de Mexico,
Sienta la libertad en mi espiritu ( or in Talahurama-indian : “lige ne alawala tabile Yeriga ajti”)
de Mexico, con los rebeldes de Francisco PANCHO Villa…
Everyday we meet legendary (bank robber later revolution-leader Pancho Villa), priest then rebelled Hidalgo, idem Senor Moreles and so many more revolucionarios, still remembered and sometimes worshipped in splendid murals and statues. But they were not the first ones in fighting the oppressive powers.
Indeed, long before the early 1900’s the indigenos were not so happy either with the oppressors: Spanish, later French, a German Emperor Maximilian (and his Belgian wife), then the wealthy landowners in their ranchos and haciendas, or even the Norteamericanos (the real gringos) capturing the gold and other ore right from under the nose of the Talahurama-indians in the Barranca del Cobre.
Even amongst themselves the early indigenos were not so amicable either. Olmec (as early as 1200 BC), Mixtec, Zapotec, Toltec and other lived to enlarge their territories from the Pacific to the Atlantic –sometimes occupying as far as nowadays Guatemala, Honduras en el Savador in the time of the Teotihuacan empire 400 AD as in the case of the ‘superior’ Aztec--, assisted by numerous gods and goddesses.
Hence the building of temples, preferably on hilltops and even there on top of (a) pyramid. More and bigger was not the sole device of the Egyptian Pharaos, for the mighty Pyramides del Sol y de la Luna, and especially the Great Pyramid at Cholula became even larger than the Ramses’s Gize Pyramid.
Hence the growth of the power of priests, seers and astronomers.
Compared to Motecuzuma II (for the conquistadors simplified to legendary Montezuma) -expansionist-by-virtue-of-his-armies- (but doubting-if-Cortes-should-be the returned God Quetzalcoatl- and thus wasting every opportunity to halt the “gods-on-their-special fourlegged- gods and-carrying the-mightiest-f all thunders and lightnings”, one of his Aztec predecessors, the feathered serpent leader Quetzalcoatl was a saint when alive, and later and till today a mythical god. The Spanish conquistadores believed to be the reincarnated Quetzalcoatl greatly helped them to rapidly conquer major tribes.
Wait a moment you’ll say, and what about this other great culture of the Maya? That is for next time; till now we have just been discovering the –tecs, all around Mexico City, after our rainy visit to the north and northcentral (still good for some 4000 pictures, as opposed to only 3000 for the prehispanic –tec sites around Mexico City) .
In the north and northwest we mainly traveled in great nature, from steep and deep canyons, to deserts, rich plantations, cascades, and natural hot spas and springs. Visiting areas such as Chihuahua and Sonora, splendid centres such as Aguascalientes or San Miguel de Allende, picturesque Zacatecas or Guadalupe, special Guanajato with its many natural tunnels in which the Katamarano hardly fits and where the international Cervantes-festival just started, nice colonial cities such as Alamos or Morelia, hectic Cuarnavaca, rich Puebla with +70 churches and 1000 colonial buildings including todays Casa de la Cultura where we witnessed some folkloric Indian and latin dancing, or silvermine-town Taxco where a descendant of the wealthy 18th century French silverbaron de Borda showed us around.
And always nice patios, colorful flowers, abundant bougainvillea and indy on Plazas de Armas or central zocalos – the traditional green garden-plaza where young and old, mariachi and clowns, vendors of ice and chupas mingle- with many churches form the first Franciscan and Jesuit till the latest basilicas. Sometimes full of worshippers, sometimes with a marriage or the special 15 year celebration of a girl, from then onwards considered a woman. Churches built in sometimes very special art styles by Indians such as magnificent exuberant ones in Tonantzintla and Acatepec (mixed with ‘arab’ tiles imported by early conquistadores), till the baroc and its Mexican exponent churrigueresque, neo-gothic and all-modern architecture.
But also numerous great Musea of Anthropology such as in Zacatecas (masks from allover Mexico and beyond, ancient and modern), in (Xalapa or) Jalapa (from 5 meter high Olmec-heads and precious Chac-Mool statues till small and larger clay figurines and jade or silver jewels), or the great Amparo Museum in Puebla. A rich culture indeed, and so much more…. to be never to be seen anylonger for almost all of this very rich pre-hyspanic culture was destroyed forever : by rebels, fires, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, inter-tribal wars, draughts, and time.
