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Published: April 11th 2006
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¡Bienvenidos, Solomon!
Solomon Townsend, sighted in Mexico City with compromising company... Well, howdy all! Mucho perdons for falling so far behind on sharing our travels...We're currently in Palenque, Chiapas. I will try to quickly outline a bit of where we've been and what we've seen and leave the detailed stories for when we return...in t-minus 9 days!
A friend comes for a visit
Many of you know Solomon Townsend. Those of you who don't should. We were going to visit Solomon at his land in Costa Rica, but that didn't work out. So he came to visit us! A few email exchanges gave us an idea that he was thinking about it, and then we got a phone call at Tashirat and there was Solomon, already in Tepoztlan! We had a great time hanging out, sharing our little routine with him, and going on a few adventures, including the trip into D.F. for the Water Forum (see below). Thanks again for visiting, Solomon - ¡pura vida!
The Water Forum (Mexico City)
As we quickly learned, the 4th International Water Forum, taking place in Mexico City, was officially billed as a gathering of governments, world bank, corporations, etc. working to solve the world's water problems, and providing water for
water ceremony
Aztecs, Hopis and more give thanks for the water all. I can already hear you guessing what this REALLY meant: privatization of water. And resistance to the idea of privatization of water - an insistence on democratization and local control of water rights, water infrastructure - was the focus of the alternative conferences and events that we attended. We first witnessed and participated in a very special water ceremony: Hopi Indians from Arizona had RUN to Mexico City as part of an ongoing awareness raising project and joined up with Aztecs and other indigenous groups to give thanks and blessings for the water with chanting, song, dance, prayer, and a mixing of water from across the continent and beyond! It was a magical moment. The ceremony was followed by a protest march through the streets of Mexico City with many thousands of people from Mexico and around the world, demanding water for life, and an end to water privatization.
We also caught part of an alternative conference with speakers sharing their stories of local efforts to protect water rights in Venezuela, South Africa, France, Mexico...solidarity and empowerment ran like a pure mountain stream. And we spent time at an alternative event called "Espejo de Agua", or Water Mirror, which
water ceremony & dance
if you love water, put your hands in the air....and....dance! included music, theatrical performance, speakers, information tables about everything from water purifiers to composting toilets, kids' activities, Sensorama (an experience/installation aimed at relating to water with senses beyond sight) and a woman's teepee. Activism combined with celebration, spirituality, and appropriate technology problem-solving. Michelle and I came away with a heightened awareness of the challenges that lie ahead, and a personal commitment to become more involved in water protection in our blessed Great Lakes.
Oaxaca
At long last, we said our goodbyes to Tashirat and Solomon and after a rather roundabout bus journey, landed in the beautiful city of Oacaxa. Oaxaca (pronounced "wah HA ka" in case you were wondering) exceeded all of our expectations, which were quite high, given the amount of praise we'd heard (we love it too, Jim & Sandy!) It is a marvelous amalgamation of colonial architecture, full-on Mexican color, awe-inspiring Dominican cathedrals, indigenous culture and artisanias, splendid climate and beautiful topography, all fueled by great coffee, chocolate and 7 different moles! The city has a very metropolitan feel, and while tourism is king, it would be very easy to find a scene and spend some time there. We rented mountain bikes and rode to
Monte Espiritu del Agua
the women´s teepee (at Espejo de Agua) kept us all connected to the spirit of the water through stories and blessings from the grandmothers. Alban, the Zapotec ruins on the edge of town. Perched on a mountaintop, Monte Alban is yet another impressive reminder of the greatness of the pre-colonial cultures of Mexico. It was first inhabited around 550 BC, it grew in size and importance until it began to fade aroun 750 AD. The Mixtecs later took over the stone structures. Our bike ride also took us through Arrazola, the village famous for crafting brightly colored animal figurines. We also very much enjoyed the Ethnobotanical garden in Oaxaca, a beautiful display of plants from throughout this very biodiverse state.
Mazunte and Puerto Escondido
We took the more direct route from Oaxaca City to the coast via a utility van on maddeningly winding roads through the mountains. I am quite certain that our driver was training for Formula 1...it was one of the most grueling rides I've experienced. In fact, I (marty) got sick! Sorry for the mess, race car driver...
When we finally arrived to the coast, we fell into pure bliss on the beach of Mazunte. A small, low key beach village, Mazunte was once the home of a sea turtle canning factory. When the Mexican government banned turtle harvest
water drama
some characters from a humerous play at the Espejo de Agua. 1994, the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga aquarium and research center was built in Mazunte. Groups working to save the turtles, such as
Ecosolar, also began an ecotourism trend to preserve the beach community, and low impact cabañas using natural building materials abound (though many of the cabañas are quite fancy...) We opted for the cheaper end of the spectrum and stayed with a crazy guy named "Einstein" Carlos in a still-under-construction, half-functioning Posada. But you couldn't beat the view from our open-air room, and we passed the days wandering the beach, enjoying the sun, playing in the surf.
A bit farther west along the coast, Puerto Escondido is a much more developed city and home to one of the best surf beaches in the world, Zicatela. Michelle somehow found us this amazing and affordable apartment-like room with kitchenette and plenty of space just one block from Zicatela, but still with views of the beach. We took an evening tour out to a nearby lagoon to see the
bioluminescent plankton, perhaps one of the highlights of our time in Mexico. The others on our tour were part of an American wedding party, in Puerto Escondido for a long weekend.
Catedral de Santo Domingo
one (of many) beautiful cathedrals in Oaxaca City That was an amusing reverse culture shock, but when the boats got us out to the area of the lagoon with the plankton, everyone shared equally in the awe. We pulled into a sea of blue-green florescent stars and cut the engine. The luminescence is somehow sensitive to motion, so running your hand through the water produced a trailing luminescent image. Small swimming crabs live among the plankton (most fish avoid it because by eating it they would glow too, making them easy prey) and you could see their scurrying paths through the water. We were able to swim in among the plankton, an absolutely surreal experience. Glowing bodies of swimmers thrashed about, creating an effect somewhat reminiscent of the movie, "Tron". A wet head popping above the surface trickled glowing trails; hands and feet thrashing about left their image in the water. We did't want to leave. We heard on the radio later that the plankton population was at a 6 year high, with the water temperature and other factors just right. We feel truely blessed to have had the opportunity to experience directly this amazing natural feat!
Marty also took a few hour surfing lesson, though certainly
not on Zicatela, where the giant waves crashed incessantly into the shore. I managed to ride a few waves, and came away with an appreciation that surfing takes LOTS of practice. Later, we played in the surf on a beach with somewhat more intense waves (though still not up to Zicatela) and got thoroughly thrashed about. Good fun! Although the coast was sweltering hot, it was soooo wonderful to be in the SUN, relax to the constant crash of the waves, and groove with a bit of the surf culture.
next stop...Chiapas!
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