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Mexico & New Zealand - 2019/20Mexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
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Mexico & New Zealand - 2019/20

December 2019 - March 2020
From the known to the unknown. Read more
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  • LadyandtrampMexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
    Day 15

    Christmas Day in Mascota

    December 25, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Quiet,quiet,quiet. The Baby Jesus has been added to the Naciamentos (Nativity Scenes), including the one in the central plaza.

    We wandered the streets and took some photos of Mascota.

    Mascota is not from the Spanish language (where it would be translated as "pet"), but named by the original population, the Teco Indians. It was called "Amaxacotlán Mazacotla", that means the place of deer and snakes. The Spanish called it The Valley of Deer. When you enter the town, there is a little landscaped area with a statue of a deer standing by some rocks and plants. If you look closely, you can also see a snake.

    In the second half of the 17th Century, Mascota established itself in its current location. Families
    built their houses wherever they wanted to, so when the time came to build roads and urbanize the town, it was impossible without tearing some houses down. The final result was a town with an erratic street layout built around those original houses. As someone said, “No, it was not a drunkard that designed it all...”.

    We really like the little triangular plazas with fountains and benches, built where streets meet - a place to sit and chat or eat tacos.

    There is an interesting story about a man born in 1888, who grew up in Mascota, became a priest and was later martyred during the Cristero War, 1927, for standing up for his religious beliefs. He was beatified in 1992 and later canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II. There is a statue outside of the Mascota church in his honour.

    Wikipedia says this about his last hours:

    “José María Robles Hurtado recognized the likelihood of his being killed for his actions, and wrote a poem in which he stated: "I want to love you until martyrdom".He was arrested on June 25, 1927, for saying a prayer in the home of the Agraz family, who were hiding him at the time. He was found
    guilty and sentenced to be hanged from an oak tree. The next day, before dawn, he was led to the
    tree. In a final display of compassion for his executioners, he offered them a small votive candle he had in his pocket to help light the path to the tree where he was to be hanged. Upon arriving there, he forgave the men for what they were about to do. He took the noose into his own hands, saying "Don't dirty your hands" to the man who brought it, kissed it, and placed it around his own neck.”

    This time of year seems to be popular for baptisms and weddings. We even saw a photo shoot for a girl celebrating her 15th birthday (quincenaro).    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
    Day 15

    El Pedegral, Museum and Gallery

    December 25, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    There seem to be a lot of special places to see in Mascota and one of them is about 10 houses away from us, on the same street - the Museum and Gallery of El Pedregal. It is a unique building created by a man who is 85 years old and has lived in the same house for his entire life. This house has to be seen to be believed.

    Mr. Francisco Rodríguez Peña created a one-of-a-kind house filled with stone objects. The stones that he uses come from the beaches in Puerto Vallarta. Some of the stones are big and some are very tiny. They are different colours and shapes and he uses them to create guitars, piñatas, chess boards, pillows, caps, a television and telephones, and more. The tables, the toilet, the sink, even the decorative pillows on his bed! Everything in his house is decorated with pebbles and stones. What a labour of love.

    In addition to these unique crafts, he has a large collection of photographs (of course, in stone frames) of Mascota. Some of the photos date back to 1886! Yes, photographs were taken in 1886 in Mexico.

     In the center of the museum there is a stone wishing well and on the walls in the washroom, various local sayings had been written on little plaques. They were hard for us to understand as they were colloquial expressions. I am sure that the people in Mascota chuckled as they read and remembered the people who had said these words.

    Apparently, Francisco is also a writer and has a written a book about the history of Mascota. This kind and gentle man lives in the house and was our ‘guide’. It is times like this that we really appreciate having learned some Spanish.

    The Pedregal Museum is a visit that you will not regret doing; you will admire the various stone sculptures and you will leave there with a smile on your face.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
    Day 16

    A Walk to Find Petroglyphs

    December 26, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We started out the day thinking that we would like to do a little hike to the area north of Mascota called El Malpais, to find a petrified field and an old volcano called El Mocajete. We walked to the archaelogical museum and asked the lady there if she could tell us how far away that area is and what would we see if we went there.

    She responded by telling us that it is private land and we would have to get permission to go there. But she had an idea. She could phone a lady who could arrange a 3 hour hike with a guide to petroglyphs that are nearby for $14 Cdn! And the guide could meet us in 15 minutes in the square. Wow! That’s service.

    We met Carlos Fernando, a young man with a love for archaeology, who did a great job passing on his knowledge of the ancient history of Mascota.