Worst however of theses all : the Catholic church in the early 1500’s, trying at the same time to convert the poor Indians by denying them all their history, beit written or in the form of statues or frescoes etc. What remains however is still impressive enough: the great pyramid sites of Tula, Teotihuacan, el Tajin, Cholula (where the Catholics built their church on top of and instead of the pagan-temple topping the local pyramid which happened to be bigger than Cheops), Cacaxtla with great colorful frescoes, and its sister Xochitecatl (including a circular pyramid), and the religious, cultural, commercial and ceremonial centre of Xochicalco with Quetzalcoatl’s unique Pyramide.
‘Conquering as modern travelers in our Katamarono’ this ancient and todays culture is a continuing fiesta, with salsa-dances, mariachi-guitare and/or trumpet music, traditional fiestas with splendid old-fashioned wheels of fire and fireworks and attacking human bulls-with-fireworks at night in the streets, with in between a bit of beachtime on the Costa Esmeralda north of Veracruz .
Again we met with the very nice, agreeable somewhat shy and sometimes very noisy Mexicans. Sometimes wealthy families with new expensive cars, but mostly poor(er) farmers or fishers. Crisis-struck Mexico survives, even when 100’s are killed in the continuing drugwars, or as victim of the Mexican influenza.
In quite a few cases they can survive with money sent over by a family-member in the USA. Still the poor become poorer: lots of jobs lost in industry, wages officially minimum 50 pesos a day ((20 pesos= 1 Euro)), (though we met servants gaining 30 pesos an hour plus tips, others gaining as low as 900 pesos for a 60 hours week, VAT going up from 14 to 15% leaving them barely … enough for a portable cellphone, or to survive if they can grow some vegetables, maize, aguacates, guava or chicken) and to buy a bike or even a very old (Chevy or Ford) pickup or oldie.
Others serve in government with a steady so-so salary, topped if possible by a second job, a small shop at home, selling handicraft, presenting as a guide, or … bullying wealthy tourists (we paid 50 pesos to get rid of a policeman stopping us for having passed an invisible sign denying trucks (and so he said also our campingcar) the small streets of Cholula).
Mexico comes alive at the numerous fiestas, offering music, tequila, metzicalita, free guide-services and on sundays free museums… and cheap (spicy or not so) Mexican food.
But the best food they serve to their …. deceased relatives, on the night of 1.11, el Dia de los Muertos on which day/night Mexicans show their very special, privileged view of death:
==> See our next blog for this very special culture the best of which only to be witnessed in some remote areas in Mexico.
After this day live goes on for Mexicans and for Mexico. So for us.
Now the weather becomes stable after the last hurricanes and storms, we’re heading to the Pacific coast from Puerto Vallarte to Acapulco, before we move more south-east to the rest of Nueva Espana with Maya empire’s rich culture of the Yucatan.. and more tropical white beaches!
(not too close) colorful encounters with gays, gold, black bears, yellow birds and white
Going North offered some surprises: the North rim under heavy scattered T-storms, colorful Antelope under different sunshine, Bryce under dark heavens and white lightning, a brown bear here and another black one there, 2 Mounted Police trying to get me fined in a Park at 00.45 am for illegal camping (but they did not yet know this Belgian’s arguing the No entry- sign was just behind and not in front of the RV); 3 cute yellow and other songbirds; some 20 gold diggers on the famous Klondike trail; some 50 even more colorful (and gurgling) paint pots and 100’s of steaming geysers small and large in green (crowded) Yellowstone in the snow … and thousands of the most colorful parading dragqueens, gays and lesbians in THE Mormon capital Salt lake City on Pride day (in the rain, but that did not harm the parade nor (apparently) the Gay festival later in the day).
Add some snow (blocking the pass in Glacier Waterton NP), a lot of rain and even more dark skies (blocking the shooting of nice pictures on the North Rim), but also green lush springtime pines, waterfalls abound, pristine lakes; throw in a bunch of Canadians, water planes and or ferries serving the San Juan and other islands in Puget Sound or upnorth towards Alaska. And then leisurely stroll on the beaches or quays of beautiful Vancouver on a Sunny Sunday.
