Saturday, February 26, 2011

STAIRWAY TO . . . ?

Building inspector anywhere?!?!? Any weight restrictions on this one. Seems like there are no rules or liability here in Lo. I began to pay a little more attention to other public stairs after this one.

SOME WERE BEAUTIFUL AND BUILT WITH
FORETHOUGHT. . .















Others, obviously ran out of concrete before the last step, which I discovered when I almost fell on my
face!?!?




You might say
I developed a new appreciation for staircases . . .





Sunday, February 13, 2011

THIS GLORIOUS QUEST!!

Not long after I arrived in Lo, I bought some tamales from Señora Annie at a stall in the plaza. Being a little cautious, I only bought a couple in case I didn't care for them. What a mistake. I loved them. Necesito más! I NEEDED MORE. And this is how the quest began. The next day I asked around and was told that she was in the plaza every evening around 5:30 or maybe 6:30, maybe 9. I then began to make my rounds each evening, asking around the plaza, shops, restaurant: ¿Dónde es el tamal señora? Either she hadn't been seen or she had just passed by. . . I began to think that she had just been an apparition to begin with. The elusive tamale lady. . . the impossible dream.

Finally, a week later, on Sunday she "would be at the plaza at 10am". . . 10AM:No Annie. . . but she would be there for the book sale at 12. There had been a sighting at the church.(I passed by there on my search and Annie was NOT at the church.) 12:30PM: No Annie at the book sale but "would be there in 20 minutes". After waiting for an hour, I went my way. Beach walk, lunch, etc. Later, I returned to the plaza and I had "just missed her", as other folks tantalizingly waved their bags of tamales in front of me. Hope sprung in my heart, because this was proof that she really did exist. Supposedly, she was headed for the ball field. I walked to the far side of town and circled the ball field. No Annie! But this was my quest! To stalk Annie, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far. Cause the world would be better for this. I could not give up! There was a rumor that she lived near the ball field, so I decided I would just go door-to-door asking: ¿Dónde es Annie casa?
I approached the first casa with a group of people gathered around a pickup and was amazed when a lady said:"Soy Annie". Tears of joy welled in my eyes. . . .OK. . . so I just gushed, muy bueno! Mucho gusto! Estoy alegre ! Maravilloso! Fantástico! which exhausted most of my Spanish vocab.
Her vege tamales are filled with
calabaza,
patatas, zanahorias, and pimientas. (squash,potatoes, carrots and peppers) They are worth every peso. So when you come to Lo de Marcos, check out Annie. She lives at the corner of the ball park and her fresh tamales will set you back less than a dollar a piece. Muy delicioso!

"Buen apetito"
"Bon Appétit"**

**for the multilingual impaired--
"E
njoy your meal!!"

Thursday, February 10, 2011

LO-O-O-O-O

"MY FAVORITE THING IS
TO GO
WHERE I HAVE NEVER BEEN!"

So I am finally here in Lo de Marcos,a little piece of paradise. A truly sleepy town with a magnífico beach and laid back ambiance. It hasn't taken long to relax and discover that nothing is too important that it can't wait until mañana.

I did not get a "warm" welcome, however. After leaving my jacket and long undies in the car at the airport in Sac, I knew I was in trouble when the pilot came on the intercom announcing that it was 67° in Puerto Vallarta. By sundown in Lo, it had dropped to 55°. Now the snowbirds are thinking that it is just perfect summer weather, but I was packed for it to be the usual 70-80. It didn't take me long to scavenge a few items from the locals: small heater, blanket, knit pants,and flannel shirt. A used long sleeve shirt from the mercado with a goodwill tag completed my ensemble (I was not given the goodwill price!?!?) Thankfully, I did bring my pashmina (shawl) with me, so the first few nights found me in 3-4 layers of clothing and the pashmina wrapped around my neck to keep warm.

One of the best things about Lo is that I have my own personal cocinero (chef) here. . . Si! None other than Señora Yena. Ms. "G", herself!! With just a few simple local ingredients, she can whip up such culinary delights. I would rather eat in mi casa or snack from the street venders.


BY THE WAY!! US CITIZENS BEWARE!!
U.S. government has issued a
Mexico Travel Warning

Very dangerous here. Do not consider this area. . . It must be left to me to have peace and quiet!!
Adiós