Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- Santiago de Cuba- May 22, 2011

We are almost in a different country.  More tropical, more laid back, more color, seemingly less dilapidated infrastructure.  Lovely.  Saturday began with the flight from Havana to Santiago in an old Soviet plane.  Uneventful except for the steam that rose from the floor as we gathered speed for takeoff.  Apparently totally normal for Soviet planes (something to do with how the AC works), and a bit of a shock as it looked a lot like smoke.   Santiago is on the coast, in the south and east of Cuba, almost as close to Haiti as Havana is to Cuba. In Santiago we have four or five cars and their drivers, plus Oscar and Raul.  All greet us at the airport.  Oscar and Raul are very involved with the culture and history of Santiago and the Caribbean, and we learned a lot over the course of the day.  Santiago is the second oldest city in Cuba, founded in 1511.  They are proud to be the "cradle of independence," first for the was of independence from Spain, and later for the revolution.  The beautiful mountains around the city are the sierras where Fidel et al hung out between 1953 and 1959.  Son  and bolero originate in Santiago, and this weekend is the conclusion of Cuba Disco, something like the Cuban Grammies.

After checking into our Soviet-era hotel, we went to El Morro a huge 1630 fort on a hill overlooking the ocean and the bay. First lunch on a terrace overlooking the ocean, then (for those of us still standing- remember we left the hotel at 4:30 a.m.), a tour of the fort.   At the end of the war of independence (1898), the American fleet picked off the Spanish fleet one by one as they came out of the Santiago harbor.  This and the history of piracy are explained in the museum within the walls of the fort.  Back to the hotel for a quick shower, then we walk to Casa de Caribe for a special performance (just for us) of Orfeum, a truly spectacular choir.  As we walked in, they were lined up singing on both sides of the entrance hall.  A total surprise, and so beautiful Mary and I were both in tears.  Even as I write, it happens again.
After the concert we learn about Casa de Caribe.  Raul is an anthropologist and does his work here.  It's a center for the study of the Caribbean, with a particular focus on African culture and history.  Then we walk on to San Juan Hill.   On the way, I used my not so good Spanish to tell Raul about Buckey O'Neil and the Prescott connection to San Juan Hill.  Raul announces that Antonia is moved to be at San Juan Hill, where the Mayor of her City gave his life for the cause of Cuban independence from Spain, and as it turns out, I am.  We find Buckey's name on the plaques listing the fallen, and wonder if this might be the first visit from Prescott in over 50 years.

Dinner in a rooftop palador, a long walk through the street festival that is part of Cuba Disco, then we fall into bed, ready I hope for today.  First a dance lesson (yikes!), later music and more music.

I love it here.

Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- Santiago de Cuba- Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Much has happened since last we spoke.  In fact it feels like weeks since we first met up in Miami.   Sunday started with the dance lesson- salsa and son, although to be frank, I didn't notice when we switched.  Perhaps that's the point where it started to seem I truly do have two left feet.  The count for both is 1-2-3 5--6-7, and I was doing well (for me) on the basics, up through alone, together, open, closed, turn.  Then they added changing sides and it all fell apart.  Oh well.  The dance lesson was in a part of Santiago where many French Haitians settled after the Haitian revolution around 1800.  We passed by a police station that was attacked by revolutionaries in 1956 to distract authorities from Fidel's landing in the Grama, and also by the oldest house in Cuba, slept in (if I heard right) by Cortes on his way to Mexico and DeSoto on his way to Florida.  After lunch at another rooftop palador where we are the first guests from the United States, on to a performance of Tomba Francaise.  This comes from slave times in Cuba and combines African drums and rhythms with French planter dress and even a maypole dance.  There are only three tomba francaise societies left.  Wonderful, and you'll have to wait for the photos.

Speaking of photos, my camera is down for the count (rain!), and its possible there will be none after yesterday afternoon.  Yesterday we drove to Palma, a vilage 45 minutes from Santiago.  Shared the highway with horses, ox carts, bicycles, and eventually arrived at a small house where we sat for a while as the saint spoke with Ariana.  Yes, this was the home of a voodoo priest and the rest of the morning was spent in and out of the temple (a very small windowless shed) in the backyard (think barnyard) of the home.  The ceremony had something to do with healing and involved anointing with some aromatic oil, candles, ashes, much ritual and ceremonial drinking of rum mixed with herbs, from bottles that had been buried in the ground.  An old priest with the feel of the Dalai Lama and a younger priest who seemed to be possessed by the saints.  Or maybe it was something else entirely.    As we take our leave of the saint, at one point the older priest is smoking a pipe with the bowl in his mouth and the younger is pouring rum in his ears. Hot and overwhelming, yet also benign and tranquil.  Not at all scary or creepy.

At one point most of us sat in the barnyard and learned a bit about what this group was doing.  It involves turning 45 hectares of land into an agricultural center in harmony with the teachings of voodoo. It is at the confluence of two rivers. There is a beautiful design that will theoretically be visible from the air sometime in the future.  After lunch we hiked to the land to plant avocado seedlings.  The land at present is a mile from any road, and you need to cross one of the rivers before climbing up on the mesa.  So far it has been cleared and a rough lean-to erected.  Much time is spent using a measuring tape to decide where our seedlings will go.  as this is happening it begins to rain, first a drizzle, then a major downpour with thunder and lightning, all of which is crashing and flashing very close.    General joy among the Cubans, as this is the first rain in a long time, the earth is very dry, and until now, any water has been hauled up by hand. Plus it is an indication that the ceremony has gone well.  A blessing.  Mixed reactions from our group.

Inches of rain continue to fall (hence the now useless camera) and we eventually make our way off the hill, slipping and sliding down the now extremely muddy trail.  At some point, several young boys greet us with great excitement.  I hear ariba and am sure a flash flood is coming, as it surely would in Arizona.  Once they slow down I realize they are saying they have helped the man with the beard and glasses across the river and up.  They help us as well, and we are eventually back across the now waist deep river and making a dripping parade through town.  Definitely a source of entertainment for the locals.  Back at the house we drip on the porch until one of the guys returns with a selection of dry clothes.  Amazing generosity.  We return to the hotel looking like campesinos, and are warmly greeted by the hotel staff. 

Actually we return minus Ariana and Debbie, who have stayed for a last-minute offering of fire eating and breaking of glass on tongues that Ariana promises will be truly amazing, largely thanks to the obvious success of the day's ceremony.  They guys have come "down from the mountains" to perform for us.  Tempting and it has already been a very full day, and showers and dinner call.  Photographer Debbie will have photos.

Today will be more pedestrian. Artists studios at 10 a.m.

Toni

MT Retirement Road Trip- Week 2- June 23, 2013

Week 2 took us from Sebastopol CA to Grants Pass OR, via Mendocino, many redwood parks, the "Lost Coast," and bits of the southern Oregon coast. It included many long, steep, winding trips back and forth across various coastal ranges. We've now followed the redwoods through their current range (Big Sur to southern Oregon). We've been practicing a 21st century version of "living off the land," sourcing our food and drink locally as much as possible. This has included wineries, microbreweries, a wood-fired brandy distillery (!), farmers markets and natural food stores, and a gift of fresh-caught salmon and perch. The week was dominated by a for-us off-screen event, the Granite Mountain (aka Doce) fire in Prescott. Although my sister's and parents' neighborhoods were evacuated, no homes burned, and last night Niki and Steve were finally able to go home. We're now heading for the Appegate Valley, where we hope to refill our empty wine "cellar."

Week 2 Photos

MT Retirement Road Trip- We are in British Columbia!- July 22, 2013

Spent last night on the bank of Johnstone Creek. Sleeping in the van, it sounded like we were over the creek. On towards Nelson today.

Border crossing/customs much simpler than we had been told. Three questions. Alcohol? Tobacco? Firearms? The guard was more interested in our relationship (How do you know each other? We're married.) than in Toby.

