Los Angeles River

Sometimes I get so excited about leaving town that I forget to explore Los Angeles. And I used to explore all the time, riding buses and rails, visiting landmarks and perusing museums. This past weekend, I finally got off my butt to ride my bike along the LA River. Yes, its true, there is a river in Los Angeles, and its true that it has a bike path that stretches all the way to the Pacific Ocean. And in true LA style, its disjointed and only beautiful in only a few select locations.
Seeing as how I live so close to downtown, I was hoping I could ride down to the river's concrete banks and glide all the way down to the blue sea. There is a stretch near Glendale that is being slowly restored with trees and muddy banks. The concrete has been removed and the good people at Friends of the Los Angeles River (FOLAR)are working hard to allow the little blue ribbon of a stream that we call a river to revert to a more natural state. Then there is a gap all around downtown that is seems to only be reserved for a) construction, b) movie filming, or c) homeless people. So I had to catch an entrance to the bike path in the forgotten city of Vernon. This was too far to ride from my place, so I hopped on the Blue Line light rail from downtown and hopped off on sketchy Slauson Boulevard. It was all potholes and signs in Spanish as I rode my bike down the Boulevard east towards the river. After about 15 minutes, I was at the Vernon Riverfront Park, which looked like it just had a makeover and was now hosting three lonely people, plus myself. There were no signs telling me off access to the river, but I soon found it and was then on my way headed south to Long Beach.
The bike path is smooth and well maintained with mile markers and signs. At all the entrances and exits to the fenced off path, I didn't see many landmarks, nor much to let you know how to get to the river. You just sort of need to know where to find it, which, again, is a very Los Angeles trademark rule: you just have to know how to get there. The first mile marker worried me because it was 36 miles. As I rode along, I realized that was for folks headed from the rivers head water, way back in Chatsworth. I had about 13 miles to get to the river's mouth. I was already sort of tired at this point and I had only just found the bike path. It was bright and hot and the cool ocean breeze was working against me as a headwind. I noticed that most people were riding inland and the closer to the ocean I got, the more bikers I passed.
The river itself had water and was flowing at all points. There were birds nearly everywhere. Small egrets and seagulls scattered about. Stretches of long green algae flowing all around. A handful of bushes and shrubs lined areas of the concrete riverbed. Then there were the tipped over shopping carts, abandoned appliances, discarded clothes and occasional trash strewn all over. It wasn't all pretty, in fact there were very few areas were it was a nice and peaceful setting. Mostly, it was bare and sterile looking, much like an empty freeway. The concrete lining seemed to be a conductor to move all the water as quickly and efficiently as possible. There was no personality to the river, there was no excitement, no gentleness, and there was definitely very little natural feeling to it. The homes that lines the river were nearly equal to the riverbed, with a tall berm separating the two. And then the homes had their back turned to the river, shunning it and ignoring it. The river indeed, looked sad and forsaken in many stretches.
I passed factories, horse stables, new parks with drought-resistant, native plants, and many freeway underpasses. I also passed a handful of homeless and/or drunk people, as well as two tents were people were clearly living. I was listening to music with my headphones, but I don't think anyone tried to talk to me or engage in any sort of conversation. I passed one family, with two kids, biking along somewhere near the 91 freeway.
After about 7 or 8 miles on the bike path, I was nearing exhaustion. It was the headwind, the heat and the lack of motivation on my part to finish this adventure that made me turn off somewhere in Long Beach. It was near Wardlow Ave and still more than five miles from the end of the path. I was ready to hop back on the Blue Line and ride to the end. I could relax in the cooled rail car and then I'd be a heck of a lot closer to MVPs. I was now on a mission to visit my favorite burger stand in Long Beach. (Yes they do have veggie burgers.) From the Blue Line stop on 5th, it was about 10 minutes to MVPs where I ordered my lunch and then collapsed into a chair. It was cooler in Long Beach and it was kinda just how I remembered it when I lived there and went to college. I sat after my lunch and relaxed.
Then I rode down to Bluff Park where you can overlook the harbor, downtown Long Beach, the port and all the boats and ships coming and going. Not a cloud in the sky, but a nice steady ocean breeze whipped through the air. It was great to sit on a bench and take in the sights and sounds. I wasn't sad that I abandoned the river and I didn't regret not making it to the end of the line. That could all wait for another day, one with cooler temperatures and more clouds. I rode down to the bike path that snaked along the white sand beach from Belmont Shore to downtown Long Beach where I hopped on the Blue Line to head back to downtown Los Angeles.
It was a random and exhausting day, but I had fun. The river seems to be a somewhat morbid fascination. I feel like it needs more attention. OK, it definitely needs more attention, its in a sorry state. I still have the romantic idea of biking all the way to the ocean.

