Maya Point is a jungle paradise, he couldn’t just let it sit vacant while he lived out his dream of sailing around the world with his lovely wife. He took a chance. He put his feelers out there for the right people. People with big motivation and little fear, to come maximize the potential of this little island farm.
After over a year of correspondence and conversation about our vision for MayaPoint, we finally had the pleasure of meeting the man himself. Ed had put so much faith into us without ever meeting face to face…. And here we were. Welcoming him home.
We only had two and a half weeks together, which may sound like a lot, especially on island time, but we had big dreams to make happen on a short timeline. No longer did he set his bag down, Ed was a busy bee, making every possible effort to help us get the farm in tip-top condition and ready to host all of the travelers that are headed our way this winter (Oh, wow, winter is here already!)
We upgraded our energy systems to be more efficient than ever. “Sunlight” LED bulbs are giving the home a warm glow and using half the wattage of those “energy saver” bulbs. It’s almost ironic that even though our energy is “free” since it comes from the Sun, we are extremely conscious and cautious with our use. A few gray days can means switching the solar inverter off to protect our new batteries, and we never know when those gray days are coming (the weather forecasts are steadily inaccurate around here)… Always better safe than sorry!
Possibly the most exciting event of Ed’s visit was the commencement of the cabin renovation. The Gecko House, as it has been dubbed due to it’s abundant fauna, was just an outdoor kitchen with a loft and a palapa roof. Honoring the rule of permaculture building, we collectively chose to work with our existing structures first. Seven local men had the opportunity to work construction and have dependable income, true to the vision of MayaPoint. The Gecko House was cleaned out, a nice concrete pad was created underneath the main floor to maximize space, where the bedrooms will be.
Remember that we’re on an island….well, that means in order to make a concrete pad those hard-working men have to bring the 50 to 100 pound bags of concrete mix to the island by boat. Those bags had to be unloaded and mixed, then pushed uphill in a wheelbarrow to be poured into the foundations. These guys have all my respect as I saw them sweating and batting off swarms of mosquitos some days, and still hearing laughs and good spirit come from the project. I suppose the positive mental attitude is the most powerful tool of all when it comes to such a tough job!
Hard work was the name of the game during Ed’s time here, but we also made time for fun. We went to Oktoberfest at the Rana Azul (blue frog), a local place where the international crowd gets together for pizza and beer on the weekends. We got to meet a lot of our neighbors from the other islands and make some wonderful connections with our community.
Amongst the hours of conversation about our common vision, goals, hopes, and dreams, Ed made time to teach us some Mysore Ashtanga Yoga and we worked up a great sweat! He also encouraged me to work on tile mosaics to bring a little more color into the home. Thanks Ed, I have found a new love for the art:)
No words can describe the magnitude of graciousness that we have, not just for this one man and his farm, but for all of the thought, hard work, and trust that has been put into the MayaPoint Project. It’s only getting better everyday.
Maya Point 