The Rural Life

This week started off with style. That’s right… duck rodeo!

Sunday morning we headed down to the corral with Lisa, Corinne, and Ariel. We then attempted to catch all 51 ducks and geese without injuring them. It started out easily enough. Julia managed to catch six ducks, and so did Arial. But then they started to suspect that something was up. They started running and fighting harder if you touched them. They got faster, worked as a group, and darted between the bamboos for cover. With their sharp talons, beating wings, and pecking beaks, soon I was the only one that could keep a hold of them. Corinne banded them, Ariel was “secretary” with a pad to record the info, Lisa sexed them (resulting in a face full of goose poop on one occasion) and Julia and I wrangled them. We eventually got a system down – Julia would back them into a corner and edge closer until their only route of escape was right past me. Crouched low, I waited until they got desperate enough, then lunged at them like a fumbled football. I landed in mud, barbed wire, and bamboo on many occasions. About 15 male ducks got put in a separate pen for slaughter later in the week, and the rest got set free. It took almost three hours, and by the time we were done, we’d about called it quits for the day. After all that crouching and diving my legs were wobbly for days.

The days speed by to the sound of birds warbling and wind in the pine trees. We only get one day off a week from work, with the rest spent entirely on the grounds. In Nayarit our days were not as full, and we got more time off. Hence, it feels like Nayarit was more of a “Mexico” experience, while Michoacan is more of a “farming” experience. We’re doing a lot more and learning a lot more in the way of farming, yet we’re almost completely cut off from the local Mexican culture. I see it as a great counterbalance to our farm last month, and I’m grateful for both opportunities. There seems to always be a pot of fresh coffee or tea for the taking. If you need a moment of rest you can just grab a warm cup of your favorite drink, and plop down with one of the dogs on the couch. Even better, Lisa usually has one of her 400+ DVD’s playing in the background, so it’s great for a quick refresher.

We have a terrific group here, and we all enjoy spending time together. Whether it be watching a movie over popcorn on our laptop, or sifting through rotted vegetables, there’s always a good vibe in the air. We’ve all kind of fallen into our specified roles. Kim is the leader and manager (designated by Lisa and Ian because she’s here for 5 months), Julia is the clutter-organizer and cook (though she enjoys helping me outside sometimes). I’m the only male WWOOFer here, so I plan and execute the heavier projects. Anna, seeking to defy gender roles, likes to help me with the more physically demanding tasks (and she’s bean-thin, so it’s funny having the two scrawniest WWOOFers being the muscle on the ranch). Corinne and Ariel, having studied permaculture back home, can usually be found working in the vegetable gardens or the green houses. “Picking Day” supersedes all other tasks, as we prepare the large orders of vegetables for restaurants or hotels when they order them.

Julia loves cooking for the group, and has received Lisa’s blessing to do so. She’s cooked us a beautiful frittata, savory curry (the powder made from scratch!), and delicious desserts. When she’s not doing that, she loves to work with the animals, especially the newborns. While she’s busy in the kitchen or the corral, I’m usually outside getting dirty. Earlier this week, I undertook a project to build a smokehouse for smoking…..Bertie. Working alone from a hand-drawn diagram, I dug a huge fire pit underground connected to a twelve-foot diagonal chimney. The chimney, constructed of crimped 5 lb. aluminum cans, lays underground at a slope of about 1/10. At the other end of a chimney, I dug another similar pit, ringed it with a 2-foot tall wall of bricks, and placed a huge barrel on top. I finished by covering the wall and the bottom of the barrel with dirt (so no smoke will escape) about 3 feet high, compacting it, and assembling a staircase of concrete at the base. The idea is that it will get all the smoke from the fire, but very little of the heat. Anna and I have taken several excursions into the forest to haul immense 100-300 lb. tree trunks up from the ravine, and then process them into firewood. We also have begun the ambitious endeavor of doubling the size of the chicken pen. I put my hard-earned pick axing skills to use again, building long trenches and deep holes. Hauling the massive “posts”, i.e. tree trunks, up the hill by hand was no picnic either.

