Blowing their own horns

Spine-tingling mariachi music at Due Torri Restaurante

The deep throaty notes from the trumpet made the small hairs on my arms dance with joy: pure joy.  

A seven-person mariachi band made their entrance at the opening night of a new Italian restaurant on Isla – Due Torri.   

They strolled through the restaurant, finally settling near the guests of honor.  Guitars, and violins, and horns, and strong melodic voices – just thinking about it is giving me goose-bumps again.  

Serenading the special guests

The mariachis were dressed in decorative eighteenth century charro (horseman) attire.  Tightfitting and secured with multiple silver fasteners, these traditional outfits were designed to ensure that no flapping material would spook the rider’s horse.  The boots have small heels to keep the rider’s foot in the stirrup, and the large sombreros, the sun from the rider’s head.  Most mariachi groups have forsaken the large unwieldy sombreros in favour of the bare-headed approach.

Mariachi group on Isla Mujeres 

But where did the name mariachi originate from?  Well, some documents state it was derived from the French word for marriage, dating from the 1860’s French Intervention in Mexico.  Other documents show that the word existed before that time.  

The music has, on the other hand, evolved through the centuries from the indigenous music, played with rattles, drums, flutes and conch-shell horns during religious celebrations.  

Eventually with the arrival of the Spanish settlers harps, guitars, violins, and brass instruments were added into the mix.  I enjoy listening to all of those instruments, but for me, it’s the brass horns that really make the music. 

Guadalajara Mariachi Festival 2012

The modern day mariachi tradition is very strong in Mexico with annual festivals, and competitions in Guadalajara, and Morelia in late August or early September.  We were lucky enough to enjoy a few days of the Guadalajara festival last year.  Outstanding music and amazing costumes! 

The actual music genre didn’t become widely popular until 1920 with the first recording of a mariachi band, played over the Mexican national radio airwaves.  Another boost to their worldwide popularity came from the Presidential candidate Lázaro Cárdenas whose 1935 election campaign featured multiple mariachi bands.

Agapito Mangana Sanchez - at Due Torri Restaurante

Meanwhile, inside the Due Torri restaurant on Isla Mujeres, ninety or so invited guests clapped and sang with great enthusiasm.  It seemed like everyone, but Lawrie and I, knew the words.  

Even the young keyboard musician who had quietly been entertaining the guests joined the mariachi band, belting out spine-tingling notes in a voice that couldn’t possibly originate from such a slight body. 

Mariachi music really gets in to your blood.  I might have been born into the wrong culture.  Perhaps I was meant to be Mexican, not Canadian. 

Amazing voice for such a slight person

But – Celtic music and Scottish bagpipes also produce that goose-bump tingling reaction of my senses.   

Music opens the door to my heart.

Hasta Luego 
Lynda and Lawrie

Ribbon cutting at Due Torri Restaurante - Isla 

Guacamaya – Guadalajara – Guacamole, I get ‘em confused

We bought a guacamaya in Guadalajara and he likes guacamole! 

On a recent shopping trip to Guadalajara Lawrie spotted a five-foot-tall fiberglass and resin rendition of a parrot, which as it turns out was actually a macaw, or as it is known in Mexico a guacamaya.  He needed it!  It could add a bit of colour to our outside seating area on the patio.  A real macaw or guacamaya is noisy, demanding, and messy.  It can be expected to live up to seventy-five years even in captivity.  That is a bit beyond what we can realistically look forward to at this point in our lives, so a resin bird will be just fine.  

(Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief now.  We won’t be bequeathing an ornery screeching bird to anyone.)

Just for laughs we decided to document Guac’s journey, similar to the people who take garden gnomes along on vacation and then post the inane vacations photos on the web.  We have way too much time on our hands!  During the three nights that we were in Guadalajara we had to move three times.  Most of the hotels were filled to capacity with a variety of conventions, book fairs, and events.  Guacamaya was treated to a night at the Hotel Morelos in the historic centre of town, a night at the Hilton across from the convention centre, and a final night at the Intercontinental Hotel across from the Plaza del Sol shopping area.  Every morning we stuffed him head first into another taxi to make the move to the next hotel.  Are we having fun yet?

To get Guac back to Isla it necessitated a ride on an airplane.  We arrived at the airport, lined up for the check-in, and had a lot of giggles with the security people as they first of all decided whether or not Guac should be patted down, or if he even could be shipped.  

The decision was to get him doubled wrapped by the baggage-wrapping guys, and the airline would ship him.  It took two guys twenty minutes to wrap, and re-wrap this awkward piece.  Around, and around, up and down, and start over again.  

Finally, done.  Then we waited patiently at the windows of the airport, keeping an eye out for Guac.  There he is!  On the baggage cart.  Okay we can board the plane now.  

