Ernesto kills nine in Mexico Posted: 11 August 2012 0903 hrs

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Ernesto kills nine in Mexico Posted: 11 August 2012 0903 hrs inShare   XALAPA, Mexico: Ernesto killed at least nine people in Mexico, officials said  Friday, with the dissipating storm threatening more heavy rain and possible  flooding. In the southeastern state of Tabasco, a 17-year-old fisherman drowned off  the coast of the town of Centla, according to authorities, and the body of a  second victim was found in the Samaria River. A landslide in the neighboring state of Veracruz left five dead and one  missing on Thursday. "Three people died when a tree fell" amid strong winds and rain in the  municipality of Rio Blanco, Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte told reporters. Another woman was killed in her car when a river swept across a highway,  and lightning fatally struck a 62-year-old man, according to a government  report. In the southwestern state of Oaxaca, authorities said a woman was killed  when heavy rains and landslides caused her car to crash. A child less than  12 years old died in his home after the runoff from a hill caused the building  to collapse. Ernesto, which has petered out, made landfall for a second time near the  Mexican port of Coatzacoalcos on Thursday, dumping heavy rain and causing  flooding in the Gulf coast region. The high mountains of southern Mexico have disrupted the storm,  whose remnants are expected to move off Mexico into the eastern  Pacific over the weekend, when it could become a tropical cyclone,  according to the US-based National Hurricane Center. It first became a hurricane on Tuesday, before being downgraded to  a tropical storm and heading back out to sea. As the storm moves inland, some areas could still see up to 15 inches  (38 centimeters) of rain before skies clear, the NHC said, adding that  the storm would likely disintegrate late Friday. Mexican civil defense officials said 10 communities had been cut off by  flooding, although no major damage was reported. The states of Veracruz, Tabasco, Puebla, Oaxaca and Guerrero were  expected to see downpours through late Friday. "These rainfall amounts may produce life-threatening flash floods and  mudslides," the NHC warned, but all coastal watches and warnings have  been lifted. Ernesto -- which was the second hurricane of the Atlantic season --  had already been buffeting Caribbean countries last week and also  dumped heavy rain on areas of Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. In the Pacific, Gilma, which had swelled into a category one hurricane  on Wednesday, was downgraded to a tropical storm and expected to  weaken further. According to the latest NHC bulletin, it was 665 miles (1,070 kilometers)  west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California and was not  expected to make landfall. On Thursday, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  raised the severity of its predictions for the current hurricane season,  which officially runs from June 1 to November 30. The latest outlook calls for 12 to 17 named storms, including five to  eight hurricanes, of which two to three could be major. In May, it had  forecast nine to 15 named storms. View of a beach in Veracruz, Mexico, after the passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto, on August 9, 2012.  - AFP/cc

Tropical Storm Ernesto Kills 6 in Mexico 2012-08-11 10:03:32 Xinhua Web Editor: dingxiaoxiao

Tropical Storm Ernesto Kills 6 in Mexico

    2012-08-11 10:03:32     Xinhua       Web Editor: dingxiaoxiao

Tropical storm Ernesto killed six people as it brought torrential rain to the southern Mexican states of Veracruz, Tabasco and Oaxaca, before being reduced Friday to a tropical depression, official sources said. The civil protection agency in Veracruz said three people had died in Rio Blanco county past midnight Thursday, when the storm knocked over a tree that in turn brought down electric cables onto the victims' truck. The state governments of Tabasco and Oaxaca had reported two deaths in the first and one in the latter while Ernesto was a category-1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale earlier in the week. Once Ernesto came ashore on the Gulf coast of Veracruz, it weakened into a tropical storm that still dumped inches of rain on 212 counties. Ernesto continued to weaken throughout the day Friday, with the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami saying the depression was moving westward through south Mexico and was expected to head out into the Pacific Ocean around the resort of Acapulco. Veracruz state Governor Javier Duarte issued a communique saying steady downpours Thursday and Friday had caused several rivers to overflow, and asked the local civil protection agency to take steps to protect people living in affected communities. Duarte said everything should go back to normal Saturday in Veracruz as Ernesto heads out of the state. As a preventive measure, in Veracruz hundreds of people were evacuated from a total of 27 counties, including Rio Blanco and Nogales, near the La Carbonera River. The National Meteorological Service said Ernesto had reached the state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located, and could still potentially dump inches of rain on central, eastern, south and southeast Mexico.