To then drive down under, to the city of Microsoft, Nintendo and other world famous (jazz)players; pick up a fresh lobster or crab thrown at you in world-famous Pike’s market ; or grab a hotdog at the local maxi-Mini Mouse hotdogbus; or just watch the scenery from Pier 54 or 52 after having parked the tall RV under the triple viaduct and having bought yourself a large real Starbucks to savor.
More to come from Canada and the USA on our way to PANAMA: with for a few weeks once more 1 (as in the Parks of the West USA) or 2 guests who accompany our B&B-on-the-road … but AFTER Lou Castel’ rental season, the 70th Anniversary of my Parents’ Wedding, and day 1 of Alexandra and Johan’s.
Ciao, CU later alligator
P.S. Ah yes, Pammukale might still be in Turkey, but a similar and more colorful one (yet a bit smaller) can be found at the western entry to Yellowstone: also see the pictures.
for all latest UPDATES after 19.3.2009: problems seeing pictures and our latest updates??
we figure you might have problems seeing pictures and our latest updates??
we have solved this by simply adding
all new info AS FROM MARCH 19,2009
(again) in the previous blog: so
===> SHOULD YOU WANT THE LATEST UPDATES CLICK ON THE SECOND BUTTON click here for 2009 USA - MEXICO & for 2005-2006 indochina
SORYY BUT THIS IS THE ONLY WAY WE COULD SOLVE THIS PROBLEM NOW WE ARE CONTINUING OUR WORLDTRIP.
AS FROM MARCH 19 WE 'LL TRAVEL a bit south, into MEXICO, the state of BAJA CALIFORNIA to enjoy 1 month of sunshine;
then we move upnorth for 1 more month back in the USA to enjoy the beautiful PARKS of the WEST.
Happy reading (on the second BUTTON "click here , for 2009 USA & Mexico
our European RV on the white beaches of wild Mustang island
and because it is off-season we are alone in the sunshine, and camping at night with the soft sound of the Gulf of Mexico ( a few km away from Mexico!)
sorry, but you will see nothing...
pictures will be put in after 1.1.2009 due to technical reasons
meanwhile
Enjoy the snow, sun and these days off for the lucky ones amongst you
Happy NEW YEAR to all
Even after a nice daytrip to Dry Tortugas’s extremely photoscenic fortress featuring emerald blue ocean waters, whitewhite sand, greengreen palms, blackwhite fregatbirds and brownred bricks of the picturesque fort Jefferson, the colorful architecture of Miami’s Art Deco mixture with local Mediterranean Revival and Miami Modern still show off, and so do the Porsches, Ferraris and other Bentleys. Part of it could be drug money, part is movie star money. The crime rate approximates that of Long Island where immigrant gangs also struggle for their piece of the drug cake.
By the way 1: more and more true Americans voice that it is enough: not only do they pay for all these immigrants’ free social welfare, schooling etcetera, but most immigrants refuse to learn to speak American English. Hence more money is needed to provide for a second teacher in each classroom.
By the way 2: lucky Europe where university students generally don’t have to face life-long reimbursements of their study loans (200.000 dollars per child at university); marrying here comes at an absurd price tag of 100.000 dollars for a moderately big fiesta. Count your blessings Europe!
By the way 3: with an almost bankrupt GM, Chrysler and other Fords (of course, a basic and commonsense business rule being not to sell under production cost if your company wants to survive, and knowing that prices of identical cars are way higher in Europe AND European cars being sold here at ridiculous low prices, no wonder they go down the drain), an equally bankrupt Wall street (impacting main street /households, old street/retired and shortly any other street/small businesses), when will the financial crisis also impacts giants as Disney and other CarnivalCruises?
Along the nice expensive coasts to Palm Beach, then across Florida where house sales dropped some 15 percent, to the first casinos in Alabama already starting to suffer.
From jazzy New Orleans where tourism is on the decline, via gospeling churches, restored mansions at one of the many plantations and mosquito infested Bayou country serving Cajun food, skyscraping Houston was our first rendez-vous: our Ford needing specific engine oil we had to go and buy it at a VW dealer VW being the sole importer of high output oil for turbo diesel engines such as ours.
