Category: Uncategorized

Windows of Oaxaca

Oaxaca is magical; markets, museums, and plenty of colonial architecture surrounded by beautiful countryside. Five days in Oaxaca flew by and there was so much to do each day and of course we didn’t get to all the places we hoped to. Between visiting museums wandering the streets and people watching in the Zocalo and various coffee bars and restaurants, we fell in love with Oaxaca and I hope to return for a longer period of time. Nevertheless we squeezed in the main sights starting with the museums.

Museo de Las Culturas de Oaxaca

This is by far the best museum in Oaxaca and takes you right through the history and cultures of Oaxaca state from pre-Hispanic times.  The museum itself is housed in an old monastery attached to the Templo de Santo Domingo.



Model of the Monastery and the Templo

Botanical Gardens

The Streets of Oaxaca 

Traditional Needle Work Meets Contemporary Stylin

Alena and I



Dancing in the Zocalo Every Wednesday

Textile Museum

Although this museum has a sparse collection what it does have showcases the famous weaving and patterns that Oaxaca is noted for.

Markets Abound

There are many outdoor markets in Oaxaca that sell everything from artisanal crafts, to locally grown produce and natural medicines. Sadly the markets that I remember from the 1970’s are gone and the locally made goods have been replaced by made in China type daily wares and household good, but the markets are still fun to visit and spend time people watching and sampling local cuisine from the food stalls.

Zocalo and Cathedral 

De Los Pintores Oaxaquenos

Puerto Escondido to Hualtulco and Back – “There Will Be Roosters”

Hotels and Homestays – Solo & Together

Puerto Escondido




Hotel Santa Fe





Beach Art



Cacti on the Beach



Town of Puerto Escondido




Town of Puerto Escondido

From my hotel on Zicatela beach I could walk in either direction into PE Centro or further down the beach to smaller communities on the outskirts of town. The sand is hot and deep and sloped and can make for a challenging walk as I found out when I twisted my foot and ended up with a minor sprain that took a few weeks to heal.

Fish Boat

Locals Enjoy a Swim

More Statuary

Pelicanos

PE Sea Wall

Sea Wall Graffiti

Sea Wall View

Catching Supper

San Angelita Beach

Playa Manzanillo

Small, Medium or Large Senora?

After a long walk there is nothing like a fresh coconut water especially if you get to chose the size you want. Locals of course love the beach too and you get to watch families play together in the waves, enjoy long lunches of local seafood and nap under palms or umbrellas as time stands still for them and their always present families.

Alena with Rangel’s Parents

One of the highlights of my time on the Oaxaca Coast was meeting up with my friend Alena from Progreso and our stay at the home of my friend’s parents. I met my friend Rangel a year ago in Campeche and we have stayed in touch. He is originally from the town of Santa Maria Tonemeca on the Oaxacan Coast and his parents and brother still live there, his parents in a family compound which also houses his grandparents and various aunts, uncles and cousins and his brother and wife in a house in the heart of Santa Maria Tonemeca.

La Cocina de Esperanza

Outdoor Dining

Esperanza’s Outdoor Horno (Oven)

Rangel’s Brother Romeo with Brisa

Brisa with her Mother, Carmelita

Mazunte Beach

Mazunte Beach

Alena Drinks Coffee

Boat Tour from San Augustinillo

Surrounded by Dolphins

Dolphins at Play

Rugged Shores and Big Waves

Man and His Best Friend Paddle Boarding

Sunset at Ventanilla

Lodge at Ventanilla

Boats at Rest

The Last of El Sol

Zipolite Beach

Hualtulco

After our home visit with Rangel’s family we said our fond farewells and headed to Hualtulco where we spent two nights. Hualtulco is one of those ready made places for big, exclusive and all-inclusive hotels. The town that stood in the path of the development of resorts and hotels was relocated a few miles away from the area, so that the hotels could access the best of the beaches for their guests.  We stayed in the Hotel Zona in a smaller and cheaper hotel and enjoyed a fun dinner out where we garnered an invitation for dinner in the “real town of Hualtulco” the following evening.

