Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Catemaco Cemetery



Richard decided to go find the cemetery. After wandering around in the local streets, and asking directions repeatedly, he found the high wall and an open gate. There was quite a bit of activity there. in several corners of the large cemetery. In one corner, three family members were making a new crypt. In another area, a man was tidying up his family crypt. Richard spoke to him, who cheerfully told him that his wife was buried there. I asked him if there would be room for him, and he assured me that there was. They stack the bodies, one on top of another, in a basement crypt. Another man opened the crypt and showed me how the concrete crypts were arranged. A family buys a plot, and successive family members are buried in the same place or crypt. There is only one cemetery in the city, for the rich and the poor.

After the cemetery, Richard walked downtown to buy bus tickets to go to Veracruz tomorrow. On the way back, he saw another government giveaway in the name rural development, in this case rowboats and nets.

We said goodbye to some of the people here in Tepetapan. Cliff will take us to the bus station tomorrow.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Tlacotalpan


Today, we went with Cliff and Monique to Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. Tlacotalpan is a United Nations World Heritage site on the Papaloapan river. It is a town founded in 1541, and known for it's colorful buildings. The drive from Catemaco was a little less than two hours.

The town was getting ready for its annual Candelaria celebration, which honors the Virgen de Candelaria, the patroness of the city. That meant that vendors from all over the country were setting up stands, grandstands were being set up, and buildings were being repainted.

The town is just as photogenic as we had been led to believe, and we enjoyed just hanging out in the plaza. The bright color is amazing.

Marianne suggested that Richard ask a group of schoolgirls if he could take their picture.

We went to the Augustin Lara museum, which was disappointing. Augustin Lara, the great musician and songwriter, was born in Tlacotalpan. We much preferred the Lara museum in Boca del Rio, just south of Veracruz city.

Marianne bought four embroidered blouses from indians from Oaxaca, not sure how to spell the language that they speak; there are sixteen different indian languages spoken in Oaxaca. Marianne also bought a colorful hand woven scarf from Nahuatal-speaking indians from Cuetzalan, in the Sierra Norte of the state of Puebla.

We drove back to Catemaco, after a pause to let the cattle go by, and got home just at dusk.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

A rainy trip to the beach at Montepio

We woke up to heavy rain, and decided not to go to Tlalmanalco. We hung around in the morning, and then the rain let up. After chatting with Gene and Gaby, Richard decided to go to Montepio, a beach town at the end of the pirata system. The ride was somewhat longer than expected, about 1.5 hours. It included various villages off the main road, and a very slow section on a cobblestone section of the main road near the UNAM research station.

When Richard arrived at Montepio, he walked down to the beach, and saw one of the rivers. The beach was nothing to write home about, at least in heavy overcast and spitting rain. He was told that he could get to the other side by walking back to the main road, which he did. Crossing the first river put him in 2 de abril. He kept walking, crossed the other river, and ended up at Revolution de Abajo. At that point, he saw another pirata, and decided to take that pirata back, rather than get back to Catemaco late. The taxi driver said that to find the waterfalls, it was best to go to Revolution de Abajo, and pay a kid a few pesos to lead you to the falls.

The ride back seemed longer, if that was possible. Richard chatted with the driver, and learned more about the business of these collective taxis, known as piratas. The truck costs around $15,000 US, and lasts about three years in that very heavy service, with heavy loads on bad roads. They buy the trucks on time. There are only 15 pirata licences; the licences are occasionally sold from one driver to another for about $14,000 US.

Richard got home just before dark. Marianne was chatting with Gene, and we chatted for a while until we went to mass. We chatted a bit with the young girl who was at the church store selling religious articles; she asked where we were from, and told us her brother was in North Carolina, and had been there about three years; they had not seen him, since he had no papers.

The mass was about the same, with the friendly younger priest that we saw our first Sunday. He is very nice, smiles, and his Spanish is easy to understand. Marianne was concerned about the little people at mass who seemed to have nothing, the people who had no work, the people who were separated from family, and felt sad.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Pot Luck in Catemaco

We took the bus to Bodega Aurrera (Walmart) today, to buy food for the pot luck here at Tepetapan.



