Random Descriptions of My Travel Adventures

Photo Source: http://www.soleredemption.com/pics/blog/run1.jpg I have finally settled on my research topic as I mentioned in prior post. I'm very excited about this new direction and have more motivation than I have had in a long time to undertake this whole dissertation thingy. I'm going to research the Triquis (yes, sounds like Tricky). Triquis is a Mixteca (an indigenous group of Oaxaca ) dialect and those that speak it are called Triqui as well. They live in a region of Western Oaxaca close to the state of Guerrero. Western Oaxaca is one of the poorest regions of the state and since Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico (it switches places frequently with Chiapas for the honor of most impoverished) this area is very poor. The Triquis in Western Oaxaca have been fighting each other for some time now. Initial conflicts in the region were disputes over land rights and borders, a common source of disagreement in Mexico . Apparently the land dispute among the...

I have been a real slacker about posting, life is very busy right now and my research activities are really taking off. I also moved into a new apartment yesterday with two other young women so time has been devoted to this endeavor as well. My new apartment is not quite as fancy as the big house but it is definitely a nice space with a garden and good bathrooms! Good bathrooms are important! There was a roach last night on the bathroom counter but luckily it wasn't a big one and my roomie, who I share the bathroom with, killed it. She seems a bit more courageous on the roach front. She did tell me a story about roaches climbing up through the drain on the shower floor onto her leg at her last residence. Apparently it happened twice and now I have the heebie jeebies. I will post pictures of our new place soon. I did encounter a perverted Oaxaca man on the street the other day, or rather his hand encountered my butt. I was walking along on a narrow sidewalk and coming towards me ...

I have become attached to those little dogs I posted pictures of earlier. I'm now feeding them everyday (dog food is expensive!) and they hang out by the front gate of the Big House. I've named the black and white and orange and white one Hansel and Gretel. I'm sure when the owners return home next week they will be extremely pleased that they now have pack of dogs congregating and drooling around the front gate. I'm moving to a new apartment in the center of town next week which is a great development (I won't be in BFE anymore) but unfortunately I can't take them with me as there are already dogs at my new apartment. Territory issues. I'm now attempting to get sucker gringos to adopt them. I created this flier to post at the gringo library and attempted to make the dogs look as cute as possible. Click on the image to enlarge.. My research has taken a most exciting turn as well! San Felipe is out and the Triqui indigenous group of Western Oaxaca is in! I w...

Picture Source: http://www.noticias-oax.com.mx/ Last night I was at a birthday party for the German librarian of the Welte Institute of Oaxacan Studies. The party consisted of me, the librarian, her German friend, and a Oaxacan woman. The party was at the librarian's home which happens to be right next to the Big House, my current residence. We were laughing and drinking wine having a great time when the Oaxacan woman's phone rang. The call was from her maid who informed her that the governor's helicopter, which we had just heard fly overhead, had crashed close to his house in San Felipe! We ran outside (I live in San Felipe very close to the governor) looking for smoke, flames, basically some evidence of the crash. There were no flames, or smoke to be seen but we did notice blinking emergency lights and heard many sirens. The Oaxacan woman (who lives very close to me) and I left, she gave me a ride home, and on the short trek to the Big House we encountered all kinds of ca...

Just when I thought Barry White was the weirdest music I might hear in Mexico, I think what I heard today beats Barry! I hopped off the bus and was walking home past a very modest home and emanating from this extremely modest home was George Michael's late 80s (I think?) hit, Careless Whisper. I started laughing out loud. What other reaction could I have!? Look at that hair!

Not much posting recently, I had a guest in town for a week (hi guest!) so I have been otherwise occupied. We did manage to head out to Hierve el Agua or, in English, the water boils. It does not however, as we found out, mean the water is warm. It is simply a spot in the mountains outside of Oaxaca where the water boils up from the ground and creates standing pools, waterfalls, and some pretty amazing calcified rock formations. To get there you must hop on bus to Mitla then take a small collectiva up the mountain. The collectiva is a small truck with a shelter of sorts over the back and benches fashioned to the shelter. On the way up we sat in the back while the two tourists from the Czech Republic, who were obviously a bit smarter than we were, sat up front away from the wind and dust. It was a fun ride however and I managed to let go of the side of the truck and snap a photo before we hit the switchbacks going up the side of the mountain. My guest, while responsible for some of the...

