years ago when i was with the ny rangers (no i wasn't a player) we were playing the islanders and they had a defenceman named denis potvin. he was one of the best players in the game and was an all-star for many years. anyway, he had been charged with assaulting his wife and you knew the vocal guys in the end blues were going to make him pay. sure enough when he came out to start the game they started singing denny potvin beats his wife...doo dah, doo dah. i don't remember if his marriage survived that episode but it was a funny moment in a not funny story.
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Thursday, 11 August 2011
The U.S. Budget simplified...
The U.S. Budget simplified...
The U.S. Congress sets a federal budget every year in the trillions of dollars. Few people know how much money that is so here is a breakdown of federal spending in simple terms. Let's put the 2011 federal budget into perspective:
U.S. Income: $2,170,000,000,000
Federal budget: $3,820,000,000,000
New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000
National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
Recent budget cut: $ 38,500,000,000 (about 1 percent of the budget)
It helps to think about these numbers in terms that we can relate to.
Therefore, let's remove eight zeros from these numbers and pretend this is the household budget for the "Jones" family:
Total annual income for the Jones family: $21,700
Amount of money the Jones family spent: $38,200
Amount of new debt added to the credit card: $16,500
Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
Amount cut from the budget: $385
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
the dwarf
I rear-ended a car this morning.
So there we are alongside the road and slowly the driver gets out of the car... and you know how you just-get-sooo-stressed and life-stuff seems to get funny?
Yeah, well, I could NOT believe it . . . he was a DWARF! He storms over to my car, looks up at me and says, "I AM NOT HAPPY!".
So, I look down at him and say, "Well, which one are you then?"
............... and that's when the fight started . .
So there we are alongside the road and slowly the driver gets out of the car... and you know how you just-get-sooo-stressed and life-stuff seems to get funny?
Yeah, well, I could NOT believe it . . . he was a DWARF! He storms over to my car, looks up at me and says, "I AM NOT HAPPY!".
So, I look down at him and say, "Well, which one are you then?"
............... and that's when the fight started . .
Monday, 8 August 2011
common sense
Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offered the following:
"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told Becky Quick. "You just pass
a law that says, that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all
sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election."
"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told Becky Quick. "You just pass
a law that says, that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all
sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election."
funny
After a British man blew off the tip of a middle finger as he tried to remove a wart by using a shotgun, comedy writer Alex Kaseberg noted: “Good thing he didn’t have jock itch.”
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Friday, 5 August 2011
Homeward Bound . . .
so, sunday morning and we head to the airport to check in for our flight home. even the weather is sad we're leaving . . . yesterday for the first time and today especially, there are clouds in the sky and the smell of rain in the air. we arrived at the airport to find there are an awful lot of people in line . . . this could take a while. but only 40 minutes . . . pretty good considering there are four air transat flights leaving within the next three hours. they have lots of agents on duty and again we are impressed by the efficiency of it all.
we are seated in the second last row at the back of the plane and and very pleased to find it is quite spacious and i have lots of legroom. when the drink service started however, one french speaking flight attendant rammed her cart into the back and side of my seat. she apologized and we had a laugh. when the lunch service started she did it again, and apologized again . . . i told her practice makes perfect. she must have felt pretty bad because she wanted to give me a free cognac with my coffee but I told her i was ok and not to worry about it. she came back with a chocolate bar that i took, as nellie has been known to enjoy chocolate. the flight remains pretty uneventful until they started to serve coffee, juice and water during the last third of the flight and . . . and . . . she rams my seat again. ‘incroyable!’ she exclaims . . . i did say she was french. and i almost fell out of my seat laughing. when she worked her way back down the plane to us i pointed out to her that my seat actually stuck out into the aisle farther than the seat behind me. she must have felt better as I got a full can of juice and chips for each of us, as our fellow passengers looked on with envy.
we arrive back in alberta to find things just as we left them . . . snow on the ground and freaking cold! . . . sun may be shining but it was -14C with a wind chill making it feel like -29C . . . and thus ended a great trip.
we hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog as much as we had writing it. the pictures will be up soon and who knows . . . perhaps there will be more writing to come as we can’t wait to make plans for our next adventure. until then, all our best.
we are seated in the second last row at the back of the plane and and very pleased to find it is quite spacious and i have lots of legroom. when the drink service started however, one french speaking flight attendant rammed her cart into the back and side of my seat. she apologized and we had a laugh. when the lunch service started she did it again, and apologized again . . . i told her practice makes perfect. she must have felt pretty bad because she wanted to give me a free cognac with my coffee but I told her i was ok and not to worry about it. she came back with a chocolate bar that i took, as nellie has been known to enjoy chocolate. the flight remains pretty uneventful until they started to serve coffee, juice and water during the last third of the flight and . . . and . . . she rams my seat again. ‘incroyable!’ she exclaims . . . i did say she was french. and i almost fell out of my seat laughing. when she worked her way back down the plane to us i pointed out to her that my seat actually stuck out into the aisle farther than the seat behind me. she must have felt better as I got a full can of juice and chips for each of us, as our fellow passengers looked on with envy.
we arrive back in alberta to find things just as we left them . . . snow on the ground and freaking cold! . . . sun may be shining but it was -14C with a wind chill making it feel like -29C . . . and thus ended a great trip.
we hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog as much as we had writing it. the pictures will be up soon and who knows . . . perhaps there will be more writing to come as we can’t wait to make plans for our next adventure. until then, all our best.
Packing Day
when i got up this morning i noticed it was about +15C in oaxaca and -30C in lacombe . . . oh boy, i can’t wait to get home. NOT! after packing we went for lunch at a local pizzeria, in the area of the santo domingo cathedral, one of the 16th century churches in the city. as we were finishing our lunch, we heard a band playing and thought perhaps a parade was passing by. but no, it was a wedding celebration at the church. there was a small trumpet band, two persons dressed in huge mascot type, paper mache forms depicting the married couple and dancers in beautiful full skirt costumes. there were a lot of onlookers in the street . . . just another example of how easy it is to feel in a party mood here. i hope they have a good life together.
back at the casa, we said our goodbyes and headed for the airport for our flight back to cancun, via mexico city, where we were to overnight before our flight home sunday morning. i had booked and paid for a room at the courtyard marriot, close to the airport. the fun began as we entere the terminal and we were literally set upon by people yelling at us to use their services for transport. we were told everything from 'there is no shuttle to your hotel' to 'it will cost you $15US each, but come with me for a better price'. i booked this particular hotel because it did provide a shuttle service to and from the airport, so we knew we only had to find where the hotel shuttle would pick us up. but it can be confusing when people are calling to you and almost getting physical in your face and grabbing for your bags trying to direct you to them. it was a bit unnerving and not expected since this was a domestic flight arrival. we did not experience this coming into cancun from edmonton three weeks ago. anyway, we got the right shuttle to the hotel where i had booked and paid for a deluxe room with a king bed. carlos, at the front desk promptly told us there was a problem and would we accept a room with two double beds. seems there was some some sort of convention in town and they’ve had to juggle things. i told him ‘no, you should honour the reservation as it was made’. so, we stood around for a few minutes as he tried to figure his next move which eventually turned out to be upgrading us to a beautiful room with a king bed and other amenities. remember those stare down contests you had as a kid in school? i hope you won a few of them, because with certain types, it comes in handy. we settled in and watched a pretty good movie to get the past few hours of ‘flight head’ out of our systems. very noticeably though, the humidity in the air makes for a less comfortable sleep than that of the past two weeks.
back at the casa, we said our goodbyes and headed for the airport for our flight back to cancun, via mexico city, where we were to overnight before our flight home sunday morning. i had booked and paid for a room at the courtyard marriot, close to the airport. the fun began as we entere the terminal and we were literally set upon by people yelling at us to use their services for transport. we were told everything from 'there is no shuttle to your hotel' to 'it will cost you $15US each, but come with me for a better price'. i booked this particular hotel because it did provide a shuttle service to and from the airport, so we knew we only had to find where the hotel shuttle would pick us up. but it can be confusing when people are calling to you and almost getting physical in your face and grabbing for your bags trying to direct you to them. it was a bit unnerving and not expected since this was a domestic flight arrival. we did not experience this coming into cancun from edmonton three weeks ago. anyway, we got the right shuttle to the hotel where i had booked and paid for a deluxe room with a king bed. carlos, at the front desk promptly told us there was a problem and would we accept a room with two double beds. seems there was some some sort of convention in town and they’ve had to juggle things. i told him ‘no, you should honour the reservation as it was made’. so, we stood around for a few minutes as he tried to figure his next move which eventually turned out to be upgrading us to a beautiful room with a king bed and other amenities. remember those stare down contests you had as a kid in school? i hope you won a few of them, because with certain types, it comes in handy. we settled in and watched a pretty good movie to get the past few hours of ‘flight head’ out of our systems. very noticeably though, the humidity in the air makes for a less comfortable sleep than that of the past two weeks.
Black Pottery and Wood Carvings
well, it’s our last full day in oaxaca city and we decided to check out the nearby towns of san bartolo coyotepec, famous for it’s production of mexican black pottery, and san martin telcajete, known for it’s woodcarvers. we called our friend federico to drive us and he arrives in the same volkswagen wagon. i notice his old car has 530,000 km on it and it’s only a 2004 model. it really is a beater and he tells us he hopes his boss will replace it and get him a newer car later this year as promised.
as we drove out i thought about some of the commercialization we have found here. coca-cola is everywhere and so is frito lay and its line of products, but pepsi is almost non existent. there are often two convenience stores in a single block and just as often as not, cookies, coke and chips is all they sell. we have seen burger king, domino's pizza, and of course mcdonalds. combined with lots of tortillas and corn products i imagine the mexican people are getting bigger and probably not in the way they want. cigarettes, like home, are not as visible but booze, in particular mescal, is everywhere . . . it seems that many of the corporations promoting the ‘bad for you’ food products are extending their reach, i fully expect a trip to the amazon to feature burgers and fries shops all up and down the river soon . . . if they’re not there already.
when we arrived at the large pottery market we were surprised to see only a handful of the more than fifty stalls open, and quickly learned that friday is ‘baking’ day. most of the artisans are off firing their week’s work in the community kilns. it turned out to be a blessing in that the artists who were there were able to spend time showing us their craft. at one stall, the lady got into a discussion with federico and soon they were exchanging phone numbers. it seems they reached some sort of agreement that included federico bringing his clients directly to her and she agreeing to give a small demonstration of her skills, which no doubt will increase her sales . . . it certainly made an impression on us. she had the form of a tall cylindrical vase that she used to show us her technique. with just a few rudimentary tools . . . an exacta knife, another knife blade with no handle, a nail file, and a bottle cap . . . she very quickly started her markings and drawings of flowers and suns. after she etched them in the clay she used one of her cutting tools to remove the flower petals and then the end of a pencil to mark some circles depicting the sun and stars around the flower. fascinating to watch, and certainly gave us a new appreciation for the finished piece. she told us that this particular piece would take her seven to eight hours to complete, start to finish, and she would sell it for about 150pesos . . . only $12.50 canadian. can you imagine?? we thanked her for her time, left a tip, and browsed amongst some of the other stalls. a lot of the work is similar but each artisan seems to have their particular pattern. some even have a trademark which they embed somewhere onto their finished work. bonnie was looking for a couple of large decorative pieces for their home in huatulco and she is going home happy as she found what she wanted. we went back to guatalupe, who had given us the demo, and chose a small piece to pack back home . . . we left her with a big smile knowing that her new sales technique has paid off.
we then went on to the village of san martin tilcajete and spent some time with zeny fuentes and his wife reyna, who create beautiful woodcarvings and ‘alebrije’. as is typical of many households in this village, the whole family is involved . . . he carves, she paints, and zeny is teaching one of the children, an eleven year-old daughter, to carve just as he learned from his father. alebrije is a spanish word meaning ‘imaginary’ or ‘fantasy’. it is used to describe a style of fanciful and surreal animal carvings with near psychedilic paint. when we have seen these carvings in the past or in the markets in oaxaca city, i have always thought they were very colourful but had odd shapes and sizes. they often depict exaggerated view of various animals found in the region. again, watching the process, however, and getting an intimate demonstration, we have a new appreciation for the art. zeny explained some of his pieces. his wife, reyna, showed us some of her techniques and explained the symbols in her paintings . . . depictions of the sun, air, water and other natural things are found on most of their work. she can spend several weeks painting the delicate pictures on any one carving depending on it’s size. she used tiny brushes and maguey spines . . . that look like toothpicks, but are from the maguey plant (same one they make mescal from) . . . for the delicate work. a lot pricier than the pottery we've just seen, depending on the size, but a lot of work goes into these and each one is unique.
this couple also own the ugliest mutt on the planet. it is an aztec dog that is black and completely bald except for a tuft of very thin hair on its head. hyenas look like miss universe contestants compared to this dog . . . UGLY!
after shopping we were back at the casa for an afternoon nap around the pool. then out for a delicious and expensive supper . . . coconut shrimp and margaritas. whenever we spend a lot of money on a meal i always wonder why i’m hungry after we leave the restaurant. in case you were wondering . . . we did find a coffee shop and finish with cappuccinos and dessert. this may be a hard habit to break.
as we drove out i thought about some of the commercialization we have found here. coca-cola is everywhere and so is frito lay and its line of products, but pepsi is almost non existent. there are often two convenience stores in a single block and just as often as not, cookies, coke and chips is all they sell. we have seen burger king, domino's pizza, and of course mcdonalds. combined with lots of tortillas and corn products i imagine the mexican people are getting bigger and probably not in the way they want. cigarettes, like home, are not as visible but booze, in particular mescal, is everywhere . . . it seems that many of the corporations promoting the ‘bad for you’ food products are extending their reach, i fully expect a trip to the amazon to feature burgers and fries shops all up and down the river soon . . . if they’re not there already.
when we arrived at the large pottery market we were surprised to see only a handful of the more than fifty stalls open, and quickly learned that friday is ‘baking’ day. most of the artisans are off firing their week’s work in the community kilns. it turned out to be a blessing in that the artists who were there were able to spend time showing us their craft. at one stall, the lady got into a discussion with federico and soon they were exchanging phone numbers. it seems they reached some sort of agreement that included federico bringing his clients directly to her and she agreeing to give a small demonstration of her skills, which no doubt will increase her sales . . . it certainly made an impression on us. she had the form of a tall cylindrical vase that she used to show us her technique. with just a few rudimentary tools . . . an exacta knife, another knife blade with no handle, a nail file, and a bottle cap . . . she very quickly started her markings and drawings of flowers and suns. after she etched them in the clay she used one of her cutting tools to remove the flower petals and then the end of a pencil to mark some circles depicting the sun and stars around the flower. fascinating to watch, and certainly gave us a new appreciation for the finished piece. she told us that this particular piece would take her seven to eight hours to complete, start to finish, and she would sell it for about 150pesos . . . only $12.50 canadian. can you imagine?? we thanked her for her time, left a tip, and browsed amongst some of the other stalls. a lot of the work is similar but each artisan seems to have their particular pattern. some even have a trademark which they embed somewhere onto their finished work. bonnie was looking for a couple of large decorative pieces for their home in huatulco and she is going home happy as she found what she wanted. we went back to guatalupe, who had given us the demo, and chose a small piece to pack back home . . . we left her with a big smile knowing that her new sales technique has paid off.
we then went on to the village of san martin tilcajete and spent some time with zeny fuentes and his wife reyna, who create beautiful woodcarvings and ‘alebrije’. as is typical of many households in this village, the whole family is involved . . . he carves, she paints, and zeny is teaching one of the children, an eleven year-old daughter, to carve just as he learned from his father. alebrije is a spanish word meaning ‘imaginary’ or ‘fantasy’. it is used to describe a style of fanciful and surreal animal carvings with near psychedilic paint. when we have seen these carvings in the past or in the markets in oaxaca city, i have always thought they were very colourful but had odd shapes and sizes. they often depict exaggerated view of various animals found in the region. again, watching the process, however, and getting an intimate demonstration, we have a new appreciation for the art. zeny explained some of his pieces. his wife, reyna, showed us some of her techniques and explained the symbols in her paintings . . . depictions of the sun, air, water and other natural things are found on most of their work. she can spend several weeks painting the delicate pictures on any one carving depending on it’s size. she used tiny brushes and maguey spines . . . that look like toothpicks, but are from the maguey plant (same one they make mescal from) . . . for the delicate work. a lot pricier than the pottery we've just seen, depending on the size, but a lot of work goes into these and each one is unique.
this couple also own the ugliest mutt on the planet. it is an aztec dog that is black and completely bald except for a tuft of very thin hair on its head. hyenas look like miss universe contestants compared to this dog . . . UGLY!
after shopping we were back at the casa for an afternoon nap around the pool. then out for a delicious and expensive supper . . . coconut shrimp and margaritas. whenever we spend a lot of money on a meal i always wonder why i’m hungry after we leave the restaurant. in case you were wondering . . . we did find a coffee shop and finish with cappuccinos and dessert. this may be a hard habit to break.
