The Eye
Beach, Village + Urban Living in Oaxaca January 2015, Issue 44 FREE
Lindsay Harder cel: 958-117-6747 lindsay9696@gmail.com
PENTHOUSE CONDO IN ARROCITO
OCEAN VIEWS $99,000.00 US
$245,000 US 2 bedroom, 2 bath, fully furnished with private terrace and views of ocean.lots of private outdoor space.This project has only six units,with swimming pool and entertainment area.
Wow! Look at this condo, views to the marina and steps to the beach. Fully furnished. Quick possession possible. Best buy for the investor or owner!
SANTA CRUZ - FROM $159,900.00 US
MARINA PARK PLAZA FROM $225,000.00
2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condos located in a quiet, gated community with swimming pool. Fully furnished,5 minute walk to the beach.
Excellent opportunity to own or investment. Plan for retirement now. Condo/hotel concept with restaurant and pool.
CUSTOM HOME - $329,000.00 US 3 bedroom home all with own ensuites. Gourmet kitchen. Fully furnished. Swimming pool and lots of outdoor space for entertainment. This home is located in Sector O on a double lot.
OCEAN FRONT HOME $299,000.00 CANADIAN Unobstructed views from this 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath home located in a quiet gated community. Infinity pool. Watch the sun rise and set over the ocean.
Happy New Year to all of our customers and friends.
CONEJOS - $299,900.00 US 2 bedroom, 2 bath home sit by your own swimming pool or patio and enjoy the ocean view. Located in a very quiet neighbourhood and at the end of a cul-desac. This is a great buy!
SANTA CRUZ - $139,900.00 CANADIAN 2 bedroom condo comes with all appliances and fully furnished. This tastefully decorated condo has two balconies to enjoy the cool ocean breezes. Located by the Marina and steps to the beach and amenities.
www.champagnehomeshuatulco.com Mobile: (958) 106 8237 champagnehomeshuatulco@gmail.com Office located in Plaza Chahue (beside Boston Shake)
Let our New Year's resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word. Goran Persson
W
hen we started The Eye four years ago, our collective goal was to provide information about things beyond guidebooks, beyond tour and hotel recommendations, beyond telling people only what they wanted to hear. We hoped to give a glimpse of what life was really like here, and when I look at this issue, I feel as if it truly encompasses our mission. Huatulco is sometimes dismissed as a resort and tourist enclave. ‘Real’ travelers seem to go to Zipolite, San Agustinillo or Puerto Escondido- thinking that Huatulco is just one big resort. That couldn’t be further from the truth. This month showcases what a vibrant and evolving community Huatulco is. Julie Etra reports on the local landfill and recycling programs. Deborah Van Hoewyk explores the underground art scene happening at the Colectivo Tilcoatle, a true sign of the emerging consciousness in Huatulco. There is the article on the Organic Market that is held the first and third Saturdays of the month in Santa Cruz and the Spay and Neuter clinics for animals. All of these groups and movements have one thing in common, to improve our community. It doesn’t matter where you live, getting involved in your community not only helps others but helps yourself. The US National Health Service studied the health benefits of volunteering. These studies asked whether volunteering actually leads to improved health, or simply that healthy individuals are more likely to volunteer. The study states “While it is undoubtedly the case that better health leads to continued volunteering, these studies demonstrate that volunteering also leads to improved physical and mental health. Thus they are part of a selfreinforcing cycle.” So if your resolutions for 2015 have anything to do with improving your health, you might want to skip the gym and see what is going on around town! See you next month,
Jane
Frida’s
Fish Taco Food Truck Look for us in the park outside the Huatulco ADO bus station Tuesday-Saturday 11.30am-6:00pm Sundays in Santa Cruz
Read ‘The Eye’ Online
www.eyemagazine.net The Eye is a monthly all-English magazine that is distributed throughout the state of Oaxaca. It can be found for FREE at hotels, restaurants and community hot spots. Should you wish to receive copies, advertise or submit some writing or photography please send us an email. This magazine is made possible by the advertisers so please thank them when you use their services. huatulcoeye@yahoo.com
Editor: Jane Bauer Copy Editor: Deborah Van Hoewyk, Julie Etra Writers: Jan Chaiken, Marcia Chaiken, Julie Etra, Brooke Gazer, Leigh Morrow, Carole Reedy, Alvin Starkman, Deborah Van Hoewyk, Kary Vannice Cover Photo: Otto Dusbaba Photography/Art: Advertising Assistant: Casilda Mendoza Lopez Layout: Jane Bauer Opinions and words are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Eye. We welcome submissions and input. To get involved send us an email. huatulcoeye@yahoo.com
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In This Issue Cosmopolitan Calle Chacah By Deborah Van Hoewyk Page 6 What To Do In Huatulco: Sand & Surf Reading By Carole Reedy Page 8 Confessions of an Uncharitable Canadian By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D. Page 10 Cruise Ships and Huatulco By Jan Chaiken and Marcia Chaiken Page 12 Mexico City: Ten “Musts” For Your 2015 List By Carole Reedy Page 14 Desechos, Basura. Redux By Julie Etra Page 16 Living Green in an Eco Paradise By Kary Vannice Page 17 If you don't have a dream, how can a dream come true? By Leigh Morrow Page 19 In Case of Emergency… Huatulco Just Got a Bit Safer By Brooke Gazer Page 19 Enhancing Pet Care By Deborah Van Hoewyk Page 20
EDITORIAL PAGE 3 EVENTS CALENDAR PAGE 22 In Oaxaca City The Eye is now available at Amate Books.
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Cosmopolitan Calle Chacah: Home to La Crucecita's Underground Art Scene Not to mention the film scene, the music scene, the environmental scene . . . By Deborah Van Hoewyk
I
t's Friday morning, December 12, the Day of the Virgin of Guadelupe. A heavy iron bell at the church of Nuestra Senora clangs once. Silence, then a clamour of clangs, calling people in for services. At Casa Tilcoatle, which houses the Tilcoatle Collective (Colectivo Tilcoatle), a few blocks away at Calle Chacah 410, a different belief is calling, a holistic commitment to art, culture, and education as the means to “provoke reflection on our society and the environment.” (The name comes from the Nahuatl words til “black” and coatl “snake,” and is thought to indicate either the black king snake or the indigo snake, non-venemous native snakes of the Colubrid family.) Today? A Taller de insumos alternatives, a workshop on making a panel-style solar oven and growing mushrooms. Panel solar ovens are cheap to make, work like a slow cooker, save energy, and keep people from using smoky wood fires inside the house. Mexican mushrooms have a long hallucinogenic history, but the kinds of mushrooms used for food are only recently growing in popularity. The workshop promotes the cultivation of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus, or setas) as not just a food source, but a marketable product to generate supplemental income for small growers. There are two solar ovens, a commercial kit with a double-bowl arrangement of glass enclosing black steel, and a home-made one (directions supplied) with an oven bag from the supermarket to enclose a black steel pan. There is discussion of how they work, how they compare. Someone goes out and returns with an assortment of vegetables, which everyone joins in chopping and dicing. The vegetables are tossed into the black steel containers, someone adds a few dollops of margarine, and the ovens are set out. There is discussion about the amount of sun. The ovens and dishes are moved across the street into the full sun in an unoccupied yard. The actual workshop on growing mushrooms will happen later, but the straw growing medium has to be sterilized, accomplished by filling two large mesh bags with straw, adding a couple of substantial rocks to each, and dropping them into a 55-gallon drum filled with a lime (cal) and water solution. The drum sits on concrete blocks that enclose a scrap-wood fire. The water turns ochre and eventually seethes gently, occasional bubbles breaking the slowly rolling surface. Casa Tilcoatle, a collective home In between, people come and go through Casa Tilcoatle. Sitting and talking. Looking at the books on display for borrowing—almost all are in Spanish and they range from academic anthropological studies to small volumes of poetry bound in hand-made paper, from kids' books to environmental works, including a couple by the philosophical novelist Leonardo da Jandra. On the walls hang paintings, some by collective co-founder Eusebio Villalobos, a well-known local musician. It's quiet, except for an impromptu, two-song guitar concert by Villalobos, and the rusty clang of the church bells as
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There's a physiotherapy room with a massage table, an art room with projects using corrugated cardboard to make small cupboards, bureaus, and boxes, all painted in creative folk designs. Posters and flyers advertise collective events—art films, short films, documentaries, filmed operas; workshops and classes; music and art events; conferences and meetings on ecology and the environment. Tilcoatle gives classes in danza árabe (belly dancing), yoga, and the practice of physiotherapy as well. According to Jesús López Aguilar, the other co-founder of the collective, the art classes are primarily for kids, for whom there are also English classes taught by Carolina Schwarz, who lives and has her jewelry and craft studio and shop, Maica, next door. López Aguilar, an accomplished nature photographer, arrived in Huatulco a little over three years ago to head up the information dissemination programs of the National Park (Parque Nacional de Huatulco); since then, he has been organizing mobile cinema events and the Cine Club Verde y Vivo (“green and living”), he worked on the organizing committee for the Organic Market (Huatulco Mercado Organico), as well as the committee for the eco-cultural festival El Hombre y La Madre Tierra (“Man and Mother Earth”) last March. Eusebio Villalobos, originally from Pochutla, is a musician who plays guitar and bass, composes and arranges, and writes lyrics like poetry. Like López Aguilar, Villalobos has a deep commitment to preserving the environment. Carolina Schwarz is an Argentinian who has been in Huatulco for almost 20 years; she came to know López Aguilar and Villalobos through the movie nights they put on in the square in La Crucecita, and helped Tilcoatle get established and located in the house on Chacah. She's an enthusiastic fan of Calle Chacah, where people from Italy, Russia, Mexico, the U.S., South America (there's another Argentinian artist) have created a lively, creative neighborhood. In addition to her own designs, Schwarz promotes Mexican handicrafts through her shop, with an emphasis on traditional crafts and archaeological motifs; currently she has items from Guerrero and Chiapas in addition to Oaxaca. The work of Colectivo Tilcoatle Anyone is welcome to participate in Tilcoatle workshops or attend their events. The collective rarely charges admission, but donations are always welcome. On the weekend following the solar oven/edible mushroom workshop, the collective partnered with Ayün Fen, a natural foods group from Oaxaca, to host a Taller de alimentación viva (a workshop on raw and living food, a recent development in vegan eating in the U.S.). This particular workshop carried a $400 mxn charge for each day, or $700 mxn for both days.
