Blogs from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, North America

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North America » Mexico » San Luis Potosí » Xilitla November 3rd 2018

There is very little for us to do today. The ‘Day of the Dead’ Festival is winding down but there is still music in the square and loud firecrackers exploding everywhere. Eva has explained to me the chronology. So, 31 October is for children (Halloween). On 1 November (Day of the Dead), the children return to the spirit world and adults visit earth. On 2 November (All Saints Day), adults return to spirit world and the saints visit. On 3 November, the saints return and by 4 November, the show is over. Eva and I spend most of the morning chatting. She tells me about some of the stories from their folklore. A guy called Macario is always hungry because he has a large family. One day his wife makes him a big bowl of tamal ... read more
Leonoro Carrington Museum
Leonoro Carrington Museum
Leonoro Carrington Museum

North America » Mexico » San Luis Potosí » Xilitla November 2nd 2018

Today we are visiting a surrealist garden, Las Pozas. It is a work of art created by Edward James, an English poet who came to live here in 1945. The creation, said to represent the Garden of Eden took 35 years to construct and you may be forgiven for thinking it is still incomplete! The garden of concrete flowers and fairytale castles has steep staircases that end abruptly and go nowhere. Edward James moved from England to America but then he fell in love with Xilitla on a visit to Mexico. He began buying up parcels of coffee plantation land in which to create his garden and grow his precious orchids. A bad frost killed the plants one year and he decided to replace them with concrete replicas which the weather would have a harder time ... read more
View over The Carpentry
The Bathtub in the Shape of an Eye
Waterfall Edward James Garden

North America » Mexico » San Luis Potosí » Xilitla November 1st 2018

Today is the main day of celebration for the ‘Day of the Dead’ festival. The festival actually runs from 31 October to 2 November but this is the main event! It’s a 3000 year old tradition dating back to the Aztecs based on the belief that all spirits are in limbo and this is the one day that they are allowed to return to earth. We set out after a traditional Mexican breakfast. Personally, I find it bland and rather heavy but I eat it as I do not want the offend our hostess. Take a tin of baked beans without the flavour of the tomato sauce, mash them up and wrap them in a tortilla. Dribble fresh cream over the top. Add some raw shredded cabbage. Voila! I am aching for some fresh fruit and ... read more
Altar competition
Inside the church
Spooks in the rain

North America » Mexico » San Luis Potosí » Xilitla October 31st 2018

I am awake before seven so Ian gets me a coffee and by 8am it’s time for a Skype call. Dad had a good night and is feeling a lot better - the doc has doubled his painkillers. Mum and Di are preparing lunch whilst dad relaxes. Sounds as if that is doing both of them some good. I am rudely interrupted by a woman who wants me to end my call. Apparently I am disturbing their sleep. This is the same woman who allowed her very young toddler to stay in the pool till 10pm last night shrieking with joy. Same toddler continued with tantrum shrieking until midnight - presumably he didn’t want to leave the pool! She speaks enough English to tell me to keep quiet so I soon tell her what’s what! It’s ... read more
Bus stop?
Grim reaper
Halloween parade

North America » Mexico » San Luis Potosí » Ciudad Valles October 30th 2018

Today we are off to Puente Dios - God’s Bridge. It’s another series of waterfalls where one can supposedly swim...although we have our doubts. This set of falls is on the same river as the Tamasopo Falls that we visited yesterday, just a little bit further out of town in a different direction. We negotiate our taxi and 20 minutes later we are up in the thick of the jungle. We are dropped near a railway track which we must cross and then we find the entrance booth. They are trying to rent me a life vest for swimming but I tell them I’m going to take a look before I commit to anything. I may be a ‘fish’ but I don’t want to be a dead fish! Unlike yesterday, today’s view is going to require ... read more
Puente de Dios - swimming hole???
Puente de Dios
Puente de Dios

