The Raddish Festival

Every year on the 23rd of December there is a Radish Festival. For one day the main town square is transformed into an exposition. There were 100 displays of radishes, flowers and corn leaves. Tanya took 72 pictures.

The exposition last one day only. The participants begin early and by 3 o'clock they are ready. People line up to review the radishes. It took us 1 hour to review all of the displays. It was fabulous. At the end of the night there is a great fireworks display and presentations are made to the winners. Then, everything is removed. It is like the festival did not happen. All ready for the next day.

versión español

Success for 254 Pesos

Since Ralph and I arrived in Oaxaca, mid-October, we have seen Christmas decorations in all the markets, grocery stores and little road side shops. The real and artificial trees appeared a few weeks after, again, everywhere. My friend Trina had suggested that we bring some of our own decorations with us. When I told Ralph we would do this, he scoffed, saying that was just silly. Well, it seems he wanted a tree, you see, and decorations, too. So, after teasing him a bit, we had agreed that when my sister arrived, we would go and buy a tree and decorations together. It would be fun!
After 5 grocery stores the fun had worn thin, a bit. At one grocery store, Angie (sister) grabs a small tree out of a pile of junk laying around in the corner. No base. No base in the rest of the junk lying around. We pass and move on. At grocery store number 5, we find a tree, in two pieces, tossed on a botton shelf. We pick it up, put it together. It comes with lights, but there is no extension to plug in the lights, and there is no base. We stop a clerk and ask if there are others. She says it is La Unica - the only one. The only tree in the entire city of Oaxaca, it would seem. We ask about a base, and she says she is going to find someone. A young man arrives. No base, he says. Angie and I had already discussed the possibilities of a make-shift base (bucket and rocks), so we were prepared for this possibility. I ask how much. 700 pesos, he replies.
700 pesos, with no stand, and no extension for the lights! My eyes are wide, my voice incredulous.
Oh, he have the extension for the lights, he explains, and it was 1400 pesos before the discount.
There is no way I want to pay almost the equivalent of $70 Canadian for a base-less tree. We leave the store, the possibility of a tree-less Christmas looming large.
Driving home, it's now late, we're all tired and hungry and a bit crestfallen. We have one more store to check, Angie thought she saw trees there on the way down. Before we get there, I spot a paperleria (stationary store) with tons of trees.
"Ralph! Trees!"

Ralph slides across 3 lanes of traffic within 10 meters into a parking spot. We jump out and race to the store. Trees, a whole selection of them! And lights! And bulbs! And you buy the garland buy the meter!
We try to be conservative in our excitement, and get three boxes of bulbs, one string of lights, a mini tree (3 feet tall) and 2 meters of pink garland. The lady punches numbers into her calculator and shows Ralph.
254.50 pesos. He looked a few times to make sure we had read it correctly. We pay gladly.

Thanks to the little papeleria for saving the Gault/Lapierre Christmas, and for yet another Mexico adventure.

The Bathroom Sink

Friday evening before going to bed, Tanya decided to wash her feet. Nude, she put her foot into the sink and was washing her feet when the sink broke free of the wall. The water pipe broke and water was shooting everywhere. I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to try to stop the water. I was also nude. What a site. Two people trying to stop the water when there was no shut off valve.

Now what? Where is the place to shut off the water? Outside! Clothes. I need clothes. Pants only, I have no time for anything more! While Tanya, with a squeegee, was pulling the water towards the floor drain, I was running downstairs to he valve next to the water heater. I turned off the water at the heater but the water was still running. What next? The roof, there is a tank on the roof. Upstairs to the tank to find the water shut off valve.

It was a little chilly without a shirt or shoes on the roof. I turned off the water to the whole house. No showers now. Then I helped Tanya clean the bathroom floor and the bedroom where the water decided to run. Order was restored. We went to bed.

The next day a plumber was called and the problem was fixed before noon. Great.










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The Sister and the Niece

Finally, my sister and niece have arrived from Montreal. Unfortunately they are not seeing Mexico in the best light... yet. They arrived without luggage, seems it was not transfered in Mexico City. The most unfortunate part is not that my niece puked on the plane, but that the Mexicana agent did not even seem surprised that the luggage was lost. And although they have arrived in a climate slightly warmer than they left back home in Montreal, Oaxaca is currently in a cold front, meaning the days are not warm, but cloudy (the clouds so low today that they cover the top of our nearest mountains) and a bit cool, maybe 15 degrees. Brrr...
Of course, in typical Tanya and Ralph style, we did not let a bit of cool weather and lost luggage dampen our evening plans. After a quick dinner, we headed off to Ralph's play, processional and sing-song event at his Spanish teacher's. We laughed a lot, sang in Spanish songs that are tranditional from Mexico, and drank spiked fruit punch that had so much sugar in it my face was tingling.

Before my sister arrived, I send her the Oaxaca Moon Handbook (ordered from Amazon) and an email asking her which of the following tours she would most like to do. In addition to the Radish Festival (23rd) and obvious Christmas and New Years celebrations, I thought we could fit in a few touristy things in Oaxaca.

• Tour 1: El Thule (2000 year old tree), Dainzu (archeological site), Theotitlan del Valle (rug village), Hierve Del Agua (pertified water fall)
• Tour 2: Santa Maria Atzompa (pottery) and Monte Alban (most famous archeological site)
• Tour 3: Ocotlan, San Bartolo Coyotepec (black pottery), Cocinea bug farm, San Martin Tilcajete (wooden figures)
• Tour 4: San Sebastien caves
• Tour 5: Etla Wednesday Market and a swimming pool spa/playground
• Tour 6: Ziplineing and hiking in Benito Juarez National Park
• Tour 7: Veracruz & water museum (allow 2 days)

She has decided she wants to do them all. So, check the blog regularly over the holidays, we'll be busy!

 

Learning Spanish

It has been two and a half months that I have been in Oaxaca and still I am not fluent in Spanish. Have I set my expectations too high? Maybe.

When I first arrived I could speak enough to ask for directions and order lunch. My vocabulary was small as was my confidence to speak.

Then I took lessons at the Becari Language School. For 2 hours a day for 6 weeks I took a grammar class followed by 2 hours of conversation. Over that time, in a class of 3 or 4 people, we studied the 7 major tenses and the subjunctive. With these and the conversation classes my confidence improved so that now I am able to ask more questions in the stores. However, at most times I do not understand the answers.

Now I am taking private lessons from Laura Olachea 2 times per week for 1 hour at a time. Her classes are in 3 parts. One part for conversation where I tell her about my activities. This helps me with my grammar and vocabulary. In another I read which helps me with pronunciation and finally I listen to her for comprehension.

Already after 2 weeks I have improved. I wonder now if I will be able to listen and comprehend what they say on television after 3 more months. I think so!

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Sunday walk

Last Sunday my wife, Tanya and I went for a walk.We left the house about 11:30 AM. It was a very hot and sunny day.We walked along the old aquaduct that used to bring water down from San Filipe de Agua to the city center.



