Happy Holidays!

Hawaiian holidays are different.

32nd Floor

Shots from above.

Dallas Morning News

I got a December Dallas Morning News cover!





As a young budding photographer in San Antonio/Austin, there could be no better newspaper gig other than working at the Dallas Morning News. Dallas, with its pro sports teams, urban crime, big city lights, and its money, afforded a big world of photo opportunities. Dallas was up there with LA, Chicago, New York and Boston. At the time, I felt these were the papers that made all the difference. Before the crunch of the digital world and shrinking budgets, staff photographers at the big newspapers would jet around the world to big sporting events, shoot Presidents and Prime Ministers, and cover conflicts at home and abroad. I saw these photographers, many who won major prizes, as the ambassadors to the visual world. Nothing could top being staff at a major newspaper and the Dallas Morning News was it for me.

Life changes and I followed different paths and hoped around the world only to end up in Hawaii--a far cry from Dallas.

So...a few weeks ago, I get booked to shoot a gig for Dallas. Sallie Stratton's husband, Chuck, was shot down over Laos in 1971 and the POW/MIA group based in Hickham AFB found his crash site and remains. Sallie, who lives in Dallas, spent a good portion of her life wishing and hoping one day that phone would ring and her husband would return. After photographing her in the short time that I had with her here, you can just never understand what loss that woman had in her heart. Its unbelievable to think she held on that long but what else would you do?

S0...the MIA team found the crash site, dug through the wreckage and found the tiniest of bones.



Mrs. Stratton flew to Hawaii for the repatriation ceremony in which her husband finally came home.

It would not have been human for me not to shake as I shot some of those images. But as hard as it was for Mrs. Stratton, she survived as did all the memories of her lost hero killed in action.

Hard work and being in the zone helped me capture some of these unique images. I assume the eds in Dallas liked what I did as they gave me the cover on the first of three special issues of the paper. It was even the Sunday issue which most likely is the biggest issue of the week, not to mention the lead of the story.

My other issues ran on the third day of the series on the inside. I felt my photos and the David Tarrant's story did a great deal of justice shining a light on an individual who lost the most important person in her life.

Recent publishing.

Today's post concerns publishing! I sometimes forget to see where my photos end up. It can be a mystery at times as images are sent to editors on the mainland never to be seen again. The wireless age creates apathy as images are ftped to a far away place never to be seen again. I had two sports images end up in Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News this week. My hard won photos although not peak telling of the story action are stock images and clients and magazines do care for what I describe as "stock" images.

Peak sports images are most essential to any sporting event but since I live in a different market, Hawaii sporting events are usually off the radar of most people. Mainland writers will focus on stock images of sport stars and athletes and to me, many could clearly care less of any important impact plays. Clean sharp images are what counts.

I've showcased this images in a past blog but this image was used to illustrate UH's 12-0 season for SI. It ran on a page with two other images at about 2x3, hardly worth me paying for the mag at Borders.



The University of Hawaii football team performs a Maori "haka" or war dance before their football games at home and away. The controversial performance does make some upset (namely Maoris as Hawaiians are a different "tribe"---and a good portion of the players are not even Polynesians) but the dance does make for interesting photos. My image showcased on the back page of The Sporting News.

I borrowed Jamm Aquino's Canon 15mm lens for the shot and lined up the image just right. The 15mm is a tricky not an every day use lens which gives a fisheye effect. On a cropped Canon Mark II body, the fisheye is limited but there is very high distortion. The lens is a bit too distorted but it worked well for the shot.



The layouts below come from Modern Luxury's summer issue. I did a story on hip Chinatown spots in HNL. Margie the ed assigned me the job just days before I was to leave the country. I was my first story for the magazine and I had to work to impress. I worked tirelessly for two days straight going to different spots around Chinatown/downtown to get the right images. It was tough but I managed to pull it off. Margie liked the images and called me for more work.

It was tough but I made it happen. Its always fun to challenge myself visually...meaning when you see something day in and day out (I live just outside of Chinatown) you forget to "see." You get so used to looking at everyday life that it just becomes routine. Photographers get so excited thinking of making images far away from home but always forget their backyard has some of the best places to make pictures. We just have to open our eyes a bit wider!








