We journeyed to the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe today, probably the main reason we wanted to visit CDMX.
On Sundays the Paseo de La Reforma is closed to vehicles to allow pedestrians and bicycles to enjoy the sights. Needless to say this disrupted our transit plans again lol.
A long subway ride later and a 7 block walk, we were there. We arrived at 12 noon, just in time for Mass but not early enough to get seats. The capacity of the basilica is only 10,000!
There were people crawling on their knees in the standing room only area. We understood this is nothing like the crowds of several million who flock here for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December. Later we climbed the steps of Tepeyac Hill where the Virgin Mary appeared to a Nahua peasant, Juan Diego several times in 1531.
The highlight for us was joining in with a group of young adults from Alabama who were saying the Rosary together at the top of Tepeyac Hill. It was a spontaneous spiritual experience. They were on a mission with their priest and asked us to pray for them.
We plan to go back a second time while we are here to hopefully see the image of Our Lady up close.
We decided to spend a day in Chapultepec Park, hopefully away from the loud sounds and crowds of our first day. It largely paid off.
We bused a few stops to the park and walked up toward Chapultepec Castle, the only castle in North America where a reigning king actually lived (Maximilian I, 1864-67). Security is very tight – no food or beverage allowed in including water.
The castle houses the National Museuem of History at one end and Maximilian’s residence at the other. There were many large paintings depicting the major eras of Mexican history: prehistoric and Aztec era; the colonial era under Spain starting in 1519; and the modern era after Mexico gained its independence in 1821.
We found the museum part a little dry but the large paintings depicting the various struggles were very enlightening. The era of Maximilian’s rule was most interesting. When President Benito Juarez announced Mexico would stop paying its massive debt owed to Europe, France decided to install a Hapsburg emperor to retrieve some riches. Maximilian I ruled from 1864 to 1867 when he was cornered and executed by the Mexican Republic.
We spent some time sitting by a small lake watching Mexican families with their tethered kids walking by all happy and calm nevertheless. When we went to go back to our hotel, there were no buses running… We grabbed an Uber and got about halfway home. We had to walk the rest because Paseo de la Reforma, the major thoroughfare was closed due to International Women’s’ Day.
Women’s’ rally on the closed Paseo de la Reforma“My body is an object – Burn everything I became a feminist for my own story”
Once again we survived it all but this time opted for a massive paella dinner which was nice for a change. Actually, we bought one and he gave us two!
We arrived in Ciudad de Mexico (CDMX, Mexico City) by limo service from San Miguel for a 7 night stay. Needless to say we were quite overwhelmed by the big city, the noise, the sights, the sounds, the smells. The next day our first, we went on a guided walking tour of the historical centre of town.
We took a bus and the subway for the first time without knowing how payment works. We got on the bus and tapped our credit card as this is how it works in Singapore. No go. I asked the driver if they take cash. No go. So we ride for free lol. At the subway station we picked up the Presto transit card you need and loaded it up with some cash. Problem solved.
We were supposed to meet the tour guide at the main entrance to the huge Cathedral. Well there is currently a 10 foot high steel wall surrounding the church so we could not find the door. We finally found a side entry door in the wall but when we got around to the church front door, there was no one there… except 2 other English speaking tourists who were looking for the same guide. Eventually our tour guide Natalie did come around and retrieved us. Phew!
Nat took us on an exhaustive 3 hour walking tour and regaled us with the history of the local area including when the Aztecs were there, the Spanish conquest by Cortes in 1521 and many stories of famous Mexico modernizing President Porfirio Diaz. We heard about the presidential palace on the Zocalo adjacent to the cathedral where current very popular Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum lives.
Many other stories including an interesting one about the very unusual black Christ crucifix in the cathedral. (A bad guy was trying to kill a priest and so placed poison on the feet of the crucifix of Jesus that the priest kissed every morning. The next day when the priest went to kiss Jesus’ feet, Jesus raised his knees high up to spare the priest’s life and absorbed the poison turning black in the process.)
