Huatulco and Around

I haven’t written too much about Huatulco which is a lazy but not hazy kind of town. It’s perfect for the beach and if you just want to chill and be assured of perfectly hot, sunny weather with appropriately warm, limpid water and a few different swimming beaches to choose from. The beach we mostly go to is called Santa Cruz. By cab it costs 30 pesos which is about $2.00 so $4.00 there and back. It’s really not worth walking unless you want the exercise. Even in the early morning it’s already super hot and the tourist walkway to the beach doesn’t have a whole lot of shade. Mandatory water drinking and lots of stops along the way otherwise you get burned out. The bus is also available. Took it a couple of times coming back, costs 8 pesos per person so only half cheaper than taking a cab. I like to take the odd bus more for the experience than for saving money. The beaches are all outfitted with palapas, there is no natural shade on any of these beaches thus, not much of a choice. You pick your palapa and start ordering Cerveza which keeps them happy for a while. Actually it’s pretty good nobody’s ever tried to kick us out yet. The beach food is not great. Not a good idea to order either fish or shrimps. They are always prepared the same way with either butter, garlic, a la Veracruzana (tomatoes) diablo (piquante) ec....basically wherever we have been in Mexico these food items have been the norm if not the gold standard. Personally have never had the gold standard not even the plata standard maybe a little under the bronze category. Let’s just say we haven’t been lucky with food, invariably turn out to be a big disappointment. The guacamole was all right but the Nachos were a total disaster. We also went to another beach called La Entrega. This one is crescent shape and slightly bigger than Santa Cruz. It seems to be a favourite of many people here. There is more to see in terms of fish life if one is into snorkeling. Lots of rocks and little crevices where creatures can hide. Once again the water here is warm and crystal clear. Only problem is it’s further away and costs 60 pesos one way so about 9 to 10 bucks for a return trip. Not overly expensive for the distance but if you’re staying in Huatulco ,on a budget, it can start to add up. Yesterday we took a boat tour, on a Catamaran, to visit the 7 beautiful bays around Huatulco. They are truly magnificent with unspoiled, untouched gorgeous golden sand and turquoise waters. We saw the beach where the film Y Tu Mama Tambien was filmed, that was one of Alfonso Cuaron (he of Roma success) to reach a wide audience outside Mexico. The boat dropped us off, via a small launcha, to a beautiful beach where we could sit under a parasol and frolick in the water. We stayed there for about an hour and a half which was just perfect. Any longer and you fry. The sun is mucho mucho caliente. Off on the big boat again with beautiful vistas along the way. Jutting cragly rocks which resemble monstrous creatures of the deep, hazy mountains in the back and of course beautiful water with lazy,lapping waves. This time we were dropped off on another equally gorgeous beach where it was time to do some serious eating. Well not so serious in our case. We chose pechuga empanada (chicken breast lightly tossed in breadcrumbs) nothing too revolutionary. We have stayed away from fish and shellfish in general. Not that inspiring here. The fish filets we have had have been stringy and dry like the poor fish just couldn’t give enough. They do walk around with ostiones (oysters). We love oysters but the problem is with the walking around. You don’t know how long they’ve been sitting on that platter so best to stay away. Over our many travels in Mexico we have decided that we really don’t like Mexican food all that much. My favourite meal of the day here is usually breakfast because what can go wrong with eggs although the coffees is never good. We got back on the boat after two hours under the palapa which was cool. Gave the workers a time to rest and eat. Most of the tourists on the boat were from all over Mexico. There might have been a few Canadians in the bunch and even a couple of Americans but that’s about it. All in all a great trip for 350 pesos per person which is aground 23 dollars Canadian and well worth the money. The guys on the boat were great and beer ,water and other drinks were free of charge. I would definitely recommend his trip. I will post some of my photos on here. They’re not great, not a very good photographer and I was using an IPad. Hope you enjoyed reading this.

My Travels And A Little Bit of This And That: Huatulco Now

My Travels And A Little Bit of This And That: Huatulco Now: We arrived safely in Huatulco after a long but relatively painless time spent on the First Class Ado bus. For anybody who has never travell...

