It's quiet here. Weirdly quiet.

Okanagan Lake BC - peaceful

After living twelve years in Mexico, I was once again reminded of the differences between my Canadian heritage and the Mexican culture. There are strict noise bylaws in place in every Canadian community.

"Noise" includes any loud outcry, clamour, shouting or movement, or any sound that is loud or harsh or undesirable.

No person in the District shall on any day before 07:00 hours or after 22:00 hours, construct, erect, reconstruct, alter, repair or demolish any building, structure or thing or excavate or fill in land in any manner which disturbs the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of the neighbourhood or of persons in the vicinity

Yeah, try that in Mexico!

Rooftop alarm system - dogs

Mexico thrives on noise, and music, and laughter. Early in the morning the honking of a bicycle horn lets customers know the tortilla vendor has started his route.

San Miguel de Allende, the beautiful colonial city that Sparky and I lived in for three months before returning to Canada has an interesting tradition of exploding fireworks, more like small bombs, at any time of the day or night. The explosions could be in celebration of a wedding, a birthday, a quinceañera, or to assist a recently deceased soul with its journey to heaven. They could also be because the homeowner had a few bombs laying around, and he or she had been imbibing alcoholic beverages and wanted to be entertained.

Si, that works too.

Every vendor or delivery person has their own signal to let customers know they are nearby. Want freshly squeezed orange juice? Just wait for the beep-beep of the motohorn outside your door. Need a 20L bottle of agua purificada? Two blasts from a truck’s horn and the squeak of the suspension – and you know the delivery truck has arrived. The deliverymen for the small portable bottles of propane have a recorded song that reverberates from a speaker; Zeta Zeta, Zeta gas.  

No muffler - dump truck

The cheese salesman sings a short refrain offering queso queso as he balances the large wheel of cheese on his head. The knife-sharpener tootles a set of Pan pipes trudging through the various neighbourhoods. Businesses like Super X-Press and Chedraui hire car-and-drivers with loud speakers to cruise the neighbourhoods advertising the weekly specials. The municipality uses a similar method for advising residents of upcoming important public events.  

The really intriguing part of this boisterous culture is the number of parades that take place annually, complete with music, costumes, decorated floats, and hundreds of marching participants. I have many photos of parades on Isla Mujeres; Christmas, the Night of the Kings, Carnival parades that happen nightly for a week, political rallies, Independence Day, Revolution Day, cowboys riding to the bull fight-ring, caged lions and tigers complete with loud music advertising the circus, numerous religious celebrations, and national holidays.

San Miguel de Allende

There are times when the noise can be a bit too much; the over-loaded mufflerless dump trucks racing to catch the last car ferry off of the island, the poorly maintained city garbage trucks that blat and grind and wheeze along the roads like old men struggling with a bad case of gas.

Some businesses, like Farmacias Similares, pipe exceptionally loud music outside for everyone to enjoy from early afternoon until late at night. Even the Chedraui Super Store has earsplittingly loud music blasting from the stereos, competing with in-store music, announcements of today’s specials, or requests for a manager to call the service desk.

So, I struggled to keep a straight face when a resident of the same apartment complex where I currently live was recently bemoaning the noises of the other occupants. I listened to her concerns about footsteps overhead, a large dog playing with his toys in an adjoining apartment, and someone running a washing machine after seven in the evening. Her complaints made me realize that I have become more accepting of noise. The sounds of other people just living their lives is oddly comforting.

My very pragmatic ninety-seven-year-old friend, Edie Parker, has a favourite saying. 

“You don’t get to chose the day you are born, and you don’t get to chose the day you die, so just live.”

Si, that works too.

Cheers

Lynda

~

Twisted Isla 

5 out of 5 stars  CA Reviews  July 23, 2020

I loved this series for the street view of life on Mexico's Isla Mujeres. In one of the best plots of the 6-book series, it focuses on Jessica, the trouble-finding waitress from Canada and her trouble-sniffing dog. Add a snarky heiress, a second-tier country music star, a couple of Mexican cops dealing with authentic Mexican problems, and a couple of thugs who could be from yesterday's news report. Woven together, Twisted Isla is another fast read peppered with appealing characters and the island culture the author knows very well.

Grab your copy today!