Española
is Felliniesque town. It dates back to the conquistadors. The
streets twist around and across the Rio Grande. It feels like a big
barrio that thins out into Indian reservations.
Emily
had made a reservation at El Paragua, a Mexican restaurant we hadn't
tried before. When I called to confirm, all I could get was a
recording saying they were closed on that specific day. What? Did
they burn down, get robbed, or something?
Luckily,
there was a Chinese place right in front of the motel. The servers
were teenage girls who spoke Chinese to each other. Conversation in
Chinese, along with the sound of frying came from the kitchen. The
decor was kung fu kitsch. And the food was good, too.
You
never know what you'll find in Española.
Tattooed
characters milled around in the lobby as we checked in. The halls
reeked of stale cigarette smoke. One of the rooms we rented smelled
moldy. A sign on the dilapidated parking lot fence warned: NOT
RESPONSIBLE FOR THEFT OR DAMAGE TO VEHICLES.
Surrealistically,
both of our rooms had two identical copies of the same bad art print.
They were probably in all the rooms. The owner probably got a deal
for buying them in bulk.
Later,
we witnessed a drug deal in front a NO LOITERING VIOLATORS WILL BE
PROSECUTED sign.
In
Taos, a lot of our favorite places were closed, going the way of the
Wired? Cafe. A guy hooked up to an oxygen tank, who was trying to fix
a truck, told us the same thing happened to the Coffee Spot. The mural of
Billy the Kid with an arrow through his hat and others near it had been
whitewashed. A lot of businesses were closed, the spaces for rent.
It's
like a hipster apocalypse, though tattoos and man-buns are still
plentiful.
Back
in Española, we finally got to
eat at El Paragua. They said no need for reservations, just come on
down. More great tacos, handmade tortillas, and wonderful Latinoid
decor.
Pancho
Villa smiled from a wanted poster.
Next
door they had El Parasol, a takeout annex. Just thinking about their
menu makes my mouth water. Award-winning tacos, tubs of beans, rice,
and menudo to go. Some kind of paradise.
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