Posts
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
My travels: Almost home and catastrophe hits crops in Sinaloa
My travels: Almost home and catastrophe hits crops in Sinaloa: "Yes we're almost home, in Hood River tonight back where we started. I just wanted to add a few things since we ended up taking a different ..."
Almost home and catastrophe hits crops in Sinaloa
Yes we're almost home, in Hood River tonight back where we started. I just wanted to add a few things since we ended up taking a different route so new stuff to blog about. We left Guyamas no problem. We had heard about the catastrophic frost in the Sinaloa valley but it's one thing to hear about it and another entirely to see it. Hundreds of thousands of acres of mostly corn completely gone, some tomato acreage as well along with orange groves. Sinaloa is one of the biggest growing areas in Mexico. They are well known for their tomatoes, they have a tomato on their license plate. The corn is, unfortunately, all of the genetically modified variety courtesy of a big Dupont subsidiary called Pioneer. I kept seeing those signs with the word Pioneer and WBG1234 or something of that ilk and knew it was a market for the corn. Obviously it may be resistant to disease but it's powerless against frost. GM corn has had a devastating impact on Mexico's native varieties which used to be plentiful and have now either been contaminated or dwindled down to the odd "cottage, indigenous" variety. It's a shame really I would even use the word criminal. Regardless the price of tortilla is bound to go up since corn is the premier ingredient wheat being too expensive for your average tortilla. True the government subsidizes tortillas quite heavily and they'll probably have to do it again.
While on the road we saw 3 men on top of a train heading for the border, long, dangerous journey ahead of them no doubt about that. I also saw another man who's head, covered with a woolen cap, was sticking up from inside one of the containers. I know he couldn't see me but his image haunts me. He seemed to be staring straight at me, right into my soul asking the question WHY?
I didn't have an answer that would satisfy either one of us. On this topic of dangerous journeys to El Norte a plug for a little, Mexican film called "Sin Nombre", rent it if you have a chance, it deals with this topic very realistically.
The border crossing was totally uneventful. We didn't even have a chance to buy Teguila and Cointroy before we knew it we were in the line, on our way and into the U.S.
We managed to find the casino where we had eaten the delicious salads on our way down, same price, same great serving and the weather was gorgeous around 23 degrees. It's always sunny in Arizona. The first night we drove a little bit further than anticipated, way past Phoenix and ended up in a town called Quartzide where there was exactly one motel, a trailer motel, yes we slept in a trailer. It was a little chilly but otherwise fine. Next door was a hopping country and western bar where Stetsons were definitely de rigueur. We felt like aliens from a strange planet visiting earth for the first time. Yes it was weird, a patriotic bunch too, lots of flags including army flags and of course the old stars and stripes. They even had a Polish flag but, unfortunately, it was hung upside down....ooops.
Left Quartzide the next day and headed past L.A. Instead of heading for the #5 we sort of made a mistake and ended up on the 101 instead which turned out to be a fortuitous mistake. I wanted to take the coastal road and Stan was reluctant but fate more or less decided the outcome for us.
Traffic was horrendous all the way to Ventura and it was a Sunday! We're gonna die in a sea of cars and twisted metal. I know we were driving too so it's hypocritical to complain but honestly I just don't get where all the people were going early in the morning on a Sunday. In any case the weather was gorgeous, we stopped in Santa Barbara a lovely slice of heaven well for the people who are lucky enough to live there. After Santa Barbara we took the Big Sur, Monterey highway 1 and what a spectacular drive that was. Probably one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Soaring cliffs, big waves, hills dappled with yellow, incandescent mustard seed and flashes of silvery pampas grass. Truly it was a magnificent if difficult drive. We stopped where elephant seals were gathered to mate and give birth to their young ones. They are strange looking animals especially the males who can weigh up to 5000 lbs. whereas the females only weigh 1,500 lbs. We managed to drive all the way to Monterey unfortunately we were too tired to actually visit anything.
Leaving Monterey we drove all the way to Eureka and left today still on the coastal road going through the magical redwood forest. I always remembered an earlier trip with our daughter when I pretended Ewoks were roaming around the forest. I think she knew it was a lie but she was happy to play along.
Today was a grey day, lots of wind and rain and some very hard driving by the coast. We were fortunate in that we never saw any snow. We're in Hood River now staying in a lovely room with a view of the river. It's a special deal for Valentine's Day. This is definitely the last blog. Thanks for coming along.
While on the road we saw 3 men on top of a train heading for the border, long, dangerous journey ahead of them no doubt about that. I also saw another man who's head, covered with a woolen cap, was sticking up from inside one of the containers. I know he couldn't see me but his image haunts me. He seemed to be staring straight at me, right into my soul asking the question WHY?
I didn't have an answer that would satisfy either one of us. On this topic of dangerous journeys to El Norte a plug for a little, Mexican film called "Sin Nombre", rent it if you have a chance, it deals with this topic very realistically.
The border crossing was totally uneventful. We didn't even have a chance to buy Teguila and Cointroy before we knew it we were in the line, on our way and into the U.S.
We managed to find the casino where we had eaten the delicious salads on our way down, same price, same great serving and the weather was gorgeous around 23 degrees. It's always sunny in Arizona. The first night we drove a little bit further than anticipated, way past Phoenix and ended up in a town called Quartzide where there was exactly one motel, a trailer motel, yes we slept in a trailer. It was a little chilly but otherwise fine. Next door was a hopping country and western bar where Stetsons were definitely de rigueur. We felt like aliens from a strange planet visiting earth for the first time. Yes it was weird, a patriotic bunch too, lots of flags including army flags and of course the old stars and stripes. They even had a Polish flag but, unfortunately, it was hung upside down....ooops.
Left Quartzide the next day and headed past L.A. Instead of heading for the #5 we sort of made a mistake and ended up on the 101 instead which turned out to be a fortuitous mistake. I wanted to take the coastal road and Stan was reluctant but fate more or less decided the outcome for us.
Traffic was horrendous all the way to Ventura and it was a Sunday! We're gonna die in a sea of cars and twisted metal. I know we were driving too so it's hypocritical to complain but honestly I just don't get where all the people were going early in the morning on a Sunday. In any case the weather was gorgeous, we stopped in Santa Barbara a lovely slice of heaven well for the people who are lucky enough to live there. After Santa Barbara we took the Big Sur, Monterey highway 1 and what a spectacular drive that was. Probably one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Soaring cliffs, big waves, hills dappled with yellow, incandescent mustard seed and flashes of silvery pampas grass. Truly it was a magnificent if difficult drive. We stopped where elephant seals were gathered to mate and give birth to their young ones. They are strange looking animals especially the males who can weigh up to 5000 lbs. whereas the females only weigh 1,500 lbs. We managed to drive all the way to Monterey unfortunately we were too tired to actually visit anything.
Leaving Monterey we drove all the way to Eureka and left today still on the coastal road going through the magical redwood forest. I always remembered an earlier trip with our daughter when I pretended Ewoks were roaming around the forest. I think she knew it was a lie but she was happy to play along.
Today was a grey day, lots of wind and rain and some very hard driving by the coast. We were fortunate in that we never saw any snow. We're in Hood River now staying in a lovely room with a view of the river. It's a special deal for Valentine's Day. This is definitely the last blog. Thanks for coming along.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
My travels: This is the END...beautiful friends
My travels: This is the END...beautiful friends: "Hope you'll forgive my reckless appropriation of one of the Door's most famous song,no helicopters in sight and no napalm I promise this in ..."
This is the END...beautiful friends
Hope you'll forgive my reckless appropriation of one of the Door's most famous song,no helicopters in sight and no napalm I promise this in reference to Apocalypse Now for lurking film buffs out there.
I wanted to end with a few anecdotal comments. For instance I noticed that I haven't talked much about food in my blog entries. There's a very good reason for that. Neither of us are big fans of Mexican cuisine. This has caused a little bit of a problem in past trips but this time we managed okay, mostly stayed away from too many tacos and overly fried food seemed to ease the pain somewhat. It's not all bad. If you're going to have tacos "al pastor" with the meat spinning on a stick is the best. At least it's recognizable as meat whereas other times it's so chopped up it's dubious which part of the animal it actually came from. I don't mind the sausage tacos either. The sausage is mildly spicy and makes for a bit of a change. This time we stayed away from fish and shrimp tacos. The problem is they batter the fish and the shrimps so you're eating carbs upon carbs, and they're very hard to digest unless you follow the meal with an unhealthy dose of Coke, not the greatest combination in the world.
Breakfasts in Queretaro were the best. They always serve you a basket of sweet rolls, assorted pastries which can be croissants or something else. Depending on the restaurant you sometimes have to pay for the amount you consume prior to your actual breakfast but sometimes not.
It's the only place so far in Mexico where we've seen that being done.
In Mexico City they serve huge tacos which are called "huaraches" just like the famous shoes.
They're not so great but they're interesting to try ONCE.
Favorite local drinks have been "horchata" which is a rice milk beverage usually flavored with
either vanilla or cinnamon. They keep it ice cold in these huge glass containers. We've never gotten sick from drinking horchata. There's also "jamaica" which is red and made from hibiscus
flowers. It's also served from similar containers. I don't like it as much but it will refresh you in a pinch. We haven't had too many memorable meals as such. Ate lots of "camarones" and fish but there's not much variety in the way they're prepared and it doesn't matter whether you pay a lot or little it's pretty well the same. For a totally different taste you would have to go to really expensive "fusion type cuisine" restaurants and we're usually too cheap to do that.
Although we did splurge on that French restaurant in Puerto Vallarta.
