After a week in Antigua Guatemala, we made our way to the airport to catch our plane to Cancun. The traffic was extremely slow due to an enormous traffic jam. Once in the airport, we boarded a small propellor airplane and we made a stop over in the island of Flores, the capital of Peten province. Really beautiful. From the air you could see the clear crystal turquoise waters and the next thing we knew, was that we were in Cancun, where you can get either a taxi for 50 dollars or a mini-bus for 28 dollars to wherever you have your accomodation. Once at our hotel, where all the staff from our previous visits were still working, they greeted us and were very happy to see us and welcomed us back. We were given a really nice room. The view from the balcony was spectacular. It was a real joy to see the the sun rise every morning, as well as to watch from the beach side of the hotel, the wonderful sunsets every day.
The next day, we went to Xcaret, a unique nature park which has everything. It was the brain-child of a wealthy architect who wanted to build his dream home beside the turquoise waters of the Maya riviera, but upon stumbling on so many unique and special features on his estate, like Maya ruins, an old mine, cenotes ( which are places where the limestone has collapsed leaving swimming pools from underground rivers ) rare flora and fauna, he thought this was just too much to keep it just for himself and he wanted to share all this wonder with other people. So he asked his two brothers to join him in the venture of creating a mixture of a park, a resort and also a place of learning for all ages. To go to Xcaret there is no dress code, you can go there dressed just with your swimming suit, a towel and your flip-flops if you like, or how you feel more comfortable. We had gone there before in previous trips but the place is so huge, that it is impossible to see it all in just one day. So this time we headed towards the other parts we had not had a chance to see before and what a treat it was. We had not seen the marine side to it. We saw gigantic turtles swim in the aqua waters at different stages of their development until they are old enough to be released into the sea, which is done at night. We saw all kinds of algaes, sharks, rays, sea horses, star fish and fish of all colours: electric blue, yellow ones with black stripes, mottled ones, red, golden etc.
Before that, we had lunch at one of their restaurants which was like a huge hut that had an enormous buffet with so much to choose from, that you really wish you had two tummies to be able to eat everything that is on offer. We also enjoyed seeing the pumas in their natural environment, as well as the spider monkeys, deer. Also, they have an area where they keep and breed butterflies. That is really like the kingdom of butterflies: you go in through the mouth of a cave into a tiny canyon open to the sky but with netting over it to keep the butterflies inside. The first thing you see, is a water fall with tropical plants and the giant light- blue butterflies like fairies flying with their waffer thin delicate wings, they are not shy to humans, as they land on your shoulders or your head it was unreal and very beautiful.
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54 comments:
Maria, it sounds idyllic. Do the turtles bury their eggs on the beaches? And the fish of many colours - that suggests coral reefs.
It all sounds very unspoilt, which is nice.
It is idyllic Robert. I think the people who know about turtles take those away from the beach to protect them from predators and these are brought in until they break their shells and are big enough to be released into the wild again.
Yes, it is a coral reef, not as big as the coral reef in Australia but its an important one too.
These turtles have shells drawn on their backs as though someone had come with a delicate brush and painted lots of sea-shells on their backs. I was enchanted by them.
It is very unspoilt. They do confiscate the wrong sort of sun tan lotion at the entrance to avoid killing the coral reef and they do not use anything plastic like straws on the premises and all is biodegradable and green technology, also the water where the fish are, is from the ocean, which is oxigenated naturally too.
I have a soft spot for turtles, Maria - in olden times shipwrecked sailors used to hold on to them to save themselves from drowning.
It's good that everything's kept the way it should be over there. In some tourist spots, discos and suchlike have been opened on the shoreline just above the beach. After laying their eggs, the turtles are attracted by the lights and go the wrong way, towards the buildings instead of down to the silvery sea. The result is that they die on the beach.
Robert, I read in the Fortean Times, 10 years ago, that a Phillipine ship was wrecked and one of the sailors got on to the back of a turtle who took him to the beach of an island. So its true. I have heard the same thing about dolphins, these are also wonderful animals. Robert if you notice closely the photo of this turtle, you will be able to see the perfect shells that nature has drawn on the back of it.
Yesterday, on t.v. they showed the last surviving kind of turtle that Charles Darwin encountered in the Galapagos. He is the last one of this kind of giant turtles. Once he dies, they will become extinct.
Maria, yes that really is a beautiful shell pattern.