Life is never routine.

Enjoy.

Pearl Harbor

Its been a year since I started my blog. I wrote last year about the faces I shot during the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I should list a picture I have of Zenji Abe. He was the only surviving Japanese pilot who bombed Pearl in 1941. I photographed him last year.

In April, Mr. Abe passed away. His daughter and I corresponded and I sent her this picture. It is now part of their shrine in Japan.

I am honored.

Beach shooting

Garry Winogrand had New York. Cartier Bresson had Paris. I have Waikiki Beach.

I ran down to Waikiki even though it was raining. I figured I would see something interesting. Sure enough, I stumbled upon a view.



I am not sure what captivates me with this image. Is it the disconnection? The emptiness between these two. Her rain poncho? His attention to the waves? They didn't seem related nor were they too happy. Rain has covered Hawaii for several days.

My psyche shot this picture. Not me. I don't remember it. It just happens sometimes. A reaction...I pull the camera to my eye and fire a burst or two. I can't explain it. I guess its like being someone else.

Its probably nothing. Just lighting.

Stormy Weather

A massive storm hit the Hawaiian Islands a few days ago causing chaos across the islands. Trees uprooted, roofs torn off, telephone poles toppled. Power outages, flooded roads, and slamming surf slapped the coastlines. Frightening indeed!

A went out the next day with camera on hand to capture the devastation. Lots took place on the other side of the island but I knew I could find something close by. Sure enough, a massive kiawe tree (mesquite) was uprooted in Kapiolani Park. Quite sad to see such a Herculean tree toppled by Zeus like winds...measuring close to 60 mph on some parts of Hawaii.

UPDATE--December 6: I got noted for APTOPIX. Top photo of the day for AP.

Menorah Lighting

The Chabbad House of Hawaii invited me to photograph their menorah lighting in Honolulu last night. I had never attended this type of ceremony and was curious to see how things would visually turn out...

Well it turned out well.

Tech...
Canon 1D Mark II
70-200mm 2.8
1/400 at 2.8
160 iso
shot raw

12-0!

The University of Hawaii football finished their regular season 12-0! A remarkable feat to say the least and many of those players will hopefully go on to play pro NFL football. Colt Brennan, a Heisman candidate, played a wondeful game. Its nice to see Hawaii get recognition but the hard part for anybody who lives in Hawaii is the distance teams have to travel to get to and from Hawaii. Many teams refused to travel to Hawaii to play for many reasons blaming the distance as a major factor although others have said some teams were afraid to play UH and be humiliated. I doubt Hawaii is that good but the Sugar Bowl matchup against Georgia will prove somebody right.

Hopefully better caliber teams will play UH and hand them some sobering reality to playing football on a grander scale.

Good job UH!

The 40-Year-Old Recruit

In late August 07, the Washington Post Magazine commissioned me to shoot a documentary on Clayton Beaver, a 40-year-old Waianae resident who was joining the Army. Last year, the army raised its age limit for new recruits allowing Beaver to join. Hardship and a sense of patriotism drove Beaver to follow this path the military attractively sold. Large bonuses and increased benefits also enticed Beaver, along with many others to consider the path of the military.

I covered the Hawaii side of the story examining Beaver, his background, and his family. Another photographer met Beaver at boot camp and covered his initial training. My documentation found what I describe as "Island hardships." Whether this term makes sense, I find it descriptive of how live in Hawaii can be so far away from the advertisements in the travel magazines and tourism boards present.

With a very high cost of living including sky rocketing real estate prices, below national average salaries don't allow for a comfortable living. Affordable housing costs can be found in Hawaii but sadly many of these neighborhoods are plagued with socials ills and bad schools. Hawaii is a trap for many...anchoring many locals here with family, friends, and as Michael Leahy described, aloha.

So many here are trapped by large families, low pay, and sadly, drugs. What most tourist encounter on the beaches of Waikiki and Maui are fantasies that a majority of local people will never afford.


