The Jaltemba Express

About 60 winter Jaltemba Bay residents left early December 13, on 2 busses, to travel to the Huichol village upriver from the Aguamilpi Dam. Danny Milski organized the trip and Vincente, the turtle man, was the tour guide on our bus. He gave us lots of info about the crops along the way, and especially about Tepic, his home town. Imagine, Tepic has a skating rink. We saw it, I think. We stopped for a buffet breakfast at Bogan Villas, that's Bogan Billas for the uninitiated. Then we went back on the busses to the dam. We got in the boats (life jackets optional) and went up river to the village.
The climb to the village was worth it. The village seems to be in the process of modernizing, there were trenches every where. The villagers had set up their sale in a palapa, featuring the bead work they are famous for.Many of us bought the jewelry, masks, ornaments and purses. The trip back down the lake was a little rougher. A head wind had come up and the lake was choppy.
Back at the busses, the men found the "perfect woman". A woman was walking along the road selling cold beer. Sales were brisk and she walked back flat empty. Back on the busses and in the park at 6:30.
Vicente said that he and Danny organized the trip with a goal in mind. It was to try to help the villagers to a better Christmas time. We hope we have helped..

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