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Aimee Harris, editor
Teotituacan priest house. |
Due
to the magazine’s deadline schedule, it’s not often that I can escape
for a two-week vacation, so I went to Mexico to really get away. Unlike
many travelers to Mexico, my boyfriend and I avoided the country’s
coastal cities and sandy beaches. After all, we live in Hawaii.
Instead, we toured the “colonial heartland” of Mexico, which is known
for its European-influenced architecture. Even though I was in a
foreign place and nearly 3,000 miles from home, Mexico’s landscape and
people reminded me much of Hawaii.
The
state of Michoacan, where we spent the most time, has it own famously
active volcano, Paricutin. Similar to Kilauea, it has swallowed up
neighboring villages during eruptions, leaving odd structures, such as
a church bell tower, sticking out of the lava field. And, while
traveling via bus, we rolled passed miles of lava rock walls that mark
the countryside’s property lines. With Paricutin’s peak looming as the
backdrop, it all felt strangely familiar.
And,
just like in Hawaii, the heart of Mexican culture is family and food
(in which the order is debatable). One afternoon, on short notice, we
returned from a week’s travel to my boyfriend’s cousin’s house. Before
we could squeeze through the front door with suitcases, backpacks and
boxes, she ordered us to sientense, sientense a comer, “sit, sit to
eat.” It amazed me how she was always able to make authentic Mexican
food magically appear upon our arrival. For this, I am forever
grateful. As a born-and-raised Californian who could live off of tacos,
I wish true Mexican food was one more thing Hawaii and Mexico had more
in common.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
aimeeh@pacificbasin.net
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| Terry Rollman, publisher |
Publisher’s Pick:
Looking
for an impression-making hostess gift? Try these two cool ideas: the
insulated “byobag” (bring your own) and cloth cocktail napkins in bold
print, from the Red Pineapple in Ward Centre. (Two-bottle byobag, $20,
and eight cocktail napkins, $18). You will no doubt brighten the party.
Happy gift-giving!
terryr@pacificbasin.net | |