The oil yes-wells pouring a lot of money into Texas, the huge cowboy JR ranches and a lot of expensive Porsches, Range Rovers and other exotic cars, the polo fields and plenty of golf courts continue till we hit San Antonio, a Venice-style almost Mexican city featuring the scenic river walk, the holy (for the US citizens at least) ground of Alamo’s battles (Mexico - Texas - USA) and other 18th century Missiones (for the many Catholics and other tourists).
US Thanksgiving Dinner’s ‘holy’ turkeys is supposed to start Black Friday’s sales period, but it might be the worst sales month since many years (for example, car sales 35 percent down, RV’s of 110.000 dollar are sold now for 75.000, and still find no buyers, even when based on Mercedes low consuming diesel engines!).
Heading to the last part of the US coast on the Gulf of Mexico we spot the first delphins, the last white sandy beaches on which even our RV can drive and camp, and the first dirt and plastic bags blown in from over the Mexican border, and we start talking Spanish to prepare ourselves for the next leg, all along the border formed by the Rio Grande. With the last hand-operated ferry we trip into Mexico, then later over one of the international bridges in Eagle Pass we walk into Mexican soil at Piedras Negras where many US tourists come to pay a visit to more reasonable priced dentists.
Everywhere the famous border patrol cars, some control posts and the new built Berlin wall tries to keep them out: the desperate Mexicans on their strive for freedom, dollares, and the cartels’ drug couriers to make sure their cheap white crack poison gets high dollars in return.
Even in the Big Bend National Park where the Rio Grande is too easily crossed and US nature lovers are warned to not even buy curiosa from them Mexicans: the curiosa will be contraband and thus confiscated, and the sellers are not only expulsed back into the Mexican desert, but also need to pay a fine and face detention in one of the US prisones.
One thing is for sure, those Mexicans from Chihuaha come not for the very nice scenery of this Park nor its roadrunners, bears or mountain lions, nor its Hot Springs (which were out of use after the September floods of the Rio MAS Grande also having partially flood one of the campgrounds). Driving via the scenic Davis Mountains it will be all nature from now till our return via Phoenix: if the weather stays sunny and temperatures will not drop too far below zero, we might even go as far as Zion and Bryce, and via towns such as El Paso, Albuquerque, Los Lunas, Tombstone or Apache Junction pass into extremely nice Boulders on Highway 12, probably the most scenic route according to Tom and Claire who we met at the Wells in Big Bend NP.
The weather is fine, thanks, no snow, no rain, just +19 degrees sun and cooler nights.
After Miami's art deco district, Cape Canaveral's spacecenter that just 24 hour before our arrival launched Endeavour we headed for New Orleans, to find out if the jazz and blues is still ok. Yes thanks, indeed!
And so are the food, and the drinks
With hardly any tourist not even on teh famous paddleboats we can relax and enjoy the scene.
Today some rain to fill more bayou swamps here in Baton Rouge
Now on our way to Texas and the San Pedro islands: never heard of you say? nor did we, but it seems they are fantastico, as is San Antonio.
Happy Thanksgiving on 27.11, and happy Anniversary dear Mother!
November 5: some of Florida’s caucasians find it a shock that an Afro-American becomes President-Elect. Even here in Republican Florida the Democrats win thanks to the (rich) retired whites, and the poor(er) blacks and Hispanos! But We The People will ALL support the President-Elect, God Bless Him and Us.
And God being worshipped everywhere, in a new-to-come Gospel Hall (big business for Reverend X) or in all and any evangelican-baptist-catholic-protestant-episcopal-etcetera-you name it they got it-religions: who are we to doubt?
Over here it is a mix of mansions, estates and minor villas along canals, the Intracoastal or preferably on and even better up the beach. From quartz-white kilometerlong marvellous beaches to mangrove-lined canals and the ever wet Everglades and other lakes, springs and sounds: you name it they got it, even small shacks more or presumably less hurricane-resistant line the water. In between they build and build and never stop building: wider roads, complete marinas-cum-houses-with-private docks, newer and of course bigger shopping malls, countryclubs and other fenced-in compounds for the rich and wealthy, of which quite a few are occupied but in the wintermonths for their owners keep their cool summerdwellings upnorth.
