To The Editor,
Those of us who went to the Mayan Museum on Cozumel enjoyed an interesting art exhibit, and behind the Museum the little thatched Mayan hut where its occupants explain the Mayan culture....the native plants they use for medicines, etc. One that stands out is a tomatillo-like fruit that if one has hemorrhoids one simply puts a fruit in each trouser pocket and within a month it turns black, supposedly drawing all the toxins out of the sick body.
There was a certain quartz-like rock that they use for underarm deodorant, which I've seen sold in cosmetic boutiques because it doesn't contain aluminum like most of the commercial deodorants. He showed us sisal for making rope and hammocks, natural sponges, and other plants they used for dyes and weaving garments. His wife was there (she was absent the other times I've visited) and was busy embroidering. He explained how his thatched roof withstood the hurricanes, as the winds simply blew through the woven straw.
Those of us who met to eat at my favorite restaurant, Pancho's Backyard, enjoyed cocktails and a sumptuous lunch in a tropical garden setting, with a Mexican band playing in the garden. We were given a ride back to the ship with an interesting man who is a real estate broker on the island, and loves the life so much he never wants to return to his native Minnesota.
The three of us, Sara, Jany and LOU*LOU, were each offered a free round trip ticket to anywhere in the contiguous US if we gave up our seats on a crowded United flight in Denver en route to Burbank. We were awaiting vouchers for hotel, meals, ground transportation and the tix when the passengers that had been oversold were no-shows. So our extra day in Denver was a faded dream adventure.
In Houston the limo driver who had taken us to the new cruise terminal had a GPS on his windshield, so had no difficulty finding the ship channel, although it is so new the proper signage has not been installed. The Carnival bus driver who drove us back to the airport from the ship was not so knowledgeable...He knew how to drive, but was not familiar with the terminals at IAH.
After overnighting at my apartment, Sara began the long drive back to her home in the Mojave Desert, and Frenchwoman Jany's first experiences as a tourist in LA were visits to Forest Lawn (cemetery where many celebrities are buried) and the 99 Cents Only store, where nothing is over 99 cents! There she found $24 reading glasses for 99 cents. Of course she bought out the store. (We went to two of the stores in two days, and I'm sure we'll be visiting others in the chain while she's here.) Her Saturday night adventure was dancing at the Sportsman's Lodge Hotel, and a late-night visit to the Moose Lodge, where a private dance was in progress.
Sunday's events include the NoHo Arts District (North Hollywood) street fair, and a concert later in the afternoon by LARO, the Los Angeles recorder orchestra, where Jany will meet and converse in French with a former member of the orchestra, who operates an equestrian center for disabled children - a famous Frenchman who is a longtime friend of LOU*LOU. Coming back we'll go to Venice Beach to see the Pacific Ocean.
Down the line are visits to Hollywood, the Kodak Theater where the Oscars are awarded, footprints in the cement at Mann's Chinese Theater, and the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Jany will see Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street (Little Mexico) and a double-decker bus ride through downtown Los Angeles. A fun-packed vacation following our AGA before she returns to France.
LOU*LOU (Lou Keay)