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Musings

24 Sep

The continuation of the glowing account of our recent month-long journey to central Mexico needs to be put on hold in light of the recent earthquakes. Many of the places we visited are damaged, destroyed or at the very least suffering. 

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The two bell towers of the 16th century church in Cholula that sits on top of the world’s largest pyramid toppled.  Our Lady of the Remedies.

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We visited here three weeks ago.

We are blessed to have a roof over our heads and food on the table. The need is so great and overwhelming in the world that some days I must turn off the news and simply be kind to the person in front of me. It’s all I have. Other days I have more.

IMG_0580We were robbed again this week. While we are certain of the culprit, there is little definite proof. We have increased the security with bars on my MIL’s house and two of our vulnerable windows. Sad, but necessary.

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Security for Alice.

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Enjoy your week. Connect with your neighbor (unless they are the ones robbing you).  Get outdoors. Be grateful, no complaints.

DOS TORTAS 

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Amazing Astonishing and Fabulous

17 Sep

I thought the Ciudad de México was supposed to have the best museums. Well, it might, but Oaxaca certainly gives it a run. My favorite of the many museums we explored was the Cultural Museum situated next to the cathedral in El Centro. After having been to the Anthropology Museum in CDMX, you’d think we were burned out looking at so many antiquities, but you’d be wrong.

 

 

There are statues large and small, religious iconography and conquest remains. Note the  great views of the botanical gardens next door from the upper windows of the converted monastery museum.

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Cool temperatures in this mountainous city were a lovely break in August.

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The gardens are young but having planted adult plants makes it feel ancient.

The Oaxacan Textile Museum shows some of the amazing costumes of the many indigenous populations that live in the state. Not only are they beautiful, but the quality of the handwork is mind boggling to this fiber artist.

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As the world over, many skills being lost as the younger generation is not interested in such time consuming work.

The Filatelia Museum, no I didn’t know what it was either, is a collection of all things postal. There are letters from back in the day when we wrote words by hand. Letters from Frida to her doctor are arranged vertically to peruse front and back, in large pull-out drawers. There were postcards, stamps, a typewriter, even old mailboxes. I am particularly fond of writing postcards. Time to revive the habit.

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Many colorful Mexican stamps.

One more astonishing museum is the private collection of world renowned Oaxacan muralist, Rufino Tamayo. I know I can use words like amazing, astonishing, and fabulous just so many times without my readers glazing over. This one is not to be missed.

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Goddess in many renditions.

Then there are the incidental galleries found overhead in corner restaurants where we stopped for breakfast.

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Mexico is all things Frida.

If Oaxaca is on your bucket list, give yourself at least ten days. You need that amount of time to leisurely explore the many wonderful things there are to see, do and eat. Enjoy a rooftop sunset, mescal tasting and time to wander. You won’t be disappointed.

DOS TORTAS

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The Crying Tree

10 Sep

Just to be clear, the tree wasn’t crying, I was. Day one of our visit to Oaxaca in Central Mexico, about five hours south of Mexico City, we joined a tour with a bi-lingual guide to visit the archeological site of Mitla, a place I had visited over forty years ago.

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The step-fret designs are individually cut stones. No mortar is involved.

We took a couple of tours while in Oaxaca. They were cheap, $20 each for the entire day, cold water provided. The guides were very knowledgeable. We stopped for lunch at great local restaurants and the groups were small, maybe eight people. It helps that we were visiting during the slow season.  It rained most days, but it never slowed us down.

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I kept forgetting to bring my “before” pictures with me.

When I visited Mitla in 1975, it was located off a dirt road in the high dessert. I was in awe as I walked the archeological site. The site hasn’t changed much but boy have the surroundings. It is now situated in the middle of a large community that services the many bus loads of tourists arriving daily. I can’t even imagine it during high season.

On the way to Mitla we stopped at the Tule Tree. I had never heard of it. It is the tree with the largest circumference in the world, 137 feet around!

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Located in the Zapotecan village of Santa Maria del Tule, Oax.

For some reason I was overcome with grief looking at this beautiful 2,000 year old tree. She knew the ancients, saw the slaughter of the indigenous people, lived through revolution after revolution, and now stands witness to the insanity of our times. Maybe it was me, but I sensed sadness and wept. I wonder if she knew an earthquake was coming to her land two weeks later that would kill many people?

