MEXICO
CHIAPAS
March 17th
We're in Chiapas now. Bienvenidos a San Cristobal de las Casas , 86000 inhabitants. While traveling, Gilberto Gil's song runs through my head "Oh, mundo tão desigual...de un lado ese carnaval, do outro fome total".
Delicious lunch of tlayuda con cecina (carne) y MOLE followed by a shower at Los Camellos Hostel in San Cristobal. On a side note, the best showers so far on this trip have been at cousin Vanessa's, at Pablo's dad's house and here. Groovy chill night: Pete and I saw a live local band called "Baxte" and played futbolín.
March 18th
Entrevista y visita con CIEPAC: Miguel Pickard, Mariela y Lucio. Excellent encounter. The Plan Puebla Panama now includes Colombia, and the name has recently been changed to "Proyecto Mesoamerica".This evening we saw "A Place called Chiapas", really good Canadian/Mexican documentary about the zapatista movement from 94 to 97.
OAXACA
March 19th
We left San Cristobal de las Casas at 10:45pm on an overnight bus to Oaxaca, passing through cactus and mezcal plants, amidst dry mountains (not lush) with a few spotted shacks. At around 8am, we stopped on the side of the road for no apparent reason.
Had the driver abandoned us? It was anyone's guess. The bus had overheated. The driver returned a half and hour later with water and we were soon back on the road.
Yesterday we had a late lunch at "Restaurante Los Amigos", which had been recommended to us by a local. It was outside the tourist center, towards the north, and they had live ranchero music (gtr/accordian/2 vox) and was super authentic...almost too authentic! When we walked in, the place got silent (there were exclusively locals in the joint! ha!) We had some Sol beer 2 for 1 and amazing guacamole. Perhaps the veggies hadn't been washed because the following day, I didn't feel too hot.
March 20th
First well-needed day of rest. Currently sleeping and trying to "ripigliarmi". Our bus arrived an hour late and Edgar's dad Sergio was so very sweet to pick us up and host us here in his home in Colonia Cinco Señores. Something's up with my health but I'm not sure what.
Spencer and I had an appointment to screen our documentary at Casa Chapulin, however after walking just 2 blocks, I strongly felt the need to throw up. I asked a restaurant if I could use their bathroom, but it was out of order, so the waiter gave me a bag ... and I used it !!
Evening and I'm drinking "yierba buena" tea as prepared by Sergio and Cecilia ... how incredible sweet and tasty! I'm feeling better already!
March 21st
Met with Miguel at CIPO-RFM, the indigenous council Ricardo Flores Magon, of which Dolores is a member of the organizing committee. Unfortunately we couldn't meet with her because she is currently dealing with the courts and trying to resolve her case. She was jailed for 6 months back in 2004 and they have still not completely let the case go.
Miguel showed us around the CIPO headquarters, where they are growing many vegetables in their garden, making recycled paper and have quite a lot of chickens and rabbits. He told us the situation is not improving in Oaxaca. The governor, Ulises Ruiz, continues repressing their organization and the communities in the mountains are suffering.
Ruiz invests in the city of Oaxaca to make tourism boom. The pedestrian crossing man not only is green, but he is also animated. This is a major offense to the people living outside of the city who are lacking basic services. That's why one big green garbage bin I saw had the following written in bright yellow spray paint: "Ulises Ruiz deveria estar aqui" (Ulises Ruiz should be here).
March 22nd
Concert in La Nueva Babel, Oaxaca
La Nueva Babel is a special place, the only club which remained open during the Oaxaca teachers' strike back in 2006.
We waited outside the venue, me, Spencer, Laura, Michel (grand master of ceremonies, or at least master of logistics). Daniel came by on his bike and took some flyers to hand out to peeps at a nearby plaza. Dona arrived and opened up the venue. People quickly started cleaning and setting up mic stands and getting ready for the show ... but I simply couldn't move quickly, I felt totally weird and unsettled, like I could throw up at any minute...and so it came to be. From there I just had to go on stage and perform.
Luckily, a really talented guy named Cesar (from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec) showed up and lent me his classical guitar, which made my two hours of solo music (with a short break provided by Cesar) much more fun, diversified and groovy. There was a good turnout for the size of the venue, and once I started playing the music made me feel much better! (I should remember that next time I don't feel good!) Armed with two full set lists, I played from 945-1045 and from 11-12, with accompaniment by sagebird (great) and valentebird (likes mezcal a lot).
March 23rd
Eating some pancakes under the sun at the Mezcalito Youth Hostel in Oaxaca. I can believe I made it through the show at La Nueva Babel last night! It was very long, two one-hour sets. A nice element was Cesar who played "music del istmo" in between my two sets, a lovely Oaxacan flavor of music I had never before heard. Evening bus ride to Mexico City.
MEXICO CITY
March 24th
Stimulating day in an exciting lively city at 2,300 meters! We arrived at 6:30am at the Tazqueña Sur bus station and took a taxi for 70 pesos (appx $5) to our friend's place. We met up with Pablo downstairs and went upstairs together, where they live on the 6th floor and have a brilliant view over the city.
We spent the next few nights at Pablo and Daniela's lovely at Calle Parroquia and Adolfo Prieto, near the Zapata Metro Station, with their two adorable cats Yupanqui and Rayen (primavera in Mapudungun). After a homemade breakfast and nice chat, we headed out together into the city, starting with three metro changes. By the way, one metro ride costs 2 pesos, appx 15 cents!!!