Huatulco Now

We arrived safely in Huatulco after a long but relatively painless time spent on the First Class Ado bus. For anybody who has never travelled in Mexico there is an extensive network o First Class buses which leave every time of day and night for anywhere and everywhere. If you take a First Class bus you go through security and your luggage is tagged and checked upon retrieval. It’s extremely safe and efficient unlike many other things in Mexico. This one works well. Many other destinations in Latin America offer the same kind of service. Argentina, Chile and Ecuador come to mind. Before getting into Huatulco I would be remiss if I don’t describe our visit of the Santo Domingo Church and Monsastery in Oaxaca. The Church is a study in Baroque excess as befits its location which was very important to the Church.The Church is only a small part of what forms an extensive labyrinth of courtyards and cloisters for the Dominican monks who lived there and worked on its construction. The Museum attached to the building now houses the Cultural Center of Oaxaca which features an impressive collection of pre-Columbian artefacts which was taken from an excavated tomb in the nearby archeological site of Monte Alban. (We visited that site last time we were in Oaxaca, not as extraordinary as other Zapotec sites, we preferred Mitla). The Museum is not only worth a visit for its priceless collection but also for the fact that it’s an architectural marvel which has been lovingly restored to its former splendour. In addition to the museum there is an ehno botanical garden which grows many of the plants native to the area as well a some others which can survive in this sometimes punishing climate. Apparently Oaxaca state is the best and most in many things. It has the most variety of peppers, the most variety of corn, the most variety of agave for Mescal and Tequila, the most indigenous groups, the most native languages spoken on and on it goes. It truly is a marvellous state and nobody can fault it fo it lacking in anything especially when it ones to the arts and food. Their different types of mole is famous worldwide. Huatulco is nothing like Oaxaca. The only culture to be had here is the beach culture although Zipolite and Puerto Angel are even better locations if that is all which one wants to do. The hotel whee we are is vey functional. The oom is big, two double beds, thee is a little balcony, television with cable and the WIFI is very good so far. We will be stayin around 20 days here and for 18 days the cost did not exceed $1000 and includes breakfast which is more than adequate. Whenever you get these package deals coffee is never ever good. It’s more like tepid slightly brownish sock juice although I have never had the latter. If you don’t go to a real coffee shop you’re out of luck when it comes to good coffee. We don’t really mind, kind of used to it. The town is called La Crucecita and it offers many restaurants, a nice zocalo, some ice cream shops and other hotels. It’s more than adequate for our needs. The closest swimmable beach can be walked to on this impressive tourist walkway built at great cost to the Mexican government when it had great hopes of turning Huatulco into a mega luxury destination. Although the town is popular with mostly Mexican and Canadian and American tourists, it’s no Cancun with its endless hordes of all inclusive patrons.which is a fine thing indeed. The weather here is much more reliable than in Cancun. At this time of the year it invariably hot and not too humid. It can get a trifle too hot but luckily we do have air conditioning in the room. It would be hard to survive without it. The little beach we have been walking to is called Santa Cruz and it’s a lovely little spit of sand. It’s not a huge beach for walking but it’s perfect for swimming with crystal clear water and no waves to speak of.There are many palapa restaurants to while away the hours, sipping a cold beer and eating guacamole. We won’t complain about the heat that would be downright unseemly considering the lousy weather Canada and parts of the U.S. are having. Tomorrow we will visit another beach, by cab. I will try and post some photos

Oaxaca

Notmuch has changed since we were in Oaxaca many many years ago. The buildings are still there, the great landmarks like the Santa Domingo Monasterio, the two Zócalos, the artesaniaia, the many galleries and yet....something has changed fundamentally in ways that one can’t always immediately discern.
There is much more of everything and that’s the problem. More art, more tours, more people trying to make a little living selling this and that, more street stalls, more expatriates roaming the streets, in short Oaxaca is losing a bit of its original charm.  If it’s not careful, and I don’t think it is, it is in danger of succumbing to the same problem that has afflicted many other too popular destinations.  Soon it will price itself out of the range of ordinary people if it hasn’t already.  Real estate agents or people with money are invetsting in apartment buildings to turn them into potential long term rentals for travelers or for Air B and B purposes.  A great money venture for some but for others it might mean moving out of the city altogether once it becomes no longer affordable.
It doesn’t make me feel any better, as a traveler, to notice the devastating impact this trend can have on local populations but there’s no stopping this.  People are on the move always eager to discover new places plus there is the definite appeal of the hot, predictably sunny weather, it’s manna for Canadians and Americans wanting to escape the cold, especially this year.
The city is incredibly lively, lots of street art, musicians, things to sample, eat and do.  The streets are vibrant with people.
Our hotel was in a bed and breakfast about a 10 minute walk from the hub. The walking was fine except when it got super hot even if it’s a dry heat it can really beat you down.
We took one tour  which lasted all day.  We saw El Tule the largest tweet in the world, magnificent.  I couldn’t take a good enough photo to render its size it was just too big to accommodate my screen.
The petrified waterfalls of Hierve El Agua , a freaky quirck of nature which allows the water loaded