While in Canada, we'll only be doing email and Facebook when we have WiFi, as we do now at a coffee place in Greenwood, home of "the world's best municipal water." It won a prize. Will sample soon.

Expecting to spend the next week or two exploring the Kootenay Rockies.

At this moment, I could continue on the road forever. Life is good. 

Love, Toni

P.S. Photo is of Blue Lake in the Northern Cascades. Loved that area and the Methow Valley.

MT Retirement Road Trip- Where in the world are Toni & Mary?, or Whatever happened to Road Trip Week 5?- July 16, 2013

We find ourselves on the bank of the Hoh River. A doe and two fawns just swam across. Last night it was an elk. Reluctantly preparing to depart for Neah Bay and Cape Flattery, northwestern-most point in the lower 48.

Wonderful 10 days with no opportunity to work with photos. Just smartphone posts to Facebook. May attach photo of our current camp (with elk) here. Portland, Mt Saint Helens, Olympia, Duckabush, Hoh Rain Forest. "Wow!"  is becoming an overused expression.

Hope to be in B.C. by Sunday, meaning communications will depend on public WiFi. I may go into smartphone withdrawal. Should emerge in Montana sometime in early August.

Weather has been spectacular, and I think our NW friends would rather we kept that a secret.

Love to all, Toni

MT Retirement Road Trip- Week 4- July 7, 2013

Week 4 Photos

Week 4 was an odd mix of pain and pleasure.  We left Fourmile Lake and visited the Newberry Caldera on our way to a rendezvous on the Metolius River with friends Trip and Melinda.  While hiking the Trail of the Molten Land, we learned of the horrific deaths of the 19 Prescott Hotshots. We are still struggling to comprehend this tragedy.  Meanwhile life on the Metolius, which springs full grown from the rocks a couple miles above where we were camped, was glorious. I felt sweetly suspended in time. Eventually we moved on to the busy Columbia River Gorge, and are now in Oregon City with friends Wes and Ginger. Today Portland, tomorrow Olympia (via Mt St Helens).  Love to all.

MT Retirement Road Trip- Week 3- June 29, 2013

We headed inland to the Grants Pass area, where we enjoyed a lovely day of wine-tasting in the Applegate Valley. After getting the fridge fixed in Brookings, we visited the Oregon Caves National Monument, took the chilly but fascinating 1 1/2 tour, then camped nearby. Headed to the Rogue River, where we took a great hike to Rainie Falls and watched rafting parties descend the fish ladder. Most rafts had dogs!  After a too-quick visit to Ashland, we headed into the Cascades, where we have spent the last few days camped on the shore of Fourmile Lake, escaping the record heat in the valleys.  Today we took a day trip to Crater Lake.  Wow!  Currently ensconced in the lodge lobby.  Once we're through with their WiFi, we'll head back to Fourmile.  Tomorrow we'll resume our slow progress north- Bend, Sisters, the Metolius River, Columbia River Gorge and Portland.

On our trip so far, cell phone coverage has been spotty at best. One or two bars of Verizon wireless 3G are even more rare. Wireless like you have at home or Starbucks, good luck! So it's easiest to take cellphone photos and post them to Facebook. Means you non-Facebook folks miss out on a lot of photos and commentary. And so it goes. Today we had lunch in the lodge at Crater Lake (the doorman graciously offered to mind Toby), then used their wireless to transfer photos from camera to laptop to you. Ran out of battery before I could add captions. Sorry!

Week 3 photos

MT Retirement Road Trip- Week 1- June 15, 2013

The link below (Road Trip Week 1) should bring you to 16 photos from week 1 of our big road trip.  You don't need to join Facebook to view the album.  We're in Sebastopol one more night, then on to points north.  Map study later today.  Love, Toni

Road Trip Week 1

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- Photos and Video- May 30, 2011

At this moment, these albums contain a total of 400 photos and videos.  Classic cars for the classic car folks, a bit of agriculture for the urban garden folks, murals for the Mural Mice, and lots of music, dance and art.   You'll see there is lots more to Cuba than classic cars, patriotic posters and the Buena Vista Social Club.  Enjoy!

Havana

More Havana (Tropicana and rumba!) and a bit of Santiago de Cuba

Santiago de Cuba (includes San Juan Hill) and Palma Soriano

more Santiago de Cuba and El Cobre (the cell phone shots)

I know a lot of the photos are blurred.  Cuba moved too fast for my camera.  At places like the Tropicana, the blur of color feels just right.

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- Musica de Cuba- May 19, 2011

This one's from Mary.  TK

Hey Folks

Toni put the email group together so you'll recieve this from her. Ayer (Wed
5/18) es todo de mucisc, all about music. We followed up on Tues afternoon's
concert of Septet Habenero at THE recording studio in Cuba with a visit to a
music school. Toni's email will have the details. For me the lesson about
"clave" was eye-opening. Clave is not just the instrument (2 hardwood sticks)
but more about the internal rhythm of most Cuban music until the 1980's (jazz is
the exception). Pereuchin, a pianist and comtemporary composer and educator, has
devised a method for teaching clave, and believe me learning clave is not easy,
even for young Cuban musicians. His demonstration was followed by a performance
of one of the school's "musica popular" ensembles. Boy could those kids play! It
was a joy to watch! More in Toni's email, I'm sure. After lunch, we went to a
rehearsal of an up-and-coming pianist/composer--Jorege Luis Pacheco. He, like
many young Cuban musicians is from a musical family. He has a trio with a
bassist and drummer, both of whom were extraordinary. The bass guy, David, spoke
wonderful English and in addition to translating for Pacheco and our Cuban
guide, Sonya, also engaged us in thoughtful discussions about the music.
Specifically, one of our group, a pianist from New Orelean (Tom) asked about
"timba" the genre that follows, chronologically, Cuban son (what we all think of
when we think Cuban). Again, I think Toni will cover this but my two cents:
Cubans have evolved without the influence of the outside world, but they are
hungary for those new sounds. Pacheco & David and Anyel (drummer) talked about
soaking up whatever they could from any source--trascribing the music from CDs,
paying high cover charges to see foreign musicians, etc. They had an opportunity
to rehearse with Wynton Marsalis when he was here in Cuba (last year?) and you
could tell it was a big deal. It made me realize, not for the first time, that I
am an amateur in every sense of the word, and still have lots to learn. However,
one way that I could totally identify was ensemble music as communication and
group building. Pacheco and trio were clearly friends and could intuit what one
another was going to do, to signal each other what to do. I've had some
experience with that, and know it's wonderful. It was marvelous to witness the
joy these young jazz musicians were experiencing as they "rehearsed." More some
other time. Breakfast calls! Love, MT

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- make her stop!- May 28, 2011

Sorry, and I keep wanting to tell you more.

In Cuba we went wherever we wanted and talked to whomever we wanted. The airport transitions, both coming and going, were where it got a bit tricky. Think of it as popping through the wardrobe into Narnia and back.

We are now in limbo, somewhere between the world of Cuba and the world of home.  Not knowing just when our charter flight would arrive or how long it would take us to get through homeland security, our little group had opted for an overnight in Miami.  Not only did this turn out to be unnecessary, our pre-Cuba planning had not gone beyond reserving rooms at the airport Hampton Inn.  So we find ourselves in that could-be-anywhere-in-the-U.S. terrain of strip malls, chain stores and eateries, parking lots, many lanes of traffic, etc.  After lunch in a Cuban restaurant (across the street and acres of the first parking lot we have seen in two weeks), we are unable to coalesce on any direction (all of which would involve expensive cab rides), and and barely leave the hotel.  In retrospect we could have rented a car and zipped off somewhere lovely and away, and it's all fine. 