We hung out around the compound most of the day. The party started around 5 PM, with lots of salads. Marianne made a tasty black bean and rice dish. We got to meet more of the neighbors, who are a pretty international group, including Australians, English, Americans, and Canadians from Quebec and other parts of Canada. A lot of the conversation was swapping Mexico travel stories. Most the people have been to many parts of Mexico, both popular and the obscure.

The photo is of our hosts, Gene and Gaby

Friday, January 25, 2008

A quiet day at Sontecomapan Lagoon


Ian picked us up in the morning, and took us to the pirata stop. We all piled intothe pirata to Sontecomapon village, and then took the launcha to Ian's house on Sontecomapan Lagoon. Ian has a nice house on the lagoon, near the Gulf of Mexico. He had not been to the house in a while, living in his apartment in Catemaco, so there was cleanup to do. We helped a little, but mostly sat on the porch, overlooking the lagoon. We walked over to Rancho Los Amigos, which is now a resort for the eco-backpacking set, with dormitories and hammocks.


Ian bought the land for his house from the owner of the Rancho. The ranch is now being subdivided for vacation homes.

We took the lancha across the lagoon to La Barra for lunch. We had lunch with Francisco, a retired Mexican advertising executive, who speaks excellent English.

After lunch, we went back to the house and took the picture below from the porch. Richard took a sit-on-top kayak out on the lagoon for a spin.

We took a lancha back to Sontecomapan, a pirata back to town, and Ian dropped us off at the Tepetapan. We chatted with Gene, Monique and Cliff until well after dark.

The photo below was taken outside our casita. Someone suggested that we should not report a Tarantula without producing a picture, so here is a picture.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Lake Catemaco tour

In the morning, Marianne, Monique, and Francaise, went shopping for sewing supplies. The conversation was held in three languages, Spanish, English, and French, quite interesting. Marianne was the only one who spoke Spanish.

Marianne spoke to Eileen, who had just gotten out of the hospital, after surgery on her shattered elbow.


After lunch, Richard, Marianne, Monique, and Cliff walked down to the Malecon, and chose a boat and a tour. We opted for the more expensive 500 peso group tour, which included all the stops.

Cliff and Richard got off at El Tegal, where the grotto where the Virgin de Carmen was seen by the fisherman in 1714. The statue in the basilica was left behind as a sign.


The stop to see the monkeys was not great, kind of like a bad zoo.


We enjoyed the stop at the Nanciyaga eco-resort. This included a walk through the jungle, and a visit to the crocodile pen. We were even lucky enough to see the local monkeys swinging through the treetops. Our tour was in English, although our guide was not a master of the language. She did not understand questions in English. There were opportunities to pay more for a mud facial, or to have a shaman perform a ritual cleansing, which we passed up. We drank from the mineral spring; they are so environmentally conscious that they composted the leaves we used to drink the water! They have rustic lodges, but we had heard earlier that a honeymoon couple was eaten up by mosquitoes. The photo is of Marianne and our guide in front of the Temescal, the ritual native sauna. After Nanciyaga, we saw a spectacular bird, the Purple Gallinule. We were dropped off at La Ola, where we had a drink, and then walked home.

We received a happy phone call in the evening announcing the birth of Marianne's first great grandchild. Marianne was on pins and needles waiting for the call. All is well with mom and 6 pound 8 ounce baby girl, born at 4:49 PM.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Sontecomapan Lagoon

In the morning, we discussed Sontecomapan with Cliff and Monique, and another Canadian couple, Kieth and Ruth. We decided to take the Pirata pickup truck to Sontecomapan, as we could not get six people in the car, and the road is not good. Marianne rode in the cab, and chatted with the driver; he went to the USA on a visa, and saved enough money to buy a house in Catemaco and the pickup truck he was driving. He came back because he missed his wife and two kids, but he really liked the USA.

We had lunch in Sotecomapan village. Richara and Marianne split a Mojarra fish, served with the head. We think that Mojarra is Tilapia, which is farm raised here. It was very good.

