Hautulco road trip to Oaxaca with Richard and Fiona
20/01/2010
17 04.25 N 96 43.35 W
I suppose you are all well aware of the dilemmas we have with our mate Murphy – despite many eviction notices he still seems to occupy our boat.
As Murphy would have it – the Teuantepec winds died the day Richard arrived – all the boaters that had been waiting patiently for the crossing had large grins on their faces as they said their goodbyes. Some we will meet again in El Salvador.
Because of the nature of cruising, friends are made fast and strong then lost just as quickly – we part with promises of keeping in touch and meeting again one day, emails are swapped regularly at first then arrive less often and the plans to meet again become more vague. I find this sad as we have met some wonderful people whom I would like to maintain a friendship but distance and busy lives slowly erode the common traits that ensured a short but enjoyable friendship.
Richard arrived full of fun, mischief and great stories. He had been visiting family in Finland for several weeks. Now acclimatized to temps –30°C he just wanted warmth and sun. He had some horrifying stories about hair freezing etc. and some great photos. That type of severe cold fascinates us and we would like to visit a really cold area – for a short time!!!! Richard was drawn to our visit by promises of heat, humidity and sun. Did I tell you that Murphy lives with us (uninvited of course!) well the sun disappeared the day Richard arrived and stayed hidden for the first two days – the temperature was lovely for us as we had been slowly baking to a crisp.
At high tide we motored out of the channel where White Rose was tied up and motored/sailed down to a tiny bay where Don and I had anchored on our way to Hautulco. The snorkeling was good, water warm and beach deserted and beautiful. The boys went snorkeling during the afternoon and we made a fire on the beach and cooked a bbq dinner. It was peaceful and very beautiful. The next day our peaceful anchorage was inundated with pangas full of tourists – they stayed a short time, snorkeled then left for their next activity – all full of good cheer, waves and smiling faces.
We had long discussions about whether to hire a car or take local transport on a road trip inland. I was amused by this article:
“Until recently, to obtain a license you had to either take a written test, or pay a small bribe to avoid having to do so. In either case there was no road test and no eye examination. Now the state has done away with virtually all licensing requirements relating to safety: no written test, no road test, no eye test. The new law is advertized as 'more secure'. However, the fact of the matter is that drivers, passengers and pedestrians are much less secure on the roads, curbs and sidewalks.
As long as you're at least 18 years of age you can apply for licensing for two, three or five years. For the longest period, the cost of obtaining a license to drive a car or light truck is 552 pesos (about $42 USD using early 2009, exchange rates). Add a further 66 pesos ($5) and you can obtain a chauffeur's license, enabling you to drive a tractor trailer. And with a payment of only 375 pesos ($30), you're off on your Harley Davidson roaming the roads for a half a decade.
The requirements with which you must comply are:
1.You must be able to sign your name, which of course does not preclude placing your mark (i.e. an "X") instead;
2.You must produce proof of residence, such as a water, phone or hydro bill;
3.You must have identification in the form of a voter registration card, or in the case of non-Mexicans, a visa and passport;
4.You must have the name and minimal contact information for a next of kin;
5.You must provide fingerprints of all of your digits, but it's not clear if this requirement means that those missing one or more fingers simply have to ink up those, if any, that they have;
6.You must be able to pose for a photo.
It appears that if you are legally blind, you can still be licensed. You are simply asked if you need eyeglasses to drive, with no mention of the nature or strength of prescription. It appears that you must be able to speak so as to enable you to comply with the fourth requirement noted above, but if you bring along a piece of paper with the name and contact information of your next of kin, or attend with someone assisting you who can speak, this possible prerequisite may not apply at all. And of course if you read lips when being addressed by the application officer, the ability to hear becomes irrelevant. It appears that you must have at least one arm, or portion thereof enabling you to sign, but there is no suggestion that you must have a lower limb.
So why is it so dangerous for those of us driving in Oaxaca with years of experience and not a single traffic violation on our record? Think about it; the lane to your left could be occupied by a fully licensed sixteen-year-old blind youth who has rarely been behind the wheel or even a passenger in a car, trying to make a right hand turn in his three ton cube van, all the while oblivious to you honking your horn in sheer fright.”
