We have been walking the streets of Xalapa for six weeks and enjoying the beauty of its people.  Yes, beautiful people and things can be found in Xalapa and often within an arms lengths in what sometimes seems a very crowded community.  I suppose our biggest adjustment was getting use to the narrow sidewalks crowded with people and the even more crowded streets with cars.  It took two weeks of walking twice a day before we didn’t get lost even with a map, compass, and street signs.  You see, Xalapa is a very complex city, at least in its “historic centro.”  Yesterday, we had lunch about noon at La Fanda restaurant.  The  “blue plate special” included several items and was very good, especially the price of less than $5.00 (USD) each.  From the balcony of the restaurant, we had the following few of the main street leading from our residence up to the central plaza.

From the balcony, we saw people just beginning their afternoon shopping and young people returning from morning school.  Also, we noticed the local bicycle club (person in the orange shirt) working on a project for the blind.  We spotted Raul on the sidewalk across from us following a person with a guide dog and filming the challenge of being disabled and walking in Xalapa.  Raul appeared invloved in a service project to help people who are blind to live more independently.  AND, even though we are just “Genuine Tourists” in Xalapa, we spotted our landlord, Roy, networking with folks on the street on his way home.  Just drag your cursor slowing across the following thumbnails to read their descriptions.

Interestingly, this very night, several tandem bicycles were delivered to the local bicycle club so that blind people will be able to experience bike riding with a sighted person.

And, here they are unpacked . . .

The beauty of Xalapa’s people is not seen in their outward appearance but rather in their honorable conduct, some already noted in the preceding service project for people with the disability of blindness.  However, we also found beauty in their honesty when we overpaid many of them in the market place and were returned our funds even in their poverty.  We have experienced beauty in their kindness when they have interrupted their own daily routine to help us find a street or shop, sometimes going many blocks out of their way.  Perhaps, their greatest work, however, has been and is their children.  Today, we found one such moment when we observed very young school children celebrating an early “Festival of Spring.”  Here are two videos of the event, followed by a few photos.

We have almost completed our “Visit” of Xalapa for this year.  Soon,  we will travel to Huatulco, then Oaxaca, and then finish our first winter in Mexico with a visit of several weeks in the small Mexican state of Tlaxcala.  We will miss this place and hope you will too.  Next week, posts regarding our time in Huatulco will be available at –

 http://huatulcoparadise.wordpress.com/  

Stephen, also posting at — http://www.Genuine-Tourist.com

I was fortunate to be with Steve and Pat on the day when Roy brought them to Coetzala. I was a slacker and didn’t take nearly as many photos as Steve, the Genuine Tourist, but here are a few.

This is the same suspension bridge as the one Steve posted. I’m on the opposite side of the river from the town, where the road dead ends. This bridge is the one and only way into this community.

From the village side of the river, a view of the road’s end, where all vehicular traffic gets left behind.

I’m normally rather shy about taking photos of people. I’m always afraid of offending. But I enjoy Steve’s people pictures so much, hanging around him encouraged me to try to get over that a little.

Even though they are isolated, the people of Coetzala do have electricity and running water in their homes. Here you can see the electric lines and a tinaco.

A shed or possibly a barn, built the old fashioned way.

Roy started chatting with this woman and found out she is preparing to make a salad from this spiny cactus.

It is apparently a traditional salad that is eaten during Lent. I saw a number of this type of cactus plant growing in people’s yards.

The tireless Genuine Tourist, hard at work, performing community outreach.

The hills were alive, not so much with the sound of music but rather the braying of burros.

No worries! Not dead, Perrito is snoozing on the street where there is never any traffic. In the background, the salad cactus.

Everything that comes into Coetzala comes over that one suspension bridge on the back of man or beast: every sack of cement, every cinderblock, everything. I did see some road apples on the bridge, so burros apparently traverse the span as well as pedestrians and bicyclists. (For those of you who didn’t grow up with horses, “road apples” are. . . burro byproducts.) This man is cheerfully carrying a sack of cement to a construction site.