When we got to street "Niños Heros" we turned right to go up the hill to the Planetarium. It was very hot in the sun. At the top of the mountain there were a lot of people dressed in their Sunday best. Tanya asked a gentleman who they all were. They were Jehova Witnesses who were having an assembly.Tanya and I continued up the hill to the Planetarium where there is a great view.



After that we walked down to the highway and crossed underneath through a pedestrian tunnel. On the other side were stairs down into the city.

We walkd to "Garcia Vigil" where we had lunch Tuscany style. Of course I had Pepperori pizza.

After that we walked back to our house. It was a long day and our noses got sunburnt. Nevertheless we had a fun day.

versión español

Mexicans take the Virgins Seriously

December 12th marked the Fiesta de la Virgin de Guadalupe. You might recognize her if you have ever spent any time in Latin American. She is the patron saint of the indigenous, the poor, the farmer. As the story goes, she appeared to a poor laborer twice, the second time performing a miracle (because appearing out of thin air is not cool enough) by marking the poor hill person's blanket with her image. She had beseached the bishop to build a church in her honor where she had appeared. In Mexico City you can evidently go to see the original blanket with her image.
Her image is everywhere: bags, statues, t-shirts, temporary tattoos. In every town, city, corner of a market you can find her. She is never far from sight.
Her festival follows the Virgin of Jualita, who was celebrated last weekend (cont ant fireworks, marching bands and mini parades for about 48 hours straight). In a few days (the 16-18) we will celebrate the Virgin of the Soledad.
A celebration in Mexico involves at least a few basics: Parades, Bands, Food, People, and likely a Mass of some sort.
On Friday Ralph and I started with Mass. We arrived shortly after mass started, about 11:00 p.m. Although there were no pews set up in church, we stood and listen and watched. The church, at 11 at night, was packed! Young and old, dressed to the nines or in jeans, people weaved in and out of the church to listen to the priest tell us that the problems of Oaxaca can be solved. Just pray. Pray to the Virgin. We scooted out of the church when they started communion. With that many people, it would be 2 in the morning by the time losing prayers were said!
The Virgin of Guadalupe church in Oaxaca sits at the north end of what is formally called Parque Juarez, or El Llano, locally. The park was completely taken over with vendors. From food to cell phones, religious statues to padded bras, stand after stand had something to offer the devout. We headed back there on Saturday and spent a few hours walking around. A mariachi singer dedicated a song to us, "My Way"! We sang along with him and I told Ralph we needed to learn the lyrics in Spanish.

As part of the festival, your child could get their picture taken on a real donkey in front of an altar with the Virgin statue will lit and prominent. The kids get dressed up, little boys as the poor Indian who sacrificed his blanket in the Virgin's name, and the girls in traditional dress. Ralph and I sat and enjoyed a bit of people watching from the sidelines for a bit, other families doing the same joined us on our little corner away from the packed frenzy of the park.

Oh! I almost forgot the rides. Tons of kids rides, Exhibition style, scattered around the park. A huge jumpy castle, the bungee trampoline ride, and everything was free. I almost wished I was 5 again, but likely my mother would never have let me on one of those rides! "Not safe.", she would have said.

I am anxious to see what the Fiesta of the Virgin of Soledad has in store for us...

Is a lime a baby lemon?

I have always thought that a lime was actually an immature lemon. Well I was wrong.

I did a little investigation because we have 2 Lime trees and 2 Key Lime trees in our yard and when the limes get ripe they turn yellow and fall off the trees. The yellow limes do not look like the lemons I know so I searched on the web and discovered the following.

Limes and Lemons are 2 different trees from the citrus family.

This is the same as saying that a Golden Delicious apple and a Red Delicious apple are from the apple family. We do not expect a Golden Delicious apple to turn into a Red Delicious apple when it matures and so we should not expect a Lime to turn into a Lemon when it matures.

So what are the differences? Well a Lime is bitter/sweet while a lemon is sour. A Lemon has more citrus oil in the outer skin than a Lime.

How do you tell the difference when the fruits are young? Well a Lime is denser than a Lemon. Just drop the fruit into a glass of water. If the fruit sinks then it is a lime. A Lemon will float.

If you want to investigate more why not start with this link.

Cooking Lesson #1 - Chiles Relleños

I should have been concerned when in the car, on the way to the Maestra's house, she explained that spicy foods were good for the digestive system. Uh-oh.


Don’t get me wrong, I can handle slightly more than the average Canadian when it comes to spicy. However, I can't and don't enjoy when the spicy gets to the level of lip burning, permanent taste bud damage kind of spicy. When friends launch into how they order a special spicy sauce that you have to sign a disclaimer for and is banned in Canada, my mind wanders and I start to consider painting the ceiling beige.

There are two students for the class, myself and an acquaintance from Ralph's language school - Arnie. For 280 pesos each, Socorro, the teacher, will pick up us, bring us to her house, teach us how to make a famous Mexican dish Oaxaca style, we will eat, and then she will drive us back to where we started.

Her house is in a quiet outskirt of the city centre, a few minutes away. Our work kitchen is in the courtyard, with a pretty blue wall, hanging pottery and a lovely big work table. As soon as we get there, we don aprons, take a quick picture and get started roasting chiles de agua, a Oaxacan pepper. Next come olives, episote (an herb not found anywhere but in Oaxaca) and Oaxacan cheese. She peels and seeds the peppers as we chop and dice and shred. Next she mixes up the batter, an egg, salt and flour mixture I know I am going to try on something else at some point. We gently stuff and flour our chilies. Arnie and I are excited. Here comes the big moment. We take our little tender stuffed and floured chilies and coat them in batter, and then into hot oil. Voila! Chiles Relleños! She puts music on and Arnie and I dance to our success.

After we have fried them all, we sit at the big work table to devour our masterpieces. Melted cheese, a light coating of batter...mmm. Were they spicy? You betcha. After gulping down water and a huge toasted tortilla, the fire subsided eventually!

I can't wait to make then with less spicy peppers. Thanks to Arnie for suggesting we do the class together.

See that Shiny Thing? Way Down There?

As Ralph mentioned, we made our base camp at Campamento Del Monte, a rustic cabin just an hours drive from Oaxaca. On the same site where we found the number for Del Monte, there was a map of the Eco Tourist area. After a bit of research, I got my heart set on a hike in Latuvi. It said we hiked to a waterfall, stopped at a trout farm/hatchery and the hike would take between 3 to 5 hours. So off we went on Sunday, with running shoes and water, ready for an adventure.


The road itself to Latuvi is an adventure in and of itself. We turned off windy Highway 175 onto a recently graded, rock and boulder infested 13 kilometer dirt track that would lead us down the side of one mountain and up another into the village of Latuvi. Stopping at the church, we got directions to the Tourist Office, at the top of a steep paved road.

The villagers sent off two little boys at a run to look for the staff, the office was open but not manned. It appeared that Manuel was not there, so they raced off to find Victoria. (We later discovered that Manuel had gone to a local farm to see a man about buying a sheep.) Victoria arrived, in uniform and breathless and apologetic. Did we wait long? Only 15 minutes, which in Mexico considering we arrived in a small town with no reservation was a bit of a miracle.

