Review of The Log from the Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck is a name known to most Americans.  Required reading in high schools around the country, a Nobel Prize winner, and his works perennial reprinted, few know, however, that the writer was also greatly interested in science and travel.  Best friends with the marine biologist Ed Ricketts (inspiration for the character Doc in Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday), in 1940 the two decided to organize a scientific expedition to Baja California to collect intertidal specimen samples.  Looking to recoup money from the excursion, Steinbeck combined his notes with Ricketts upon their return to the US and published The Log from the Sea of Cortez.  Well, not exactly, but you’ll see.

Vivid descriptions, personal reflection, and that subtle insight into people that makes Steinbeck one of the greats are present in Log.  Capturing every bit of jocularity with the crew, the joys of being at sea, and the dwindling colonialism of Mexico, Steinbeck brings his talents as a writer to full bear describing their six weeks aboard the 75 ft. refurbished sardine boat Western Flyer.  Captain Berry, the mechanic Tex, deckhands Sparky and Tiny, and even their bedeviled little motorboat, the Sea Cow, come to full, breathing (or in the Sea Cow’s case, wheezing) life under his pen.  The towns and villages along the coast of the Baja peninsula and Mexican mainland having little contact with the outside, Steinbeck et al, in addition to their main aim of collecting samples of intertidal marine life, were often ambassadors.  Receiving a variety of greetings and welcomes at the different ports they sail to, Steinbeck goes into loving detail every stop along the way, making the book a travelogue as much as a scientific recount. 

Culture Corner: Mexico Part III

After Baja California, we took a ferry across the Sea of Cortez and hopped on the Chihuahua Express, Mexico’s only remaining passenger train.  (Like the US, the rise of the personal auto destroyed train travel.)  

Tucked inside the sprawling canyon are amazing waterfalls (like this!), ranches, lakes, interesting rock formations, minority groups, old Spanish missions, and many other things – including us for a few days of hiking and mountain biking.  

 

I like this photo as I think it does a good job of representing Mexico.  Among the aging hues of colonization are very vivid dashes of color that speak to the heart of Mexican life, something the economic conditions of the country cannot suppress.  There is a dilapidated church in the background, a fixture in Mexico, which conveys the relaxed feeling of being in a relaxed country.  The only thing that’s missing is a dash of music, such as an organ grinder or street performer…

Like the previous photo, this is Guanajato, tied for first among the best cities we visited.  (The other was Zacatecas, a very similar city.)  Walking the streets, the colors of the buildings are even brighter, and when mixed with the vibrancy of colloquial life, the result sets a traveler’s blood flowing.  Mariachis performed for us at restaurants, fresh fruit was sold on every street, and around every corner was a quiet plaza with a cafe guarded by lazy parasols from the sun.  Also, the fact it was built in a valley allows the city to evade the boredom of flat, straight streets, the curse of many a city in the world.

For our last hurrah in Mexico, we decided to climb the volcano Pico de Orizaba.  This is a view of the volcano from the town at its foot where supplied ourselves and found a ride to base camp.

For two days we sat in the hut at base camp (4200m/13,800 ft) while the wind blew, rain fell, and snow drifted in, no chance for a hike to acclimatize.  Even at 2AM when we awoke to begin our summit, the rain still poured, postponing our hike.  It wasn’t until 6AM the fog and rain lifted just enough for us to set off.  For the first few hours photos were impossible due to the weather.  But for a brief moment it lifted and I was able to get this photo of H.

And finally, around noon the clouds completely lifted so we could see to the peak.  Awesome!! Here we are making our ascent up the glacier with the wind kicking up snow and howling overhead.  Unfortunately, due to our late start and inability to properly acclimatize the preceding days, we were unable to summit, but did achieve enough to smile and say: “We tried!”, making it to about 5400 of its 5600 meters (17,700 of 18,400 feet).  I think this photo is awesome.

Our last days were spent in Mexico City buying gifts and more gifts.  Above are some choices we had, colorful toys called abrijoles that match the colorful streets and lifestyle of Mexico.

Mexico is a souvenir shopping paradise, the number of things to buy both mindboggling and frustrating as you want so many of them for no other reason than to just have something cool from Mexico.  Unfortunately I must suffice with a photo of these marionettes and not have one hanging in front of me as I type.  (Talking to me, of course, telling me to head into the kitchen for a shot of mezcal or to pick up my own guitar and begin plucking along with an imaginary chiquita  in a sombrero, sitting beside me, singing about the lost love in her corazon…)

The End

(If you missed them, Part I is here and Part II is here.)

Culture Corner: Mexico Part II

Like internet stock in the 90’s, those who invested in hair gel years ago in Mexico have certainly made a killing by now.  I won’t say that Mexican men are vain; they seem to care about their appearance about the same as American men.  However, when it comes to styling one’s hair, there can be no competition in the world for the amount of time Mexican men spend doing their do.  This boy’s is about middle-of-the-road with regards to effort, shine, and number of spiky points.  Others were much more extreme, needing half a jar… bottle (how is gel sold?) to accomplish the sleek, suave, stegosaurus looks they did.  Unfortunately, no photos.  (Perhaps I’m too polite to laugh at someone as I take their photo?)

Everybody knows Americans are fat.  But close on their heels are the Mexicans.  And what comes with fat?  Booty jeans!!  We found jeans positioned like this (back to front) for sale all over Mexico.