The best survey of Tilcoatle's interests and work is a quick scroll through its Facebook page (always up to date—just search on “Colectivo Tilcoatle”). In six weeks, they hosted, sponsored, or promoted, among other things, the Mercado Alternative Atesanal in Mazunte; a concert in La Crucecita by Los Musicos del Bremen Ndzab, who play “ska en zapoteco”; the film version of Donizetti's Lucía de Lamermoor from the Metropolitan Opera; a concert of contemporary Zapotec “trova,” a ballad form, by Tlalok Guerrero from Juchitán; “Immersion,” a multi-disciplinary (film, music, dance) performance troupe; and a talk on “Animals of the Lightning: Notes for an Ethnozoology of the Zapotecs,” by Damían González Pérez, an anthropologist from UNAM whose studies rituals derived from cosmology: As the afternoon draws to a close, the workshop on growing mushrooms really gets underway. The two workshops (the solar ovens are still “slow-cooker-ing” across the street) have been designed by a Mexico City nonprofit, Tlayolohtli Conservation and Use of Natural Resources (Tlayolohtli Conservación y Aprovechamiento de los recursos Naturales, A.C.). Biologist Carolina Albor Martinez oversees the final preparation of the “substrate” for growing mushrooms—sterilize a long plastic table, lever the mesh bag with the treated straw out of the hot drum, and shake it out onto the table. Then another infusion of cal is scattered over the top and is “kneaded” into the straw by folding and rolling. By now, everyone has taken a heavy-duty, clear plastic bag and knotted it at the bottom; a few have to be redone because people touched the inside of the bag—the mushrooms won't grow if you've contaminated the substrate or the bag. Fill the bottom of the bag with several inches of steaming straw and scatter on the mushroom seed; cover with more straw, more seed, more straw, until the bag is a flattened oval about 10 inches thick. Press out as much air as possible and seal up. Eventually, you will cut small slashes around the bag, put it in another, longer clear plastic sack cut into ribbons, hang it up and wait for the mushrooms to emerge. Calle Chacah is quiet as the disappearing sun glazes the buildings a rosy coral, but voices are still coming from Casa Tilcoatle. A collective is intrinsically an alternative political choice; unlike a cooperative, a time-honored form of labor organization in Mexico, it isn't necessarily about economic benefit to the group. But in choosing to use the arts and education as the terms of communication about society and the environment, Colectivo Tilcoatle offers even the most casual visitor rich insights into Mexico's soul, the possibilities of Mexico possibilities beyond the marble-tiled terraces of Huatulco's resorts.
“Huatulco Being” Benefit Art Exhibition Opening Gala Reception rd
The 4 Annual “Huatulco Being” benefit art exhibition and sale will be held on
Friday, February 20, 2015, from 5:00 to 9:00 PM at Mansiones Cruz del Mar The exhibit will be followed by an open studio the following day, Saturday, February 21 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. “Huatulco Being” continues to grow; this year's exhibit includes nine artists from the U.S., Mexico, and Great Britain, and to accommodate the expansion, it will take place at a new venue, Mansiones Cruz del Mar, which promises to be as elegant and inspiring as the art. Wine and tapas will be served as guests enjoy the wide variety of arts, meeting the artists, discussing their work, and socializing with friends. As in years past, the beneficiary of this event is the Bacaanda Foundation / El Sueno Zapoteco, with 25% of the art sale proceeds going to the Foundation; in addition to the fine art, the show includes a raffle with prizes donated by some of Huatulco's signature businesses—100% of raffle proceeds go to the Foundation. Last year the Bacaanda Foundation received $40,560 pesos from this event. Look for the February issue of The EYE for more information about the artists, how the exhibit benefits the Bacaanda Foundation/El Sueno Zapoteco, and the latest news about its Rural Schools Project.
Limon
Bistro
Tel. 958 587 1581 The Eye 7
What To Do In Huatulco: Sand & Surf Reading By Carole Reedy
P
icture yourself on vacation or living at the beach and what do you see? For most of us, what springs to mind is you, relaxing on pristine sand overlooking glassy blue water, beer or margarita in one hand and a book in the other. For stressed-out Northerners, a common feeling is “All I want to do is lie on the beach and read.” So this month we offer some suggestions. Beach reading doesn't necessarily mean light reading, though another goal of hard-working foreigners on vacation is to not overtax their minds. Happily, the best of both worlds isn't difficult to find. These suggestions don't include academic tomes or fluff, but rather a sampling of renowned authors who possess the unique talent of communicating profound thoughts in simple ways. Mysteries and Crime Stories Authors who specialize in this genre often find their followers read all the works their favorite authors create. Beloved characters recur--not only the protagonists, but supporting and incidental characters too. Sample these delights if you haven't already. Each author has written enough novels to keep you satisfied for a good long while, and some are still writing. The queen of the detective story, P.D. James, died recently at 94, writing until the end. Deservedly, much has been written about her and her detective-poet Adam Dalgleish, whom she created in 1962 and who she describes as the man she would like to have been. Baroness James felt that crime literature was undervalued. Her books set in England are impeccably researched for historical and scientific accuracy and are among the finest crime fiction written. Start with the first, Cover Her Face, and continue. A few of her later books stray from standard form. Children of Men is a dystopian novel set in England in 2021. Death Comes to Pemberley is a continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, with a murder mystery twist, naturally. Louise Penny takes us to Canada. Her mysteries are set in Quebec in the idyllic community of Three Pines. Penny combines a bit of philosophy while weaving intricate descriptions of her character's lives into the plot. Start with Still Life, the first of the series, available on Kindle for just $2.99. Henning Mankell is beloved by so many. Currently he's retired from writing due to serious illness, but there's a substantial cache of his books to enjoy. Mankell for years has lived in both Sweden and Mozambique, six months of the year in each, and his novels reflect his interest in the social problems of both societies. Star detective Kurt Wallander and many of the novels have been interpreted for television by Kenneth Branagh. Elizabeth George, Ian Rankin, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (let's not forget Sherlock Holmes!) are other star mystery writers. And if P.D. James is the queen of the mystery novel, then Ruth Rendell (also writing as Barbara Vine) is her princess.
