In the afternoon we went to the Zocalo, town square, just to see it. We enjoy seeing and comparing the Zocolos . In almost every city, town or village, no matter what size they are, there is a town square with a church on one side and usually there local government building on another. Then other little “shops” around the area. It appeared to us they might be having some entertainment here this evening so we decided we would come back about 4 or 5 to eat and hopefully enjoy some Mexican entertainment. Then we went to the grocery store to stock up and back home. At 4:30 we left with Steve and Genneal to go back to the Zocalo for dinner. They will be having entertainment at 7PM. We ate at a hotel restaurant adjacent to the square. We ordered a Mixed Plate for 4. Don’t ask what the name of it was or the items. It was much like when you go to a Chinese restaurant and order a dinner for 4 and they bring you a huge assortment of food. It was beautifully arranged on an oblong platter about 12 by 18 inches. They served much more food than we could eat but it was very good and colorful, a great meal and a great experience. We had fun with the young people as we waited for the entertainment to begin. The children are so cute and always so happy. The entertainment was Ballet Folklorica Dancing that we have so much enjoyed in Texas. We had a great time and good memories.
Mar. 1 Day 37 Travel day to San Cristobal. Notes in travel log
Today’s trip is sure to be long and hard as it is through the mountains and tropical rain forest on narrow roads. There are more curves than we have ever seen on a road with almost no shoulder. Last year when our Wagon Master made this trip his trip log shows that he went 100 miles before going 40 MPH. The natives here in these mountains grow corn. It is planted and harvested totally by hand. These are some of the most primitive people in Mexico. They do not seem to be very friendly. Most places we go just waving at the people brings a smile to their face and a wave back. It is not that way here. They just look away if we try to make eye contact or wave to them. The children, too, will not wave unless there is no adult with them. Very few of the children attend school in this area. An unusual occurrence we saw is the women in each village seem to wear the same blouse. It is Sunday so not sure if this is there Sunday clothes or if they dress alike every day. Each village we went through we saw a similar situation…all dressed alike but different from the other villages. We are very high in altitude now and the views of the mountains are so unusual with the misty mountain air of the rain forest. Up high here we see several new houses being built out of wood which is unusual. They are small with no frills. But they are no doubt better than they had before. We made it safely to our campground
Today’s trip is sure to be long and hard as it is through the mountains and tropical rain forest on narrow roads. There are more curves than we have ever seen on a road with almost no shoulder. Last year when our Wagon Master made this trip his trip log shows that he went 100 miles before going 40 MPH. The natives here in these mountains grow corn. It is planted and harvested totally by hand. These are some of the most primitive people in Mexico. They do not seem to be very friendly. Most places we go just waving at the people brings a smile to their face and a wave back. It is not that way here. They just look away if we try to make eye contact or wave to them. The children, too, will not wave unless there is no adult with them. Very few of the children attend school in this area. An unusual occurrence we saw is the women in each village seem to wear the same blouse. It is Sunday so not sure if this is there Sunday clothes or if they dress alike every day. Each village we went through we saw a similar situation…all dressed alike but different from the other villages. We are very high in altitude now and the views of the mountains are so unusual with the misty mountain air of the rain forest. Up high here we see several new houses being built out of wood which is unusual. They are small with no frills. But they are no doubt better than they had before. We made it safely to our campground
Mar. 2 Day 38 Bus tour to villages of Chamula and Zinacantan.
