OlyTurtles Travels

Guanajuato

2009-05-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

March 17, 2009

On an early sunny morning we loaded ourselves onto a highway bus for a trip from San Miguel De Allende to the City of Guanajuato. The hour and a half ride took us through mountainous countryside. Small villages are fewer here. Most of the land is cattle land with few smaller farms.
We crested a hill and peered down at our first glimpse of Guanajuato. The open lands end abruptly in rows of colorful buildings crowded together from canyon bottom to near the canyon top. We wound down a curvy road to a bus yard on the edge of town. At the bus yard we changed to smaller buses. The streets of Guanajuato are so narrow no standard highway sized trucks or buses will fit. Everything that arrives in Guanajuato on larger vehicles is re-loaded for delivery in town.

Our little bus entered the city via a maze of narrow roads sharing lanes with all manner of vehicles including a donkey cart. The fearlessly frugal Mexican driver can always turn two lanes into three – one for passing and one for parking, one for going the other way.

The river that runs through Guanajuato used to divide the town. Over the years ingenious engineering and a miners' mindset has transformed the river from a problem, to a fixture and an asset. Surprisingly enough, there is no glimpse of the river in midtown Guanajuato! Here's why:
As roads, shops, churches and homes lined both sides of the river more and more bridges were built to span the stream. Eventually, there was very little river left showing, so the City finished the project, creating a continuous “roof” over the river. This created a cross-town roadway. Another build produced a stone roof over the roadway, new buildings and new roadways as well.

Today a series of seventeen tunnels create an expressway system through the city. Many are cut through rock, many are stone and brick structures with new city constructed on top. The river flows, the traffic flows, streets disappear into the ground, streets pop out of rock walls or from between buildings and the city moves at a merry pace. Should storm waters rise to the level of the tunnels – don't take the tunnels! They're storm drains today!

After lunch in a street-side restaurant on a little plaza we toured the magnificently restored opera house. We found the symphony orchestra in rehearsal. Music was echoing as we walked quietly through the halls, lobbies and boxes. The hall is very ornate, done up in gold gilt and red velvet. The luxury from an elegant era of the past live on. It's fun to imagine glittering gala events of another day.

A walk through narrow streets leads us to visit the house of Diego Rivera's mother. Diego lived there with Frida Kalho for some time. It is a narrow little house with a wrought-iron railed square central staircase around an indoor atrium. The staircase spirals up four floors. The house has been converted into an historic landmark and museum - all ornamented with sketches, watercolors and oil paintings by Diego Rivera. An incredible assortment of styles and sophistication. It's easy to imagine bits of the artist's life; So much living hidden behind a plain wooden door on a narrow street. A cloistered abode with an artist's vivid global view. What hidden lives people live.

As our time in Guanajuato waned we rushed along narrow streets to a small narrow alley where legend has it that a tragic love affair occurred. The alley is so narrow that the window balconies almost touch. A poor young man and a very rich young lady fell in love. The rich girl's father found about the love affair. His daughter refused to stop seeing her young suitor. They descended their stairs for their one and only kiss. Her father killed her rather than have her marry someone below her class. There stands that fateful step in the stairs of that narrow alley, directly under the star crossed lovers' windows.

Legend has it that if two people kiss while standing on that very stair their love will last forever. We kissed... and so far it's working beyond all our expectations!!

A quick finish-up tour of the city and back to the big buses for our return to San Miguel de Allende. Our heads are full of so many stories, tastes and views. So many corners were left un-explored. We hope to return one day to this heady little mining town. I hope you make it one day too!

San Miguel de Allende

2009-05-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

3-16, 2009

We left our campground while the morning was still crisp and set out on a double-deck bus to tour the city of San Miguel de Allende. The little undersized bus took us up and down impossibly narrow cobblestone streets. The homes in San Miguel are tidy, brick and stone front buildings that look as if they belong on mountains of northern Italy. Mexico's flair is present, however in the brilliant colors of the stucco work.

We wound our way to the top of a hill to see the city from “El Mirador” (the lookout, or overseer – aptly named).

March brings a special moment to San Miguel de Allende. The vibrant, earth-tone palate of Mexican stucco is celebrated by thousands of brilliant lavender-blue clouds of jacarandas.

We savored a city that is not only a dazzling array of colors, but a dazzling array of the modern and antique architecture. Fresh new homes and businesses are snug and comfortable neighbors to sixteenth century baroque churches and government buildings.

An artistic mosaic of square modern buildings is punctuated by rococo spires of magnificent old churches. No view of this town seems complete without a wonderful old church front.

Teotihuacan Ruins

2009-03-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

12 March, 2009

We stayed in a little village about 30 miles NW of Mexico City. The town is San Juan Teotihuacan. Adjacent to the town is a huge archaeological site that protects and researches the mid-classical city of Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan was once a planned city home to well over 100,000 people (possibly a quarter million), making it -at its time one of the biggest cities in the world. The site covers 83 square kilometers in size.

The fall of Teotihuacan came some 500 years before the arrival of the Spanish. Already picked over, the site was left pretty much alone by the Conquistadors. Because of this the site reveals many artifacts that other sites have lost.

In spite of the rich resources at the site, the details of who occupied the site and just what influence and control they brought to Mesoamerica is lost in antiquity. Cultural exchange can be seen between surrounding cultures and here at Teotihuacan, but the exact roles these cultures played in each others' lives is lost.

We visited the museum first where we discovered just how huge the site is. A model showed us that the main street (dubbed “Street of the Dead” by Aztecs who believed the smaller structures to be tombs) is many miles long! As a result, we found ourselves walking from structure to structure with little time to contemplate them individually.

Three structures stand out, however. The Pyramid of the Sun, The Pyramid of the Moon, and the Hall of the Jaguars are really treasures. Each for different reasons.

Pyramid of the Sun is the largest of the structures. It is the second largest structure in the new world, second only to the great pyramid in Cholula.

Pyramid of the moon, while smaller holds a more prominent position in the city. It sits squarely at the end of the long Street of the Dead where it dominates the street, the landscape and the symmetrical architecture on both sides.

Hall of the Jaguars is impressive because of the extremely fresh stone carving on pillars and panels. The surviving sections of ceiling and interior walls still have crisp plaster finishes with many murals intact. A stone floor still retains its shine.

Again, we lament that our moments here are too, too brief. We left late in the afternoon, wishing it was still morning.

The Floating Gardens of Xochimilco

2009-03-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

March 13, 2009

In the Xochimilco district of Mexico City there are still canals between the raised-bed gardens built by the ancient Aztecs. A flourishing vegetable and cut flower industry is still going strong here. While the gardens don't float, they've lived with their name “Floating Gardens” for generations.

For years Hollywood has been bringing us romantic images of Mexican Gondolas; Colorful flower-strewn boats full of families and lovers with gondoliers polling along green canals. Mariachis entertain, beverages and lunches are served and partiers enjoy a shady green retreat while servers and gondoliers take away the cares of the world.

Boats full of sellers of flowers, jewelry, tequila, toys sombreros and serapes all jockey for positions to wave their wares at the most likely-looking boatloads of revelers.

No new culture was discovered. No astounding insights unfolded. Scenery was relaxing. Lunch was tasty. Music was classic mariachi, and the cares of the world were polled away by the gondoliers.

Life was just right.

Museum of Anthropology

2009-03-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

March 13, 2009

Mexico's Instituto National Anthropologico y Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History) Has taken charge of ruins in Mexico. They work to conserve that which is unearthed, and to unearth more as time goes by, and to leave buried those that can't be defended against time, weather and people. . The I.N.A.H. has taken the most important and the most fragile of all the artifacts to a central location. Anyone interested in Mesoamerica, archeology, anthropology, history or fine museums owes themselves a trip to Mexico City to see the Museo de Anthropologico.

The complex actually contains many focused museums, each connected to a central courtyard. Each has neighboring museums much like the neighboring cultures they document. The ground floor halls display stone, clay, gold, wood, gourd and feather artifacts of different cultures.

The second floor is filled with dioramas of current indigenous groups in their daily lives. Houses, households, furniture, tools and clothing are all carefully authentic right down to the brand of beer in a particular region.

I realized as I walked these upper halls that this is a view for urban citizens of their rural countrymen. We've recently been from Mexico's isolated villages to the Capitol City itself. Ancient, current, northern, southern, rain forest, desert, rural and urban, Mexico is a land of cultural extremes. Her richness lies in her diversity. I.N.A.H holds this dear and presents it in microcosm here in these world-class museums.

MEXICO CITY

2009-03-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

March 13, 2009

Mexico City is the most populace city in the world. After going into town at 8 AM I've no reason to doubt this statistic. We were using the “Autopista” - a toll road with few on and off ramps and no cross streets or traffic signals. The rush hour traffic was world class to say the least. Speeds ranged from 30 to 2 MPH.

Mexico runs on public transportation. A bus ride for instance across Mexico (city) costs less than fifty cents US. The metro, a rubber-tired light-rail system is priced similarly. It moves people through town at a speed of up to 50 miles per hour while virtually nothing in the rest of the city moves at a pace much above 10.

The streets are filled with compact taxis, buses of all sorts and sizes, local trucks and private vehicles – pretty much in that order.
Driving styles in Mexico are distinctly different than in the US. It really seems to be based on a different philosophy. Lines on roads indicate the direction the road goes. Just where one drives in a roadway depends pretty much on the spaces one sees. If you think you fit in the space, and the lines are going generally in the direction you want to go, by all means, stick your car in the space. People are relatively polite, and only honk if they think you are missing out on a perfectly good space in front of you.

Plaza De La Constitucion

2009-03-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

March 13, 2009

Mexico City was founded by Aztecs. The legend goes that a shaman was asked by his band where they should settle. He told them to travel north until they see an eagle on a cactus eating a snake. They saw the vision on an island in the middle of a shallow lake. There they settled and built the the main Aztec Temple.

Aztecs rose and fell (like all societies seem to do). Legends and a few ruins remained and farmers still maintained and farmed the raised beds built in the shallow lake. A colonial city flourished on the old site.

Today in the Plaza De La Constitucion where the Cathedral and the National Palace of Mexico reside there is a flagpole. It marks the legendary spot where the cactus, eagle and snake were seen.

An open-air market features indigenous handicrafts, shamans and Aztec dancers.

The National Palace houses the offices of the President and the original legislature. The legislature has long since moved to larger quarters, but the hall is preserved and revered as the place the constitution was adopted. Diego Rivera painted 15 murals in the National Palace. They draw huge crowds of school children and adults alike on tours of the expansive building.

In the early 90's work on new buildings commenced just off the square and the excavators found foundations of huge buildings, some nearly a block long. The myths and legends have become more real and believable as the archaeologists take over, unearth and document what indeed appears to be the Aztec's main temple.

The Cathedral is filled with faithful and visitors alike. The massive stone structure is being saved from sinking sideways into its sandy underpinnings. Massive engineering projects are underway. The efforts are plainly visible by a plumb-bob hanging from the dizzying top of an arched vault high above the floor. The progress of over three hundred years of settling and fifty years of salvation show a path coming halfway back to plumb, as she was built so long ago.

Guadalupe

2009-03-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

March 12, 2009

Basilica De La Virgin De Guadalupe

Our bus took us to the Basilica De La Virgin De Guadalupe. The original church marks the spot of a miracle in the fifteen hundreds. An indigenous Mexican convert was visited three times on a hilltop above the city. His proof of the events convinced the Bishop and the Virgin's instruction was heeded; A church was built on the hill. The Virgin of Guadalupe became such a popular figure that the church soon was outgrown.

A second church was built below the original in the early 1700's. Once again it became too small, and was also found to be tipping on its sand footings. In 1973 a new Basilica of startling avaunt guard Mexican architecture was built. Pope John Paul II has blessed this place by 5 visits during his reign.

We entered the new Basilica during a service. Pure grandeur and an intimacy somehow combine with the help of the wonderful acoustics. One hears and shares in all that happens in the service.
An aisle takes us under the altar where we look up at the cross and relic on the wall high above and behind the altar. We find ourselves looking at the cape of Juan Diego and the very image of La Virgin De Guadalupe as it miraculously appeared before Juan Diego and the Bishop himself.

We took a break in a quiet hallway beneath the back of the church. Needless to say it stayed quiet. Just about everyone gave pause to think about what we'd just experienced.

Our tour took us to the grand Gothic cathedral of the 1700's. Today she is in a state of severe distress. She leans dangerously as workers try to stop her slip towards a fall. Scaffolding and jacks support the ceiling and pillars of her main sanctuary while efforts go on to add stability to the foundation. Meanwhile a small side altar is still in use. A crucifix shows a beaten and bloodied Christ there in this beaten and bloodied old Cathedral. A powerful sense of travail overcame me.

In the courtyard grand vistas, historic churches, nunnery, the parroquia, and chapels (5) create a history lesson, an architecture lesson, a religious lesson and a supreme inspiration all on one plaza.

Our tour was like good movies are; They're just never long enough.

Puebla and Cholula

2009-03-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

March 9, 2009

PUEBLA
We boarded a double deck bus at 8AM to tour the busy city of Puebla. The name Puebla has nothing to do with Pueblo. Puebla isn't rustic, isn't rural, and isn't small in any sense of the word.
The main boulevards in and out of Puebla are similar to some other large Mexican cities. They are wide streets with parks in the medians, statues in the gloriettas (huge roundabouts) and many cases laterales (urban “frontage roads” for business, parking and sidewalks). The five lanes on a side with parkways and a median probably occupy a swath about two hundred feet wide all told.

When one leaves the boulevard the common side street is about twenty two feet wide. This space is taken up by one lane of parking and two lanes of traffic. By the way, two buses and a parked care will add up to twenty two feet precisely, not counting mirrors. All Mexican buses have have folding mirrors. Buss drivers don't slow down; They reach out the open window and fold the mirror.

Puebla is a busy city with a strong European flavor to the architecture. The business district in fact has block after block of European brand-name shops with large windows and high gloss brass hardware. These storefronts are carefully, tastefully and seamlessly inserted into fifteenth to nineteenth century buildings of French, Italian, Spanish and Moorish architecture. Spaced neatly among the blocks of buildings are church after church. Each of them add to the antique flavor of the town with carved stone embellishments and soaring bell towers.

Puebla claims its own place in the history of Mexico. It seems that a French military presence occupied Puebla when Benito Juarez was elected President. President Juarez, in an attempt to make his books balance a bit better defaulted on some rather staggering sums in French loans.
France, with righteous indignation, rallied a few thousand troops. Apparently they intended to “occupy” Mexico, starting with Puebla.

Round one, on the 5th of May, 1861 the French found out you can't occupy Mexico with a few thousand troops. Round two, the French proved that you could re-take your own fort (in Puebla) with a few thousand troops. Round three, Benito Juarez ran the French out of Mexico once and for all.

El 5 de Mayo isn't celebrated much in Mexico. Most Mexicans here don't even know the significance of the day. Only in the U.S. do we celebrate when Benito Juarez skipped out on a loan.

We toured a tile and pottery shop in the artisan section of Puebla. They've integrated slab work and wheel work to form molded plates and bowls. Vases and the like are still made by throwing on a wheel.

