more evenings, not to mention the emergency hospital run that Rich ditched his supper for and spent 3 hours waiting for Milo to get stitched up….

Which is thankfully recovering well, our little soldier….

Shaun, who’s farmer’s market meals we’ve been enjoying all week, defies description. He’s well travelled, interesting, funny, enormously generous and a fantastic chef. He’s also single at the moment!

No list of residents would be complete without a mention of our favorite neighbor in the car park, the conspiracy theorist, revolutionary and philanthropist Captain Tom. After lending Milo some matches, which Milo had politely asked Tom for – to light a fire in the tinder dry grounds …obviously  , he put a sign up in Milo’s honor……

It reads

CATCHING PYRO’S CLASS,

STARTS SOON

ASK CAPT TOM’

 

Tom, may your garden continue to flourish and your spiky maiden ward off any unwanted attention….

 

 

And if they weren’t all enough there’s the Crab racing on Friday nights

Farmers market Thursday morning.

Mexican cookery lessons

Stand Up paddle board lessons, I’m the one in the middle, looking back to say “does my bum look big out here”!

and just down the road is our favorite beach in the world…Tulum. Seen here from the balcony of a beach bar, on the biggest stretch of beautiful soft coral sand I’ve ever seen. terrible photo but google will reveal all, highly recommend a trip here.

Tulum is chic, hippiville. Quite the most beautiful strip of boutique hotels and restaurants, beach one side jungle the other. There’s v little parking there – less so for a 27ft RV- Russ however manages to squeeze the van into the car park of yet another cool boutique hotel restaurant

..and back to Paamul, which really is the strangest RV park. Years ago people parked their motorhomes and trailers near the beach and in order to protect them from the heat, open wooden stilt structure with coconut palm tree roof were built called Palapas  Then over time people have added concrete surrounds, then kitchens, lights, the odd flatscreen TV’s here and there, washer/dryers, aircon, even 2nd floors! Some of them  you’d never know the trailer was inside, other trailers are long gone and plush interiors have been fitted in their place. All in all it has to be seen to be believed. A community of over 200 Palapas with many residents here full-time, others known as snow birds, just here for the winter.   There’s about 8 families, the rest retirees. All looking pretty tanned and spritely I must say with a happy hour that starts at 4pm.   The park is security gated so the kids can roam free, Milo & Jonah have had freedom here the like of which they have never experienced.

There’s a little Wardorf school in the Jungle where a bunch of the kids go, we thought we’d check it out, Milo LOVED it …hell fire…it’s in the JUNGLE!!!!!

So who knows…but for now we continue our travels, Belize this afternoon and a tour of Central America.  Loads of love to you all our lovely family & friends.

Love The Danbys’s x x x