Going-To-The-Sun Road

The next day dad and I each found the coffee stand seperately and found each other in the lobby, relaxing for awhile. We had breakfast at a great local place with all sorts of omelettes and signature huckleberry french toast. We both had omelettes with great homemade bread. After that we were planning a cruise around St Mary Lake with a guided hike, but arrived too late for the 10am departure. We bought tickets for the 2pm departure and decided to venture further north in the park to the Many Glacier area. Its much more secluded and hidden feeling with narrow valleys and low hanging clouds obscuring the snowy peaks. It has another small village area with lodges and campgrounds. I went into the general store and got something out of the way...since the lodge where we were staying was observing the no alcohol policy, I knew the park was not on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the general store here had beer and wine for sale. I bought a six-pack of Moose Drool Ale for later in the evening. Dad called that a good idea, thinking ahead. We then walked around the old historic lobby of Many Glacier Lodge, which is smaller than Glacier Park Lodge (where we were staying) but had a more picturesque setting along Swiftcurrent Lake. The lobby was full of old photos and was busy with families coming and going. From there, we set out on the 2.5 mile trail around the lake. It was windy in places but it didn't rain at all. The trail was flat and not crowded, it had several great vantage points with views of the hotel and the trademark jagged peaks. Although there were gorgeous flowers and tall green trees, we didn't encounter any animals.
After the loop trail around the lake we didn't have much time to get back to St Mary Lake. I suggested we could grab some sandwiches from the nearby store and eat on the boat. Leaving the Many Glacier area, we passed a large meadow sloping down to Lake Sherburne with great views of more snowy peaks and glaciers off in the distance. There was a group of people also taking photos when I noticed a ranger on the other side of the road. I looked at her and then followed her gaze back to the meadow. About 600 feet away was a grazing grizzly bear. He was much more interested in the grass and berries than the swarming crowd. He was far enough away that everyone would have time to flee if he began charging, which also meant he was too far away for me to get a good photo. I could see lines of tourists with tripods and 16 inch lenses zooming to get a perfect shot. The ranger wouldn't take her eyes off the bear and when he began grazing his way toward the crowd, she said he was getting too close and would need to scare him off. She rang the sirens on her park ranger truck and shouted but it all fell on deaf ears and the bear simply wandered back and forth, this way and that. Dad and I had never seen a grizzly bear, so while it was very exhilirating, it was slightly scary. It was getting closer to our boat's departure time so we hopped back in the car and headed to the dock.
I thought for sure the boat would be packed full but there were only about seven of us onboard until a large Mennonite family arrived with one son and at least eight daughters. Now the boat was half full and our captain introduced herself and went over basic safety, describing the wooden hull of the Little Chief, which was built back in the 30s. Although there were plenty of life vests, a passenger wisely pointed out that if the boat went down we would have about 10 minutes or so before hypothermia set in. Not to worry since there had been no sinkings in the park's 99 year history. The journey was a quick 45 minutes and the captain told us lots of old stories about the park, how it formed and the different stages of its recent history with the arrival of tourists. We were dropped off at a little wooden dock where we had decided to hike the mile over to St Mary Falls. Up and away from the shore we walked through fields and clusters of small red berries. The sky was a brilliant blue now and the temperature was rising; I was now in a t-shirt and carrying my jacket. We didn't pass many people on this trail but it was still clearly popular. The Falls were two seperate drops in a shaded and rocky area. We sat down with the dozen or so other people, relaxed and ate apples. It was a great sight with wide swaths of fresh water tumbling through the rocky ravine. We crossed the wooden bridge back to the trail. We could continue to Virginia Falls, but we only had two hours total before the next boat, so we had to head back. Headed back were more crowds, but it was still quiet and peaceful on the trail. About half way back to the little wooden dock, we came across a beautiful deer. He was just up the trail from us and stared quietly and blankly at us. The buck had amazing antlers with some velvet still visible, I had never seen velvet on the antlers before and quickly snapped several photos. I could see his nose sniffing our way and wondered if it was the apple cores and clifbars in my backpack. A large group arrived from the other direction and loudly saw the deer and began gathering round, so we continued past them and followed the trail back to the boat. We had a different captain headed back and only six passengers, so he did very little narration but encouraged lots of questions. He had stories about his recent hikes and talked about all the blackened trees, describing the massive fire that swept through the valley three Summers ago.
Headed back to the lodge we stopped at the ranger station to look around and so I could get a stamp in my National Parks passport book, which also my first stamp in the Rocky Mountains area. We ended up on the balcony with the beers we had found at the general store and gazed out at the setting sun behind the east side of the mountains. Shining blue faded away in the distance with yellow rays and orange glows stretching up into the sky. We had another good dinner at the lodge's restaurant and then I wrote some postcards and walked around the grounds again. The official sunset was around 930, but at 1030 there was still a dreamy haze surrounding me.