Mexico is not just the Mexico of cruises, beaches, sun, beer and all inclusives. There are plenty of villages in the interior where people are clinging to a way of life which is slowly disappearing. Indigenous languages are being lost, whole populations migrate to cities where all they do is sell trinkets and crap that very few people want to buy anymore. I spoke to a vendor who makes his own stuff and he told me that a lot of the so-called cheaper variety "artesania" is now made in China. I don't find that hard to believe. From one end of Mexico to the other, regardless of what beach or square you're on it's the same mind numbingly bad stuff. There is still real "artesania" to be found for sure but you have to go into boutique stores more and more to find it. Everything is flattened out, that's the price of globalization when entire cultures can be ripped off and sold again at bargain basement prices. Okay Mexico is not there yet but it's coming.
Regardless of its flaws it's still a beautiful country in many ways and what really makes it so appealing are the people. Mexicans are friendly, fun loving and generous. They're also, for the most part, unfailingly polite. It's such a change from Canada where people rarely say hello to each other. We like that a lot. We're not sure when we'll be back. This is possibly the last time we drive to Mexico. We've done it twice now and it is very far away. Driving though gives way to new insights and absurd sights as well. In Queretaro at a stop a man had three things to sell: a huge calculator (China) a medium size globe (China) and a wooden coat rack (not sure where that came from but probably China too). You just never know when you might get the urge to buy one of those three things while waiting for a light to change.
In Mexico in addition to the usual windshield washer crews you can also find the dust removing crew. They have these big mops which they gently swipe over your car while you wait, not a very successful business and not much of a living but unfortunately too many people are stuck doing whatever it takes to rub two pesos together. It's sad,very sad to know that you could be back in 5 years and they might still be doing the same thing, hopelessly.
No shortage of babies in Mexico either although the educated class is sticking to the 2 or 3 rule which is great because it can't afford to have too many more people. I've also noticed that there seems to be a lot more girls than boys I think it's a worldwide trend not specific to here.
Time to move on, hope you've enjoyed traveling with us, thanks for having stuck with it and having accompanied us on this journey, hasta luego amigos.
I wanted to end with a few anecdotal comments. For instance I noticed that I haven't talked much about food in my blog entries. There's a very good reason for that. Neither of us are big fans of Mexican cuisine. This has caused a little bit of a problem in past trips but this time we managed okay, mostly stayed away from too many tacos and overly fried food seemed to ease the pain somewhat. It's not all bad. If you're going to have tacos "al pastor" with the meat spinning on a stick is the best. At least it's recognizable as meat whereas other times it's so chopped up it's dubious which part of the animal it actually came from. I don't mind the sausage tacos either. The sausage is mildly spicy and makes for a bit of a change. This time we stayed away from fish and shrimp tacos. The problem is they batter the fish and the shrimps so you're eating carbs upon carbs, and they're very hard to digest unless you follow the meal with an unhealthy dose of Coke, not the greatest combination in the world.
Breakfasts in Queretaro were the best. They always serve you a basket of sweet rolls, assorted pastries which can be croissants or something else. Depending on the restaurant you sometimes have to pay for the amount you consume prior to your actual breakfast but sometimes not.
It's the only place so far in Mexico where we've seen that being done.
In Mexico City they serve huge tacos which are called "huaraches" just like the famous shoes.
They're not so great but they're interesting to try ONCE.
Favorite local drinks have been "horchata" which is a rice milk beverage usually flavored with
either vanilla or cinnamon. They keep it ice cold in these huge glass containers. We've never gotten sick from drinking horchata. There's also "jamaica" which is red and made from hibiscus
flowers. It's also served from similar containers. I don't like it as much but it will refresh you in a pinch. We haven't had too many memorable meals as such. Ate lots of "camarones" and fish but there's not much variety in the way they're prepared and it doesn't matter whether you pay a lot or little it's pretty well the same. For a totally different taste you would have to go to really expensive "fusion type cuisine" restaurants and we're usually too cheap to do that.
Although we did splurge on that French restaurant in Puerto Vallarta.
Mexico is not just the Mexico of cruises, beaches, sun, beer and all inclusives. There are plenty of villages in the interior where people are clinging to a way of life which is slowly disappearing. Indigenous languages are being lost, whole populations migrate to cities where all they do is sell trinkets and crap that very few people want to buy anymore. I spoke to a vendor who makes his own stuff and he told me that a lot of the so-called cheaper variety "artesania" is now made in China. I don't find that hard to believe. From one end of Mexico to the other, regardless of what beach or square you're on it's the same mind numbingly bad stuff. There is still real "artesania" to be found for sure but you have to go into boutique stores more and more to find it. Everything is flattened out, that's the price of globalization when entire cultures can be ripped off and sold again at bargain basement prices. Okay Mexico is not there yet but it's coming.
Regardless of its flaws it's still a beautiful country in many ways and what really makes it so appealing are the people. Mexicans are friendly, fun loving and generous. They're also, for the most part, unfailingly polite. It's such a change from Canada where people rarely say hello to each other. We like that a lot. We're not sure when we'll be back. This is possibly the last time we drive to Mexico. We've done it twice now and it is very far away. Driving though gives way to new insights and absurd sights as well. In Queretaro at a stop a man had three things to sell: a huge calculator (China) a medium size globe (China) and a wooden coat rack (not sure where that came from but probably China too). You just never know when you might get the urge to buy one of those three things while waiting for a light to change.
In Mexico in addition to the usual windshield washer crews you can also find the dust removing crew. They have these big mops which they gently swipe over your car while you wait, not a very successful business and not much of a living but unfortunately too many people are stuck doing whatever it takes to rub two pesos together. It's sad,very sad to know that you could be back in 5 years and they might still be doing the same thing, hopelessly.
No shortage of babies in Mexico either although the educated class is sticking to the 2 or 3 rule which is great because it can't afford to have too many more people. I've also noticed that there seems to be a lot more girls than boys I think it's a worldwide trend not specific to here.
Time to move on, hope you've enjoyed traveling with us, thanks for having stuck with it and having accompanied us on this journey, hasta luego amigos.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Mexico City, part 2
Monday was the day we were going to take the Touribus which is a double decker bus that gives you a pretty comprehensive tour of the city. You buy your ticket, get a bracelet and then you can get on and off at various stops along the way. The Touribus is very popular since Mexico city is so spread out that it's impossible to view all the sights on your own in a short period of time.
We walked to the centro after having a copious breakfast of fruit and yogurt. However once we got there we found out that our plans were to be derailed because of a planned demonstration on that day. The circuit around the city would be greatly compromised and thus they couldn't guarantee that if tickets were sold the trip would go ahead. Being an activist of long status I was immediately intrigued by the notion of a massive demonstration. Canada is not known in general for staging those. We're pretty passive, as a population, in general.
Museums are closed on Monday as well so that was out of the question. I was determined to take the metro. There had been stuff on the news about aggressions in the metro but with that many people taking it day in, day out, what could go wrong?
We headed for the subway station. Tickets were cheap, 6 pesos to the two of us. I also asked for directions to Chapultepec Park since I figured it would be open and we could hang out there for a while. The directions were pretty easy to follow. We had to change one subway line and take the one to Obsevatorio (Observatory) where women and children, at the behest of guards, were ushered into one train, and men ushered in another. That was strange but I suppose it's a security measure for women traveling alone. If you're with a man you can opt to go into the mostly male compartment, which is what I did. Stan wouldn't let go of my hand. He's more afraid of getting lost than I am.
We arrived safe and sound only to find out that the park is also closed on Mondays. We knew about the museums but why a park???? Eso es Mexico, some of the rules just don't make sense at all. I didn't want to go back to our hotel. I wanted to walk to the zona rosa which is a famous area of Mexico city. I asked a bus driver and he said it was only 3 semaphoras (lights) ahead of us, a fairly easy walk. That area of the city was no longer colonial, therefore not quite as historic. Lots of big buildings around, a bit of a hodge podge really making it apparent that central planning has not been Mexico city's forte.
The zona rosa is prettier with tree lined streets, residential housing, cafes, nightclubs and restaurants. We ate lunch in one of the restaurants and then moved on towards Paseo de la Reforma which is one of the biggest streets in Mexico city.
As it turned out lots of demonstrators were already massed in that direction. We could see throngs of people with banners furled and unfurled,a great number of buses and watched as the riot police, in full gear, started arriving. They didn't have batons but they had the plastic shields,body armour, helmets etc...It was pretty freaking impressive as a show of force although the people there didn't seem fazed in the least bit. It wasn't their first kick of the can in so far as demonstrations were concerned. I wanted to hang out and talk to some people but Stan was worried we would be caught in the melee. Nevertheless I prevailed. We had to go to the bathroom and were in front of a huge hotel Fiesta Americana, demonstrators were also hanging out in front.
They were actually hanging out everywhere. I was sure that our "white skin" would enable us to find a bathroom without being hassled. In fact I was right as we were given directions to one, no problem. Draw your own conclusions. We came back out and sat down beside an older couple who were there to demonstrate. They came by bus, all the way from Puebla. Twenty buses in all came from there. They live in a pueblo outside the main city. They were farm laborers. He's now too old to work and gets no pension. The average salary for a full day's work (sometimes 12 hours) was between 100-150 pesos (12 pesos to the dollar). They get no help from the government. The land is owned by either a rich family or a corporation. The land is much too expensive to buy. Their children work as day labourers too, caught in the same cycle of poverty.
They get money here and there doing various things, every day is a struggle to put food on the table. They didn't expect much from this demonstration but it was a way to show the government that they still exist. They were incredibly gracious, I would have been pissed but I guess after that many years a certain resignation sets in.