    We started out by walking towards the dam that we had visited about a week ago, but then took a left turn on a dirt road that passed corn, squash and bean (the 3 sisters) fields and cattle farms. The views were beautiful.

    Passing a big tree, we heard some birds making a racket high in the branches and were surprised to see Magpie Jays! The only other place that we have seen them was in Nicaragua. Magpie Jays are blue, black and white but they are much bigger than our Blue Jays and have an incredibly long tail. We were not able to get a good photo of them though. A farmer told us that they were called Urracas.

    A ranchero (cowboy) was rounding up his cattle and kindly let us follow a trail through his
    property to the petroglyphs. Chris took a photo of him and he asked for a peso, tongue in cheek. He looked pretty well off.

    At one time, the river that flowed through the valley must have been really big. There are high rocky cliffs that must have been at the shoreline. Petroglyphs covered the big rocks in that area. It was so easy to see them. Carlos had brought some chalk so he could make the designs clearer for the camera.

    Apparently, some of the places were ceremonial sites. A place where shamans made the engravings as prayers for sun, water and fertility. Spirals symbolized water and concentric circles with rays symbolized the sun but other interesting designs. There were designs with scorpions that are the guardians of corn and two hunters carrying a bag of deer blood that would be used in ceremonies. On the rocks, there were also pictures of shamans, footprints, animals that had human characteristics and monsters.

    Some rocks had shallow bowl-like indentations on them where small fires would be lit. Once again, this ritual was used in praying for rain. The indigenous people here were farmers so sun and rain were vital.

    In one sheltered spot, there was a crack in the cliff and way back in, the rock wall was white. During the summer solstice, the sun shines into the crack and lights up the white inner rock. Two rocks had been carved as thrones for the shaman and his helper. There were many petroglyphs in this area.

    We walked on to another area. The land is private but the farmer gave Carlos a key to open a gate so we could see more petroglyphs. We had to walk through a milpa (cornfield) to get there but it was worth the effort and the scratches on our legs, from all the thorny plants. Scrambling over a rocky pile, we came to an area that at times is still used by the Huichol Indians as a ceremonial site.

    There we saw clearly the Snakes and Ladders-type game that I mentioned in the museum blog -
    Patoli. The game board is engraved right into the rocks and four people played this Snakes and Ladders-like game. We saw several of these game boards in the rocks in this area.

    While we were there, we must have disturbed a vulture who was sitting very close to us in the
    shade. He was a big bird and startled us somewhat as he flew right beside us.

    We walked about 8 or 9 km and by the time we got home, I was aching a bit. We weren’t walking
    on nice level ground but up and down through farmers’ fields. Great exercise!

    As mentioned, Carlos did a great job of answering our many questions, in Spanish. He was patient and kind. We may hire him again if we have time.

    It was amazing seeing those ancient engravings that aren’t mentioned in any guidebook. It was hard to stick to only putting on 10 photos. All of the pictures were super!    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
    Day 18

    An Old Cinder Cone Volcano

    December 28, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Not every day is sunny here and today is one of those days. But cloudy days here are great for long hikes and for taking some good photos, so ...

    We went on a 4 hour walk to an old volcano called El Molcajete. A molcajete is a round basalt stone dish with three little legs used for crushing items, like chilies, used in cooking. (Mortar and pestle). The volcano that we saw, is cone-shaped and has a deep impression in it that can be seen in aerial views. It looks like a molcajete.

    Our walk, north of Mascota took us past fields of yellow sunflowers and red chilies. People were in fields with huge baskets on their backs, picking the peppers.

    The views were amazing! Rows upon rows of old volcanoes, just beyond the farmers’ field. It was exceptionally quiet in this area, as few cars drove on this country road so all we heard was the sound of birds, and the occasional sound of a cow, goose or rooster. So tranquil.

    It started to rain just as we returned back to the town. Perfect timing.

    As we had walked 10.5 km on a mostly cobblestone road in the mountains, we felt as a treat we would drop in for a delicious vegetarian pizza and limonada at the local Italian restaurant, Los Nopales. At the end of the meal, getting out of our chairs was a little difficult and it wasn’t just because of all the food...    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
    Day 20

    Search for a Good Raicilla (Rye-see-ya)

    December 30, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Mexican Moonshine - Tequilla, Mescal, Raicilla. We had heard of the first two but Raicilla? What is Raicilla?

