ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BARRIER – MEXICO – POST 2

A follow up from the post on February 17th.

The barrier lifts and a few steps take you out of resort world, and into Mexico.

It is immediately clear when walking out onto a busy road, that the gated community is now behind you. Each step furthering you into a barrage of new colour, sights and sounds. 

Without coincidence the road leads directly to a lively pedestrian tourist strip, full of bars, gift shops, tequila outlets, tour operators and a bizarre amount of pharmacies.

The amount of pharmacies was remarkable, to the point of a game being played every time one was spotted. 'Oh look, a pharmacy, better remember where it is in case we need anything!' And then within 30 to 60 seconds another would be seen. 'Oh look, a pharmacy, better remember where it is in case we need anything!' You can see where this is going!

The tourist area recedes within blocks of the main drag, and the town of Playa del Carmen goes about its day to day business. Down on the waterfront there are crammed beaches and a couple of jetties, with the expected throng of visitors, street vendors and performers.

All of this under the watchful eyes of the highly visible Marines. No matter how many times I saw them, I found it unsettling. They are in full combat fatigues, face coverings and are heavily armed. Not only do they patrol the streets, they also comb up and down the beaches, usually accompanied by a beach quad bike.

It is something I had not seen before.

Supermarket patrol.

Tension on the jetty.

More drugs, this time with a deli.

High street patrol

A street vendor shouted 'Look, Real Mexicans!' when this group with new sombreros walked past.

 

TURTLE DESIGN ON SURFBOARD (SHORT REEL)

Well, got to start the surfboard year off somewhere. And this turtle design is the first surfboard to warrant a short reel so far this year.

It has been a slow start, coupled with a short break, resulting in just enough bread & butter work to keep food in the dog bowl. That said, I did spray the flame section of a new Pyzel order yesterday. This is a spray I have done a few times, as seen on a December 5th post.

The turtle design was sent in, and using the OHP it was straight forward to transfer it onto the customers surfboard. I enjoyed doing it, and it suited the shape of the board well. Whenever I start drawing on boards, I do think of the possibilities of really going to town; using pencils, brushes, watercolours, the list goes on.

But, it is a surfboard...to be surfed! It will have wax on it, and in a short time will be battle scarred with pressure dings and more. That's not to say don't have colour, surfboards look great with some colour, it's a good job people think so, as it has been my job for 35 (yikes) years. But there is a tipping point that asks the question; sporting equipment, or work of art.

There has also been a saying among surfboard spayers over the years; £30 on a surfboard, £300 or £3000 for the same design on a canvas. It's just a way for the few who spray boards to have a bleat about being underpaid. I'm guessing that most of us knew we weren't going to get rich...we just want to go surfing.

A BREAK SPLIT IN TWO – POST 1

Two weeks since returning and the tan has faded, yet the more valued replenishment from the winter break remains. There has now been time to sift through the photographs taken while away, although less shots than usual; it was a trip that did not warrant my usual approach.

As mentioned a week ago, this was a holiday, something I was unpractised in, especially in the all-inclusive package tour form. For most people on the flight from Gatwick, this was a fourteen day commitment to booze and basking in sunshine. From a photography point of view, this resulted in fewer moments that urged me to have my camera in hand.

To start with, I had my own intentions of laying motionless in the warmth of the Caribbean sun. Second, third and forth, was the notion that the surrounding punters and (very hard working) resort workers, were just either working hard, or relishing the precious days away from work back home and the other three hundred and something days of a rain soaked England. Either way, I didn't feel compelled to take too many photos, which, in its way was relaxing. It truly was a holiday.

This is not to say it was unworthy of some photographs being taken, in fact there were several moments that deserved attention. But I had a sense that this was not a place to roam around with a camera up to the eye and framing shots, certainly not as if I was in the streets of a town or city. Ironically, anyone with a phone could have been doing this, and they were, but mainly for selfies, of which there were plenty.

Upon arrival it became apparent that this was a fabricated vacation district, nonetheless a very welcoming one. Obviously purpose built to invite a transient global community that primarily had the same goal in mind – sun worship, and for certain parties, food & drink indulgence. The two overlapped very nicely.

The architecture remained the same, the foyer, the bars, the entertainment area, along with the food hall and adjacent restaurants, they all remained the same. During the day the beach and poolside sun loungers rotated to orbit the sun, with the most devoted worshippers dragging their sun-beds to the open beach to erase any chance of shade from a palm-tree or parasol. 

Within this structure many moments caught my eye, the kind I guess we all enjoy to some extent – people watching. It's like a large sunshine filled airport concourse, with many people going about their own business, eating, drinking, coming and going, but all unlikely to ever set eyes on each other again. Add a seemingly endless supply of food & booze and there is a place that I had never visited before. This in itself struck me as being a worthy destination, working with the idea that travel can be to broaden one's horizons and to experience something new.

This was all happening in the country we were all actually in – Mexico.

This resort territory would change abruptly within a short walk, a guarded barrier would lift and the host country would begin. But that is for further posts.

The shots below are from resort world.

ATLANTIC JUICE – FISTRAL & CRIBBAR

After a couple of weeks swimming in the Caribbean sea, it sounds strange to say it's good to be back to the cold, brutal North Atlantic. But it is so!

They both have their own appeal, the only shame it not being easier to flit from one to the other. Relaxed bath warm calm sea swims, to open raw ocean juice meeting rugged coastline.

Still, we are were we are! Fistral beach and Cribbar from the weekend just gone.

HOLIDAY!

What a wonderful time!

For the first time since family childhood I went on a holiday. That's not to say I haven't travelled, in fact I've had the most fortunate, amazing time travelling extensively, chasing waves, meeting great people – a real dream.

But this was train, flight, beach.

There was always going to be a chance of some boredom, but making a point of just relaxing, going for a swim and the enjoyment of not living to the clock, relegated being bored to the bench and each day available to luxuriate.