Puebla pottery glazing has its own characteristic look. A big part is in its blue glazes. They're put on like any other glaze, but when fired they raise above the surface to add texture to the design. Cobalt Oxide is said to be the key ingredient.

On the same street we found a jewelry store making replicas of ancient gold necklaces and such. The pieces are made in these little shops by the lost-wax casting technique. Wax pieces are made in rubber molds, then set in a refractory plaster slurry similar to plaster of Paris. The dried slurry is baked to temper the plaster and vaporize the wax. Gold is poured into the mold in a centrifuge to fill the mold well. When the plaster is broken the gold pieces are ready for finishing. These handsome, well crafted pieces speak to us with ancient Mesoamerican voices.
Just south of the zòcalo we found the Benito Juarez Market. It is an indigenous day market that has been in full swing for as long as the city has existed. Everything from the unidentifiable to the familiar is here a-plenty. Crowds flow like water through the market and it gives life to the very air we breathe. Once again we're caught up in a culture we hardly recognize, yet we intuitively understand and embrace.

Puebla is yet another city that rests comfortably in the happy parts our memory.

Cholula
Cholula is being absorbed by Greater Puebla as size and population increase. Cholula is home to Tepanampa; an Aztec – Cholulatec ruin. The base of the main pyramid at Tepanampa is over a quarter mile on a side. It is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) in Mexico, and bigger by far than the Great Pyramid of Cheops.

Much about Tepanampa is lost to the overbuild that the indigenous city suffered in the fifteen hundreds. Spanish conquerors brought priests and one of the priests' projects (as usual) was the construction of a church. The priests had Tepanampa buried in adobe bricks and covered with topsoil. They then built a Spanish – Moorish church atop the pyramid's disguise. Not until the first part of the last century did archaeologists begin in earnest to tunnel into the mound.

Today much has been learned, and much left protected by the adobe. A nice museum shows a model of the city and many of the best recovered artifacts. The archeologists' tunnels are partly open to the tourists. A tour of the tunnel through and around the pyramid is an experience offered nowhere else in Mesoamerica.

High above the ruin the Church of San Gabriel is still active. People in this hilly environment are content to scale the man-made hill over 300 feet to worship. We were lucky enough to visit on a day when San Gabriel's icon went to visit another church. A parade of escorts, rose petal spreaders, icon bearers, their relievers, and a lavender-shirted brass band came down the hill and through the little park where we ate ice cream. The obligatory rocket salutes sounded at irregular intervals – apparently to keep evil spirits off-guard.

It seems that for any event, religious or political, when folks gather the Mexican zest for the festive is always present. What a wonderful way to keep a little town grounded and bonded.

Oaxaca

2009-03-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

March 7, 2009

Ciudad Oaxaca sits on the Pacific slopes of the Mexican Sierra Madre. The landscape is a transition from the tropics of central and eastern Mexico and the classic Mexico of Hollywood movies. Far from colonial, the people of Oaxaca farm corn, maguay and squash with little strong interest in beef. Goats, chickens pigs and some sheep are the livestock of choice here. Donkeys and a few oxen are the beasts of burden. These seem to be being rapidly replaced by tractors.

The city itself is driven by state government, universities and tourism. The tourists use Oaxaca as the hub to many villages famous for their handicrafts. Oaxaca is a great city for walking around downtown. Benito Juarez was born, raised, educated, and married here. His influence is everywhere in murals and statuary. Three colonial style churches are down town. All are worth a visit in their own right.

A block south of the zocalo lies the Benito Juarez Market. In seemingly no rhyme or reason, shops and stands are packed into small open buildings, alleyways, sidewalks and streets. The fare at the market includes everything necessary for life. Bananas to bluejeans, furniture to fried crickets. It's all here, and many of the vendors just want you to sample their wares. Oaxacan string cheese wound into balls looking much like yarn, and many many varieties of chocolate are unique to the market. The bustle and crowds are amazing. European and American tourists are a comical sight standing like storks among a population that averages under five feet tall.

The zocalo is full of mature laurel and jacaranda trees. A bandstand dominates the center of the plaza and is filled with soft light and music at night. The trees all have their trunks and lower limbs wrapped with lights and the park fairly glows when the sun sets. Young men and women circle the park in two's and three's strolling in opposite directions enjoying the “scenery” of the on-coming traffic. Apparently the glances and smiles grow into conversations and eventually romance. Park benches are filled by couples who sit, talk and steal an occasional kiss. A second, adjacent park is filled with families and children. Both parks are surrounded by sidewalk restaurants where people enjoy the scene, the music of the bandstand or strolling groups, and the relief from the day's heat

Monte Albán
Like most ancient Mesoamerican ruins the stories the archaeologists discover develop in layers. Monte Albán is no exception. Toltecs were the early developers of the city on a hill. Their plan took more than the reign of the Toltecs to produce. With no apparent lost steps the Zapoteks took over, inherited the plan and much technology and completed the work. A fascinating city was the result.

The layout of the city uses buildings as analogues for the surrounding mountains. Monte Albán's analog is the main temple in the center of town – much the same as the mountain's position in the Valley of Oaxaca.

Stilae found in one of the buildings – now considered to be a university or a library – are illustrations for the practice of medicine. Such things as congenital deformity, broken and misshapen limbs, internal organs and even a breech birth are all illustrated.

Not only are the sciences of astronomy illustrated in the ancient observatory, but alignment between the axes of buildings and the relative positions of buildings demonstrate exactly the variation between true north and magnetic north at the time of the city's heyday. Rainwater was managed by gathering it in aqueducts from the entire inner city and collecting it in a ceremonial cistern. Overflow from the ceremonial cistern left by underground aqueduct to a reservoir just outside the inner city. Most of the buildings were connected by underground passageways presumably for dignitaries and priests.

While Monte Albán was one of the few Mesoamerican cities designed as a fortress they too became vulnerable. Speculation runs high and no answers were recorded, but Monte Albán's lofty perch meant that it's supply lines were tenuous. Disagreements with those who would normally support the aristocracy through tributes could've cost them their reign. There are also theories that the close family ties of the aristocracy led to an unhealthy level of inbreeding.
So, all good things come to an end – as did our afternoon in Monte Albán. We left to wonder over their demise, and savor our next slice of amazing cultures.

San Bartolo Coyotepec
More than fifty years ago Doña Rosa Real worked to improve her art. She discovered a process of burnishing the surface of pots before firing to produce a high polish finish like glazed wares. Combined with a unique local clay that fires into a jet-black pot, Doña Rosa was the first to produce a whole new line of wares. The technique has been duplicated in New Mexico in a successful line of American craft, but some of the finest black ware is from Dońa Rosa's family shop in San Bartolo Coyotepec.

Today Doña Rosa's son, Dón Valente Real carries on the tradition and art form in his mother's name.

Dón Valente demonstrated the art of throwing a pot in a very traditional and effective way; Two shallow round-bottomed plates are placed, one on the floor and another on top of it so the convex sides meet. Dón Valente took about a two to three pound piece of clay and created a pinch pot with one open hand and a fist. He placed the pinch pot in the top plate. The plates rotate on each other's center such that Dón Valente was quickly able to true up and balance the work while shaping it into an open bowl slightly shorter than its width.

He explained that for strength this work would normally be allowed to rest and dry slowly for a day or so, however he demonstrated the next step straight away.

Another half pound of clay was quickly turned into a “rope” and added by the coil technique. The coil technique was used to close the top of the pot and add a shallow funnel shaped rim to form a vase. With a flick of the thumb and a couple of fingers a spout made the work into a pitcher.

He showed how berry-sized pieces of clay can add dots, leaves and flower petals. Bamboo sections make wonderful scribes and stamp impressions, and his only steel tool, a mini paring knife incises lacy openings in a piece.

All the while, a second story developed as a cat (Dón Valente says it is a stray) walked in, drank deeply from the water bucket next to the “wheel”. He checked out the guests, selected Marty (one of our caravan group) curled up in his lap and went to sleep. A few great questions and thorough answers and we all went to the show room area. With our new knowledge we appreciated anew the lovely work that surrounded us.

Arrazola
Magic flights of fantasy guide the hands of woodcarvers and decorators in the village of Arrazola. They're making “alebrijes”. Pieces of what many would see as little more than firewood inspire Arrazola's carvers to take pencil in hand, tracing rough figures onto the wood, setting a machete in motion. Flying steel and flying chips may produce something as bizarre as a flying armadillo. The figures may be as docile as a humming bird or breathe fire in flames of yellow, green and blue.

I'm not sure when the exact form comes into a mature image for the carvers, but a lot of the magic happens after carving, drying, sanding and filling. This is when the carvers (men) turn the work over to the painters (women). Dogs become pink and yellow, covered with scales, stripes or dots. Pigs go paisley, birds get covered with flowers. The forms of dragons look like they wear slips and pinafores. Life in a wooden world goes topsy-turvey.

We wander through the workshop watching carving and painting. We move on the sales tables and into images that challenge our reality. The images are at first disturbing; never off-putting, and slowly the whimsy wins us over. Pretty soon plaid chickens are pretty cool.

Pricey as things were, no one really went overboard, but just about everyone picked up a little trinket that they'll never be able to explain to a relative. You just had to have been there.

Teotitlán del Valle
Isaac Vasques Garcia lives and works in Teotitlán. His spacious home serves as living quarters, a studio and a sales area. He, with a son and a daughter demonstrated the arts of preparing wool by carding, spinning and dying. Then tightly and evenly weaving original designs and carefully selected colors into pieces of fine art. The designs range from traditional works through new art and commissioned pieces.

Mr. Garcia has decided (years ago) that his art would be most durable, most colorful and truest to its heritage if he were to use only original natural dyes. He uses only mosses and marigolds for his yellows, only indigo for the blues, and the reds come only from the cochineal (a scaly bug in a “little shell” hence the name) The bug grows solely on the nopal cactus. We call them prickly pears in the north.

The resulting works of art range from reverent to whimsical. Sizes range from place-mats to rugs about 9' by 12'. They all share a fine-textured heaviness and an evenness that testify to the skill and care of these artisans. We fell in love with one of course. We are glad to be bringing home a piece to remind us of a few hours spent with this gracious and generous family.

San Cristobal De Las Casas

2009-03-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

March 2, 2009

San Cristobal, Chiapas is a city in the center of the Mexican Sierra Madre. The surrounding steep and rocky mountains hold about sixty small villages in this district. Each has its own pride, sense of community, and special customs. Many groups of 4 or 5 speak their own dialects or languages. Our tour takes us to two of these. One is an extreme in its individuality, the other is more typical. They are (in order) Chamula and Zincantan.

Chamula

Indigenous people of Chamula have no knowledge of their roots, other than that they were created from corn. Their legends however seem to come strait from the Mayan Bible even though they deny a Mayan heritage. An abandoned 16th century church stands as a roofless shell with no charter, no history, and no meaning to the town other than as a marker for the cemetery.

The church on the town square is another story. They know when it was built (more or less) and when they chased off the Spaniards who built it. The church is full of Catholic Saints' Icons. Christ is just another icon here. Each icon has its day. Each icon makes the tour of the town for each fiesta. Icons are assumed to have powers and receive prayers and offerings from those in gratitude or need.
We paid a few pesos each to enter the church. We were asked to remove hats and informed that no photography of any kind is permitted in the building. People set up and light typically 5 to 50 candles on the stone floor and chant while they burn. Spiritual and medical advice comes from shamans often in the form of a prescription for herbs or prayers or offerings. Shamans may perform rites for people at their homes or at the church. While we were visiting the church we noted a shaman lady waiting for a client with a chicken in her lap. The chicken was apparently to be offered to one of the saints at the church, and the remains buried at the home of the shaman's client.

Men volunteer time to maintain the church. The floors must be covered with pine straw and refreshed once a week. The pine straw keeps evil spirits away. Men sweep regularly, keep candles from causing fires and scrape the wax puddles from the stone floor. Men consider it a duty and honor to donate time to the cause.

The sanctuary is also a storage place for icons (on display in glass cases) with tables for candles and for their litters for processions. The sanctuary is a huge open space since there are no pews in the church; simply open space, Icons in their glass-front cabinets, and stacked litters .
Each icon has a caretaker. Someone in the community is appointed (by the previous year's caretaker) to the title of Mayordomo. Mayordomo maintains the icon and its wardrobe, and sees to its appearances at each fiesta parade. An alter is kept publicly open for prayers to the saint and smoky incense-clouded prayer services are performed daily. Fresh bromilliads, pine straw, offerings and wardrobe are kept up at these shrines, but the icons themselves are left in the church.

Sometimes a Mayordomo offers up his own home for the shrine. Sometimes the shrine is in an extra home of a benefactor.

Sacraments such as marriage don't happen in Chamula. Men and women cohabit with no contract expressed or expected. They are a polygamous people. A priest comes to the church once a year to do baptisms and maintain the Christ icon.. No other sacraments are requested or offered at the church. When other priests tried they were run off by the town's people for disrespecting their church and their ways. Chamula is not a Catholic town.

We visited the home of the Mayordomo of San Juan Bautista, the patron saint of Chamula. Mayordomo was at work, but His wife, the Mayordoma was tending the shrine. In honor of our presence she filled the house with pine pitch incense and set about lighting over fifty candles. We all sat around the perimeter of the room while our guide explained the Mayordomo system.

Mayordoma was preparing for the 11:AM prayers. She offered a glass of pex (pronounced “Pesh”) - a fermented cane sugar distillate. Many of us shared the liquor. The Mayordoma (through the tour guide) thanked us for coming. We asked, and were shown a dish on the alter where many of us left a few coins for St. John.

The market in the square was bustling and vibrant. Men in black wool tunics (looking much like flocati rugs) and white straw hats congregated for conversation. Women tended wares in black wool dresses and colorful wool shawls. These ample shawls cover shoulders, arms and head. Many women go barefoot. Our guide commented that while they may look impoverished, they are intentionally dressing in the honored style of the proud women of Chamula. The image of a destitute woman fades when she answers the cell-phone in her pocket.
Zincantan

Less than 10 miles from Chamula is another village named Zincantan. Zincantan is a city that lives by the production of cut flowers greenhouses abound. Their market has grown to become international. As one might expect, Zincantan is a considerably more open town. Their artisans involve their love for flowers and colors in embroidered motifs on clothing and other household wares. They weave mats, runners and shawls on small looms. They also embroider other weavers' fabrics with vibrant floral designs.

We visited a home/store/workshop where a family of 5 generations lives and works. The home's front room is a typical Mesoamerican home. The door is in the middle of the long side of a rectangular room. In the corner to the left is an altar (actually two; the second is a flat-screen). The opposite end has the beds. A table on the rear wall holds family product. In other homes it may be cocos, corn, whatever. In this home were tables full of woven and embroidered wares. Opposite the front door in the middle of the back wall is another door. Through the door is a patio where ladies work at their crafts.

To the left is a kitchen. Kitchens are rarely in the houses here. The back of the house shares a courtyard with four other houses. These other houses are for others in this family. Children and pets share the space. Dad and a son work on the son's bicycle until mom needs a knife sharpened. The knife done, a woman takes the knife and a few plucked chickens inside another home. Work, laughter and quiet conversation go on all the while. The women weave and decorate wool shawls and embroider other people's textiles as well.

