Cemetary, Jazz, Birds...

It is Sunday now, I think I last wrote on Friday? About Thursday?  Anyway, I do know that I was just about to head out to the cemetery.  But before I start into that, I have some apartment updates.

We arrived and the two people I knew about, Alfredo, who runs the airbnb site, and his mother, Maria who runs the place, were not here.  A young women gave us our keys.  We got basically no info.  I assured C & J that they would come in and empty the garbage and change the beds.  But when I asked the Nina (as Maria calls her, I don't actually know her name) about garbage, she gave me a couple of bags and showed me where to put it.  It was starting to seem like a no-service situation.  We had to buy our own toilet paper. Carolyn & Joe took their sheets to the laundromat.  I didn't, not being particularly fastidious and willing to use my sheets for at least as week.

But I still wondered, since there was no broom, no mop, no cleaning supplies. It was all a mystery until today.  I went out early.  When I got back at around 1pm, C & J were gone and the Nina was in the apartment moving the double bed out and the two single beds in with the help of a couple of burly men.  Then she and Maria started cleaning.  I ate a quick lunch and then headed down to the Zocolo to meet C & J.  We got back hours later and La Nina was STILL cleaning.  This place is gleaming!!  So now we know, clean linens, clean house on Sundays.

Ok, back to Friday and the cemetery.  Not too much to say, just some photos.

There was a market set up outside of the cemetery so Joe and I replenished our cheese, fruit and veg supplies.  Home for a siesta before we headed out to a jazz recital Joe had found on Oaxaca Events website.  We didn't know what we were going to beyond some free live Jazz.  A bar?  An event hall? Nope, it was a library and the jazz band was a high school band.   But before we knew that, I had to relinquish my bag at the door, my bag with my camera.  I thought it was so people couldn't record. But as soon as the band started playing, a hundred phones and cameras whipped into the air.  So, sorry no photo from me.  Here is all I managed after the fact.  It was a cool venue with the books. And the band was pretty good, Joe assures me (jazz?).

Notice the hep young jazz crowd, all snapping fingers and blue rinses.

After that, we headed down Benito Juarez, a pedestrian street to find some dinner.  Mole #2 - Verde (green).

Here are some street shots:

Blind Accordionist

A puppet painting a chicken, of course.

(Just back.  I took a quick break to go pick up our rental car.  I made Joe come with me for moral support.  We are only 7 minutes away from the rental place but it is very close to downtown so I was a bit scared to drive in the city at night.  Thank god I have gotten somewhat familiar with the streets (getting lost does make one more familiar with more parts of the city!) because I could not read one street sign or find one arrow (every street here is one way).  We made it home alive.  The trickiest part was finding a parking space on our tiny cobblestone street.)

Back to our timeline.  Next morning C & J went on a bit of a hike up a hill nearby.  I went to downtown to buy some souvenirs because J & C are willing to bring back some back some bulky stuff and liquids for me.  I bought a Frida thing for Andrea as requested.  She will have to wait to see what she got.  Plus a kilo of coffee.  The guy used a candle to seal the bags so you know those are secure (not, one had opened before I even got home).

I also went to the post office, the market, the zocolo and a tourist shop or two.

The post office on a Saturday

 

Selling bubbles

More Chickens

 

It was hot out

(Another break for dinner, bacon, avocado, & cheese on tostadas!  Plus I finally got to use my scrubba.   Clothes are hanging, I will report on the results later.)

Another day of walking in the heat had worn me out.  C & J had hiked up the hill to visit the amphitheater (which Joe later read is to be avoided at all costs as it is a 'robber's haven' but apparently it has a nice view)  so they were pretty bagged too.  We had dinner in.  We had bought some black beans.  Carolyn, the (temporarily bacon eating) vegetarian, showed me how to cook them - soak, then boil.  They had been in the fridge for a couple of days so we had to figure out what to do with them after the soak/boil stage.  I threw them in the blender with some salsa, onion, garlic and salt and made as yet fried, refried beans which Carolyn then fried.  The beans on tostadas with tomato, chiapan cheese and more salsa.  SOOOO good.

Carolyn and I were fine to spend the rest of the night in, but restless Joe was ready for a walk to we all wandered over to Llanos park which is fairly close to home.  As we were walking along, a kids train passed us.  A TRAIN!!! (not a real train, but you take what you can get).  I was keen, Joe was willing, Carolyn, the only adult in the crowd, was not excited to wait to pay to then fold her adult body into a tiny train car built for tiny mexican children so she sensibly went home.  Joe and I hopped on the train.  And went round the park.  Fun!  Now as I remember, Joe and I were the only ones who had beer with dinner, this might explain some things...

Joe squished into our tiny train 

View from our 'window'

Ok, last bit.  I want to get this up to today because we are going on a mini-vacation tomorrow (to get away from our main vacation?) to the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve in Puebla State, next to Oaxaca state.

While out walking, J & C had found a library.  This seems to be the place where the ex-pats get together.  They saw this sign and sent me a photo:

Umm, yes please.

