Mexican Day of the Dead
I haven't talked much about La Paz itself, and this post I will try and give you a feel for the place. Last night a friend Janet and I went to the Theatro de Something,(can't remember the whole name) needless to say it is a very modern theater that they put on plays and symphonies etc. and last night was no exception.The symphony was terrific, was put on by the youth of Baja Sur and they played for at least 2 hours, had 10 different conductors, and were really something special. This was all in commemoration of the holiday for Nov. 1, which celebrates the Day of the Dead, a rather different holiday than North America's halloween. On their holiday the whole family gets together and heads out to the cemetery for a picnic with their dearly departed. They even have a place mat and dishes for them, and it gives them a chance to remember all the good times. What a neat concept. Unfortunately Halloween is catching on and will probably replace this neat day, too bad really.
As well as the symphony they had a ballet onstage outside to show the idea of the holiday. The dancers were all in black with white faces, and the scene was a cemetery, and there were shrouds and smoke and an eerie atmosphere.The kids would have loved it, myself, I could appreciate the marvellous dancing, but I am just a little too close to being in one of those graves!! The people of Baja love a holiday, and they have lots of them, they really get into the festivities and the family outings etc.
Bye the bye, we had a jumbo hot dog at one of the stands after the shows, because they had booths set up all around the grounds, Well.....on the hot dog they put mustard and mayo of course, but also cheese and onions and a beef mixture (steak that had been marinated and then sliced really thin and fried with onions and spices), all that for 25 pesos, about $2.50 CDN. We only wished we had brought our own napkins and a plastic fork because it was messy but delicious.
I think that is what I like about this town, it sort of has the old and the new all mixed up. Cabo is disneyland of Mexico, all new condos and glitz and street peddlars etc. They even deal in Am. Dollars rather than pesos, whereas La Paz has the charm of Mexico, and yet we have our Walmart and Sam's club, and the Dorians is now Sears, and in the next week or so they are opening a Home Depot. But all these big box stores are a bus ride away on the edge of town and you don't see them unless you make a trip out there. In town you can still find the old fashioned drug stores and the hardware stores filled with everything from soup to nuts. And get a 10 peso taco at the stands and find shoe salesmen with booths set up along the street, and for 11 pesos buy a kilo of tortillas. And beside all that you will find a guy selling electronics and cell phones etc etc. What a neat contrast. which reminds me I must get some pictures and publish them in the next week or so.
Bye for now, hope to see everyone come down to see this beautiful little town before it disappears.
As well as the symphony they had a ballet onstage outside to show the idea of the holiday. The dancers were all in black with white faces, and the scene was a cemetery, and there were shrouds and smoke and an eerie atmosphere.The kids would have loved it, myself, I could appreciate the marvellous dancing, but I am just a little too close to being in one of those graves!! The people of Baja love a holiday, and they have lots of them, they really get into the festivities and the family outings etc.
Bye the bye, we had a jumbo hot dog at one of the stands after the shows, because they had booths set up all around the grounds, Well.....on the hot dog they put mustard and mayo of course, but also cheese and onions and a beef mixture (steak that had been marinated and then sliced really thin and fried with onions and spices), all that for 25 pesos, about $2.50 CDN. We only wished we had brought our own napkins and a plastic fork because it was messy but delicious.
I think that is what I like about this town, it sort of has the old and the new all mixed up. Cabo is disneyland of Mexico, all new condos and glitz and street peddlars etc. They even deal in Am. Dollars rather than pesos, whereas La Paz has the charm of Mexico, and yet we have our Walmart and Sam's club, and the Dorians is now Sears, and in the next week or so they are opening a Home Depot. But all these big box stores are a bus ride away on the edge of town and you don't see them unless you make a trip out there. In town you can still find the old fashioned drug stores and the hardware stores filled with everything from soup to nuts. And get a 10 peso taco at the stands and find shoe salesmen with booths set up along the street, and for 11 pesos buy a kilo of tortillas. And beside all that you will find a guy selling electronics and cell phones etc etc. What a neat contrast. which reminds me I must get some pictures and publish them in the next week or so.
Bye for now, hope to see everyone come down to see this beautiful little town before it disappears.
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