Our last afternoon in Cuba we visited Cobre, home of the Vigin de la Caridad,  one of the spots pilgrims visit, make offerings, etc.  She was found floating on the water in 1611 by three men in a boat (all named Juan) who brought her back to the mining town of Cobre.  Because she is mulatto and because the men were of different colors, she synchronizes with Oshun, the Santeria spirit associated with fresh water.  All a bit of mystery to me, and I guess that's the point.  Bear in mind that Santeria and voodoo have totally different African origins, i.e. the enslaved people who brought them to Haiti and Cuba came from different tribes and different parts of the African continent. 

Cobre was most interesting to me because it was in a beautiful setting and because of the history of the cimarrons (or in English maroons), the enslaved peoples who worked in horrible conditions in the copper mines and eventually freed themselves and formed their own communities in this area.  In 1997 a monument to universal human liberty was erected on a hillside here.  It's by Lescay Merencio, the same sculptor who created the monument we so admired in Santiago.  More rain, and we return to Santiago for the final dance class.  Mike and I retreat to the Casa de Traduciones, a local traditional music venue, where we find Raul and one of our drivers working on a bottle of rum.  Oscar soon joins them.

I think Mary has just written up the rest of the afternoon, and it is now time to check out and move slowly on towards home.

Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- last music in Cuba- May 28, 2011

This one's from Mary.  TK

Our airport hotel has free internet so you'll have to "suffer through" two last

emails. Toni will give you the activites for our last day. I'll tell you about
our last evening. As we've mentioned, one of our group is a pianist from New
Orleans, Tom McDermott, who loves Cuban and Brazilian music (my kind of guy!)
and was soaking up everything he could about the Cuban rhythms. Oscar, one our
Cuban guides in Santiago (Toni will explain more about him), arranged for Tom to
do a free concert for the different Santiago groups we've been visiting this
week. For a venue, he secured the birthplace of one of Cuban's national poets
(sorry, forgot to get the name), which is now a museum. Like most Cuban and
Latin American houses, this was built around an internal courtyard and that's
where the piano was. The house was 19th century and Tom specializes in
traditional New Orleans jazz and before, so a perfect setting. Tom choose
Spanish, Cuban, and New Orleans composers/ songwriters (eg.g.Domino, Jelly Roll
Morton),and did them in roughly chronological order, introducing each song in
Spanish first then English. It was a wonderful mini-overview of what we've been
hearing (minus the drums). Our dance instructors, Willian and Belkis,
and several of their students, i.e. our dance partner-teachers attended, along
with some other musicians. Tom's concert was wonderful and folks in Prescott may
get to see him in June when we comes through town. But the big surprise was that
Oscar had also arranged for the members of a Santiago saxaphone quartet to come
and they did several songs after Tom's set, including one habenero (dance tune)
that they convinced Tom to improvise with them on piano. For me, this
mini-concert, and particularly this improvised collaboration, sums up the
musical relationships between Cuban and American music. The influence has been
back and forth for centuries and I just know that once Cuban and American
musicians/dancers/artists have freer access to each other, there will be amazing
results. So fitting that our last music demonstrated this perfectly.

We all (including Ariana, Ocsar, & Raul) returned to our favorite palador for
our last dinner. Again, a fitting end. Our travel yesterday back to Miami was
basically uneventful, customs-wise, and we leave soon for the flight to Phoenix.
It's been a fantastic experience and I'm glad we've had the opportunities to
share as we go. Toni's photos will follow eventually. And for those who want to
hear the variety of CDs we've acquired, I'll figure out a way to circulate them
or have a listening party! Hasta luego. MT

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- extracurricular thoughts- May 26, 2011

Some things I've missed-

Street vendors- Just like in Porgy and Bess, vendors from the country still roam the streets singing out their wares-  honey in re-purposed plastic bottles, oranges in horse-drawn carts. 

Micro garage sales- This morning Mary and I wandered around for a couple of hours.  When I told a taxi driver no thanks, we're walking, he replied, ah, the exercise of all of Cuba! On busy streets it seems almost every home has a little "garage sale" going  on the front stoop.  Everyone we pass is carrying something- a bag of groceries, an alternator, a cake. 

La economia- Some days ago I asked Oscar what a sign like "la revolucion continua con Fidel" means today, 50+ years after. Oscar says people believe in the revolution and what it has meant for the Cuban people - health, social security, an end to racism, etc.- and the economy is a problem.  Older people may feel they have sacrificed too much for the revolution, yet nobody want to go back to how things were.  In Oscar's opinion, the very centralized government stifles creativity and creative thought, and therefore is not good for the economy.  Like Lucila in Havana, he envisions a social democracy along the lines of the Scandinavian countries. 

Still confusing to me is how the 21st century economy works.  Raul tells me el commandante has eliminated the sugar industry, and Cuba now imports sugar.  Raul is distressed at this loss of cultural heritage.  Then there is the dual currency- Cuban pesos for most Cubans and CUCs for foreigners and the people who serve them.  That appears to create a privileged class of service workers who have access to the goods and services CUCs can buy.  My afternoon project is to be in Oscar's car and hope to learn more about Cuba's economy, both how it works and how it doesn't.

Internet card is running out.  Photos next week. If you have specific questions about Cuba (or about CubaNOLA, the organization under whose auspices we are travelling), just ask.  I'll do my best.

Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Report- Cuba- Mas de musica de Cuba- May 26, 2011

This one's from Mary. TK

As we were sending and checking email last night, we could hear music from the

hotel bar. So afterwards, we joined one of our group, Tom the New Orleans
pianist, to listen to this low-keyed but competent quintet do a selection of
standards from all over the Americas. Four of the guys sang and when they did
4-part harmony, it was beautiful. Not as powerful as Orfeon, but evocative
nonetheless. Their rendition of Michelle (Paul McCartney) was the most creative
I've ever heard. They had somehow realized that Tom was a pianist and requested
that he play a few tunes. The result was he and the quintets pianist have a
music date on Fri to compare notes. This might have been our last Cuban music,
unless we go out to a club this evening. But given early morning trip to airport
and the fact that music here starts around 10/11 pm, I doubt it. There is a plan
for Tom to do a concert for all the Cubans we've been going to see. He's good
and may come to Prescott later this summer (watch the Library events). But I
think that the more interesting part will be who of the groups we've seen here
will come to his concert (as he says most free concerts are sold out!). It'll be
a great way to say good-bye to folks.


This morning we walked back to the San Juan Hill monument. Bird-watching and
great normal-life street activity to observe. The birding has not been great
because of being in cities most of the time. Still, I've added 6 or so new
species to my list. I'll get another chance when we go out of Santiago to the
famous cathedral. One other observation before I run out of internet time:
Because pedestrians do not have the right of way in Cuba, you practice defensive
street crossing instead of defensive driving! Luckily I got my training in New
York City! Next email likely from Prescott unless the airport hotel in Miami has
easy access. See you all soon. MT

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- Santiago de Cuba - May 25, 2011 #2

Santiago de Cuba continues to delight.  To my surprise, this morning's visit to a rehearsal of Danza del Caribe, the modern dance company of Santiago, may well be the highlight of the trip.  The troupe rehearses in what appears to be the backstage of the auditorium where we attended the Cubadisco event some nights ago. Very young dancers guided by their director Eduardo Rivero.  I have never seen dancing like this- achingly beautiful, emotionally wrenching, totally engaging, amazingly athletic, and all within a few feet of us.  After the rehearsal/performance, Eduardo sat and talked with us about his life, how he selects and trains the dancers, and whatever else we wanted to know.  Several of the pieces were originally created and choreographed by others.  He puts his stamp on them.  Likewise moves originally from Martha Graham or Alvin Ailey.  Adding the Afro Cuban feel.  Before the talk Eduardo was a bit like my grandmother Gina prefacing a dessert with an explanation of why it wasn't quite right.  In this case, one dancer was out with a toothache, another just back from an Australian vacation that involved too much eating, some of the boys and girls are very new to the troupe, etc, etc.