For a bit of a break to the routine, Lisa and Ian hosted a barbecue on Sunday. There were 16 of us in all, and Julia, Lisa, and I ended up doing all the cooking…and boy did we cook! For over six hours I slaved over mounds of guacamole, bowls of homemade fire-roasted salsa. I butchered, marinated, and grilled three whole chickens, created salad dressings, and flavored focaccia breads. Julia whipped up a gorgeous tray of cookies and lemon bars that had everyone drooling. Around here, even a party means plenty of work. Once everyone had eaten, all six of us WWOOFers headed back into the kitchen for another hour of cleaning while the older folks enjoyed coffee and dessert. It wasn’t a day off, but it was nice to get a break from swinging that pick-axe!

Julia and I love it here. But we’re counting the days until we get to come back to Texas. We miss everyone back home, and I have an inexplicable craving for some American fast food and my own bed. Most of all, we’re eager and excited about beginning our new lives in a new state. Every day as we work we talk about agencies, different states, a new home, and life as struggling artists. We bought our plane tickets, and we’ll be arriving in Houston on the 15th of April. We’ll spend a few days in Texas then immediately depart again to Albuquerque, NM. I for one will miss Mexico immensely, yet I can’t help but feeling we’re going to be taking a bit of this land back with us. Julia’s sense of adventure and daring has really blossomed during our time here. We’ve both gotten fitter, stronger, and more lighthearted. I believe we’ll be surprised how much more energy we have than we did 3 months ago, when all we had to do is sit and stand all day. We’ve made some terrific friendships, learned to love a culture, and learned new languages (the Spanish language, the language of bartering, the language of Mexican streets, and most of all the language of compromise). Today we’re in Uruapan enjoying our day off, and then tomorrow it’s back to farm life. We’re looking forward to tomorrow evening, when some guests at the party promised to take us on an excursion. They’re the oldest copper-working family in the region, and they’ll be taking all six of us to their smithy.

Until next week, we miss and love every one of you reading this,
Philip

Rancho Agua Zarca

Well well well…we are here safe and sound at a lovely farm in Michoacan.
Our bus trip was long….very long…10 1/2 hours to be exact but thankfully rather boring and full of watching really awful movies and snacking on the boat-load of food we bought for snacking. We stopped in Morelia and took the bus for the last hour leg to Patzcuaro. It was pretty cool watching the landscape change. I slowly watched as the cactus gave way to pine trees, the broad-flat mesas change to mountains, and the flat dry scrub fill up with huge lakes. Michoacan is indeed a beautiful state. The land around the farm is rather reminiscent of Colorado to me as is the weather; dry sunny days and cold nights. We are located in a little valley just over a ridge from the village of Ziruhuen, which apparently is famous for the fact that every man of age is in a “Banda”…basically one of those Mexican bands. There are supposedly 27 in all. No one knows why this is…and thankfully we are shielded from their famous practicing by the ridge.

Our hosts are the colorful Ian and Lisa Sheppard, a Brit and an American who have loads of experience living off the beaten path so to speak. The farm actually does pretty good business with the fabulous lettuces they grow and sell to some upscale restaurants in Zihuatenejo, Uruapan and Patzcuaro. But they have many other projects in the works, possibly with selling their lambs, selling Tamworth piglets, geese, ducks, ect, that may become lucrative in the future. They have had their place here for about 5 years and only began accepting wwoofers last August. We are here for a little under a month through April 14th along with Kim, a native Chicagoan who is here for 5 months before she starts grad school, another girl Anna from Portland, newly moved to San Francisco for art school. Then there are the pair of friends Ariel and Corinne. All nice people.