Nothing special, just one cute little girl we travelled with who was quite curious about us.  (Chances she’ll grow up to wear booty jeans: 73%)

 Behind me stand the pyramids of the sun and moon at Teotihucan, the former being the third largest pyramid in the world.  (The second is also in Mexico and the first, of course, in Egypt.)

In this photo, we are sitting on the pyramid of the moon looking across to the pyramid of the sun.  Not Mayan, rather Teotihuacan culture, the site was nonetheless awe inspiring.  It was wonderful to let your imagination wander as to the civilization that walked these streets, shopped in these plazas and worshipped at these temples hundreds and hundreds of years ago.  At one time this was the largest city in the Eastern hemisphere.

After the ruins we headed to Baja California, the place I wish to return to the most as our time there allowed us to see only the tip of the iceberg.  We rented a car – this car – and drove it for five days around the peninsula, sometimes on paved roads, sometimes on not-so-paved roads like this, and a couple of times on roads the rental company would have killed us for had they known. Action photo!!  (Or at least half-action: no dust being kicked up.)

 The car was also our home and hearth for a night.  We slept by the Pacific, the setting sun our only friend.

Baja California’s beauty is in its sublime deserts and its crystal clear, midnight blue oceans.  If you don’t like deserts, well, these pictures won’t impress you.  We loved the uniqueness of their visage, the introspection they inspire, and relaxed mood they put you in watching the moon appear above the cacti.  (The white blotch in the sky is a half-moon, couldn’t you tell?!?!?!)

While in the Baja California town of Loreto, we were able to experience the final crescendo of the bicentennial celebration.  There were fireworks, food, flags waiving, dancing, beauty contests, and of course, mariachis.  The festivities went on until the early morning, and these children were there every step of the way, dancing.  The reason these mariachis are not wearing sombreros is because it was soooo hot.  Audience members periodically brought them cold beer and received a song request in return.

There was of course a parade on Independence Day, and these two young men proudly represented their country on horseback.  (Chances they grow up to own a larger collection of cowboy hats: 100%)

Me looking bad-ass with our rental Dodge Attitude in Baja.  Based on the engine size, I don’t know if the name is worthy…

Like the photo in Chichen Itza, this is the obligatory cactus photo from Baja.

End Part II

(If you missed Part I, click here.  Part III is here.)

Culture Corner: Mexico Part I

Mexico was abso-f%$@#ing-lutely awesome.  The food, the friendly people, the colors, the beaches, the mountains, the music, the deserts – everything was great.  The only problems we had were caused by ourselves, nary a mote of malevolence directed our way.  But I’ll save my ramblings for the photos.

Mexico City is huge.  There is no way to take a photo encompassing the whole thing.  So, this is just a little sample of one of its streets.  Our first day in Mexico, this was to be a sign of things to come.  Music is everywhere.  It’s being played by troubadours wielding out-of-tune guitars on intercity buses, being blasted from backpack speakers (yes, backpack speakers) on the metro, and, like this photo, being played, live on many streets.  These guys certainly beat the homeless bucket bangers I’ve seen in Boston.

It was our luck to be in Mexico as it prepared for and celebrated its 200 year anniversary.  You are not looking at a photo of the anniversary celebrations, rather a night more than a week prior.  Every night thousands of people crowded the city’s main plaza, walking aimlessly and enjoying the vibe for no other reason than to be happy and among people.  The surrounding buildings, including the presidential palace were lit up, well, like the fourth of July, except that September 16^th is Mexican Independence Day.

We spent only a short time in Mexico City, knowing we’d travel through it a few more times throughout the course of our holiday.  After a two days we headed straight to the beach in Tulum for a honeymoon proper.  This photo is not a postcard, rather our home for six days.  (The reef in the background was great snorkeling.)

For six days we called this home.  So did a rather large iguana.  But he – or she - proved to be affable enough and let us have the bed.

Tulum was truly the stuff of dreams!

After Tulum we spent several days visiting Mayan ruins.  Above is Chichen Itza.  (Yes, this is a shameless, gratuitous tourist photo.)  It’s as cool in person as it looks here.

But not a cool as the ruins at Palenque.  Though we tried, no photos can do this site justice.  The jungle setting mixed with the anachronistic visage of exotic temples was amazing.  

The number of visible weapons in Mexico is deserving of mention.  I cannot count the number of machine guns, let alone pistols and shotguns I saw in Mexico.  But all of them were held by policemen, policemen who proved to be most helpful despite the menacing artillery they carried.  In the US I would never think about asking a policeman carrying an M-16 where such-and-such a street is, but in Mexico it was no problem.  A smile, some quick directions, and they’d happily send you on your way, the mankiller at their side a non-issue.  It wasn’t only policemen either, ordinary security guards often carried uzis or old-school revolvers as well.  It was crazy!

I suppose I can’t get too far without mentioning the incredible number of churches in Mexico.  Every big city and every little village had one.  Sometimes the church was the only thing in the village.  Here is the cathedral in Campeche, a modest building compared to those in Puebla, Mexico City or Oaxaca.  The red, white, and… green bunting decorates the gazebo in preparation for the bicentennial celebration.

This is a photo of the interior of the cathedral in Oaxaca.  Everything was gilded in gold, the ceiling to the lintels.  I’m not so supportive of the church’s less-than-benevolent usage of funds – ahem, donations (What would Mother Theresa think?!?!?), but I have to admit the aesthetics are nice.

End of Part I

(For Part II, click here, and for Part III, click here.)