I showed her my handy print out, asking if we can hire a guide to walk "El Mochote" trail. She gets on her radio and makes the arrangements. We will meet our guide on the road; Victoria would walk with us for a bit of the way. 130 pesos is the fee for the guide. We hand it over, lock the car, and head out.

6 hours later, Ralph took this picture. See the little shiny thing between the hills? That was the trout farm where we stopped to eat. The man who lives there, Senior Natcho, and his family run the trout farm and have a few tables set up for people to eat at. I watched as Senior Natcho extracted my fish from his holding pool. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I had just literally scaled mountains, walked across rivers on logs, ate the bulb of a wild orchid or drank water directly from a river for the first time in my life, but it was the best trout I have ever had in my life. Ralph, who does not usually love fish, devoured his. We left the family and their trout and their little magical piece of valley full and happy.

We had walked at least as far past the trout farm to get to a lovely water fall. Manuel, our outstanding guide, took my needs for a break ("un momentito, Manuel, por favor." I panted) to explain about the local flora and fauna, it's traditional uses, customs and growing conditions. The day would not have been the same without Manuel. Although he commented that the trail was difficult for me, he never lost his patience. He was pleased and surprised when I did not fall into the river when he asked me if I could cross the log that bridged it. (Hurray for yoga!)

At the end of our trip back up the hill to the town, Ralph walked ahead to go and get the car and bring it down to the church, at least I would not have to scale the last cement slope, which Ralph said was the worst of the whole day. Manuel and I walked slowly, bellies full of trout, chatted about the birds, the land, the people and our lives.

Yet another magical day in Mexico.

Does it get cold here?

It really does not get cold here. "Here" meaning in the valley of Oaxaca. But, take a drive up into the mountains, within an hour of Oaxaca and you have another story.


Tanya and I took a northern excursion this past weekend into the mountains up towards Ixtlan where the state is "pushing" the eco-tourist theme. It is very pretty with tall pines and great views. We booked into a rustic cabin about one hour north. We hiked the property and drove the route to Ixtlan and back to the cabin.

I was having a cigar and a beverage outside the cabin and having a pleasant conversation with Tanya when a lady walked by wearing a jacket, hat and mittens. The mittens were red and looked a little Christmascy. I was surprised that she was dressed so warmly since Tanya was wearing Capri slacks and I was in jeans and a t-shirt. Surely it wasn't cold enough for mittens.


After supper we lit the wood in the fireplace and enjoyed a couple of hours in front of the fireplace with a drink and conversation. At nine o'clock we decided that it was time for bed. Whoa! When the sun goes down in the mountains and the fire goes out it really gets cold. When we pulled back the top blanket we were surprised, yet happy to see that the sheets, including the pillow cases, were flannel. There were also heavy horse blankets on the bed. Surely that would keep anyone warm.

Well, my head was freezing and my feet got cold. I put on socks which helped a bit. Yet, I could not sleep. I found it difficult to sleep at that altitude which was around 2400 meters (2.4 km). In the Oaxaca valley we are only at 1550 meters. I was surprised that an extra kilometer would make that much of a difference.

During the day I can apparently inhale enough air to keep me going without noticing shortness of breath. However, at night when I am horizontal and my breathing gets shallow I awake gasping for air. This meant that I only rested during the night, sitting on the couch looking out the window into the darkness with two heavy horse blankets wrapped around me. At best I got one hour of sleep. Tanya had a great sleep however.

The next day was great. We hiked all day. That second night was warmer and my body adjusted enough during the day by making more red blood corpuscles to bring more oxygen to the body. I had a great sleep.

Our hiking guide told us that the streams and ponds can get a thin layer of ice on them during the winter nights. And frost is very common in the winter. This only happens in the mountains not the nice and warm valley of Oaxaca.

I think I'll stay in the valley where it is nice and warm.

What I miss most about Canada

My friends and family have been asking me what they can get me for Christmas, was there anything I was missing from Canada that I could not get here that maybe I wanted for Christmas. Well, here's a list:

• I would like a hot water heater that does not go out every time the wind blows.
• I would like gas that just gets pumped into my house, that does not run out after a weekend away without hot water.
• I would like an oven with a pilot light that works, and not one that I light with fear of explosion possibilities.
• I would like to put my garbage out on the street and have some mysterious peson come and take it away. It's OK if he/she is overpaid, I just don't want to have to run around with garbage in my car looking for a garbage truck.
• I want central heating in areas of Mexico where it actually gets cold. Not an extra poncho or a poorly built fireplace. Central Heating. (More on this in the next few posts.)
• I want to eat an apple without soaking it for 15 minutes in a solution to protect myself from typhoid, dengue and other illnesses.
• I want Butter Chicken Sauce in a jar. Tikka Masala would do in a pinch.
• I want to drive my car down the road without worrying about speed bumps the height of a 5 year old child, pot holes I could cook a whole goat in or "vado", v shaped dips, that insist on scraping the bottom of my car at every opportunity. Paved roads would be a bonus.
• I want to sleep without fireworks going off until 6 in the morning, no dogs barking or marching bands playing either.

A small, short, conservative list. This is what I am missing from life in Toronto.

The Mexican Diet Plan

I thought that once I moved to Mexico and started to work part time, away from the evil vending machine in the office and the local cheese store in the neighborhood, excess weight would be shed like my winter parka has been. It would seem I've swapped one bad for another, be it malibu rum blended over ice with pineapple juice, or capuuccino flavored Mezcal, either way, the butt is not getting any smaller.
An acquaintance does accupuncture, very specific accupuncture, which is targeted for weight loss. She came over yesterday and put these little things on my left ear, and then next tuesday she comes over and puts them on my right. Other than the realization that I touch my ears fairly frequently, which I have now become hyper-aware of because I am not supposed to touch my left ear, I don't feel any diffrent. I have known others to have great success with accupressure and accupunture treatments, from treating back pain to quitting smoking, so I thought I would give it a try.
Combined with these treatments is a diet plan, which is really the interesting part. In all the diet and eating plans I have been on, none had Ralph and I sitting by the computer, with the dictionary, looking up what I could and could not eat. The diet plan is fairly simple for the first two weeks, more of a cleanse before you start re-introducing foods. No wheat, no sugar, no fruit, no pasta. Here's where it gets really interesting.

• I can have all the pork crackling I want.
• I can eat nopal cactus until it starts growing out of my ears.
• I can have pigs feet, liver, brains, beast, bone marrow, internal organs including kidney, until my heart in content.
• Although chicken feet were not specifically listed, I am sure they are fine too.

In no Canadian or American diet book that I have seen did it ever suggest I should snack on pork crackling in the event I am hungry between meals.

Deep fried pork skin for snacking.

At least I'll be skinny while I wait for my heart transplant.

Back in Oaxaca at last!