We are introduced to some of the artisans – a mother with a year-old daughter slung across her hip. The mother appears to be in her mid-teens. Also present are her mother, her grandmother and an aunt. Great grandmother was said to be in the house to the rear of the courtyard.
The family knew in advance of our visit and prepared quesadillas for us. They also offered pex mixed with fruit flavors. Pex is famed for bringing on the expulsion of evil spirits. This family's pex blends are considered special, and they are offered for sale in recycled 12 oz. water bottles.
Warm adios's, buena suerte's, waves and big smiles accompanied our departure. Some other home-shops were just as colorful, but none were as friendly and warm.

Palenque

2009-03-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

February 27, 2009

The ruins at the ancient city of Palenque are absolutely beautiful. The mountainous terrain and the enhanced vertical dimensions to the ruin give this city a truly unique look. Stairs are steeper. Conditions of the structures are better, and the architecture is more sophisticated.

For example, aqueducts drain the bases of structures protecting the foundations. The system works to stabilize the ruins to this day.

Original wood lentils are of – as called in the vernacular – Bullet Tree (for its hardness). High silica content makes the wood age like concrete, impervious to many insects. Many of these lentils have lasted in the ruins over 1,500 years

One pyramid was found to contain the remains of a woman given one of the most elaborate burials known. She was laid in a solid sarcophagus with a 2 ton stone lid. Her remains were decorated with jade and other precious stones and covered in the brightest of red cinnabar. The sarcophagus and lid are still deep within the pyramid and are still stained a brilliant red inside.

Curiously, geneticists have found that she is not anywhere on the royal family tree! No one knows how she earned such a rich burial.
Another pyramid was topped with the royal family's residence. The home included porches, patios and a private courtyard. Our tour guide took us into many rooms hallways, and interior stairways. Surprisingly enough, we found a bathroom complete with a sanitary drain. Yes, the family of the Ruler indeed had indoor plumbing. Today water flows into the drain for the bathroom and the water still flows out – keeping the now-unused facility clean. Archaeologists and engineers as yet haven't figured out where the water comes from, or where the water goes. Dye tests do prove that it doesn't pollute any of the surrounding aqueducts Rarely do tourists get to see Mayan architecture so intimately.

Mayan arches work on a different principal than roman arches. No keystone is used, and the arch never requires buttressing. To envision how it works, imagine two pop bottles balanced upside down next to one another (but not necessarily touching). See the “negative space” between the necks of the two bottles? Extend each bottle as the cross-section of two parallel walls. That makes the space between the walls into a room with a vaulted ceiling. A simple narrow stone “lid” placed on top closes the space. Both sides of each wall thicken above head-height. The wall remains balanced and the the weight always transfers straight down! Columns and lentils form patios, while above head-height each half-vault is kept in balance. Unlike a Roman arch, neither side relies on the other to stand. even if one side of a room fails the other side remains intact.

Mayans were masters at mortaring and stuccoing. Their cement for mortar and stucco was made by burning and crushing limestone. A pure white stucco was the product. In places where water incursion hasn't happened some fabulous stucco walls still exist. Some protected walls still bear their stucco coatings, frescoes and reliefs. Unfortunately, water over thousands of years will leach the calcium from the stucco leaving nothing but dust - and the original structural stonework.

Worthy of note, the Mexican white-stucco tradition far-predates the Spanish. The Maya {and other Mexican cultures even used the technique not only for homes but to pave roads! Rubble stone ballast was laid to stabilize roadways and the surface was paved with stucco. There were thousands of miles of these roads. Some small sections of these paved Mayan roads called “sac bé” (white road) exist today.

So what eventually brings a Mayan wall down?

Plants... As tree roots wrap around stones and the tree eventually falls the stones are taken down. One saving grace is that the trees leave rootlets and drop leaves which become topsoil. The layer can grow at a rate of about a half centimeter per year, so eventually the substructures are protected by the same vegetation.

Chetumal and Belize

2009-03-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

February 24, 2009

We stopped at the gateway city of Chetumal for a visit to Belize. Chetumal is practically new for a couple of reasons. First, Chetumal (now over 120,000 people) was only 5,000 fifty years ago. A trade route from the north into the rest of Mexico and another to the south into Belize has caused the city to boom. Another reason Chetumal is so new is that it seems to get blown away by a hurricane every ten to twenty years!

We holed-up for three nights in an RV park entirely of lawn. The park sits on the water and the RVs are only 6 feet from the Caribbean sea. One would think that this is a bit close, but with reefs and barrier islands protecting, and a tide of about six inches it is a perfect place to park. The park has all the facilities one could ask. A concierge desk, an Internet connection (slow) a bar and a restaurant all in palapas in the middle of the park. We enjoyed happy hours next to the water and even had a mini jam-session on the beach. Fun!

A tour of Belize started when we were introduced to a 50 year old school bus converted to tour bus service by a Belizian bus company “Morales”. Student seating isn't much problem for local folk, but gangley, long-legged tourists from the north haven't' a chance of sitting squarely in the space between these seats.

Luckily enough, we had a break midway for a Belizian style border crossing. Everyone exits the bus carrying all their possessions. People at counters are charged with the task of copying -nearly completely- each person's entire passport into the Belizean record book. Then a $30 dollar fee is collected and we are allowed to approach the customs desk. Henry, our guide had already talked with the staff so they were pretty certain we weren't coming to Belize to up-end their way of life. Everyone was waived through and allowed to re-board the now-inspected bus. We're on our merry way.

Our destination in Belize is a small company that does river tours on the New River. (No, it's not new.) We were loaded onto tourist boats that each seated about twenty. The boats are powered by twin 150 HP outboards. They fly!

The river is drainage for about half the country of Belize. The land is flat so the water movement is slow. The channels are classic ox-bow serpentines. Channel widths vary from a few hundred feet to around twenty. At forty MPH the trip is more like a thrill ride than any of us expected.

Our river pilot was a man in his early twenties. He was born on the river and grew up fishing the waters with his dad. He obviously learned a vast amount in a dugout because he was able to impart a vast amount to us during our 30 mile journey. His keen eyes enabled him to spot (at full speed) such things as small, rare birds and fresh-water crocodiles. He showed us amazing plants and described them in ways that gave us all new respect for these unique waters.

As is true on any inland waters one is responsible for one's wake. Our driver is no exception. He would drop the boat speed back to an idle at any point where other boats were present. The only other boats (beside our tour boats) were folks fishing with hand-lines from canoes. A few held up handsome catches of tilapia (an accidental transplant) and cichlids, the native and favorite fish. Our guide seemed to know the fishermen and spoke to them in a language not English or Spanish. They enjoyed a short chat and we were on our way.

Lamanai Ruins

Our destination was reached shortly before noon. We arrived at a Mayan ruin known as Lamanai. Lamanai is in the densest jungle we've seen yet. The top of the canopy towers sixty or more feet above our heads. The shade is so deep that cameras don't want to take pictures without flash.

You might think it a cool, quiet place, but it is neither! Bird song is a constant. The temperature is in the nineties. The humidity is similarly high, and as we walk back from the river there isn't a breath of wind.

The trees are full of howler monkeys. Everything that grows seems to have something that grows upon it as well. Orchids and/or bromilliads occupy every branch of most trees.
The city of Lamanai may be the only Mayan city continuously inhabited from before the time of Christ until well into to 1600's. Many structures are un-restored, and people think there are even more that are undiscovered. A steep pyramid is in good enough shape that people are allowed to climb to its top.

As short as Mayan people are, we all wonder at the height of Mayan steps. They are more than one shin high on the tallest of us tourists; it is surprising that the dimensions aren't more appropriate for the Mayan masses. I guess it's possible that Mayan masses weren't particularly welcome up there!

Pyramids are often over-built. When a building no longer impresses, it can be replaced most quickly and easily by using it as the foundation for the next. This is the case with one of the pyramids here. When a passageway hinted at the old finished surface beneath the structure the newer layer was removed. A massive stucco face is revealed on one side of the pyramid. Heroic heads aren't a Mayan thing. The existence of this mask indicates that the Toltec world bisected this city and left its influence on the art of Lamanai.

Each Mayan city seems to have its own principal god. In the case of Lamanai the Jaguar god is the apparent major protector and provider. The largest temple is homage to the Jaguar God. Lost in antiquity are the finish stucco and the brilliant paint, but the form of the Jaguar still dominates the front of the temple.

The day was waning and we were still 30 miles up-river from our venerable old bus. We boarded our boats once again for a flying trip down river. The bus trip back featured stops at an artisan's shop and a Belizean grocery store. Everyone should at least have the opportunity to import a bottle of Belize's famed rum; “One Barrel”.

The sun set over the Belizean cane fields, we slipped easily through Belizian and Mexican immigration and customs procedures. We were all home and ready to rest by about 7 PM. - A long happy day!

Xel-Ha, Cozumel and Tulum

2009-02-23T20:04:00.000-08:00

February 20, 2009

Xel-Ha is a rugged, crumbling limestone bay in the midst of the coral sand beaches of Riviera Maya. The peninsulas on each side harbor dense jungle and many ponds of fresh and brackish water. As you can imagine, this little eden is home to a staggering array of birds, plants and other living things. Paths and bridges take tourists over craggy scapes of dense bush. Lizards stand on their hind legs and dash across paths in front of us. Iguanas lay in the sun watch us pass within a foot with only passing interest. In a mangrove thicket we find a coatimundi clambering through the canopy.

The bay consists of about a half-mile square lagoon free of surf, but with a gentle swell at its seaward end. The floor is white coral sand no more than 15 feet deep. A warm limestone river empties into the bay. Our snorkeling in the lagoon lasted for nearly two hours. We really lost track of time as we swam across the bay, up a river a bit, hauled out on a swimmers' float, and just reveled in the cool, clear, fish-laden waters. A large looping path brought us back to where we started.
The Xel-Ha Park Complex supplies the tourist every opportunity to enjoy the area. Hiking paths, bicycles (no charge), motorized tram, free lockers, mask and snorkel stations (no charge), Float tubes, comfort stations, restaurants (no charge), water/soda/beer stations (no charge) and all the margaritas and piña coladas you want (no charge)! The food varies by restaurant. Among the choices are Mexican, international, buffets, and burgers. All are above expectations. Snacks and ice cream are in abundance.

We strolled around enjoying manatees, toucans and parrots, dolphins, quiet lounge chairs in the shade, and shops... and margaritas. After swimming, shopping, hiking and eating (again – of course) we walked as the sun set - less than a quarter mile from the gate to our RV. Tough life, Eh?

Cozumel

The ferry ride from Playa Del Carmen to Cozumel takes between 45 minutes and an hour. This morning Cozumel was truly having difficulty waking up. You see, this is Carnival, and most people say the same thing – “yes, I went to bed early (early this morning)”

By noon most of the shops were open. By two the contents of five tour ships were spilled into the streets. Cozumel is truly a tourist city. Bicycles, dune-buggies and motor scooters are relief from the tourists; one can cruise the outer edges of the island. Other relief comes in the form of glass-bottomed boats, scuba boats and snorkeling boats. They ply the coral reefs a half mile off the beach.

While the city came to life we enjoyed a breezy breakfast in an open-air restaurant. The streets filled to overflowing as the tourists milled from shop to shop. Ranging from trinket stands to exotic perfumeries, the shopping venues all hustled and bustled. Everyone needed a souvenir. The tourists were ready and the sales staffs were efficient. The prices were tailor-made for the cruise ship tourist.

We stationed ourselves in a street-side bar, sipped a margarita, and watched carloads of costumed people working their way towards the parade route. Carnival was only about four hours from starting all over again! We slipped back to Playa Del Carmen for a few more store fronts and a siesta in the RV before dinner. Carnival? I don't know... I'm not sure I'm cut out for one of those!

Tulum

At the southwest end of the Riviera Maya lies an archaeological site. The only walled city to be built by and for the Maya is called “Tulum”. Tulum is also the only city of this size that doesn't have a ball court. Its buildings sit on a cliff about 40 feet above the sea. The ruins show signs of being decorated with modeled and sculpted stucco. Inside some of the buildings are frescoes still quite visible where they survived in the shade.

The structures here are very different than the temples and ceremonial pyramids we've seen elsewhere.

Apparently the buildings of this city are for very different purposes. While the temples of other cities were built on mounds or other temples they had little or no deep internal spaces. The buildings of Tulum are of column and lintel construction creating interior rooms and weather-protected spaces.

The structures aren't so much to intimidate as they are to serve as quarters, offices and storage.

The largest building at Tulum seems to serve two purposes. Windows allow light from the heavens to pass on certain auspicious occasions such as solstices and equinoxes. Much Maya planning happened around these events. Crops were planted, tended and harvested based on these indications of the seasons. The building is also aligned precisely as a visual guide through the opening in the barrier reef a half-mile offshore. The archeology supports the importance of this function by the rich variety of imported goods.

The canoe trade with other cultures up and down the coast must have made Tulum a truly rich city. The beaches and views of the coast must have made Tulum a resort-like place to live.

Tomorrow we're off to Chetumal, the start of our second half, and our southern most part of the adventure.

On To Cancun

2009-02-22T16:33:00.000-08:00

February 18, 2009

The Caribbean Coast of the Yucatan brought a change of scenery. We have been immersing ourselves in small-towns and ancient Mexico, but today we popped out into a big city that has been developed almost completely to serve the tourist industry. I must say, Mexico serves her tourists well.

Cancun is the northerly end to a string of tourist attractions called “Riviera Maya”. From the Eastern most tip of the Yucatan a white sand beach stretches for about 150 KM to the southwest. Along this stretch are hundreds of reasons to vacation in this area. All the amenities are present. The full range of vacationers' lifestyles a re supported. Such places as Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville or Cozumel's Hard Rock Cafe and Señor Frog's cater to the party-hearty crowd while eco-parks like Xcaret and Xel-Ha offer a more organic experience. Accommodations vary from time-share condos to five star luxury hotels.

A tourist can choose between some of the most exotic names such as Isla Mujeres, Playa Del Carmen, and Cozumel or any of the “boutique” resorts along the coast. The most well-known ones (the ones favored by travel agents) are new, colorful and well staffed. Nearly everyone along the coast speaks multiple languages. English is probably the most common, but tourists are here from all over the world.

We're spending a week along the Riviera Maya. We've touched some of the highlights, but I'm sure we could find enough to keep us busy for a month. Here are a few of our favorites.

Xcaret

Xcaret is an eco-tourism park. Walks through the jungle and encounters with native animals (under zoo-like conditions) comprise most of the eco-experience. A turtle hatchery, an aquarium and an optional (pay) swim with dolphins experience is also at the park.

We had a great time in something of an all-included atmosphere in the park. Drinks? Use your ticket. Swim-fins? Mask and snorkel? Another ticket. Locker? Here's your key. Breakfast or lunch? Here's your ticket. Dinner? Show? :Yes, yes, yes. If someone can't have fun here, they're trying real hard not to have fun!

