Saturday, April 13, 2013

A Year in Mexico

Well, we've done it.  Made it through a year in Mexico.  We arrived on Friday, April 13th, yet despite that ominous arrival date, things have gone pretty smoothly. Well, with a few exceptions.  But let's dwell on the positive.

Random Things We Have Learned:

* Places exist where people greet strangers on the street with eye contact, a smile and a Buenos Dias.
* Children and dogs seem to do better when there are expectations, but otherwise they are kind of left alone.
* You do not have to treat pervasive bad weather as a congenital condition that you must endure for your entire life.
*  Time, and punctuality, are much more fluid concepts than we were brought up to believe.
*  You can kind of, sort of, learn the metric system but you won't really like it.  Ditto peso/dollar conversion.
*  Never completely, or perhaps even a little, trust your GPS in Mexico
*  The older you get, the closer you are to your expiration date, so you might as well not worry as much about risk as you did when you were thirty.
*  Always keep an eye out for errant cobblestones and dog poop.
*  In the U.S. the policeman is your friend -- not so sure in Mexico.
*  You can live without fast food.  But sometimes you will really want it.  Ditto Trader Joe's.
*  It is not necessary or possible to have all of your questions answered.  You want certainty but here you won't get it.  Embrace Quien sabe.
*  Never go to the beach except from December to March. Never. Then fly if possible.
*  During the dry months (most months) shake out your shoes before you put them on.
*  If a scorpion bites you (see above) drink one half of a glass of milk.  There are many reasons for this but no one can tell us what they are.
*  You can tell a Black Widow spiderweb because it is very strong and elastic -- run.
*  Despite the fact that virtually no children wear seat belts or helmets and appear to wander the streets at will very few of them seem to suffer harm.  While not endorsing these practices, we are relieved.
*  It is possible to have a well organized, effective National Health System.
*  Having either a village idiot or a village drunk is a good thing.  But maybe only one per village.
*  It is possible to ride a horse, drink a Modelo and rope a calf at the same time.
*  The Catholic religion in the U.S. and the Catholic religion in Mexico are two different things.  Very different.
*  There are at least three, perhaps more, versions of what really happened.  It will be impossible to ascertain which one is correct.
*  If you insist on treating your maid as your new best friend your egalitarian American heart will swell but she will feel profoundly uncomfortable.
*  The PRI ruled Mexico for 70 years as an old boys club. They were hated.  Fox and Calderone heralded in democracy, unleashed the drug wars and over 60,000 died.  Mexico voted the PRI back in.  The Devil you know?  Politics here is unfathomable.
*  Contradictions are normal.  Jalisco, our state, is the most conservative Catholic part of Mexico and yet has a birthrate similar to the U.S. (can't ALL be abstinence) and is a mecca for gay and transgendered folk.
*  Mexicans are, by and large, the hardest working people we have ever met and totally loyal to their families and friends.
*  There are bars on the windows and doors for a reason.
*  WalMart is even more loathsome here but more necessary.
*  It is not easy to be an immigrant and deal with irrational immigration laws (we empathize Mexicanos NOB).
*  Don't barter.  Just give them the money or don't.
*  A tee shirt and shorts seem to be appropriate dress for a Memorial Service.
*  No Mexican will ever say "I don't know" for fear of disappointing you.  Never ask for directions.
*  It is OK to eat street food if it is really hot (like cooked) or unpeeled and the people look reputable.  Or not.  You'll find out.
*  There is always a reason to have a fiesta and there is never a reason that it should end before 3AM or lack fireworks or loud bands with Tubas.
*  In spite of the fact that there are scads of really interesting houses at really attractive prices we seem to be unable to agree on even one and must be getting really picky in our old age.

Speaking of Which

We went on the final House Tour of the season and saw four more houses.  All the money raised by ticket sales goes to charity.  We're just going to show you the house we liked best.  If things get really slow later on maybe we'll drag out the other ones when we are desperate.  This one was in Upper Chule Vista.   It was beautiful and the setting was terrific but we found at least seven things that we didn't like.  See what I mean about getting picky....




