La Comida- Food

One of my hospital patients from south east Asia once told me she hated the boiled food eaten by Canadians. While hospital menus may have some nutritional merit, they are bland especially to a person used to fragrant curries and stir fries. One of the best things about travel is the opportunity to try new foods and to taste local produce. Altaulfo mangoes from a Canadian supermarket are good, but tree ripened ones in Mexico are far more sweet and flavourful. And I have found no corn tortilla even close in flavour and texture to those from a Mexican tortilleria.



I have maintained a vegetarian diet now for a year and have enjoyed trying new recipes. Melissa of Empress of Dirt sent me a DVD called Raw for Life last December and I thought the principles were somewhat extreme. But gradually my tastes have changed and I am endeavouring to eat two raw meals a day. That is not hard to do when fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant.

Our daughter has become quite an accomplished cook, producing tasty meals for family and visitors. She showed me how to make several salsas including milder avocado-based green sauces as well as fiery hot red sauces. And we tried delicious watermelon and melon drinks which were very refreshing in the heat.


On my last day in Tepic my brother took me with his family to Restaurant Vegetariano Quetzalcóatl, an excellent vegetarian restaurant in the city. The breakfast buffet was less than $10.00 per person and it was impossible to try all the dishes which were offered. The decor was traditional Mexican and the service was impeccable.


Closer to home...
Our daughter came to Canada with me at the beginning of July and returned to Mexico yesterday. She starts teaching again at the university in Torreon next week. The summer has been busy and the weeks have gone quickly so I am still putting up posts about my June trip. My mother has finished three rounds of chemotherapy and is in good spirits. She will be having some tests in a week or so to see how her tumours have responded to treatment.

I decided to donate blood today and made an appointment through Canadian Blood Services central office. After one screening interview and completion of a questionnaire, I was told I could not donate blood for a year as I had been in Nayarit, Mexico. The area is one of over a hundred countries and districts in the world which have malaria mosquitoes and travel to them disqualifies a donor from giving blood for up to three years. Malaria is not endemic in Mexico as it is in parts of Africa and Asia and my family has not been affected by the disease in all the years they have lived there.

My Google Reader is bursting at the seams and perhaps I will have time to catch up a bit in the next few days.

Las mariposas- Butterflies (and more...)

This Friday Flowers post has blooms in a supporting role with the stars of the show being the beautiful butterflies of Mexico. One of the favourite games on our original Macintosh Performa (circa 1995) was Amazon Trail. (The graphics were great at the time) In the journey through the rainforest, colourful butterflies and birds crossed the screen. Each day at about 10AM, butterflies began flying around the flowering trees and vines on the property in Tepic, Mexico. They reminded me of the old computer game and I tried to "collect" all of them with my lens.

There were several enormous butterflies which eluded me for days. They looked like giant pieces of lace fluttering through the air. I had given up trying to find one at rest when my brother called me over to his house in the afternoon just before I left. This tattered but beautiful butterfly was feeding on an over ripe banana.


This moth was on the bathroom mirror one morning. I carefully let it out the window and its wings were even prettier in flight.

The hummingbirds were about the size of the butterflies and they reigned over the flowers and feeder. The Violet-crowned Hummingbird on the left was very territorial and aggressive and attacked any other bird which approached its perch. We would watch three of four of them chase each other at great speeds around the property. They commandeered two feeders on opposite sides of the house. The Berylline (or Buff-bellied) Hummingbird on the right had to sneak over to the feeder for a sip or two at a time.

Some time I hope to see the overwintering Monarchs in the neighbouring state of Michoacán but this collection of butterflies will do for now. Maybe I will even get around to identifying them some day.

El transporte-Transportation

Reflective pictures of myself while travelling in Mexico

I watched the news tonight and heard the latest in the story of Cody LeCompte, a 19 year old Canadian who has been detained in Cuba for three months because he was the driver of a rental car which was involved in an accident. Cody was with his family on vacation and they were not aware of the power of the law to detain foreigners in this way. I have visited Mexico nine or ten times, and while I am a confident driver in Canada and the USA, I have only driven in Mexico on two occasions and never by myself. Since my first visit to the country in 1977, new toll roads have been built and travel conditions have improved. I noticed that more people stop at red lights and there is law enforcement for speeding. But any foreigner, especially one who does not speak Spanish, needs to know the "rules" and the culture of the country they are visiting before they drive there.

My daughter told me that a seat belt law is in place for people sitting in the front seat, but there are no rules for passengers in the back of pickups or limits on the number of people on a bicycle or motorcycle. I wish I could have taken a picture of the man with his wife and three children on his scooter, or the people riding bicycles with two children on the crossbar. I wasn't certain of who had the right of way at some intersections, but there was some sort of understanding between drivers at crossroads. Vehicle maintenance is an entire issue of its own. My son-in-law picked us up in a minivan (the same model I sold last year) which had all the warning lights on in the dashboard...brakes, engine light, oil, battery, cooling... plus the speedometer and the temperature gauges were broken. I was alarmed when the engine light came on in my minivan just 24 hours before I traded it in last August. People in Mexico laughed when I told them that and said they would drive a vehicle to Canada if it had just one warning light on.

