Wednesday, March 31, 2010

1 More Sleep

We leave tomorrow morning. We drive from Oaxaca to Queretaro, where we are staying at the Real Minas overnight. Next off to Monterey. We do not have specific hotel reservations here, but there are a few places we have addresses for on the outskirts, so I'm not worried. Saturday we are Austin bound, where we stay for four days before driving through Los Estados Unidos home to Toronto. The trip will be 6 days total, 4408 kilometers. With the cat.
We took her carrier out yesterday and she looked at it and meowed, as if to say, "Why is this out? I'm fine here, no need for this thing any longer!" She will miss her garden and cactus adventures as much as we will miss life here.
I promise to get us all caught up on the baseball game and the Theatro Macedonia Alcala while on the road. Knowing me, there will likely be signage commentary as well!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Big Red

On Sundays, on the road leading out of Oaxaca towards Mexico City, there is a used car… adventure. It’s more like a car flea market. A sort of second hand car limbo. Vendor after vendor lines both sides of the road with wares. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, jeeps, puppies and the usual food and drink vendors vie for your attention for miles. Our friends Sheila and Moe were interested in buying a second hand Volkswagen beetle. They had been to this used car paradise before, and asked us to join them this Sunday on their search. We were delighted.


After discounting a few for reasons most obvious – rust, lack of headlights, no brakes (no, really, they work fine, it’s just because the car is on a flat road in neutral that she runs away from you…) inability to start unless you have that “special touch”, there she was, waiting to be taken home.

Sheila and Moe take her for a quick spin, while Ralph and I stroll through a side lot and look at pick up trucks. We stop for refreshment, and Sheila and Moe find us by asking where the other white couple went off to. They have decided to buy it. The hand break needs work, which the lot salesman says he will fix, and other than that, there is beauty in its simplicity. They head off to put down the deposit which takes it off the sale floor, so to speak, and make arrangements for delivery. I encourage Sheila to explain that the car has to make it up the hill to our house in order for them to close the deal. The salesman assures her that this will not be a problem. And we are confident that if it is, he will simply refund the deposit and it will be back on the lot next week.

Papers are signed, pictures are taken, and we head off to lunch to talk about Spiderman decals and all the places Big Red will go.


The Problem and the Way of Things

These last few weeks have been filled with the word "agronimo". In English, this is an agronomist, a man (in this case, anyway) who knows about land. We have previously blogged about a piece of land we are interested in, in spite of the site requiring bridge building. We have met the land owner several times, have been upfront with him about not having cash laying around to purchase the land, but that our plan was to go back to Canada to execute on a plan with our existing real estate to make the purchase of land here possible. He is interested enough in our project to consider waiting. As such, he has allowed us to take samples of the land and have it analyzed to determine its feasibility for grapes. After some typical Oaxaca research, an agronomist comes to us through a friend's wife. Ralph heads out to the land with him, they spend 90 minutes digging. Our agronomist speaks no English. Ralph explains the plan: grapes, small casitas or cabanas, as they are called here, a casa principale with the living and dining areas, a pool, parking...


The soil samples are taken and we get the call. This work took 6 days. He is ready with our analysis. We head over to a cafe, and in typical Oaxacan fashion there is a miscommunication about the meeting time. We eventually meet. The soil is bad, not favorable for grapes. We are saddened. He suggests we meet with the "technico", a man from Zimatlan, in a wheelchair, who has maps and could give us a better idea of where we should look. He has an office around the corner, where he comes a few days per week. We are excited about meeting him, so the agronomist calls and happily discovers that he is on his way into town right now, he'll be there in 30 minutes. He commits us to going.

If I have learnt nothing else here in 5 months, I have learnt that you need to just go with things. There is an energy to things here that is not like any I have experienced in all my other travels in the world. If the happy coincidence is that you come across a friend in the street and there she is going for coffee and invites you, you should go, always. Call to cancel whatever else you had to do, or invite whomever you were meeting to now join you both.