Entry to the house

Living Room with lots of light


The bar by the pool.

The outdoor kitchen by the bar.


A place for alfresco dining.



Den with his & her easy chairs


The other side of the den with fireplace

Kitchen with a view


Another side of kitchen...



and yet another kitchen view

Master bedroom

Master Bath

His & hers sinks in master bath of hammered copper

This is the casita

Casita bedroom

A view from one of the other houses...





























and another view of the lake & the mountains.
Spring is Strange Here

Well, strange is a judgmental word.  Perhaps different.  In my experience, Spring involves a lot of rain, a radical shift in temperature and rapidly lengthening days.  Resultant to this, you receive bulbed plants, green grass and lush landscapes.  Here, in Spring, there is no rain.  None.  The temperature is up maybe 5 or 10 degrees.  A little more sun.  But to look at the trees here you would swear that full bore Spring is upon us.  Michael will show pictures of the Jacaranda (Hackaranda) and Primavera (Spring in espanol) trees.  They are amazing.  The Primaveras come in yellow, red and pink.  There is also a tree with pink fuzzy blossoms but we have yet to capture it photographically  in the wild.  But, on the other hand, there is no grass.  There is dust.  People complain that the flowers are merely showy and not lush and exuberant.  That must wait for the rain.  In June.  June 13th at night.  Honestly, they can predict the start of rainy season to within a day or two.  People get increasingly cranky prior to the rainy season.  Then they are better.



A jacaranda tree in bloom...




and another jacaranda.
A primavera tree in bloom...


and another primavera in the background of a colorful Ajijic mural.


We are fervently hoping for an absolutely delugey rainy season.  The lake is down to 42% of capacity-- which is not pretty.  You can review some of my earliest blogs that deal with the whole lake situation... the importation of Manatees... etc.  Anyway, since it only rains at night (I am not making that up) we want it to rain from 9-6 every night rather than its usual 3 or 4 hours.  We'll see.


On The Road Again

Yes, it's time to cram the carryon and sally forth.  We're heading out in a week and a half.  First stop is a night in Tampa visiting with Michael's sister Mary and brood, then five days visiting Alex in Vieques.   When that wraps, Alex will head to Boston for his summer job and Michael and I will head to Spain and Portugal for a couple of weeks.  Back through Boston (all too briefly) and then heading to Guadalajara mid-May.  The divine Miss Siam (having acquired 18 and 3/4 years we now refer to her as Miss) will guard the fort with Nancy and Fredrico at the house to minister to her every need.  We may try to blog from the road but if not we will update upon our return.  It's still really hard to do the photos from the road (maybe it's us) and we know you like them-- so a delay may be in order.

For now, take care and have fun.  We've made it a year and one of the best things is that we have been able to keep in touch with most of our old friends (and have even seen many) while making a whole lot of new friends as well.  We'll be in touch.....



























Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Semana Santa and more...

Let's get this straight upfront.  The name is Semana Santa (Holy Week).  But, like most things in Mexico, what you see is not what you get.  It is actually two weeks -- well a little more if you count...never mind.  The first week is dedicated to the pursuit of religion and the second week to the pursuit of pleasure.  We have entered week two.  This means that a large percentage of Guadalajarans (Tapatios as they are known locally) have decided to decamp their urban sprawl for the beauty of Lake Chapala.  It is crowded but festive.  But onward, there is much to cover on the celebration of Easter at Lakeside.