Bus Terminal in Tepic, Nayarit

My daughter came south to meet me at my parent's home and we took an overnight coach to the city where she works. The inter-city bus system in Mexico is excellent and very reasonable in price. We received a sandwich and drink when we boarded and the seats were comfortable recliners. Two washrooms were in the back of the bus and no stops were made for passengers to stretch during the 15 hour trip. (We were stopped several times at security checkpoints) The bus travelled through the mountains to the coast at Mazatlan and then ascended 10,000 feet from sea level along the road to Durango known as the Devil's Spine. It was dark and foggy and for a while I watched the bus pass slower trucks on steep curves using a radar system to detect approaching vehicles. Then I took some Gravol and slept. Three movies played during the first few hours of the trip;- Angels and Demons, The Omen, and In Hell. It was a night to remember (or forget), but we arrived safely at our destination.

Our overnight coach on the right

The only time I was really concerned about transportation was at 5AM on the morning we left for Canada. We had a 40 minute drive in the infamous minivan and it was obvious that the alternator was on its last legs as the lights flickered on the dark ride to the airport. I really did not want to miss our 7AM flight. But once again, we arrived safely.
We have many, many rules in place in Canada to protect ourselves and others. Some would say we are over-regulated by the government. A visitor needs to be aware of our laws before they enter the country and we need to be prepared for possible risks when visiting another nation. I do hope Cody LeCompte is able to come home soon but the cost has been very high for he and his family.

Next day post script: I was reading Esther Garvi's blog this morning and interestingly, she posted this picture of a well loaded truck in Niger. This truck appears to need servicing as well.

A well-filled passenger truck- photo by Maurice Saley

Las Aves-San Pedro

Meal time! Golden-fronted Woodpecker

I travelled to the state of Coahuila in the north of Mexico to spend a few days with our daughter and her husband. My brother Stephen and his family live in the same community as well. The region is not lush and green like Nayarit and the city of San Pedro de las Colonias is hot and dusty. My daughter was excited (for me) that she had seen a Roadrunner a couple of weeks before I came, but there were none around when I was there. Basically there were Great-tailed Grackles, Swallows over the irrigation ditches, Doves, and House Sparrows everywhere. And that was it!

Taken with my small camera...so close!

We went downtown one morning to get the mail and run a few errands. I just had my small pocket camera with me as we walked through the main town square which was filled with people. Large trees grew in the square and to my surprise there were many Golden-fronted Woodpeckers calling and flying about. A young bird stuck its head out of the nest hole right above my head. My daughter wanted to leave but I didn't, so she promised to bring me back again. We did return the next day at noon, just in time for an unexpected downpour. I tried to take pictures but the light was poor so I had to extract a promise of a third visit.

Main square in San Pedro

It is not unusual to see people taking pictures in Canadian city parks, but it wasn't normal activity in this location. The birds were interesting only to me and I felt very conspicuous pointing my lens up in the trees. I had a perfect shot lined up when a old, thin man tapped my arm and asked for a peso. My only shot of the bird's red cap was blurry but I will keep it so I remember that man. My camera cost less than $400 but that is a lot of money for many people here.

My blurry bird is on the left

There was a festival of some sort going on that afternoon and many children were dressed in traditional costumes. I looked behind me and saw a line of girls staring at me as I watched the adult birds feeding their young. They were happy to pose for a picture and my daughter explained to them that I was not crazy, even though she didn't believe it herself.

We spent an afternoon in nearby Torreon at the campus of the Universidad del Valle de Mexico (UVM) where my daughter teaches English. The campus is beautiful and we sat on a balcony watching soccer try outs. I heard a lovely, unfamiliar bird song and finally found the singing finches. They look like our House Finches but their song was very different. They were also feeding their young who had already fledged from the nest.

I know there are good birding areas in this state, but they were not in these urban areas. But I was very satisfied to find a new life bird and to see it during the breeding season.

Las Aves-Tepic

Altamira Oriole

My family's home in the state of Nayarit, Mexico is on a bird migration route for the western part of the continent. Mom has counted many different species on the property in the past few years and I looked forward to doing some easy birding while I was there. Most mornings I was prowling around at dawn as my body clock was still on Eastern time. Besides, the days were very warm so the best time to walk was early in the day. The five acre property is situated in the Tepic valley and the Pacific Ocean is just over the mountains. My brother has planted many trees and flowering shrubs and the adjacent properties are mainly sugar cane fields.

Gila Woodpecker, Western Meadowlark, Barn Swallows, Great-tailed Grackle

While it was easy to see the birds, it was more challenging to get good pictures of them. The Orioles taunted me for three days before I finally took the first photo through the kitchen window. Mom saw the bird land in the tree as we ate dinner and I was able to open the screen without scaring it away. The barn swallows had a nest in the carport and were easier to approach and the Great-tailed Grackles were noisy and bold, just like Grackles in Ontario. The Western Meadowlark hopped from fence post to fence post ahead of me as I tried to get close enough to get a decent picture.