We were impressed with the level of solidarity amongst the various groups,a great many of them indigenous people from forgotten pueblos. This couple took the bus at 4 in the morning and they would be leaving after the demonstration around 9 or 10 o'clock to go back. Many groups bring their own food, set up soup kitchens etc... Sad because so little would come out of this.
We got back to our hotel and hung around for a while. At 6p.m. or so we got out and found the marchers. The demonstrators were heading towards the main zocalo. As we were watching one group veared off and headed for Madeiro which is a pedestrian street. Three cops tried to stop them but they couldn't, the crowd was too big. We followed along with those demonstrators all the way to the zocalo, the only gringos around but at the plaza I bought 3 socialist newspapers in Spanish so we didn't quite look out of place. Many fiery speeches later the demonstrators all headed for home or buses. It was great to have been part of something like that but, as I wrote, incredibly frustrating because no one in a position of power would be listening.
The next day the event (at least 50,000 people+) was reduced to a traffic problem with people complaining about the closed roads, clogged traffic etc..I understand there is "demonstration fatigue" in Mexico city but when a group is consistently marginalized what other choice do they have? The news never addressed once the issue of genuine grievances which the various groups have in terms of poverty, lack of good public education, hours of work, minimum salary, corruption, nepotism, the list is long, very long.
On Tuesday we went to the National Palace to see the murals of Diego Rivera. We had seen some of his murals at the Museum of Bellas Artes (impressive rococo style building) but the ones at the palace were even more impressive. Huge murals recounting much of the history and political influences that have shaped Mexico. A truly astounding work of art which made up for the fact that we didn't go to see Frieda Kahlo's Blue house. The security in that building was pretty impressive too. Next it was the Touribus (too hot, too long, too many stops with the motor still running) and Chapultepec and the Museum of Anthropology where we spent a little over 2 hours. Extremely impressive as well, very thorough, beautiful displays but after a while your eyes kind of glaze over. It's too much information to absorb in too little time.
Tourisbus back to the hotel and then a last stroll to the Zocalo and it was adios Mexico City in the morning. Took the bus back to Queretaro. Our friend Monica picks us up, dropped us off at her house and we were on our way towards Guadalajara. We covered quite a bit of distance and arrived in Mazatlan,2 days later. Stan was pretty sick the night before we got here. He drank some bad water. He's better now but he was weak for a while.
I'm going to add a final blog of bits and pieces and it will be Sayonara for a while. Hope this has been interesting and not too long.
We walked to the centro after having a copious breakfast of fruit and yogurt. However once we got there we found out that our plans were to be derailed because of a planned demonstration on that day. The circuit around the city would be greatly compromised and thus they couldn't guarantee that if tickets were sold the trip would go ahead. Being an activist of long status I was immediately intrigued by the notion of a massive demonstration. Canada is not known in general for staging those. We're pretty passive, as a population, in general.
Museums are closed on Monday as well so that was out of the question. I was determined to take the metro. There had been stuff on the news about aggressions in the metro but with that many people taking it day in, day out, what could go wrong?
We headed for the subway station. Tickets were cheap, 6 pesos to the two of us. I also asked for directions to Chapultepec Park since I figured it would be open and we could hang out there for a while. The directions were pretty easy to follow. We had to change one subway line and take the one to Obsevatorio (Observatory) where women and children, at the behest of guards, were ushered into one train, and men ushered in another. That was strange but I suppose it's a security measure for women traveling alone. If you're with a man you can opt to go into the mostly male compartment, which is what I did. Stan wouldn't let go of my hand. He's more afraid of getting lost than I am.
We arrived safe and sound only to find out that the park is also closed on Mondays. We knew about the museums but why a park???? Eso es Mexico, some of the rules just don't make sense at all. I didn't want to go back to our hotel. I wanted to walk to the zona rosa which is a famous area of Mexico city. I asked a bus driver and he said it was only 3 semaphoras (lights) ahead of us, a fairly easy walk. That area of the city was no longer colonial, therefore not quite as historic. Lots of big buildings around, a bit of a hodge podge really making it apparent that central planning has not been Mexico city's forte.
The zona rosa is prettier with tree lined streets, residential housing, cafes, nightclubs and restaurants. We ate lunch in one of the restaurants and then moved on towards Paseo de la Reforma which is one of the biggest streets in Mexico city.
As it turned out lots of demonstrators were already massed in that direction. We could see throngs of people with banners furled and unfurled,a great number of buses and watched as the riot police, in full gear, started arriving. They didn't have batons but they had the plastic shields,body armour, helmets etc...It was pretty freaking impressive as a show of force although the people there didn't seem fazed in the least bit. It wasn't their first kick of the can in so far as demonstrations were concerned. I wanted to hang out and talk to some people but Stan was worried we would be caught in the melee. Nevertheless I prevailed. We had to go to the bathroom and were in front of a huge hotel Fiesta Americana, demonstrators were also hanging out in front.
They were actually hanging out everywhere. I was sure that our "white skin" would enable us to find a bathroom without being hassled. In fact I was right as we were given directions to one, no problem. Draw your own conclusions. We came back out and sat down beside an older couple who were there to demonstrate. They came by bus, all the way from Puebla. Twenty buses in all came from there. They live in a pueblo outside the main city. They were farm laborers. He's now too old to work and gets no pension. The average salary for a full day's work (sometimes 12 hours) was between 100-150 pesos (12 pesos to the dollar). They get no help from the government. The land is owned by either a rich family or a corporation. The land is much too expensive to buy. Their children work as day labourers too, caught in the same cycle of poverty.
They get money here and there doing various things, every day is a struggle to put food on the table. They didn't expect much from this demonstration but it was a way to show the government that they still exist. They were incredibly gracious, I would have been pissed but I guess after that many years a certain resignation sets in.
We were impressed with the level of solidarity amongst the various groups,a great many of them indigenous people from forgotten pueblos. This couple took the bus at 4 in the morning and they would be leaving after the demonstration around 9 or 10 o'clock to go back. Many groups bring their own food, set up soup kitchens etc... Sad because so little would come out of this.
We got back to our hotel and hung around for a while. At 6p.m. or so we got out and found the marchers. The demonstrators were heading towards the main zocalo. As we were watching one group veared off and headed for Madeiro which is a pedestrian street. Three cops tried to stop them but they couldn't, the crowd was too big. We followed along with those demonstrators all the way to the zocalo, the only gringos around but at the plaza I bought 3 socialist newspapers in Spanish so we didn't quite look out of place. Many fiery speeches later the demonstrators all headed for home or buses. It was great to have been part of something like that but, as I wrote, incredibly frustrating because no one in a position of power would be listening.
The next day the event (at least 50,000 people+) was reduced to a traffic problem with people complaining about the closed roads, clogged traffic etc..I understand there is "demonstration fatigue" in Mexico city but when a group is consistently marginalized what other choice do they have? The news never addressed once the issue of genuine grievances which the various groups have in terms of poverty, lack of good public education, hours of work, minimum salary, corruption, nepotism, the list is long, very long.
On Tuesday we went to the National Palace to see the murals of Diego Rivera. We had seen some of his murals at the Museum of Bellas Artes (impressive rococo style building) but the ones at the palace were even more impressive. Huge murals recounting much of the history and political influences that have shaped Mexico. A truly astounding work of art which made up for the fact that we didn't go to see Frieda Kahlo's Blue house. The security in that building was pretty impressive too. Next it was the Touribus (too hot, too long, too many stops with the motor still running) and Chapultepec and the Museum of Anthropology where we spent a little over 2 hours. Extremely impressive as well, very thorough, beautiful displays but after a while your eyes kind of glaze over. It's too much information to absorb in too little time.
Tourisbus back to the hotel and then a last stroll to the Zocalo and it was adios Mexico City in the morning. Took the bus back to Queretaro. Our friend Monica picks us up, dropped us off at her house and we were on our way towards Guadalajara. We covered quite a bit of distance and arrived in Mazatlan,2 days later. Stan was pretty sick the night before we got here. He drank some bad water. He's better now but he was weak for a while.
I'm going to add a final blog of bits and pieces and it will be Sayonara for a while. Hope this has been interesting and not too long.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Mexico City, part one
I wanted to write this blog while things are still fresh in my mind. I am going to post it in two parts otherwise it will be too long to read. This will probably be the last 2 parter blog I post since we're going to slowly be making our way back home to B.C. and covering old familiar ground. We've decided to leave the copper canyon for another time, Stan is tired of driving and wants to go home. I'm okay with that. We've had a very good trip,amassed quite a few
great memories along the way, should hold us till the next time.
To say that Mexico city is huge would be a bit of an understatement, it's sprawling, up hillsides, along the main and secondary highways and it will keep sprawling into its very indefinite future.
Almost 25 million people call it home, that's the core center and the outlying areas combined.
We started seeing the outskirts about one hour before we actually got to one of the main bus stations, there are four of them. Once there we still had to take a taxi to our hotel which took another good 40 minutes, traffic was apparently "lighter" than usual this being Saturday.
You prepay at a main kiosque according to the distance you will cover and then you just find the taxi, no fuss no muss. It's a good system.
Our hotel is very modern sort of European style. The rooms are streamlined, modern decor and modern washroom. We could be in Paris but in a bigger room, Paris rooms are tiny.
