Today we had a 4 hour drive to Tehuantepec with a few activities en route:-
First stop was in the town of Tule to admire its magnificent Montezuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum). The entrance to the gardens was framed by this wonderfully trimmed pair of trees, but really if you're going to stand and ruin my shot, please at least have the decency to stand bang in the middle.
There are various estimates on the tree's age varying from 1,200 to 3,000 years (and even one claim of 6,000) but probably the most accurate are between 1,433 and 1,600 years,
Its vital statistics.
Just for scale.
Various ALTs (animal like things) can be seen in the trunk - here an elephant.
And a crocodile.
The planting all around was lovely.
And the topiary was superb.
Canna indica
Strelitzia reginae
Heliconia rostrata
I was surprised to see this Alcea rosea (Hollyhock) growing amongst the tropical plants.
I knew I'd seen this plant growing wild in Kenya and was unable to identify it before, but I'm pleased to say I have now and both its scientific and common names are equally glorious - Gomphocarpus physocarpus and Hairy Balls respectively.
One or two of us could have stayed here for another couple of hours quite happily, but we had to press on.
Next up a dyeing and weaving display at a 4th generation family business where we had an explanation of the natural dyes used (indigo, cochineal, etc.) how the Merino wool is prepared, weaving and finally an opportunity to buy something. We normally roll our eyes at this sort of thing, but it was extremely well presented and no pressure whatsoever to buy.
The owner’s 7 year old daughter sat happily combing the wool to prepare it for spinning.
Cochineal beetles live on the prickly pear leaves and they produce this white powder as a form of protection.
On the left is the squished beetle and on the right after he added another natural dye.
The longer you dip it for, the stronger the colour.
The array of colours is just amazing and they are all apparently "fast".
And the daughter is also learning how to weave - I loved how she uses the underneath of her chair as the frame. The group of tourists after us had the pleasure of her 12 year old sister doing the explanation and brilliant she was at it too, completely fluent in English. To think I'd been concerned about "child exploitation" - certainly not, they both go to school full time and only interact with the customers if they wish to.
I dread to think just how much this rug would have cost.
We didn't buy a rug but we did get a new lightweight table runner which is really lovely.
As we were leaving I noticed this ant dragging a heart shaped berry considerably larger than itself - they are amazing creatures.
Next was a visit to a Mezcal factory.
Actually I'd never heard of the drink but apparently all Tequila (which of course I had heard of) is Mezcal, but not all Mezcal is Tequila, as the latter can only be made from the Blue Weber Agave which only grows in certain areas. Much like Scotch and Bourbon are types of whisky, I suppose.
We had a lengthy tour and explanation of which I took very little notice, except to learn that Mezcal is made by slow-roasting the heart of the agave plant (sometimes
called the piña) in a pit in the ground. After roasting, the agave hearts are mashed
and fermented; sometimes it is aged, when it takes on an amber color and deeper
flavour, but sometimes not.
As usual, I was more interested in taking photos.
Although I'm not entirely sure why I took this one - maybe as an abstract.
Lots of plastic doilies.
Can't escape Día de los Muertos here either.
We were then ushered into the tasting area where initially 3 samples were on offer to illustrate the aging process.
I didn't bother to try any of them; neither did most of the females. Ian sampled one but it wasn't to his taste so declined anymore, whereas a few of the men worked their way through quite a few.
There was a lot on offer!
I've never tried Tequila but I believe that it's consumed along with lemon juice and salt but in which order I don't know - OK, just looked that up; lick the salt, drink the Tequila, suck the lemon. Nope, I still don't fancy trying it!
I think a few of the group will nod off as soon as they're back on the bus.
