I am writing this new letter smack dab in the middle of my Fall buying trip. And what a trip it has been so far!
I spent the first week camping at La Siesta Trailer Park in San Miguel de Allende. I love that place! San Miguel is getting kind of spendy these days and I certainly derive a lot of comfort living within my means?but, besides that?camping entails a lot of outdoor living. I set my table up and do all of my cooking outdoors on my camp stove. I read a little bit in the morning with a cup of fresh brewed coffee, and then work a bit on the computer. I always know that I will sleep well in my familiar bed with my plump down pillows. Dry camping is about $9 a night, with hookups it is about $12 a night.
San Miguel de Allende is known for it?s almost perfect natural lighting. That?s why so many artists from all over the world make San Miguel their home, it is a wonderful place to paint. The shade trees in the trailer park fill up with song birds in the morning, this makes for a very pleasant transition from slumber to waking up to my usual hectic schedule. And then, of course, add a couple of really strong cups of coffee to that, and I am ready for my day.
If you are planning a trip to San Miguel de Allende make sure that you pack a pair of practical shoes. The town is so charming with it?s hilly cobblestone streets, (the government has protected San Miguel?s colonial charm by declaring it a national monument). The cobblestones wreak havoc with heels, and soft soled shoes. I find that I can walk miles and miles with a pair of rather homely stiff-soled hiking shoes. I wear these with cute little summer dresses, pants, shorts, everything. The winding streets are lined with gorgeous colonial buildings, one can only imagine the history that took place behind those walls.
I always make a point to check out the handicraft shops where ever I go in Mexico. The town of San Miguel has the best shopping for hand made Folk Art that I have seen yet. Albeit, very expensive. But?the selection is incredible, coming from all regions of Mexico. I buy a lot of tin work in San Miguel. There is a huge contingency of cottage industry producing pounded tin art?mirrors, candlesticks, Christmas Ornaments, crosses? The tin art that I buy is directly from the families out of their homes. North meets South, I am a cottage industry making efforts to support other cottage industries here in Mexico.
After a week in San Miguel I decided that it was time to head south to Oaxaca. I prefer to drive through Mexico City on a Sunday around 11:00a.m. This way I don?t have to worry about ?Hoy no Circula?, Today don?t Drive. Mexico City is the largest city in the world and suffers horrible pollution problems. In 1989 the government banned driving in the city one day a week for most vehicles, controlled by the numbers on your license plate. This doesn?t apply during the weekends, all cars are allowed to drive, which makes it a no-brainer to get through the city without an expensive ticket for breaking the law. I really, really don?t like driving through Mexico City. But, if everything goes perfect, (I have only experienced ?perfect? once in over two dozen attempts driving through that city), it is the most direct route to Oaxaca. Why do I continue to think the next trip will be perfect?
This trip through the city I got off the main thoroughfare to head east to Puebla. I stopped at a red light and was then waved through the red light by a large, pan dulce loving police man and a much, much smaller police man. The bigger of the two got his ticket book out and started to site me for running a red light. I argued the infraction to the point of exhaustion for the three of us. The turning point being my desire to take photographs of the ?crime scene? with the two officers included in the photos. The ticket book was quickly put away, my license was returned to me. And then my hand was grabbed and held while the big guy told me how handsome I was, and that he would like to buy me dinner and treat me to a night out in the Zocalo, the town center. I quickly declined by telling him that I needed all of my energy and wit for the drive south.
It is the rainy season here in Oaxaca. This is tough on the carvers as the wood needs to be perfectly dry before painting the layers of paint onto each carving. Fiscally it is a very dry month for the carvers. Summer tourism is over and the Day of the Dead tourism has not yet started. September is a meager month for the artists. I have allowed three weeks here in Oaxaca in hopes that this will give time for the wood to dry on the sunny days that we are blessed with. It has been a blast the last week taking my time in the homes of the carvers for a long and news filled visit. Yesterday it took me four and a half hours to buy and visit with two families.
One of the carvers told me yesterday that I am famous in the village this week. I had the misfortune of having my van broken into. It made the news both on the radio and television. The robber annihilated my driver?s side window and entered without opening the door, hence no alarm was set off. He was caught red-handed inside my van by Magda Lena, one of the family members here at the house that I stay in. He was planning on taking off with my cook stove and my box of tools. He had made a little pile of other non-consequential stuff like protein bar wrappers, empty water bottles, empty Gatorade bottles, the sun blind for the front window?stuff like that. He was a drunk, and greedy robber. I think that if he would have called it a day with the stove and tools he could have timed his escape for a successful robbery. To make a long story short, he is responsible for the expense of repairing the damages to my van. I have had one meeting with his very tough looking wife and son about payment. They offered one third of the cost of repairs. I told the robbers wife that she has a very intelligent looking face and that if feel confident that she will figure out a legal way to come up with the remaining two-thirds by next week. Next week is tomorrow and I will have my second meeting with her. Her husband will remain in jail until the damages are paid in full to me, at least to my satisfaction. After the damages are paid, he will be set free.
Tomorrow?s meeting at the jail will be double duty for me. The prisoners are allowed to sell their art in prison to help pay for food, televisions, radios, blankets, and any other creature comforts that they may desire within reason. I heard that prostitutes are included in ?creature comforts?, (only here-say). I visited the prison in San Miguel and was impressed with the quality of art that is being produced out of that prison. This is good information for future buying trips to San Miguel, however it is not yet budgeted in. Tomorrow I will meet with Senora Robber and hopefully settle the damages with the family, and then make arrangements to see some of the Folk Art that I being produced by the inmates. I am not at all happy that the only consequence to this fumbling, professional robber is to merely pay for damages that he caused to my van. I met with the American Consulate for advice on this situation, and was advised not to take on the legal system. Probably good advice. In the meantime, I have my van parked in a secure parking lot and will take buses and collectivos to the villages for the next two weeks.
As usual, this is a great time for special requests. I will be here in Oaxaca through the 26th of September and will return again in January. Please, feel free to get lofty. Click into this email for special requests: healeyp@ix.netcom.com
Thank you for stopping by www.whimsicalarts.com Your business is very much appreciated!
My Best!
Patty Healey