Men's Day . . . At Last
so here it is another beautiful morning and i’m sitting by the pool trying to catch up on the blog.
a most extraordinary thing has happened. dale has a cold and i guess the exertion of eating breakfast has been too much for him, because he has gone for a nap. and you’re just not going to believe this . . . nellie comes to me and says since dale is napping and since she knows that i don’t really want to go shopping, she and bonnie are going and will be back in a few hours. I’M IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE ! to think all I had to do was bring a shopping buddy for nellie and i wouldn’t have had to go at all.
so the girls go off shopping and dale and I do some very important man stuff . . . drinking coffee and solving many of the worlds problems. by early afternoon we had worked up quite a hunger so we went out for pizza and a beer. we ran into the ladies on our way back and it was suggested that we check out the ‘chocolate street’ where there are many shops making and selling chocolate to eat or drink.
after fighting through the crowds in and around the mercado benito juarez we chose a ‘majordomo’ outlet to step into. we ordered a cold chocolate drink, similar to a tim’s ice cap, only chocolate not coffee . . . unfortunately, we were served by two young gals who had an attitude and clearly displayed that they’d be just as happy if we weren’t there. this is the first time we have experienced this kind of ‘non’ service on this trip. feeling a little bummed, we headed out of the area entirely and went in search of a particular spot bonnie had seen earlier in the day where the ladies could finally have some lunch. we finally found it . . . it's now mid-afternoon, and they each enjoy their fill on tlayudas . . . large crisp tortillas . . . one filled wifth chicken and black mole and the other with cactus, stringy cheese and beans. tired from the long walk and the heat we all headed back to our casa for some much needed relaxation for the rest of the afternoon.
later, we went out for a very nice dinner, sitting upstairs in a restaurant still decorated for valentines day. we started with soup and it was served in a way i haven`t seen before . . . i ordered chicken broth with rice and they brought a bowl with a mound of chicken, a mound of rice and a mound of peppers and spices, then the waiter poured the broth over the contents and the result was a delicious soup.
we finished up with the traditional cappuccino and dessert and headed home with a little sadness in our step knowing we have only a day and a half left in oaxaca.
a most extraordinary thing has happened. dale has a cold and i guess the exertion of eating breakfast has been too much for him, because he has gone for a nap. and you’re just not going to believe this . . . nellie comes to me and says since dale is napping and since she knows that i don’t really want to go shopping, she and bonnie are going and will be back in a few hours. I’M IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE ! to think all I had to do was bring a shopping buddy for nellie and i wouldn’t have had to go at all.
so the girls go off shopping and dale and I do some very important man stuff . . . drinking coffee and solving many of the worlds problems. by early afternoon we had worked up quite a hunger so we went out for pizza and a beer. we ran into the ladies on our way back and it was suggested that we check out the ‘chocolate street’ where there are many shops making and selling chocolate to eat or drink.
after fighting through the crowds in and around the mercado benito juarez we chose a ‘majordomo’ outlet to step into. we ordered a cold chocolate drink, similar to a tim’s ice cap, only chocolate not coffee . . . unfortunately, we were served by two young gals who had an attitude and clearly displayed that they’d be just as happy if we weren’t there. this is the first time we have experienced this kind of ‘non’ service on this trip. feeling a little bummed, we headed out of the area entirely and went in search of a particular spot bonnie had seen earlier in the day where the ladies could finally have some lunch. we finally found it . . . it's now mid-afternoon, and they each enjoy their fill on tlayudas . . . large crisp tortillas . . . one filled wifth chicken and black mole and the other with cactus, stringy cheese and beans. tired from the long walk and the heat we all headed back to our casa for some much needed relaxation for the rest of the afternoon.
later, we went out for a very nice dinner, sitting upstairs in a restaurant still decorated for valentines day. we started with soup and it was served in a way i haven`t seen before . . . i ordered chicken broth with rice and they brought a bowl with a mound of chicken, a mound of rice and a mound of peppers and spices, then the waiter poured the broth over the contents and the result was a delicious soup.
we finished up with the traditional cappuccino and dessert and headed home with a little sadness in our step knowing we have only a day and a half left in oaxaca.
Monte Alban
we were surprised to learn this morning that yesterday afternoon there was a riot in the area of the zocalo, but still very close to our neighbourhood as well, as protesters were demonstrating . . . something . . . i’m not quite sure what . . . hoping to make their point during the president’s visit. unfortunately, they left a path of destruction along the way . . . spray paint on some of the walls of many of the beautiful colonial buildings, broken concrete in and around the zocalo where they must have used sledge hammers, and evidence of the spot where they lit a police car on fire. apparently, the police had to come in with full riot gear, hotels and shops were boarded shut, and they hurried people off the streets. would have been a little scary to be around at the time, I’m sure. the protesters were mainly from a particular teachers’ union and this is the same group that also caused trouble here in 2006. i can’t really comment, as i don’t fully understand the scope of the problems . . . i just wish these people could find a more peaceful way to resolve their issues.
our friends bonnie and dale will be arriving by bus from huatulco this evening to spend a few days with us. they have visited the city before and we have learned that they have already visited the ruins at monte alban which is one that we had earmarked before leaving home. so we decided today would be a good time to go. monte alban is considered to be one of the best ruin sites in mexico. after our bus trip to the market on sunday we figured we understood how to travel by bus in oaxaca . . . so we decided to go by bus. the central bus terminal is only about 10 blocks away so we set out on foot. in the searing 30 degree heat we really felt that we had accomplished something making it all the way without medical intervention . . . and of course no bus problems.
i spotted a bus with monte alban on the front, across the street, so we made our way thru the maze of buses. we checked with the driver, as best we could, to make sure this bus was taking us to the right place . . . to which he said `no problem` (I hate that phrase) . . . and that he would take us to within 2km of the entrance and another bus would take us the rest of the way. so, we climbed aboard . . . so far, no bus problems.
monte alban is on top of a mountain so we enjoyed the view on the way up although it was quite a climb on a twisting, turning and tope filled road. when our bus reached the end of its line the driver showed us where to wait for the bus that would take us the rest of the way . . . so far, no bus problems.
fortunately we had a covered shelter and a slight breeze so we enjoyed looking out at panoramic view of the city and the valley from the this mountainside perch. but, after about half an hour and no bus, we came to the conclusion that we now in fact . . . had a bus problem. just about the time we were thinking we would have to take one of the city buses back down and try again another way, a tour van came by and the driver very thankfully stopped and asked if we were trying to get to the ruins site. he explained that no buses went further than this spot after noon and of course it was now about 1pm. he was very nice, spoke english and happened to be going to pick up a pre-arranged fare. he made sure we knew where and when to catch the bus back down and the amount of the fare . . . and then, didn’t even charge us for the ride.
we have been most fortunate over the years to visit many beautiful and interesting places but monte alban is close to the top of my list. it is said to rank among the most regal and spectacular ruined cities. it sits on top of the mountain and has defences placed at every conceivable place that invaders might strike. even though there is no other flat area anywhere on the mountain these folks had a flat central courtyard about the size of 4 or 5 football fields. there is also evidence that they terraced the sides of the mountain to grow produce. the entire site is huge, i`m guessing many square miles. it is estimated this hilltop city was inhabited and ruled the valley from about 500bc to 750ad. over those centuries it was repeatedly re-constructed wih new walls, plazas, and staircases. it is a spectacular site. . . if you ever get a chance . . . be sure to visit.
after a delicious late afternoon lunch, we got our bus back down to the city . . . no more bus problems . . . and walked the 10 blocks home . . . very satisfied.
our friends bonnie and dale will be arriving by bus from huatulco this evening to spend a few days with us. they have visited the city before and we have learned that they have already visited the ruins at monte alban which is one that we had earmarked before leaving home. so we decided today would be a good time to go. monte alban is considered to be one of the best ruin sites in mexico. after our bus trip to the market on sunday we figured we understood how to travel by bus in oaxaca . . . so we decided to go by bus. the central bus terminal is only about 10 blocks away so we set out on foot. in the searing 30 degree heat we really felt that we had accomplished something making it all the way without medical intervention . . . and of course no bus problems.
i spotted a bus with monte alban on the front, across the street, so we made our way thru the maze of buses. we checked with the driver, as best we could, to make sure this bus was taking us to the right place . . . to which he said `no problem` (I hate that phrase) . . . and that he would take us to within 2km of the entrance and another bus would take us the rest of the way. so, we climbed aboard . . . so far, no bus problems.
monte alban is on top of a mountain so we enjoyed the view on the way up although it was quite a climb on a twisting, turning and tope filled road. when our bus reached the end of its line the driver showed us where to wait for the bus that would take us the rest of the way . . . so far, no bus problems.
fortunately we had a covered shelter and a slight breeze so we enjoyed looking out at panoramic view of the city and the valley from the this mountainside perch. but, after about half an hour and no bus, we came to the conclusion that we now in fact . . . had a bus problem. just about the time we were thinking we would have to take one of the city buses back down and try again another way, a tour van came by and the driver very thankfully stopped and asked if we were trying to get to the ruins site. he explained that no buses went further than this spot after noon and of course it was now about 1pm. he was very nice, spoke english and happened to be going to pick up a pre-arranged fare. he made sure we knew where and when to catch the bus back down and the amount of the fare . . . and then, didn’t even charge us for the ride.
we have been most fortunate over the years to visit many beautiful and interesting places but monte alban is close to the top of my list. it is said to rank among the most regal and spectacular ruined cities. it sits on top of the mountain and has defences placed at every conceivable place that invaders might strike. even though there is no other flat area anywhere on the mountain these folks had a flat central courtyard about the size of 4 or 5 football fields. there is also evidence that they terraced the sides of the mountain to grow produce. the entire site is huge, i`m guessing many square miles. it is estimated this hilltop city was inhabited and ruled the valley from about 500bc to 750ad. over those centuries it was repeatedly re-constructed wih new walls, plazas, and staircases. it is a spectacular site. . . if you ever get a chance . . . be sure to visit.
after a delicious late afternoon lunch, we got our bus back down to the city . . . no more bus problems . . . and walked the 10 blocks home . . . very satisfied.
Weaving and Big ‘Ol Trees
today was quite an interesting day for a number of different reasons . . . we hired a local taxi driver, federico, to take us out to some ruins and a town famous for its weaving. we had made these arrangements a few days ago, but since meeting our new friends, mitch and Karen from philadelphia, we invited them to join us for the day and they accepted.
as we were leaving the city federico stopped and pointed out a mural depicting the life of a past president of mexico, benito juarez, who was a local zapotec indian and served five terms from 1858 to 1872. the mural is a mosaic and completely constructed of tiny little tiles. . . very beautiful. he also told us the current president, felipe calderon, would be in oaxaca today for the dedication of the university and some other official business.
we visited two more ruin sites today . . . mitla and yagul. they were spectacular in their own way . . . it is interesting to note some similarities to the ruins we saw earlier. the basic layouts are all similar as obviously they all take advantage of whatever high ground they have to provide defences for the settlement. they also all feature ball courts where a type of handball was played. even though they have discovered these ball courts at all of the ruin sites we have visited, no one is really sure of the rules or even how the game was played . . . another mystery, I guess. if you have an archaeological bent and a strong imagination, you could probably write about these games, make up a good story and become famous for it. at yagul, nellie was able to follow a rocky path leading and climb to a higher vantage point looking over the entire site and the surrounding valley. federico joined her and they reported to the rest of us that the view was spectacular.
we went on to teotitlan, where federico lives. here every household is involved in the weaving business . . . and the people here are relatively well off as a result . . . rugs, table runners and wall hangings. federico, when not driving taxi, is also a third generation weaver. today he has brought along some of his own creations in hopes of a sale. these are very labour intensive, and in federico’s case, often taking as long as one month to produce just one rug. they can be very pricey items.
we stop for lunch at a spot recommended by mary jane and we invite federico to join us. he is very grateful, almost shy about accepting. he most certainly enjoyed his feast though as he cleaned off every scrap on his plate and finished most of the contents of a basket of tortillas as well. as mitch explained to him . . . he left a ‘very happy plate’. he obviously doesn’t get to enjoy a meal like this every day. after lunch, we head off to the home of an aunt of federico’s where he has arranged for a demonstration of the process of dying the wools used for the weaving. he very quickly sees that she has not waited for us as the house is empty. scratching his head, he heads back out onto the road and we right away see a fellow he knows. speaking in zapotec . . . his native tongue . . . he arranges that we can stop at this fellow’s place to get the promised demonstration. here we meet demitrio and his wife who have a small factory at their home, as well as a few rooms to rent.