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Steven King's novels of terror, mystery, and psychological angst keep readers riveted, whether they're reading on the beach or bus or at home cowering under the covers. King's newest, Mr. Mercedes, has been cited by some lists as one of the best novels of 2014. Dip into his older books too, such as The Stand and The Shining. The Classics The identification of a classic has always eluded me. Here are some novels that are considered classics and others that will join that category in the future. The elusive J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. We don't know how many books Salinger has written as much of his life remains a mystery, and there is speculation that he wrote under different names. This book and its main character--the young, confused, and bitter Holden Caulfield--remain in the hearts and minds of all who have read this famous short novel. Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth. Second only to Catcher in the Rye for raw descriptions of the youthful agony of maturing young men, this novel brought Roth to the attention of the critics 40 years ago. The controversial book put the conservative Jewish community in a tizzy with the vivid description of young Portnoy's confessions. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. This 19th century satirical British novel is a book I read on a beach north of Barcelona in 1971, first-hand proof that a several-hundred page classic can be enjoyed in the sun. Thackeray's biting antihero, Becky Sharp, will keep you so engrossed you may forget to reapply your sunscreen. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. The brilliance of the sun will put you in the perfect place and mood for the heat of this Hemingway's novel, set in Pamplona Spain. Hemingway's fiction is precise and crisp. If reading it piques your curiosity to know more about the art of toreo, try his Death in the Afternoon, which explains in detail the corrida de toros.
Huatulco Intensive Language Courses 2015 th
rd
Session #1 Jan. 5 – Jan 23 Spanish Levels 1-4 nd th Session #2 Feb. 2 – Mar. 6 Spanish Levels 1-4 Spanish Immersion Program March 15th – 22nd All levels Session #3 To be announced Spanish Levels 1-4
Reserve your seat now!
suemcclam@gmail.com www.huatulcolanguagecourses.com #15 Plaza Chahue, Blvd Benito Juarez
History and Historical Fiction Or I'll Dress You In Mourning. Dominique La Pierre and Larry Collins have the unique talent of writing history that feels like reading a novel. This title, one of the several they've created, takes place in Spain in the 1930s, at the time of the Spanish Civil War. It's told through the eyes of Manuel Benitez, a street orphan who struggles through the war to eventually become the millionaire matador El Córdobes. Before his first corrida Benitez says to the sister who raised him, “Today I will leave the plaza and buy you a house or I will dress you in mourning.” Other books include Is Paris Burning, O Jerusalem, and the compelling Freedom at Midnight, one of the best books written explaining the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. James Michener is known for his grand histories about different countries, the most popular and interesting of which is Hawaii.
RESTAURANT-GRILL
THE PLACE TO BE French & International Cuisine RESERVATIONS 587 1157 Open From 1pm To 10 pm Closed Sunday Located in front of the Binniguenda Hotel Santa Cruz, Huatulco
Short Stories Since it's easy to become distracted while lounging on the beach or at a pool, the short story makes for ideal vacation reading. These compact tales allow you to concentrate for shorter periods, but to still experience the satisfaction of plot and character development. After poetry, the short story may be the most difficult genre to write, every word and sentence crucial to the story's success. Popular shortstory writers include T.C. Boyle (author of several collections), Raymond Carver, Julian Barnes, Joyce Carol Oates, and the master of the genre, O. Henry.
Huatulco Weddings www.oaxacabedandbreakfast.org Mention this ad for a 10% discount on your stay. Some restrictions apply.
Your Wedding Experts in Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico
www.HuatulcoWeddings.net
Botanical Park 6 hour Botanical Garden Tour; 60 varieties of exotic flowers and tropical fruits from Asia to Central America, swim in the Magdalena River. Includes: Transportation, guide, breakfast and lunch with home grown organic juices and fruits.
Contact us to book your day tour: Office in Santa Cruz Tel: 958 587 0871
www.hagiasofia.mx The Eye 9
Confessions of an Uncharitable Canadian By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
C
anadians and Americans are not supposed to talk about how much money they make, or how much they donate to charities. Those are two highly personal matters, akin to the taboo topic (at least for most of us) of what goes on in the bedroom. But now's the time for me to address donating to charities in Oaxaca and in Canada, and by association my income while working in Toronto as a litigation lawyer. For most of my 18-year legal career I was earning in the range of $100K - $150K, a lot of money I always thought, though for many colleagues not anything close to what a competent litigator should have been making (yes, I was good at what I did). I was not a workaholic, my wife and I paid off the mortgage pretty quickly, and our only child was in the public school system for all but two years. I was the major breadwinner. But we gave very little to charity, never more than $1,000 annually. By all counts we were grossly under-donating; but now we're making up for lost time, living and giving in Oaxaca. What happened to us? I've reviewed online articles concerning how much a family should donate and why. The amounts and percentages of taxable income one “should” give vary, but they are consistently in the same ballpark. In general, the average American donates 3.1%. While the average household gives $1620 annually, where household earnings are under $20K the family gives 4.6%, and where under $10K it contributes 5.2%. Families earning $50K - $100K donate 2.5%, and where families earn more than $100K the percentage incrementally increases with income. Based on my examination of the literature I “should” have been paying over 3% instead of less than 1%. It's easy to rationalize having being a bad middle class giver. First of all, a large percentage of donations used in arriving at the foregoing numbers are made to religious institutions such as churches, synagogues and mosques. Hence the numbers become skewed, because religious people tend to donate a lot to their organizations. Perhaps in the case of those believing in Judeo-Christian religions it harkens back to the 10% tithing enunciated by Jacob in the Old Testament (Genesis 28:22). My wife and I have never been religious. We belonged to a synagogue for a grand total of two or three years. Heck, if you're an expat Jew living in Oaxaca you can't possibly be religious. Canadians living in Canada have another excuse for underdonating. It's been suggested that those residing in more socialist countries tend to donate less than those in other countries, because in the case of the former, government does more to look after its needy so that private citizens don't have to; and they can continue guilt-free with their conspicuous consumption. It's trite that Canada does a better job looking after its less fortunate than does the US. Canada boasts universal healthcare paid for by those who pay taxes. That's part of the reason that Canada's marginal tax rates are higher than those in the US. Canadians don't tend to squawk like Americans [read Republicans] at the thought of paying a bit more tax. Therefore, I suppose I wasn't so naughty after all, especially when considering that most of the literature noting naughty numbers refers to Americans living in the US.
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Here's what turned us around, now as Canadian pensioners living in Oaxaca with modest Mexican income, donating far “too much,” according to the statistics. And so finally arriving at the driving force for this article, here's why tourists, snowbirds and resident expats to one of the poorest states in Mexico, should review their donating habits: Oaxaca does relatively little to look after its less financially fortunate residents, certainly lacking the social programs Canada provides to virtually all in need. We see beggars, itinerant salespeople and more generally those who at least in our eyes are struggling, on the streets daily, as compared to living in the US or Canada where middle class citizens lead lives essentially insulated from poverty. A huge problem is access to quality education, so that whatever can be done to alleviate this problem translates to a better life and greater consciousness regarding political unjustness, which, if rectified, necessarily leads to a better standard of living for the needy. It's perhaps understandable not giving to United Way, American Cancer Society, Canadian Red Cross, World Wildlife Fund, UNICEF, United Jewish Appeal, Heart and Stroke Foundation, hospital and other charitable foundations because we are skeptical of what percentage of donations directly reaches the cause, as opposed to covering administration costs including salaries of CEOs (i.e. should the UNICEF CEO earn $1.2 million plus benefits). Moreover, we are not often given an opportunity to see, in an unfiltered way, personally, how our donations are impacting the people, animals, communities, etc., we want to help. Non-Mexicans should feel privileged to be able to spend part or all of their lives in such a culturally rich state and country, with access to so much that costs so little. Donations to many Oaxacan charities are tax friendly for those with Mexican, American or Canadian incomes (see www.canfro.ca, for example).
