Monos de calenda

It isn't a party unless there are monos de calenda or giant puppets made on a bamboo frame with heads and upper bodies of paper mache. Every parade has at least two, maybe three or four or more depending on the budget. Many weddings have bride and groom monos, as this one did in the photo. The monos are dressed for the occasion and are worn on the shoulders of young men (can you see the feet?). There is a look-out hole usually at the "waist" of the mono so the guy underneath can see. As the brass band plays the monos twist and turn to the beat of the music and the arms of the mono twirl to the beat of the brass band that accompanies the parade so the monos look like they are alive. Some monos are personalized in face features and dress to look like the guest of honor. A mono weighs about 18 pounds and can be rented, or sold for $1000 - $1500 pesos.

Up on the roof

There are a few ways to get your laundry done in Oaxaca. You can take it to a lavanderia and have them do it--this is the most common way--or you can find a self-service landromat. Very few people have washers and dryers in their houses. I am lucky to have a lavanderia that is full -service as well as self-service in the next block. This morning I washed three loads including sheets, towels and a few clothes. I could have dried the laundry there but most every house has clotheslines that are on the roof. This is a perfect place for drying laundry as it is always full sun up there. With the low humidity and sun the laundry can be dried in no time. My apartment has clotheslines on the roof and the photo shows the view that my laundry has. By the way, roof tops are also where the dogs live. Dogs are for guarding, rarely for friendly pets so the rooftop is their turf.

Agua

Because of the lack of treatment of water from the taps in Oaxaca, I buy purified water for drinking and brushing my teeth. Some locals buy huge jugs of water--garrafones--an carry them home, but most wait for a water man to come down the street calling "agua!" and buy garrafones from him. So that is what I do. The guys come down my street about 8 or 8:30 a.m. most every day. When I need water I listen for his cry of "agua!" and I run out to the street and call "un, vidrio". This means I want the garrafon to be of glass, not plastic because the plastic jugs look like they have been around the block and besides, glass looks so cool. The guy goes back to his truck that is parked somewhere around the corner, carries the garrafon into the apartment, removes the empty jug and puts the new jug in the stand. The small 1.5 liter bottle in the photo costs 12 pesos (about 92 cents) and the 20 liter glass garrafon costs 40 pesos (about $3). A plastic garrafon costs only 15 pesos. Today two of us went to the gate asking for vidrio and the guy carried both garrafones at once to our place. What strength.

Comida corrida at Doña Elpidia

One of my favorite places to eat lunch is the Cafe Doña Elpidia located five or six blocks south of the Zocalo. It is in the home of Señora Elpidia at the back of her patio filled with flowers so it feels as if you are in a secluded private garden, which I guess you are. Señora Elpidia is the cook, waiter and clean-up person--she does it all and has for many years. Her cafe is open each afternoon and serves one complete meal for 50 pesos, about $3.89. By the way this has been the price since we first ate there in 2001. Today she served agua de papaya, botanas of chicharron, quesillo, empanada then caldo with tortilla strips then the entree of mole mantmenteles with beef, potatoes, chayote and pineapple. The dessert was strawberry cream.

I stopped with my mouth hanging open when I saw these flowers being sold by a man on the street. You can buy the whole pot of lillies for 30 pesos, about $2.50, or buy the bulbs or the seeds. The bulbs are smaller than tulip bulbs and tinged with color so the man could tell which bulb would produce which flower. I was surprised that there are seeds. I thought bulbs came from bulbs. The man explained to me that the bulbs are only a food storage for the plant, inside are seeds. The downside to buying the seeds is that it takes years to get bulbs.

Beauty in Oaxaca

Friday night there was a wedding party outside the Santo Domingo Cathedral getting photographed by a professional--and every tourist nearby. The dresses were gorgeous purple with iridesence. The color was so striking in the lighting and against the golden cathedral. And there were six little kids in the wedding party. I guess they didn´t want to leave any one out. They provided the aawww moment.

Saturday once again I was sitting at Santo Domingo when a quinceañera arrived with her escorts. She had on the ruffliest black dress with a long train and a black bouquet. The escorts were dressed as if they were in a marching band. I have never seen the boys dressed in anything other than suits or tuxedoes. These teenagers were having a great time. I bet that was a great party.

Just a block away a bride was arriving for her wedding at another cathedral. She was simply gorgeous and radiant, the smile never left her face. Her attendants were wearing orange.

Nieves

One of my goals each day in Oaxaca is to have a dish of two different nieves, a scoopable very icy frozen treat like sorbet. You can find nieves everywhere, on the streets, in stands in doorways, in the mercados. I have eaten many nieves but my favorites come from Chonita who has a stall in the Mercado 20 de noviembre. This sign shows all the nieves that Chonita makes and sells along with her son.

For me, the nieves of Chonita are the best because they are not too sweet. The balance of sugar and water or milk is very important for the taste and texture.

The challenge when selecting nieves for the day is to match two that complement each other. Some good combos are chocolate and coco, nuez (pecan) and cajeta (caramel), but the best, classic pairing is tuna (fruit of the prickly pear cactus, not to be confused with the fish) and leche quemada (burnt milk). Burning or toasting are characteristics of Oaxacan foods.

Desfile para el veinte de noviembre

What a way to start the day! As usual I went down to the Zocalo to buy my newspapers but this time there were police and military at every corner, and in big groups. I asked the woman at the news stand what was happening. Desfile para 20 de noviembre, a public celebration celebrating the start of the Mexican Revolution.

There was quite a show of military, all so young and serious looking. Howver I was able to catch these drummers at ease. I am not sure they approved of the taking of their photos and it was a little unsettling to have so many guns within feet of me. I hoped they were fake guns.

There were little boys dressed as Pancho Villa, complete with guns. Some had mustaches drawn on their faces.