Chacala Recyclers

Cathedral in Pititall,
a small town now engulfed by Puerto Vallarta
I added this photo, because seeing it reminded me that there some nice buildings in the Puserto Vallarata area. It's just had to see them, what with parking garages and giant hotel complexes.

It's pretty easy to be a recycler in Chacala. For one thing, your neighbors always keep on eye on your stuff. I use transluscent garbage bags now, so people can see if they want something in my garbage. Like if I accidently put an aluminum can, so something made from foil, or a nice big can, or whatever, in the garbage, it can easily be removed by whoever wants it.

When Juan Manuel comes around to collect town garbage, house-to-house, he have five or six separate bags hanging along the side of the garbage truck, so he can sort as he goes. Pop cans, plastic, etc etc etc.

Whenever I have something I think someone my want (broken, or whatever) I set it down by the side of the road. Either after the morning work crews arrive by the truckload to go into the gated community, or after they leave in the evening. Because I want my reclaimed stuff to stay in Chacala. I even hang clothes (shirts mainly) on hangers by the side of the road. Those disppear immediately. Never really see who takes things, but often I see my extra stuff at someone's house.

I have the impression everyone knows what everyone has. I think it is very new in Chacala to lock doors around here, and very unusual. When people visit they are comfortable poking thru things and looking around. I keep a few things tucked away. Things I don't want to share. Otherwise, it's fun to see people's reactions to stuff. Like my ten photos of my family and my old garden, in the US.

People come to where ever I am living, looking for this and that. Like glue or sissors or a big ladder or little ladder or a table or an extra oilcloth, or........ . Or a bandaid or cream or a nail or something.

It's nice for me to have something someone wants. I used to have this cute little stapler I got at Office Depot. For 10 pesos. One time I was showing someone how to use it. I could see she wanted it sooo bad. Didn't say a word, but it was obvious how much she wanted it. So I handed it to her, and we made a joke that I might borrow it back sometime.

Every restaurant in town has someone that comes with a truck everyday to get their edible garbage for pigs or chickens or whatever. Sometimes twice a day, when things are busy. I have gotten several emails and some visitor comments suggesting that Chacaleans should compost.

Now when that happens I ask people exactly what would they compost if they lived here. There isn't much that isn't used here. Chickens and dogs live off food scraps. Fish scraps. The garbage here is basically manufactured stuff out of plastic, like pop bottles and broken plastic chairs. And restaurant trash (plastic plates and the containers food comes in). And napkins.

Unless used toilet paper could be composted. Ugh. Now it's burned, and I prefer that solution.

Artists in Chacala

Looking down the hill in Chacala,
from the paved road toward the beach road.
Concha's Techo de Mexico rental is on the right.

I was just sitting down to do some blogging, here in Chacala heaven. Sun shining, breeze blowing, and surround by green. Then I heard a different noise outside. Sometimes that means someone has arrived and is letting me know she is here. Other times is some surprising activity going on within hearing distance.

Like the day the absentee owner of the lot next door brought men in from Las Varas to herbicide his lot, which includes palms and shrubs and trees and bananas and mango trees, and my bouganvilleas and other plants. Managed to stop him that time, and he only killed one bouganvillea. Anyway, I never know what is happening when I hear new noises, and I always investigate.

This time it was Butcho. It turned out he was planting melons along the other side of the driveway. Using a tall stick, and carrying his melon seeds in a half a coconut shell, which had a string threaded thru holes in the side, so he could carry the seeds with his hands free. The string was some kind of fiber he had twisted together to form a string. Butcho is always making something out of nothing. I love hanging around his and Maria's place, seeing all their different things. They actually have a little cement block house, about twice as big as a double bed. But they really live outside, under a crummy-looking ramada that seems to work for them.