Here is the link to the Honolulu Advertiser from November 23, 2007. The story was syndicated locally and is easily accessed.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Nov/22/ln/hawaii711220356.html

The Advertiser published the powerful story along with my photos. The other photographer could not be reached by publication.

The Washington Post Magazine link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/14/AR2007111401447.html

You have to register to see the original story and images from both myself and photographer Brett Flashnick.

Morgan Montana

I was at Kewalos today trying to shoot more of my surfer project when I was confronted by Morgan Montana. Morgan saw my camera (which he declared was worth over $50,000...how wrong he was) and wanted me to grace him with a photograph. Oh the power of a 4x5 camera.

Morgan, who aura wiffed of tall boys and Mickeys, recounted a story of history, celebrities and fame, which very few could be capable of obtaining.

As I spoke with Morgan, who I slowly found his real name was Lenny, I was told of a sailboat of great girth which entertained local prostitutes, Lost celebs, and the female undergarments which flew freely from the masts of his vessel. Morgan/Lenny spoke of engagements on the mainland with Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow and others details too interesting not to believe.

He recalled a bar in Colorado where he slugged the Kid for mouthy behavior and watching Mt St. Helen's trumpet around his life.

He also spoke, with glassy eyes, about time spent in Vietnam (he did say he was 57 which actually makes him of proper age) and lives lost and taken. He described life as a tunnel rat, of women's screams and lives lost at his hands...of Agent Orange, of snakes, and friends who still remain hidden within the bush.

He told me of "gook" heads skewered on bamboo as warnings, of life taken with no regret. Of mothers holding their children and his M-16. He chattered about life and death with candor. As if nothing was worth but his eyes felt it was...

But back to those bars he so quickly returned to, his boat, his pose, and his scrap with Kid Rock.

Life for Morgan consisted of cheap drinks, long hair, and a history full of fun, death, sailing, and living. Is a far existence away from jungle rot, cans of MREs, and killing someone you don't know.



At the end of the afternoon, Morgan hit me up for some dough. I coughed up $5.00. I got a polaroid out of it.

You be the judge...was it worth it?

Surfer girls

I met Karin the other day at Kewalo Basin. I approached her and her friends to ask if I could take a photo of them. I was working with my 4x5 camera so they figured I was for real. She agreed but as I started to pose her, the Hawaiian sprinkle rain came down and I had to close shop.

I gave Karin my business card and told her to look at my site to see what I do hoping I would run into her again. I hate to approach anyone, especially women, and ask to photograph them without identification or something of the sort. People weird out and think I'm a perv but with a 45 camera and the likes, I look like I know what I am doing. It actually takes a bit of nerve for me to get the guts to approach anyone. You just never know how people will react when you ask to take their picture.

About a week later, Karin calls me telling me she'd be out at Kewalo and asks me to come out to photograph her. She saw my site and loved work and wanted to be part of my project.

I was very happy to have a chance to meet and shoot her again as she has a strong surfer chic's body (as do most real surfers...all that swimming, balance, and the likes really makes you tough!) and wanted to do my best to capture her. She was positive, strong, and definitely has that "je ne sais quoi."

As I was taking the photos, i quipped to her that her natural pose reminded me of Venus de Milo or Botticelli's Venus.

Art as an archetype becomes apparent when I do this type of work. I didn't pose Karin or ask her to do anything other than move her surfboard around a bit. She naturally fell into this pose, whether it was intentional or not, she fell into a beauty archetype that is as long as history.



As Karin posed throughout the four sheets of Tri-X and one polaroid, she pulled it all together. Her pose, her body language, all of it, really says something. The curve of her hips, the slight of her legs, the length of her arm..it all created a part of history, this archetype. She really put it all together and in a way, became a part of a long traditional history of beauty.

It was a great moment.




This image was made on Polaroid T 55 positive negative film. This film is probably destined to be discontinued as Polaroid has stop making lots of their products. They stop making 665 PN. I would buy loads of that film if they still made it. Its hard to get film developed here in Honolulu as labs here just aren't making money in development. Digital is king.

