Part I, Page Two
During this drive we have decided to stop off at the little village of Torreon, where Vicky's daughter works as a school teacher. One of many fine programs that the government has instituted is an undergraduate teacher program to not only help educate the kids, but to help students with their expenses for higher learning. Brenda is 15 years old and bright. Her grades were high enough to be selected for this program. She teaches kindergarten age kids for one or two years and receives board and room plus a salary of $1300 pesos per month while she teaches and $1300 pesos a month for two or three years after. Brenda plans to finish her high school and then attend airline stewardess school in Tepic, so this will work out fine for her. There is a shortage of teachers in the small remote villages. After being selected, the teachers-to-be attend a one-month indoctrination course and then are posted. (They don't know until the last minute where they will be.)
Just a couple of K's past Chapalilla, we come to the turnoff to El Torreon. We turn right and enter the little pueblo, which is very poor. Not much here but the standard government-built school and the usual basketball court. In good times about 150 souls live here, but these are not good times. We see mostly old people and a few mothers with babies. There is not a single able young man in town and only a few unmarried women. There is little or no work, and the young have fled to the cities or become illegals in the U.S. An effort has been made to cobblestone the streets sometime in the past, but time and rains have not been kind, and they have almost been reduced to a rough track. We stop in front of the casa of familia Ceceña Vasquez. This is where Brenda and another teacher live this month. (A little nostalgia here; this is how teachers in America lived more than a century ago. Passed from family to family.) All of the community take turns giving them board and room. We visit with Brenda and Señora Ceceña Vasquez. During the visit, Brenda tells us about a wonderful new place that she has visited, and nearby. We decide to have Brenda show us.
Off we go. Still heading in the same direction, and from the point where we left off, we continue on. We come to the turnoff for the toll road to Guadalajara, but we continue straight. A couple of K's down the highway we see a sign that says "Santa Isabel." The town lies off to the left and there are highway stalls selling ceramics, honey, and various other things. When we reach the first stall we turn right and go down a narrow, but good, dirt road. We continue for the better part of a kilometro. When we reach a junction with a road going off to the left, Brenda says "This is it." (She speaks English and is studying French.) We park just off of the road and walk only a few yards to what was our right. There we overlook a beautiful little tropical green valley. Immediately below us is a waterfall dropping into an inviting pool, which flows into another, and another, and cascades into a little river. I just stop and stare at this beautiful little Eden. We snap a couple of photos and walk down a stone pathway and stairs, which were bult by the locals. After just sever minutes of descent, we arrive at a small grass carpeted area that is surrounded by pools and small waterfalls. What a perfect place to spend the day. Bring your swimsuit, beer cooler, lovely company, and while away the day. Oh yes!!! Some of the pools are quite swimmable and the river appears to be safe and the water is icy cold. What more could you ask for on a hot and humid day?
After relaxing and meditating in this wonderful place, we take Brenda home and continue our journey.
Bob Howell
[See Bob's story "La Maestra Brenda" for more about Brenda and the village she taught in]