Our last day we had breakfast at the same roadside cafe and I decided I had better try the huckleberry french toast. It was mostly deep-fried goodness, but full of fluff and cream and short on the huckleberries. The waitress had said the berries were not in season yet and they were using huckleberries from nearby Idaho. We didn't have as much time today and so we headed directly back on to the Going-To-The-Sun Road, headed west. The road was really the highlight of the park, or one of many highlights of the park. It was built back when the Model T would have been tooling around the park, so it is narrow in parts and has very little in the way of guardrails, which means they aren't any. There are short brick walls about three feet high in certain sections, which affords amazing views, but also forced me (as a driver) to not take my eyes off the road in many sections. Going up the east side is much tamer and climbs quickly with few twists and turns. Near the top of the road at the Continental Divide, there is a quick switchback, with cool temperatures and more mountain goats roaming about. Headed down the west side of the mountains was much more hair-raising and I found myself shifting to the lowest gear possible to save the brakes and go no faster than 15 MPH. We passed a snow field that was melting quickly underneath and closed in on the Weeping Wall. Its dark grey rocks that appear stacked atop one another with water seeping, leaking, pouring and weeping out of the wall. Its quite a sight and dad had to roll up the windows as we passed by. You could hear the water dripping out and hitting the ground. Its another one of the many highlights along the road. Further down, you have expansive vistas of the giant glacially carved valleys covered in green with waterfalls punctuated the breath-taking scenery. We stopped several times to get and look around or take photos. This last day was the warmest and it felt great to feel the air heat up as we descended from the 6000 foot summit of the road to the valley floor below. The trees grew taller and the road stretched out straighter below us. We didn't have time to stop for anymore hikes, but we did visit the ranger station near Lake McDonald and were invited on a hike by a young friendly ranger. She wasn't having much luck recruiting hikers to go with her, although there were campers all over. Another ranger asked us what we wanted to see, what he could help us with and why we were leaving so early. Everyone had been so friendly and helpful at the park, no matter what their work capacity. We had just enough time to stop by the lake and drink the last of the beers, gazing out to the placid lake waters and scanning the tree-filled horizon for any last minute wild animals.
Before long we were back at the airport as the heat of the day wore on. Dad and I talked about the great things we had seen and how we could easily imagine coming back for another, longer visit. There was an entire culture at Glacier National Park of families that had been visiting for generations, or campers from all over the US taking in the majesty of this faraway place. It really was magical and brought me to the conclusion that National Parks are places that are so beautiful and amazing that they aren't any place that someone could dream up. The parks I have been to are more than awe-inspiring and really are national treasures.

Glacier National Park

I had been looking to visit another National Park, go to another state and spend some time with my dad. My uncle once told me that Glacier National Park was his favorite place to visit. I didn't know much about it, but was getting anxious to strike out and pay the old Park a visit. After doing some quick research, I invited my dad out for a quick three day trip. He booked a couple nights in Glacier Park Lodge, which was built way back in the early 1900s to impress the East Coast elite when they arrived at the park's edge and stepped off the train into the Montana wilderness. I booked the rental car and the flights and we hopped on a flight headed north early one morning. We were landing in Kalispell, Montana just after noon. Green fields and tall mountains surrounded the descending plane. We were soon on the road and entering the park within 30 minutes of leaving the airport. National Parks are a bargain price to visit anyway, but since my dad is over 62, he gets the lifetime pass for only $10.
It was a cool and cloudy afternoon and we were soon on the Going-To-The-Sun highway which winds through the park, up over the continental divide and is often described as one of the best highways in the world. We passed Lake McDonald, with its shimmering blue waters and gorgeous lakeshore surrounded by tall aspens and wildflowers. We stopped at the lodge for lunch and were quickly seated next to an open window with a view of a small gurgling creek with a fireplace nearby. Surprisingly the food was good and not very expensive, dad had a salad and I had a hummus and olive sandwich with dried tomatoes. Our server was from Germany and was very pleasant. Her name was Yvette and she asked what we were doing. Dad asked her for any recommendations and she suggested a two hour hike to Avalanche Lake. So after lunch, we drove further down the highway and quickly found ourselves on the trail. It was cool and dark. Clouds still obscured the sun and it rained off and on throughout the hike. It was up and down with not much elevation gain overall and most of the time we followed a great swift moving creek. The water was a brilliant dazzling blue that you see from glacial runoff and despite its alluring color, it was bone-chillingly cold. We didn't see much in the way of wildlife on the hike to the lake other than hyperactive squirrels and gobs of tourists. But everyone was friendly and often exchanged greetings. I was taking photos of everything. There were fallen trees, small meadows, ferns and moss all over. We even came across rangers and volunteers with shovels, chainsaws and oversized backpacks; they were repairing the trail in certain sections, they told us. Further down, you could see the results of their hard work which added to the clean path of the trail and reinforced its beauty. After an hour or so we were at the Lake and it sure was a sight to see. It was a calm pool with fallen logs resting just below the surface that stretched about a mile in every direction. But the most arresting scenery was across to the other side where four waterfalls trickled down the mountainside. Banks of snow rested on the tops of the mountain that I could see while other areas were hidden behind lounging clouds. A large U was formed by the mountains and they appeared to encircle the lake and give it a secluded and intimate feeling. Along the shallow shoreline were many other hikers and those same happy squirrels. I snapped some photos and we headed back. It was late afternoon and the raindrops had begun to increase in size and frequency. The path back seemed to go much faster and about half way through we came upon a quiet deer off on the left. It was tall and didn't seem bothered by us. A small crowd gathered and we pressed on. Back at the trailhead was a small ravine carved by the swift moving water, which created a pretty, albeit small chain of waterfalls. A handsome wood bridge stretched across to form the Trail of the Cedars. It was all an elevated walkway, suitable for wheelchairs. Many of the cedars have shallow roots because there is so much precipitation and they often are knocked over by strong winds that often stir through area.