I have been feeling a bit disconnected from Oaxaca lately, something that makes me a bit sad. With travel to San Francisco, then to Puerto Escondido for a weekend, then to Playa del Carmen for another weekend, I feel like I've not had a chance to spend time in this city I love. I also felt I needed to step up my language practice. So this morning we went to what is called "Inter Cambio", a 2 hour language exchange. Spanish speaking natives and english speakers show up, it's free, and you basically chat for 2 hours, 1 hour in Spanish and 1 hour in English. My speaking partners today were Marisol and Martha. Let me tell you, you can cover A LOT of material in 2 hours. Unionization in Mexico, Christmas traditions, if I had ever seen seals or polar bears near my house, describing your house, your future plans to immigrate to Mexico and grow grapes for wine, the type of work you do, for what company...shall I go on? At the end of the two hours I was tired, thirsty and my brain was fried. What a great experience! We'll be back on another Satruday for sure.
We went to The Italian Coffee Company for coffee and cake, it was way too early for Mexican lunch. Lunch is taken at about 3:00 in the afternoon, and it was barely 12:30!
Last night, in another great Oaxaca building, the Libary, we attended a classical guitar concert. Free. It has been many years since I have heard a guitarist of that calibre play. We gave him enough applause to merit an encore, the courtyard of the library was full and we hung on his every strum. He played beautifully. Thanks Julio Garcia, for an inspirational evening.
And thanks to Oaxaca, as always, for being Oaxaca, nothing more, nothing less. It's good to be back, at last!

Off to see my Chicas!

Before I blog about this weekend, I should mention I was in Cancun/Playa Del Carmen (The Disneyworld of Mexico) last weekend for 4 days to see Las Chicas, girlfriends of mine who came down south for a Stagette/Bachelorette party. One significant mentionable was the fact that in Mexico, you can't fly anywhere (it would seem) without flying through Mexico City. This meant I flew 1 hour north east to then fly 2 hours south east. Very direct. One small saving grace is the Starbucks in Mexico City airport. I surprised the girls and arrived earlier than they expected, and we had a lot of laughs, some projectile vomiting and the prerequisite tan lines. I enjoyed seeing the girls, laughing and letting loose in a resot where I will never go again, partly for fear that someone might recognize me.
Highlights I will laugh about when I am 80: Austrian weightlifter in Cancun in a lime green thong, mosquitos that ate me alive in the Lobby Bar, parasailing with Shirley, Erin and Sarah, scuba with Sarah, chilling with The Bride to Be for a day, and chest pops with Alison to Calle Ocho.
Getting back to Oaxaca was good, except I had neglected to leave the flight informatin for Ralph, and my flight was delayed. On arrival in Oaxaca, he was no where to be found. I called the house - no answer. I paced and debated what to do. I was woried something had happened over the weekend. My cell phone was not cooperating and my blackberry email was down. Thankfully, they have Boingo wireless at the airport. US$7.95 later, I found Ralph via Skype, he was safe, at home, looking for me. Reunited at last! I promise to plan better next time!

First Real Estate Trip

Today I went on a real estate outing with Fernando our house agent. We drove west about 25 minutes to a town called Tlacolula which is about a third of the way to Mitla. We stopped in the town to pick up a gentleman who would show us around the property.

The property is just outside of the town towards the southern mountains. The property is 3 hectares square with 2 wells on it. The field is pretty well over grown with wild flowers and thorny brush. At one time the field was used to grow corn.

It wasn't an easy walk but I forced the guys to walk around the property with me. No sense going to see a property if you're not going to see it all. Of course we got covered with thistles and prickly seeds that stuck to all of our clothes. It was a good thing that I had on a long shirt and long pants.

Anyway, we were in the back left hand corner of the property when the guide (I didn't get his name) said that there was a large pool on the property about 10 x 20 feet big. This actually turned out to be 10 meters by 20 meters. The guy said that they used to fish in the pond so I was very excited. So off we went tramping through the brush. On that part of the property there are many little thorny trees. It was quite the job to cross the field without being stabbed to death by all the thorns.

Surprise, surprise! The pond or pool is a man made cement pool with 2 feet wide cement walls. The pool is at least 10 feet deep. In the middle of the pool is a walled in structure that is the well that fed the now empty pool. The pool was used to grow fish for sale and had been used as a swimming pool in the past.

The property would be nice but I think 3 hectares is a bit too much especially at the price. The starting price is US$20 per square meter. There are 10,000 square meters in a hectare so the 3 hectares or 30,000 square meters would cost $600,000. A bit pricey considering we would have to build a house also.

But it was a lot of fun. I think my face got sun burnt while we were traipsing around that field. Tomorrow I am off to see another property just east of Oaxaca in the hills of Etla. This is a smaller property about 2.5 acres (1 hectare) with a US$60,000 price.

Of course Tanya and I promised that we would not actually buy anything while we are here this time. The objective is to just find a location. I think we are going to have a difficult time in not buying. We will see.

So? How bad is the drive to Puerto Escondido, really?

When we were here in 2006, we only had a week and everyone told us the drive was A.) Horrendous and B.) 6 hours long. We decided then we would not take the trip at that time.


With Ralph's Spanish lessons ended for a short 1 week break, and my part time schedule, we packed the car and fled the city on Friday morning. Some anecdotes we had heard about the road:

• Don't drive tired.

• Don't drive at night.

• Don't drink and drive on this road (or any other road, for that matter!)

• Be very careful.

• Leave early.

We knew the road was about 100 miles through the Sierras. Ralph thought it was 120 kilometers, as the crow flies. We had read stories about a small orange pylon marking the fact that the road was completely washed away. We were told to get gas before leaving Oaxaca.
The real story:
It's all true. The drive takes conservatively 7 hours total, including 1 pee break and time to get some snacks. The road is literally riddled with potholes or what one could loosely call "grooved pavement". There were sections of the road completely washed away. There are no shoulders. The shrubs and trees grow right to the edge of the road, making a lovely tunnel effect. Beyond the shrubs and trees is air, a steep slope to sure death at the bottom of the valley. In addition to the cows wandering on the road, one can witness goats, waterfalls and donkey. And an occasional chicken.

Did we mention it was S turn after S turn - so many they don't even bother with a sign telling you about said S turn. There are few places to pull over to let the red sporty Volkswagens by, there are NO places with dotted yellow lines for passing, but you pass anyway.

We drove between 40 and 60 kilometers per hour. We passed one S turn where a beer truck had lost its load all over the road, 2 small red triangles denoted the one lane available for passing the clean up crew.

We drove through spectacular scenery, into the clouds, our highest altitude 1902 meters above sea level. The mountain vegetation is clearly defined by the green or brown depending on which side of the range the Pacific is on. The corn fields on the side of the hill that surely require repelling equipment for planting and picking amazed us.

We were stopped at a roadblock for about 30 minutes, though we originally thought it was going to be 3 hours. Apparently the blockade was a statement/protest/fundraiser for road repair. Had I known, I would have gladly handed over the VISA.

Most remarkable: It seems that frequent drivers strap a framed picture of a virgin (Soledad or Guadalupe, not sure if this is personal preference or other recommendation) to the grill of their car/van/SUV/pickup/semi tractor trailer. Fresh or dried flowers adorn her image on either side.

Viya con Dios to Paradise.