We have found ourselves quite busier than at the other farm. We start our day around 8 with breakfast all together and a discussion of what projects need to be done. Then it’s outside to let the chickens out and the gaggle of geese and Muscovy ducks. Then we feed and water all the nesting mothers. There are currently three (soon to be 4) nesting geese and another 3 nesting ducks. We shall soon see at least 2 batches hatch, which we are very excited about! Then we make sure the super cute batch of ducklings are fed their special food as is the orphaned and very spoiled gosling aptly named Peep-peep. He was apparently abandoned by his mother and taken under the wing of a mother duck. He gets lots of attention. Then…pigs. Oh yes, pigs. Tamworth pigs to be exact, an old breed specifically bred for bacon……that’s right…bacon. Allie is the 250 lb sow, Bertie is her brother (soon to be going on his final journey in April) who is about 200 lbs and then there is little Jacoui. At only a month old, he is just about about 35 lbs but he is the little Houdini of the bunch. He gets out at any and every opportunity, and he is fast. I shall get back to the pigs with a good story later. We feed them a cooked slop consisting of ground corn, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and a bunch of other stuff they get for free which we have to sort, cut up and cook over a fire every day. All three green houses also get opened so the stuff inside them doesn’t cook. Because we are at a rather high elevation, the sun can get rather intense, so we wear hats all day and make sure to cover up as much as possible.

In the afternoons we attend to various tasks like weeding, planting, ect. Tomorrow we are going to have a “duck rodeo” where basically we have to hunt down every duck AND goose, flip them over and sex them, band them, clip their wing feathers and write down all their pertinent info. That should be quite an experience. I am sure we will get a good story out of that one. Then it's lunch, a bit of a break time, garbage sorting and pig slop making, then the closing duties where we feed everyone dinner and pen up the geese and ducks, put up the hens and close all the greenhouses. We haven’t been doing near as hard labor as the other farm, but there seem to be a lot more tasks to be accomplished, the list seems to grow longer every day. But that’s good, and the days sure seem to fly by because of it.

OK so back to the pig story. On Wednesday Ian and Lisa had to go into Guadalajara for the day, leaving us alone at the house to fend for ourselves. After lunch Philip and Kim wanted to go into town for a beer run. One of had to stay behind so I volunteer, happy to lay out on the lawn and read a book for a while. So after about 45 minutes or so I decide its time to buckle down and finish my organizing job in the tool shed. So I walk out the gate and there's Allie…obviously enjoying herself and SO obviously not in her pen. My stomach just drops and I feel the panic begin to trickle down my spine. The other pigs…what about the two others? Indeed…they are out and about rooting up the duck yard, but thankfully they are at least in a place where I can lock them into the duck corral. But that leaves the 250lb sow out and about. I have no clue whether she’ll keep to the house or go galivanting off to her freedom into the ravine and out into the forest never to be seen again. I stupidly grabbed a bamboo pole to see if I could herd her back into the corral at least. Ha. She even seemed to look at me in that way that said “I weigh 250 lbs and I can do whatever the hell I want”. I remembered that Lisa once mentioned that the way to control a pig is to pick up their back legs and wheelbarrow them to where you want to go. I can only pick up one of her legs, which she kicks like the devil was in her. At the same time all this is happening, I hear the dogs start going nuts down the driveway. I run to check on them, because apparently they have rather crazy neighbors who want to try and kill their dogs. We were specifically asked to keep an ear out should they start barking. I run down to check on them and indeed there was a woman with blond curly hair doing something with two of the dogs. I screamed at them to come back, which they didn’t seem to care much about. But thankfully the woman stood up and went away. And the dogs come slinking back. It’s about this time that they discover Allie munching and rooting to her hearts content and they go nuts, which of course drives Allie nuts, and causes her to trample a poor duck in her retreat and eventual escape behind the chicken coop. It really hits me how alone I am and how much I wish they were back. I call out into the forest hoping that maybe they’re on their way back. Nothing. I come to realize that the only thing I can do is to keep an eye on Allie and wait. About 15 minutes later I hear some talking in the woods and I cry out for Philip. An answer! I almost wept in relief…seriously. I yell that the pigs are out and I hear Kim gasp and they run to my aid. About 20 minutes and a crushed thumb later all the pigs are back in the pen. Thanks mostly to Philip’s biceps. We immediately set to tacking barbed wire along the bottom of the pen where they had gotten out. With the dry season still very much upon us, the dirt of the pig pen is basically a fine powder which is nothing for their powerful snouts to dig up, and the fence was so rickety that it was nothing for them to push back a slab of wood and burst into freedom. The next day Philip also added hogwire to the bottom of the rickety fence and they have not escaped since.

