Alabama Aug 2007

Driving back to Alabama to spend a little time with Corey, Candy, and Gaby was surprisingly easy and uneventul. We left Zacatecas later than we'd hoped to. (Complications over getting the dogs back from the boarding kennel--another story). But there was a straight road ahead of us, about 5 hours to Saltillo where we would pick up the autopista again. Even though the road from Z. to Saltillo was not four-laned, it was very well-maintained and had extra wide paved shoulders. This is really important in Mexico because when you're driving along at a certain speed and you see someone coming up behind you who's clearly going faster than you are, you just steer toward the right, and the faster driver passes you somewhere in the middle of the two lanes. For all practical purposes, this actually creates three lanes of travel, with a passing lane when needed. There's plenty of room (usually) and everybody understands the procedure. If you're on a two-lane highway coming up on a slower vehicle, if the slower vehicle turns on his left turn signal that means it's safe to pass him--usually. Likewise, he might turn on his right turn signal to indicate there's not enough room to pass. Very sensible--most of the time. Anyway, we drove as far as east of San Antonio that day and were in Fairhope late the evening of the next. We've discovered that La Quinta motels are dog-friendly so that's the only place we stay while on the road in the US.

Had a great time in Alabama. It was just as hot and humid as we expected. It was August, after all, on the Gulf Coast, but air conditioning saved us. When we got there late in the evening, Corey and Candy had a cold bottle of champagne waiting for us. There were candles lit, even in the fireplace, and the whole house sparkled. They've (esp. Candy) done an amazing amount of settling in for such a short time. Bob, Corey, and Candy worked on several house and yard projects. All three dogs took turns running through the screens on the screened porch, so that took redoing. Howdy and Eliza (C & C's lab) got along fine--sometimes too fine, getting rowdy in the house. And Howdy couldn't resist the temptation of all the toys in Gaby's room, especially the stuffed animals. He didn't really make himself very popular while there. Daisy was better, only peeing on a rug once. (Sigh.) I had the extra special pleasure of babysitting Gaby while everybody else did projects, ran errands, etc., so I really got exactly what I wanted--major quality time with Gaby. And, at 21 months, she kept me on my toes. She's extremely bright (of course!) and verbal, beginning to put whole sentences together. Nothing gets past her and she's an absolute delight. Most of the pictures in this link are from Corey's camera because ours stopped working while there. For more images, click here.

Our trip back was fine. It was great to get back to the cool temperatures and lower humidity of the highlands. We could really get used to this climate. The day we crossed the border, we went from 98 degrees in Laredo to about 71 past Monterrey. Melinda and Mark are flying in this evening to spend Labor Day weekend with us. We can't wait to see them.

Zacatecas

After leaving Aguascalientes on August 6 (I think), it was just a short 1 1/2 hour drive north on good roads to Zacatecas. Z. is another of Mexico's colonial cities in the central highlands. The Spanish quickly figured out where the silver and copper were coming from and wasted no time setting los indios to work in the mines. Right alongside them, of course, were the priests using the indios as slaves to build massive stone churches. Named UNESCO World heritage site for its beautifully preserved colonial architecture, Z. was also the site of Pancho Villa's last and bloodiest battle at the Cerra de la Bufa, a huge bluff with stone outcroppings overlooking the city. We toured one of the mines, going deep underground on a little train, wearing hard hats. It was a wonderful tour, especially after we attached ourselves to a family from LA whose father was translating for them what the tour guide was saying! An elevator took us to the top of the bluff opposite la Bufa, where we boarded the teleferico, for a cable car ride across the narrowest part of the city, right above the historical center. That took us to the top of La Bufa, where we could see the city spread below us through incredibly clear air (nearly 8000 ft). We toured the Pancho Villa museum there, walked around, ate lunch, bought some souvenirs. (Note the picture on snapfish of the Indian woman with the cell phone pressed to her ear.) The first day we had toured el centro with the cathedral and several other churches, the palacio del gobierno where we saw another extensive mural depicting the bloody and conflicted history of Mexico. So far, every state or municipal building we've been in has such murals. They almost always show similar scenes: the Spanish conquerers enslaving the Indians, ravaging the country for its treasures; despite it being a Catholic country, the Church doesn't fare too well either as most of the 20th century muralists depict them as equally responsible for poverty and despair. We toured a wonderful museum, the Museo Pedro Coronel. The building was originally a Jesuit monastery built in the 1600s, then used as a jail in the next century. Now it holds the works of home town artist and sculptor Pedro Coronel plus his huge collection of 20th century artist (Picasso, Chagll, Miro, Braque, Dali, among others). In addition to that is a formidable collection of art from all over the world. And the setting in this colonial building with its courtyards, barred windows, secluded gardens, was breathtaking. Because we had only allowed two days there as part of our trip back to the US, we left much unexplored and really want to go back. It's one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. For more images, click here.

