Oaxaca Parade

JM normally provides the content for the Chiripa blog, but, since he's just back from Mexico I thought I'd do another post with images from the March trip that didn't illustrate the log from that trip. 

I make it a point to visit the English language bookstore in Oaxaca to get ideas for books we might carry at Chiripa. One late afternoon in March I was casually browsing the shelves when I heard a loud commotion outside the window. Looking out I saw a parade in the making. 

The "band" stopped right by my window and the young women in traditional Oaxacan dress started dancing. 

Just as quickly as it had started they moved on down the street delighting the crowds outside.

The workers in the bookstore just kind of shrugged when asked about the reason for the parade. It had something to do with education, but they weren't really sure.  

It was fun, colorful, and unexpected.  A perfect Chiripa (happy accident) for me.

The Beauty of Buses

JM normally provides the content for the Chiripa blog, by, since he's off to Mexico I thought I'd do a couple posts with images from the March trip that didn't illustrate the log from that trip. 

Anyone who has been reading this blog knows that we travel by bus throughout Mexico. It is a convenient, efficient, and safe way to travel. This is a typical bus station in a major city.

We see all sorts of travelers and amazing baggage. On this day I noticed a woman getting off a bus carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers. By the time I could get my camera in gear she was almost out of the picture.

The woman walking behind her saw me and stopped her friend so I could get a better picture.

And then they got me in the picture. And finally, as we were parting ways the woman gave me one of the red roses from her arrangement.

This was all done without words except Gracias.

Blouses from Oaxaca

Below you will see 12 styles of blouses made by women in Oaxaca. Chiripa is considering carrying a small amount of clothing and we'd like your opinion about these blouses/tunics/huipils. All are cotton, many are hand embroidered, and the source is a woman-owned busines in Oaxaca. The owner decided to form a business after traveling with a Mexico Ballet Folklorico group. Wherever they went people would ask her how they could buy clothing like the women in the group were wearing. She began working with women and women's cooperatives in the Oaxaca city area. 

FEEDBACK is what I'm looking for. Please respond with a comment.

What # blouse is your favorite(s)?

What # would you consider purchasing?

If you would like to see the blouses in person, stop by the shop at 636 S Park Street in Madison Wisconsin. They will be on display for two weeks.

Thanks for your help!

 

 

A Misguided (But Thrilling) Ride

The final entry from the log kept by JM on the Feb/March Chiripa buying trip.

March 6, 2010. Reliable local sources suggest that we should visit the remote mountain village of San Pedro Cajonos where there is wood carving and jewelry made from silkworm cocoons. But they warned us that getting there would be somewhat difficult. They told us to start by catching a collectivo taxi near the Benito Juarez monument on the outskirts of Oaxaca.

We got to the monument OK, but it was not clear where we should board the collectivo (or which one we should take). Our cab driver and a food stand operator thought they knew, so we joined a group of people waiting at one of the stops.

When our turn came, and a collectivo drove up, we climbed aboard. Other people were waiting (and probably had more pressing needs), but they courteously deferred to us. We soon wished they hadn't, because it quickly became apparent that we were heading in the wrong direction. We were headed high into the mountains, but not to the place we had intended.

For the next hour and a half, the cab driver roared up steep switchbacks until we grew light-headed and dizzy. It was a thrilling ascent, and the scenery was spectacular, but at the end of the ride we arrived at the town of Ixtlan de Juarez (not the village of Benito Juarez, where we had planned to change collectivos to get to our ultimate destination).

The driver said he would gladly take us to Benito Juarez, but the road was bad. It would take a long time and cost us a fortune. So we gave up, and just looked around Ixtlan. In this remote spot, we might have expected to find a poor and backward village, but it was actually rather modern and prosperous. There were excellent covered basketball courts (with nets, a rarity in Mexico), a mural of Michael Jordan, and kids with their names printed on their team uniforms.

A pleasant place, but not what we were looking for. So we swallowed some Drammine pills to control the dizziness, and headed back down the mountain to Oaxaca.

That night we loaded up our packs and walked to the first-class bus depot. At midnight, our bus departed for Mexico City. We slept fitfully, and at 6 a.m. we stumbled out of the bus into the TAPO terminal in the big metropolis. A taxi took us to the airport, where we made ready to fly home to El Norte.

A last look at Oaxaca night-life from a rooftop restaurant.