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Feeling emotional.

One more stop to see a petrified waterfall. We didn’t quite beat the rain, but it was worth the  trek.

 

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Sulphuric spring pools to the left.

We had a full day with eight more to go. There was so much more to see and do. Stay tuned. DOS TORTAS

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Lovely Oaxaca

3 Sep

Saying adiós to Mexico City, we headed for the next leg of our tour of Central Mexico, Oaxaca. Part of the goal of this trip is to visit places I loved while in college in Mexico in 1973, I used to travel by train from Puebla to Oaxaca for long weekends to this magical city. Unfortunately the trains no longer runs. Such is progress.

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Santo Domingo Cathedral. Weddings, funerals and quinceañeras.

 

We checked into our AirB&B after a seven hour bus ride from Mexico City. The hotelito was a bit primitive with a hard bed, lumpy pillows and lots of mosquitoes. The location was perfect however, right downtown and the price was right. I felt like I was back in college. Oh well, we survived.

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Botanical Gardens

We explored the city mostly on foot. It was mind blowing and I could write a month of blogs just on Oaxaca. Replicating my old photos has been so much fun.

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This fountain has changed considerably and is now the centerpiece for an amazing museum.

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Courtyard of the Museum de las Culturas

Probably the least attractive area of Oaxaca is the Zócalo. This beautiful park where teenagers came to check each other out under the watchful eyes of chaperones is now a campground for political protesters. I don’t know the details of their complaints but the area is a mess.

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Balancing a basket of watermelon, a young woman plies her wares. Circa 1973

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Another balancing act.  Note her long braids wrapped in ribbons, very typical of the times.

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Today, political protesters have taken over the Zócalo.

The Zocalo is crowded and dirty. For some reason I am having difficulty posting after the video below, so I will end here. Please scroll down and see the photos of the Zocalo today. Lots more on Oaxaca to come. DOS TORTAS

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Teotihuacán – The Valley of the Gods

27 Aug

In September 1973, having arrived in Mexico only a few days prior as a foreign exchange student, I joined classmates on a field trip to Teotihuacán, an ancient Aztec city of enormous pyramids in a valley outside of Mexico City. The day was spent in awe for this twenty-one year old girl from New Jersey and began my love affair with Mexico.

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The view from the Pyramid of the Moon September 1973

Today, living in Mexico full-time as a retiree, I got the chance to revisit Teotihuacán.

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We traveled from our hotel in Mexico City via metro to the bus terminal for the one hour ride to Teotihuacán. Having downloaded Bill Bell’s On-Site Guide we had the confidence and information we needed. Recreating the photos was fun. Some of the photo angles are different since there have been renovations to the pyramids.

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Willing to offer my heart as sacrifice after the strenuous climb.

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The biggest change has been the growth of the many towns around the pyramids due to the income from tourism. We arrived early. There were very large crowds later in the day when the tour buses arrived.

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La Gruta

We even ate dinner at La Gruta, an immense cave turned restaurant. I hadn’t thought of the place in years. We ate lunch here as a table full of students in 1973. It was much as I remembered.

We spent two days huffing and puffing up and down pyramids. It was truly a wonderful experience. DOS TORTAS

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Mexico City Day 2

20 Aug

Our second day in La Ciudad we explored the Anthropology Museum and the castle of Chapultepec that offers an amazing vista of Mexico City. Chapultepec Park itself is larger the Central Park in New York. We could have spent the entire week here and not seen it all. There was a lovely lake with paddle boats and of course many vendors.

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The Anthropology Mueseum. The two story fountain was closed for cleaning.

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Chapultepec Castle.

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The French had a big influence on Mexico, not to mention rulership. Lisa loves castles.

Part of the goal of this trip is to revisit my old stopping grounds of 1973-74. A lot has changed in Mexico and the world, not to mention ME. Forty some years later at 65 years old, I am still in awe of this amazing country.

I am having trouble with internet, so the post on the historic district and Teotihuacan will have to wait.  Have a great week.