It all began on Palm Sunday.  We were on the street early -- like an hour and a half early-- because it is hard to ascertain when things are supposed to start, and then they always start late, but you don't know how late, because you don't know when they were supposed to start.  That happened all week in fact.  Anyway, when we arrived the street was cleared of cars (mostly) and large stacks of alfalfa had been placed on the sidewalks at several hundred foot intervals.  Eventually, families emerged from their homes and began scattering the alfalfa over the street creating a carpet-like effect. Very pretty.  More waiting. Darkness. Hang out with Ramon, Ed, Mary and her niece.  And then we see the procession approaching.  Jesus is riding on a donkey accompanied by his people.  Then comes the priest and his people.  The priest is chanting and the villagers who are following him are responding.  As the procession progresses, the people they pass fall in behind until there are hundreds.  They proceed to the Church where the Archbishop of Guadalajara (see, I TOLD you they all came here) says Mass and Semana Santa is now underway.  In the midst of all this, the Passion Play Committee has organized an old-fashioned village fair with food and fun in the Plaza.  Quite the night.

An indigenous woman weaving palms for Palm Sunday.

The altar boys headed for Seis Esquinas walking on the streets covered with alfalfa.


We've seen religious processions and ceremonies here in the Village many times but nothing even comes close to Semana Santa.  Nothing.  First of all, it is a huge undertaking.There are indigenous women weaving palm fronds nonstop.  They repaint the church.  They construct and erect elaborate stage sets for the Passion Plays (they say Ajijic is in the top three in Mexico).  Thousands of empenadas (delicious!) are baked.  Food stalls are erected.  Effigies are created (more on that later).

After Palm Sunday, things quieted down for a few days. But come Maundy Thursday (that is a strange word-- Maundy-- a new day of the week?  I must ask a religious friend) things really start to crank.   After our traditional Thursday night Breakfast Club dinner, a group of us decamp to the Plaza to await the start of the first phase of the Passion Play.  When Mass concludes, all the actors in the Passion Play wend their way (followed by all of us) up the cobblestoned streets to the new site of the Passion Play.  The new site is on a hill, well a mountain, well almost a cliff.  It is an arduous journey in the dark, on the cobblestones, with a few margaritas in us, but we all make it.  This is FANTASTIC!  Hundreds of villagers have ascended while others are content to line the route along the way.  This is not a hokey thing.  Good lighting. Good sound system.  A little confused about why they were playing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" while the crowd gathered but hey...  The first part of the Pasion de Cristo includes:  The Garden of Gethsemane; Christ's final teachings to his disciples and the Kiss of Judas.  The finale is the Pharisees, wielding flaming torches (it is dry season-- very worrisome) apprehending Jesus and marching him back to the Plaza where scenes of the Judgement by the Sanhedrin were enacted in front of the little Rosario Chapel.

The Roman soldiers with Judas who have come to take Jesus.


Okay.  You know what's next.  Good Friday.  The conclusion of the Passion Play is "scheduled" (see above) to occur at 10AM in the front courtyard of the big church (San Andres).  We go early to get a place in the shade.  Good thinking.  April and May are our summer -- hotter and drier than any other time. Well they finally kick off around 11:15 or so.  And boy, it is hot.   Not great for us, but what about the actors?  For instance there are these boys sprayed entirely in gold and silver paint who have to stand on pedestals without moving a muscle for about 20 minutes.  Robes.  Gladiator outfits. No picnic.  Three more scenes of the play are enacted and then Christ carries the Cross (which is HUGE) back up that unbelievable hill and they reenact the Crucifixion. It is now the hottest point in the day. I bailed.  No way was I trudging up that hill again in that heat. Nope.  Let's make Mikey do it.  Great idea. And he did -- hat's off!  Later that night there was another Mass which was followed by La Marcha de Silencio.  This is a procession in which everyone is mute and the only sounds are of feet shuffling and chains being dragged.  By this point we were pretty exhausted and didn't attend the Marcha but I think it might have creeped me out.  Always next year....

The scenery and costuming for the Passion Play was worthy of a Broadway production.

Herod confronts Jesus (the silver statues are real people). NB: Herod only gets silver statues, while Pilate gets gold.

Herod's wife gives Jesus a royal purple cloak, while mocking him.

Jesus back before Pontius Pilate, as the mob looks on.

Pontius Pilate reading the decree sentencing Jesus.

Pilate offering the mob the choice of letting Jesus go or Barrabas.