    In a few days we will be meeting up with our Bellingham friends, Pat and Gail in the beach town north of Vallarta. A few happy hours will probably be on our presently non-existent agendas. So ...why not look into finding a good raicilla to take to Chacala?

    Raicilla is a pre-hispanic, moonshine-style version of mezcal that is distilled in the Jalisco coastal towns like Puerto Vallarta and its surrounding little villages, such as Mascota. Coastal raicilla tastes different than the raicilla made from a small wild agave grown in the mountains.

    The process of making raicilla is similar to that of Oaxacan mezcal.

     1. Grow a wild agave (typically Maximilana or Lechuguilla) for six to eight years.
    2. Fire-roast it in a clay oven.
    3. Mash it by hand in an oak ‘ canoe-shaped’ log trough.
    3. Ferment the shredded cooked agave “mash” in wooden oak barrels.
    4. Distill once.
    5. Water down with fresh spring water.

    (Distilling tequila requires Blue Agaves to be steamed in stainless steel ovens.)

    The drink itself is ancient but has started to become an upscale drink. I believe that it is now sold in the U.S. and quite expensive. Funny knowing that it was once a humble beverage, primarily enjoyed by farmers.

    Mezcal was forbidden and taxed heavily after the Spanish conquest. So production moved underground. When tax collectors came to small villages, locals lied and said that it wasn’t made from the piña or agave heart (which was taxable) but from its root (raicilla)” — which, of course, is the same thing. They called the drink Raicilla which means “Little Root”.

    We have seen bottles of Raicilla all over town and when we first arrived, there was a raicilla festival taking place. We learned that the best raicilla is made from the wild Maximilia agave plant, which is known as Lechugilla here. It grows in the mountains surrounding the town

    The raicilla museum here is housed in a very old mansion in the centre of town, which is being renovated right now. Not much of a museum but we were able to sample a few shots. Strong stuff (70 - 150+ proof!). The people who enjoy drinking it, take it straight, on the rocks or mixed with Squirt/grapefruit juice.

    Buying a bottle of raicilla for us would be a hit or miss when it comes to quality and taste. We don’t know enough about good and bad, or the cost of a bottle. So, we thought that we would ask our land lady, who would most likely could give us good advice regarding what kind and where to buy it.

    I did do some research and the few good commercial raicillas kept coming up, like the white Estancia Raicilla Maximiliana. But that raicilla is made in the neighbouring town, Estancia, and we wanted something from Mascota.

    Well, Margarita gave us more than good advice. She asked her husband, who grew up in this area,
    if he would find us some good quality stuff. He kindly went out to a ranch and he got us the real
    deal. No label and in a 2 litre plastic bottle. Thanks Andres!

    So, Pat and Gail, are you ready for a few (lol) 4 o’clock happy hours with ‘the best’?

    P.S. We did find a great roast chicken place and bought a full chicken, coleslaw, tortillas and salsa for dinner.

    No label and in a 2 litre plastic bottle. He assured us that it was really good.

    Well, Margarita gave us more than good advice. She asked her husband, who has lived here all of

    his life, out to get us some good stuff. We got the real deal, without a label!

    I did do a little research and Estancia Raicilla Maximilia keep popping up as a good commercial
    raicilla. But that is made in Estancia, not Mascota. We will see what Margarita says.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
    Day 20

    A Non-Existent Petrified Field

    December 30, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    In the tourist brochures that we have read about Mascota, a petrified field called Malpais is mentioned as being a place to visit.

    From a Puerto Vallarta tourist information website it says:

    “The petrified field at El Malpaís is located a mile northeast of Mascota. It is said that during a day of strong volcanic activity the whole place was covered with ashes and lava. There is a legend that states that people have found a fruit orchard in the middle of the fields, they'd eat some of the fruit and later when they'd try to find the place again, they couldn't.”

    For the past week, we have wanted to see that field. One farmer asked us if we were talking about
    the pile of black rocks. I guess that we were. One brochure even said that the area was a park.

    So today, we walked to the park. At one time, the whole area that we were walking in was owned by a landlord who had a hacienda called San Nicolas. Now the hacienda is pretty run down and several families live in the remains of the big, old house. But just up the road, there are many lovely homes built on sizeable properties. There are some very nice cabins that can be rented also. The views are beautiful.

    As we walked past a treehouse with a satellite dish and a big deck, two dogs decided to join us - a black lab and a small white dog. That was cool. They led the way.

