Viva Santa Fe - It's Our 400th Anniversary

This weekend was the roaring start of 18 months of celebrations of the 400th anniversary of Santa Fe. Yes, Jamestown Virginia is older, but we are the oldest capital city in the US. This photo is of Santa Fe taken in 1900 from Fort Macy hill and it is at Fort Macy that the Anniversary festivities were kicked off this weekend. Also of note this week is the Burning of Zozobra on Sept 10. Each year 18,000 or more people gather to watch Zozobra (Old Man Gloom) go up in flames. The Zozorba that is set on fire is a 49 ft marionette that contains thousands of pieces of paper on which the attendees have written their troubles. At $5 a ticket ($10 at the venue), it is much cheaper than therapy. (505) 660-1965 or zozobra.com .

Getting Ready to Ramble

Pat, a good friend who always asks the most insightful questions, asked me about how I get ready for this next trip - do I need to get shots? Yes indeed - and the answer to every traveler's needs in this department is your local travel clinic. In Santa Fe it is Laurie Sandman at Passport Health. You tell her the countries that you will be visiting and she thoroughly researches the areas and prepares you with innoculations, medicines to take with, and general tips for staying healthy.
Your important travel document is your "Little Yellow Book" which you present on demand at various borders to prove that you have the shots you need before entering the country. Thank goodness almost all the shots I needed (Hepatitus A/B, Polio, Tetanus & Diptheria, Typhoid, and Yellow Fever) were still good from my last trip around the world in 2005.
Malaria is an ongoing concern in the countries I will visit and it looks like I'll be taking malaria tablets once a day for the full 7 months. You really can't immunize against all of the diseases carried by insects in the countries I'll visit, so prevention is huge, including insect repellent, treating your clothes in a chemical repellent, and using a mosquito net where needed.
Laurie was great . She presented me with a comprehensive guide to each of the 30+ countries I hope to visit and a summary of potential health issues in each. I was also able to buy malaria tablets, rehydration tablets, and insect repellent treatment for clothes at quite a discount.
Thanks to Laurie, I'm almost ready to ramble again. Next up - obtaining visas for countries that require them, checking out government security warnings for each country, arranging for the trips within each country, and packing up the house to put everything in storage - all within the next 2 months. Somehow it will all get done.....

Santa Fe in Bloom

Things I'll Miss in Santa Fe

There are a few places that you run into where you feel automatically welcome and you just keep going back. Los Amigos (the friends) is that place for me. It's about a mile from my house and Rudy always has a smile and a welcome for everyone. Their huevos rancheros is addictive (I have it almost every visit) and Los Amigos is where I learned to always ask about the hotness of chile. When you are asked if you want red or green chile, you need to ask, "which is the hottest today?"
I love all the new experiences of traveling, but sometimes it's comforting to know that you will always have a welcoming experience. It can get to be a habit!
As for the world trip - Saudia Arabia has eliminated itself. When I looked up their visa requirements it basically said "don't even think about coming here." I can take a hint.

Ramblin Again

There is nothing as exciting as planning a trip and I am in the process of planning my next trip around the world. It's that time where anything is possible. Thanks to Delta Skymiles, I'll be traveling to Jakarta (Indonesia), Bangkok, (Thailand), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Johannesburg (South Africa), and Prague (Czech Rebublic). The fun now is planning all the side trips around these stops. All day yesterday was spent finding a way from Jakarta to Brunei and I'm booked.
Now for all the rest, including the visa application process. My favorite so far is the Czech Republic where you have to prove that you have at least $38,000 in travel insurance that is good in the Czech Republic. Where did they get this number? It seems so specific. Do they know something that I don't? Should I worry?
By Oct 30, I have to move all my stuff into storage before I can take off for the 7 month trip. Before then I have 2 sets of visitors (dear friends from the past), who will help me take a last good look at New Mexico - especially the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque the first week in Oct.
So stay tuned....
[This photo is from the gorgeous Aug, 2009 issue of "Architectural Digest." The entire issue is devoted to unique homes in exotic locations. It's a must for any traveler.]

Santa Fe Sunset

Home again to this beautiful sunset. Both of these photos were taken in the same evening.. When you see sunsets this beautiful it helps you understand why this city has so many resident artists.

Eldorado, NM

A U-turn in the parking lot of St Elias the Prophet Greek Orthodox Church in Eldorado, NM, and this is the view that you see as you drive down the hill.

St Elias the Prophet Church in Eldorado

It was hard to leave this lovely serene place.

St Elias the Prophet Church in Eldorado

Every turn through the church property brings even more beautiful sights. It is probably a photographer's dream to be there when it is covered in snow.

