My last days in Mexico City were just right. Did some shopping at the big artisan market for family presents (and very weirdly ran into a couple of friends from London who will be getting married tomorrow in Acapulco!), hung out at a local cafe drinking coffee and reading, went out for a couple of delicious dinners (Califa - Best Tacos Ever). My B&B was in a great neighborhood, quiet but with lots of cafes and trendy shops and fabulous restaurants and taquerias. (The Red Tree House - highly recommended for anyone needing a place to stay in Mexico City). The flight home was fine, had my row to myself so it was quiet, even got to see a movie in English which was nice (Marley & Me, totally cried at the end. I'm such a sap).
When I finally got through immigration (nearly an hour, ugh) I emerged in Seattle to rain and cold, it was great to be home!! Next day woke up to sunshine and my brothers flowers are all blooming and the fruit trees are all in bloom and Mt. Rainier was out today. Best of all I've been spending lots of time playing with my niece Tiara; she's changed a lot while I've been gone! It's amazing how much growing a 2-year old can do in 2 months. We are having conversations now!
So, happy to be back! But missing Mexican food. It's the first time I've come home from a trip (especially one that long) and haven't been totally sick of the food. Also missing the friends that I made while down there and generally just readjusting to life in the US. It is very quiet here! I'd gotten used to the cacophony of birds, the church bells, the constant blaring of horns and traffic whizzing by, the loud music blaring and the people yelling everywhere. Mexico is a very loud country! It also feels strange not to be in motion, getting ready for the next big bus ride.
It was a good trip, I learned a lot and saw a lot and now know how much more I want to see the next time I get to travel down there! But for now I am hanging up my backpack and am going to settle down a bit. I am very lucky that I have been able to travel as much as I have in the past year. It's been wonderful and frustrating and exhausting and amazing and now I think I'm done for a while!
Thanks for reading (if indeed anyone has survived this long), and until next time... hasta luego!
peace.
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Monday, 20 April 2009
One More Day
Greetings from Mexico City!
It is monday afternoon and I fly out on Wednesday so I only have one full day left in Mexico. I'm pretty psyched to get home, I miss my family and my little niece and am looking forward to unpacking the pack one last time and sleeping in my own bed. In the meantime I have some more traipsing and wandering and shopping to do! and a bit more catching up on the past week.
Last wednesday I caught an early bus up to a village in the Oaxacan Sierra Norte. It is called Llano Grande and was reported to be a beautiful mountain village in the midst of a cloud forest. I wanted to see what the mountain area was like up there so I booked a night and a guide for a hike through the forest. Llano Grande is one of 6 (maybe 7?) villages that have joined together in a coop type organization to try to preserve the natural surroundings and stand together to resist developers and try to share their culture and environment with tourists instead of giving way to resorts and other destructive options for income. It's a pretty cool arrangement. They've been very successful and the eco-cabins that they built (at least in Llano Grande) were beautiful. Very basic but modern and very tastefully put together. No heat or AC but a huge fireplace where they built a fire for us at night which was wonderful. I was there at the same time as a Portugese woman so we hung out a bit. I was on my hike alone though. It is required to have a guide when hiking, mostly because none of the trails are marked and there are no maps. It was a pretty 5 hour hike up into the mountains with gorgeous views from big rock outcroppings scattered amongst the forest. I'm not sure about the cloud forest, my guide didn't understand when I tried to explain in spanish, but it was a lot like hiking in California. We ate a tiny little family restaurant (basically their kitchen with some tables and you eat whatever they happen to be preparing... that night delicious chicken mole). If I come back I'd love to arrange a trip where you hike from village to village and stay in the cabins at night. More ideas for next time!
Next day I booked on up to Mexico City then up to San Miguel de Allende to spend the weekend with some friends of mine who live there. He was my photography teacher from the first National Geo. course I took a few years back and their family have been living down here for almost 3 years now. It was great seeing them, they had other friends visiting as well so Saturday night was a big fiesta with lots of other ex-pats from the area. Quite an amazing group of people all with really interesting stories and lives. Sunday we went to La Gruta - a local hot springs and just lounged about at the pool for the morning then had a lazy afternoon. Last night was a delicious italian dinner at a huge hacienda up in the hills. All in all a fabulous weekend and a nice respite from being a tourist and trying to speak spanish! This morning found me on another bus back to Mexico city where I'm staying in an awesome B&B, a perfect end to the trip. Right now I'm off for some coffee and street wandering and probably some tacos later!