Apart from that exciting day, it’s been rather quiet here at Ranch Agua Zarca. I am sure we will enjoy ourselves here. However, I am definitely starting to feel the tug of home. I miss my own space and the freedom to make my own decisions about my time. I miss regular food, a wardrobe consisting of more than 4 shirts, a car, knowing where the heck I am and freedom to do as I please. And the whole having-no-income thing is getting a little old. J So I think that our time here will be finished after this stay, so are looking at being home just around Easter. Its time to go and visit his grandparents and start this next chapter of our lives away from Austin and out in the real world. All that being said, I am still very much enjoying myself and hoping to learn a little about this particularly beautiful part of Mexico while we are here.

Much love to everyone and sorry we won’t be able to post as much as normal. We only get one day off a week and it is at our discretion which one we take off, and we will try and work around what is happening at the farm, so our post won’t be on the same day every week. Just fyi.

Anyways…happy Spring equinox and a very happy 22nd anniversary to my mom and dad.

Love you and miss you all very much,
Julia Olson-Lorenz

P.S. from Philip -- I am in a music video currently airing in Austin (and in LA soon, I believe). It's really slick. Check it out at http://philipnolson.blogspot.com/ . Cheers!

Masks and Michoacan

We've made a major change of plans.The lead-up to the change goes something like this:

We had committed to a 2 week stay at a farm in San Miguel de Allende, to begin on the 27th of March. In the mean time, we'd hoped to visit Guanejuato, though staying in Zacatecas made more economic sense. During the drive to the La Quemada ruins, we began chatting with a middle aged couple that had finished a one month commitment on a Michoacan WWOOF farm, and they adored the experience. We were intrigued. We also met an elderly couple that had just returned from Guanejuato. They informed us that it's the best place they've been to in Mexico in all their years of travel. So...what to do?

Then we got back from the ruins and discovered that our San Miguel farm had cancelled our present engagement. Apparently they couldn't afford to support any volunteers, and we'd need to find other accomadations. "Oh!" we said. We concluded that God had created a new opportunity -- but for what we weren't sure. We decided to email the farm in Michoacan, expressing our great desire to visit. It's a farm quite similiar to Green Acres. It's run by a middle-aged couple, and the wife is a chef that teaches cooking classes. She also cooks every meal of the day (so no grocery bills). The owners have acres of gardens, fruits, and herbs. They cure their own bacon(!) and stuff their own homemade sausage. They have livestock, lots of dogs, and up to 8 volunteers. They're also within walking distance of one of the last two unpolluted deep lakes in Mexico. Sweet! We just knew this was where we were meant to be. Eagerly, we awaited their response.

The response was "No". They have no openings for the next 4 weeks, but they'd be willing to consider a commitment later in the year. We were crestfallen, but undeterred we applied to various backpacking hostels, and farms around Mexico we could work at. We had alot of options, but nothing seemed like a clear choice.