Store and Workshop (beside Tacos Arabes) Santa Cruz, Huatulco Cel: 958 107 8055 Open 10am-2pm, 4pm-8pm
There are any number of reasons that should make you feel comfortable about donating to support organizations that improve life in Oaxaca. Administration costs are generally very low, in part since many charities are staffed by volunteers or families of beneficiaries, and those with paid positions often have other jobs and sources of income and in most cases (at least for the charities I support) transparency is remarkable. Most Oaxacan charities have a primary goal of ameliorating the quality of life of families of modest means and realizing personal growth potential of members, through improving healthcare and education. Donors can often have direct contact with the recipients of their generosity, by visiting the charities to observe or volunteer time; and in the case of Casa de la Mujer (Fondo Guadalupe Musalem; www.gesmujer.org/en), a payment of 2,000 pesos monthly fully supports a bright indigenous (or Afro-American) female Oaxacan high school student. Donors have access to the recipient's personal information such as home village, family constellation, grade reports, details of how funds are used, and to the young woman herself. I've published articles about a number of Oaxacan charities, and others who pen for The Eye have similarly written about charitable foundations in towns and villages peppering the Oaxacan coastline. Do your research, donate what you can with the foregoing in mind, and don't feel too guilty if you were like this formerly uncharitable Canadian. It's never too late to have a cathartic awakening, and change. Alvin Starkman operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (http://www.mezcaleducationaltours.com), taking both Mexican nationals and visitors to a range of artisanal distilleries, teaching about mezcal production methods, aroma and flavor nuances, the impact of terroir, agave species
Cruise Ships and Huatulco By Jan Chaiken and Marcia Chaiken
M
ost tourists who come to Huatulco arrive for a leisurely stay by air, car, or boat. But when a cruise ship docks in Santa Cruz harbor, Huatulco experiences a sudden influx of potentially thousands of tourists who may stay only a day or half a day, and all of them trying to abide by exactly the same schedule. We, and many of our friends who live here year round, had the impression that visitors who arrive on a cruise primarily were bused to the plaza in downtown Crucecita where they toured the church, saw the largest painting in Mexico of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the church ceiling, visited a store where they could taste and buy mezcal, spent an hour or so looking for bargains in the stores ringing the plaza and then returned to their cruise ship. By interviewing tour guides, taxi cab drivers, staff in local branches of large tour agencies, and people who were returning to their ship, we learned that the city tour was just one of many activities experienced by the passengers in the few hours they are in port. Activities range from relaxing to highly energetic, from casual to tightly organized, from purely recreational to densely educational. To provide this array of activities, Huatulco professionals are involved in a fast-paced, tightly scheduled sequence of greetings, transportation, and activities. All of this requires planning months, or even years, in advance of the ship's arrival. When the pier in Santa Cruz harbor was built by Fonatur (the federal agency that promotes tourism in Mexico) Huatulco rapidly became a favored location for cruise ship lines that offer travel to this part of the world. Fonatur still manages the pier and the port administration in Santa Cruz and it sets the structure of the docking fees that ships pay for the privilege of disembarking passengers here. Other agencies that are involved with the arrival and departure of cruise ships are INM (the immigration agency) and the local naval base which provides security services by armed sailors in dress uniforms, mostly ceremonial but conveying a definite sense of safety. Up until 2011, 60 to 90 cruise ships visited the port of Santa Cruz in a year. Sometimes two cruise ships docked here on the same day, and occasionally you could witness two ships at the pier at the same time, an excellent opportunity for taking impressive photos of the harbor from one of the elevated viewing locations (miradores). This is no longer a likely experience. The influx of ships has gradually declined from year to year, to 31 in 2014 and only 25 scheduled in 2015. (The routes and schedules of cruise ships are fixed as much as two years in advance.) The cruise ship companies that we can expect to see here in 2015 are Holland America Line, Norwegian American Line, Oceania, Royal Caribbean, and Crystal. Royal Caribbean is making a return in 2015 after years of not planning stops at Huatulco.
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Other cruise companies that have vanished from the Huatulco scene are Cunard, Azamara, Princess, Celebrity, and Silversea. Cruise ship operators, when deciding their ports of call, take docking fees into consideration; Huatulco has one of the highest fees in Mexico. The posted fees increase with the length of the ship, the number of passengers, the length of time docked, and the number of lines to be tied down to the pier. So it is economically understandable that many ships that used to dock early in the morning and leave at sunset now are in Huatulco port for four hours or now skip Huatulco entirely. For the passengers, a typical itinerary begins in southern California, makes multiple stops in Mexico, and continues to Guatemala, through the Panama Canal, and on to an east coast destination (or the reverse cruise). When the pier in Santa Cruz first opened, Acapulco was a popular stopping point in Mexico, and Huatulco was a pleasant one-night cruise from there. While Huatulco is a remarkably safe location, cruise ship business here has suffered from concerns about security in Acapulco, as many companies dropped their Huatulco stop when they eliminated the Acapulco stop. Nearly every itinerary that includes Huatulco also stops at Puerto Chiapas, a one-day trip east of here, where accordingly the same drop in traffic has been experienced over the years. At almost every cruise ship company's web site you will find prominent information on the home page discussing safety and security of their cruises, indicating the importance of this issue to potential customers. The number of people on a cruise ship is hard to fathom. The land services for passengers must be prompt or else there will be hundreds or thousands of people milling around, not knowing what to do. The people providing services must be prompt not only to the scheduled disembarking time, but also the actual time. And at the end of their visit to Huatulco, passengers need to be back at the pier with plenty of time to spare, or some will become anxious about literally missing their boat. We spoke to Daniel Garcia Linares who handles arrangements for cruise ships at Bahias Plus, a large travel agency in Huatulco. This company's offerings for cruise ship passengers are similar to what anyone would find on their website as available to groups of tourists, but the tours for cruise ship passengers are much briefer and more constrained in timing – no chance of them casually wandering off to a suddenly interesting sight. He said arrangements for the passengers begin a year or more in advance, with preparation of agreements or contracts with cruise line companies. About a week before arrival, passengers on board the ship will have selected the land activities they want, allowing the travel agencies to assign buses, vans, and tour guides to the passengers. Huatulco has tour guides who speak Spanish (of course), English, German, or French.
The activities available to passengers vary greatly from port to port, but even just in Huatulco a great variety is available. Some passengers choose to stay on board and enjoy our local weather and scenery. This is especially true for passengers with disabilities, who have all the accommodations and facilities they need on board. Others – especially those who visited Huatulco on previous cruises– just get off the ship and camp out at a nearby cafe that provides faster and less expensive WiFi or cell phone service than on board the ship. Others wander through the shops, restaurants and sights that are immediately next to the pier in Santa Cruz or sit under a palapa on Santa Cruz beach. Since they have been warned by the cruise staff not to drink or eat anything in port, they are not likely to sample our delicious fresh fish, seafood or Oaxacan delicacies. The more adventurous visitors immediately board full size buses or smaller vans as soon as they disembark and are taken on snorkeling tours, boat tours of the bays, land tours of beaches, or of the town (already mentioned), or of the miradores where they can take photos of their cruise ship. Several of the tours include information about the area, its history, customs, economy, agricultural products. We heard a very favorable report from passengers about the tour to the eco-archeological park. They enjoyed learning about local flora and fauna as well as pre-Columbian life. Their only complaint was that the air conditioner in the museum was so noisy that they couldn't hear the guide, while most of the signs were in Spanish so they couldn't follow along by reading. But they raved about the view from the mirador in the park – who wouldn't? Aside from the travel agencies that offer cruise ship passengers essentially the same services that they provide the year round, some smaller agencies offer tours that are only available to cruise ship passengers. One is Turismo Náutico. We spoke to one of their guides, Lupe Becerra, who runs a fascinating tour for customers to learn about the local communities. Normally about 10 or 20 passengers will select an educational opportunity like this, which will require one or two vans and provides employment for the drivers, the tour guides, and the families that show and explain their daily life to the visitors. Her tour starts with the visitors being driven north of the city, to highway 200 in the direction of the airport, and turning into the hills at the road to Piedra de Moros. Normally the first stop is at an iguanario, but the sequence of stops can vary. The family that owns the iguanas volunteers to welcome the tourists, but they do make money from tips. They speak English and explain the operations as well as answer questions. The wife makes limeade from the limes on a tree that grows right there on the property. At most stops, the tourists are offered something bottled to drink. At all stops there are good-quality restrooms built specifically for and reserved exclusively for use of the tourists, as well as a palapa to keep the visitors out of the sun. The next stop is a traditional kitchen, where the tourists see corn tortillas being made and are offered tamales made with black beans and avocado leaves. The tour guides explain the process, and also the accompanying sauce (which is made milder for the tourists than for local residents). At the next stop, the visitors experience the ornamental art of the Mixteca – making objects from the same kind of palm fronds as are seen everywhere on Palm Sunday. Visitors can observe the making of hats, placemats, baskets and ornaments. The intricate process of drying and dyeing the palms is explained, including sucking one special dye out of snails while leaving the snails alive to make more dye. One of the tour guides, usually looking somewhat uncomfortable, is gradually dressed by the family in traditional Mixteca garb. This is a good stop for buying local handiwork of artisans and for taking photos.