And all this 415 years after the Spanish Juan de Ponce conquered the territory, destroying the native Indians almost completely for the Spanish King/Queen and God. The British and or French also interested to build a fort or two on these mosquito-infested marshes in an attempt to conquer the rich Silver/Gold transport from the South Americas finally got rid of the Spanish, fought amongst themselves, then against one another and/or the many pirates, to leave the country in the end to American settlers who, by means of exception, were the first to not kill the black slaves escaped from Georgian cottonfields. Their freedom attracted more and more refugees, later on Cubans, Mexicans and other Hispanos to find – they hope- their ElDorado.
From then on the sky is the limit, and when Flagler (traintracks linking NY to Miami) and other Rockefellers started to invest, booming Florida attracted more and more retired and other wealthy sunseekers. Luckily the local Statesmen kept an eye open to not spoil it all, and so quite a lot of Nature State Parks protect heritage: a few 100s manatees, a few 10s panters, some 10000s alligators-pelicans-anhinga and a few miles of pristine corals in the subtropical Keys! To the delight of mojito-drinker par excellence Hemingway, the millions of American and Canadian tourists, and even the 25,000 French, the 40,000 German and 35,000 British who come to adore the breathtaking sunsets, the Art Deco of Miami, the pristine Destin (and not anylonger pristine Daytona) beaches, and/or invest in todays cheap (thank you George W) hurricane resistant houses (with pool, full airco and expensive monthly maintenance).
November 6: on day 25 before the end of hurricane season radio ads give a 50 percent discount on all Obama T-shirts-pins-mugs etcetera, whereas others announce the start of the next sales-period for clothes, furniture and cars, boats, RVs and … houses.
No discounts however for tourists: pricy still is gorgeous, subtropical colonial-style high-key Key West where some of the descendants of Hemingway’s cats have been trained by a French guy to perform circus acts in front of a relaxed audience whilst on the background the most beautiful sunset pictures are ruined by passing sailingboats.
Upnorth from Key West (which was some 1200 miles for Truman or Bush’s Little White House to his real White House) low-key campingsites include sunsetbreaker Bahia Honda: tropical palms on the (very) small white beach against one of Flagler’s oldest trainbridges make for better shots. The mojitos however have to be fixed by yourself.
Downsouth it is either 88 miles to Cuba, else some 23 to the southernmost US State Park set on tropical islands around one of the biggest old fortresses, Fort Jefferson.
Whilst our Katamarano did not fit in the fast catamaran to this paradise, we did. Time for sympathizing with the tropical fish (snorkeling), the late pirates (touring the outskirts of the fort) or todays vendors of conches, T-shirts and other indispensables, before we pass over some of the many Spanish galleons that lost their loads of silver and gold to the hurricanes and/or pirates.
Last solution: rent a boat for a 100+miles, or cruise to Jamaica and other Barbados. Or why not, fly from Miami to Curacao or the other isles of the Netherlands Antilles.
Upnorth from Key West (which was some 1200 miles for Truman or Bush’s Little White House to his real White House) low-key campingsites include sunsetbreaker Bahia Honda: tropical palms on the (very) small white beach against one of Flagler’s oldest trainbridges make for better shots. The mojitos however have to be fixed by yourself.
Other names with a lot of vaporware. Islamorada, Conche keys…enroute to the southernmost point of the USA.
Downsouth it is either 88 miles to Cuba, else some 23 to the southernmost US State Park set on tropical islands around one of the biggest old fortresses, Fort Jefferson.
Whilst our Katamarano did not fit in the fast catamaran to this paradise, we did. Time for sympathizing with the tropical fish (snorkeling), the late pirates (touring the outskirts of the fort) or todays vendors of conches, T-shirts and other indispensables, before we pass over some of the many sunken Spanish galleons that lost their loads of silver and gold to the hurricanes and/or pirates.
Other ways to exit the USA: rent a boat for a 100+miles, or cruise to Jamaica and other Barbados. Or why not, fly from Miami to Curacao or the other isles of the Netherlands Antilles. What is more common however is the inbound traffic of drug smugglers, the Cuban connexion etcetera.
On our way now to find out if the financial crisis also impacts Disney and Cape Canaveral: Miami here we come.