We enjoyed the tour but had trouble hearing what Nat was saying at times and some of the stories were a little long. The historical area was jam packed with people all jabbering away yet always smiling. A heavy police presence was everywhere. It was very very loud with food stalls, hawkers etc.. Hey this is CDMX (population 9.2 million). We survived it all and found our way back to our hotel after reloading our Presto card with more cash.
A couple of Heinekens later, we ventured around the corner from our hotel to pick up … more tacos al pastor … and returned to our room very happy and satisfied after another great day.
Approaching the iconic Parroquia de San Miguel de Arcangel from the rearFrom the frontInside
Marie and I spent 3 wonderful days in San Miguel de Allende, a 16/17th century Spanish colonial town located a few hours NW of Mexico City. A world heritage site, San Miguel is St. Michael the Archangel and Allende is the name of a famous Mexican general involved with Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1821.
What we liked about the town is its cleanliness – an army of cleaners hit the streets at 5 am every morning and “sweep baby sweep”. Vehicle tires literally squeak on the polished cobblestone streets.
Spanish colonial architecture is everywhere: beautiful dark wood doors open up onto hundreds of tranquil courtyards with fresh green leaves, shady tree bright flowers and lazy fountains.
The overall atmosphere is one of peace. Despite heavy vehicle and motorcycle traffic at times including many city buses, people are calm, relaxed, friendly and cheerful. The sidewalks are narrow. One must pay attention. It was Mardi Gras time and the kids were having fun cracking confetti filled eggs over each other.
There was some street theatre too.
The hundreds of little boutique shops, tasty food eateries, art stores and museums complete the picture. We loved it all.
For 3 days we ate tacos of every kind – Al pastor, fish, beef, vegetarian, All were incredibly cheap and yummy. We walked and walked and climbed hills and staircases until we dropped. We recuperated in our lovely 2 floor suite and then went out and did it again.
We attended Ash Wednesday Mass at Parraquia de San Miguel and thanked God for this wonderful place and our visit – hopefully to be repeated again someday soon. Highly recommended place to go.
A couple of days ago we paid our annual visit to La Cruz, a quaint little fishing village half an hour north of NV. Sunday is market day and they have some great food. We walked to the corner to catch a “collectivo” and then transferred to another one. These are small commercial passenger vans running local routes continuously. As few Mexicans own cars, these are well used by the locals. It took about 30 minutes and cost about $6 CDN.
The cobble stone streets in La Cruz are dusty and hot. We found our way to the local parish and attended a Mass. The church was filled with smiling kids and their parents. Average age attending I would guess was late 30s. The priest was very engaging and the kids loved him. Nice soloist and guitar music. Another great mystical cultural experience here.
We continued onto the market. It winds its way for half a km on a narrow isthmus between Banderas Bay and a large marina. We knew exactly what we were looking for so did not daly. Finally we found it. Takes a look. Can you guess?
The paella was delicious and well worth the long walk! There is also a huge fish market here where you can buy fresh fish. We then headed to our favorite stop, the Octopus Garden Hostel, an eclectic, relaxing and charming place run by a British lady named Aruna. Trees grow through the roof in the courtyard; there are several cats and a large turtle; a fountain spews water lazily; it is cool, friendly and shady; they have a great book exchange.
We chatted with Aruna for half an hour. They have 22 beds that she and her partner rent out with the help of several volunteers. Most of the clients are retirees. It is a nice escape from the real world that we look forward to popping into each year.
Not to give you the wrong idea, but here is the little joke about La Cruz which is no doubt true. Great place to visit in the moment while here.
We stay in a gorgeous beach front resort in Mexico to escape wintery weather up north. The resort consists of condos and a hotel that caters to visiting Canadians and Americans. There is not much Mexican culture on display anymore here. Everyone speaks English; the music played is American; they have a Super Bowl party.
In other seasons the place is filled with Mexicans so the vibe must surely be more Mexican. We have noticed a steady decline though. When we first started coming here there were weekly mariachi bands with trumpets and troubadours. This is a rare practice here now. Mexican fiesta night on Fridays is very subdued. They even stopped selling bulk pico de gallo in the local grocery stores.
If we want to have more of the feel of Mexico, we go into Puerto Vallarta. The streets are cobblestone, the sidewalks are dangerous, there is constant noise, restaurants, bars, mom and pop vegetable and fruit stores are open late and Spanish is heard in the streets.
We went in the other day to meet friends and go to an English Mass. While it was exhilarating, stimulating and interesting, after several hours, we were ready to return home. Give me the quiet life in Mexico.
Happily the Mexican donut boy still comes by on the beach most days at 4:30.
We felt the earthquake last night which hit 400 km south of us in the State of Michoacan. It shook our bed and the blinds were hitting the window. No damage done other than some cracked plaster. Hope all are safe.
Our first week here was punctuated by cool weather. One day the high was only 23C and we had a few showers. Had to wear a windbreaker last night for the first time here when we went out to Ernestos Good Grub.
The sandbar has reappeared now and it has warmed up again. You can walk for kms in your bare feet.
Managed to snag a small delicious Roca de Reis. Hoping to find a baby Jesus inside.
One of the highlights of our week is attending the local Catholic Church Mass on Sundays. It is held in a large modern hall. Parts of the service are in English. This year they have a fantastic soloist named Pedro. Enjoy.
We have settled in now for a great stay. More friends are arriving each week. We have a bunch of birthdays coming up to celebrate. Stay warm. Hasta pronto (see you soon).
We find ourselves in Mexico again. It’s safe here and safe to say that we find many blessings and much peace here.
We flew via Newark and all went well. Except we had to retrieve our heavy bags and pay again to check them because there was too much time between the connecting flights.
As well, Marie lost a shoe in security and we had to wait a few minutes.
It was an early morning flight to PV. We were in our condo about 75 minutes after landing. Best timing yet!
Our property agent met us and then took us to the grocery store. The next morning she returned and fixed up all the deficiencies in the condo we had asked for.
We have now been here a few days. We just returned from church and there was a great soloist. We have not picked up any bugs…The sun is shining.
Off to a great start so far thanks be to God. Hope things are going well for you so far in 2025 too.
We attended this annual outdoor Mass again thanks to our awareness of it through the Galilee Centre in Arnprior and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. It was jointly sponsored by St. Basil’s RC Parish and the Kateri Native Ministry in Ottawa. It was truly a wonderful and moving Eucharistic celebration.
The location is at Naatagama Camp, a rustic undeveloped property owned by Kateri beside the Ottawa River right near the Quyon ferry terminal. As a boy I remember attending one or more events here when it was a Cubs camp property in the early 60s. It hasn’t changed much since then. Quiet, simple, relaxed and beautiful.
The Mass was co-celebrated by Fr. Eric Sorensen, SJ (on right below) and Fr. Daryold Winkler (on left) of St. Basil’s who himself is Indigenous from Manitoulin Island, Ontario.
The Season of Creation is a proclaimed annual time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation, that was initiated in 1981 by Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I. It is now celebrated around the world by many Christian communities and resonates well with Indigenous respect for the Creator and nature. It is something that we do not hear much about in our local parish.
On a beautiful sunny day about 100 people celebrated Mass, initiated with a purification smudging and included singing, a dance followed by a picnic lunch. The readings were particularly poignant and resonated with me in a many ways:
Job 12:7-10
But ask the animals and they will teach you. Or the birds of the air and they will tell you. Or speak to the earth and it will teach you. Or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord had done this? In God’s hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all humankind.
Romans 8: 19-25, 28
All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his sons. Yes there was hope that creation itself would one day be set free from its slavery to decay and would share the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know up to the present time, all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth. But it is not just creation alone which groans; we who have the Spirit as the first of God’s gifts also groan within ourselves as we wait for God to make us his sons and daughters and set our whole being free. For it was by hope that we were saved; but if we see what we hope for, then it is not really hope. But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. We know in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.
Matthew 6: 25-29
And this is what I tell you: do not be worried by the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothes for your body. After all, isn’t life worth more than food? And isn’t the body worth more than clothes? Look at the birds: they do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet your Father in heaven takes care of them! Aren’t you worth much more than birds? Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it? And why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow: they do not make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers.
I thought the event was very well organized and that it was a privilege to be there. A moving spiritual journey.
This book written by moral philosopher and professor Arianne Shavisi in 2023 deserves to be widely read. She provides fresh insight and understanding into many of today’s most controversial social and cultural issues like gender identity, racism, the cancel culture, Black Lives Matter, political correctness and structural injustice. She provides some concrete examples of how we can use philosophy in our personal decision making to make ethical and lifestyle choices that lead to a better outcome for all. She is an optimist believing that we can make the world a better place if we pull together. I learned so much from this book, I think I will read it again!
Arianne is a feminist who does not scream. Instead she quotes endless facts and numbers to illustrate what is going on in each area and the impact this has on those being disadvantaged by the status quo (and yes sometimes it’s men). Her education includes degrees in natural science and astrophysics. I learned so much about todays societal issues such as racism, gender issues and something called mansplaining (which is when a man (like me) jumps in unsolicited to explain a topic to a woman assuming she needs help understanding it simply because she is a woman). I had never heard of this term before but now that I have, I will try to refrain from doing it.
Here are a couple of examples of how to use philosophy to make the right decision that made real sense to me. A doctor in Africa faced with limited medical resources has to decide will she spend the last of those resources trying to save her patients or will she spend them on an inoculation program to potentially save numerous others who are not currently sick. Applying the principles of Utilitarianism which says to choose the action which brings about the greater good for society, she opts for the inoculation program.
Another powerful but everyday example quoting Kant’s categorical imperative which says choose the action which is the most universable that brings about the maximum good. A man had to decide if he would break a promise, an everyday event. One little promise no big deal right? But if everyone broke promises everyday what kind of society would we have? The correct ethical choice according to Kant – don’t break promises.
This book has very polarized reviews on Amazon. Some like myself (a slight majority) think it is one of the best books ever written on these subjects. Others say it is Marxist propaganda and were so disgusted and they threw it away.
Another example this time about how to combat racism. You are in conversation with someone when they say something like “Well you know what those people are like.” You sense where the conversation is going, are uncomfortable and do not wish to be complicit. So rather than saying nothing you say “No, I don’t know what those people are like, please explain.” And keep repeating this which forces the other person to go out on a limb displaying their racist views which they are less likely to do now that you have called them out about it. If everyone did this… Brilliant I thought.
We tend to live in silos where everyone looks like us, thinks like us, and believes like us. It’s a comfortable existence. Perhaps there is little self awareness of this and consequently, the chance we’ll continue to grow spiritually or intellectually is somewhat diminished. The feelings of differentness yet connectedness we experienced on a recent trip came not only from the travel but from interacting with people who were from 65 different countries!
We met and interacted with people from: Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, India, Albania, United States, Russia, Italy, Mexico, France, U.K., Greece, Hawaii, French Polynesia, Scotland, China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, Germany, Thailand, Kenya and from other places we were not aware of. We manouvered around dozens of people on scooters or in a wheel chair due to mobility issues. There were people older than us, younger than us, LGBTQ couples, big people, small people, fit people, unfit people, couples, singles. We saw indigenous street people. It was a sea of diversity. Yet we all are family.
Adrianne is a different type of author for me. She is saying we can make it a better world with greater respect for differences and an open mind. I thoroughly enjoyed her book. I give it 9.5 out of 10. Should be available at your local library.
mattersofthemoment 