4 Ways to Beat the Heat, Carrillo-style
Here in Carrillo, as well as in much of Quintana Roo, we are in the throes of the canícula, or the dog days of summer. Back in Central and native South Texas, which are equally if not hotter, I resigned myself to huddling bleary-eyed in air-conditioned homes, movie theaters, or malls. Here, AC, or clima, as we call it, is a bit of a luxury, judiciously administered at strategic points in the night (or day, if you’re really team #treatyoself). This offers an amazing opportunity to be creative so you can more than just barely survive, but dare I say thrive? in the summer. No, really! My name is Érica, and as a newcomer to Carrillo and self-reported Summer Grump (...maybe that’s not entirely “self” reported) from a very summery land, I feel uniquely qualified to bestow upon you tips on how to live your best life in Carrillo in the summer.
Embrace the slower pace.
This might seem obvious, easier-said-than-done. But it’s true! As a mom of a toddler, I feel like I have five million things I “need” or “should” do, and I don’t want any of them to be the stack of dishes in the sink. But, playing the avoidance game and trying to push through the soupy hours of 1-4 pm for your quehaceres will only leave you tired, frustrated, and buying garments you sweat through in the try-on room out of a sense of obligation. In other words, don’t do it. Get in the hammock.
Stay hydrated.
This is big! I’ve noticed that when my liquid intake is low, I am a 100% certifiable, insufferable Summer Grump. Thankfully there is no shortage of places to down massive quantities of aguas frescas or speed eat paletas, helados, and nieves* in Carrillo. Right now it’s pitaya (dragonfruit) season, and it.is.giving.me.life! So many restaurants, heladerías/neverías, and paleterías have some kind of delicious pitaya offering. Always order an agua de pitaya when available—in fact, order two: one to go with your meal, one for the road. There are also so many dedicated cold treats places we frequent; last month, someone stole my thunder by naming Helados ABBI, which is absolutely on my list, but our family also loves Paletería y Nevería La Mesticita and Freeze Cup, among others. La Mesticita is located on the northern border of the Parque Principal and has a rotation of aguas, from my aforementioned fav, to piña con chaya, naranja con fresa, to frutos rojos. If I’m not getting anything pitaya, I go all in for a paleta de coco and some Doritos, and I can almost fool myself into thinking I like summer. Freeze Cup’s specialty are the beautiful and indulgent machacados, though I’m partial to the mangonadas and smoothies with chamoy.
Follow the water.
Aside from taking 3 cold showers a day, which is something one might be inclined to do this time of year, there are so many fun ways to get in the water! Carrillo, as I’m sure y’all know, is surrounded by beautiful lagoons; our family has done overnight visits to Síijil Noh Há and Balam Nah, in the southern part of Carrillo. Bacalar, about an hour and a half south of Carrillo and just north of Chetumal, Quintana Roo’s capital on the border with Belize, is next on our list. But, if planning a longer trip or camping isn’t up your alley, or you’re not up for an adventurous taxi ride (the roads to Sijil and Balam Nah are unpaved), then there’s local favorite, La Piscina, a multi-level restaurant with literally a ginormous swimmer’s pool and a shallow pool (win for the toddler mom!). Burn off child’s energy? Check. Immerse self in body of water? Check. Avoiding turning on the stove to cook myself along with whatever is in the pan? Check. Like many businesses here, La Piscina checks temperatures at the door and has caps on those admitted to ensure la sana distancia.
Migrate to your garden or yard.
Sometimes it’s not in the budget to go out, or places are a little too crowded, or you just can’t be bothered. That’s when you literally just live your life outside so you don’t turn into human guisado indoors (because even if you have it, that clima is not getting turned on until nighttime). The best way to do that? Gather outside over food. You can take the kitchen outside and have a carne asada, carne for short—aka cooking out, barbecuing, grilling. Even as the one not doing the asando, you have to sweat a little for this, but it pays off, I promise! For us, it means taking a walk around the block and hitting up a carnicería for the meat (though take it easy mmkay? It’s the canícula), a frutería for your produce like onions, avocados, cilantro, limes, and tomatoes to make the cebolla asada, guacamole, and salsas, and if you swing that way, the Modelorama for beer or an abarrotes for horchata mix. Don’t forget the tortillas! Can’t be bothered with cooking and cleanup? Order some pizzas and call it a day. Then the most important part: WhatsApp a couple of friends from your vaccinated bubble and enjoy their company in a well-ventilated, not-an-oven environment like a patio or palapa and live your best life.
* NOTE: There’s a difference between helados and nieves: the former is milk-based and the latter is water-based. An important difference if you’re lactose-sensitive.
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