And the Rain Came

When our girls were young teens, we liked to go tent camping and boating at Lake DeGray.  We were always anxious to get out for the first time each season, which usually resulted in a trip over the long Memorial Day weekend.   We would get there early on Saturday morning and pitch our tent.   The year I remember most clearly was one when both girls brought a friend.   Chrissy and her friend Leslie were about 13, and Charla and her friend Ashley were about 10.  The older girls had their own small tent and the younger pair had their bed in ours..   Once the camp was set up we headed out on the lake for a day of fun.   We returned to camp tired and waterlogged, and after dinner went to bed shortly after dark.   As soon as we fell asleep, after a long interlude of adolescent giggling, the weather took a turn.   The wind picked up, and the thunder and  light show began.   This brief period was followed by a sudden torrential rain.   About this time, we began to think that maybe we should have collected the older kids into our tent.   The younger ones were huddled in the center of the tent, begging us to go home.   About that time we heard the car door slam and we realized that the older kids had fled through the flood to the car.   Although secretly we shared the thought of heading home, we had no interest in pulling down two tents in the dark gale, so we waited out the storm.   Looking back, I think it only lasted a couple of hours but it was a long 2 hours.   And, did I mention that the tent leaked?   The first sign of leakage was that any bedding which was touching the side, wicked water.   We were wall-to-wall beds, but did our best to pull everything to the center, away from the canvas.   In the morning, we realized why that action had little effect.   There was an 8" moat of standing water all the way around the perimeter of the inside of the tent.   The beds were wet.   The blankets were wet.   Our clothes were wet.  WE were wet.    In the morning the sun came out; the birds sang; we hung out our bedding to dry, and had another great day of boating.   But after boating, the girls outvoted us and we headed home for a dry night at the house.

This vivid memory came back last night when the storm moved in.   We were not in a tent, but Mexican houses are not exactly water-proof.   We were awakened by wind, thunder and lightning, that sounded like an oncoming tornado sounds in Arkansas.   The house is all windows and skylights, so we could hear the rain pounding the house.   The lightning cracks revealed palm trees blowing in all directions.   We got up when we heard it coming and closed the windows.   In the midst of it, we rechecked the windows.   It lasted for a couple of hours.   I later learned that we got over 2 inches of rain in that period, and that in town several large trees had blown down.   We woke up to find our bedroom and family room floors standing in water.   The foot of the comforter on our bed was lying in water and it was wicking up the bed.   A red throw rug was sharing its color with a once-green throw blanket whose corner was touching it.   The swimming pool is running over.   But the sun is out and laughing at us.   The floors are tile, and are now cleaner than they were yesterday.   I had flashbacks to those days of tent camping, but realized I AM home!

Night life in Smalltown, Mexico

Night life for Mexicans centers around the town square, called a plaza.   This is where outdoor concerts are held, vendors display their wares, old men sit around, and teen stroll around showing off.  

After our day of adventure in Mezcala, we stopped for dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant with some of our new friends, Eddie and Betty.  

Then we decided to return to Mezcala for the music concert and activities that evening.   Even though it was a Wednesday, the music did not start up until 9:00.   Aug 6-17 was the festival for the patron saint of Mezcala, so there would be festivities every night.   Across the street from where we parked, we saw "roof dogs" doing their guard jobs.

 

At 9:00, the square was sparsely populated.   The church had been completely redecorated during the afternoon, presumably for a wedding.

We had spotted the musicians earlier in the day, and of course, they started up their concert somewhat later than the scheduled 9:00.   Then the crowd gathered. 

  

There were activities set up for the children, such as this jumping cage, which cost about $1 for 20 minutes. 

Vendors strolled the area with flowers, cotton candy, balloons, and glowing toys.    

 

We were surprised at the number of small children present at that time of evening, as well as their calm and respectful demeanor.  Some worked along side their parents, while others collected cans, ate ice cream or enjoyed the show.

The music made up in volume for whatever was missing in quality.    

Although the setup for the fireworks was quite impressive, we stayed for about an hour and a half of ear-bleeding music, and decided to leave at about 11:30, before the fireworks display.   

Voyage aboard the Minnow

About 5 miles from where we live is a historic town called Mezcala.   The population of this town is mostly indigenous people, with a very interesting history.   When the Spanish conquistadors came in, the people of this village fled by boat to a nearby island called Mezcala, where they held off the Spanish for 4 years, in spite of severe hardship and shortage of food.   Finally, they negotiated a peace agreement and were allowed to return to their homes unmolested.  Many credit this group with being the inspiration for the Mexican war of independence, which eventually threw off the Spanish rule.  On the island, the Spanish constructed a fort, which was later used by the Mexicans as a prison.