On Sunday we booked a tour to the Basilica de Guadeloupe and the ancient Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan. We were in a little van with a guide (all in Spanish of course) and 4 young people from Argentina and a retired Mexican engineer from Oaxaca. It can get very tiring listening and speaking in another language for an entire day but we managed very well. The Basilica was incredible in that because it was Sunday there was a service in full swing and so many faithfuls. Mexico is probably one of the most Catholic nations in the world and for the most part they are extremely devout, they practice their faith with a lot of fervor. There were so many people it was hard to walk. The main basilica is the biggest church in Latin America it can hold 40,000 people! Wow, they don't fool around. The old Basilica was slowly sinking under the weight of the worshipers hence the need to build a new one. It was built in honour of the vision had by an indigenous Christian convert named Juan Diego. History tells that the image of the virgin of Guadeloupe was emblazoned on his cloak. The Virgin de Guadeloupe is revered above all others and many pilgrims visit her shrine certain days of the year. Even if you're not religious it's still inspiring to witness the strength of their belief. The other great thing about this Virgin is that she's brown and therefore has a special place in the hearts of the indigenous people of Mexico.
Teotihuacan is an archeological zone about 50kms. outside of the centro. It sits in a valley with mountain range offshoots surrounding it. It's very dry, almost austere and it's difficult to imagine that it once represented what was possibly the biggest city of Mexico's pre-hispanic Empire. I won't describe it in great details, you can always look it up online if you're interested in having a look at it. It's very impressive. The city is laid out in a grid pattern, we climbed one of the first minor pyramids in the complex known as the Citadel but the much bigger pyramids loom large in the distance. The Pyramid of the Moon is smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun which is the world's third largest pyramid at 70m. high. I don't think the pictures we took will do it justice, it's hard to visualize just how high that is. It's also 222m.long at its base and needless to say I didn't climb it. Stan climbed the Pyramid of the Moon but didn't risk the bigger one. We let the young Argentinians have a go at it. We both had very sore thigh
muscles, the next day, from all the climbing we did.
In addition we also visited a workshop where they showed us the various uses for the Agave plant, truly a magical plant. The blue agave is what they make tequila from but there are many different varieties and one in particular which can be put to many uses giving water, fiber, glue, paper. It's an astonishing plant, I took some pictures hope they work out. It's very similar to an aloe vera plant but thicker. It was a very long day. We left at 9 and didn't get back till 5, we squeezed in "lunch" around 3 o'clock. Interacting in Spanish for the whole day also takes its toll,we're not as fluent as we would like to be but everybody assumes we are.
I forgot to write about our first impressions of the city on Saturday. We got out on the street and noticed throngs and throngs of people, what would have conceivably been labeled a demonstration in a Canadian city but in Mexico city was just business as usual on a Saturday.
It was a bit overwhelming. We've both been to great capitals but never one as crowded as this one. Paris and Rome feel relatively "empty" compared to this. The noise is pretty deafening and constant, it's like a buzz in the back of your head which can vary in intensity but never completely goes away. One of the most bizarre sounds you'll hear, if you visit, is that of the organ grinder. Apparently the Italians brought that musical instrument at the turn of the century and they still play those same old instruments. Organ grinding is, believe it or not, a profession of sorts here. There's the guy who does the grinding and the person, male or female who waves the cap hat for donations. Yes they both wear a "uniform" of sorts but the cap is an indispensable part. You hear that sound everywhere in the old colonial section of the city. If you don't like that sound don't bother coming here it will drive you insane, it's a miracle it hasn't driven those who do it insane but maybe it has.
The main zocalo is phenomenally big, the beating heart of the old city. We ended up there gawking and marveling at how huge it actually is after having seen it as the stage for so many demonstrations on television. There was a market of "artesenia" set up on one side of the cathedral and many scantily clad a la Aztec type warriors and shamans. One such shaman was busy doing a "cleansing ceremony" involving many traditional and medicinal herbs. He would light the herbs and pass the smoke over the person while doing an incantation. We actually had that done in Cuzco, Peru and in this case many people were willing to line up to feel the herbs' beneficial cleansing effects. Not sure it worked in our case but at least it didn't "hurt much".
I'm going to finish part one here. I didn't want to describe in great details, I'm not writing a
traditional travelogue. I'm more interested in trying to capture in words the feel of a place, not sure I'm succeeding. Will do part two tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
great memories along the way, should hold us till the next time.
To say that Mexico city is huge would be a bit of an understatement, it's sprawling, up hillsides, along the main and secondary highways and it will keep sprawling into its very indefinite future.
Almost 25 million people call it home, that's the core center and the outlying areas combined.
We started seeing the outskirts about one hour before we actually got to one of the main bus stations, there are four of them. Once there we still had to take a taxi to our hotel which took another good 40 minutes, traffic was apparently "lighter" than usual this being Saturday.
You prepay at a main kiosque according to the distance you will cover and then you just find the taxi, no fuss no muss. It's a good system.
Our hotel is very modern sort of European style. The rooms are streamlined, modern decor and modern washroom. We could be in Paris but in a bigger room, Paris rooms are tiny.
On Sunday we booked a tour to the Basilica de Guadeloupe and the ancient Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan. We were in a little van with a guide (all in Spanish of course) and 4 young people from Argentina and a retired Mexican engineer from Oaxaca. It can get very tiring listening and speaking in another language for an entire day but we managed very well. The Basilica was incredible in that because it was Sunday there was a service in full swing and so many faithfuls. Mexico is probably one of the most Catholic nations in the world and for the most part they are extremely devout, they practice their faith with a lot of fervor. There were so many people it was hard to walk. The main basilica is the biggest church in Latin America it can hold 40,000 people! Wow, they don't fool around. The old Basilica was slowly sinking under the weight of the worshipers hence the need to build a new one. It was built in honour of the vision had by an indigenous Christian convert named Juan Diego. History tells that the image of the virgin of Guadeloupe was emblazoned on his cloak. The Virgin de Guadeloupe is revered above all others and many pilgrims visit her shrine certain days of the year. Even if you're not religious it's still inspiring to witness the strength of their belief. The other great thing about this Virgin is that she's brown and therefore has a special place in the hearts of the indigenous people of Mexico.
Teotihuacan is an archeological zone about 50kms. outside of the centro. It sits in a valley with mountain range offshoots surrounding it. It's very dry, almost austere and it's difficult to imagine that it once represented what was possibly the biggest city of Mexico's pre-hispanic Empire. I won't describe it in great details, you can always look it up online if you're interested in having a look at it. It's very impressive. The city is laid out in a grid pattern, we climbed one of the first minor pyramids in the complex known as the Citadel but the much bigger pyramids loom large in the distance. The Pyramid of the Moon is smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun which is the world's third largest pyramid at 70m. high. I don't think the pictures we took will do it justice, it's hard to visualize just how high that is. It's also 222m.long at its base and needless to say I didn't climb it. Stan climbed the Pyramid of the Moon but didn't risk the bigger one. We let the young Argentinians have a go at it. We both had very sore thigh
muscles, the next day, from all the climbing we did.
In addition we also visited a workshop where they showed us the various uses for the Agave plant, truly a magical plant. The blue agave is what they make tequila from but there are many different varieties and one in particular which can be put to many uses giving water, fiber, glue, paper. It's an astonishing plant, I took some pictures hope they work out. It's very similar to an aloe vera plant but thicker. It was a very long day. We left at 9 and didn't get back till 5, we squeezed in "lunch" around 3 o'clock. Interacting in Spanish for the whole day also takes its toll,we're not as fluent as we would like to be but everybody assumes we are.
I forgot to write about our first impressions of the city on Saturday. We got out on the street and noticed throngs and throngs of people, what would have conceivably been labeled a demonstration in a Canadian city but in Mexico city was just business as usual on a Saturday.
It was a bit overwhelming. We've both been to great capitals but never one as crowded as this one. Paris and Rome feel relatively "empty" compared to this. The noise is pretty deafening and constant, it's like a buzz in the back of your head which can vary in intensity but never completely goes away. One of the most bizarre sounds you'll hear, if you visit, is that of the organ grinder. Apparently the Italians brought that musical instrument at the turn of the century and they still play those same old instruments. Organ grinding is, believe it or not, a profession of sorts here. There's the guy who does the grinding and the person, male or female who waves the cap hat for donations. Yes they both wear a "uniform" of sorts but the cap is an indispensable part. You hear that sound everywhere in the old colonial section of the city. If you don't like that sound don't bother coming here it will drive you insane, it's a miracle it hasn't driven those who do it insane but maybe it has.
The main zocalo is phenomenally big, the beating heart of the old city. We ended up there gawking and marveling at how huge it actually is after having seen it as the stage for so many demonstrations on television. There was a market of "artesenia" set up on one side of the cathedral and many scantily clad a la Aztec type warriors and shamans. One such shaman was busy doing a "cleansing ceremony" involving many traditional and medicinal herbs. He would light the herbs and pass the smoke over the person while doing an incantation. We actually had that done in Cuzco, Peru and in this case many people were willing to line up to feel the herbs' beneficial cleansing effects. Not sure it worked in our case but at least it didn't "hurt much".
I'm going to finish part one here. I didn't want to describe in great details, I'm not writing a
traditional travelogue. I'm more interested in trying to capture in words the feel of a place, not sure I'm succeeding. Will do part two tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Leaving Queretaro tomorrow
It's been two long months of travel. It does get a little trying at times living out of suitcases, Stan is starting to feel the strain. We decided not to stay in San Miguel for a number of reasons. The hotel we were able to get, with our car, was far away from the center and we didn't relish having to walk down to get something to eat each and every day, especially after having done that a lot while in Guanajuato.
San Miguel is apparently a haven for expatriates but while in the "jardin", San Miguel's version of a square, we only noticed a few here and there. I suppose they were mostly all ensconced in their fabulous villas bought at a time when it was still fairly cheap to settle here. Although San Miguel is pretty with lots of cobblestone streets, it's also bone dry. It sits in a desert valley where some plots are irrigated but the rest is mostly given up to cattle or to the birds. There is a "lake" which we could see in the distance from our hotel viewpoint. We took a tour on one of those little tramways and we were able to visit most of what makes San Miguel interesting. A long time ago there were many haciendas there many of which have been converted into hotels "de grand luxe". The cathedral is very interesting in that it has semi-gothic architecture on the outside, very unusual for Mexico. The inside did not reflect this however, no stained glass windows and no real flying buttresses, the same busy, ornate interior that we have come to expect from Mexican churches.
