Indie Travel - Drink

Just as the cuisine of a place reveals clues about its culture and history, so does its signature local drink. What’s the best drink you had on the road, and did the drink have any connection to the place where you drank it or the people you drank with?


Tequila. Mexico.  


Tequila is made from the agave plant, which is an overgrown succulent, much like an aloe vera.  In the very old days, the desert dwellers would cut off one giant arm of a plant and squeeze the juice from it. Agua Miel it was called, honey water. I have no idea if the natives learned to ferment it, or just used it as a water supply when other supplies ran low. It is purported to be full of vitamins and very nutritious. 


In the markets you can occasionally find a dark molasses-like substance that is concentrated agua miel. It's sweet with some bitter undertones and is used in cooking just like molasses. They also make candy from it. 


But tequila is probably the nation's main export. In fact it can be a bit difficult to find the finest tequilas in stores, the best gets sold abroad. 

Agave plant in San Miguel
de Allende, Guanajuato

John, my travel partner, is quite a sophisticated drinker. He knows and loves the various varieties, often buying a fairly large amount of certain brands when he can find them. I like Margaritas on occasion, but when we travel together, one of us needs to be level headed, sane, and sober. 


Guadalajara is the big tequila region. The airport is decorated with murals of fields of blue agave, and I'm sure several of the big companies sponsored the building of the airport as their logos are all over the place. Traveling out from Guad in any direction, fields are everywhere. And the plants grow just about anywhere too, on slanting hillsides, edges of mountains, and rocky volcanos. The blue agave is a smaller plant, about two feet high, and probably has the highest sugar concentration. It's also used to make agave syrup, good for those who want  fewer calories but don't want to use artificial sweeteners. It's tough to find the syrup in Mexico as most of it gets exported too.


Tequila is synonymous with Mexico. I can't think of one, without thinking of the other. 

Indie Travel - Spirit

Some places have the power to make even the most die-hard agnostic reconsider their position. Have you ever been in a place where you felt more alive or more connected to nature, the universe, or a higher power than anywhere else?

Hanuman Temple Taos, NM

Unfortunately, I am one of those agnostics and generally do not find a place spiritually enhancing, unless it is incredibly beautiful. Then I feel uplifted and happy, but not so moved as to believe some magical being is behind it all. I'm not sure if that's what this prompt meant, so I'll tell you about the Hanuman Temple in Taos, NM.


It might seem an unlikely place for a Hindu temple, but Taos is many things to many people. And a lot seem to feel it's especially spiritual, it draws the spiritual-ness out of people and draws spiritual seekers as well. 


My recollection (probably flawed) is that the grounds and buildings for the temple complex were donated by someone, and the money to buy the Hanuman statue was raised by the participants. I've been there twice and was amazed both times at how life-like the marble statue is. I've photographed it in different light and still, the translucent quality of the marble and the exquisite workmanship makes it appear as if Hanuman is present and will blink his eyes at any moment. 

It was carved in India by a family of craftsmen who have spent many generations doing nothing but carve Hanumans. It's from a large solid block of marble and weighs several tons. Shipping it from India to the US must have been quite a feat.

Hanuman

The participants in the temple dress the statue in beautiful clothing, varying it to the season and possibly also to the ceremonial calendar. They come in at various times during the day to sing chants which are quite lovely and compelling. I don't know the name of the little pump organ that is used, but when it's played, one hand moves the baffles back and forth while the other plays keys. The second time I was there, a group of Indians came in and sang all the songs by heart, while the anglo people typically use a printed song book. It was crowded but everyone sat close to each other on the floor and sang. I just listened and tried to grasp the need for ritual and togetherness around a mutual belief. I felt very soothed afterwards, and most of the people left the room smiling.

Trip Observations

Yesterday, while I was in the back of the van changing clothes, a gang of crows landed on the picnic table where I had stupidly left out bags of food.  When I finally turned and looked out the front windshield, the oatmeal box had been knocked to the ground – its contents dumped, the grocery sack with big handles was down, and every bag of dried fruits or nuts was being ripped open. I opened the door and they scattered.

Some oatmeal was still in the box so about half was salvageable. Most of the bags were only partially ripped open but nuts were spilled everywhere. One bag of sunflower seeds was still intact, and of the things I like the least, that was the one I still had. Most of the food was ok, not stepped or pooped on by the birds. It all went back into the car. Except for the sunflower seeds, which I opened and dumped out on the table. Let them feast.  In the evening I was surprised to find the seeds still there, the oatmeal untouched.

Then after a below-freezing night, I awoke to caws of delight as four crows landed on the table and sampled the seeds. Each of them ate a few, one seemed to like them a lot and ate more. But eventually all of them left the seeds and foraged around on the ground where they located nuts and dried currants from the previous day’s mischief. One fell in love with oatmeal and stood there for several minutes munching up fluffy mouthfuls. They foraged around for about five minutes and then flew away. With such bounty I thought they would have eaten more. But I suppose they’d had their fill. It’s good that crows don’t have an economy, or one would have started a small store, selling at a high price what he himself had just found.

Although I have a zero-degree sleeping bag, and am quite comfortable in the van if I’m covered up with it, sitting around in the cold dark trying to read is not fun. The rechargeable Coleman lantern gives off a feeble light. Yesterday was so cold and windy, it wouldn’t have been pleasant to go hiking. I found an Italian restaurant with free wifi the night I arrived, so I went back there, parked in front and hung out sitting in the back of the van, doing emails and posting blogs. Mostly I was trying to find an online solution to a problem. My little Canon’s disk had seized up and the camera was inoperable. All the photos from the last day in Washington were on there, as well as the one’s from Mt. Vernon. I was so glad I’d downloaded everything previous to those days. The large heavy 40-D Canon will have to suffice until I can get it fixed.

No luck on the Internet. It will have to be returned to the manufacturer, thank goodness it’s still under warranty.

So, I went shopping.

Just south of Powhick Bay is a much larger town with a Target. My son wanted a couple of hats that he’d seen advertised for a very low price, and I decided to find some kind of heater for the van. Then thought, a nice light would be good too. Since most of the commercial campgrounds I stay at have electricity, there’s no reason I should be uncomfortable.

One of the things about traveling light is that you must be careful what you buy, because where will you keep it, and how will it be used? So you learn to select carefully, after much consideration, exactly what you need, nothing more, nothing less.  

Long story short: I bought a heater, a goose neck lamp with a small base that fits perfectly on the back ledge of the van, and a 3-prong adapter so the one extention cord can run everything. The heater made such an improvement in my evening life. I can now be comfortably warm and read with a bright light. I can’t imagine a single other thing I might need except……when I got back to camp after shopping, someone had taken my one and only dish towel that I’d left clipped on a thin tree branch to dry. The bath towel and stretch pants were still there, as well as a water bottle, and my entire kitchen in two boxes with dishes, pots, pans, etc. Why a dish towel? They took the clip too. 

Indie Travel - Budget

Tight, light, flagrant, wanton, splurging?

I've traveled all the ways....from spending almost all I had on a trip to India many years ago, eating at the finest restaurants, air and train travel, nice hotels, etc, to living in Mexico by house sitting for an expat American so I didn't have to pay a dime for housing. On this trip to the east coast, I'm exploring travel as a lifestyle. My house in New Mexico is rented, I'm free. I have a van.

Anyone peeking into the window might assume a homeless person is living in her car. I have a bed made from a foam mattress, some boxes full of things, a rechargable lamp, sacks of food and clothing, two messy looking sleeping bags and a pillow. And that's just in the back. The few times I've had a passenger I needed to move the coolers, maps, books and electronics.

For grins I've been keeping a record of how much I spend. Since I'm also staying with people in various modes of house sitting, being a guest and farming, I haven't spent all that much on food. The one big purchase was a GPS which saved my tush a couple of times and has frustrated the hell out of me at other times.

One of the WOOFer's at the farm said that people who don't value travel aren't willing to give up anything to have it, they'd prefer to stay safe and secure at home, building wealth. My reaction to that was that I've given up nothing except occasional comfort to do this trip. But I'd worked 40 years of my adult life and she is just 23. She'd given up a job and education to travel. That's quite a sacrifice. In some ways I wish I'd been that adventurous at her age. My entire life would have turned out differently. And if I'd given up building a career, home and family, I'd not be where I am today. It's all a question of choices.

Budgets are too. How in debt do you want to be in order to take a trip or travel full time? Some people have figured out how to make ends meet in various ways while living the lifestyle of travel. That's my goal. While I don't have to work, I'm not rich. This life makes me happy and if I work it right, costs very little, certainly not breaking the bank. In fact, it's allowing me to spend money for the things I want, like camera gear and entry into attractions. It's giving me time, all the time in the world.

I don't need or want a large motor home complete with satellite TV and running water. If I do this indefinitely, I might want to invest in that kind of rig, but for now, camping in the van, experiencing the cold, the heat, the crows and chipmunks that steal food, and what feels like a grounded 'real' life is just the ticket.

Indie Travel - Passion

Travel has long been a passion, but how has that passion translated into my "regular" life?

Well, for one thing, travel forces me to pay close attention to everything. I have to notice where I put my feet so I don't slip or fall. I need to keep close attention to money, cameras, computer, and other valuables. I have to problem solve constantly. How do I dry my towel before I pack it, or how do I pack it damp without it getting everything else damp and/or moldy? How should I carry my passport, or should I leave it at the hotel and carry only a copy? How do I get more money when I need it, and how much should I carry at any given time? Oh damn, I've run out of xyz medication, now what? Who should I trust? Where can I find a carry-able map of this little town so I don't end up walking all over the place? My camera has quit working, now what do I do?

Travel makes time slow down because my attention is tight and focused. The most wasted days are those spent fretting about things out of our control, when close focus makes time slow down to the way it was when we were kids and it seemed like three days ago was an eternity.

I just realized it was one week ago today that I went to see Adena, and it does seem an eternity ago. Everything that has happened since then has been interesting and vivid. I've spent the entire week since Sunday camping. It's cold, the wind has blown, it's rained hard, everything is damp, then the sun comes out and everything dries out.  I'm feeling a deep empathy with my ancestors dealing with the weather all the time and without the benefit of zero-degree sleeping bags and fleece jackets. This morning was the first time I fired up the little stove and actually made breakfast. Then, I made a mistake and left the food bags out on the table while I took a shower. Crows got into everything, knocked over the food, dumped oatmeal onto the ground, ripped up every bag that contained nuts or dried fruit, they even sampled coffee grounds. For me it wasn't life threatening, but what if that were all the food in the world that I had? A mistake like that could have caused great hardship.

Increased awareness, and perhaps even sensitivity to the possibilities of disaster that might otherwise escape my notice are the side-benefits of this trip where I have been traveling on the ground, camping, slowly moving through the landscape.

When regular life returns, some of these lessons will be retained, I hope.

Mount Vernon

This trip to Washington wouldn’t be complete without the side trip to Mount Vernon, Washington’s plantation on the banks of the Potomac.

Some things we all know about Washington simply are not true, and some truer than we know. He didn’t cut down a cherry tree and then not lie about it. That was a fable made up to represent his honesty to children, concocted by a storyteller. He did however make the point repeatedly that the Presidency should not be a lifelong kingly job, but rather the President should be an elected official whose primary interest is in what is good for the country. It’s a country by the people and for the people.  Unlike Napoleon and others he did not succumb to the temptation to accept “kingship”, but rather repeatedly said the leader must rise up as a leader, and do as the people want, not the other way round. That’s a lesson that might use some reviewing in today’s political climate.

