Life's oscillations

This post was written once, and lost in the intertubes.  So this will be short, with photographs.

For the 24th, we borrowed Rafael and a van from Rolantours.  He was an excellent chauffeur who dropped us first at Mitla, where our tour guide explained the lovely geometric Zapotec designs as evoking "life's oscillations".  Memorable.

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I think, reviewing photos of Mitla in the tour books, that our inexperienced guide may have missed a whole important area of the site, but we forgive him anyway - this was our d-it-yourself tour with GMcOke as guide.  Part of Mitla archaeology is within the existing church, all itself within a not well-to-do village, seemingly hard living town.

After Mitla Rafael drove us to Yagul.  It was stupendous, our favorite, up a hill, no town remaining, great 360 degree views.  Mr McOke easily found his way through the maze; AMillPat looked romantic and rugged against the clouds.

At Teotitlan we saw more oscillating patterns, with the pequeno Isaac Vasquez helping us see how difficult the yarn carding, the spinning, the dyeing work is, and then asking us "would you like to see my family's work?"  Of course.  And of course, we got a bolsa, a rug, two pillow cases.  Featuring the Zapotec patterning.  Score!

We then went to El Tule, eating at the restaurant of the same name.  We butchered Espanol but Rafael generously encouraged us, talking about his three hijos and cultural differences, for example, that in Mexico people drink with amigos, not really with meals; and the 30 ingredients in his grandmother's mole.  We passed around the engilsh/spanish dictionary and discovered translations for Raisins and Souvenir.

After siesta Mr McOke brilliantly hosted us on the rooftop terrace, for a christmas eve toast of mezcal.  Our tourist dinner on the zocalo was mediocre at best, but around us were enthusiastic processions, with giant dancing puppets, horn bands, fireworks, dancing and children posed on the back of trucks, replete with pull on beards, evoking the nativity.    We noticed that tonight, not like the night of the Rabanos, there were few armed guards or policia....everything festive and friendly.

As we returned to the B&B through Santo Domingo plaza we saw a puzzling site:  clay figures, full sized, seeming to be decaying, lined in the plaza.  A puzzle still.

Feliz Navidad!

la virgin in all her forms

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She is stunning at the Basilica of Soledad, crowned in diamonds, and she is stunning in radish form as well. For the latter, you'll have to take my word for it until I can get the pictures up.

Also, Ferdi says the coastal area is virginal, by which he seems to mean undeveloped, and beautiful. As an aside, we would have remained Oaxaca carne mercado virgins all our lives were it not for his guidance. He chauffered us through the market beef, where you select from among the raw cuts on display, including chorizo. you point, and then they cook it for you immediately on the neighboring grill. yes, there are at least six booths set up indoors, all displaying raw beef and keeping a flaming grill nearby. anyway it was delicious and of course our men folk are now convinced. we'll be back....

Ms Millpatt and I also got ourselves into a tin master's shop on Matamoros Street where we met the master, memorably, and she placed an order for an articulated skeleton for us to pick up Miercoles, in the afternoon.

While we waited to view the rabanos this afternoon, in a long but efficient line, we chatted with a friendly policia/guard who spoke english, french and german, and also spanish, but his native language was a mixtec dialect. he has not traveled. he apoke of being so proud of Oaxaca this afternoon, that people would come from all over the world to see her artistry, to be here today.

And really the rabanos were remarkable. so much good humor on display. The artist's topics typically were grand, such as the virgin, or the natividad, or great artists like Frida and Diego, or el diablo or Adam and Eve. Yet by the audacity of the carvings you know these are not people
cowed by great stories, but engaged deeply with them. Much food for the heart here, in Oaxaca.

art high

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for a while there, yesterday's theme bled over into today. we got up early, breakfasted, than hiked to Mina Street to catch the autobus touristicas for Monte Alban. GmcOke was clearly skeptical. As we walked through a busy poor mercantile street a woman swept upon us and brought us to the bus "terminal" which was a garage with benches and a four year old performing happily, it seemed, but then asking for pesos....Though no one said as much, there was concern about my choice of transit. but a bus came, on time, drove us safely to Monte Alban, and picked us up when it said it would, for a total of 41 pesos each or less than $4 uSD so we did fine...