We selected a boat and captain, and agreed to pay Jorge a total of 600 pesos to take us to the jungle river, the mangrove river, and the beach at La Barra. We went a long way up the jungle river, with limbs completely overhanging the river in many areas. The water was clear, and Jorge said that the water was free of pollution, so free that he drank right out of the stream. In the mangrove river, he showed us the three kinds of mangroves, the red, the black and the white.

We stopped for 20 minutes at La Barra, and walked over to the gulf side of the spit of land, picking up sand dollars from the beach. While we were stopped, Jorge's boat floated away into the lake, with the wind and tide pushing it pretty fast. Jorge borrowed another boat to retrieve his own boat, and did not seem too concerned. We then headed back to Sontecomapan. One young man introduced himself in good English and shook our hands, to be friendly and practice his English. We took the pirata collectivo back.

On the way back, Marianne and I chatted with the people in the cab of the truck. As we were driving on the potholed road, all agreed that the government was very corrupt. One of them, Judi, a beautiful Mexican woman, was married to a Swiss music teacher and symphony director, who works part of each week in Veracruz, and part of each week in Catemaco. They live in Dos Amates, just downhill from the Ecobiosfera lodge that we visited the day before! It is a small world. Her brothers live in the USA, and have not been home in ten years; she says that they are speaking English and doing well in their work. Judi was astounded when she went to Switzerland, the roads were excellent, everything was perfect.

We relaxed when we got home, had a drink, and ate beans, rice and tortillas.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Birding in the Ecobiosferio


Tuesday morning we got up early to to take a taxi to meet our guide, Felix Aguilar, at his Ecobiosfera lodge in Dos Amates, outside Catemaco. Felix is an ornithologist. His English is limited, which was not a big issue for us, except that he generally remembers the common bird names in Spanish, not English. We started with introductions and a brief orientation. He said that the region of Los Tuxtlas has 17 different habitat zones, and 575 species of birds. In addition to Felix, he had an assistant, Abram, who lives in the village. We started seeing new birds right away. We hiked around to various locations. The area is so green and beautiful, with valleys, mountains, and a view of the lake and the Gulf of Mexico. The most noteworthy birds that we saw were the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, which we saw up close, and the Bat Falcon, a very small Falcon. We watched both birds for some time. He also taught us to see the differences between the two species of Oropendolas, the Chesnut Headed and the Montezuma. Both have a bright yellow tail with a dark stripe down the middle of the tail, but have a different overall size and beak. At the end of the three hours, he counted up seeing almost 50 different species. Neither of us could count that many, partly since we only got a glimpse at some of them, and partly because Felix was not able to positively identify all the birds, since many species look very similar.

We took the pirata back to town, did a little shopping on our way home, and relaxed for a while. Richard took a nap, and then took the bus to the Bodega (Walmart) to do some shopping.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Santiago Tuxtla and Tres Zapotes

We left around 10 AM to head to Santiago Tuxtla and then Tres Zapotes, an Olmec ruin.

We parked in the town square at Santiago, and were impressed with the cleanliness of the town. The largest Olmec head ever found is in the town square, 10 feet high (3m), and had the eyes shut. Each Olmec head is different, perhaps because they are portraits of individual leaders. The museum is of modest size, but has many carved stones from area ruins, smaller artifacts, and perhaps the smallest Olmec head, 5 feet high (1.5m). It also has some colonial artifacts, such as inlaid desks and suits of armor. A pleasant stop.

We had lunch at the big hotel on the square, and then asked directions to Tres Zapotes ruin. A taxi driver happened to be going that way, and agreed to lead us there. This greatly simplified getting to Tres Zapotes, as the route is not signed.

The museum had been renovated in 2006, and was well signed, in Spanish, explaining the many artifacts and carved stones found at the site. The centerpiece of the museum is another giant Olmec head. We liked the museum. The small dirt mounds in back of the museum were unsigned, and no guidebook or human guide was available, so not worth much time. The museum is not heavily visited, with 10 to 100 visitors per day.