With its narrow sidewalks and buildings which hide much of what's inside San Miguel had a slightly claustrophobic feel to it. It's not that we didn't like it, it is pretty and a great example of colonial architecture but it just wasn't the town for us.
Queretaro, on the other hand, is quite splendid although I do have to qualify that statement somewhat. The colonial center is extremely well laid out, the rest of the city is plagued with the same problems plaguing most big cities here and elsewhere. Congestion, pollution, sanitation problems, too many people, not enough jobs although it does feel more prosperous than a lot of other cities we've been to but that might just be an illusion.
The colonial center of the city is quite big and flat because the city doesn't sit in a geographical location as dramatic as that for Guanajuato or even San Miguel. On the other hand it's a very walkable city with lots of little green spaces, plazas, coffee shops, fountains and an army of sweepers in green and orange, mostly women, keep it sparkling clean. They work at it from morning to night. It does instill a sense of civic pride in its citizens that's undeniable.
We visited two museums on Tuesday which happens to be a free day. We were more interested in the architecture of these old convents than in the art itself which consisted mostly of religious art. I've seen enough religious art to last me a lifetime, neither of us really cares for it but we dutifully took a look if only to remind ourselves how much we dislike it.
If you throw a coin in Queretaro it's sure to land on one of three things: a church,a shoe store or an optometrist/optician. The first one is obvious, so many churches here it's mind boggling and as far as we can tell none of them are too involved with helping the poor. No soup kitchens for instance and the need is certainly there. As for the second the women and men must be inordinately fond of footwear so plentiful are the shops. The third is a little more problematic and we haven't figured that one out yet. People do wear glasses here but not in huge quantities, it's puzzling why the need for so many eye doctors and eye stores.
One thing they sure lack is "lavanderias". We found only two in a huge radius and none of them could take our clothes because they were too overwhelmed with all the orders they had already.
That's another puzzle, the buildings are old, doubtful they have washer/dryers in them and yet.... One could make money just starting one of these babies up, no worries though it won't be us.
We were fortunate to meet two friends of Pedro, Monica and Oscar. We spent some time with Monica and she gracefully showed us around. We will be stashing our car in her house.
Oscar invited us for lunch and came to pick us up on Wednesday. He and his wife manage a stand in the market where they sell raw chickens. They have two little girls. We visited them in the market, they're quite expert a wielding that knife to cut up the chickens in parts that customers will want. They do this 7 days a week except for Christmas day and New Year. It seems like a hard life but they appear to be happy working alongside each other and making enough to send their two daughters to private school. I'm opposed to private schools on principle but public schools are severely underfunded in Mexico and I can understand wanting to provide the best for your child.
Our hotel was built in 1825 and is the oldest hotel in Queretaro. Unfortunately the bathroom stinks of "aguas negras" (sewer) which wasn't immediately apparent when we booked it. We've had to live with this shitty smell and literally breathe through our mouths when having to linger in there. Actually this pervasive odor is one that we encounter very often in the city. Obviously there are a lot of problems attached to disposing of waste material.
Today opposite our hotel there is an indigenous woman with a small 3 month old baby and a 4 year old boy who looks tiny for his age. I spent a bit of time observing passersby and pass by they do without even a backward glance. Indians are a forgotten and ignored majority here. It's not the first time I've observed this, Mexicans seldom give and apparently are quite good are ignoring as well. I went down to talk to her and gave her some money. I know I'm a friggin softhearted Liberal but I couldn't stand it. She's from some poor village, she didn't speak very good Spanish, she can't read or write, never went to school, what chances does she have and what chances will her children have? The newspaper today was filled with glowing pictures of the mostly white elite, so prosperous, so filled with a sense of their accomplishment and their right to the good life,the contrast is just so jarring.
Tomorrow we leave by bus for Mexico city. It's going to be a wild time, okay I'll amend that, not too wild but I'll be sure to blog about it, no worries.
San Miguel is apparently a haven for expatriates but while in the "jardin", San Miguel's version of a square, we only noticed a few here and there. I suppose they were mostly all ensconced in their fabulous villas bought at a time when it was still fairly cheap to settle here. Although San Miguel is pretty with lots of cobblestone streets, it's also bone dry. It sits in a desert valley where some plots are irrigated but the rest is mostly given up to cattle or to the birds. There is a "lake" which we could see in the distance from our hotel viewpoint. We took a tour on one of those little tramways and we were able to visit most of what makes San Miguel interesting. A long time ago there were many haciendas there many of which have been converted into hotels "de grand luxe". The cathedral is very interesting in that it has semi-gothic architecture on the outside, very unusual for Mexico. The inside did not reflect this however, no stained glass windows and no real flying buttresses, the same busy, ornate interior that we have come to expect from Mexican churches.
With its narrow sidewalks and buildings which hide much of what's inside San Miguel had a slightly claustrophobic feel to it. It's not that we didn't like it, it is pretty and a great example of colonial architecture but it just wasn't the town for us.
Queretaro, on the other hand, is quite splendid although I do have to qualify that statement somewhat. The colonial center is extremely well laid out, the rest of the city is plagued with the same problems plaguing most big cities here and elsewhere. Congestion, pollution, sanitation problems, too many people, not enough jobs although it does feel more prosperous than a lot of other cities we've been to but that might just be an illusion.
The colonial center of the city is quite big and flat because the city doesn't sit in a geographical location as dramatic as that for Guanajuato or even San Miguel. On the other hand it's a very walkable city with lots of little green spaces, plazas, coffee shops, fountains and an army of sweepers in green and orange, mostly women, keep it sparkling clean. They work at it from morning to night. It does instill a sense of civic pride in its citizens that's undeniable.
We visited two museums on Tuesday which happens to be a free day. We were more interested in the architecture of these old convents than in the art itself which consisted mostly of religious art. I've seen enough religious art to last me a lifetime, neither of us really cares for it but we dutifully took a look if only to remind ourselves how much we dislike it.
If you throw a coin in Queretaro it's sure to land on one of three things: a church,a shoe store or an optometrist/optician. The first one is obvious, so many churches here it's mind boggling and as far as we can tell none of them are too involved with helping the poor. No soup kitchens for instance and the need is certainly there. As for the second the women and men must be inordinately fond of footwear so plentiful are the shops. The third is a little more problematic and we haven't figured that one out yet. People do wear glasses here but not in huge quantities, it's puzzling why the need for so many eye doctors and eye stores.
One thing they sure lack is "lavanderias". We found only two in a huge radius and none of them could take our clothes because they were too overwhelmed with all the orders they had already.
That's another puzzle, the buildings are old, doubtful they have washer/dryers in them and yet.... One could make money just starting one of these babies up, no worries though it won't be us.
We were fortunate to meet two friends of Pedro, Monica and Oscar. We spent some time with Monica and she gracefully showed us around. We will be stashing our car in her house.
Oscar invited us for lunch and came to pick us up on Wednesday. He and his wife manage a stand in the market where they sell raw chickens. They have two little girls. We visited them in the market, they're quite expert a wielding that knife to cut up the chickens in parts that customers will want. They do this 7 days a week except for Christmas day and New Year. It seems like a hard life but they appear to be happy working alongside each other and making enough to send their two daughters to private school. I'm opposed to private schools on principle but public schools are severely underfunded in Mexico and I can understand wanting to provide the best for your child.
Our hotel was built in 1825 and is the oldest hotel in Queretaro. Unfortunately the bathroom stinks of "aguas negras" (sewer) which wasn't immediately apparent when we booked it. We've had to live with this shitty smell and literally breathe through our mouths when having to linger in there. Actually this pervasive odor is one that we encounter very often in the city. Obviously there are a lot of problems attached to disposing of waste material.
Today opposite our hotel there is an indigenous woman with a small 3 month old baby and a 4 year old boy who looks tiny for his age. I spent a bit of time observing passersby and pass by they do without even a backward glance. Indians are a forgotten and ignored majority here. It's not the first time I've observed this, Mexicans seldom give and apparently are quite good are ignoring as well. I went down to talk to her and gave her some money. I know I'm a friggin softhearted Liberal but I couldn't stand it. She's from some poor village, she didn't speak very good Spanish, she can't read or write, never went to school, what chances does she have and what chances will her children have? The newspaper today was filled with glowing pictures of the mostly white elite, so prosperous, so filled with a sense of their accomplishment and their right to the good life,the contrast is just so jarring.
Tomorrow we leave by bus for Mexico city. It's going to be a wild time, okay I'll amend that, not too wild but I'll be sure to blog about it, no worries.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Not so random observations
I just wanted to update my post of yesterday. I didn't want to make it too long, people might get discouraged at the length and stop reading them, we all know that time is precious.
Regarding Guanajuato although it is a pretty city not all of it is pretty of course. The one thing that does stand out for me is how incredibly difficult it must be to live there if you're old and infirm. The very steep streets are a challenge and we have noticed a lot of older people going poco a poco with some difficulty. Those who don't have cars usually walk to get their groceries and in the center the place to get your goods are found in the main market. The market was at least a good 20 min. walk from where our hotel was none of it easy. Of course there are buses but they seem very slow, the traffic is so congested that it's still faster to walk sometimes than sit on a slow moving bus. The buses are extremely noisy. I wonder how Guanajuato is going to make out in 10 years from now with more cars behind added to an already gridlocked situation.
