The Have-Nots

On Christmas Eve, when we were in Guadalajara, I saw a still shot of humanity, a quick snippet of two vulnerable people, that broke my heart and put it back together again in two seconds flat. It was one of those rare images of mortal horror combined with extraordinary beauty that has the power to imprint itself indelibly in the flitting consciousness.

They were sitting side by side against the massive stonewall of the church in the main plaza. He was in his battered wheelchair with his skinny and twisted legs dangling, and she was next to him on the ground, hunched underneath thick blankets that seemed too heavy for the small frame that supported them.  Her hair was snow white and her face was brown and wrinkled like the kitchen witch my mom used to have hanging on a little broom above the sink. On her lap was a Styrofoam box of food that I assume someone had left for her. 

At first this scene made me feel sad and hopeless in the same way that Kevin Carter’s 1994 Pulitzer Prize winning photo taken during the Sudan famine did.  Carter’s picture depicts a starving child, small and crumpled, being stalked by a vulture. The child had been struggling towards a United Nations food camp located just a kilometer away before she gave up from exhaustion. A year and a half later and only three months after having won the Pulitzer, Carter committed suicide. Why would a young man who had just achieved the highest accolade in his field kill himself?

I think that it was the surly yet practical wisdom that some people simply have while others have-not that killed him. I mean, we can’t run around saving every starving child that falls in our path, can we? And there just isn’t enough for everyone, is there? Which means that we will always fight over a lack of resources, and some people will win, and others will lose. Just accept it. But as a child, I wanted to know why it had to be that way, and I can’t tell you how many times I was crushed by the plaintive reply, because life isn’t fair.  Maybe Kevin Carter, whose job it was to capture truth on film, felt that he had lived long enough in a world with so much evil and inequity. 

Yet, going back to the scene in Guadalajara, I can’t help but think that maybe there’s something better than fair that we should hope for, something less tenuous and more substantial...

Out from underneath the old woman’s blankets came a tiny, spindled arm. Shakily, she grabbed a piece of scrambled egg from the to-go box and reached up to feed the man in the wheelchair. He opened his mouth, wide, toothless and puckering like a baby’s, and stretched his neck towards her as she flung the egg in his mouth. Happy that he caught a mouthful, he smiled and swayed his head at the people passing by, and she, like a windup doll, immediately returned to the starting position: the arm disappeared back under the blanket, her eyes closed (I’m not actually sure that they were ever open) and her shrunken mummy head tucked back into her chest. Clearly, this was not their first feeding.

I was amazed, not just that this precarious method of food delivery was actually working, but because here were two people that had nothing, “have-nots” by every definition of the word, that had exactly what we need most in this world: compassion, trust, teamwork, and abundance. (Yes, abundance…according to the old woman, she had enough to share.)

Going into 2011, I want to foster these qualities within myself. To start, I want to be brave—I want to be present and aware—so that I can see and hear truth in order to bring compassion to it. I want to trust in the goodness of mankind by first surrendering to the goodness within myself. And I want to work together with my fellows to spread the abundance that I know exists in this world. No more do I accept the lie that there has to be haves and have-nots. Matter of fact, I think it’s the belief in that duality that creates the injustice to begin with, and we’ve just become so inured by it that we blindly accept it as truth.

All change starts with consciousness, and I believe that there is more than enough for everyone. Let's open our hearts and share-- STEVIE

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Mis Abuelos Son De Mexico

This just in, I'M MEXICAN! It's true. My Dad's side of the family is from South of the border. (Don't worry Arizona residents, I have my papers!) 

My Grandpa's family name is Trujillo, and my Grandma's is Arandas. The Arandas come from a little town two hours north of Guadalajara  called Tepatitlan. Our trip through Mexico would not be complete without visiting the home of my ancestors, especially when they have highway signs named after them! 

This afternoon we went to Tepatitlan. I sat in the Plaza and watched the people go about their daily routines. Kids road their new Christmas bikes and old men in cowboy hats and boots gazed across the plaza at nothing in particular. 

We walked to the old church which stood like a skyscraper over the homes surrounding it. A hand carved stone wall protected it from the modern world of pavement and electric wires. Walking through the gate was like stepping back in time. 

I peered through the front doors of the church and imagined my great grandfather sitting inside as a young boy, well over a hundred years ago. What did he think about? What were the problems of his day? What did he pray for? What were his dreams? Did the walls of this beautiful church know my great grandfather's secrets? I have faint memories of sitting on his lap as a little boy and staring into his dark eyes hiding under a big cowboy hat. Those eyes gave nothing away, and neither did the walls of the church in Tepatitlan. TREE

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Tequila School Graduation - I give us an A++

Yes, we survived Tequila School! Over the last 3 days we tasted a couple dozen different labels, made some wonderful new friends (even Kiki made a friend), and learned more about Tequila than we ever thought possible. There were zero casualties, and therefore I give us an A++. 

We also fell in love with the town of Tequila. This place is wicked cool. There are hardly any gringos here, tons of mexican tourists, but no foreigners. The cobble stone streets are narrow and filled with little shops. It reminds me a lot of Spain. If you dream of visiting the birthplace of Tequila, here is the beta...