They used to be spread out all over two lots, one Maria's and the other belonging to another absentee owner, this one from Compostella. I think maybe he is related to the gringo who is building just south of the Chacalilla gate. Anyway, about six or eight months ago the owner came and told them to get their stuff off his lot. And they did. Animal pens and gardens, and little structures for washing and cooking and eating and watching TV and whatever where all moved or removed. Actually it looks a little tidier now.

Anyway, the advantage of having two lots was besides having lots of space for their 9 dogs, jillions of cats, kitchens, ducks, etc etc, and three garden spaces, there was room for all their collections. Plastic bottles and glass bottles and aluminium cans for recycling and other stuff for clever, and free, inventions. Like the seed carrier. Maria is always making beautiful things, often from colored tissue paper. Like those decorations for parties that are strung from tree to tree. Of displays for Guadalupe day, or pinatas. Maria has been making bolsas (shoulder bags or purses) from whatever. Lately it's been kerchiefs. But also from fabric she has embroidered on, and scraps of this and that. She comes around every few weeks looking for artist-type stuff I might give her, and a little cash for tissue paper and glue and other things. She asks for 20 pesos.

Many of the ladies in Chacala have shrines at their homes. Everyday shrines and special shrines. Special shrines for Guadalupe or whatever. Some are just beautiful. Esparanza had a lovely shrine for about three days, and then it disappeared. Don't know what happened. Dona Lupe has a shrine in the room she and her husband and adult daughter, Blanca live in. And another one at her restaurant, Fonda de Lupita, on the beach road. Dona Lupe's is always clean and neat, with candles lit and flowers. Maria always has a shrine, but for Guadalupe's day she goes wild with decorations and embellishments. Very clever and inventive.

Now that I know about the shrines, it's easier for me to find gifts for people. Now I can look for religious photos and pictures, special candles, and little medals and boxes with Guadalupe or Jesus or Mary on them. Morelia has a street 20 de Noviembre, which has about 30 or 40 religious stores. And when I was in Patzcuaro I found some very nice religious-objects stores. One store, especially, had very artistic, with beautiful things. Some of which I could afford.

My favorite thing in one of the stores was a pin about as big as a quarter, with a little photo of Guadalupe in a gold metal frame with glass. You clip it on your blouse thru a prong on the back. Like my old Girl Scout medals. Those pins were a big hit when I got back. They were only 5 pesos (50 cents) each and I got 10. I gave five away immediately and then people asked me about them and I gave the rest away in a day or two. I wish I had gotten more.

Maria's pin ended up in one of her creations hanging in her garden. Every day there is something new at her place.

Quick Trip out of Chacala and into the Nursery

Desert Rose
Rosa de la Desierto
Adenium Obesum

When we went down to the vivero (plant nursery) a few days ago, Benjamin, the owner, showed me some some Desert Rose cuttings, about 8-10 inches tall. I wanted Berta to go to back in the far corner of the vivero to see them, but she didn't feel like it. While I was trying to convince her to come look, planning to buy her some of the plants, Benjamin dropped the price from 10 pesos to 8 pesos (80 cents). I thought about that price and those sweet little, well-rooten plants for the next few days.

And I woke up this morning, wanting to head for hursery. Which I did. Jumped up, ate, showered, brushed my teeth, and took my sack of laundry (sheets and towels) and a plastic chair down to the road, to wait for a ride. Sitting in the chair, rather than standing or walking, is my new technique for waiting when the sun isn't up very high yet. I only waited about three minutes, when my neighbor, Jesus, came by and gave me a ride to the lavanderia in Las Varas. It was so early Lulu wasn't opened yet, but she must have seen us drive up, because she came hustling out of her house and unlocked the lavanderia for me.