It is monday afternoon and I fly out on Wednesday so I only have one full day left in Mexico. I'm pretty psyched to get home, I miss my family and my little niece and am looking forward to unpacking the pack one last time and sleeping in my own bed. In the meantime I have some more traipsing and wandering and shopping to do! and a bit more catching up on the past week.
Last wednesday I caught an early bus up to a village in the Oaxacan Sierra Norte. It is called Llano Grande and was reported to be a beautiful mountain village in the midst of a cloud forest. I wanted to see what the mountain area was like up there so I booked a night and a guide for a hike through the forest. Llano Grande is one of 6 (maybe 7?) villages that have joined together in a coop type organization to try to preserve the natural surroundings and stand together to resist developers and try to share their culture and environment with tourists instead of giving way to resorts and other destructive options for income. It's a pretty cool arrangement. They've been very successful and the eco-cabins that they built (at least in Llano Grande) were beautiful. Very basic but modern and very tastefully put together. No heat or AC but a huge fireplace where they built a fire for us at night which was wonderful. I was there at the same time as a Portugese woman so we hung out a bit. I was on my hike alone though. It is required to have a guide when hiking, mostly because none of the trails are marked and there are no maps. It was a pretty 5 hour hike up into the mountains with gorgeous views from big rock outcroppings scattered amongst the forest. I'm not sure about the cloud forest, my guide didn't understand when I tried to explain in spanish, but it was a lot like hiking in California. We ate a tiny little family restaurant (basically their kitchen with some tables and you eat whatever they happen to be preparing... that night delicious chicken mole). If I come back I'd love to arrange a trip where you hike from village to village and stay in the cabins at night. More ideas for next time!
Next day I booked on up to Mexico City then up to San Miguel de Allende to spend the weekend with some friends of mine who live there. He was my photography teacher from the first National Geo. course I took a few years back and their family have been living down here for almost 3 years now. It was great seeing them, they had other friends visiting as well so Saturday night was a big fiesta with lots of other ex-pats from the area. Quite an amazing group of people all with really interesting stories and lives. Sunday we went to La Gruta - a local hot springs and just lounged about at the pool for the morning then had a lazy afternoon. Last night was a delicious italian dinner at a huge hacienda up in the hills. All in all a fabulous weekend and a nice respite from being a tourist and trying to speak spanish! This morning found me on another bus back to Mexico city where I'm staying in an awesome B&B, a perfect end to the trip. Right now I'm off for some coffee and street wandering and probably some tacos later!
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Temezcal
Okay, where was I?
Oaxaca...buying pottery on Monday!
Tuesday I chose to chill out and wander around town until 4pm when I had arranged an appointment for a Temezcal. A Temezcal is a pre-columbian traditional steam bath or sweat lodge kind of thing that is used for healing or religious purposes or just for bathing. I had read about these and was hoping to have a traditional one out in one of the villages but that didn´t work out so I was referred to a local healer/shaman who does them out of his house in Oaxaca. I wasn´t quite sure what to expect and almost backed out from nervousness and having to wander into some random guys house alone, but in the end I decided to be brave and adventurous and go for it.
I rang the bell and a short sturdy man with a big beard and a towel around his waist ushered me in. He gave me some tea and we talked a little about the tradition and what to expect. He then had me take my shoes off so he could do the preliminary healing ritual. He had a bouquet of healing herbs, some smouldering copal (type of wood native to the area= and a small glass of mescal (a type of tequila). I closed my eyes while he chanted and swatted me with the herbs. My feet, legs, arms, hands, back, belly and head. Then he took sips of the mescal and blew it on me in the same places (this he did not warn me about, it scared the crap out of me then I had to stifle a giggle). Then he hovered the smoking copal around behind and in front of me while chanting. Then held my hands and chanted more.
