SEMANA SANTA

Our trip from Aguascalientes to Manzanillo took us through some of the most beautiful country anywhere.  We crossed broad plains surrounded by mountains.  We were in Mexico’s agricultural region.  We passed fields of agave from which tequila is made.  The plants take 10-12 years to reach the stage when their juices can be extracted and fermented.  

We saw horse and cattle ranches and hay fields to support them.  Large tracts of hot houses covered acres and acres of ground.  There was sugar cane, mango groves and coconut groves.  All of the produce from these and many other crops was sold at roadside fruit stands.  The road from Guadalajara passed over a perfectly flat dry lakebed that stretches for miles.  What?  Was that a hippopotamus?

The lake bed eventually gave way to the surrounding mountains.  As we approached Colima, twin volcanic peaks dominated the horizon for miles.  One of the volcanoes has long been dormant.  You can see smoke rising from the other which last erupted in 2015.

Kathleen’s brother Steve does not actually live in Manzanillo.  His house is located in nearby tiny El Naranjo. 

A dirt road leads up a steep hill to his house.  From his house, you look out past a mango tree loaded with mangoes, bougainvillea, other flowers and banana plants.  A yucca tree yields a delicious, huge fruit the size of a basketball.  No wonder he likes it here!  He has a menagerie that includes chickens (that haven’t learned to sleep until 10AM), rabbits, ducks, turtles and a nameless dog that we dubbed “Happy” because he was always smiling.  There were also uninvited members of the zoo.

Manzanillo is a large city and a major port.  It is also the location of several resorts. 

Mexicans love their coast.  The beaches are crowded every week-end.  Waterfront restaurants line the beaches.  Vendors with pushcarts sell everything from ice cream and juices to fresh fruit.  I enjoyed some of the best oysters I’ve ever had. 

I do need to say that even though I miss conch salad in the Bahamas I hardly noticed its absence.  You can get some of the best ceviche anywhere in Mexico.  On the coast’ it is absolutely fresh.  If you are ever in Manzanillo, you must try the ceviche at Mariscos al aliviane.  This is a tiny, streetside place with one tiny table.  They make a great ceviche with fish, scallops, shrimp and octopus.  It’s located across the street from the Hotel Playa de Santiago.

We were lucky enough to be in Mexico during Semana Santa (Holy Week).  Mexicans celebrate this in a big way.  It’s bigger than Christmas at home.  Maybe a lot like Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  The whole week is an excuse to party.  People flock to the beaches and other places of interest.  Whole empty fields turn into huge parking lots and temporary carnes asadas stands.

We drove to Comala near Colima on Palm Sunday.  Comala is a small community of whitewashed houses, cobblestone streets and a beautiful cathedral.  The inhabitants call it the “Magic Pueblo.”  A big fair filled the square in front of the church.

Nearby is the “Zona Magica.”  People come from all over to experience a unique phenomenon.  There is a stretch of road where it clearly looks like you are going downhill.  Yet, when you put the car in neutral, it rolls uphill!  Put a cylindrical object on the road and it to rolls uphill.  Pour water on the pavement and it flows uphill.  Plumbers beware!

We enjoyed a fine meal at a “bontanero.”  This was a humongous place.  There must have been at least 1000 people there. 

It’s a great place for families and big parties.  You pay for a bucket of beer, 8-10 bottles.  They start bringing out the food—a succession of tostadas, tortillas, quesadillas, tacos, all covered or stuffed with all kinds of savory meats, fish, shrimp, ceviche, avocadoes and pico de gallo.  The food keeps coming until you tell them to stop.  All the while, you are surrounded by merrymaking, mariachis, and laughter.  All this for the price of a few beers and soft drinks!  We were accompanied by Steve, his friend Liliana, her son and daughter, her friend Claudia and her son.  There were 8 of us.  The meal totaled the equivalent of $60.00 US, that included the tip. We had a great time!.

One other thing, even though we aren't in the Bahamas this winter, we can still enjoy them!  And, like the Bahamians, Mexicans have a great sense of humor.

THANK GOODNESS FOR THE B**** IN THE BOX

We left our convenience store “campsite” and headed for Zacatecas where we would have full hook-up—water, electricity and sewer.  It was not exactly what we expected.  Indeed, we had water and electricity and the possibility of dumping our gray and black water tanks. 

 However, the “campsite” was in a hotel parking lot next to a busy highway and close to railroad tracks.  It did not conform to our idea of a campsite.  Still, it was a safe place to stay and designated for RV’s.  The hotel itself is a very nice place, modeled on Middle Eastern architecture.

After a reasonably good night’s sleep, our “Sleep Number” mattress suddenly went soft.  We took off all the bedding and pumped it up to discover that it had sprung a leak.  Sunday morning!  In a strange city where my command of the language is rudimentary.  Thank goodness for Google Maps and GPS.  We found our way to Autozone where we bought a couple of inner tube repair kits.  Sadly, that didn’t work and the mattress continued to leak.  GPS to the rescue.  This time to Walmart at the busiest time of day on the busiest day of the week.  After standing in the check-out line for ages, we were the happy owners of a new air mattress.

Our trips to Autozone and Walmart took us through large swaths of the city.  This was especially true when we asked Google maps to take us back to our “campsite” at the Hotel Baruk.  How were we to know that there are two Hotel Baruks in the city.  Naturally, the “bitch in the box” took us to the wrong one.

Zacatecas is an old city completely swallowed up by a modern one.  Magnificent Mexican baroque cathedrals are incorporated into the structure of more modern buildings.  The facades of the cathedrals literally covered with ornate carvings that remind me of the temples at Kajuraho, India (without the “loving couples”). 

 Colorful streets are filled with shops and run-down neighborhoods.  The space above the streets is filled with a spider’s web of electric, phone and cable wires.  There doesn’t seem to be any kind of building code down here. 

The city is located between two lofty bluffs that are connected by a cable car.  Due to high winds, it was not running when we were there.  We still had some great views of the city from one of its departure points.

We were greeted in Aguascalientes at the Hotel Medrano.  Another parking lot “campsite!”  This time it was curbside at a park like square filled with various kinds of fruits and flowers. 

Pomegranate Flower

Electricity and water were available at some of the sites.  It was located far from the busy streets and there were no trains.  However, we went around the square and set up “camp” on the third side.  The street on the fourth side was completely blocked with tour buses.  There could be no exit from the “campground” until the buses departed.  We were obliged to stay an extra day.

Aguascalientes, like Zacatecas, is an old city surrounded by a newer one.  It is smaller and the people seem a bit more laid back.  When walking in Zacatecas, we always felt that there was someone behind us on the narrow sidewalk who wanted to walk faster than us.  The pace of life in Aguascalientes seemed a bit slower.  The parks and public places were filled with people visiting each other or just sitting.

Mexico’s fascination with death is celebrated at the National Museum of Death.  It is filled with photographs of dead people, men, women and children; famous people like Pancho Villa; bandits in front of firing squads. 

There are hundreds of objets d’art depicting skeletons, monsters, Satan and death in various forms.  There are macabre toys like skeleton baby dolls, doll houses and miniature ferris wheels filled with skeletons.  Like museums elsewhere, they get school kids involved by giving them the opportunity to contribute to their own exhibit. 

                                                 All in all, a very lively treatment of death.

Is there some kind of international law about cop sand donuts?