Friday, December 25, 2009

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

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

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.

Monday, December 21, 2009

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.

Bathroom SinkBathroom Sink








versión español

Sunday, December 20, 2009

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!
 

Thursday, December 17, 2009

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!

versión español

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

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.

Acueducto-aqueduct

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.

La vista

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.La escalera

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

Monday, December 14, 2009

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.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

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.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

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.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

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.

Mountain view
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.

Rustic cabin
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.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

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.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

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.