Jan & Steve's México Report #5 March 15, 2004
FIFTY WEEKS
I apologize in advance for a rather long report, but it has been a wonderfully full and busy time since our last report, back in October.
We've met so many new people, including John and Bobbi, who came here from St. Louis and now own a weekend home way outside of this huge city. They showed us Cocoyoc and Tepoztlan one weekend. "Clean Easewood" filmed "A Mule for Sister Sarah" in Cocoyoc. (I copied his name directly from the caption under the photo in their museum, so it must be right.) Also, the closing scene from "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid," was filmed here.
DAY OF THE DEAD
In the first two days of November, the dead are remembered in a very special celebration which is one of the most hallowed traditions in the Mexican culture. Each family makes an alter in their home as a shrine to their dead relatives. On this "ofrenda" are placed photos of loved ones, candles, flowers, fruit, and items the dead enjoyed in this life...everything from favorite foods, to tequila and cigarettes! On the alter are also placed small skulls; made of sugar, chocolate, or a pressed mixture of seeds and granola (for health-conscious souls, I assume).
The entire alter is covered with orange marigold petals. These same petals line walkways and thresholds. It is said that marigold petals are known to attract souls. Something you should keep in mind when planting your flower gardens this year.
We visited Mixquic, a village known for a very traditional celebration, where entire families decorate the graves of their loved ones with flowers and candles, then spend the entire first night of November praying and picnicking in the cemetery, right on top of their loved ones. Jan and I enjoyed sweet "pan de muerto" (bread of the dead) and candy skulls as we walked through the "Dia de Los Muertos" festival.
I was impressed (though not sure if that is the correct word) with the pile of skulls and human bones amassed in a corner of the churchyard. Apparently, some of the bones in the graveyard just sort of work their way to the surface, and the church gardener keeps piling them up like so many raked leaves...
CANCUN
Most of you can fly to Cancun cheaper than we can from Mexico City. But, not many of you work for companies that have their annual conference in Cancun, and invite spouses! ;-)
We spent four lovely days in Cancun. International, the company Jan works for, had all sorts of things set up for the accompanying spouses at this conference. I could have had my nails done, spent a glorious day shopping at an outlet mall, or had a professional makeover that included a discount on beauty-care products!
For some reason, I skipped all that, rented a car, and spent a very long day driving out to the Rio Lagartos Flaminco Sanctuary. After arriving, I hired a boat to take me out to the birds. It was a great trip...except that in total, I spent nearly 8 hours behind the wheel of a terribly underpowered rental car, with an AM radio that could only pick up ½ of one radio station.
Just before sunset, I made it over to the Chichen Itza Mayan ruins. Jan & I had been there with a guide back in '02, so this time I focused on getting photos and video of the main pyramid as the sun went down.
MICHOACAN
Jan and I spent Thanksgiving out to the Mexican state of Michoacán, where we saw the "mariposa" (monarch butterfly) sanctuary. Essentially they turned an entire mountain into a biosphere preserve. This requires you have to park at the very bottom of the mountain and climb literally thousands of stairs. It's six-miles up hill to the damned, er, beautiful butterflies! Then, six-miles back down. As we left, Jan pointed out the horses in the parking lot that "smart" people hire to take them up the mountain...maybe next time.
Our visit to Moralia, Michoacán's capital, was tainted by our bad hotel room. Generally, we don't mind staying at smaller hotels, but for some reason, this hotel's parking lot is used by every truck driver in the region, to practice their 3-point turns...all night long. I still have nightmares about hearing diesel engines revving and headlights illuminating our hotel room, then the brakes. Ugh!
The next morning, we checked out and headed out to the village of Pátzcuaro where we found a QUIET little room with a fireplace, for half of what we were paying in Moralia. We were so happy! Lake Pátzcuaro is surrounded by cute, wonderful, towns, each specializing in their own craft. Everything from copper work to making guitars. In Santa Clara del Cobre they make copper---everything. It is also known for being the final resting place of my first car, a Datsun B210!
A CHRISTMAS POSADA
In December, two of our Mexican friends invited us to the village of Tepotzotlan, to see a traditional "posada". This is a fiesta that includes a play that portrays Joseph and Mary looking for a room for the night. Christmas eve night, specifically. Professional actors and a band that came all the way from Cocoyoc performed our posada. The main story was of three devils, which conspire to convince a village of simple peasant folk, not to let Joseph and Mary stay with them.
After the devils were defeated, Joseph and Mary were picked up and carried out of the church courtyard. These were REAL people who were somehow stuck to poles on a platform so they could be carried like religious statues. We all sang as the entire cast and audience walked outside around the church, then back to the entrance of the courtyard. Somehow, the doors to the courtyard closed while we were away, and the only way back in, was to sing special "please let us in, we're very pregnant" songs in Spanish.
Once back in the courtyard, the fiesta really started. We ate traditional Mexican Christmas foods and there was a piñata for the children. Then, as part of our dinner entertainment, a young boy was led in, followed by a man holding a small paper mache bull. As they got closer, I could see that the bull had racks of fireworks on its back. I thought the boy was going to play matador as the bull exploded, but I was wrong.