Finally, the tour stops at a cactus plantation, where the owner (with translation by the guide) explains the differences between wild cactus and those raised for consumption, the many different kinds of edible cactus, and the many health benefits of eating cactus. Of course, the tourists are offered samples to eat – a small taste of raw cactus, cactus that has been made into a salad, and scrambled eggs and cactus. Fortunately, after explaining the procedures taken to keep the food clean and sanitary, many of the people on tour ignore the misinformation about the danger of eating anything on land and enjoy the experience. At all the stops, the visitors are encouraged to ask questions about the families and their customs, to wander about the house and to take photos. They are also encouraged to generously tip their host families. Some of the top priorities of the Huatulco professional tourism staff are cruise ship passengers' safety and peace of mind. They go out of their way to make each visitor feel welcome and pampered. And according to the passengers with whom we talked, they are accomplishing this mission. Even those who have not taken an organized tour comment on the peacefulness and cleanliness of our bahias and asked how they could return on their own. When told that there was a direct flight to Huatulco from Houston, some commented that they would definitely be back. Bienvenidos y buen viaje!
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Discover Peace and Traquility The Eye 13
Mexico City: Ten “Musts” For Your 2015 List By Carole Reedy
M
y personal top-ten things to do in Mexico City, based on the oohs and aahs my visitors give them:
Lunch with a View After a morning of touring the cathedral and roaming its streets, seeing the Diego Rivera murals at the National Palace, and walking the Aztec home Templo Mayor, stroll over two blocks to Donceles and República de Argentina streets to the restaurant El Mayor, located on the second floor of the building that houses the Porrúa bookstore on the planta baja. The outdoor terrace restaurant overlooks the Templo Mayor, with views of the cathedral and Zocalo. Expect a diverse menu, with some nice pasta choices as well as Mexican specialties. It's the perfect spot to relax with a glass of wine or beer and reflect on your hectic yet exciting sightseeing schedule. Sunday afternoon free concert at Chapultepec Castle If you enjoy small concerts in a lovely garden overlooking the hustle bustle of the city, Sunday afternoon at the Chapultepec Castle is for you. Beginning at 1 pm each Sunday, folding chairs are set up to accommodate a small crowd, with plenty of standing room for those strolling the gardens. The music is usually classical, such as piano concerts or young opera singers. Turibus Centro Historico Even if this isn't your first trip to DF, the three-hour tour on the double-decker bus will give you a new perspective on the city. Visiting diverse neighborhoods, peering into the picture windows of the deluxe stores and homes in Polanco, leaving the bus to drink a cappuchino in Condesa, or taking an additional hour or two to tour the Museo Soumaya, you'll enhance your appreciation of this grand megalopolis. Hop on and off the bus at a variety of locations between the Zócalo and Polanco. Morning coffee with hot milk at Café Popular, Café Tacuba, or El Cardenal These three restaurants located in Centro Historico serve the finest café con leche in the city. The secret of this Spanish-style of coffee is to use dark-roast coffee with equal parts hot milk and coffee poured from separate pitchers into a glass. Café Popular has two locations on Cinco de Mayo two blocks from the Zócalo, El Cardenal is on Palma, and Café Tacuba at number 12 Tacuba.
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Comida Corrida The definition of comida corrida is “a small meal of several courses at a fixed price eaten between about 1 and 4 pm.” Personally, I wouldn't define the meal as small as it consists of four courses: a soup, rice or pasta or salad, a main dish (can be chile relleno, pollo pipian, carne asada, pescado empanizado etc), and a small desert, as well as the agua of the day. The menu is different each day. Because of this, as well as the number of meals served in the short three- or four-hour period they're open, the food is always fresh, made that morning by the proprieters. Look for the signs Comida Corrida and usually the menu of the day outside restaurants. There are locations all over the city. It's always marvelous and the best bargain in town! The fixed price ranges from 47 to 100 pesos. Rio Lerma and Rio Sena in colonía Cuauhtémoc and Rio Sena, and Parra in Condesa are three streets that are lined with comida corrida restaurants. Bazaar Sábado This unique bazaar is open only on Saturdays, and the vendors are the artists themselves. Located in Plaza Jacinto in San Angel for more than 50 years, the bazaar is more than a place to shop. It's a corner of the world where artists gather to discuss their work and citizens worldwide come to visit and have lunch, breakfast, or a coffee at the cozy outdoor café located right in the middle of the excitement. Music abounds and an aura of hope and contentment fills the air, a welcome escape from the work-week worries. Strolling in Condesa One of my favorite days starts with meeting my friend Barbara at the Sonora Metrobus stop, roaming down said street to find a place to sip a cappuccino and talk. Then we stroll over to Parque Mexico and Parque España where suddenly we're far from the madding crowd in a botanical paradise. Watching the dog walkers is part of our routine--leading dozens of pedigree dogs on a leash seems like a pretty good job. Then we proceed down Veracruz where, no matter how many times one has walked it, there is some new building or business to discover. Then we find a lovely restaurant for a comida and more chatting. Dozens of restaurants abound this area. A day like this is one of the best reasons to spend more time in the city. Jumex Museum Many of us can't get enough of this museum. The visual grandeur excites all the senses and emotions, and I don't think I've ever smiled or laughed so much in a museum. Jumex is a breath of fresh air compared to the staid, traditional museum. The very latest and best in contemporary art is displayed here with care and thought, making it one of the most requested destinations in the city for my visitors. Find Jumex in Polanco, across the street from the Museo Soumaya.
Shopping at a tianguis These open-air markets date back to prehispanic days. The word tianguis, in fact, comes from the Nahuatl language of Aztecs. There are tianguis in rural areas and the cities of Mexico. In DF, tianguis are scattered throughout the streets of the city every day of the year. A variety of items are sold, from tools and clothing to CDs and DVDs, candy, makeup, plants, and flowers. Mexicans love to shop at the tianguis because the prices are cheaper than traditional stores, the vendors are friendlier, bargaining is welcome, and the entire atmosphere is less formal and most enjoyable. There is some controversy about the role of the tianguis in modern society, especially from store owners and some neighborhood residents who complain about the disruption on the day of tianguis in their area. Despite this, the concept of the tianguis is here to stay in Mexico City, with the majority of citizens recognizing it as an important part of their culture.
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My favorite building The Palacio de Bellas Artes, located on Juarez and Lázaro Cárdenas, adjacent to the Alemeda in Centro Histórico. Construction started in the early 1900s but was interrupted by the Mexican Revolution. It was finished in the 1930s. The marble was brought from Italy, as it was for the post office building, another delight, kitty corner from Palacio de Bellas Artes. Inside are many surprises, including murals of Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros, and Jose Clemente Orozco. Temporary exhibits and symphony concerts and operas are scheduled regularly. It was difficult to choose just 10 favorites, so look for more suggestions right here in the year ahead.
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www.decoratec.com.mx The Eye 15
Desechos, Basura. Redux By Julie Etra
I
n my absence from The Eye meetings my fellow writers at The Eye decided I was the best suited among them to revisit this topic, so I have updated the article I wrote for The Eye last year. (“Recycling in Huatulco,” April 2014)
Last March, Fonatur in conjunction with the municipality of Huatulco, the Green Team, the Hotel Association, and CONAGUA, launched their groundbreaking program of residential pick up services along with the first phase of the expansion of the wastewater treatment plant. This year my investigative journalism journey started at the big pile of plastic bottles behind the greenhouses in Sector T' which continues to be operated by ‘Infusión Plástico'. Their trucks pick up the bottles at the landfill, move them to the site in Sector T, and then haul them off to Puebla. Fonatur still has the yard on the canal street (Guelaguetza opposite Vialidad 5) , and they still sort material brought in independently, although the gate guards did not know any details regarding their ultimate destination. The residential pick up service continues with varying schedules depending on the neighborhood and type of development. In Santa Cruz at the harbor, pickup is Monday – Friday, while next door in Sector E, it is Monday – Saturday. In Residencial Conejos it is Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. The service is free. It is done differently in different neighborhoods. In some places, everything is collected on the appointed day by two trucks in tandem. One truck collects non–recyclable waste, including organics, while the second truck separates glass, plastic, aluminum, cardboard, Tetra Pak (coated paper milk and juice containers), and polystyrene. In other neighborhoods, pickup service alternates between trash (which includes organic waste) and recyclables. We put out two broken plastic chairs (a very common sight in Mexico), which they did pick up. Around town, including Santa Cruz and Super Che, one sees separate containers labeled organic and inorganic, bottles, and cans. In some places in the First World USA we pay to recycle and they come every two weeks. They only take aluminum cans, bottles, newspapers, and magazines. Go Huatulco!