On to a Santeria ceremony.  Santeria is very different from the voodoo we participated in at Palmas.  The Santeria spirits are more synchronized with Christianity, and I believe we will understand this better when we visit the la Virgin de la Caridad in El Cobre tomorrow.  Lots of drumming, offerings, etc. All in the home of Maruchi, who later served us dinner in her lovely patio.  I bailed on dance class and stuck around for the conclusion of the Santeria ceremony.  It was all very informal with much wandering in and out.  

This may well be my last missive before we fly out Friday morning.  Perhaps Mary will expand more on la musica. Hope you haven't received too much communication from us.  If we overwhelmed with too much information, feel free to delete unread

Love to all, Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reorts- Cuba- Santiago de Cuba- May 25, 2011

Tuesday was a lovely day.  A morning of visits to artists' studios, "studio" here generally meaning the home of the artist.  We visited Botalin, Aguiglera, Lincoln Camue, Jorge Jacas and four younger artists who brought their canvases to the home of one.  We were surprised to see that artist's two young daughters at home on a school day.  His wife said they were home because of the rain (light drizzle on and off all day).  Oscar explained this in Santiago many parents don't want their children to walk to school in the rain and possibly catch cold.  Although we loved the Santiago landscapes of Botalin, our favorite was the ceramicist Jacas.  We bought some cappuccino cups and have hopes of raising funds to bring an amazing wall piece to the library as an intercambio cultural (or cultural exchange).  After lunch on to Conga las Ollas, a neighborhood drum group that has been in existence for over a 100 years.  They are more geared to parade (as in carnival) than performance, and it was an impressive wall of sound that included brake drums used as an instrument and something called a Chinese whistle that looks much like a toy trumpet.  On to dance lesson #2, a surprise to most of us, and it appears we will have two more before flying back to Miami on Friday.  Although I am still struggling, I believe I showed much improvement.  Other than staying on the beat (1-2-3 5-6-7) and learning to wiggle my shoulders (hopeless!), the sweet young men have to keep reminding me "the man is the boss."  Freed from the camera, I take photos with my eyes and the occasional cell phone shot.  Too bad as the drizzly day made for lovely color and the street scenes were indescribably beautiful to me.  Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- short addition to Monday's email- May 25, 2011

This one's from Mary.  TK

One extra treat--music, of course. At lunch on Tues--the rooftop palador

lunch--we had a concert by one of the Orfeon singers accompanied by a young
guitarist. She was one of the altos and had brought me to tears, literally, with
her rendition of Gracias a la Vida. Such emotion. She did a selection of
romantic standards and the guitarists did a couple of solo pieces, including one
from the famous Brazilian composer, Antonio Carlos Joabim. Nice interpretation.
Most interesting,however, was his guitar. It was an electric guitar with nylon
strings! No body to resonate the sound, just the outline of the guitar body.
I've never seen anything like it! He played it through an amp, just like any
electric, but it sounded and played like a classical. Cuban made. Who says
they're behind technologically? Not when it comes to music!


The Santeria drumming group we saw yesterday, in contrast, was raw beat. Toni
will probably tell you more. I am enjoying the dance lessons and the head guy
keeps assigning me me the more-experienced male students--who are are real
teachers. It's his method and it's working, especially for Toni! Almost out of
internet. Until tomorrow. MT

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- Mas de musica de Cuba- May 19, 2011

This one's from Mary.  TK

More on yesterday's music, particularly about timba. In thinking about what

David (bass player) said about the economic conditions giving rise to the "more
aggressive" sounds and improvisation of timba, I realized that the best analogy
was to bee bop in the US. For us, Afro American jazz musicians were expressing
their anger, frustration and general "we aren't going to take it anymore"
attitude through the stridence and dissonance of their music. But unlike punk,
another musical reaction/ expression to hard times, bee bop and timba are
complex musical expressions in comparison to the simplistic, 3-chords music of
punk. So the young jazz players (who don't specialize in timba) are aware of and
building on the feeling of timba while they explore the jazz idioms.


The music of today was going to a recording studio where a trumpet-player friend
of Ariana (our tour organizer) was mixing his new CD. Looked state of the art to
me, but then it's been awhile since I've recorded. He, too, was experimenting
with combining different genres--Cuban son with Brazilian with big-band jazz.
His was a softer, more "classical" sound, i.e. he was using classical horn,
woodwind and string instruments. The vocalist was absolutely stunning (vocally
that is--we didn't see her), reminiscent of Sarah Vaughn and some Brazilian
female singers whose names I can't remember. Again, there ws a clear Cuban
"feel"--wish I could explain that in words better--but not what we think of in
the Guantanamera/Buena Vista Social Club way. So enough of musings! Today was
mostly about artists, which Toni (I hope) will cover. We've acquired many
CDs--helping the local economy in our humanitarian mission! So here will need to
be a serious listening party for those of you who are music afficiandos! I see
that my internet time is running low, so off to the Tropicana. Yes, THAT
Tropicana! It's kitch but it's a historic institution in Cuba and a better deal
than Vegas. And it's under the stars, open air. More on that another time. Love
to all. MT

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- Last Day in Havana- May 20, 2011

We went to the beach this afternoon!  Only four of us, plus Lucila and another Cuban friend of Ariana's.  We were about 20 miles east of Havana.  Beautiful turquoise water, a nice breeze, and a lovely break from the city.  Had a wonderful conversation with Lucila about her 50+ post-revolution years.  Lucila was 16 in 1959.  When her family left for Miami, she stayed because she believed in the revolution.  Lucila was a professor of philosophy at the university until her department was closed when they strayed from Marxism as seen by the authorities.  What is fascinating to me is that she was able to switch fields and to this day is still a professor, only now of sustainable design and the like. Lucila's daughter is a psychoanalyst in Paris, and she visits her there every year.

After our return, we went back to the studio we visited on Tuesday.  We were greeted like old friends and everyone was clearly delighted to see us back. This time it was rumba- very AfroCuban with lots or drums, dancing, call and response.   This particular version of rumba is also very sexually charged and the dance was amazing.  My last internet card is running out and we meet in the lobby at 4:30 a.m. tomorrow.  We here security on Cuban planes is even tighter than in the U.S.

More from Santiago (in eastern Cuba)  if our hotel has internet.   Can't wait to share photos, video clips and all the wonderful CDs we have purchased.

Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- Havana- May 19, 2011

Today was more art than music.  We visited three artists' studios, each different, young and in their homes.  I'm searching for words, and the art was interesting, original, pleasing to the eye and intellectually informed with very sophisticated social commentary.  Better viewed through the photos you will will be able to see in a couple of weeks.   In an interlude between artists' studios, we visited a rather post recording studio- Abdala- where Yasek Mansano, at young trumpet player friend of Ariana's, is finishing up a CD featuring Janet Valdez. Yasik played us a couple of cuts and talked about what he is doing with his music.  Their names are worth remembering, both for the quality of the music, and because Yasik will be teaching at Stanford this summer, and if he tours and if you have the opportunity to hear him, you should.

Lunch was at a Palador called Cocina de Liliam.  Liliam is the chef and the paladors is in her home.  As I understand it, paladors are a growing part of the Cuban economy, and only lately have been required (or perhaps allowed) to pay into the social security system for their employees (mostly family members).  This was our best food to date in Cuba- delicious, beautifully presented, with lots of color and flavor.  All the tables were in lovely patios around the house.  People warned us not to expect much of Cuban food.  This was a restaurant I would visit a lot if it were in Prescott! 

I've been curious about how access to information (my stock in trade) works in Cuba.  Here's my understanding of the moment.  There is an isolation from U.S. books and music, more because of the infrastructure (and perhaps the blockade) than because of censorship on the part of the Cuban authorities.  If people have internet at home, it's dial-up and hardly suited to downloading music or books.  Hotel internet costs six CUCs (a little more than $6) an hour and is well out of the reach of most Cubans.  If you come to Cuba, a good gift might be a flash drive with lots of memory for transferring information and music.

