Blog 6 – Acapulco and more

By a quirk of fate, Linda, who simply loves beaches, had not been near one in two long years. 

And it just seemed silly, living in Mexico, with borders stretching along two Gulfs, one Sea, and the Pacific Ocean...

...not to have the opportunity to sink our toes into some deep warm sand.

And so, our tribe, now three (Jennifer having returned to Querétaro to work), set course for...

...Acapulco, Mexico’s oldest and largest beach town.

From the plane window, we got a first-hand view of Mexico City .....

.....and even caught sight of the elusive Popocatépetl Volcano...

....or “Popo”, as the locals like to call it. 

Recent activity in the volcano caused so much heat that there’s little or no glacier cover left.

And in just 50 minutes, our plane had left Mexico City (altitude 2000 + meters), crossed the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains and dropped us down
to sea level…. 

….where we got our first look in a very long time at the grand Pacific Ocean. 

What a thrill !!

The objective here: Some serious R. and R.

Yes, even retired people can use some good R. and R.!!!

It took me about a day to catch on but not Linda!  She got it immediately. 

“But hey! What a concept!

We should do this every year?”

It all seems so right… unlimited pool and beach time, no beds to make, breakfast served until noon…and all you can eat!

I could get used to this… say, once or twice a year. 

“Wow!!!  Sign me up!!”

But I digress.  Linda was so excited, we just had to get out onto the beach.

Strolling along, arm-in-arm (nice, eh?), it was really gorgeous. 

I did notice that the flags were out and that today’s was red. 

As beautiful as it was, it appears that rip tides claim a few lives every year down here...

...and although a flag warning system is in place and you do see the occasional armed naval officer patrolling the beach, ...

.....there is no such thing as a life guard post….none!

Now it was high vacation time.  Drinks, food,and umbrellas were ubiquitous….and always at the top of the beach. 

But many of the children were playing, seemingly unwatched at water’s edge.   

On this particular day, the ocean had a rhythm and if you listened carefully, you could hear a change coming. 

It was kind of eerie so I pulled out my camera, only to see a huge and very unexpected wave inundate the entire beach,...

....pushing and pulling people all over the place, especially the children.

No harm was done and luckily, things did calm down…but... such things sure give you pause to think.

Historically, Acapulco's warm water bay and pristine beaches have been irresistible to humans....

....since the days of the Aztec Empire.

The Spanish immediately recognized the strategic advantages of the perfectly formed bay....

.....and of course, instead of chilling out like us....

...used Acapulco as their base to explore, conquer, and trade all across the Pacific.

In fact, this was the only port in the New World authorized to receive Spanish galleons from the Philippines and China...

But it wasn't only for conquistadors like Cortez but also for English pirates like Sir Francis Drake too.

Jeremy and Linda enjoying the pool.

After five days of surf, sun, and sand... 

.

...and greetings each morning from "Hola!"...

...and seeing Linda's big toe in soooo many pictures.

...I call those her piña colada shots.....,

...it was time to head back to the city...

... where by chance, we had 5 hours of free tour guide service...

....so why not explore the little known southern end of the city. 

There was much to discover….

....the two houses where Rivera and Kahlo...

.....(the larger-than-life painters who became the most acclaimed artists in Mexican history, and whose tempestuous love affair, landmark journeys to America, and outrageous personalities made them legendary)....

...lived, loved, and fought,

..and the wonderful and impressive public university, UNAM... or....The National Autonomous University of Mexico,...the largest university in Latin America

(343 thousand students enrolled this year alone), ...

....widely regarded by many university world rankings as the leading university of the Spanish-speaking world...

...and whose tuition for life is....10 cents !!!....that's right...10 cents!!!!!

….but most of all, we loved our time in...

...the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco

Pronounced "Solchiminko",...

...the last remaining part of the canal system used by the Aztecs, ....

....canals which once were the highways of the city.

Making our way on a “Trajinera” or canal boat....