Headed for the ATM and the Correo. The book my friend sent at the end of May still isn't here. I am always surprised by how little money I have in the ATM. Walked over to the La Penita combi stop, and the combi was just leaving. Rode down to the vivero, got my plants, went back out to the highway to wait for a combi. Lucked out. The combi I flagged down was the same combio, headed back to Las Varas. Got off at the Crucero de Chacala and a minute later Juan, the electrican came by, heading to Chacalila and going right past my house. Perfect. He has an old 1976, I think, sedan, that he's had for 20 years and it very proud of. I enjoy running into him. He is always friendly and calls out my name, and offers me rides.

Took my plants out on the veranda to let them get used to their new home. Cleaned house, entertained various visitors, computed for a hour, petted Chiquita, and microwaved some popcorn, and had popcorn and Cokes with the Coke truck guys.

Now, siesta time, and then time to plant the new plants. I feel so rich with plants and dirt right now.

Overcast in Chacala

Not sure who took this, maybe Ramona H.

I am struggling with the idea of getting a digital camera. Which I clearly can't afford. Besides, I probably couldn't figure out how to take photos with one, or how to download pictures onto my trusty little Mac. But I keep thinking of pictures I could take. One of the young adults in the computer group that has been working on the Paraiso Chacala website has a camera now. I am hoping he will take some pictures for me. And will know how to download them.

I was hoping he would come by yesterday, but he never did. Everyone else in the world did. Well, not everyone. But two visits by Maria, two by Juan, one by Juan Luis, one by Trini, one by Berta, a (very creepy) guy begging for a rehab center, Maria's husband, looking for aluminum cans, the garbage guy, the Coke truck, and on and on.

Nice day actually. I set up my tent (the one I used last winter, camping on the beach) on the veranda. I was hoping the rainstorm would clean it up, and it did, sort of. I scrubbed it with the plastic brush today. But two of the longer poles are useless now. One snapped where the metal channel corroded thru and the other one won't fold up. I have used a can of WD40 on the poles and zippers. The zipper are continuing to build up salts, every when the tent was put away in closed container. I am re-lubricated all the parts, hoping it will be okay for next winter. This tent came from Mexico Walmart and it was made by the Swiss Army (knife) company. It's a piece of sh.... They sold a bunch of them because you see them all over the beach. With poles broken and zipper doors stuck open. Zippers not working. Nice layout though.

Berta and Chicho and I went to the plant nurseries near La Penita yesterday, and Chicho did a few errands in Guayabitos and La Penita. I was a nice ride. And I got two sacks of dirt and some very nice plants. I am a happy camper. And if I had a camera, I could take pictures of them. I am going to go at Consumer Reports or something and see if I can figure out what might be good enough and cheap enough. A new playtoy for me.

I was surprised how hard it was to have something valuable (my laptop) when I was living in a tent on the beach. Had to figure out what to do with it everytime I left camp. But I love it to death and don't care how much responsibility it is. These new cameras are little enough to put in your pocket I think. And then there's the corrosion issue too, I suppose. Oh well, it was a good idea while it lasted.

One of the boats Cundo's group uses for
taking surfers to La Caleta,
fisherman fishing
and tourists whale watching
and
families to deserted beaches for picnics
I think this photo is taken by Ramona H.

Chiquita, the little neighbor dog, is here all the time now, except when she runs home to eat. I don't give her food, but I do have water for her. Whenever she returns she drinks a whole bowl full. She's a very smart little Jack Russell, and I really enjoy her company. I don't know why she isn't staying over at her house, but I am guessing she prefers to avoid little children, and thare some staying there for the summer.

I can't believe how many bugs there are here every morning. Dead bug and moth bodies all over the floor, and on the patios under the windows too. Probably two big dustpans full every morning. I don't walk around barefoot because the dead bodies stick to the bottom of your feet. And because I am nervous about stray scorpions. I have to wash the floor every few days to remove the residue from the dead bodies. Ugh, ugh, ugh.

I am brushing off the moth wings off the window screens, using a plastic bristle brushy, maybe three windows everyday. It's too disgusting to do more than that.

