much better thank you

Pictures: little boy sits next to his 'dead' friends in the Zocalo. Ofrenda (alter) to a wrestler. Selling flowers in the market. An orange, marigold type flower is linked with the day of the dead (but not funerals in general).

Feel much better today and can venture further than 10 metres from the loo. Went to the Italian Coffee Company to use their free internet and later went with Eva to the Mercado Hidalgo (the market near Centro Juconi) to see what was there. There is lots! Even a chapel with a service going on (it’s Sunday). Loads of flowers being sold for day of the dead, and food of all kinds and clothes and, and…

Got off the bus in town and mooched – lots of people in the Zocalo and lots of ofrenda (alters for the dead). One for dead pop stars, one for children who died of flu, one for the 48 kids who died in a fire in a children’s home in Sonora (bit of a cover up by the state, apparently), one for wrestler, various politicians etc etc.

At 8 we went to the Panteon Municipal (cemetery) where there was a gang-show type show in the middle of the cemetery, with a werewolf and other ‘dead’ or scary type characters. Went back into town to see the end of a concert and loads of kids in Hallowe’en costumes (some quite scary), but there wasn’t the party atmosphere I’d expected. There was a guided walk going on, and a few angels too, and some floats (and 2 armed tanks!) but no partying, or really any bars to be found – whether this is because it was Sunday or just that drinking isn’t part of it all here I don’t know. Probably best given the delicate state of my stomach. There’s an odd and contradictory mix between day of the dead (celebrating the dead) and Hallowe’en (making death scary). Apparently Hallowe-en started in the UK when people used to think that the dead came back on All Souls Day, and would dress up to trick the dead into not recognising them (hence trick or treat). Eva thinks Oaxaca (state) is the place to go party-party. She’s from the north where life is more western (it’s nearer the USA) and is as interested/confused by it all as me. She
has a 10 year visa to go to the States, which she does quite regularly for shopping etc. Mexican’s have to prove they have a permanent job and enough money in the bank in order to get such a visa which costs around £200 for 10 years. If the States don’t want Mexican immigrants they’ll have their money anyway!

Tomorrow is actually day of the dead. It’s an unofficial bank holiday.