But that's bad news about the Galapagos, for this is a strictly protected environment with very restricted access for humans. If animal species aren't safe there, where are they safe?
Well, this is why they are having these measures at the Maya Riviera in Mexico, to avoid having the same fate of what happened to " lonely George " in the Galapagos. I would expect that maybe the scientist will think of cloning him before its too late.
Off Cancun, there is an Island called: Islas Mujeres and they also have a sanctuary for turtles too. They keep them in different swimming pools and when they grow big enough the turtles are set free.
That's good work on the conservation.
Maria, it's weird the way that sea changes colour from turquoise to dark blue. Something to do with a sharp drop in the ocean floor, I suppose.
Hi Robert,
I really haven't thought why that happens. To tell you the truth I have no idea. It is a phenomenom that I have observed anywhere around the world. The sea water seems to be deeper in the horizon. Just a wild guess here, could be the curvature of the earth ? I will investigate this.
Maria, I think the curvature of the earth is when a ship sails away and the mast is the last thing to disappear beyond the horizon. I don't know why there seems such a straight line separating the two colours of the sea.
Yes, Robert you are right on both things in saying that it is the depth of the water that makes it appear bluer as near the beach, the water is shallow and beyond that, is a lot deeper.
In the Mediterranean sea, the water has the intensity of blue-black ink near the beach and as it goes further into the sea on the horizon level, the water looks jet black ! And yes, the curvature of the earth makes the masts of the ships look smaller.
Yes, the horizon line is dead straight. No wonder the ancients thought the earth was flat and after the horizon line, the ships would fall off the earth. No. I give up I do not know why the horizon line is straight. Do you know the answer to that ?
The horizon line, Maria? Well, the curvature of the earth blocks light from areas beyond the horizon. But go up in the crow's nest of a ship and you can spot land before the sailors on deck see it. Go up in a spaceship and you can see half of the earth. It's a matter of trigonometry.
Oh I see ! How interesting Robert.
In the programme Top Gear the boys were in Boswana and from there, the guys were telling us that instead of seeing the line of the horizon straight in a dry lake, they were seeing it curbed !
Well, that is strange, I thought. that coincided with the subject we were just talking about.
Ah, I can't comment on Top Gear, though my nephew could.
I read a story that Columbus offered a financial prize to the first sailor to spot land. Unfortunately they started yelling whenever they saw anything remotely resembling land, like a bird or a cloud. In the end they were all calling out "Land!...land!...land!" and he withdrew the prize.
Hi, Yes, it seems Columbus had almost a mutiny on his hands. Alternately threatenining them with punishment, then soothing them by convincing them land was near. Martin Alonso Pinzon the captain of one of the other 2 caravels claimed the ' largesse ', a prize of some 10,000 maravedis which the Queen and King had promised to the first person sighting land; worth winning, as such a sum would take an ordinary seaman almost a year to earn. But, by the next day, they realised it was all a mistake. The cry of ' I can see land ' was becoming increasingly frequent, especially on Santa Maria, as the more enthusiastic believed every good sign they were told, much to Colombus's annoyance. In the end, he issued a new order that anyone making a claim which was not substantiated within three days would lose his reward, even if it later turned out to be true.
Columbus then gave an order that all ships must stay together at sunrise and sunset. These were the two best times for sightings, when the haze was least, so Columbus explained. He clearly did not want the two caravels having an unfair advantage by getting ahead. ( When they were all together, Santa Maria having the highest mast, had the best viewpoint. ) He was then obviously keen to find any land, however small, despite his intention of aiming for the ' mainland ' he made a slight deviation to follow a flight of birds, which they definitely felt were heading to roost on dry land. The Admiral knew that most of the islands the Portuguese held they had discovered by birds. Three days later, there was nothing in sight and the complaints were coming loud and strong again.
Columbus was clearly wavering, by agreeing to change course for no logical reason, and it looks as if the loudest complaints were on his own ship, the Santa Maria. Columbus lost his nerve at this point, which united the northern Spaniards on board against him. If Columbus had kept his nerve, and continued due west, instead of turning slightly south, he would have hit Florida within a few days.
That's very interesting. But why the NORTHERN Spaniards? Were there southern Spaniards there too?
Yes of course there were, remember that the voyage started in the Port of Palos, Huelva. Part of Andalucia, which is still the most Moorish of all the Spanish regions. The name Andalucia, comes from Al Andulas, which was what the Arabs originally called all the natives of the Iberian peninsula. Apart from Granada, Andalucia also includes the provinces of Seville, Cadiz, Cordova, Malaga, Jaen, Almeria and Huelva of course !