Enough, history!  On Wednesday, we decided to explore the town of Mezcala.   We started at the church in the town square.

Inside, it was all decorated in pink and white.  A large, party approached, and it became clear that this was a 15 year old birthday party.  "Quinci años" parties for girls represent a milestone in maturity and are celebrated much like weddings.   Although this is a very poor town, we were amazed at the formal dress, that was all coordinated in color.   

 We were also surprised that the event was marked by a full mass in the church, and lots of ringing of bells.   A large band of musicians played and sang music that reminded me of scenes from the Godfather movie.   I know, that is the wrong country, but that is what came to mind!

When the mass was over, the party paraded down the street, accompanied by the musicians, to a private residence. ..The townspeople who were not involved in the event, enjoyed the music from the plaza.

 Since we watched for a long time, we were hungry and venders were now set up around the square.   We sat down and enjoyed some tacos and quesadillas for lunch, then walked through a museum which housed lots of pottery that had been found in the area that dated back to 500 B.C. 

We headed down the 4 blocks to the pier of the lake to see about catching a boat to the island.   We were met by a boy that appeared to be about 12 years old, who asked us if we wanted to go to the island.   He quoted a price and we said yes, assuming he would take us to where we could buy tickets.   Not so!   He took us to his boat, and brought it around to the warehouse pallet that served as a dock.  Yes, Reynaldo was the Capitán!   On the way to the boat he grabbed the hand of a toddler playing near by and loaded him onto the boat (to serve as first mate?)

Fortunately we did not have to row, and the trip was pleasant.  When we arrived, Reynaldo replaced his Capitàn hat with a tour guide hat, and accompanied us around the island.  Of course, the first mate, who I learned was a nephew, came along as well.   I have never seen a more well-behaved child!  There was no whining or complaining on the hour walk which included a lot of climbing, and he stayed right with us.

There were ruins of two churches, on the island.   One was in the process of being restored.   But the more interesting feature was the fort-turned-prison.   At one point 400 prisoners were housed here.   Outside the fort was a structure used for punishment of prisoners.   There were also ruins of the housing used for the soldiers.

As a part of the restoration, several enormous stone tablets honoring indigenous heroes were being erected.   For some reason, there was a desire to get them to the base of the hill.   The Mexican way of accomplishing this was quite entertaining to watch.

On our return trip, we made a stop at a tilapia nursery and also stopped to snag some floating liria (water lillies) from the lake to take home to the pond in our garden.  And the Minnow made a safe return!

Journey into the Past

Yesterday we took a day trip out to a group of pyramids that date back to about 2000 B.C.   They are called Guachimontones, and are unique because of being constructed in concentric circles.   They are located about an hour drive west of Guadalajara, near a town called Teuchitlán.  We found the site rather easily, with the aid of our Garmin.   The interpretive center was only 2 years old and was designed in a circular shape to complement the pyramids.    

We were greeted by a guide who spoke English and were shown a 30 minute film in English, telling the history of the site.   It was interesting and quite well made.  There were artifacts on display in the center which were found in the area of the pyramids, and descriptions of what was known of the people who lived there.   

Our guide in the center was named Sagrario, and she decided to hike up to the pyramids with us.   The hike was about 300 meters -- straight up!   It was warm and we stopped to rest in every patch of shade.   When we looked back from the top, it was quite surprising how far we had climbed.   (The white building in the lower right corner of the photo is the interpretive center, and the town of Teuchitlán is in the background.)

But the payoff for the hike was the sight of several huge pyramids that rose to sight as we topped the hill.   They had 13 layers with a plateau, followed by 4 more layers used for sacrifices.  Each was surrounded by 13 platforms which once had held temples.  Originally the entire structure was covered in ornately decorated clay, which had been made with cactus slime to make it strong.   The size and scale is difficult to describe.   That is the edge of one of the surrounding platforms in the foreground.