The people of Coetzala were very nice and seemed curious about us. They didn’t seem to mind that we were being typical tourists and taking pictures of everything. I get a return wave from a friendly resident.

Pat and I had a personal chaperone while we were walking through Coetzala.

A friendly family allowed me to take their picture.

It may be small, but there’s one bar/restaurant in town, right next to the suspension bridge.

Scratched into the concrete on the village side at the base of the suspension cable anchor, the commemorative bridge reconstruction plaque.

Coetzala’s “Golden Gate” Bridge.

Roy Dudley, our landlord, is also a guide, photographer, bicycle enthusiast, and fund raiser.  He has lived in Xalapa for some 35 years and has manged to “eke” out a living one way or another.   We decided to contract with him one day so we could leave the “big city” of Xalapa and see some of the rural areas around Xalapa.  Now, you might think after all these years Roy would take us “foreigners” on a well rehearsed circuit, but this did not appear to be the case.  You see, Roy likes to bicycle with his friends in the country, so he put us all in his car and then took us places only bicyclists should go.  Not only were cars not found on the paths we followed in Roy’s vehicle, but no tourists either!  It was nice not to have to be concerned about moving quickly through haciendas being restored or old railroad stations being unearthed after a 100 years of being covered by jungle growth while other tourists pushed on us.  One of the places we visited was a community called, Coetzala,” (sometimes spelled “Cuetzala”) which is quite special.  Here is photo of the suspension bridge one must cross in order to enter the community.

Now, “work with me on this” and try and figure out what is so unusual in the following thumbnail photos.  Let your cursor land for a moment on each thumbnail before clicking on them to get hint from each photo.

OK, if you haven’t figured it out yet, take a look at this BIG clue.

Yes, the tree has been allowed to remain in the middle of the street and grow because the community of Coetzala has NO cars.  You see the suspension bridge only permits pedestrians and bicyclists to cross.  A week before our visit, Roy Dudley and his bicycle enthusiasts had visited the village for the FIRST time.  Then, only a week after Roy’s first visit to Coetzala, we returned with him to see the community in its unusual setting.  As you can see, we were the ONLY tourists in the place and probably will be so for sometime to come. 

Of course, the villagers can use bicycles, like Roy’s group, and here is a video of a girl crossing the suspension bridge on a bike.

You see, the community citizens planned their streets, carried in wheelbarrows or on their backs all the cement and gravel across the suspension bridge, and hand mixed all the concrete to make the streets without any idea when a bridge would be built that would permit cars and trucks to enter their community.  So the school needs no crossing guards and the streets have become sidewalks and patios as demonstrated by the dog AND woman in the street in the following photo.

For those of you who are old enough to remember our time in Coetzala felt like, . . . . “You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind . . . .”  Yes, it seemed a bit like “the Twilight zone!”  Why don’t you take a look and see for yourself by going there with me in the following video.

The citizens of Coetzala where very gracious during our visit and tolerant of our “wonderment” over their community with no cars.  WE wonder if they realized how nice a community it was without them, but understand they have hopes and dreams like all of us for a different life.  As outsiders, we wondered if a bridge to get trucks across the river with goods would be better and no further passage into the community by vehicles would be more desirable.  But, we do not have the same dreams and ambitions that the residents of Coetzala have already demonstrated nor could we understand how strong their desires must be for different lives with more choices.   

Stephen, also posting at — http://www.Genuine-Tourist.com 

Supposedly things are slow this time of year in Xalapa, Mexico, but we are finding much to do.  Oh . . . it has been fairly “cool” in the evenings for us from the Midwest, USA, but layers of clothing do the job.  Last night, evening with the coolness, we went to an auditorium at the head of Los Largos and enjoyed “Huasteco” music and dance for several hours for just 30 pesos each (a little less than $3.oo USA).  Of course, we had no clue what “Huasteco” music was all about, but it turned out to be a delightful evening largely because children once again “stole the show.”  Also, a bit of research revealed that “Huasteco” music originated from northeastern Mexico and usually features three instruments and singers who often sing with a ”falsetto” voice.   As is often the case, audience members wanted to participate and often danced in front of the stage.  One couple danced quite nicely and here they are.

