January 17, 2005-February 17, 2005
So I have arrived in wonderful, beautiful, magical Oaxaca and I now know why I felt the need to come back. The bustling city, so noisy and full of stories and life. I can only compare the architecture and general feel of the city to those of Europe that I haven´t seen myself...the colonial buildings and lack of skyscrapers...aaah...but this Mexican city has that congeniality and amazing happiness that only the underlying poverty can bring. It is absolutely amazing how bright a smile can be on a sun-browned wrinkled face that has known nothing but hard-work.
I am staying at a hostel I stayed at before and I am speaking primarily Spanish everyday. I really like the hostel. I love the boys and 1 Mexican chica that run the place. They are all so nice and welcoming. I have also already met three women who are all traveling alone...1 German and two gringas. They will be here for varying amounts of time, but I am excited. My Spanish is getting better and better as is my salsa dancing.
Other than that, I am excited for when my gringa friend Maria comes to visit, but right now I am pretty tired after dancing the night away last night and then going out for late-night tlyudas (Oaxacan style pizza-mas o menos)...
...Well, I have survived another week and half in sunny Oaxaca. I feel like I have done so little and so much at the same time, that I don't even know where to begin. It all still seems like such a dream. I hope that when Maria comes, her presence from my "real life" will bring this whole Mexican experience more into reality.
Pues, I have just gotten to know the city more and more. I have found a school that has meditation, yoga and astrology classes at night and I have also been taking Spanish lessons. I think I may be settling down here. The people I live with are great...there is a German/Mexican couple in particular that have become my good friends. The girl is German and the guy is Oaxacan and we just speak Spanish all the time. I like the hostel a lot because the laid back atmosphere attracts people who come to Oaxaca to stay for awhile so the scene is not as transient as it has been in other hostels.
Anyway, a week ago a group of seven of us all went out to a little town in the mountains for an adventure that none of us will forget. We were two German girls, two Mexican boys and three Gringas and we all went to do a temescal. A temescal is the ancient, indigenous form of a sauna and is said to have curative properties for both the body and the soul. We went to a town called Capulapan and stayed the night at a health center where they do massages, births with midwifes, herbal cleansing as well as the temescal. All of of got a massage as well as a "cleansing" which involved being swatted with herbs and then rubbed down with an uncracked egg. After being rubbed down with the egg, the woman cracks the egg into a glass of water and tells you what ailments she can see. It was crazy because as we each went into the room one by one and not one of us had a physical ailment. We all were confronted with whatever demons we are facing at this point in our lives. The cleansing is what began the rest of the battle.
Our intention was to the temescal that night which means that you can not eat for two hours before going in so you don't get sick. However, after trying to heat up the temescal ourselves two times, we realized that we may have to wait until the morning to have a really hot temescal. So we all stayed up that night playing cards and laughing deliriously all wishing that we had some food to eat before going to bed. Pues, the next morning we woke up and the temescal had already been prepared and we all jumped in. Remember we haven't eaten anything substantial for about 18 hours.
Well, when most people stay in the sauna for two hours, 15 minutes passed before Lalo looked at all of us and said, "I think we need to get out here."
The difference in temperature between the inside of the temescal and the outside is quite shocking and one by one as we exited we all started fainting. It sounds a lot worse than it actually was. The fact that we all cuddled up into the same bed...all 7 of us and basically slept away our delirium along with the rest of the day. It was this amazing bonding experience that when we returned to the hostel and were asked how it was, Lalo responded by saying, "We are all warriors that have returned from battle."
Other than that...I have just been dancing the week-ends away. Now, I am just waiting for Maria to come. I am pissed though because she was supposed to come in today, but her flight got cancelled and she can't get in until tomorrow. Pinche United!!!! But, we have a big two weeks planned. We are going to go out into the mountains with a Mexican friend of mine and then do some shopping and sight-seeing in the city the next day. Then off to the beach for at least a week I imagine. We'll get back to Oaxaca in time for a concert by Lila Downs who is supposed to be fantastic and the concert has already practically sold out.
I am so excited...
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Oaxaca...Antes. Pt. 2
February 18, 2005-March 23, 2005
The time passes in Mexico strangely...at times the days seem to escape me, night falls fast and I realize i haven't done anything. but, like now, i realize two weeks or more have passed and so much has happened, yet it feels like yesterday.
So, where to begin...I'll begin with the arrival of Maria. My friend Maria came to visit for two weeks and it was so nice to finally share this mexicana part of my life with someone who knows me and understands me in the American part of my life. I was excited to bring these two worlds together and I knew that my friends here would love Maria instantly and they did.