Ralph cancels his root canal appointment and we walk over to meet the "technico". What a meeting! We explain what we want to do, we explain that we are not concerned about water as we plan to collect rainwater, there is a well on the land and we plan to reuse the grey water from the casitas and the main house. El Technico is getting more excited. As soon as we tell him we have no export desires and we want to make wine for ourselves and the local community, he is committed to the project. He explains that he is concerned with climate. The issue, he says, is that it does not get cold enough here. Not cold enough. Hang on. Did he just say what I think he said? Yup. Not cold enough. Now, try telling two Canadians, some may say two crazy Canadians, that we can't grow wine because it's just not COLD enough here. Well, that did not go over too well!

After some discussion, he agrees that we could technically trick the vines into dormancy, and worst case, we could get a grape that does well in this tropical climate and graft whatever grape we want onto the root stock. Now he's talking a language we like to hear. The language of possibility. We head home full of ideas, and research for the next few days centres around wine grape growing in tropical climates. Brazil. Vietnam. Cambodia. We are pioneers in this particular region, but if we don't let anybody scare us out of it, I think we'll go just fine growing wine and drinking it here in Oaxaca. Cabernet, here we come!

10 Days

I just finished reading John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley". If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. It is about a man and his dog who decide to circumnavigate the United States in 1960. The book was here in the house in Oaxaca when we arrived. Ralph read it when we got here, I just finished it with barely 10 days left here on this trip. At the end of the book, having traveled months in a pick-up truck, he talks about knowing when the trip was over. About dead heading back to New York. To his wife, his house, his bed. I realized that I had not been blogging as much as usual, and to our blog fans, I apologize. I think I realized our trip was over last month, when I returned from Austin and Las Vegas. We have been staying home more, not going to El Centro as frequently, taking walks up our hill behind the house because we hadn't done that (this picture is taken at the top of the hill), making bread and pies and trying to get rid of food in the fridge. Our Oaxacan friend has asked me to show her how to make quiche before we leave. The packing or at least the thought of packing is ever-looming. We have researched the drive back, and we will cross in Laredo this time, a different route than when we came to Oaxaca. We want to experience both, to decide for next time which is better and preferred. We promise to blog about both, for those of you interested, stay tuned! Until then, we have much to share, so back to blogging with a lighter heart and an eye to our return to Canada to start executing on the plan. It's time.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Chile Rellenos - I did it My Way

Some time ago I posted about a cooking class I had gone to. I was inspired to try to make stuffed chilies (chile rellenos, en español) at home this week. Over the weekend we went to the small local market in the Las Cascadas neighborhood, which is just down the road and around the bend, to get our week supply of veggies. The lady, perhaps inspired by my selection of zucchini, poblano chiles, broccoli, onion and tomatoes added in a bunch of mixed herbs - flat leaf parsley, mint and epazote, an aromatic, soapy smelling herb grown only in Oaxaca that we had used in the cooking class.


For some reason, for most of my cooking life, market people and grocers have given me something I did not ask for, something free, something they want me to use. From the man at the St. Lawrence market who gave me a different cut of chicken than I wanted and explained it was because he knew this was what I needed, to Terri at the cheese store who leads me down the cheese path to heaven, the lady at the Atwater market who decided I needed to learn about edible flowers on a Saturday morning, and the grocer in Italy who decided to give me sage and mint from her own garden, these are my market experiences. I take them for what they are, gifts from God, some divine connection of the souls of “foodies”.

Without a recipe, I proceed to make stuffed chilies. Please understand that this dish is a long process, several hours of prep are involved and much chopping, shredding, frying is required before we get to the eating. If you have a recipe for chile rellenos and fear that you are missing ingredients, have never attempted it and the whole long process just scares you, plow ahead! I have a funny story about tamales and Ralph that is a bit long to get into here, but suffice to say no Mexican will ever admit to your chiles being the best ever, so don’t sweat it. Jack up the music and consider these tips:

Choosing and skinning the peppers: The peppers you choose should be uniform in shape, with no divets or pockets that you have to work around. I used poblano chilies, my step-mother uses jalapeños, Oaxacans use chiles de agua, use whatever pepper makes sense for you, but try to avoid anything too large. You need to blacken the skin over a gas flame, all over the pepper, including close to the stem. If you don’t have a gas stovetop, consider the BBQ or one of those crème brulé torches.



A trick to getting the blackened skin off is to steam the blackened peppers in a plastic bag covered with a dishcloth. While the peppers are steaming, prepare and mix your ingredients. I used epazote, mint, parsley, black pepper, raisins, green olives, shredded chicken, zucchini, red onion, cheddar cheese.