Perhaps you would like to see them “in action” by clicking on the Youtube video below. 

And here is some early audience participation by more young people.

Many groups performed during the course of the evening but one group that included a father and son seemed to get the most attention.  Here is a photo of the 5 year old boy, Enriquito, hawking his CDs with help from this big sister (I think).

 Here is a video of Enriquito and his father singing a duet.  Of course, the little girl on the platform in the video is just as entertaining as the performance on the stage!

 Here is a picture of Enriquito with his mother and sister.  His sister, probably only three years old, also danced a lot on the platform who you will see in later postings. 

As mentioned, children made the evening and here are some thumbnails of them until some video can be uploaded of them dancing.

We just could not stay until the end because we have more dancing to enjoy on Saturday night but here is what some of the audience was doing just as we left about 11:30 PM.

Supposedly things are “slow” in Xalapa . . . “I don’t think so!”

Stephen, also posting at — http://www.Genuine-Tourist.com

Xalapa has a lot going on if you know when and where to look.  The first place to keep an eye on for “up and coming events” are the streets with colorful signs announcing feature events.  It also helps to have friends alerting you because not all performances are easy to learn about.  Here is  a poster announcing a performance at the Café Teatro el son de corazón, a restaurant just two blocks from our “la casita.”

We decided to attend but had not reserved a table thinking it would not be necessary . . . were we wrong.  Every table on the first floor but two in the back corners were marked “reserved” so we headed upstairs and found two plastic tables, one of which became our sidewalk café experience for the evening.  The performance took place in the “courtyard” below us, and we had a bird’s eye view. Here are some photos to get you started.

The upper level of the restaurant filled up with spectators on chairs all around, but we had the only table upstairs and still received excellent service from a very small and overworked hostess.  Of course the upper level had its own “performance” which those people in the reserved sits on the main floor missed.

Our view of the main floor from above.

At the conclusion of the performance, the audience was able to join the dancers for a couple of sets.

Now our friend, Marie, who also attended with us had lived for two years in Africa and knew a little bit about African drum music and dance herself.  While the drums music were somewhat reminiscent of her African experience, she felt the dance was actually more modern and choreographed.   But, depending upon your life experiences, we will let you be the judge of it yourself by clicking on the below video.

And, of course, it would only be fair to let you judge Marie and her own dance performance, unfortunately not caught on video, that we witnessed on the street on the way home after a fine evening.

Stephen, also posting at — http://www.Genuine-Tourist.com

from s116.photobucket.com posted with vodpod

 The two young people in the video below seemed to have captured the spirit of “Polka” music, but I will let you judge for yourself –

The above video does not have a photo embedded in it for some reason, but if you click on it you will see a short demonstration of young people dancing on a challenging stage surface.

Below are some samples of dancing in the streets –

Beauty and “the Beast” Dancing . . . which drew a lot of attention

Some of “the Beasts” on the Streets

Perhaps someone could write a comment about the nature of the costumes and the wood masks and the tradition they actually represent.

Finally, the dancing in the parade was both organized and spontaneous.   

The young lady above seemed to capture the “spirit” of the event

Stephen, a Genuine Tourist posting at http://www.Genuine-Tourist.com

On Sunday afternoon we were off to look for a major ecological park in Xalapa and didn’t know which way to go to pick up a bus to do so.  So, we headed towards our neighorhood park thinking it was the place to catch transport headed in the right direction.  However, the sound of music drew us into ”our” park, and this is what we discovered –

One couple performed a dance with a ribbon at their feet on the ground.   Within moments, however, they presented the ribbon tied in a bow to the audience which they had tied with their feet while dancing –

This little performer was delightful as well as her companions who danced with candles on their heads.  However, please notice the musician playing a “jaw bone” as a musical instrument behind her –

We did make it to the ecological park later in the afternoon but not before watching the other dancers in the park on a Sunday afternoon.  Here are some snapshots of what we were privileged to enjoy in our very own neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon –

While we didn’t understand all the announcements following the dances, we got the impression much more was on the agenda for this little park in the early evening.  Unfortunately, it rained and we came back from our exploration too late and with not enough energy to return to the park to see if they were able to present an evening performance.