....we all  ate, drank, laughed, and were
amazed....

....as we travelled down canals and past islands built by the Aztecs, in boats...

.....whose design had hardly changed through the ages. 

Some of us even bought hats.  :)

The next day, our tribe was down to two. 

Linda was off to Nova Scotia to see her ailing mother. 

After our goodbyes, Jeremy and I sat down to see what he would most like to do over his last two days. 

Visiting, the pyramids, something that Jeremy had already had the good fortune to have done in Egypt, seemed like a good idea.

There are many differences that distinguish the Aztec-Mesoamerican from the Egyptian pyramids...

...but what most stands out is that the Egyptians were building tombs, each a single project, for one ruler…
...whereas the Aztec-Mesoamerican pyramids were more the result of “pyramid stacking”

...a little thing done  by new conquering civilizations...

...whereby a new pyramid was built upon the previous one, ...

.....all to serve the political, religious and ritualistic practices of the bigger and better conquering civilization.

On his final day, and on his wish,.....

.....we shuffled through Mexico’s town centre... ....accompanied by a million other friends…

...a strategy, I believe, to get himself tired for the flight that night....

...but the best part of the day was the meal at our now “favorite” restaurant: Quebracho...

...after coffee at my favorite bookstore/café lakeside at Chapultepec Park.

Hasta luego, Jeremy. :)

Thank you all for stopping by!  See you next time.

 

Blog 5: Beautiful Oaxaca

Cancún or Cabo are great….sand, sun, surf…and all that, but it's said that to see true Mexican culture, you have to leave the speedos and bikinis (as if) behind….

…for now at least,…

…and consider a place like Oaxaca, an ancient but artsy, high-altitude city, in Mexico’s rather isolated South-West.

Jennifer had always promoted the idea of a trip to Oaxaca. In fact, many of her Mexican friends had this somewhat inaccessible city as their #1 on any list of "must-sees".  It was time to go!!

Pronounced "wah-HAH-kah", we were soon to discover that although difficult to spell, Oaxaca was very easy to love.

But, first things first!   If you read the blog on Puebla, you know that this "lobster-eating Maritimer", had a promise to keep here in Oaxaca. Oh, boy!  :(

In a nation known for flavorful eats, Oaxaca is called the “land of the seven moles,” so named for its legendary and complex sauces made with dozens of delicious ingredients (often chocolate)…and yes, like in Puebla, we did have lots of it but…..

.... it's Oaxaca's chapulines (grasshoppers) that keep everyone coming back …and my promise was: to make chapulines part of my menu.

Jennifer, who was already well accustomed to the delicacy….. jumped right in.

Jeremy and I, flesh still slightly crawling, were hoping that the first beer would give us the necessary courage.  As for Linda....well, she said that she'd be the event photographer.  :)   J                                                           Well, ugh,  promise made...and... promise....ugh....kept. But hey, wait! These things aren't so bad after all! Jennifer, pass over that plate, would you?                                                      

Oaxaca, the city, (because like Quebec, both city and state have the same name) has the feel of a big village.  With a population of just under a quarter million, it's an architectural gem, filled with fantastic museums, colorful handicrafts, pre-Columbian ruins and baroque churches.

One of our favourite spots was Oaxaca's Main Square which is called "El Zócalo" all over Mexico. Traffic-free, shaded by tall trees and surrounded by elegant arcades, it was the perfect place for us "gringos" to start soaking up this region’s exceptional atmosphere.

Sure,  like everywhere in Mexico, EL Zócalo bustles with life by day, but it’s really at night that it lights up.                                                                                

Marimba ensembles, brass bands and roving buskers float their melodies among the crowds, while hawkers softly, but with some insistance, sell their curiosities and lovers parade in slow rounds under the trees.

And from our table at one of the many sidewalk cafes, we see it all parading before us.  For a while, we've become the spectators and watch...  

                                                                                                          …as an ever-changing, and yet, oh-so-familiar impromptu "show" play itself out. 