Next stage is the steam bath. I stripped down, wrapped myself in a towel and crawled into what amounts to a man-made square stone cave. It was only about 4 feet high inside and probably 6 feet by 8 feet in size. In one corner was a pile of hot volcanic rock with two pots of water, one hot and one cold, each with more medicinal herbs soaking in them. We settled in and he let down the rug that served as the door and it was pitch black. He threw some of the water on the rocks and I was engulfed by steam flavored with rosemary and all sorts of other smells. It was wonderful and crazy hot. I laid down as much as I could in the cramped space and was able to breath better down by the ground. We pretty much sat there and sweated for a while. I started to get a bit dizzy so he had me put my head by the door and opened it a bit so I could get some air. After a little while longer, out of the blue, he threw cold water on me and started swatting me with the herbs again. After the first shock of the cold water it felt great. The swatting was a bit harsh but I´m just rolling with it at this point. Eventually we exit and he has me lay down on more rugs and covers me with a big rug and has me rest for a while. Once my body has recovered a bit I have more tea then he gives me a massage, but not the gentle spa type of massage, a pretty aggressive fast-forward kind of massage. Then the phone rang (!) and he left the room and let me rest again for a while. Then a cold shower and I´m done.
It was all a bit surreal. A very interesting experience all in all. I defintely felt more relaxed and centered for the rest of the night but I think because of the urban surroundings and the immediate switch back into normal tourist mode it wasn´t quite as profound or spiritual as I think it could have the potential to be. In hindsight I should have skipped the urban version and should have been more organized ahead of time and been able to arrange a longer stay in one of the villages and be able to spend more time talking to the local shaman to learn more about it and what they do.
This trip is turning into a research expedition for the next time I come down. Lots of things I´d hoped to do and hoped to be able to organize once I got here and I´ve only ended up with contacts and information for future trips. But it´s a start.
Okay, I know I have a few more days to catch up on but for now I´ll have to sign off and write more later!
Oaxaca...buying pottery on Monday!
Tuesday I chose to chill out and wander around town until 4pm when I had arranged an appointment for a Temezcal. A Temezcal is a pre-columbian traditional steam bath or sweat lodge kind of thing that is used for healing or religious purposes or just for bathing. I had read about these and was hoping to have a traditional one out in one of the villages but that didn´t work out so I was referred to a local healer/shaman who does them out of his house in Oaxaca. I wasn´t quite sure what to expect and almost backed out from nervousness and having to wander into some random guys house alone, but in the end I decided to be brave and adventurous and go for it.
I rang the bell and a short sturdy man with a big beard and a towel around his waist ushered me in. He gave me some tea and we talked a little about the tradition and what to expect. He then had me take my shoes off so he could do the preliminary healing ritual. He had a bouquet of healing herbs, some smouldering copal (type of wood native to the area= and a small glass of mescal (a type of tequila). I closed my eyes while he chanted and swatted me with the herbs. My feet, legs, arms, hands, back, belly and head. Then he took sips of the mescal and blew it on me in the same places (this he did not warn me about, it scared the crap out of me then I had to stifle a giggle). Then he hovered the smoking copal around behind and in front of me while chanting. Then held my hands and chanted more.
Next stage is the steam bath. I stripped down, wrapped myself in a towel and crawled into what amounts to a man-made square stone cave. It was only about 4 feet high inside and probably 6 feet by 8 feet in size. In one corner was a pile of hot volcanic rock with two pots of water, one hot and one cold, each with more medicinal herbs soaking in them. We settled in and he let down the rug that served as the door and it was pitch black. He threw some of the water on the rocks and I was engulfed by steam flavored with rosemary and all sorts of other smells. It was wonderful and crazy hot. I laid down as much as I could in the cramped space and was able to breath better down by the ground. We pretty much sat there and sweated for a while. I started to get a bit dizzy so he had me put my head by the door and opened it a bit so I could get some air. After a little while longer, out of the blue, he threw cold water on me and started swatting me with the herbs again. After the first shock of the cold water it felt great. The swatting was a bit harsh but I´m just rolling with it at this point. Eventually we exit and he has me lay down on more rugs and covers me with a big rug and has me rest for a while. Once my body has recovered a bit I have more tea then he gives me a massage, but not the gentle spa type of massage, a pretty aggressive fast-forward kind of massage. Then the phone rang (!) and he left the room and let me rest again for a while. Then a cold shower and I´m done.