Peel the peppers, make a slice down one side, gut then stuff them.



This is a good time to change the music and have a cocktail, a natural rest period. The next part is done in quick succession: put your oil on to heat, egg batter then flour the peppers, roll them gently in the batter (get your hands in there to get the pepper entirely coated. Without fail I overstuffed mine and had I “rolled” it, the stuffing would have ended up in the batter. I just used my fingers to make sure I battered the whole pepper.)

Set them in the hot oil, and turn them on their side, like this, to get the side of the batter nice and crisp. Consider that you may end up ordering pizza.



This is what the final product looks like. They are not pretty, don’t try to make them pretty.



I have to say, I think my chile rellenos were the best I have had in Oaxaca so far…Buen provecho!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Beaches of the Pacific

Playa Principal looking over to Playa Panteon, Puerto AngelPlaya Zipolite, OaxacaPlaya at San Agustinillo, OaxacaPlaya Mazunte, Oaxaca

(Note that Playa Ventosa near Salina Cruz and Puerto Escondido were covered in earlier posts.)

My friend John and I went to Huatulco the weekend of February 27th while Tanya was in Las Vegas. On the way we stopped at Ventosa Beach which is near Salina Cruz. There are many hotels along the beach which look old but acceptably nice. It was very windy the day that we were there and no one was on the beach. There is an oil refinery nearby and the odor is strong. It is not my favourite beach.

We continued on to the Bays of Huatulco where we stayed at Crucecita which is a small town about 5 minutes from the sea and Santa Cruz. John and I had supper on the beach in Santa Cruz one evening. We didn't visit any of the bays this time like I did with Tanya and Erin.

On Sunday, we drove to Puerto Angel to see the beaches around there. We parked near the pier at Puerto Angel and walked along the Principal Beach towards the Panteon Beach. This was the day after the big earthquake in Chile but the sea was calm. It was early in the day and not many people on the beach. We walked along a pathway to the Panteon Beach where we had a soft drink and I had a cigar. There were some people snorkeling and it looked like a good place to snorkel near the rocks.

We returned to the car and drove over to Zipolite Beach about 3 km away. The beach is large, about 2 km long. It is famous for nude bathing and sun tanning. John and I went swimming but with our bathing suits on. There were a few nude people , a couple of women and a couple of men. After swimming, John stayed on the beach to sun bathe while I went into the shade and had a mineral water with lemon. After a little while (after John turned pink) we drove over to San Agustinillo where there is a turtle museum. However, the museum was closed. We walked along the beach and then returned to the car. We drove a short distance over to Mazunte Beach.

This beach is very bohemian. It is a little village with palapas and many young people (hippies). John and I walked along the beach and then around the point and over the rocks where the beach continued. We passed a few nude girls sun bathing on the beach on our way over to the restaurants. We had a sandwich and 2 beers each while watching the beach and the sea. I finished lunch with a cigar.

No more beaches. We returned by the highway and arrived back at Crucecita about 6 o'clock.

Monday, March 8, 2010

A Quiet Weekend in Oaxaca

I arrived back in Oaxaca after a week of working in Austin, Texas and meeting friends in Las Vegas. It was a great trip, but quickly back to work on Tuesday and Ralph and I's realization that we will soon be heading back to Canada brought on a bit of a quiet weekend. We head back to Canada on April 1st, stopping in Austin to work for a few days on our way back, our estimated arrival date back in Toronto being April 10th. I feel as if we are at a bit of a loss for the next four weeks. We have some research to finish, but we have no visitors arriving, no extended trips out of Oaxaca, no fiestas that need our attention, no place left unvisited that we feel we must see urgently before we go. We went and sat and ate and drank our way through town on Friday, Saturday we went to Central de Abbastos, a huge market here in Oaxaca that we had been avoiding, and then yesterday out to Tlacolula to the huge market there. I am buying things I have been looking at for 5 months: wooden spatulas, a mexican smock for the kitchen, a white shawl, a final purchase from our weaver lady. We have brought the map in from the car and started to plan our drive back, we will go a different way this time, to compare with our trip down and decide which route we prefer. I find the thought of leaving Oaxaca very difficult. So many friends here are shocked that we are leaving, that 5 months has already passed. Family in Canada are anxious for our return to what they think is "safe". Friends in Canada happy to have us around socially again. What Ralph and I came to figure out has been done: we know Oaxaca is the place for us, we know how much money we need to make Oaxaca become our permanent home, we have an idea for a side business to make money while we wait for our vines to grow and our inn to become popular. We need to go back to Canada to execute on the plan. It's time.
And yet I sit and look out at my mountains as I read my novel on the patio and am crushed by the thought of leaving. Ojalá, I will return quickly to my Oaxaca.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Water Truck Cometh