Maria, I was wondering, the way the northern Spaniards were specially mentioned, whether there was some temperamental or other difference between the northern and southern Spaniards.
Judging by their names, all but five of the eighty seven known members of the expedition were Spanish. Two, including Columbus, were Genoese, one was Venetian, one Calabrian, one Portuguese. About 10 of the Spanish came from the north of Spain, from Galicia, and were presumably the original crew members of Santa Maria. The largest group, as we know, were local, from Palos, Moguer and Huelva.
I understand - all the Spaniards on Colombus's ship were northern.
Strange coincidence, that Colombus's voyage occurred in the same year that Spain was finally united.
Well no. It is not strange, since when the Queen of Castilla and the King of Aragon were married, they decided to unite both kingdoms and made it known that their subjects would in the future be called Spaniards and their kingdoms would no longer be separate kingdoms but would be a united as a single nation called: Spain.
Remember that in those days dynastic marriages were also a marriage of purses so with the discovery of the New World many riches were coming their way and uniting Spain was the logical step to take.
Maria, I meant that the last bit was incorporated in 1492 - Granada, I think.
Oh I see what you mean. Yes, that is right. Granada was the last piece of Spain to be removed from Moorish hands. And the place, (just outside the city ) where Queen Isabella signed the document that enabled Christopher Columbus to make real his great voyage of discovery.
Granada is a beautiful city, especially the Alhambra with its wonderful gardens which are huge and also, the great mosque.
In fact, there's a famous piece of guitar music called something like "Afternoon at the Alhambra."
The Bay of Biscay is supposed to be pretty stormy - at least, there was an old folk song we used to sing about it at school.
The Alhambra is one of those places that enchants the imagination of musians, authors and poets and a few have made their names just by living and writing about it, like Washington Irwing who wrote: 'Tales of the Alhambra' or, for that more rare and brilliant mind who never even went to Granada in his entire life, but who was able to write and compose one of the most famous musical compositions of all times; I am referring to the great Mexican composer Agustin Lara, who wrote and composed : ' Granada ' tierra bendita por mi; the notes on this musical composition are so high, that only just a few tenors who have a really marvelous voice, can manage to achieve the range in their voices to sing it to perfection; the song, Granada, it is the barometer how the experts can gouge and test nowadays, the value and voice range of a real excellent tenor. When this song is sang properly, it has the magic to transport you to Granada.
Even though, Agustin Lara never set foot in Granada in all his life; maybe everything that he read about it, was enough to conjure up the flavour and feel of the place in his mind to write and compose Granada. I have always thought this is such a remarkable achievement.
Another very good author is Gerald Brenan who wrote: ' Al Sur de Granada' and I prefer him to Hemmingway, who only stays in the surface, whilst Brenan has great knowledge of the place. Brennan went to live and stayed there for the rest of his life. He also wrote: ' El Laberinto' which is one of the greatest books ever written about Spain, his style is very entertaining and he describes it really well. I would recommend him as a very good choice.
I love Frankie Laine's recording of "Granada." Of course, Frankie wasn't an operatic tenor, but he was a very good singer and he really holds that note on "today".
Presumably there's a Spanish link between Granada in Spain and Grenada in the Caribbean?
No, there isn't a link. Grenada is a British Island and its part of the Commonwealth. Remember when the Americans invaded Grenada without consulting the British not many years ago ? and how much indignation there was in Parliament for the unauthorised invasion ? Most of the Caribbean Islands nowadays belong to France, Britain, also the U.S. like Guantanamo, which originally belonged to Spain but after a kind of battle, Spain gave Guantanamo to the U.S. it is a funny agreement where the U.S. has to pay a pepper-corn rent to Cuba but Castro has refused to accept this payment from the U.S. I would have put up the rent so high to force them to leave the island for good !
Ah yes, I remember now about the invasion.
I wonder if the Moors introduced the guitar, or a version of it, into Spain. The word "lute" is derived from the Arabic "al ud."