The Best Of Show:

Best Tour - La Cofradia 

Forget Jose Cuervo, which is the place everyone will tell you to visit. Go to La Cofradia instead. This is by far the best. This distillery sits on the outskirts of town and is absolutely beautiful. For 100 pesos you'll get a full tour. (FYI, the tour at Cuervo is over 300 pesos.) At Cofradia you'll learn all about how Tequila is made from start to finish. You'll enjoy a full flight of their best Tequila, including the Extra Anejo. Afterwards you'll get another free glass of Anejo Tequila at their patio bar. We estimated the value of the drinks alone was over 250 pesos. 

Best Tequila tasted - La Cofradia Casa Noble

Their Blanco is super smooth. The Reposada and Anejo are tops. And the best Tequila we've ever had in our lives was their Casa Noble Extra Anejo. It's triple distilled and aged for 5 years in French Oak. It smells like candy and melts in your mouth. It's over $110 a bottle! 

Best Over-all Tequila Value

100 Anos. For what you pay, this Tequila cannot be beat.

Best Tequila Tips
Only buy 100% Agave Tequila. Don't buy anything labeled Gold or Silver. These are mixing tequilas, and who does that? Drink from a snifter glass, hold it in your mouth for 3-8 seconds, breath in before you swallow, breath out after.

Best Hang - El Palomar, En La Plaza

El Palomar is a coffee shop and restaurant next to the church in the Plaza. They have great food and free wifi. You can sit on the balcony and people watch while enjoying your morning coffee. 

Best Hotel - Hotel Tequila

If you drive a big rig like us, theres only one "best hotel", and thats Hotel Tequila. For 250 pesos a night you'll get a nice room, super hot showers, and most important a secure surface lot for parking, which is VERY rare in this town. 

Propiedades De Tequila - Properties Of Tequila

1. Quita la angustia- Removes heartache 

2. Extingue la culpa- Extinguishes guilt

3. Hace Olivdar- Makes one forget

4. Suelta la lengua- Loosens the tongue

5. Arregla corazones rotos- Fixes broken hearts

6. Hace compadres- Makes friends

7. Eliman la timidez- Eliminates timidity

8. Levanta tu animo- lifts your mood

9. Abre puertas- Opens doors

10. Fomenta relaciones romanticas- Encourages romantic relationships

The central plaza is the place to hang out in Tequila. They have several tasting bars around the perimeter, and the worlds best coffee shop right next to the big church. Below Stevie enjoys a flight in the early afternoon...

Stevie sitting on the balcony at the coffee shop, the church in the background...

Stevie sitting amongst a Blue Agave field. It's crazy to think that the beverage comes from these cactus looking plants. Fields and fields of these plants surround the town.

How Tequila is made:

Step #1 - grow a Blue Agave plant. These pineapple looking plants take 8-12 years to mature! Before harvest the flowering stalk is cut, forcing the juices into the central stem and swelling the heart of the plant

Step #2 - Cook the Agave. These ovens are stuffed with the plant and cooked with steam for 26 hours

Step #3 - After the cooking, the juices are separated from the fibers and sent into these huge fermenting tanks where they are cooked for 72 hours

Step #4 - After fermenting comes distilling. All tequila is distilled a minimum of 2 times. From here the Blanco goes into the bottle, while the Reposado and Anejo go into barrels for aging.

Tequila growing regions of Mexico

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Pinatas and Tequila

This morning we left Jocatepec at our usual crack-of-noon start. We endured yet another round of sad goodbyes to newly found friends and then on our way out of town we stopped at the orphanage to give a christmas pinata to the Jocatepec kids. Ken and Chris provided the candy and we provided the pinata. Unfortunately, the kids were not there, so we gave it to the Sister in charge and in our broken spanish made her promise not to eat all the candy. She laughed and gave us hugs.

We then headed down the road toward the town of Tequila. The excitement grew as we approached the city limits. We've really been looking forward to this visit. For those of you who followed our 6 month 152 winery wine tasting tour, you know how serious we take our beverages. Tequila is known as the birth place of the beverage that bears its name, so we're here for business. After about 45 minutes of driving down wicked narrow roads scoping the town, we checked into Hotel Tequila!!! We went straight to a tasting room to get things started and quickly realized that we could spend an entire week here! This place is no joke. TREE

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Jocotepec, Jalisco Mexico

We spent Christmas day at a nice little campground in Jocotepec. This little pueblo is located in the state of Jalisco, approximately 40 kilometers south of Guadalajara and at the western end of Lake Chapala. 

We made some great friends here and enjoyed a huge Christmas feast provided by all the RVers. Thanks everyone. It was great spending the day with you. And a special thanks to Ken and Chris. Lets stay in touch. You guys are tops! Merry Christmas. TREE, Stevie, Kiki

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Merry Christmas From Guadalajara

We spent Christmas Eve roaming the Historic District of Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico. Guadalajara has the reputation for being one of the most beautiful cities in the world and it did not disappoint. We saw amazing art, beautiful colonial architecture, and spectacular Plazas. We met wonderful people everywhere we went, although we did manage to find a really grouchy Santa (see photos). My god, what Santa wouldn’t smile with Stevie sitting on his lap??? 

