A Nice Place to Spend A Week

More of the Magic of Oaxaca

Portrait of A Living Artist

Irene Aguilar is one of three sisters that lives in Ocotlan, Oaxaca, MX that is re noun for her clay sculptures and figures. We read about the family in the Rough Guide to Mexico
Her works have a great sense of humor, and she has been a sculptor her entire life. Her father passed down his skills and now many of the family members work in the ladies studios.
She laughs when I tell her that her caricatures of busty women seem as though they came right off a Mexican TV talk show.
I'd love to have all of her works, but trying to bring anything back by motorcycle on some of the worst roads in the world would be ruinous.

Kahlo's Kitchen...A Tribute to a Great Woman Artist

Freida Kahlo's Restaurant
You can get most anything you want. At Freida's Restaurant.
OK, it REALLY isn't Kahlo.


Freida is of course, dead. But an enterprising woman who does look like her and dresses like her has a restaurant in the Mercado Morelos. Located in Ocotlan, just south of Oaxaa, in the State of Oaxaca. The Mercado is a huge indoor market of fresh foods and veggies of all kinds. Yes, they even sell the crunchy crickets you may have heard about. The crickets are dessicated and are covered with dried chili powder. They taste just like chicken, er, chiles.
There are probably a hundred merchants in and about.

Freida's doesn't have the crickets, but she does make a great enchilada with chicken, and other local favorite dishes. I had pure papaya juice. Everything I have had here has been scumptious.
I do not miss the Food Court.

The Magic of Oaxaca

This area is Magical. Here is a little movie I put together of some of the pics....

Crappy Underexposed Video of the Disco Bus

According to the Mayan and Fundy Christians, the end of Times is upon us, brethren. The end of the year was an imminent event even more certain, so a cowboy we met in San Andres Tuxtlan showed us around town. This was one of the ways he thought may provide insight into the spirit of the younger folks who are celebrating the New Year.
Ah, hell, who can say no to a loud as shit, 50000 LED, pulsating and flashing, double-decker bus rolling disco with a commanding view of the Nativity scene in the main Plaza ( El Zocalo)?
Not Me. Not Don.
Yes, we tried to say no.

Egyptian Falls State of Veracruz, Mexico

We heard about a beatiful waterfall near San Andres Tuxtla, so we headed out to Egyptian Falls. The road was supposed to be good. It wasn't. It was full of holes, topes, and even some young bandits who lamely tried to stop traffic with a string and a dirty rag suspended across the road. Upon arrival at the site, the kids and poor folks accosted for parking help, selling trinkets, and trying to get a few pesos, us until we got mean.
The falls were beautiful, but entirely too popular. They are over 30 meters high and 40 meters wide. The resident shaman, or witch doctor who has a shack at the bottom of the falls wasn't in. His workshop had a padllock on it and I heard some folks talking about how dissappointed they were.
I guess I'll have to wait until later to find out just what is bugging me.