‘cochineal’ dye is the source of the bright reds in many of the oaxaca weavings. it is produced from the bodies of the scale insect, which thrives on the thick leaves of the prickly pear cactus. because it is a natural product . . . as opposed to synthetic . . . it is also becoming more popular in north america as a natural food and for use in cosmetic coloring (lipsticks for example). there are cochineal farms in the area southwest of oaxaca city. between demitrio and his wife, we are shown the whole process of the crushing of the insect and the effect of adding a little citrus juice and/or baking soda. by controlling the ph level of the solution they can produce up to 160 shades of red. all the other colours they use at this shop are produced only from other natural sources.
we finished the day at tule, home to the famed ‘el tule’, the largest tree in latin america, and possibly the oldest. this gargantuan mexican cypress has a house sized trunk and branches that reach 15 stories high. the claim is that the huge tree is about 2,000 years old. i guess it’s possible . . . but do they use carbon dating? who knows. i always thought you had to count the rings to date a tree, and of course if you had to cut the tree down to do so . . . it would become the worlds oldest, used to be living, now dead, tree. anyway, it is spectacular and bigger even that the balboa trees we saw in africa.
after supper I could tell you that we went for a stroll and cappachinos and a shared dessert . . . but . . . if you’ve been reading along with us, you already know that.
as we were leaving the city federico stopped and pointed out a mural depicting the life of a past president of mexico, benito juarez, who was a local zapotec indian and served five terms from 1858 to 1872. the mural is a mosaic and completely constructed of tiny little tiles. . . very beautiful. he also told us the current president, felipe calderon, would be in oaxaca today for the dedication of the university and some other official business.
we visited two more ruin sites today . . . mitla and yagul. they were spectacular in their own way . . . it is interesting to note some similarities to the ruins we saw earlier. the basic layouts are all similar as obviously they all take advantage of whatever high ground they have to provide defences for the settlement. they also all feature ball courts where a type of handball was played. even though they have discovered these ball courts at all of the ruin sites we have visited, no one is really sure of the rules or even how the game was played . . . another mystery, I guess. if you have an archaeological bent and a strong imagination, you could probably write about these games, make up a good story and become famous for it. at yagul, nellie was able to follow a rocky path leading and climb to a higher vantage point looking over the entire site and the surrounding valley. federico joined her and they reported to the rest of us that the view was spectacular.
we went on to teotitlan, where federico lives. here every household is involved in the weaving business . . . and the people here are relatively well off as a result . . . rugs, table runners and wall hangings. federico, when not driving taxi, is also a third generation weaver. today he has brought along some of his own creations in hopes of a sale. these are very labour intensive, and in federico’s case, often taking as long as one month to produce just one rug. they can be very pricey items.
we stop for lunch at a spot recommended by mary jane and we invite federico to join us. he is very grateful, almost shy about accepting. he most certainly enjoyed his feast though as he cleaned off every scrap on his plate and finished most of the contents of a basket of tortillas as well. as mitch explained to him . . . he left a ‘very happy plate’. he obviously doesn’t get to enjoy a meal like this every day. after lunch, we head off to the home of an aunt of federico’s where he has arranged for a demonstration of the process of dying the wools used for the weaving. he very quickly sees that she has not waited for us as the house is empty. scratching his head, he heads back out onto the road and we right away see a fellow he knows. speaking in zapotec . . . his native tongue . . . he arranges that we can stop at this fellow’s place to get the promised demonstration. here we meet demitrio and his wife who have a small factory at their home, as well as a few rooms to rent.
‘cochineal’ dye is the source of the bright reds in many of the oaxaca weavings. it is produced from the bodies of the scale insect, which thrives on the thick leaves of the prickly pear cactus. because it is a natural product . . . as opposed to synthetic . . . it is also becoming more popular in north america as a natural food and for use in cosmetic coloring (lipsticks for example). there are cochineal farms in the area southwest of oaxaca city. between demitrio and his wife, we are shown the whole process of the crushing of the insect and the effect of adding a little citrus juice and/or baking soda. by controlling the ph level of the solution they can produce up to 160 shades of red. all the other colours they use at this shop are produced only from other natural sources.
we finished the day at tule, home to the famed ‘el tule’, the largest tree in latin america, and possibly the oldest. this gargantuan mexican cypress has a house sized trunk and branches that reach 15 stories high. the claim is that the huge tree is about 2,000 years old. i guess it’s possible . . . but do they use carbon dating? who knows. i always thought you had to count the rings to date a tree, and of course if you had to cut the tree down to do so . . . it would become the worlds oldest, used to be living, now dead, tree. anyway, it is spectacular and bigger even that the balboa trees we saw in africa.
after supper I could tell you that we went for a stroll and cappachinos and a shared dessert . . . but . . . if you’ve been reading along with us, you already know that.
Valentine's Day
today was kind of a relaxing day. nellie went for a walk, i slept in and we later walked over to the local market for some fruit. one mexican peso equals about 8 and half cents depending on the daily exchange rate. today, among other things, we bought 4 oranges for 4 pesos, three tomatoes for 6 pesos and a huge bag of strawberries for 20 pesos. Most often, we have shopped for produce in the nearby market but we have been told that to get the truly fresh, or organic, items we should buy from the women who sit on the sidewalks. today, it was the strawberries that we bought from a woman selling on the street.
now the fruit and produce here does not look the same as at home. there’s not as much concern about displaying only the perfect coloured or shaped items, and a few bruises here and there just don’t matter . . . the oranges and mandarins look like what we would throw out at our supermarkets as they don’t do any waxing or use preservatives the way they do in north america. although the result is often that things may not look great, they certainly taste delicious and sure sell at great prices. how is it that i’m not even retired yet but I’m starting to think like a senior . . . can 4pm buffet dinners be far off?
after a nice stir fry supper we went out for what has become a staple . . . cappuccino and a shared dessert. oh, and it was slightly overcast and only got to 29 degrees today. there was a breeze blowing in the evening so I wore a sweatshirt to ward off the cold? what a weenie lol.
valentine’s day may be a special day in north america, but in mexico it is another huge celebration. as we headed out for our evening stroll we found literally thousands of people on the streets in a very festive mood. the ever present street vendors now had bunches of flowers and roses to sell, street performers were out in full force, music and some dancing . . . it’s true that in mexico you are never far from a celebration.
now the fruit and produce here does not look the same as at home. there’s not as much concern about displaying only the perfect coloured or shaped items, and a few bruises here and there just don’t matter . . . the oranges and mandarins look like what we would throw out at our supermarkets as they don’t do any waxing or use preservatives the way they do in north america. although the result is often that things may not look great, they certainly taste delicious and sure sell at great prices. how is it that i’m not even retired yet but I’m starting to think like a senior . . . can 4pm buffet dinners be far off?
after a nice stir fry supper we went out for what has become a staple . . . cappuccino and a shared dessert. oh, and it was slightly overcast and only got to 29 degrees today. there was a breeze blowing in the evening so I wore a sweatshirt to ward off the cold? what a weenie lol.
valentine’s day may be a special day in north america, but in mexico it is another huge celebration. as we headed out for our evening stroll we found literally thousands of people on the streets in a very festive mood. the ever present street vendors now had bunches of flowers and roses to sell, street performers were out in full force, music and some dancing . . . it’s true that in mexico you are never far from a celebration.
Bus Trips, Market Shopping (sigh), and Grasshoppers
there are colourful country markets in nearly every town around oaxaca . . . each one having it’s own day. one of the largest and oldest is the sunday market at tlachalula, about 40 km east of oaxaca . . . one we were told is a ‘MUST see’. so I hope that explains the ‘why’ about why am I out of bed early on a sunday morning, on a vacation day, to go shopping . . . again. well, that and the forever tolling church bells that I’m now beginning to think are tolling for me.
the market was huge, thousands of people, and went on as far as my eye could see . . . and when we got that far it went on and on with wings and areas extending off the main. we snapped a few pictures when we were sure not to offend anyone, but they cannot capture for you the smells, colours and sounds. there, one can buy anything . . . what are you looking for? a hand sewn yoke for your oxen, parts for your kitchen sink . . . maybe a new dress?, some music? batteries? toys for the children? how about a live turkey for dinner? or, would you rather have chicken? live? bbq’d? or, a home fryer? or perhaps just some baby chicks to raise yourself and decide how to feast on them later? of course, no market is complete without a large and varied array of colourful fruits and vegetables, tortillas, flowers and food stalls.
all through the market you can hear the sounds of whistles, chickens, and the hundreds of vendors shouting their list of goods and/or menus for everyone to hear.
the taste testers were lots of fun . . . not like the ones at costco. besides the sunday market, tlachalula is also renowned for mescal . . . and they push it with free samples all throughout the market. as well, food that I couldn’t even begin to describe, never mind pronounce. one i can remember, clearly, are the mounds of spiced ‘chapulines’ . . . better known in our world as grasshoppers. i can tell you, from personal experience . . . yes, another first . . . they do not taste like chicken . . . more like bacon bits . . . very salty, and can be very spicy, depending on the vendor. they apparently provide a much needed additional portion of protein in the diet of many locals.
that tasty little snack didn’t quite fill the hole in our tummies, so we stopped at one of the many food stalls . . . this one away from the main crowds. after watching a woman perform the full process of grabbing a handful of dough from a pail at her side, to pressing it into a tortilla, and then grilling it on what would be described as an hibachi if it were on one of our backyard decks, we enjoyed an order of tortilla filled with the famous oaxacan cheese and what I believe were squash flowers. she seated us at a table beside her cooking setup where there was a cabbage salad and an array of salsas. a well spent 15 pesos.
behind the market was a church . . . although in mexico, it’s safe to say there is always a church . . . it is huge and looked interesting so we walked over hoping to have a look inside . . . but forgetting it was just after noon on a sunday . . . guess what was going on? so not wanting to intrude (or get yelled at by the priest) we just left quietly and embarked on our little journey back home.
now there are a couple of ways to get there. you can pay a taxi driver about 200 pesos and he will drive you to the market, wait while you shop and look around, then drive you home. another way is to take a taxi to the bus station . . . 40 pesos, take a bus out to tlachalula . . . 24 pesos, take a bus back to oaxaca . . . 24 pesos, miss your stop and get thrown off the bus at the end of the run, take another bus . . .11 pesos, but get the directions wrong and end up in the wrong part of town, take another bus . . . you’re right, another 11 pesos, and have the driver blow through your stop but finally get off a couple of blocks later (with the help of a few locals on the bus who heard us clearly, even when the driver did not) and then walk home. guess which option we chose?
riding a bus here is interesting, as most times there is a driver and a second guy who kind of roves . . . calling out the stops and who helps collect the fares. they also allow local vendors to come onto the bus and peddle their wares . . . to a captive audience . . . and they pay the driver when they are ready to get off. everyone is always hustling here.
it was an adventure and an adventure is always worth the effort.
we finished the day with an evening stroll for cappuccino with mitch and karen our new guest house neighbours, and now friends, who are here from the Philadelphia area.
the market was huge, thousands of people, and went on as far as my eye could see . . . and when we got that far it went on and on with wings and areas extending off the main. we snapped a few pictures when we were sure not to offend anyone, but they cannot capture for you the smells, colours and sounds. there, one can buy anything . . . what are you looking for? a hand sewn yoke for your oxen, parts for your kitchen sink . . . maybe a new dress?, some music? batteries? toys for the children? how about a live turkey for dinner? or, would you rather have chicken? live? bbq’d? or, a home fryer? or perhaps just some baby chicks to raise yourself and decide how to feast on them later? of course, no market is complete without a large and varied array of colourful fruits and vegetables, tortillas, flowers and food stalls.
all through the market you can hear the sounds of whistles, chickens, and the hundreds of vendors shouting their list of goods and/or menus for everyone to hear.
the taste testers were lots of fun . . . not like the ones at costco. besides the sunday market, tlachalula is also renowned for mescal . . . and they push it with free samples all throughout the market. as well, food that I couldn’t even begin to describe, never mind pronounce. one i can remember, clearly, are the mounds of spiced ‘chapulines’ . . . better known in our world as grasshoppers. i can tell you, from personal experience . . . yes, another first . . . they do not taste like chicken . . . more like bacon bits . . . very salty, and can be very spicy, depending on the vendor. they apparently provide a much needed additional portion of protein in the diet of many locals.
that tasty little snack didn’t quite fill the hole in our tummies, so we stopped at one of the many food stalls . . . this one away from the main crowds. after watching a woman perform the full process of grabbing a handful of dough from a pail at her side, to pressing it into a tortilla, and then grilling it on what would be described as an hibachi if it were on one of our backyard decks, we enjoyed an order of tortilla filled with the famous oaxacan cheese and what I believe were squash flowers. she seated us at a table beside her cooking setup where there was a cabbage salad and an array of salsas. a well spent 15 pesos.
behind the market was a church . . . although in mexico, it’s safe to say there is always a church . . . it is huge and looked interesting so we walked over hoping to have a look inside . . . but forgetting it was just after noon on a sunday . . . guess what was going on? so not wanting to intrude (or get yelled at by the priest) we just left quietly and embarked on our little journey back home.
now there are a couple of ways to get there. you can pay a taxi driver about 200 pesos and he will drive you to the market, wait while you shop and look around, then drive you home. another way is to take a taxi to the bus station . . . 40 pesos, take a bus out to tlachalula . . . 24 pesos, take a bus back to oaxaca . . . 24 pesos, miss your stop and get thrown off the bus at the end of the run, take another bus . . .11 pesos, but get the directions wrong and end up in the wrong part of town, take another bus . . . you’re right, another 11 pesos, and have the driver blow through your stop but finally get off a couple of blocks later (with the help of a few locals on the bus who heard us clearly, even when the driver did not) and then walk home. guess which option we chose?
riding a bus here is interesting, as most times there is a driver and a second guy who kind of roves . . . calling out the stops and who helps collect the fares. they also allow local vendors to come onto the bus and peddle their wares . . . to a captive audience . . . and they pay the driver when they are ready to get off. everyone is always hustling here.
it was an adventure and an adventure is always worth the effort.
we finished the day with an evening stroll for cappuccino with mitch and karen our new guest house neighbours, and now friends, who are here from the Philadelphia area.