Last year I went out to the Fonatur owned and operated landfill to see where recycled and nonrecycled material were handled, what was buried etc. I recently went back out to the dump and found it much cleaner than last year, even more picked over. There are still maybe a dozen small sorting areas of primarily cans and bottles, each with a shade structure or umbrella and people actively sorting material. Bags of plastic bottles and flattened cans dominated the waste; as in last year, I did not see where organic matter was being composted, buried, or left to rot, nor stacks of plastic chairs or cardboard. Compared to last year there are smaller populations of black vultures and dogs, and fewer safety officers or workers wearing safety vests. A bulldozer was operating on the eastern side of the landfill. Numerous pipe stands with supporting wire encased rock columns continue to vent methane and other gases produced by buried material so that fires don't occur. I do believe the stand pipes are also used to set grade so the dozer knows where to move the fill material. What is new at the landfill are the baseball field, and the fact that the landfill will be relocated. I am not clear as where the new landfill will be moved, but the discussion dates back at least five years (for Spanish readers check out: http://publimar.mx/?p=189 0). The current location is too close to the National Park and the Maguey/ Cacaluta watershed, and does not use current technology (that is another discussion). It is also too close to groundwater, with obvious potential for contamination. A proposal for a new type of park on the existing landfill is being circulated. The present title translates roughly as Ecocultural Park for Animals. Major components include an animal shelter for rescued wildlife, control of dogs and cats (particularly street dogs; presumably sterilization), education, research, restoration (revegetation), and a native plant nursery. Further it is proposed that it be operated by the local cooperatives, of which there are a number that support this proposal. It is meant to be self-sustaining, and green, of course. I assume that as this proposal develops, studies such as water quality sampling, methane production, and other analyses of potential toxins will be conducted. Throughout Huatulco, locals recycle materials in all kinds of clever and creative ways, from Norma Perez' lovely cardboard painted shelves at the Organic Market, to the plastic bottle garbage buckets seen in Pluma Hidalgo and Derramadero.
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Living Green in an Eco Paradise By Kary Vannice What's new in Huatulco? A movement. A movement toward a cleaner, healthier life for Huautlco, its residents and the planet. Thirty years ago, Huatulco was founded with a vision toward a better way to bring tourism to Mexico. Designed to be a “green resort” it was meant to give visitors the feel of connecting with nature and relaxing in the Pacific. A clear juxtaposition to the likes of Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. A place to enjoy, not only the beach, but also the surrounding beauty of the Sierra Madre mountains and national park. But, is being surrounded by green space enough to be able to call yourself truly “green”? Sure, we all enjoy being surrounded by Huatulco's beauty and lush green jungle and days at the clean beaches with their crystal clear ocean water. But really, have Huatulco and its residents been doing enough to live up to that “green” badge of honor? Well, I haven't been around since the inception of the new “green” Huatulco in 1984, but in the last few years, I've been happy to see more and more “green” ideas, projects and events springing to life in our area. Likely because of its eco status, Huatulco has been host to several events, expos and forums that have focused on the topic of suitability. In June of this year, The Binniguenda Hotel hosted a group of activists and organic producers from around Latin America. These leaders in the organic movement came from countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and many others. Their aim is to share their knowledge across borders and create a network of organic growers throughout North and South America to strengthen the market for their products and educate people about the benefits to the environment of organic production vs. large-scale agriculture that relies heavily on toxic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Also participating in this event were members of Huatulco's Organic Market committee. The Mercado Organíco de Huatulco (MOH) is a grassroots movement that sprang to life about a year and a half ago when a few members of our local community thought the idea up over a rich, hot cup of locally grown coffee (organic, of course!). Since then, it has grown to be a bi-monthly event, taking place in the Santa Cruz Park the first and third Saturday of every month.
The market boasts between 35-50 individual producers, depending on the season. The producers’ commitment to providing clean, quality, home-grown fruits, vegetables, cheeses, chocolates, and many other fresh delicacies ensures that patrons not only get that natural farm-to-table flavor, but also the comfort of knowing that their purchases have been cleanly and locally grown, and that they are supporting a local family. In turn, the Organic Market helps local community organizers by providing a platform for representatives from the municipality to hold educational workshops for children on topics such as recycling, reusing and renewable energy. But will clean water, clean air, clean food and open space be enough to achieve the aim of being truly “green”? While Huatulco was developed with the idea of preservation of the surrounding environment in mind, are we really doing enough to contribute to the preservation and care of the Planet at large? Resorts consume massive amounts of energy, water and other natural resources in order to provide for the demands of their visitors. And while Huatulco can proudly say that 100% of their energy comes from renewable sources and they have a first-rate water treatment that recycles grey water into useable (non-potable) water, visitors to our area wouldn't know that unless they did some investigating. Still, most hotels, resorts and homes and in this area are built by conventional means and using conventional materials. Very few businesses are taking advantage of sustainable and renewable building materials and practices, until now! New sustainable development by Arktual SA de CV has been started in Sector O, and it is to be finished in December of 2015. This development aims to promote a “greener” way of life by providing its residence with communal organic gardens, solar energy generated by massive photovoltaic panels, reduced water consumption though modern low-flow technology throughout and a state of the art water catchment and retention system. It also will be designed to maximize the considerable natural light here in Huatulco in an effort to reduce energy consumption of their already energy saving lighting and appliances. To stave off the solar heat for residence the walls, windows and floors will all be designed, using environmentally sustainable products, to reduce the amount of solar heating inside the units. No doubt, once finished, it will be Huatulco's premier example of just how good it can be to live “green”. So, while there is always room for improvement, I'd say we here in Huatulco are doing quite well when it comes to living “green”, but a movement is made up of individuals. So, join the movement and do your part to push it forward so we can achieve even greater heights of “greendom” in 2015!
The Eye 17
If you don't have a dream, how can a dream come true? By Leigh Morrow
As Albert Einstein said best, “Your imagination is the preview to life's coming attractions.” As we see a New Year dawn, many of us contemplate how the year will unfold and what things we should be improving on. Too often these New Years Resolutions fall short and crumble by February. In fact many people refuse to feel failure so early in a new year, and have abandoned making them all together. "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time", B.J. Marshall. Maybe your goals need to be bigger, not smaller, and aimed at achieving something really significant. Instead of five or six goals, stick to one big one and give yourself a time line, which depending on the dream or goal, could take several years to complete. Three years ago our family decided to build a home on the Mexican coast. It had started years earlier, as only a dream, and then, slowly, as a specific goal, to actually have a home that was ours, to vacation in, and ultimately to spend a chunk of our retirement in a warm sunny location where we could walk, swim, hike and just soak in the scenery, every day. I knew we had to take the plunge, long before we were ready to retire, after seeing in my parents, and my co-workers, how age creates hesitation. So we jumped. Head first into home ownership in Mexico and began to build. It was a stressful year, and sleepless nights of trepidation, but it was so exciting, as we watched our dream take hold, and, against the odds, it was completed on time, and on budget. The first time I laid eyes on the finished house, I just kept pacing around and around, in awe that it was ours! We had created something that once was only a dream! That reenforced for me, that goals, if pursed in earnest, will come true. Three months later, Hurricane Carlotta swept through our little village when we were back in Canada. For days, we did not know if our friends were injured, if our village was destroyed, if our home was gone. We fared much better than many that summer day, and our home miraculously was completely unscathed, but it taught me that savoring each trip to its maximum is mandatory. I also needed to increase my gratitude for each visit, but more on that in a minute. I also understood that nothing is forever. For me, the lesson of Hurricane Carlotta was enjoy it as much as we can, while we can. This month, as we arrived to open the house, I heard one of our friends talk of "living the dream" more than once. It’s true. We are "living the dream" of having that second home in a paradise location. Living the dream is really another way of saying that goal is now a reality. And while we are renting it out for vacationers, until we can spend the entire winter barefoot, we are positioning ourselves for that reality.
