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On this platform, my “footprints” are postcards to my friends. My home is the country I am in! I am committed to learning its language, and as much as possible about it, while maintaining great curiosity, a sense of humor and increasing acceptance. Read more Alexandria, United States
  • Speak, WorldNorthern Chile
    Day 6

    La Serena, second oldest city in Chile

    January 6, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    La Serena is a medium-sized city of 250,000, located 248 miles north of Santiago. It is ChiIe’s second-oldest city, with many things of interest to me.

    As it turned out, there was a very nice surprise right across from my Airbnb property: a historic house where the poet Gabriela Mistral lived with her sister, and just behind it, a public library dedicated to her memory. I explored the house with a very knowledgeable guide, and got acquainted with “Gabriela,” as she is known in Chile: the first Latin American author to win the Nobel Prize in literature in 1945, and also an educator, diplomat, and public intellectual. The area of La Serena is full of places where she lived and worked.

    I also walked the short kilometer to the “Faro,” lighthouse for my view of the ocean, back to town to book sightseeing, tours and just. walk around. I headed to the small and excellently arranged Archeological Museum, where I learned about the local indigenous people, the Diaguita, who settled in the area (and also in northern Argentina) from around 900 CE. Such wonderful pottery they produced! There are still 88,474 Diaguitas living in Chile today.

    The city center was given a “Haussmann treatment” 1948-52 to make it homogenously neocolonial, or Spanish Colonial Revival style. It is pleasant enough, and there seems to be enough money in the city coffers to keep the “historical” buildings freshly painted. This is necessary, because there is a plague of graffiti writing and murals on every available wall in the city. Indeed, this graffiti plague (my opinion) is sanctioned by city governments now all over Chile.

    I finally ended my first day in a coffee shop studying Spanish. A wonderful surprise: I found out that José Vasconcelos, the author of our Oaxaca reading circle’s current book, invited Gabriela Mistral to Mexico when he was Minister of Education (1922-24) to establish educational programs. A perfect connection!

    Please enjoy the photos.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldNorthern Chile
    Day 4

    VALPARAISO

    January 4, 2023 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    My first trip to Chile was in 2019, when I explored from Cochran in North Patagonia up to Santiago. Now I’m finally back, to explore another section of this oddly shaped country. (From north to south, Chile extends 4,270 km, 2,653 mi, yet is only 350 km, 217 mi at its widest point, and averages just 177 km, 110 mi east to west.) This time I’m planning to go north from Santiago (near the middle) and my first stop is in historic Valparaiso.

    I had a truly rough time getting to this, my first destination, due to the domino effect of a 4-hour delay of my first flight from Oaxaca to Mexico City. You will be spared the details, but I missed two flights and arrived a day late, and the culprit was the airlines, AEROMEXICO. Be warned!

    I chose to stay in Valparaiso’s Historic Center (a UNESCO World Heritage Site from 2003) to explore the two cities: the lower town full of official government buildings and banks, and the upper town of steep hills, reached by 140-year-old 10-person elevators. Up on the hills are historic houses and other lavish buildings from Valparaiso’s heyday as a major port—before the Panama Canal was built in 1914. The Museum of Fine Arts is in a former palace; the Museum of Engravings is in a stately home. The hills are truly interesting and beautiful, though some parts are very rundown, filthy, and dangerous.

    The first day I walked along the coast for the entire day. With my binoculars I spied flocks of terns, cormorants, and pelicans, as well as a little sea otter. There was edible tubular kelp called “cochayuyo,” which I ate in Castro, on the island of Chiloe on my first trip to Chile. There were two lighthouses, native cacti and succulents on the hillsides, and even a very long public beach. There was celebration in the air, as January 2nd is also a holiday in Chile. By the time I was ready for lunch, the restaurants were all out of the standard fish, so I had eel! It arrived fried, and quite delicious.

    The second day I visited the Museum of Fine Arts, which is in the art nouveau/deco Palacio Baburizza. They have a collection European art, as well as the Valparaiso art for which I was searching. (See photos) And then to the Natural History Museum for descriptions of flora and fauna of here, Central Chile.