Maria and I stayed in Oaxaca for a couple of days. The first day she was here, a friend of mine, Anuar, took us on a tour to a place called Hierve el Agua. It is about an hour and a half by car and usually people bus it out there. Luckily we had Anuar in his decked out Neon that he races annually in a road rally from Oaxaca to the coast. So, maybe the trip actually takes 2 hours by car when a professional racecar driver isn't driving. It was absolutely gorgeous driving out to Hierve el Agua, up and up into the mountains. Hierve el Agua means "the water boils" and it is called that not because the water is hot, but because it is a spring that bubbles up from the cliff side. This little park consists of an amazing set of petrified waterfalls that hang down the cliff side and a set of blue green pools, which are fit for swimming. The location is unreal. The biggest and deepest pool is set in a way on the cliff that when you are swimming in the pool it appears as if the water extends to and falls off the edge. It was a gorgeous day and we were practically the only people there so we swam and sunned ourselves.
The next day or two we spent shopping and walking around the city. Mexican time is really contagious because although I had a list of sights to see and things to do everyday, only about half of everything got done. But I guess in Mexico life isn't about efficiency and deadlines, it is about living, loving and experiencing life. We spent time in the market looking for leather and other wares and We spent the time talking to the vendors, developing a relationship so we became more than just two gringas looking to buy. We gained their respect as well as a fair price. Both Maria and I bought beautiful hand-made leather purses, each for under twenty dollars and we ate ice cream in the ice cream market and saw a few churches.
After all was said and done, we were off to the beach with two French girls and an Australian. We went to beach town called Mazunte, which is exactly that, a town that is the beach. There is one road in Mazunte that has a few stores on it and restaurants, but the main area is the beach. We stayed in a little palapa run by a Mexican family who's matriarch we lovingly called "Big Mama". In Mazunte there is no reason to leave your palapa or the 50 meters extending to the water in front of your palapa. Our cabana overlooked the mighty Pacific and we fell asleep every night to the waves crashing onto shore. I unfortunately got sick in Mazunte (from heat stroke and not bacteria) so I slept for about two days, but I still got a pretty good tan. There is not much to say about our trip to the beach. The only big decisions that had to be made were whether or not to wear sandals down to dinner, or to change out of our bathing suits, or to put on more sun screen. Here again, we would just pass the time making friends with the beach vendors or with the people who worked at our palapa.
Unfortunately, the beach time could not last forever and we had to head back to the city, not just Oaxaca, but the gigantically huge Mexico City. we had been planning to get into Mexico City and have a day and a half to the sights, but our last night in Oaxaca we met two unbelievably funny Canadians who kept us up until 4 in the morning crying from laughter. But such is the life of a traveller...that night was our only night with the boys because they left the next day, but Maria and I missed our bus and ended up taking an overnight bus to the big, bad city.
i must admit, although I am from Chicago, which is a pretty big city itself, Mexico City intimidates me. It is incomprehensible in size and everyone has heard at least one horror story of robbery or kidnapping. It wasn't that bad. We were only there for one day, but we stayed right by the government palace and had a good time. We saw the amazing Diego Rivera murals inside the palace and the education building. Diego's work rivals that of any other artist. The time and immensity of his murals are awe-inspiring. What is also inspiring is that Mexico has amazing works of art that tells the story of their people and really showcase their cultural in their government buildings. And the architecture! And the streets filled with noise and life and make-shift markets of people selling everything and anything. I would like to go back to the city again...the city that intimidates, intrigues and repels so many...
My energy level here in Mexico has been a roller coaster lately. I got homesick a couple days ago, but today I am feeling at home again after having rested a bit. I really do feel exhilarated by the fact that I am getting to know this foreign country so intimately, or at least one region. Mexico is amazing and screwed up all at the same time.
The time passes in Mexico strangely...at times the days seem to escape me, night falls fast and I realize i haven't done anything. but, like now, i realize two weeks or more have passed and so much has happened, yet it feels like yesterday.
So, where to begin...I'll begin with the arrival of Maria. My friend Maria came to visit for two weeks and it was so nice to finally share this mexicana part of my life with someone who knows me and understands me in the American part of my life. I was excited to bring these two worlds together and I knew that my friends here would love Maria instantly and they did.
Maria and I stayed in Oaxaca for a couple of days. The first day she was here, a friend of mine, Anuar, took us on a tour to a place called Hierve el Agua. It is about an hour and a half by car and usually people bus it out there. Luckily we had Anuar in his decked out Neon that he races annually in a road rally from Oaxaca to the coast. So, maybe the trip actually takes 2 hours by car when a professional racecar driver isn't driving. It was absolutely gorgeous driving out to Hierve el Agua, up and up into the mountains. Hierve el Agua means "the water boils" and it is called that not because the water is hot, but because it is a spring that bubbles up from the cliff side. This little park consists of an amazing set of petrified waterfalls that hang down the cliff side and a set of blue green pools, which are fit for swimming. The location is unreal. The biggest and deepest pool is set in a way on the cliff that when you are swimming in the pool it appears as if the water extends to and falls off the edge. It was a gorgeous day and we were practically the only people there so we swam and sunned ourselves.