Back in the car we headed up the mountains on the windy road. Nearing the top, the temperature began to drop and we ran into a group of mountain goats. There were cars parked nearby to visit the short path to an overlook and so we pulled over. Fluffy, thick fur all over their bodies with thick, muscled legs and calves, the goats stumbled around the parked cars. A relative newborn followed its mother around the parked cars and seemed determined to mimic her veer move and couldn't be bothered with all the new fans that were surrounding mom and baby. They stood below my waist, but they had thick and sharp grey horns protruding from their heads. That didn't seem to deter folks from getting close and taking as many photos as possible and indeed I found myself getting closer than I should have, but only because they were loitering near my car door.
Then it was down the eastern side of the mountains and we had passed the divide. It was sunnier on the east side and the temperature was milder. Valleys and peaks were everywhere. Scores of waterfalls off in the distance flowing down from jagged, snowy peaks. We weren't even 15 minutes from the goats when I spotted a brown bear off on the left. He was sniffing around in the grass and walking about slowly. I immediately stopped the car and my dad and I gazed out, marvelling at how close he was and he didn't seem bothered by our presence. We weren't a concern for him and I thought that best since there was no way we would want to leave the car with a brown bear that close. I snapped some photos and moved on. Another five minutes or so down the road, we saw another brown bear near the road. This one was more golden in color and bigger, but just as disinterested in us as the other bear. Holy cow, I couldn't believe we had seen two bears so close to each other and so close to us! I had only seen one other bear, and that was last Summer in Sequoia National Park when it decided to visit our campsite and forage for food. This Park was beginning to feel like a safari of sorts. It was near 7 in the evening and because of the tall mountains behind us, a twilight glow was surrounding the area. This was what I thought in my head as to why the animals were so active at this hour.
But we still had a while to go to get to the lodge. Once we exited the park, we still had another 40 miles or so miles to drive. While everything was big and open and spectacular, the roads were smaller than I had imagined and there were more turns and hills, which precluded me from driving as fast I would have liked. So we weren't pulling into the lodge until near 8. But it was worth the wait with the lobby full of large fir tree trunks holding up the massive roof. There were three large glass panels on the top and the lobby was open and inviting. Our room had a wide wooden balcony with views of the mountains and a nearby stream. We quickly changed and headed to the hotel's restaurant for dinner. I ordered the fish and my dad had chicken. When we couldn't wait to order a beer or glass of wine, we were politely informed that the lodge was situated on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and during the Native Days, no alcohol was permitted. It was a shock and then I looked around and saw people drinking hot tea or soda or water. (This reminded me of the time I was visiting Poland and Pope John Paul II was in town; and no alcohol was permitted then either. I had tried to convince them to serve me because I wasn't Catholic, but they just smiled and politely declined.) So we ate our yummy dinner and drank our water. They had a great bread pudding with huckleberries for dessert. After I walked around the grounds and took some photos of the area with the glow of twilight in the background. The lodge was large and imposing, but with lots of places to wander and relax. The lobby had a very large fireplace with several people gathered around it. But I was tired at this point and ready to nod off. We had a full day planned for tomorrow.

Puebla

The bus ride from Mexico City was quick and easy.  You can hop on right from the terminal and be in Puebla two hours later.  I was offered snacks and a drink and headphones for the movie while on the bus.  It was a dubbed version of "The Game Plan" with The Rock.  I watched part of it, fell asleep, looked out the window and read for awhile.  There was traffic headed back into the city and then there was traffic going into Puebla.  I arrived around 7pm and took a taxi to the hotel.  Brett and Sarai were off to her aunt's place for dinner in a nearby city.  So I was alone for dinner, and after relaxing in the hotel, I headed to the zocalo.  It was dark and there were people everywhere on this balmy night.  People were dancing and singing, there was a group of clowns/performers near the glorious cathedral with packs of onlookers wrapped around.  I glanced around for awhile, but I was really hungry and eventually stumbled upon a pizzeria.  I had read about a couple vegetarian places but wasn't sure where they were and didn't want to go searching for them after dark.  The pizzeria was about half full and it was hot inside.  There were two large openings to the busy street outside, but it was still warm inside.  I ordered spaghetti and a glass of red wine.  There was a young couple nearby who seemed to very popular as scores of passerbys walked in and greeted them. After I finished my dinner, the young man came over to me and asked if I needed anything else, in Spanish. I ordered sparkling water and tiramisu. He wore glasses, like I was wearing, had a beard, like I was wearing and like nearly all the other young guys in the restaurant. He asked where I was from and I replied, “Los Angeles,” and he told me to enjoy my stay in Puebla. I read that the city was fairly older or more commonly known as being conservative and formal, as far as places in Mexico anyway. I also seemed to think everyone there was friendly. After dinner I sat in the zocalo for awhile and watched the people pass by. Brett had sent me a text message to say that he and Sarai were staying with her family tonight but that they would come by and say hi. The stopped by the hotel around 11 and we walked back down to the zocalo for a drink. Everything was closing, so we had water and juice from a store and sat on the green benches under the overgrown trees. It was real neat for me to meet up with them in Mexico. I don't think I have ever traveled out of the country with family so this was a first and we began to share stories about all the things we had done so far. Brett had been eating lots of meat and his in-laws were always cooking and roasting something for him. Sarai was wanting my to practice my Spanish and quiz me about all the things I wanted to see and do while in Puebla. It was already late at this point, so we quickly decided to meet tomorrow morning and visit the nearby town of Cholula to see a partially buried temple. We said goodbye for the night and I was quickly asleep just after midnight.
