It's Ash Wednesday in Chapala, Mexico. I will show you some pictures soon but first I want to play catch-up since it was May 2013 when I posted my last page. The short story, if you recall reading the comments at the end of my last post, is I sank into the abyss of the dark night of the soul after being divorced by my Thai wife. It has taken me almost two years and a lot of soul searching, surrendering, praying and meditating to recover and find meaning in my life again. I have been busy traveling, spending time with various teachers, and studying.
That is a very condensed story and I do not want to delve into more of that. It would discourage you from looking at the rest of this post and enjoying the very bright side of my new life in Mexico. moving here has provided the last little bits of courage and nourishment that I needed to really wake up and see the beauty of life. I may write a more in depth story of my journey of awakening later but for now let me turn to presenting Lake Chapala, Mexico and all it's nature and cultural gems.
So we begin with the ancient ritual of Ash Wednesday, witch beside being a Catholic tradition has its roots in pre-Christian spiritual practices. Here is a video and a few pictures taken at the very impressive cathedral at the plaza in Chapala.
That is a very condensed story and I do not want to delve into more of that. It would discourage you from looking at the rest of this post and enjoying the very bright side of my new life in Mexico. moving here has provided the last little bits of courage and nourishment that I needed to really wake up and see the beauty of life. I may write a more in depth story of my journey of awakening later but for now let me turn to presenting Lake Chapala, Mexico and all it's nature and cultural gems.
So we begin with the ancient ritual of Ash Wednesday, witch beside being a Catholic tradition has its roots in pre-Christian spiritual practices. Here is a video and a few pictures taken at the very impressive cathedral at the plaza in Chapala.
What ever one feels about religion one cannot help being drawn into the emotional and deep sanctity that enactment of such an ancient ceremony can evoke.especially when presented with all the magnificence of a splendid cathedral.
The church was quite full for the receiving of ashes and the solemnity of the event was prevalent. Yet in true Mexican fashion there was a gaiety and social element pervading the atmosphere complete wit a tempting assortment of street vendors selling fresh tasty foods and an assortment of religious articles for sale. When the sermon started the attendance inside the church was somewhat diminished. The "times they are a changing".
Chapala is lakeside to the largest lake in Mexico and the second largest lake in all Latin America. Here are some pictures of the scenes to be enjoyed at the Malecon , (lake front).
I will be adding more pictures and videos in the next few days. For now I want to post an article that appeared in the local English news paper that tells a bit of the charm of life in Mexico that reveals the the subtle elements that pleases me in living here:
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Published: 29 November -0001
Written by Jeanne Sathre
It could be that I don’t get out enough, but I’m seeing a
serious lack of rudeness here in Guadalajara. The people I come in
contact with greet me with a “buenos dias,” hold doors open for me, say
“gracias” if I hold one open for them, and sit at tables in restaurants by my
two grandkids under four without sending us dirty looks.
I haven’t had a single person cut in front of me in line at
Oxxo or try to sneak in too many items in the fast lanes at Walmart. No group
of teens has pushed me off a sidewalk, no one has needed to be shushed at the
movie theater, and everyone I’ve smiled at on the street has smiled back. At a
recent birthday party I attended, there were even whole tables of people
talking to each other, with no cell phones in sight.
I don’t know what to make of it. This is a city for goodness
sakes. Millions of anonymous people crowded together trying to get through
their days and get from place to place. The quintessential formula for
rudeness.
Yet, nothing. Even when I’ve gone out looking for it, the
best I’ve come up with is a tendency not to pick up dog waste and the
occasional motorcycle venturing onto the sidewalk, which I give a pass since
they might be bringing my dinner.
It’s not like there aren’t opportunities.
A lot of the mall parking lots charge you to park. And
sometimes, like happened to my daughter, your ticket gets wet and clogs up the
machine when there’s a line of people behind you.
In the U.S. there would be grumbling, people not so subtly
glancing at their watches, making her feel that it was her fault that her
ticket got wet (which it was). But not here. Everyone stood around patiently
without complaint.
If there’s a traffic accident, even little ones, both cars
have to stay in the road until someone shows up and determines fault. I
saw one last week – a mini-van sideswiped a truck that was towing a a flat bed.
Two lanes of traffic were backed up for four blocks. And not a single person was
honking.
It’s like silencers are put on all the cars when they cross
the border. I haven’t been honked at once in the six months I’ve been here. In
the United States, it was pretty much a daily occurrence.
It’s just one of the things that makes me know I’m in a
foreign country. A little like when I declined to take a flyer from one of the
street vendors yesterday. He still said, “gracias.”
Daily reminders that I’m not in Kansas anymore.
Hope you enjoyed this, more to come time for me to sleep for now.
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