(What?  Wouldn’t you abandon your flight plans if your macaw didn’t make the flight?)

In Cancun Guac arrived just fine, sliding off the baggage carousel in good condition.  

Next was the ADO bus ride into Cancun, with Guac stuffed under the bus in the baggage compartment, then another taxi ride from the bus depot to the UltraMar boats.  

At the ferry docks we were greeted by family members Richard, Linda, Richard and Karen – who coincidentally were waiting for the arrival of four more Canadian friends.  They gave us a ride home, and then returned to meet the next boat with Chuck and Marcy Watt, Robyn and Al Crump plus stacks of luggage, and a very relieved dog named Sombra. 

By the time we got the bird, Guac, to our house he had been in five taxis, one airplane, a bus, and a boat, plus a car.  

Next time you are passing our house, come and say hi to the most expensive bird in the world; our guacamaya named Guac that we bought in Guadalajara.

Guadalajara, a shopping mecca

Over-the-top-shopping-experience!

Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico.  It's huge! 

It’s a busy, thriving area with many types of industry nearby including glass blowing. Nearly every drinking-glass, bowl, chandelier, or vase that you have seen in other parts of Mexico was made here in Guadalajara. 

Any silly me – I didn’t buy any of it! 

Got off the plane - headed straight to Krispy Kreme!

We spent three nights in Guadalajara.  We were on a mission to take possession of an Explorer Sport Trac being imported from California into Mexico for us.  Bringing a used vehicle into Mexico is a whole other story that Lawrie will write about in a subsequent blog. 

Since we were waiting to be sure the vehicle had actually arrived in the city we didn’t buy a lot of things – just in case we had to return to Isla Mujeres via airplane instead of driving home. 

In the meantime we window-shopped.  On our first day we took a taxi ride out to Tlaquepaque in the suburbs.  It’s a fabulous area. 

Think of Murano glass from Italy – on steroids; chandeliers that required a house with twenty-foot ceilings, glassware in every colour, size, pattern and description.  Antiques from all over Mexico.  Pottery.  Furniture.  Designer studios and rustic furnishing.  I was in heaven looking at it all.  And in Hell because I couldn’t buy anything!

Drove twenty miles past our turn off!

The second day we took another taxi ride to nearby Tonala, a suburban area specializing in more traditional Mexican handicrafts.  This driver was a hundred times more entertaining than the one we had the day before. 

Our first clue should have been when he hollered across the street to a friend, asking how much he should charge for the fare to Tonala. 



Tonala Centro

As we ricocheted along the streets of Guadalajara our driver never quite seemed to be in control of the vehicle.  Finally we were on the very busy multi-laned Highway 15.  We passed the first turnoff of Tonala, but we weren’t concerned.  There is usually another exit a few kilometers along.   Then the second turnoff zipped past.  By now our driver was waving his hands around, muttering a lot in Spanish. 

We got the gist of his problem.  There were no more turnoffs.  Okay then.  Mexico City here we come!

As we rocketed along the highway for another twenty kilometers, he finally spotted an exit for another suburban community. He zipped off, tried a few different roads, and then noticed an under-the-highway drainage culvert, wide enough for the car. And that became our turn-back road. Finally arriving in the Centro of Tonala, we exited the taxi, giggling wildly at our adventure.



Entertainment is where you find it.  

Lawrie shopping in Tonala

We spent the remainder of the day meandering up and down the many side streets in Tonala, looking at the various displays of pottery, furniture, and yet more glassware. 

Nope.  Still not buying.

Returning to the Hotel Morelos, a lovely old colonial hacienda located in the centre of old Guadalajara, we decided a cold drink was next on the agenda.  Luckily for us the first week of September is celebrated in Guadalajara as the Day of the Mariachis. 

We had the pleasure of listening to live music in our hotel lobby, across the street in the square, and near the gorgeous 160 year-old Guadalajara Cathedral located in the heart of the historic centre of the city. 

One of the Mariachi bands participating in festival

Friday night, our last night, we wandered around the historic district, snapping photos of the many locals enjoying the start of the weekend. 

When I downloaded my photos to our laptop computer I thought that I must have held the camera at a slight angle as one of the spires of the cathedral had a decided lean to it. 

It turns out the cathedral was damaged in several earthquakes spanning from 1932 to 2003.  There is a slight tilt to the north tower, and structural damage to the dome.  The cathedral is still in daily use.  I’d being saying my prayers with my fingers crossed.

Guadalajara Cathedral in Centre - damaged by earthquakes

As for the shopping – we did take delivery of the white Sport Trac, and we are on our way towards Puebla – another shopping mecca. 

No worries.  We can still fill the truck with good stuff.