White-collared Seedeaters

Around midday, a group of small birds would hop about on the grass under the Tabachin tree. At first I thought they were some kind of Chickadee, but the females were very different than the males. They were White-collared Seedeaters, birds which are commonly seen around sugar cane fields.

Great Kiskadee

The most unusual and beautiful bird on the property was the Great Kiskadee. It was quite sociable as it dined on the many, many insects which were around.

Dad liked to walk in the nearby ecological park in the evenings where a 2 km track circled marsh land and a pond. The concept of an ecological park in Mexico surprised me as in past visits I have not found the country to be conservation oriented. I noticed far less garbage along the roadways this year and responsible environmental stewardship is being taught in schools.

Ecological Park, Tepic, Nayarit

In the evenings, the temperature might have dropped to 28C or so with high humidity, and I had to chuckle at the people walking the track in jackets and track pants. These temperatures were considerably lower than in the afternoon, but not low enough for a jacket in my opinion.

Purple Gallinule

The park had a few caged animals and several interesting wild birds including the very furtive Purple Gallinule. It walked through the rushes and never swam in the water or came into the open for more than a few seconds.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

There were many Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and I only saw them in the water once. They preferred to perch on overhead wires and make their distinctive whistling noise. They were beautiful in flight with black and white wing markings. In my mother's Spanish bird guide, they are also called Black-bellied Tree Ducks. I don't know of any other ducks which like a high wire view.


I hope to add a list of birds I saw in this area once I go through all my other photos and look them up in my Sibley Bird Guide. Many birds were unfamiliar and others were familiar but slightly different than related eastern species. Please let me know if I have incorrectly identified any of these birds.

Felicidad- Happiness

Working in sugar cane fields in Nayarit, Mexico

Gaelyn wrote a comment on the last post about her observations when she visited Mexico.

"Rich indeed! Every where I traveled in Mexico the people were so much richer than most Americans, strong family, gorgeous surroundings, happy and full of life..."

I was talking to one of our physicians at the hospital about my trip to Mexico. He had worked in the southern part of the country in the past and I asked him if that particular area was poor. His impression was similar to Gaelyn's and he said that while the people did not have many material possessions, they had all they needed for health and happiness.

Fatima and her new puppy

The University of Michigan's World Values Surveys (WVS) has compiled data on the happiest countries in the world for over twenty years. Their results are considered the most authoritative by happiness researchers. (source)

The winners were

1. Nigeria
2. Mexico
3. Venezuela
4. El Salvador
5. Puerto Rico
with Canada at #10 and America at #15.

Other studies have shown that the happiest people surround themselves with family and friends, don't care about accumulating material goods, find pleasure in their daily activities and forgive easily. Mexico has economic, security, social and political challenges but many people I met, while poor by our standards, were content and happy.


There were incidents of drug-related violence in the city of Tepic recently and police and army checkpoints were set up along the roadways. Thousands of killings have been reported in Mexico since President Felipe Calderón came into power in 2006 and began an anti-drug campaign against cartels which traffic illegal drugs into America. Most of the victims are members of organized crime groups who are fighting for control of trafficking routes. Police, members of the judiciary and journalists have also been targeted. I generally avoided eye contact and photographs in patrolled areas, but the policeman above posed proudly for me as my dad purchased pineapples from the back of a pick up truck in the village. Life goes on as usual for the average citizen and I sensed little anxiety or fear on the streets.

Tortilleria in San Pedro, Coahuila

My daughter buys tortillas at this little business near her home. It was hot outside and even hotter inside the small structure. Most people I know in Canada would complain about working in these conditions. Visiting a poorer nation (not just a tourist resort) always makes me appreciate the exceptional standard of living I enjoy and helps me value the non-material sources of happiness in my everyday life.

Toddler in the village of San Luis de Lozada

Many Mexicans long for the "American" lifestyle and relentless messages in popular media are influencing younger generations to value material things more than ever before. I hope this little girl grows up to value the traditional aspects of her culture which cannot be traded for money and wealth.

Las Flores- The Flowers

A small town called Camichin de Juaja is less than a kilometre from the family property in Mexico. It is typical Mexican community with rows of low adobe homes in streets around the main zócalo or town square. To the average American or Canadian it appears very poor but what is a true measure of wealth? Beautiful orchids bloomed in the courtyard of a home where a woman stood outside scrubbing her laundry by hand on a stone wash board. My father asked if I could enter the gate to take a picture of the flowers and she graciously let me in.


My brother Philip pointed out the star cactus flowers blooming at the front of his house. They smell like carrion and attract flies but I did not personally try to find out if this is true. Regardless of the plant's diet, the blooms were beautiful and unusual.


This Tabachin tree flowered outside the window of the guest room. I loved the vibrant red colour and the tree attracted many birds and butterflies. Mom had willed it into holding its blooms until I had seen it but by the time I left the rains had caused most of the flowers to fall to the ground.

Bougainvillea and Crepe Myrtle (lower right)

I put more of the many pictures I took into these collages and all but one, the yellow tree in the lower set, were taken on the family property. It was always interesting to walk around the grounds to see the many flowers and fruit trees.

Passion Flower, Ornamental Banana flower
Edible banana flower, Trumpet Tree (tabebuia serratifolia)