I am still thinking a lot about going somewhere else next winter, if I can afford it. Sometimes I have a strong desire to be in a more stimulating environment. Of course, lots of the visitors to Chacala are VERY interesting, and I really enjoy meeting them and talking. But they are usually only here for a week or two. I guess I will ignore the where to live next winter question for now. I do have my name on a lot of housesitting websites, so maybe something appealing will come along. So for I have no interest in going back to the US. Although I am curious about Puerto Rico (colony of the US).

I am thinking I might use the tent for an extra bedroom for me if I have any company this summer. My first summer, when the bugs were driving me crazy when I tried to read at night, I slept in my tent, with the light outside the screened windows. That worked pretty well. If it gets much worse with the mosquitoes and whatevers, I might try it again.

I am keeping very happily occupied, with lots of projects besides plants and housecleaning. I have been making little notebooks with little covers I have drawn, and painting and decorating (with religious pictures mostly) little wooden boxes. I got the boxes in Patzcuaro, but I think they were made in China. Strange thing.

A Blog Commenting on My Chacala Blog

I just had the very odd experience of reading someone's impression of this blog, written on a blog called "Mexico-in-English". The writer quoted a comment I made awhile ago regarding the concept of volunteering here, in Chacala.

And the issue of my gender came up, again. I keep meaning to go back and do some re-reading, to try and see why it is so unclear that I am a woman. Of course, I have always been kind of what used to be called a "tom-boy", so maybe that quality shows up in my writing. Strange experience anyway.

I enjoyed reading the blog, and I am going to put it on the links side-bar.

This poster was found and scanned by DD, with many thanks.

Message Boards for Gringos in Mexico

Flowering plant on the patio of one of Aurora's Techo de Mexico rentals
(photo courtesy of Nicole M.)

Since I moved to Mexico, I have gotten a lot of help from the various Message Boards available to English-speaking people living or travelling in Mexico. Thorntree/Lonely Planet, Mexico Connect, Mexonline, TomZap, Vallarta ..., Jaltemba Bay Folks, even Trip Advisor are all very helpful.

These boards, and several others, have members/posters who are very helpful people, with lots of really good information about life here, including everything from hostels to bus routes to visas to buying property, and answers to whatever questions you might have.

I would caution anyone, however about "joining" the Morelia Connect board. This is a Yahoo-supported member-only Board which provides not only information, but spamming, trolling for customers, and a very personality-disordered member.

Pinata time in the churchyard, for Daniel's birthday party
(photo courtesy of Nicole M.)

Chacala: The Upside and the Downside

Bouganvilleas, one of my favorite plants in Chacala (courtesy of Sparks)

One nice result of my trip to Morelia, and to the Patzcuaro area, is that I now have some other places with which to compare Chacala. Nice places. Up until this trip I had only been to tourist-type towns on the Pacific coast. Plus time spent in the bus stations of the towns between Nogales and Tepic. Neither Tepic, the Nayarit State capital, or Puerto Vallarta and environs have never appealed to me. But both Morelia and Patzcuaro have a lot going for them, and seem to be places I might like to live.

I am not sure where this interest in checking out other parts of Mexico is coming from. Partly, maybe, it's the weather here in July, August, and September. Hot and humid. And for the past week or so, since it finally started raining, there are millions of very blood-thirsty mosquitoes. Hard to go out during the day (from say 9am to 6pm) because of the heat, and in the early morning and early evening because of the mosquitoes.. I am fortunate enough to spend the summer months in a well-designed house that is almost always liveable. Good cross venilation, three ceiling fans, and screen-only windows (no glass to slow down the breezes).

I have also noticed how much I am dreading the thought of being here next winter. I am starting to think that "culture" here in the winter is something I would do well to avoid. And I am going to try somehow to do that this year.