We were picked up by the tour company at the campground and transported to the villages in taxis which are really VW passenger vans, some very old. We were in the very old one for the first leg of our tour. It was not fun. These two villages are high in the mountains and the drivers only knew one speed…fast. Our first stop was in the village of Chamula. We are taking a walking tour of this small village. We were advised by our tour director to not take pictures of the people as they are very sensitive and believe that if someone takes their picture they take their soul too. We also cannot take pictures inside the churches. At other locations in Mexico we have been allowed to take pictures without flash inside the churches. We stopped first at a very old church and burial grounds. While there the guide was explaining some about the culture here in the area and a local woman, who was very angry, accused one of our group of taking her picture. The picture was actually taken of the cemetery which is allowed. But the woman insisted it was of her and wanted to be paid 2 Pecos. The guide took her aside and they had a very long talk, more like a heated argument on her part. She even told him she would have the person put in jail. He would not allow her to receive any payment and they argued back and forth for a few minutes before she finally walked away, still very angry. The guide then told us he could have given her the few Pecos she wanted but that would have only fueled the fire for the next tour group as it is their way of begging for money. Needless to say it drove home a point for all of us besides scaring us. We next walked to the Zocalo a few blocks away. This was still early in the morning and they were just getting ready to set up the market for the day’s business. We walked over to the church and made sure our cameras were put away before entering. It was a very strange scene in this Catholic Church. The worshipers here have a mixture of Mayan, Tzotzil and Catholic beliefs and customs with not much Catholicism . They cover the floor of the church with pine needles which they believe protects the believer. There are no pews in the church as it is used specifically as a place of purification. These ceremonies are often performed by medicine men/women who, it is believe remove the “bad spirits” from the people. The lighting of candles, drinking posh (a locally made cane liquor), and sacrificing chickens are other common ceremonies. We observed some of this while there in the church. It is quite strange. As we left the church we found a rack of post cards with pictures of the inside of the church. How funny that is but we bought one as a reminder of the very strange customs/beliefs of this church. The market was in full swing by the time we left the church but it would be very hard to get any pictures of it without taking pictures of people so we bought a post card depicting the market too. It was just very strange walking around in it. We continued walking around the little village and up the steep narrow streets. The next very interesting but confusing place we went was to the home of the Majordomo where he was performing some ritual important to the beliefs. There were, again, pine needles on the floor and incense burning along with candles and smoke and a very strange odor. What the guide told us was very confusing and very strange. We walked back to the Zocalo and by now it was lunch time. We reluctantly purchased some tacos from a street stand. They were somewhat different but good. That was our lunch. This was probably the most unusual village we have been in to date. In doing some research about this area I found this blog with even more info. http://www.break-fresh-ground.com/The-Americas/Middle-America/Mexico/Travelogue-2296/Journal-6.html. The guides spoken of in this blog are the same ones we had.
We were picked up by the tour company at the campground and transported to the villages in taxis which are really VW passenger vans, some very old. We were in the very old one for the first leg of our tour. It was not fun. These two villages are high in the mountains and the drivers only knew one speed…fast. Our first stop was in the village of Chamula. We are taking a walking tour of this small village. We were advised by our tour director to not take pictures of the people as they are very sensitive and believe that if someone takes their picture they take their soul too. We also cannot take pictures inside the churches. At other locations in Mexico we have been allowed to take pictures without flash inside the churches. We stopped first at a very old church and burial grounds. While there the guide was explaining some about the culture here in the area and a local woman, who was very angry, accused one of our group of taking her picture. The picture was actually taken of the cemetery which is allowed. But the woman insisted it was of her and wanted to be paid 2 Pecos. The guide took her aside and they had a very long talk, more like a heated argument on her part. She even told him she would have the person put in jail. He would not allow her to receive any payment and they argued back and forth for a few minutes before she finally walked away, still very angry. The guide then told us he could have given her the few Pecos she wanted but that would have only fueled the fire for the next tour group as it is their way of begging for money. Needless to say it drove home a point for all of us besides scaring us. We next walked to the Zocalo a few blocks away. This was still early in the morning and they were just getting ready to set up the market for the day’s business. We walked over to the church and made sure our cameras were put away before entering. It was a very strange scene in this Catholic Church. The worshipers here have a mixture of Mayan, Tzotzil and Catholic beliefs and customs with not much Catholicism . They cover the floor of the church with pine needles which they believe protects the believer. There are no pews in the church as it is used specifically as a place of purification. These ceremonies are often performed by medicine men/women who, it is believe remove the “bad spirits” from the people. The lighting of candles, drinking posh (a locally made cane liquor), and sacrificing chickens are other common ceremonies. We observed some of this while there in the church. It is quite strange. As we left the church we found a rack of post cards with pictures of the inside of the church. How funny that is but we bought one as a reminder of the very strange customs/beliefs of this church. The market was in full swing by the time we left the church but it would be very hard to get any pictures of it without taking pictures of people so we bought a post card depicting the market too. It was just very strange walking around in it. We continued walking around the little village and up the steep narrow streets. The next very interesting but confusing place we went was to the home of the Majordomo where he was performing some ritual important to the beliefs. There were, again, pine needles on the floor and incense burning along with candles and smoke and a very strange odor. What the guide told us was very confusing and very strange. We walked back to the Zocalo and by now it was lunch time. We reluctantly purchased some tacos from a street stand. They were somewhat different but good. That was our lunch. This was probably the most unusual village we have been in to date. In doing some research about this area I found this blog with even more info. http://www.break-fresh-ground.com/The-Americas/Middle-America/Mexico/Travelogue-2296/Journal-6.html. The guides spoken of in this blog are the same ones we had.