There is so little parking available in the center that the city has allowed car owners to park in the main tunnels which makes for some very tricky driving. Rows and rows are parked down there, interestingly those tunnels would seem perfect for a late night robbery or assault but the crime against persons or property appears to be quite low. It's wonderful news when all one hears is how violence prone Mexico is.
In Guanajuato they seem to love cheesies to an inordinate extent. The cheesies here are like fat, nubby fingers but they're not gnarled, they are smooth. They store them in these humongous bags, I took a picture of them, it's hard to believe but they must eat cheesies by the bucket full and that's not exaggeration.
It was nice to see so many young people about. It's a vibrant, university town and it shows.
We didn't notice too many tourists around, if tourists there were they were mostly Mexicans from neighbouring towns or states. Certainly not as many gringos as on the coast.
The drive out of Guanajuato wasn't bad but it didn't go quite as smoothly as anticipated. We did however learn the Mexican word for roundabout it's called a "glorietta" we became acquainted with that "glorietta" twice once going through it and a second time when we had to turn back because we had taken the wrong exit. It is a very cute word.
Stan was ready to drive back home and I do admit it's very frustrating and hard. These colonial cities have narrow streets, parked cars on the side, topes,(speed bumps) everywhere, pedestrian crossings, pedestrians dashing across, kids, dogs, bikes, motorbikes, it's all very haphazard, it does get very stressful. Driving to the coast is one thing, relatively easy in retrospect, but driving in the interior is another kettle of fish altogether. Two years ago it's the reason why we sort of gave up after Lake Chapala and headed for the coast and then Baja California.
Baja California is really easy to drive through.
This time though we're not giving up but driving to Mexico City is definitely out of the question.
While driving to San Miguel we kept seeing people walking on the side of the road either in pairs or in groups, all sorts of people of all ages actually. You have to understand that there is nothing to walk to. Nothing for hundreds of Kms. it's a desert, there is no agriculture, just a little ranching. It starts getting greener and irrigated for crops around San Miguel. It was just so very puzzling, we wanted to know where they were going. Stan slowed the car and I asked.
It turns out they are pilgrims (pelegrinos) and they are walking for 9 days from San Miguel to San Juan de Lagos where the Virgin there is "muy milagrosa" (very miraculous). What an amazing sight. They walk with nothing, just the clothes on their back and the odd bag. We saw teens, women with infants, women with children, men, old and young, old women. Further up the road they were carrying banners and a portrait of this milagrosa virgin. They even have a roving "capilla" which is an ambulatory chapel. Wow! That's faith whether born of desperation or religious fervor it is faith indeed. More about San Miguel in a later post.
Regarding Guanajuato although it is a pretty city not all of it is pretty of course. The one thing that does stand out for me is how incredibly difficult it must be to live there if you're old and infirm. The very steep streets are a challenge and we have noticed a lot of older people going poco a poco with some difficulty. Those who don't have cars usually walk to get their groceries and in the center the place to get your goods are found in the main market. The market was at least a good 20 min. walk from where our hotel was none of it easy. Of course there are buses but they seem very slow, the traffic is so congested that it's still faster to walk sometimes than sit on a slow moving bus. The buses are extremely noisy. I wonder how Guanajuato is going to make out in 10 years from now with more cars behind added to an already gridlocked situation.
There is so little parking available in the center that the city has allowed car owners to park in the main tunnels which makes for some very tricky driving. Rows and rows are parked down there, interestingly those tunnels would seem perfect for a late night robbery or assault but the crime against persons or property appears to be quite low. It's wonderful news when all one hears is how violence prone Mexico is.
In Guanajuato they seem to love cheesies to an inordinate extent. The cheesies here are like fat, nubby fingers but they're not gnarled, they are smooth. They store them in these humongous bags, I took a picture of them, it's hard to believe but they must eat cheesies by the bucket full and that's not exaggeration.
It was nice to see so many young people about. It's a vibrant, university town and it shows.
We didn't notice too many tourists around, if tourists there were they were mostly Mexicans from neighbouring towns or states. Certainly not as many gringos as on the coast.
The drive out of Guanajuato wasn't bad but it didn't go quite as smoothly as anticipated. We did however learn the Mexican word for roundabout it's called a "glorietta" we became acquainted with that "glorietta" twice once going through it and a second time when we had to turn back because we had taken the wrong exit. It is a very cute word.
Stan was ready to drive back home and I do admit it's very frustrating and hard. These colonial cities have narrow streets, parked cars on the side, topes,(speed bumps) everywhere, pedestrian crossings, pedestrians dashing across, kids, dogs, bikes, motorbikes, it's all very haphazard, it does get very stressful. Driving to the coast is one thing, relatively easy in retrospect, but driving in the interior is another kettle of fish altogether. Two years ago it's the reason why we sort of gave up after Lake Chapala and headed for the coast and then Baja California.
Baja California is really easy to drive through.
This time though we're not giving up but driving to Mexico City is definitely out of the question.
While driving to San Miguel we kept seeing people walking on the side of the road either in pairs or in groups, all sorts of people of all ages actually. You have to understand that there is nothing to walk to. Nothing for hundreds of Kms. it's a desert, there is no agriculture, just a little ranching. It starts getting greener and irrigated for crops around San Miguel. It was just so very puzzling, we wanted to know where they were going. Stan slowed the car and I asked.
It turns out they are pilgrims (pelegrinos) and they are walking for 9 days from San Miguel to San Juan de Lagos where the Virgin there is "muy milagrosa" (very miraculous). What an amazing sight. They walk with nothing, just the clothes on their back and the odd bag. We saw teens, women with infants, women with children, men, old and young, old women. Further up the road they were carrying banners and a portrait of this milagrosa virgin. They even have a roving "capilla" which is an ambulatory chapel. Wow! That's faith whether born of desperation or religious fervor it is faith indeed. More about San Miguel in a later post.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Postcard from Guanajuato
We have been in Guanajuato for three lovely, fun filled days. The only part which was a little difficult was getting here. Read the directions wrong in Guadalajara,my fault, ended up circling around the peripherico till we finally figured out how to get the hell out of there. It's very frustrating at times, a car is nice to have but not always easy to manoeuvre in a city of millions harboring drivers with mostly bad driving habits. It's our second kick at the can when it comes to driving in Guadalajara and that can is getting pretty dented.
Guanajuato is a city built on hills, houses scramble up the hillside, there are only 3 main arteries which very inconveniently change names periodically. In addition there are countless smaller streets and the tiniest passageways which they euphemistically call "calleron". In other words it's still a calle of sorts. Guanajuato is situated at an altitude of 6000 ft. not as high as La Paz, Bolivia which at 10,000 ft is one of the highest capital in the world, nevertheless you can find yourself a little short of breath especially when climbing some of those steep hills or stairs.
Our hotel Posada Santa Barbara is lovely but it's a little far from the center and to get to the center we must navigate this very steep street, fine going down but murder coming back when you're tired, still I'm not complaining we could be battling a blizzard instead and or shoveling snow not to mention having to report to a job.
Yesterday we took a tour, all in Spanish with a few other Mexicans who were also visiting the city. We visited a "haunted house" built during the colonial era who's owner went mad when his wife died. He proceeded to kidnap young girls thinking they were his dead wife. When he saw that they weren't he killed them and eventually took his own life. All very macabre, lots of sound effects, it was pretty cool. Mexicans love this kind of ghoulish stuff.
Our next stop was a viewing of the Inquisition's favored tools for torturing people. All I can say is they were endlessly creative when it came to punishing people, especially women who strayed. It wasn't quite as graphic as the museum in Lima which I was very happy about.
In the heydays of Guanajuato mining was what made the town prosper. As a result of having found a very rich vein one of Guanajuato's patrons built this lavish church in a totally baroque style, very ornate and that's where we ended up next. I found it ironic that we went from torture initiated by the church to "venerating" in a church. The Inquisition was a brutal time and there's no erasing that history.
In between we visited a shop that sells sweets, they have a wide assortment of specialties typical of Guanajuato.
After the sweets and the Church we visited a very small part of the original mine called Valenciana and to which Guanajuato owed a lot of its riches. We went down approximately 70 meters which seemed like a lot till the guide told us that the original mine went down about 600 meters. Everything was done by hand,inhuman conditions, slavery really and very hard to imagine how so many endured. Of course they generally didn't have a choice,
Many miners died in La Valenciana bringing back the precious gold and silver while others got morbidly rich, nothing ever changes.
We ended our day with a view of the city from one of its highest points. When the sun sets and hits the houses just right, the houses look like little jeweled boxes of color in blues, pinks, reds, oranges, purples. Not all the houses are colored but enough are thus giving the city its distinctive look.
I forgot to mention that the famous painter Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato and we visited the house where he was born. The house contains a lot of his earlier works which map his trajectory as a painter and muralist. The only problem was that the lower level of the house stank of "aguas negras" (sewers) which marred our enjoyment a little bit. Guanajuato has kms. of tunnels, about 27 of them, you must go through some of those tunnels to get out of the city and they form like a labyrinth if you don't know where you're going. They were also used, at one time, as conduits for the "aguas negras", they haven't quite solved the problem of the smell entirely. Of course it doesn't stink everywhere but periodically one does get a whiff.
Today we explored more of the city and went to a lovely museum which celebrates the fictional character of Don Quijote. Guanajuato has a love affair with the writer Cervantes and D.Quijote is revered as a mythical, inspirational character. It was interesting to see how many different types of representations of the same character could be done, in pastels, bronze, oil,marble, wood, silver etc... We really enjoyed this museum, made me want to read the novel all over again. We also went to visit the famous Museum of the Mummies, these are the bodies of ordinary people which were found to have been mummified when the cemetery was being redone because there were too many bodies. Apparently something special in the soil of Guanajuato allows for some beautiful specimens of mummification. We didn't linger too long, Stan was not a fan at all.