The Quinta Real in Zacatecas

La Quinta Real is the hotel where we stayed in Zacatecas for a couple of days. Such a remarkable idea for a hotel. As one web site says, "Where else can you stay in a hotel that incorporates the oldest bull ring in North America and lies alongside a 16th century aqueduct?" Indeed. The stay at the hotel was worth the trip to Zacatecas alone. First-class hotel with beautiful modern luxury rooms, outstanding staff and service, and we couldn't get enough of walking around and around the ring on its various levels, trying to imagine it in use 300-400 years ago. The section of rooms is actually built into one side of the ring, adjacent to the ring to maintain its architectural authenticity. But the restaurant, on two levels, overlooks the ring and the the surrounding tiers through massive glass windows. The bar is located on the lowest level with tables set in the niches of the arches where the bulls were released into the ring. There was a cavern-like feeling to the bar, and we sat for hours each evening with the glass doors open to the ring, watching the lights come on as it got dark. Wonderful experience. For more images, click here.

Another perspective

From Betty (Read the one under this first):

Yesterday, about noonish, I had gone up to the roof to read. I heard some loud crashes and rattles from the street, but that's what trucks sound like when they come down our cobblestoned streets. Then I heard pounding on the door and rapid, successive ringing of the doorbell. I leaned out over the edge of the roof to see who was there, but all I could see was a young man running away. About the same time, I heard Bob yell, "Oh my God!" And then he took off running. From where I was on the roof, I couldn't see across the street where the car was parked. The tall ficus trees that line the street block that view. I thought maybe a pedestrian had been hit and Bob and the boy were running to the rescue. So I ran downstairs and asked Gabby what happened. She didn't know. On the corner outside our door, however, was Crazy Emily (the blonde Texan from down the street who likes to talk to us through the window from the sidewalk). Crazy Emily had had her back to the event but was talking to the boy (Eddie) who watched it happen. Eddie memorized the license plate number and he and Bob stopped and wrote it down with paper from a store down the street on their way back from chasing the culprit. Meanwhile, after getting the story, I asked Gabby to call the police. They'd be here in ten minutes, she said. Sure enough, in just a few minutes, a green and white Policia pickup truck came careening around the corner with two young (16? 18? 20?) men dressed in black with high laced boots and semiautomatic weapons at the ready. Eddie described to them what had happened, while Crazy Emily flapped her hands and had palpitations. I ran inside and got Cokes to hand out all around (diet for Emily). That seems to be my role in Mexican crises. Then I went down the street to the rental agent for Paola to come help interpret for all of us. So there we were, a motley crew: Bob and I, Paola, Eddie the teenage car washer down by the plaza, Gabby, and Emily babbling away with nobody listening to her. After taking down all the information and alerting both Chapala and Ajijic traffic patrols with the description of the white van and license plate, the two young cops sped off in pursuit. But, in the meantime, they said, we still needed to go to the police station in Chapala (the municipality) to file a formal report. Paola had to get back to work, but Gabby pipes up and said her brother-in-law Noe was on his way. He's a realtor and speaks English, so now we had a translator. So Bob, Noe, and Eddie climb into the van (now bumper-less but perfectly driveable) and head to Chapala. You've read his comments on that in the previous post.

When Bob got back, we were sitting on the couch trying to catch up on his experience, when through the window we saw the same green and white pickup with the two young cops, yelling in Spanish, something like: "Bob, come on. We've got him!" Through sign language, they indicated they needed him to id the van. Without a word, Bob jumps in the cab, one young cop gets into the back (rifle at the ready) and off they sped (well, as fast as they could on cobblestoned streets!) toward the plaza. Me, I'm standing on the corner outside our door for the second time that day watching my husband take off for God knows where....but this time with two teenagers and semiautomatic weapons!

About 45 minutes later, Bob walked home from the plaza to get both the car and all the insurance paperwork. This time I went with him back to the plaza. I wish I could have captured pictures of the scene. The cops had found the culprit parked in the taxi ranks on Colon, west side of the plaza. Now we had not only the two young cops but also a number of transito police--traffic cops. And all the old men who sit on the park benches and talk and watch. It was great theater for everybody. Hearing the driver speak and move a bit, I realized he was drunk. I asked one of our young cops if that was so, and he said, "Si. Muy barracho." But the amazing thing is that during the several hours that everybody was there at the plaza--almost four hours--the driver kept going across the street to a little shop and buying beer--while the police watched and never tried to stop him! The driver would get belligerent every now and then, and the cops would go over and yell at him and point fingers under his nose. At one point I heard him call us in Spanish effing gringos and I reacted with "whoa." The police gave him another lecture and moved us to a bench farther away. "No fight," they said. At this point, I translated for Bob what he'd said. Now Bob was mad. Waiting for our Mexican insurance guy to come from Guadalajara, I walked back home to meet Noe who had arranged with Bob to go back with him to Chapala at 6 to translate while finishing the report. Noe and I drove over in his car to the plaza just in time to help out with translating between Bob and the insurance guy.

