todos santos ... pueblo mágico

just across the peninsula from la paz is the pueblo mágico (magic village) of todos santos. this is an official designation of certain towns in mexico that have symbolic, historical, legendary, "magic". it's a tourist thing, but a very cool one. todos santos is the only magic village in baja (there are actually very few in the northwest in general, most are in the center) and it really is a magical place.





the town is near the pacific ocean, but access is pretty limited. there's a little hill in town where we went to see the view. there is a tiny little estuary, with palm trees, a bit of an oasis in the middle of the desert.





we have been over to todos santos, a small quiet mexican town, a few times to escape from la paz for a day. now it's a bit of an artsy USA ex-pat destination and during the summer, the place basically shuts down. so we have wandered through the streets, peeking through windows into closed galleries, and generally laughing about our poor luck.







the mission was established in 1723 (mision de santa rosa de todos santos) to serve the indian tribe in the region and the town originally produced a lot of sugar cane. now, there are mango and avocado trees everywhere (could life be any better? i submit that it can not!). the mission is in front of the samll town plaza and a theatre of the city, which is apparently only open for a film festival sometime in the spring.









as more american's move in, little boutique hotels have appeared all around and one weekend we splurged to stay at one, called casa bentley. we completely 100% lucked out - we were the only people staying there and it had an absolutely gorgeous pool.





so, we spent the weekend lounging, resting, swimming, reading, relaxing. literally nothing else in town was open - even all the restaurants (except for hotel california, yes i think it is the basis for the eagles song, i dunno. not an eagles fan). absolutely glorious and luxurious

boston, gratitude, whaling history

i flew up to boston from DC for thanksgiving ... spent a few days recovering on my parents' couch and seeing where my sister works - right on the boston waterfront/harbor, with a wonderful view of the city. oh boston. you are so beautiful.









as per usual, i failed to take pictures of family events and most of the day's cooking preparations and celebrations. we began the day with a 5k turkey trot, which momma and i walked and dad and hermana ran. my dad won his division! more pies for us! (photos courtesy of hermana)



[turkey trotters]


[winner and his pie]


this year, my mom had invited a group of international teachers to join us in this oh-so-american holiday, including from ghana, china, india, kenya, bangladesh, serbia, tanzania. we chatted about the holiday, its history and what it means, as well as learning about each guest's culture and life back home. as per-tradition, we circled the room, saying what we were thankful for. and we are all thankful for family and the love and support they offer. even when our lives, cultures, experiences, etc are so very, very different, our gratitude is for the same.

on friday we drove to new bedford, a charming little new england fishing town which was also the setting and inspiration for moby dick. i have not actually read moby dick, but recently read ahab's wife or the star-gazer by sena jeter naslund and in the heart of the sea: the tragedy of the whaleship essex by nathaniel philbrick (both highly recommended), both about whaling. new bedford was the most important whaling port and is full of that rich history. now it is a fishing city, a bit industrial, struggling, with a rich history. we visited a great visitor's center, had a picnic lunch (outside in november! amazing!) and admired restored older buildings, cobblestone streets, etc.





[seamen's bethel]


we wandered down to the harbor and fishing port. interestingly enough, it looked and felt like peñasco to me, with the boats, the smell. while simultaneously quite new england. i love harbors, the shapes of the boats, the shadows, ropes, rust.



[old boat (being restored] and new(er) fishing boats]








and finally we went across the bay to fairhaven, an equally cute town. has some fabulous architecture - a beautiful town hall, church, and library (BC-esque). We wandered along the beach, saw the best sunset i have seen on the east coast (sorry, west coast still wins there), and had dinner. it was a too-short visit, but next year, i hope to get up to boston more often since i'll be closer.



[fairhaven city hall]


[fairhaven library]


[family and the hurricane seawall]


[leaving to go fishing]