That is, until...the irresistible music and dancing entices us onto that stage... making us part of this oh-so-enjoyable  Mexican tradition that has been repeating itself....for centuries!!!

One of our great discoveries was the Calle Alcalá, a dignified narrow little traffic-free street that runs north from the Zócalo and its “Catedral” ....

......up towards the mountains and the Templo de Santo Domingo. 

Lined by colonial-era stone buildings, now very neat shops, galleries, museums, and cafes…

....La Calle Alcalá ends up at a market for authentic artisanal products…

......which, of course, is a source of perfectly happy internal bliss for Linda. :)

It all made for a very interesting stroll but the highpoint for me was being invited to take part in a tourism commercial (see those white arms waving madly just under the camera drone) highlighting the city and its wonderfully friendly population.

As much fun as it was under that hot sun (no hats allowed), my poor bald head paid a very dear price for the next 7 or 8 days.  Ouch!   

Set at the nexus of three mountain-flanked valleys (a little like Ottawa), Oaxaca has the good fortune to be surrounded by fascinating archaeological sites, natural phenomena, and ancient villages... many housing creative artisans......

For example, the weaving and dyeing in Teotitlan del Valle. 

Originally Zapotec women wove cotton clothes and blankets to offer as tribute to their conquerors, the Aztecs, and then later to the Spanish colonizers. 

Today, mostly housed in cooperatives, everything is still artisanal but today it's the tourist who pays the tribute for these marvellous goods. 

And then there's the phenomena called, "El arbol de Tule", a Montezuma Cypress,  located in the church grounds in Santa María del Tule, and.....

....a natural 2000-year-old wonder.  This tree is considered to be the world’s thickest....with a girth of 53 meters…Oh, yes, wide girths.  I do know what that feels like.  :)

There are also the archaeological ruins of Mitla, a well-preserved Mesoamerican site used for centuries as a religious center,....

...but later transformed by the Spanish into what else...a colonial church.  Thankfully, some of the original site still remains.

And what about Hierve el Agua, situated high up in the rugged mountains...(what a time we had getting there)...

...with its pools of emerald green, mineral-laden spring water....

.....and large, free flowing waterfall.

Hey, wait a minute!  A closer look closer please!  

That ain't no waterfall....it's really a natural rock formation....

....also known to the locals as the "Petrified Falls".

And then there's Monte Albán, (picture taken by Linda from the plane)... probably the most majestic of Oaxaca’s ancient ruins, with a spectacular mountain-top location overlooking all 3 of Oaxaca's valleys.

Although just a few kilometers outside the city, our bus tour driver was so incredibly agressive, he had us all praying silently.

I do believe that the sweaty, uptight gorilla did have  some musical inclination though....he was on the horn more often than Miles Davis. :)

But we did arrive and thankfully, all safely....

....only to find the incredibly hot noon-hour sun bearing down on us and ...

....leaving us not option but to buy these sexy straw hats. 

See the worm??!!  I too would  look to see if it was moving!

On yet another day, we discovered a drink called Mezcal...sometimes called Tequila’s father. 

It's produced in over 2,000 distilleries throughout the state, using methods varying from very crude to very sophisticated.   

Jennifer may be testing the one with the worm on the bottom but my favorite, of course, was of the chocolate variety.

And yes, there’s a segue.   While in Oaxaca, we fell into a lovely little tradition. 

It consisted of visiting the chocolate shop right next to our hotel, every time we returned.  The company, Mayordomo, made an addictive little concoction called CHOCO MIO, a delicious semi-frozen chocolate shake that cost virtually nothing... except the time we spent in line to buy it.  :)

But before we leave beautiful Oaxaca and its cultural riches, it's important to note that although the state remains one of Mexico’s poorest and most isolated....

...its people are still some of the most warmly hospitable to be found anywhere in this beautiful and yet, challenged country.  Thanks for the great memories Oaxaca!!!

Thank you for stopping by!  See you next time.