One Fish, Two Fish

Outside of the little indy cinema at the Pochote organic market, there's a murky fishpond with some gigantic fish. These hold a great fascination for Genevieve, who would rather attempt to dive in and swim with them than watch the free screening of "The Wizard of Oz" in Spanish. Max also seemed absorbed by them, if not a little scared.

Vocho Love

Oh, the shame of it. I was so proud to live in a city where no car is required. Except that Steve decided a car was required. I resisted but, in the end, I had to admit defeat--he was the one having to push the stroller up the mountainside every day, because I still haven't got my full muscle power back in my surgery-side arm.

So we hit upon a compromise. The VW Bug, or vocho, or vochito, as it's known around here. It seems like half of Mexico, including the police and taxi drivers, are getting around in a VW. Old model bugs were made in Puebla until 2005. One of my students went to the farewell party at the factory.

And, of course, the vocho was immediately useful. A few rounds of guests came into town and we were popping them to and from the airport at all hours. Max got invited to a birthday party way out in the country. We were able to wander to San Agustin Etla to see the famous art center and the show within. Today, the kids washed the vocho, right before the first rain in four months began to fall. Everyone loves our bonito vochito.

The Carnival of Cities has Come to Town

Mexican Pop Spot welcomes all world travelers and armchair travelers to the January 14, 2008 edition of Carnival of Cities! We covered much ground this time around:

Sheila Scarborough shares Noodling around: the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum posted at Perceptive Travel Blog, offering a delectable tour of Yokahama's museum of meals. One highlight is the gift shop, featuring noodle-inspired items.

Jonathan Deamer paints a lovely picture of Liverpool's Crapital of Culture opening ceremony posted at Jonathan Deamer. He tells how Liverpool spent a big bundle to make a fine mess of its "Capital of Culture" honorary ceremony.

Christopher Cook presents The Kutna Hora Bone Church: a late night visit to an ossuary outside prague posted at -noambit -Travel Europe- where to go, what to see, and how to get there, with an insider's guide to a fascinating little church just outside of Prague. The site is "tastefully" decorated with the bones of over 40,000 men and women. This narrative article paints a vivid picture of this location while offering information on how to get there and how this little church came to be.

Sagar describes 25 Simply Amazing Mosques posted at International Listings Blog. Vivid photographs and text celebrate incredible mosques from Dubai to Morocco to Iran and other corners of the world.

Jon Rochetti presents Monument Monday - Theodore Roosevelt posted at The DC Traveler – Washington DC travel & tourism information, taking visitors to an island in the middle of the Potomac River to view one of DC's less known monuments of Teddy Roosevelt.

Christopher Cook shares Choosing A Hostel Is Like Choosing A Friend: things to think about when trying to find a place to sleep posted at -noambit -Travel Europe- where to go, what to see, and how to get there with this article full of helpful information about selecting a hostel while traveling in Europe. This post pinpoints what types of things to consider and what to expect.

Kangotraveller chronicles A Winter’s Day at Pt. Reyes National Seashore posted at Kango Blog. The dramatic Point Reyes coastline has always been one of my favorite haunts, and this blog entry captures its diverse attributes.

Karen Bryan presents You’ve gotta go to Gothenburg, Sweden posted at Europe A La Carte Blog. An accessible, picturesque place, Gothenburg wins in the comparison to Amsterdam.

DWSUWF presents Divided We Stand United We Fall: Republican Like Me posted at Divided We Stand United We Fall offers apologies to Black Like Me author John Howard Griffin in this post about a social experiment. This San Francisco Democrat decided to "go Republican" and observe the adjustments he would he have to make. What is it like to experience discrimination based on political beliefs?

Alex Garcia presents Queensland's exciting River City (Brisbane) posted at Life in Brisbane - Queensland - Australia with a discussion of changes afoot in Brisbane.

Conan Stevens presents Bangkok Police Shake Down Foreigners For Cash posted at Conan Stevens Online. Conan gets on the wrong side of the law in this post about negotiating with the police in Thailand.

Kathie Goldsmith informs 30 for $30 Dine Around Seattle program has new restaurants to choose from! posted at Team Reba Real Estate, saying that Seattle has a host of restaurant bargains.

Andrew Edgington presents Cyprus Holiday Villa Homes posted at Cyprus Informer discussing Cyprus, an island of beauty. This gem of the Mediterranean is a popular destination for holidays and buying property. It's also the homeland of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, so how can you not fall in love with Cyprus?

So concludes this edition of the Carnival of Cities. We encourage you to send that special something to the next carnival of cities using our
carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our
blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

carnival of cities, blog carnival.

Get on the Love Rollercoaster

This is a caterpillar rollercoaster, I believe. Max rode it twice at a fair in the park. We were the first people to the fair, which really gets going at nightfall, but who can wait until nightfall? So we hopped the Plaza del Valle bus, got into town, and waited while the carnies carefully unwrapped the cars, buffed them, and set to hammering and tightening bolts along the track. When they finally finished, Max jumped in. He was the only one on the ride, but he didn't care. Around him, Oaxaca was slowly waking up and thinking about heading toward the twinkling lights and the popping firecrackers.

Call for Blog Entries for the Carnival of Cities

I am the guest hostess for the upcoming Carnival of Cities!

Join the fun at this Blog Carnival which highlights cities (and big towns) around the world. Posts can be about any aspect of a particular city, such as a little-known spot, favorite custom, or cool neighborhood. The theme is open to any city anywhere, so send me your insights by Sunday, January 13th.

For background information on the Carnival of Cities, consult http://www.hometurfmedia.com/blog/carnival/. Submissions for future editions can be sent to http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_1073.html .

Gracias!
Serena
Mexican Pop Spot, http://mexpop.blogspot.com/

Fresa Monsters in Ties

Oaxaca is always lovely, and lately it seems to be covered in cartoony stickers and paintings. Every time I go out, I lament to my loved ones, "Why didn't I bring my camera?" This street art looks a little "Simpsons" to me, but the girl (is it a girl?) reminds me of this cool fashion line I recently saw, out of Guadalajara I think, called The Freaky Friends. Lots of skulls, blood, and cuteness to be found there, sort of like the Dark Hello Kitty.

The Town Fascist

Here's some street art of Ulysses Ruiz, the pretty damn corrupt governor of Oaxaca. "El Facisto del Pueblo" has done a lot to keep the poor down. He's been on Amnesty International's hot list, too.