It's all very macabre but Mexicans embrace death, they don't fear it, in so doing they embrace life. It's an interesting way to look at the time we spend in this world and yet welcome the after life.
Tomorrow we leave for San Miguel de Allende and we were seriously considering hiring a cab just to guide us out of here. However this evening we managed to get some pretty good directions so hopefully we won't be stuck endlessly circling in Guanajuato forever. It should be a piece of cake, I'm always an optimist. Will let you know how it went.
Guanajuato is a city built on hills, houses scramble up the hillside, there are only 3 main arteries which very inconveniently change names periodically. In addition there are countless smaller streets and the tiniest passageways which they euphemistically call "calleron". In other words it's still a calle of sorts. Guanajuato is situated at an altitude of 6000 ft. not as high as La Paz, Bolivia which at 10,000 ft is one of the highest capital in the world, nevertheless you can find yourself a little short of breath especially when climbing some of those steep hills or stairs.
Our hotel Posada Santa Barbara is lovely but it's a little far from the center and to get to the center we must navigate this very steep street, fine going down but murder coming back when you're tired, still I'm not complaining we could be battling a blizzard instead and or shoveling snow not to mention having to report to a job.
Yesterday we took a tour, all in Spanish with a few other Mexicans who were also visiting the city. We visited a "haunted house" built during the colonial era who's owner went mad when his wife died. He proceeded to kidnap young girls thinking they were his dead wife. When he saw that they weren't he killed them and eventually took his own life. All very macabre, lots of sound effects, it was pretty cool. Mexicans love this kind of ghoulish stuff.
Our next stop was a viewing of the Inquisition's favored tools for torturing people. All I can say is they were endlessly creative when it came to punishing people, especially women who strayed. It wasn't quite as graphic as the museum in Lima which I was very happy about.
In the heydays of Guanajuato mining was what made the town prosper. As a result of having found a very rich vein one of Guanajuato's patrons built this lavish church in a totally baroque style, very ornate and that's where we ended up next. I found it ironic that we went from torture initiated by the church to "venerating" in a church. The Inquisition was a brutal time and there's no erasing that history.
In between we visited a shop that sells sweets, they have a wide assortment of specialties typical of Guanajuato.
After the sweets and the Church we visited a very small part of the original mine called Valenciana and to which Guanajuato owed a lot of its riches. We went down approximately 70 meters which seemed like a lot till the guide told us that the original mine went down about 600 meters. Everything was done by hand,inhuman conditions, slavery really and very hard to imagine how so many endured. Of course they generally didn't have a choice,
Many miners died in La Valenciana bringing back the precious gold and silver while others got morbidly rich, nothing ever changes.
We ended our day with a view of the city from one of its highest points. When the sun sets and hits the houses just right, the houses look like little jeweled boxes of color in blues, pinks, reds, oranges, purples. Not all the houses are colored but enough are thus giving the city its distinctive look.
I forgot to mention that the famous painter Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato and we visited the house where he was born. The house contains a lot of his earlier works which map his trajectory as a painter and muralist. The only problem was that the lower level of the house stank of "aguas negras" (sewers) which marred our enjoyment a little bit. Guanajuato has kms. of tunnels, about 27 of them, you must go through some of those tunnels to get out of the city and they form like a labyrinth if you don't know where you're going. They were also used, at one time, as conduits for the "aguas negras", they haven't quite solved the problem of the smell entirely. Of course it doesn't stink everywhere but periodically one does get a whiff.
Today we explored more of the city and went to a lovely museum which celebrates the fictional character of Don Quijote. Guanajuato has a love affair with the writer Cervantes and D.Quijote is revered as a mythical, inspirational character. It was interesting to see how many different types of representations of the same character could be done, in pastels, bronze, oil,marble, wood, silver etc... We really enjoyed this museum, made me want to read the novel all over again. We also went to visit the famous Museum of the Mummies, these are the bodies of ordinary people which were found to have been mummified when the cemetery was being redone because there were too many bodies. Apparently something special in the soil of Guanajuato allows for some beautiful specimens of mummification. We didn't linger too long, Stan was not a fan at all.
It's all very macabre but Mexicans embrace death, they don't fear it, in so doing they embrace life. It's an interesting way to look at the time we spend in this world and yet welcome the after life.
Tomorrow we leave for San Miguel de Allende and we were seriously considering hiring a cab just to guide us out of here. However this evening we managed to get some pretty good directions so hopefully we won't be stuck endlessly circling in Guanajuato forever. It should be a piece of cake, I'm always an optimist. Will let you know how it went.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Adios Melaque
Tonight was our last night in Melaque. We had a lovely supper. Went out with our friends Carol and Max and sampled molcajetes which we had never had before. It's a stew which can have any number of ingredients including the meat of your choice and it comes steaming hot in a preheated lava bowl which you literally cannot touch or you will have a nasty surprise. Needless to say the unusual presentation is half the fun.
I have a few farewell thoughts to share on Melaque.
If you're into a laid back vacation by the ocean which won't cost you a bundle of money Melaque is definitely the town for you. Of course there are a few things you might have to be willing to put up with which are not so different than what you might encounter in many other Mexican towns.
Although they've made somewhat of an effort to spruce things up it's still a fairly dirty town but it's not as dirty as it used to be so that's a plus. There's even a bit of an effort made towards recycling plastics which is a scourge and a blight in all third and second world countries. We can thank petroleum for that wonderful gift.
Melaque has a lot of dogs which equals a lot of shit some of it pretty stinking big since although they love chihuahuas it's not their shit that gets noticed, plenty of other pedigreed and non pedigreed specimens around. They love their roosters. Mexican roosters don't go by a certain timetable, anytime of the day or night is good for crowing, you have to learn to tune them out.
Where we are there's also a goat and she adds to the general cacophony, once in a while the mule also kicks in for good measure. There's an army barrack near by and they play the trumpet regularly bright and early every morning, needless to say the playing is not concert hall material not by any great stretch of the imagination.
In Mexico and in Melaque there is no escaping the loud, boisterous parties which might be weekly occurrences, Mexicans love to party and they don't mind sharing the noise at all whether you want to party or not. Many people bring earplugs I just can't be bothered. When in Mexico....well you know the rest of that saying as well as I do.
You will never want for a place to eat, taco stands abound. There are pastry vendors on the streets at night selling slices of cakes and what could almost pass for creme caramel, not quite as good as the original but still very tasty. Of course there are also churros to fall back on,
fattening and greasy but I do enjoy the odd one or two.
The beach is lovely with waves suited to all abilities, great big monsters, medium size waves and gentle waves which lap and nibble at your toes. The weather is always hot and the sun is always shining. There is poverty here but there's also a lot of freedom and happiness, it's not all drab and hopeless. We're always amazed at how even tempered the vendors on the beach are. They plow that beach back and forth carrying their stuff that not too many people want, suffer through countless rejections and yet don't appear angry or even disappointed when you say "no gracias".
I would have put a bullet through my head a long time ago. We were trying to imagine an alternate scenario where all the vendors, mostly indigenous, sit under the palapas drinking beer, eating basically enjoying their "dolce farniente" while the gringos would be out there plowing the beach looking for potential customers. It did stir up some pretty humorous pictures in our heads even if it's never going to happen and truth be told I wouldn't want to trade places with them. It's a hard way to make a living, very hard.
I haven't blogged too much since being here because life has just been sweet and easy with nothing too much out of the ordinary to blog about. We've enjoyed it but we're getting itchy feet now and it's time to move on and explore new vistas. The beach can only sustain us for a while, we need to be stimulated anew, there's nothing like the thrill of discovery when you're traveling and that's certainly what I enjoy.
We're moving on so adios Melaque and Hola Guanajuato.
I have a few farewell thoughts to share on Melaque.
If you're into a laid back vacation by the ocean which won't cost you a bundle of money Melaque is definitely the town for you. Of course there are a few things you might have to be willing to put up with which are not so different than what you might encounter in many other Mexican towns.
Although they've made somewhat of an effort to spruce things up it's still a fairly dirty town but it's not as dirty as it used to be so that's a plus. There's even a bit of an effort made towards recycling plastics which is a scourge and a blight in all third and second world countries. We can thank petroleum for that wonderful gift.
Melaque has a lot of dogs which equals a lot of shit some of it pretty stinking big since although they love chihuahuas it's not their shit that gets noticed, plenty of other pedigreed and non pedigreed specimens around. They love their roosters. Mexican roosters don't go by a certain timetable, anytime of the day or night is good for crowing, you have to learn to tune them out.
Where we are there's also a goat and she adds to the general cacophony, once in a while the mule also kicks in for good measure. There's an army barrack near by and they play the trumpet regularly bright and early every morning, needless to say the playing is not concert hall material not by any great stretch of the imagination.
In Mexico and in Melaque there is no escaping the loud, boisterous parties which might be weekly occurrences, Mexicans love to party and they don't mind sharing the noise at all whether you want to party or not. Many people bring earplugs I just can't be bothered. When in Mexico....well you know the rest of that saying as well as I do.
You will never want for a place to eat, taco stands abound. There are pastry vendors on the streets at night selling slices of cakes and what could almost pass for creme caramel, not quite as good as the original but still very tasty. Of course there are also churros to fall back on,
fattening and greasy but I do enjoy the odd one or two.
The beach is lovely with waves suited to all abilities, great big monsters, medium size waves and gentle waves which lap and nibble at your toes. The weather is always hot and the sun is always shining. There is poverty here but there's also a lot of freedom and happiness, it's not all drab and hopeless. We're always amazed at how even tempered the vendors on the beach are. They plow that beach back and forth carrying their stuff that not too many people want, suffer through countless rejections and yet don't appear angry or even disappointed when you say "no gracias".
