Oaxaca-Bound!

Preparations are now in full swing for the coming trip to Oaxaca and points south. We’ll drive out to “the farm” this morning and load the camper back onto the truck bed. Then, it will be a busy few days as we provision up and get set for departure either Friday or Saturday.

The basic itinerary, ALWAYS subject to change, is:
Day One: Mazatlan to Guadalajara/Villa Corona Hot Springs
Day Two: Guadalajara to Patzcuara OR to the Mariposa Monarch Butterfly Reserve
Day Three: Explore Mariposa Reserve
Day Four: San Felipe to Taxco
Day Five: Explore Taxco/shop
Day Six: Taxco to Puebla
Day Seven: Puebla to Oaxaca

We plan a two week stay in Ciudad Oaxaca, to explore the city and the villages and ruins situated in the surrounding Valley of Oaxaca, to shop and to sample foods of the area. Oaxaca is known for its delicious mole (MOH-lay) dishes. We will probably depend on Sly to report on the goodness of the little chapulines (grasshoppers), friend crispy with onions and served with lime juice in tortillas!

Ciudad Oaxaca was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site some years back, due to the history and rich mix of cultures. We’ll be sharing some information about the region, along with our experiences, in coming blog entries which will be made as we are able to connect with the internet …..hopefully, often!

It should be a fun trip! Come on along!

Fine Dining and Music on the Street

Wonderful tacos! Beautiful Music! Terrific friends!

Last Monday, we headed to Canuck's with amigos Rick and Cranda for "Open Mike" - a weekly event which provides brave amateur performers (mostly "of a certain age") some stage time to share their talents in front of a remarkably kind and tolerant audience.

On our way to this favorite gringo watering hole, we stopped at a local street-side taco establishment for some good comida! Yum! Larry was LOVING that delectable dish, while we were seranaded by a street musician. Live music is EVERYWHERE!

Baseball Playoffs in Mazatlan

The Mazatlan baseball team - The Venados (The Deer) is in the playoffs to get to the Caribbean

World Series! The game we attended was a lackluster performance on their part, but they ultimately won the quarterfinals agaist the Guasave team.....

Three brass bands, all playing different "tunes" simultaneously; mucho Pacifico cerveza consumed by the crowd made for an entertaining evening! The game itself seemed to be of secondary interest!

Sly Speaks Up on Acceptance

Well, MY Aranese language teacher’s “nombre” is Ana Louisa Arana (pronounced ah-RAH-nyah. There is supposed to be a ~ above the n in her last name which makes the “ny” sound.) Oh, these Sinaloan senoritas are visions to behold! Those multiple dark eyes, those complexions kissed by the Mazatlan sun, those eight long legs and those shapely thoraxes . . . Aye, CARAMBA! (Loose translation: Good heavens!) You can imagine that I am a VERY enthusiastic student who hangs on Ana’s every word! …….but, I digress.
The Aranese dialect is spoken by the spiders ad tarantulas down here in Mexico. It’s quite similar to Spanish actually, so I am able to practice my lessons with Bonnie and Larry. We are making surprisingly good progress.
On my outings however, I’ve noticed some tension between the lizard tribes (geckos and iguanas) and the spider tribes. Seems there are issues over the difference in the number of legs. The lizards consider the spiders to be inferior because they were born with eight legs rather than four. Some lizards have even gone so far as to suggest that the spiders just cut off their extra legs so they will fit in better with the four-legged crowd . . . a pretty silly and narrow outlook, don’t you think? I don’t hear the two-legged tribe members asking THEM to shear off a set of legs! I wonder why they just don’t all get along and accept each other just the way God made them?

Getting in Touch! Feeling at Home!

We FINALLY started our Spanish lessons last week! With just four two hour lessons under our belts, we’re getting brave enough to speak a little Spanish in public! Though we are FAR from fluent, the initial response to our efforts is creating some incredible and heartening experiences! Consistently, local residents have been meeting us WAY more than half way as we have faced confusing situations. For instance, there was the mujer (woman) and her hija (daughter) who guided us through our second attempt at the tricky process of paying our local property taxes. We were unsure of what documents we needed and which line to get into at “La Municipia” building, what with all the people milling around. The daughter took Bonnie over to one line to show copies of documents needed to get the tax printout that verified the discounts for paying early, being part time Mexican residents and being OLD , while Larry and the mother waited in the line to pay. Voila! Done! After sharing “besitos” (little kisses on the cheeks) and saying “Muchas gracias” a number of times, we were on our way!
There is a sense of isolation that comes with not being able to communicate in the native language. The personal impact has been challenging for us (especially Bonnie), to put it mildly! Sly will share HIS perspective on not knowing the local “Aranese” (Arana = Spider) dialect in his next blog entry….

Close Encounters with an Indigenous Insect Tribe!

Can you believe THIS? Bonnie returned home from Christmas brunch with the faint smell of brandy on her breath and packing THREE shiny creatures – a dolphin, a gecko and a turtle.
Evidently, DESPITE my warnings, somewhere in the Gold Zone she was lured into a den of iniquity with promises of freebie jewelry. I thought she had more sense!
Now I have to admit, had the gecko been in its natural, meaty state, it might have provided me with a tasty morsel. But alas, the unfortunate trio had been transformed into silvery bangles and offered up as authentic Mexican wares to the unsuspecting cruise ship crowds.
JUST what I need - - roommates! Hrrrmmph!
But wait! There’s more to tell! Get a load of the picture of the leaf cutter ants! As much as I ADORE insects on my menu, THIS gang, encountered on a walk around the El Cid golf course, looks a little rough! They’d probably be more work than they are worth! Or worse yet, predator and prey could possibly reverse roles – NOT a happy thought!

Food, Food, Food!

Between the Hispanic, American and Canadian cuisines, it’s been a nonstop feast the past few days!

Christmas morning, we enjoyed a brunch buffet at Hotel Playa Mazatlan on their veranda by the beach. After brunch, the women of the group enjoyed a shopping excursion across the street at a jewelry boutique. We were lured in with a coupon we received, promising a free piece of jewelry – a cute little dolphin charm. It turned out to be very profitable for the shop! In appreciation of our patronage, we were treated to a shot of brandy, tequila or Kahlua from a make-shift bar, as we departed.

Friends Kathy and Lonnie invited us to join them for a traditional American/Canadian dinner, hosted by the owners of the La Ventana condominium. The sunset was a Christmas gift in itself! And the food was “over the top”! Leg of lamb, turkey, ham and all the traditional side dishes were included.

As if that wasn’t enough, we celebrated “Boxing Day” with Canadian friends on December 26th!
Our hosts Moy and Scott provided a fantastic setting next t the El Cid golf course.
The banquet was prepared by Marion and Pat – a no-holds-barred feast that put us in the traditional “turkey coma”!

Moy brought out a pinata, which ramped up the activity level several notches! Then, we took a walk around the neighborhood and enjoyed the holiday lights on the magnificent haciendas in this gated community.

Yet to come is another feast tonight at friends Rick and Cranda's home!

We are blessed with such good friends and neighbors here, as well as loved ones miles away!
We want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Bonnie, Larry and Sly!