As you who know us would predict, we ate first. Then we went for the water. Breakfast was as American as you can get. The water was unlike any water experience we'd ever seen or heard tell of.

As you may know, the Yucatan is a limestone shelf. Water doesn't run on the surface, it runs underground through rivers that it has cut into the lower limestone layers. Sink-holes called “cenotes” dot the landscape. This is where water is available to surface dwellers. In the Xcaret park, just as the river gets to the Caribbean, the water runs through surface cracks and sink holes where swimmers can get involved at a speed of around 1 KMH for 1.6 KM. We donned snorkel equipment and life vests for a quiet float in crystal clear water from green jungle cenote through limestone cracks into black caverns. The path has been shaped to take the swimmer on an even pace past javalinas, manatees, deer, tapirs and the very occasional reddened tourist. Deep holes in the river bottom harbored colorful salt-water fish.

There is an archaeological component to the park as well. Just before sunset people head for the theater. As we approached the sounds of flutes and drums got louder. A young Maya warrior appeared. A group of Mayans were on a ledge overlooking the path. Another group played the drums and flutes that drew us through the arches. As we passed under the arches we noticed Maya priests to either side. Behind us we found Maya royalty standing in the niches above the archways. Costumes and body paint made convincing figures of all. Stern faces made us feel like strangers in their land. The overall effect was thrilling, shocking and transporting.

The theater is a replica of a Maya ball court. Seating on four sides feature niches for royalty and priests. These stations were soon occupied by the same ancients who had “greeted” us as we arrived. After visiting many Maya ruins this experience of seeing a structure like this fully occupied with people was truly worthy of the goose bumps!

Dinner service began almost immediately for those of us seated in the dinner section. A meal in the traditional Mayan style was accompanied with such modern touches as a glass of wine and a desert of sherbet.

A show began with the first course. 12 athletes in Maya costumes including pads and head-dresses played a three point game of traditional Mesoamerican pelote. Surprisingly, well-trained athletes can put the ball through the stone hoop high on the wall – using nothing but hip-strikes!
Another Mayan game played with a flaming ball of straw and hockey sticks was demonstrated. Both really were thrilling.

Music and dance in the Mayan tradition was interrupted by the arrival of Spanish soldiers and Catholic Priests. Without belaboring the historical record, the pageantry blended the Hispanic culture with the Mayan culture and gave way to Mexico's modern history illustrated with music and costumes.

The two-hour show was worthy of a Vegas stage. It ended in a finale that celebrated Mexico's past, pride and potential in a rousing way. What fun!

Isla Mujeres

A ferry ride from Cancun took us and many hundred other tourists to an offshore island. Isla Mujeres is a total tourism town. Resort hotels and time-share condominiums dominate the city, while a few modern mansions are perched above the sea on some of the wind-swept out lands from the city. The main streets in Isla have a funky “Key West” atmosphere. Golf carts, Italian motor bikes, and tiny taxis rule the narrow streets.

A trip around island reveals a few attractions. There is a beautiful reef with dolphin pens for eco-tourists' pleasure. It is set in a park that features zip lines from shade-topped power pole to shade-topped power pole. Snorkel boats and dive boats venture to reefs farther out. Lunch and a margarita at a beach-side hotel's restaurant after our golf cart tour was refreshing. The shopping commenced! The opportunities have become a bit cliché. There are many many shops, but each seems to be an interpretive re-arrangement of the same stock.

We returned to Cancun and the RV in time for a quiet evening and late dinner.

Chichén Itzá

2009-02-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

February 14, 2009

We arrived at Chichén Itzá at about 8:30 AM. Early arrival beats the heat and the buses from Cancun and Mérida. The guide was quite helpful in demonstrating how the city is organized. He showed us the main pyramid first, and promised us more as we returned. The ball court was our next stop.

Chichén Itzá has the largest, best preserved ball court in Mesoamerica. The four structures that surround the large court are high and imposing. They weren't set up to hold large numbers of spectators. Theory has it that the initiate few were the only ones permitted to watch the games. City officials, priests, judges and family made up the spectator list. The acoustics of the ball court were carefully planned. Sections of the wall were constructed of different size stones and finished into slight concave or convex sections. The results are that the acoustics of the court are impressive. From either end a softly spoken word can be heard on the opposite end of the court. A clap from the center garners seven crisply spaced echoes. Evidence points to this being a matter of design – not left to chance.

On our way to the temple of the warriors across the city we once again passed the main pyramid. The guide demonstrated a focused echo from the stepped surfaces of the pyramid that sounds nearly exactly like the call of the Quetzal bird – long extinct in the Yucatan, alive in Guatemala, and revered as the sun god Quetzalcoatl or Kukulkhan by the Maya, Toltec and Aztec. Maya belief has it that echoes are voices from the spirit world, so I'm sure some pretty powerful points were made by the priests. At this site: http://www.ocasa.org/sounds/qqcaca.mp3 you can hear – side by side -the two sounds (echo and live bird) and make your own decision.

The guide also demonstrated that hand position makes a difference. Two claps at eye level and one at the waist in rapid succession make the voice of Quetzal say “Ku-Kul-Khan”!

The temple of the warriors is an impressive structure as well. While not as tall as the main pyramid's 79 feet, it soars to a temple hall at its top. Round columns not unlike those of the Mediterranean probably supported a thatch roof. Adjacent to the pyramid is the Plaza of a Thousand Columns. While the count varies, the architecture fades off onto the jungle that reclaims its domain. Archaeologists opine that thatch roofs covered a marketplace here.

Another grouping of buildings separate from the grand open areas around the main structures seem to have housed Maya's technology center. School buildings, religious academies and an observatory are all included.

Soon the heat and the throngs were making us ready to leave. Our path out led us past stand after stand of tee-shirts, jewelry and figurines in a Mayan style. A few trinkets were purchased and we retired to our rigs for siesta.

Before we entered Mexico our tour hosts recommended that we consider tipping and treating the kids with school supplies in stead of coins. Our stock of such treasures paid off quite well this afternoon. Two youngsters – one older interpreter, and one younger who spoke only Mayan – came by with hand-painted Mayan figurines. It turns out that they had painted them up, and would truly prefer trading them – not for coins – but for school supplies! We had a great time discussing the products in my broken Spanish and their interpretations into and out of Mayan. End result was they left with pens, pencils, paper, puzzles, and big, big smiles!

After dinner we went back to Chichén Itzá for a recorded music and Mayan history program – accompanied by a light show on the many buildings around the park. The heat had broken, a breeze came up and we all slept like logs.

G'night!

The Road to Chichen Itza

2009-02-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

February 13, 2009

Izamal is a handsome little town east of Mérida. It's look and feel is of both Maya and colonial influence. Town pride finds nearly all buildings in the downtown area painted the same shade of yellow ochre, trimmed in white. A “new” look to the town comes from preparations for a papal visit in 1993. Town pride keeps Izamal in fine repair. City officials rejoice in the opportunity to help tourists feel comfortable. In surprisingly good English both the officer in charge of the park and the young police Chief himself assured us that we were parked safely and were welcome to leave our RV in the square as long as we'd like. They were full of suggestions on what we should do and see. Their love for the town and their enthusiasm to show it well were a joy.

A tour of the food market was a scene from a different world. Stalls the size of small table tops offer vegetables. Ladies in "cucinas economicas" prepare and sell meals ready to be taken home. Refrigeration isn't a problem - it just doesn't exist. Lunch in a little restaurant just off the day market was exotic and refreshing. Prices were about $3 each for amply portioned full meals.

The church turned out to be a monastery. There were in the halls class pictures of young men graduating to new steps into their monastic lives. As a bus-load of school children left the grounds the entire church, courtyard chapel and bookstore fell silent; deserted except for a single guard. The monastery was at siesta. The only motion was the invisible breeze through the stone church's hallways and patios.

As we wandered back to our rigs and started up a police truck with lights on fell in in front of us. The police chief walked back and asked us where we were going. We told him that our destination was Chichen Itza. The Chief gallantly mounted his pick-up and led us to the town's edge. He pulled over, waved us on to the highway and sent us off with a hearty wave and smile. We truly do feel welcome in Izamal.

Our day ended in the tiny town of Pisté where we parked next to a Maya home (vertical sticks, thatched roof.. and electricity) with turkeys, chickens, kids, dogs, salsa music, and a rather cranky pig on a leash.

Mérida

2009-02-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

February 11, 2009

Another travel day took us north and east to the city of Mérida. With no river, no port, no large amount of agriculture Mérida is a bit of an enigma. The town is amazingly large. It is also surprisingly European in its architecture. French, Italian, Spanish, Arab, Moorish and just plain modern are blended with a Neo-Mayan style that – while not dominant – is somewhat pervasive in the area.

The city has a strong business class. Near-Eastern and Middle-Eastern refugees came here as importers and eventually seem to have come to control business here.

The northern areas of the city house a relatively recent middle-class. Homes are large by Mexican standards, and occupy quieter neighborhoods on slightly broader streets.

Central Mérida on the other hand has a mix of impossibly narrow and expansively broad streets. Multi-story mansions sit next to modest homes – often with business fronts. Property has skyrocketed in value with Mérida's newfound growth. The prices quoted sound more like San Francisco and Scottsdale than what we'd expect of Mexico's “Out-back”.

The City of Mérida hosts a large array of cultural events. From folkloric performances and dances to a Picasso exhibit, they all run with no admission charges.

Parks and plazas appear every few blocks in the down-town area. Lush gardens, broad walks and impressive statuary populate park after park.

On the other hand, a few blocks south of the bustling town center lies an area with bare wires and dirt streets. While the buildings seem to be of similar size and age there is an apparent lack of municipal attention to these districts. The guide's comment was “It's all about politics, my friend; and politics is money”.

Like many cities Mérida has stumbled with the global economic setbacks. There were massive reconstruction and new-build projects that have halted and sit unfinished. Our guide said that a few projects are coming back to life with European financiers pursuing some real investment bargains.

A largely dis-used six-lane highway travels due north of Mérida to the small town of Progreso, Yucatan. The flat land fades into a shallow sea. The beach has cantinas, restaurants, little hotels and scores of tee-shirt vendors. Broad white sandy stretches are dotted by picnic areas with palapas. The sand slopes shallowly out to sea to the north. Frigate birds sail on the wind with virtually no wing-work as the breezes take them for miles along the water's edge.

The Port of Progreso exists physically at the end of a four-mile long pier. In order to achieve a deep water port the pier was built out to where the deep water is. A four-lane road leads out to a high-rise and a number of warehouses as well as a truck loading terminal. At the land's end of the structure sits an installation of federal border security. Always on guard with automatic weapons at the ready, these young men wear serious looks on their faces. While civilians in Mexico enjoy a hearty wave, these military gentlemen respond with no smile, but a subdued nod that welcomes you just the same.

Lunch at a quiet beach-side restaurant included shrimp stuffed with crab meat, and sauteed conch with lime and garlic butter (tastes a lot like abalone). It's hard to beat the Gulf of Mexico for fine seafood.

Uxmal Ruins

2009-02-13T18:42:00.000-08:00

February 09, 2009

About a hundred miles from Campeche in the state of Yucatan we find the Uxmal Ruins, Hotel, Archaeological site, park, and restaurant. We took over a parking lot across from the restaurant, bar and pool. Many enjoyed the pool and bar. We all enjoyed a delightful “Mayan Buffet”. I would characterize it as darn good Mexican Cooking by anyone's standard. The night was balmy, the sleep was restful and the morning brought a tour of the most significant ruins yet.

The Maya World covers the Yucatan, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. Mayan technology varies greatly between Mayan regions. There are even differences in how daily life was lived. Water is often the center of concern, and methods for getting and handling this precious necessity vary by availability and opportunity.

In some areas of the Yucatan water is as available as your nearby stream. Life is different on the broad, flat Yucatan plateau. In some areas sink-holes (“Cenotes”) provide an endless -if hard to reach- supply as they expose underground rivers. In some areas the land is so porous that no surface water exists – even a day or so after a rain! In Uxmal the Maya built cisterns fed by patios, roofs and courtyards during the rainy season to serve the entire community as the only source of drinking water. Hundreds of cisterns held hundreds of thousands of liters of water – enough water storage has been found at Uxmal to support 50,000. In the tropics standing water like these cisterns will last as little as two weeks becoming fetid. Along with other technologies the Maya developed the methods of adding fish, frogs, plant life, and even turtles to the cisterns to create self-balancing ecosystems that kept the cisterns clean enough to use throughout the dry seasons.

Another technology exploited by architects of Maya is acoustics. Staircases are used as reflective surfaces to produce a “row” of echoes. These echoes sound as a tone when one claps hands or makes any sharp sound. This phenomenon was designed into gathering areas and used by the priests as “The Voice of Quetzl”. Without any physics, the common person was arguably in awe of the priest's abilities.

Different Mayan cities seemed to place different levels of importance on different gods. Uxmal seemed to revere most the god Chaak. The City of Edzna seemed to be all about the god Quetzl.

Stone work at Uxmal is considerably more intricate and precise than any we've seen at the other sites. The “stone bank” contains a stock of beautifully smoothed precisely square pieces ready to be drawn, worked and installed. Where other sites made stucco friezes and carved the stucco, the masons here at Uxmal carved the decorative reliefs directly in limestone. The process involves taking stone from moist ground, smoothing and squaring it while it is still wet. This is done because it is softer than it will be when it is dry. Dried stone is carved into the relief elements because it doesn't fracture as easily. Since it is harder, however the Maya had to trade for harder stone to use as tools for the process.

The carved stone remains where in many locations the stucco has dissolved away. The crispness of the figures and even the marks of individual blows that worked the stone make a firm link between the artist and the viewer across more than a thousand years.

Now we travel beyond Uxmal but my mind will bring me back to this magical spot.

Touring Campeche.

2009-02-13T18:08:00.000-08:00

February 6, 2009

In the early fifteen hundreds the Spanish started the City of Campeche. One of the first tasks was the construction of a fort to halt the already problematic pirate attacks coming from Ciudad de Carmen, about a hundred fifty kilometers to the west. The Spanish commissioned a sea-side fortress named San Miguel on a hill south of Campeche. On the way from the RV park to the City we toured this first fort.

The Spanish used The Maya to construct the edifice. TheMayan people, already expert at stone-craft, built the fortifications that stand today. While the architectural trimmings were to the tastes of the Spanish who commissioned the work, the precision of the fitting (and thereby the durability) is all Mayan.

The Spanish also had a wall built around the entire city of Campeche. Today Campeche lives with and treasures, extant sections of her old wall. They form backdrops and entrances for parks and museums, and beloved landmarks. City neighborhoods are named for their nearby bastions and parapets.

Commerce by sea happened through a gate called The Sea Gate. Likewise, commerce with the rest of Yucatan happened via the Land Gate. The Land Gate(pictured) and the Sea Gate still stand at opposite ends of a street nearly a kilometer apart. Their guard houses are still in full view of one another such that, should the signal be given, both gates could be sealed off in a moment.

Campeche has long-since outgrown her walls but Campeche's history is her pride. The original enclosed area is kept like a favorite room. The streets are clean, the paint is fresh and everything seems to be in excellent repair. Streets are lined with gaily painted homes, small up-scale shops and cool, colorful restaurants.