That is right Al Ud - or lute the instrument made out of rose wood, the symbolism is that roses smell sweetly so the music should sound sweetly. But it was not only the lute that the Moors and the Arabs introduced to Europe, but the great majority of musical instruments that we know today, like the trumpets, which were introduced to the crusadors when they first heard them and they were scared out of their minds upon hearing this thunderous noise for the first time, so they ran away scared from the battlefield thinking it was the devil. It was meant to do that, as the Arabs used the trumpets to scare off their enemies ! Erroneously, most people believe that the bag pipes originated in Scotland but again, the bag pipes originally came from Arabia and later the crusaders introduced them to the U.K. also the English developed their own bag pipes which unfortunatelly disappeared during the time of the Puritans, who banned street music during executions and also from street parties. Ireland also had bag pipes, but only the Scots retained the tradition. Another Arab instrument is the cymbles, the twin drums which in Arab, the name is: Naquera it was anglised as nackers !
Then the Arabic Robola the Italians changed the name as Viola a small instrument and called it Violino. Now we call it violin. Also the French Horn has its origins from the instruments we copied from the Arabs. I think the Royal Academy of Music in London has all this Robert. It must be fascinating to see how much music owes to the Arabs.
Yes, very interesting. Of course, the Romans had a kind of trumpet but maybe it didn't have valves. I think cymbals are mentioned in the Old Testament. I dare say different cultures had their own versions of various instruments, which evolved with time and cross-fertilisation. Apart from the guitar, the other instruments I associate with Spain are the castanets and maybe the maraccas. And trumpets are used to signal the start of bull fights, aren't they?
One of my favourite instruments is the flute, but strangely Mozart didn't much care for it and tried to use the clarinet instead.
Robert, there is a lot of controversy about the origins of the guitar and nobody knows exactly where did it come from, but you are quite right, I think everyone associates the guitar with Spain, and Englishmen who are really serious about learning how to play this very difficult instrument go to Spain and learn it from the gypsies, who are masters in playing the guitar, specially the flamenco music, which I really love. And the castanets too.
The Romans brought the Cloche to Britain which I really love too. Another instrument the Crusaders brought back from the Arabs and was the forerunner of the Hurdy Gurdy which consists in a mechanical violin; it buzzes and it works with a handle. Then there was the organus bow and called a cymbel, but now, it means something else; it was used for Gregorian chant.
Robert, how about ' The Magic Flute ' by Mozart ?
As far as I know...it is quite the opposite, when Mozart heard for the first time a flute, which was brought from the South Seas by Captain James Cook, Mozart became so enchanted with the sound of this flute, that he went on to compose: ' The Magic Flute ' The original flute he heard, was made out of thin bamboo sticks of wood wound up tight together with a thin string and the lengths of each tube; starting with the smaller tube, beside the other, being slightly higher than the last one tube, emmitting different notes.
Maria, yes, we have The Magic Flute
and there's been debate about whether Mozart really disliked the flute. Perhaps the state of the instrument at that time, and the abilities of the players, had something to do with it.
I'm sure I once heard a piece by Haydn that was written for the hurdy-gurdy.
The gypsies appear to be very musical people, for in addition to the guitar they also seem to be associated with the violin.
Hi Robert,
Yes, come to think about it, this "flute" that Mozart heard and that I have described, is not our traditional one long tube flute with small holes that we recognized as a flute; this was more like several tiny flutes joined together, so maybe it shouldn't even be called a flute, really more of a syrinx or pan-pipe. I know what you mean when the experts cannot make up their minds among themselves and create great arguments over tiny things.
Yes, the gypsies from Rumania are the ones who play the violins and for the Spanish gypsies it is the guitar. By the way, there is a huge debate about where the Spanish gypsies came from. Some say they came from Egypt, others say the gypsies were Jewish but my own intuition tells me they were Moors. You only have to see how they look physically. They have large hazel eyes, black straight hair and olive colour skin. Plus the fact that the Moors were living in Andalucia for 800 years. The only way this controversy could be settled, is by doing a DNA test.
Maria, talking about DNA, I watched a bit of a crime programme yesterday. It was about an American prison. It said that the prisoners divided themselves into five groups along racial lines :
1. The whites
2. The blacks
3. The South Mexicans
4. The north Mexicans
5. The others - Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans etc
I thought the only racial division in Mexico was between the Hispanics and the native Mexican Indians. But the Hispanics are already included in the fifth group. So what is the difference between a South Mexican and a North Mexican?
Hispanic means, of Spain, the Spanish or other Spanish-speaking countries and peoples. e.g. Mexicans.