Etla or Italy?

On Sunday we were invited to join a few aquaintances for a drive. The original plan was to go check out some caves north of the city about a 2 hour drive away. By the time church was out and we were ready to go, it was 2, so instead we went to Etla. This worked out well, and Ralph and I had been wanting to see Etla anyhow.
Etla is a suburb or Oaxaca, you can;t really tell where Oaxaca ends and Etla begins. There are a group of 5 villages locals call The Etlas. There are a few ruins in the area, and, we discovered, a great swimming pool/water park that has nice food, and at least 5 swimming pools. As most of you know, Ralph and I would like to grow grapes to maybe make wine. At least wine would be the plan! In the pat month Ralph has been reading and I have been listening to the secrets of grape growing for wine. There are 2 key things you can't get wrong. Soil conditions and choosing the grape to grow in said soil conditions. All other things can be managed.
Ralph and I have been to several wine regions around the world, and we're confident the climate and landscape here bode well for a bit of vino. I thought I'd see if you agree. Which picture is of Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico and which picture is of Greve in Chianti, Itlay?

Picture 1:

Picture 2:

Monte Alban - the Niagara Falls of Oaxaca

We had a friend visit us for a few days, just before I left to San Francisco. Other than let her rest after a hard week on the road and a bit of stress in Mexico City airport, we hadn't really planned too much other than puttering around the city, visiting and chatting. When we were here in 2006, Ralph and I took a bus out to Monte Alban. I had wanted to go again, so convinced Bonnie to be agreeable to trek around a ruin with me. Other than launching Little Blue into the air because we were chatting and failed to notice another tope, the drive there was easy, it's about 25 minutes from the house. On arriving we look for a shady place to part. Not happening. So we park in the sun, grab our sun hats I had thought to take from the house, and off we go.

The last time we were at Monte Alban, we had hired a guide. I recommend, very strongly, that you do the same. The cost is very little and the value is incredible. They are knowledgeable, well spoken and shuttle you from shady spot to shady spot. Allow about 90 minutes to get a good appreciation of the site. When Bonnie and I were going through the entry turnstile, I asked about a guide. Seemed everyone was busy, another guy was waiting for a bus, another guy was off on lunch. I was not walking through the site without a guide. So, being my usual self, I spotted a grey haired, older, taller tourist and asked if we could join his group. He agreed, and the Homosexual Kentucky Reformed Baptists and Bonnie and I, along with our guide Julio, set off to see the sights. The Boys were a riot! Wherever they are today, Bonnie and I send our love. We had a few good laughs as we toured the site, some confusion about my virginity (we were discussing sacrifices) and we climbed ALL THOSE STAIRS. We had a great day, and then finished it off with a lunch in their amazing cafe and a short tour of the gift shop and museum. As I was snapping pictures of one of the most amazing ruins I have visited, I wondered out loud to Bonnie how many times over the next 6 months I would be taking pictures of Monte Alban. My friends in Toronto and I have a friendly competition. If you are not originally from Toronto and have lots of visiting family, Niagara Falls is part of every family and friend visit. I have a feeling Monte Alban is my new Niagara Falls.

2 down...

First Haircut in Mexico

Okay, so I couldn't wait until I got back to Toronto for a trim. I was going to let it grow out but I like it short in this heat. Since February 1987 I have gotten my hair cut by my buddy David. Only on one occasion did someone else cut my hair and that was because Dave took a holiday and I didn't get the memo. I feel that I have crossed the line and betrayed my relationship with Dave. I hope he understands.

So, I found this little barber shop next to the city's central square (Zocolo). The front side of the shop is open to the sidewalk so when you are in the "chair" you are an arm's length from the passersby and any side walk vendors who may want to sell you something. When I arrived I sat in one of the 5 waiting chairs next to another waiting customer. The barber who must be at least 75 was cutting another older man's hair. The barber stopped cutting and went over to a side table and brought me a couple of magazines to read while I was waiting my turn. There were 3 barber chairs but only one barber at that time.

The barber finished with the older man and then the young man beside me took the chair. As he was getting into the chair he pointed at a picture on the wall above me to indicate the style he wanted. When he was done I compared the picture to the finished product. I am not sure but I think the young man just got the same style he arrived with but only shorter.

Now it was my turn. I took the chair and was prepared to astonish the barber with my Spanish as I was going to tell him that I only wanted a trim and to take off about one half of an inch. But, before I could say anything he asked "regular?". Whoa! that seemed to sum it all up so I just said, "Si".

When he was done I asked the price and he said 50 pesos. In Canadian that is a little less than $5.00. I just couldn't do it. At home that is a $30.00 trim with a wash and massage. Now granted I did not get a wash and massage but still, 5 dollars?

I think he did a reasonable job. You can judge for yourselves from the picture. So I tipped him 100%. Yes, a $10 trim. Still a deal as I see it.

Don't worry Dave, I won't be looking for a discount when I return to Toronto.

Bamboozled in Guadalajara

We were told when we first arrived in Mexico, that when we flew out of Mexico, we simply forfeited our visitor visa, and upon re-entry, we would be provided with a new one. Simple, right? Well, it's simple if you know that when you board your international flight out of Mexico, the airline simply takes your visa. Nothing more is required.


When I disembark in the hottest freaking airport I have ever been in my whole life (Guadalajara), a chimed voice on Mexicana tells me that if I have an connecting international flight, that I should pass some customs and go to my other gate. When I checked in for the flight in Oaxaca, the Mexicana agent told me I would pass immigration in Guadalajara. Now before I go on, let's be clear on terminology. Immigration (starts with an "I") is the people who make sure you don't enter a country illegally. Customs (I know, confusing, starts with a "C") is the agency that makes sure you are not bringing any goods into a country that are prohibited. Like salami, for example, into Canada.

On arriving in Hot Airport From Hell, I start looking for an information booth. None on the floor I am on. I figure I'll go downstairs, where the baggage claim is. I see Customs. I walk over to two Federalis with the traditional guns in their adorable green camo outfits. Now imagine this. I am explaining that I am Canadian, living in Oaxaca for 6 months, going to the US for one week and then returning to Oaxaca. I explain I was told when I entered Mexico that I would have to forfeit my tourist visa when I flew out of the country.

Blank stares. They refer me to the woman at customs, who is not there. While waiting, another crowd control person asks what I am waiting for. He explains I need to go to Immigration. Walk to the end of the hall, he says.

And so I walk. Did I mention how hot this airport was? I arrive at Immigration. The man is leaning back in his chair. I ask him if he speaks English. Nope. I explain (again - third time is a charm, right?) my question. He tells me that I have to pay 263 pesos to exit the country. He points to the sign. The sign says if a person with a foreign passport has LOST their tourist card, they need to pay a fine to exit the country. I explain that I did not lose the card, I had the card. He says that no, this is the process. My Spanish is good, but my confidence in the process is not. I debate. Internally. Tell him he's full of crap and risk that when I try to get back into Mexico they won't let me in? I consider the price. $263 pesos. About $25 bucks. Not huge. I decide to pay, this time. He fills out the form, gives it to me, keeps my tourist card and then tells me my Spanish is excellent.

