A Remote Culture??.....Nicaragua

Meet Fatima who is transforming the age-old cultural skill of carrying her wares upon her head into the modern age; a slight technological glitch perhaps, but there is something about this photograph which really appeals to me. Of course there is no shortage of the more traditional shots to be found in Nicaragua.....

Or these...
And when I was in Guatemala at Easter, the women from a local textile cooperative even enjoyed giving us a demonstration of the said balancing act, trying to encourage us to acquire the skill. They enjoyed emphasising the cultural difference whereby, if they had something to carry, without thinking, it would automatically go straight to their heads...

I like to think that Fatima may be striking a new note for Nicaragua; a time to look with fresh ideas beyond the traditional images. The country is still perceived by many as being a remote and distant far off place, perhaps still troubled and unstable, perhaps still too under-developed and lacking infrastructure, certainly not at the top of most people's travel wish lists. But I would like to strike a note in the coming posts for its charm and beauty, its grand Colonial architecture, scenic lakes, islands, and volcanoes, tranquil laid-back coast, vibrant markets and artisans, and the friendly welcome given to visitors...... There are many, many reasons to enjoy travelling here...

Old Rockers Rule OK......Nicaragua

Judging by the numerous brightly-coloured hammocks for sale everywhere in Nicaragua - in markets, on roadside stalls, on display, strung up wherever, you may be forgiven for thinking that, like Mexico, it is another country seduced by laid-back, chilled-out hammock culture...

That assumption, however, would be quite wrong, and in all the time I spent travelling through Nicaragua, I only saw a couple of inhabited hammocks...

Here the relaxation mode of choice is quite firmly the good old-fashioned rocking chair....

Set out in cosy groups for conversation, lined up for sale in markets, rigid rows for prime-time tv viewing, or singly for that moment of solitude on the stoop, they adorn every interior, patio, courtyard, terrace, doorway, and porch.....

And are inhabited and rocked in by young and old alike...

Prime time for rocking is of course the hour of dusk when the temperature cools, and the first fresh breezes of the day are gratefully received. Then it's time to catch up on the gossip of the day, chill out a little, or simply watch the world go by...

It is a custom quite charming and part of a "sitting on the stoop culture", indicative of both the Caribbean influence and time-warp appeal of Nicaragua. Having lived in Mexico for four years, I thought my preferences were firmly for hammocks, but having rocked away for a couple of hours on a hotel porch whilst waiting for the bus, I am now not so sure. The rhythm of the rocking chair allows you to slip peacefully into the rhythms of the country. What would you plump for?? hammock or rocking chair?? Let me know!! In the meantime check out other windows on the world by clicking here for My World Tuesday.

Shadow Shot Sunday 32 - Calle Rio Rhin,DF

The building here was bright orange and the gates an electric blue, but I prefer this shot in more muted sepia tones. What do you think?? For more fun with shadows check out some super shadow shots from around the world by clicking here for Shadow Shot Sunday. Enjoy!!

Day of the Dead.....

Day of the Dead is the most special and unique of festivals here in Mexico, the time when ancestors and departed loved ones are honoured and remembered in the most wonderful of ways. Here is the Ofrende ( altar to the dead ) set up this year in the reception area of my school....

And here is the ofrende built by all our students, on the edge of the school basketball court, using all their own artwork and craftwork from recent classes....

Day of the Dead is marked by these beautiful ofrendes set up in every possible corner...

and by the flowers on sale everywhere. These are marigolds and other beautiful blooms for sale in the market in Patzcuaro, Michoacan.....

And this is how they are used to decorate the graves ready for the overnight vigils in the cemeteries - this one is Tzintzuntzan cemetery near Patzcuaro...

And the final image is of the sugar skulls and calavera candy sold on street stalls everywhere. These ones were for sale in the markets in Guanajuato...

Let's take one last look at that beautiful ofrende set up in my school today by our students...

This year I will be in Nicaragua for Day of the Dead and will be reporting back on how the festival is celebrated in this country. If you get a chance to witness this festival - Do not miss it!! For other global glimpses check out the My World Tuesday postings by clicking here.

Shadow Shot Sunday 31 : Happy Day of the Dead!!

This year I will be celebrating Day of the Dead in Granada, Nicaragua. This is one of my favourite festivals of the year, unique to this part of the world, and one certainly not to miss. The past four years, I have travelled to Patzcuaro twice, Oaxaca, and Real de Catorce to witness some of the most amazing all night graveyard vigils, so I couldn't resist posting this skeletal shadow shot today. He is waving out of a train carriage window as part of a grand Day of the Dead artisan exhibition in the Museo de Arte Popular. On Monday, I will be posting more Day of the Dead photos from the celebration at school this year, and from the past few years. In the meantime enjoy other shadow shots from around the world by clicking here for Shadow Shot Sunday.

Take a Trip to Texcoco...

Most people would respond - why on earth should anyone want to take a trip out to Texcoco?? Well true, it can be seen as a sprawling, ugly, industrial town not far from Mexico City full of factories, mechanic workshops, prowling mangy mutts, beat-up old bangers, landfills, and junkyards - plus of course Cimmyt - the Centre for the improvement of wheat and maize where a number of our students live and commute to school two hours each way...

But in the company of an artist friend of mine, a whole different Texcoco looms into view. The junkyards become funky works of art...

Old run down farmhouses riddled with mice in the adobe, become des res homes with the addition of a little colour, style and unique works of art...............

Check out that wild chandelier...

which was especially designed and commissioned from the glassware factory in town...

And who could resist buying some of this beautiful pottery from La Taller de Ceramica San Germain....

So poke beneath the surface and look what beauty can be found. Texcoco is just 35 minutes North East of Mexico City, and if you take a bus from TAPO bus station, you will get there for just 25 pesos. Where have you found beauty beyond a surface of initial ugliness and ordinariness??

The Charms of Chapingo....

Housed in this beautiful building on the campus of Chapingo Agricultural University is a real treasure, namely the Capilla Riveriana which contains some of the most stunning murals ever painted by artist Diego Rivera. The murals painted between 1924 and 1927 document the social struggles endured by the Mexican peasants through Revolution, agrarian reform, and the necessity to incorporate scientific advancement in the cultivation of the land...

The murals are also a hymn to Nature, the Earth, as well as Pre-Hispanic culture in Mexico, and the indigenous traditions of cultivation. The building was one of the original structures of a Jesuit hacienda from the colonial period, and the Rivera murals transformed what was once its religious chapel...

Don't think, however, that the Chapel is the only place to appreciate artistic creativity in Chapingo!! Take a trip to the tiny local market which, set up under hot fluorescent pink awnings, wins my prize for the best artistic stacking anywhere in Mexico...and believe me there is plenty of hot competition!!

Have you ever seen such beautiful creative arrangements of fruit and vegetables in any market?

And what about all that sheer colour as a true sensory feast for the eyes?

Chapingo is located very close to Texcoco just 35 minutes from Mexico City. Take a Texcoco bus from Tapo bus station for just 25 pesos and you are there...Enjoy!! For more windows on the world click here for My World Tuesday postings.