Hasta luego, Mexico

Like Steinbeck, “i love countries and hate governments.” Mexico has been good to me over the last nine months. Like any place, it has its average scenery and people, and its beauties are stunning to behold. Some generalizations – i’ve been surprised by the obviously large investment taking place in the country’s infrastructure. Mexico is not poor. Construction is going on big time all over the place.

But it has also been common to see any number of private projects abandoned, even near completion. Like they suddenly exceeded their building permit? Or realized too late that they were bad ideas after all? Each public facility (i.e. the marinas) had its own definition of “finished,” none of which i would think truly were. They were functional, but not really finished, detailed. By the way, can anyone tell me what part tiled domes play in the architecture of well to do Mexican homes? They are a definite presence.

I can guess the role of the stickers on the car - fun.

Other observations include many Mexican women for whom tight jeans are a distinct fashion mistake. Oh well. It’s obvious that this population, per Catholic mandate, is growing. There’s a lot of pregnancy in Mexico. So there are lots of kids, As Barbara Kingsolver describes in other countries, most Mexicans treasure the kids – their own and others’ – above all else. And the kids know it. Beautiful to see. “Family” is Mexico’s founding social structure. If a town doesn’t have a boardwalk (malecon), then the town square is the hotspot to gather – nightly, it seems.

Huatulco seems youngish to me, tho ancient civilization has been here too. The state of Oaxaca is known for its weavers – i bought a pair of pants and shirt from this store/factory where they still wove on looms by hand.

(About the “we” – sailors have forever tho’t of their vessels as near alive as an inanimate creation can be. They usually refer to a boat as ‘she’ instead of ‘it.’ A modern sailboat has a sort of lineage back thru history, she seems a hallowed part of exploring distant horizons. It feels like i honor Akimbo’s essential role in this trip when i include her in my reference.)

Okay, assuming the giants appear to still sleep according to tomorrow’s weather report, we’ll depart for Costa Rica and i’ll write to you from there in seven to ten days. May we celebrate when next we meet.