Oaxaca briefs. Part 2 - Arrazola

Intrigued by vivid colors of carved wooden animals since my second day in Oaxaca, my next stop was pre-determined days before. I had to go to a small village of San Antonio Arrazola famous for its alebrijes.

Already knowledgeable about taxi collectivos, I got the last spot to Arrazola on the front sit with an older lady, twice my size. I loved my 40-minute authentic drive. I was stuck between the driver and my neighbor, trying to pull off some acrobatic moves to reach my water under the seat. I was listening to non-stop chat in Zapotec language of two girls behind me, with one of them breast feeding her adorable baby. Upon arrival I asked the driver where the village center was, he looked at me as I was mad. Those two streets were the center.

I arrived in the worst part of the day - the sun was burning my skin, I could just feel it. No wonder I was the only tourist around.

I was approached by a cute kid who offered me to see a store for alebrijes. These were not hard to spot as they were the only entrances in town with signs. A store was basically a room in a house, in a lot of them - no electricity, no nothing. Just mural walls with shelves full of painted animals and an artist who sells and paints at the same time. So I asked the kid to show me a store where I could buy some water instead.

For the next three hours accompanied by an 8-year old I toured all the stores twice, some of them three times. From the abundance of choice my head was spinning. It took me one tour to decide what magic animals to bring home. Since I was coming back to New York I could allow myself a shopping spree. Both my friends and these artists (some from need) would benefit. I did not bargain as the prices were already low (and lower than in Oaxaca) and I just could not dare to knock a $1 off $8 price tag for a day’s worth of work. An hourly minimum wage in the US is higher than the price of a small hand painted hedgehog.


Some of those art pieces were truly amazing. In one of the stores I asked how long it took to paint a large owl in those tiny strokes. The answer was a week. The price would have been around 100 USD at most.



Thanks to my new friend I went to some houses, which were not clearly marked as stores. I was greeted by the residents and taken through their home to a little show room. I felt that the majority of Arrazola’s residents were artists and I felt somewhat guilty for not buying a piece in each house.

I called him my little guía (guide) and everybody smiled. How else could I have called him if I asked his name four times and still could not understand it. Finally I asked him to write it on a piece of paper - after all he was already 8 years old and attended school. He scribbled Alan Isaac.



Before heading back to Oaxaca I rewarded both of us with some ice cream. I had a truly great afternoon.

Oaxaca briefs. Part 1 - Monte Albán

No visit to Oaxaca goes without a tour of Monte Albán, the center of Zapotec civilization dating back 2500 years.

We beat hordes of tourists by taking a cab (M$100 or ~USD 10), which got us to the entrance of Monte Albán at 8 am. We were the first ones to arrive, thank you very much.




The ruins were peaceful and untouched. Mild morning sun made even old cactus look great. Writing my diary on the top of the column or sleeping for a bit under a cactus made my morning blissful. I felt I was mediating without meditation.







Leaving the emotional impressions aside, I was intrigued by the history and art of these Zapotec people. As the names of different indigenous cultures got mixed up in my already confused head, I realized I need to structure my knowledge about Pre-Columbian Era. I heard of Inka, Maya, Aztecs and Anasazi, but I definitely need to catch up on the history to get ready for my South America trip. There is always a very useful table from Wikipedia.

Did I travel too much before RTW?

The guidebook has arrived! The Colombian visa has been obtained! Wisdom tooth is gone! A new problem has emerged! I am running out of blank pages in my passport - have only 6 two-sided pages left. Given that I need visas for at least 7 African countries and beforehand I am planning to enter 5 countries in South America, I am puzzled. Every time I enter the US, I get a stamp on a new page. I have another stamp from Mexico and so on. Even if I don't require a visa to enter a country, my passport is stamped (Europe is the exception). The question is whether a visa can be attached on top of other entrance stamps. Any idea? Given the experience of loosing my passport, I know it takes 4 months to get a new one through my embassy in Washington DC. Is it a lucky day for my mum? Will I have to cancel my trip midway and return to Latvia to get a new passport? No clue.

