Time has gotten away from me. All of the new shipment from Mexico is processed and on the shelf. Most of the holiday decorations are up. AND, if you are in the Madison area, stop by the shop on Saturday, Nov 21 for a Holiday Open House and a special offer on all angels. You'll find tin, clay, brass, and wood angels; all 20% off for one day only.
And now back to the log that JM kept on the August 09 buying trip to Mexico for Chiripa. -kl
"Eric and his younger sister Janet took us to the village of San AugustÃn Etla. The setting is beautiful. The moist valley has an exotic, tropical feel that is quite different from the city of Oaxaca. The abundance of water made this an important mill town and administrative center in the past. That is gone now, but an impressive building complex remains. A famous painter saved the decaying buildings and, with government help, transformed them into a modern architectural gem brought to life by water flowing throughout the hillside complex. It seems only a matter of time before this becomes a significant tourist destination.
A sculpture exhibit on display in the complex commemorates more than 2,000 individuals who emigrated from a single village in search of a better life in the U.S. None of them returned, and many died.
We spent a somewhat lazy Sunday afternoon in Oaxaca, revisiting the Women’s Cooperative and picking up a few last items for Chiripa. After supper, we said goodbye to our friend Kathy (who would stay another day before flying home). Then we walked to the bus depot and climbed on the midnight bus for Mexico City.
The night ride to Mexico City was uneventful, except for the military checkpoint where we had to climb out and watch while soldiers searched our baggage (nothing but dirty clothes in our case). We slept, and dawn found us in Mexico City’s Norte bus terminal. From there, we grabbed a bus to the lovely colonial town of San Miguel de Allende (a World Heritage site)." -JM August 9, 2009