He also fervently believed that people should have freedom of choice when it came to religion. He went to every kind of religious organization to assure people there, that he would defend their right to worship, and that there would never be a state religion. 

He was a slave owner, but as he aged, he saw that slavery was not an institution that should be allowed to continue if the country is truly the land of the free. But it was such an entrenched economic system he wouldn’t have been able to change it in his lifetime. So he freed his own slaves upon his death, and even bequeathed them money and land. He hoped to set an example for other slave owners, but of the seven slave-owning Presidents, he’s the only one who set his charges free. Of course it’s more complex, the slaves he ‘owned’ weren’t all his, more than half belonged to his wife, and even she was in no position to set them free as they were part of a larger estate that was under the control of her brothers, who weren’t about to start paying wages!! Plus many of his slaves had intermarried with hers and to leave the plantation would have been to leave their families, so quite a few stayed.

Mount Vernon is owned now by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, originally a group of wealthy and influential women who purchased it in 1859, just before the Civil War, then proceeded to keep it neutral, since it was the home of everyone’s first President. It was a tough thing to do as it sits right on the cusp of the North and South: in Virginia but not far at all from Maryland. Several books were for sale in the shop telling the details of that fascinating story.  There is a $15 fee to take the tour, and the docents are volunteers who did an excellent job.  The facility has an educational center with museum, displays, life sized figures of Washington at various stages in life, videos, and an interactive movie, in which the chairs vibrate when cannons are shot off and real snow falls from the ceiling during the “Crossing the Delaware” scene. Fall and probably spring are the perfect times to visit as there are no crowds. Clearly the place is set up to handle hoards of people, there are signs next to roped off areas saying “Only twenty minutes wait for the Mansion tour from this point.”  While you wait in line you can take a gander at the Mansions “necessary house”, the privy. It had drawers underneath for easy removal of waste. Washington was a farmer who believed in recycling everything; all animal waste went into the compost shed which can be seen on the grounds after the mansion tour. And it was full of manure from the many sheep, goats, cows, and horses still living there.

The home itself has been restored to look as much as possible the way it looked the day Washington died. I was a bit shocked at the vibrant colors of the walls. The formal dining room is verdigris, a lighter shade than the same color in the less formal dining room. It is a rich almost malachite jewel tone. Other rooms were blue, rose, and creams with accent colors. Not the stodgy conservative rooms I expected to see. His study/library has floor to ceiling bookcases, a dressing room off to one side, and the chair he used while in office.  The kitchen is in another building accessible down a covered walkway. His cook and his butler (slaves) were married and lived upstairs in the kitchen house. The third floor and other buildings were not open but parts could be seen from the open doorways and windows. There was a wash house where laundry was done daily, with a yard out back for hanging up the linens and clothes. With over 600 guests yearly, I imagine they did a LOT of laundry.

(A note: my little Canon has quit working, so I was unable to download the photos for Mt. Vernon. Come back sometime in the next week, and if I can, I'll upload some nice photos I took while there.)

Indie Travel - Baggage

Mental baggage can weigh us down as much as physical baggage when we travel. How do you travel lightly – either emotionally or physically?




The easiest way to travel light is to travel solo. Nothing weighs me down more than having to deal with another person's needs, desires, lack of desires, constant talking, whining about this or that, and their travel mistakes like getting hurt, leaving their money behind or losing it entirely. 


While solo travel can be a little lonely, and sometimes scary, it's light on the body and soul. I'm always concerned that I might get hurt or really sick and then what? Or if something did happen to me, like getting lost for days in the woods, who would know to come look for me? But these fears, constantly in the forefront of the mind keep me conscious and unwilling to take stupid risks. 


I find that days into a trip, if it's going well, I become finely tuned to the world. I'm not thinking about home, or anybody there. I'm focused precisely on what is happening and what my next step is. Where will my momentary desires lead? What do I want to do, how do I make it happen, and how much will I spend?


I've met many other solo travelers and if the conversation turns to why we do it alone, the answer for most of us is pure freedom.