Then the Michoacan farm wrote back. They told us they "may" have an opening afterall because one couple was considering leaving early to Guatemala. They said to hang tight, that they'd contact us by Sunday. Then today they contacted us, saying "We have an openning, get on the bus tomorrow"! We are booked here tomorrow, but they agreed to have us come on Monday. What an adventure! We will be staying exactly one month in a little town right outside of Patzcuaro, Michoacan.
While all of this happened, though, we didn't stay idle. Earlier today we went to the Rafael Coronel mask museum. It's actually housed in a beautifully restored convent. Photographers prowled the grounds, snapping shots of newlyweds and glowing girls on their quincinera. We first viewed his paintings-- which were stunning. Here a picture of one of our favorites (it's large), sorry that the the photo's underlit:

You may notice there's a heavy emphasis on faces and masks in the painting. No surprise, as the artist owned an astounding mask collection, as well as 300+ marionettes. We enjoyed viewing the diverse, intricate, and frightening mask collection. Here are a few of our favorites:Afterward, while doing some final gift shopping, we stumbled upon an impromptu boxing match in the middle of a small plaza. A ring had been set up, and a sizable crowd had gathered. The competitors were ruthless, resilient, quick... and 9 years old. Yes, apparently Mexicans enjoy watching grade-schoolers beat eachother to a pulp in public (Who doesnt?). We stayed for five or six matches, and the competitors got progressively older, capping around 19 or so. As far as we could tell, there were only 2 or 3 rounds per match. There was a referee, and judges --and even the loser got a trophy (apparently their faces are less fragile than their self-esteem). If anyone ever drew blood, the match was over. Several matches ended within the first minute due to a bloodied nose; the bloodless boxer being the victor. There was lots of good natured heckling, cheering, and even chanting for the apparent-underdog. It was heartwarming to hear a chant of "Rojo! Rojo!" rise up from the crowd as Mr. Rojo was in fact taking the beating of a lifetime. It was a priceless experience.

Afterwards we went to the Acropalis for refreshments. It's a 50's-America themed-diner, complete with coke-floats, malted milk--and enchiladas! We enjoyed a strawberry-ice drink and a cappucino with Kalhua as we excitedly planned for our next trip.

It's a 9 hour bus ride from here to Patzcuaro (we can ride directly there). We will be able to check our emails in Michoacan regularly, but for blog posts and other internet uses (like phone calls) we need to go into town on our days off.

As I finish this post, I realize we're in for a long night. This afternoon, about 60 college students arrived from Guadalajara, filling the hostal to capacity. The main dorm area next door has become a very rowdy, very loud party, staged from the rooftop terrace. 80's music pounds through our windows and everyone is chanting loudly as their compatriates chug their drinks. That's the hostal experience for you, I guess. Julia's stuffed her ears with toilet paper. I imagine I'll do the same. Aaahh... sweet, sweet Mexico.

Lots of love,

Philip

Zacatecas; A Colonial Treasure

We've made it to the enchanting city of Zacatecas, deep in the heart of central Mexico! It is a city of narrow cobblestone streets, bright pastel houses, and cool mountain breezes. But before we got here, we still had some more to do in Guadalajara!

Our weekend started with a picnic date at the nearby Parque de Agua Azul. First, however, we had to navigate the pure chaos that is Mexican Wal-Mart on a weekend! It was the loudest, most crowded, frantic shopping experience I can remember, and may have sworn us off from the store for good. There were stands blasting music, tons of vendors trying to sign you up for things, everything was horribly overstaffed (13 ladies working the cold cuts section, though nobody wanted ham) and this resulted in the employees heckling you to buy stuff you didn't want (e.g. "Hey! You! You want some of this chorizo?" as we look at the parmesan). We made it out in one piece, and headed to the park. Right outside the park was a huge, free, punk-music concert of some kind, and the "emo's" and "goths" were out in force. Once inside the park though, we were transported to a serene, tranquil oasis in the middle of Guadalajara. We enjoyed our picnic on the lush grass, and watched a group of girl scouts wander about, doing chants and playing games. The park featured a parrot aviary, as well as a mariposeria, or butterfly garden. The latter was a huge sphere of metal and mesh that towered over the garden. Sadly, we weren't aware of their hours, and just as we finished our lunch, they locked the doors. There did not allow balls, pets, anything with wheels, or alchohol. Beats the point if you ask me, but it was still a nice romantic escape (much of the clientel were on a date).