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So as the New Year dawns I'll be setting time aside to write my goals for 2015 and in fact, long term ones stretching into 2020, eyesight I wish I still had. I have some big plans, and even larger dreams that may take a few years, and I find this process immensely satisfying. Its my way of organizing that bottom drawer. Getting focused. Living Large. Decide what's next and how you are going to get it. Of all the advice I've read, and heard, and practiced, these are the ones that work for me. Don't just "think it' - "ink it” People who write down their goals earn nine times as much as people who don't. Yet 80% of the population does not write down their dreams and has little luck at making them stick. The physical process of writing down your goals suddenly transports them from the airy-fairy world of desire, to something that is on paper and you can read it. Reading it to yourself, is the first step towards achieving it. Get Specific Goals must be specific. If you write "I want to be happy" that is not specific enough. You need to be detailed oriented on this. You have to ride it, visualize it, and smell it, to make it your goal. You need to write all the "how you want happiness", to get the happiness. If you need specific pictures, then take them, or find them and cut them out. If you need to sketch, sketch. I like to keep those clippings and photos and visual thoughts in one place. Some people do vision boards; others decorate their mirrors so they see them on a daily basis. I'm on my computer a lot so I'm a fan of the vision board app, that allows you to do one, right on your computer. Think Big This is not a time to be timid. Think as big as you dare. Most people make the mistake- not of thinking too big and missing, but thinking too low and succeeding. That's where I think many resolutions fail. They just are not important enough and people let them slip. Just remember Kyle and his magic paperclip that got traded over and over again, on the internet until Kyle had a three bedroom home. Reach for the moon, and even if you fail, you will be in the stars and far more ahead for the next go round. Time is ticking Your dreams might be large so every day matters. I found this interesting equation to put some reality into understanding where you are on the journey. So often we say, "I’ll make a goal later or tomorrow, or when I have more time". Multiply your age x 365 days this will give you your current age in days. Subtract that number from 27,375. That's the number of days the average person has. Then fill that number into this sentence. I probably have _____days left (fill in the blank) That's a wake up call for most of us!
But remember it is never too late, or too early. Right now is a good time. And forget your age. It is what you do- not when you do it- that counts. Break it down into chunks Just like any big term goals, small bite size pieces work best. They can actually get accomplished, and propel you towards the end results. Taking baby steps every day towards the goal, is more likely to succeed. Learning a language, losing weight, writing a book, all take time, patience and determination and can only be achieved in small bite size parcels. Just be sure to celebrate those "chunks" when you achieve them...the milestones in-between. So if your goal is a new job, celebrate each time you get an interview, even if you don't get the job. The end goal is the finish line, but we still need to celebrate the journey. Be Grateful There's quite a bit of research to support the idea that experiencing gratitude can have a positive impact on b o t h y o u r mental/emotional state and your ability to achieve the life you want. Geoffrey James talks about Gratitude as being an emotional “muscle”, one that needs to be used and strengthened. People who approach life with a sense of gratitude are constantly aware of what's wonderful in their life. They enjoy the fruits of their successes, and therefore, they seek out more success. And when things don't go as planned, people who are grateful can put failure into perspective. Over time, a real change in the whole trajectory of your life can happen. With gratitude, you will find that your efforts to create the career you want, the retirement you desire, to have a satisfying life, are increasingly successful. You'll begin to have a practical experience of the positive impact of approaching your life with a focus on gratitude. Which in turn, will give you even more to be grateful about. So it's a circle appreciating the goals you achieve, and thus creating and achieving, new ones. 2nd right answer And finally when faced with a significant setback most give up on their dream or goal, instead of realizing the "2nd right answer". Turn the box on all sides and see if there is a different approach to solving the problem. Sometimes it takes a fresh approach to solve the stumbling block and ultimately create a better solution, but you have to have the will to look. What you focus on increases. So focus on the 2nd right solution to achieving your goal, not the 1st right answer that didn't take off. "Your resources are always greater than you imagine them to be. Never ask, " Can I do this?" Ask instead " How can I do this"? Dan Zadra If you've read this far, then you deserve to take the time right now to write down your goals and dreams, and start creating what you want! Embrace this New Year. Leigh Morrow is a Vancouver writer who operates Casa Mihale, a vacation rental in the quaint ocean front community of San Agustinillo, Mexico. Her house can be viewed and rented at www.gosanagustinillo.com
In Case of Emergency… Huatulco Just Got a Bit Safer By Brooke Gazer
H
eart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and holds second position in Canada. So it is good news that recently the physicians and other emergency personnel in Huatulco were offered a two day course designed by the A m e r i c a n H e a r t Association. The “Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support” program, which was taught by faculty members from UCSD Medical Center, included recognition and early management of respiratory and cardiac arrest as well as peri-arrest conditions. Several years ago my husband suffered a heart attack here in Huatulco, which was neither properly diagnosed nor treated. He survived because I took him to Mexico City, but had the local doctors been equipped with the knowledge and understanding offered by the AHA then he would be a healthier man today. This program also provided hands on CPR training. About 90 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital; immediate CPR can double, or even triple, a victim's chance of survival. The Air Ambulance Company Aviamedix sponsored this valuable continuing medical education program in order to draw attention to the proper diagnosis and treatment of persons suffering heart attacks and cardiac arrests. They also wanted local physicians to feel comfortable in medevacing patients with severe injuries or conditions to a larger better equipped facility, either to Guadalajara or a hospital of the patient's choice. This is something that some local doctors have been reticent to do on occasion. If you have medical or travel insurance covering medevac service and your the doctor is unwilling to assist you it is possible to contact this company directly and they will act as a liaison with your insurance company to help make the arrangements. Brooke Gazer owns and operates Agua Azul la Villa, an ocean view bed and breakfast in Huatulco, www.bbaguaazul.com The following doctors attended the ACLS program: Dr. Ricardo Carrillo Barragan (958) 587-6055 Dr. Juan Carlos Pinacho Soria (958) 111-0925 Dr. Jaime Antonio Lopez Meza (962) 116-3746 Dr. Miguel Angel Quiroz Tovar (958) 587-6628 Dr. Andres Gonzalez Ayvar (958) 587-6065 To contact Aviamedix Air Ambulance directly: Personal Cell Phone Mexico: (664) 1201903 Mexico toll free: 01-800-269-4365 Office main number: 001(619)342-7408 USA Office Fax: 001(619)342-7410 USA email: operations@aviamedix.com personal email: sergio@aviamedix.com website: www.AviaMedix.com
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Cross-Border Collaboration Aids Efforts in Coastal Oaxaca to Sterilize Street Animals, Enhance Pet Care By Deborah Van Hoewyk
I
t's a commonplace that Mexico is overrun with stray and starving dogs and cats—while no reliable sources have ventured to guess at how many, an animal rescue organization in the Yucatan has used tourism research to estimate that over 4,000,000 Americans won't visit Mexico because they're appalled at the situation. And reports of “euthanasia” to lessen the numbers are often scandalous. While millions of strays and unwanted pets are put down every year in the U.S., American “kill shelters” and veterinarians mostly use phenobarbitol to achieve humane elimination of the animals. In Mexico, euthanasia is often accomplished by electrocution, but there is also an Internet video of a dog being clubbed to death in the municipio of Santa Maria Huatulco last March. Allegedly, there were multiple dogs and actions were carried out by employees of the municipal kennel, but as always in such cases, information about the video and its contents is inconsistent and sensationalized. Nonetheless, the municipal administration issued a statement early this summer saying that, in response to public condemnation of the video, they fired the kennel director on March 2, and the Minister of Health, whose responsibilities include animal health, on June 15. (The dates indicate the kennel director was fired immediately, before the video ever made the rounds of social network sites.) From Scandal to Sterilization While the video and reactions to it cast a very dark cloud over the municipio, the silver lining is a marked increase in sterilization campaigns, plus a new “Responsible Owner” (Dueño Responsable) campaign to emphasize the benefits of sterilization and promote a “culture of care” for pets throughout the municipio. Under the direction of Mayra Anlehu Guillén, the current head of Economic Development and Health (Regiduría de Desarrollo Económico y Salud Huatulco) for the municipio, the health administration is also highlighting the value of cooperation with nonprofits (Asociaciones Civiles), both domestic and international, in this effort. The campaigns began last July in the neighboring municipio of San Pedro Pochutla, with a three-day clinic rotating through Pochutla, San José Chacalapa, and Puerto Angel; sterilization services were free, and were jointly provided by the municipal department of health, the state-level health service for animal diseases (Programa Zoonosis de los Servicios de Salud), and the department of indigenous affairs (Área de Asuntos Indígenas). The focus was on reducing the overpopulation of street animals and associated health risks, and encouraging responsible ownership. November saw three sterilization campaigns that reached from Puerto Escondido to Santa Cruz Huatulco, and up through seven locations in the municipio of Santa Maria Huatulco. For the first time ever, these campaigns were linked, resulting in a total of 546 no-cost sterilizations of cats and dogs, accompanied by treatment for internal and external parasites.