It was all a bit surreal. A very interesting experience all in all. I defintely felt more relaxed and centered for the rest of the night but I think because of the urban surroundings and the immediate switch back into normal tourist mode it wasn´t quite as profound or spiritual as I think it could have the potential to be. In hindsight I should have skipped the urban version and should have been more organized ahead of time and been able to arrange a longer stay in one of the villages and be able to spend more time talking to the local shaman to learn more about it and what they do.
This trip is turning into a research expedition for the next time I come down. Lots of things I´d hoped to do and hoped to be able to organize once I got here and I´ve only ended up with contacts and information for future trips. But it´s a start.
Okay, I know I have a few more days to catch up on but for now I´ll have to sign off and write more later!
Friday, 17 April 2009
Winding Down
Hello from Mexico City! This is just a one night stopover on my way up north to visit some friends in San Miguel de Allende. The past few days have been a mixture of much activity and lots of wandering around aimlessly. I only have a few minutes on this computer so I´ll give a quick rundown then give more details on a couple of things in another post, hopefully this weekend!
My last 2 days in San Cristobal were relaxing, mostly shopping and wandering. I did go see the Museum of Mayan Medicine which talks about indigenous methods of healing and medicinal plants. Very cool. Also saw a Jade Museum which was a bit of a yawn.
Then I had a 12 hour overnight bus trip to Oaxaca. Time for a side note on buses... Bus travel between cities is either second class or first class. Second class means clunky buses, maybe air conditioning and more importantly, many many stops along the way which means a very slow trip. First class usually means direct, airconditioned (sometimes way too much) and reasonably comfortable seats, like airline seats: comfortable but not much space for people over 6 feet tall. When booking the 12 hour marathon bus I noticed one that was a bit more expensive than the others. "That´s Luxury Class". There's more? Well, it turns out there is an Executive Class which means more room, headphones, a free drink and separate male/female bathrooms), and Luxury class which is all that but with much more room, and seats that recline almost all the way back. It was only $6 US more to upgrade and for a 12 hour overnight trip it was so so worth it!
So, I arrived in Oaxaca at 7am on Easter Sunday. I dropped off my pack at my hotel and wandered the very quiet streets for a while. Finally found a cafe that was open, right on the zocalo and had breakfast and coffee while watching the city wake up. I couldn't check into my hotel until later that afternoon so wandered around more, went to the market a bit then finally back to the hotel to crash for a while. I decided I wanted to take a trip up into the mountains where there was supposed to be a beautiful cloud forest and some wonderful small villages. Monday morning I planned to stop by the tour operator office, organize something then have the rest of the day to explore. Well, of course it took all morning to get something organized but by about 1pm I was free to explore.
Oaxaca is well-known for its artisans. There are many villages in the area that specialize in one type of craft or another and purportedly you can go out to the villages and talk to the artisans and see how they work. Sounds awesome. So I hopped a bus to San Bartolo de Coyote to see how the famous black potter of Oaxaca is made. Turns out it was just a bunch of shops and a makeshift market selling zillions of similar looking bits of pottery. Not much of the actual craft going on, just people trying to sell it to you. It was a bit disappointing but still an interesting experience. I did fine one kind of unique piece from a very interesting old woman who has been doing it her whole life. I think. She didn't really understand my spanish and I didn't understand her too well either.
Oops, running out of time....more later!
My last 2 days in San Cristobal were relaxing, mostly shopping and wandering. I did go see the Museum of Mayan Medicine which talks about indigenous methods of healing and medicinal plants. Very cool. Also saw a Jade Museum which was a bit of a yawn.