We did a little birding across the street from the Museum, and identified a yellow winged tanager. We also saw some kind of bright yellow oriole; but there are several orioles that have a similar appearance.

On the way home we stopped in Santiago Tuxtla for a little shopping at the market, and bought some beautiful vegetables.

On Tuesday we will go to the Biosphere lodge in Dos Amates, and go on a birdwatching tour with Felix Aguilar, an ornithologist. 300 pesos per person for 3 hours of birdwatching. We are looking forward to it, as there are so many birds here that we have never seen before.

A rainy day in Catemaco

We woke up Sunday to heavy overcast, and on and off rain, which continued all day. Everyone thought that the weather was too unfavorable to go out and about. It felt quite cold, although the thermometer read 68F.

The rain stopped in the evening, and Richard strolled to mass. The priest was much older than last wake, with a semi-permanent frown. The ceremony was just as elaborate as last week, including incense. I asked and was told that all the Sunday masses are like that.

The poster above, found in the church, reads "The American Dream", and shows a family of Mexicans next to a high border wall.

We plan to go to Santiago Tuxtla and Tres Zapotes, to see the ruins and the museums.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Eyipantla Waterfall

We made an excursion with Cliff and Monique to El Salto de Eyipantla, a huge waterfall around 160 feet tall.

Richard walked down the 242 steps to the bottom of the falls to get the picture above.

We were mobbed by vendors when we stopped in the parking lot to see the waterfall. They were begging, selling, and wanting to watch our car. Richard cut a deal with one guy to watch our car for 10 pesos.

We strolled to the overlook at the top of the falls. Pretty impressive. At the overlook, we met a very nice family from the area. Marianne is using her Spanish more than usual on this trip. Marianne started a conversation with a contemplative nun who was sightseeing with a friend. The nun had received permission to leave the convent from her Mother Superior. The order was founded by Maria Magdelena de Encarnacion, and is devoted to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; her convent is in Santiago Tuxtla.

We made a stop in the Jardin Botanico Luis Bianchi on the road to the falls. It was perhaps the quietest place we have been on this trip, with a view of the surrounding hills.

Friday, January 18, 2008

A stroll downtown

Ian came by early, and told us that he would not be able to take us to Sontecomapan today, so we had an unstructured day.

Marianne felt a little better so we took a stroll downtown. We found the traditional type mercado, with lots of small shops in a large building. Marianne bought embroidery thread, needle, and pattern, to keep her hands busy.

We stopped in a hotel to ask prices for the upcoming article, and learned that Mel Gibson had been there. Marianne asked the girls there if Mel was handsome; they giggled and agreed that he was.

We stopped by the church to request a mass be said for Liz and the birth of Nicolette's child, but the office was closed. We were told to come back in an hour; we did, and it was still closed, despite the posted hours saying that it should be open. We sat down in the church, and watched a steady stream of people walk up to the statue of the Virgin de Carmen, take a bouquet of flowers, make the sign of the cross, and then rub the flowers over their body, in a kind of ritual cleansing. Richard asked one man what people were praying for. He told Richard that you ask for something in your heart, tell no one what you asked for, and then wait to see what happens. He was from Mexico City, and told us that the statue was miraculous.

We stopped at a cafe on the plaza for a coke, and noticed a large gathering of people surrounding a variety of items on display. It turned out that this was a municipal economic development program. The tables, stoves, microwaves, etc., were to start restaurants for ecotourism. They also gave out bags of fish food, for aquaculture. One of cities benefiting from that program was Las Margaritas, at the end of the road on the other side of Lake Catemaco. A big ceremony to publicize the government program, presumably to help the politicians in future elections. The men standing behind the kitchen equipment are the municipal council, most of them introduced with the titles of doctor or engineer. The title engineer carries quite a bit of weight in Mexico, and is often put in front of the name, like one would do with the title doctor.

The sign below advertises a magic shop, the Chaman (Shaman). They offer Tarot card readings, amulets, cleansing, etc.