I guess Chacala isn't the only town in Mexico with a strange social atmosphere among the non-Mexican residents, winter only and/or full-time. I have been meeting more and more people who live either live full-time or for six months a year in other Mexican towns. It sounds like my concerns are pretty common in other towns too. There was even a Post today on Thorntree, the message board for Lonely Plant Travel Guides, mentioning Alamos as a place where gossip, or "social intrigue" is the number one activity among gringos. I am not good at staying away from that kind of interaction, so I need to figure out a solution for how avoid this kind of activity. I just don't know what that solution is yet.

So I am going to keep looking for other places to visit, and maybe live in. But I guess I better face up to the fact that I will be taking me, myself, and I along on the trip, where I go. And that how I experience and react to things probably won't change much in a new town.

But a larger town might be nice, where there may be access to activities in intellectual, artistic, spiritual, literary, and political realms, is very appealing to me. I love Chacala, but in some ways it is very limited, similar to any small, small town in the US. Of course, only tourist towns like PV seem to offer access to English language books, magazines, and newspaper. And I am still pretty attached to those items.

Now that the language barrier isn't quite as high, I am starting to think I would like to be around people with broader interests and experiences than I have generally found here. That doesn't sound very nice. But I don't mean it to sound disrespectful. Chacala has been a wonderful place for me about 8 or 9 months of each year. But maybe it's time to look around for another place, at least for the winter months.

And maybe, in a new town, I will be better at staying under the line of fire during the tourist season. Be better at keeping to myself regarding people I don't hit it off with. And just enjoy some of the many, very nice, short-term winter visitors. The last three winters I have met some of the nicest people when they came to Chacala for a visit. I hope I will stay connected with some of them for a long, long time.

Of course, it's possible I won't be able to find someplace nicer than Chacala, and will just have to learn how to deal with the stuff I don't enjoy in Chacala. And with myself.

Lovely Photograph of Morelia and Patzcuaro

If you want to see some beautiful photos of Morelia, check out this blog.
It's really worth looking at.
These photo are part of a blog written by Emily and Sergio,
who are living in Morelia.

If you want to see some wonderful photographs of Patzcuaro,
take a look at the the Dancing Dog blog,
Wonderful color photos and nice essays.

More pictures of Patzcuaro and Mexico
can be found at http://pbase.com/panos.
They are taken by Mike, who lives in Patzcuaro.

Leaving Patzcuaro, Heading for Chacala

I really like Patzcuaro and the little towns around here. They surround a big lake, Lago de Patzcuaro. The countryside is really beautiful, green and lush right now, in the rainy season. Today we drove around to some of the little towns and to a stone complex built by the predecessors to the Spaniard´s, called the Tarascara's (I think I spelled that right). It´s on a treed, grassy area overlooking the lake, and it really interesting to look at. I guess is was a combination fort and religious complex.

At the ruins near Tzintzuntzan, overlooking the Lago de Patzcuaro
Photo courtesy of DD

There were some beautiful trees at the ruins. Some of them looked just like eucayluptus trees, with the leaves and peeling bark, but they didn't have the lovely aroma or the cute little buttons. My friend thought they might be some kind of willow.

I love it that there are so many layers of history, with buildings still standing, in Mexico. The Basilica here is my favorite Cathedral-church so far on this trip. My posada is right across the way from it so I can go there all the time, and I do. There is a big outdoor market right in the front yard of the church.

This is a great town for shopaholics who like the relax after shopping by sitting at a restaurant overlooking the plaza and talking and visiting. This is a very pleasant town to visit, and maybe a nice place to live. I would worry about satisfying my addiction to English language books and magazines though. I did find copies of the Miami Herald, Mexico edition, in English, but that was it.

Have to stop writing. I am meeting my friend here for dinner over across the plaza. I am going to have to use my umbrella because it´s really really raining. Luckily there are covered walkways most of the way.

