Olive Ridley Sea Turtles in Nicaragua

Several nights ago, I made a nocturnal visit to La Flor Sea Turtle Reserve on the Pacific coast south of San Juan del Sur. One of the world’s premier locations to see Olive Ridley turtles laying eggs, La Flor provides a protected site for these endangered animals. The Nicaraguan military is responsible for protecting the eggs from poachers who sell them to restaurants (mainly in the Capital Managua) which in turn serve them as a delicacy. Each night during the nesting season (July - January), turtles come onshore, dig a hole above the high-tide mark, and deposit approximately 100 eggs into the hole. Next, she covers the nest with sand using her rear flippers and proceeds to loudly pack the sand using her flippers and all her weight. Finally, she lumbers about 50 meters back to the sea and disappears into the whitewater only to return 2 or 3 times per year to repeat the nesting ritual at the same beach where she was born.

Today, at 10 AM in broad daylight, I encountered an Olive Ridley on the beach just after she finished laying her eggs. She nested adjacent to my hotel on Playa Coco a few kilometers from La Flor Reserve. Unfortunately, I only had time for a couple quick photos before a local Nicaraguan carried her back to the ocean and helped her into the water. (I believe he assisted her because my new friend Lug, a 140 pound Neapolitan Mastiff who lives at the hotel, followed me out to the beach.) It is extremely rare for turtles to nest during the day, so I was very lucky to be at the right place at the right time.

Around Oaxaca, Mexico

Photos:

1. Cowboys traveling in a van

2. Typical cemetery

3. Watching the Mexico-South Africa opening game of the 2010 World Cup at a Toyota dealership

4. Hotel pool

5. La Olla, amazing restaurant in Oaxaca

6. School children in uniform visiting Monte Alban, outside of Oaxaca

7. Touristas enjoying the view at Monte Alban

8. Cooking class in Oaxaca

9. Coffee-ice in my iced latte---brilliant

10. If there’s any doubt about corruption in Mexican politics, the likely next governor is Mr. Eviel.

11. Petrified waterfalls at Hierve el Aqua

12. Petrified waterfalls at Hierve el Aqua part II

13. Jumping at Hierve el Aqua

The birthplace of Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl is a feathered serpent god widely worshiped by the Aztecs and Toltecs. Indigenous religion described Quetzalcoatl as light-skinned and bearded and said that he would return to life after death. When conquistador Hernan Cortez appeared in the Aztec capital in 1519, King Montezuma believed he was the resurrected Quetzalcoatl and welcomed him into his court. Therefore, one critical factor in Spain’s Aztec conquest is that the local population believed Cortez was a returning deity rather than an explorer searching for the region’s vast quantities of gold.
According to legend, Quetzalcoatl was born near La Puerta in Amatlan about one hour’s drive from Mexico City. A several hour hike takes you to Quetzalcoatl’s birthplace, a pool surrounded by cliffs and old-growth hardwood trees
Photos:
1. Serpent image of Quetzalcoatl growing out of the mountainside guarding the entrance to his birthplace
2. The area contains many ceremonial sites including this sweat lodge overlooked by a skull
3. Modern Mexico is torn between indigenous beliefs and Catholicism introduced by the Spanish conquistadors. In a defiant act against indigenous religion, Christians actually burned one of the massive trees growing from Quetzalcoatl’s birth pool. This photo shows a sacred old-growth tree in the distance with the charred stump of a similar tree in the foreground.

La Puerta de Quetzalcoatl

I spent several interesting days at a tipi compound near Tepoztlan, Mexico. Owned and operated by Ea Orgo-Maynez (pronounced EE-AH), a Mexican-American artist and indigenous culture expert, the property is sacred to the local population because it reputedly contains a gate (or puerta) to another dimension. This portal looks (to the untrained eye) like a massive fissure in a 100 foot high cliff doubling as an alter or shrine, filled with candles, ribbons, and other sacrifices. Local legend claims that Quetzalcoatl (history lesson forthcoming) brought the first seeds to the people here so they could grow their own food. The retreat also offers accommodation in real tipis, a sweat lodge, and several ceremonial locations.

By chance I visited during Ea’s (Gregorian calendar) birthday and enjoyed a night of festivities with his friends and visitors. I mention the Gregorian calendar, the internationally accepted method of tracking the days, months, and years, because Ea also follows the Mayan calendar, based on a 260 day year, which some believe calls for the end of the world in 2012.

Malinalco to Tepoztlan, Mexico

The mountainous pine-forested region west of Mexico City is teeming with trout farms and waterfalls. Never one to pass up an opportunity for fresh seafood, we decided to stop and pick up some trout for dinner. After meeting the proprietor, his son volunteered to guide us to a local waterfall. A 10 minute dirt-road-drive led us to spectacular set of waterfalls, one of which is revered by locals for its image of the Virgin Mary at prayer (in the photos, the image is located above my hand in the falls.)