Final show Ensenada

Here we are, the terrible four, just before and just after our final show of this trip. Let's hope that the will be more "Husk" to come!

The birth place of the Margarita, Ensenada

This bar is in what used to be a hotel and casino for rich and famous americans and is now rather forlorn as the sea shore that it used to front onto has been moved away to make place for a high-way. Still a very beautiful building and gardens and this bar claims to be the birth place of the Margarita.  Apparently the bar man who invented the Margarita named it after a lovely but unattainable woman of the same name. We just had to try them out even if it was before our last show! 

Here is the proof that the margarita was in fact born here.

Ensenada

En route de Mexicali à Ensenada

We did a crazy thing on the way from Mexicali to Ensanada. We asked the driver to stop the very comfortable air-conditioned van that we were traveling in  and climbed out into the mid-day desert sun to do an impromptu photo shoot on the side of the road. He must have thought that we were crazy. Was it ever hot!!! I wore my man suit for 10 minutes and was completely drenched with sweat. The mask that we put down on the ground for a few minutes was burning hot. It was not even a question of stepping on the ground with bare feet - not to mention that there was lots of broken glass and other questionable items laying around. It was difficult being inconspicuous getting in and out of the van in our costumes... Quite a sight we must have been! Altogether crazy but the pictures are well worth every drop of sweat. I have only this one so far that I can get to work. I will see if I can add more later.

excito rotundo en Mexicali

Another good show last night and it was our best reception so far. We were performing at the university de baja california. It was fun afterwards, we had many students coming up to us and thanking us for the show and asking for autographs - not a frequent happening in our contemporary dance milieu.

I am still having trouble uploading pictures from here. So the pictures will have to come later...

I can't get over how hot it is here. Yesterday it must have been close to 40. It is almost impossible to be outside before the sun goes down and even when it does the air still seems to burn. In the day it feels as if the sun chases one even into the shade. One dancer told me that this is one of the hottest places on earth where people live. It feels like that to me though it is not even summer yet.

We are off to Ensanada very soon. Back on the coast there. People keep saying that the weather is good there by which I think they mean it is cooler. I have some gravol for the trip this time.

International day of Dance

The 29th of April is International day of dance. This is outside the theatre. There were supposed to be performances here from 5pm onwards in honour of the day but at 5pm it was so hot that the dance floor was burning and just the thought of being out of the shade was impossible. People didn't bother coming until about 6 by which time the weather was a little more reasonable and one could start to imagine dancing. Thankfully it was air conditioned in the theatre.

PIctures from the theatre

So far you have seen pictures of the time that we spent out of the theatre. I figured that I should take a few inside just so that you can see that we were in fact doing more than traveling about and eating and sitting by pools. 

 Liven joining in.

 Liven visiting with the techs. Something very neet in Mexico is how keen people are on babies. Men and women seem equally keen and comfortable holding baby.

 Rachel in her pre-show glory.

 En famille - around the camp-fire

 Our friends

Off to Mexicali

Next morning we were back in a van and off on the very windy road to Mexicali. We passed through some incredible land! As we moved away from the coast things get progressively drier and as they do rocks seem to grow. First there were just many very round rocks sprouting up all over the place but as we carried on the rocks got more and more numerous until were were in a strange land of sculpted stone. The area is called "la rumorosa".

Apparently the road has been much improved since last time Casey was here. They now have two completely different roads going in each direction. There used to be a great many accidents there and the valleys were full of crashed cars. Now the valleys are full of abandoned tiers and the crashed cars are in car lots out on the dessert on the other side. I was right at the limit of my road-sickness capacity but I did manage to make it here without needing a hasty stop!

We arrived in a very hot Mexicaly. It was 36 degrees at the end of the day. Apparently it gets to 50 in the summer. I can't even imagine!

 Casey with la Rumorosa out the window.

Hotel Lucerna Mexicali

Here we are in Mexicali. Once again the town around us seems to be mostly wide boulevards and strip malls and it is so hot that one's energy to get out exploring is rather low. We are sticking close to the pool-side and to our air-conditionned rooms. Strange to look out the window to the puffs of palm trees.

We went to see a show in the festival last night. A young company from Mexico. Some very good ideas  but got a little bogged down and fizzled out after the frist 15 minutes. The theatre here looks like a 1970's movie house complete with mustard colour curtain and seets. I think that husk will fit in well. Both for the colour and the retro feel. Well see. I am off to the theatre now.

Mucha mierda para nosotros!

More than one month since I have been home already and here is my first moment to get to posting the rest of my Mexico pictures. I will add them now while I still remember what they all are...

Starting with the hard life at the Lucerna hotel. The heat here was tolerable for the first five minutes after having left the pool.

Liven so loved her bare bottomed all four moments. She would go back and fourth and back and fourth, not moving through space but looking so pleased with herself.

These balcony's were treacherous. It was easy to lock yourself outside, which does not seem so bad until you feel the scorching sun. I locked myself out though luckily Casey was in the room. Jean did the same and had to climb off his balcony, luckily he was only on the second floor.

Once again it is the bed mystery. It seems that some hurricane would nightly come by and tear my bed to pieces while leaving Casey's intact.

Tijana

I am having trouble with the up-loading pictures at the moment so words will have to suffice...

Tijana was very different than Mazatlan!

We did not see anything of the town thought I am not sure that there is much to see. We saw the ever present wall that runs through the city and separates Tijana from San Diego. Otherwise it seems like a big sprawling city focused on it's neighbour to the north. They seem to be very big on procedures there.  Both at the hotel and at the theatre we ran into interesting situations... The most extreme  example of this precaution that was taken  was in the dressing rooms. The rooms were vary basic - counter, mirror, coat hanger, toilet, shower. Before we entered any room we had to go through the room with the guard checking off on his list all the items in the room to asses together what sort of shape they were in - floor, walls, chairs etc. I guess they may have people running off with their furniture!

The show went very well. Our first time in such a big theatre. We had about 400 people there which I think is a good house for the festival though the theatre sits 1000.

Our our window - our hotel was baptized the"duran-duran" by George thanks to it's 1980's charm.

Our main cultural outing in Tijana was to the laundry-mat and quite a place it was! I would call "el rei de los lavadores".

This is an I-Max theatre that is just outside the theatre where we were dancing.

Adriana with sleeping babe.

 The entrance to the theatre with the festival publicity in the windows.

Théâtro Mazatlan

This is Georgina, the girl friend of our driver Alfredo. Quite a gal!

Here I am just before the show in front of the very lovely and recently restored theatre.

the theatre is in a beautiful building that also houses a dance, music and visual arts school. When you walk along this street there is a cacophony of opera rehearsal and band practice and if you peer in the windows you can see people painting. So lovely.

Las Flores Resort

 The view off my balcony

 Quite a little suite!

 I did not actually try out the pools as time was limited and the ocean was right there but I am sure had Alice and Lily been there they would have made good used of them!

Breakfast on the beach!!

Elinor hard at work.

City centre Mazatlan

George and Jackie in cart on the way to the city - apparently this is the only place in Mexico where these carts are allowed. They are called "pulmonias". A nice way to travel.

El Cathedral

Dulches para los ninos

A happy Casey

The poster for the José Limon dance festival festival

This was the most amazing place. An inner courtyard that has a tree growing on top of it!

 Apparently the tree planted it's self up there and sent its roots down the wall in search of water. You can't quite see in this picture but the tree is enormous as are the roots!