Parking in downtown Campeche isn't a viable option. During the 4 hours we spent in old Campeche I didn't see one parking spot taken or relinqueshed. Taxis and busses move the people. There is hardly room enough to park a motor scooter.

Our tour-bus dropped us off at the Zocolo and moved on while we wandered, shopped and stopped for lunch. The Zocolo is a full city block wide with an over-sized two story bandstand. The bandstand is surrounded by food concessions and the concessions and stage are all covered by a metal umbrella style sun-shade. People strolled the terra cotta tiled park, rested on shaded wrought-iron benches, watched children play and fed pigeons.

Shopkeepers were friendly and helpful. They never seem as challenged by our English as we are by their Spanish. Their patience and good humor saves the day. Gone is most of the kitch we see in tourist-driven economies. Less souveniers and more botiques is a welcome change.

Las Ruinas de Edzna (The Ruins of Edzna)

2009-02-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

February 7, 2009

Ceremonial and governmental buildings in the Mayan world (much like Euro-centric cities) are stone. Mayan homes on the other hand were built (as they are today) of wood with palm thatch. The ruins of Edzna are an example of this. Archaeological studies have demonstrated that outside the 63 acre complex suburbs and farmland were present for 25,000 acres around. The metroplex at its peak was home to an extimated 20,000 citizens.

At Edzna one walks from the reception area up a jungle path toward the archeological site past a mound (illustrated) that soon grows in significance. This is a Mayan wall au-natural in the jungle. Click the picture for a closer look. You'll find some stacked stones on the right.

Two amazing points become apparent: What luck it takes to discover – on foot – a Mayan ruin and; Just how many more sites are unknown to us?

As we ponder the possibilities we round a corner and see for the first time a quarter mile away, the superstructure of a ten story building! The top of the structure has long vertical windows for astronomical observations. This is the center for the learned ones. Priests announce time for planting, time for harvest and when to expect the rains.

People offer tributes to the gods to ask their benevolence. Other gods as well could be asked, and they also accepted offerings. Self-sacrifice, a ritual blood letting was apparently common. Personal discussions with Quetzl him(or her)self required a higher status. One needed the Rock-Star aclaim of a champion pelote player in order to talk directly with the Supreme in behalf of the city. The event happened immediately after a victory on the ball-court and an exalting team celebration and imbibing in hallucinogens. Then his team members Took the unconscious body of the victorious team Captain to the altar and sent him on his way.

This was apparently the order of Mayan life for as long as the weather held. Protracted dry periods ended such social structures. Surprisingly enough, The Maya never left their land. They just lost any need for their priests and governors (when they couldn't produce what the community needed). The farmers farmed on (in the driest of times) and didn't bother to pay tributes to priests, astronomers, and governors. The Maya live on today . The bigwigs just vanished (or maybe started a farm!).

The Road to Campeche

2009-02-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

February 5, 2009

Some of the best roads in Mexico are in places the tourists rarely go. The state of Campeche has fine multi-lane highways that allow travel at U.S. freeway speeds. For many miles before we got to Isla Aguada until only a few miles before we got to Campeche we drove next to a long, sweeping coral sand beach. The beach goes on seemingly forever (way more than fifty miles), and each meter is worthy of an afternoon's stay on a beach mat. Coco palms, wild mango, and wild papaya all stand in the jungle a few meters from the sands. Turnouts are few, but they can be found – often near a “puente” (bridge). The occasional turnout often holds a semi who's driver stretches his legs. He can be seen strolling water's edge a half a kilometer from his rig.

About twenty miles southwest of Champoton lies a little settlement that supports a myriad of open cafees and tent restaurants – all selling Cocteil de Camerones. This is a must stop! For 50 pesos you'll enjoy a savory concoction of lime juice, tomato juice, a pinch of salt, minced fresh onion and a heavy hit of chopped cilantro. This is built over about six ounces of the freshest shrimp you're likely to find – anywhere! We sat in a twelve-by-twelve, four-legged sun shade tent next to the rocky beach, straddling the sidewalk. A young man constructed three cocteiles for the three of us. They were served in fountain style ice-cream-soda glasses with long-handled spoons. Crackers and tortilla chips arrived, as did two home – made sauces to go with the meal. Henceforth shrimp will be enjoyed with a fond memory of a lunch on the Yucatan.

Shortly before Campeche we encounter hilly terrain. The limestone ledges show many caves and cave-ins. Where cut by road crews the layered stone is tortuously bent and curved by eons of the earth's unrest. As we climb water becomes scarce and the vegetation changes dramatically. Arid lands on hillsides and hilltops lie adjacent to moist jungle terrain in the canyons. It is apparent that the books are right about the Yucatan being a cracked and crumbling limestone shelf. The water doesn't flow on the surface. Instead much of it travels underground to the sea.

People are fewer along the highway. The occasional farm or the rare small village are to be seen, but it's a lonely place compared to the territory we've traveled recently.

About 10 KM short of Campeche proper we find ourselves in a compound called Club Nautico. It seems to be a concern that does business on a number of levels. The RV park is upscale by U. S. standards. The facilities include weight room, sauna, pool (under repair), beach, small harbor, and boat launch. During the summer the Club serves its members with multiple sports and diversion opportunities such as tennis, pool, fine dining, and all the water sports supported above.

Tomorrow we see the city of Campeche!

Isla Aguada - An Enchanted Village

2009-02-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

February 4, 2009

Two and a half days have slipped by and we've done very little. The temperature of the air, the shade of the palms and the caress of the breeze invite us to sit and savor the best of Mother Nature's kindness.

Gilligan's adventure

Our hosts, the folks at Freedom Shores Hotel and RV Park arranged with friends for an adventure on the bay. A “deck boat” or party barge as some call them is to be launched to take ten of us for a cruise around the harbor and a visit to an island that appeared after a storm a few years ago. Small and uninhabited, it has wonderful shells and thousands of birds each evening.

This Ontario-native boat was apparently to see its first voyage here, for this very event. The operators of the boat have fashioned a telescopic two-wheeled trailer with a hitch on one end and a trailer ball on the other. The plan was to move the boat to the sand, move the “stinger” to the boat, and launch the whole long-armed contraption. There are about three or four variables here. Considerations might include: Relative heights of the hitches on each end; Will the hitch stay on the ball without a pin through the latch: can you un-snap the bowline when the boat floats and the trailer sinks: will a Geo Tracker be able to handle the load and; How do you back a triple rig, anyway?

Each variable listed came into play one-at-a-time to complicate the adventure. Good natured helpers (about six as I remember) were able to save the day each time by snatching victory from the jaws of Murphy's Laws. With many hoots and good-natured one liners, the launch, tour, and retrieval were eventually a rousing (if harrowing) success.

The Beach

A stroll to the beautiful white beach offers a turquoise seascape with beached boats and beautiful shells in such profusion that, in places, they completely cover the sand. The water isn't tepid, but its inviting, mild chill is welcoming and comfortable. We walk for a quarter of a mile or so enjoying the water and the birds fishing in the shallow bay.

The Village

This morning Annie, Del and I toured the white sand streets of Isla Aguada. A stop at a stand of fruits and vegetables gave us a nice re-stock for the refrigerator. Tropical fruit, a vegetable or two and fresh eggs are welcome additions. As we return to the car a lady asks for a ride if we are going across the bridge. I apologized, explaining we were only going across the road to the RV park. She smiled and bid us “Buena suerte” .

Moto-taxis bustle about. With loads of freight and people. Moto-taxis, by the way are motorcycle and trailer combinations. The trailers have two light motorcycle wheels, a seat about three butts wide, and a sun top.

The north side of the Island offers white-capped waves and surf on a broad, endless beach that looks out to sea in the Gulf of Mexico. It's Wednesday so folks are at work. Very few people find their way to the beach today.

The souh side of the island six blocks away is much busier. Folks are shopping. There are many fishing boats on the beach or in the water. Some rest easily, tied between a piling and a palm tree with their bows pointing to sea. Some are moving and some are stopped on the water. Nets and hand lines produce catches of fish and shrimp. Local buyers ice their purchases and load them into pickups, presumably bound for market in a bigger town.

As school lets out the streets are filled with kids. Mothers or big siblings walk little ones home. Two, three or four at a time students load into moto-taxis. I stop to buy a soda and find myself waiting in line and surrounded by smiling, chattering youngsters buying treats in a little tienda.

Soon nothing much is moving. The warm afternoon finds men sitting and talking in the shade of a palapa near their boats. I ask if there are shrimp available and the smiling answer is “oh, much later”. I ask about what time and the gentleman says “around four”. Well of course. It dawns on me; This is “Siesta”.

So we meander our way home to the shade. Caught up in the stillness we seem to slow down to match the town's pace. We whole-heartedly share in Isla Aguada's siesta.

The Road To Isla Aguada

2009-02-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

February 2, 2009

Traveling through the states of Veracruz, Tabasco, and Campeche was a display of differences. The roads got better and better. State and Federal highways became wider and smoother. Roads through towns and villages also improved a bit. Eventually, as we went from sandstone and sand to limestone shelf to coral sand the roadways got firmer and friendlier. Asphalt patchwork quilts are in large replaced by concrete.

With the change in geology comes changes in flora and fauna. Cattle graze knee-deep on bog plants as the egrets ride on their backs. Fan palms give way to coco palms. Swamps and marshes share the countryside with higher, dryer areas of less luxurious flora.

Trees bloom with clusters of bright red flowers the size of coffee cups. Other trees – devoid of this year's leaves as yet – adorn the very tips of their branches with clumps of intense yellow blossoms in riotous size and profusion. Tropical birdsong fills the air.

Occasional fields of cane, corn or pineapple - looking a bit like small U.S. agribusiness - appear occasionally, but wild lands and family farms still dominate the landscape. Everyone's yard is home to a few animals and quite a few banana trees.

Outside kitchens are the rule. It makes a lot of sense to cook in a palapa instead of heating up the house. Fire safety is certainly served; burn a palapa, not a home!

Old men dress up and ride into town on faithful horses. Families walk home from church together. People snack in roadside palapas and young men escort young girls on small, shiny motorcycles. Sunday morning brings a day of rest.

The Campeche state line has an agricultural inspection station. Some products are forbidden for import to Campeche. No one is sure exactly what the list is, because it seems to vary a bit. Known “No-no's” include pork, chicken and eggs. This year's surprise is local mandarin oranges in another rig. We planned a “cut your losses” approach by sacrificing a small package of pork and another of chicken. The inspector asked, we volunteered, everyone was happy. As he explained in broken English we shrugged and said such things as “¡Adios, Gayo!”(G'bye, Rooster!). It got a great laugh and a bon voyage from the inspector. We were off on our way. Anna refilled the freezer from the laundry hamper.

The road takes us out onto a chain of coral barrier islands that create peaceful bay about 30 by 10 miles in size. The white coral sand beaches are dotted with palapas and picnickers. Kids splash in the near-surfless turquoise water as smoke from barbacoas flavor the air. We are approaching our destination. A glance from the causeway fulfills the promise; Isla Aguada's “Freedom Shores Hotel and RV Park” is in sight.

The Wagonmaster spends about two and a half hours in the unrelenting mugginess getting all the rigs parked and we all wander forth tired but happy.

Happy hour is replaced this evening by Smugglers' Potluck. A little bit of chicken showed up, and lots of pork and deviled eggs were in the wonderful mix. We met the owners who offered us an amazing array of services from (soon to be fixed) internet service to (soon to be fixed) good water pressure to mototaxi rides, boat rides, laundry service, agua purificada, and a nice little restaurant full of a nice mix of substantial American and Mexican cuisine.

Living is easy. Ahead lie two days of fun with the rigs parked. The shade is welcome, the breeze is balmy, the view is spectacular.

Touring Veracruz

2009-02-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

January 31, 2009

By morning the wind settled to a tropical breeze. A handsome red coach waited for us to gulp a last bit of coffee, gather cameras, etc. and lock up.

Once aboard we discover a delightfully irreverent grandmother - Mexican Tourist Office Guide named Vicky. Czechoslovakian- by birth, a child of Germany, past resident of Canada, New York and Denver, she brings a flair for the turn of a phrase and a slightly wicked sense of humor that brightens our day.

Our first adventure with Vicky was a stop on the waterfront. In a building that once housed a Catholic Parochial School we are introduced to a wonderful coffee shop; La Grand Cafe De La Parroquia. Cafe con leche and three nice breakfast pastries started our downtown tour

We watched the day begin for many little vendors stalls (each about two and a half meters wide). Shop keepers open their doors and fold out displays onto the covered sidewalk. The offerings were typical of the touristy stuff in any city; Kids tee shirts, souvenirs, costume jewelry, snacks, drinks, and the ever-present crisp white Mexican shirts, skirts and blouses. Soon the sidewalks start to fill with strolling week-enders and people in sidewalk restaurants. The sound of marimbas, guitars and a saxophone fills the Caribbean morning air.

The center of the city is called Zocala (as it is in all Mexican cities). It has Veracruz' Cathedral, City Hall, and most famous (but fading) Hotel. The plaza is filled with planters and a band stand. The streets in the square are for pedestrians only. The square paved well with large slabs of marble. Virtually every building faces the street through “portales” – archways that frame covered walkways and open air restaurants.

We drove through one of the biggest, busiest ports I've seen. Cargo containers with names from many, many far away places are stacked three-high or racing in or out of yards. Containers swing from cranes being guided by people who make them align like they were magnets! Trucks and cars wait to be loaded. Grain elevators rumble and ships wait impatiently to slip into or out of harbor.

Centuries ago when Cortez decided that he'd found the real treasure of the new world in Veracruz, he built a fortress that served two purposes. It defended the harbor, and it loaded and unloaded ships. Totonac Indians provided the labor to harvest, shape and assemble coral chunks into a Spanish, Moorish, medieval structure that grew to include government offices, troop quarters, cannon emplacements, warehouses, parapets, ramparts, and a dungeon. Moats, gates, draw bridges and watchtowers surrounded the whole operation. It's called San Juan de Ulua Fortress, it's picturesque, and it's elaborate!

La Antigua

While Cortez made numerous trips into the interior he apparently called a little place to the north of Veracruz his home. Now called La Antigua, The little town on a river draws tourists from afar. The river through town runs through jungle growth on its banks. Restaurants on an unpaved street under bamboo palapas serve up nicely prepared lunches. Our choices were the standard shrimp, chicken and fish. Sodas and cerveza helped us to relax, eat, and enjoy two marimba bands performing simultaneously. Sometimes they seem to “duel” with the band in the next palapa, sometimes they graciously share instrumental leads.

Dressed-up fishing boats with tourists cruise by the restaurants as kids play on the suspension foot-bridge about 20 feet above the water.

A stroll after lunch takes us through shady cobblestone streets.
La Antigua has a ruin that is supposed by many to be Cortez' house. Completely overgrown, the walls are held erect by wild fig trees that bind their roots to rocky surfaces much like Ivy, but apparently without the destructive affects. The roots look a little like coarse, running-water rivulets. They create an eerie appearance that looks like something just waiting for Halloween.