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends. Know that we are thinking about you this weekend. We will be on Skype all of Christmas morning and look forward to talking with you.

XOXOXO – Tree, Stevie, & Kiki

The paintings in the photos below were done by the famous Mexican Artist Jose Clemente Orozco. The photos cannot possibly do these works of art justice.

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In Search Of Surf

We spent the last couple days poking our way down the Pacific coast from Vallarta to Colima looking for surf. There was none. The ocean is flat. Not even the world famous break of Pascuales had waves. Nothing but Pro surfers lounging in hammocks drinking beer and smoking mota, patiently waiting for swell.

We enjoyed a couple nights of beautiful camping along the way. We spent one evening camping and talking with our new friend Rafiq. He was a kindred soul for sure.

We also safely passed around the town of Guzman, which is supposedly one of the nasty narco towns. We sailed through it without incident, although the Sprinter did receive his first full cavity search at a narco check point. Up until now all the searches have been quick and easy. At this one the military pretty much looked everywhere. Stevie was quick to remind me that this was why we NEVER carry anything illegal. A good family rule for sure.

Today we made our way up to Lake Chapala on the outskirts of Guadalajara. Tomorrow we may head to the town of Tequila. We're still not sure where we'll be spending Christmas, but it will most likely be around this area somewhere. Life is good. TREE

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Mita

One of the things we love most about nomad life is making new friends. It seems that everywhere we go we fall in with the absolute coolest people. This is both a blessing and a curse in that we're always making wonderful new friends, yet at the same time we're always saying goodbye to them.

People's generosity never ceases to blow us away. Thank you Tanya, Anibal, and Ceci. We had such a fun weekend. Amazing food and a spectacular hang. PLEASE come visit us in Argentina. We love you guys.
TREE, STEVIE, KIKI (aka CHUBACA)

"Man's feelings are always purest and most glowing in the hour of meeting and of farewell." - Jean Paul Richter

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Adios Sayulita

We've been here for 5 weeks. We've enjoyed the hang, the people, the food, the packs of wild dogs, the great energy, the tequila bar, the roosters, and the occasional ola (wave). Its time to get back on the road, and we're ready.


Where we go from here... During the next month we’ll meander our way south through Mexico looking for surf and exploring the Mayan ruins and Colonial villages. We've considered the road conditions and the hazards. Our planned route through the rest of Mexico will go something like this….

Sayulita to Vallarta to Colima to Guadalajara to Tequila to Mexico City to Cuernavaca  to Acapulco to Escondido to Oaxaca  to San Cristobal to Palenque to Chetumal to Cross border into Belize

We'll hope to cross the border into Belize sometime at the end of January. We'll spend February and March working our way through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.


Looking back its funny that we originally planned only 2-3 weeks to travel Mexico. This country is way too cool to drive straight through. I've done plenty of vacations to Mexico in my life, but until you drive it you don't realize what a gem it really is. Below is our Mexico route. Blue is what we've done, Red is whats coming in the next month - TREE



View

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...It's The Life In Your Years

I've never been one to like my birthday, but lately, I think the day, or even the whole week, might be improving--and I owe it all to you guys!  You really know how to make me feel loved. Thank you my sweet friends and family.

On the home front, Tree and Kiki did an AMAZING job smothering me with extra special attention and fun filled days. To kick off the events,  a couple days ago Tree and I went sailing on a 50ft Trimaran with our neighbor, Captain Darren, and 14 other wild and crazy passengers to an island off the coast of Sayulita.  We started drinking Don Julio at 9:45am, we snorkeled through spooky sea caves, and we saw pods of whales working their magic along the way. It was a pretty spectacular day!

Then, yesterday, Tree and Kiki woke me up with a couple surprises! As you know, our package was detained by customs and all of our edible goodies--coffee, chocolate, granola--were shipped back to the States, so I was NOT expecting what comes next. After waking me up with a million kisses, I got GOURMET french pressed coffee in bed and a bowl of EZEKIEL (my favorite cereal) and fruit. Apparently, after scouring the town the day before, Tree found a specialty store that sold my favorite things! Granted, the cereal was $8/box, but, hey, it was my special day :)

The three of us spent the afternoon walking along miles of gorgeous beach on another sunny day, and all I could think was, "I am so blessed!!" When we returned to our little bungalow, I got round two of my surprises which included a gold medal bottle of Chilean cabernet (Terra Mater for my fellow winos that care), sharp Tillamook cheese (another rarity in Mexico), rice crackers, and DARK CHOCOLATE!!!!  I was in heaven. We did wine on the beach like the good ole days, sipped tequila in the plaza like the good new days, ate my favorite Tacos on the Street, and then topped off the night with a piece of dark chocolate mousse cake a la mode.

I like being 35.  Today, I know EXACTLY what matters most to me: being with the people I love, living like a nomad, and savoring the epicurean delicacies of the simple life. -Stevie

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."-Abraham Lincoln

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