Stone structure at the archeological site at TsinTzunTzan

(Later: it turned out a very nice poster from Morelia Connect, a message board for gringos living in the Morelia-Patzcuaro area, left me a message suggesting we get together. At my invitation, he showed up at the restaurant and the three of us had a nice dinner at Surtides, a nice restaurant on the larger plaza. ) It's fun to meet people you only know from message boards. I look at the Thorntree-Mexico board alot, and have met four, no, five of those people when they visit Chacala. Or in this case, when I visited Patzcuaro.

I am taking the midnight bus to Guadalajara tonight, expecting to get home to Chacala mid-day Saturday. When I signed in at museum guest registers, I put my name, and wrote Chacala, Nayarit, for my address. It felt good.

From Patzcuaro to Guadalajara to Chacala

The bus ride back home, from Patzcuaro to Chacala, was mostly interesting and okay. The downside was the road from Patzcuaro almost to Zamora was pretty uncomfortable for about two or three hours. Very, very curvy, and going up, up, up, and down, down, down. It was the middle of the night, and there were many abrupt, brake slamming, near stops as the driver came up on slower vehicles as we went around corners, or tried to pass on a curve and met a bus coming the other way. Very exciting. Children were vomiting and packages and cartons were flying around.

It was impossible to leave your seat to go to the bathroom, because you would be thrown all around. But nobody was trying to leave their seats anyway, becaue the aisle was waist high with cartons of food and various items for sale. Mostly straw and wool woven items.

When I arrived at the Patzcuaro bus terminal about 9:30om, I had a two hour wait. After spending some time re-packing, so that when they wanted to put my rolling pack under the bus I would be okay, I was looking around for something to do. Then one of the bus ticket sellers wanted to practice his English on me. He was from Colima and told me all about how wonderful it is. Finally, after using the toilet, which was free (no water to flush with and no toilet paper, but lovely toilet seats) because the bathroom lady guard had gonebhome, I wandered outside to where the buses arrive.

I was amazed. There were about 40 old Indio ladies (looked old anyway) and a few younger ones and a couple of men, and about 200 or 300 hundred containers of all kinds of food and god knows what. Apparently half the women/vendors were going to markets in Mexico City and the other half were coming with us to Guadalajara. When the bus finally arrived the ladies and their helpers and the bus baggage people spent about 45 minutes cramming everything under the bus. And then, after we were all seated, they filled the aisles with whatever was left over. Glad I went to the bathroom before we left, because there was no way to get to the back of the bus.

I loved watching the ladies organizing up the loading. They all seemed to be tiny, wearing many layers of skirts and shawls (rebozos). While we were waiting for the bus the ladies were mostly curled up on the cement floor, sleeping on blankets next to their piles of sales mechandise. Some were embroidering and other were visiting or doing child-care. Two of the ladies sat next to me on the bus, and kept smiling at me. We shared a bag of cookies, and they went to sleep. They didn't wake up until we reached Guadalajara. The mom and little girl behind me were among the vomiters, which wasn't pleasant.

It was sweet to see how quietly everyone (almost all women) worked together to load the bus. No loud discussion, just quietly organizing and stowing things away. And when the vomiting began, no one made a fuss and then was no loud talking. People just helped each other clean things up, sharing toilet paper and plastic bags to deal with things. I guess everyone expected the vomiting, because everyone seemed to be prepared.

When we got to Guadalajara I was the first person off, since I was sitting right behind the driver. A perfect location for observing the driver's daredevil driving style. Sitting there, I had a chance to prepare myself for the brake slamming because I could see the trouble coming. Other people didn't have that opportunity, and there were some pretty loud thumps and crashes in the back.

I was hurrying to catch the 5:00 bus to Las Varas (which was four Modules (little terminals) away, so I didn't get to see the unloading process. But I bet it was just as quietly and politely managed as the loading process.

I love how people here just quietly take care of business. No one much fusses about waiting or changes or whatever. They just keep and eye on what's going on, and chat and visit and sew or whatever while thet're waiting for whatever it is. Nice accepting attitude, one I am trying to adopt. With some success.