The first church built in the new world stands about two blocks away. Empty now, the sanctuary and courtyard are kept in a pristine condition. It's pure white exterior gives way to a beautiful two-color fresco-like coating inside. Pink arches hold up a sky blue vaulted barrel ceiling. The pews are rustic and the altar bears small hand-me-down icons. Too small to officially be a church, and apparently de-commissioned, it now caries the title of “ La Ermita”.

Evening in Boca Del Rio

After a late (and short) siesta at the RV park we boarded the bus once again to visit an adjacent city called Boca Del Rio. Just south of Veracruz, the city was for years just a fishing village. Veracruz' boom has brought an urban hustle and bustle to Boca Del Rio as well. Boca Del Rio supports a cultural center and “museo” where we stopped for authentic Mexican folk song and dance. While we expected “finger food” we were all surprised by servings of three large black-bean and chicken tostadas! Sodas of various varieties flowed as well. Great music, great dancing by a traditionally dressed señorita, and some knobby-kneed tourist guys (self included) dragged to the stage kept everyone in a rare mood – and often in stitches.

A quick stop at Boca Del Rio's Zocala (town square, remember?) introduces us to a town fountain that changes patterns ala Belagio. Well-- it's about 40 feet long, but the water dances pretty nicely to traditional Mexican music. Combinations of colored lights change streams of water through the colors of the rainbow.

A local liquor store is demo-ing tropical fruit drinks in the plaza. Tequila powers up mango, coconut or guarabana nectar. Two ounces - on an ice cube will do ya! Yes, we added some to our “medicinal necessities” cabinet.

Back to camp for one more look at the city lights of Veracruz across the water before bed.

Wind!

2009-02-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

January 30, 2009

We left Costa Esmeralda and drove south through some agricultural land, jungle, hills and mountains. Little villages dotted the path. Homes are regularly painted in vibrant colors. Often the contrasts between the house and its trim are startling. There is a characteristic “look” to homes in Mexico. It seems that a property is re-assessed for tax purposes when the building is finished. There is little question who is paying taxes and who isn't. Truth be known, darn few are paying taxes on their homes!

Country road shoulders don't seem to be anyone's priority. In a few places (on better roads) there is a half-lane shoulder, but on country roads the four to six inch thick pavement ends at the lane edge (don't fall off)! The condition of the surface can be anything from mud holes to coarse rock to grasses to drop-offs into nowhere! Your attention is required at every moment, since lane width seems to include just one vehicle, not counting side-view mirrors!
Mexico has developed some totally different ways to use a road. For example, anywhere there is a paved shoulder people who aren't passing are expected to drive half-on and half-off the main lane. This leaves a half a lane in each direction (the equivalent of a full lane) for people who want to pass, in either direction!

Another custom (which is incredibly dangerous for Americans) is the apparently vague and contradictory uses of the left turn signal. It seems that if you are on a multi-lane urban road, highway or street the use of the left turn signal is pretty much as we Americans would expect. On a country road however the left turn signal is an invitation to the car behind you to pass you on the left! I'm still getting used to this convention. I've embarrassed myself twice, luckily with no dents. The same can't be said for a Canadian couple in our caravan. Unfortunately they pretty well got their left front wheel taken out! No injuries happened, and they've found quality repairs to the suspension and make-do fixes to the fender to keep their adventure intact.

So how do you make a safe left turn? From the right shoulder!

Our stop is in a campground on the beach about 10 miles south of the City of Veracruz. An overcast set in, and a steady breeze blew yesterday. We enjoyed a long barefoot stroll along the water as sand crabs scurried across the hard sand in front of us. An orange glow over Veracruz signaled sunset, and the lights of the city began to twinkle on the horizon.

Weather changed – as weather does. During the night the wind became choppy, stiff and angry. I'd estimate gusts well over 40 knots. When we went to bed we were rocked to sleep. By 3:AM the same wind was shaking us awake! The sun dawned to show us our rig covered by a paste of sea spray and wet sand! The rig rocked and rolled all day.

We sneaked off to Veracruz to find a bank, Costco, Office Depot and a grocery store. We passed up Walmart in favor of Soriana – a local chain. We're looking for a more Mexican experience than we'd expect to find at Walmart.

The road along the coast here ends abruptly in a little fishing village and a Naval Academy. A fine local restaurant called La Perlita handled the entire caravan – 42 people – with efficiency, hospitality and aplomb. Margaritas, Coconut Shrimp. Sauteed fish, and grilled chicken breast were each enjoyed by those who selected them.

A quick shower, a run through the wind (it's scheduled to subside now) and we're off to bed. We're resting up for all-day bus touring tomorrow.

Vanilla Plantation

2009-01-28T21:02:00.000-08:00

From El Tajin we returned to Papantla and visited a “plantacion de vainilla”. The operation is a family business not unlike some small rhody growing operations we know in the northwest. Our host took us down the jungle path about a hundred meters to show us vanilla orchids growing bountifully in the under story of the jungle canopy. Many grow in his shaded orchard of specialty orange and tangerine trees.

We also toured his four fully organic tissue culture shade-cloth houses. In these houses (probably 15m by 30m) five foot cuttings of Ceiba trees and three inch cuttings of vanilla orchids are planted adjacent to one another. The orchid plants cover the Ceibas and begin producing flowers and pods in about three years.

Needless to say, the heady aromas of vanilla charmed us all. We also enjoyed a stop at the gift shop (in the packaging shed), a cool drink on the front lawn and a visit with the little farm's pet crocodile!

El Tajin

2009-01-28T20:28:00.000-08:00

This morning we fell into a state of complete luxury. We were passengers on a beautiful, rattle-free Mercedes diesel pusher tour bus with someone else driving – and driving well. The Wagonmaster's wife stayed in camp and walked dogs for everyone so even Del and Pounder got a day off! Del is doing considerably better, by the way. Her knee isn't bothering her near as much. She was able to walk anywhere she pleased all day!

A bubbly Phillipina lady named Clara was an absolute delight. She gave history lessons (complete with quiz questions) and made the hour's trip to El Tajin fly by. At one point along the coast she pointed out a bi-conical pre-Columbian structure and explained it. The local fishing community had built a base cone over a natural gas vent in the earth. The gas fed a flame in a smaller upper, inverted cone that served as the first ever Mezzo-American lighthouse! Though it is stopped off today, the gas is still present and presumably could still be used.

We back-tracked yesterday's path for about forty minutes, but everyone enjoyed the spectacular scenery that we'd missed while driving or navigating. Back in the hills behind Papantla our first stop was at the ruin of El Tajin.

2,000 years ago the Totonac people started building a city where two rivers merged, and mountiains enclosed three sides of a small valley. The valley is far enough from the coast so that hurricanes, while wet and windy, pose no destructive threat. Not that the weather doesn't impinge; the name Tajin is Totonac for Thunder!

Two things make this city unique: it's age (founded during the first century AD), and it's

condition - since Cortez totally missed it! While Spaniards found it at the end of their occupation, it was abandoned by then, and never plundered.

To this day A Totonaco Indian traditional dance is still performed all over Mexico at cultural fairs. It is a daily event at the ruins of El Tajin as well. It is called Danza de los Voladores de Papantla.

Archeological digs have turned up evidence of much trade of goods and ideas. Obsidian, for instance, doesn't occur here, but their tools are of obsidian. There are many echoes of other cultures in the art and artifacts as well. The Totonacs had one very precious and truly unique thing to trade: Vanilla!

Costa Esmeralda

2009-01-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a long (9 hours) travel day. While we didn't travel a huge straight-line distance we did travel a huge lateral distance (curves, turns) and a huge vertical distance (up and down mountainous terrain, over rough narrow roads, and over topes too numerous to count.

The mountainous sections wind through some truly impenetrable jungle in a few places. In some other places (usually close to towns and villages) sections have been put into cultivation for bananas, oranges, limes, corn and sugar cane. The orchards usually host the family's cattle as well. Most cattle have Brahma in their bloodlines, presumably for their tropical tolerance. The cattle feed in small groups of two or three while egrets walk between their feet or catch a ride on a back.

Fences are often made by cutting green sticks, typically 8 ft long, and driving them into the ground to support wire. Green sticks give Mother Nature a chance to have a little extra fun. They all take root, branch out and become living fences!

The land flattened out into sandy agricultural fields and small cities along rivers. Soon we were paralleling the ocean and soaking up the Gulf's balmy breezes.

Our RV park was a welcome sight. Our “happy hour” found the group relaxing in a palapa next to a beautiful (if windy) beach on the Gulf of Mexico.

Dinner was a trifecta of gulf shrimp; A cold shrimp salad, shrimp marinated and sauteed in garlic, and shrimp fried in a light cornmeal batter. Each was a home-run!

Everyone went to sleep with windows open to a 77° F sea breeze. We were lulled to sleep by sounds of surf and a tropical wind through the coconuts.

Tampico

2009-01-26T18:28:00.000-08:00

We left the RV park in Cd. Victoria at about 10:30AM. We made it about 5 blocks. There, looming on the right was a supermarket. We fell head over heels in love with just about everything we saw.

At the entrance stands a bakery. Product sits out right at eye (and nose) level with no protection from your urges. This is a dangerous store! The method is for the customer to pick up a pizza pan and a pair of tongs and go defenseless through rows of lovely things that will make you smile, fat, sick, want more, and pssss off your doctor.

The produce section is every bit as much fun. Lavish quantities of tropical fruits and vegetables tempt you at every table and bin. The prices are almost comical. Papaya sells for 14 cents a pound. Oranges are a nickle a pound. On the other hand, the exotics such as apples sell for more than they do at home! Jicama and choyote are pennies per pound. Broccoli and cauliflower aren't.

All the cans are worth reading. They each have their own story to tell, and each inspires a meal plan.

Wait till you see the cheeses! We've already fallen in love with some local cheeses. There is a common style that looks and eats like motzarella string-cheese. Another comes from just down the road from here (Tampico) that's creamy flavored, white and only slightly firm. It is sold with inclusions like a bit of ham or jalapeňos or both. We've already marked tomorrow's route book for a quick stop for more.

Our journey has taken us into the Tropics! We crossed the Tropic of Cancer about 1:30. I don't think we're any different for the experience, but what the Heck. We'll brag anyway.
Annie's favorite image of the day is a gentleman on horseback carrying a bicycle pump. Don't ask folks; I couldn't even make this up!

Our stop for the night came early. By 3: PM we were watching a bocce ball tournament on the lawn behind the hotel. Happy hour brought a fountain of margaritas (provided by the Wagon Master and the Tail Gunner) that lasted about an hour. We were all ready for a drivers' meeting by then!!

The little restaurant at the hotel got most of the caravan for dinner, but we dined in on some delicious chicken tamales and pico de gallo. Sunset found us in the swimming pool, cool and happy and ready to settle in for the night.

Sweet dreams!

Ciudad Victoria

2009-01-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

Sunday January 25, 2009

The trip through the border crossing, Mexican customs and two Mexican Army inspection stations was an eye opener. While we complain about Mexican efforts to control the border I see as much Mexican enforcement activity than I saw on the US side.

As we left the border area in our mirrors the countryside changed character. Homes are in better shape. Yards have goats and chickens. Laughing and waving, two kids ride together on a burro. The burro seem to enjoy it as much as the kids.

Equines get the choicest patches of grass along the roadways. They are tethered out – usually within a few hundred meters of the house - where they lazily graze. Shepherds move herds of goats or sheep along the road's shoulder as well. The animals stroll along the roadway, feed on the greenery and browse on the brush.
A rancher, with his herd of cattle sits easily in his saddle and watches the parade of RVs. He seems to contemplate and admire our lifestyle much as we admire his.

People are walking, biking, working on roads, buildings and crops. Everyone waves.

Spanish-language signs are everywhere. Slowly words float to the surface out of the deep past of high-school Spanish class. Little things start to make sense.

A few signs advertise tours of the Mezcal plant and the Museo Mezcal. Soon we are passing a huge field of blue agave; the very essence of Mezcal.

Tonight we're in Ciudad Victoria Tamaulipas, a 250 year-old city of a third of a million people. The elevation is about a thousand feet and the city is bordered on the west by a beautiful blue mountain range. We found a great restaurant in town. We had a huge sampler plate for two of carnitas (pork chicken beef), guacamole, roasted onion, salsa, and queso fundido. We loaded little tortillas till we couldn't hold any more. Ooof! That was good!

Tampico and Costa Esmeralda are on the agenda for tomorrow. It's a short run, so there'll be time to smell the roses and take a few pictures.

Details - Details!

2009-01-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

Friday January 23, 2009

We moved our RV into the Texas Trails RV Park to rendezvous a few days before we leave to Mexico. It turns out that there are many steps to do and many things to consider before we launch.

Day before yesterday we met our Wagon Master, our Tail Gunner, and their wives. The wives brought packs of materials, lots of explanations and a warm welcome. In preparation for the trip they had brought our insurance papers direct from the agent that works with Adventure Caravans.

The ladies gave us a full explanation of the documentation process for going to Mexico for an extended stay. There are things needed for personal documentation (visas) and things needed for the vehicles (registration stickers - called holograms) as well. There are many steps to the process with a definite sequence required in order to get it all done at once.

The Wagon Master explained it all again the next morning and checked everyone's preparedness before we piled into cars and drove to the Mexican immigration offices just across the border. Luckily for many Fred has much patience and understanding for all his “ducklings”, because he was right there assisting everyone as they achieved surprisingly complex paperwork with three different non-English-speaking government officials.

We managed to miss a turn to return to the U.S., so we toured a little bit of the suburbs of Reynosa Mexico. A lesson learned is that Mexican driving styles are somewhat different from what we're used to. While the Policia are stringent about speed and bad stops, it appears that it's not a big deal to cross double yellow lines to pass! I'm not going to test it, but at least I won't be quite as surprised next time it happens!

Next day Bob, the Tail Gunner came by to help us with a thorough pre-run vehicle inspection. Good suggestions and advice were welcome. He caught a corrosion issue on the house batteries, showed me a small valve cover leak on the Honda, and reminded me to “fluff up” the powder in our dry fire extinguishers.

Three or four days ago I lost a piece of a filling (dammit!) so today we made a quick trip across the border at Nuevo Progreso. We parked next to the crossing and walked across the border about 10:30. We found the recommended dentist and walked in. They sat me down, checked me over and offered to fix me up by removing the old, cleaning me up, and replacing the filling. Price? $35.00. “Go”, sez I!

By 12:30 we were in a little restaurant for lunch having an avocado half stuffed with a delicious shrimp salad. We wandered through a gift shop or two and stopped in a liquor store for a couple of bottles (you can bring 2 liters each back with no federal taxes due). As we cleared Customs we found a State “customs office” of some sort – with no such generous tendencies! We got nicked $1.35 a bottle for booze we'll turn right around and carry back to Mexico. Boy did we make a slick deal on that one!!!

Let's see; 3 dollar bridge toll, twenty five cents gate toll (I have no idea why), thirty cents at another turnstyle, (nope, I'm still clueless). Kinda like being in a herd of cows going from milking parlor to milking parlor!