The next images is shot on 45 color film...Kodak 160NC to be exact.

I forgot the name of the English girl but she was fairly keen to be photographed. That afternoon, I set up at Diamond Head beach and waited for surfers to exit the water and walk off towards the showers. I had been setting up around sunset just to get that golden light and shadow play on the figures. It works really well.

Alina and Mina had just finished a surf session when they walked up the beach. I convinced them to pose but sadly, Mina shifted during the shoot and was out of focus. Alina stood rock solid still. Her image came out really nice. She has another type of sexiness and strength in her pose and her face really carries loads of power.



The pommy made for a great picture. The curve of her hip, the slight scowl on her forehead, the shadow play on her figure. Another shot for the series...

The Dog!

UPDATE! NOV 9: Dog was caught saying the "N" word in a private conversation. The recording was sold to the National Enquirer by his son (and possibly by the black girl-who is the son's girlfriend) and played everywhere. Now the black girl is suing the Dog for slander. Sooo...can it be said the son and this girlfriend set up the Dog?
-------------------------------
Poor poor Dwayne Dog the Bounty Hunter...a victim to the hysteria of political correctness yet a fool unto himself.

My shot of Dog is from his release from prison last year for jumping bail in Mexico City. The Mexican government wanted to extradite him to put him on trial for kidnapping the Factor guy. As a real life bounty hunter, the rules do not seem to apply to him.

Suvive

Today I spoke with a verteran who was one of the first American soldiers to enter Nagasaki after the bomb was dropped in August 1945. He spoke with passion and fear and dismay of what he saw and the future of what will happen if the world goes nuclear against Iran or some group detonates a dirty bomb in a populated area. I was struck by his passion, his fear, his life. He is sick. Radiation is a killer. He said out of 10 soldiers that marched through Nagasaki, 9 are now dead.

I was thinking of Aceh. Of tsunamis of turmoil. Japan, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, atomic testing...we only have to blame ourselves. Who do we blamb for nature? God?



This Aceh man rode his bike thorugh a destroyed city. The destruction lingered after the tsunami. It still lingers in me.

Smokie

The same day I shot Josh and his friends at Kewalo Basin, I met Smokie who was part of the click that was hanging out at the park.

Smokie was a green eyed Mexican kid from California who claimed pure blood Azteca blood and spirits of Cuahtemoc. The wool had obscured his good looks but his physique canvased his body like a piece of artwork. An almond eyed woman outfitted as a beautiful Pancho Villa graced a thick shoulder and other various histories and dramas played out across his chest and back.

He showed me scars and pains and allowed me a hint into his life.

Very interesting man. I will probably run into Smokie again.

Gracias hombre!

Joys of a new format.

Kramer after a surf.

Diving in head first into something isn't always the wisest or prudent choice in life but I decided to move forward with a 4x5 camera. As digital is by far surpassing all that is film, one must think about why anyone would choose to use a nitrocellulose coated with a type of emulsion over a "somewhat" superior image created by a CCD with a Bayer filter. Digicams are so easy! Point, shoot, transfer, publsh! Done. A fact found on wikipedia points out that the first filmless analogue cameras were designed in the early 1970's. Unbelievable.

Ah but with film and a 4x5, you gotta drag out the tripod, you have to compose, focus, think, and put forward a good image. It takes time, effort, and thought. Something digicams are allowing the photographer to forget about.

As far as this new toy, its Toyo View cream colored 4x5. It has a Nikor 210mm lens and its allowing me to make magic. Why go through this struggle, you might ask? Well, there is a psychology to the portrait. A true psychology the subject feels when he is placed behind this monstrosity, an accordion with an upside down image that can only be seen with a dark cloth placed over the head.

People take you seriously...oh this guy knows what he is doing. they pose, the take themselves serious. you won't see stupid grins, hand signs, etc...but the serious "I am being preserved" attitudes.

