Better Than The Dollar Store

It doesn't matter how many times I have been to the market, I am always amazed at the quality and freshness of the fruits and vegetables here.

Have a look at this photo...all of this for less than $200 pesos!

 

Enough said.

 

See you Monday, have a great weekend!

Taking Your Sensory Records with You When You Go…

Today's guest post is from Sue McClam.

On April 30^th I will return to the US.  As I mentally prepare to go, my senses record the images, smells and sounds I treasure from Huatulco.  As they flash through my mind, I make a mental note to keep them with me until I return in September…

• Exuberant bugambilias that shamelessly enter your home unnoticed and await you on the stair reminding you to appreciate their beauty

• Arching mango branches bending with the weight of ripening fruit

• The pink flesh pulp of recently fallen almonds in the street

• The ee-oo-ee (i-u-i en español) cry of the sanates as you drink your morning coffee

• The smell of fresh tortillas on the comal at the corner outdoor kitchen becoming a business
• The smile on the face of the guard at the navel hospital as I peddle by nodding a quick buenos dias in the morning and a buenas tardes as I return after teaching - always someone different, always the same smile
• The scraping, rustling, shooshing sound the palm fronds make this time of year
• The curly brown pod sculptures of the Guanacastle
•  Biking through the thick blanket of pink blossoms that cover the ground as they claim their moment in the season
•  Ants, ants, in search of water and sugar always. Large ants on the sidewalks in the evening busy carrying away the debris left them during the day. Tiny ants in my garbage bag getting a head start on the compost
•  The hot dry breeze coming down off the mountain in the afternoon
•  The occasional intrusive thumping base of the techno-pop beat next door

Ok, so maybe there is one thing I won't miss...

Spring has Arrived!

Pink Trumpet Tree

Spring is here!  Albeit in a different form than the standard snow melting and greening of the trees as we see in the northern climates...hot, just gets hotter!

Just like the Sakura Tree (Cherry Blossoms) of Japan, you know spring has officially arrived when you see the blooms of the Pink Trumpet Tree.

I have to admit, I'm a tad a late on this blog as the last of the flowers have fallen from the trees.  But, have a look at the photo and you can imagine how amazing this floral display is after months of dry weather.

The Pink Trumpet Tree tends to show up in regions where there is a sharp division between the dry and wet seasons.  Huatulco, and the Oaxacan coastline are the perfect places.

This is a fairly fragile flower, and as the winds tend to intensify around the same time that this tree is in bloom, they only last a week or two.

It's a fleeting time line, but sometimes you appreciate things more when you know you won't have it forever.

Chacahua Lagoon National Park

Tricolored Heron - click for larger image

We have survived Semana Santa down here!  And, the only way that can be done is to venture to the nether regions of Oaxaca...sounds like a trip to Chacahua Lagoon National Park is in order.

Located about 45 minutes to the west of Puerto Escondido is one of the largest salt water lagoons in Mexico...Chacahua.

The drive from Puerto Escondido is very straight forward, save for the odd unpainted tope (speed bump) which will send your transmission to the curb faster than you can say "tope".  Aside from that, expect an easy excursion to a military check point which marks the turn off to Chacahua.  We were politely asked to exit the vehicle while they inspected our car for the standard illegal paraphanalia.  Having discovered nothing more than the odd chewing gum wrapper, we were on our way!

Mindful in Mexico

Today's guest post is by Sue McClam.  When not in the United States, Sue spends a a great deal of the winter months in Huatulco where she teaches her language courses.  She has a Master of Arts in Teaching Spanish, and has recently retired after 22 years of teaching at Columbia College in South Carolina. www.huatulcolanguagecourses.com

When I am here in Mexico, I take my time.  I put into practice what the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh tells us about being mindful. I try to remember that “when I am walking, I am walking.”  I am present to the sights and sounds of the street, the smell of the flowers, the cracks in the sidewalk.  I take a minute to greet my neighbors as they pass by.  At home in the US, when I hit the ground in the morning I am already planning my day, three steps ahead. 

The World's Smallest Mango

Click photo to view larger image

When I first saw "it", I thought "it" was some kind of experimental fruit being tested in Huatulco.

It turns out that "it", was a mango!  Down here, the locals call it a "mango niño" or in English, "child mango".

It is aromatic and very sweet...it seem kind of like a dessert mango to me.

Look for it the next time your are down in the area.

Huatulco - Clean Beach Day

Today's guest post is from Greg Glassman, Director of Montecito, a luxury residential development located at the eastern end of the Bay of Conejos.

From local businesses, to schools, and government officials, more than 700 people showed up early this past Friday morning to lend their support to Huatulco’s Earth Check Clean Beach Initiative.

Using donated equipment and materials from the community, participants were broken into teams and a coordinated effort was launched to not only clean trash off the beaches of Huatulco, but to continue environmental awareness within the community.