Tomorrow brings all the last-minute details (buy propane, check tire pressures, turn off the cell phone and satellite TV services, and another half-dozen items on the list. 3PM will find us at the first drivers' meeting – and orientation. Then - after a good night's sleep - we're off!

Say Hi to Del

2009-01-19T11:59:00.000-08:00

Monday January 19, 2009

Have I introduced you to our best roadie buddy and intrepid travel companion?

The story starts over 45 years ago. Annie's mom had made fast friends with a then RN (later Nurse Practitioner) at Childrens' in San Francisco. Del was a single mom with 2 kids So was Anna's mom. Both shared a common sense of humor born of getting on with it in spite of it all. In short, Annie and I have known Del longer than we've been married!

Del retired from her practice about 20 years ago. She moved to Grass Valley, CA where she was close to her beloved camping and hiking opportunities in the Sierras. She started gardening with all the energy that Del brings to a pastime. Eventually all the gardening started to suppress the explorer in Del. In spite of her back-packing trips, her camping trips, her motorhome trips she was always one trip short and too many weeds from being able to leave with a clear conscience.

Del went “Full-time” as they say, about 9 years ago. She bought her new home – a Lazy Daze coach sized just for her. She put 110,000 miles on it between California, Newfoundland, Mexico, the Arctic Circle. It took her about 5 years!

A new coach was ordered up and customized to suit her needs. Her “New One” only has 60,000 miles on it now! Solar panels and a sophisticated charge controller keep four no-maintenance (AGM) batteries full. Del has all the power she needs to run the microwave if necessary (maybe 10 minutes a day) the coffee pot, the waffle iron, the automatic satellite receiver, the flat panel TV, the Computer, the printer-scanner-copier, etc. etc. Her only outside needs are a Safeway, a dump station, and fresh water. That ties her to the rest of us about once every 2 to 3 weeks for a few hours.

Don't get me wrong; Del is no hermit in any sense of the word! She loves people and lazy chats and hugs and friends and happy-hour and sharing stories and dinner out as much as anyone else. She just isn't tied! The net result is we know we're blessed as she chooses to spend time with us.

Del has a sourdough culture going that has been pleasing people for as long as I can remember. You've all heard of Johnny Appleseed; well the saga of Sourdough Del is as true as it is legend! She started us twice. The second one lasted for about 5 years before I goofed and lost it.
Well - this morning Del had us all over to breakfast. The menu? Sourdough WAFFLES with Pecans! crumbled bacon! cranberries! wild huckleberry! You pick 'em – she cooks 'em, we all visit Heaven!

Life is as sweet as your friends are.

More Mission, Texas

2009-01-17T16:53:00.000-08:00

Saturday January 17, 2009

Joe and Nancy next door did a little extra cooking last night. They got ready for the park's Saturday Morning Breakfast. We went to bed with the invitation in mind and, lo and behold, I woke up in time to look out the front windshield – between my feet (still in bed of course) and see a sunrise! We were up and at 'em and down to the clubhouse for lots of breakfast, lots of good company and plenty of fun yarns. Good job, Joe and Nancy. The food was delicious. The event made more than enough to refill the gas bottles for the barbecue, so a burger feed is sure to be coming to the calendar soon!

We headed out in the rig about 9:30AM looking for a solution to our elusive exhaust leak. We had visions of bad gaskets, broken bolts, stripped head, etc. This too-long story finally got short!

A really sharp young gentleman at Three Star Mufflers on 9th in Mission, TX spotted the problem in less than ten minutes. There was an incomplete weld (at manufacture) on the flange of our new headers!

We rolled up next to the door to the shop (and the MIG welder) and lifted the front end off the ground with the leveling jacks. A proficient young welder slid into the front wheel well. Our welder removed the bolt, welded the seam, re-installed the bolt and emerged in less than five minutes. We started the engine. We rev'd it up. We put it under load, We listened real hard. We were HEALED!

If you need a careful diagnosis and an efficient fix to your exhaust system I highly recommend the good gang of guys at Three Star Mufflers. Talk to Jorge; you can swap stories about asparagus picking in Yakima!

Mission, Texas

2009-01-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

Friday January 16, 2009

The cruise from Carrizo Springs to Mission was under clouds. Wide open terrain and a mix of air currents from northern-cold with gulf-warm can make for dramatic skies. It turns out that during the summer this area is one of the real “Hot Spots” for storm chasers. We enjoyed some spectacular rolls of front-lets folding into cells with swirling vertical extensions of rainfall. I'm sure that if about forty Fahrenheit degrees were added we would've seen a really spooky show!

The drive brings us into what is called the Texas tropics. Weather is considerably warmer and everything is green. Palms abound. Hyacinths and bougainvillea decorate yards and "goatheads" hitch rides on our socks! I wouldn't mind quite as much, but indoors they jump off clothing and wait until we kick off our shoes, then they gleefully attack any foot in sight!

We picked a tiny RV park in Mission Texas last night. The park is named Paradise Country RV Park. The rates are great and the place is well kept so we paid for a three night stay. By the time we were plugged in and settled down we'd been greeted by two couples and well mannered doggies on leashes. All were snowbirds glad to meet us and find out about us. They enjoyed sharing their own stories as well. Some folks leave a rig here for the winter. Some take the rig back to northerly states for the summer. Two have put a park model on a lot here, and then fly down for the winter. True snow-birds, eh?

This afternoon three couples invited us to join the Friday night pizza feed. We joined the safari down to the Peter Piper Pizza Parlor for some great food and great conversation. The pizza parlor has special rates for “Winter-Texans”. They offer dollar-off coupons, senior specials, and “bottomless” plastic soda-pop mugs. Nancy, our next-door neighbor, brought extra soda pop mugs just for us and kicked in an extra dollar-off coupon for us too. The hospitality here is truly heartwarming. Supper ended with renewed invitations to the biscuits-and-gravy breakfast tomorrow morning, and suggestions that we really should consider the park for an annual three-month stay.

Carizzo Springs

2009-01-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

January 14, 2009

We left the Buzzard's Rest (just had to type that in one more time) and went to Walmart for gas and groceries. As we pulled into the parking lot a forlorn truck driver timidly waved us down and asked if we'd try to help him jump-start his truck. What the heck, it's worth the try. We pulled our Ford 460 up next to a Cummins diesel block about the size of our whole Honda. Needless to say, the battery sized for our engine wasn't capable of doing much for the ailing monster.

The trucker thanked us for trying and turned to his radio while we went in to shop. As we loaded groceries and paused for lunch a crew of truckers in semi's rallied on the scene. Ten minutes of discussion and the plan was hatched. The driver of the low-boy offered up a length of tow chain while the car hauler backed up in front of the disabled truck. Chain tied the car hauler to the patient and a third driver who apparently had the requisite skills heaved up into the cab. The chain drew taut, both trucks rolled about 20 feet when the patient belched a black puff and sprung to life! The rescued driver ran from trucker to trucker and bear-hugged everyone!

Twenty miles down the road I let a truck pass and I was startled out of my seat with horn honking and waving. Our patient shed one more big "Thank You" as he went merrily on his way.

The road from Del Rio to Carizzo Springs is flat. The brush is about 15 feet high. The land is flat, The underbrush is mainly prickly pear cactus. The road is relatively straight. Towns along the way are small. --And the land is flat.

Eagle Pass is a standout exception to the monotone trip across the valley. We decided to take the highway's route through town. We enjoyed seeing the town's clean streets and substantial historic architecture. Stone and brick buildings with handsome mill work seem to line most of the streets. Buildings show careful and timely maintenance. The scene projects a local pride and vibrant community. Some refreshing views of the river were included in this picturesque spot.

We found our destination park in Carizzo Springs by about three thirty this afternoon and enjoyed a balmy, sunny mid seventies afternoon with all the windows open. We're down to 780 ft elevation now and it's beginning to feel like the Gulf Coast!

Del Rio, Texas

2009-01-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

January 13, 2009

Today's journey was a slow shift in scenery. Leaving Marathon the land was flat with mini-mountain ranges around us on the horizon. Soon the land started to show some “ups and downs”. Soon little dry creeks and draws were scattered across the prairie.

The occasional ranch house passes by. Most aren't used any more. The cattle are still here, but as transportation has improved there is little reason to live on this, a land more suited to the cattle than the rancher. Seeing these places in disuse I imagine there have been many a tug at the heartstrings as the traditional rancher's lifestyle has given way to a modern way of life.

Cuts along the road, and soon palisades along the ridges showed elegant limestone masonry work. The Lord is a magnificent bricklayer when He sets to it!

Automated broadcast feeders and hunters' blinds appear all over these low rolling hills. Thousands of acres once cleared for cattle are now being allowed – and helped – to return to more natural habitat by sports people. Owners and managers encourage careful selective harvest of the game population. Many of the plots are owned by groups of users who fly in for camping and hunting adventures. The results are flourishing populations of wildlife.

As we dropped down from four thousand foot elevations to around one thousand feet. We met up for a while with the Rio Grand, and then with the Pecos River.

Soon they merged together in a pink and gray limestone gorge called Seminole Canyon to feed a vibrant blue Amistad Lake. The lake stretches miles in many directions covering about 140 square miles. Its finger like coastline features hundreds of little coves. Looks like an absolute great place to fish!

We had a wonderful chat with the proprietor of Buzzard's Rest RV Park. She is a Thai lady that came here and trained as an accountant. She used a scholarship and internship with Hilton Hotels. Her son is grown now, and she visits family regularly in Asia. Though near 60. she spent a couple of days at Camp I at Mt Everest in September! We could've listened to her delightful tales all day, but we thanked her and set about making secure for the night.

Marathon, Texas

2009-01-12T17:53:00.000-08:00

January 12, 2009

We left Van Horn at about eleven AM. South and east bound on Highway 90 we cruised through little towns that varied from “don't blink”, to picturesque, to clean and neat, to ones that may be gone after the next wind. Towns with names like Lobo, Valentine, Quebec, Ryan, Marfa, Nopal, Alpine, and Marathon.

Much of the scenery is classic west Texas high desert. Beautiful in its own right, but it has a sameness after a few days. Today was punctuated by some interesting scenes such as a most magnificent Brahma bull quietly owning a piece of prairie as far as the eye could see. A dot just above horizon grew for at least twenty minutes as we approached. When we got to it it was as a balloon as high as an aircraft – property of our Border Patrol. It appeared that no one was within the two acre fenced yard and buildings, but the place bristled with antennas. I surmise there is a high-tech monitoring facility somewhere that can do the dispatching.

We left Marfa without seeing any Marfa Lights. I think E.T. is actually a nocturnal fellow. We let him sleep.

The road wanders through the Glass Mountains via a pretty canyon of grasses, junipers, Texas walnut, yuccas and low growing prickly pear. The hills have rugged palisades of lava and limestone. Large white-breasted raptors claim high places. We were treated to a classic picture of about 30 antelope grazing in a grassy draw.

We claimed campsites early today – napped in the sunny light breeze and awoke bright-eyed just in time for happy-hour followed by dinner in town. We found two restaurants in Marathon. One a family style Mexican restaurant, the other is the dining room for the historic Gage Hotel. We were surprised by the menu. It included a vast array of truly special preparations. Pricey but fair, the meal was memorable (duck breast on a barley-cranberry rizotto with duck demi glace? Yum!). We're snug in the rig, dry-camped in an over full only-RV-park-in-town.

Sleep well!

Van Horn Texas

2009-01-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

January 11, 2009

We left Deming this morning and headed south to Columbus, New Mexico. The idea was to get off of I-10 and see more country. It worked beautifully. The two-lane blacktop roads were in fine repair and had virtually no traffic. Our only company seemed to be white pickups and SUV s decorated with a green diagonal stripe. Friendly folks, they all waved and smiled as they went about their border-guarding duties.

There are an amazing array of hand-made "hoodoos" along Highway 9. Carefully stacked rocks decorate little sections of the landscape - sometimes numbering fifty or more in a half-acre or so in places. They stand anywhere from 1 to 5 feet high. Often they contain complicated balance feats and are quite attractive. A little research informed me that it's a folk art form everywhere on the planet! I guess the prolific collection is due to the amount of foot traffic, the time available, and just having something to memorialize -- like a border crossing!

El Paso is a most unlikely place. The town bustles and jostles, ebbs and flows, and crowds itself into a tiny little canyon far from anywhere else. It boggles my mind to find this urban spin in the middle of an area that's a hundred of miles of desert and solitude in any direction.

As quickly as you are "in it", surrounded by swirling energy, driving defensively and getting surprised at every on or off ramp you're out of it again - and back into the quiet, open desert. From somewhere in the back of your mind seems to come a mumble;

"What was THAT all about?"

Van Horn is about two hours east of El Paso. It's good place to stop. We enjoyed another great southwest sunset, happy hour and dinner. Time for bed!

Deming, New Mexico

2009-01-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2009

Spent an extra day in Benson then headed east once again. The mercury has just about fallen out the bottom of the thermometer these last few days. Temperatures have been dropping into the mid-twenties overnight. Del could have inspired us to do some boondocking, but it sure is nice to plug in and run the electric heater all night in weather like this!

Texas Canyon a few miles east of Benson is made up of spectacular weathered sandstone rock piles. Mother nature seems to enjoy making things round here. A wonderful museum lives in the area. It's called "Amerind". Stop and see it.

We were sad to see Steins, NM closed. It is a privately owned ghost town just three miles from the NM - AZ border. I hope we find it open and thriving once again on our next stop.

Deming, New Mexico is a tiny little southwest town. It's altitude gives it clear skies and some more than generous day to night temperature swings, a classic high desert scenario. Deming is a Border Patrol office for the region and the Port of Entry from Palomas Mex. Most of its history seems to center around these two "industries".

The area sports some great looking small local museums and a few other attractions. Someday on a more leisurely pace we may make a point of slowing down and exploring a bit.

Benson, Arizona

2009-01-08T19:58:00.001-08:00

We left Jim's at about 11AM. Never easy to say "G'bye" but a hug helps, and we'll be back before we know it with tales of our adventures. We did a gas 'n go, hooked up the Honda and headed south to Benson, AZ, a four hour trip.

We FLEW through Tucson! Forty miles an hour, but believe me - forty through Tucson is flying! For as long as we've been driving I-10 Tucson has suffered massive, many-miles-long construction projects. While there's little evidence that they're approaching a finish, they're doing a lot better at keeping people moving.

We holed-up in an Escapees (RV Club) Co-op park. The desert is manicured into a really pretty landscape. The park is a mix of short-term and extended-term rental sites and some long-term leased sites that the tenants can develop (within guidelines, I'm sure). The sites are large (30'X 40'+) and many contain buildings called casitas. Many have a family room, plumbing (Kitchen & Bath) and large shady patios for barbeques and just lounging. Pretty nice living.

Lots of snowbirds spend their winters here. They're bustling about from program to activity to class to movie to concert to card-game to happy hour to tour. Always smiling, they'll invariably greet you with a hearty hello.

Sunset turned the broad view of the valley from yellows to golds to pinks. We walked up behind the park to the open desert and admired the brilliant colors of beautiful wispy clouds as darkness settled on the desert.

