November 2023

November Overview –

As you may remember, we had quite the water issues here in October to deal with:  water damage from the hurricane, a leaky dishwasher, and a backed-up sink.  By the beginning of November our dishwasher was finally running without leaking all over the floor and our kitchen sink was once again draining properly.  But that wasn’t the end of our water issues in November….

Our tinaco (1,000-litre holding tank on the roof) looked like it had sprung a leak as the float valve inside did not register it was full, so it overfilled, causing it to overflow onto the roof (check out the video in our Snippets to see the issue). We called for the plumber to come yet again to now deal with this problem, however, when we woke up the next morning, we had no water in our taps.  The overflow had completely emptied our 5000-litre cistern that we had just called the water truck to refill two days prior.  We called for another water truck to come refill us again, and the plumber arrived to find the problem.  Confident that replacing the float valve would fix the issue, the plumber left, but later that night Lorne checked it again and it was still overflowing.  He had to shut our water off so we would not lose the 5,000 litres again, and we spent the night and most of the next day without any running water in our place.

The next step to solve the issue was to replace a backflow check valve at the outlet of the tinaco.  Things seemed good for about four days until it decided to overflow again.  We advised the plumber and he ordered a better valve but would be a few days before he could install it.   Finally on Nov 24, the fancy new “all brass backflow valve with a rubber-seated valve flap” was installed and (knock on wood) so far, everything on the roof is working fine.

We were excited to have some company as our good friend Jennifer came to visit us the second week of November.  Being from Canada, she of course brought us two huge bags of Hawkins Cheezies (thank you again!) for us to enjoy.  Hawkins Cheezies are the one thing from Canada we miss and cannot get here… IYKYK. 

Since our major storms came in October this year, November was still quite hot during her visit here, so not a lot of time was spent on the patio in the evenings.  Also, because it had only been two weeks since Hurricane Norma passed through, mosquitoes were in abundance during this time.   Los Cabos is in the Dengue and Zika zone, so for the month after a hurricane, locals know not to venture outside during dusk or dawn to limit their exposure to mosquitoes.   The month of November was particularly bad for dengue here, as many tourists reported contracting it during their visits here at the beginning and middle of November.  The mosquitoes should be gone by mid-December and for sure by January as the fumigation trucks have been making the rounds spraying for mosquitoes.  

And now, here’s what’s been happening around here in November…,

Day of the Dead

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a two-day holiday reuniting the living and dead, while celebrating death and life. This ancient holiday allows families to remember those they have lost. 

Families create ofrendas (offerings) to honour their departed family members that have passed.  These colourful shrines are decorated with bright yellow marigold flowers, photos of the departed, and the favourite foods and drinks of the one being honoured.  The offerings are believed to encourage visits from the departed souls. 

The marigolds are believed to be the pathway that guides the spirits to their ofrendas.  The flowers’ vibrant colour and scent attracts the departed souls as they return to feast on their favourite foods.  Marigolds are called Flor de Muerto (Flower of the Dead) and they symbolize the beauty and fragility of life.  Marigolds are native to and have been cultivated in Mexico for more than 2,000 years.

The Day of the Dead is celebrated in three parts:

November 1^st, 12am – Spirits of the Children
Día de los Angelitos – The day of the little angels begins celebrations at midnight on November 1, where the spirits of all the deceased children are believed to be reunited with their families for 24 hours.  Families construct an altar (ofrenda) with the departed child’s favourite snacks, candies, toys, and photographs to encourage a visit from their departed children.

November 2^nd, 12am – Spirits of the Adults
Día de los Difuntos – At midnight of the following day (November 2) the celebrations shift to honour the lives of the departed adults.  The night is filled with laughter and fun memories much like the night before.  However, the ofrendas take on a more adult-like theme with tequila, mezcal, pan de muerto (a Mexican sweet bread pastry), and jars of atole (a hot Mexican beverage made from masa, water, and spices).  Families will play games together and reminisce about their loved ones.

November 2^nd, 12pm – Spirits of all the Dead
Día de los Muertos – This day is the grand finale and public celebration of Día de los Muertos.  In more recent times, people come together in their cities, dressed in calavera (skull) painted faces and parades run through the streets.  Cemetery visits are also common on the last day.  Graveyards are lit up with candles, and music is played as families arrive to remember their loved ones by decorating the grave sites with marigold flowers, gifts, and sugar skulls with the departed’s names on them. 

Things to know about the Day of the Dead:
The Day of the Dead is not “Mexican Halloween” as it is sometimes mistaken for because of when it is celebrated.  The two holidays are quite different.  Halloween began as a Celtic Festival where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.  More recently Halloween has turned into a tradition of wearing costumes and trick-or-treating.  Decorating your house with witches and goblins is not done in most parts of Mexico.

You will see brightly coloured skulls everywhere during the holiday, often smiling as a friendly nod to death, even mocking it.  This view of death began way back during the Aztec festival where they celebrated death and paid homage to the lady of death, Mictēcacihuātl, who protected their departed loved ones and helped them in the afterlife.

The Day of the Dead traditions vary by country.  Mexico is not the only country that celebrates the Day of the Dead.  It is a widely celebrated holiday all over the world.  As well, many religions celebrate “All Souls Day” (also known as All Saints Day) during the same time as Day of the Dead.  Even though the act of honouring the dead is observed around the world, Día de los Muertos is unique in its traditions:  the meaning of life and death, the ofrenda, the use of calaveras, and more recently, the festivals in the streets.