Incredibly (at least to effing gringos like us), the situation ended with the driver and his wife going across the plaza to the ATM at Bancomer and withdrawing about 4500 pesos. The insurance man took that as payment for damages to our car. Then Bob had to sign a paper releasing the guy. What happens if we don't sign, we had Noe ask. Then both cars--ours and his--would be impounded until everything was settled. I still think the driver would have been free to go--just without his car. So, given that as our only alternative, Bob signed the papers.

The amazing thing to me is that through the whole day we experienced so much kindness and helpfulness. Even the woman carving the old tree trunk at the plaza asked me if she could help us. The young cops were jazzed that they'd got their man, and even the plaza sitters were on our side, ridiculing the drunk driver. His wife apologized for her husband, and he even attempted a sort of apology. I asked the young cops about the possibility of reprisals from him, but they laughed and said, "He won't even remember this tomorrow. And if he tries anything, just call us," thumping their chests.

All in all, an interesting lesson in the system (?) of Mexican justice.

Poor Toyota!!

Well, as you can see, it's been an interesting welcome back to Mexico. Mom and I had just returned from delivering Daisy and Howdy to the groomer yesterday when we were summoned to the door by a loud banging. Someone had just hit the Toyota, which was parked across the street, then continued on their merry way. A young Mexican man saw it happen and alerted us. I could see the guilty party about two blocks away, so I took off in pursuit. Unfortunately, I'm not as young as I used to be and I never got close enough to get the plates. Eddie, our young witness, did, however. So, Gabby called the police, who arrived and took the information, including the plate, and assured us that they would be searching for the perpetrator in the area. They then advised us to file a formal report at police HQ in Chapala.

For this adventure, we needed a translator, as you know my Spanish capabilities and Eddie spoke no English. Once again, Gabby to the rescue. She produced her brother-in-law, Noe, who is a realtor and speaks excellent English. So, after Eddie and I (mostly Eddie) completed the removal of the Toyota's bumper, we set off for Chapala. What a bureaucracy! First, they wouldn't copy the pictures of the car from my memory card-- had to have prints. So we had to go to a photo shop and get prints (still another story - wait for the only girl who can run the computer to return from errands, then wait again while they print the photos and dry them with a hair dryer!! Swear to G-d!) So, back to the police, who then want to see all the papers-- title, registration, visas, etc. I give them a set of copies of all-- not good enough, have to have the originals and 5 copies! Gave up at that point and returned to Ajijic, with plans to gather the necessary paperwork and return to Chapala later.

No sooner got home than the police arrived back at the house, lights flashing, very excited. "Bob, come on! We've found him!" I run out and jump in the police truck and we take off-- Mom told me later she didn't know if she'd ever see me again! Anyway, a speedy ride over the cobbles, with an occasional blast on the siren to move someone out of the way, and we're at the Plaza in Ajijic. There's the white van, with the offending license plates, many policemen, a crowd of onlookers, and the driver, apparently drunk and holding forth for the police. "Is this the van?" "I don't know for sure, as I did not see it up close-- but we have an eye witness!"

The police then wanted me to call my insurance company- and, of course, the papers were at the house. Mom still isn't comfortable with driving here, so I started the jog home, around 4-5 blocks. Just off the Plaza, I found Eddie-- so took him back and made a positive ID. Then jogged home and got the car and all the papers and returned to the Plaza.

It took about an hour for the insurance guy to arrive from Guadalajara. All that time, we're standing around the Plaza, the offending driver muttering about the "effing Gringo!" and telling anyone who would listen what a bigshot he is-- meanwhile making several trips to the corner store to buy more beer, which he continued to drink throughout. It was apparent that he just wanted to pay me off and call it quits, but, of course, I had no idea what the repair would cost and all advised waiting for the agent. Still 4 or 5 heavily armed cops hanging about, as well as a couple of traffic officers.

Mr Battas, the insurance guy, shows up and we find (again, via interpreter, as he doesn't speak English either) that there is no legal restriction on drinking and driving in Mexico, nor on leaving the scene of an accident, etc. Basically, if the guy pays, he walks. If he doesn't pay, he goes to jail. (Note on the interpretation-- Mom had snagged Noe by this time and brought him to the Plaza to assist. I was also helped out by one of the local taxi drivers, whose English was quite good. Can't say enough about the good samaritans in this case - everybody was supportive and very helpful, with the notable exception of our drunken driver friend.