That night we ate at "La O". Hailed as a nuveau-Mexican tapas bar, we spent a good hour trying to find it (the roads are not well marked in Guadalajara). It had a beautiful decor, with glowing orbs lighting the roof and a fountain filled garden on the patio. For just 155 pesos ($10 U.S.), you got a tapas order, homemade bread basket, unlimited trips to their luxurious salad bar (tempura fried veggies, serrano ham, and other delicious offerings), and a main course as well! We munched on our salads, toasty empanadas with a garlicky chimichuri, and even jumbo shrimp cooked in a jamaica (hibiscus) sauce! Delish! We got a treat by watching all martinis poured from the bottle at the guest's tables, and the full bottle of tequila brought out when someone wanted a shot to toast.

Saturday we headed for the weekly ballet folklorico in the historic Teatro Degallado. Buying the second cheapest tickets in the second balcony, we eagerly awaited fro the show to begin. Moments before opening, however, we were ushered down to better seats on the ground floor by on of the staff (I'm still fuzzy as to why). With killer seats, we sat in the dark as the huge red curtain raised and the choir began to sing. The show was essentially 6 different numbers, broken up into 2 acts. Most of the numbers were based on a Mexican state, or region, such as Jalisco or Michoacan. There were about 40 performers, half choir, half dancers, with a live band on stage as well. For each number, they wore the traditional garb of the region, and sang about the people and the land. The dancers were terrific, with a large ammount of the show being tap-dancing numbers (whether with clapping sandals or tapping dress shoes). Each number had some kind of gimmick, too, related to the material. Jalisco had Mariachis, and Michoacan had a large dancing fish and men trying to catch it in a net. Julia and I thought it was a complete hoot, and when the last number came up (Jalisco: aka the home team), the crowd went crazy! Cheering, whistling, and having a ball, the show ended in a standing ovation.


We spent the remainder of our day in Guadalajara cruising the Mercado Libertad for gifts. I am improving my bartering technique, too! I can usually talk them down 25% of their "best" price, occasionally even 40%! I also learned that if they want to be stubborn, I say to Julia "Nah, that's too expensive," and start to walk away. About 50% of the time they'll holler back "Okay! I'll give it to you for 320!" They know that there's another guy selling the exact same thing next door.

Monday we took the 5 hour bus to beautiful Zacatecas. It is a windy, dry, beautiful city nestled in the mountains. The landscape reminds me of Albuquerque more than anything else, though Julia described the actual city as "The Switzerland of Mexico". Maybe it's a blend of both? The streets are narrow and winding, with gardens, plazas, and fountains nestled everywhere. You can see the looming mountains on all sides. The buildings themselves are clean, all different shades of pastel colors (think Easter eggs), and many date back to colonial times. Our accomadations are at the terrific Hostal Villa Colonial, right in the heart of the historic distric. We actually rented a studio apartment for the week for $100 with a kitchen, private bath, and stellar view of the nearby cathedral. We have full access to the hostal's facilities (just 10 steps away), such as free coffee, a 4 story high terrace, and (reportedly) the cheapest beer in town. Yes, the hostal sells beer, and it even has an impressive little library! The owner, Ernesto is the friendliest man you could ever hope to meet, offering to accomadate you in any little thing you could imagine. You need to do a load of laundry? Bring it here, I'll get it back to you by tomorrow. You want a broom for the apartment? I'm sending a cleaning lady over there today. He even plans trips to visit any place you could want in the area (so long as you have four people).

Towering over the hostal is the small mountain called "La Bufa"... meaning wine skin in Castellano Spanish. It's about 45 minutes to the top by foot, or you can take the Swiss-made tram car if you prefer (This makes Julia very proud). We've hiked up there almost every day we've been here, taking in terrific views of the town and the outlying mesas/mountains. There's reportedly even a zipline to the bottom, but I have yet to confirm this.