As the band played, the man placed the bull on the boy's head, and lit the fuse! Fireworks exploded all around as the little boy tried frantically to remember the little dance they taught him. I was impressed, as I thought of new entertainment ideas for camping trips back in Chicago.
BULLFIGHT
Jan works with Bernardo, a great guy who owns season tickets for the bullfights. We were told some time ago, to attend our first bullfight with someone who knows what is going on. And, as good fortune would have it, Bernie invited us to join his family at the huge 58th anniversary of bullfighting in Mexico! Sitting with experienced folks didn't exactly prepare me for them rewarding the bravest matador with both of the bull's ears. But, it was still a great afternoon, and the bull didn't need them anymore, anyway, I guess.
WHALE WATCHING IN BAJA
In February, Jan & I had plans to meet up with her sister Cathy and her husband Jim in Cabo San Lucas, at the southern tip of the Baja peninsula. I extended my time in Baja with a group trip to Mag Bay, to see the "ballenas gris" or grey whales.
There isn't much to prepare you for the first time a whale, nearly twice the size of the tiny boat that is keeping you on top of the ocean, dives under your boat! The trip was fantastic. We camped on a deserted island in tents left over from Ernest Shackleton's 1914 expedition to Antarctica. Walter, my tent-mate, was getting over bronchitis, so he coughed all night--every night. Let's just say I had plenty of opportunities to photograph the sun rising over the bay each morning. On this trip we learned how the psychedelic-rock band "Pink Floyd" got their name. ;-)
The trip included transportation back to the town of La Paz, where I had planned on catching the 6 PM bus down the peninsula to join Jan in Cabo. I skipped dinner and made it to the bus station by 5:30. However, the 6:00 bus was full so, I would have to wait for the 8:00 bus and arrive in Cabo at 11:00 that night. I hopped a taxi, and asked the driver to recommend a restaurant for dinner because I missed my bus. He told me that the town has a second bus station. What luck!
As we approached the second station, I saw a yellow dinosaur of a bus, which had been repainted so many times that every time it chipped it produced rainbows of color. The taxi driver yelled to a young man, something about the bus going to Cabo, I think, and he yelled "si!" I was off. The young man grabbed my backpack from the trunk as I paid the taxi fare. As I ran to the already running bus, I wondered just how much Spanish I really understood of this conversation. But, it was too late, this was MY bus!
I paid the bus station employee the equivalent of $7.00. ($7 for a three-hour bus ride, what a deal!) And climbed the well-worn steps to the bus driver. The aisle was a little crowded with other late arrivals, but the driver closed the doors and we were on our way. I soon realized that this ancient bus was seriously oversold, and I was going to be standing until a seat became available.
To my surprise, we continued to pick up more passengers as we slowly made our way out of town. I was now so incredibly sandwiched between standing human bodies that it was impossible for me to fall down! I looked around the bus; we had striped "earth tone" carpet--on the ceiling, and purple window tint holding the shattered windshield together.
Through the gaps between people's heads, I could see that our top speed, when going uphill, was around 30 miles per hour. On the way down, we sometimes would attain speeds of 65! But at that heady pace, the wind would whistle through the small holes in the windshield, causing the driver to become nervous and apply the breaks.
The sun began to set. Not that I could see anything other than the passing pavement from my view out of the bus windows. However, I realized that the sun was setting on the passenger side of the bus. We were heading south. One half hour into the trip, I learned that I was on the right bus!
As darkness came into our bus, the temperature outside dropped and people began to close the windows. They pushed jackets and the funky orange velour drapes into the gaps left by the windows that hadn't quite worked properly since Nixon was in office. The bus became dark and quiet, as we stood, bouncing off each other like thoselittle racks with small steel balls on wires people would swing and bounce off each other.
My mind began to wander in the darkness. Imagine being trapped, standing in a crowded, pitch-black elevator, with the faint smell of molding carpet...for THREE HOURS!
We arrived at our first stop. A few people pushed past to go out the front of the bus and disappear into the desert darkness. Now I could now actually fall down if I wanted to...but, it was clear, everyone on this bus was going to Cabo San Lucas. I stood for the entire trip.
Jan and her sister met me in the lobby of their hotel. I was so happy to finally be sitting that I nearly sobbed in my margarita as I told them of my misadventure. However, the rest of our Cabo trip was fantastic! We ate dinner at a wonderful restaurant called the "Trailer Park" and took a boat tour to Cabo's famous arched rock formations. The boat captain dropped us off on "Honeymoon Beach" which is only accessible by boat. We walked across the peninsula to the Pacific side "divorce beach" where Jim and I climbed on the giant granite boulders that surround the beach.
The flight back into Mexico City gave me a great opportunity to get as much of this <large file> sprawling metropolis in a single photo as possible. We live on the edge of the park, in the lower left corner of this image. And yes, this was what we call a "clear" day...
That brings us to the end of February and the end of this report.
Thanks for reading!
Jan & Steve