Our new friend Erik met us in front to the appointed restaurant, his favorite pizza place, a hang out for the towns trendy set. Erik was very entertaining and shared a lot about his life in Hualtulco and the history of his family. He hasn’t had it easy but was passionate about his life and especially his family and surfing. 

After our brief stay in Hualtulco it was time to return the car to the airport, where we hopped on a bus and headed back to Puerto Escondido and Semana Santa.

Hualtulco

Semana Santa Fun Hualtulco

Colourful Mexicanas

Beach Treats Hualtulco

Riding the Banana in Hualtulco

Return to Puerto Escondido

The bus from Hualtulco to Puerto Escondido is a short beautiful ride along the coast and in no time we were ensconced in our new digs. We had planned a week in the Bungalow we rented but because of my foot injury we spent two weeks so I could rest it and exercise it properly and bring it back to walk-ability.

Not a bad decision at all as the high walled bungalow and its surrounding gardens that hid a secluded pool were just what the doctor ordered. We were able to shop and prepare our own meals and as we were the only people staying in the bungalows we had free run of the place, taking advantage for late night star gazing swims.



Beautiful Garden in Front of Our Bungalow



Bungalow for Two

Can You Find Alena?

Of course we didn’t spent all of our time swinging in the hammock or lazing around the pool. We wandered up to el Centro a few times to the market and enjoyed more local cuisine, spent a few days on the two beaches just north of Puerto Escondido (Manzanillo and Puerto Angelito).

A spectacular outing was taking the bus north to Rio Grande where we crossed the highway to catch a taxi to Zicatela.

Once in Zicatela we hired a boat to take us around the Laguna de Chacahua. The Laguna is a bird and wildlife sanctuary and we saw egrets, eagles, herons, storks and many other species. We stopped for lunch in the small community of Chacahua where we walked over to see a crocodile rehab centre where they also had turtles and iguanas etc. It was a long day before we got back to Puerto Escondido but the wildlife, birds, scenery and boat ride more than made up for the long haul.

Boating Through Chacahua Laguna Parque Nacional

Blue Heron Blending In

Mangrove Roots with Muscles

Stork

Fishing the Laguna

Town of Chacahua

Boys on the Beach

Finding the Cool

I Said There Would be Roosters

Old Guy

Young Crocs Hatched, Grown, Waiting for Release

Abuela Crocodile

Even an Iguana Needs Rehab!

Town of Chacahua on Both Sides of Lagoon

Life on the Lagoon

A month on the Oaxaca Coast flew by and was marked by long sunny days of beaching, swimming, visiting with friends, tasting local cuisine, the crowing of roosters, turning sixty four and savouring the life of a Mexican Coast. But as they say all good things must end, and so, we boarded a passenger van bound for Oaxaca City, six long hours from the lovely Oaxacan coast.

Dirty, dangerous and crowded?
Don’t be fooled by what you hear about Mexico City. Sure it has 29 or so million people, if you include the bedroom communities, but it is probably THE world capital of this decade! A bargain compared to other world capitals, hotels can be found for well under 100.00CD a night and if you limit your shopping and eat where the locals eat you can have a great stay even on a budget. Like all mega cities, there is crime, but even a solo woman can remain safe given the usual common sense precautions.

At the top of the list of things to do in Mexico City is a visit to Chapultapec Park.
Like other world capitals, you can visit an urban oasis but this grand park comes with a half dozen museums of world class statue. Inside the park, you can soak up the history of the ancient and modern worlds and enjoy a sophisticated multicultural community with shades of Europe, all in the heart of Latin America.

Hop On Hop Off Bus – Great to see a lot in a short period of time.
The hop on Hop off bus is a great way to spend a second day, especially if you are a solo traveller. The convenience of having an English narrated bus tour that passes the main locations of interest saves a lot of time and energy in a city big and as tangled as Mexico City. The double decker maneuvers the historic center of old Mexico City, winding around the Zocolo and heading towards Revolution square along wider avenues before it plunges bravely into the narrow tree-lined streets of the famous neighbourhoods of Candesa, xxxx and the Zona Rosa. Here in these neighbourhoods which have been largely occupied by bohemian artists writers and musicians, you can see evidence of a European style coffee culture, with plenty of small boutique hotels, colourful murals, galleries restaurants, cafes and nightclubs.