A quick side note- We've seen a couple of large urban gardens, maybe community gardens, maybe truck farms, and Lucila said Cubans who have space to grow, do.  

Tonight five of us have reservations for the show at the Tropicana.  Kind of a splurge and who knows when we will have another opportunity to see the show that inspired the big Las Vegas reviews.  Tomorrow some free time, then the beach east of Havana.  Saturday we leave the hotel at 5 a.m. for our flight to Santiago de Cuba.

Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- Havana- May 19, 2011

The hotel has just two computers, so it can be hard to find one free when I am also free. As Mary and I (and most of the group!) eschewed the 1 a.m. music event, I can make use of a lull in internet use. Since last we spoke, life has been packed.  The mysterious afternoon event became a visit to EGREM, the recording studio where Buena Vista Social Club was recorded in 1996. We hung out and waited for

Arghh! A stuck backspace key just ate most of my communique!

the Septeto Habanero (Havana Septet).  They were founded in 1926 and have played continuously since then.  Of course there have been a few changes to the group's configuration.  The rest of the audience in the small patio performance area seemed to know each other, and felt like a mix of musicians and friends.  A table near us worked through a bottle or two of rum as they made their own Cuba Libres.  Their version used the rum like the gin in a martini, i.e. lots of rum and a splash of coke.  Mary worked through the catalog of EGREM recordings (very thick, as it is the state recording studio) and I people-watched. The septeto was fun and even had me thinking I might be able to dance!  Later those of us still standing went to a Chinatown restaurant for dinner called Tein Tan, then had a nightcap outside Hotel Inglaterra, where a group called Arena Viva was playing.  Fell into bed around midnight.

Wonderful as Tuesday was, Wednesday surpassed it.  Int he morning we loaded into taxis and headed out to the Conservatorio de Guillermo Tomas in Guanabacoa.  This is a music school, and it was packed with kids from 8 to18.  We were there for a "master class" offered by pianist Peruchin (Rodolfo Argudin Justiz).  He is a graduate of the conservatorio, and his daughter is a current student.  It's a public school, and like all education in Cuba, free.  Peruchin's focus was on the need for Cuban youth to learn the independence of rhythm in each hand, so that they could play a beat like the clave with one hand and something else with the other.  Mary can explain it better, and for me it was all wonderful- the instruction, the band of pros Peruchin assembled to perform for the kids, a performance by Tom (the New Orleans pianist in our group) and best of all, a performance by a group of kids calling themselves the Bon Bon Orchestra. Lots of photos and video will appear when we return.

The afternoon was a rehearsal by three talented young jazz musicians- Jorge Luis Pacheco, David Faya and Aniel Tamayo.  We were in the living room of Pacheco's family's house in Miramar, a neighborhood west of our hotel.  These guys loved to play, and loved to play together.  Their energy and communication were a joy to experience. At some point a long discussion ensued about the difference between son and timba, a form of Cuban music that developed after 1989, and was "influenced by social and economic conditions," presumably the hard times after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Lots to learn.  Those of you musically inclined will really need to hear from Mary.  An example- Faya explains the difference between how Cubans and Americans hear and play music.  "You hear one two three four.  We hear one two three four." 

On to a long drive around the city with Lucila, the woman who took us on the walking tour of Havana Vieja.  The further west we got, the more we could have been in San Diego or Westwood.  Very southern California, including the look and dress of the people we saw out walking and jogging.  Big and bigger homes. A world of difference from the poorer neighborhoods we have seen in previous wanderings. A stop at a park remnant of the original forests that surrounded Havana.  Turkey vultures settling into trees by the river that first drew the Spanish to found the city of Havana.

Enough for now.  I need breakfast before we set out on today's adventure.  In case you can't tell, we are having a fabulous time.  So much to see and hear and experience, and all of it nothing like I expected.  Hoping we encounter someone from whom I can learn more about how the Cuban economy works, recent history, etc.  It's a fascinating place.

Love, Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Cuba- Havana- May 17, 2011

It's 2:30 here, and we have just finished lunch (grilled shrimp over

sauteed vegetables and rice, washed down with a light Cuban beer).
Departure at 3 p.m. for an as-yet-undisclosed event.  This so far is
the style of our journey- information is dispersed as we need it, and
not a moment before.  Partly to reduce expectations and disappointment
(if, for example, the promised rehearsal fails to materialize), partly
to reduce wear and tear on Ariana's voice, and partly out of some
security concern on Ariana's part.  Be mindful, she warns.

Our hotel (Hotel Telegrafo) is well-located on the edge of Havana
Vieja and by Parque Central.  The rooms are quiet, despite the hustle
and bustle on the street below.  And yes, the bustle includes many
cars from the fifties serving as taxis and personal vehicles in the
21st century.  Also bicycle cabs and more contemporary not-American
vehicles.

Yesterday we arrived in time to change money into CUCs or chavitos
(equivalent to one Canadian dollar and the only currency used by
tourists), then have a lovely welcome lunch at Los Nardos, a
restaurant run by and Andalusian society as a training school for
waiters and chefs.  It's not completely clear to me how this works,
and these societies are able to obtain and deliver food with different
methods and lower prices than other restaurants.

After Monday's afternoon activity fell through, Mary and I spent hours
wandering the streets of old Havana (Havana Vieja), admiring
buildings, listening to music and mostly people watching.  We did it
all again later in the evening, the fell into bed at 11.  This after
getting up at 3:45 Monday morning to catch our charter flight from
Miami to Havana.

The Monday afternoon activity was rescheduled for this morning.  We
spent several hours wandering through Havana Vieja with Lucilla, a
professor of interior design at the University of Havana.  Learned
much about architecture in warm climates and restoration.  I was
mostly fascinated by the success of a project that began in the
eighties, when old Havana was a crumbling slum of collapsing
(literally!) tenements.  The end result, thanks in large part to
Lucilla's students, looks effortless.

New to me, and I'm sure not to anyone who pays attention to
restoration, was the concept that architects and designers make a
choice about which of many centuries to refer to in their restoration.
 Plazas and squares have been used differently in different times.
Interesting was thinking about how weather influences architecture,
particularly per-air conditioning architecture.  Interior spaces are
designed for air flow.  Also for nice transition from public to
private.

It's feeling like to time to gather and wait to leave.  Almost
everyone is here in the lobby.  Most frustrating to me with any group
is the inevitable wait for one or two stragglers.

Very fun and satisfying to be here.  Weather is wonderful- warm, not
hot, and breezy.  Forgot to mention a huge fort, the largest in the
Americas, protecting the Havana harbor, and last night's music at a
bar frequented by Hemingway for its mojitos- La Bodeguito del Medio.
Oh yes, I visited a public library with a bustling reading room at the
Plaza de Armas, the oldest square in Havana.

Until the next time, Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Egypt- Dreaming of Egypt- April 3, 2010

April 3, 2010

I'm still dreaming nightly of our amazing visit to Egypt.  Here are
links to PicasaWeb albums that break our three week trip into six
chronological segments:

Cairo

Western Desert

Luxor 

Dahabiya 

Abu Simel 

Giza 

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Egypt- Hello from Heathrow- March 23, 2010

Mar 22
Just went online and learned our Cairo to London flight is cancelled, meaning I can't book seats for our return trip.  We knew BA was on strike and had been told Tuesday was not a strike day. Unfortunately it appears most planes are back in London.  Will write more when I know more. Doubt BA plans to put us up in our Pyramid View rooms at Mena House.

March 23

Last night I was about to hit the send button when my time ran out!
We have arrived at terminal 5 and passed through multiple layers of
security.  It appears our flight is on!:

We have a flight to Heathrow on Egypt Air and boarding passes for the
Heathrow-Phoenix flight.  It may work out.  If not, we'll be in
London.  I may send a lengthier travelogue on Wednesday. Here at Mena
House, my 30 minute card is about out.