    The third day I visited the Valparaiso Museum of Engraving, which displayed great artistry and variety of techniques. But because of a blooming cold, I rested most of the rest of the day, and felt better on my last morning.

    The prices here are much more than those of Mexico, so I’ve felt some shock. But how pleasant to see cats minding many businesses along the main streets, and a few nice places to drink coffee and study Spanish in the late afternoon. It’s not difficult to be a short-term resident.

    And here, as usual, is a link for further information about the city:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valparaíso

    Please enjoy the pictures.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldMexico City Birthday
    1
    Day 35

    Two Museums I Love in Mexico City

    November 13, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The National Museum of Anthropology is a place of pilgrimage for me. I visited it as a child just after its creation, then in my twenties, my forties, and now in my seventies. It is a world-class museum, but more importantly, a moving and eloquent homage to the incredible indigenous heritage of Mexico, from thousands of years before the conquest. And it goes much further: it also documents ethnologically the lives and traditions still alive in the indigenous towns of today.

    Enrique and I started off our tour in the Oaxaca section of the museum, where we had left off in April of our previous visit to Mexico City. The ethnology rooms are still under renovation, but the anthropology rooms are resplendent. Although there are 16 indigenous groups in the state of Oaxaca, the museum highlights the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures. We spent two hours there! And, Enrique’s mother being Mixteca, we examined each case with wonder and admiration for his ancestors.

    And then, we skipped many rooms to go to the very last rooms, the Western Desert. The marvelous cases there demand another visit, and soon!

    Here is a link to the museum’s site for your enjoyment:

    https://www.mna.inah.gob.mx

     After a rest and a snack outside, we went to the Museo Nacional de Historia in Chapultepec Castle, in Chapultepec Park. The historical importance of the Cerro del Chapulín, “The Hill of the Chapulín” (grasshopper) goes back thousands of years to the first peoples in the Valley of Mexico, and in many prominent ways, continues to this day. The Castle—originally a church in the 1500’s, briefly became the dwelling of Emperor Maximiliano, then a military college, and then home of Mexican presidents until it was decreed a museum in 1939 by Lázaro Cárdenas.

    Such museum staying power we had! The history of Mexico was presented in chronological order in many rooms, with neutral explanations throughout (or I suspect—they could have been quite radical for many—but what do I know at this point?) Anyway, along with the beautifully mounted historical artifacts, I think it’s an adequate introduction to a complicated subject, and I enjoyed it.

    Such a stimulating and unforgettable day!

    Please enjoy the photos.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldMexico City Birthday
    1112
    Day 34

    Happy Birthday in Santa Maria la Ribera!

    November 12, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    For this year’s celebration of Enrique’s birthday, we decided to go to CDMX—Ciudad de México, Mexico City.

    We took the 7-hour bus ride to experience the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, which stretches from the states of Oaxaca to Puebla. Although we obviously couldn’t jump out of the bus to explore, the views of the columnar cacti forest in the matorral and the Sierra Madre sub-ranges were stunning. The reserve was created in 2012, and it received UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2018. Is it protected? Supposedly. Let’s hope so. For very interesting information, here is a link:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehuacán-C…

    We quickly set ourselves up in our minimalist AirBnb property on Calle Quetzalcóatl in the neighborhood of Tlaxpana, and almost immediately walked three blocks to Enrique’s neighborhood, Santa María la Ribera to eat “huaraches,” fried tortillas in the shape of a sandal, with anything you want on the top. We chose “carne del pastor,” which is a variety of grilled meats cut from a kebab rotisserie. There is much delicious rich food to be had at all times, but we restrain ourselves. Mostly.

    For the next two days, we explored parts of Santa María we couldn’t see on a previous visit, due to COVID. A note: Santa María la Ribera is a very old part of Mexico City, close to the Historic Center.
    Here you can get a bit more information:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonia_Santa_Mar…

    “El Chopo” is an architectural marvel, built in Germany in 1902 as a an exhibition hall. It was dismantled and rebuilt on “Poplar Street,” Calle Chopo, to also be an exhibition center. It was bought by UNAM, National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1975, and after much expansion and renovation, was set out as a modern art museum. We saw all of the three exhibits before meeting Enrique’s brother, Rafael, for lunch.
    More information!
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Universitar…

    The following day, we inched through another UNAM-owned museum, the Museum of Geology. I particularly loved the display cases from 1905, along with the eclectic collections of minerals, gems, volcanic rocks, dinosaur bones, etc. Fascinating.

