Vamos a la Boda!

Hacia La Hacienda

So much has happened in the last week that we probably will need two blogs to fit it all in.  So, grab a cerveza and some Doritos and let's get started.  Elisabetta (Luzma's daughter) and Eduardo invited us to their wedding in San Luis Potosi.  It was held at an old hacienda where they bred bulls for the ring. Very cool. Since we were going to San Luis Potosi for the wedding, we decided to add on several days and continue on to La Huasteca to experience any number of interesting and  bizarre things.  But more on La Huasteca later.  Back to the wedding.  We headed out on Friday even though the wedding was Saturday because, with our GPS, we figured it would probably be Saturday by the time we arrived...if we arrived at all.  And the GPS continued to perform hideously.  We FINALLY ended up in Santa Maria del Rio where "el Rio" had flooded a significant portion of the grounds of the hotel.  But it was a beautiful old fashioned hotel, so it was fine.  We rested up, suited up and took off to the wedding the next day.

The "brand " of the hacienda in stone with horse heads on top.

The interior of the hacienda. The rooms are on either side facing the central courtyard.

The billiard & music room of the hacienda.

The mounted head of one of the bulls from the hacienda, flanked by the bullfight posters.

Cabana del Tio Tom --- a memorial to Uncle Tom.

Some outside walls of the hacienda were very colorful.

In Mexico, many people have two weddings.  With the same spouse. Sometimes on the same day.  The reason is that you MUST have a civil wedding.  About a hundred years ago (give or take) there was a rather violent movement/rebellion focused on separating church and state.  The Catholic Church was suppressed and many clerics were tortured, killed and/or imprisoned.  Well, all that is over now, but a civil marriage is still the rule.  But many people also choose to have a religious wedding.  Thus, two. Sometimes people do the civil marriage, wait a few years to see if it's going to work out, and then do the religious wedding.  It's the whole divorce/Catholic church thing.  Well, Eduardo and Elisabetta clearly have no misgivings because they did the back to back civil/religious ceremonies.  And both were beautiful as I will let the photos show.

The groom awaits his bride.

Luzma, the mother of the bride, arrives with the bride.

The bride, Elisabetta.

The church on the hacienda grounds.

The bride & groom with the Virgin Mary looking on.

Luzma & Elisabetta's Italian father.

Elisabetta with her three Italian half sisters.

From left to right, Cecilia (Luzma's sister), Luzma, three friends of Luzma & Deirdre.

The tossing of the bridal bouquet.

The first time it landed in the pool, requiring a rescue by these two girls and a do over.

The hacienda had it's own small church which was typical of the haciendas.  Some of the oldest haciendas had truly vast stretches of land and each hacienda was like a small town, in effect, because it had to be very self sufficient.  This hacienda was from the early 1900s.  The ceremony was quite similar to that in the United States.  A traditional Mass etc.  However, there were some differences. One of the nicest involved baskets filled with wine, bread, and various colored peppers and fruit (I think, or more vegetables -- it was hard to get a good look).  Four young children carried the offerings to the altar.  I asked the gentleman next to me if this happened at all Mexican weddings and he said it was more typical in smaller towns and specific areas.  I think.  It was all done in Spanish so.....

This was Michael's and my first foray on our own into territory where few Gringos live or visit.  We had serious doubts about our ability to communicate effectively only in Spanish.  While our worries were well founded (there are just SO MANY words you need to know), it all worked out fine.  Luzma made sure we were at a table where several people spoke English and we all sort of muddled around when we lacked a common word until everybody understood.  It is true that English is becoming the new Latin. Most of the young people speak English quite well as do virtually all the business people. A nephew of Luzma's spoke not only faultless English but also Mandarin.  Ah, globalization......

And, as I have said many times, nobody parties like the Mexicans.  There was delicious food, much dancing, ample tequila and copious joking and laughter.  We shut it down earlier than most people because we had to negotiate six miles of single lane, pot holed, mountainside-clinging road to return to our hotel. But we made it.

Onward to La Huasteca! 

Several years ago, our friend Robert Clark told us about the Castillo de Edward James in La Huasteca. Ever since then, we have been dying to see it but:  1)  It was really far away; 2) He said the roads were terrible; 3) It is really HOT there.  However, here was the perfect chance because La Huasteca is just a hop, skip and jump away from San Luis Potosi (well, kind of).  So, I went on line and found this little hotel, called La Malanca (go there immediately!) and we booked a room for four nights.  But here is the really good part.  You go there and then THEY drive the horrible roads and take you to all kinds of really amazing places/things.

For once, the GPS didn't try to kill us and we arrived in a timely manner at the hotel.  We were met by Aldo, who is the owner, and shown around the property.  It, too, was once a hacienda and in the office the portraits of the owners (going back to Aldo's great-great-great grandfather) smiled benignly down on us as we registered.  There might have been another great in there.  I forget.  Aldo, who speaks English well,  was a little concerned that our Spanish (or lack thereof) may keep us from fully enjoying the experience so he assigned Jose to take care of us.  Jose had lived in the U.S. for 2 or 3 years and had good English.  And he was so caring.  If I just thought "perhaps I'd like something to drink" miraculously Jose would pop up.  It was better than being on the Concierge floor.  Because the people at La Malanca REALLY wanted you to have a good time. Really.