Oaxaca is well known for its water issues amongst expatriates and locals alike. About 6 weeks ago it was the hot topic of conversation at a gathering at our friend John’s. New arrivals want to know how careful they needed to be, and seasoned expatriates shared stories of city water delivery dwindling to nothing more than a few drops, causing them to have to order water.

Well, welcome to The Ralph and Tanya Experience: Ordering Water. This house has not been short on water issues, and we have always chalked them up to being part of the experience of Oaxaca. The pump was broken in the cistern, the pilot on the water heater extinguishes on days with the letter “Y” in them, the pump was forgotten and overflowed the roof, the water pressure is only slightly better than Italy’s, and the shower downstairs is either scalding or cold, nothing in between. All part of the experience.
Of late, we have been paying close attention to the water levels in the cistern, for a few reasons. The pump was supposedly fixed, and the level on the cistern much lower than usual. Our neighbors up the road ran out of water, and there was some controversy about neighborhood selection for water delivery by city officials according to which political party a neighborhood supports. I have a hard time believing that, but water delivery has dwindled to about 25% of what was previously being delivered.

Yesterday, Ralph pumped the water up to the roof-top holding tank (picutred here in all its glory), and we started to monitor our use. Today when he went to mark it, he figured we had two days of water left before we ran out. The phone book came out and we ordered 5000 litres of water, the quoted cost on the phone was 440 pesos. We sit waiting for delivery.

We have changed some of our ways. We do the dishes once per day, filling the sink once, little soap, little rinsing. We have a new “flush only if visually required” rule, and showers are short and efficient. We’ve always brushed our teeth with the water off, and Ralph has been shaving with the water off since we arrived. I feel guilty about not doing these things in the past 5 months, only doing them now, when we are in crisis. How spoiled I am.

In my spoiled state, I did a bit of water consumption research, if you care to know:

About Canada’s abysmal water consumption ranking: 28 out of 29

http://www.environmentalindicators.com/htdocs/indicators/6wate.htm

1 cubic meter of water = 264.17 gallons

Here’s a cool household water calculator:

http://www.csgnetwork.com/waterusagecalc.html

According to my entries using the calculator above, every year my household uses 31390 gallons per capita LESS than the Desert Water Agency per capita water useage. Regardless, this does not change the current state of being 2 days away from having no water!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Another Visit to Benito Juárez

Benito Juárez in foreground and Teotitlán in the valley
My friend John and I went to the village Benito Juarez in the mountains north of the city. We drove through Teotitlán, the rug village, without having to detour like the last time we were there. When I was there before with my friend George in January it was a little cold. This time it was very beautiful.

We stopped at the tourist office and payed the 50 peso entrance fee to go up to the lookout point. We did not take a guide this time and we drove up to the top of the hill. We walked over the rope bridge and looked at the zip lines. They are very high.

After that we drove to Lutuvi for a fresh trout lunch. The kitchen was closed but the lady from the house came over and open up for us. I helped her catch the fish for our lunch.

There was a 3 year old about 3 fee tall helping his mother. The mother was working alone very quickly. The little boy played and watched us. After some time the lady disappeared. When she came back she was carrying the little boy on her back. He was sleeping. She continued preparing lunch with the boy on her back. She was marvelous.
Little Nacho in doorway

Like always, the trout was fantastic.
Trout lunch

Then we drove to Guelatao de Juárez, the birth place of Benito. The villafe named Benito Juárez has nothing to do with the person, Benito Juárez who was never ever there. In addition to the statues of Benito, the only thing of interest was 2 ducks copulating.

We bought some soft drinks from a little store then we drove home. It was a long day but fun!

Versión español