The back of my new form says that this form should be provided to me free of charge. That if I am charged for said form I should report this to the authorities. And so I will. I will write to some Mexican office and tell them I was bamboozled out of $263 pesos. It won't change anything. I hope the $263 pesos goes to buy something pretty for a girlfriend or a daughter. Maybe flowers for his mother.

School Field Trip

Today is a national holiday so the Spanish School was closed. So, we students went on a field trip to the south of the city of Oaxaca. We met at 9:30 AM at the coffee shop next to the school and headed off.

Our first stop was at San Bartolo Coyotepec. Entering into the town we turned off to go to the Cochineal museum and research station. Cochineal is a very little bug that attaches itself to the nopal cactus. It is the larva of this bug that is dried and ground to make a very natural red dye. This dye is used in coloring rugs and a natural color in such things as Campbell soup, campari and yogurt. Unfortunately for us, the facility was closed for the holiday.

So on we went to the Black pottery shops in the town. The black pottery is made from iron rich clay that when fired with a reduction of oxygen, turns black. I got to practice my Spanish in the shop when I asked how the pottery turned black. Apparently my Spanish needs more work because the gentleman proceeded to tell us how the shine was put on the pottery. That is, by rubbing metal over the pottery before it is fired.

Next we moved onto San Martin Tilcajete to see the colourful painted animals called Alebrijes. Below is a picture of my class mates outside of one of the shops. From left to right are Alex and Laura, a couple from San Francisco and Betty from Switzerland.



Below is an example of a major piece. This elephant is on sale for C$140. It is beautiful. These pieces must take many hours just to paint. This piece was created by Joaquin Hernandez who kindly allowed me to take a picture. Probably because my Spanish was so good.


This town is well worth the visit. I am sure this will be on the itinerary for everyone visiting us.

We had lunch at the same place that Tanya and I did back in 2006 when we were here last. This time it wasn't raining.

Then off to Ocotlan, the birth place of Rodolfo Morales. This is a larger town with a spectacular church.



This church is very well maintained. The painting and artwork inside are outstanding. After a walk through the church we walked through the street market and then back through the closed in permanent market building. Tanya and I have been in Ocotlan on the Friday market day which is packed with people and vendors. There was a stage set up next to the main square but the entertainment must have ended. No folk dancing with pinapples on your shoulder today. This was about 3:00 PM and even the vendors were breaking down their displays.

So back to Oaxaca we went. Time for a nap and to complete our Spanish homework. It was a great day.

Home Alone

Tanya left for San Francisco this morning leaving me to survive on my own in Mexico. But that is okay, I am driving solo now and can get around nicely. Tanya is gone for the week doing business with her company for a few days and speaking at a conference. "Go girl".

I may be home alone but I have commitments. There is Missy the cat to take care of and there are Spanish classes each day for 4 hours and of course the follow up study and practice. Monday is a statutory holiday so I am off on a site seeing tour south of the city with 3 of my Spanish School class mates.

Stayed tuned for pictures from this field trip.

Day of the Dead

The title may sound ominous but the is a special time for Mexicans to remember past family members. It is also a national holiday on Monday. There are many activities and events.

First of all it seems that every household and business creates an alter of memories that contains references, things of the deceased and food that they may have liked. The following is a picture of the alter that they created at the Spanish School.

Unfortunately I cannot rotate this picture. You will have to tilt your head. Sorry, I'll be more careful in the future to keep my pictures straight.

In the central square in the centre of the city they set aside 6 or 7 areas that are at least 20x20 feet square for the creation of 3 dimension sand pictures.



Colour is very important in the displays. First the artists create the 3 dimensional figures. Then, using coloured powers they add the colour to the figures. The application of colour is usually done by putting the power into a small wire kitchen strainer and sifting the power over the image.



As you can see the images are striking and very large.

Saturday evening, 31 October 2009 we went down to the centre square (Zocolo) to see the finished products. It seems that every one in the city was there. The sand pictures were spectacular. There was strolling, music and happy people. It was a great experience.

Inspiration in Cuilapam de Guerrero

On Sunday we went to Cuilapam de Guerrero. We had been here in 2006 and we both loved the spot, so we wanted to come back and have another look, see if we were inspired again. We were. In Cuilapam there is a huge, unfinished religious structure. Construction was actually stopped by court decree in 1570, 20 years after King Philip had beseached the builders to be more conservative in their spending on the building. Since we were there 3 years ago, they have made beautiful improvements to the ex-convent portion of the structure. It is a truly remarkable place to be, spiritual in its setting, standing on the patio of the ex-convent, looking out at rolling hills, farmland, and maybe one day a winery?

Interesting Observations

I am beginning this post today but I think that I will continue to update it as I observe new interesting things. These are things that are particular to Oaxaca and probably all of Mexico and foreign to Canadians. Remember that these are observations and not critiques.


Postage Stamps: There are 3 interesting things about postage stamps. Some that denote a special person or event can be very large. We had some that were probably 3x4 inches. There wasn't enough room on the face of the letter so we had to wrap it around onto the back. Some envelopes took three of these stamps so we had to put one on the back side of the envelope. I am sure this would not work in Canada. At the post office they do not lick the stamps, they use wet clear glue. May I add that they use the glue in excess such that even the front of the stamp gets wet with glue. After the lady helpfully placed the glued stamps on my letter I was reluctant to actually put it in the mail slot. I was concerned that the wet glue would stick itself to someone elses letter and then where would it end up? I waited until the glue dried before slipping it into the mail slot.

Traffic: In the busy inner-city it is acceptable to double park as long as there is room to get around you. I have even seen people trying to parallel park between two already double parked cars. This is definitely acceptable. But, hesitate at a stop light and the horns will blare.

I took this picture out of my car window. Note that the cars on the left are parked on this one-way street leaving the single lane on the right free for traffic.
Stop Signs: I have only seen three in all of my time in this city. Traffic control is simple, north/south traffic has the right-of-way while east-west traffic waits for an opening. Of course there are traffic lights downtown but no simple stop signs. The speed of traffic is influenced by the strategic placement of speed bumps near where cross walks would be or where there is a long run north/south where drivers may be tempted to increase their speed.

Drinking Water: It is strongly recommended that you do not drink the water as it is not filtered. Everyone uses the large water bottles that you can have delivered or pick up at the corner store for C$1.10 each. Above each tap in our house there is a sign that reads "DO NOT DRINK OAXACA TAP WATER".

Regular Water: House hold water is provided by the municipality but it is only for washing, not drinking. However, the water is delivered weekly into the house's reservoir that holds 10,000 liters. The city opens its taps until the personal reservoirs are filled then the tap is turned off. The house reservoir is usually underground and there is a pump that pumps the water up onto the roof into a large tank. That is how the house gets its water pressure.

Hot water is provided by an external propane water heater that is on the outside of the house.