Then I had a 12 hour overnight bus trip to Oaxaca. Time for a side note on buses... Bus travel between cities is either second class or first class. Second class means clunky buses, maybe air conditioning and more importantly, many many stops along the way which means a very slow trip. First class usually means direct, airconditioned (sometimes way too much) and reasonably comfortable seats, like airline seats: comfortable but not much space for people over 6 feet tall. When booking the 12 hour marathon bus I noticed one that was a bit more expensive than the others. "That´s Luxury Class". There's more? Well, it turns out there is an Executive Class which means more room, headphones, a free drink and separate male/female bathrooms), and Luxury class which is all that but with much more room, and seats that recline almost all the way back. It was only $6 US more to upgrade and for a 12 hour overnight trip it was so so worth it!
So, I arrived in Oaxaca at 7am on Easter Sunday. I dropped off my pack at my hotel and wandered the very quiet streets for a while. Finally found a cafe that was open, right on the zocalo and had breakfast and coffee while watching the city wake up. I couldn't check into my hotel until later that afternoon so wandered around more, went to the market a bit then finally back to the hotel to crash for a while. I decided I wanted to take a trip up into the mountains where there was supposed to be a beautiful cloud forest and some wonderful small villages. Monday morning I planned to stop by the tour operator office, organize something then have the rest of the day to explore. Well, of course it took all morning to get something organized but by about 1pm I was free to explore.
Oaxaca is well-known for its artisans. There are many villages in the area that specialize in one type of craft or another and purportedly you can go out to the villages and talk to the artisans and see how they work. Sounds awesome. So I hopped a bus to San Bartolo de Coyote to see how the famous black potter of Oaxaca is made. Turns out it was just a bunch of shops and a makeshift market selling zillions of similar looking bits of pottery. Not much of the actual craft going on, just people trying to sell it to you. It was a bit disappointing but still an interesting experience. I did fine one kind of unique piece from a very interesting old woman who has been doing it her whole life. I think. She didn't really understand my spanish and I didn't understand her too well either.
Oops, running out of time....more later!
Thursday, 9 April 2009
On The Road Again!
Hello! Currently writing from an internet cafe in San Cristóbal de Casas in Chiapas, Mexico!
Last saturday was my last day in Mérida. It was predicted to be 111 degrees so my friend/classmate Erica and I decided to head to the beach. We went up to Progreso, the "local" beach which is about an hour north of town. We splurged for some actual beach chairs which were rented out by a bar on the beach and proceeded to spend the next few hours luxuriating in the sun with margaritas and swimming in the ocean when it got too hot. It was an awesome day (except for the wicked sunburn). Went out for drinks that night and said goodbye to all my newfound friends!
Sunday was a 2-hour busride to Campeche. I called for a taxi at 10:30 am and the person asked when my bus was. I said "11:30". She said "It´s 11:30 now." Shit. Stupid daylight savings time. Then she started trying to explain something about my ticket and I just wanted her to send a taxi and I couldn´t understand what she was saying and I knew I could switch the ticket when I got there but she wouldn´t send it and I kept asking her to slow down and she kept talking fast and finally she gave in and sent the taxi. Not an auspicious start to the trip. But I got there and was able to get another bus (had to pay more money of course) and was finally on the road.
I was only in Campeche for one night, and it was a sunday night at the beginning of Holy Week which is basically two weeks of spring break where there is no school and everyone goes on holiday. In otherwords, the town was totally dead... a wonderful change from hectic Mérida. It´s a pretty colonial town with all the buildings painted bright pastel colors. Erica and Karen (my former housemate from when I first got to Mérida) nicknamed it "Candyland" which suited it perfectly!
Monday was a 5 hour bus ride to Palenque. Because of the holiday I had a hard time finding a place to stay and ended up in town at a hotel right on the main square (as opposed to the hotels out near the ruins). The guidebook did not have many nice things to say about the town of Palenque and I completely agree. Tiny, very noisy, lots of construction, most of the restaurants and shops were on the extreme end of touristy. boo.