As noted in the previous posting, we had the privilege of attending Carnaval in a mountain village northeast of Xalapa named Coyolillo. Roy Dudley, professional photographer and guide extraordinaire, transported us through the sugar cane fields and mountain vistas to the village kind of perched on the mountainside about an hour from Xalapa.

We were not the only visitors from afar that day, however, because the Governor of the state of Veracruz also attended in order to start off the festivities by signing many documents and crowning the King, Queen, and princesses great and small. Now, we relied on Roy’s knowledge of the highways to get us there, but the Governor probably was guided to the community by the three crosses located high above the village on the mountain because he arrived in a shiny, bright red helicopter.

Unfortunately, neither Roy nor I got a shot of the helicopter,
but here are the crosses that probably guided him in.

The Governor’s arrival on stage

Ok, I digressed a bit to work the Governor’s arrival in, so now let’s go back to the village of Coyolillo and its fine people. Apparently, they elected a King, Queen and Court from the youth of their community. It would be interesting to know what criteria they used to elect the young people. One wonders how much the quality of their character or educational achievement may have played a part in their decision to display them in such a nice manner.

The crowning of the king

The Governor addresses the crowd flanked by court and other dignitaries

Roy Dudley, our photographer and guide,
trying to get himself in a picture with the court

While another digression from the theme, it would be unkind not to mention the great politeness of the residents of the community. You see, we didn’t always know where we were or what we were doing because Roy was off bonding with old friends in the community. So, when we didn’t know where to go or where to stand, residents of the community very lightly touched our shoulders and pointed to where we should go in order to see the parade or actually led us to a different street where it was coming around again. Another person, thinking we were official media photographers, alerted us to an African drum performance that she didn’t want us to miss by leaving too early.

Oh, I’m sure the community has its problems and problem people like any community anywhere, but it will always be a very special community to us, their seemingly treasured guests for one day on a “Fat Tuesday” in the mountains near Xalapa.

Stephen
Genuine Tourist at —  http://www.genuine-tourist.com

This past Tuesday we had the wonderful opportunity to attend Carnaval during Fat Tuesday in the community of Coyolillo somewhere northeast of Xalapa, Mexico, in the mountains. We were the guests of Roy Dudley (http://www.xalaparoy.com/), our landlord, who wanted to reconnect with friends in the community he had not visited with for several years.

While one doesn’t really know where to start, let me begin by mentioning that we could not believe how well people young and old were able to dance so smartly on a well constructed but uneven stage made out of planks. It seemed that not a single dancer missed a step, although I suppose they would probably disagree with me. We were also very impressed by the wonderful costumes of all the performers. They must have been made with considerable skill and purchased by much sacrifice.

The following photos will give you some idea of the marvelous dancing we were privileged to watch over more than a two hour period.

Click on thumbnails below to see larger photos of other dancers.

The best “Polka” dancers in Mexico I have ever seen.

It would be neglectful for me to not mention the wonderful meal prepared for us in the home of a friend of Roy’s. We were invited into a small kitchen and sat down at a table nicely laid out with foods that I can only describe as the best I have ever had in Mexico. My spouse, Patricia (who is a real good cook in her own right), could not believe how they prepared it all on a small wood stove in the kitchen where we sat.

While we enjoyed the feast prepared for us,
a little girl in the house did not seem so happy.

I cannot leave without describing another kind of orchestration that occurred in order to free our vehicle from its bondage! You see, Roy parked dutifully at the end of a long dead end street and returned to find the vehicle locked in by other parked cars and trucks parked too close together to drive between. When he and some of the men of the community realized our plight, a kind of symphony was conducted between men and machines as the owners were found (while Carnaval was still going on) and vehicles moved so that Roy could return our captured vehicle to the main roadway. I say a “symphony” because one could have barely gotten a sheet of paper between Roy’s vehicles and the vehicles he passed between!

We close with a photo of some of the street dancing.

Stephen, also at —  http://www.Genuine-Tourist.com