This will be a research post, sort of, so unless you need a cure for persistent insomnia (which you might after seeing the scorpion photos) do not read any further. I currently live in San Felipe del Agua, a suburb of Oaxaca that some have called "The Beverly Hills of Oaxaca", although I don't know if in the real Beverly Hills they would allow scorpions. This is an interesting area because of the mixture and contrast of the wealth of Oaxaca's upper class alongside the relative poverty of some of the communities communal farmers. I had an interview with a Spanish teacher from my school on Wednesday. He is a long term resident of San Felipe and was able to talk to me about many of the conflicts between residents and communal farmers. Some interesting things from the interview.... The city of Oaxaca gets 60 to 70% of its water from San Felipe. The hills above San Felipe were declared a national park in the 70s, unfortunately for the communal farmers, the borders of this...

I promised another post from Day of the Dead, and that may still be forthcoming but right now I'm going to post about the Day of the Dead for the two scorpions I encountered in the house this week. Alacrán and escorpión are the two Spanish names for scorpion though alacran seems more popular here. When I was in Guanajuato doing my MA research I was also battling scorpions and luckily I came out unscathed, other than some mental damage, from that battle. This time, at the Big House in Oaxaca, so far, I'm winning. Despite being in very different living conditions from Guanajuato they have found me. Apparently scorpions are immune to being impressed and intimidated by large houses and the unnecessary displays of wealth this particular one projects onto the Mexican landscape. My first encounter was a few nights ago. I was walking down the hall and saw something scuttle away and wondered "what is that?" Upon closer inspection it looked like a scorpion but seemed rather sma...

Just my all-time favorite Saturday Night Live sketch ever! "Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!"

I tried to enable comments but I tried it once before and it didn't work. Anyway, new posts should have a section for commenting...maybe, this is a test post...try it if you dare! Update: Comments work! I turned off comment moderation, I think that was being a bit optimistic anyway. So, all future posts will have space available for comments. So much excitement I think I have to go to sleep.

A few pictures from Day of the Dead but more to follow and some descriptions. Day of the Dead is an incredible sight in Mexico and any description I try to offer accompanied by photos will pale in comparison to the actual event. This is a must attend at least once in your lifetime. This a picture from the main cemetery in Oaxaca, though these tapetes (literally rugs) are all over the city. It is a picture on the floor constructed of colored sand. Some are made of concrete powder, or seeds, but frequently just sand. They are truly amazing and transitory works of art. This little lady caught my eye. The picture below is an altar at my Spanish school. I dropped by on Thursday and there was a band and everyone was drunk from too many shots of mezcal. I just wanted to pay for next weeks lessons! This picture trips me out a bit, notice the light from the sun shining on the cross on the floor, looks a bit like flames doesn't it? I think someone knows I'm a sinner..... Heading to the c...

This has to be one of the funniest things I have seen in awhile.... click here

I'm posting a quick video I took last night with my camera at a cemetery in Atzompa, a town that is now a suburb of Oaxaca. More pictures and descriptions to follow but right now I'm exhausted. We left for the cemetery last night at 1:00am and didn't return home until after 3:00am.

I checked out Blade Runner from the gringo founded and managed "Oaxaca Lending Library", a place that would require its own blog to explain. This morning when I was there returning a few other movies I had checked out, I was lucky enough to overhear a conversation amongst some of the retired crowd about a marvelous new hearing aid! Apparently someone had discovered a hearing aid for 42 bucks at Radio Shack and it seemed to work as well, if not better, than several other 1000 dollar hearing aids purchased elsewhere. The man responsible for this wonderful discovery had brought it in to the library to pass around for others to try. If they agreed that it was indeed marvelous he was offering to bring back a box full of them next time he went to the States. As the hearing aid is being passed around a small table of the retired expats you can imagine the conversation, and the volume levels necessary to keep it going. "Can you hear me?" "What?" "Turn the vol...