I would have put a bullet through my head a long time ago. We were trying to imagine an alternate scenario where all the vendors, mostly indigenous, sit under the palapas drinking beer, eating basically enjoying their "dolce farniente" while the gringos would be out there plowing the beach looking for potential customers. It did stir up some pretty humorous pictures in our heads even if it's never going to happen and truth be told I wouldn't want to trade places with them. It's a hard way to make a living, very hard.
I haven't blogged too much since being here because life has just been sweet and easy with nothing too much out of the ordinary to blog about. We've enjoyed it but we're getting itchy feet now and it's time to move on and explore new vistas. The beach can only sustain us for a while, we need to be stimulated anew, there's nothing like the thrill of discovery when you're traveling and that's certainly what I enjoy.
We're moving on so adios Melaque and Hola Guanajuato.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year with a bang
Actually more like a bang bang bang since they never seem to run out of firecrackers. They must spend a tidy fortune on those, we priced them out and they're not that cheap. We have it on great authority from a vendor that the Chinese ones are far superior to the homegrown variety, more expensive yes, but more BANG for your bucks.
New Year's Eve didn't feature a lavish party. We had a meal which I prepared, half a kilo of shrimps, wild and not flash frozen in Thailand like so many of the ones we get in Canada are. We drank a bottle of chilled white wine, Chilean, not bad a little fruity and not as dry as I would have liked but there isn't a whole lot of choice wine wise and the price at 72 pesos was more than reasonable.
We walked into town and spent time in the jardin which is that main square. There are still a lot of Mexican tourists but most of them have come by car, no more endless streams of buses.
While in the jardin we had some fun cataloging all the various ways in which Canadian laws are routinely broken in Mexico. I will provide a list and I'm sure I've missed some. Of course this is offered in fun, we love Mexico after all and that spirit of anarchy is what makes it so endearing and frustrating sometimes.
There are many infractions attached to driving.
1. Driving without a license (less common but it happens), insurance (quite frequent).
2. Wearing a seatbelt is law in Mexico but it is routinely disregarded and considered more optional than necessary particularly here in Melaque where we've noticed a lot of people don't even bother.
3. Drinking and driving,(common) drinking while driving (less frequent but it happens.)
4. Riding a motorcycle without a helmet, apparently it's also a law but again it's strictly up to you unless you get stop and ticketed. Some do wear a helmet but they're few and far between.
5. Driving with people in the back of your pickup is extremely common.
6. Three on a small scooter with the kid in front, quite common.
7. Making a full stop at a stop sign,it could happen but then it might not.
8. Not passing when there's a double line on the road, you still pass but you just floor it.
9. Wearing a helmet when riding a bicycle, please let's not even tackle this one, not even a remote possibility unless you watch a lot of American t.V. and want to emulate the lifestyle and have the means to do so.
Firecrackers:
Firecrackers have been completely forbidden in B.C. probably the same in the rest of Canada.
You just can't buy them anywhere even if you want to break the law. Here they're a dime a dozen. Mexicans are probably one of the biggest consumers of Chinese firecrackers in the world and they know their stuff.
They are everywhere and can go off at any time. Even when you're somewhat used to them those incredibly loud bangs can give your heart a run for its money. In fact while sitting in the jardin kids were lighting them up left and right. One took off, sailed over a wall and right into a house. Nobody irate came out so assume it was okay, that's the one good thing about building with bricks, houses don't burn down easily.
In another instance we were at the beach, that same night, watching a bunch of kids of all ages, lighting them up fearlessly when one sailed right over the crowd that was watching them. Nobody got hurt but it was still burning when it hit the crowd. Sometimes they don't detonate right away and kids poke and prod them till they do. Strangely there doesn't seem to be that many accidents involving firecrackers and if there are nobody reports them, unless they're really serious. Mostly they ignore the burns, it's all part of the fun, and just carry on.
Other random ways in which our laws are routinely broken. Buying a six pack of beer at a 7eleven type store, opening one beer and drinking it while waiting in line to pay. Come on that one's a definite winner. Setting up an improvised kitchen on the sidewalk right outside your house because you simply must cash in on those new arrivals who are thirsty and hungry. It doesn't matter how, when, where, why anybody pretty much can open a little stand and sell food and believe me they do. Chihuahuas are truly a beloved dog here and they are extremely portable which is an added bonus meaning you can take them everywhere even in restaurants (not fancy ones of course) in little pouches and that's totally fine. Of course dogs are allowed on the beach without restrictions and you never have to pick up their shit. We've only seen that done a couple of times on the malecon in Mazatlan other than that it's everybody for themselves and watch where you put your feet, much worse than in Paris any day of the week.
Drinking on the beach is not only allowed but encouraged. If you can't get to the booze the booze will come to you.
I've probably missed a lot of other infractions if I happen to note some more I'll add to this list again this is all in the spirit of fun. We're much too restricted in Canada where a state of hyper vigilance and control reigns supreme.
On another note we had heard that two passenger buses got hijacked on the quota (paying) highway out of Guadalajara. This was of interest to us since we will be driving in that direction. I made a few more inquiries and it turned out to be unsubstantiated rumors which is great news.
Bus jacking does happen but it's a pretty infrequent occurrence. Of course we're driving but it's good to know there aren't a bunch of banditos roaming the quotas.
Happy New Year, Feliz Ano Nuevo a todo.
=
New Year's Eve didn't feature a lavish party. We had a meal which I prepared, half a kilo of shrimps, wild and not flash frozen in Thailand like so many of the ones we get in Canada are. We drank a bottle of chilled white wine, Chilean, not bad a little fruity and not as dry as I would have liked but there isn't a whole lot of choice wine wise and the price at 72 pesos was more than reasonable.
We walked into town and spent time in the jardin which is that main square. There are still a lot of Mexican tourists but most of them have come by car, no more endless streams of buses.
While in the jardin we had some fun cataloging all the various ways in which Canadian laws are routinely broken in Mexico. I will provide a list and I'm sure I've missed some. Of course this is offered in fun, we love Mexico after all and that spirit of anarchy is what makes it so endearing and frustrating sometimes.
There are many infractions attached to driving.
1. Driving without a license (less common but it happens), insurance (quite frequent).
2. Wearing a seatbelt is law in Mexico but it is routinely disregarded and considered more optional than necessary particularly here in Melaque where we've noticed a lot of people don't even bother.
3. Drinking and driving,(common) drinking while driving (less frequent but it happens.)
4. Riding a motorcycle without a helmet, apparently it's also a law but again it's strictly up to you unless you get stop and ticketed. Some do wear a helmet but they're few and far between.
5. Driving with people in the back of your pickup is extremely common.
6. Three on a small scooter with the kid in front, quite common.
7. Making a full stop at a stop sign,it could happen but then it might not.
8. Not passing when there's a double line on the road, you still pass but you just floor it.
9. Wearing a helmet when riding a bicycle, please let's not even tackle this one, not even a remote possibility unless you watch a lot of American t.V. and want to emulate the lifestyle and have the means to do so.
Firecrackers:
Firecrackers have been completely forbidden in B.C. probably the same in the rest of Canada.
You just can't buy them anywhere even if you want to break the law. Here they're a dime a dozen. Mexicans are probably one of the biggest consumers of Chinese firecrackers in the world and they know their stuff.
They are everywhere and can go off at any time. Even when you're somewhat used to them those incredibly loud bangs can give your heart a run for its money. In fact while sitting in the jardin kids were lighting them up left and right. One took off, sailed over a wall and right into a house. Nobody irate came out so assume it was okay, that's the one good thing about building with bricks, houses don't burn down easily.
In another instance we were at the beach, that same night, watching a bunch of kids of all ages, lighting them up fearlessly when one sailed right over the crowd that was watching them. Nobody got hurt but it was still burning when it hit the crowd. Sometimes they don't detonate right away and kids poke and prod them till they do. Strangely there doesn't seem to be that many accidents involving firecrackers and if there are nobody reports them, unless they're really serious. Mostly they ignore the burns, it's all part of the fun, and just carry on.
Other random ways in which our laws are routinely broken. Buying a six pack of beer at a 7eleven type store, opening one beer and drinking it while waiting in line to pay. Come on that one's a definite winner. Setting up an improvised kitchen on the sidewalk right outside your house because you simply must cash in on those new arrivals who are thirsty and hungry. It doesn't matter how, when, where, why anybody pretty much can open a little stand and sell food and believe me they do. Chihuahuas are truly a beloved dog here and they are extremely portable which is an added bonus meaning you can take them everywhere even in restaurants (not fancy ones of course) in little pouches and that's totally fine. Of course dogs are allowed on the beach without restrictions and you never have to pick up their shit. We've only seen that done a couple of times on the malecon in Mazatlan other than that it's everybody for themselves and watch where you put your feet, much worse than in Paris any day of the week.
Drinking on the beach is not only allowed but encouraged. If you can't get to the booze the booze will come to you.
I've probably missed a lot of other infractions if I happen to note some more I'll add to this list again this is all in the spirit of fun. We're much too restricted in Canada where a state of hyper vigilance and control reigns supreme.
On another note we had heard that two passenger buses got hijacked on the quota (paying) highway out of Guadalajara. This was of interest to us since we will be driving in that direction. I made a few more inquiries and it turned out to be unsubstantiated rumors which is great news.
Bus jacking does happen but it's a pretty infrequent occurrence. Of course we're driving but it's good to know there aren't a bunch of banditos roaming the quotas.
Happy New Year, Feliz Ano Nuevo a todo.
=
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