Sanitation: Let's talk toilette paper. There is a sign by each of our toilets that reads "DO NOT FLUSH TOILETTE PAPER DOWN THE COMODE ANYWHERE IN THE CITY OF OAXACA. FOLD IT CAREFULLY AND PLACE IT IN THE WASTEBASKET PROVIDED". Apparently the waste water purification system is not capable of processing paper. Now this activity is very foreign to me but after a period of time I have adjusted.

Gas: Our stove and water heater runs on gas, well propane actually. Apparently we have a large propane tank on our roof that should last us three months. It will be an adventure when we have to get it refilled. I hear the delivery trucks all day long driving around the community with a loud speaker that says "Gas Oaxaca" preceded by a horn that sounds like a braying cow and followed by music. I have seen the trucks and they are large pickup trucks with propane canisters in the back. I wonder if they carry these tanks (about 4 feet tall and 1 foot in diameter)to the roof and then transfer the propane to my tank. We will soon see. Stay tuned for future developments.

Garbage Pickup: They do not pick up garbage, we deliver the garbage. Actually, twice a week at 7:00 AM a city garbage truck comes by. You can tell when it is near because it rings a cow bell. It is then up to us to take our garbage out to the curb and flag down the truck. We then have to throw it up into the truck. However, I hear the 7:00 AM bell but haven't yet made it out of bed and to the curb. But not to worry, there is another alternative. On Sunday, late afternoon there is another garbage truck but it is a private operation. It too rings its bell and I take my garbage to the curb and throw it into the truck. This costs me 1 peso (10 cents) per bag. This is a ready price I am willing to pay for not having to spring out of bed in the morning for garbage.

Animal Control: If there is such a thing as Animal Control I have not seen it. Dogs normally lay around the yard or the front of the house during the day. They are not tied up and at night roam around in packs. In our neighbourhood they seem to bark all night. Especially at 2:00 AM. Turkeys, we already mentioned that they live next door in the back yard. They are usually quiet except between 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM. Tanya can now do an impressive "gooble-gobble". I have also seen donkeys grazing next to the sidewalk untethered and in pens next to a house. Of course we have the free range chickens that always want to run across the street whenever we drive down the hill.

San Felipe del Aqua

Ralph and I left our house on foot to walk down our hill and then up the other hill to San Felipe. We see more when we walk, so 5 hours later, we returned home dehydrated, sweaty and tired, but we certainly felt we got a good feel for San Felipe, a small village in the north end of Oaxaca city,

Our walk took us along the old aqueduct, which the city fathers built in the 16th centruy to tap the mountain springs in order to supply water to the city. We live about halfway along the aqueduct, and last week we walked south along it into the city. This week we walked north, to the source. The water is now fed through steel pipes under the road, but the old stone structure still stands.

 We were told that this is where the rich people lived. As we headed up the hill, we passed by several small Quintas, small farms, that looked abandoned or close to abandoned. Obvious changes: no dogs lying on the road, the wood doors gleamed and the barbed wire was fresh and new atop many homes. We stopped by Hotel Los Laureles for lunch, a posh hotel owned by a German couple. The grounds were lovely, the food was very good, and we enjoyed the break. Farther uphill we arrive at a dead end, with a lovely view of the valley. We had been looking for the national park entrance, so we asked and were told it was down the hill and on another road. We decided to save that for another day. We stopped by the square for Ralph to have a cigar, and I chilled and we chatted. A band started to play some decent jazz/latin in the garden restaurant opposite the church. The market stall owners began to close their stalls, their husbands bringing the pick up trucks over to haul away what was not sold. Time to head home. There is one main road that goes through San Felipe. Busses, donkeys, SUV's, silly tourists who thought walking was a good idea, it's up or down the street at any given time. We were not in love with San Felipe, but we had enjoyed our day.

Meet Hey-Seus

We discovered that Hey-Seus, the Praying Mantis, was over for a visit last night when we got home from getting the car washed. He did not call before coming over, so he was on his way out when we were on our way back in. Here is a great profile shot of him (his best side, he said) on our door jam. We've not yet posted about the little critters we have trying to share our space. We were afraid it might scare people away from coming to visit us. I was telling Ralph that this was nothing compared to living on the coast. We have some big spiders. Although we do not name our spiders, the odd ones are allowed to survive Ralph's aggressive Raid Spraying treatment if they can make a substantial argument as to their strategic placement for catching other bugs that may want to live with us and enter through doors and windows that don't have any screening. [Side bar: We continue to be perplexed about why there are no screens on windows in Mexico.]

We shake our shoes out before putting them on in the morning or our slippers in the evening. Ralph thought I was just being cute when I suggested this, until he found his first scorpion, a small grey one, on the stairs. We do not name the scorpions. Ralph does a series of squashing and spraying. They are half dead anyway, the weather here is getting a bit cool for them.

I've only been charged by 1 large roach. After working in a restaurant in the Rail Station in Toronto, roaches that can carry cases of beer no longer bother me, but when they charge at me from the inside of a cupboard door, and take me by surprise, that's another story. No idea where he went off to, but I've not seen him since. Missy, the cat, is not bothered at all with sharing her space. She has a few mosquito bites, and some spider web on her pretty face the other day after exploring the garden, but overall, unperturbed.

Overall, I don't think the bugs are intrusive. Ralph, on the other hand, is still adjusting...

Pondering Customs

On Tuesday when Ralph and I were at the Italian Coffee Company, we were watching the buses go by and chatting. On the bus, there are two employees: one driver and one heckler/ticket taker. As the bus goes by a stop (one happened to be located just beside the coffee shop) the heckler yells out the window the route of the bus "El Centro! El Centro!". I imagined this happening in Toronto, a guy leaning out the front window yelling "Dowtown! Eaton Centre!" It made me laugh, but then I began to wonder why. Why have two people working the same bus? Why the heckler? Could the driver not take the money, too? (Damn that LEAN workshop training!)
A few things occured to me. The buses barely stop to let people on. To have them potentially take money, sell tickets, make change, argue with a student trying to get a free ride. Nightmarish gridlock. Non-stop honking in the city. Better to have someone worry about logistics and another one to just drive the bus and navigate the weaving traffic of taxis, SUVs and motorcycles. And the odd brave pedestrian.
It also occured to me that perhaps the heckler is there because Oaxaca has a significant population of non-Spanish speakers in Mexico. Many indigenous still speak only their native Indian tongue. Not being able to read, a heckler yelling at me "El Centro!" would be helpful. I know where El Centro is, and what roads one might take to get there.
Ralph wondered if perhaps a driver and heckler purchased a certain route, similar to how they do it in Pakistan. That the heckler was there to drum up business, so to speak.
Ralph and I tend to take these "Mexicanisms" in stride. Though considering the reasons for the customs is interesting coffee conversation.

To read about literacy in Mexico, here is an interesting piece: Literacy in Mexico

Comprese los abdominos!