I Wanna Be A Cowboy
. . . . and apparently, I am. yup, we went horseback riding on some mountain trails above oaxaca.
as we said earlier, mary jane and bobby, who own the guest house where we are staying also own a horse ranch and, even though horseback riding was not on our bucket list, we added it and crossed it off all in one day. pretty darn efficient if you ask me. it was really quite remarkable. first, that we did it at all . . . second, it was a great time! the countryside is really beautiful, and third we enjoyed it so much . . . would definitely do it again.
rancho pitaya . . . named for the dragonfruit cacti that line the back (top) of the property . . . is only about 15 kms outside of the city, and here we see the more typical, north american thought of, mexican country way of life . . . the motto being ‘ if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it . . . and the farmers move their goods and themselves around on horse (or donkey) drawn carts. we saw a few of these on the last stretch of road coming onto the ranch property.
now, you are probably thinking the horse would take one look at me and say “no way buddy . . . you’re not climbing on my back” . . . you know, in horsey talk. but, it seemed I won her heart . . . with a handful of alfalfa, which is local grown and fresh cut from one of the many farms adjacent to the ranch. if I had known about this trick with girls I would have had way more fun in high school . . . who knew?
after quick instructions on getting on . . . apparently mounting on either side is ok, the more common left side mount doesn’t matter to all horses, especially if you’re not carrying swords on your belt . . . and a lesson on knowing how to start, turn and stop the horse, we were assigned our mounts. . . nellie on centurion, charlie on samba, and our riding mate, michael on mambo. i never did find the signal lights though. of course, everyone just climbed on their horses and their feet fit nicely into the stirrups . . . mine had to be lowered until we were almost out of room to drop them further. just another reminder of my failed dream to become a jockey. and, we were on our way.
looking out over the valley, blocking out the pueblo’s below, i couldn’t help but picture myself as john wayne’s companion in search of renegade indians. after i said so . . . everyone took a turn at spotting the likely apache lookout around the next bend in the trail.
we saw so many different types of cactus and other plants on our ride. . . it really does not do the countryside justice when you blast past in a car on the highway. one type of cactus, columnar, which grows straight and tall is often used as fence posts in the area because when you cut it down and replant it to make a fence it just takes root and happily grows in its new location. there is not much wildlife in the area . . . some coyotes and iguanas but bobby, our guide, says he has never seen a rattlesnake in the area.
after the ride we enjoyed some lemonade on the porch and viewed the newly constructed guest houses. all the structures on the property are constructed of brick, which are made right here on the ranch. they use horse manure, dirt and water to make the bricks and along with some decorative stones, also all from the property and hills around, the result is beautiful buildings, which stay cool in the summer heat, and blend in with the natural habitat.
when we got back to town we hung around the pool for the afternoon and then headed to the zocalo for supper. the mexicans are such festive and social people . . . there is always something going on at the park. tonight it was a display of thai kick boxing which drew a number of spectators to one end of the square as well as the usual eating, drinking and family fun. we went to a restaurant on the second floor of a corner building with large arched floor to ceiling window openings on two walls, giving a full view of the park below, where we enjoyed a delicious fish filet dinner. afterwards we strolled through the stalls selling jewellery and clothes . . . are you starting to get the feeling that I’m just here on a three week shopping trip?? . . . and ended the evening with a cappachino at one of our favorite cafes.
as we said earlier, mary jane and bobby, who own the guest house where we are staying also own a horse ranch and, even though horseback riding was not on our bucket list, we added it and crossed it off all in one day. pretty darn efficient if you ask me. it was really quite remarkable. first, that we did it at all . . . second, it was a great time! the countryside is really beautiful, and third we enjoyed it so much . . . would definitely do it again.
rancho pitaya . . . named for the dragonfruit cacti that line the back (top) of the property . . . is only about 15 kms outside of the city, and here we see the more typical, north american thought of, mexican country way of life . . . the motto being ‘ if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it . . . and the farmers move their goods and themselves around on horse (or donkey) drawn carts. we saw a few of these on the last stretch of road coming onto the ranch property.
now, you are probably thinking the horse would take one look at me and say “no way buddy . . . you’re not climbing on my back” . . . you know, in horsey talk. but, it seemed I won her heart . . . with a handful of alfalfa, which is local grown and fresh cut from one of the many farms adjacent to the ranch. if I had known about this trick with girls I would have had way more fun in high school . . . who knew?
after quick instructions on getting on . . . apparently mounting on either side is ok, the more common left side mount doesn’t matter to all horses, especially if you’re not carrying swords on your belt . . . and a lesson on knowing how to start, turn and stop the horse, we were assigned our mounts. . . nellie on centurion, charlie on samba, and our riding mate, michael on mambo. i never did find the signal lights though. of course, everyone just climbed on their horses and their feet fit nicely into the stirrups . . . mine had to be lowered until we were almost out of room to drop them further. just another reminder of my failed dream to become a jockey. and, we were on our way.
looking out over the valley, blocking out the pueblo’s below, i couldn’t help but picture myself as john wayne’s companion in search of renegade indians. after i said so . . . everyone took a turn at spotting the likely apache lookout around the next bend in the trail.
we saw so many different types of cactus and other plants on our ride. . . it really does not do the countryside justice when you blast past in a car on the highway. one type of cactus, columnar, which grows straight and tall is often used as fence posts in the area because when you cut it down and replant it to make a fence it just takes root and happily grows in its new location. there is not much wildlife in the area . . . some coyotes and iguanas but bobby, our guide, says he has never seen a rattlesnake in the area.
after the ride we enjoyed some lemonade on the porch and viewed the newly constructed guest houses. all the structures on the property are constructed of brick, which are made right here on the ranch. they use horse manure, dirt and water to make the bricks and along with some decorative stones, also all from the property and hills around, the result is beautiful buildings, which stay cool in the summer heat, and blend in with the natural habitat.
when we got back to town we hung around the pool for the afternoon and then headed to the zocalo for supper. the mexicans are such festive and social people . . . there is always something going on at the park. tonight it was a display of thai kick boxing which drew a number of spectators to one end of the square as well as the usual eating, drinking and family fun. we went to a restaurant on the second floor of a corner building with large arched floor to ceiling window openings on two walls, giving a full view of the park below, where we enjoyed a delicious fish filet dinner. afterwards we strolled through the stalls selling jewellery and clothes . . . are you starting to get the feeling that I’m just here on a three week shopping trip?? . . . and ended the evening with a cappachino at one of our favorite cafes.
Churches and Shoes
Inside the walls of Casa Murguia it is very quiet . . . very little road noise from the busy streets outside. We’ve wakened most mornings (without that darn alarm clock) to the sounds of church bells and birds. The grounds are filled with a mix of cacti, fruit and flowering trees, which attract a number of bird species. . . among those are a few humming birds that we’ve enjoyed watching flit around . . . as well, butterflies and our resident geckos.
One thing I’ve noticed during my morning excursions is that there are a vast number of churches. All of these are truly beautiful buildings . . . I stepped into one and saw the most ornate, gold and bejewelled alter. I’ve also begun to wonder if there are a large number of people in this area with one form or another of a ‘foot fettish’ . . . there are shoe stores everywhere!
One thing I’ve noticed during my morning excursions is that there are a vast number of churches. All of these are truly beautiful buildings . . . I stepped into one and saw the most ornate, gold and bejewelled alter. I’ve also begun to wonder if there are a large number of people in this area with one form or another of a ‘foot fettish’ . . . there are shoe stores everywhere!
Who’s fault, Charlie’s or the Cucarachas??
It’s been a truly perfect day! Another lovely morning walk about, followed by a lie in the sun . . . seems the more I do that, the more my skin turns brown and my hair turns lighter . . . funny how that works . . . then a swim, a shower, and, a walk back to the market to re-stock the fruit. Follow that with a dinner of homemade (left over) chicken quesadillas and I’d say it was a perfect day. I’m beginning to think that Mandy was right . . it’s only been a few days . . . . the weather IS perfect. . . it's going to be tough when the time comes to go back home . . . I think i could stay here a long while.
Anyway, after dinner we decided to visit a nearby coffee shop for a little dessert. I had discovered this spot on my walk this morning . . . they sell only La Pluma coffee. We were introduced to this Mexican grown coffee last year while visiting our friends, Bonnie and Dale Ganske who now own a home and spend their winter in Huatulco. La Pluma is a mountain village about an hour and a half drive from Huatulco. Charlie loves it and we’ll be sure to buy some beans to take home, as we did last year.
Now to back up just a little . . . what we haven’t reported yet is that since our first day here we’ve been visited by a few of those nasty critters every night . . . you guessed it . . . La Cucharachas! And to further set the scene . . . the main entrance to our unit is into the kitchen . . . and off the kitchen is the bathroom where they seem to be headed in search of water. There is a secondary door from the bedroom that leads out to our little patio area and the pool. Further, the kitchen door has a sliding bolt closure with a small padlock that can be used inside or out and the bedroom door locks only from the inside. So, last night, we decided that these critters must be coming in under the kitchen door where we discovered there is about a half inch gap between the door and the floor. So, we decided to block that gap with a towel . . . and voila . . . no critters were seen the rest of the night. Hooray! Now, back to tonight . . . we’re getting ready to leave when Charlie tells me he’s put the towel under the door now, so as not to find any of the relatives of the fellows we stomped on last night (before the ingenious towel method) decide to come looking for them before we get back. I screw up my face and ask what if the door sticks and we can’t get back in . . . stupid, I know, but. . . It’ll be OK, he says, and we leave by the bedroom door. So . . . back to that perfect day . . . we’re walking back ‘home’ from coffee and dessert and commenting on what a great day it’s been and both of us asking “do you realize we’re the only ones here today?” . . . just us and the cleaning staff. We come thru the front gate and proceed down the passageway that the guests use to get to the inner gate and enter the courtyard. Uh-oh . . . the second gate is locked. Hmm, we haven’t had this before . . . but wait, there’s two keys on the ring that we were given . . . maybe this is what the second one is for. Ta-da, still a perfect day. Now, we’re ten feet from our door and I can’t believe what I’m not seeing – the padlock on the outside of the kitchen door. I turn to Charlie and say “you locked the door on the inside” yikes! Remember, there’s no-one else around . . . the staff have gone home, Mary Jane is at the ranch, Mandy and Kate left this morning, and we haven’t seen Mary Jane’s son, Gabriel, since yesterday. OMG, we’re screwed!! We have no cell phone, or Mary Jane’s number on us anyway, only a few pesos in our pockets, and very little local language. We may be sleeping on the deckchairs tonight, with only the resident two cats to keep us warm. Luckily though, we’re in Mexico . . . where the construction is not quite like home . . . at least not like JDK would have left it. The screen on the bedroom window is held in place by three screws that are only turned in half way. They’re pretty rusty but we managed to unscrew these with our bare hands and I got the honour of climbing thru the window. Safe inside at last. And, NO Cucarachas!! It’s truly has been a Perfect Day!.
arrrgggg . . . Don’t know if it is the music we can hear from the bar down the block or the late night cappuccino, but I haven’t been able to get to sleep. So, it is 1:30 in the morning and here I’ve been sitting for an hour. Oh well . . . the blog is caught up, the music has stopped . . . think I’ll try that sleeping thing again . . . we have plans for a fun day tomorrow.
Note to self: next time, stick to the dessert, let Charlie enjoy his coffee. Yeah! I think that’ll be a good plan.
Anyway, after dinner we decided to visit a nearby coffee shop for a little dessert. I had discovered this spot on my walk this morning . . . they sell only La Pluma coffee. We were introduced to this Mexican grown coffee last year while visiting our friends, Bonnie and Dale Ganske who now own a home and spend their winter in Huatulco. La Pluma is a mountain village about an hour and a half drive from Huatulco. Charlie loves it and we’ll be sure to buy some beans to take home, as we did last year.
Now to back up just a little . . . what we haven’t reported yet is that since our first day here we’ve been visited by a few of those nasty critters every night . . . you guessed it . . . La Cucharachas! And to further set the scene . . . the main entrance to our unit is into the kitchen . . . and off the kitchen is the bathroom where they seem to be headed in search of water. There is a secondary door from the bedroom that leads out to our little patio area and the pool. Further, the kitchen door has a sliding bolt closure with a small padlock that can be used inside or out and the bedroom door locks only from the inside. So, last night, we decided that these critters must be coming in under the kitchen door where we discovered there is about a half inch gap between the door and the floor. So, we decided to block that gap with a towel . . . and voila . . . no critters were seen the rest of the night. Hooray! Now, back to tonight . . . we’re getting ready to leave when Charlie tells me he’s put the towel under the door now, so as not to find any of the relatives of the fellows we stomped on last night (before the ingenious towel method) decide to come looking for them before we get back. I screw up my face and ask what if the door sticks and we can’t get back in . . . stupid, I know, but. . . It’ll be OK, he says, and we leave by the bedroom door. So . . . back to that perfect day . . . we’re walking back ‘home’ from coffee and dessert and commenting on what a great day it’s been and both of us asking “do you realize we’re the only ones here today?” . . . just us and the cleaning staff. We come thru the front gate and proceed down the passageway that the guests use to get to the inner gate and enter the courtyard. Uh-oh . . . the second gate is locked. Hmm, we haven’t had this before . . . but wait, there’s two keys on the ring that we were given . . . maybe this is what the second one is for. Ta-da, still a perfect day. Now, we’re ten feet from our door and I can’t believe what I’m not seeing – the padlock on the outside of the kitchen door. I turn to Charlie and say “you locked the door on the inside” yikes! Remember, there’s no-one else around . . . the staff have gone home, Mary Jane is at the ranch, Mandy and Kate left this morning, and we haven’t seen Mary Jane’s son, Gabriel, since yesterday. OMG, we’re screwed!! We have no cell phone, or Mary Jane’s number on us anyway, only a few pesos in our pockets, and very little local language. We may be sleeping on the deckchairs tonight, with only the resident two cats to keep us warm. Luckily though, we’re in Mexico . . . where the construction is not quite like home . . . at least not like JDK would have left it. The screen on the bedroom window is held in place by three screws that are only turned in half way. They’re pretty rusty but we managed to unscrew these with our bare hands and I got the honour of climbing thru the window. Safe inside at last. And, NO Cucarachas!! It’s truly has been a Perfect Day!.
arrrgggg . . . Don’t know if it is the music we can hear from the bar down the block or the late night cappuccino, but I haven’t been able to get to sleep. So, it is 1:30 in the morning and here I’ve been sitting for an hour. Oh well . . . the blog is caught up, the music has stopped . . . think I’ll try that sleeping thing again . . . we have plans for a fun day tomorrow.
Note to self: next time, stick to the dessert, let Charlie enjoy his coffee. Yeah! I think that’ll be a good plan.
Mmmm, Home Cooked Meal
What can I say . . .a complete do nothing day . . . no morning walk, no nothing. Sun, pool, read, nap . . . totally lazy . . . . or I should say, relaxing. We did enjoy the afternoon chatting with Mandy and Kate. And, tonight we enjoyed our first home cooked meal. Tuesday, while at the Benito Juarez and 20 de Noviembre, two larger markets, I picked up a few things, including a fairly large half chicken. Not like the chicken at home . . . all their meats are cut differently here, and the chicken is yellow in colour . . . really yellow. Not like home in taste either . . . really tastes like chicken! A success . . . dinner was great . . . if I’m allowed to say so myself.
A Girl’s Got to Be Careful
Always the restless one, I've actually been out just wandering around (up to two hours, each of the past few mornings, although not necessarily covering much distance) seeing the sights while Charlie has relaxed in the courtyard frontage of our rooms. I must look like the typical geeky tourist because I'm just in awe at the historical buildings and the goings on in the streets. The markets are fascinating places too.
Although I’ve still seen lots of them, there’s not nearly as many foreigners and tourists here as the Mayan Riviera . . . for obvious reasons . . . there are no beaches! And it is not as easy to find English speaking locals here but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to help us out. Between their few words of English, our few words of Spanish and a whole lot of sign language we’re getting what information or directions we need. We’ve been constantly amazed at the friendly and helpful way we’ve been treated both here and in the Cancun/Tulum areas we were in last week. Perhaps too friendly?? . . .