SF

Day three is a good day to stretch your wings and explore outside of the city core and experience the suburban neighbourhoods. The best way to travel long distances and cover ground between the core and the suburbs is on the underground Metro. It’s relatively easy to find your way once you’ve conquered the system maps and can differentiate between the multiple lines. In general, Mexico City riders look like their counterparts the world over, mostly bored, tired and distant.

Y

Visiting the Casa Azul, where Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera resided is some distance from Centro Mexico City, but was easy on the metro, even though it was fourteen very long stops from my Hotel in the Colonia Santa Jose. Frida is the focus in the Casa Azul, although there are elements of Diego as well, but you leave feeling that you have gotten to know Frida more intimately by seeing where she lived, worked and entertained.

Just around the corner is the house where Leon Trotsky took refuge only to be assassinated by his enemies from the USSR. Not much to look at in his house but still you leave knowing how he lived and continued to write his political views even after he was expelled from the Ukraine. For those who visit both houses you will learn that Frida and Leo had a love affair that lasted some time before he died.

In 1974 I made my first trip to Mexico. I took out my first bank loan, booked two weekends off work and headed south. My first stop was Mexico City, the largest city in the world at that time, now the third largest. I stayed in a posh neighborhood close to Chupultapec Park and the Museum of Anthropology, (a favorite course at the time) I visited, taking copious notes and photos before taking the train to Oaxaca where I was lucky to visit the ruins of Monte Alban, Mitla and Yogul. I bought woven baskets, a huipel, a special blanket and other hand made items from the native market in Oaxaca. For years these treasures were part of my home decor but over time they slowly evaporated and gave way to other tastes.
As an innocent abroad, the train ride from Mexico City to Oaxaca is forever etched in my memory. My traveling companion and I had been advised to purchase 1st class tickets but when we found our way to the train station, and eventually the train, we were unable to identify a car, both by look or by lettering that was 1st class. We ended up in a 2nd class coach and only through firm assertiveness of the part of two older women were we able to claim our seats. The train took all day, all night and most of the next day, stopping and starting for interminable amounts of time in the middle of nowhere. I remember the aisles packed with standees, a squat toilet with no light in the back of the car, vendors boarding the train selling food and feeling protected from a drunk man by the Tia’s who sat across from us.
Returning to Mexico City by plane from Oaxaca, a friend that I had made on my way through had a party for me, roses and wine and took me out to dinner at the top of the Latin America building, then the tallest building in the latin america. Today Mexico City is very different and the Latino Americano building looks old and dowdy, dwarfed by modern skyscrapers. The old quarter and the Zocalo with the cathedral and government buildings are largely the same, but of course the restaurants have moved in and the square is more likely to be used for entertainment than military purposes. The train is long gone and freeways and expressways slice through the city. Mexico city has taken on a decidedly European flair and the barrios have that village within a village feeling of Barcelona or even New York. We stayed very close to the Plaza de la Revolucion in the Hotel Corinto. Small rooms but a roof top pool and a pricetag of $38.00 CD which you would not find in either of the aforementioned places, making Mexico City a bargain.

We quickly oriented ourselves and Tom, the food sniffer, found several good restaurants and cafes where we could loiter over coffee and watch the events of the neighborhood unfold. Across from our favorite restaurant we watched when a bus load recruits from the country arrived and joined the camp of Indigenous protestors who have a permanent demonstration in the park, ironically in the shadow of the monument to the Revolution that freed Mexico from Spain. We were only a few blocks from the Mexican Senate as well which explained the heavy police presence in the neighborhood.

Two days was only enough to know that a return visit is in the cards. I think two weeks and one could feel that they were seeing everything there is to see at a leisurely pace. A city of 13 million people can’t be all good but it is certainly less dangerous for travellers than it has been in the past. There are signs that prosperity has come to the city with the glistening office towers, the development of the barrios and the flourishing businesses. A unique feature of commerce in Mexico City is that stores are grouped together by type so you will find streets of household goods, streets of electronics etc.. Apparently this is modelled after Mayan cities from ancient times.