Benson has a very handy steakhouse called The Chute-Out. A well-prepared steak there sports a carmelized "sear" on the outside that I'm especially pleased with. Steak fries are oversize, crisp on the outside, and fluffy inside. Every table gets a bowl of cowboy beans that add a festive and flavorful touch to everyones' meal.

Full moon and full tummies - we're snuggled down for the night. It's good to be back on the road.

Saturday January 3, '09

2009-01-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

The weather this week has been absolutely delightful. Temperatures have reached the low seventies every day. Sunshine and light breezes have been the rule. It seems like our stays in Scottsdale with Jim are always idyllic. What a wonderful place. What a wonderful host!

Royce, Jenifer and Georgia left us for home in the Seattle area yesterday. We were all wistful to see them go, but that'll make it just that much sweeter next time. Young Georgia is everything God could ever promise Grandpa and Grandma. While we can't watch her grow everyday from here, we're so thankful that she has Jen and Royce for a mommy and daddy. 'Couldn't think of a better pair! Two more grandparents; (Bobba and Mim) Do such a wonderful job too. She may be about the luckiest little girl on the planet. -A truly special family.

Our attention now turns to the RV to ready the ol' girl for the winter trip. Lots of little details have made their way to the list for attention. projects range from replacing the generator's fuel pump to checking tires to filling batteries to tightening that screw to oiling that hinge to finding that rattle. We're also stocking up on such things as filters, fluids and fan belts. Everything you might think of is there to be considered. We're probably way out in left field on what we pick and what we skip, but - what the heck - it's all a learning experience.

The Wagon master for the trip called us a few weeks ago. He sounds like a really careful and caring gentleman. Experienced, and ready to make things go smoothly. Adventure Caravans has supplied us with a kit of information that helps us a lot too. We've read and researched a bit. Just about any questions we come up with seem to be answered.

The one continually recurring theme is that everyone can expect to be "making adjustments" along the way. It ain't gonna go exactly the way we think it will, but when all's said and done it's gonna be fine.

Example: The "to do" list was the best dern list we could make, and the moment we tackled it the water heater quit! OK, lets adjust! ($25 fix - no biggie) :-)

The schedule's first target date is January 20th in Pharr, Texas. Hopefully we can arrive a bit early and explore a little of Texas' famous coastline. We'll see.

Starting to get exciting!! We'll keep you posted.

Friday December 26, '08

2008-12-26T22:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas passed in a surprising hurry. We spent a leisurely week getting ready for the Holiday. No real rushing about was involved. We picked up a little of this, a little of that, a lot of food, cooked a while, and just let it happen.

The result was a time of wonderful family caring. We shared stories of many previous Christmases. We remembered those; here, elsewhere, and gone on, and basked in being lucky enough to count them in our lives. A few small trinkets were exchanged with love. It was so much more sweet than trying to overwhelm each other with exuberant opulence.

Laughter surrounded us all the way through the dinner disaster! Wouldn't you know it -- something was forgotten. All that turkey, dressing and gravy and not a cranberry in the whole deserted desert! Del (with the sweetest, smuggest smile) stepped to her RV and brought forth the golden can of the crowning ingredient. She's our hero!!

Occasional phone calls brought the voices of loved ones. Each with tales of their cosy celebrations and best wishes for ours. The evening found us knowing life was well and comfortable for all our brood. A pleasant peace settled over us and brought a sound sleep.

Tomorrow brings son, Royce, daughter (in law) Jenifer and grand baby Georgia. We're looking forward to giggles and hugs for nearly a week.

Between moments of family fellowship there are little preparatory projects with the RV. She's about ready to be trusted for a safari down the east coast of Mexico to Belize and back up through the mountains. There are about 3,700 miles to do in Mexico, and another 2,500 in the U.S by the time we get back to Scottsdale. The rig's up to it; Are we? Stay tuned!

We hope you are blessed with as warm and loving a holiday as we. I'm sure that's exactly what God wants for you.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.

Friday December 19, '08

2008-12-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

Well, we've been enjoying the warmer climes and spiffy desert landscapes of Scottsdale for a week now. We got here on the twelfth. We've been alternately lounging, puttering about, and feasting shamelessly. If that sounds like "no news" I guess we'll just have to plead "guilty". Just hanging out with Jim has made it a treasured week.

The icing on the cake - as if the cake need icing - is that Del Alden arrives here tomorrow too! We'll have some new yarns to swap - in between the old yarns we already love. If you don't know, Annie and I have known Del longer than we've been married (42 years). She has been dear friend, confidant, big sister, RV tutor, great pal, and all 'round reliable hug for as long as we can remember.

Kids Royce and Jenifer, and grandbaby Georgia are coming for a few days (27th through 2nd) so right now we're just jumping up and down with no baby to squeeze. I bet we look as silly as it sounds! It's going to be SO good to see them all. We're just plotting and scheming on anything we might do to make it all go well. (I dunno – Ya think we should buy her a truck? A pony? A playhouse? They'd fit on an airliner wouldn't they?)

As much as we were dying to get here and see Jim and get ready for a great family Christmas we were expecting to endure the high-end, hectic, urban-modern lifestyle that goes with the Scottsdale experience. We've been surprised.

Scottsdale is a quieter place right now. In years passed we've watched swirls of activity in all the shopping centers and along all the avenues and boulevards. It seems that this year a new calm has descended. The constant hurry of construction crews in pickups have given way to the occasional delivery truck. Dashing soccer moms seem to be happier to stay closer to home.

What drives this quieter pace? Could it be that an economy that none of us would have asked for - just maybe - brought is a little less hurry and a little more quality to folks' agendas? Do little Cissy and Chad enjoy the smell of dinner cooking just as much as they enjoyed the dash to and from gymnastics or karate lessons? Does Dad appreciate time in the front room about as much as being at that client's house party?

I think I see more smiles at the supermarket. I think I've been waved into a line of traffic more often. I know I haven't been honked at lately, and I hope that these good people have found a new pace that lets them like life a bit more. I certainly like Scottsdale a bit more.

All our love and best wishes go out to you and yours. May all the promise and blessings we find in our Christmas Season come directly from God to you in His fullest measure. Celebrate these holidays as you shall, and we shall all celebrate together as God's family.

Thursday December 11, '08

2008-12-12T00:11:00.000-08:00

A beautiful sunny day accompanied us as we climbed into Joshua Tree National Park. Temp's around seventy five and barely a breeze. We're finally shaking free of the damp and drizzly northwest.

We topped the ridge on the north side of the park enjoying nearly deserted roads and a lazy winding cruise through huge sandstone boulder fields. Before us opened a pretty valley called Pinto Basin. A beautiful stand of cholla decorated our way.

By the way; Whoever named them "Teddy Bear Cholla" never hugged one, or has a really twisted sense of humor!

The road climbs out the south side of Pinto Basin and drops down past Cottonwood Springs to I-10. Crossing the Colorado River into Arizona made it instantly an hour later. Three PM became four PM. We grinned at each other and decided it's Quittin' Time!

Parked it in Quartzsite and set out in the Honda for a little mischief. Annie found a bead shop open and fell in love with a few different strings. We had a nice dinner in a fun bar and grill called the Quartzsite Yacht Club.

Sunset treated us to some extra with a brilliant sun dog display. Now we're all bedded down and looking forward to seeing Jim in Scottsdale tomorrow.

G-nite!

Wednesday December 10, '08

2008-12-10T23:32:00.000-08:00

Monday evening found us in Lancaster. Both of us were happy to call it off after a relatively few hours on the road. It felt good to sit around and accomplish little. We didn't even go out to eat or shop. Snug and snuggled in, we slept like logs.

Tuesday brought us mechanical issues (brakes and exhaust) so we stayed an extra day in Palmdale. We went out for a lazy breakfast and a little shopping (had to get a little Two Buck Chuck). The rig's much better off for the attention, and we're in Twenty Nine Palms tonight.

Shirt-sleeve weather in the afternoons is followed by frost at night! High desert sure has a huge daily temperature swing - especially when the weather is clear.

Tomorrow brings a cruise through Joshua Tree National Forest. We've skirted the edges and promised ourselves the drive for many years. This time we're doin' it!

Sunday December 7, '08

2008-12-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

We had ten solid days of play, and it's just never enough. My brother and I fit together better now than we ever did as kids, and we were inseparable. I've a mind that a couple of great women have honed us into pretty acceptable company over the years, and we're most thankful for it.

Ted taught me so much about playing bass this last week or so. Sitting in is going to be a true joy. I can't wait to stumble across the next session. Thanks, Ted!!

Left Tracy a bit after 11AM. It's never easy to do. There's always one more tale to share, one more "love ya" to say, one more "Thanks for the hospitality", more assurances that we'll see each other soon, and - heck - how about another round of hugs!

We drove out of the overcast by about 3PM and enjoyed a truly tropical environment in our greenhouse-on-wheels. Big windshield and a southbound course does that. Kinda makes ya wanna pull over and nap in the sun!

We're bedding down in Bakersfield tonight. Looking forward to the Mojave Desert tomorrow! Where to stop? Who knows - Mojave Desert? Colorado R.? Palm Desert? Well you already know if you've read the next blog entry, but as I sit here I haven't got a clue!

G'nite for now.

Friday December 5, '08

2008-12-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

We discovered "fee-mining" last summer. It seems that there are many places across this land where a tourist can buy a measure of ore and learn to seek treasure within it. The target can be precious metals, fossils or gemstones. Different strokes for different folks and geographical areas.

In July Del Alden took us to an active sapphire mine in the wilds of Montana. Specifically, the Gem Mountain Mine near Phillipsburg, MT.

We thoroughly enjoyed learning that the gem material is just slightly heavier than the rest of the material from the mine so it can shaken, mixed, rocked, sluiced and manipulated to collect in a specific place. Once we got the hang of manipulating the pit-run and equipment we were overjoyed to find many little sapphires!

Most of the foundlings aren't gem quality, but every once in a while one is. Of the 50 or so stones we found 6 were near one carat and reasonably well-formed. Staff at the mine were quite willing to sort the finds for us. They also offer the service of sending the promising stones off to be treated and faceted. For a few dollars per stone they sent our treasures off to Asia to be turned into jewels. A four to six month wait ensues.

Well, surprise! A few days ago a package arrived -certified mail- in Olympia containing our treasures. Darbi opened the package and described the goodies for us over the phone. We seem to have six cute little brilliant-cut sparkleys, nicely clear and mostly medium blue (one pink!). They've come a long way from the little greenish semi-transparent lumps we sent. We're excited to see them when we get home in the spring.

What fun. I'm sure we'll find new adventures in dirt on down the road!

Tuesday December 2, '08

2008-12-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday, and a classic valley fog has settled across central California. We've been here a week enjoying the fine friendship and hospitality of Brother Ted and his sweet wife, Pam. This afternoon will find us at the weekly Tracy Jam Session.

Had fun at Mom's house Friday - got a gang of family together for a great meal and a living-room sing along. Ted kept it going on Guitar, and I introduced my home-made upright bass (yep, I'll have to brag about that one day soon). Still ringing in our ears are the sweet refrains of "The Good Ship Titanic" and Bill Grogan's Goat".

Ted and I have spent time every day singing the old songs through our head colds. I'm glad you can read about it without having to hear it!! Pam and Annie retreated to Pam's craft room where they strung beads to their heart's content. They've sure produced lots of bling-bling things!

As always it'll be hard to say "G'bye", but Wednesday or Thursday will probably see us on the road; drifting in the general direction of desert landscapes and warmer weather.

Tuesday, November 25, '08

2008-11-26T00:03:00.000-08:00

Slept well in Redding. We were up with the chickens (8:00 is early for us!) to re-torque exhaust parts and get through Sacremento before rush hour. It's almost fun to go hunting for gasoline again! the prices are all substantially under $2.00 everywhere you turn!

The trip was practically balmy compared to the weather we'd left behind. Mid 60's are a lot like much of the summer in western Washington this year!

We arrived in Tracy around 3:00 and made a bee-line to the weekly Tracy afternoon jam session. What fun to walk in on my dear ol' brother unannounced.

Many of the usual suspects were there and in fine fettle. Additionally a few newbies have joined in and broadened the musical menu.

As always the first set is gospel, the second set is mostly C&W. I'd have loved to dive in and take a second part, or 8 bars of an instrumental break, but without preparations I let my caution rule my bravado. Enjoying old acquaintances' performances hearing some new folks too made a most enjoyable afternoon.

Dinner is always an event after the jam. What a fine group of folk. The warmth and caring that the group holds for each other is a joy to see and feel. Souls are nourished as well as bodies, and all are fulfilled by the fellowship.

More music after dinner. What fun! Ted and I are working up music involving his easy skills on vocals and guitar, with me scrambling along on the upright bass. Lots of stumbles, often some good sounding stuff too. That's the fun in learning -- you can see yourself getting better by bounds!

Monday, November 24, '08

2008-11-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

This morning we left Canyonville with an exhaust pipe serenade. We clattered and putted down I-5 untill we found a really good muffler shop. You know - the kind of a place where they make the part they need and weld it in - instead of finding a part in a catalog and clamping it in with something made for clamping something else. A true craftsman in a muffler shop in Grant's Pass (Custom Mufflers) made quick work of the new-fangled gasket-less ball and socket couplings. When he was done the pipes sported good ol' double flanges and donut gaskets like the ones that were invented near hundred years ago and lasted lifetimes.

The trip to Redding, CA was lots better! Fog and clouds gave way to sunshine and snowcaps. The weather is about 15 degrees warmer, and I'm glad to crawl under the rig to re-torque the headers before breakfast. Warm and snug, we're well wined and dined. Good days to come!!

Sunday, November 23, '08

2008-11-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

This morning a friend of Chuck's troubleshot and repaired the connections at the back of the headers. The fix on the RV was quick and the RV was quiet. Off we went for Canyonville.

Quick. Quiet. Not permanent! By the time we got to Canyonville, the ol' girl was in heat again!

Good dinner with good friends. Ed and Verlene Smith met us for such delicacies as Ceasar salads, fish and chips, and many assorted guilty pleasures off the desert menu. Great fun with coffee and tales of grandkids until cobwebs filled our heads. We all slept like we were blessed. We were!

Saturday November 22,'08

2008-11-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

Today started our grand adventure for the fall, winter and spring. As many of you know, the plans include (among other things) Thanksgiving in California, Christmas in Scottsdale, Mid January should find us touring Mexico for 2 months.

Luckily the whole adventure has extra lay-over days! We used the first one - on day one!

We left Olympia bound for Canyonville, OR. Fifty miles into the day the RV engine became a seven-cylinder wonder. -as in We wonder how far this thing will go! We returned to Olympia and the folks that had most recently worked on the rig. They found a wire (laying on an exhaust pipe) melted and shorted. The fix took less than two hours, but that found us in Olympia 4 hours late to leave.

About eighty miles later (in Kelso, WA) the brand-new exhaust system disassembled! Imagine the sound of a Farmall Tractor in Heat!!

So this day ends in Portland with a wonderful visit with Anna's relatives; Leona, Chuck, Vicki, Debbie and her two charming kids Brooke and Cody. What a wonderful afternoon, dinner, evening and breakfast We should've planned to do that in the first place!!!!