Next day was Monday and I had a quick breakfast down in the hotel lobby. I had free internet in the hotel so I surfed and checked all my e-mail while waiting for them. They picked me up and we headed over to Cholula (yes, its the same name as the hot sauce). It was bright and warm that day and we had some stop and go traffic which quickly brought us to the temple. A nearby museum gave a brief history of the area and had some murals, tools, and art from way back when. The pyramid was reported to by the widest at its base and was built a long time ago by the Olmecs and then the Aztecs and then the Spanish came along and didn't like it. There are two stories as to how it was buried, despite its size. One theory says the locals themselves began to bury it when they saw the Spanish approaching so as to preserve it. The other theory says the Spaniards made them cover the temple with dirt and then build a Catholic church atop the pyramid. Either way, its quite a sight and now there are tunnels you can walk through that reveal parts of the pyramid that are well preserved. I hadn't toured any pyramids, so this was a nice treat. It was damp and cool inside, not exactly cold, but more comfortable than the bright and blazing sun hovering above us outside. We were in the tropics and around 7000 feet so it was quickly obvious that I forgot sunblock as my neck and arms began to redden when outside. We walked around the exposed sections of the pyramid. There were tablet of narration in Spanish, English and Nahua (one of the local dialects that is passed down from the Aztecs). The whole tour took about two hours and we were getting hungry for lunch, but first we had to climb to the top to see the cathedral and surrounding views. It didn't seem that far, but it sure felt far away from walking up the hill. Along the way were locals selling juices, water, nectarines and fried chapulines (grasshoppers I think). While I wanted to try them, none looked very fresh and so I passed on that opportunity. From the top we had great views of the surrounding parched countryside. Sarai's uncle said this was the hottest time of year and before the Summer rains arrived. It was clear by gazing at the yellow grass and brown dirt spread below us. Cholula is also known for having 365 churches, supposedly one for everyday of the year, or every saint so that the Aztecs had no choice but to convert to Catholicism and visit a church everyday. I doubted there were that many churches, but there seemed to be on every block. After visiting the quaint hilltop church we headed to the zocalo for lunch and relaxed for awhile, talking about what they had seen so far. Sarai's uncle also told us more stories about the area and filled us in on the histories. He also suggested we could visit the battle sites that are celebrated on Cinco de Mayo. Before leaving Cholulua we also visited a monastery with a large and empty plaza in front of the yellow church. There was a large solitary tree occupying the plaza with welcoming shade spread below it and just a few people relaxing under the heavy branches. Nearby, but still on the same grounds was a library and a few paintings. We were only allowed to see a few things and had to leave because everyone was heading to lunch. After that, Brett and Sarai looked around for a good deal to exchange dollars to pesos, but there weren't any good deals to be found. I sat outside and watched people go by as I clinged to the side of the building trying to stay out of the suns relentless rays. I read that all the university students from Puebla like to come to Cholula for the restaurants and bars, but nothing looked very attractive to me and quickly wrote it off as a place I wouldn't go to school. (As an ongoing fantasy, I think of studying abroad for a master's degree or maybe another bachelor's.)
Then it was onto the battle sites. Along the way we passed a great fountain of China Poblana. She's a local woman from the 1800s who was a servant to a wealthy couple and who became a symbol of beauty and sophistication for those with less money. So the fountain occupies the middle of a large roundabout and Sarai's uncle (who was driving) made an illegal left turn so that we could get a better look at the fountain. He was quickly pulled over by the police. We stayed in the car as he was questioned on the nearby sidewalk. It might sound sort of scary but I've been pulled over in other countries before, although never when I was the driver (okay there was that one time I was riding the motor scooter in Mauritius). The policeman wanted to charge a fine for the illegal left turn and take Sarai's uncle's license away. Turns out he is from another state, so that would be the collateral to ensure he appeared the following day to pay the fine. This didn't sit well with any of us, and it was a harmless move anyway. Sarai got out of the car and began to talk to the officer. Brett and I stayed put and wondered what would happen. She ended up working our magic and when she returned to the car she told us to thank the officer. We eagerly did so and when the officer left we asked what happened. Basically she spoke to the officer about how we weren't from Puebla, it was a harmless mistake and we never intended to break the law. Also, this was our only driver and we were just in Puebla for a couple days and she didn't want things to look bad for two gringos from the States. “You exploilted our skin color?” I asked. Yes, she did and I congratulated her on a good job. Its not often I get to be exploited in a good way, so this was quite amusing. And then we were on our way to the battle sites. Atop a hill with good views of Puebla, we found large monuments and walled garrisons that were the original sight of the Cinco de Mayo battle. It was a good spot with a nice breeze and great vistas to la Malinche and Popocatapetl volcanoes. Unfortunately, we were too late to visit the grounds as they had closed for the day. The Cinco de Mayo battle was a last stand by the Mexicans to block an invasion of the French, namely Napolean III, despite the fast that they had already taken Mexico City. More to the story says that the Mexicans were resigned to defeat when the locals (Aztecs and Olmecs) rallied to help the Mexicans defeat the advancing French. Please don't quote me on this history, its just what I've heard and I can't verify all of it, but it sounds like a good story anyway, right?