    And then the Big Day, November 12. Enrique’s niece and I coordinated to have a birthday lunch in “María138,” an Italian restaurant just south of the beautiful neighborhood “alameda.” It is one of my great treasures and joys to be a part of a Mexican family. And birthday celebrations are extremely important! So much fun and congeniality.

    Please enjoy the photos.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldTrip to La Mixteca
    1
    Day 4

    Down to Yosondúa

    October 13, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    We left Tlaxiaco, a small city (population 18,900), for Yosondúa, a small town (8,800), on the fourth day of our trip. Our main interest was to get out in the countryside to explore it.

    We arrived by taxi at Yosondúa Natural Park, a narrow canyon with a dramatic waterfall, “La Esmeralda,” and a 140 meter (460 feet) suspension bridge right in front of the falls. We left our luggage in the park office, which is right at the falls, and got ourselves on that spectacular swinging-in-space bridge. And then: how could we NOT spend an inordinate amount of time looking at everything below and above us: the falls, bromeliad-laden “garden trees,” the Sierra del Sur, sun, the roiling rapids at the base of the falls, birds, each other. Binoculars are our great “eye extenders,” well-used as always. From the bridge, we could walk right up to the falls, which was terrifyingly good.

    Walking to our cabaña on a steep and rocky dirt road, I stumbled and fell with all my weight on to my right knee, which bled and swelled to twice its size—still hurting even 24 days after the fall. Never mind, Ibuprophen rescued me to be able to keep walking through the rest of the trip.

    The following day we witnessed the town’s triennial elections. Although voting isn’t mandatory, people are brought in from outlying areas by volunteer drivers of various sizes of trucks, so the total number of votes was 6500 (out of 8500). The first 11 people with the greatest number of votes filled all the town government offices, and the second 11 people with the greatest number of votes were assigned as assistants to each of the officers. (Please see the photo section for the names of the offices, as well as the winners.) The requirement for anyone to run for office was to have a record of public service to the town—with or without having been elected. The new officers have 3 months to prepare for their posts: to confer with former officers, to read the last 3 years’ records of proceedings, and to bone up on all the laws connected to their new jobs.

     Of note: half of the town’s officers had to be women.

     Our guide to all things Yosondúa were residents Edilberto Martínez Sánchez and his good friend Profesor Lorenzo---(Alas, I didn’t write down his last name). They were excellently informative.

     We were guided to “Doña Sebas Café,” which had a long table with plastic stools, a wood fire under three comals, and Doña Sebas (short for “Sebastiana) and her daughter cooking and serving the customers. Under such communal circumstances, the talk of the town flourished day and night. Enrique and I were there several times a day to eat and listen. One man’s comment on the urge to run for office in the election: “It’s said that being elected is like marriage: you want it—oh, how you really crave and want it so much, with all your heart. And then when you get elected, oh, you want so so badly to leave—to just get out!” (He was refering to how difficult it actually was, to my understanding.) A middle-aged nurse came early for breakfast, dressed in pretty local garments and bright red low pumps. When she finished, she jumped up to help Doña Sebas to clean up the café after election day’s total overuse. Such is the town spirit of community service.

     There is also no private farming property. All is communal land, parceled out to people applying to the proper town authority. It is similar to the egido system of Meso-America.

     After the excitement of election day, and resting my poor knee, we went on a long afternoon hike with Edilberto up to 2400 meters (7400 feet) for splendid views of the Sierra Sur, and the valley below. And the following day was spent with Profesor Lorenzo, visiting viewpoints, and a home harboring a herd of domesticated small native deer—raised by a family to interest visitors. It wasn’t just a tourist attraction, but an opportunity for the eldest daughter Aketzali, studying wildlife biology at university in Oaxaca de Juarez, to explain the region’s biodiversity and ecology.

     We returned to Tlaxiaco the next day, to attend a few hours of fiesta before returning home from our idyll to our big city home.