Digging into my contingency budget

My graceful fall on Mexico City's subway will cost me $300 in camera repairs. Bummer. My Puma sneakers with flat soles immediately go to basura (aka trash in English)! I am blaming them for the whole thing!

wi-fi-ing

Very useful website - Free Wi-fi Hotspots in New York

The Last One Standing

Two weeks until my big trip and I am dealing with dentists. I had an emergency appointment the very next day after my return from Mexico. The doctor thinks my last wisdom tooth is causing the pain, so I scheduled to get it extracted next Tuesday - 4 days before my insurance expires... Perfect timing!

layover in Mexico City

We were descending to Mexico City over my favorite Torres de Satellite. You could see them even through the city smog. In fact, I have been reading about Mexico City's air pollution problems and how air contamination levels breach international health standards by 2-3 times quite frequently (every day?). Now I paid attention and yes, you can definitely see the smog in the form of light brown clouds. Here is a picture of airport terminal in what I call fake clouds.

Oaxaca - the last day

Last week in Oaxaca went by in half dead half asleep condition. Classes were enjoyable, but by 4 pm I was in no condition to party or explore the city. However, I did walk to Zocalo (the main square) one night to see folks dance to the band. Cute.

The pressure was on! After getting out of school on Friday afternoon I rushed to the city center to catch a taxi collectivo (taxis that pack five passengers, three behind and two upfront) to nearby villages to finally start exploring the Oaxaca Valley known for different folk art. That hot afternoon was not my lucky day. I got lost and by the time I figured out from where those taxis departed it was already too late in the evening. Instead I dragged myself through two local markets on my way home to get ready for a salsa night. I expected fireworks on the dance floor from local dancers, but nothing could compare to salsa dancing I evidenced in Rome 4 years ago. Maybe it was the club or the local style, but I left early to get some sleep for the weekend.

Finally, the weekend! I packed tons of activities in 48 hours I had away from school being completely unkind to my feet. I saw ruins of Monte Alban and Mitla. I visited a small village Arrazola famous for its alibrijes (carved wood animals), experienced a little bit of Zapotec culture in Tlacolula. Saw the city festivities prepared for the upcoming Easter and Palm Sunday. Not to mention delicious food on the way and my shopping spree. My weekend is worth a couple of separate posts once I sort through hundreds of pictures.

Today is my last day in Oaxaca, heading back to New York tomorrow morning. Definitely bad timing since a lot of cool people arrived to school this Monday. I can't wait to start my long trip when I can be more flexible with my schedule. For now I have a long to-do list in New York starting with a dentist appointment, embassy visits and shopping for the content of my backpack!

Mexico City, Day 3 continued

What could possibly beat cobblestone streets of San Ángel? For me it was another project by Luis Barragán. For example, Torres de Satellite.

Luckily for me the only person from Mexico City I had a chance to meet was from Satellite. Erik laughed at the idea to take pictures of something he passes at least twice a day for 30 years, but being a kind host he was he could not refuse a weird tourist from a weird country. So, off we went.

Five triangle shaped cement towers, ranging in height from 34 to 57 m, are designed by Luis Barragán and Mathias Goeritz in 1957. The towers stand in-between busy highways and define the entrance to Satellite municipality. The area will celebrate 50 years in 2009, so the towers are being prepared for a face-lift.

From the pedestrian bridge the towers can be seen in full size. Majestic! I could not believe how tall they were! Compare the towers to the passing cars.




Then we left the car in the abandoned parking bay behind the towers and wandered around for I don’t know how long. I absolutely loved the experience of being in the shade of these simple structures, constantly looking up into the sky. We were alone on this safety island with the evening traffic speeding right next to us.







The towers scream Barragán – from the first sight – simple, but in reality phenomenal as the shape of the towers and shades change with every step you make. By 5:30 pm the light has changed and the white tower began to shine gold. Amazing.



More pictures on flickr.