St Elias the Prophet Church in Eldorado

Forty minutes of driving through Edorado finally led me to this beautiful Greek Orthodox Church. Take it from me, there is no direct route to the church from Rt 285.

Mystery Building in Eldorado

Leaving Lamy, I took 285 north to head back to Rt 25 and home to Santa Fe. The many times in the past that I've travelled 285 I've noticed an enormous white structure to the west, perched in the mountains overlooking Eldorado.

Houses of Lamy, NM

I've pointed out the truly different architecture of Lamy, but most of the houses are of this pueblo style, very much like the houses of Santa Fe. With all the creativity in houses, it is obvious that Lamy doesn't have the building restrictions that you find in Santa Fe, where everything has to be built in the pueblo style.

Wild Houses in Lamy

Every town has its' blatantly richest guy in town. This massive vistorian was built by Joe Miller who was described to me as follows, "He marches to his own beat. He owns all the land on that side of the railroad track."

Wild Houses of Lamy, NM

If you drive past the railroad station about 1/10 of a mile, you will find this house/railroad car on your right. The wooden balcony/patio is a stroke of genius.

The Wild Houses of Lamy

My favorite part of the trip was the diverse architecture of this tiny town. With only 64 houses in all, I've never seen such a range of styles. I drove past this house set back in the hills, several times before I realized that it was actually a house. From the main road through Lamy take a left on Cosmic Way until you wind up in some poor person's yard. I took the risk of getting shot to get close enough to take a picture. I learned that this house was commisioned by a woman who owned the Golden Eye Jewely store in Santa Fe. She had the house built out of existing white rock. She passed away recently but the house is presently occupied.

Lamy Restaurant

The sign on the outside of the railroad dining car says "Lamy Museum" but it is now a restaurant - and actually a really decent restaurant. The best burger in Santa Fe (and one of the best in the US) is at Bobcat Bite's. The burger here wasn't as large, but I have to say that it tasted just as good as the burger at Bobcat Bite's. The air conditioning and cool atmosphere was a welcome relief on a hot day.

Legal Tender Saloon in Lamy

The inside has been completely restored and has been used for several Hollywood movies.

Legal Tender in Lamy, NM

Legal Tender looks like a fun restaurant but the restaurant has actually been moved across the street to a railroad dining car. This is now a museum. Originally this building was a general store and then it was expanded to a saloon. Some of the locals told me that it had once been a brothel, but the present caretaker vehemently denies this.

Lamy Church

Despite the fact that the church has been boarded up for centuries, some of the beautiful stained glass windows remain.

The Lamy Church; a Piece of History

The ancient church was a sad reminder of days gone by. Like so many houses and buildings in New Mexico, the front door is painted blue to ward off evil.

Lamy:Created by the Railroad

The sleepy town of 137 people and 64 homes was created because engineers found out at the last minute that they couldn't lay tracks directly to Santa Fe. They hadn't counted on the mountains surrounding the city of Santa Fe. Lamy became the back-up location for the Santa Fe train station for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad.
The train pictured is actually a tourist train that runs on a spur later created, to go from Santa Fe to Lamy. I love the open air platform (second from the last) that allows tourists to stand outside, holding on to the one thin rail, as the train travels between the two towns. It should provide great photo ops!
The train trip is quite an event, with a picnic in the shaded area next to the train station and serenades by a Spanish guitarist. Cherry BBQ pork for sandwiches was being served outside the station and the air smelled heavenly

Lamy,New Mexico

My local post office always has a line of at least 15 people so it's a great place to meet local folks. You take a number and then sit patiently on one of their wrought iron benches. During my last wait I met Kathy, the wife of a Hollywood director. They live near Lamy, a tiny town about 13 miles SE of Santa Fe. When she heard about my travel blog, Kathy encouraged me to visit and take pictures of their old abandoned Church.

Getting Lost

Driving home from the International Folk Art Market, I took a wrong turn and discovered a llama farm behind St. Michael's High School. This guy didn't look happy to see me.
It was a great end to a perfect day. The market was like an around the world trip - without the shots and spending a fortune on Visas.
It made me realize how special this city is - to create something this great and on such a major scale. Only in an "art mad" city like Santa Fe could something like this be pulled off.
Can't wait for next year.........

Market Parking

This being my first experience with the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, I didn't know that there was no parking at Museum Hill for the Market. Everyone was supposed to bus in from various locations throughout the city. Thank goodness for tiny cars. I was able to squeeze into an impossible spot. Since I didn't bus in and out like everyone else, I was able to take this shot of someone's front yard as I followed the trail back to my car.