Oaxaca-The Year After: August 2023

The here and now... and what and why

Complacency is a trap. At least that’s what I was thinking when I up and left the comfort of a Yankee prep school gig, where I taught music, amongst other things, for 28 years. There was also that life long career as a composer, musician and artist.

First, it was a year in St. Thomas, USVI, working as a reporter and shooting photography and then, a year in San Agustin Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Time passed.
More time passed and a year back in the Athens of America followed by a hasty return to Oaxaca where it is all happening.
A couple of years in San Sebastian Etla and now, just down the road in San Pablo Etla. Life is good.

Click on an image to see it larger.
For additional photography please visit my flickr page.
You can find my music on Jango (World & latin - Worldbeat) and at iTunes and most online stores.
¡Soy consciente de todas las tradiciones del Internet!
If you are coming to Oaxaca, please contact me for tours or advice.

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Get on the bus for real...

OMG! Another bus post?? (I got a million of 'em) As a followup to the previous followup, I finally got shots of one of my favorite tour buses. It is just so perfectly Oaxaca.

The jaguar mask on the top front is a version of a ubiquitous classic woodcarving.

The brown low border is filled with images of the stone work in Mitla.

The back is equally stunning, a work of art.

The front ... classic alebije style.

They must have had so much fun designing and creating this bus. Oaxaca at its best! So get on the bus, Gus.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Get on the bus...

As a follow-up, here's a side shot of the tourist bus from the other day, covered with some iconic Oaxacan images, including Lila Downs who is currently on a very successful European tour. There are other buses which are quite beautiful. I'll keep my eyes open for them. Of course, if you want one with a slightly different spirit... in the alcoholic sense, there's always the bottle bus.

A well known adage here, "Para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien, también. For everything bad that happens, there's mescal, and for everything good, there's still mescal."

Sunday, August 13, 2023

What are these people looking at?

I mean, not just the guy taking their picture from the pool hall. Just like any modern city, Oaxaca has its own Hop On-Hop Off buses. There are quite a few of these double-deckers offering tours in English and Spanish. So what might they see on a typical day in Oaxaca?