The next day or two we spent shopping and walking around the city. Mexican time is really contagious because although I had a list of sights to see and things to do everyday, only about half of everything got done. But I guess in Mexico life isn't about efficiency and deadlines, it is about living, loving and experiencing life. We spent time in the market looking for leather and other wares and We spent the time talking to the vendors, developing a relationship so we became more than just two gringas looking to buy. We gained their respect as well as a fair price. Both Maria and I bought beautiful hand-made leather purses, each for under twenty dollars and we ate ice cream in the ice cream market and saw a few churches.
After all was said and done, we were off to the beach with two French girls and an Australian. We went to beach town called Mazunte, which is exactly that, a town that is the beach. There is one road in Mazunte that has a few stores on it and restaurants, but the main area is the beach. We stayed in a little palapa run by a Mexican family who's matriarch we lovingly called "Big Mama". In Mazunte there is no reason to leave your palapa or the 50 meters extending to the water in front of your palapa. Our cabana overlooked the mighty Pacific and we fell asleep every night to the waves crashing onto shore. I unfortunately got sick in Mazunte (from heat stroke and not bacteria) so I slept for about two days, but I still got a pretty good tan. There is not much to say about our trip to the beach. The only big decisions that had to be made were whether or not to wear sandals down to dinner, or to change out of our bathing suits, or to put on more sun screen. Here again, we would just pass the time making friends with the beach vendors or with the people who worked at our palapa.
Unfortunately, the beach time could not last forever and we had to head back to the city, not just Oaxaca, but the gigantically huge Mexico City. we had been planning to get into Mexico City and have a day and a half to the sights, but our last night in Oaxaca we met two unbelievably funny Canadians who kept us up until 4 in the morning crying from laughter. But such is the life of a traveller...that night was our only night with the boys because they left the next day, but Maria and I missed our bus and ended up taking an overnight bus to the big, bad city.
i must admit, although I am from Chicago, which is a pretty big city itself, Mexico City intimidates me. It is incomprehensible in size and everyone has heard at least one horror story of robbery or kidnapping. It wasn't that bad. We were only there for one day, but we stayed right by the government palace and had a good time. We saw the amazing Diego Rivera murals inside the palace and the education building. Diego's work rivals that of any other artist. The time and immensity of his murals are awe-inspiring. What is also inspiring is that Mexico has amazing works of art that tells the story of their people and really showcase their cultural in their government buildings. And the architecture! And the streets filled with noise and life and make-shift markets of people selling everything and anything. I would like to go back to the city again...the city that intimidates, intrigues and repels so many...
My energy level here in Mexico has been a roller coaster lately. I got homesick a couple days ago, but today I am feeling at home again after having rested a bit. I really do feel exhilarated by the fact that I am getting to know this foreign country so intimately, or at least one region. Mexico is amazing and screwed up all at the same time.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Si el Sur Fuera el Norte
October 26, 2006
I am back in mi querido Mexico.
Riding in the taxi through the crowded, loud streets of Mexico City definitely brought the nostalgic tears to my eyes.
Yes, I was thinking about Kike and wondering if i maybe came back to Mexico too soon. I was worried about missing him and being reminded of him, but i got over that pretty quick.
I arrived in the late afternoon on Saturday and just hung out and chilled in my hostel. For Sunday, I had a mission. There was a HUGE book fair going on in the Zocalo {the main plaza} where I wanted to pick up a few books in Spanish and then a neighborhood market that only happens on Sundays called Lagunilla. I had gone to Lagunilla before with Kike and i had wanted more time to look around. They sell everything there like clothes, shoes, jewelry, antiques, crafts, but all with a Bohemian twist.
The coolest thing about going to this market though was that i had decided to walk there. Kike and I had walked there and I knew it was a straight shot from downtown, but you know, it's big, bad Mexico City, tourists don't just walk around. Well, I asked the guy working the front desk at the hostel if he thought it was safe to walk and he gave me an unequivocal, "no hay problema," and I headed off. What a great feeling it was. It was so easy and i feel like I own this little part of Mexico City now. Getting there was so simple and I spent a couple hours at the market buying stuff to make jewelry and some jewelry. It was so empowering!!
Then I headed back to downtown and had lunch at the family/run restaurant that Kike and I always ate at. It has good authentic Mexican food and it is in this big old house in the middle of downtown Mexico City. I had my regular Sopes con Pollo. The best part was that when I was paying the guy looks at me and asks, "Are you here all by yourself? Didn't you used to come in with a tall dark guy?" That made me kind of sad when I told him that yes i did, but not anymore, but it also made me feel good that he remembered me.