Later I saw yet another area of Mexico City – Coyoacán, which at night felt like a Mexican answer to London’s Camden and New York’s Saint Marks’s. The main colonial plaza – Plaza Hidalgo – was full of hippies, punks and other kinds of young people, who look very similar around the world. With a great dinner and humongous two scoops of ice-cream my visit to Mexico City was over. It’s only been three days, but I have already found my comfort zone here. I was sad leaving D.F.

Mexico City, Day 3

On my last full day in D.F. I took a bus south to a neighborhood called San Ángel. Walking the narrow streets lined with beautiful colonial haciendas, I felt I was intruding into Saturday morning of aristocracy. Wearing flip-flops today was a great idea; it made my stroll through cobble stone streets even slower than usual. I loved every little detail – doors, tiled numbers and street names, little windows, bright colors. I could only imagine how beautiful gardens are behind the walls of some haciendas. My pictures don't do the justices to beautiful San Ángel.









Zigzagging through tiny streets I made it to Altavista Street, where Diego Rivera’s House is located. Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo lived in this avant-garde dwelling from 1934 to 1940. A house, designed by Juan O’Gorman (see UNAM photos for his other work), consists of two separate buildings, connected by a narrow bridge on the roof. Diego Rivera lived in this house until his death in 1957.



The bed, in which Diego died.

San Ángel is also famous for Bazar de Sábado – Saturday art market around Plaza San Jacino. Majority of shoppers were locals, not tourists, so the stroll though tents was very pleasant.

meanwhile in Oaxaca

This morning my fast five-minute pitch on who I was and where I was from got me into level 1B of Spanish classes. I joined the class in its second week, so I have to study simple past tense by myself. Three hours of grammar and one hour of conversation were pretty intense as I seem to know the least amount of words in my 5-student group. After the lunch break (long one as for Mexicans lunch is the main meal of the day), I signed up for conversational class for advance students. Since I am not advanced, I almost had to fight for it. For beginners they offer cooking and salsa, but I don’t believe in cooking next to English speaking folks as means to learn Spanish. Starting tomorrow I plan to eat lunch with my host family (so more Spanish) and to do intercambio (1 hour of conversation with a local student in Spanish and English). So in total I will have classes from 9 am to 6 pm with hardly any breaks from Spanish. After 6 I will do my homework and catch up on my vocabulary. I already feel the results and I am very excited about trying to learn my 6th language! (Six sounds cool, but in reality I am only fluent in two)

I think I am still adjusting to higher altitudes of Mexico City and Oaxaca. I am sleepy and exhausted by 6 pm. With 8 hours of sleep I am tired when I wake up. I really hope 'it' will go away in a day or two. I am planning on waking up early and taking pictures of the sunrise in this beautiful city.

[Day 3 in Mexico City is in the works!]

Mexico City, Day 2

The second day started off fabulously. I gracefully slipped on the subway staircase, bringing down two or three Mexicans with me. I guess I was lucky that I was commuting during the morning rush hour. Otherwise I would have come away not only with big bruises on my arms, but also with broken legs. As I realized later, my landing was softened by my small backpack, my camera to be specific. It was only my viewfinder that got broken, but still upsetting. Digital SLR camera turned into a film camera. Even taking pictures became adventurous. I will wait until I come back to New York to find out how much the flight over 10 stairs will cost me.

Today I toured the historical center of Mexico City - I strolled around Zocalo, took pictures of Palacio Nacional, Plaza de La Constitucion, and Catedral y Sagrario Metropolitano. I carefully took in the city life of El Centro, which is as I read the up and coming area of the city. I tried hard to see the signs of up-and-coming neighborhood, but I did not. I definitely was there too early in the morning. I talked to two policemen who were disappointed in my knowledge of Spanish (join the club, guys!) and similarly unsuccessfully discussed my plans for the day with a representative of a tourist agency. In other words, I behaved as a good tourist.






In order to enjoy the beauty of Casa de Los Azlejos (The Blue House) I went for a second breakfast at Sanborns, a local chain of café/stores. On Madero street, Sanborns occupies a gorgeous colonial house with blue-tiled façade built in 1596. I did not mind the horrible coffee (to my surprise) since I enjoyed the patio and evolving city life in front of me.