Back in Puebla, we walked around town and sampled some of the local candies, made from sweet potatoes and various other flavors. They were quite tasty and sound healthier since they are made from sweet potatoes. I really like how many cities organize shopping districts. For example, all the candy stores are lined up on one street, while the stationary stores are on another and then across town are other stores, like the optometrists. Brett and Sarai went shopping for clothes at a mall and as I sat outside, a young local started talking to me about Puebla and asked where I was from. He wanted to practice his English and wasn't as receptive to my broken Spanish. After that we headed to dinner in an old building that was actually brought to Puebla from France, where it was deconstructed, only to be reassembled in Puebla. It had great stained glass fixtures inside and wall to ceiling viewing windows facing the street. After dinner, Brett and Sarai decided to stay at the hotel and went to get their things at her uncle's place. I told them to hurry so we could swing by the hotel bar before it closed. We each had a drink and talked about what to do tomorrow. Brett was excited to sleep in a bed with a hard mattress, watch cable TV and generally relax for awhile.
Brett slept in late and Sarai and I had breakfast down in the lobby. It was a buffet and I ate a lot. We had decided to visit more of Puebla rather than go exploring the countryside with her uncle. He was nice enough to drive us anywhere, but I didn't like the idea of sitting in a car for three of four hours one way to see a waterfall or mountain. So went to visit a museum that had antiques from colonial days and portraits of the Mexican governors. There was a garage with two old horse-drawn carriages, too. After, we went to visit another convent, this one came with a free tour of the grounds. It was divided into the seven regions of Puebla state and was conducted entirely in Spanish. Luckily, Sarai was there to fill in the gaps and make sense of it all. On the same grounds, was a gift shop with local handmade wares which seemed nice enough but we didn't buy anything. At this point my calves were aching, my stomach was grumbling and I was becoming irritable. I convinced the other two to walk across town to La Zanahoria, the local vegetarian restaurant. It was worth it! There was a popular inner courtyard where we sat and ate lunch. I had a veggie mole dish with fake meat and veggie soup, along with a giant green squash wrapped in cheese and breaded. Everything was very tasty and I was happy to be at a restaurant where I could order anything off the menu. They also had a local store where they sold handmade fake meats (chorizo, carne asada, etc). Back at the hotel, Sarai went to get her hair done, Brett watched TV and I went swimming in the rooftop pool and lay out for awhile in the sun. After awhile, we realized Sarai wasn't back and it was getting late, so Brett phoned her. Her uncle wasn't doing well and had a fever, so she was going to stay with him for awhile and we should get dinner on our own. We walked down to the pizzeria I had had dinner my first night in Puebla but it was closed so we ended up at an Italian place facing the zocalo. It was after 10 when we returned and Sarai was coming back to the hotel, but her uncle wouldn't be able to drive us to the airport in Mexico City tomorrow. I checked online and found we could take the same bus back to the airport tomorrow afternoon. We could make arrangements tomorrow. In the meantime, the rooftop bar was still open and so we popped in for another late drink and chatted before heading to bed. When I asked if they were ready to go home, Brett said he missed his sons and Sarai was happy to see her family in Mexico but was also excite to go home and see the kids.
Last day in Mexico, I walked back to the stores of handmade crafts and azulejos (painted tiles) but didn't find anything. Since, I don't really collect any souvenirs, it was easy to pass by without finding anything striking to me. I decided I would buy some locally roasted coffee beans at a place just down the street from the hotel. As I passed the hotel, I saw a small child doubles over and when I got closer I realized he was vomiting all over the sidewalk. Then the kid ahead of him started t vomit, too. Oh boy, I thought, there is a third kid ahead of them. Sure enough, he spewed pink chunks all over the sidewalk too. I held my breath and didn't look down, although I could see their mother comforting the distressed kids. Having lost my appetite and sense of smell from that experience, I tried ordering coffee beans in Spanish and did an okay job. I didn't entirely understand everything, but I did find out the beans are roasted on site and are from trees here in Puebla. Back at the hotel I showered and packed as Brett and Sarai were ready to go. We hopped in a taxi to the bus station and were quickly on our way to Mexico City. It wasn't full and I recognized a couple people I had seen the day before at the museum. The movie was “The Namesake” dubbed in Spanish. The highways weren't chocked with cars and we arrived at the airport in just about two hours. We checked in and had lunch. At the boarding gate, we all ended up with seats in first class and relaxed on the flight home. With a strong headwind, I had plenty of time to work on some crosswords, listen to music, chat with the flight attendants and look out the window. The trip was over before I knew it and I was quickly thinking about what had happened and realized that although we hadn't done all that much together, we shared some great stories and carried on with fun conversations. I know I had a good time and I think everyone else did, too.

Mexico City 2009

Last Friday I finally convinced Michael to take a chance and go to Mexico City with me. I know several people are thinking its very dangerous there and its a bad place to go, but I've been there before and had a great, safe time. Plus, the capital is getting better and the current mayor is still doing a great job cleaning things up.