So I got up at the crack of dawn on Sunday and met with the Oaxaca birders group.  Now, how's this for a coincidence.  My cousin Donnianne told me about 'Bird Talk' on NPR when I saw her the weekend before that I left.  I had never heard of it but it sounds lovely.  Well, one of the women on the walk is a professional birder who writes for Bird Talk.  I took her picture like a geeky fan.  She said I made her day with my request and story about my cousin who listens to her show.

Francis from NPR's Bird Talk

Of course, not being an idiot, I stuck to Francis and her super smart birdy friends.  We saw some good stuff.  A nighthawk, a woodpecker endemic to Oaxaca, a brown bird that got the pro birders super excited.  and a white hawk that no one could identify, not even Francis!  Here's some bad pictures of birds.

Who are you!!!???

Lesser Nighthawk

That grey blob on top of the cactus is a woodpecker, you just have to believe.

All round a good birding day.  I think we spotted around 25 species, some of which will definitely be new for me.

After that, I met J & C in the Zocalo when they were listening to a big band concert.  I arrived as the last note of the last song were fading across the square.

I arrived as they were clapping at the end

We went for dinner where I had Mole # 3 - Amarillo (Yellow),  not bad but I prefer the red, then green over yellow.

Not very appetizing looking but it tasted ok.

And here is some more street art to finish up,

Monte Alban

Joe and Carolyn are off to the laundromat.  I may have to wait to use my scrubba because they were willing to let me throw my little bag of laundry in with theirs.  I forgot to charge my camera so I am writing this while I wait so I can head out to visit the cemetary a couple of blocks away. I can't visit a cemetery and not take pictures.

Back to yesterday:

Monte Alban is a Zapotec archaeological site that sits on a hill above Oaxaca City.  We did a bit of research and discovered that there is no city bus that goes there.  But there is a bus that leaves from downtown every hour for 50 pesos (updated to 55 on more current info, actual cost - 60 pesos return ticket which is about $5).  That was the station that we tried to find the night before.  What we had found that night was a door that looked abandoned.  Next morning, it was a bustling  business.  We bought our tickets and waited a half hour.  (side note, that station was my first visit to a 'old style' Mexican bathroom - bucket flush, bring your own paper & tetanus shot).

It was a cloudy morning so we were good in that many tourists would skip going if there was a risk of rain, but we were bad if it rained.  We lucked out, no rain and a nice cool day to explore and climb ruins!

I left C & J at the first structure and was immediately distracted by a bird.  It was at this point that I remembered that my Mexican bird book only shows pictures of birds only found in Mexico. So, if a bird is listed in the Western or Eastern North American guides, there is no picture in the Mexico book.  That's a lot of birds that I won't be able to identify.  So, I have to be able to take a picture so I can look it up later (if I am lucky).

I'm looking at you looking at me

I found a little visited ruin behind a bigger building, as far from the big platform as possible.  This forested spot was tourist poor and therefore bird rich!

Secret Hill behind the big stuff

This crazy flower

Wander, wander, lots of pictures.  I finally found C & J when I stood at the top of the big platform and they were at the bottom waving at me.  They figured I would show up there eventually.

The place was almost empty of tourists

Yup, I am heading to those stairs

Here they are...

At the top! looking down.

Joe and Carolyn waiting for me at the bottom

This baby hummingbird just sat there patiently
while I tried to find it in my view finder.  You can see the fluff on its back

Carolyn's new hat!  (Full price)

I was a bit obsessed with the walking vendors.  They were all so photogenic, rough men against rough stone.

We headed back to town @ 1:30pm.  The bus 'station' is quite close to the big market with all of the food stalls (20th of November market).  Last time I visited there, years ago, I remember being completely overwhelmed, there were so many people and so many choices.  But I really wanted to get started on my 7 Mole mission.  C & J decided to head home so I was on my own.  Fortunately, I got there a bit before the big 2 o'clock lunch rush.  I found a stall that listed multiple moles and ordered "mole roja" - Red Mole.  It was, of course, delicious!

Mole #1 - Rojo

,After lunch, I walked around the stalls.  This is when I discovered that Mexico is no longer the Mexico I used to know.  I found a shopping bag I liked and asked how much.  70 pesos.  How much for two?  140 pesos.  Ok, I will keep looking.  I found those bags at four stalls and they were all exactly the same price and there was no negotiation, that was the price.  WHAT!!  no haggling in Mexico.  What has the world become?  I mean, sure, 70 pesos is only like 4 bucks but still, it is the principle of the thing.

Apparently, I only took two picures in the market,
chicken baskets and mole paste

I'll see if this is consistent across the city (I suspect it is from a few other minor interactions where I 'walked away' and they let me leave without a counter offer,  and for example, Carolyn's new hat at Monte Alban)

I got home around 4pm and was so bagged from my two days of non-stop walking that I was in for the night.  C & J and I played Scrabble on Carolyn's tablet.  It was a form of community scrabble since we could all see each other's letters and we all giving each other suggestions.  Carolyn is very good.

C & J have just come home and brought Pan Dulce (sweet bread) so that means I am done for now.

Pan dulce!

Here are a few street art photos to finish off: