Sunday, July 24, 2022

Oaxaca References

 

Books 


Travel  Books The Most of the travel books  for Oaxaca ( by Moon, Fodor, Rough, DK, Lonely Planet...)  and Mexico,  deceived in the photo-album of  the books and the following  are  available  to download in PDF/e-book/Kindle at   at my   google Drive .   You may send me request and I will grant permission to download. 

Archeology and History Books Mayans, Mexico 

  • The History of Spain The Great Courses  24 lectures   lecture 15  -21  from Columbus ,  Conquistador  to Spain loosing the empire
  •  The  Conquistadors  ( audio book)  
Food of Oaxaca Books 

  • The Food of Oaxaca (Alejandro Ruiz, Carla Altesor).epub

  • The Food of Oaxaca A groundbreaking cookbook celebrating the distinctive cuisine and culture of Oaxaca, from "one of Mexico's best chefs" (Anthony Bourdain). With a foreword by Enrique Olvera.

    In The Food of Oaxaca, chef Alejandro Ruiz introduces home cooks to the vibrant foods of his home state—"the culinary capital of Mexico" (CNN)—with more than 50 recipes both ancestral and original. Divided into three parts, the book covers the traditional dishes of the region; the cuisine of the Oaxacan coast; and the food he serves today at his acclaimed restaurant, Casa Oaxaca. Here are rustic recipes for making your own tortillas, and preparing memelas, tamales, and moles, as well as Ruiz's own creations, like Duck Tacos with Coloradito; Jicama Tacos; Shrimp, Nopal, Fava Bean, and Pea Soup; Catch of the Day with Tomato Marmalade; and Oaxacan Chocolate Mousse. Interspersed are thoughtful essays on dishes, ingredients, kitchen tools, and local traditions that transport the reader...

Mezcal

  • Mezcal the History, Craft  Cocktails of the Worlds Ultimate Artisanal Spirit (Emma Janzen).pdf
  • Finding Mezcal A Journey Into the Liquid Soul of Mexico, with 40 Cocktails (Ron Cooper).epub
  • Mezcal + tequila cocktails  mixed drinks for the golden age of agave (Robert Simonson).epub
  • Mezcal + tequila cocktails  mixed drinks for the golden age of agave (Robert Simonson)).epub

Trip blogs



Culinary 

Restaurants 

  • Best Oaxaca Restaurants perTripSauvay

  • https://www.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-oaxaca-mexico  (32 best restaurant in Oaxaca per Eater) 
  •  Cevarium Temazcal, a traditional “sweat lodge” 
  • Recommnedation from Jessica 
     
     
    Some of the more famous high-class restaurants in the city are:
    Casa Oaxaca
    Pitiona 
    Los Danzantes ( Great)  
  • Criollo (Run  ( by the  chef of the  Puzol rstaurnat   We were not impressed) 
  • All require reservations.
    Next level choices would be:
    Las Quince Letras
    Los Pacos (mole tasting)
    La Olla
  • Eatiing at  theThe Mercado 20 de Noviembre  in smaller restaurants around 2pm when they have a comida corrida (daily menu that includes a soup, main dish, flavored water, and dessert.) That will give you an idea of how most locals eat.

    Good mezcal is made in a town 1 hr outside the city called Santiago Matatlan. You would need to hire a guide/transport for this.  It would be the real deal mezcal where they show you how it’s made and bottle it in old Coca Cola bottles. ❤️
    Sometimes in a tour to Mitla, an archaeological site, a mezcal stop is included so it’s something you can discuss with a hired guide. 
    You can also find mezcal all over the city in every restaurant and in mezcalerías (espadín and tobalá are the most popular to order.)

Tour operators 

Events

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Monday, March 22, 2021

CostaRica_21

 

Why Costa Rica again ?

 

Drive to Tenorio Volcano National Park


Day 1-2 arrived at the airport in Liberia,. Rented  4X4 AWD  Van/SUV for the   self-drive . Started  with the drive to the area around Tenorio Volcano National Park. This region is famous for its volcanoes, misty cloud forests, and jungle trails. The star of the show, however, is the Celeste River and its namesake waterfalls, whose ethereal, sky-blue waters are the result of volcanic mineral content and the sun's reflection. 
Rio Celeste Hideaway Resort is a  wonderful place to stay overnight  Easy to  see the birds and wildlife even from the  room ( Night walk tour was OK) 

Photo albums( click for the Slideshow, F11 For the full screen) 

1a) Rio Celeste  hike  Selected 


1b) Rio Celeste   Rest ( to be added) 
1c) Rio Celeste Video 
Other  places of interest  near  by: 
Tenorio National Park
The MiraValles  hot Spring 
Lasa Hornillas Volcanic Activity (  Hornillas = Hot Stove)  
Yoko  Termales 
 * Parque  Nacional Rincon  De la Vieja (  to be covered in  the next trip) 

2) Poas Volcano National Park 

* Pre booking and purchase for the entrance through  the SINAC   is  a must. 
Poás is one of Costa Rica´s most active volcanoes, and one of its most frequently visited and prominent ones. It contains a green acid crater lake and during some of its frequent phreatic eruptions, water from the lake is ejected like a geyser.
Poás has two summit crater lakes. The southermost one, Botos, is cold, clear has not eruptied for about 7500 years. The other crater lake is geothermally heated and -after Kawah Ijen in Indonesia - is probably the world's second most acidic natural lake. Its pH is near zero
2a) Poas Volcano  National Park Selected 
2b) Poas Volcano Rest   ( To be added ) 

Hotel:  Poas Volcano Lodge is a stunning and unique mountain lodge nestled into rolling pastures, with breathtaking views of Poas Volcano . Very Rustic , Spansish colonial style decor inside  a very huge cattle ranch. 

3) Carara National Park

Carara  NP is a favorite with bird watchers, especially for the Scarlet Macaw, One of the most brilliantly beautiful tropical birds. When you do sight a Scarlet Macaw in the wild, they are breathtaking – fire engine red bodies with sunshine yellow and royal blue wing feathers tinged with a bit of green, and a distinct stark white patch around both eyes

Professional Guide with good knowledge and powerful  telescope is strongly recommended.(We had Andres +50684230485    whatsapp)

3a) Photo album : Scarlet McCaw and  Bird Life 
3b) Jaco and Carara NP  ,  The Tarcoles River Bridge and the Crockodile 
3c) Scarlet McCaw Video 

Reference : Photos of Carara National Park Costa Rica (costa-rica-guide.com) 

4) Manuel  Antonio National  Park 


d) Day  trip to Nauyaca Waterfalls  and   Marino Ballena National Park 


( Belleria @  Whatsap +506 6278 1980) 
5) San Jose 


Other /Misc  Photo albums  


  • On the road
Cuisines 
Water and Us 
MT 


References 

  1. Online  books on  my Drive /Kindle  : DK,  Frommer,  National Geogrpahy Nauyaca Waterfalls ,  Marino Ballena National Park 
  2. Brochures: Tourist attractions of  Costa Rica
    Tourst attractions  near  Manuel attraction State Park 
  3.  Kimkim's outline : https://www.kimkim.com/tp/dlW50xmM 
General 


Future trip to Costa Rica

  •  Parque  Nacional Rincon  De la Vieja 
  • Reserva Rara Avis :  Renote Jungle lodgr in heart of Sarapiqui region
  • Isla del Coco (best for Scuba divinbg) 
  • corcovado national park  ( fly to Drake Island) 
  • San Jose Museums 



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Saturday, March 20, 2021

CostaRica

 

Overview  of Costa Rica ( pre  2021-Trips)

Costa Rica  Flaura and Fauna 

 Places 


Highlights: Pura Vida Gallery – Pura Vida (POO-rah VEE-dah), a very popular expression used by Costa Ricans literally translated means "Pure Life." Contextually, it means "Full of Life" "Purified life", "This is living!", "Going great!" It is used as a greeting, a farewell, and to express satisfaction.