The Roman soldiers casting die for the cloak of Jesus.

Jesus being scourged by the Romans...

crowned with thorns...

and given a cloak, as they mocked the "King of the Jews".

Jesus brought back before Pilate...

where Pilate washes his hands of the crucifixion of Jesus.

A bloody Jesus is led forth....

where the cross is put upon his shoulder...

and the long march to Calvary begins.

The townspeople follow Jesus, the two thieves and the mob on the long march up the hill.

The first thief is crucified.

Jesus' cross is raised between the two thieves.

A very realistic reenactment of the crucifixion.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and the "beloved disciple" approach...

and kneel at the bottom of the cross.

After his death Jesus is lowered from the cross...

and carried away to be buried.

By the time the crucifixion is over the set in front of the Church is almost completely dismantled...

and the actors portraying the Roman soldiers pick up their back packs and head home.


The Easter Vigil.  I'm relying on the reportage of our friends Jim and Chris for this because, regrettably, as it turns out, Michael and I were unaware of the big doings mostly.   There was, of course, the Mass.  The blessing of a Paschal candle the size of a cannon.  Blessing of the faithful with holy water but in a very unrestrained and lavish manner.  The priest intoned the Gloria and then there was an explosion.  All the Plaza lights came on at once. Christ's tomb had been set up and was guarded by four Roman soldiers. With the explosion the Roman guards ran from the tomb.The door of the tomb blew open from the blast and smoke, colored by strobe lights inside,  poured out of the empty tomb.  The villager who played Jesus was standing atop the tomb (one story up) with a cloth around his head and a loin cloth.  The head cloth blew off and fireworks (of course) rose up from the church and the church bells rang for five continuous minutes.  People waved white handkerchiefs for the five minutes as they cheered Jesus' resurrection.  Then the Mass continued.

Not having been there, the timeframes on all this are a little murky to me.  But, around 11PM they lit the effigy of Judas.  Interestingly, they had pinned the name of the last mayor on the back of Judas.  Going for a twofer I guess.  The effigy was, of course, rigged with four wheels of fireworks and, perhaps, some explosives.  Once set aflame the results were striking.  Flares of fireworks,  crackling paper, and a roaring explosion heard across the town.  Now THAT's fun!

One of the effigies prior to being lit up.


Other Random Notes:

The Deer Slayer:  Michael has refused to retire the Christmas reindeer from the front lawn because the vermillion flycatcher likes to sit on their antlers.  We arrived home one day to discover them slain (see photo) by one of the Killer Croquet palm fronds that had disengaged from its tree.  Their antlers have been temporarily reattached with duct tape (a.k.a. the Mexican miracle cure) and we are hoping for a full recovery soon.  They enjoyed the recent Easter celebration (see photo).
The antler sheared off by the Royal Palm frond when it fell from the tree.


The one antlered reindeer.

The repaired reindeer decorated for Easter.


Borracho at Easter:  You will remember our town drunk from blog reports of the The Globo and Charro festivals in which I reported on the town's forbearance in spite of his excesses.  Well, he does not confine himself to civic events.  Friends report that he made a vocal appearance (singing and swaying) at the Easter religious events -- most specifically at otherwise solemn masses.  We are proud to report that forbearance endured again as parishioners gently buffeted him out of harms way and smoothly incorporated him into the larger event.  There is much to be said for village life.

Another Beach Horror:  During our idyll at the Mayan Palace we noted that they flew a red flag everyday we were there, indicating that you should not swim.  We noted that the red flag was quite tattered.  Upon arriving home, Ron researched this and found out that you can NEVER swim in the ocean off the resort.  Horrific rip tides and undertows exist all up and down the beach and even strong, experienced swimmers can't handle it.  While the Mayan had a gigantic sign on the beach warning against renting ATVs, horses, masseurs or eating beach vendor's food they somehow managed to forget to mention the death dealing currents....... strange.

Another House Tour:  In the middle of ALL THIS there was another house tour.  Know you like them.  Will report next time.  Until then, have fun.