Mexico City, Mexico Templo Mayor is a large pyramid complex right in Mexico City’s downtown, “Zocalo.” For seven consecutive generations, Aztec leaders on the site build pyramids – the pyramid of the predecessor being used as a base for his successor to build on top. Now mostly eroded, one can walk from the outside to the inside passing seven layers of wall that spanned a couple hundred years – all a stone throw’s away from Read more…
Puerto Escondido, Mexico Wandering around while we were waiting for our bus we passed by this little tortilla shop. With tlayuda on our minds, we got 6 fresh ones before setting off for some fresh queso Oaxaca. It would be a 12 hour bus ride back to Mexico City – the snack was a good idea. She puts a ball of dough into the blue press to create the perfect circle before putting it on Read more…
Guadalajara, Mexico; Mexico City, Mexico There is something great about Magic. I think that we miss it a lot in the US suburbs – most of our superstitions are based on generic protestant Christianity rituals. Even the Catholics among us in the US don’t branch out a whole lot. Mexico has a wonderful Catholic aesthetic to it’s magical ritualism. While I don’t know a lot about it, it seems to me that one can buy a Read more…
Mexico City, Mexico When I lived in Austin, I used to get my knives and razor sharpened at a little knife shop on Burnet Road called “The Sharpist.” Kind of a crappy little shop, but with really nice people, the tired little building with its second-hand shelves held knifes of every size and shape, from the practical to the … ummm… Middle Earth. I’ll always remember waiting in the long line one day to pick Read more…
Dominican Republic Sometimes even touristy activities can yield interesting finds. On a Dune buggy tour of rural Dominican Republic, our guide told us about these tables. Concrete on top, but filled with sand for insulation, a local shop owner can keep a fire going all day to cook beans. For single men living in the rural country side, it doesn’t make sense to spend several hours cooking beans. For a few Dominican pesos every day, Read more…
Mexico City, Mexico I’ve had more than 40 roommates by now. There is an interesting sort of intimacy living with someone that is unlike other relationships. Often your mental model of a person is more built from their artifacts, arrangements, and habits more so than the ways we understand others (based on their verbal expressions, professional or social status, or other more corporal attributes). One night, a roommate shows me her collection of hand-made books. Read more…
Portland, Oregon; Lawrence, Kansas My first year in college at KU in Lawrence, Kansas, I decided to stay in Hashinger “Hash” Hall: the art-kid dorm. As an industrial design student and somewhat-non-terrible musician, it made sense at the time. I quickly fell in with a group of rather industrious friends – most majoring in various art topics – that spent time building kayaks, taking apart electronics to source components, and replacing cafeteria informational materials with Read more…
Mexico City, Mexico In the United States, people pay out the nose for “fresh” fruit juice. Brands have learned to market things as “simply” orange juice to combat the aire of artificiality the culture is famous for. Once, at a Starbucks in the US, I accidentally picked up a bottle of juice that ended up costing $6 US. Mexico is different. Every morning (except Sunday, of course) on every street corner people will sell you Read more…
El Tunco Beach, El Salvador I really love to surf, which is unfortunate because I’m not very good at it. The first time I tried to surf was with some close friends while staying on El Tunco beach outside San Salvador, El Salvador. You can rent surfboards for $10 per day with an extra $10 for a surfing lesson. El Salvador is a popular destination for serious surfers. The country in general isn’t very popular Read more…
Mexico City, Mexico I could fill several posts about street food – just in Mexico City. This refrigerator consists of a plastic tub and a block of ice. As the ice melts, the tub fills with cold water as a second source of refrigeration. Mexico ranks #2 in the world in soft drink consumption – second only to the United States. Snippets