    Well, we walked and walked. No petrified field in sight. Lots of cows and horses and farmlands... nothing petrified. Finally we reached the end of the road. We couldn’t go any farther.

    A farmer was working in his field and he came over to talk to us. He told us that the land was private and there was no park. He figured that it was information to draw people to the area but a park certainly didn’t exist. Hmmmn

    He was a really nice guy though and asked us if we had felt the 4.7 earthquake that shook buildings for 5 seconds last night. Nope we didn’t. Maybe we did but thought that it was a truck rumbling by on the cobblestone road. I checked though and he was right.

    He proceeded to tell us all about the history of the area and about the government and all sorts of other things. I guess that he was dying to talk to someone. He did live out in the boonies. We couldn’t take the biting flies or mosquitoes anymore so said adios and walked back home along that lovely road.

    All in all, we walked 9.75 km. It definitely was not a 1 mile walk north of Mascota! And ... no petrified field... It’s Mexico...    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
    1
    Day 22

    Happy New Year 2020!

    January 1, 2020 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    On New Year’s Eve, Mascota gears up for night time festivities like every place that we have been. A dance in the plaza has been planned with a local band playing and lots of fireworks at midnight.

    Silvia, the lady who cleans our apartment and in general handles any issues we may run into, came at 10 a.m. to change our sheets, bring fresh towels and clean. She is a sweet lady who doesn’t speak any English but she is very kind and helpful. When she comes, we usually head out for a walk so that we aren’t in her way.

    Our landlords, Margarita and Andres, live in Guadalajara but are in Mascota visiting family for a
    few days. They stay in their big house behind our apartment. As we were going out, we met them and thanked them for the raicilla. They asked us how we had enjoyed our time in this town and then asked if we wanted to join them for the afternoon at their family’s ranch in the mountains.

    What a great offer and one that we could not refuse. Their nephew, Chuy, drove us all up, past the Mocajete volcano and onto a side road to a lovely spot overlooking a series of distant mountains and valleys. What a view!

    The family had purchased the property ( seven acres of avocado trees ) and built a beautiful main house there. They all have construction backgrounds so are now in the process of building several rustic cabins for visitors.

    The main house looked out over a pond full of fish, surrounded by a forest of oak and pine trees.
    Dogs, cats, chickens and geese lived together with the family in harmony.

    Margarita and Andre’s 3 nephews and their families are all working together to create this little piece of paradise and what an accomplishment! The oldest nephew, Roberto, is married and his wife is a wonderful artist. Her handiwork can be seen all over the house - paintings, sculptures, decorations, etc.

    After a tour of their place, we were invited to sit at a large table under the veranda, to continue our Spanglish conversations about life in Mascota and Mexico and Canada. We all got along so well together and really enjoyed our time together. The men cut and chopped up small pieces of bass, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions to make a huge bowl full of delicious ceviche. Another huge bowl had marinated shrimp. It all went down easily with Mexican beer - Modelo and Corona.

    We had a wonderful conversation with Roberto’s son who is in his 5th out of eight years studying to be a Catholic priest. Quite a young man. Roberto’s daughter joined us a little later and was just just as lovely.

    We had met Chuy before, as he had come to the apartment to fix a few things up. He spoke
    English quite well as he had worked in the U.S., along with his two other brothers. His son, another
    Chuy was quiet yet interested in learning about life in Canada.

    We were privileged to have shared the last afternoon in 2019 with this warm and friendly family. They live in a Utopia of their making and we wish them the best in all future endeavours.

    By the time that we got home, the sun was setting and it looked liked Mascota’s centre was ready for the big night.

    We decided to stay in (old foggies) and watch a movie on our one English movie channel before going to bed. Thank heavens, it was a good one! At midnight, the ruckus began with bells ringing and fireworks booming. Our balcony patio was the perfect place to watch the streaming ‘shooting stars’ and the big colourful sunbursts.

    Happy New Year 2020!    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
    Day 22

    Rain, Rain and More Rain.

    January 1, 2020 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We went out for a quick breakfast, along with lots of other people, to a restaurant in the Mercado.
    And as we were coming home it started to rain, and man did it ever rain! It didn’t let up for 22 hours. We were so happy that we had good books to read and enough food for meals.

    The roads here are cobblestone and there are no sewer grates. The streets have been built so that the water runs down in the streets in rivers to other streets and then down to the river. At cross roads, the streets become little lakes. It was something to see. Chris said he wanted to look for an ark.