Pura Vida is the most significant expression, I learned in Costa Rica ! Costa Rica furnished tons of tourist trivia, tracks and Tushar’s tidbits about tuanis topics. This includes the traveling from Tortuguero( First Day) to Tamarindo(Last day), Tarnatula(Spider like insect) , Tucan (exotic bird), Tortuga(turtle), Tequilas, all about Ticos (Costa Ricans) was truly Tuanis( Cool). What Ticons call Pura Vida ! (.). These all "T"s in the land of Coffee Richa ! Turtles and Toad gave me extra introduction to the world of Herpetology, lava and magma to the world of Volcano logy.

Costa Rica  is Pura Vida ! “ Costa Rica is paradise according to National Geographic, July 11 2008” – per the official web site of Costa Rica.

WILDLIFE

 

The land with size smaller than West Virginia in the USA, it encompasses one of the one of the world’s most diverse natural landscapes . Nowhere else in the world are so many types of habitats squeezed in to such tiny area. The unique geography, creates rich diversity of flora and fauna. Costa Rica is home to roughly 5% of the world’s biodiversity and is credited with having the 615 of species per 10,000 sq km in the world. Hundreds of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians can be found here, along with a staggering 10,000 plant and tree species! Compare this statistics to the wildlife rich country Rwanda that has 596 ( and USA has 104) . This makes Costa Rica a premier destination for the nature lovers in the word. We were not that fortunate enough to many of the well-promoted birds and animals, part due to the season, weather . You may try the sounds of these  wild life of your choice one of the  fifteen animals at a time. ( yes , we also often went wild but has not included our sounds though that too is  available on demand!) 

Niral, Amit, Madhu and myself has a wonderful trip. We landed to San Jose (Day zero) and departed from Liberia (Day11). On both weekend, Daniel ( Costa Rican, who stayed with Madhu and family as exchanged student and Amit’s friend), I grouped the travel log and the picture album in five sections .

You may see the overall summary highlights ( the  "Pura Vida" Gallery) for a quick overview.  Here are the five photo albums also in  miniature slideshow  on the page . For more details , captions and  better view click each one of the following links, Click the "slideshow" and hit F11 key for the full screen view.

1) Torturguero National Park ( Day 1-2) ; Land with canals, Turtles on Caribbean ocean

2) Mount Arenal ( Day 2-5) Volcano, Hot springs, water falls, Lake Arenal

3) MonteVerde Gallery (Day 5-8); Rain Forest

4) Guanacaste : Northwest (Day 8-11) Pacific coast next to mountain. Stay at Hilton Resort

5) Miscellaneous: Art, people, more flora and fauna. Some of these pictures in the slideshow provide the map and our itinerary or may  refer to:

Costa Rica, Central America

1 Tortuguero National Park ; 

Witness the timeless, primordial act of Nature

It’s the Caribbean version of the Amazon in Brazil. One may compare it with the backwaters in Kerala as well. The Tortuguero Canals are an extensive system of natural and man-made waterways used both for simple transportation and jungle exploration. Traveling through the canals is a fascinating experience rich in wildlife that includes monkeys, iguanas, and colorful tropical birds. Picture on the left shows the topology of the place with tiny strips of land between canals, rivers and the ocean.

Getting there is also part of the fun. The road goes through the verdant coffee plantations outside of San José and pass through the massive Braulio Carrillo National Park, before heading down to the lowlands of Limón, on the Caribbean coast. Here, the jungle finally gives way to small towns and huge banana plantations, offering a unique glimpse of Costa Rica’s rural life. The unpaved road goes through the banana plantations for at least 1.5 hours with huge plantations equipped with planes for spreading fertilizers. The loom of Banana is covered with the blue plastic for the protection. Each Banana tree may have enough bananas to feed a village ! Once you arrive at the Canals, the real fun begins. We’ took a scenic boat ride along the canals for another hour and half to a charming jungle lodge.

One of the most important nesting sites in the world for four species of marine turtles, Tortuguero National Park The Green Turtle, one of the park’s most famous visitors, has existed for over 200 million years and can weigh over 400 pounds. It nests in Tortuguero from July to October. The egg laying occurs at night, when the females pull themselves out of the pounding surf and up the sand, digging holes with their flippers. After carefully covering their nests with sand, they return once again to the sea. Guided tours are available at night to have us a chance to witness this timeless, primordial act. Like Salmons in Alaska, the Turtles cone back for the nesting at the same place where they born. Costa Rica is one of only a handful of countries that protect turtle nesting sites, and even then, chances of survival are slim, as only one of every 10,000 baby turtles reaches adulthood per ranger. Photography is strictly prohibited and enforced as any light (except for special red light) inhibits the turtle from nesting. We walked there at dark night, with intermittent pouring rain. However the experience was worth the trip.

US Naturalist and Herpetologist Archie Carr gets lots of credit for saving the Turtles, His name and work creates deep reverence the way one feels for another US scholar in America like Hiram Bingham when one visits Machu Pichu

The second day began with boat tour through the canals. The boat employs nearly silent electric trolling motors, helping the skipper maneuver close to wildlife without disturbing or scaring it. I got a chance to take some photographs of the wildlife that inhabits this immense ecosystem with my tele-zoom lens but it could have been better ! I learned the necessity of Image Stabilization in the lens I concluded that 200 MM zoom is not enough for the close up of the wild-life far away in trees !

2 Mount Arenal

We had a great view of Mount Arenal from the room with river Arenal flowing 100 ft away from the room. We hiked to La Fortuna water fall, soaked in hot springs, did white water rafting at the Sarappiqui river. We took taxi few times into town and ate at a cool restaurant called "the Lava Lounge" complete with lava lamps in the bathrooms. There credit card machine was down but they trusted us to pay for the bill next day. The town of La Fortuna is typical tico because in its center is the park and the catholic church.

The Arenal volcano is ACTIVE!!! So you can actually see and hear (the noise coming from) the volcanic activity: fumaroles and rocks rolling down. Here, a picture of the lava river from the 1992 eruption. Unfortunately ( rather fortunately) we were not around to see the grand view of the lava river but we were fortunate enough to see the lava at night on our third night at Arenal. Watching the live Volcano was another unique experience. We could actually see fire coming out of the volcano and the smoke blowing to the west, which was really cool.

3.MonteVerde Cloud Forest .. લીલુડી ધરતી 

Situated along the Continental Divide in western Costa Rica, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve stretches down both the Pacific and Caribbean slopes. As the elevation increases from under 2,000 feet above sea level to over 6,000 feet, the temperature and humidity also change, markedly transforming the scenery. The Monteverde region is known around the world for its conservation efforts and lifestyle centered around respect for nature. Santa Elena is the area’s main service center with various shops and tourism companies and beautiful art shops.   One of the coolest things was the view from the room. It was great to watch the clouds passing by you , opening the view of the bay from the height of 6,600 ft, seeing rich wildlife and the lush greenery. .  

 

4 Guanacaste

We lived in all- inclusive resort of Hilton at Papagayo. The hotel in Costa Rica is located in a private bay heading the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Papagayo. Mainly we relaxed at the resort. Had fun with the wave runners, beach volleyball, taking lessons in Spanish and try different drinks.  Learned   "Te Quiero", "Tu eres  Linda Preciosa" but will soon forget due to lack of  use.  Last day we rented a car and I actually drove in Costa Rica for the first time. That was indeed exciting. Visited many towns near by.  

Video of the wave runner ( To be  added )

5 Miscellaneous

Visiting art shops and art galleries of the local artists was new track added to the fine pleasures in traveling. I specially enjoyed the work of local artists with the depiction of inanimate objects theme of merging still life, plant life and animal life with human life on wood, jewelry,  canvas or sculptures. The  sculptures made out of  woods, ceramic, stone and  many other kind of materials adding to the  creativity of  the  artist.  The right term in Gujarati is સજીવારૉપણ્ ( Sa jiva ropan; planting  life implying human life to non-human entities ) The artist may intend to convey a more subtle, moral message.  CASEM is a  cooperative of artist with non-traditional business model, may be  like  "Blue stocking"  from Malav or Sewa at Ahmedabad. You will find some of this  art work at our home.