BUT... the ruins of Palenque were absolutely awesome. Like Chitzén Itza but in the jungle, and you can climb up onto some of them so you can get a view of the ruins, the area and the valley bellow. Just when I thought it couldn´t get any better, there were waterfalls. Beautiful cascading waterfalls hidden in the jungle! I love waterfalls. I heart Palenque. Totally awesome day. Went to dinner that night at the place my guidebook said was "deservedly the most popular place in town". It was packed and I ended up sharing a table with an older guy from LA (late 50s), his Guatemalan girlfriend/new fiance (he proposed that day on top of one of the pyramids) and her brother. It was a big awkward at first but we managed! She is bi-lingual, LA guy doesn´t speak spanish and her brother doesn´t speak english. Conversation was a bit wierd but after they had a few tequilas and I had a couple of beers everything was fine! I practiced my spanish with the brother and he gave me some tips on San Cristóbal and then said if I come back to Chiapas email him if I need info or help. Yay!
Next day was a 6 hour busride to San Cristóbal. By the time I got to my hotel (and after climbing 80 steps up the hill to my room with my massive pack and camera bag) I was tanked. It had been a busy few days (few weeks actually) and I was ready to stop for a while, but there were things to be done. After a quick nap I headed into town to book my ticket for Oaxaca (12 hour busride - looking forward to that one) and figure out what kind of tourist mischief I could get up to while here. I decided on a boat ride down the Sumidero Canyon which by all accounts was supposed to be amazing. So once I booked that I was ready to relax so I grabbed a chair at the cafe in the middle of the zocalo (main square) and pulled out my book and finally stopped moving!
As I sat there I finally started feeling like I was actually on vacation. The first 6 weeks here were all about school and work and even though it wasn´t full time it was still everyday so I never seemed to just stop and chill out. Except maybe for that margarita day on the beach. There was some serious chilling out that day. But I digress. I have a tendency to always be thinking about the next thing I need to be doing, whether it´s studying or working or making sure I remember to send that email or whatever. I´d like to say I´m going to slow down and enjoy the ride but I´ve promised myself that many times and still I just keep moving. I will try again, however, now that I´m back on the road and not working. Still need to be studying though... hrmph. See what I mean?
ANYWAY, went on the canyon ride this morning. It was pretty cool (we saw spider monkeys! from a distance, but still, how cool is that!). It was kind of like a very miniature grand canyon without as many cool colors.
Now I´ve got 2 days here in San Crisóbal. I decided not to do another tourist run in the hopes of getting some down time. Lots of little cafes here that are perfect for whiling away the afternoon with a book. Lots of markets and artisan stuff as well. If anyone is interested in amber jewelry let me know, this is amber jewelry heaven.
okay! that´s the latest! kind of a long one today, lots to catch up on though! I´m off to find a cafe and do a little bit of nothing.
thanks for reading if you´ve made it this far!
Last saturday was my last day in Mérida. It was predicted to be 111 degrees so my friend/classmate Erica and I decided to head to the beach. We went up to Progreso, the "local" beach which is about an hour north of town. We splurged for some actual beach chairs which were rented out by a bar on the beach and proceeded to spend the next few hours luxuriating in the sun with margaritas and swimming in the ocean when it got too hot. It was an awesome day (except for the wicked sunburn). Went out for drinks that night and said goodbye to all my newfound friends!
Sunday was a 2-hour busride to Campeche. I called for a taxi at 10:30 am and the person asked when my bus was. I said "11:30". She said "It´s 11:30 now." Shit. Stupid daylight savings time. Then she started trying to explain something about my ticket and I just wanted her to send a taxi and I couldn´t understand what she was saying and I knew I could switch the ticket when I got there but she wouldn´t send it and I kept asking her to slow down and she kept talking fast and finally she gave in and sent the taxi. Not an auspicious start to the trip. But I got there and was able to get another bus (had to pay more money of course) and was finally on the road.
I was only in Campeche for one night, and it was a sunday night at the beginning of Holy Week which is basically two weeks of spring break where there is no school and everyone goes on holiday. In otherwords, the town was totally dead... a wonderful change from hectic Mérida. It´s a pretty colonial town with all the buildings painted bright pastel colors. Erica and Karen (my former housemate from when I first got to Mérida) nicknamed it "Candyland" which suited it perfectly!