Regardless the following day we hired a car and made the 8 hour drive up the steep road to Oaxaca. This road is very windy and gringos are advised to take Dramamine before embarking on a bus trip in that direction. We climbed to 7000 ft in elevation, the view was spectacular. Richard was introduced to “reductors” (topes). These highly effective speed humps are designed to take the undercarriage out of any normal vehicle – oh I forgot to mention – we had a raised Dodge ute complete with paint and cement residue in the tray, various dust and debris in the cabin and panels that required gaffa tape to ensure they did not fall off during our hire period. Richard had put the gaffa tape on – he has had lots of practice repairing anything and everything with gaffa tape and fencing wire!! No we didn’t hire the vehicle from Dodgy Bros – it was from Hertz and we actually booked a economy car but as can only happen in Mexico when we arrived to collect the car it was “manana” (tomorrow) a word that is used all too frequently in Mexico. It was the brother-in-laws ute or nothing !!! Did I mention that the “check engine” light remained on the whole time???? Now back to the reductors – they usually consist of rock or bitumen shaped in a triangle with the top edge slightly smoothed out, probably from numerous encounters with exhaust systems. The height can be up to 15” – well not really but it seemed that way when Don missed seeing one and hooned over it at a great speed (40klms). I became airborne!! The reductors appear when you least expect them and often without warning – they are camouflaged the same color as the road so if you exceed the speed limit of 40klms you can do extensive damage to your vehicle. The spectacular view became secondary to looking out for reductors. Once we collected Fiona from the Oaxaca airport, she quickly became knowledgeable on the advantages of spotting these deadly speed humps prior to being levitated (particularly uncomfortable with a full bladder).
We rented a “suite” which consisted of 2 double beds in the same room, bathroom, kitchen and a sitting area – we had hopes of making our own breakfast before heading out each day – humm it appears that Mexican accommodation that has kitchens is all they have – no cutlery, plates, saucepans, t towel or washing up equipment. We were forced to go out for breakfast and eat like kings – the food was so plentiful and good that lunch usually ended up being an ice cream.
Our first stop was at the ruins of Monte Alban –
Monte Albán sits on a hilltop 400 meters above the valley floor near the city of Oaxaca. It's function seems to have been to unite the people of the three valley regions; the Tlacolula Valley to the east, the Etla Valley to the north, and the Zimatlán-Ocotlán Valley to the south.
Founded approximately 500 years before the birth of Christ, the city grew and dominated the valleys of Oaxaca up to 750 a.d.
Monte Albán was the epicenter of their culture and a place of divine worship. It was inhabited by goldsmiths, silversmiths, priests and astronomers, by farmers, royalty and wisemen. The Zapotecs had both a written and numerical system and used a calendar of 365 days.
Mezcal
Don had read about a liquor called “Mezcal” – made locally in Oaxaca it became his mission to sample the “real thing”. We found a small stall that had tastings and the old senora was generous in her praise for the liquor and her samples. Richard, Don and I all received a small sample of the precious liquid and expected to thoroughly enjoy its smokey flavour. It turned out to be one of those tastes that you must have to become accustomed to. I tried not to gasp and cough, Don turned red and Richard got a really silly smile on his face. I likened it to nail varnish remover, Richard to paint thinner, Don – well he was still speechless!!! Nevertheless Don bought a small bottle from the hopeful lined face which broke into the most glorious smile. I bought some coffee flavoured cream mezcal liquor thinking it would be more drinkable. It is very interesting how they make this liquor – here is the general story if you are interested.
The plants are propagated by almost everyone in small village-garden plots until they are about two years old and roughly two feet tall. At this time, they are uprooted, their leaves are tightly bound and the roots are cut off. They are left in the sun for about fifteen days. Next they are transported to the outlying hills where they are transplanted and left to grow as fence borders for mountain fields. After another five years, they are harvested and sold as a cash crop to local distillers.
The pinas ( or hearts ) are placed in a rock-lined conical pit (palenque) about twelve feet in diameter and about eight feet deep. They are covered with many hot rocks that have been heated in a wood fire. A layer of the leaves or fiber from the plant covers them, followed by woven palm-fiber mats (petate) and finally a layer of earth. They bake this way for two or three days, absorbing flavors from the earth and the wood smoke.
The pinas are removed from the pit and placed on the ground inside a ring of stone about twelve feet in diameter. In the center is a vertical post connecting an axle to a huge vertical circular millstone. This stone wheel is pulled around and around the circle by burro or horse to crush the maguey hearts.
The crushed maguey is then placed in wooden vats that hold about three hundred gallons. Then about 5%-10% water is added. The mash (tepache) is left uncovered to ferment naturally with nothing other than its own yeasts for from four to thirty days.
The mezcal solids and liquid (tepache) are then transferred to a copper or ceramic (de olla) still which holds about twenty-five gallons. A copper "sombrero" is placed on top and the mix is slowly heated by wood fire, vaporized and condensed. The fiber is cleared out of the still and the "punta" the clear alcohol from the first distillation is placed back in the still and the distillation process is repeated. The resultant liquid is mezcal.
There is a high reverence for this magical liquid and its ceremonial, social and medicinal uses among the villagers. There is obvious pride regarding the mezcal's power. There is also great disdain for the "cheap," diluted, chemically altered liquid sold commercially.
We sampled the Mezcal at the village of Santa Maria del Tule. The small village is famous for the Tule Tree which is one of the world’s largest and oldest trees – 53 meters round, 41 meters tall and over 2000 years old – an incredible sight and impossible to get in a single photo.