Yesterday we asked Ernesto to see if anyone wanted to go to the nearby ruins called La Quemada. Sure enough, he got a group together, and we drove about an hour away to the site. There were 11 of us tourists in the car, everyone spoke English, but nobody was from the US! It was a delightful change of pace. We chatted it up with Brits, Scotts, Canadians, a Frenchman, and a German. La Quemada is an archaeological site that dates back to the fifth century AD, and it's not discovered by the tourism mainstream yet. It is five levels high, and a formidable hike. Historians disagree as to whether it was a city, a fortress, a temple, or something in between. They also don't know for sure who lived there. Nevertheless, it's very impressive, very high, and very windy. There were signs all along the way informing us of the uses of the various structures (the seemed to all have some relation to human sacrafice though... even the ball court!).

As for our future plans? Well, it's up in the air at this point. On the 27th we'd planned on another WWOOF stint in San Miguel De Alende, but just yesterday our host pulled out because of financial concerns. We still hope to go to Guanajuato next, and we're considering a WWOOF farm in Michoacan that a couple at the Hostal recommended yesterday. Oaxaca may or may not happen, because it's very far away, and our allotted budget is reaching it's end. We can use more savings if we decide to, but that's always a tough choice to make.


I know it's been a long post. Now that we have internet access all the time, I'm considering updating more often (and if anyone out there would like more frequent updates, I'd like to hear from you). Also, if you're reading the blog, but not commenting, come out of the shadows! We love to hear from you as much as you like to read about us. If you're reading, but not following, start following so we know you're out there! And if you read it each week, tell us how things are back home, ask a question, or just tell us a funny story. A highlight of our day is to bring up our blog and see that we have a new comment. So keep 'em comin'!

Hasta proximo vez!

--Philip

Pop. 900 to Pop. 6 Million

Our time on the Nayarit coast has finally come to a close. But we didn't leave before we had a few more memorable experiences and made a few more great friends.

As promised, Julia finally got to see her whales on Saturday! We took a "lancha" out from San Blas (nobody ended up coming along), and it was a three-hour round trip. Departing early in the morning, it took us about an hour of uneventful searching before Julia finally spotted a flipper on the horizon! We blasted toward them, but once we got there, they'd moved on. It took us a while to figure out where they'd come out next. But once we did get near them, it was a tremendous experience. The whales were, um... huge, as Julia pointed out about 50 times. We even got misted by their spray once. On the way back, we drove right along with 3 big humpbacks and a pod of dolphins. At our closest, we were within about 15 or 20 feet of them as they crested. You could feel a primal dread and awe of such a massive beast so close. We were unable to get any good photographs of them (because you had about 2 seconds before they were gone again). However, we did get some terrific video on Grandad's videocamera that we'll show you when we get home. On the way back, we saw this brilliantly white stone island in the middle of the ocean (white from pelican poop) topped with a statue of the Virgen of Fatima.

We ended our final Pacific-coast weekend with another trip to the delicious Garza Canella restaurant. We enjoyed it just as much as the first time, including the (very spicy) arbol chile and chocolate cake.

Perhaps the best part of our final week on the farm was the arrival of some new WWOOFers. We were joined by Phoebe on Sunday. She arrived during a massage we were having from a local lady (whom we heard about through a local gringa we met). We instantly fell in love with Phoebe, who was to room with us. She was quirky, easy going, and a great help around the house and the farm. She managed a farm in Boston and she's only 22! Later that day, another couple, Jason and Victoria arrived too. They're from Washington D.C., and they were a hoot too. They'd been camping in California for the last few weeks, and were slowly making their way to Argentina. Jason is fluent in Spanish, but is as American as Julia or me. He'd spent a year in Costa Rica teaching English classes. We really enjoyed working with these three WWOOFers (and they were hard workers), cooking together, and sharing stories. We were kind of their tutors for the first couple days because Amaranth was gone and Wally stayed pretty busy. We'll definitely miss them, but it's good to know Green Acres will be in good hands after we've gone.