At Monte Alban Mario gave us the tour. he was fluent in english for guiding but a poor conversationalist. Monte Alban is a remarkable site but my crew is a little jaded about ancient architectural astroarchaeology, what with our tour of it in Ireland a few years ago. but the mountain was warm and we finally got some perspective on our setting. Oaxaca is large and mostly very poor, in a beautiful country of mountain and valley.

Upon our return we ate good salad at La Olla and Ms Miilpat and i went gallavanting. we went to the MOCA (museum of contemporary art) on alcala st, looked at art for purchase at la mana magica, and then made my day visiting las
pinturas museum, featuring oaxacan painters Rudolfo M... and Alvara Santiago. i liked the work by each master, but particularly santiago where he repeatedly showed a big literal heart and other of his own iconography in a manner that seemed quite fun and life affirming. some of his pieces reminded me of JBs art, possibly for a similar reason.

tonite we attended a free filharmonica concert at a fine and very old theater. all the music was dramatic and appealing but the musicians were also very strong, well rehearsed, and their maestro very young and terrific fun to watch. (Sylvain Gasancon, of France) There was a great clarinet soloist, (Miguel hernandez Aguilar) very pleasing to hear, but i also want to look for more music by carlos chavez who wrote "sinfonia india" and by "otto rino respighi" who wrote pinos de roma...

i practiced listening from my feet, belly, and remembered to sense myself while listening and thoroughly enjoyed myself. possibly sweetest was being there, in this remarkable theater, hearing great music played beautifully, with the people dearest to me and others i love....

ancient cultures day

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today was about pre colonial cultures. We took our time at the cultural history museum in santo domingo, in the impressive, spotless, vast former monastery turned museum. i think the zapotec and mixtec graphics are so clear, bold and appealing. i wish we knew more about their cultures, how they cared for one another. late in the day we also visited the ruffino tamayo museum which i liked even more than santo domingo for the clarity of the presentation of the artifacts, maybe also because there was a clear affection for the material displayed, wholly lacking from the impersonal santo domingo presentation.

today we also visited the oaxaca textile
museum in a beautifully renovated building, and the mercado which is a thrilling place, but slightly stressful
when trying to account for four or more other people. Both millpatt boys scored fantastic sunglasses that suit them well for slightly less than $7, and andmillpatt scored a hat as well.

we ate our big meal around four pm, in a new effort to share the social
stress of decision making for a crowd assigning the locating of a dining locale to a random group member, which worked out hysterically but fine!

ethnobotanical garden tour

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our first big activity was an 11 am english language tour of the Oaxaca ethnobotanical garden, a beautiful reclaimed space in a former monastery/army barracks steps from our b&b. our guide was terrific. this area, meso america, is the birthplace of so much of the food we love in the world: corn, tomatoes, avocados, chiles. and the color red, from the parasite ("plague") cochineal creature that lives upon nopales. Our guide also memorably described the history of amaranth, an important seed protein in the diets of the indigenous people, prohibited by the Spanish, which then weakened the indigenous people with carbohydrate - centered diet...and alcohol. I want to read more about this!

long nights journey

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our beautiful b&b has a rooftop terrace, owned by a certain gingery male cat. We have sleep to make up, and mole to eat, before we go much further...My friend Judith's friend Salvador met us at caffe olla and so kindly introduced us to the city. we have our bearings which is fully improbable for such a short time being here already. thank you judith y salvador!

Packing List per Moon Handbook

Remember weather is in 70 to 80 degrees right now....

Light jacket or sweater

Windbreaker

Prep for pickpockets -- consider money belt

Loose fitting, hand washable, easy to dry clothes

"for men: informal"

"For women: one or two dressy outfits and the rest skirt, pant, blouse"

Camera

Comb

Good shoes for walking and hiking

Daypack for hiking

Reading books

Clock and/or watch

Lightweight clothes

Hat for sun

Mosquito repellent

Prescription anything

Money belt or ...

Sunglasses, sunscreen

Swimsuit

Toothbrush/toothpaste

Windbreaker

Earplugs

First aid kit

Flashlight/batteries

razor

Maybe:  travel radio, binoculars...