The next day we made a visit to amazing Oaxaca markets which is made up of mainly covered ramshackle stalls and booths interconnected by a maze of alleyways. It appears to cover several acres. Clothes, shoes, electronics, jewellery, trinkets, plastics, cookware, dvd movies, music cds,hardware, leather goods including saddles and bridles for your donkey and then fruit, vegetables, meat (in various stages of dismemberment), fish, bread – in biblical proportions none of which seemed to be selling and we wondered what they would do with the mountain load of bread rolls ?
Richard was tempted by the great looking leather boots though we couldn't convince him that he would look great in knee length crocodile skin boots. He finally settled on some stylish shiny short length boots though being a Grande Gringo it wasn't easy finding his size. We joked that the sharp pointy toes could come in handy if he was wandering the streets of New York at night on his stop over on the way home.
The hardware stalls were interesting in that many of the tools and implements were hand made and similar to what would have been found in stores before the advent of electricity. The orange juicing machines appeared to be hand forged aluminium – each one slightly different in shape. We speculated that they must be made from melted down empty beer cans ! Richard had to have one of these, though the logistics of getting it home were put aside for the time being. We also wondered what Tuula his wife would think when this monstrousity appeared on her kitchen bench among the modern appliances. Apparently a number of his purchases in this department have ended up at the office or in some cases in the shed !
(A recent report from Richard says that it was accepted favourably and they have been enjoying fresh orange juice each weekend since his return).
I had read in a travel brochure about a delicacy obtainable at the local markets in Oaxaca – savoury crickets – yummm. They are called Chapalinas, and are crickets seasoned with chillies and red pepper. They are sort of salty, and crunchy, with no taste except the seasoning they use. The crickets are often sought in the early morning by the grandchildren then grandma does something to them (best not to dwell on that part) and they end up in the market. I made it a mission to seek out some of these delights and much to my amazement I actually found huge piles of them – you can even choose from small or large and I got both. Later that evening I treated the boys to the local delights – fresh strawberries, local string cheese (very salty and about 1.5” in width and as long as you wish to purchase – they wind it in a ball a bit like winding knitting yarn) and my dried chilli crickets. Both men loved the crickets asked for more (:-). I don't mind tentacles, or wiggly bits with eyes, but anything that resembles a roach is kind of hard for me to choke down – Don found the legs and antennas got stuck in his throat and used that as an excuse for downing copious amounts of beer.
Fiona (Lee's sister) arrived at the Oaxaca airport at 11pm after traveling for 34 hours which consisted of 5 different flights. She was in amazing spirits and condition – I am sure I would have looked like death and behaved rather badly with sleep deprivation – Fiona was funny, bright and looked amazing – although she did claim to have a flat bottom !!!
I thought she would sleep for days but she was up and waiting for us before 7am the next morning – show off !!!
On our way back to the boat we visited the Mitla archeological site, famous for the fineness of its many geometric mosaics decorating the palace walls. I think the local market stalls were enticing and I bought a Mexican rug/blanket (can’t decide what it is suppose to be but it is very colourful). Fiona and Richard added to the economy of Mexico with flourish – lots of bargaining and smiles all around. Our next stop was a long drive and we hoped worth the trip – we were not disappointed.
Hierve el Agua (the Water Boils) is a state park located 80km/48mi (about 2 hours) southeast of Oaxaca City. There is a collection of pools at the site fed by mineral springs that flow at about 2 liters/second. Two waterfalls with beautiful calcium deposits drop over cliffs in the Sierra Madres at an altitude of 5800'. Access is by single lane rough unpaved mountain roads where you compete for space with wild goats.
The springs were used in a Zapotec irrigation system dating back to around 1300 B.C. The water has a high calcium carbonate and magnesium content that has resulted in the heavy deposits spilled over the ledge. The water bubbles with escaping air giving the appearance that it is boiling. It is a warm spring with a temperature in the 71-77°F range. We had not thought to bringing our swimmers down to the pools and it was too hot to make the climb back to the mean red machine to collect them – undaunted by this Richard stripped off in good Aussie fashion and treated all visitors to a view of his boxers. We all sat around laughing and envying him.
From there we had an 8 hour drive (with countless reductors) back to the coast twisting our down through the Sierra Madre mountains. I am sure there fatality rate on Mexican roads must be high as they don't seem to have caught onto the innovation of passing lanes on winding mountain roads which inevitably results in kamikaze overtaking manoeuvres to get around slow moving trucks. This is where the reductors actually became handy in that the trucks would slow right down for them giving cars a chance to get around.
We made it back unscathed and pleased to White Rose waiting patiently there for us. We got Richard off to the airport the next morning and having checked the weather forecast earlier decided we should depart also to make use of the favoorable wind conditions to motor sail across the Gulf of Tehuantepec.
The checkout with Mexican officials was as expected time consuming but went smoothly except for the fact that they insisted we make another trip out to the airport to get a rubber stamp on our papers from the Customs official. Lucky we still had the red truck or it would have cost us close to $100 for the round trip to get a rubber stamp !