. . . As I said. . . with map and camera in hand . . . I’ve been out each day, walking about on my own. The other morning I stopped on one corner, re-checked my pocket map to get my bearings when a nice looking gentleman nodded and smiled as he passed by me. He carried on a few steps and turned back my way. “buenas dias” he says with a friendly smile . . . I was standing in front of a street food stand which he points to and says “tortilla” followed by a whole lot of other Spanish that I didn’t understand. He realizes I don’t understand and speaks some more gibberish . . . I finally understand he is asking if I’m from ‘Europe’ . . . “no”, I say . . . “Canada”. to which he reaches out to shake my hand and exclaims “aah, Canada, muy grande, y hermoso!” (very big and beautiful). Now he’s walking along beside me and I feel an obligation to keep trying to communicate, as he seems interested in doing so. I tell him that I’m heading to find the market and he begins to give me directions, part of which I can understand, and he continues to walk with me as he points ahead and gets out, in a bit of broken English, that it is near . . . just two blocks and then a right turn. I’m really having the feeling that he was not headed this way in the first place as he continues to smile, walk along and talk. Now I know for sure . . . as we turn the corner he is saying “something, something, tarde” and I realize he’s just asked me to meet him tonight! I say “no, no mi esposa está en la casa”. “oh” he says, with a slight chagrin. A few steps more and he suddenly says “work . . I . . go”. We say our good byes and he turns back the other way. As I carry on with a smile and a chuckle, thinking ‘Charlie is never going to believe this!’ I also realize that what I just said was ‘my WIFE is at the house’. Wonder what he was thinking?*/? LOL
Although I’ve still seen lots of them, there’s not nearly as many foreigners and tourists here as the Mayan Riviera . . . for obvious reasons . . . there are no beaches! And it is not as easy to find English speaking locals here but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to help us out. Between their few words of English, our few words of Spanish and a whole lot of sign language we’re getting what information or directions we need. We’ve been constantly amazed at the friendly and helpful way we’ve been treated both here and in the Cancun/Tulum areas we were in last week. Perhaps too friendly?? . . .
. . . As I said. . . with map and camera in hand . . . I’ve been out each day, walking about on my own. The other morning I stopped on one corner, re-checked my pocket map to get my bearings when a nice looking gentleman nodded and smiled as he passed by me. He carried on a few steps and turned back my way. “buenas dias” he says with a friendly smile . . . I was standing in front of a street food stand which he points to and says “tortilla” followed by a whole lot of other Spanish that I didn’t understand. He realizes I don’t understand and speaks some more gibberish . . . I finally understand he is asking if I’m from ‘Europe’ . . . “no”, I say . . . “Canada”. to which he reaches out to shake my hand and exclaims “aah, Canada, muy grande, y hermoso!” (very big and beautiful). Now he’s walking along beside me and I feel an obligation to keep trying to communicate, as he seems interested in doing so. I tell him that I’m heading to find the market and he begins to give me directions, part of which I can understand, and he continues to walk with me as he points ahead and gets out, in a bit of broken English, that it is near . . . just two blocks and then a right turn. I’m really having the feeling that he was not headed this way in the first place as he continues to smile, walk along and talk. Now I know for sure . . . as we turn the corner he is saying “something, something, tarde” and I realize he’s just asked me to meet him tonight! I say “no, no mi esposa está en la casa”. “oh” he says, with a slight chagrin. A few steps more and he suddenly says “work . . I . . go”. We say our good byes and he turns back the other way. As I carry on with a smile and a chuckle, thinking ‘Charlie is never going to believe this!’ I also realize that what I just said was ‘my WIFE is at the house’. Wonder what he was thinking?*/? LOL
Laundry and Market Shopping
Next morning, we meet our across the pool neighbours, Mandy and her daughter Kate, who are from Maine. Mandy has been here nearly a month and will be heading home on Thursday. We’re at an elevation of 5,100 feet and according to Mandy, the weather has been perfect! It warms to between 27 and 30 by the mid-day, but cools off just right to be able to sleep under the covers at night . . . awesome!
As well, Mary Jean Gagnier, the owner of Casa Murguia introduces herself and checks that we have everything we need. This is one of her two homes here so she is not always around. She also owns a horse ranch outside of the city where she lives part time and runs a horseriding enterprise for tourists and locals alike. We get a few tips and directions from her for the area. We’re in need of clean clothes and she advises that the lady just across the street is very reputable and she believes can offer a one day service. So we gather our dirties and head off the property in search of ‘lavendaria’. It is indeed just across the street and down two doors but those doors appear to be locked and we notice that there is very little activity anywhere . . . ah-ha, the holiday! The shop owner across from her, back on our side of the street, sees what we’re doing and walking out to the middle of the street tells us (all in Spanish, of course) to just go ahead and ring the buzzer and she will open the door. We do as he says, and sure enough behind the yapping of a couple of small dogs, we hear “una momento” and the door opens. We are greeted by a woman, who upon seeing our bag in hand, welcomes us inside with a very big smile. This is one of those closed doors that, from the street, you have no idea what’s behind. Well, there’s a parking space behind which appears to be her home. To the side is the Laundromat. The business is clearly closed today but she has us follow her in, turning lights on as she goes. She takes our bag, weighs it, fills out an order form with our name, the colour of the bag, it’s weight and the price. She tells us (by writing it down) it will all be ready tomorrow at 6pm . . . will that be alright? Yes, indeed! Great service . . . with a smile . . . just like (our) Southside Laundromat!! And all for only 83 pesos . . . about $7 Cdn.
Later we head the 5-6 blocks down the street to Barrio La Merced where we were told we’d find the nearest fruit/veg market to stock up our little kitchen. Not all of the stalls appear to be open . . . again the holiday (we assume) but we find more than enough to make our own breakfast and lunches for the next few days. Even though we now have food in the house . . . we head back to the Zocala for our evening meal as it is the actual holiday day and we’re sure to find more activity there. We were not disappointed . . . not quite as busy as the previous night but still a buzz. It’s also a great place to enjoy a cappuccino and people watch.
As well, Mary Jean Gagnier, the owner of Casa Murguia introduces herself and checks that we have everything we need. This is one of her two homes here so she is not always around. She also owns a horse ranch outside of the city where she lives part time and runs a horseriding enterprise for tourists and locals alike. We get a few tips and directions from her for the area. We’re in need of clean clothes and she advises that the lady just across the street is very reputable and she believes can offer a one day service. So we gather our dirties and head off the property in search of ‘lavendaria’. It is indeed just across the street and down two doors but those doors appear to be locked and we notice that there is very little activity anywhere . . . ah-ha, the holiday! The shop owner across from her, back on our side of the street, sees what we’re doing and walking out to the middle of the street tells us (all in Spanish, of course) to just go ahead and ring the buzzer and she will open the door. We do as he says, and sure enough behind the yapping of a couple of small dogs, we hear “una momento” and the door opens. We are greeted by a woman, who upon seeing our bag in hand, welcomes us inside with a very big smile. This is one of those closed doors that, from the street, you have no idea what’s behind. Well, there’s a parking space behind which appears to be her home. To the side is the Laundromat. The business is clearly closed today but she has us follow her in, turning lights on as she goes. She takes our bag, weighs it, fills out an order form with our name, the colour of the bag, it’s weight and the price. She tells us (by writing it down) it will all be ready tomorrow at 6pm . . . will that be alright? Yes, indeed! Great service . . . with a smile . . . just like (our) Southside Laundromat!! And all for only 83 pesos . . . about $7 Cdn.
Later we head the 5-6 blocks down the street to Barrio La Merced where we were told we’d find the nearest fruit/veg market to stock up our little kitchen. Not all of the stalls appear to be open . . . again the holiday (we assume) but we find more than enough to make our own breakfast and lunches for the next few days. Even though we now have food in the house . . . we head back to the Zocala for our evening meal as it is the actual holiday day and we’re sure to find more activity there. We were not disappointed . . . not quite as busy as the previous night but still a buzz. It’s also a great place to enjoy a cappuccino and people watch.
Casa Murguia and the Zocalo
I’ve been given permission to try my hand at being the writer for a change (as opposed to just the editor in chief). And, ‘Yes, Lo . . . I do know how to use the Caps’. Sorry if we’ve kept you waiting for more news, but we had decided to take it easy for the first few days here, relax and enjoy the pool and our new surroundings. I have a simple camera, and I’m no photographer, and we’d dearly love to share our pictures with you . . . but, still no luck . . . can’t seem to upload them . . . I’ve been told it may be due to the internet connection here and the lack of bandwidth. Like it or not . . . I’m not spending all my vacation day(s) in frustration over this problem. I haven’t even been able to upload a single pic to an email. So, unless someone out there can give me a quick solution, we’ll all be waiting till we return back home.
So . . . we're now in Oaxaca City - what an amazing place! Our new home for the next two weeks is ‘Casa Murguia’, perfectly situated in the historical district, in the heart of the city . . . where the surrounding buildings are amazing . . . some colourful, all colonial style . . . with cobblestone or brick streets, narrow sidewalks, gated fronts that open up to courtyards with either small stores, apartments/and or hotels inside. So it is, at Casa Murguia . . . unbeknownst to the passerby, once inside the front gates and into the courtyard you’ll find the owners’ living quarters and three other guest suites, all surrounding the 75 foot lap pool. Gorgeous!
Our first night here we wandered over to the Zocalo and discovered that it's a long weekend . . . Monday, Feb 7th is Mexican Confederation Day . . . and the place was alive with families, lots of kids, balloons, flowers, music, street performers. . . very festive!
So . . . we're now in Oaxaca City - what an amazing place! Our new home for the next two weeks is ‘Casa Murguia’, perfectly situated in the historical district, in the heart of the city . . . where the surrounding buildings are amazing . . . some colourful, all colonial style . . . with cobblestone or brick streets, narrow sidewalks, gated fronts that open up to courtyards with either small stores, apartments/and or hotels inside. So it is, at Casa Murguia . . . unbeknownst to the passerby, once inside the front gates and into the courtyard you’ll find the owners’ living quarters and three other guest suites, all surrounding the 75 foot lap pool. Gorgeous!
Our first night here we wandered over to the Zocalo and discovered that it's a long weekend . . . Monday, Feb 7th is Mexican Confederation Day . . . and the place was alive with families, lots of kids, balloons, flowers, music, street performers. . . very festive!
On to Oaxaca
we got up early on Sunday (do you see a pattern here) in preparation for our drive back to cancun and the flight to oaxaca, via mexico city. as always we`re looked after by lou and moe . . . despite the hour, breakfast of fruit, yogurt and granola (as requested) is waiting in the fridge for us to help ourselves. we arrived in cancun in plenty of time as planned; our flight was scheduled to leave at 9:55am. so, even after returning the rental car, we made it through security with the other 500 or so folks leaving paradise and heading back home on one or another charter flight, we still had about 25 minutes before our departure. we figured it was a good idea to visit the banos and maybe pick up a coffee for the flight. now I want you to remember . . . we are in MEXICO . . . don`t forget that detail . . . . `cause at 9:30 we were running to catch our plane as it was already loading and we`re almost the last to board . . . and the flight time was still 9:55am. not leaving late, not manyana, we’re leaving early . . . are these people on drugs?
so you know when you catch a flight in canada and they do the announcements first in english and then in our second official language . . . you know the one spoken in about 4 countries in the world? and you’re wishing they would just stop the noise. sometimes, you even look around to see if there are any frenchman aboard listening . . . no? well i think like that sometimes. so, we are on a domestic flight in mexico and what do we hear? the announcements . . . first in spanish, and then english, surprise! well i’m sitting there trying not to look like the gringo i obviously am, ‘cause i just know all the mexicans onboard are cursing me as the reason they have to hear the stupid announcement twice. and while i’m on the topic: do you think there is anyone on the planet . . . anyone, who doesn’t know how to fasten a seat belt? sheesh!
so then the pilot comes on and welcomes everyone on board and then HE does it in english too. he tells us to sit back, relax and have a sleep and if we can’t sleep he will sing us a lullaby. ha-ha and i’m wondering if we have pilots or poets up front. the service is the same as every other flight though . . . you get a cold coffee and a cookie . . . mmm, my mouth is watering as i speak, lol.
flying into mexico city is pretty neat, if you haven’t done it. the city is huge, so big in fact that you can see city everywhere you look, it was a bit overcast, but a real sight non the less. then the pilot comes on and thanks us for flying with aeromexico, and that he will ‘mees’ us a lot.
now, what was that part about remembering we’re in mexico? . . . well stay tuned. we not only left right on time (might have boarded early, but we sat on the runway for a spell) . . . we arrive 25 minutes early! only to be delivered to the same terminal from where our next flight is to depart, one short hour away . . . and immediately upon exiting the plane and before we enter the main building we are herded in line again to be subjected to the same security check that we just went through getting on this flight. does that make any sense?? where were we supposed to have picked up any contraband or terrorist paraphernalia? oh well, it filled the time and left only a few minutes of sitting, waiting to board again. everything is smooth on the journey to oaxaca and we arrive in the early afternoon to a bright, sunny day.
we are staying in the centre of oaxaca city, right in the historical district and it is beautiful.!! lots of gorgeous old buildings and churches, many painted in bright colors and i can’t wait to tell you about it but right now i feel a cervesa break and perhaps a nap . . . these early mornings are killing me!
so you know when you catch a flight in canada and they do the announcements first in english and then in our second official language . . . you know the one spoken in about 4 countries in the world? and you’re wishing they would just stop the noise. sometimes, you even look around to see if there are any frenchman aboard listening . . . no? well i think like that sometimes. so, we are on a domestic flight in mexico and what do we hear? the announcements . . . first in spanish, and then english, surprise! well i’m sitting there trying not to look like the gringo i obviously am, ‘cause i just know all the mexicans onboard are cursing me as the reason they have to hear the stupid announcement twice. and while i’m on the topic: do you think there is anyone on the planet . . . anyone, who doesn’t know how to fasten a seat belt? sheesh!
so then the pilot comes on and welcomes everyone on board and then HE does it in english too. he tells us to sit back, relax and have a sleep and if we can’t sleep he will sing us a lullaby. ha-ha and i’m wondering if we have pilots or poets up front. the service is the same as every other flight though . . . you get a cold coffee and a cookie . . . mmm, my mouth is watering as i speak, lol.
flying into mexico city is pretty neat, if you haven’t done it. the city is huge, so big in fact that you can see city everywhere you look, it was a bit overcast, but a real sight non the less. then the pilot comes on and thanks us for flying with aeromexico, and that he will ‘mees’ us a lot.
now, what was that part about remembering we’re in mexico? . . . well stay tuned. we not only left right on time (might have boarded early, but we sat on the runway for a spell) . . . we arrive 25 minutes early! only to be delivered to the same terminal from where our next flight is to depart, one short hour away . . . and immediately upon exiting the plane and before we enter the main building we are herded in line again to be subjected to the same security check that we just went through getting on this flight. does that make any sense?? where were we supposed to have picked up any contraband or terrorist paraphernalia? oh well, it filled the time and left only a few minutes of sitting, waiting to board again. everything is smooth on the journey to oaxaca and we arrive in the early afternoon to a bright, sunny day.
we are staying in the centre of oaxaca city, right in the historical district and it is beautiful.!! lots of gorgeous old buildings and churches, many painted in bright colors and i can’t wait to tell you about it but right now i feel a cervesa break and perhaps a nap . . . these early mornings are killing me!
