We are nearing the end of our month in Cuernevaca and have determined which places to revisit and things to do before we head back to Zihuatanejo next week.
The weather has changed, it is warm and sunny and the locals say "this is Cuernevaca weather"...and now we both agree that we know why people have flocked here for years...
But the reality is, very few tourists come here these days, except for National visitors from the nearby megalopolis of Mexico City. My Spanish teacher puts it all into perspective. She and her husband came back to Mexico many years ago after succesful academic careers in Vancouver. In fact, by the strangest of coincidences, our son Eric attended a 2 week Spanish immersion experience that Oak Bay High School in Victoria, set up with their school...the Spanish Language Institute. It is the #1 ranked recommendation on TripAdvisor of activities to do in Cuernevaca.
But when I tried to arrange classroom lessons, this lovely teacher said she would rather come to my home and teach me in private...she's also created Skype classes for students from around the globe. The sad reality is that people are no longer coming here in sufficient quantities to warrant operating a school with all the inherent staff, infrastructure and operating expenses. The US backed war on drugs has had a particularly harsh effect on this part of Mexico, and yet, we are enjoying our vacation and have felt very safe since the time we arrived. Our biggest risks have been as pedestrians as cars do not stop for walkers, especially walkers with small dogs.
This has not been an easy vacation for our little travelling companion Cori. Cuernevaca seems to be particularly dog unfriendly. Every large estate we walk by has security dogs that lunge at the space between the bottom of the gate and the ground trying to attack Cori. We have yet to find a park where he is accepted and most restaurants are clearly posted "No Mascotas"...so his life has been reduced to chasing balls in the driveway here,...but on the flip side he has had one or both of us in his constant sight for 3 straight weeks. Except for the past Friday night when we left Cori home and went to Tamoanchan...the opening night of the World Music Festival in Morelos. 
Set with the backdrop of the wall of the Palacio Cortez, and beside the bustling Zocalo this artistically creative visual and auditory event left me feeling that "world music" is the music that planet Earth would make if she could...she cried with the destruction of the rain forest, she sighed with the falling rain and she exhaled deeply with the sounds of the wind in the trees.... Images were projected on the ancient stone wall that told the story of the earth's element. 
Friday spent in Cuernevaca had given our sore legs a chance to recover from our climb of Tepozteco, so Saturday we headed off on a roadtrip with the destination of Malinalco and it's archeological site as the end point. This time taking a different route which wound up high through a national park, we were again delighted by the small towns where people live in the crisp cool air at 3000m elevations. To the northwest we could see the Sierra Nevada with their snowcropped peaks. Because we are now in Lent, the road was crowded with "peregrinos" walking, cycling or somehow transporting themselves to Chalma, the most holy of Catholic sites in Mexico.
Being uninformed before, I have since Googled and read about this mecca for the religious and I have a greater understanding of how the mountain roads on all sides are similar to the "camino de santiago" in Spain beckoning religous from many parts of Mexico to come for their chance of a miracle. With little or no food or camping gear for the journey through the mountains, they arrive for the chance to dance in the church grounds where an apparition of Jesus was seen...the one commonality is a huge smile and a belief that this will bring them closer to God.
Arriving back in Malinalco, it's easy to once again see why this is a popular destination. It was Saturday market, and I had a few purchases in mind, but first we set off to see the most attractive and well displayed museum, complete with individual guides for each aspect of the exhibit.
Then we headed off to the site of the Indigenous temple and worship halls on the cliffside above the town. The path was a beautifully constructed stone stairway with signs about the flora and fauna enroute. The site is not as old as other ancient temples and its still possible to see the weather beaten carvings on the temple walls. Gene and I both agreed, that as far as seeing an indigenous ruin in Mexico, this rated 10 for overall presentation, state of maintenance and ease of access.
Once again, after a gourmet lunch in our favorite restaurant, Los Placeres, we headed home noting the increasing crowds of pilgrims just beginning their long and treacherous walk as dusk fell.
Today, we returned to Tepoztlan which is marking it's 3rd day of Carnivale. My Spanish teacher had advised against going, saying that this once very colorful and fun event has degenerated into a drunken mess and it is safer to avoid. But we had heard that today was the dance of The Chinelo's...plus I had a few treasures I still wanted to purchase from what I had seen in the mercado before....
Tepoztlan had been transformed into the fair grounds of my youth, think Calgary Stampede, Peach Festival, Bathtub races with a lot more color and noise!
Drinking micheladas of all flavours seemed to be the thing to do as every 10 meters a new bar had been set up on the street in this town that normally boasts a "No Alcohol in Public Policy". We ate lunch along the street, stayed to watch the dance of the Chinelos' and then with Cori in full on panic mode due to the volume of firecrackers being launched aloft, we beat a swift retreat in our car back to our quiet little casa in Cuernevaca, checking off another of our must do activities with our remaining time here. 
So where is the mental aerobics in all this? My very skillful Spanish teacher has been quick to adapt her teaching to my level in my ongoing quest to speak and understand Spanish with enough fluency to live here. Rather than using printed handouts; she asks me questions, we talk, she writes what I say and then she questions me on what I've said or done. She has told me that I need to develop as quick a mind, ear, mouth coordination as what my physical aerobic attempts at Zumba have given me....but she hasn't seen me at Zumba!
No comments:
Post a Comment