You are right. The only difference is, between the Spanish and the indigenous population but there was, and still is, an influx of other European countries as well as from the Middle East settling in Latin America too. There are a lot of French, Spanish and Austrians descendants living in Mexico today. In fact, Maximiliam of Austria, from the Austro-Hungarian empire and who was the younger brother of the Emperor of Austria, became the Emperor of Mexico until he was over-thrown in a coup d'etat by Benito Juarez who took the power, and became the first President of Mexico. This was the time, when Napoleon Bonapart refused to send French troops to help quash the rebellion in Mexico.
Chile has had two major influxes of German citizens arriving during and after the first and second world war; when Germany was very poor and the Chilean government invited German citizens to settle in their terrotory; as Chile, on the whole, is an empty country. Then, there is Argentina, where their major influx of people has been from Italy, the Middle East, Spain and also Britain. There is an area of Patagonia which is exclusively Welsh. The population speak Welsh and their houses are exactly the same, as the ones you find in Wales. Also in Chile, there is a town ( Villa Rica ) where there is an exclusive German community, and you feel like if you are in Switzerland; the houses and buildings are all made of wood trunks, these look like huge log cabins. Very beautiful.
A Welsh area of Patagonia? That's very strange! I knew that the founding father of Chile was a man called - I think - O'Higgins? An Irishman.
You are referring to Bernardo O'Higgins he was half Irish. His mother was born in Chile; a criolla. A criolla, is a Spanish woman born in the American colonies. Criollos, had to do with the Spanish caste system, it literally means being born with "cleansed blood "
I have seen his bronce sculpture in County Sligo and also in Chile in a place called Chillan where his mother was born.
Maria, do you remember an episode of "Poirot" where Poirot is trying to stop a suspect leaving the country and a railway worker says the suspect was going to Bolivia because that country's name was on the banknotes that he saw the suspect counting? But Poirot deduced that the suspect was going to Argentina and that the name the railwayman saw on the money was "Bolivar." I hope I've remembered that right.
Poirot got it wrong ! but I do remember the episode. The truth is that Simon Bolivar is credited with liberating the countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama. So it could have been any of those countries including Bolivia as the railway worker pointed out. I think Agatha Chritie should have done her homework on that one ! Ha,ha,
Simon Bolivar's complete name is: Simon Jose Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar Palacios y Blanco. Don't ask me how is it that I still remember his complete name.
Another possibility could have been Venezuela, since the currency for Venezuela is the Bolivar. Argentina's currency is el Sol. Maybe you were just misremembering the country.
Sorry, let's get this right Argentina's currency is el peso Argentino. Venezuela's currency is the Bolivar and El Sol is the Perubian currency. Phew !
Maria,it might be that Poirot was looking for somewhere with a coast and a port. It's all a bit blurred now.
I had a schoolfriend whose name had eight words in it. He was Portuguese.
That's it. It is Venezuela and not Bolivia since the main difference between the two countries is that Venezuela has a port but Bolivia doesn't have access to the sea. These two countries have similar currency names. Venezuela's currency is the Bolivar and Bolivia's currency is el Bolibiano.
Yes, it is funny how in the old days children were given lots of Christian names. Prince Charles has a few, and Princess Diana got the order of his names slightly confused during the wedding ceremony.
Simon Bolivar came from an aristocratic Spanish family, his father descended remotely from King Fernando III of Castile and also from the Count of Savoy. Yet he participated in the resistance to gain independence from the Spanish crown for Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Panama.
So under the Spanish Empire was this land all one unit, with the modern countries forming states after the Spanish left, or had the Spanish already divided up their empire along the lines of the modern countries' frontiers?
Yes Robert that's right. The Spanish had already divided their empire before the independence of the Latin American countries. For example Mexico and Colombia were Viceregal ( Virreynatos ) Guatemala was a Capitania General, like a garrison. Then the vast territory of Brazil, was given to the Portuguese by the Pope.
I forgot to add that each territory gained their independence at different times having the same names as we now know them today. Except for just a few exceptions like Hispanola but they had already been divided before the Spanish left.
That's interesting. Well, the Spanish seem to have respected cultural and nationalist sensibilities, because as far as I know these territorial units have survived in their current form for some time now. When one looks at the map, there are no straight lines or right angles such as one finds in Africa.
