Street vendors
San Juan Chamula, Mexico
August 2013
Some fruit and vegetable stands.
San Lorenzo Zinacantan /
Textiles
San Lorenzo Zinacantan, Mexico
August 2013
We spent one amazing day in Zinacantan and Chamula in the mountains of Chiapas. These two small villages are Mayan settlements with incredibly different culture and traditions despite being 7 kilometers apart. We went on a very small tour (the two of us were the only participants), guided by a lovely Mexican man named Alex who was on first name terms with just about everyone we met or passed in the car. One of my favorite experiences was visiting the home of Maria in San Lorenzo Zinacantan. Maria made all of these textiles on her back strap loom set up against a tree outside her house. The white dress with the purple embroidery and white chicken feather trim (top photo) is a wedding dress. It is just beautiful, so beautiful.
It was sort of magical the way that all the Mexicans we met were so warm to us and interested to share their way of life. Inside Maria’s home we were treated to freshly made blue corn tortillas and slow cooked beans. Maria’s life looked difficult, her home was very sparse. She had hurt her knee badly when she was younger and her knee still gives her trouble. I can’t imagine how painful it would be for her back to sit at a back strap loom all day. Yet her textiles are so incredibly beautiful and intricate and joyful. I wish I could have asked her if making her textiles brings her joy, and what she thinks about when she goes into that meditative state that you enter when you craft by hand for hours.
Baked goods /
Artisans Market
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
Stating the obvious here, but trying new food is probably my number one interest when traveling. This counter piled high with cookies and baked goods was like a page pulled directly from a book of my fantasy encounters with food. So. Good. I can barely even look at this photo because it makes me wish I had tried more of them now that I can properly stare at every cookie and weigh it against the other members of its cookie family.
Johnny Depp /
Artisans Market, San Cristobal de las Casas
Mexico
August 2013
We chatted in half English/half Spanish to a teenage girl selling textiles at the artisans market in San Cristobal for a few minutes. She was watching Edward Scissorhands on this ancient black and white tv in her stall. She said she loves Johnny Depp and has watched it hundreds of times.
Coffee /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
Store front /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
Just a corner store with Dora the Explorer hand painted on the facade.
Cool Hat /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
Judging by the hat, I think it’s likely this man is totally awesome. I wish I could buy him a drink and ask him about his life.
Bugs /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
You should be able to make out at least three VW bugs in this photo. Jazz and I played punch buggy for four days in San Cristobal de las Casas and by the end of our stay my arm was really sore. I’m not sure why there are so many VW bugs in San Cris, but there were literally thousands. Probably every third or fourth car was a bug. It was kind of amazing. And painful.
Home in San Cristobal /
San Cristobal de las Casas
August 2013
I need a wide angle lens /
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
August 2013
On this trip I learned that it’s hard to capture a large building with a 50mm lens. I have never traveled with a prime lens before and I learned a good lesson. I will be investing in a wide angle lens before my next holiday!
Blues /
Oaxaca, Mexico
Some nice blues.
Eating in mexico /
20 de Noviembre Market
Oaxaca, Mexico
August 2013
Take me back to Mexico so I can eat at this food market again.
Ice cream /
Coppelia ice cream
Havana, Cuba
August 2013
Coppelia is a really, really popular state-run ice cream parlor in Vedado, Havana. Cubans line up down the block and around the corner to get ice cream here at pretty much any time of the day, even in the rain. Because this is Cuba, usually only a couple of flavors are available at any one time.
As foreigners, we were not allowed to dine in the main parlor. I’m not sure if this is because the parlor is government-owned and operated - it was never explained. We were promptly stopped and escorted by security to a special room for foreigners, off to one side and up some stairs, where we could eat ice cream at inflated tourist prices. There were no windows, only a few tables, one waiter taking orders and serving ice cream, while a television in the corner played local news. I’m not gonna lie, it was as depressing as it sounds.
Havana /
Plaza de la Catedral
Havana, Cuba
August 2013
From a balcony above the Plaza de la Catedral, we looked down and watched a transvestite dance with a newly wed bride still in her gown while her husband filmed her with his iPad.
Havana /
Old Havana
Havana, Cuba
August 2013
Not all cars in Havana are Cadillacs.
Che /
Plaza de la Revolución
Havana, Cuba
August 2013
Che’s image is a real and lasting symbol of strength and unity which we saw regularly in Cuba. I would be lying if I said I didn’t start to fall a little bit in love with him myself.
Malecon /
Malecón
Havana, Cuba
August 2013
The Malecón stretches for four miles along the coast of Havana, from the old town in the east to the Vedado neighborhood in the west. In the late afternoons the locals walk and socialize along the esplanade.
Playa del Carmen /
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
August 2013
It’s not easy to take a photo in Playa del Carmen which does not have about five hundred tourists in it. But here is one. Playa is like a smaller Cancun, which means everything feels very inauthentic if you go there after two weeks of traveling in less touristed parts of Mexico. Highly commercialized and developed, Playa features a long paved pedestrian mall lined with cafes, bars, shops and ATMs that allow you to withdraw US dollars. The beach clubs lining the sand offer shaded lounges for use if you purchase drinks and food. We took advantage of this, enjoying mojitos and hot chips and guacamole and beers, with live bands behind us playing covers of everything from Daft Punk to Steely Dan. By late afternoon, there were clear views of the empty beach as most people retired to their hotels to prepare for an evening of dancing in the massive night clubs surrounding the beach. This was my favorite part of the day, as we stayed as long as we could by the water, not wanting the time in the open air to end, knowing we were about to leave Mexico.
Xoxocotlán /
Xoxocotlán, Mexico
August 2013
Hot, hot, hot day. About 20 minutes by car outside of Oaxaca city is this small town called Xoxocotlán. We were fortunate that they were holding their weekly market when we visited, so we were able to see local men and women completing their weekly shopping.
Leopards /
San Cristobal de las Casas
Mexico
August 2013
Leopards!