Getting in the Yucatecan groove

I don’t think I’ve ever wrote this on my blog but it is one of my traveler truisms: The more I see the world, the more I realize that the world is normal and the US is not. While we in the US speed up with advanced gadgets and technology, we seem to have forgotten the simple things in life. The rest of the world moves at a more normal human pace, yet we speed along and expect everyone else to follow along with us. And when they don’t, we yell and scream, beating our chests with superiority, looking down our noses in contempt. This is not the way to go about the world, no we need to let go of our Americaness and embrace wherever we are. Such is the case with Mexico. I feel sorry that such a warm, vibrant culture is getting so misaligned in the US press causing fear and trepidation about travel to our neighbor to the south.
Well all of that was far from my mind as I explored the sites of Merida and beyond. The sun’s heat begins early this time of year in Merida so people are up early getting as much done before the full intensity of the sun hits mid-day. The bustling pace quiets a bit until about 3 then picks up again until late into the evening. Merida is a cultural gem and there’s so much to see. I didn’t rush to see everything for I wanted to save some things for future visits. Brooks and I spent our first morning shopping at the market, a huge complex of stalls seeling everything you need: fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, shoes,
meat, seafood, chickens, backpacks, souvenirs and so on. This is where the everyday bustle of life goes on and where to see the locals in action. Afterwards I went to the city museum to get some “kul-chah” while Brooks went home to work. I meandered through the museum and then on through the small calles to the Zocalo, snapping pictures along the way, stopping in to see the main cathedral (built by the Spanish on the spot of an ancient Mayan pyramid, built with the stones from this pyramid—talk about recycling) and giant murals in the municipal building. The intense heat kept us inside after lunch, so I siestaed in my cool room in Brooks’ beautiful colonial casa. Brooks has a great little house in the center of town designed around a central courtyard, streaming in light yet keeping out most of the heat. Its best feature is the old floor tiles, done in an Art Nouveau/Deco style. Geometric patterns framed by a repeat of a poppy, a floral design in browns and blues. Tiled versions of oriental rugs. Many of the older places still have these floors—probably a selling point to the many Americans looking at property down here.
Brooks, being the food lover like me, had a list of Yucatecan dishes to try and where to sample them. As the intense sun made its way into sunset, we made our way out into town to try some of the local fare. I grew up on Mexican food and here on the peninsula the food has a different flavor. Habaneros are used a lot but also sour oranges and limes to flavor the food. Being close to the water, seafood is eaten a lot. Turkey is too. Poc Chuc, Relleno Negro, Panuchos and Sabultes, Pibil, Sopa de Lima, Papadzules—so many new things to try, and so many good restaurants to try them in. What I like about Merida is that you can try these dishes in little cafes or fancy restaurants and either way they’re both great. Washed down with a local beer and you’re good to go. Even the street food is good—Elotes (corn with cheese, cream and a spicy lime sauce) and Marquesitas-crepes with cheese or Nutella. It’s all good and safe to eat.
After our dinner we headed to Santa Lucia square for the Serenade, a Thursday night free concert. Instead of being couped up at home watching TV, the locals come out to hear music from local musicians and singers and see dancing groups as well. It’s a wonderful night of culture that’s been going on for over 30 years. The square was full of both young and old, foreigner and local, everyone there to enjoy a night of music and dance. I was most impressed by the women’s costumes of the Yucatecan Ballet Folklorico. White wipas embroidered with colorful flowers and their hair all in a bun and abloom with more flowers and bows. An inspiration for collage, I went back stage after the show to snap a few of the girls dresses and heads. Fortunately they didn’t seem to mind and posed happily.
As the streets quieted, we walked home, stopping at the Café Impala for a late night mango frappe. A perfect end to a perfect first day. Tomorrow is an early day for me as I decided to rent a car for a few days and tool around looking at the ancient Mayan cities. Next stop-Chichen Itza!

Viva Merida!