DOS TORTAS

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Mexico City Dreaming Day 1

13 Aug

We arrived in Mexico City at 11:30am Thursday. The city was rain-soaked from the aftermath of tropical storm Franklin. The plane landed smoothly and we zipped through immigration quickly. A thirty minute taxi ride to our hotel to drop off our luggage cost about $12us. The hotel was clean and located in a lovely neighborhood. I found Casa de la Condesa on hotels.com. Score! You never know what you’ll end up with, but I’d recommend this little hotel any day.

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Clean, quiet and great shower!

The hotel called us a taxi to travel to Coyoacan to meet friends for a late lunch. The Coyoacana was exquisitely delicious. Score number two.

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I met Paty and Maria at the swim competition in Bacalar. Dear women.

With light rain, we walked the neighborhood and waited in line to visit the Frida Kahlo museum. It was my second visit and Lisa’s first. I love imagining Frida sitting at her easel. She is an inspiration.

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After the museum we wandered around this hip little Coyoacan neighborhood. Honey, we’re not in Bacalar!! Every town square in colonial Mexico has a church and the cathedral of Saint John the Baptist was quite beautiful.

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Excuse the blurry picture.

We also managed a quick walk through the Mercado before it closed. Meeting up with our taxi driver was a snap and we were back at out hotel ready for a good night’s sleep and quite pleased with ourselves for managing a wonderful first day in Mexico City.

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Mexico City is a huge metropolis with lovely neighborhoods and green parks. It is sure worth the visit and we will continue with our week long visit. Stay tuned.

DOS TORTAS

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A Diós Cha Cha

6 Aug

The TORTAS are off on another adventure with a quick trip to the U.S. and then four weeks in Central Mexico. We were only gone three days when I received a message from our neighbor that Cha Cha, my new little dog got out of the yard and was hit by a car and killed.

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Before she came to us after being spayed. Looking sad and skinny.

We’re not sure how she got out. I’ve been feeling sad and even now it’s hard to write about it. I only had her a month, but time really doesn’t matter. I took a risk and opened my heart. How often do we really get to do that in our lives?

 

Adiós Cha Cha. Vaya con Diós. Go with God.

DOS TORTAS

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A Much Needed Vacation

23 Jul

Travel in Mexico in the 70’s took little planning (In The Beginning). There was no Airbnb. You showed at the station and took the next bus to wherever you were heading. Schedules were flexible which means nothing left on time.

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And there were trains! They were cheap with little difference in cost between second class (bench seats) and first (individual recliners, that rarely worked).

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The train from Puebla to Oaxaca circa 1973.

The train stopped frequently along its route allowing vendors to board selling fruit, avocados, tacos and lots of mysterious looking snacks that I was afraid to try. Today there are almost no trains running. It’s a shame really although there is talk of high speed rail between Mexico City and Guadalajara.

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The switchbacks were scarey at times. 😱

There were also many cheap hotels and each trip further enhanced my love affair with Mexico. We are off soon for our much needed vacation. I will introduce Lisa to my old stomping grounds in central Mexico, including Mexico City, Oaxaca, Puebla and Cholula. I have dragged out some old photos that I hope to recreate. Vamos a ver (we’ll see). Wish us buen viaje!

DOS TORTAS

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Watch Your Feet But Occasionally Remember To Look Up

16 Jul

Anyone who spends time in Mexico knows that you HAVE to watch your footing. Uneven urban sidewalks can mean a skinned knee or a broken bone if one gets distracted for a minute. I’ve seen openings in the sidewalk that could swallow a child, never to be seen again. In the jungle a tree root, stump or half-buried rock can take you down.

There are also the delights of looking down. There is a nance tree along my morning walk with the dogs. Tiny yellow fruit litter the ground and are quite tasty. They’re like a soft apple, not particularly sweet with a large seed. Not much to it really but worth trying if you see them in the market.

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I’ve been reading about the importance of biodiversity in our gut. These little fruits are seasonal and local. Children sell bags of them along the highway.

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The occasional snake or tarantula can also be observed if one keeps their eyes peeled during a morning walk.

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Neighbor kids found this beauty caught in our fence last year.

Of course life can not be lived only watching your feet. It’s important to look up at the beautiful sky or miss the rainbow, tucan or storm clouds. Here in Bacalar, we are never at a loss for a beautiful sky. Even during a restless night last night, the half moon glistened across the Laguna at 2 am.

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So find your balance, whatever it looks like, even if it changes every day.

DOS TORTAS

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