Thursday, February 23, 2012

New Towns, New Friends and a Bull Fight

Harry and Audrey Swanson have a nephew that is going to University in Guadalajara.  Harry wrote to Nancy and told her about this nephew and sent along an email address. Nancy and wrote and invited him for a visit and he "yes".  He is in the middle with two friends that he brought along.  The boy is from |Spain and the girl is from France.  The visit was fun and we hope they come back.

Last Sunday Juan Carlos and Olivia took us to another restaurant to taste very different Mexican food and to view a deep valley that is close to Guadalajara.

The next two photos are of the valley, taken from the chairs we were sitting in.


And this is the meal we ate.  It was called Chicharon de Pescado (fish).  t was very good but, oh my  it was not so healthy for us.  All deep fried.

Another journey with Olivia and Juan Carlos.  This time to Jalosteotitlan, the place Juan Carlos lived as a child.  It was carnival time in Jalos with bull fights and many other activities.

We left about 11:00AM in Olivia's truck, drove for an hour to a small city called Topatitlan and stopped for lunch.  

Nancy is protecting the truck from the transit police as we were parked in a no parking spot.

This part of Mexico is very wealthy and the towns and cities show it.  It is a rich agricultural valley with much market gardening, dairys and beef cattle,

This is the main church in Topatitlan.

And the inside of that same church.

The town was so neat and clean we decided we needed to spend more time here so we found a hotel and stayed overnight, delaying our trip to Jalos for one day.

Just a pretty government building in Topatitlan.

We did get to Jalso the next day by noon and our first stop was at the church.

Nancy and I were sitting in the park while Olivia and Juan Carlos were out shopping and a small parade passed by. The horse was beautiful, a huge horse with fancy steps.

And this what was in the buggy it was pulling.  Two pretty princesses.

Jalos was packed with people from the surrounding towns and cites, all to partake in the bullfights and other celebrations.
This is one of two parks in the center of Jalos.

And finally the bull fights.  This stadium holds 5000 and there were more than likely 6000 attending.  This photo was taken and hour before the fights started.

And this one maybe 30 minutes before, as more and more crowded in.  We actually had great seats as we came about 2 hours early.  We were close to a place to buy beer, close to the bathrooms and close to an exit to be able to get out.  Such a crowd and such excitment.

There were many vendors selling almost anthing and they were amazing as the pushed their way through the crowds.

The matches will soon begin.  The red shirted guys are the goundskeepers and the red shirted horses you will see more of in later photos that show what their role is in the whole scheme of things.

There were three different matadors for this particular event.  This is one of them.

And another.  This one was the most famous and is from Spain.

There are many of these types of men who start to fight by antagognzing the bull before the main matador takes over.  They are matadors in training.

These next two photos will tell you about the role of the horses, covered in a very heavy quilted material .  Their purpose is to antagonize the bull by sticking spears in its back.


And finally the matador has his time in the ring.


All the bulls are killed by the matador and it is done by sticking a long sword, between the ribs right into the heart of the bull.  In the matadors right hand, he has the sword and is getting ready for the kill.

And here is the death blow.  He comes over the horns on the bull and forces the sword between the ribs and into the heart.  Mostly the bull dies pretty quickly.

And what happens to the bull.  15 minutes later it is butchered and put on spits and sold to the public as they leave the bull ring.

And last some pretty roses from out garden.
 
 
Nancy and Ron

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

A Great Meal, A new Town and Valentines Day

Last Sunday Juan Carlos and Olvia took us to a special restaurant for a special meal called Birria.  Birria is actually a consume made from the steamed meat juices of either pork or beef or lamb or chicken or goat.  Many spices are added and the steamed meat melts in your mouth.  You put the meat, along with beans or anything else that might be on the table, on a tortilla, dunk the filled tortilla in the consume and eat it up.  You also eat the consume with a spoon.  We chose goat meat, called Chivo de Birria and Nancy and I both think it would rank in the top 5 meals that we have ever eaten.  It was absolutely delicious and Nancy has been trying to copy the tastes since then.  She is getting pretty close.  The worst is, is that we can't seem to find goat meat and have to use pork and it does not seem to be as tender as the goat.

Just getting started.


We needed a waiter to take this one.

And being it is close to Valentines day we decided to show off a bit.

 


The  new town we went to is called Cajatitilan.  It is near Lake Chapala and has it's own lake that is not part of Lake Chapala.  It was a poor town and no Gringos had settled there as in Lake Chapala.  Last year they built a new Malacon (a walkway along a lake or the ocean) and the tourists are coming in droves.  Not North American tourists but Mexican tourists and mostly they come on Sunday as it is a family day and the familes were out in droves.  What a lovely and interesting place.  Nancy and I were the only Gringos in town.

One of the many busy streets in Cajatitilan


Nancy and Olivia doing some shopping.  The streets were lined with stalls selling most everything.

And another busy street.

Making tortillas.

Part of the new Malacon with the lake in the background.

