Nochebuena

 Paco is really helpful. He had Yolanda do my laundry; desfortunadamente, she insisted on doing it by hand despite the existence of a washing machine. Then because it had not been spun, it took hours to dry. Paco drove me to the subway station and fretted about my safety. He said that Venus and Valentine were not doing so well in Oaxaca, that Valentine had been sick with a fever. And so Paco is trying to find a place for them to be here, even his sister's house, so Valentine can be treated by another sister, a doctor. Related to my safety, he said that a guest, a single lady, had been robbed after leaving his house and moving on to-- I don't remember where, including her passport. So he went and picked her up and took her to the US embassy . . . he really is a saint. Mrs Lorente turns out to speak excellent French (some Quebecois showed up today).

View from the Hostal Catedral

 I did check into the Catedral Hostel, which is nice-- a sink in my room and shared showers; all day coffee; locked storage in the room; etc. The balcony view is of the back of the Cathedral, which oddly seems to be closed and the gate guarded by police. Lots of people on the nighttime, lit-up Zocalo, buzzing and roaring with families taking pics and enjoying themselves. In addition to the usual tamales, various iterations of tortillas, meat, and salsa, Cotton candy makers were around making an art form of spinning sugar. Loose streams of it escaped and floated in the night like clouds, illuminated by the varicolored lights. Muchachos were trying to catch it with their pencil shaped mylar rocket toys. There were at least 2 pancake makers. A sausage griller. 

Many sellers of lighted things-- the fluorescent slingshot spinners, lightup and blinking noses, animals like butterflies and pigs, spinning balls and multi-light jiggling laser pointers. And Hello Kitty bows, and Minnie mouse bows, and those tops that you work by setting the flywheel going...and then there was the sensational lighting of the Zocalo itself. 

One part of the Zocalo-- in the daytime!

There were building-sized lighted scenes of a family decorating their tree, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and two of the kings; poinsettias and snowflakes, and giant pinatas in lights with flagella coming from the points that were waving, like some kind of alien beings. There was a set of stairs for people to go up to a tiny stage to be photographed in front of the huge Pepsi lighted tree. Everyone was jolly. Some guy showed me a peso and asked a question, but quickly walked away when I Noed. How could this be a scam? But it seems it was, There was a Chinese group, about ten or fifteen college aged kids. Several dogs dressed as Santa Claus. But-- the cathedral was closed. It's now 11:55; I wonder if bells will peal at midnight. Maybe I should have headed for a local church, but I didn't think of it. And, Paco was right, I shouldn't be roaming too much at this hour. The Zocalo was full of police presence, but wandering to another church might not have been a great idea.