We ended up sitting in first class leaving LAX and landed in Mexico City three hours later. The flight was smooth except some bumps at the end. Even better, the customs hall was completely empty and we breezed through immigration. I had forgotten how much Mexico loves Easter and the capital virtually shuts down for over a week. The taxi ride was quick as the streets were wide open and I began to realize that many things would be closed. I booked a room at the Sheraton on Paseo la Reforma, the main boulevard running through the financial district, and overlooking the golden angel monument. This ended up being a great spot because we could walk to lots of things and it we had a great view from the 22nd floor. It was already after six in the evening when we arrived and so we headed out for a walk. It was warm and breezy on the quiet streets and it seemed the tourists were out numbering the locals 2-to-1. If you remember my ill-fated walk on a windy day in Maputo when I lost my contact, you'll be happy to know that I found this contact on the streets of Mexico City after it flew out with dust. So it was a nice change to be able to find this one and see instead of having it lost forever on some street in Southeast Africa. I had read about a good vegetarian restaurant nearby, but it was unfortunately closing when we arrived, so we ended up at another small cafe nearby. I'm getting much better at remembering my vegetables in Spanish and am comfortable asking for modified meals to ensure they are meat-free. We ended up calling it an early night. Good thing I found "Los Simpsons" on the TV right away and watched a few episodes dubbed in Spanish.
On Saturday morning we ventured out to one of the many many Starbucks around town and then over to the same vegetarian restaurant that was closing the night before. They have regular Mexican dishes without the meat or with soy-based substitutes. If it sounds boring and bland, you would be wrong because everything was really tasty. And since I love Mexican food, this was great that I could order anything and not have to worry about the cook sneaking meat into the dish. After breakfast we hoped on the Metro, which was still running every three minutes and still pretty crowded, to the center of town. We visited the large church on the zocalo and walked around the old town. Michael commented how it reminded him of Brussels with great old buildings and people walking everywhere. I wanted to see if there was anything being performed at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, like the symphony or opera, but there was nothing to see that night. We were still treated to a tour of the building which has several large murals, including a couple by Diego Rivera. One of them was a remake of what he created for the Rockefellers in New York City 80 years ago; they claimed it was too socialist and possibly communist. I don't know what they were thinking they would get from Rivera, but they hated it and had it destroyed. Luckily, he recreated it for Mexico City and its quite a sight to see. Then it was onto the area of Condesa which is a little more affluent. We had a great fixed price lunch at a sidewalk cafe which ended up filling up with hipsters before we were finished. Nearby was a great park with dogs everywhere (clean ones, running around with their masters) and kids running around and playing in fountains of water. There were tall trees all around and families strolling around. We had a cup of coffee and lounged around for awhile. One thing I noticed is that walking around Mexico City is tiring. Its a big city and its about 7000 feet in elevation. From there, we ended up walking all the way back to the hotel through the area of Roma, which usually has some great antique shops and bookstores, but everything was closed. Earlier in the day, we had stopped by a nice antique gallery with several good things to see. Of course I didn't buy anything, but it was nice to browse anyway. We went swimming on the hotel's rooftop pool and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. From up there, we saw a huge parade pass down the boulevard. For dinner, we went back to the same vegetarian restaurant and had another good meal. There were some other places I wanted to try but seeing as how at least half the places I wanted to visit were closed, I thought it best to stay near the hotel. Walking along the boulevard (La Reforma) again at sunset, there were flowers and plants and herbs for sale in covered stalls that ran for two or three large city blocks. Also, there were police everywhere, including several on segway scooters.
Sunday morning La Reforma was closed to traffic and completely open for bicycles and joggers. It seemed despite the holiday, everyone was taking full advantage. There is also a program to offer bikes for free to people who don't have them, and there are several spots along La Reforma where you can pick one up, unfortunately the wait was at least an hour. Also, there are several stations set up wot help you fix your bike if it needs a tune-up; its all free. We walked to the main park, Chapultepec, which has grand paths and statues everywhere. There are lakes where you can rent row boats or paddle boats and it seemed everyone was out enjoying the warm holiday. Unfortunately all the museums were closed, so there wasn't much else to do and we didn't really have time to go to any other part of town. So we did some more window shopping in the nearby Zona Rosa, had some coffee and relaxed. Again, all the recommended places to buy coffee beans were closed so that was out of the question.
In the afternoon we headed to the airport because Michael had to fly home and work on Monday. I was going to catch a bus to Puebla to meet my brother Brett and sister-in-law Sarai. Conveniently, there is a bus from the airport to Puebla, or rather several buses, one leaves about every 30 minutes. I was sorry the weekend was so short but it was a real eye-opener for Michael, at least. Mexico City seems to always get a bad rap, but its getting cleaner and safer all the time. I can't so as much for the rest of Mexico and the current drug war that is going on; I don't know much about that. But Mexico City is a great big chaotic place with lots of great food and amazing museums scattered all over. I'd be happy to go back again and spend more time relaxing in its European glow. A three hour flight is much better then 11 hours to Paris, plus Paris is about five times as expensive.
So I sad good bye to Michael and wished him a free upgrade to first class as I got on my bus for the two hour ride to Puebla. I was sad he couldn't go, but glad he made it this far. And I was also excited to see my brother in another country. What a treat to combine my love of travel with the chance to share it with family.
More on that later...