At the same park where I shot that surfer, a gang of guys drinking beer called me over and asked me to photograph them. None shied away from saying they were from the other side of the tracks...jail time, stab wounds, gunshot scars, etc...they shared beer, time and stories. I, not the type to shy away from life, embraced these guys, who in many ways, would have probably sneered at me if I had a 35mm camera, but coddled me as one of their own. They were the nicest kindest, friendliest people you could ever image. If I had been on the other side of the island (you know...the rich side) I never would have been allowed a rich world party. Those types are snotty and pretentious. What did Josh and his friends have to loose?

We shared polaroids, family snaps, etc...they loved it. I loved it. Here is Josh. What a guy.




That is what makes them so interesting...
And makes us so boring.

ah, the joy of cameras.


Thank you Yong Yoo for your efforts and support. You are never far from my thoughts.

The Lakers

I hate sports. I really do...only because there is no way to really control anything about what happens. You spend your photo time hoping the star will do a slam dunk, run in a touchdown, or score that winning goal. If you line up on left side of the field or net, the pass will go the right side and you won't get the shot.

Nathaniel Welch told me once he wanted to be a pro surf photographer and spend hours shooting barrels at Pipeline. He never made a dime shooting sports action. Nathaniel now kicks butt in New York and still claims he makes nothing! He is one of the more successful guys in New York but you'd never know it. Yet he told me never to shoot sports as you'll spend your career waiting for that sport star to run your way or catch that ball perfectly in your eye piece. If he doesn't, you're done.


You can't control fate or chance...no matter how good you are with a camera.

Many pro sports guys will tell you that you can control many of the aspects of chance but most of what takes place is random. And many of those pro photographers have strobes set up in the rafters and make their lives shooting NBA or whatnot. They also have exclusive relations with sport stars and they learn to know how these athletes will move or run.

As But the...POW! Kobe Bryant runs at the basket for a lay up and pow! I get a shot.

Made TOPIX at AP...best in show for the day or something like that. I did good for someone who hates sports. Then...

Bam!



Ronny Turiaf slams one in the bucket. Either I got good or just lucky...

Headline News

I made CNN on 22 September with my well worn Superferry image. I recall the Superferry sailing into port and feeling there was a huge hesitation as local shipping monopoly scheduled a ship to sail at roughly the same time. The superferry had to sit out in the channel for some time...almost foreboding as the Superferry has received so much gruff from the locals not only on Kauai but Maui, and the rest of the state. Seems locals just don't want change and that suits those in power.

We do seem like a backwater...



as far as the photo goes, it was big surf on the south side of Oahu so all the surfers were out. Kakaako was full of people and this guy just so happen to jump out into the picture.

I must say that I envisioned this photo. There is much to say on thinking forward and projecting the image you are looking to capture. I am learning that a pre focused idea will and does work in most cases. I did see this surfer and boat but just couldn't get the stars to line up. I was caught off guard as the Superferry sailed quickly into port. I was on the other side of the park and had to book to the other side. Autofocus and foresight got the image in line. A burst on the trusty ol 1D MII and voila!

My Laotian monk series

May 2007
www.marcpix.com

New views

WTC was replaced by...

WTC

Its almost anniversary time for 9/11.

Here is my homage to the view from our side... the Jersey City side. The late summer sun sinking into the West. A cross processed look of a city summer with blown highlights, aqua water, and gushing winds across the Hudson. Such a view from the dock near Pavonia Newport. A little dutched but a view none the less.

I think this image was from 1999 or so. I remember thinking how New York and photography and life was so far away from me. It was one of those days. Remembering the first few days. A cold February day...walking down 9th Ave to meet Yukako at a share. My luggage and a Texas winter coat. The coat didn't last. Subways, Times Square, pizza, taxis, strange aggressive people. What a time. Its still far away but the distance isn't so bad. Life changes. The view is gone.

Michele

Michele.
August 2007
on the North Shore at sunset.

These are the fun days.

Toilet

Only in New York can you come across a sight like this? I think I found this image near Washington Square Park in November 2000. Everyone seem to have election sickness from the problems at hand. Courts deciding the outcome was just wearing on the public.