Anyway, the whole saga wraps up around 7PM, with Mr Battas escorting the drunk and his wife to the bank and collecting $$4500 (around USD 430) in cash from them. Then he had me sign a release to allow them to go. I received a paper which we now have to take to the Toyota dealer in Guad, who will fix the car (my insurance will pay all charges.) I really don't believe that the whole repair will cost only $400, but the insurance is stuck with any additional charges. Meanwhile, the drunk goes home to sleep it off.

Interestingly, several times during the afternoon various policeman told him off when he got abusive and had to separate folks a few times when things got a bit loud. I saw them restrain Eddie when the guy said something to him and I actually warned him off when he called me an "effing gringo" for the third or fourth time. But, as one officer put it, "Just ignore him. He won't remember any of this tomorrow!"

Bottom line-- There's no provision in Mexico for insurance covering a rental car while one's is in repair, so it looks like we'll be driving around without our front bumper for awhile, at least until after Mel and Mark leave. Then we'll either rent one ourselves or put up with the inconvenience while Toyota fixes ours.

And the adventure continues!

Aguascalientes

We left Ajijic Sunday morning, August 5, on our way to the States (well, Alabama) for a couple of weeks. We are driving since we have the dogs and a load of Mexican patio accessories for Corey's and Candy's new house. Our itinerary included a stop in the city of Aguascalientes to take of bag of things for Esmeralda's family who live there. She hasn't seen them in about 4 or 5 years. The trip from Ajijic to AGS (shorthand) was only about 3 hours and on good autopistas all the way. AGS is on a flat plain, also about 5000 ft high, yes, it does have hot springs. But it's a remarkably large industrial city. On the way in, we passed a huge Nissan plant that probably rivals Toyota in Kentucky. It seems to be a central distribution hub as well, and on the north side of town, we passed Walmart, Sam's Club, Home Depot, and other huge box stores. We stayed at a small motel just on the edge of the historical district. It was pretty much a dump, but we had to have some place where the dogs could stay, and Mexican hotels are not very pet-friendly at all. Once we got there, we called Emmy's mother (also Esmeralda) who was expecting us, and we took a taxi to their home. There we met Emmy's mom, her father, her sister, and her grandmother, and we spent a very pleasant couple of hours outside on the patio. The conversation was in Spanish with an occasional assist from Montserrat (Emmy's sister) who I suspect has more English than I have Spanish. It was her father's birthday so we had refresca de jamaica to drink, fruit, and cake. It was lovely, and they're wonderful people. Later Bob and I went to dinner at a Mayan restaurant near the church of Encino with a beautiful garden. The city is so clean and prosperous-looking. If the city is the result of NAFTA, I do wish more of Mexico had had the same opportunities. See Pics.

La Tasca

One of our favorite places in Ajijic is just a block down the street from us, alongside the lake. La Tasca is a restaurant/club with a covered dining area, performing stage, and dance floor. There are also tables on the lawn and some inside. It's a beautiful spot with good food and excellent music. Do check their website for pictures and more information. More pics here. Roberto Cerda, guitarist and soloist, is the proprietor and has sponsored a music festival over the last few weeks. We had the opportunity to enjoy several evenings of very diverse music. Two very special ones were quite unexpected. One evening we were treated to klezmer music (typically Jewish with a gypsy, Eastern European sound). The klezmer band were a quartet from Guadalara (yes) who play in clubs (and for bar and bat mitzvot, of course!) There was a sizable group from the Jewish community Lakeside, and the dancing was riotous. As Bob said, it could have been a bar mitvah or Jewish wedding from anywhere in the world.

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We were treated to an entirely different type of music last Saturday from a professional group who plays pre-Hispanic music. The sound was haunting, to say the least, although there were faster numbers that sounded remarkably like old Gaelic music with the pipes and drums. The wife of the group leader (he's a professor of pre-Hispanic music) is an interpretive dancer--mesmerizing in her movements and recreations of the types of dances that may have been done hundreds, thousands of years ago. The instruments were all made from natural artifacts as they would have been--flutes of all sizes and shapes, drums and tambourines, rattles, turtle shells, and instruments that made sounds that I don't think any other modern instruments could make. View pics here. It was a fascination evening and I wish we could share of it than with just these two video clips.

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One of the best things about living in Ajijic is that there is music everywhere. Every restaurant has muscians that range from solo guitarists to jazz trios, Brazilian, Mexican, Cuban, and everything.