Even more interesting than the pyramids were rectangular structures the size of football fields which were used for a game which resembled soccer.   The ball was made of hard rubber and weighed as much as a bowling ball.   Teams tried to move the ball by only hitting it with their hips toward the opposing end of the field.  The interesting part was that this was used to settle territorial disputes among tribes.   The game began at dawn and continued to the death.  Death came from broken bones from being struck with the heavy ball.   The winning team (i.e. last ones breathing), and those they represented, were allowed the land.   And the surviving members of the team were "allowed" to sacrifice themselves to the gods.  (Really!)   So no one survived the game.  And I thought Razorbacks took their ballgames seriously!!

Here is the ball field, viewed from one end.   The tiny man in the distance is standing at the far end.  (Yes, there is really a man in the photo in front of the distant rock wall!)

We really enjoyed our guide Sagrario.

We had lunch in the town of Teuchitlán for $5 total, and headed back.  It was well worth the drive!

Car Wash

Driving to Mexico involved lots of dirt roads, rain, and mud.   Both cars arrived dirtier than anything I've ever ridden in.   We drive my little Fiesta most of the time, so the first time we went to Walmart we allowed the guys with buckets and rags in the parking lot to wash it.   Because it was so bad, we paid them the $8 they asked.   They did a pretty good job, and it was done while we shopped for groceries.   They even got a big layer of grime off the tires.

When the plumber was here one day, Dan was trying to learn as much as possible about the area.   The plumber spoke a little English, so Dan asked him what "the places where they wash your car" are called.    He carefully spelled out  "C A R   W A S H".    Sure enough, we noticed several "Car wash" signs in town after that.   Duh!

A friend recommended a particular one, so today we took the Explorer in.   They wash the outside, and vacuum and wipe down the inside for about $5.   So we waited in the adjoining outdoor palapa covered café and drank coffee as we watched.   They first pressure washed the whole car, paying particular attention to the tires.   Then they opened each door and the hatch and pressure washed around the doors.   I about had to restrain Dan when he saw them spraying water INSIDE the car.

Yes, that is water spraying in and through the open door!   The worker opened all 4 doors and the hatch in succession and then made another pass around the car with soap.   After this, he moved the car down, so we never saw what he did on the inside.   About the time the car was moved, another patron came in and we nervously asked him if he had used this car wash before.   He said "Yes.   They always do a great job!"  So we waited and visited with our new friend.  (We now have his name and phone number.)   And after another half hour or so, the worker signalled that our car was ready.   We paid the waitress/cashier for our coffee and the carwash and went to survey the work.

It looked awesome!   The seats were not wet.   The inside looked like it had been Armor-All'ed.   OK, the headliner was slightly damp.   But we will definitely be back!   And I hear the palapa café serves a great taco.   So we have now found a "Car Wash and Lunch" spot!

Ballet Folklorico

In my last blog, I mentioned the Ballet Folklorico fundraiser that we attended Friday night.   Actually, there was first a Mariachi band that played during dinner.   

The thing about mariachi bands is that although they are usually very skilled with their instruments, the singing often carries more enthusiasm than tune.   This group, however was great!   We really enjoyed their serenade.  

One lady danced through a few songs.   This little girl listened intently while munching on her taco, and dancing.

Dinner began at 3:30.   The folk dancing was to begin at 5:00.   So we sat back and enjoyed visiting with the people around us.  Right on time at 5:00, the dance troupe arrived.   Of course, it took another hour for them to get into costume!   But the show was well worth the wait.   The graceful moves, elaborate costumes, and broad smiles were wonderful.   They danced with kerchiefs, fans, and short swords.  The men juggled their swords while blindfolded.  Pictures do not do them justice, but here are some samples:

 

We had a great time and enjoyed the sounds, colors and flavors of Mexico!

If you would like to view some short videos of this event:

Yes, they are BLINDFOLDED, DANCING WITH KNIVES!

A Day in the Life

I was just asked if we are settling in.   I know people wonder what in the world we do all day.   

Well, today I watched a hazy sunrise, then cleaned some oranges, lemons and limes from our trees to use for dinner tomorrow.   Then we went into town for Dan's Spanish lesson.   While he was there I strolled through the lakeside market place, listening to sidewalk musicians.   I found the wooden curtain rings I needed at a carpentry shop and headed back to pick up Dan from his haircut appointment.   We headed to a Mexican fiesta where strolling musicians entertained us, following by a performance of Ballet Folklorico - a colorful Mexican folk dance performance.   The $30 we spent for dinner and the show was a fundraiser for the town square which is being updated with original sculptures and works of art from local artisans.   We got home in time to pick some more limes and watch the sun set over the lake.   

I think we are settling in.   :-)