We went to the Parque del Chapultepec (like central park, chapultepec means chapulin in nahuatl) and saw a cool tradition of 4 people jumping off a pole and twirling down. Then we visited the exquisite Museum of Anthropology, including a good mid-game of zilch. I saw an Aztec calendar and a Nahuatl calendar, both referring to 260 days, 20x13, the gyphs (kin), 13 months of 28 days (each day an animal name and drawing).
That evening, Daniela made a special Chilean soup called Casuela and we saw an intense Mexican film that came out in the last few years called "El Violín", in black and white, which takes place in the mountains of Guerrero. It deals with the conflicts between government and mountain communities, the repression and the rebellion. This is a very corrupt country, or so I've been told, run on bribes more times than not. Now I'll go to sleep. Good Night.
March 25th
Live honeybird show at Foro Cultural Hilvana, plus showing of "Pass me the Map".
Dr. Wagner's true identity has been revealed: HURACAN RAMIREZ!!
It's 2:21 am in Mexico City and the cats are flying (literally) around the room! Yupanqui and Rayen just go nuts playing and running and jumping on each other in the wee hours of the night ... but hey, keep my crocks and ziplocs out of it! They're like Tom and Jerry, really cartoon-ish. It's actually quite entertaining. It was another fun-filled day in Mexico City (day 2)... dry air, dry lips, but fun show!
March 26th
Nice visit to Coyoacan today and the Casa Azul de Frida Kahlo with Daniela and Spencer. Evening tacos and the hillarious film from 1972 "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" by Luis Buñuel. We enjoyed micheladas at the house with Indios Verdes beer, salt along the rim of the glass, and lemon and hot sauce in the beer. Zoiks!
March 27th
Last day in Mexico City was wild to say the least! It began with the two cats sleeping on the couch with me, then delicious healthy breakfast with Daniela. Spencer and I then took the metro and visited Casa Alianza. They've since added a new shelter and are doing well, although there are more girls on the street, and possibly Callena is no longer with us.
We then headed to Hidalgo 27 to pay our "formato 5A", in the amount of 262 pesos ($20), however the office sent us elsewhere which began our wild goose chase around the Plaza de Bellas Artes searching for a way to pay the dang fee before flying out early the next morning (Saturday). So we spent ages in Bancomer Bank and a random law student accompanied us to an internet café in order to help us print the infamous "Hoja de Ayuda". We ended up taking the metro and two random busses all the way to the airport, where we thankfully got to the migration office and paid the dang fee. All this hassle because we had entered the country by land and were leaving by air.
Anyhoo, we returned home to Daniela and Pablo, and all got ready for the long night ahead. They went to see Peter Gabriel, and we went to meet up with our anthropologist friend Fernando Orozco Gomez in front of the Multiforo Alicia (Col. Rockma). Fernando showed up in a rockin' black leather jacket with his friend Rodolfo and we actually hopped in a cab and traveled to have sushi in the Zona Rosa, which was ¡padre! (cool!). Then Spencer and I went to see FUGA live at the Multiforo Alicia, which was a great show, followed by the Kumbia Queers, then with a taxi rojo y dorado ("de sitio") we got pack and packed...soon we fly!
March 28th
The Benito Juárez International Airport.
Funny scene here! Spencer and I arrived on a taxi at 4am and checked in. We were on two different airlines, Spencer was flying to San Francisco, and me to Los Angeles. His flight was at 6, mine at 8:50am.
We went to go thru the xray. They stopped me because I had a lot of batteries (like 15 AA, 10 AAA, and 5 9V). They asked why (I admit, it was a lot, and in fact, my guitar tuner's battery lasts a long time) and told me I would have to go back and check them on the plane. So I said "I'll give some batteries to Spencer" and the security people said "who?". Spencer had just crossed the xray, and I responded "he's my friend".
They told me no. So as I was about to head back to the check-in desk, I remember Spencer still owed me circa 200 pesos, so he then said, well, I'll give you 200 pesos and handed it to me ... and all the meanwhile the security people are suspiciously watching, so Spencer finally exclaimed "ok, this scene is getting weird!". So I went and checked the batteries on the plane and returned to gate 27 to see Spencer and properly desperirnos ... and the journey continued ... and I boarded my flight ... and flew back to LA ... for more visits, more shows and more adventures! ¡Que chido! ¡Que padre! How cool!
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MOOLA NOTES:
Peso appx 14 pesos = $1 US. Amazing drawings in the metro of DF, one metro ride cost just 2 pesos (appx. 15 cents!)
in Chiapas, desayuno: huevos con chorizo=20 pesos
An espresso, 11 pesos = appx 80cents
An original CD 100 pesos = appx $7
a copied data CD on the street with music = 15 pesos =appx. $1
A michelada (beer) appx 20 pesos
A six pack at OXXO = 48 pesos
Sushi for four in the Zona Rosa = 450 pesos (appx $30)
Fuga & Kumbia Queers show = 60 pesos
Bus ride from San Cristobal to Oaxaca appx 13 hours, costs 388pesos which is about $30
Bus ride from Oaxaca to Mexico City appx 6 hours
taxi to the airport from Pablo & Daniela's (cost 130 pesos, appx $10)
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some final thoughts as we make our descent into LAX on Saturday, March 28th
honeybird latin america tour has been 3 countries, 10 shows, and 26 days, yeah! An amazing, colorful, shimmering journey thru times, friends, sound, documentary, justice and love... A shared universal passion for harmonies and human rights, rhythms and peace ... silence and gleeful exclamations of naíman!!! I feel super pleased with the tour, the shows, the friends uniting... ¡chido chido chido!