After almost 3 months of being cooped up in NYC, it was time to make a break. Eventhough finances are a little shaky, I need to get on a plane for my mental sanity. My friends Brooks has been at his winter home in Merida on the Yucatan peninsula and beckoned me down. Well the beckoning has been going on for awhile and finding a direct flight for $97 each ay, I was basically forced to go.
Left a cold, rainy JFK last Wednesday on a JetBlue flight to Cancun, full of people eager for some beach and sun. Merida is a 4 hr bus ride from Cancun so my journey was not over after a 4 hr flight from New York. I raced past all the British tourists at passport control to get through and to the bus station in time for the 3:30 bus, only to find I had to wait for the shuttle (a shared cab with 3 other people). Of course I was the last person to be dropped off after doing a giant loop of all the hellish hotel/resorts. My inner-NYC was getting all twisted up in a big knot of frenzy and anxiety yet somewhere along the route I reminded myself that this is Mexico and let go of the big knot and relaxed. This wasn’t the only bus to Merida, they run all the time, so I’ll catch the next one. Step one in being on vacation. Instead of fighting and rushing, relax and embrace the slower pace of Mexico. As we drove past row upon row of beach resorts (the Cancun version of hell in my book), I was thankful I wasn’t going to be holed up in one of thoese monstrosities. My version of a cruise ship on land.
The driver finally dropped me off at the bus station and I made my way inside to get a ticket. A small, clean, bustling station with excellent people watching possibilities. I love bus stations in other countries, watching people come and go, being greeted or kissed and hugged goodbye. Mexico is one of those places where the bus station is crowded not so much with travelers but more so in families and friends escorting or seeing off someone. Munching on a ham and cheese croissant and drinking a coffee I watched the scenes before me, little moments of life, as I waited for my bus to Merida.
4 hours later, our bus pulled into the colonial capital of the Yucatan—Merida. Brooks met me at the bus station and whisked me off to my first of many great meals at Pancho’s, a flashy local restaurant. After my flight and bus ride, was I ready for a few margaritas and a nice meal, and so it was. We made a circle around the Zocalo and through the old streets of town back to Brooks’ house. The air was hot and heavy, the old cathedral lit up, cafes and restaurants hopping and the streets full of people. Here was a new part of Mexico for me. I grew up with Baja and now I finally get down to the Yucatan. Merida is a charming colonial town surrounded by ancient Mayan history. I was enamored at the first moment I arrived.

My City By The Bay

Oh the Bay Area, how I love it. It used to be just San Francisco but now I’ve warmed to the East Bay as well. If I ever decide to move back to California, it would definitely be to San Francisco or Oakland. San Diego is my ancestral home but not my cup of tea anymore. Weather-wise it’s idyllic but boring and conservative as all hell. Still, my family is there so I must make a trip there now and then.
This trip to the Bay Area was arranged around a contra calling gig I agreed to do out here. Actually I wound up doing a lot of dancing here besides contra. My friend Danielle is a NIA instructor and I went to two of her Oakland classes. I’ve been meaning to start exercising on a regular basis and I think I’ve found my niche in NIA. It’s sort of yoga, aerobics, meditation all rolled into one. My body and soul felt so good after an hour of NIA with Danielle. Can’t wait to get back to Brooklyn and find some classes. Being the social butterfly that I am, I always bemoan the fact that social visits revolve around food. Not that I don’t like eating, it’s just so boring after awhile, plus my stomach can only hold so much. So, NIA with Danielle was a great way to be active and socialize at the same time. Plus it gave me an appetite for the lunch dates I had scheduled after class. There was Gaylord’s Indian buffet with Laura and Scott (from my Russia days), a ferry ride to Larkspur to see Tamara and Thai on the Embarcadero with Michelle( another Russia friend). The other dance event basides contra was Ecstatic Dance a regular Sunday morning event in downtown Oakland. This came upon the heels of a heavy brunch at Ron and Melinda’s so it was good to burn off all the calories and cholesterol. Kenny’s wife Rosie, aka Hula Hoop Girl, was there doing her thing with all the other hundred or so people doing their thing to the music. At first I was a little intimidated by this free form dance event but in a few minutes my Brooklyn shield went down and I got into the groove of things. The crowd looked like a bunch of granola chewing, millet smoking, vegan/Burning man types (that’s the cynical New York voice talking) but after a minute or two, they were just a bunch of people who love to dance. And you know what? Everyone should be doing this. Not only is it fun, but it’s a great way to relieve stress and re-center oneself. Some people go to church on Sundays and in Oakland, some people go to Ecstatic Dance. Hallelujah!
The contra dance went off with few hitches. Lots of beginners but I seemd to be able to reel them in and keep the lines from breaking down. It was a bit stressful at times but by the end of the night everyone was in sync and having a ball. The two-man band provided great music on their fiddle and piano to keep the crowd moving. About 90 people showed up to dance the night away. I tried out some tricky dances on them but reverted to easy standards to avoid complete disaster. Ben, Robert, Arcadia and the other organizers have done a great job of getting lots of people to come to their dances. They have a wonderful dance community out here and I’m inspired to get our dance community in NYC growing a bit.
Besides all the dancing, there were the many social visits around town. The Bay Area has great transportation options so I wasn’t always relying on cars to get around. Buses, BART, ferries, foot, you name it, I did it. When I lived here, no one went to the East Bay or used BART much and now I stay in the East Bay so I take BART everywhere. This was the first time I took a ferry to Marin which was fun. Of course walking all over San Francisco and Oakland was great too. I loved taking walks around my old haunts in the city. Spent a Saturday in the new aquarium in Golden Gate Park with my former Brooklyn neighbor Mike, ate lunch on Haight, aroud the corner form my old apartment on Waller, and then walked all the way down Haight to the Castro and then to downtown retracing many steps in my former life here over 20 years ago. It was great to see that many things haven’t changed and yet many things have changed some for the better, some for the worse.
San Francisco isn’t mine anymore but I still have history here. It could be seen as I walked down Haight toward the Castro: my apartment on Waller, the haircutting place where I was during the 89 earthquake, the top of the hill where I cried after finding out I was HIV+, the clinic in the Castro where I found all that out, a building where I spent a night many moons ago, the law office where I used to work, Café Flore where I many a blind date. There was a memory in almost every step I took. Both good and bad ones--memories are memories whether you like them or not.
My week culminated with a fabulous gay dinner party hosted by Ben Monday night. So nice to have a lovely dinner with a bunch of down to earth gay guys for once. Quite a difference from the NYC breed of high maintenance homo. Made me again wonder why I live in NYC where it’s hard to find a boyfriend instead of living I civilized Oakland where guys seem more up my alley. Pauly D, a realtor at the party was throwing all sorts of suggestions at me about refinancing my house and putting a down payment on something out there. Don’t tempt me Pauly D! Well it did have me thinking. Need to make some changes in my life this year and this trip was a chance to clear my mind and figure what the heck I should be doing with myself in 2009. I got a few ideas and I hope to put them into motion when I get back to NYC. So keep reading dear readers!