Tuxtla de Guerrtez

Clean Sheets, Fluffy Pillows and Mirimba in the Park

Crossing the border from Guatemala to Mexico was easy and soon we were on our way into the state of Chiapas. Leaving the shuttle bus experience behind us we found the bus terminal in San Cristobal and we were off to Tuxtla. We knew we were in Mexico once we boarded the posh ADO bus with wifi, movies and a five star bathroom. I know I say it often but I love the front seat because you can see where you are going and in such beautiful country it is paramont to enjoying the stunning views of Chiapas.

We had read that Tuxtla was not much of a place, but we disagree with the guide books. It is a Mexican City and we loved it. A beautiful parque centro, miles of commerce and street vendors. A hustle and bustle but still time to stop and smell the roses. We found a steal on Hotels.com for a new hotel and some unexpected luxury. Not since we left have I slept in a bed that was comfortable, clean and surrounded by North American type conveniences. What a hoot, I had forgotten the small pleasure of courtesy shampoos and creams, white fluffy towels, hot water and a toilet that flushes. Oft times along the road you are given a dipper and you ladle water from a barrel to flush what you’ve left behind. And you pay for the priviledge! But I digress! Breakfast included, and cheap taxis made the Tuxtla hotel an otherwordly valhalla at a great price relative to some of our digs.

The only reason went to Tuxtla was to rent a car, there not being one avialable in San Cristobal, and although we changed our plans and didn’t rent the car we were happy to have seen Tuxtla. Not only did It have a delightful parque central where mirimba bands played every night and Tuxtlans danced with rhythmic ease, we had easy access via collectivos to the countryside and some spectacular sights.

Chiapa de Corzo Excursion

Short on time we managed one excursion to the town of Chiapa de Corzo where we took a motor launch up the Sumidero Canyon. The launch was realtively small so not a great hoard of people and everyone was required to wear a life jacket! A safety standard!

Rounding the first corner of the Grijalva River we could see suddenly what we were up against. Plunging skyward at 90 degree angles or less, 1000 meter tall, time layered walls erupt from the river. Etched, layered, weathered, inhabited by birds, clinging trees and plants, all daring to make these great heights their home, the walls are an open book into the earths crust.

R

To the casual eye the faces of these cliffs provide an unreadable hisotry of epic proportion. Word has it that the local Maya warriors threw themselves off these cliffs instead of succumbing to Spanish rule. The color of the water in the river ran from emerald green to aquamarine blue depending on the depth and the angle of the sun in the canyon. It seems that in the world of travel, there’s always some subtle reminder that paradise has its limits and sure enough at the end of the river is an ugly hydro dam and close to the dam, a boat tied to a moor, selling snacks, refreshments and souveneirs with two enterprising young men at the helm.

The end of the dry season is upon the canyon and an enormous waterfall is naked in the sun. Nary a drop of water to cover its bare hide. Our second dry waterfall, the first being in Cuba, was not as disappointing however as the structure that is created in the rock face by countless years of water erosion is quite fascinating. The bed of the absent waterfall is a lumpy conglomeration of warped rock in a scalloped pattern resembling shelf mushrooms on forest trees.

The two hour boat trip landed back at Chiapo de Corzo giving us enough time to walk the pleasant streets of town before returning to our luxury digs at the Hotel Divorxe.

San Cristobal – I’m In Love

Picture a Mexican Banff. Mountains surround the town, the air is crisp and clear, it cools off in the evening and you need a blanket at night. There was even a fireplace in my room at the lovely hacienda style hotel, Rincon de Los Arcos. The old part of town is home to Maya vendors from the pueblos that dot the hillsides around the city. It has an uptown flair that comes from tourism and several of the streets in el centro are pedestrian traffic only. They are lined with expensive shops and restaurants. I spent two lovely days just wandering on foot, visiting churches, museums and window shopping. Tom took a tour to the countryside to see a spectcular waterfall that was not as it turned out, barenaked.