     Please enjoy the photos and videos!    Read more

  • Speak, WorldTrip to La Mixteca
    Day 1

    Part One: Tlaxiaco, the Heroic City

    October 10, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We planned a trip to Tlaxiaco (pronounced “tla-hee-AH-ko”) because Enrique was interested in visiting his mother’s birthplace for the first time since he was a not-so-observant 8-year-old. I was interested in everything about it, as I’d never been to in La Mixteca—one of the eight regions in the State of Oaxaca. It is a 3-hour van drive from Oaxaca de Juarez (capital of the state) where we live. We settled into an AirBnb property in the still-rural north of town, amidst cornfields and baa-ing sheep.
    Here you can find out basic information about Tlaxiaco:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlaxiaco


    We explored the town center, with its newly renovated Clock Tower (it took a year) and the Cultural Center, where a charismatic young man taught a large class of young girls to dance “El torito,” (“Little Bull”) famous in La Mixteca. We began our quest to find some of Enrique’s mother’s relatives, members of the Murcio family. We were steered to two sections of the city where this family of business people and ironmongers lived, and in one of them we found a woman who knew all about them. On the following night, she arranged that we spend time with a Señor Carlos Emiliano Murcio Santos, who gave Enrique a run-down of every single Murcio he knew. When they parted in an affectionate embrace, Carlos called Enrique “cousin.”

    For the next two days, we took local “tours.” First we went to the magnificent Hualmelúlpam Arqueological site, with its pavilions and ball courts in the midst of native plant meadows. You have to understand that the flowers, shrubs, trees, and insects are just as important to us as the Mixtec ruins, so we poked around for hours. Unfortunately, the museum was locked up, and the key bearer nowhere to be found.

    The next day we took a taxi—first to the village of Santa Catarina Tayaka, home of our driver/guide, Pablo. In the village we ate breakfast, and then inspected the renovation of the local church-- of great interest, as the renovation of Enrique’s house in Oaxaca of the same period proceeds. (Early 19th century.) Our second stop was a “mirador,” outlook view of the countryside, which was quite impressive—but all the plants, trees and flowers were also stunning: a Garden of Eden! Finally we came to the partially-restored Ex-Convent of Achutla, on the “Route of the Dominicans.” In case you’re not aware, it took the Spaniards only a short time after the Conquest (1521) to cover the Mesoamerican lands south of Mexico City with three-story high and 1-2 block long churches and monasteries. They were built by forcing the conquered peoples to use the same hewn stones of their own cities to build the churches right on top. A sickeningly devastating ruin of a civilization.

    I love the poke-around explorations that we did. My old “motto,” “The bear went over the mountain to see what she could see,” is still in operation, but expanded with a second: “You never know…”

    Please enjoy the photos and videos.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldAt Home in Oaxaca
    2
    21

    Three Oaxaca Afternoons

    May 26, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Oaxaca and environs have so much variety to offer! I enjoy such rich stimulation—especially with the very low numbers of COVID cases right now. To give you an idea of what there is to do, I highlight three afternoons for you.

    The first, Sunday May 15th, Enrique and I went to the Arts Center in the town of San Augustin, Etla. Etla is a “districto”—county—to the west of the city of Oaxaca, and San Augustin is one of many “municipios”—towns—in that county. The Arts Center is an old textile factory, now housing printing and paper making workshops, as well as two large gallery spaces. We visited the galleries first, and as admittance to the workshops wasn’t allowed, we explored the impressive plantings outside. We lunched in a family home converted to a restaurant, and for dessert we had a conversation with the grandmother about life in San Agustin.

    Two Sundays later on May 23rd, we were back in the Sierra Norte in the hamlet of El Punto for more walking—from 8200 to 6500 feet and back. This was a very slow four-hour hike, in which we examined every bromeliad-covered tree along the way. Before the hike we ate barbequed mutton on black bean-smothered thick corn tortillas, dressed with green, red, and avocado salsas. This was in a 5-table outdoor restaurant with a precipitous mountain view. After the hike we returned to the restaurant, and had “agua de zarzamora,” blackberry juice thinned to a delicious liter of icy fruited water, and a tiny blade of blackberry cheesecake.