Pelicans, Tour Directors and Movin On
can you imagine being on a holiday and for the full first week you set an alarm every night to get going early the next day?? well, that’s what happens when we go on holiday. my travelling partner and tour director doesn’t like to sit still . . . is this a serious condition? can I slip something into her drink? you know just to get her to slow down a little or at least act her age? lol. saturday morning we slept in until about 8am, then got up for one more delicious breakfast at la selva mariposa. every morning we eat all the fruit and yogurt we want and lou and moe prepare an egg dish, different every day, served with spices and peppers and we are thinking of kidnapping them and taking them home with us.
we're actually taking it easy today and after reading for a couple of hours we decided to head to the beach for lunch. there are many beach clubs here and all of them are happy to give you a nice chair on the beach and all we have to do is eat lunch and/or buy a couple of drinks . . . some are better than others but really it’s a pretty good deal wherever we go. have i mentioned the beach yet? lol because it is incredibly beautiful!
kids are the same everywhere you go and we watched some locals skipping stones and chucking rocks at seabirds. of course, running into the surf and out again screaming as they get wet. almost as interesting are the pelicans. these are big birds and yet they are so graceful . . . most of the time. while we watched them dive into the water for sushi, we laughed because quite often they appeared to miss and they end up using their heads as a kind of brake as they hit the water. they sit kind of stunned for a few seconds, give themselves a shake and then lift off again in the pursuit of food. over the years that I coached, a few of my hockey players were a little like that early in the year . . . big guys, poor skaters that couldn’t stop unless they hit the boards or another player . . . of course they were kinda stunned too, lol.
back to our room for one last night . . . after packing up for another early morning ahead, we pause to reflect on the past week. we`ve had a wonderful time in the tulum, yucatan area . . . saw more sights than we knew were here and thoroughly enjoyed our chosen retreat in the jungle . . . la selva mariposa. it truly is a wonderful place, owned by a very accommodating couple, louis and mari . . . aka lou and moe. the entire property is a beautifully planned and magnificent, peaceful, mini haven. our hosts were knowledgable about the area and provided a wealth of information. the breakfasts . . . enough to get you through most of the day. they have paid attention to so many details inside the rooms and out . . . including homemade booklets that the guests can have with them during the day. these had information, articles and maps for the best attractions in the area. we have been following some of the 'backroad tours' as recommended by moe. she is an author of a children’s book "molly, the gecko hunter" and they also write articles for a local website "sac-be". the grounds are full of walking paths, replicated mayan carvings and decor, waterfalls and other things carved out of the jungle. as well, they offer spa and relaxation massage treatments, or a pre-ordered romantic dinner . . . we highly recommend it as a great place to stay for anyone wanting to enjoy a jungle retreat in the yucatan!
at this point we would like to thank those of you who have taken the time to read our notes and to comment . . . it is nice to know others are enjoying the blog . . . more stories to come . . . cheers.
we're actually taking it easy today and after reading for a couple of hours we decided to head to the beach for lunch. there are many beach clubs here and all of them are happy to give you a nice chair on the beach and all we have to do is eat lunch and/or buy a couple of drinks . . . some are better than others but really it’s a pretty good deal wherever we go. have i mentioned the beach yet? lol because it is incredibly beautiful!
kids are the same everywhere you go and we watched some locals skipping stones and chucking rocks at seabirds. of course, running into the surf and out again screaming as they get wet. almost as interesting are the pelicans. these are big birds and yet they are so graceful . . . most of the time. while we watched them dive into the water for sushi, we laughed because quite often they appeared to miss and they end up using their heads as a kind of brake as they hit the water. they sit kind of stunned for a few seconds, give themselves a shake and then lift off again in the pursuit of food. over the years that I coached, a few of my hockey players were a little like that early in the year . . . big guys, poor skaters that couldn’t stop unless they hit the boards or another player . . . of course they were kinda stunned too, lol.
back to our room for one last night . . . after packing up for another early morning ahead, we pause to reflect on the past week. we`ve had a wonderful time in the tulum, yucatan area . . . saw more sights than we knew were here and thoroughly enjoyed our chosen retreat in the jungle . . . la selva mariposa. it truly is a wonderful place, owned by a very accommodating couple, louis and mari . . . aka lou and moe. the entire property is a beautifully planned and magnificent, peaceful, mini haven. our hosts were knowledgable about the area and provided a wealth of information. the breakfasts . . . enough to get you through most of the day. they have paid attention to so many details inside the rooms and out . . . including homemade booklets that the guests can have with them during the day. these had information, articles and maps for the best attractions in the area. we have been following some of the 'backroad tours' as recommended by moe. she is an author of a children’s book "molly, the gecko hunter" and they also write articles for a local website "sac-be". the grounds are full of walking paths, replicated mayan carvings and decor, waterfalls and other things carved out of the jungle. as well, they offer spa and relaxation massage treatments, or a pre-ordered romantic dinner . . . we highly recommend it as a great place to stay for anyone wanting to enjoy a jungle retreat in the yucatan!
at this point we would like to thank those of you who have taken the time to read our notes and to comment . . . it is nice to know others are enjoying the blog . . . more stories to come . . . cheers.
Travellers Tummy and Tipping
a long time ago we decided that we would travel light. if we couldn't move our luggage easily for a distance of a few city blocks we were packing too much stuff. in fact, we are often so under the airline's total weight allowance that i think we should get a discount . . . unfortunately, the airlines fail to see our point of view. the point is that we move around with ease while people who work in the tourist industry see us as their personal bank machine. for example, when we return a rental car someone is always there to lift our bags out of the trunk, another guy will put our bags into the van to take us to the airport (we often rent vehicles off the airport site as they are more reasonably priced), arriving at the terminal, the driver will then take our bags out of the van, then a skycap wants to move our bags into the airport . . . and they all want a tip. now i don't mind tipping when someone does a great job or really helps us out, but moving a couple of bags an average 8 year old could handle is really not in that category. i am always in a quandry as to what i should do. the minimum wage in mexico is US$5.25 per DAY (please note the use of caps). i suppose a few pesos would be ok if i have the change in my pocket, but what do you do? if anyone has a simple answer i would love to hear it.
when we first started travelling i often had stomach problems. i guess you could call me a delicate big goof. anyway, a number of years ago we read an article about a guy travelling through india and his solution was to keep your mouth closed in the shower. we have practiced that since. i think we all know about brushing your teeth with bottled water but i think we all talk, sing or just plain forget when we are showering. the other thing we do . . . with a big thank you to our friend bonnie, who is a leader in the travel agent business in canada . . . is carry grapefruit seed extract with us at all times. we even use it at home when needed. while in africa in 2004, bonnie was part of our travelling group. she told a story of a passenger who was so sick during the flight she on, she was sure he would have to be carried off the plane. she gave him about 15 drops of grapefruit seed extract mixed in juice (to get past the taste) and a few hours later he walked off the plane feeling almost recovered. it often works that quickly. it is however much like buckleys cough syrup. . . . it tastes awful, but it works! looking to pick some up for your next travels?? visit your nearest health food store.
gee i feel i need a nap in the sun...be back later
when we first started travelling i often had stomach problems. i guess you could call me a delicate big goof. anyway, a number of years ago we read an article about a guy travelling through india and his solution was to keep your mouth closed in the shower. we have practiced that since. i think we all know about brushing your teeth with bottled water but i think we all talk, sing or just plain forget when we are showering. the other thing we do . . . with a big thank you to our friend bonnie, who is a leader in the travel agent business in canada . . . is carry grapefruit seed extract with us at all times. we even use it at home when needed. while in africa in 2004, bonnie was part of our travelling group. she told a story of a passenger who was so sick during the flight she on, she was sure he would have to be carried off the plane. she gave him about 15 drops of grapefruit seed extract mixed in juice (to get past the taste) and a few hours later he walked off the plane feeling almost recovered. it often works that quickly. it is however much like buckleys cough syrup. . . . it tastes awful, but it works! looking to pick some up for your next travels?? visit your nearest health food store.
gee i feel i need a nap in the sun...be back later
All that was Missing was a Glass of Wine
we walked over to the restaurant this morning after a very restful sleep and while we were eating and looking out at the beautiful scene before us . . . white sands and turquoise waters . . . i was thinking about the population problems in much of the third world. i have believed in the past that someone needs to educate these people to have less babies and thus have a little more money to elevate themselves, to make a better way of life. the reality is that when you don't have electricity and the sun goes down there is not much to do and the default setting is on 'make a baby', and well thats what they do.
after breakfast, we headed out on our canal tour with fernando who is an ecologist as well as our tour guide. he has studied in ottawa and montreal and speaks english as well as i do. i'm sure, lolitta, if he was typing anything he would use caps . . . what an ingrate lol. we were joined by a britiish couple, he is a pilot on stopover and she owns a b&b in kent (we got her business card as that is an area we might like to walk around) and jorge from barcelona. it was a very cool trip. we spent part of the time zippng around by boat and looking at the ecosystem/bird life and mangroves. then we headed up a canal that was about 9km long. the first 5km is brackish water which as we stated earlier consists of 80% salt water and 20% freshwater. after that the canal becomes 100% fresh water and as such there are no crocodiles and other predators so fish like grouper make their way to the fresh water area and spawn much like our salmon. they are born and die in fresh water and live their lives in the saltwater. we headed to the mouth of the canal and got off in an area that featured a small building, part of the meyul ruins, that early traders used for stopping and resting on their trips. it was made of stone like all the other ruins we saw and we could still see where the mayans of the period had painted the stone red which made it easier to find. (greens would be lost in the vegetation, blues would be lost against the waters). they use a berry indigenous to the area for the colour.
we got into the water at this point as we were going to float down the canal for about 30 minutes. the water is crystal clear and the current from underground streams strong enough that all we had to do was float. the trick is to sit on one arm of a life jacket and let the rest of the jacket support your back, much like a lounge chair . . . and away you go. and what a beautiful way to go! we surprised many birds as we rounded turns and were able to appreciate how graceful some of the big birds are when they take off . . . of course we saw lot of fish as well. after the tour we enjoyed lunch with fernando and jorge, as the british couple had to head back to cancun. jorge has some english . . . he is an it guy and is on loan from the university of barcelona, where he works, for a one month project in mexico city. every time we asked him a question he politely put down his knife and fork and took his time talking to us. the end result is that we all finished our meals well before he had finished half of his. i apologized for taking him away from his lunch and again he set down his knife and fork and said it was ok. he explained a meal is for friends and family and he is used to taking two hours to eat and another hour to drink coffee. hmmm, i always thought it was important to eat fast so i could get more . . . you know before someone else got the seconds. afterwards, over coffee, fernando asked us to complete a simple questionaire about the trip. one question was 'how could they improve the canal tour' and i wrote "all that was missing was a glass of wine". he had a good chuckle and commented that his boss would appreciate that too.
all packed up again, we headed back to la selva mariposa for our final two nights in the area. this time in a different room, but equally as nice. the first week of our trip was supposed to be for relaxing and really up to this point we haven't stopped at all. we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening 'at home' and just take it easy.
after breakfast, we headed out on our canal tour with fernando who is an ecologist as well as our tour guide. he has studied in ottawa and montreal and speaks english as well as i do. i'm sure, lolitta, if he was typing anything he would use caps . . . what an ingrate lol. we were joined by a britiish couple, he is a pilot on stopover and she owns a b&b in kent (we got her business card as that is an area we might like to walk around) and jorge from barcelona. it was a very cool trip. we spent part of the time zippng around by boat and looking at the ecosystem/bird life and mangroves. then we headed up a canal that was about 9km long. the first 5km is brackish water which as we stated earlier consists of 80% salt water and 20% freshwater. after that the canal becomes 100% fresh water and as such there are no crocodiles and other predators so fish like grouper make their way to the fresh water area and spawn much like our salmon. they are born and die in fresh water and live their lives in the saltwater. we headed to the mouth of the canal and got off in an area that featured a small building, part of the meyul ruins, that early traders used for stopping and resting on their trips. it was made of stone like all the other ruins we saw and we could still see where the mayans of the period had painted the stone red which made it easier to find. (greens would be lost in the vegetation, blues would be lost against the waters). they use a berry indigenous to the area for the colour.
we got into the water at this point as we were going to float down the canal for about 30 minutes. the water is crystal clear and the current from underground streams strong enough that all we had to do was float. the trick is to sit on one arm of a life jacket and let the rest of the jacket support your back, much like a lounge chair . . . and away you go. and what a beautiful way to go! we surprised many birds as we rounded turns and were able to appreciate how graceful some of the big birds are when they take off . . . of course we saw lot of fish as well. after the tour we enjoyed lunch with fernando and jorge, as the british couple had to head back to cancun. jorge has some english . . . he is an it guy and is on loan from the university of barcelona, where he works, for a one month project in mexico city. every time we asked him a question he politely put down his knife and fork and took his time talking to us. the end result is that we all finished our meals well before he had finished half of his. i apologized for taking him away from his lunch and again he set down his knife and fork and said it was ok. he explained a meal is for friends and family and he is used to taking two hours to eat and another hour to drink coffee. hmmm, i always thought it was important to eat fast so i could get more . . . you know before someone else got the seconds. afterwards, over coffee, fernando asked us to complete a simple questionaire about the trip. one question was 'how could they improve the canal tour' and i wrote "all that was missing was a glass of wine". he had a good chuckle and commented that his boss would appreciate that too.
all packed up again, we headed back to la selva mariposa for our final two nights in the area. this time in a different room, but equally as nice. the first week of our trip was supposed to be for relaxing and really up to this point we haven't stopped at all. we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening 'at home' and just take it easy.