North America » Mexico » San Luis Potosí » Ciudad Valles October 29th 2018

Today we are up early for our visit to the waterfalls. A call home reveals that dad is in hospital again. He passed out at home in the early hours. Full marks to my mum who managed to get downstairs, unbolt the front door (heavy, old type, slide bolts...top and bottom!) and raise the alarm with their neighbour. Upshot is that dad was whisked away in an ambulance again. There will be no news till later on so we decide on a half day trip so that we can be back in time to get an update. This is the time when I am thankful for the internet and smartphones (instead of cursing them) - we just would not want to travel if we could not stay in touch. We pick up some sugared croissants from ... read more
Cascades de Tamasopo
Cascades de Tamasopo
Cascades de Tamasopo

North America » Mexico » San Luis Potosí » Ciudad Valles October 28th 2018

There is not much to say today. We are in the tiny town of Tamasopa in the beautiful and peaceful Huasteca Potosina region. We have wandered around the town...it took all of five minutes. We have had another easy day. The hotel has emptied and I have enjoyed a swim in the pool. Now we are sitting in the square having dinner. We have no idea what we have ordered other than there is some element of chicken in it! Our meal has arrived and it is nothing more sinister than breaded chicken (fried to within an inch of its life), salad, chips and rice. There is some kind of mini festival going on in the square. A brass band is competing with loud music from a loudspeaker. It appears to be pretty much over by ... read more
The square at night
Tamasopo Town Square

North America » Mexico » San Luis Potosí » San Luis Potosí October 26th 2018

A relaxed start to today. Ian isn’t feeling top notch and there isn’t much to do here so we spend the morning ‘hanging around’. Our accommodation is in a 200 year old colonial building and it’s quite nice sitting in the inner courtyard. Plus the sun is shining today! Our hostess, Elvira, is taking care of our huge load of laundry and we are free to use all the facilities so we will aim to cook something simple for ourselves tonight. We have just had the letting agent’s report on our house condition - all looking excellent with just a few minor maintenance issues which we are leaving in Bendy’s capable hands. :-) It’s midday and Ian is still not feeling up to going out, so I go for a wander in search of a supermarket. ... read more
Mask museum
Ian and sinister looking monument
Cathedral detail

North America » Mexico » San Luis Potosí » San Luis Potosí October 25th 2018

It’s another misty morning. We are up and packed by 10am ready to go to the bus station. Edgar has turned up and has kindly offered to drive us to there. He is such a sweetie. At the bus station we check in with no problem - today our seats are allocated. I go off in search of brunch as we don’t know what we will get on the bus. I choose a small pizza and chips from Dominoes, wrongly assuming that it will be fast food. It turns out that the guy behind the counter is not only responsible for taking the orders, but also making and cooking the food. I see my pizza made from scratch and half an hour later it is ready! We wolf our food down as there is a long ... read more
Storm clouds gather
Rain in the distance
Bright sky and black clouds

North America » Mexico » San Luis Potosí » Xilitla September 13th 2015

Samstag war das, was Diana als día tequilero bezeichnet, als einen Tag, an dem man am besten garnichts macht und sich ansonsten dem Konsum von Tequila hingibt. Geschlafen bis halb 10, gefruehstueckt unter wolkenschwerem Himmel, und kurz vor dem Aufstehen vom Tisch fing es an zu regnen, leicht und fein. Wir sind ins Dorf gegangen, um die bereits erwaehnte Waesche abzuholen, und um ein paar Einkaeufe zu machen. Wir hatten die Wahl, bei geschlossenem Regenschirm langsam nass zu werden, oder mit geoeffnetem Schirm staendig an irgendwelchen Pflanzen, Draehten, Autos, Dachvorspruengen oder Leuten haengen zu bleiben. Diana hat bei einer alten Frau, die am Hauptplatz, dem Zócalo, auf dem Boden ihr bescheidenes Sortiment ausgebreitet hatte, ein paar winzige Roeschen mit Wurzelballen eingekauft, die sie spaeter Dalila schenkte. Die Bluemchen waren kleiner als Gaensebluemchen und wurden zum Transpo ... read more




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