You Tube has now sucked me in....I can't get away. One more clip. I love Will Ferrel, especially when he imitates President Bush. This is one of my favorites.... Okay, one more, do you see how addicted I am! This one is about global warming...

A really cool song by the Mexican Institute of Sound, a group I discovered tonight while procrastinating. I don't understand everything they are saying either but it really doesn't matter, the song has a great beat and is so catchy! Take a whisten..... That is not a spelling error but rather a tribute to Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Love as Buckwheat promoting his album "Buh-Weet Sings", a classic! And I found the SNL Buh-Weet Sings commercial on You Tube!! Check it out...Wookin' Pa Nub is my favorite...

This photo is just outside the Big House looking up the road. This is the portion of the road that the high level bureaucrat had paved, though you cannot see his home in this picture. I like this picture because even though I live in this giant house, with all these fancy amenities, right outside my front gate exists a totally different way of life. Everyday when I walk to the bus I pass burros eating at the side of the road or running down the road being driven by some farmer leading them to greener pastures. No pun intended. Also in this photo are my two favorite dogs. I think they are strays although they don't actually look too skinny, they seem to be rather happy. They wag their tail at me as I walk by, so unlike many other strays in Mexico, they must not be used to being kicked with frequency. Anyway, these dogs tug at my heart strings so much and I want to adopt both of them, they are clearly a family. Must resist temptation...must resist...weakening.... As always click on ...

Yesterday as I was lying in bed reading I thought I felt an earthquake. Not a big one but just a little bit of shaking. One of the things I like to do is verify whether or not there was an actual earthquake or whether I'm apparently just inherently unstable. This morning I went to the USGS website to figure it out and sure enough, there was a 4.6 magnitude quake about 85 miles ESE of Oaxaca close to Tehuantepec. Check it out...

I was supposed to head out tonight to say goodbye to one of my friends from Spanish school but just about the time I was getting ready to walk to the bus it started raining. As much of the road to the bus is dirt, this of course then turns to mud when it rains, and makes it rather swampy to walk anywhere. Since it gets dark around 7:00pm, I either have to call a cab (which doesn't seem to work very well) or just stay in. So, I guess it is staying in for me. I wanted to post another picture of buildings subsiding around the Zocalo in Mexico City. Yes, I'm fascinated by this. I really like this picture because it shows the buildings at crazy angles, I enjoy the color of the building facades and the colonial architecture, and there is a market on the street that is just teeming with humanity. The photo sort of captures a lot of the things that make Mexico City so beautiful, chaotic, and out of balance. The thing that makes it really special however, are the" WC" signs di...

I'm ditching my Spanish class today and instead of studying grammar I'm sitting outside looking at the pool....tough life, I know. My neighbor appears to have a fondness for Barry White. Barry White played VERY loudly....not exactly what I was expecting from my neighbors. Kinda makes me want to get a glass of Courvoisier and turn the lights down real low...maybe light a candle or two.

A huge rainstorm right now at the big house. Thunder, lightening, all the bells and whistles. As I'm sitting at my computer, waiting for the power to go out as it usually does during a storm like this in Mexico, a small roach (quite small) climbs onto my keyboard and underneath the keys! Yes, the boundless joys of Mexico. Several moments later, as I began typing, he escaped out the side and trotted off over the desk. Nothing makes your fingers tap lightly on the keyboard and promotes wrist elevation like roaches underneath the QWERTY. Good times...good times....