Today we returned to Islamic Cairo and visited the Citadel before a
visit to the fabulous Egyptian Museum. For lunch sugar cane juice and
a stuffed pigeon in the Khan El Kahlili.  You stuff them into your
mouth.  No silverware required.

Mama, we had dinner with our travel agent Khaled.  He looks just like
Uncle Gene!

Egypt will change your sense of human time in wonderful ways.
Consider a visit and consult with us.

Love to all, Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Egypt- life on the nile- March 16, 2010

me again.  i think it's Wednesday afternoon.  tea time on the

dahabiya.  then at 6 we leave the boat at Edfu to visit a temple.
perhaps it's the temple of horus.  the last few days incredibly lazy
and lovely, with today  the loveliest of loveliest.  given the
iffiness of this internet, i will start with the best.  after going to
bed in a terrible wind, with our two waiters struggling to serve a six
 course meal on the deck while first one, then two, then three tugs
tried to push our boat close to the shore.   lots of yelling and
running, and we thought of the titanic.  in the morning, a light
breeze and we are on the edge of yet another farmer's field.  the guys
start setting up breakfast in the middle of it- first tables, then
chairs, then tablecloths, etc. and eventually we descend the gangplank
and eat surrounded by children from the nearby village.  it has the
feel of surreal movie, so the talk is all of film until we go for a
walk through banana, mango, sugar cane, onions, dates, eventually
reaching the village, where we are surrounded by  the same kids and
invited into their homes by the mothers.  these are two or three-room
mud brick, no windows and a little "garden" in back with an oven for
bread, goats, turkeys, geese, etc.  back to the boat where the wind
finally allows the dahabiya to sail without assistance from the tug
(the usual state of affairs).  Perfect weather, and very  welcome
after days of somewhat oppressive heat. we read, nap, talk with our
fellow passengers- besides our group of eight, there are four friends
from England and Denmark, and another British couple.  By now we all
get on very well and have great conversation.  The American married to
a Dane was writing a book about Muslim feminism that is morphing into
a book about misogyny in all the religions of Abraham- Judaism,
Catholicism, Islam.  Papa, she graduated from Hollywood High and her
parents were screenwriters.  She thinks she knew Gina!  When we're not
eating or lounging on the upper deck- well that's pretty much what we
do.  life on the nile is endlessly fascinating.  yesterday we went
through a lock at Esna, then wandered through town where I bought a
cane for Mary.  other than breakfast in the  field, she has not left
the boat since we arrived Saturday.  the ankle is much better and she
plans to go ashore at Edfu.  there are worse places to be!  by now she
has knocked off most of the common birds of egypt and a few uncommon
ones as well.  tomorrow the crocodile temple at Kom Ombo, then on to
Aswan where I think we spend a couple of nights on the boat before
flying to Abu Simbel, then back to Cairo.  there's a British Airways
strike that may complicate our plans, and we'll worry about that in
Cairo.  life doesn't get much better.
Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Egypt- the dahabiya- March 14, 2010

Life is good on the Dahabiya.  Mary sprained her ankle at the Temple

of Hatsepshut and missed Karnak, an unbelievable site that took 2,000
years to build.  Wrote you all a long description of stuff and lost it
when this shaky connection disconnected.  Live is good and we are like
pashas on the Nile, moored by a cabbage patch with boys, donkeys,
women doing their wash, life unchanged for thousands of years.
Love, Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Egypt- the desert and thebes- March 12, 2019

i haven't conquered upper case.  off to luxor and mummification

museums shortly, followed by a drink on the terrace of the winter
palace hotel.  morning was tombs of the nobles, village of the workers
and a hot air balloon ride.  should probably have stuck with at least
a morning of planned nothing.  the hotel (look up the Al Moudira on
the west bank of luxor) is luxurious, particularly after a week in a
toyota land rover with no ac- blowing sand, heat, and seven people, as
in addition to our guide - now known as Mohamed of the Desert in
comparison to Mohamed III, our current, not so good guide- we had the
driver and either a chef (for the night camped in the white desert-
think river trip without the river) or a policeman.  the desert was
spectacular and like many such places, far away from anywhere else.
we drove 1,000 miles in all.  the white of the white desert is a soft,
chalky limestone.  in places it is covered with iron pyrite in lovely
shapes.  although I'm sure no one else complies, we were good and
followed the national park rules asking us not to remove the love iron
pyrite flowers our driver abu talled and chef passam presented us
with.  they are now up to 40,000 visitors a year and the resistance to
new Egyptian national park regulations - remove toilet paper and human
waste, stay on tracks, etc.- is strong.  it is all stunning, as you
will see someday in photos.  as usual our highlights are more the
interactions with people. passam declaimed long epic poems he had
written himself and i almost understood Arabic.  we now know a few
words and phrases- all well received in the desert oases and not so
much here in luxor.  our favorite hotel and food- we eat basically the
same meal morning, noon and night- was in Bahariya where the staff
were so gracious and welcoming and delighted to see us at all times.
it reminded us of the recapture lodge as a place to use as home away
from home base.  everything we saw was reminiscent of something
(indio, bluff, etc.) and not.  so much sand and vast expanse and we
were just on the eastern edge of the great sand sea.  we have now
personally experienced the environment of deposition of aeolian
sandstone.  oases are not a few palm trees and a pool of water; rather
small cities or strings of villages, green bands in the desert, strung
out along old camel tracks and routes used by conquering armies-
greeks, romans, etc.  we saw mummies and tombs, an old roman fort, the
oldest coptic christian cemetery in the world.  the tombs are
surprisingly moving- the people so real you feel you could meet them
on the street.  think a family album of snapshots from the afterlife.
time to go.  tomorrow we leave on the dahabiya for a week of sailing
from here to aswan.  in real life, we spend the next two nights moored
somewhere around luxor.  love to all, toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Egypt- Around Cairo- March 5, 2010

It's Friday evening and we are knocked out.  Maybe an evening walk and

maybe not.

Mohamed delivered our bags around 1:30 a.m. this morning, after
calling at 10:30 to say he would be by to pick up our passports, so he
could look for our bags, then shepherd them through customs.  Mohamed
says it's his job to make everything work out, and did not trust
British Airways to get them to us before tomorrow.

After the late night drop-off, he was back at 8 a.m. to let us know
tomorrow's departure time (7 a.m.) .  Later we dropped Mohamed off in
Giza on our way to Dashur, and I realized he must have spent most of
the night getting  from home to our hotel, to the airport, back to the
hotel, home, then back to the hotel.

Today our travels took us by the Great Pyramids several times.  We
won't actually visit them for a couple of weeks.  They are huge and
surrounded by very urban development, traffic, construction, etc.
Gives them a bit of a theme park look, and although I know there will
be Disneyland-sized crowds when we visit, I''m sure close-up the
feeling will be different.

We drove an hour or more south through the "countryside," an odd mix
of abandoned canals, trash, agriculture (fruit, vegetables, dates),
weekend villas and poor farmers' homes.  As in Cairo, horse and
donkey-driven carts, buses, cars, pedestrians and bicycles (sometimes
ridden by guys with trays of rolls on their heads), all jockeying for
position,   We see no accidents, so it works after a fashion.

We finally reached Dashur and visited the Reddish Pyramid and the Bent
Pyramid.  Standing alone in the desert (except for the army base next
door), they are very impressive.  Taller and steeper than the pyramids
in the Yucatan   Not many people at either, and you can go inside the
Reddish Pyramid by climbing up the stairs, then descending steeply to
the burial chamber.  The shaft is at most four feet high, so you are
descending in a crouch.  At the bottom the air feels tired and reeks
of ammonia.  Quite an experience.