You could find just about anything on the streets of New York. Garbage was just a matter of public discourse. Where else in the world can you find a toilet with headlines as such?

Fall in New York

I think this was in 2001. We were in Westchester.
The fall is so nice.

Mamiya RZ
110mm
Fuji RDP III

Golf

Here are some of the best images from golf from last season. Getty Images purchased Wire Image and their sports department. No one seems to realize the writing is on the wall. Wake up, the freelance world just got smaller.

I really like these two pictures. I am a good golf photographer.

Gun play

Around 1998 or 1999 when I was still living in NYC, I tested three models and decided to do something different. I wanted to do a sort of action spy type of photo. So I borrowed a bunch of suits from a stylists, painted a water gun black, and created a fairly interesting shot.

the police came soon afterwards. I got in trouble. This was before 9-11. I am glad I didn't get shot.

It was a good shot.

Tri X
Nikon F4s
35mm 2.0

Mexican wall

I came across a great poster up against a wall in Oaxaca.

The lyrics are "...take another piece of my heart...Break It...Another piece of my heart..."

I am not sure what the poster means but its something I couldn't pass up.

June, 2007
Oaxaca
RZ 140mm
Tri X

4th of July

I think this is an appropriate image for the day...

I photographed several veterans from the 100th Infantry Battalion a few days ago as the group celebrated their 6th anniversary. The Battalion, activated in 1942, was made up of a majority of second generation Japanese Americans. Its said that many of the members joined the Army in order to prove their loyalty after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Born in America, they faced a racism because of the Pacific War. I wonder if the US could make a battalion made up of second generation Arab/Persian/Muslim Americans?

Would the lawyers, ACLU, and the public allow it?

Shizuya Hayashi was the first individual I photographed of the day. This is the last frame.

Mr Hayashi received the Medal of Honor for actions in Cerasuolo, Italy.

From the official citation:

"Private Shizuya Hayashi distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 29 November 1943, near Cerasuolo, Italy. During a flank assault on high ground held by the enemy, Private Hayashi rose alone in the face of grenade, rifle, and machine gun fire. Firing his automatic rifle from the hip, he charged and overtook an enemy machine gun position, killing seven men in the nest and two more as they fled. After his platoon advanced 200 yards from this point, an enemy antiaircraft gun opened fire on the men. Private Hayashi returned fire at the hostile position, killing nine of the enemy, taking four prisoners, and forcing the remainder of the force to withdraw from the hill. Private Hayashi’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army."

Thank you.

Carrie

1992--I think this photo was taken. I took it with an old Mamiya 645--a camera I purchased for $475 from a guy in Austin. I really loved that camera. I should buy another...

The model's name is Carrie. I remember I was taking photos for this young fashion designer. I didn't know what I was doing. I just wanted to take pictures. Little did I know I would have this image. Carrie had such flair, I don't remember much more about her. I really like this photo. I will revisit images from the past every so often.

Lidia

Lidia,

Thank you for giving me a moment to photograph you. Your eyes are mesmerizing. Haunting, translucent, showing something not everyone can see...a glimpse into your life...a life in Oaxaca...a student maybe...serving cafe and crepes to strangers from far away. did you think you'd ever be perserved in nitrocellulose and silver halide?





Taken in Oaxaca City.
June 15, 2007.
Tri-X
Mamiya RZ w/ 140mm at 5.6 at 90

See the rest of my portraits at marcpix.com under Projects and Portraits in Mexico.

Viva Mexico! y los estados unidos tambien!

We spent ten days in Mexico this past June. I had been to Mexico many times as I grew up in Texas and even backpacked through the country about ten years ago. I had been through Central Mexico as well as spent a summer traveling through Central America. I am very familiar with Hispanic culture, the history of the region and whatnot. This trip; however, forced me to see things from a much different viewpoint. Immigration issues, assimilation problems in the US, poverty in Mexico and wealth in the US. Living abroad, living in New York, visiting other nations gave me a greater ability to understand my heritage, my history, and understanding being American.