Monique's car returned, but it would not start. It turned out to be a bad battery. The bad battery diagnosis was confirmed by the electrical specialist, the brother in law of the mechanic. But in the meantime we tried to push start the car, and had a lot of men standing around scratching their heads. We think that the car will be fine, with the new battery and new clutch.

Talking to Gene Gaudi, I mentioned that the only Gaudi that I knew was the famous architect from Barcelona. It turns out that Gene is related, a great nephew of the famous architect! We have been to see some of his amazing buildings in Barcelona, and were very surprised that our host is related to the architect.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Getting a few things done in Catemaco

Today was an errand day, hanging around Catemaco. Richard put a load of laundry in the washing machines here at the Tepatapan. Partly due to low water pressure, it takes a very long time. Richard took whatever did not fit in the washing machine to a laundromat.

Cliff and Richard dropped off Monique's car at a nearby shop for clutch replacement.

Richard spent more time than usual fighting the computer, partly due to poor WIFI connection. The WIFI is running better tonight, because Gene added another base station.

Richard went out looking at hotels, researching for his article, looking at prices from $100 US a night to $50 US a night. This is low season, so prices are reasonable. Christmas and Easter are high season.

In the zocalo, Richard saw a car painted with a sign saying that he was driving north from Argentina. Richard stopped and talked to the shaggy bearded guy leaning against the car. The bearded guy was from Italy, traveling around the world with no money, begging food and rides. He broke up with his girlfriend, had a fight with his dad, and grabbed his backpack and hit the road. The driver of the car was from Argentina. Richard spoke to them about travel, and what travel means.

The picture below is of Marianne, Monique, and Gaby; a very international group. Monique and Marianne took a stroll into town.

Marianne is feeling a little better, after taking her antibiotics. Her voice is still croaking, however.

The picture below is of a toad that hopped around this evening.

We had a drink with Monique and Cliff this evening. Tomorrow we go to Sontecomapan Lake with Ian. The weather forecast is not ideal, but Saturday is supposed to be worse.

Errands and research

We see lots of birds here. The picture below shows about 75 buzzards (zopilotes) soaring over the river.


Richard took a walk through the town, mostly doing research. He found out the bus and pirata schedules to various destinations, and wrote them in his notebook. He spoke to a couple of cell phone shops, researching for his updated cell phone article. He also took a few photos, including one of a sign for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. The AA group is called "Return to the beginning".

The photo below is our local internet cafe; it is the first bamboo internet cafe that I have seen.

Richard made a run to the Bodega (Walmart) in San Andres, including buying a juicer for oranges. An easy run on the bus. There is a guy down the street selling juice oranges, so Richard bought 50 oranges for 20 pesos (around $2). The vendor was giving away samples, figuring that a sample would make a sale, and he was right.

Late afternoon, Richard started planning, listing all the possible tourist activities that one might want to do in the area. With a little help, he identified 16 different activities. Not that we can or would do all 16, but it was good to identify the options, and prioritize them a bit. One of the options is to visit Talacotalpan, a world heritage site on the Paloapan river. Cliff and Monique came over, and they were also interested in the list. We plan to do some of these things with them, starting Saturday.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Paddling in Catemaco - swimming in paradise

Today, Rafael drove in from Veracruz. He arrived around 10 AM, as planned. Ian came over to join us. Rafael brought three beautiful sea kayaks with him. Richard had never met Rafael face to face; he knew him only through the internet, Yahoo groups and email.

We sat around and chatted for a while, and then drove down to the lake and put the kayaks in the water. The kayaks are Greenland style sea kayaks, like the Eskimos used. The kayaks are Rafael's design and side business. They are fast and seaworthy, but not terribly stable, at least to somebody used to other kinds of boats.

We paddled along the beach and then continued to the closest island. The kayak felt pretty good paddling, but less stable when one stopped paddling. We discussed going on to the famous monkey island, but decided to turn around and go back. The kayak felt less stable with the waves coming off the rear quarter, as expected, but once we got around the point we got out of the waves. As we got close to where we put in, we stopped to look at the statue of the virgin on a post in the water. Richard relaxed a little too early, and suddenly he was in the water. Rafael was nearby, and has been practicing kayak rescue. They did a "T" rescue, in which Rafael flipped Richard's kayak over to drain the water out, and then pulled the two kayaks side by side. With Rafael's help, Richard was able to climb up onto the kayak and get back in.