Maha waited in the car while we were inside the Reddish Pyramid.  When
I commented it was not a good place for people with claustrophobia,
she confessed she had tried a dozen times to enter and could not get
past the entrance.

On to the  Bent Pyramid, a pyramid that started to collapse when the
angle was changed, causing the king to start building another pyramid,
now called the Broken Pyramid.  It''s visible a short distance away
and looks more like some rock formation you would see up around
Monument Valley than a pyramid.  The Bent Pyramid is unique in having
smooth, almost polished sides.  We're told all the pyramids originally
were like this, and painted as well.   From a distance we thought the
smooth look came from some sort of plaster.  Close up it is clear it
is the stone itself.  Hard to imagine the work involved.

Oh yes, we are told the pyramids were built by workers, not slaves,
and that they worked an 8-hour day.  This and many things we here make
us think licensed guides may be asked to present some things in the
most positive light.  In the same vein, Jews, Christians and Muslims
are all equal in Egypt, even though it is ruled by Islamic law and 9
out of 10 women we see wear some sort of hijab.  We see many burkhas
as well.  We are told the hijab is more for fashion than religion.

After a quick visit to a Carpet School where boys and girls learn to
knot and weave beautiful silk and wool carpets, we headed back to
Cairo for another late lunch, this time Indian food in a restaurant
called Kandahar. Great food and conversation about the pros and cons
of arranged marriages, followed by a drive around the very European
looking downtown, and home to Le Riad just before the 6 p.m. call to
prayer rang out from the mosques all around us.  From our little
balcony I watched the street below go from full and lively to almost
empty, as the men entered the mosques for ablutions and prayers.

Cairo just gets bigger, and today was also very smoggy. I will be
ready for a week in the desert!   Unless the oases are more urban than
I hope, our next computer access will likely be a week from now, when
we reach Luxor.

Until then, Toni

Throwback Thursday Trip Reports- Egypt- Cairo- March 4, 2010

We arrived in Cairo close to midnight Wednesday.  Our Phoenix-Heathrow

plane was delayed several hours, and arrived at Heathrow just as our
Heathrow-Cairo plane was scheduled to leave.  After telling us it was
impossible, British Airways did everything they could to get us on the
plane.  They were less successful with our bags.  We are hopeful they
will arrive tonight.  Next time carry-on!  Oh yeah, my Global
Traveler phone has a wimpy battery and was dead when I fired it up at
Heathrow.  So although you can leave me messages, I can't retrieve
them until our bags (and the charger) arrive.  Meanwhile our lovely
hotel in old Islamic Cairo offers laptops in each suite.

Our hotel http://leriad-hoteldecharme.com/
Our suite is Mamluk.

Our first day in Cairo has been nothing short of fabulous.  Breakfast
on the rooftop terrace, surrounded by minarets.  We are on a street of
mosques, little shops and a famous bazaar.  From our little balcony we
can watch a fascinating parade of people.  Then Maha, our guide for
this first day and a half in Cairo, arrived and took us in hand.
Coptic Cairo, the very synagogue where Moses was pulled from the
rushes (it';s a long story), the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, the
Gayer-Anderson Museum, a place where we learned how they make papyrus,
a long conversational lunch overlooking the Citadel (at 3 p.m.), a
visit to a perfume maker to learn about essential oils, then back to
our hotel at 7 p.m.  Tomorrow the Bent and Red Pyramids at Dashur and
more.

It is as if a friend was showing us around.  Oh, did I mention we have
a driver too?  Essential in Cairo, which is like nothing I have ever
experienced for traffic and random driving.  Imagine a city of 22
million or more (2 million living in a huge cemetery called the City
of the Dead) without signals.  Maha calls it democracy in action!

More tomorrow.  Now we are off to wander the ""neighborhood."

Love, Toni

Postcard from Bahia San Luis Gonzaga- March 19, 2015

Although it's Day 3 at Gonzaga Bay, if you get this postcard, we're no longer in this beautiful spot, less than 100 miles south of San Felipe.  Until a couple of years ago, getting here used to be an all-day affair. Now it takes two hours, and the road south from Puertocitos is the best we've driven in Mexico. 

I've been to Gonzaga Bay twice, once while still in high school (a Thanksgiving trip with the Gellmanns), and once in the late 90's (a Yavapai College geology trip with Wayne Ranney and the usual suspects). Both times we were driven out by the fierce winds the bay is known for.  During the geology trip, one of our sleeping bags was blown out into the Gulf, never to be seen again.

This trip our luck is better.  The intense winds come and go.  When they blow, being in the van is a whole different story than trying to hold a tent together while eating food mixed with generous portions of sand.  The bay is beautiful, the birds plentiful, and our few neighbors are old Baja hands, with stories and fresh fish to share.

The Gulf is known for extreme tides, more so when the moon is full or new, as it is now. When the tide is out, it is way out, and Gonzaga Bay offers miles and miles of white sandy beach, the only drawback being several dead dolphins, in various states of decay.  These dolphins have proved irresistible to Toby, who yesterday snagged a voluptuous roll before we caught on. A bath and Nature's Miracle helped diminish but not eliminate his ripe odor.

Before continuing, a correction to last week's postcard from Banamichi. Sotol is not a mescal. As Dennis Moroney, anxious to protect my reputation as a know-it-all albeit retired librarian, wrote,  "Sotol is made from desert spoon, Dasylirion wheeleri, which is not an agave. The taste is different, and unique."   I was misinformed.

The original plan was to drive from Banamichi to Caborca, to visit with friends Paty and Mario Zaragoza.  We learned their daughter Cristina had been in a serious car accident in Guadalajara, and was home recovering. All will eventually be well, but it's a long haul, and Cristi needed to visit a specialist in Hermosillo.

So we headed south, following the Rio Sonora through Aconchi, Baviacora, Mazocahui and Ures, to Hermosillo, and on to the Prescott College Field Station in Bahia Kino.   Old home week for Mary, and I was again impressed with the scholarship the college fosters in Kino. 

When the Zaragozas were home, we headed north to Caborca, for a while along the lovely Carretera Costera. Catching up with old friends was a treat, and Cristi is clearly on the mend.

We were expected in San Felipe, and spent a long day driving up the coast between the Pinacates and the Gulf, across the Colorado River delta, then south.  After an overnight along the Rio Hardy at  Campo Mosqueda, we finally made it to San Felipe, and the Cantu Cove cabin of Tony and Sue Norris. 

It being spring break in Arizona, the clan was gathered, and we got to meet kids and grandkids, eat San Felipe shrimp, sing around the campfire, etc.  Lovely, despite a recent hatch of fierce and plentiful flies. 

We'll leave Gonzaga Bay after one more night of incredible stars (Castor and Pollux, Sirius, not-a-star Jupiter, etc.). After showers at the store, and a drive to see where the pavement ends this month (it will eventually reach Highway 1), it's back to San Felipe for Tony's 11th Annual San Felipe Folk and Bluegrass Festival.  Flies or no flies,  it's sure to be a good few days of socializing and music before we head home.

As I write the wind has died down, flies have invaded the van, and an afternoon project has emerged.  Post lunch, a major "kitchen" cleanup will occur. 

One of the pleasures of long road trips is listening to recorded books.  Over the last few weeks, we've listened to "Defending Jacob," finally finished "Wild," and are now enjoying "The Devil in the White City."  In memory, books and landscape become inextricably linked, sometimes oddly, and always pleasurably- "Jazz" with a hot drive across the Mohave Desert, "Behind the Beautiful Forever" with the Canadian Rockies. Now the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago is all bound up with the sounds of shells and pebbles stirred by an outgoing tide.

Thanks for sharing this year's Mexico ramble with us.

Love, Toni

Postscript- Back at La Taza, a San Felipe coffee house with free WiFi. We went to the end of the pavement and nine miles further to Coco's Corner. Coco (who just turned 78) was in Ensenada for a checkup.