Special Bulletin

Wanted – Groomed or Not

Young lady of indecipherable nationality, last seen performing contortunist poses in the San Cristobal bus terminal. Suffering from ealry on-set dreadlocks and a lethal fashion sense (plaid harem pants) was last seen barefoot and with ankles behind her head. She is armed, legged and dangerous. The public threat is serious as exposure to what lies beneath the overstretched seams of her harem pants could cause pandemonium in a bus terminal full of modest Mexican’s. If you spot this young backpacker do not approach her but if she approaches you throw some shoes at her and report her immediately to an ADO staff member as a non Canadian. (Lie if you have to)

Antigua via Guatemala City

The shuttle van driver, Victor, invited me to sit up front when he picked me up at the hotel in Copan at six AM. I gladly took him up on it although I would have been comfortable enough in the rear seats since there were only the six other passengers, all of whom were headed to Antigua via Guatemala City

Stopping for breakfast, Victor asked if he could sit with me. What a nice man he turned out to be. We chatted away in spanish nearly all the rest of the way to Antigua, he very patiently spoke at a snails pace and nicely corrected my grammar. We shared some laughs and our stories and he proudly showed me his country. Along the way he pointed out fields of peanuts, cashews, melons (4 types), bananas, etc. The six hour trip flew by and soon we were in Antigua. I got a big goodbye hug and kiss from Victor and he gave me a beautiful piece of obsidian he had in the van with him. He has two, twenty something sons, one married but no grandchildren and his brother who lives in California trys to get him to move there, but Victor likes the country life in Guatemala. He drives the Copan/Antigua route every day and although his home is in Guatemala, close to Antigua, he overnights in Copan. He seemed to love his job and got plenty of toots and whistles from friends and acquaintances as we passed small towns and roadside stands along the way.

Overnighting in Antigua was pleasant enough although the place has changed since my 1990’s visit and it has lost some of its charm and beauty and seems a little grittier and not as cultural as it once was.

We had a nice dinner and returned to our least favorite of all hotels, “Don Quixote”. Whoever wrote the good reviews for this hotel was tilting at windmills! I was in room 9 x 5, the one with the navy blue sheets that hadn’t been washed and the bathroom that could only be accessed if the room door was closed. My room had an “outside” window..onto the dining room/kitchen of the hotel and throughout the night lights came on and off, toilets flushed and dishes clanged while I, out of necessity, tried to sleep with my window open, my only source of fresh air. I needed the air because I did not have a fan in my tiny box with a bed where I slept on top of the bedding to avoid the sheets. Such is life on the road and we were both glad to be up and away this morning at 5:00

The Last Ten to Chiapas

A new day and a new driver, we were the last to board the shuttle for the ten hour trip to San Cristobal Chiapas, Mexico and got the last and not the best two seats in the van. Imagine our relief when we were told that the majority of people would be leaving us at Lake Atitlan just an hour or so from Antigua.

Travelling north through Guatemala headed to Mexico is one breathtakingly long string of mountains, valleys, gorges and high altitude fincas wih their geometric emerald green terraced fields climbing high above the roads. Many settlements along the road are separated by deep gorges but connected by suspension bridges just wide enough for small vehicles, carts, animals and people. The further north we went the poorer the country seemed and of course Guatemala City, which we had a stop in, is no longer the city I saw in the 90’s. Back then, before the challenges of the new millennium, the centre of the city was accessible. Now to arrive at the centre you have to cut through miles of barrios, slums and ramshackle commerce to penetrate to the core. Urbanization, a world wide problem, has greatly impacted the capital cities in Central America where millions leave their country homes for the big cities seeking to improve their fortunes. Sadly, only a few manage to penetrate the economic, social and racial barriers and end up instead, just surviving in the slums like the ones that climb up and down the gulleys, hanging precariously off the sides of the hills in Guatemala City.

The countryside of Guatemala is spectacularly beautiful and we both agreed that given more time we could easily have spent a week or more wandering and seeing more of rural Guatemala. Anos proxima!