    As we didn’t have any sun, it got pretty cold too. Our apartment has solar panels so we didn’t even
    attempt to have a shower. Brrr.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
    Day 23

    Last Day in Mascota

    January 2, 2020 in Mexico ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Well, today is our last day in Mascota. There are several places that we would have liked to have visited but we can’t do everything that we’d like to do, in three weeks.

    The Sierra Lago resort, high in the mountains sounds like a gorgeous place to visit with its lovely cabins and beautiful mountain top lake. The little town of Navidad with its famous homemade ice cream and people of French background. The 7 hour circuit through the mountains to all sorts of hidden towns, lakes and volcanoes. Also to San Sebastien, an old mining town, that has been left behind in time with its mountain and mirador called La Bufa. The verb bufar is the sound that bulls or horses make, a kind of snorting sound. It is called La Bufa because when the wind blows in the mountains there, it sounds like snorting.

    We walked to the bus station and bought our tickets to Puerto Vallarta, where we will meet our friends before taking a taxi to Chacala, Nayarit. Then wandered around to say goodbye to Silvia, our maid, Andreas in the coffee shop, the pharmacist who walks his dog up the mountain to the cross every day, Manuel, the tourist information guy in the centro, Ruben the belt and saddle maker, the tortilla ladies, the ice cream maker on the corner, and so many more. It has been easy making friends with the warm and friendly people who live here.

    While we were in the centre, we met an artist from the States who was looking forward to teaching a landscaping course in Mascota, Thomas Van Stine. He won’t have trouble finding beautiful places to paint!

    Fifteen minutes later we met Jonathan Dahl, an editor and chief of the Wall Street Journal, who was on tour from Vallarta to Talpa. The tour group had an hour stop in Mascota and we think that in the short time that Jonathan was here, he fell under Mascota’s charm, as we have.

    Chris did a last walkabout, while I cleaned out the fridge and did some housekeeping, and then we went out for a dinner at our favourite restaurant, El Tapanco (the loft). The owner is Italian so we had his tasty lasagna with a salad, and a beer for $7 Cdn. That included the tax and tip. Where can we get a delicious meal for that price at home? Even making it at home would cost more!

    We have really enjoyed being here and wish Mascota and its residents a prosperous New Year!

    But we are looking forward to a new adventure with our friends Pat and Gail in the small beach
    town of Chacala in the state of Nayarit.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
    Day 24

    Leaving the Mountains for a Beach Town

    January 3, 2020 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today is a travel day, but the bus didn’t leave until 1:45 p.m., so we had the morning to have breakfast at La Abuela and then do a final round of the town.

    The bus to Puerto Vallarta was right on time, but packed to the gills. Some people stood for the full three hours of the trip. We bought our tickets a day earlier so we were fine. Someone suggested that we get off at Los Juntos as it would save us an extra hour on the bus and would cost less to get to the airport. Great advice.

    Pat and Gail’s airplane arrived at 5:15, so we waited for them at the Tacon de Marlin, the same burrito restaurant that we had eaten in 3 weeks earlier. Their first place from Bellingham to Seattle had been cancelled a few hours before they were supposed to leave so their grandson, Patrick, drove them to Seattle and they were able to continue on with their flight from there.

    As always, our meetings are great and then eating a big shrimp burrito and drinking a Victoria beer before heading to Chacala, was great. Domingo, the cab driver waited for us and did a great job driving on the busy highway north. The traffic was unbelievable. It was like being on a major highway at rush hour. It is Friday night and the last weekend of Christmas holidays so that explains why there was so much traffic.

    It was a lot warmer on the coast and we enjoyed seeing the beautiful red sunset as we travelled.
    Chacala is tiny, not far from the bigger town of Las Varas. It doesn’t have an ATM machine, a pharmacy or a bread store, but it does have a beautiful beach and restaurants galore. We can buy almost anything that we need here which is great. Combis (vans) go to Las Varas all the time, if we need special items.

    Our apartment is at the edge of town so it is quiet, being a little ways from the action. At the same time, it is a very short walk to the beach and the dock.

    We are sharing a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment on the 2nd floor with a very large patio and access to a small swimmming pool on the main level. There are lots of birds and butterflies and we can see the ocean. Thank you P and G for finding this comfy place for us to share. Leonor, the landlady, keeps the place very clean and well equipped.

    We are looking forward to a relaxing 3 week stay here, with our old friends, before our 2 month road trip in New Zealand.

    Note: I forgot to publish this earlier. But here it is - almost 2 weeks late!    Read more

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