A Family visit to the Magic Kingdom

Can a jaded New Yorker go to the happiest place on earth and have a good time? Can he be surrounded by little girls in fairy princess outfits and parents with mouse ears all day without going bananas? Well, believe it or not, he could and he did. Being with my entire family (all 12 of us) was great but I was dreading being in Disneyland all day, however I got intot he spirit of things and had a blast. My 5th grade nephew and I snuck away from the rest of our group to ride all the big rides like Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Splash Mountain and all the rest. We would meet up with the “fam” now and then to do the obligatory family ride like Autopia and then would scurry off to another white knuckle ride.
I can’t believe since the last time I was in Dizzy-land it was 14 yrs ago and the price was much lower than the $70 that it is now. Crazy huh!?! Well we worked that $70 like there was no tomorrow. I created a project for myself for the day. I would take a picture of all the people who used those electric carts to get around the Magic Kingdom. I figured you get to know what America is all about by visiting Disneyland and what better way to showcase the out of shapeness of this country by all the people who aren’t able to walk around the park all day. Once in the park, I snapped a few people and then there were just too many to photograph so I stopped that project about 30 mins. in the park. I was focusing on the happy not the depressing and what better way than to ooh and aah at Tigger and Winnie with my nieces than look at these fat people shlumping around on their little carts.
After all the wild rides (Splash Mountain-thumbs up, finally Disney found a way to use “Song of the South”without being too un-PC, Indiana Jones-big thumbs down—lame ass ride on a stupid jeep) I decided to drop my nephew and hit all the Fantasyland rides with my nieces. Alice in Wonderland is my favorite and we had a ball zooming around on the caterpillars. Then we hit the tea cups and spun around until almost sick level. Mr. Toad’s, Snow White (still scary) and Pinocchio—I love it all.
Around 5:30, we all felt we got our $70 worth and with small nieces having meltdowns, it was time to say goodbye to the Magic Kingdom and go back to reality. It’s great that we were all together—such a rare event for my family and I hope we get to be together again. Next stop the Bay Area for a week of friends, contra dance calling and quiet time to figure out what to do next with my life.