They headed in, loaded the kayaks on the trailer, and then stopped for lunch at a waterfront restaurant. The conversation covered a wide range of topics, from the religion of the US founding fathers, to the Cristero Wars of Mexico, to boating. Richard invited Rafael to come to paddle in the USA, specifically on the Green River in Utah. A unique opportunity to paddle a sea kayak in the desert.

Marianne walked on the Malecon, the walkway by the lake, by herself, stopped to talk to Monique and Cliff, and then saw the fearless paddlers. Monique and Marianne continued wandering and shopping, and eating ice cream. They went to the church, where they saw people using a bouquet of flowers in front of the statue of the Virgin. They touched the flowers to the glass, did the sign of the cross, and then ran the flowers all over their body, in a kind of cleansing ritual that probably had more to do with popular belief than Christianity. Remember that Catemaco is famous for witchcraft. In the church, people spoke to them in Spanish, talking about crossing the border, and getting them religious candles. Marianne only understood part of what she was told. An older lady chatted with them and gave them a hug. The people were very nice.

Later, Marianne and Gaby worked on English and Spanish.

Richard went to the next village, Maxacapan, which was having a village fiesta. They were setting up for the bands, but not much else was going on, so Richard decided to head home. The night watchman is from that town, and took off work for the big fiesta.

A nice day. Que dia!

Monday, January 14, 2008

San Andres Tuxtla - not paradise

We took the bus to San Andres de Tuxtla. This is the next town west, and the commercial hub of the area.

The center of San Andres is a busy place. Richard stopped at the tourism office, and basically found out that there were no tourist attractions in town, although there were some in the surrounding jungle.

We visited the church next to the plaza. A large church, with a black Christ on the side altar, with one woman holding on to Christ's leg, and praying fervently. When she was finished praying, she kissed the wound on Christ's knee, and had her son kiss His knee. Richard read a bulletin board about the day of the immigrant, saying that people left because there was no work. A man reading the board told Richard that there was no work here, and that the government officials were rats, stealing from the people, living in big houses.

The prayer in the photo below, on the bulletin board in the church, is "Prayer of the Migrant", "Lord, I and my family are poor. Help me to live with dignity. I am unemployed and there is no work. Don't let me be defeated. I have decided to go in search of a better life; help me to do so with courage. I am leaving my family and friends; I leave them in your care. I am afraid of the unknown; I have confidence in you. I don't know what the future holds, but I know that you are watching over me. I don't want to just survive; show me the road to life. I don't have papers, I don't know the way, I go struggling against death. I want to make money and return, see my family, and be happy. All that remains me is trust in you."

We took a local bus from downtown to the Soriana store, which wandered through the neighborhoods on the way. Very hilly there. We took a taxi home from the store, after waiting a while for a taxi. The taxi driver told us he wanted to go to the USA and work. His uncle was working in Kentucky. He said that it cost $2000 US to get over the border. Richard cautioned him that construction work in the USA was slowing down, due to the mortgage crisis. Marianne suggested that he go soon, as the next president is likely to toughen up on immigration.

Marianne was beat when we got home, but felt better after a nap.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, Richard plans to paddle with Rafael and Ian.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

It only rains at night, in Camelot and Catemaco

As the king sang about Camelot, ...the rain may never fall till after sundown. It is the same in paradise, the rain only falls at night, very convenient.

This morning, I got up and got going fairly early, and headed for Sontecomapan. Sontecomapan is the name of a village and a lagoon. Catemaco is the name of a town and a lake.


To get to Sontecomapan, I walked to the other side of Catemaco, and caught a "pirata", a pickup truck that runs a fixed route and schedule, like a small bus. It cost 10 pesos, around $1 US, to get to Sontecomapan. The scenery is so lush that it is very hard to believe, especially for those of us who live in the arid West.


