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Hissing, sputtering & fuming: the source of city’s ‘hot river’
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- Published on Friday, 09 November 2012 12:11
- Written by John Pint
Without a doubt, the best-known feature of the Primavera Forest, situated on the fringes of Guadalajara, is its celebrated hot river. In fact, Río Caliente has become the symbol of the entire Bosque, even though the caldera in which it lies has plenty of other geologically interesting phenomena.
Apologizes due for wrong date
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- Published on Friday, 02 November 2012 12:51
- Written by GR Staff
We would like to extend a sincere apology to those residents of Lakeside who last weekend turned up to participate in a hike through the Primavera Forest to be led by the Reporter’s John Pint.
Exploring the Sierra de Tapalpa: Enjoy the view, food & fly if you dare
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- Published on Friday, 05 October 2012 10:33
- Written by John Pint
Fifteen years ago I camped in the gorgeous Sierra de Tapalpa at a place overlooking the big salt flats of Sayula, located about 20 kilometers west of Lake Chapala. In those remote woods up above, we discovered Alfredo, a man of letters living alone in a cabin, who seemed to have taken seriously the ancient admonition, “Know thyself.” I wrote an article about this “sagacious hermit-philosopher of the tall pines” in the May 24, 1997 edition of this newspaper.
Pine-needle creativity
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- Published on Friday, 26 October 2012 12:12
- Written by John Pint
A scream of terror rings out in the deep woods. A hiker races about in circles, leaping into the air and shaking her limbs wildly. “Something’s crawling up my pant leg!” she shrieks to her companions. Modesty cast aside, she rips off her pants to discover inside, not the scorpion, centipede or spider she expected, but a humble, utterly harmless, pine needle.
Ancient mud sculptures of human figures discovered in Oaxaca cave
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- Published on Friday, 28 September 2012 13:43
- Written by John Pint
The September 2012 issue of the National Speleological Society News (United States) reports a unique archaeological find near a small town in the eastern highlands of Oaxaca. More than 40 figures sculpted from mud were found inside “a river-filled cave with over one kilometer of passages,” writes explorer Tamara Ballensky. “They varied in size from about two to eight feet in length. The majority of the figures resembled humans … One of the most detailed female figures appeared to wear a beaded necklace and had tattoo-like designs on her shoulders.”
Prolific painters enchanted by Austrian landscapes
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- Published on Friday, 19 October 2012 14:46
- Written by John Pint
The Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce is exhibiting the results of a two-week “plein-air” painting trip to Austria taken recently by two of Guadalajara’s best-known artists: Jorge Monroy and Ilse Taylor Hable.
El Diente festival draws 1,000+ rock climbers & friends
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- Published on Friday, 21 September 2012 11:18
- Written by John Pint
El Diente is a huge, tooth-shaped monolith which—for as long as anyone can remember—has been the favorite hangout (literally) for Guadalajara’s rock climbers to gather and practice their skills. The Tooth is located only five kilometers north of the city’s Periférico or Ring Road and is just one rock among a veritable forest of monoliths nestled between the rustic villages of Río Blanco and San Estéban.
The Rocks of Quila El Grande: Searching for monoliths, landing in wildflower heaven
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- Published on Friday, 12 October 2012 12:30
- Written by John Pint
Thanks to a turtle, I stumbled upon yet another part of Jalisco which can only be described as “stunning” for its natural beauty.
The NOkidd’n NOphone: Recalling Mexico when Telmex was all we had
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- Published on Friday, 14 September 2012 12:26
- Written by John Pint
CNN tells me the whole world is abuzz over the imminent release of the Snapple Phone 5… or was it the Gooseberry Smellphone 9981… or maybe the Androgynous Flan 4.2? Somehow the exact name escapes me – tasty as they all sound – probably because I’m completely sold on my own, personal mobile device: the truly versatile NOkidd’n NOphone. Believe it or not, my NOphone has been serving me faithfully for 71 years, nonstop and has never gone out of range and never let me down, even in the remote and barren wastes of the Saudi desert where I once spent some time.