Posts
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.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
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.
=
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Noel Melaque Style
Noel in Melaque is an exuberant outdoor affair. It starts with huge travel buses slowly rolling into Melaque on the 24th, mostly from Guadalajara we suspect since it's the closesty big city. Today the 26th, there are probably over 50 buses we didn't really do a count so it's a rough estimate. I think we're erring on the conservative side, hard to say but the population of Melaque has definitely swelled to fairly big proportions.
The 24th started out beautifully. Carol and Max who manage the bungalows where we're staying came here two years ago. Carol bought some toys for the neighbouring kids and last year it sort of went viral with over 100 kids showing up some from the town of Villa Obregon. This year, with the help of some local women, they decided to restrict it
to the Colonia of Primaveras. A Colonia is the Mexican term for neighbourhood. All the toys were organized in terms of gender and age. Kids started lining up around 10:00 am. They were very well behaved and even though it turned out to be a fairly long wait there was no pushing, shoving or crying. I have to say that I don't think our Canadian kids would have handled it quite as well. Mexicans, in general, have learned the art of patience. Patti, who owns the bungalows with her husband Andreas, had bought some buns and she was waiting for them to arrive along with some milky concoction flavored with strawberry. Both finally arrived and the handing out of the gifts proceeded without a hitch.
The children were delighted, it was a joy to see.
I took quite a few pictures and will post them on Picasa when I update my pictures.
The rest of the day was pretty mellow. We went to the beach and noted that the big crowds had not yet arrived. In the evening some of the older kids went a bit wild with firecrackers exploding all over the place as they played war throwing them fearlessly at each other. It was quite the cacophony but as per usual nobody complained. There was, however, an unfortunate accident. One of the kids, Andreas' son, got a second degree burn on his thigh when the ones he had in his pocket ignited. That incident put a damper on the whole affair and kids retreated to their respective houses. It's a little scary to see kids as young as five handling firecrackers but it's the norm here. Little kids appear to be much more competent, certainly not as protected and coddled as ours. Today we saw a little girl of 3 having come back from the corner store clutching a roll of toilet paper and some chips which she had just purchased. Scenes like that never cease to amaze us. Of course Melaque is small and people do look out for each other. Nevertheless I don't think I'll ever see a kid of 3 shopping by himself or herself in Summerland which is only slightly bigger than Melaque.
On the 25th, the buses started rolling in earnest and there were more revelers on the beach.
We staged our own little party at Bungalow Itzal. We had turkey, chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy, desert the whole enchilada in other words. It was very nice. We enjoyed it a lot, eating outside with stars shining above our heads. Later on we took a walk into town not knowing what to expect but it was business as usual. Most of the stores, restaurants were open trying to cash in on all this influx of tourists to their town.
It hasn't been easy to make a living lately for most businesses in Melaque, this arrival was definitely welcomed.
Today, boxing day, was probably the biggest day yet in terms of the crowds. The beach was packed
but the waves were still mellow and everybody was having a great time enjoying the sun, sea and sand. If they're coming from Guadalajara which is the 2nd. biggest city in Mexico they must appreciate it tremendously after possibly living under fairly cramped conditions.
Tonight I didn't cook. We went into town and had a dinner of barbeque ribs which were actually quite good. We wandered off near the Jardin which is the central square in Melaque.
It's nearly impossible to adequately describe the controlled chaos which reigns supreme in most of the town. Any house who has the space and desire can improvise itself instantly into a sidewalk taqueria. There is the pervasive sound of cleaver on wood chopping all matter of meat, organs and all, into stuffing for tacos. The Mexicans love to graze. They don't actually often sit down for a big meal but they do consume food, in smaller quantities, on a regular basis and when on holiday there's no holding back. Surprisingly one of the most popular stands was the crepe stand. Yes crepes have finally made their way to Melaque and they're extremely popular with neverending lineups of eager customers. I lined up today as well. After Bretagne where crepes reign supreme I just had to check these out. I took a crepe with Nutela and, indeed, it was very good. That little stand was making a killing having replaced churos, the sweet cinnamon sugary donut as the finger food of choice.
We slowly walked back home under a moonlit sky, a perfect end to a really good day.