In Sontecomapan, I hung out at the spring for a while, drinking a coke, and then caught a lanacha to La Barra, which cost me 25 pesos. The ride through the channel between the mangroves reminded me of Florida Bay, where we spent a couple of weeks many years ago.

La Barra is a spit of land with a few houses and restaurants, between the lagoon and the gulf. The boat dropped us off on the beach on the lagoon side, and I started walking down the beach on the Gulf side. It only took a few minutes to walk beyond the kids playing in the surf. I picked up some intact sand dollars (Estrellas de Mar), and took a photo of a sand crab


I had lunch in one of the restaurants in La Barra, and caught another lancha to get back to Sontecomapan. But first the lancha stopped to pick up a load of cheese. The farm has no road to it, so they deliver their production by boat.

I took the pirata back to Catemaco, and walked home.

Marianne and Gaby exchanged language lessons for an hour.

We went to Sunday evening mass at the Basilica de Virgin de Carmen. It was a high mass with a choir, a singer with a great voice, incense, and a nice priest who spoke clearly. As Marianne said, she felt like she had been to church.

On Monday, we plan to visit San Andres Tuxtla, usually called San Andres, to see what there is to see, and do a little shopping.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Hanging out in Paradise

We slept in, as usual here. Richard went out with Cliff and Monique to buy them a cell phone. She needed the phone because she proofreads translations. The person doing the translations is pretty good, but sometimes makes mistakes or leaves out something, and her job is to check the translations. He emails her the translations, and she checks them out. He needs to be able to contact her when he has work for her to do. Monique is a Quebecoise, and grew up in Montreal, and is a native French speaker.

Richard took part in a conversation, mostly in French, with Gene, Michel, and Rachel. Michel and Rachel have traveled throughout the world, including RVing in India, Brazil, and other countries. They particularly enjoyed Iran and Turkey, exotic RV destinations, especially for Americans.

Marianne struck a deal with Gaby to teach her English and have Gaby teach her Spanish.

Cliff, Monique, Marianne and Richard went out shopping for meat and vegetables. The roasted chicken are good.

Tomorrow is Sunday; Richard plans to take a pirata to Sontecomapan, and check out the scene there.

I have included a few pictures of our casita.



Friday, January 11, 2008

Arachnids in Paradise


We slept in a bit, and then Ian came over and gave us a ride to Bodega, a kind of Walmart, in San Andres Tuxtla. It is kind of a warehouse atmosphere, not like a regular Walmart, but with Walmart products. One amusing incident had Marianne asking, in Spanish, where the Pepto-Bismal was. He took her firmly by the elbow and guided her to the pharmacy, while Richard trailed behind, amused. We stocked up, and Ian dropped us off at our casita.

Richard went for a long walk through the city, walking to the other end of downtown, including the ADO bus station and the place where the "piratas" leave from. The piratas are pickup trucks used as buses in the rural areas. There are piratas going to La Barra, on the gulf of Mexico, but only two a day, so a bit inconvenient to get there. One leaves Catemaco at 12:30, we will aim for that one.

On Richard's walk, he took our radio to a radio repair shop. They said that they could special order a replacement antenna, or just install a screw at the end of the antenna. The technician said that he would starve if he went tothe USA, as Americans don't fix things, they just throw them away. Richard did not argue with him, ended up paying $1 for the screw, and was happy to have the antenna functional, after it being broken for several years. Always happy to learn a new trick.

We walked with our neighbors, Cliff and Monique, from Ottawa Canada. We strolled down on the Malecon, ostensibly to show them the restaurant, and ended up eating with them at La Ola, a restaurant owned by Gaby's family. A good meal in an almost empty restaurant.

Richard called his buddy Mike on Skype. Mike was favorably impressed with the audio quality, which is saying a lot, since he used to work for Bell Labs.


We had two large spiders in the bathroom. One was a tarantula, perhaps the largest spider that we had ever seen inside. Richard removed them from our casita. Even paradise has arachnids; Marianne hates them, but Richard is willing to deal with them.