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In Zipolite and Puerto Angel, the local nonprofit organization TerreXtra, organized by Tintin Kodandaram to work on local environmental issues (http://terrextra.npage.ch/), held clinics that spayed and neutered a total of 226 dogs and cats. Tintin's surgery team came from Pets for Life, an independent group of vets from the Puerto Vallarta area that contracts through PEACEAnimals, a US/Mexico nonprofit from Puerto Vallarta and Portland, Oregon. The municipal government of Santa Maria Huatulco coordinated its clinics with Snipsisters, a Canadian nonprofit. Through its department of health services, the municipio held clinics in the towns of Paso Ancho, El Morro, Guarumbo, Colonia December 8, Arroyo Xúchitl, Hacienda Vieja, and Todos Santos, sterilizing a total of 118 dogs and cats. Snipsisters has been holding clinics in the Bahias de Huatulco area for four years, and has covered Cuatunalco and Coyula to the west, Zimatan and Barra de la Cruz to the east, and this year Huatulco in the center; they have been working with the Pets for Life team since they started holding clinics. The Snipsisters/Pets for Life clinic in Santa Cruz Huatulco sterilized a total of 202 animals, as well as raising money on the spot to treat two cases of canine transmissible veneral tumor (TVT), and to provide two amputations, one eye removal, and one euthanasia. How They Did It in Santa Cruz A Snipsisters clinic is largely a volunteer effort. The “Snipsisters” themselves are two Canadian women who own homes in Salchi Bay; Heidi Wagner is from Calgary and Shelagh O'Brien is from Toronto. They met at Salchi when they arranged to transport two abandoned street dogs to a no-kill Canadian shelter (see www.snipsisters.com to read more about them—you can also make a donation on that site). The Snipsisters raise funds across Canada to hire the vets; they solicit donations of medical supplies, animal food, towels, sheets, cages—everything necessary to conduct a sterilization clinic. They contact hosts in the clinic area to provide lodging for their Canadian volunteers and the 3- to 4-person vet team, they coordinate the local volunteers who handle all the nonsurgical tasks of the clinic, and they arrange food to keep the whole thing going. Municipal President Dario Pacheco Venegas visited so he could personally thank the key players in putting on the clinic; the municipality also sent two representatives from the Economic Development and Health Department, Jorge Anlehu Guillén and Vanessa Ariza Razo, to observe with the intent of improving future municipally sponsored clinics. However, Jorge and Vanessa turned into important members of the team—they translated, they explained, they brought in municipal trucks for pets with no way to get home, they sent out and brought back the laundry. In addition to Heidi and Shelagh, there are—get this—folks from Calgary who think it's a really fun idea to use their vacation to come down here and work, work, work in the clinic. RN Sheila Tomlinson has come from Calgary for all the Snipsisters clinics, Joanne Maigret is a retired nurse from Canada now living in France, and super-organized Lorna Nicholson came over from Salchi to help out.
Day of the Holy Kings
The team from Pets for Life includes Paulina Stettner, a vet tech who serves as administrator, and veterinarians Anthony García Carillo, Policarpo (Poly) López Ruiz, and Jimena López. They were helped out by local veterinarian Norma Rivera Vivanco, who has also provided the TVT cancer therapy at no charge and the drugs for the chemotherapy at a sharply reduced rate. Space for the four-day clinic was generously provided by Roberto Dattoli, owner of the Hotel Plaza Delphinus in Chahue, and his General Manager Blanca Güerra Martínez. Accommodations for the vet team were provided by Sam Castrillon and his wife Sherry McLeod de Castrillon at the Mision de los Arcos hotel; Wayne and Marcy Overby hosted the Snipsisters at Villa Sol y Mar in Conejos. Lunches were brought in by Heidi's husband, Gary Campbell; Jane Bauer (in the Frida's Fish Tacos truck); Wayne and Marcy Overby from Los Portales in La Crucecita and Las Palapas at the airport; and Sam Castrillon from Terra Cotta (pizza!). Volunteers came from all over Huatulco and even farther away. These people registered and tracked animals, they assisted in pre-op and recovery, they washed surgical instruments, they pulled cages and babysat tranquilized animals, they cleaned up after animals, and much more:
T
he Day of the Holy Kings is a Christian celebration when children in Mexico receive gifts from the three wise men.
Epiphany, also known as the Day of Holy Kings (Día de los Santos Reyes), is celebrated on January 6 in remembrance of the biblical story of the three kings’ visit to Jesus. Christians believe that three kings (or wise men) – Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar – visited the child Jesus and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This Epiphany story is celebrated in churches across Mexico and worldwide. Mexican children receive gifts from the three kings (reyes magos). Streets in major cities are packed with food stalls, gifts, and outdoor parties. It is also customary to eat Rosca de Reyes, which is a wreath-shaped fruity bread baked with a figure of baby Jesus inside. The Day of the Holy Kings is a religious observance and not a federal public holiday in Mexico. The person who finds the figurine of baby Jesus inside his or her share of the sweet bread, Rosca de Reyes, symbolically “becomes” Jesus’ godparent.
Tintin Kodandaram, Mick and Maggie Winter, Lynn Holdridge and Dennis Klein, Liz St. Germaine, Nancy Norris, Tania Montejo, Sandy Wilson, Bryn and Jocelyn Wendelborg, Brenda Medina Priego, Kris Broderick, Judy Fox, Jesus Flores and his daughter Kenya, Fran McClaren and her son Trevor White, and John and Deborah Van Hoewyk. According to Snipsisters' Heidi Wagner, the increased collaboration makes for a “stronger and more effective effort,” and Snipsisters hopes that next year there will be an even bigger joint effort among TerreXtra, the municipio, and Snipsisters, and that all the coastal clinics will be able to use the Pets for Life team. Given that one unspayed female dog, and her unsprayed offspring, can produce 69,000 additional dogs within six years, and one unsprayed female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens in seven years, the results of this year's clinics—and those to come—will mean millions fewer unwanted animals on the Oaxacan Riviera.
January 9th, 8PM Latitude 15 Beach Club Chahue Beach Donation 250 pesos The Eye 21
January
MON
SUN
TUES
WED
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On the Riviera
SAT
FRI
THURS
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3
Huatulco’s Organic Market Santa Cruz
Oaxaca City
Ocotlan Market Xochimilco Organic Market
Weekly Event
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5
5:00pm $130 pesos Lecture: Haciendas by Linda Martin Oaxaca Lending Library
Day of the Holy Kings
Beach Volleyball See tomzap.com English AA 6pm Puerto Escondido for location Cafecito Riconada
Tlacolula Market
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6
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13
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English AA 6pm Puerto Escondido
Etla Market
Beach Volleyball See tomzap.com for location
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15
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State Band Concert 12:30pm Free Zócalo- Oaxaca City
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Remax Plaza
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Amigos de la Musica Marimba Concert Dreams 8pm
Beach Volleyball See tomzap.com for location
26
Dave Rotundo Fundraiser Concert
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28
Xochimilco Organic Market
17
Met Live Lehár's The Merry
Duplicate Bridge Widow Teatro Macadonio Alcalá (ACBL sanctioned) Fridays at noon - $20 12:00pm pesos Huatulco’s Hidalgo 104, Organic Market Jalatlaco Santa Cruz www.oaxacabridge.com
English AA 7pm Huatulco
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10
Cafecito Riconada
Antique Jewelry Sale to benefit Libros Para Pueblos Casa Colonial Miguel Negrete 105 2:00 – 4:00 P.M.
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24 English Al-Anon Puerto Escondido 4:30 P.M. at Cafecito
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Beach Volleyball See tomzap.com English AA 6pm Puerto Escondido for location Cafecito Riconada
Yoga Huatulco Teacher Training 21 Day, 200 hour YTT May 4th-25th, 2015 Huatulco, Mexico
www.yogahuatulcomexico.com Application: janemexico1@yahoo.ca
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