Sand, Sunsets and Stars
today we are visiting the tulum ruins which are right on the beach . . . not sure if the mayans of this region were surfers but they certainly had the best location. apparently this area became very important for trading as the mayan ships were not very seaworthy, so they travelled close to the coastline. this became a natural stopping point and commerce here was brisk. goods were shipped between coastal and interior dwelling tribes and tulum provided the market for all. even though these tribes depended on each other for trade they also often under attack, hence the two foot thick walls and small doorways which were easier to defend. the more we learn about the history of this area, the more similarities with european people appear with war, treachery and greed being at the forefront.
after the tour we headed to the sian ka'an biosphere . . . it is the second largest protected land or 'national park' in mexico covering 1.6 million something-or-others . . . i know it isn't inches or feet . . . and is a unesco world heritage site. we signed up for one night on the beach and a couple of tours. our place on the beach was unique in that it sat on stilts, we could see through the floorboards and it featured no electricity or running water. we zipped open a couple of tent flap type windows and let the sea air rush in. you know when life gets too stressful and you wish you were away, shipwrecked on a desert island . . . your dreams would be a lot like this place . . . fortunately the banos were not too far away and there was a restaurant so we weren't completely away from it all.
we went out on a bird watching sunset cruise with three other couples. the first part of the tour consisted of our guide, ben, giving us the low-down on the layout of the biosphere and a bit of info on the various eco-systems here. the larger lagoon, which is brakkish water . . . 80% salt water from the one opening to the sea, and 20% fresh water coming from the cenotes and underground rivers, is where we would be touring by boat today. he and our boat captain, cosmi, started pointing out and naming many types of birds as we cruised around the big lagoon. now i assume these guys are pretty well schooled on their subject. however, a local talking about cormorants, juvenile eggrets and about 6 kinds of herons and other birds could have called them multi crested puddle walkers and not one of us could have challenged him on it . . . but they did look pretty honest. seriously, they were both very knowledgeable about the area and it's eco-systems. cosmi is also a fishing guide and ben a naturalist. as sunset was approaching they shut down the engine and polled in toward 'bird island'. it is remote enough that no predators of the birds can get there and the island is a roosting spot for thousands of birds each night, and so aptly named. at first a few birds flew in, then larger flocks until there were a lot of birds and we marvelled at some of them against a background of a huge ball of orange as the sun was setting. pretty cool. we went back for a delicious dinner, of grouper and all the trimmings, at the reserve and had a chance to get to know each other better . . . this is always one of the best parts of any tour, as you get to meet people from all over.
about 7:30 we headed back to our room. after star gazing from the veranda, we lit a few candles and lay in bed listening to the roar of the surf. a wonderful end to a pretty special day . . . until i woke up about 2am. i was thirsty so i had a drink and went out on the porch to look at the stars and it was even better than what we saw before bed. there are no lights of any kind for about 15 km and the sky was full of huge, bright stars . . . they seemed so big and bright that i could almost reach up and grab them out of the sky. the night sky here is different than what we see at home in canada . . . many of the constellatiions are the same, they just appear much bigger and closer . . . perhaps it's the proximity to the equator (i'll have to ask my buddy, john). in the late 80's and early 90's we used to go to puerto escondido as nellie's sister and family have a house there. they have hammocks strung on the flat rooftop and i used to go to sleep in one, with my brother-in-law giovanni, in another. sometimes nellie joined us. anyway, we would lie in the hammocks and talk philosophy or one of many other subjects and fall asleep looking up at the stars. about 1:00 or 2:00 am the hillside breezes would make us cold and we would wake up and move inside. i have never forgotten those wonderful times and tonight was much the same . . .
after the tour we headed to the sian ka'an biosphere . . . it is the second largest protected land or 'national park' in mexico covering 1.6 million something-or-others . . . i know it isn't inches or feet . . . and is a unesco world heritage site. we signed up for one night on the beach and a couple of tours. our place on the beach was unique in that it sat on stilts, we could see through the floorboards and it featured no electricity or running water. we zipped open a couple of tent flap type windows and let the sea air rush in. you know when life gets too stressful and you wish you were away, shipwrecked on a desert island . . . your dreams would be a lot like this place . . . fortunately the banos were not too far away and there was a restaurant so we weren't completely away from it all.
we went out on a bird watching sunset cruise with three other couples. the first part of the tour consisted of our guide, ben, giving us the low-down on the layout of the biosphere and a bit of info on the various eco-systems here. the larger lagoon, which is brakkish water . . . 80% salt water from the one opening to the sea, and 20% fresh water coming from the cenotes and underground rivers, is where we would be touring by boat today. he and our boat captain, cosmi, started pointing out and naming many types of birds as we cruised around the big lagoon. now i assume these guys are pretty well schooled on their subject. however, a local talking about cormorants, juvenile eggrets and about 6 kinds of herons and other birds could have called them multi crested puddle walkers and not one of us could have challenged him on it . . . but they did look pretty honest. seriously, they were both very knowledgeable about the area and it's eco-systems. cosmi is also a fishing guide and ben a naturalist. as sunset was approaching they shut down the engine and polled in toward 'bird island'. it is remote enough that no predators of the birds can get there and the island is a roosting spot for thousands of birds each night, and so aptly named. at first a few birds flew in, then larger flocks until there were a lot of birds and we marvelled at some of them against a background of a huge ball of orange as the sun was setting. pretty cool. we went back for a delicious dinner, of grouper and all the trimmings, at the reserve and had a chance to get to know each other better . . . this is always one of the best parts of any tour, as you get to meet people from all over.
about 7:30 we headed back to our room. after star gazing from the veranda, we lit a few candles and lay in bed listening to the roar of the surf. a wonderful end to a pretty special day . . . until i woke up about 2am. i was thirsty so i had a drink and went out on the porch to look at the stars and it was even better than what we saw before bed. there are no lights of any kind for about 15 km and the sky was full of huge, bright stars . . . they seemed so big and bright that i could almost reach up and grab them out of the sky. the night sky here is different than what we see at home in canada . . . many of the constellatiions are the same, they just appear much bigger and closer . . . perhaps it's the proximity to the equator (i'll have to ask my buddy, john). in the late 80's and early 90's we used to go to puerto escondido as nellie's sister and family have a house there. they have hammocks strung on the flat rooftop and i used to go to sleep in one, with my brother-in-law giovanni, in another. sometimes nellie joined us. anyway, we would lie in the hammocks and talk philosophy or one of many other subjects and fall asleep looking up at the stars. about 1:00 or 2:00 am the hillside breezes would make us cold and we would wake up and move inside. i have never forgotten those wonderful times and tonight was much the same . . .
Coba, Cenotes and Dogs
we start every morning with a great breakfast usually some kind of egg dish and literally all the fruit you can eat . . . all the guests at the b&b eat together and we have met some interesting folks . . . that is always a nice part of travelling.
we decided to visit the coba ruins today, not just for the ruins but we were told there were some very cool cenotes out that way. the downside is that the area is on the map for every tour bus and tourist in the area . . . damn tourists! well, except for us lol. coba, which means 'waters stirred by the wind' is about 25 minutes from our b&b. after paying our entrance fee we decided to forgo the pay and push bicycle routine from yesterday. it was a beautiful day for a walk . . . the entire site covers about 80 sq. km.s we saw a number of small buildings and then the jungle pathway opened to the pyramid itself . . . very cool sight! i hope some of our pics will upload successfuly when we get to oaxaca. it was about 135 feet tall and still in pretty good shape. nellie, the 'more girlie' as you will remember had to go to the top. all over this site there is evidence of the restoration work that has been done. you can see where a wall has been rebuilt by the row or line of tiny, flat stones that are cleverly inserted by the archeologists to mark the division of the old and the new but so as not to take away from the overall look. it was worth the trip. however, leaving was another thing as we had to run a gauntlet of salespeople hawking 'authentic mayan' souvenirs.
the best part of the day was still ahead. we took a back road to several of the cenotes here. they still put topes on these roads, the mexicans love their speed bumps even on what resembles a poorly repaired logging road. we finally made it to the first cenote and saw a simple hole in the ground which turned out to be a circular stairway winding down about 50 feet to a cave complete with stalactites and tree roots growing into the rocks and some of the clearest water i've ever seen . . . the water was about 50 feet deep. we stood there awestruck. we took tons of pics but i'm not sure a camera can do justice to the size of the cavern and really no camera can replicate what the human eye can see. we travelled a few more miles down the road to the other cenote and after walking down a steep circular stairway (79 steps) we found ourselves in a cavern about 3 times the size of the last one. the water here was also 50 feet deep and we could see every rock on the bottom. no fish in these so the water comes through the limestone rocks from underground rivers.
the yucatan is flat . . . like saskatchewan flat. the nearest mountains are two hours away by plane so there are no rivers above ground as there is no runoff . . . everything happens underground and this area is well known for caving and cave diving. there are cenotes scattered all over the area . . . but of course, not all are as spectacular as what we saw today. knowing what i know now i would consider a trip here just to explore more of the cenotes.
we took the afternoon off to chill in the pool outside our room. then walked into the village of macario gomez for a supper of panuchos and diet coke at what has become our favorite little family run food stand. in canada, we love our dogs and often people will spend mega bucks buying then, feeding them and sending them to obedience school. in mexico they are almost all strays, their tails are down and they are very wary of humans. while we were eating outside, this beautiful little brown dog came close to our table . . . certainly not bothering us or begging . . . just hoping for a few scraps. a small boy of about 4 or 5 yrs old, perhaps the son of the lady who made our supper, throws a rock at the poor mutt and off he ran. the kids learn that early here.
when we were at the ruins at ek balam the other day there were a few strays and one was a bitch in heat. as we sat at the top of the palace we noticed she crawled in under a palapa roof (covering some of the restoration work) to cool down from the midday heat. we were about 30 metres high on the main temple. as we started down we noticed a young male looking for a date and he tried to crawl under the palapa with the female. a few steps past the dogs we heard what sounded like the male dying a slow painful death, obviously the female bit him and he took off down the steps at hyperspeed. i was sure he was going to fall and die but as he skidded past us yelping he started to ski down the steps with of course his hind legs, his butt and attachments hitting every step on the way down. he is a trooper though, as we were leaving the ruins he was back trying his best to get lucky . . .
we decided to visit the coba ruins today, not just for the ruins but we were told there were some very cool cenotes out that way. the downside is that the area is on the map for every tour bus and tourist in the area . . . damn tourists! well, except for us lol. coba, which means 'waters stirred by the wind' is about 25 minutes from our b&b. after paying our entrance fee we decided to forgo the pay and push bicycle routine from yesterday. it was a beautiful day for a walk . . . the entire site covers about 80 sq. km.s we saw a number of small buildings and then the jungle pathway opened to the pyramid itself . . . very cool sight! i hope some of our pics will upload successfuly when we get to oaxaca. it was about 135 feet tall and still in pretty good shape. nellie, the 'more girlie' as you will remember had to go to the top. all over this site there is evidence of the restoration work that has been done. you can see where a wall has been rebuilt by the row or line of tiny, flat stones that are cleverly inserted by the archeologists to mark the division of the old and the new but so as not to take away from the overall look. it was worth the trip. however, leaving was another thing as we had to run a gauntlet of salespeople hawking 'authentic mayan' souvenirs.
the best part of the day was still ahead. we took a back road to several of the cenotes here. they still put topes on these roads, the mexicans love their speed bumps even on what resembles a poorly repaired logging road. we finally made it to the first cenote and saw a simple hole in the ground which turned out to be a circular stairway winding down about 50 feet to a cave complete with stalactites and tree roots growing into the rocks and some of the clearest water i've ever seen . . . the water was about 50 feet deep. we stood there awestruck. we took tons of pics but i'm not sure a camera can do justice to the size of the cavern and really no camera can replicate what the human eye can see. we travelled a few more miles down the road to the other cenote and after walking down a steep circular stairway (79 steps) we found ourselves in a cavern about 3 times the size of the last one. the water here was also 50 feet deep and we could see every rock on the bottom. no fish in these so the water comes through the limestone rocks from underground rivers.
the yucatan is flat . . . like saskatchewan flat. the nearest mountains are two hours away by plane so there are no rivers above ground as there is no runoff . . . everything happens underground and this area is well known for caving and cave diving. there are cenotes scattered all over the area . . . but of course, not all are as spectacular as what we saw today. knowing what i know now i would consider a trip here just to explore more of the cenotes.
we took the afternoon off to chill in the pool outside our room. then walked into the village of macario gomez for a supper of panuchos and diet coke at what has become our favorite little family run food stand. in canada, we love our dogs and often people will spend mega bucks buying then, feeding them and sending them to obedience school. in mexico they are almost all strays, their tails are down and they are very wary of humans. while we were eating outside, this beautiful little brown dog came close to our table . . . certainly not bothering us or begging . . . just hoping for a few scraps. a small boy of about 4 or 5 yrs old, perhaps the son of the lady who made our supper, throws a rock at the poor mutt and off he ran. the kids learn that early here.
when we were at the ruins at ek balam the other day there were a few strays and one was a bitch in heat. as we sat at the top of the palace we noticed she crawled in under a palapa roof (covering some of the restoration work) to cool down from the midday heat. we were about 30 metres high on the main temple. as we started down we noticed a young male looking for a date and he tried to crawl under the palapa with the female. a few steps past the dogs we heard what sounded like the male dying a slow painful death, obviously the female bit him and he took off down the steps at hyperspeed. i was sure he was going to fall and die but as he skidded past us yelping he started to ski down the steps with of course his hind legs, his butt and attachments hitting every step on the way down. he is a trooper though, as we were leaving the ruins he was back trying his best to get lucky . . .
Ek Balam and Cenotes
on tuesday morning we headed out to see some of the beautiful sights in the area. there are many different mayan ruins to see and also a number of cenotes . . . cen-no-tayes, which are fresh water sinkholes and caverns suitable for swimming. i would also like to add several observations about this area. first, the people are very welcoming and many of them have been kind enough to learn english which makes our visit much easier. and the roads, even the secondary highways are wonderful. they're new and well marked for night driving. the only thing they don't do in this region is clear the brush from in front of road signs which can be confusing at times. i think the area . . . the mayan riviera is quite prosperous and may be representative of the new mexico which is showing signs of its growing industry and commerce base. i truly believe that mexico, india, china and brazil are going to become world leaders in the next decade.
we toured a couple of tiny villages on our way to the ruins. there were a couple of concrete tents that i guess the more affluent lived in and the rest was round huts about as big as your kitchen (if it''s a small one) with walls of sticks and a dirt floor.
anyway, we chose to visit the ek balam ruins which are about an hour north/west of here. we were told they are spectacular and, because of the distance and it's off the main highway, most tour buses don't visit. we pulled into a parking lot big enough to hold about 100 cars and even though there were only 3 cars there already this little kid of about 12 jumps out and directs us into a parking space that he was holding . . . just for us, lol. then he offers to watch our car so nothing bad will happen. we are used to this from other travels but i always go for it . . . they don 't want much and i think we need to encourage young entrepreneurs any way we can. we hired a mayan guide, casmiro, to tour the ruins with us and he told us the tour would take about an hour or maybe a little longer. we started asking him questions as we headed into the village and he just lit right up and we stayed on tour for well over 2 hours . . . he was clearly very proud of his heritage. the ruin was wonderful and we were allowed to climb to the top of the palace where the sight from the top was breath taking. we were well above the jungle canopy and we could see the entire ruin which consists of a palace and a village below. we have never been to machu picchu but ek balam rivals many of the pics we've seen. in some of the buildings, which are about 1,500 years old, they even had air return systems which kept the rooms cool. he also told us about some of the history that archeologists have determined happened here, but parts of the heiroglyphics are damaged and some history is simply a guess. i think all history is a little like that.
after ek balam we headed to our first cenote, x-canche . . . if you have never seen these wonders it might be worth the trip just for the cenotes alone. we paid about 60 pesos which included a bicycle ride on a three wheeled bike pedaled by a local guy to the cenote about 2 miles away. he was working pretty hard but it was mostly downhill so we didn't worry about him too much even though he looked even older than me if thats possible. after changing into our swim suits we walked about 80 feet down into this incredible sinkhole surrounded by rock formations and roots of trees and jumped into this pool of crystal clear water in a space about 50 feet across and 75 feet deep . . . we could clearly see to the bottom. there were even small catfish swimming around which indicates there is a river flowing through the cenote. we had a beautiful refreshing dip and then headed back to the car . . . by bicycle, as the old guy was waiting for us. after jumping off several times to help him push the bike up hills, i finally stayed off and walked back beside him . . . i didn't want to see him have a heart attack on us.
we finished the day by heading into valladolid . . . vyya-doll-eed, which is a beautiful colonial town . . . many beautiful old buildings, clean and with a beautiful park in the centre of town. we had supper there and came out to a marching band and thousands of birds noisily roosting in the trees in the park . . . wonderful day with many memories.