Monday was a 5 hour bus ride to Palenque. Because of the holiday I had a hard time finding a place to stay and ended up in town at a hotel right on the main square (as opposed to the hotels out near the ruins). The guidebook did not have many nice things to say about the town of Palenque and I completely agree. Tiny, very noisy, lots of construction, most of the restaurants and shops were on the extreme end of touristy. boo.
BUT... the ruins of Palenque were absolutely awesome. Like Chitzén Itza but in the jungle, and you can climb up onto some of them so you can get a view of the ruins, the area and the valley bellow. Just when I thought it couldn´t get any better, there were waterfalls. Beautiful cascading waterfalls hidden in the jungle! I love waterfalls. I heart Palenque. Totally awesome day. Went to dinner that night at the place my guidebook said was "deservedly the most popular place in town". It was packed and I ended up sharing a table with an older guy from LA (late 50s), his Guatemalan girlfriend/new fiance (he proposed that day on top of one of the pyramids) and her brother. It was a big awkward at first but we managed! She is bi-lingual, LA guy doesn´t speak spanish and her brother doesn´t speak english. Conversation was a bit wierd but after they had a few tequilas and I had a couple of beers everything was fine! I practiced my spanish with the brother and he gave me some tips on San Cristóbal and then said if I come back to Chiapas email him if I need info or help. Yay!
Next day was a 6 hour busride to San Cristóbal. By the time I got to my hotel (and after climbing 80 steps up the hill to my room with my massive pack and camera bag) I was tanked. It had been a busy few days (few weeks actually) and I was ready to stop for a while, but there were things to be done. After a quick nap I headed into town to book my ticket for Oaxaca (12 hour busride - looking forward to that one) and figure out what kind of tourist mischief I could get up to while here. I decided on a boat ride down the Sumidero Canyon which by all accounts was supposed to be amazing. So once I booked that I was ready to relax so I grabbed a chair at the cafe in the middle of the zocalo (main square) and pulled out my book and finally stopped moving!
As I sat there I finally started feeling like I was actually on vacation. The first 6 weeks here were all about school and work and even though it wasn´t full time it was still everyday so I never seemed to just stop and chill out. Except maybe for that margarita day on the beach. There was some serious chilling out that day. But I digress. I have a tendency to always be thinking about the next thing I need to be doing, whether it´s studying or working or making sure I remember to send that email or whatever. I´d like to say I´m going to slow down and enjoy the ride but I´ve promised myself that many times and still I just keep moving. I will try again, however, now that I´m back on the road and not working. Still need to be studying though... hrmph. See what I mean?
ANYWAY, went on the canyon ride this morning. It was pretty cool (we saw spider monkeys! from a distance, but still, how cool is that!). It was kind of like a very miniature grand canyon without as many cool colors.
Now I´ve got 2 days here in San Crisóbal. I decided not to do another tourist run in the hopes of getting some down time. Lots of little cafes here that are perfect for whiling away the afternoon with a book. Lots of markets and artisan stuff as well. If anyone is interested in amber jewelry let me know, this is amber jewelry heaven.
okay! that´s the latest! kind of a long one today, lots to catch up on though! I´m off to find a cafe and do a little bit of nothing.
thanks for reading if you´ve made it this far!
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Mini Adventure
Two posts in one week! Hoot!
I just had to share my little adventure yesterday. I went to Izamal for the day, a beautiful colonial city built on top of a former Mayan city. Much of the main part of town is painted in a soft egg-yolk yellow with white trim which is very pretty, especially in the afternoon light. There are small Mayan ruins dotted about the city and it's also known for its artisans. Many of the local crafts people have their workshops open to the public. You just show up and have a chat with them and see how they work. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but when I went to the first one (a guy who makes jewelry from henequin spines and coyocal seeds) I spent well over an hour there talking with them and getting a full rundown of the whole process.