The 1 yr Christopher Vattuone Memorial

Well the 1 yr memorial for Christopher Vattuone was a big success. Friends came from all over to be part of this event. New York, San Francisco and all parts of San Diego county, they flonged to Clairmont to reminisce and remember our dear friend on the year of his passing. It was a great night. Eric put together a film festival of Chris movies such classics as “Trauma Magdalena”, “Mourning of the Dead”, “Deceived”and “Bruise” were seen after many years. A shrine of pictures was up showing the many stages of Chris’ life (and hair length and outfits) with offerings and candles beneath. A giant picture of him as Ginger La Fosse Knotts De La Hoya (his drag alter ego) graced the patio table, surrounded by a floofy feather boa. Laurie created another shrine too with hearts and pictures. We tried to reach him in the séance room via a Ouija Board I got at Toys R Us all to no avail. Maybe it was too forced or the mood wasn’t right or maybe the fog that loomed over Clairmont got in the way. Well he didn’t come through but somehow it didn’t matter, I think he was smiling down on us and pleased with all the Chris worshipping going on. We demised that when a bag of tortilla chips on the food table caught on fire, Chris had something to do with it. That was when we were doing the “What Do You Know About Chris” trivia game was going on in the living room. He was never one to be upstaged so we figured he made the candle fall on the chips to take all the focus off of yours truly running the game. There were no tears or sadness during the night just joy and fun memories. After the trivia game (which Kenny won) there was some story telling which was rather informative. Many people from different phases of Chris’ life came forward to give their testimonies. Kenny told us when he knew Chris was gay, Eric told about Chris’ meeting with one of his idols Peter Byrnes of Dead or Alive, there were many stories. One fact that came out during the trivia game is that many people didn’t know he was on “The Price Is Right” his favorite game show. Unfortunately the video of this has gone missing so we couldn’t witness him rolling the dice and spinning the big wheel with Bob Barker. Surprise guests turned up like David, Gail and Lyndsey who made a shrine of vintage Dead or Alive records.
Carla and I put together a great party and everyone had a wonderful time. By the end of the night there were whispers of making this annual event, but I was done. I sat between Carla and Tamara on the couch with my cell phone and finally deleted his number from my phone. It was closure for me. Closure on a friendship that spanned over 25 yrs. and it was time to move on. I don’t want visits to San Diego be trips down memory lane or pilgrimages to Chris’grave. We all have our time on this earth and when it’s up, those left behind mourn for a while and then move on. Time for new traditions and friendships. Eric and I plotted out some ideas by going out to The Hole (Pt. Loma’s only gay bar) and meeting some new locals. More time with family and the living. Today I’m going to mark this new phase of my Southern California tradition with a trip to Disneyland with my family (God help me!)

Ho Ho Ho from Columbus Circle

Coming to you live from the Columbus Circle Holiday Market!! We’re already at the end of our second week at this three week market and things are going well. Not only are sales good but we’re making friends left and right in our little corner of the market. Right now Oktay, my Turkish neighbor who sells glass ware, is chilling in my booth while his sister Ozlum argues with him from outside. It’s a slow Tuesday but a fine snow is coming down which is bringing the people out (and hopefully putting them in a shopping mood). Marushka took the day off to rid herself of a cold. I am left alone to man the booth for the day. No big deal there’enough activity here to keep me occupied.
Despite a lousy world economy, people are still shopping for the holidays. Lots of people from all over the world stop in to buy t-shirts and pj’s for their kids. Bad
economy or not, children always need clothing. Texas, England, Mississippi, Ireland to name a few. One of the things Maruska and I do to entertain ourselves is to keep a tally of all the different places people visit from. Another thing is to photograph all our friends who come by to visit us on a daily basis. So far we have had many friends pose in our booth. Marshall started the tradition and other friends (both mine and Marushka’s) have been immortalized in celluloid in our booth. We have to keep things exciting and fresh at the market.
As Christmas gets nearer, we sell more and more. I have a few things already sold out. My Lion shirts have been a huge success and I’m already done with them. I’ve started a new line of pillows and plush cats and owls which have been going like hotcakes too. I’m sure the closer we get to the big day, the crazier people will get and they’ll just throw money at us. Well that’s what the guys who run the market say. I’ll let you know how it all ends up.