The first afternoon we decided to go to Media Luna.  Now this was a Sunday.  My feeling is that if you want to see anything in Mexico, see it on a Sunday.  It will be crowded and it will be noisy.  And it will be so much fun you can't stand it.  Many Mexicans work six days a week and Sunday is the day that every family goes out to enjoy themselves.  So, we found ourselves at Media Luna with half the population of San Luis Potosi.

I still don't really know what Media Luna is.  It could be a series of springs or it could be more like the cenotes in the Yucatan.  But it is beautiful.  It is a series of canals that run out from a larger pond of water.  The water is perfectly clear and exactly the right temperature.  It is so deep that you can even scuba dive there. Michael and I brought snorkels and fins.  People camp. Picnic.  Swim. There are food stalls (there are ALWAYS food stalls in Mexico) and vendors selling all types of things.  It cost 40 pesos (about $3) to get in but we would qualify for a discount because we are (sigh) old.  But we didn't take it.  So, even if families don't make a lot, many things in Mexico are affordable. Camping was 70 pesos and it was even cheaper for kids -- if they charged at all.  One of the things we really like about Mexico is how civil the people are.  They are genuinely polite and considerate.  There were thousands of people there and everyone shared the space, waited patiently for whatever they were waiting for, and had a smile and buenas tardes for the obvious strangers that we were.   We returned to La Malanca and had dinner.  Every day, Aldo just asks you what you would like to eat and when you would like to eat it and "Voila!" there it is.  But it is even better than that.

The largest pool of water at Media Luna.

Families relaxing & eating as they enjoy themselves.

One of the clear pools with a gentle ramp leading into the water.

Swimming in one of the canals of Media Luna.

It is not easy to get a good bottle of wine in many parts of Mexico because, frankly, Mexicans in general don't like wine.  Beer.  Tequila.  Whisky. Mezcal. Yes.  Wine, not so much.  So, we are talking to Aldo and it turns out that his degree is in viticulture.  And he has owned vineyards in Northern Mexico. And he has an excellent selection of wines.  Bingo!  Great host.  Great food.  Great wine. Happy Searles.  But we could not overindulge because the next day we were on the road to the Cave of the Swallows and the Castillo of Edward James.

HOW Many Steps?

At 3:15 AM we were awakened by a knock on our door informing us it was time to load up the van for the trip.  Yes, 3:15AM.  This is because the Cave of the Swallows is about two and a half hours away and the swallows arise from the cave at dawn.  Thousands of them.  Not just swallows.  Parrots too. Thousands of them.  The cave is 512 meters deep (almost 2,000 feet).  376 meters are in free fall (phobia #1).  So.  How do you reach the Cave of the Swallows?  By 400 steps (give or take) not all of which are really steps but sometimes snaky, windy boulders that you must pick your way through in the early light of dawn. You then arrive at a giant hole in the earth.  You can now perch on the edge and wait for the birds.  Or, if you are Michael, you can have a rope tied around your waist and go to the VERY edge and peer over (phobia #1,#1,#1!) so you can look down 512 meters.  For all you helicopter parents/grandparents, we will include the photo of the four year old whose parents evinced no concern at her being roped at the edge.

It was incredible when the parrots made their appearance-- bright flashes of green, red and yellow hurtling out of the earth. Hard to capture on film.  We decided that we needed to leave and begin the climb up before the rest of our group because we had at least ten years on any of the others and, in Michael's case, significantly worse knees. Ten rest stops, two bottles of water and an eternity later we hauled our sweat encrusted bodies into the parking lot.  Where we met Rafael who had also just survived the climb.  Rafael was another member of our tour and a veritable force of nature.  He is one of those people who just embraces every situation and person and enjoys the hell out of it/them.  We had an animated conversation with him (in Spanish, yes!) while we waited for the rest of the crew. One by one the rest stumbled into the lot and into the van and we were off to the little pueblo of Aquismon for our breakfast.

So high we are above the clouds as the dawn slowly starts.

The other side of the cave as the sun strikes the wall. Note the caution tape.

This brave little girl being roped up for a look over the edge.

You can just see the top of her head behind the guide's knee as she peers over the edge.

You can just make out the parrots as they fly out of the cave.

Our tour guide was terrific but he spoke no English and he spoke Spanish REALLY fast.  I was totally baffled by just about everything he said.  Rafael was traveling with his wife, Rosa, two daughters, sister-in-law and niece. And, thank God, it turned out that all the kids spoke English.  From the moment the girls took pity on us and translated we were glued to the family.  And they were tremendous fun. Let's talk breakfast.  First we follow Rafael and the gang to the plaza where this woman had the world's largest tamale called a zacahuil.  It is about 3 feet long (but can be up to 6 feet long) and wrapped in banana leaves.  We get seven "to go" packages and head to a restaurant.  There we order drinks, eat the zacahuil (which was delicious!) and order yet another breakfast.  We waddle back to the van.