My yoga teaches sticks two fingers into my flabby tummy to make sure I am really compressing them, not relying on my fat to hide me being lazy. This morning I ventured out to my first yoga class. I had Googled "yoga, oaxaca" last week, and Casa del Angel came up as an option. They have classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 7 a.m., so I thought this would work well with my work schedule. I was a bit nervous as I pulled on my yoga pants and matching yoga top this morning at 6:25. For a few reasons. I am a Bikram Yoga junkie, I love it. I have my favorite teachers, I try to practice all over the world when I travel, it keeps me in an overall great state of mind, and the community of Bikram is truly open and willing to accept others of all shapes and sizes. How would this class and community compare?
It had been about 5 weeks or so since my last class, so I knew it was going to be tough. I was ready. My favorite Yoga teacher (Janice Guertin) once told me that we learn something different from every teacher. I was open to learning. I drove down and after taking the wrong turn only once, I got a parkig spot right in front of the studio. It is 6:57 and I see one woman standing outside closed doors. Hmmm... I walk over and ask her, in Spanish, if there is still an 7:00 a.m. class. Yes, she responds, and they are usually quite punctual. Do I know what time it is? When I tell her, she seems relieved. Obviously they are not late, but right on time. Another student arrives and gives me a welcoming kiss on the cheek.
The teacher arrives, opens the gates, and off we go. After asking me if I want her to speak in English, if I have any physical ailments and collecting my 50 pesos, I'm told to just grab a mat and put it wherever I want.
I am immediately worried. The teacher sits in Lotus position and begins rolling her head back and forth. Candles are lit and nice music in the background. Uh-oh. Smelling some hokey "chant while holding this posture for ten minutes" coming on.
Turns out I should have been woried for other reasons. I am now convinced that my yoga instructor, in a past life, was a member of some hard core physical training corps. Think Marines. Think Germany 1939. Think Russian Army Special Forces. As my leg is in the air shaking and I am balancing on my shoulders with my other leg up against the wall for support, she comes over, grabs my leg, pulls it straight, then tells me that my focus should be "HERE", as she beans me in my third eye and holds her finger there while holding my leg straight. Having a hard time with floor bow? Not to worry, seems she has made me her pet project for the day, she'll just come over, pull my arms back and place the rest of her weight onto my legs to get them to bend forward to her satisfaction.When she said "Open your chest", she really meant it and it seems I did not committ. She places her knee in the centre of my back and pulls my arms wider then they have ever been in my 35 years.
I came home "open", there is no other word for it. If I get out of bed and not fall on my face tomorrow morning because my legs went on stike in the night from the abuse they received today, I'll be going back for more. Thanks to Janice for her great saying "The mind is weak, the body is strong." It got me up for and through my class this morning.
Inhale. Exhale. And Comprese los abdominos!

Spanish Classes

I've done it. I started Spanish lessons. This is day 2 of my committed 20 days. I will see how I progress after the 4 weeks to determine how to proceed with improving my language skills.

Classes are every week day for 4 hours. The first 2 hours are grammer with one teacher and the second 2 hours are conversation with another teacher. Very intense! The class is small, just 3 of us. One student from San Francisco and the other from Switzerland. The lessons so far are review which I really need anyway. I cannot imagine what we will be doing by week three, surely we will have covered most of the grammer by then.

I drive downtown to the language school (Becari) which takes me about 20 minutes. Tanya and I walked the route on the weekend and it takes about an hour. Of course it is all downhill, much longer to walk back. Parking is always an issue especially in inner-city. I thought that I would be able to find street parking beore 9:00 AM but no. However there are a few parking lots. This does not mean open lots or parkades as in Toronto. These are more like a covered garage or a closed in (walled) space that probably doesn't hold more than 20 cars. Auto security is definitely an issue here and besides there are not many open spaces in the city.

So I found a parking garage on the next street south of the language school. Did I mention that like most older, big cities the streets are one-way? So to get to my garage I have to drive past the school for 2 blocks then turn left twice to drive back one and a half blooks to get to the garage.

This morning when I drove up to the door it was closed. The staff were outside and one was on the telephone. Apparently the guy with the key was late and it was 8:45 AM. So I had to find another lot which meant that I had to circle around using the one-way streets to get to the other close lot which is usually full because it doubles as a hotel parking garage and only has about 15 spaces. Fortunately there was a spot for me.

I have been paying about C$6 for half day parking. Very reasonable.

Anyway...if my Spanish improves I will attempt a post in Spanish. Stay in touch.

Adventures East

As I write this, Ralph and I are closing all the windows in the house as a wicked storm has come through the valley. The wind is whipping the palm trees around and the dogs are barking as the black clouds roll in off the mountains. The turkeys are mysteriously quiet.
Although the weather right now might not be ideal, we took advantage of marking our first week in Oaxaca with a little adventure east on Saturday. We had outstanding weather, sunny and warm, and after a little time spent getting our oil changed, we headed off towards the signs for El Thule.
Santa Maria El Thule is a short drive from the city, and famous for a huge tree that is over 2000 years old. Ralph and I had been before, but we still paid our 5 pesos entrance fee to walk around it, and again we were impressed. We then took some time to walk around the town, which has some nice artisan markets, the better quality goods are off the main drag, one block further east of the church.
From El Thule, we continued east to Tlacochahuaya (please do not try to pronounce this without a few mezcal). There is a church there that has outstanding frescoes, and a small courtyard that used to be a convent. Antonio, the new caretaker who has been there for a week, practiced his English with us and we chatted about the restoration. It's due to be finished in August 2010, and there will be a big celebration. Of course. He then suggested that we head up a hill that was close by, for a view of the valley. In giving us directions, he walked us outside to show us the street where we would go two blocks down, and then right, from here up a dirt road to a small summit. For his time, a 10 pesos donation to the church was acceptable, and he provided a recipt as proof of our "generosity". He called after us as we left to make sure we would go up the hill. We promised we would, and so we did. I look forward to telling him how much we appreciated the view from that hilltop.
Back down the dirt path and onto the highway for maybe another 10 kilometers, where we turn off onto a small road that leads to a small archological site, Dainzan. 31 pesos entry fee is expected to plod around small ruins. What is most remarkable about the site is that, upon climbing to the top of Building A, you can envision why someone would settle here. Flat farm land surrounds a small peak, upon which Daizan is built. It's no Monte Alban, but it certainly had its charm.
Back in the car, I am starving, so we head to Teotitlan Del Valle. This village is famous for its weavers who make absolutely remarkable rugs. (More on the rugs in another post, I promise, Yannik!) After driving around the town with no inspiration of where to eat, I am exasperated and stop a young woman and ask her where I can get food. She sends us around the corner, and after making a u-turn after crossing the bridge, we decide that a small cafeteria will have to do. It's right before you head over the bridge, there are no menus, you pull the beer out of the fridge yourself and open it yourself, but I had the best ham sandwich I've ever had in my life. Ham, cheese, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce. My sandwich and my beer cost me 20 pesos - about $1.85 with today's exchange rate. The great sandwich at the great price made Ralph's whole day. I know I'll never be able to eat anywhere else in this town.
We took in a few rug places and visited the Santiago family who we met the last time we were here. Though the owner did not remember us, when we were leaving, I said we would be back. "Ojala", he responds. If God wills it.
Hopefully, God wills it, many times over.

You can check out other pictures from the day on my Facebook page.