Around the block I found Palacio de Correos (Post Office Palace), which looked even better in life than on pictures. I though this French beauty would be flocked by tourists, but it was not busy at all.




I concluded my tour of the historical Mexico City by walking through Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Palace) and Paseo de La Reforma where I enjoyed tremendously a freshly squeezed orange juice for M$5 (50 cents).

After the required sightseeing I was off to less popular destinations. [On that note I have to say that I completely disagree with the suggested tours of the official tourist map. The best streets in Condesa are not even suggested!]

My second stop was in Roma Nord as I was going to a particular ceramic store in hopes to buy a mirrored ball like the one in Luis Barragan house. No suerte – no luck! But on my way there I talked for 15 minutes in Spanish to a street shoe cleaner and smelled delicious street food just around the corner from the store. With that in mind I marched to Roma Sur, to that particular street taco stand to try the best campechanos according to Manu from La Bodega, my yesterday's mescals bar. Campechanos are tacos with chorizo (spicy pork sausage) and beef. I found the ladies; I asked for two tacos (1 USD each) swallowed within 2 minutes and intrigued by mole in front of me ordered a chicken enchilada with mole (50 cents). I have to admit that it was delicious and different from I have been served in the US.



I was already off the tourist map, so finding a subway stop required some effort. I was asking around. I have to admit that I understood only the first two words and the direction, to which the hand of the speaker was pointing. Locals were talking fast.

My last stop for the day was UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) to witness the main library designed by Juan O’Gorman – in my mind one of the most famous buildings in Mexico City. UNAM is the largest university in Latin America and no wonder I got lost there twice. Finally, the windowless building was located. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed. On way to it, I saw a number of really cool but not famous buildings. I was more impressed by the “love in the air” of UNAM, students were laying around on the grass, making out in front of thousands of other love birds. After all, it was the first week of spring.

Mexico City, Day 1 continued

Second half of Thursday I spent walking around stunning Condesa, which I believe is right now the trendiest area in the city. I could absolutely see the difference in surroundings the closer I approached Avenue Amsterdam and Avenue Mexico, the streets that make a circle around beautiful Mexico Park. Young people - yes! iPods – yes! Fancy cars – yes! Expensive restaurants – yes! No street vending – yes! If not for the architecture, I would think I am in Greenwich Village or something. But alleluia there was architecture!!! I could not believe how many Art Deco buildings were present in Condesa. Yes, I’ve read about the area, but I did not expect a massive attack of gorgeousness. Compared to South Beach Miami where all building are face lifted with night illumination, building in Condesa blend into the environment, they are hidden behind the trees and the park. It is just a neighborhood where you can get lost in the beauty of not yet renovated houses steps away from the life of hipsters.








I concluded my five hours of sightseeing in a bar called La Bodega on Cempeche in Condesa. The place is known for its mescals, and thanks to English speaking young men I was given a full tour of at least seven different tastes (a sip of each!). The only one I could remember was called Pechuga de Pollo – distilled with apples, plums, and a chicken breast. Another was cremas de mescal that tasted like Bally’s. Finally, I settled for a shot of sweet liquor – a girly drink, I guess a Mexican answer to Cosmopolitan. Lol. All of them were different smells and tastes. If you think chicken smell is weird, what would you think of snacking on some fried locusts? To be honest, I am not a fan of insects, quite the opposite. But given that these little guys were fried and not moving, I decided eating them would an easy way into my brave new world. So I did. Not tasty.

A couple of months ago my friend and I were wondering why there was no real Mexican bar in New York. Then we concluded that there was nothing to drink besides tequila and Corona. When I told this silly thought to Manu, Rodriguez and Abraham, they could not stop laughing. Given the assortment of mescals’ tastes and smells, La Bodega could be the answer to our Mexican dream bar in New York.




An hour later I was equipped with a few suggestions from locals on where to go next on picture hunt and where to eat the best tacos from street vendors. I felt the way was well spent!