Besides the new Malacon there is a big square that is part of the Malacon the houses the central market and some government buildings.  Thats me, hanging on to a flagpole.

Olivia and Juan Carlos wanted to go for a boat ride but Nancy and I just wanted to sit on the Malecon and people watch. This photo shows them on their way but Nancy and I had a most enjoyable time waiting for them and watching folks.  So many things are so very different in Mexico.

This church and, for that matter, the whole town are dedicated to the three Wise Men.  There presence in statues and paintings and reliefs are all over.

And inside the church, the place that is usually set aside for the cross has the three Wise Men.


And then there is Valentines day.  It is a big deal in Mexico.  Here in Tlaquepaque, there are three nights of entertainment in the park and the Parian has an extra day for Mariachi music.  Plus the street vendors are out in force as this phot


And even Nancy got into the sprit of Valentines day with a pedicure and bright red toenails.

Until next time

Nancy and Ron





















Sunday, February 5, 2012

Mariachi Music and other stuff

Nancy and I listen to and most enjoy a lot of Mariachi Music while we are here in Tlaqupaque.  Every Friday, Satudrday and Sunday afternoon and evening there is Mariachi Music in the Parian and we usually get to it at least a couple of times a week.  Some is very good and some is not so good.

I am also playing around with the video aspect of our camera, and uploading videos, which I have never done before.  It takes hours here to upload so for no other sake than that, listen to bits and pieces of them.

The first one is not Mariachi music but Nortena music, another very popular type of music in this part of Mexico.  Nancy and I do not like it but they were playing right in front of us and I wanted to practice with my camera.

The singers are generally better than the video taker as you will see as you watch them.

#'s 2, 3, 4 and 5 are all Mariachi music and #6 is some street music that I ran into as I was walking home from Home Depot yesterday.


1.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd_7GkXinUQ&feature=youtu.be

2.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7FpRfpP4uU&feature=youtu.be

3.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9uSG7UPMJw&feature=youtu.be

4.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9uSG7UPMJw&feature=youtu.be

5.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gl8NW1_AZY&feature=youtu.be

6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ81uBOa1WI&feature=youtu.be

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Queretaro



Last year we went with Olivia and Juan Carlos (our landlords) to Guanajuato for a couple of days.  We had so much fun that we decided to do something similiar this year.  We have communal friends in Queretaro, Richard and Kim Anderson who lived in Olivia's apartments for a number of years, and so decided to visit them.  We have been to Queretaro a few times but Olivia and Juan Carlos had not been.  So once again it was two gringos guiding two Mexicans to view the tourist things but the two Mexicans certainly guide us around the culture.  And man do they speak spanish well.

We did not take the very best bus, but the second best bus, and as you can see it is pretty comfortable.  Olivia and Juan Carlos enjoying the cushy seats on our 5 hour journey.
At the beginning of the journey the landscape is pretty deserty, especially at this time of the year, the dry season, as the next two photos show.

But about 1/2 way into our trip there was irrigation and lots of it.  They pump the water from the ground, the landscape becomes very rich and the towns we passed through showed that.  The next two photos show that also.

We arrived rght on time, took a taxi to Kim and Richards newly aquired home.  It is pretty new, 16 years old and very beautiful.  We like it a whole lot. 


The TV/extra bedroom room




The back patio


The living room

And Kim and Richard in their kitchen, making us an excellent salmon meal.  It was yummy.

After that, we needed a walk, a couple of km's to a pyramid that has not been fully excavated but is as big as many of the other pyramids in Mexico that have been excavated and restored.  ie. Chichen Itza or Teotihuacan near Mexico City.




And here it is or as close as we could get to it.

On our way to the pyramid we passed this small dairy and on the way  back Olivia wanted to stop and get a glass of warm fresh milk. I used to drink it as a child but it sure did not appeal to me on that day. 

The dairy was a one milking machine operation with a small compressor running it.  A small concrete slab for the cows to stand on while being milked. All accompanied by a milk maid to get the milk started and to strip them dry.


Olivia is trying to convince the milk maid to give her a glass of milk.

A full glass for Olivia, fresh from the cow.

But not only did the milk maid have to milk the cow, but also help her son with his homework.  It was cute.
We stayed with Kim and Richard for one night, then we got a hotel in the center of the city so we could explore that part of the city.
A small protest in the central park.  Olivia told us what it was all about but right now I forget.



And this s how the police were keeping track of the protesters.



Just a pretty street in Queretaro.


And as in all Mexican towns and cities, the beautiful central park in Queretaro.




We needed to get to the bus station to go home but Olivia and Juan Carlos needed to see one more church.  Here they are walking across the street from that church to meet with Nancy and I and head for the bus station.  And 5 hours later we were back in Tlaquepaque.



It was a great trip and we get to do another trip with them again this year.  They are going to take us to the city that Juan Carlos grew up on a near by farm and spend a couple of days with his aunt to celebrate carnival which will happen in mid Febuary.


Nancy and Ron