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Cheap Travel in Mexico

DEC 24

Posted by TC

You have three options for traveling in Mexico – by car, bus, or plane. There are no trains to speak of. If you drive, you can take the pay highways (expensive) or the free ones (confusing and dangerous).

Flying around Mexico is a great option. Three airlines go everywhere: Volaris, Aerobus, and Interjet. If you want to fly, start checking their websites a few weeks early and check often because big deals come up. I use Volaris to fly to the states – they have direct flights to Chicago and several cities in California. I have flown for $200 US round trip, and they still give you free drinks! Also with Volaris, if they are late (something like more than an hour), they will refund your money. You have to call them for your refund and use it within something like 3 months or a year, but why not?

Probably you will do most of your traveling by bus. Rather than an overpriced, inefficient near-monopoly like Greyhound, Mexico has numerous bus companies that go all over the country with big price variations. The best buses are more comfortable than airplanes, but then domestic flights can be even cheaper than those! If you like to rough it, like me, you can get a very uncomfortable and unreliable bus across the country for very cheap, as low as 20 dollars for a 20 hour trip.

In the major, official bus stations (there are four or five in D.F., including Tapo, Terminal Norte, and Observatorio) you will find mostly first class buses. But like I said above, if you use a first class bus for a long trip, it will probably be more expensive than a flight. Really there is no reason to travel to somewhere like San Cristobal de las Casas or Cancun by first class bus – if you fly it will only be a one hour flight and probably cheaper!

If you want to travel really cheap, you have to seek out the second class buses. I know a few for destinations south.

For Oaxaca

In D.F. there is a line called FYPSA. It is near the Blvd. Pto. Aereo metro stop. Ask directions. There are no reservations so show up an hour early.

http://www.oaxaca-mio.com/autobus/destinos.htm

In Oaxaca city there is an entire terminal for second class buses. It is next to the Central Abastos, a huge market about 15 minutes from the center of town. Here you can travel all over Oaxaca and to Chiapas for cheap.

For Chiapas

Several bus company offices for Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutierrez or San Cristobal de las Casasare located near the Candelaria metro station – ask for directions in the market outside the metro. They cost only 300-350 pesos for the long trip south. The company I used was Viajes Aury. I don’t know if they have websites, but most of the buses leave in the late afternoon, like between 4-6.

Same for returning to D.F. or traveling around Chiapas – avoid the first class buses. Combis, small passenger vans, go everywhere.

Palenque

Once you are in small towns, the second class bus companies are much easier to find. Palenquein particular seemed to be quite a hub. I saw buses for Cancun and all points in between for very cheap, like 300 pesos. Also combis go everywhere from here.

It’s true that Mexico’s first class buses are incomparably luxurious, with big reclining seats and free food. But you will pay!

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2do Aniversario Vik e Ilce Huatulco 2012

A Guide To Drinking Tequila In Mexico

by Jessica Festa (RSS feed) on Aug 10th 2012 at 12:00PM

While tequila is typically thought of as something you took too many shots of during a crazy night out, the drink actually has a deep cultural meaning, rich history and a proper way to be sipped. To help you get better acquainted with the libation, here is a guide to drinking tequila in Mexico.

History

Originating in the northwestern state of Jalisco, tequila is North America's first distilled and commercially produced alcohol. It is distilled from the blue agave plant, which produces sugar and is native to Jalisco. Tequila's roots reach back into pre-Hispanic times when the Aztecs fermented sap from the local agave plants, long before the Spanish arrived in 1521. Then, when the brandy the Spaniards had brought with them ran out, they began to distill the agave plant to make tequila.

By law, tequila can only be called "tequila" if it is made in Jalisco. The first qualifications for the drink were written in 1947, and have been constantly updated ever since. If you're looking for top-shelf tequila, make sure it's made with 100% blue agave.

How It's Made

According to tequila distillers Daniel Osuna and Alfonso Pelayo Osuna, there is a very specific process for making tequila. First, the agave is cultivated for seven to eight years, before the spines are cut off and the piñas are transported to the distillery. Once this is done, there are four steps in the production process.

1. The piñas are roasted in the oven. This is to change the starch into fermentable sugars and to soften the piñas' texture to be able to extract their juice.

2. Now comes the sugar extraction, where the largest amount of sugar within the agave is extracted.

3. Fermenting is the most important stage in the process for obtaining the desired characteristics of the tequila. The sugar is isolated to allow it to change to alcohol and for the pleasant aromas to appear.

4. Finally, the product is distilled. This is when the tequila is refined for perfect flavor and aroma in oak barrels. The alcohol absorbs the oak, allowing the tequila to have perfect body, softness and texture.

Classifications

There are two basic classifications of tequila, "100% blue agave" and "tequila mixto" (mixed). Mixed tequila contains at least 51% blue agave, with the rest typically coming from cane sugar. Other ingredients you may find in this type of tequila include caramel color, oak extract flavoring, glycerin, and sugar based syrup. This type does not need to be made in Jalisco. The other classification, 100% blue agave, will read "Tequila 100% de agave" or "Tequila 100% puro de agave" on the bottle. If it simply says "tequila," it's probably mixed.

From the two classifications there are five sub-classifications:

• Tequila Silver - Blanco - Plata - White - Platinum: This type of tequila is in its purest form. It usually isn't aged, with the true flavors, intensity and sweetness being present.
• Tequila Gold - Joven - Oro: This type of tequila is usually mixed, with added colors and flavors. Most times, this type of tequila is inexpensive and used for mixed drinks in bars; however, there are exceptions to this, like when silver tequila is mixed with a reposado and/or añejo tequila. By doing this, you're still keeping the product 100% blue agave.
• Tequila Reposado: Known as an "aged" or "rested" tequila, the drink is aged in wood barrels or storage tanks from anywhere between 2 to 11 months. It's usually gold in color and has flavors of agave and wood. Sometimes, the tequila will be aged in a barrel that once contained a different spirit like whiskey or wine, giving it some of those tastes, as well.
• Tequila Añejo: This "extra aged" tequila is aged for at least one year. The liquid usually takes on an amber color that is more smooth, dark and complex than the other sub-classifications.
• Tequila Extra Añejo: Known as "ultra aged," this tequila is aged for three years or more. The extended aging gives it a very dark color, and the flavor is often hard to distinguish between other high-quality aged spirits. After the aging process, distilled water is added to dilute the tequila.

The Difference Between Tequila and Mescal 

Today, majority of mezcal is made in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Unlike tequila, there are five varieties of agave mezcal can be distilled from. Additionally, while tequila is double and sometimes triple distilled, mezcal is usually only distilled once to give it a stronger taste. Currently, more than 500 different brands of tequila are on the market, while mezcal boasts only 100.

To make mezcal, the sugar-rich core of the agave plant called the piña, is baked in a rock-lined pit oven over charcoal. It is covered with layers of palm-fiber mats and dirt, giving the drink a strong, smoky flavor. Locals in Oaxaca drink mezcal to calm their minds and lift their spirits, as well as stimulate their creativity. Moreover, the libation is made by hundreds of small family businesses called "palenques," which preserve traditional methods of mezcal production.

How To Sip Tequila

Typically, tequila is sipped slowly and enjoyed without salt and fruit. People began doing shots in this fashion because, in the past, the liquor was so strong drinkers needed to take the salt and lemon or lime to make it smoother. Specifically, tequila used to be made with 55 to 60º of alcohol, while today it is made with 38 to 40º, or 80 proof. To properly enjoy tequila, you should follow these steps:

• Purchase the bottle of your preference
• Pour a small portion into a globe glass, which keeps the aromas inside for you to enjoy
• Swirl the drink around like you would a fine wine
• Smell the tequila with your left nostril, then with your right nostril, to discover hidden scents
• Tap a small sip and swirl it around your mouth, swallow and take a deep breath. You'll hopefully be able to taste some flavors of wood andmelchonte, or cooked agave.
• Drink slowly and enjoy how the flavors and aromas interact with your senses

Distillery Tours

The Tequila Express (or Tequila Train) is a Mexican regional train service that operates from Guadalajara, Jalisco, to the municipality of Amatitán, Jalisco. Why is it called the Tequila Express? Because passengers will be given tequila tastings, ride through blue agave fields and end at the Tequila Herradura distillery at the San José del Refugio Hacienda. Prices are $850 M.N. (about $65 USD) for adults, and $480 M.N. (about $37) for children 12 and under. Children under 5 ride free. You can purchase tickets on Ticketmaster's Mexico website or call 333-818-3802.

[Images via Photomag, Mexico Tourism Board, Mexico Tourism Board]

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Food and Drink, Stories, North America, Mexico

You are here:  Home / Top News / U.S. News / Ernesto weakening over Mexico

U.S. News

Ernesto weakening over Mexico

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Image courtesy of Weather Underground

Published: Aug. 9, 2012 at 11:18 PM

MIAMI, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Ernesto was weaker but still producing heavy rains as it crossed southern Mexico Thursday night, U.S. forecasters said.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 11 p.m. EDT advisory that Ernesto, centered about 85 miles south-southwest of Veracruz and about 80 miles north of Oaxaca, was mustering maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as it slid westward at 14 mph, the U.S. forecasters said.
Ernesto's deterioration allowed the Mexican government to drop its tropical storm warning for the country's coastal region.
The hurricane center said Ernesto was expected to dissipate Friday as it moves inland over the high terrain of southern Mexico.
Still, the storm was forecast to drop another 2-5 inches of rain over the Mexican states of Veracruz, Tabasco, Puebla and Oaxaca through Friday night. Forecasters said isolated areas could be inundated with up to 15 inches, however, meaning life-threatening flash floods and mudslides would be possible.
Ernesto made landfall earlier Thursday near the city of Coatzacoals, Mexico, Thursday, sporting winds of 60 mph.
Ernesto made its first of two landfalls Tuesday night as a Category 1 hurricane on the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before advancing across southern Mexico.

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Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/08/09/Ernesto-weakening-over-Mexico/UPI-74561344510285/#ixzz23CQzoTYc

New Zapotec Pyramid Found With Vivid Murals, Stacked Tombs

New Zapotec Pyramid Found With Vivid Murals, Stacked Tombs Democratic Underground Dating from about A.D. 650 to 850, the funerary complex was part of an elite neighborhood of the Zapotec, an agrarian culture that once thrived throughout what's now the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca (map). "Painted motifs in funerary contexts are ... See all stories on this topic »

New Zapotec Pyramid Found With Vivid Murals, Stacked Tombs

"No Humans Here"
Photograph courtesy Héctor Montaño, INAH

One of three stacked tombs newly discovered within a pyramid, this vividly painted chamber is unique among ancient Zapotec funerary architecture, Mexican archaeologists announced in late July.

Dating from about A.D. 650 to 850, the funerary complex was part of an elite neighborhood of the Zapotec, an agrarian culture that once thrived throughout what's now the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca (map).

"Painted motifs in funerary contexts are quite usual in this culture," excavation director Nelly Robles García said. "But at other sites they show important people: priests, warriors, and rulers—most likely the deceased."

No humans appear here. Instead, the designs seem to refer to the sacred ritual ball game played by many pre-Hispanic peoples in Mesoamerica. A bit like soccer combined with basketball, the game involved hitting a hard rubber ball around a court, and sometimes ended in sacrificial death for the losers.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/08/pictures/120809-pyramid-zapotec-murals-science-mexico-tombs/

15

Strange Tropical Fruit Makes Me Happy [ivan says: a very Delicious article! Thank you, TC]

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Strange Tropical Fruit Makes Me Happy

AUG 10

Posted by TC

Click on any photo for a larger size

In my blogs I refer to fruit I ¨discover¨as I travel. There is no end to exotic fruit in tropical areas. I’ve eaten fruit in the jungle that never even makes it to the markets. The best place to buy fruit is in markets, and markets are always favorite places for me visit, no matter where I am.