Under the cloth is the zacahuil, the largest tamal we have ever seen.

Part of the market at Aquismon.

Mariposas!  Mariposas!

It is now about 10:30.  We have slept maybe 5 hours, been up more than 7 hours, climbed 800+ steps   ( at 9,000 feet) and eaten about 4,000 calories.  Everyone falls asleep in the bus.  About 2 or 3 hours later (who's counting anymore?) we arrive at El Castillo de Edward James.  A bit of background is in order.  Edward James was the only child of an American multi-millionaire and the grandson of King Edward VII.  He owned castles in England and villas all over Europe (one with 300 rooms).  We are talking buckets of bucks.  He left Europe and went to Cuernavaca where he hung out with a bunch of really rich expats of a certain ilk (we're getting to that) and collected a vast amount of surrealistic art. Had the largest Dali collection in the world. Now, Aldo had confided to us that James had a "partner" and gave us a meaningful look.  "Oh," we said, "So he was gay."  "Yes," said Aldo. "But don't mention that tomorrow."  OK... We keep running into this.  At Mad Ludwig's castle in Germany -- same thing.  Tour guides seem to take offense if you mention that these wildly eccentric people who are clearly known to be gay are, in fact, gay.  We don't know why.  Our guide kept saying things like:  "Edward James was very, very eccentric.  He proposed to a ballerina who was not interested in him (well, duh) but her friend convinced her to marry him because he was REALLY rich.  Three years later they divorced (well, duh) and he bought her an entire ballet troupe."  Fine.   We get it.  By the way, our gay friends tell us that in Mexico the slang for someone who is gay is Mariposa (butterfly) which, I think, is a whole lot nicer than most of the American slang for gay folk.

So, back to the story.  Edward James loved orchids. And butterflies.  And this area has zillions of them.  Unfortunately, we were one month too early to see the orchids in bloom.  So, he decides that he is going to cultivate these orchids (out in the middle of, literally, nowhere) AND build a gigantic, surrealistic garden out of huge concrete sculptures.  Our van pulls up to the gardens.  It is mind boggling.  It is also extraordinarily hot, humid and vertical.  Yes, more steps.  Countless numbers of steps.  Aldo has made sure that our guide has engaged a second guide who speaks English as well as Spanish so that we get the full impact of the gardens.  Our guide was the son of James' chauffeur and his mother was the cook so he was in the know about all this.  The photos will tell the tale from this point.

However, a little more info can't hurt.  Edward James (and his partner who actually oversaw the construction) were only there three or four months of the year.  He traveled the world the rest of the year.  He built a giant (and I DO mean giant) house/castle in the village across from the gardens.  Every morning when he was there he would drink coffee and do yoga atop a pavilion at the entrance to the gardens.  This was the '60s.  Nobody did yoga.  In the afternoons he would lounge in a pool (see photo) with his pet flamingos parading around the edge.  He had pet ocelots.  He would stay in the gardens until after midnight and then return to his castle in the village.  Quite the life.

Approximately two hours and probably 400 steps more, we emerge from the gardens.  We crawl into the van, offer a prayer of thanksgiving for air conditioning and promptly fall asleep.

The various sculptures in concrete testified to the skill of the workers employed by Edward James.

A very narrow passageway, with  Rafael in the background.

Equally, if not more impressive than the concrete sculptures, was the local flora, ...

all of which thrived in this hot, humid climate, ...

which is nature's greenhouse.

The cascada (waterfall) added to the natural beauty, ...

as well as providing a refreshing respite from the heat & humidity for the locals.

Even though we did not make it to the bigger cascadas the next day, we did manage to see this one.

Edward James designed many of the concrete structures to resemble a lost civilization waiting to be discovered.

Edward James pool for lounging.  Flamingos paraded around the edge while he lounged.  It is designed to look like and eye (note iris in center).

As with much of Mexico, no hand rails or guardrails are necessary.

In the background the concrete is made to look like bamboo.

Everywhere you look the foliage grows around, ...

or over the concrete structures.

The only wood among all of the structures is pointed out by our guide.

The oval entry beckons, while the snakes representing the seven deadly sins awaits on the other side.

The structures on the grounds vary from the futuristic, ...

to the more rustic.

The hands are said to be modeled after Edward James & his partner.

Our guide demonstrating how the underside of this leaf turns red when turned toward the sun.

You can see some of the original paint on one of these structures.

Rafael absorbing the energy from this focal point.

Another example of the colorful designs in concrete.

We did come upon this orchid just about to bloom.

This mariposa decided that Deirdre's back was a good, safe place to rest and proceeded to stay there for quite a bit of the tour. This is supposed to be a sign of good luck.

O.K.  This blog IS going to have to be two blogs.  Too many words, too many photos for one.  So hang in there.  More is on the way......