ACT I: Mexican Airport Hell Because everything is not always sunshine and roses in Mexico as the pictures I post might lead one to believe, I thought I would relate the story of what happened to me on my return trip from Mexico City. I decided to leave Mexico City a day early, on Saturday as opposed to Sunday, because of sheer exhaustion after a week of traveling and imbibing with my friend. Saturday morning I booked a flight on the internet with Mexicana airlines to come home that evening at 6:00pm. I entered my credit card information and received a confirmation number so I assumed everything was hunky dory and proceeded to the Zocalo to be a major turista. I left the hotel around 4:15 and arrived at the airport at 5:00 and went to the check out line. When I reached the ticket agent she seemed to be having difficulties with my reservation and after consulting with another agent told me that my transaction online was only to HOLD a seat, I hadn't actually purchased it yet and I ...

Some images of Mexico City, I will write more later about my adventures, it has been a crazy weekend. This first picture is from our hotel room on the 18th floor in the Polanco area of Mexico City. It was a wonderful neighborhood! I went to Starbucks....yes, I'm admitting it publicly. I also bought coffee beans to bring back to Oaxaca, I have now fed the corporate beast. I took this picture to try and capture how bad the smog is....visibility is crappy to say the least. Then, only a few hours later there was a rain storm, look at the view now. Incredible isn't it? The pictures don't do it justice but hopefully the degree of air cleansing that occurs with rain is evident. This picture is the same view but I actually zoomed out (or however you say it, take notice of the glass building on the right)! There are now mountains in the background that weren't visible before? Pollution! These are pictures of buildings around the central Zocalo that are subsiding. Click on each ...

Not much posting this week as I have a friend in town and we have been traveling first to the beach and today to Mexico City. Upon my return I will try to upload more images of the trip and write a bit about our adventures. In the meantime some pictures of the beach in two towns on the coast of Oaxaca to make you jealous. Puerto Angel and the Bahia de la Luna hotel on a very hard to get to small bay. I was rolling my luggage down a deeply pitted dirt road. More on that later... Another view of Bahia de la Luna...that is a cabin up there in the trees. Not our cabin of course, the cheap accommodations are behind that one. After Puerto Angel and the rustic environment of the Bahia de la Luna we moved on to Huatulco. Below is a view of one of the bays of Huatulco from the hotel window. We splurged and stayed at the Las Brisas which is all inclusive. They should post a sign in the lobby that says "Warning, all inclusive packages will make you overeat and drink too much in an effort to ...

Geri mentioned to me a few days ago that there is a man in the neighborhood who occasionally wanders around and repeatedly screams at the top of his lungs. Apparently she hadn't heard him in awhile and of course being new to Jalatlaco (the name of the neighborhood) I had not heard him either. Well tonight he is out and about and totally giving me the heebie jeebies. When Geri said he screamed that was putting it mildly. This is an all-out excruciating wail. I'm in my room working and at regular intervals I hear this awful throat-grinding, guttural, pained yell that sounds like something out of science fiction flick. He is definitely going to need some Hall's cough drops after this session. I wonder if this is the same guy who was passed out on the sidewalk this morning with one shoe on....I had to step over him on my way to Spanish class. I am actually staying in a nice neighborhood despite the sleepy sidewalk drunks and the screamers, really I am.

So a friend posted this visited countires map on their blog and I'm stealing the idea! Of course this friend will only know I stole it if they visit my blog....it is test... create your own visited countries map

I was walking down the Alcala today, one of the main tourist thoroughfares, passing by a museum, when I looked over and saw this striking image. I'm standing on the street taking this picture through an open stone portal to the museum. Click on the photo to make it larger. Pretty cool is it not? Update: This sculpture is in the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Oaxaca and is by Javier Marin. There is an accent over the "i" in his name but I haven't yet figured out how to do accents in blogger. I went to the museum today to get a closer look and I'm really fascinated by this artist. So much so in fact that I went surfing the web to find out how much his sculptures cost on the market. Apparently they cost more than a graduate student can afford to spend on art. Anyway, I encourage you all to check out his website and some of his work, it is really amazing.

Nothing says "We are independent!" like a show of military force!