we toured a couple of tiny villages on our way to the ruins. there were a couple of concrete tents that i guess the more affluent lived in and the rest was round huts about as big as your kitchen (if it''s a small one) with walls of sticks and a dirt floor.
anyway, we chose to visit the ek balam ruins which are about an hour north/west of here. we were told they are spectacular and, because of the distance and it's off the main highway, most tour buses don't visit. we pulled into a parking lot big enough to hold about 100 cars and even though there were only 3 cars there already this little kid of about 12 jumps out and directs us into a parking space that he was holding . . . just for us, lol. then he offers to watch our car so nothing bad will happen. we are used to this from other travels but i always go for it . . . they don 't want much and i think we need to encourage young entrepreneurs any way we can. we hired a mayan guide, casmiro, to tour the ruins with us and he told us the tour would take about an hour or maybe a little longer. we started asking him questions as we headed into the village and he just lit right up and we stayed on tour for well over 2 hours . . . he was clearly very proud of his heritage. the ruin was wonderful and we were allowed to climb to the top of the palace where the sight from the top was breath taking. we were well above the jungle canopy and we could see the entire ruin which consists of a palace and a village below. we have never been to machu picchu but ek balam rivals many of the pics we've seen. in some of the buildings, which are about 1,500 years old, they even had air return systems which kept the rooms cool. he also told us about some of the history that archeologists have determined happened here, but parts of the heiroglyphics are damaged and some history is simply a guess. i think all history is a little like that.
after ek balam we headed to our first cenote, x-canche . . . if you have never seen these wonders it might be worth the trip just for the cenotes alone. we paid about 60 pesos which included a bicycle ride on a three wheeled bike pedaled by a local guy to the cenote about 2 miles away. he was working pretty hard but it was mostly downhill so we didn't worry about him too much even though he looked even older than me if thats possible. after changing into our swim suits we walked about 80 feet down into this incredible sinkhole surrounded by rock formations and roots of trees and jumped into this pool of crystal clear water in a space about 50 feet across and 75 feet deep . . . we could clearly see to the bottom. there were even small catfish swimming around which indicates there is a river flowing through the cenote. we had a beautiful refreshing dip and then headed back to the car . . . by bicycle, as the old guy was waiting for us. after jumping off several times to help him push the bike up hills, i finally stayed off and walked back beside him . . . i didn't want to see him have a heart attack on us.
we finished the day by heading into valladolid . . . vyya-doll-eed, which is a beautiful colonial town . . . many beautiful old buildings, clean and with a beautiful park in the centre of town. we had supper there and came out to a marching band and thousands of birds noisily roosting in the trees in the park . . . wonderful day with many memories.
Bugs on the Wall, Driving and Shopping
. . . so, after supper we headed back to the room about 8pm and crashed . . . until i woke up sometime in the middle of the night. there was just enough light coming in for me to see a huge, hairy bug on the wall near the bed. now we have been to africa, so i know bugs . . . but this was a monster. i started thinking that maybe this bug was a wall walker and would not climb down the wall and join us in bed. i thought about waking up later and having to go to the bathroom, then i heard the waterfall and knew i had to go . . . now. i briefly thought of waking nellie up and asking her to take me to the bathroom but then figured it would be much better if i faced the monster alone. now i was a boy scout many years ago and i'm always prepared. i had a flashlight beside the bed and thought perhaps the bug was like a deer and if i flashed the light on it i would stun the bug and could then go safely to smash it in the head. so, i slowly started to edge over to the side of the bed where i would spring to my feet and into action. of course, 'spring' is a relative term and even at my physical peak as a much younger man my best time was real slow . . . but i digress. anyway, as i turned on the light and jumped out of bed . . . to my utter amazement it wasn't a bug . . . it was art. don't ask art who . . . it was artsy fartsy stuff on the wall. now what kind of sadistic b&b owner would put art resembling bugs on the wall for unsuspecting travellers? . . . and i wasn't the only one 'cause another guy at breakfast had the same experience. fortunately, i did fall back to sleep . . . much later.
enjoying my morning coffee i had an oh-oh experience. that happens when i am solely responsible for booking the room and nellie calls from the shower . . . with just a hint of attitude wondering where she might find the hot water. i went oh-oh. i did tell her to be patient and the hot water would come as i started praying . . . and it did . . . whew! dodged one there.
the mayan people of this region are a very short and plump people . . . i keep thinking about butterball turkeys, not too sure why.
after breakfast we headed north to playa del carmen to visit with a friend who lives there. he is a mexican . . . with an interesting story. he is the oldest of thirteen brothers and sisters and after he graduated from school he was expected to help his parents financially with the raising of his younger siblings. he went to work at a resort in puerto vallarta and soon found he was pretty good at selling time shares so he worked hard and saved his money. then he bought some land and put up a small strip mall with a c-store, a laundromat and some retail outlets. as his brothers and sisters grew up they worked in and then managed these businesses while they went to school. they kept half the profits and our friend got the other half. i love guys like this . . . the whole world runs on businesses that grow strong enough to support and provide a living to others. we spent more time than we expected with him as he is just a fascinating guy to talk to.
it was getting dark as we got back into tulum. driving in mexico is often more than just interesting . . . it can be quite challenging . . . especially at night. in town when you are dealing with topes (speed bumps), and only mexicans understand why they are placed where they are, add in stray dogs, kids chasing soccer balls into the streets, pedestrians and motorbikes and cabbies that will pass you on either side and beep their horns if you don't get out of their way . . . it can be stressful. we did manage to make it through town and park safely so we headed into this funky little bar for supper. they were playing bob marley . . . so it was a great ending to a great day . . . or so i thought . . .
there are a few things you need to know to set up this next story. one of the things i call nellie is she's my 'more girly' . . . no matter how busy we are or how long the day is she will always want to do 'more' and i don't always agree. i would rather have a root canal than shop. in our laundromat we play movies all day for the customers, they have to be clean without swearing as we don't want to offend anyone. we started playing 'yes man' with jim carrey a couple of months ago. i thought it might be fun to say 'yes' to everything nellie asked during this holiday. so, after dinner i'm ready to head back to the room, relax a little and hit the hay, when of course nellie asks to me would 'you like to browse in the shops for a while?' . . . EEP! big swallow and i answered 'yes, i would'. i'll leave the rest of my enjoyable evening to your imagination.
just one quick note as we actually start getting into holiday stuff. the internet connection here is not very good and tomorrow we are heading to stay in a tent on the beach for a couple of days so we will likely not try and upload pics until we hit oaxaca next sunday
enjoying my morning coffee i had an oh-oh experience. that happens when i am solely responsible for booking the room and nellie calls from the shower . . . with just a hint of attitude wondering where she might find the hot water. i went oh-oh. i did tell her to be patient and the hot water would come as i started praying . . . and it did . . . whew! dodged one there.
the mayan people of this region are a very short and plump people . . . i keep thinking about butterball turkeys, not too sure why.
after breakfast we headed north to playa del carmen to visit with a friend who lives there. he is a mexican . . . with an interesting story. he is the oldest of thirteen brothers and sisters and after he graduated from school he was expected to help his parents financially with the raising of his younger siblings. he went to work at a resort in puerto vallarta and soon found he was pretty good at selling time shares so he worked hard and saved his money. then he bought some land and put up a small strip mall with a c-store, a laundromat and some retail outlets. as his brothers and sisters grew up they worked in and then managed these businesses while they went to school. they kept half the profits and our friend got the other half. i love guys like this . . . the whole world runs on businesses that grow strong enough to support and provide a living to others. we spent more time than we expected with him as he is just a fascinating guy to talk to.
it was getting dark as we got back into tulum. driving in mexico is often more than just interesting . . . it can be quite challenging . . . especially at night. in town when you are dealing with topes (speed bumps), and only mexicans understand why they are placed where they are, add in stray dogs, kids chasing soccer balls into the streets, pedestrians and motorbikes and cabbies that will pass you on either side and beep their horns if you don't get out of their way . . . it can be stressful. we did manage to make it through town and park safely so we headed into this funky little bar for supper. they were playing bob marley . . . so it was a great ending to a great day . . . or so i thought . . .
there are a few things you need to know to set up this next story. one of the things i call nellie is she's my 'more girly' . . . no matter how busy we are or how long the day is she will always want to do 'more' and i don't always agree. i would rather have a root canal than shop. in our laundromat we play movies all day for the customers, they have to be clean without swearing as we don't want to offend anyone. we started playing 'yes man' with jim carrey a couple of months ago. i thought it might be fun to say 'yes' to everything nellie asked during this holiday. so, after dinner i'm ready to head back to the room, relax a little and hit the hay, when of course nellie asks to me would 'you like to browse in the shops for a while?' . . . EEP! big swallow and i answered 'yes, i would'. i'll leave the rest of my enjoyable evening to your imagination.
just one quick note as we actually start getting into holiday stuff. the internet connection here is not very good and tomorrow we are heading to stay in a tent on the beach for a couple of days so we will likely not try and upload pics until we hit oaxaca next sunday
First Day in Tulum
one of the things we often take for granted is the pure beauty of climbing on a plane in edmonton with the temp at minus 25 and six hours later getting off the plane at plus 25. . .of course going home is often the reverse and i wouldn't call that beauty. we didn`t get much sleep in the 24 hours before the flight and i was hoping to get some sleep on the plane, fortunately the movie was 'eat, pray, love' so after a minute of feeling all hippy-like and spiritual i fell into a deep sleep that lasted until the credits were rolling...it's now one of my favorite airplane movies. once i awoke i had some time to reflect on the changing face of airline travel. . . when i was younger the flight attendants were all attractive young women sashaying up and down the aisles, then in the 90`s the industry consolidated in canada and we got highly efficient ladies who were older and sometimes a little cranky, now of course the attendants are back gaily sashaying about their work . . .but they're men . . . not that there's anything wrong with that, lol.
we rented a car and headed south to tulum where we were excited to seeing the white sand beaches and turquoise waters of the mayan riviera. unfortunately, that side of the highway is wall to wall resorts and you can't see the water at all from the beautiful new 4 lane highway. i feel for the people living on the opposite side of the highway as i wonder if they need to buy a timeshare just to take their kids to the beach.
we arrived at our b&b just after 6pm and we were pleasantly surprised to hear we had been upgraded to the best room. we have a cenote style pool with waterfall and funky lights just outside our bedroom. add to that a roof top terrace and a rather neat bathroom where the toilet side of the room has an acrylic sheet roof but the shower side is open to the sky . . . very nice indeed. as we were being shown our rooms i asked about a tool in the bedroom that had a long handle and pincers at the end and i was told that if we found any big bugs crawling around we could just pick them up with the tool and put them outside . . . whenever i hear no problem and we're travelling i know there will be problems.
we went into the village for supper. one of the things i love about mexico is the mama run restaurants which usually consist of a mama and her daughters, a run down building and great cheap food. we ordered something that resembled a small pita that she heated on a hotplate and came with chicken avacado and tomatoes . . . delicious. however, i saw on the menu written on the run down building wall that she had coffee so i asked for one with milk. i got a big mug of boiling water and a spoon . . . about three minutes later her daughter appeared with an unopened 1 litre container of milk and a couple of minutes later she showed up with a new jar of instant nescafe. i sure didn't want to eat up all her profits with my one cup of coffee but then noticed at the next table in the restaurant a couple of local guys ordered cokes and the daughter went across the street to get them too, so i figured what the hell and drank my coffee.
as we were finishing up we realized we were sitting next to the village square and that there was some kind of karaoke going on so we walked over to watch the fun. they had a pretty cool band with guitars and organ and although the singing was . . . well pretty bad . . . the music was good. we sat at the back and i was enjoying the music. nellie told me she thought we were attending a mass. MASS . . . it couldn't be! and then the priest stopped singing and launched into a sermon. wowsa, i'm saying to myself, i haven`t been to mass in decades. so now that i'm feeling all holy and stuff. so i was thinking about buying a lotto ticket lol . . . then the priest really got into it and he seemed to be yelling and looking at me so i quickly forgot about buying a ticket and started hoping this guy didn't have any inside information lol.
when i was a kid i always thought that anyone wanting to be a priest had to pass an audition . . . you know singing some hymns in front of a bishop and if the guy could sing he could continue studying and if he couldn't sing he branched off into one of those weird monk groups where nobody talks for years at a time. however, i see the standards have changed over the years . . .
we rented a car and headed south to tulum where we were excited to seeing the white sand beaches and turquoise waters of the mayan riviera. unfortunately, that side of the highway is wall to wall resorts and you can't see the water at all from the beautiful new 4 lane highway. i feel for the people living on the opposite side of the highway as i wonder if they need to buy a timeshare just to take their kids to the beach.
we arrived at our b&b just after 6pm and we were pleasantly surprised to hear we had been upgraded to the best room. we have a cenote style pool with waterfall and funky lights just outside our bedroom. add to that a roof top terrace and a rather neat bathroom where the toilet side of the room has an acrylic sheet roof but the shower side is open to the sky . . . very nice indeed. as we were being shown our rooms i asked about a tool in the bedroom that had a long handle and pincers at the end and i was told that if we found any big bugs crawling around we could just pick them up with the tool and put them outside . . . whenever i hear no problem and we're travelling i know there will be problems.
we went into the village for supper. one of the things i love about mexico is the mama run restaurants which usually consist of a mama and her daughters, a run down building and great cheap food. we ordered something that resembled a small pita that she heated on a hotplate and came with chicken avacado and tomatoes . . . delicious. however, i saw on the menu written on the run down building wall that she had coffee so i asked for one with milk. i got a big mug of boiling water and a spoon . . . about three minutes later her daughter appeared with an unopened 1 litre container of milk and a couple of minutes later she showed up with a new jar of instant nescafe. i sure didn't want to eat up all her profits with my one cup of coffee but then noticed at the next table in the restaurant a couple of local guys ordered cokes and the daughter went across the street to get them too, so i figured what the hell and drank my coffee.
as we were finishing up we realized we were sitting next to the village square and that there was some kind of karaoke going on so we walked over to watch the fun. they had a pretty cool band with guitars and organ and although the singing was . . . well pretty bad . . . the music was good. we sat at the back and i was enjoying the music. nellie told me she thought we were attending a mass. MASS . . . it couldn't be! and then the priest stopped singing and launched into a sermon. wowsa, i'm saying to myself, i haven`t been to mass in decades. so now that i'm feeling all holy and stuff. so i was thinking about buying a lotto ticket lol . . . then the priest really got into it and he seemed to be yelling and looking at me so i quickly forgot about buying a ticket and started hoping this guy didn't have any inside information lol.
when i was a kid i always thought that anyone wanting to be a priest had to pass an audition . . . you know singing some hymns in front of a bishop and if the guy could sing he could continue studying and if he couldn't sing he branched off into one of those weird monk groups where nobody talks for years at a time. however, i see the standards have changed over the years . . .
tomorrow we go
sunday morning at 4 am our good friend peter will pick us up and drive us to the edmonton airportfor the first part of our trip: edmonton to cancun where we will rent a car and head south to tulum to www.laselvamariposa.com where we will spend our first few nights. we're gonna skip the early morning pics lol and we'll pick up the story a little later along the way.
cheers
cheers
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