No Trader Joes, Publix, Harris Teeter, or Kroger Foods Here!

In Chuhuapa, there is no real grocery store, as per the in the US. Instead, there are several small convenience type mercados, which feature snacks, drinks, beer, and some tinned food items, soap, maybe a few vegtables. As for fresh veggies, there is a woman who always has a few crates of produce, all produced locally. The varieties changes day to day and you can count on tomatoes, jalapenos, and maybe limes and lemons. Sometimes you can get exotic fruits, avocadoes, lettuce, you just never know. It is really cheap food. Most cost just pennies.
Many families have a specialty format store or service in the front room of their houses. Some run tacorias, some sell sandwiches, some sew and do repairs to clothes, etc. There is one panadaria (bread store). The bread is hot at 2 p.m., and the almond cookies and other sweetbreads are wonderful. There are two internet cafes that do not sell coffee. The one I've been to requires you use the existing computers that they have connected on a network...a real pain. They rely on satellites, and usually poor up link and down link speeds..especially on weekends. Wi-fi here is non-existent, presumably because most here cannon afford their own computers.
The aspect of procuring supplies that I like the most is that of the door to door sales, but really it isn't door to door. You have to come outside immediately if you want whatever it is they are selling.
Today I bought a giant slice of cake that contained several layers of fruit, whipped cream and other ingredients. Delicious. $.80. There is the yogurt lady, and the several cars selling bread, fresh fish in tanks, and even motorcycles with boxes on the back selling tortillas.

What if you want a US style food mart? There is one store, called Chedraui, located on the edge of Jalapa, in a Mini-Mall complete with US style parking decks and banks, and the like. It is about 20 miles away and not convenient in terms of access, parking, or stress!

Here the Fish Truck Arrives!



And Don buys bread out of a trunk!

Those Big Headed Mexicans

Photo copyright 2009 Skeeter Daniels

El Museo Fabuloso...The Museum of Anthropology at Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

Don and I spent close to three hours in this fabulous museum. The architecture is unique, built on a hillside, designed to reveal layer after layer of Pre-Columbian history and artifacts as you descend the hill and enter a new zone or epoch of the past. My favorites found in this wonderful collection include the many giant Olmec heads, each weighing many tons, carved out of basalt, and other volcanic rock. The Olmec, or mother culture of the original inhabitants of the country, has transcended time by the creation of these works.

The museum houses many of the best works removed from Tejin, a large site nearby that is being researched and restored. There are exhibits on specific deities and rituals. One section features zoological artifacts, and along with the popular Jaguar, cats, monkeys and bat themed objects can be found. One section is filled with baby faces, portraying children in various emotions. One sculpture has two kids in a swing, and it is almost a snapshot into these happy kids' lives. The hopes and fears, the divinity, and spirituality, the warfare they utilized, and the complexities of their societies are all transmitted through time by the art these peoples created.

The only museum to have more Pre-Columbian art than here is the Museo de Anthropologica in Mexico City. The museum has ample street side parking. I recommend renting the audio headsets for 20 pesos, as it really enhanced the experience greatly.

The liberal use of sound effects and the overproduced audio became a bit tiresome at times, but then you realize how much more you can get from the program as it covers close to a hundred of the exhibits. Some of the writing could stand improvement, adding more depth than just the what or why would be helpful. It is clear that there are many things the archeologists just don't know about some of the artifacts and the peoples who created them, and may be shrouded in
mystery forever.

The Crayfish Hunt Part 2

While the fire is being built, Hugo and I walk across the river to a tiny village to buy fresh tortillas. The swinging bridge is still the only way to access the town, but they have finally started to build a bridge across the river. Progress. To me it is sad to loose the charm of a town with no cars, but I'm sure most residents are glad to see it happen. Hugo says they cut down a hundred year old tree, one of his favorites, because it was in the path of the new bridge. He curses them for the havoc the preparation for the bridge has already caused.
As I cross the river, I see exactly how big it is. It is really a peice of heaven, and as a kayaker, I long to ride it.

