Phyllis supervises tree work being done near the pool of Los Dos this morning.
Last night, Pat and I were in Jocotepec centro until around 10pm, then were walking home. We were both very tired, and walking head-down, when ahead of me I heard a big metalic BANG, and looked up to see Pat hand clenched to head. To the right behind him was a closed up metal food stand with a few jagged pieces of metal sticking out. He said he was OK, but was bleeding. I gave him my handkerchief and told him to hold pressure on it while we walked the rest of the way home. It was a bit surreal walking by all the young couples cuddling amorously in doorways along the remaining blocks. When we got home, I washed the area, and saw about a two-centimeter gouge that had stopped bleeding, but I couldn't tell if it might need the attention of a medical professional. I called Phyllis, who contacted the local urgent care place and said a doctor would be waiting for us if I wanted to take Pat in. We drove over, and a very nice young Mexican doctor greeted us and looked Pat over. He said a few stic¡tches were definitely called for, so he cleaned up the area, numbed it, and stiched Pat up. When he said he would be shaving a small area around the cut, Pat said maybe he could get a Brittany Spears haircut, which Dr. Guiermo appeared to find hilarious.
After dispensing a tetanus shot and a weeks course of antibiotics, he punched a few numbers in a calculator, and showed us the total - 750 pesos - around 70 dollars - for everything. He told us to stop by and see him in a few days if we had time, and gave us his personal cell phone number.
Pat and I revisited the scene of last night's bad moments this morning.
So today, Pat was doing fine, and we checked out of Los Dos and headed for Mazamitla, a very nice pine-forested highland village filled with gorgeous colonial buildings. It seems to be a tourist area for Mexicans - few gringos. We did run into one wiry oil field worker who had been injured on the job and retired here. Wish we could have heard more of his story.
Behind the Mazamitla cathedral.
A doorway into a large courtyard filled with plants and flowers for sale. Around the perimeter of the colonial courtyard were all the rooms of a lovely old home, doors open. I glimpsed a young woman of the family, and rather than express any resentment or embarassment at my intrusion, she simply smiled warmly and said "pase" - go ahead.
An ordinary but beautiful building in Mazamitla.
We looked at several hotels after we arrived in Mazamitla - I am much bolder now about politely asking to see rooms and ask about rates before commiting to anything. After we had a great meal in an old restaurant around the corner from the plaza, we walked up the hile above town to look at the last two hotels we were considering, and found an incredible old colonial home with the courtyard filled with blooming flowers. Our room was off a side of the courtyard, and beyond was an amazing old large kitchen. Next to that and across the back of the courtyard were a large comedor (dining room) with an enormous table with 24 chairs around it, and next to that a large family room with floor-to-ceiling arched windows with heavy internal wood shutters, a beamed ceiling, and a big stone fireplace at the end.
Our Mazamitla hotel - I'll try to get a few interior photos in the morning.
We were guests in a huge private home. While the kitchen was obviously in use by the family, we were told to help ourselves in the morning to prepare whatever we needed.
Well, it's a bit late, and these entries take a long time to organize, with pictures to edit and upload, etc. It's hard to sit for so long and work on these entries when there is so much to see outside. So if you will excuse me, I will try to have more for the next opportunity. The Internet cafe I am in, by the way, has incredibly good equipment ' 20" wide screen flat panel, fast PC, broadband...yet in this centuries old relatively unchanged village.
Hasta luego...
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