Regular eating for me are mangoes, papayas, pineapples, oranges, grapefruit, blackberries, and strawberries, among many others, all of which can be bought down here for a fraction of what they cost in the US and Canada. The quality is much better too. When fruit is picked for export, it is picked green. It then ripens on the journey, rather than on the branch, so you lose all that extra sweetness.

These papayas are huge! Where I live in central Mexico they are half this size at most. She’s also got some really nice pineapples on the right.

PITALLA / PITAYA (DRAGON FRUIT)

In Guatemala they are purple/pink inside. These grow atop a tall, treacherous cactus that rarely produces the fruit. Consequently they are really hard to find and a little expensive.

In Mexico they are white inside! And only slightly less delicious.

CUSHIN and RAMBUTAN and SANGUSTAN/MANGOSTEEN

In the photo above, cushin is the green seed-pod-like fruit in the middle and rambutan are on the right, with the fuzzy red peel. Here’s what they look like inside (accompanied by a lone Sangustan/Mangosteen in the middle):

Cushin tops out my list for unusual-ness. You split it in half and eat the fuzzy white skin that surrounds each black seed. It’s almost like cotton candy stuck to the skin of an orange, but with its own subtle, sweet flavor.

Rambutans are common in Southeast Asia. They are similar to lychee, also delicious. You rip off the red peel and inside is a soft, chewy, very sweet fruit surrounding a little almond-like seed. You might want to eat the seed, like me, but it isn’t good.

Mangosteen (Sangustan in the Mayan language of the market where I finally found it) is the little purple fruit. It has tough skin and a little bunch of leaves on top. It is super rare. In all my time traveling I only found one lady in one faraway market who had it. I finished them all except one before I thought to take a picture. Inside are four gooey white seeds drenched in purple juice. Eat them and you are transported to a beautiful space.

TUNA (PRICKLY PEAR)

These grow atop the nopal cactus. You can eat the “leaves” of the cactus too – they must be cooked, either fried or grilled. The fruit is sweet, but like the guayaba it has hard seeds that can’t be chewed.

Tunas Growing on the Nopal Cactus

GUAYABA (GUAVA)

Maybe guayabas aren’t exotic in that they grow on a cactus or have a crazy looking peel, but I’ve never seen them north of the border. Here in Mexico they are solid inside with an off-white, yellowish flesh. Outside they are yellow-green, sometimes with red spots. They have a light, very subtle, almost pungent flavor. The consistency is quite soft except for hard, unchewable seeds that you are tempted to spit out, but there are far too many of them. So, you have to gum it. Where I live and in most other parts of Mexico they are this size:

But sometimes you can find big ones. Recently I also found pink guayabas, which I rarely see. Eating these variations might have made guayabas my favorite fruit in Mexico.

Not only are these fruits accessible, fresh, and probably organic, but often they are ridiculously cheap. Take limones (key limes) – in the US and Canada they can cost as much as a dollar each! In Mexico a huge bag is a dollar. Mexicans put lime on everything. Also pictured below are toronja (grapefruits), one of my favorites for making juice, pitaya again, andgranada (pomegranate).

Speaking of juice, I want to give a shout out to my friend Angelica from San Pedro, Guatemala, who ran a little juice bar and introduced me to the wonders of beet juice. You can see its brilliant red color in the photo below. Amazing. I never had it straight, but always mixed with something like pineapple or apple. Thanks Angelica.

The remnants of Hurricane Ernesto

hurricanedivers email@hurricanedivers.com via yahoogroups.com	7:17 AM (29 minutes ago)
to huatulco

 

The remnants of Hurricane Ernesto, which made landfall on the other side, in Belize and later again in Veracruz, are causing quite a bit of rainfall here in Huatulco yesterday and today, and probably still tomorrow. There is no much wind, but the depression may develope into a tropical storm over the Pacific, Northwest of us.

Roberto

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