No,no,no. On the contrary ! The Spanish did NOT respect any cultural or any kind of sensibilities at all. All these names, were the names the Spanish gave to their new possesions in the New World. For example, Columbus called Honduras with that name, after going through this hilly and difficult terrain, so he exclaimed: This Honduras ! meaning: deep, steep. So Honduras it was. Then another place he named Puerto San Nicolas, because it was the Feast of Saint Nicholas, and so on... The Spanish did not have any respect for the local population either. On one of Columbus' voyages, he captured a few men up deciding to take them back to Spain, adding a few more women and children the next day explaining, that the Indians would do better in Spain with women of their own. It is recorded, that the next night, an Indian came on board and pleaded to be taken as well. He turned out to be the husband of one of the women. There were no qualms about seizing people, splitting up families and dragging them off as though they were specimens or trophies. Their mentality, was that they were not Christians, therefore different rules applied and it was the custom of the age.
Cuba's original name was Colva for example, but Columbus promptly changed it to Cuba. The carving up of all the countries in Latin America was done by the Spanish, in order to control their lands more efficiently. As I mentioned before, Mexico, Colombia and Peru were Viceregal, this means that they were one notch down from the Kingdom of Spain and these were their seized territories in the New World. Like in all conquests, there is no respect for property that belongs to the natives, nor to the natives themselves. There isn't an Empire who respects the rights of the people they conquer. It really is disgusting and sad. I hope I explained this mix-up better this time around.
Yes, well I've read that the Indians were terriefied of going to heaven, because they'd meet more Christians there. Also that when they prayed to the Cross, hidden inside the Cross was often an image of their own god to which they prayed also or inatead of.
But what I meant was, the Spanish don't seem to have left a situation where half of one country is joined to half of another. I mean, those modern countries seem to have a sense of their own identity, don't they?
Yes, I see what you mean. That there is a sense of nationality. Its funny, but even though all these countries speak Spanish, each country, has a distinctive accent and I can tell right away just by listening their accents if they are from Argentinia or Spanish or Colombians, Cubans or Mexicans or Chileans etc. The Argentinians pronounce their double LLs - Cha, so llaves ( keys ) sounds like Chaves. The Mexicans sound like if they are singing, when they speak and all of them, have a distinctive word which they use, and the other countries do not use. The Mexicans for example use: Andele. (move, or go, walk ) Do you remember that cartoon of the mouse Speedy Gonzales who would always say: Andele, andele, andele ! He was always wearing the big Mexican hat. The Chileans say: Al tiro (for something that is very fast or quick ). Al tiro, means: bullet or like a shot. The Chileans use this word very often.
Well, I had not heard what you have mentioned about the indians not wanting to go to heaven for fear of finding more cruel Christians there. I know that some Indian cultures knew the wheel but would not use it, as making the work load easier, was not considered good enough to go to heaven. So obviously, they did have their own heaven too. The Spanish edified their churches on top of an indian temple, to show that the Christian faith was superior to theirs.
Maria, I imagine too that the accent in northern Argentina is different from that in southern Argentina, and the accents of country folk are different from city folk.
Yes, that is true. There is a difference in accents between Northern Argentinians compared with Southern Argentinians ( Los gauchos de las pampas Argentinas ) and there is also a difference in speech between educated folk and those who aren't. Something like the Queen's speech and ordinary people. What kind of accent do you think Penelope Keath the actress has ?
As far as the things I've seen her in, like The Good Life and To The Manor Born, and even I suppose before all that in the days when she played a magazine editor in a show called Kate, I'd say her accent was middle to upper class. What her accent is in real life, of course, I don't know.
I believe the actress Irene Handel was quite well spoken in real life, yet throughout her career she used an accent that she copied from a female servant who worked at her parents' home when she was a child. It's a superb performance. That accent never slips, not for one syllable.
Penelope Keith has a wonderful accent and that is the way she normally speaks.
Talking about accents..I can recognize an Argentinian accent from a Spanish accent, or a Cuban accent to a Mexican and also a Chilean and Guatemalan accents too. The Argentinians pronounce their double LL as cha, so Llaves ( keys ) ends up sounding like this: chavez. The Mexicans sing when they speak. Each one of these countries, has words they use very frequently, where the other countries do not use. For example the Chileans say: Al tiro. Whenever they want to express something done fast. Al tiro ( like a shot ) Tiro means bullet.
The Mexicans use the word: Andele. I do not not if you ever saw the cartoon Speedy Gonzales who was a mouse with a large Mexican sombrero and he would frequently say: Andele, Andele, andele ! It means lets go, or lets walk. In Guatemala they say: Si pues, all the time.
Maria, your mum looks really beautiful in that photo. She has the looks of a film star.
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