On my way back to Oaxaca from the coast, I learned the dry season in Oaxaca can be from October to June, July, or August, though rain used to arrive more typically in April. That’s way longer than the dry season in Peten, Guatemala, where I worked as an intern for many months in the 90s, though made me wonder if it’s expanded there, too. A very kind Coca Cola rep I met on the plane had mentioned that water was critically short in the region. Many homes depend on delivery of water via truck, pumping water to rooftops for gravity feeds.
One reason the streets are filled with flowering trees is that they tend to bloom during the dry season. And in the central part of historic Oaxaca, many blind musicians also add their music.
I had hoped you might see the fruit vendor on the left better. Visitors sometimes worry about buying street food, but I was very thirsty and got some mango. When she accepted money and gave change she put on a plastic sleeve so her hands would not get dirty. Like in Thailand and Cambodia, they sprinkle chile and salt on a lot of fresh fruit. I assumed it would be hot chile and usually declined but she explained there were hot (spicey) and mild, so I tried with mild. The chile and salt combo was sooooo delicious with the mango pieces that practically melted in my mouth!!!I meant to ask where he was from, as this sounded like Andean music to me. He’s playing a famous song I learned while traveling in Michoacán with friends Carol, Kim, and Susan to see the overwintering monarch butterflies. It’s called La Llorona (Weeping Woman), a tragic love story of deep sorrow and regret.
While at the Contemporary Art Museum earlier, we met an American, Jim, who spends much of each year traveling in the Americas. It was a stroke of luck because he explained I needed to buy my bus ticket in advance. So I rushed off to do so (later learned I could have gone online to purchase, but I enjoyed the walk through a new part of town and got the 2nd or 3rd last seat for the next morning—phew!).
I caught up with Anita and Dave at the Museum of Oaxacan Painters, another lovely gallery. I’m sorry I didn’t capture the artist info for the painting above. These are by J. C. Edgar Before heading to our favorite seafood restaurant, we visited the main square where Anita found a beautiful top, I found a lizard, and Dave found a fabulous ficus tree. The next morning took me by some new murals as I made my way to the bus station. This refers to the tragic killing of protestors in 2016 supporting teachers. An ice cream stand…art everywhere.
Wild Bee Plantings 