The taxis picked us up and we went to another mountain village not too far away. This village, Zinacantan, grows flowers, cut flowers, that are shipped all over Mexico and probably the states. They were more than beautiful. The church we went to was just full of huge arrangements of their flowers. Of course we could not take pictures in this church either. The very interesting thing about this town was a tour of a house and small family owned business. We were invited into the house to get an idea of the life of these people. The one room structure was the living area with one bed and not many chairs. The furnishings showed us the important things in their lives: their religion with an alter, their family with pictures on the wall, and their work with items they have handcrafted. But they do have a small TV. Lol. It was quite a humbling experience. Going through the back door we entered a courtyard which was surrounded by other houses, the homes of other family members who also work in the family business. The courtyard is where their work area is and the small open air shop where they display and sell the products they make. To one side is another room that is their kitchen. It has no stove, only a wood fire on the ground where one of the ladies is making tortillas…for us! We are allowed to enter and watch and then eat them. There were several different condiments we could put on them. Think we chose ground pumpkin seeds and a little salsa. On the other side of the courtyard is the only area with running water but no sink. They use buckets and wash pans, etc. There was a small area with a door that appeared to be a bathroom and an area for grooming needs. Again we are humbled. We watched the family of weavers weaving the handcrafted fabric and we looked through all the interesting things they have made, linens, purses and beautiful shawls among other things. Many of us made purchases of their well made fantastic pieces of artwork. This was a great experience and sure to be one of the highlight days of our tour.
Mar. 3 Day 39 Free Day in San Cristobal
This was a free day to do whatever we needed to do or wanted to do. It was recommend by the Tail gunner that all of us check over our RV for any repairs or adjustments that might need to be made so this morning Gene checked over all mech. parts of RV and he also defrosted the frig. I got caught up on most of the ironing. Then at 10:30 we and Steve and Genneal went to the Zocalo and the open air market in downtown San Cristobal. It was an extremely busy place today. We had a fun time there seeing the different crafts available for sale, watching the people and children trying to sell us their wares, and seeing the great amount of very, very fresh produce, meats and edible livestock for sale. Then we found a very nice restaurant in an interior courtyard. These beautiful courtyards are hidden behind the store fronts. The wonderful and friendly wait staff spoke English. We like that as most of the time we don’t know what we are ordering. The food was great and so were the Sangria drinks. We stopped by the Chedraui store on our way home and made it back just in time for the group ice cream social and travel briefing for tomorrow’s trip. Another great day.
