Yucatan & Mexico | Carol Chapman

Ek Balam is the Star Today

Ek Balam, Mayan for “Black Jaguar,” took center stage for editing in the Yucatan Travel Movie today. Ek Balam is such a fascinating place. Absolutely amazing that its pyramid has a tomb in it . . . and, you enter the tomb via the huge mouth of a giant carved monstrous image of a god’s mouth. Not that we tourists are allowed inside the tomb. But, we can look into the monster mouth, past its huge curved teeth and also be impressed by the monster god’s huge eyes, the lids of which are held up by people carved in stone. I find the two men with wings the most intriguing. What were they? Angels?

Also, this tomb is not under the structure as it Palenque, but 2/3 up the edifice. It makes me wonder if other pyramids have tombs hidden within them.

Reviewing the footage brought me back to that very hot day in January a year ago when we visited this wondrous site that is relatively free of tourists. Perhaps few tourists come here because they are all at nearby Chichen Itza.

Valladolid Shines in Today’s Video Editing

While editing the Mexico Travel Movie today, I put together scenes describing the interesting and historically significant Yucatan city of Valladolid. It is about mid-way between Cancun and Merida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan.

Preparing for a Week of the Yucatan Travel Movie

This is the week of the “gathering of the clans” to work on the Yucatan Travel Movie and also the book about our adventures in Yucatan.

Almost Lost Yucatan Travel Movie!

Today, when I turned on my computer in preparation for editing the Yucatan Travel Movie, I was shocked to see a prompt saying that there was something wrong with the computer.

I almost went into a warp-drive panic!

Fortunately, I could call my trusty tech support at Dell . . . and, I discovered that even though the prompt appeared to be giving a message of doom and gloom, it was actually a relatively frequent prompt, i.e., I had not lost all my work. He suggested I shut down and start it again.

It worked!!! Yay!

I did lose all the editing I did yesterday because . . . and this is definitely a lesson to me . . . I forgot to back up the file.

I backed it up today!!! Twice!!!

Yucatan Travel Movie Decisions

So many decisions to make. Whether to put this event here or there. Whether to use this event or not. How much to leave it, how much to throw out. I’m worn out. Time to rest for the day!

Working on Yucatan Travel Movie

Today, I was learning how to make titles for the Yucatan Travel Movie. I am using Sony Vegas Platinum Pro 9 software. It is very much a learning experience but I am making progress . . . and, it is fun!

I love digital! It is so much easier than film, which is the medium on which I originally learned how to make movies.

Yucatan Travel Video Gets Organized

I have been been struggling with a problem of my own making, as it turns out. It really helps to consult with love ones, in this case, my very creative daughter-in-law, Cher. It was her help that gave my business the name of SunTopaz.

Now, I came to her with a problem that I considered to be intricate and complicated. I told her that it bothered me that the Yucatan travel video is comprised of footage taken during three visits to the Yucatan.

In the first visit, our daughter Miriam came with us. At the time, she had long golden hair.

However, Miriam did not come with us during the second visit, which included the trip to Palenque and Villahermosa to see the Olmec heads.

Then, the third and final trip to the Yucatan, which includes the wonderful Mayan elders equinox ceremony at Chichen Itza, also includes Miriam, but this time, with short chin-lenth hair.

Cher’s suggestions? She said that she has watched a lot of travel movies and she noticed that many of them jump around from place to place with hardly an explanation. For example, in one recent Lonely Planet travel video, the viewer is suddenly at an island – no explanation and no introduction ahead of time.

She suggested that I announce to the viewer near the beginning of the movie that it was shot in three visits to the Yucatan. She believes the viewer will figure it out.

Now I feel more relaxed as I review the extensive footage taken of our travels in Yucatan.

Carol Chapman

Yucatan Travel Video Progress

After a year of travel to many wonderful speaking engagements, I am happy that I can be home for a while and make some progress on my Yucatan Travel Movie.

Carol Chapman

Working on Yucatan Book Today

Today, I decided I needed to get back to my Yucatan book so that’s what I’m doing.

Carol Chapman —

Feedback on the Tiny Mayan Woman

I REPLY TO EMAILS SENT TO ME

I do try, to the best of my ability, to reply to all emails sent to me.

It really matters to ME when a person takes the time and energy to comment about my enewsletters.

My intention is to honor the risk a person takes in communicating with me by sending a reply often within 24 hours of receiving an email sent to me.

I know, from replying to other people’s enewsletters, how frustrating and discouraging it is when I have sent an email that I’ve thought out ahead of time and then received nothing in reply. Therefore, I’ve been there and done that. And, I don’t want to be like that.

In fact, I went through the trouble and expense of buying a mini-laptop just for sending enewsletters and replying to emails while I’m traveling. A larger laptop wouldn’t fit into my backpack with the cameras. I carry all my precious electronic equipment on my back wherever I go because I can’t risk having them damaged, lost, or stolen when I travel.

I’m telling you this to let you know just how important your emails are to me.

Only once, I could not reply because I kept receiving a bounce back saying the person‘s email address was incorrect even though I clicked on “reply” to the person’s email. I tried three times to reply to this woman’s email before I gave up.

But that is an exception. As far as I know, assuming the email sent me and the emails I’ve sent in reply did not get lost in cyberspace, all the emails sent to me have received a reply.

So, thanks again for sending me your comments. They mean a lot to me. Otherwise, it feels as if I’m sending my enewsletters into a void. When you write to me – whether it’s by email or by a comment on my blog at http://www.CarolChapmanLive, you actually honor me.

YUCATAN TRAVEL BOOK

I also appreciate receiving feedback because I plan to use these enewsletters and blog posts as the basis for a book on Yucatan travel. Therefore, your feedback is doubly important because it helps to make my writing better.

FEEDBACK ON THE TINY MAYAN WOMAN

For example, I received a number of emails commenting on my enewsletter about the tiny woman. People wrote to say that of course she was being helpful. How could I think she might be crazy?

Well, that’s because I was writing as if you could read my mind – a common writer’s faux pas.

Now I know to include in the book when I write the story about the tiny woman that:

The waiter kept rolling his eyes at the tiny woman as if her behavior at our table was odd.

Also, she kept going on and on while we were trying to eat.

Miriam thought her “helpfulness” was a bit inappropriate since she was also drawing maps on the napkins beside our plates.

However, the reality is that in the mix between cultures, it is difficult to know what is and what is not appropriate. I prefer to err on the side of assuming that people are sincerely being helpful when they come up to us and volunteer information. Also, I really liked this tiny woman. She felt helpful and friendly. In the interface between cultures, that‘s what really matters – the humanity between us.

Blessings,
Carol Chapman

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