Unfortunately, the people of Mexico tend to use rivers as garbage cans. This one, which I believe is the Rio de Pescados, is remarkably clean, for the simple reason that it flows from the mountains where few live, and livestock are not kept because of the steep terrain. It could be Mexico's cleanest river. As it gets closer to the shore, and the land flattens out, and the population gets denser, it becomes polluted.
Arriving back at camp, Julio has got the veggies all in the pot, and they are cooking nicely in the oil. In a few minutes, he tosses in the crayfish, and they quickly turn color to deep orange. The pot smells great !
After a while the simmering mass is put aside. Julio throws the tortillas directly onto the white coals, and before they burn, snatches them off and deposits them on a hot rock.
We are ready to eat!
He shows me their method. First you take a tortilla, shake off the ash, then add a second one to thicken the mass. Then you scoop up the mixture and make a taco out of it.

These guys devour all- including the heads!
I have eaten a ton of shrimp and crawfish in my life...but never the heads.
Until now. Muy CRUNCHY.










The first one was hard....But it tasted fantastic. No, sublime. The second one was easier. You get the point!

The Crayfish Hunt Part 1

We are staying in Chuahuapan, in a rural setting in the State of Veracruz, Mexico. Our hosts are North Americans, from the US, and have been accepted pretty much by the local community. One of the local guys here that they have hired while living here is named Hugo, and he invited us to go with him and his friend Julio on one of their favorite things to do locally- go on a crayfish hunt.
Crayfish hunting to them is more than just that. They get to go swimming. They bring their pot. They drink a little of the local moonshine, called Canya, while they fish. When they finish, the catch is put to the fire. Everybody has a great time outdoors. Sounds like most fishermen I know.








The crayfish here are about average size, but a few grow quite large. They have special front paws that hold on to the swiftly moving current. They have a greenish color, and if you catch one, they will get away if you drop them even out of water. We lost several that were tossed our direction and scampered under the rocks on the dry edge of the bank.











Julio goes under water, and pulls up rocks with his hands, and when the crayfish attempt to scamper away, he grabs them. It takes a lot of energy to do this in this current, and he has to take breaks. Nearby, there is world class whitewater rafting on this river. Julio finds some areas are better than others for for the hiding crayfish.










After Hugo has a sack full, we head to a flat spot along the riverbank to start a fire.
Don cut up lots of tomatoes, onions and jalapenos. Julio says he forgot the garlic, but it will be good anyway. It isn't clear what cooking method that the chef has in mind.

Sun Halo followed us all the way to the border.

The clouds were thin, and the whispy cirrus followed us all the way to Mission, Texas. We were cold, but glad to be rid of the snow and ice. This large halo took up 45 degrees of the sky.
We intend on crossing the border Sunday.

This wonderful 1960's neon sign is in Victoria, Texas. The restaurant is still in business and I wanted to try it, but it wasn't convenient at the time.

Motorcycling in the Snow

Today we made only 25 miles in our progress toward the Mexican Border. We were expecting the freakish front 24 hours later. we were astonished to find a couple of inches covering our tent after daybreak.
After a battery charge for Don, we left Lake Texana Campground at 3 P.M. The Ranger took this shot of us. Misery was our mistress.
The last time it snowed here was four years ago, and before that 20 years ago. Cottonwood trees were snapping around us all day, and power was cut in surrounding areas. We headed towards Victoria, Texas.
We were lucky to have the support of a great Camphost, whose name is Don as well, and he not only helped us to try to jumpstart the Suzuki, but brought us hot soup and coffee. We had not eaten any significant food in 24 hours, so it was a wonderful lunch while Don's battery charged up on a State owned battery charger.
Our sanctuary was a close by men's room, which had a forced air hand dryer. We used it to warm our hands between bouts of work and also to keep drying our clothes, gloves and helmets. Without the dryer we would have been toast.
I never intended to cruise in snow. The chips fell, we played our hand, and besides some new ways of combining curse words, we left without injury to anything other than our pride.