Mar. 4 Day 40 Travel to Tehauntepec
Our trip today is 218 miles but last year it took 8 hours so it will be a very long day. It takes us up, down and around these mountains, a beautiful drive. The highway department is putting in a new highway in this area and we see big cuts in the mountains where they are placing the new road. In the valley we see many fruit trees, appears to be several kinds, and fields of Agave. Something we were warned about this morning is that we most likely will see people, often children, stretching a string across the highway. They will want us to give them some money. What we did see is a lady in a wheel chair, who probably has nothing wrong with her, and a very young child stretching the string. We were advised to just keep inching through and they will eventually drop the string. That is exactly what happened. It is one of the crooked schemes we have to deal with. At our travel briefing this morning we were told there is an area we travel through that is very windy and advised we should tie down our awnings if we had any concerns about them. Sure enough as we drove along we saw several RVs pulled alongside the road who did not take care of the problem until it was too late. In this very windy area is a huge wind generator farm, maybe the biggest we have ever seen. At another spot in the road they used rocks as a barricade. This is so typical of road construction practices in Mexico.
In a small but busy village at a highway crossroads we saw an unusual site. As we approach all we could see was just an archway across the highway but as we got closer we could see that it is a very big overhead crosswalk. Notice the small inset in this photo. People can cross from all four corners to any other corner. This was quite strange in a small village. Another of the RV’s had problems today, a broken spring. He was carrying spares so he was back on the road soon after replacing it. So far we have made it without any vehicle problems.
Just a few miles from the campground we apparently made a wrong turn. The spot in the road did not match what it said in our trip log. We went on for a ways along with some other RVs who were following us. We stopped at a Pemex station to try to ask for help. In their broken English they said straight ahead would take us to Oaxaca. Steve has a GPS and he agreed. He can see the campground on the GPS. So off we went, 4 rigs, and soon one turned around and went back to the turn we missed. We found our way to the city and even though coming in from a different way, we found a turn-off to the campground. Steve, in his fairly small RV was in the lead and turned onto the street. Bill was next, with a much bigger motorhome pulling a tow he also turned before he realized the problem ahead. The street entrance was a very short and steep drop to a lower level. As the hitch got to the bottom it dug into the asphalt and he could not go anywhere. We pulled over on the other side of the street. Luckily there was a parking area there. How they got out of there is a another story! In the meantime Gene unhooked our tow and drove to find out where the correct entrance to the campground is. He quickly found it and came back and we watched the volunteer Mexicans get the RV free from the asphalt. We finally made it to the campground long after the ones who turned around. But we were not the only ones who got lost today. It was well after dark before all were located and led to the campground. This evening was to include a special dinner with entertainment. It got started very late. It was outside in a very nice well lit area. The food was very good as well as the entertainment. This city has a group of dedicated young people who play the Marimbas. They are so good they were invited to play for President Bush several months ago. They practice several hours every day It was very enjoyable as they played for us while we ate and then gave a concert when we were finished. Also we had a fashion show with 4 beautiful young ladies showing dresses worn for certain special events in the area. It was a beautiful ending to an ugly day. All toll, today, 1 flat tire, 1 broken spring, at least 4 awning problems, 1 U-bolt for a spring broken, not to mention those who came in a different route or were led to the campground. AND, we have to get back on the road first thing in the morning for another long day.
Mar 5 Day 41 Travel Day to Oaxaca and Tule Tree Parking
Oh Wow, another day of curvy mountain roads. Sometimes we,especially Gene, wonders if it will ever end. We have only 152 miles but it has many changes in elevation plus the winding roads. Even though it is mountainous the hillsides are planted, mostly with Maguay which is a form of Agave. In this area there are many, many places that produce Mescal from the Maguay. It is sort of like Tequila but pretty awful tasting. We tasted it last year on the bus tour we took. These fields must be very hard to get to and would have to be planted, tended by hand and the crop hauled out on foot as there are no roads going to them. In fact just now we are passing a small path that leads from the highway to the field nearby. It is all somewhat of a mystery to us. Now we are behind a fully loaded 18 wheeler on this winding road going up a steep grade. The truck has us slowed down to 10 MPH. We are unable to pass him. Up and over the hill we begin to see cactus, Organ Pipe cactus like we saw in Arizona, and some with fuzzy white tops on them that are called Bearded Man or something like that. Now in the valley we see many fields of vegetable crops. Something we have not seen here in Mexico: Near a high school we see young girls walking home from school with the anatomical babies that they use in schools to teach them how much work a baby really is and how to care for them. Good for this school district! Lack of education is the main thing holding this country back. They know it and are working on it…especially in the private schools and there are many private schools. Well we have been up, as high as 6,880 feet and down and around and around for 6.5 hours and still have 30 miles to go. We are now down in the valley and think we will stay down the rest of the way to our campground. We made a quick stop in Matalan to see how the Mescal is made. It is a crude process for sure. We have arrived in Oaxaca, pronounced Wa Ha Ca, and are parked in the Tule Tree Parking lot for RVs. More about the Tule Tree later. We are within walking distance of the town square and market area of this little community within Oaxaca. So I am sure we will spend some time there. There is a wood fence on 3 sides of this parking and as we look over it we see cows, pigs and hear chickens. Just across the street, as we arrived, we saw a man plowing a small garden with a team of oxen pulling a plow….and we are in a city. Soon after arriving we had a social and our tour guide for the next 2 days explained some about what we would be doing, about the little village of Tule Tree and about what the campground had to offer…like laundry service, drinking water, propane etc. We were sitting at tables under a tent and we decided it would be a good place for a game of Mexican train later. We also joined a group to eat some roasted goat/lamb and other fixins. Some liked it some did not. We sort of liked it. After eating we invited 2 other couples to join us for Mexican Train and then it was time for bed.
Oh Wow, another day of curvy mountain roads. Sometimes we,especially Gene, wonders if it will ever end. We have only 152 miles but it has many changes in elevation plus the winding roads. Even though it is mountainous the hillsides are planted, mostly with Maguay which is a form of Agave. In this area there are many, many places that produce Mescal from the Maguay. It is sort of like Tequila but pretty awful tasting. We tasted it last year on the bus tour we took. These fields must be very hard to get to and would have to be planted, tended by hand and the crop hauled out on foot as there are no roads going to them. In fact just now we are passing a small path that leads from the highway to the field nearby. It is all somewhat of a mystery to us. Now we are behind a fully loaded 18 wheeler on this winding road going up a steep grade. The truck has us slowed down to 10 MPH. We are unable to pass him. Up and over the hill we begin to see cactus, Organ Pipe cactus like we saw in Arizona, and some with fuzzy white tops on them that are called Bearded Man or something like that. Now in the valley we see many fields of vegetable crops. Something we have not seen here in Mexico: Near a high school we see young girls walking home from school with the anatomical babies that they use in schools to teach them how much work a baby really is and how to care for them. Good for this school district! Lack of education is the main thing holding this country back. They know it and are working on it…especially in the private schools and there are many private schools. Well we have been up, as high as 6,880 feet and down and around and around for 6.5 hours and still have 30 miles to go. We are now down in the valley and think we will stay down the rest of the way to our campground. We made a quick stop in Matalan to see how the Mescal is made. It is a crude process for sure. We have arrived in Oaxaca, pronounced Wa Ha Ca, and are parked in the Tule Tree Parking lot for RVs. More about the Tule Tree later. We are within walking distance of the town square and market area of this little community within Oaxaca. So I am sure we will spend some time there. There is a wood fence on 3 sides of this parking and as we look over it we see cows, pigs and hear chickens. Just across the street, as we arrived, we saw a man plowing a small garden with a team of oxen pulling a plow….and we are in a city. Soon after arriving we had a social and our tour guide for the next 2 days explained some about what we would be doing, about the little village of Tule Tree and about what the campground had to offer…like laundry service, drinking water, propane etc. We were sitting at tables under a tent and we decided it would be a good place for a game of Mexican train later. We also joined a group to eat some roasted goat/lamb and other fixins. Some liked it some did not. We sort of liked it. After eating we invited 2 other couples to join us for Mexican Train and then it was time for bed.