    Finally, on May 25, we walked from Enrique’s house to “Cuchillos Aragón,” workshop of Guillermo Aragón, a “metalistero.” This is an invented word, indicating an artist of metal, but he is actually an artist of forging blades for work or decoration: knives, daggers, swords, machetes, scythes, etc. His family goes back to six generations of artisans. Here is a link to a history of their work: https://fahho-mx.translate.goog/los-cuchillos-d….

    There, my treasured Misono professional chef’s knife was re-shaped and sharpened by the master himself. He is also a gentleman of the older generations of Mexican society, “un gran caballero.”

    On the way back, we stopped to admire the Wednesday afternoon “Danzón in the Zócalo.” Danzón is a formal dance originating in Cuba. Perhaps after seeing the video I took, you might want more information! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danzón#Mex…

    I do so love living here! And I hope you enjoy the photos which illustrate this description.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldAt Home in Oaxaca

    A Weekend in the Sierra Norte

    May 12, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Hello Everyone! It’s been 13 months since I wrote my first post in my new home of Oaxaca. I’ve found that International Living takes a lot of psychic energy. It is as different from traveling as listening to violin playing is from actually playing the violin. In other words, I’ve been busy learning how to BE in Mexico. Now I’m ready to write about it.

    I manage my own apartment, first rented as an Airbnb property from hosts Paulina and Julián. In April 2021 I became an actual renter, separate from Airbnb, and have remained so. I now have friends, a team of doctors and a dentist for my every need, markets and shops to patronize, a Mexican bank account, a “Circle of Mexican Literature” which I formed, and most importantly, a dear Mexican pareja named Enrique.

    Enrique and I have been a couple since March 2021. We started traveling together last year. Now, as I restart writing in this blog, I feature our latest excursion to the Sierra Norte, to Ixtlán, about two hours and 400 curves into the mountains from Oaxaca. With us were my great friend Vicky and her daughter Estefanía. I hope you enjoy the photos!    Read more

  • Speak, WorldAt Home in Oaxaca
    2
    2

    I Have a New Home!

    April 15, 2021 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Hello Everyone, and welcome back to my Experiment in International Living. After a very long gap in communication, I would like to catch you up.

    As with every single one of us, the pandemic has changed our lives significantly. In
    my case, I have stopped living in different countries for three or more months at a time, and
    have stayed in Oaxaca, Mexico, which is, naturally, still “being abroad.”

    A week ago I returned from a trip to the US—Alexandria, Virginia—to get both of my Pfizer vaccines, see dear friends, take care of my taxes, and initiate a big change in my life. I first arranged with the Mexican Consulate in Washington D.C. to obtain a visa to become a permanent resident in Mexico. To do this, I had to be retired, or over 62 years of age, and prove that I wouldn’t be a financial burden on the country. I was able to receive this visa, and three days after I returned to Oaxaca, on April 9, 2021, I received the crucial card to become a Permanent Resident.

    Jubilation!

    What does this mean? It means that I can do everything that a Mexican can do except vote. (Never mind, I shall continue to do that in the US.) I can work, move about the country, and come and go as I please, internationally. I am an honorary citizen, which I consider a significant honor. I have loved Mexico all my life—its states, its cultures, and above all, Mexicans themselves. Here, I feel that my sentiments are reciprocated fully and warmly. I have indeed “come home.”

    I am in the process of sorting out my life here—mostly doing what I did before my trip to the States. Since I was the polyglot winner of my latest Fluent in 3 Months language challenge, I decided to keep up with my Thai and Chinese studies, as well as to review Japanese, French, and Japanese in casual ways. We don’t know when international travel can safely begin again, and I don’t anticipate it will be as free as it once was for years. So, here’s to my International Life in Oaxaca!
    Here are links to my Fluent in 3 Months “winning” conversations:
    Thai: https://youtu.be/nNGCAM94qNo
    Chinese: https://youtu.be/LI7WGA6kxk0

    There is so much to learn here in Oaxaca, and in Mexico! I need another couple of lifetimes.

    Anyway, love to you all, and please leave your name if you care to leave a message.    Read more

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