Mexico's Celebration: Cutting through the Doom and Gloom

Mexico's Celebration: Cutting through the Doom and Gloom

Walking the streets of Mexico's capital on the occasion of the nation's 200th birthday, Kristian Beadle sees both chest-thumping and hand-wringing.

On the night of Mexico's bicentennial celebration, an old man was strumming his acoustic guitar. He was on a dark avenue surrounded by the din of crowds, festive cries and police sirens. His guitar had no amplification, and the bowl at his feet only had a few coins, but he was playing so intently that I stopped to listen. I had to get really close to hear the melody, but it was worth it. Like a rowdy family gathering that goes quiet because Grandpa starts to tell a story, the din around me faded.

The crowds kept moving and nobody stopped to listen, and I don't blame them. There were so many things to see and hear this Sept. 16: a massive float car parade with dazzling colors, beautiful dancers dressed in fantasy costumes and a dizzying landscape of red, green and white celebrating the Mexican flag. Earlier in the day, I saw the BBC News interview with event organizer Ric Birch, producer of Olympic opening ceremonies in 1992 and 2000. He said this might be one of the biggest and boldest events in recent memory, and indeed, the spectacle did not disappoint.

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Voyage of Kiri
Exploring the Effects of Climate on Mexico's Coastline
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The Real Revenge of Montezuma: Voyage Conclusions

The Real Revenge of Montezuma: Voyage Conclusions

Now that the trip is over, I look back and speculate on the connection behind "traveler's belly" and Mexico's ailments.

Location: In Mazunte, just north of Huatulco. Through scattered clouds, the morning sun shines on the bay, whose centerpiece is a pair of jagged boulders. The rocks are frothy with crashing waves and soft backlight. The bay is surrounded by swaying palm trees and a snaking wetland.

Conditions: From inside my swinging cot, hanging freely from a roof covered by a mosquito net, I can tell the morning air is starting to warm up. It's 8 a.m., and the septic tank truck is already pumping sewage and someone is running a drill. Fishermen are pushing their pangas past the tiny waves.

Discussion: On the return from Huatulco, we veered off the rainy highway and navigated the potholes, overhanging tree branches and yelping dogs until reaching Mazunte. It is a blissed-out beach town that attracts French backpackers and yoga students with its fairy-tale scenery and psychedelic bars with names like "Siddhartha." That is where my friend Nando, who I brought in tow for his flamenco music collection and Spanish humor, revived his old enemy, the stomach flu.

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The Balance of Evil-Doing: Kiri's Impacts

The Balance of Evil-Doing: Kiri's Impacts

Perhaps a little hypocrisy doesn't hurt - if you're aware of it?
I look at the footprint of my trip, and hope it was all worth it.

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Sustainable Tourism en Masse: Huatulco's Attempt

Sustainable Tourism en Masse: Huatulco's Attempt


On the final military checkpoint of my trip, the camouflaged officers asked me a familiar set of questions, starting with, “De donde viene?” Where are you coming from? I’m from Santa Barbara, California, I told them — heading to Huatulco, which is just a few miles away. After getting the thumbs up, I drove into town with the curious anticipation of arriving after 5,000 miles and three months of travel. That was slowly displaced by a peculiar feeling. From what I could see, I had come full circle, and two realities were merging.

The wide boulevards had center dividers, the lawns and trees were neatly groomed. Missing from view were packs of yelping dogs, iconic of most towns I’d seen in Mexico; or makeshift signs made out of car tires. Generous parking lots were in front of shiny stores. Everything looked so organized and easy to find. … I couldn’t help thinking, “This looks like my brother’s neighborhood in Aliso Viejo.” It was like a sliver of Southern California’s Orange County dropped into tropical Mexico.

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Artists of Restoration at Playa Viva

 






























Artists of Restoration at Playa Viva

Location: Watching a tropical storm from inside a palapa in Playa Viva, just south of Ixtapa, in the state of Guerrero. I marvel at how the woven palm fronds that make up the roof keeps such vast quantities of rainwater out.

Conditions: Cool and windy, with occasional rain squalls. The ocean is a turbulent mess, the landscape swaying with the wind, even the mountains seem to move as the clouds roll around them. By afternoon, the sun burst into view, the wind died down and everything relaxed.

Discussion: I’m not much of a bird-watcher, but the colorful ducks at Yarumi lagoon made me stop.
“This used to be filled with invasive grasses. After we dredged and restored waterflow, the shrimp returned, which attracted the ducks – and many other birds,” Odin Ruz, head of permaculture at Playa Viva, told me. Although it sounds like a restoration project, this is a private hotel. “One of our business goals was to increase biodiversity,” said David Leventhal, the resort’s owner. “We wanted to enhance our guests’ experience besides just doing the right thing.”

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