with calcium carbonate and other intervals to be deposited much in the same way that waterfalls would look. It’s an impressive site indeed, not found anywhere else. We also visited the archeological site of Mitla, a series of courtyards and temples with four minor dwellings all bearing the original engravings. The toms were robbed many years ago of their more precious cargo but the etchings and carvings remains mysteriously seductive with their intricate symbolism.
Of course we also samples some Mezcal and were brought up to date on the ways in which this

essential alcohol is prepared.  Mezcal has gone up in price and popularity although still not as popular as Tequila but it does have its aficionados.  Personally not something I particularly enjoy although  some of it can be quite refined. The most expensive Mezcal was a relatively thin bottle made with wild agave can osting about 2,500 pesos which is about $172.00 Canadian.

Leaving Puebla plus a little bit of this and that

We have had a generally lovely time in Puebla. The old city center is very easy to navigate. We did take a tourist bus but we chose wisely this time. It was a Sunday, less traffic on the road and the trip only lasted a couple of hours, piece of cake after Mexico City.
We took a day trip as well to the town of Cholula where one can see the archeological remains of what was once reputed to be the greatest pyramid in the known world. Twice the size of the biggest pyramid in Egypt built by the Aztec civilization and almost entirely destroyed by the conquering Spaniards at the behest of the very powerful Catholic Church intent on eradicating any and all traces of the pagan civilization and their gods.
We visited a church not funded or recognized by the Catholic diocese because of some pagan sculptures still left intact including the head of a puma.  An itinerant priest comes once in a while invited and paid for by the community. There was a mass being celebrated there while we were in attendance with a fun Mariachi band to accompany the religious proceedings.
I haven’t mentioned much about the food. We are invariably disappointed but of course we are on a limited spending budget and can’t afford to spend on 5 star restaurants.  The options were better in Mexico City. More taco stands, more restaurants that served excellent breakfasts for very reasonable prices.
Puebla doesn’t have a lot of so-called street food, the emphasis appears to be on dulcerias or sweets. So many of these stores carrying he exact same items which is usually a trend all over Mexico. The stores which sell the same items all gather in one street competing against aach other. It doesn’t appear to make much sense but that’s how they like it.
There is a lot of culture for the aficionado of art and architecture. The buildings have been beautifully preserved and restored.  We went to a great museum today but we missed the Amparo museum, it’s closed exceptionally on a Tuesday. We leave for Oaxaca tomorrow. Hasta Luego todo.

Touribus and Mexico City Traffic

We wanted to take the Touribus again to explore a different area of Mexico City. The day started out fine, a little hazy and hard on your eyes due to the pollution which wasn’t as bad as might have been expected.  We did notice very few people smoke. With the altitude and the pollution it would be really hard on your lungs if you were a smoker, additionally it’s quite expensive.

We got on the bus, mostly Mexican tourists, we didn’t notice any other nationalities except for one couple from Quebec carrying a French guidebook.  The bus goes down one of the greatest avenues in Mexico City, la Reforma. It’s where all the big hotels are, lots of businesses have their headquarters there as well. There’s also a trendy mall with the usual assortment of brand names. Last time we were in the city there was a big demonstration heading for the government buildings in the zocalo and they sort of grouped around there. We just followed along with them. This time no demonstration and we didn’t get off the bus.

We wanted to link up with another tourbus which would take us past the Frida Kahlo museum and onto the barrio of El Angel which was described as quaint with cobblestone streets and where Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo shared tow different houses linked by a small bridge. Handy for those days when you jus can’t stand each other.

We got off in the district of Roma and if you have seen the film you might know that the houses don’t look like much from the outside but they reveal a huge expanse with an interior courtyard and often a garage of sorts. It was interesting to note how incredibly difficult making the film must have been. It’s not exactly filled with vintage cars, there’s lots of traffic, newer buildings,cafes, it’s thoroughly modern looking in fact. I remember reading that Alfonso Charon, the. Director, would have to try many many shots in order to get the one perfect shot right.

