Carnival in Catarina.....

Ash Wednesday was February 17th signalling end of Carnival and beginning of Lent - right?? Tell that to the revellers high in the hills in the tiny, remote village of Santa Catarina who were still happily in the middle of Mardi Gras on Sunday February 21st....

It's very hard to call a halt to fiestas here in Mexico especially if it involves costumes! Mexicans adore dressing up, masks and masquerades - any excuse!!

Half the men were dressed up in lavishly lurid costumes that mocked the Spanish Conquistadors who had dared to invade their land...

Check out the white masks, pointy beards, top hats, suits, ties, gloves and colourful umbrellas which were just so wonderful for twirling....

The other half were in drag (real women were sadly only specatators) with some making much better women than others. Mexican men seem to adore getting in touch with their "feminine" side and sexuality can be very fluid...

Check out some of the burly biceps here...... and it was this masked"guy" on the right who had somewhat alarmed us earlier in the day by suddenly popping up in the middle of a field as we were driving by oblivious that a carnival was afoot...

It was such a wonderful scene to stumble across completely by accident - another reminder that Mexico indeed is the Land of Magic Realism - serendipitous surrealism!! My two favourite images of the day are this guy in drag who began it all, and this little guy on his first carnival outing...

I also liked the fact that the very few Mexicans who had cameras were all asking to take photos of us (an unmasked Brit and a Canadian not in costume) as obviously we were the real oddities of the day!! A day that had all started out oh so normally with the Priest welcoming all the villagers to church...

For more gorgeous glimpses around the world this week, check out My World Tuesday posts by clicking here... Enjoy!

Shadow Shot Sunday 48 - New York

This is the New American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York that had just shortly opened prior to my visit. I love visiting all the main galleries and museums when I am in town, but especially love this one...

As you can see, the day I visited, the shadows were out to play too, framing the sculptures and other works of art in new and interesting ways...

I will be back again in New York for a week at the beginning of August on my way back to Mexico from London. Does anybody know of any interesting forthcoming exhibitions at the galleries and museums this summer??

In the meantime for more shadowplay click here for Shadow Shot Sunday... Have fun!!

Mannequin Mania in Mexico - Chiconcuac

Take a trip to the textile market in the little village of Chiconcuac near Texcoco and you get an authentic Mexican experience so much more than you bargained for. True you can buy a whole array of jumpers, jeans, ponchos, blankets, dresses, scarves, football shirts from the miles and miles of tianguis (temporary stalls under tarpaulins), but check out the mannequins upon which the goods are displayed.......

From romantic frat boys to freaky kids to cool cowboys, Raj ladies to Stepford wives to prim airhostesses ...have you ever seen such a wonderful variety of mannequins??.....

It became more and more difficult to concentrate on the clothes being sold, as my fascination grew and grew....

Has anyone seen such an interesting and stunning collection anywhere else in the world??...

I should give you more of a flavour of the market itself with its bright tarpaulins billowing against the blue sky, hectic, bustling atmosphere with crowds thronging the narrow alleys, food carts and quesadilla stalls, plus the range of bright coloured clothes for sale.....

But the final word goes to those mannequins that are ubiquitous throughout Mexico and very much part of the culture here. The final shot is of a mannequin shop where you can buy whatever model you desire....

Texcoco is easily reachable in 45 minutes from TAPO bus station DF for 27 pesos, and Chiconcuac is about another fifteen minutes up into the surrounding hills. For more glimpses of the world this week, click here for My World Tuesday...Enjoy!!

Shadow Shot Sunday 47 - Mexico City

I didn't have to travel far for this week's shadow shot - in fact, just as far as the carpark in my building which was displaying a veritable optical illusion of stripes and angles from the gates and shadows....

The shots remind me of the Op Art work of British artist Bridget Riley, and I quite like them in sepia too....

What do you think?? For more optical illusory shadowplay check out Shadow Shot Sunday by clicking here....Have fun!!

Treasure-Hunting in Taxco.......

Most people take the trip to Taxco to treasure-hunt for amazing deals in Mexican silver and jewellery in this former mining town - and why not - for there are some beautiful designs and bargains to be snapped up...

It is easy to spend an entire weekend delving down into the dens of infinite stalls in the silver markets, but there are many other other aspects to this town to appreciate. The beautiful cathedral dominates the zocalo, and the rest of the town is a veritable warren of white-washed architecture with black wrought iron ornamentation set into the hillside with a myriad of picturesque cobbled alleyways, terraces, and rooftops to explore..

If you want a break from the frenetic silver-hunting down below, then take the cable car (el teleferico) to the top of the mountains and be rewarded with such green vistas and the wafting scent of sweet pine trees...