We made stops at several art shop and  also made few  purchases as well. The work of  the talented  Marco Tulio Bernes, a local artist  from Monteverde  took our maximum attention. Bernes take unconventional material such as old  fence posts or wood from decaying or insect-ravaged  trees and  creates amazing sculptures.

  ..  

Please  give your feedback, comments  at tjshah@yahoo.com till I add the comment box ~  Tushar Shah

 

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Saturday, December 7, 2019

Mexico city PhotoAlbums



1)The National Museum of Anthropology is a national museum of Mexico. It is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico. Located in the area between Paseo de la Reforma and Mahatma Gandhi Street within Chapultepec Park in Mexico City. the museum contains  ignificant archaeological and anthropological artifacts from Mexico's pre-Columbian heritage, such as the Stone of the Sun (or the Aztec calendar stone) and the Aztec Xochipilli statue.

 2) Teotihuacan_selected 


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Friday, July 19, 2019

Mexco city


Teotihuacan /teɪˌoʊtiːwəˈkɑːn/,[1] (in Spanish: Teotihuacán) (Spanish pronunciation: [teotiwa'kan] (About this soundlisten), About this soundmodern Nahuatl pronunciation 
Herman Cortés and La Malinche meet Moctezuma in Tenochtitlán, November 8, 1519.
Centro Histroico
La Cocina Meicana
Museo Nacional de Antropolagia 
My Map Mexico city 
I sent you the restaurant confirmations for Contramar (lunch, best seafood in town) and Pujol (dinner, for the taco omakase) when I made them, so you should be all set.  Make sure you go to both, they are amazing. Also, after lunch at Contramar, walk around the neighborhood, its a very charming part of town.

You must visit the Frida Kahlo museum, which is called Casa Azul.  In order to avoid waiting in a 1-2 hour line, buy your tickets in advance.  They sell out.  You can get your tickets here: https://www.boletosfridakahlo.org/default.asp?searchdate=08/10/2019&MonthSubmit=x. Let me know if the link doesn't work.  I would recommend going on a Saturday.  The reason being is that you can go to the Saturday Market in the adjacent neighborhood called San Angel.  They have a really nice artist market on Saturday morning/afternoon and its a really nice area to walk around in with lots of nice shops and restaurants.  https://www.afar.com/places/el-bazaar-sabado-mexico-city

Since you are staying at the Hyatt Regency in Polanco, here are some other recs in the neighborhood:

Food:
Omakase Tacos by Pujol
Tennyson #133
Polanco IV Sección, Miguel Hidalgo
11550 Ciudad de México
https://pujol.com.mx/en/
 
- Tacos:  Go to El Turix in Polanco. Best place for cochinita pibil - shredded pork tacos.  The other really famous tacqueria is called El Califa.  They have multiple locations all over the city, make sure to go. Both will be super cheap, quick, and casual.
- Mexican Food:  Heard very good things about Dulce Patria.  Mid range beautiful mexican restaurant, should be close to your hotel.
- Mexican/Indian fusion restaurant called Masla y Maiz - has good reviews, on my list, but didn't go:  https://www.masalaymaiz.com/.  .; 01 55 2614 1408 La Condessa 
- If you are in town for Sunday Brunch, a must go to is the mexican brunch at the Four Seasons. They also have a really nice cocktail bar.

Museums/Things to do:
- Museo Soumaya - really pretty from the outside to take pictures, a frank gehry building.  its modern art, we didn't go inside.
- make sure to walk around and explore the Bosque de Chapultepec - its the central park of Mexico City and really pretty.  Also, if there is one museum to go in Mexico City check out the Natural History museum, its in the park.  Its top of my list when I go back but hear great things.
- And of course you are going to the Pyramids one day. There are also a number of historical sights in Downtown.
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Sunday, March 13, 2016

Galapagos Adventure

Galapagos Islands  Summary 
Visiting   Galapagos Islands is indeed  one of the most unique travel  experience.  Visiting  Dubrovnik ,   got a  feeling  of  visiting a place frozen in time  five  hundred  years,   visiting  Pompei ruins   gave  a feeling of visiting a place two thousand  years back in time.  However  visiting  Galapagos Islands is  an experience of  visiting the place two millions  of year back.  It is  time  capsule of period when  even homo sapiens had  not  walked  on the planet. This  place and trip is  very    different from others. It is  a place  frozen in time,  like no other  place on planet.  This is where Charles  Darwin  did his  research for the  evolution  and  found smoking  gun  in terms of finches for  his evolution  theory.  