Revolution Day

Dia de la Revolución (Revolution Day) is the anniversary of the start of the 1910-1917 Mexican Revolution, celebrated annually on November 20.  A change in Mexico’s labour laws in 2006 established that Revolution Day would become a public holiday across the country on the third Monday of November, making it a long weekend for all.

Mexico’s Revolution Day signifies the call to arms by Francisco Madero to take down the dictator Porfirio Diaz, who had remained in power for more than three decades.  The constitution created in 1917, in response to the revolution, established limits on the period politicians could be in power.  The constitution also included labour reform laws that covered 8-hour workdays, abolished child labour and established equal pay.

This revolution drove many Mexicans to migrate to America, which greatly affected the United States.  Around 1 million legal migrants entered the US throughout the revolution, along with many other undocumented migrants.  This occurred four years before the introduction of a patrol between the borders. 

Interesting fact – a bandit and Robin Hood type outlaw named Pancho Villa played an important role in the Mexican Revolution.  He became a legendary hero not only for robbing the rich and sharing with the poor, but also for leading one of the most crucial military campaigns during the uprising.

This event is very similar to the US tradition of Black Friday, when stores begin their holiday season sales. The El Buen Fin was first introduced in 2011 and has become the de-facto annual shopping event in Mexico.

Hurricane Season is Over!

The 2023 Eastern Pacific hurricane season officially began on May 15, and ended November 30, and turned out to be a very active and destructive season. 

For us here in Los Cabos, we watched carefully as four of those storms inched closer to us:  Tropical Storm Eugene, Hurricane Hilary (Cat 4), Hurricane Lidia (Cat 4), and Hurricane Norma (Cat 4).  For Eugene, Hilary, and Lidia, they kept their distance, but passed close enough for us to be located in the fringe of their outer rainbands, which brought us rain and some flooding until each had passed.  For Norma, our state took the direct hit, but thankfully she had downgraded to a Cat 1 by the time she reached us.

Below you will see the paths these storms took as well as some additional information about the eight major hurricanes we had this year:

Calvin moved west away from Mexico.  He strengthened into a Cat 3 hurricane and remained a major hurricane for two days before weakening into a tropical storm as he passed Hawaii.

Dora moved west away from Mexico.  She strengthened into a Cat 4 hurricane and remained a major hurricane for 10 days.  She crossed the International Date Line and became Typhoon Dora. She is the second tropical cyclone on record to be at hurricane strength in the Eastern, Central and Western Pacific areas, the other was Hurricane John (Cat 5) in 1994.  A steep “pressure gradient” to the north of Hawaii and Dora passing in the south produced incredibly strong winds over the islands which caused additional problems with the multiple wildfires in Hawaii, particularly Maui.

Fernanda moved west away from Mexico.  She strengthened into a Cat 4 hurricane and remained a major hurricane for only one day, weakening into a tropical storm as she passed Hawaii

Hilary moved north, parallel to the coast of Mexico.  She strengthened into a Cat 4 hurricane and remained a major hurricane for two days before weakening to a tropical storm.  Hilary made landfall as a tropical storm in Baja California, about 345km (214mi) southeast of San Diego on August 20.  Hilary continued north crossing into California and finally becoming a post-tropical hurricane as she reached Nevada.

Jova initially moved west, then northwest away from Mexico.  She strengthened into a Cat 5 hurricane and remained a major hurricane for four days before weakening to a tropical storm.  Jova reaching Cat 5 intensity was one of the five-fasted periods of intensification on record in the Eastern Pacific.

Lidia initially moved west, then west-northwest, away from Mexico.  Approximately one week later, she rounded the edge of a subtropical ridge and made an unusual 180 degree turn to the east, going in the completely opposite direction.  She exploded into a Cat 4 hurricane and remained a major hurricane for two days.  She made landfall as a Cat 4 hurricane in the state of Jalisco, just south of Puerto Vallarta.  She then rapidly deteriorated after she moved over the Sierra Madre mountains.

Norma initially moved southwest away from Mexico.  She soon turned north and rapidly intensified into a Cat 4 hurricane and remained a major hurricane for two days before weakening to a Cat 1 hurricane as she made landfall in Baja California Sur, 15 miles northwest of Cabo San Lucas.  Several hours later she weakened to a tropical storm, crossed the Gulf of California and made a second landfall in the state of Sinaloa.

Otis initially moved northwest away from Mexico, but soon shifted further north and headed directly towards Mexico.  He underwent a period of explosive intensification and unexpectedly grew into a powerful Cat 5 hurricane and remained a major hurricane for one day.  During that time, Otis made landfall near Acapulco at peak intensity, without much warning being given to the area.  Otis quickly weakened further inland into a tropical storm.  The hurricane caused at least 50 deaths, and many are still missing.  Total damage from Otis is currently estimated to be >$16 billion (USD). Otis was the first Pacific hurricane to make landfall at Category 5 intensity and surpassed Hurricane Patricia as the strongest landfalling Pacific hurricane on record.

We are very thankful hurricane season is over for another year. It was an unusual year with so many major hurricanes, and we are so grateful that only one of them made landfall on our shores. Of course, others were not so lucky and many areas are still undergoing cleanup and recovery from the ones that impacted them (Otis in Acapulco, Lidia in Puerto Vallarta and Dora near Hawaii). Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.

ps…  Don’t forget to check out the latest Snippets!