Up here you can stay at the most exclusive hotel "Monte Taxco" with rooms at 130USD, but there is also a wealth of charming accomodation back in the town in the most appealing of colonial houses. Try "Mi Casita" or "Agua Escondido" both at 50USD for a double room, but the best bargain of all is a room in the stunning converted monastery "Los Arcos" - a steal at 30USD per double.

I spent last weekend here, and have visited at least ten times before, and have never tired of the place. It is always sunny, and it is the perfect day trip or weekend retreat from Mexico City - only two and a half hours by bus from Taxquena Bus Station. If you want further persuasion, I have priced up the silver - it is five times more expensive at any resort in Mexico, and at least ten times more expensive anywhere outside of Mexico - so what are you waiting for?? - come to the source of it all!! For more gorgeous glimpses of the world this week click here for My World Tuesday.

Shadow Shot Sunday 46 - Boston

Last week I took a group of my students to the Harvard Model United Nations Conference in Boston. The day we visited the Harvard University campus was a bright, crisp, minus 9 with wind chill kind of day, so the tree shadows were starkly imprinted right across Harvard Square...

We loved these clear winter days that made our faces ache and then go numb with the cold...and brought out such striking shadows.....

Here is the group of 15 seventeen year olds with whom I survived six days on a school trip...relatively unscathed!!

As you can see our task was to represent Australia at the conference, and for more fun with shadows hop over down under to Brisbane for Shadow Shot Sunday hosted by Tracey by clicking here. Have fun!!

Volcano Vistas - Popo and Izta...and Snow in Mexico!!!

At last I can contribute to all the beautiful snow photography from around the world in recent times!! The twin volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl are seen as old friends in Mexico City, and I often catch a welcome glimpse of them both on my way home at the end of the day....

But when the day dawned fresh and bright and clear on Saturday, it was time to get up more close and personal, so I took a local bus out to Amecameca and was rewarded with these stunning views which were just picture postcard perfect....

Popo (Smoking Mountain) is still very active and last erupted catapulting ash in 2005, whilst Izta (Sleeping Woman) is craterless and dormant. Here she is lying back with her hair strewn out behind her.....

I couldn't stop looking and taking in the breathtaking views of those twin snow-capped cones...

It is so rare and special to get such clear and crisp views...

Amecameca is only one and a half hours away from Mexico City, and can easily be reached by the local volcanes bus line from TAPO. It is a really interesting traditional Mexican town with a wonderful sprawling market with great food, many folk on bicycles and in bicitaxis, and at least two sixteenth century churches...

Don't miss this amazing day trip from Mexico City, and in the meantime check out other wonderful destinations around the world by clicking here for My World Tuesday. Enjoy!! PS Whilst writing this post at 6.50pm tonight a strong earthquake tremor rocked Mexico City - my apartment shook for a good 30 seconds, but I carried on blogging undeterred!!

Shadow Shot Sunday 45 - Moroccan Pavillion, DF

The interplay of complex, intricate shadows on the day I visited the Moroccan Pavillion (see previous post) in the plaza of Santa Maria La Ribera was really quite beautiful to behold......

The patterns on the floor of the Pavillion's interior reminded me of the flower carpets I saw on the streets at Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala, but I also liked the bolder, and more dramatic shadow statements thrown by the arches of the building....




















Which set do you prefer??? For more fun with shadows check out Shadow Shot Sunday by clicking here. In the meantime here is a reminder of the beautiful building responsible for generating this week's shadows.....

Santa Maria La Ribera, Mexico City

Yes, this is Mexico City!! Welcome to el Kiosco Morisco de la Alameda in the centre of the plaza of Santa Maria la Ribera. It was Mexico's Pavillion for the International Expo held in New Orleans from December 1884 to May 1885, and it was moved to its present location as part of the centeneray celebrations for Mexican Independence in September 1910. It is a stunning piece of architecture....

It has some really fine details to appreciate....

Santa Maria La Ribera is a really interesting neighbourhood not far from the Centro Historico and just one block from the main thoroughfare Insurgentes. In some ways it is still a very rough and ready working class area, but still retains some stunning colonial architecture...

Take a look at these gorgeous doors and windows just off the plaza...

Not all the colonial architecture is in such a good state of repair, and there still are some dodgy streets, but wouldn't it be great if this did become more of an "up and coming" area as I already have my eye on "my" apartment overlooking the main plaza...Isn't it gorgeous???

I will leave you with a final shot of the Moroccan Pavillion in the late afternoon sun in the middle of what I think is one of Mexico City's most beautiful plazas. For more glimpses of the world this week, click here for My World Tuesday. Enjoy!!