Friday, March 16, 2012

A Parade in Oaxaca and I Buy Pots

$200 pesos for the three bottom pots
Bought the top two in a village for $100 pesos
My hiking buddy Joan is leaving tomorrow for New York, Paris and Naples. Joan and her husband Doug will be gone until June 1st. I decided to knock off writing early, and walk to the Oaxaca Lending Library, where she was working a last shift before leaving, to wish her a bon voyage. Afterward, my friend Aome and I had lunch and shopped.

Shopping is something I rarely do. No, let me rephrase that, shopping is something I never do. However, Aome's need to wander put me in the mood to buy. I decided to spend $200 pesos on a few small clay pots to put on a short shelf that is part of a table. And so our wandering through artisan shops began. I found my pots and Aome found a chia friend. Neither of us is much on collecting things, so this was a rare occasion.

Recently she purchased a painting, a table, a pot, and now her cia friend. She also has a worm farm in her bathroom, of all things! She's settling in. I may be joining her, although neither of us wants to make a permanent commitment to anything.

Anyway, the shopping combined with the afternoon sun caused me to become thirsty. I bought a health drink from an interesting frozen yogurt store, and Aome purchase ice cream. We found a wall to sit on. Then a parade came by. In other parts of the world, a parade would be a somewhat extraordinary experience, but not here. A parade in Oaxaca is as common as its blue skies and tropical nights.

"Everyone is going somewhere," she said, "And I'm staying right here in this beautiful place." Then she remembered, in May she's off to the United States to visit friends and clear out a garage that's full of stuff she left behind.

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