Photos:
Church in Baviacora
Products of the Rio Sonora valley.  Chiltepin!
Toby in Kino
Kino sunset
Caspian Tern
Osprey along the Costera
Paty, Cristi and Mario Zaragoza.  Paty and Mario had just served up a breakfast feast of machaca, eggs, Sonoran flour tortillas, and fresh fruit.
White Pelican and cormorants at Campo Mosqueda
Toby after the dolphin roll and the bath
A spectacular food fight at Bahia de San Luis Gonzaga. The pelican won.
Mary rehearsing in the van
Our camp at Rancho Grande in Gonzaga

Postcard from Banamichi- March 10, 2015

Believe it or not, we purchased no pots in Mata Ortiz.  It's not that we didn't see beautiful work. Just that we're no longer into acquiring things.  

We loved wandering around Mata Ortiz and the Casas Grandes area, and our stay at Posada de las Ollas in Mata Ortiz.  Posada-mates Fabiola Silva and Sterling Trantham were interviewing six or more elder potters each day, so we heard plenty of stories about the old days in Mata Ortiz.  As we came to see it, the village where everybody makes pottery is less the result of divine inspiration on the part of Juan Quesada and more a communal outgrowth of pot-looting after the real pots ran out.  This doesn't make the current products any less beautiful or valuable.  A controversial topic.

Paquime (the ancient Casas Grandes) was once a Chaco-like center of what the Museo del las Culturas del Norte calls the Gran Chichimeca. At its height, this fascinating site was the largest mud-walled city in the Americas, with an impressive system of water collection and distribution, that brought settled water to individual buildings via stone-lined ditches.

Sunday morning we purchased queso menonite in Casas Grandes Nuevo, then headed north and joined Mexico Highway 2 at Janos.  It being Sunday, the sotol distillery was closed.  No matter.  Here in Banamichi, I've been able to sample the local (and very smooth) bacanora.  As I understand it, tequila (Jalisco), sotol (Chihuahua) and bacanora (Sonora) are all essentially mescal (i.e. distilled from agave).  Other than aging and purity, the differences are like the terroir differences between Syrah grapes grown in California or Arizona.

Highway 2 travels through beautiful open grasslands, back over the Sierra Madre (less daunting this far north), past Agua Prieta (just across the border from Douglas, Arizona), and into Cananea, a busy copper-mining town, where an early 1900's miners' rebellion contributed to the 1910-20 Mexican revolution. 

We made an early start Monday, leisurely picking our way down the beautiful Rio Sonora valley.  The Rio Sonora was the route of explorers and missionaries, who left a string of 17th century towns and churches.  Juan DeAnza (famous to those of us who grew up in Riverside) founded what is now San Francisco, California, was buried in Arizpe.  You can still see his bones through a glass panel in the church floor. Arizpe was once the capital of northwestern colonial Mexico, which included Arizona and New Mexico.

We settled in for two nights at La Posada del Rio in Banamichi, just across the plaza from where Linda Ronstadt's Mexican grandparents were married.  Not only are these easily the swankiest and most charming accommodations we've had in some time, other than a couple of long-term guests who are consulting with the local silver mine, we are the only guests.  I am writing this from the rooftop patio, with views of mountains to the east and fields to the west.  In Banamichi we see as many horses as cars.  Both move at a leisurely pace.

Today we headed south to picnic at Agua Caliente near Aconchi. A lovely spot where scalding spring water is directed into pools of various degrees of heat.  The pools were clean and inviting, and we were the only people enjoying them.  Great birdwatching too!

After leaving Banamichi tomorrow, we'll likely be camping for the rest of our trip, mostly in San Felipe and points south, and this may be my last postcard until we get home March 24.  Be well, and consider visiting northern Mexico.  If you can handle sometimes iffy accommodations, there's much to see and experience.  We'll be back!

Love, Toni 

Photos:
Late afternoon Mata Otiz
Late afternoon Paquime
Curious roadrunner Paquime (today we saw five roadrunners!)
Early morning Paquime
Church in Arizpe
Church in Banamichi
Early morning vultures in Banamichi (there were hundreds, mostly Turkey Vultures, some Black Vultures)
Banamichi street scene
San Felipe de Jesus from Cerro de la Cruz (260 steps)
High water Sonora river crossing to San Felipe de Jesus
Canyon Wren at Agua Caliente
Mary in agua caliente
Red-tailed Hawk near San Felipe de Jesus

Postcard from Mata Ortiz- March 7, 2015

We loved Alamos,  enough to look into the possibility of renting a casita some winter.  Seems to be doable and affordable, and that's as far as we got. 

Monday we set out for the Sierra Madre Occidental.  It's now Friday afternoon, and what a week it has been.  We are currently in the small town of Mata Ortiz (south of Casas Grandes, Chihuahua), staying at a small posada, with just five guest rooms.  $64 a night, including three meals!

We pulled into town just after dark, and were guided here by a gentleman who heard me making inquiries of the clueless liqor store clerk.  "Sigueme," he said, then guided us through the dark streets, and hooked us up with Lallo, the owner.  Just in time for enchiladas.

From Alamos, we drove back through Navojoa and Ciudad Obregon, then headed north towards San Nicolas and highway 16.   It was a paved road, but a bad paved road.  100 miles (5 hours) of continuous washtub-sized potholes, recent landslides, steep mountain grades, and rain. We reached Highway 16 at dusk, and broke our rules by driving the final hour to Yecora in the dark.  The van's wimpy headlights were not an asset.

It was raining when we checked into our less-than-basic hotel and raining when we left. The highlight of our visit to Yecora was an amazing bowl of albondigas soup at a little restaurant barely heated by wood-burning stove.  From Yecora we drove over the crest of the sierras to Basaseachic.  Despite the steady rain, the occasional views were fantastic.

Basaseachic was worth the drive.  Although this is normally the dry season for the falls, the rain made for a spectacular display.  We got soaked (by rain, not the falls) at the first viewpoint, then retreated a half mile to Rancho San Lorenzo where we set up camp for the night.  We hunkered down, and despite freezing temperatures and 2+ inches of rain,  had a good afternoon and night.

In the morning, we took advantage of a brief break in the storm, and walked down to two viewpoints.  The canyon was particularly beautiful due to pour-overs and little waterfalls everywhere we looked. The big waterfall was huge, with for a brief moment, a double rainbow.  As we hiked back up the well-constructed trail, it began to sleet.  A brief cafecita with rancho caretaker Eliasar, and we were on our way down the Chihuahua side of the sierras, then north to the logging town of Madera. 

This was a beautiful drive through high ranchland that looks a lot like Yavapai County.  After a chilly night in a Madera hotel room with a tiny propane heater, we headed to Cuaranta Casas, one of many ruins in the canyons around Madera and Casas Grandes.  As we understand it (ask us more tomorrow, after we visit the museum at Paquime), the people who occupied these caves and Paquime are closely tied with the Mogollon and Anasazi cultures.  Although they are now well-protected (visitors must be accompanied by a guide), the caves are terribly looted, making it hard for archaeologists to get the data they need.

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The supposedly two-hour drive Cuaranta Casas to Mata Ortiz took us four.  This is a village of potters who combine ancient and modern designs with beautiful results.  It seems everyone is a potter, and you can't walk down the street or even out your door without being invited into someone's home to view their pots.  As we are not in the market for pots, this feels a bit awkward to us.  So far we have been too busy to accept the invitations.  Tomorrow we will visit some potters, making it clear we are only looking, before leaving for Paquime and Casas Grandes Viejo.

Today we drove an hour and a half to Cueva de la Olla, a cave with dwellings and a huge bowl-like granary. This is something we have never seen before.

It's time for Toby's walk, and we've been told there is cell phone reception on the hill.  Enjoy the photos.

Love, Toni