The Touribus to El Angel arrived, little did we know that we would be stuck on there for a while, much longer than anticipated. The barrio itself turned out to be quaint but there was only the one street, the  Frida Kahlo barrio was bigger and much prettier but we couldn’t get off there because the next bus would have been too long coming. Most people got off at the Blue House.  The rest of the trip was a bit of a blur except for the relentless traffic.  If you think anyone of the big cities in Canada is bad never ever come to Mexico City. Cars are allowed on alternate days according to license plates via the net which informs you. We were told this by a reliable source who also told us that the average household (read middle class and up) has 3 cars in order to accommodate this law. Not sure how effective it is but apparently fines are very very high. Every day there are new cars being added to the mix. It’s frightening.  We were stuck on that bus for what felt like forever, the Touribus that never ends. The company has also given up on providing different languages so it’s all in Spanish over the loudspeaker. At some point nobody gives a crap because they’re either sleeping, texting, playing with their phones or cursing the day they ever got on that bus.

Problem is even if you do get off you’re still stuck in traffic and it doesn’t go any faster by car plus we had already paid for the day.  It’s difficult to describe just how seriously bad the traffic is. We are talking bumper to bumper for kilometres and remember this is a gigantic city, lots of streets to cover. On the positive side the city is pretty clean, not much garbage lying around. People seem to be more predisposed to pick up their refuse and put it in the right bins, more recycling going on too. A lot of people use the bikes like they have in Montreal, they also have trotinettes which are electric and appear in the city here and there.  Not unusual to see someone wearing a suit on one of those and who cam blame him for leaving the car at home....

We finally got off in the Roma barrio and had an excellent burger with a cold refreshing Dos Equis beer. We were limited in terms of food option but that burger tasted very very good indeed.  Tomorrow will be Puebla time. We were happy to get back to our hotel and a pleasantly hot shower. Onward and upward.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Museums

Had a great day today but first a little note I want to bring to the attention of future travelers here. Mexico City is so huge that distances going from point A to point B can be really difficult to navigate by bus and metro especially when you don’t know the names of the streets and it’s never very clearly indicated on the buses.  We have had to rely mostly on taxis to get around. This is where the bulk of our expense has gone, excluding, of course, the hotel.  There is no way around that.  Last time we were here we did take the metro but they separate women from the men thus we were riding in different compartments and not too sure where we were to get off. Luckily we managed.  The buses come in different shapes, sizes and states, some not too great looking. Again way too complicated in a city this size.
Today we spent 45.00 in cab fare but that’s 3 cabs in total with an average time each ride of around 45 minutes.  Apparently a 45 minute cab ride is short in Mexico City.
We arrived at the Frida Kahlo Blue House where she spent a big part of her life. That was the first place where there was a crowd and some foreigners.  We had a little bit of a waiting time but it was well worth it.
The house itself is composed of many buildings, painted blue on the outside, with a beautiful spacious interior courtyard.
The Museum has many original Frida Kahlo paintings, including lithographs, photographs, her studio, with her iconic wheelchair, her bedroom and a number of the dresses called Tejuana dresses which she especially favoured.
Due to an accident which left her partially crippled she wore a lot of corsets which she decorated with many motifs some of them political. She remained a committed activist and Communist for most of her life.  I did take some photos with the IPad and will be attempting to post some later. Frida and Diego Rivera entertained a number of famous people in the Blue house.  One of the most famous guests was Trotsky with whom Frida had a brief affair. Trotsky was always concerned with the threat of assassination with good reason since he did end up with an icepick in his skull so Diego tried to accommodate him by buying the house next  to Frida which was very generous of him. There are many interesting photos of their time together.
The ticket booth was very weird with a mirror on one side and a little opening to talk so you couldn’t see who you were dealing with. I asked for the tickets in Spanish, guess my accent was pretty damn good because she asked how old we were. I responded with the truth which I won’t mention here but suffice it to say that we got in as Mexican citizens for the grand total of $2.64.  This ticket allowed us to visit the Diego Rivera museum in another part of town requiring anothert taxi.
The museum was designed by Rivera and is absolutely impressive. It’s built entirely of black volcanic rock recuperated from volcanic eruptions close to that area. It’s a massive building in the style of an Aztec pyramid with ceramic tile ceilings and alcoves filled with archeological treasures. There is a beautiful courtyard unadorned with plants or flowers except for three gorgeously huge  Aloe Vera plants.  There is also a sketch for a monumental mural consisting of 3 panels. It apparently represents one of the largest murals ever conceived.
A great day and with our previous cab waiting we headed back to El Centro. Traffic wasn’t bad at all. Tomorrow another adventure awaits.