Beaches of Oaxaca

Beaches are my favorite places to be in the winter.  The Mexican state of Oaxaca has some beautiful ones including Mizunte, Augustinillo, Zipoliti, and La Perla.  They are uncrowded, clean, and warm with a variety of restaurants, bars, and hotels.  All you need are a few good books.

Oaxaca

Mexico City was the first stop-over on our way to the beach.  Oaxaca was our second stop-over.  Arriving by bus after a long, but scenic, ride from Mexico City, we located our room then walked to the main plaza area.  One area was nearly covered with tents belonging to teachers who were striking for higher pay and better working conditions.  Posters of the university students recently killed were strung up also.  The tents and posters confused us and angered the citizens of Oaxaca who believe their plazas are being co-opted, limiting their enjoyment of their public space.

A wedding procession was in progress along one of the pedestrian streets.  Guests dressed all in white and holding colorful lanterns followed the dancing bride and groom.

I took a bus out to Monte Alban to see the ruins.  The ball court is minus its ring.

The steps are steep.  It was a trek to the top, but the views were great.

Another smaller ruin was off to the north above the valleys that comprise the Oaxaca area.

We drove out to Hierve El Agua, an area created by mineral deposits long ago.

Much gringo activity, many wonderful restaurants, tasty mezcal, indigenous ruins, and bountiful artisan diversity characterizes Oaxaca.

Mexico City

I have never been to Mexico City before, but Jim has.  It was very sweet of him to say that he would go one more time with me this past winter.  We stayed three nights at a well-located Airbnb apartment in the Zona Rosa District.  During those three days, we saw Chapultepec Park, the National Museum of Anthropology, Templo Major, and Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul.

This very tall building was just to the left of the entrance to Chapultepec Park.

The people in this mile-long line in the park are waiting for a healing blessing.

The National Museum of Anthropology displays nearly all the movable artifacts from all the historical sites around Mexico.  Copies replace some of them in their original places.

This is the original Mayan calendar that is copied onto countless t-shirts.

The pedestal is a fountain that holds up the center roof of the museum.

In 1989 I first toured Palenque with my friend Lisa.  We saw the tomb where these artifacts were discovered.  It was an empty tomb.  In the museum the tomb is recreated, and I finally got to see the many precious items that were taken from the original.

Chacmool

At the main Zocolo of Mexico City, we explored the Templo Mayor site and museum.  The original indigenous temple buildings were built here and added to over and over again.  After the Spanish conquered Mexico, the stones of the buildings were essentially recycled into new buildings over the old foundations for the conquerors.  It is only recently that the site has been excavated, artifacts removed to a new onsite museum, and self-guided tours created through the area.

On our last full day, we took the metro out to Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul.  It seemed to be a wonderful place to have lived.  I did not know about her paper mache sculptures.  The skeletons were her creations to reveal how empty and childless she felt as a result of the tragedy in her life.

I enjoyed Mexico City for the time I was there.  It would be a hard place for me to live due to the pollution.  But people enjoy life in Mexico City.

Bird Watching

In late March we were invited to go bird watching at Circle B Bar Reserve near Lake Hancock southeast of Lakeland, Florida.  It was a lovely overcast day in which we saw over 45 different species of birds.

Jim and I followed our Canadian birder experts:  Sue, Mick, Reid,

Jane,

and Margaret.

Some of the birds we saw included an anhinga,

a limpkin,

a popular sand hill crane family,

Bald eagles,

a Common Gallinule, a roseate spoonbill,

and a great blue heron.

Lake Hancock had many, many lurking alligators.

Circle B Bar Reserve has many trails and ecosystems in which to find birds.  Our knowledgeable birders determined that we were a little late in being able to see even more birds.  What do we know?  It was a great day with lots of animals and the varied and beautiful landscape of Florida.

Cypress Trees

Mangrove Knees