It’s easy to understand why Mexicans risk their lives to cross over to America to work and send money home. Many well educated individuals, young and old, did not have jobs. And when questioned, there were just no jobs available and those that were seemed to be very low paid. A friend told us he had been offered a great job with a great well know company but the pay was roughly $300+ a month. Mexico, as far as what we saw, wasn't cheap. $300 doesn't go far.

To see from American eyes the opportunities America provides to those and the lack there of for the average person in Mexico. From the small group of people we met, almost everyone seem to have or knew someone who was illegal in the United States or elsewhere. One girl, Minerva, even told us her brother's girlfriend died in the desert crossing over. The many conversations had demonstrated the massive wealthy America has...

Yet why is Mexico so devoid of wealth? With all the natural resources, labor, and capital, why wouldn't our neighbor to the south maintain a higher level of wealth for its citizens? Why do so many seek shelter in America? I can't help but to wonder how NAFTA really helps any of us other than helping the shareholders.

*****************

Our trip took us to Mexico City via Houston (about 9 hours total from HNL) and we spent several days in that really crowded, polluted, yet wonderfully historical mega city. Flying over DF took an eternity...as if the city went on forever.

Crowds, noise, pollution. Red eyes, a bit of a wheeze, and a sore throat.

After a few days we took off to Oaxaca in the south and ate great, stayed in a really great hotel, and found a really nice peaceful life in that region. Locals moved at a different pace. Many were very used to tourists and many were also ready to give us a tourist price for goods in the market. Massive churches, beautiful squares, wonderful parks...Oaxaca has a great feel. I do like Guanajato better but Oaxaca was great.

There is political strife in the region and the city as the political group APPO is demanding the Oaxacan governor step down after the murder of over 25 people protesting inequality, land reform, and many other social injustices. This is a complicated issue and I urge you to research more on the Oaxacan issues. I've been told that many of the southern states were not conquered by the Spanish and the indigenous peoples of the regions feel very independent from the rest of the bureaucracy of Mexico City. Isn't this why Texas fell in the old days?

****************

In Mexico City, I contacted the Mexican rescue workers I met and photographed in Indonesia in 2005. Topos played an integral part of my work in Banda Aceh. The guys involved showed me such a different part of life I never would have expected. We stayed in touch and met (and drank way too much) with them in Mexico. We had a great time meeting and learning really bad words in Mexican (yes--Mexican as they said they were typically words Mexicans used.) My accent improved with every Negra Modelo and got really good once the pulque started flowing. Gracias Hector, Omar, Ramon and Juan Carlos...you guys touched us so much. We wish you the best in the future.



In the photo is Hector, Marco (that’s me!), Ramon, and Juan Carlos.




Here is pinche Hector, me, and el cabron Omar. --no mames wey!





Its just amazing that I photographed these guys doing this just a few years back. Recovering bodies from neighborhoods in Banda Aceh. Que vive!

We got to see Teotihuacán and one of the most impressive sights was the Templo Mayor. In so many ways it was hard to see the history of the Spanish conquest of the new world. Aztec warriors dressed as eagles and jaguars fighting Europeans with steel and horses--as well as disease. In my opinion, so much of that conquest filtered down into the masses, as to me, it seems that defeat has never left the Mexican conscious. I don't know...I grew up American but I felt the defeat, the destruction of the once great nation, the massive Catholic cathedrals (European-Spanish temples) and oppression (religion, poverty, cultural, and racism) is so apparent to me.

Aside from all the social economic problems I mentioned...food was great, micheladas are wonderful, and people were really nice. It was difficult this time around but we did see lots of different faces and places. I did get to see a live futbol match on TV in the hotel bar. The locals couldn't understand why I was cheering for Mexico over Panama but I guess they couldn't see my heritage in my face. To them, I am just a gringo.

Fresh cabrito was unbelievable. It seems like I ate a whole goat at this one taco stand...



Church and religion had that old world feeling with the gild and glory...



and color seemed to be in everything. Americans don't have the color and spice Mexicans have. With all that was lost I guess color makes life worth living.










All in all...the trip was successful and we came back with lots to ponder and weight to loose.