Tomorrow we're off to another beach, by car, it's called Tenacotita, it should be another great day. Hope you're enjoying reading about our adventure. Don't forget to comment if you're so inclined. Merry post Christmas to all.
The 24th started out beautifully. Carol and Max who manage the bungalows where we're staying came here two years ago. Carol bought some toys for the neighbouring kids and last year it sort of went viral with over 100 kids showing up some from the town of Villa Obregon. This year, with the help of some local women, they decided to restrict it
to the Colonia of Primaveras. A Colonia is the Mexican term for neighbourhood. All the toys were organized in terms of gender and age. Kids started lining up around 10:00 am. They were very well behaved and even though it turned out to be a fairly long wait there was no pushing, shoving or crying. I have to say that I don't think our Canadian kids would have handled it quite as well. Mexicans, in general, have learned the art of patience. Patti, who owns the bungalows with her husband Andreas, had bought some buns and she was waiting for them to arrive along with some milky concoction flavored with strawberry. Both finally arrived and the handing out of the gifts proceeded without a hitch.
The children were delighted, it was a joy to see.
I took quite a few pictures and will post them on Picasa when I update my pictures.
The rest of the day was pretty mellow. We went to the beach and noted that the big crowds had not yet arrived. In the evening some of the older kids went a bit wild with firecrackers exploding all over the place as they played war throwing them fearlessly at each other. It was quite the cacophony but as per usual nobody complained. There was, however, an unfortunate accident. One of the kids, Andreas' son, got a second degree burn on his thigh when the ones he had in his pocket ignited. That incident put a damper on the whole affair and kids retreated to their respective houses. It's a little scary to see kids as young as five handling firecrackers but it's the norm here. Little kids appear to be much more competent, certainly not as protected and coddled as ours. Today we saw a little girl of 3 having come back from the corner store clutching a roll of toilet paper and some chips which she had just purchased. Scenes like that never cease to amaze us. Of course Melaque is small and people do look out for each other. Nevertheless I don't think I'll ever see a kid of 3 shopping by himself or herself in Summerland which is only slightly bigger than Melaque.
On the 25th, the buses started rolling in earnest and there were more revelers on the beach.
We staged our own little party at Bungalow Itzal. We had turkey, chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy, desert the whole enchilada in other words. It was very nice. We enjoyed it a lot, eating outside with stars shining above our heads. Later on we took a walk into town not knowing what to expect but it was business as usual. Most of the stores, restaurants were open trying to cash in on all this influx of tourists to their town.
It hasn't been easy to make a living lately for most businesses in Melaque, this arrival was definitely welcomed.
Today, boxing day, was probably the biggest day yet in terms of the crowds. The beach was packed
but the waves were still mellow and everybody was having a great time enjoying the sun, sea and sand. If they're coming from Guadalajara which is the 2nd. biggest city in Mexico they must appreciate it tremendously after possibly living under fairly cramped conditions.
Tonight I didn't cook. We went into town and had a dinner of barbeque ribs which were actually quite good. We wandered off near the Jardin which is the central square in Melaque.
It's nearly impossible to adequately describe the controlled chaos which reigns supreme in most of the town. Any house who has the space and desire can improvise itself instantly into a sidewalk taqueria. There is the pervasive sound of cleaver on wood chopping all matter of meat, organs and all, into stuffing for tacos. The Mexicans love to graze. They don't actually often sit down for a big meal but they do consume food, in smaller quantities, on a regular basis and when on holiday there's no holding back. Surprisingly one of the most popular stands was the crepe stand. Yes crepes have finally made their way to Melaque and they're extremely popular with neverending lineups of eager customers. I lined up today as well. After Bretagne where crepes reign supreme I just had to check these out. I took a crepe with Nutela and, indeed, it was very good. That little stand was making a killing having replaced churos, the sweet cinnamon sugary donut as the finger food of choice.
We slowly walked back home under a moonlit sky, a perfect end to a really good day.
Tomorrow we're off to another beach, by car, it's called Tenacotita, it should be another great day. Hope you're enjoying reading about our adventure. Don't forget to comment if you're so inclined. Merry post Christmas to all.
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