Oaxaca

The bus to Oaxaca was nice, just really really long. It look a little over six hours with only one stop in some town in the middle of nowhere. The scenery was amazing, it was so beautiful. My watch/altimiter came in handy. Mexico City was always around 7000 feet. We climbed to nearly 10000 feet when on the highway out of the valley, which was quite amazing. Oaxaca is about 4800 feet and still chilly at night. The hostel is nice, but disappointing because there´s no wifi and my room sleeps four, with just me in it, it feels lonely. I was so hungry that I walked to a vegetarian restaurant right away and had dinner around five. Strolled around for awhile and found some neat places. Oaxaca is very walkable and very picturesque. I hear English all over and am feeling lonely because Mexico City was big and I never heard anyone speak English. Tons of Americans here. I am staying at Paulina Hostel, with my own room, but I guess they ran out of singles, so I got the one with four beds. It could be worse, at least its really clean and has a free breakfast. There is free internet at the hostel, too, but its always busy, so I found a place around the corner where a dollar gets you an hour. And it has skype! Good thing I brought some protein bars. Ate one yesterday on the bus ride since there weren´t any stops to get lunch. I was reading that they may cause gastrointestinal irritation, which I interpreted as gas, but came out just fine.
The breakfast here is pretty good and they have organic coffee. Yummy. I went to visit Monte Alban, some old old ruins up on the hill outside of Oaxaca. It was pretty amazing and its a UNESCO site, too, so I was happy to see it well taken care of. The French were everywhere on tour to Monte Alban. I missed the return bus, so I spent an extra hour up there, eating my apple and reading.
Last night I couldn´t find much to do until I stumbled upon a nice cafe upstairs that was showing films and serving coffee....plus pecan pie. OMG it was so good. I read a little, then watched the street parade go by and then watched The Corpse Bride. What a great idea and the cafe was so cool. Went to bed around eleven and was up too early. They don´t start breakfast until eight! Lots of stylish people at the hostel. Ate an apple and read some more.
Am going to do some more walking around and try another coffee place.
Good good food here and I tried the local dish of polano chiles with oaxacan mole and salsa, very good, but a little spicy. Most places advertise organic coffee, which is big here. I think its from Chiapas but don't know for sure. Before I leave, I do want to buy a pound of whole beans to go. Planning to fly home Thursday. Taking a bike ride tomorrow with a local guide, which should be really nice. Its very hilly here and picturesque. Lots of celebrations in anticipation of The Day of the Dead. And I don't have a costume to wear for Halloween. I think I could easily spend a month in Oaxaca.
What a long day! Now I can be a little more leisurely and enjoy my last morning in Oaxaca. I really like this new cafe I found with free wifi and lots of electrical outlets to use. Never realized how much I desperately need electricity when I travel.
I was feeling blue last night, so I booked a bike tour for this morning and then everything seemed wonderful again. I spent awhile at the Cafe last night and listened to two expat teachers go on and on about Mexico and how expensive it is in Oaxaca. Had trouble sleeping because I had that americano too late, but it came with good apple pie. And I had a great crepe with pumpkin, gouda cheese, onions and zucchini. Yummy.
The bike ride was amazing and it kicked my ass. We rode a total of 45 kilometers! Holy cow that was a lot. But it was great and I had such a good time. I ate the other protein bar, so my legs should be on their way to rubgy quality soon enough

Mexico City 2007

I made it to Mexico City just fine. Flight was good and smooth, I even had first class. Leaving LA, I had a good view of the Santiago fire and then the massive Witch fire in San Diego. Its clear and cool here, supposed to be down to the low 40s tonight.
In Mexico City, I am staying at the Hotel Catedral until the 29th, then hoping to catch a bus down to Oaxaca for another three nights. I want to be there for Halloween and maybe the Day of the Dead as well. People are already dressed up in Mexico City for the celebrations and I saw people dancing around the old town, near where I am staying. Looks like its all part of the celebrations.
Planning to be home next Thursday or Friday.
I am going to try and find "Los Simpsons" on TV; I think my favorite part about visiting Mexico is watching the Simpsons dubbed in Spanish.
Had a great day walking around and eventually stopping at three
different cafes for coffee and tea. I think I read about 80 pages of
"Geek Love" today, so I am down to the last 100 pages now. The street
with my hotel has at least 5 second-hand bookstores within a couple
blocks, so I popped into them looking for English language books. Had
a big fruit plate an american at Cafe La Habana, where Che and Fidel
used to meet! Then had karekes (sp?) tea at a Turkish place near a
great open air market with fountains and antiques and paintings. The
Diego Rivera museum is closed for renovation so that was a bust and
the art museum that is supposed to have Goyas and Van Dykes, had none
of those, but there was some things to see. I think tomorrow I'll
visit the Frida Kahlo museum and maybe the Leon Trotsky house. I saw
some bad parts of town (exampled by the person passed out on the
sidewalk) but also lots of good things. The metro is so busy and easy
to use. Trains every 2-3 minutes with at least 8 cars and always
full. Plus it only costs about 20 cents a ride. There are police all
over and I haven't seen anything bad. Wearing my brown coat all the
time. It was warm today, but then very chilly after sundown. Daylight
Savings ends tonight, so I'll only be an hour ahead of you for a week.
US and Canada switch next weekend, I guess. Should have brought a
scarf, everyone wears them and its only supposed to be 58 tomorrow.
Flipping through TV channels, I saw "The Game" and "Brazil's Next Top
Model." Its confusing because its in Portuguese with Spanish
subtitles.
Found a good vegetarian restaurant for dinner, but had to eat at 5, so
then I went out later for more coffee and desserts