It was a bit out of the way so after a 15 minute or so walk (in 105 degree heat) I arrived dripping with sweat and probably bright red. Javier welcomed me and had his helper bring the big fan into the room and point it directly at me. Yay! We chatted for a little while with the usual "where are you from" "do you speak spanish" and he showed me some of the jewelry which was really cool and reasonably priced. He asked if I wanted to see how it was made ("of course!") so we went in the back where his father was talking to some other tourists. We went in the back and walked around the garden, he showed me a henequin plant (a version of agave used for fiber instead of tequila. it used to be a huge industry here until plastics arrived then it went bust) and a coyocol tree (basically little tiny coconuts!) then how they were breaking up the coyocol shells so they can be refined into pieces for the jewelry. Then he asked me what I do for a living and we got into a long conversation about movies (this happens alot. Mexicans always ask "where are you from" "how old are you?" "are you married" and "what do you do?". Usually in that order and long before they ask your name. This is when they meet anyone, not just tourists. That's just the order in which they want to know things! And when they find out what I do it usually turns into a long conversation about movies and what parts are real and what parts are digital)
By that time the other tourists had left so we went back into the workshop, he showed me the tools and pieces of jewelry in progress then went up to the front to look at the jewelry again. Then his dad came out with a big smile and asked if I was the Shrek person. Yup! Then asked if I speak Mayan. Umm.. no. sorry. "Do you want to hear a Mayan song?" "of course!" So he sang me a song in Mayan, then in spanish. It was awesome! Then he taught me some words in Mayan: "ma'alob" means "esta bien" in spanish which is basically "it's all good!" "I'm content!" That's the only one I remember, but it's a good one!!
After that the sun was starting to set and I wanted pictures in the afternoon light so I didn't get a chance to visit any other workshops but I'd go back in a new york minute. Too bad I didn't make it out there earlier in my trip so I would've had time to plan a weekend there, but I've already booked a bus tickets onward. At least I know about it now and can come back someday!
I just had to share my little adventure yesterday. I went to Izamal for the day, a beautiful colonial city built on top of a former Mayan city. Much of the main part of town is painted in a soft egg-yolk yellow with white trim which is very pretty, especially in the afternoon light. There are small Mayan ruins dotted about the city and it's also known for its artisans. Many of the local crafts people have their workshops open to the public. You just show up and have a chat with them and see how they work. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but when I went to the first one (a guy who makes jewelry from henequin spines and coyocal seeds) I spent well over an hour there talking with them and getting a full rundown of the whole process.
It was a bit out of the way so after a 15 minute or so walk (in 105 degree heat) I arrived dripping with sweat and probably bright red. Javier welcomed me and had his helper bring the big fan into the room and point it directly at me. Yay! We chatted for a little while with the usual "where are you from" "do you speak spanish" and he showed me some of the jewelry which was really cool and reasonably priced. He asked if I wanted to see how it was made ("of course!") so we went in the back where his father was talking to some other tourists. We went in the back and walked around the garden, he showed me a henequin plant (a version of agave used for fiber instead of tequila. it used to be a huge industry here until plastics arrived then it went bust) and a coyocol tree (basically little tiny coconuts!) then how they were breaking up the coyocol shells so they can be refined into pieces for the jewelry. Then he asked me what I do for a living and we got into a long conversation about movies (this happens alot. Mexicans always ask "where are you from" "how old are you?" "are you married" and "what do you do?". Usually in that order and long before they ask your name. This is when they meet anyone, not just tourists. That's just the order in which they want to know things! And when they find out what I do it usually turns into a long conversation about movies and what parts are real and what parts are digital)
By that time the other tourists had left so we went back into the workshop, he showed me the tools and pieces of jewelry in progress then went up to the front to look at the jewelry again. Then his dad came out with a big smile and asked if I was the Shrek person. Yup! Then asked if I speak Mayan. Umm.. no. sorry. "Do you want to hear a Mayan song?" "of course!" So he sang me a song in Mayan, then in spanish. It was awesome! Then he taught me some words in Mayan: "ma'alob" means "esta bien" in spanish which is basically "it's all good!" "I'm content!" That's the only one I remember, but it's a good one!!
After that the sun was starting to set and I wanted pictures in the afternoon light so I didn't get a chance to visit any other workshops but I'd go back in a new york minute. Too bad I didn't make it out there earlier in my trip so I would've had time to plan a weekend there, but I've already booked a bus tickets onward. At least I know about it now and can come back someday!
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