Per Moon’s travel book: “ The  Galapagos  islands  are unquestionably the best place in the  world for wildlife  watching both  on the land  and in the  water.  If you imagine Eden to be place where creatures live  and play together in perfect    harmony then  Galapagos is as  close as you can get”


It is not often that you come across a place that is unique in the world.  All too many “must-sees”, no matter how glowingly described by the guidebooks and friends, seem to pale in harsh light of reality.  But the Galapagos Islands exist truly without Parallel. Huddled far out in Pacific Ocean, the archipelago protects a bubble of life like nowhere   else on earth.

Many travel destinations use their wildlife as   tourist promotions which is hardly seen by an average tourist. Flamingo is mascot of the state of the Florida, USA.  However the state does not have even one Flamingo bird outside captivity.  Costa Rica promotes Toucan, which we hardly see.  However in case of Galapagos, the reality far exceeds the poster “Nature’s Paradise” at the Baltra Airport,  Galapagos 


Initial impressions of the islands certainly don’t promise much. But within a day or two of beginning your tour, you will see things you would never have believed existed. Tortoise in size of armchair, iguanas that swim, birds with blue feet that all are completely nonplussed by your presence. This gives one taste of what the Earth was like well before the human race showed up and started throwing its weight around.

The Galapagos Islands are the flagship of scientific discovery and applied conservatism. The group consists of 18 main islands, 3 smaller islands, and 107 islets or rocks. So  to  see them properly,  travel in  a small  boat  and  zodiac is  required.  Many islands require the wet landing to see. The islands sit above the Galapagos hotspot where the Earth's crust is being melted from below by a mantle plume, which creates volcanoes. The oldest of the islands, more than 4 million years old, are slowly disappearing back below sea level. The youngest islands Isabela and Fernandina are still in the process of being formed with 13 volcanic eruptions in the archipelago over the last 100 years.

The landscapes  of the Galapagos  are  diverse and  otherworldly as  the  wildlife  that inhabit them.; Lush highland  forests, pristine  white  sand beaches,  steaming volcanic peaks, blacked  lava trails,  red  rocked land,  heavy pebbled land,  arid  and dessert like land,…  No human has lived here  or living here except for three  islands.

We  were lucky to  see  a wide set of wild  life including the Giant tortoise,   iguanas,  Sea lions,  especially the    Red  Frigate, Nazca Bobby, Blue-footed boobies   in  mating  season, 



Galapagos is  relatively less  travelled  destination among my well-travelled  friends and family members ( Visited  by only two  friends in boat and one in land,  unlike    zero  at 
Galapagos is  one of the very few trips that we  have taken  using a   tour operators,  which is   almost mandatory for the  destination.  You may follow the itinerary with Day 2 as  March 5th  2016. 
http://www.wildernesstravel.com/trip/ecuador/galapagos-islands-active-cruise
We walk  up daily  walk up at   6:00AM.  Put the life jacket, take  the zodiac boat to one of the island,
I took  my  heavy  canon 2.8 70mm-200mm lens with  2X  extender.  However with  brutal  sun ,  difficult terrain to walk, I skipped  tripod often and compromised  the photography and the videography.   So this is not a  National Geography or  David Attenborough  videography,  It may add  to the  perspective of  the  wild life at Galapagos.  You  may see how  it is  the "bubble of life"

Video of  Galapagos :  ( 10 Min.)


 https://youtu.be/Xty05Klap78
( Background :  Film Hatari  Baby Elephant walk,  Bollywood,  Narration by  Naturalist ..)

I will be  adding the  picture  link of the  photo-albums for each  day later.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."  ~  Charles  Darwin  


Equador and Galapaos Slideshow


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