Mar 6 Day 42 Oaxaca Bus tour to area crafters and Mescal Processing
Oaxaca, at 5000 feet altitude, has a population of 260,000 and dates from 1522 AD. Today we are doing a bus tour to some local crafters. First we went to the factory where the famous Don Rosa Black Pottery is made. http://www.tomzap.com/coyotepec.html is the web site for the artisan we visited. Dona Rosa came up with the method of decorating black pottery from the local clay. There are many potters who attempt to duplicate but hers is the original. At this web site you can see pictures of their products, an explanation of the process and even an interesting pottery-making demo…which we saw while there. A piece of pottery takes 15 days to complete. Of course there is an extensive store there where we can and did purchase some pottery. Our next artisans were wood carvers and finishers. It was amazing to see the process as the two young artisans shaped the wood with a machete and special knives. Once the carving is done, which takes a few days, the pieces have to dry before being painted by the ladies of the family. The painting takes a few days for a very simple piece to 2-3 weeks for more intricate pieces. http://www.oaxacafinecarvings.com/%20 is a web site you can go to find more info and to buy some of the very expensive pieces of art. Finally we went to visit the Casa Santiago Weavers. Wool is carded and spun then dyed using natural dyes from the añil or indigo plant, seed pods, mosses, pecan, pomegranate zest, and of course the cochineal bug from which the crimson-colored dye, carmine, is derived. It is a family operation with their home a part of the complex which also includes a store for purchasing their beautiful work. http://www.mexconnect.com/en/articles/894-casa-santiago-rug-weavers-of-teotitlan-del-valle-oaxaca is an excellent site to find more information about this artisan family. Our last stop today is at a Mezcal distillery. Nearly every city or village in the state of Oaxaca has a Mezcal distillery but not all Mezcal is equal. It is made from the Maguay plant which is a species of Agave. In the region there is great pride in the magical process for making the ceremonial, social and medicinal drink and great disdain for the cheap, diluted and chemically altered drink sold commercially. The process is long and tedious. For more information goto: http://www.oaxaca-restaurants.com/mezcal.htm.
Oaxaca, at 5000 feet altitude, has a population of 260,000 and dates from 1522 AD. Today we are doing a bus tour to some local crafters. First we went to the factory where the famous Don Rosa Black Pottery is made. http://www.tomzap.com/coyotepec.html is the web site for the artisan we visited. Dona Rosa came up with the method of decorating black pottery from the local clay. There are many potters who attempt to duplicate but hers is the original. At this web site you can see pictures of their products, an explanation of the process and even an interesting pottery-making demo…which we saw while there. A piece of pottery takes 15 days to complete. Of course there is an extensive store there where we can and did purchase some pottery. Our next artisans were wood carvers and finishers. It was amazing to see the process as the two young artisans shaped the wood with a machete and special knives. Once the carving is done, which takes a few days, the pieces have to dry before being painted by the ladies of the family. The painting takes a few days for a very simple piece to 2-3 weeks for more intricate pieces. http://www.oaxacafinecarvings.com/%20 is a web site you can go to find more info and to buy some of the very expensive pieces of art. Finally we went to visit the Casa Santiago Weavers. Wool is carded and spun then dyed using natural dyes from the añil or indigo plant, seed pods, mosses, pecan, pomegranate zest, and of course the cochineal bug from which the crimson-colored dye, carmine, is derived. It is a family operation with their home a part of the complex which also includes a store for purchasing their beautiful work. http://www.mexconnect.com/en/articles/894-casa-santiago-rug-weavers-of-teotitlan-del-valle-oaxaca is an excellent site to find more information about this artisan family. Our last stop today is at a Mezcal distillery. Nearly every city or village in the state of Oaxaca has a Mezcal distillery but not all Mezcal is equal. It is made from the Maguay plant which is a species of Agave. In the region there is great pride in the magical process for making the ceremonial, social and medicinal drink and great disdain for the cheap, diluted and chemically altered drink sold commercially. The process is long and tedious. For more information goto: http://www.oaxaca-restaurants.com/mezcal.htm.
