
Dibujos de Cuarentina by Hugo Crosthwaite and yours truly will be shown as part of the The San Diego Latino Film Festival’s Migrant Voices Today Film Challenge!
Dibujos de Cuarentina by Hugo Crosthwaite and yours truly will be shown as part of the The San Diego Latino Film Festival’s Migrant Voices Today Film Challenge!
The only thing that makes this a fresh year for me so far is that I get to work on a new project.
I’ve just been handed thousands of inspired images from Hugo Crosthwaite and three different version of a song by a local San Diego band, The Color Forty Nine featuring Rubén Albarrán – yes, the Rubén of Cafe Tacvba fame.
Rounding out this mini series of travel blog posts, I’ll leave you with-
Because, why not, eh?
The uv index is rather high in central Mexico, even in winter. The region is designated subtropical highlands so that basically means you are closer to the sun twice over! There is generally plenty of shade, but remember to cover yourself up, wear a hat, sunglasses, etc. During non-pandemic times don’t forget to put that sunscreen on yo’ face!
Morelia is about 6,400 ft / 1,950 m above sea level. At this altitude the body tends to loses moisture faster. IBS sufferers might struggle with this more than others. I, um, did. Beverages like Suerox or Electrolit can be a lifesaver. You think less often about drinking when wearing a mask so make it a point to take liquid breaks.
I’ve been all about avoiding human contact because of the pandemic (and because they are people), but if you need help with something remember that Morelia is a tourist town. They have a pretty good grasp of the words ‘hospitality industry.’ Most folks will be polite and helpful what ever level your Spanish is at. Even the cops will hail a taxi for you. Or so I was told.
Morelia is generally quit safe. To be honest, I have never felt as safe in Mexico as I felt when I was there. (and, fyi, my ’empathic, womeny feelings’ are backed by facts). Hugo and I had no issues with theft or violence, but that didn’t give us license to be careless idiots about town. Don’t think you are completely safe because you are in a legit “pueblo magico.” Remain in the historic district, unless you have actual business being elsewhere.
Where there is a manifestacion of any kind, there’s sure to be a passel of riot police standing by. It’s best to calmly avoid these situations should they arise. Even if nothing dramatic goes down.
As it so happened, one day when Hugo and I were out exploring the city, there was a moderate gathering on a main street- maybe of front line workers? We didn’t want to congregate with anyone so we didn’t get to find out more. We just kept moving and as we were crossing an intersecting street, we turned our heads to look- and what to our wondering eyes should appear? A wall of black clad riot cops in full combat gear. Like well mannered urbanites, we behaved as if they were an everyday sight to see and kept right on walking.
Learn how to keep copper bright and shiny. Learn a simple basket weave. Learn about butterflies; chocolate; history; current events; language. When you set foot in a colonial city like Morelia, you don’t have much of an excuse not to.
So I want to wrap this up with a big-
For your comments, likes, and cups of coffee here is something I haven’t shown yet- A video! It’s even low-resolution video art. With the effects added, all I could export was a low quality version. The footage was shot during the Day of the Dead which was exceptionally weird in 2020. (Don’t forget to turn up your audio.)
[video: Night scenes of an out door event being set up in a plaza outside of a cathedral. White helium balloon clusters are tied to folding chairs and sway in the wind. People set up the stage while others loiter around. The video contains glitchy effects and ambient audio from the location it was shot at.
THANK YOU