Thursday morning we departed. Wally was picking up Amaranth from Tepic, so he offered to give us a ride there in his van. We said our goodbyes, got our tickets, and were soon on our way to the state of Jalisco. Jalisco is the birthplace of many things Americans think of as "Mexican". It is the cultural home of mariachis, rodeos, and tequila! There were a couple movies played on the three hour bus ride, but I was more interested in the scenery. It quickly changed from lush tropical jungle to arid farmland. The brownish landscape was broken up by beautiful seas of greenish-blue agave plantations, as far as the eye could see. About an hour outside of the city, we entered Guadalajara. There were probably over 100 miles of endless suburban sprawl. Guadalajara is home to over 6,000,000 inhabitants, making it the second largest city in the country.


Taking a taxi from the Central, we arrived at our hostel about 20 minutes later. We checked in, and really were impressed. It's SO quiet compared to Aticama! There is wifi in the whole building, the beds are comfortable (I sleep on the top bunk), we get a free (if overly sugary) breakfast, and the reception is very knowledgable and helpful. We are in a room with 6 beds, but we are lucky enough to be the only ones there right now.

We quickly headed out on an evening jog to explore the city. What an enchanting place Guadalajara is! We are staying in a chic little barrio called "Nueve Esquinas" or "Nine Corners", that reportedly has the best birria restaurants in town. Birria is a type of stewed or roasted meat stuffed into tortillas with salsa, onions, beans, and chiles. Yes, it does sound alot like tacos. But we went to the place that is supposed to be the best. And boy was it GREAT! We shared a couple of plates, one with slow-fire-roasted goat meat, and one with tender lamb stewed in maguay leaves! We were talking about it for hours -- easily the best "Mexican" food we've had here yet.


Our place is also only about 4 blocks from the "centro". Thousands of walkers, lovers, and families stroll the area's endless plazas. Towering cathedrals loom over the cool gardens, and there are more statues and fountains than I could count. We caught a live performance from the city's excellent orchestra in one of the squares. The centro is also host to the legendary Mercado Libertad (a 4-story labyrinth of vendor stalls that covers 9 square city blocks) and a huge multi-story jewelry mecca. We visited both yesterday. Perhaps because of the lack of options we had in Aticama, or perhaps because we shopped for over 5 hours, we were finally overwhelmed by all the selection. In the Mercado they sell everything imaginable, from fruit to leather goods, whole pig heads to granola, video games to soccer shoes. And each stand comes equipped with an aggressive salesman or woman. We did get some great purchases though, including some jewelry for Julia, delicious meats, cheeses, fresh yoghurts and produce. Defeated, we fled back to the serenity of our room once more.

We're also walking distance from the city's primary food and bar scene. Last night we spent an hour hunting for the perfect bar, before settling into a hipster French-themed espresso bar and cocktail lounge. Today we went on a 2-hour long walk/jog through that area again (in search of a remote English-language bookstore). Through that search, we came to realize that Guadalajara has ALOT of restaurants and lounges from every culture. We found beautiful open air bistros, authentic looking Italian pizzerias and tratorrias, gobs of nice looking sushi restaurants, and even a Swiss restaurant! With a population of 6 million, I suppose we shouldn't be suprised that that culinary scene here is in the 21st century. We might be eating less Mexican food while we're in Guadalajara, simply because all the other stuff looks so good. So tonight it will probably be chianti and fettucini. Or... sushi and a Sapporo. Or maybe fusion nuveau Mexican...

In our last two days here, we hope to see a ballet folklorico, go to the Sunday antiques market, visit the beautiful Parque de Agua Azul, and more. We are still a bit overwhelmed... after all, this is the biggest city I've ever been in! It's so rich, sprawling, and huge, and yet it is still inviting and warm in the way only Mexico can be. I mean, last night we forgot our umbrella at a lounge, and the bartender chased us down 3 or 4 blocks to give it to us. God bless Mexico!

Saludos!

Philip