Anyway, that afternoon Allison and her friend came and immediately went to sleep after a long weekend of partying at their friend's wedding in Acapulco, so I went up to the rooftop bar and chatted it up with the bartenders.
Today we have decided to go to a town called San Miguel de Allende which was rated one of the top 20 places to retire in the world, so I have a feeling the crowd is going to be a little on the gray/haired side. We will only be there for a night and then we go to Guanajuato for the widely celebrated, world/renowned Cervantes festival of art and music.
So, I have now come to northern Mexico (Northern Mexico being as different from Southern Mexico as the West coast is from the East in the US) and I don´t think I will ever tire of this pinche country.
Last night we stayed in San Miguel de Allende which really was retiree city. Even though migration season for the snow-birds doesn`t start until mid-December, there were still quite a few walking the tranquil streets. We are all pretty impressed with he town even though the restaurants, stores and wine cellars all could have been plucked straight from California. We ate at a really nice restaurant and went to a couple bars. At night we met a nice Mexican dude who took us to a couple local locales and then went to bed.
We just arrived a couple hours ago to Guanjuato, the university/festival town and oh my god!!! We are all speechless wandering around the hilly, colonial streets. This is by far one of the most impressive cities I have seen. Our hotel is also this funky, ancient, awesomely tiled wonder that also doubles as the house for the owner Lupita. She couldn`t be friendlier. I do not understand why there aren`t more tour groups that come here. San Miguel de Allende is only 1 1/2 hours away and there hot springs all around. I could definitely design a 10 day tour around these two towns and Guadalajara or Mexico City depending on how people wanted to come. Any takers?
Well, I am madly in love again with this beautiful country...the Spanish, the food, the architecture. I am in love with being so intimate with this lifestyle. Allison and I are already scheming about renting a house for month in Guanajuato in the spring. I keep saying I want to go to South America, but there is just so much to see here.
We spent 3 awe-struck days in Guanajuato, seeing all the sights. We saw Diego Rivera´s childhood home and some of his works. We climbed up un moton de stairs to reach the statue "La Pipila" and get a tremendous panoramic view of the city. We people watched and met a few folks.
We spent a day focused around death, which is quite appropriate considering Dia de los Muertos is right around the corner.
The Mexican chavo we me in San Miguel de Allende told us that if you wanted to see the famous mummies of Guanajuato all you had to do was go to the plaza in San Miguel on any given morning and you´ll see them. The blue-haired snow-birds reading the morning paper. Hahahaha...funny joke. Little did we know that there really are famous mummies in Guanajuato and their in Guanajuato city.
We went to the mummy museum next to the cometary on the outskirts of town. See, in 186-something the people of Guanajuato needed to make more space in their cemetery, so they logically decided to dig up some old corpses to make room for the new ones. The climate and unusual soil content in Guanajuato had strange effect on the cadavers. The had been naturally mummified and now are on display in the museum. There are about 20+ mummies in glass coffin-like cases--some clothed, others not, some with remnants of facial hair, some with hair in other parts, old women, babies. It was crazy. Then we peeked our heads into the cemetery and walked back to town.
After 3 days and the growing crowds of festival goers with approaching week-end, we decided to skip town and explore somewhere new. Based on time and funds we chose the "undiscovered jewel" that is Quéretaro.
One of the first things I noticed as we were walking around trying to find a place to stay was that the people and place seemed very affluent. We ate dinner in a crowded, hip, expensive Tapas restaurant/bar that had literally 200 tequila bottles on the walls. There were nice restaurants, coffee shops and expensive cars, but the weird things was that there were practically no tourists there. This little town seemed to be oozing with money, but I could not figure out where it was coming from.
We went out that night to dance club road where we danced to cheesy Latin pop. We were out pretty late and once again everyone was very finely dressed to the nine´s. Well, I found out that there is a lot of German investment in the town-plastics factories and mechanical engineering centers. It was very interesting. Queretaro would definitely be a stop on my ten-day tour.
After buying tequila at a liquor store, Graham, Allison and I headed back to DF to drop Graham off at the airport.
Without Graham the ladies were set free and we were headed to the beach.
I decided we should go to the best beach community I have seen in Mexico, Puerto Escondido. The only problem with Puerto is that you have to go through Oaxaca city to get there.
I love Oaxaca and wanted to show it to Allison, but what about the teacher´s riot? The army being called in to quell the un-rest? The rumors of dead tourists? I wanted to see what it was like for myself...and I took Allison along for the ride...
I am back in mi querido Mexico.
Riding in the taxi through the crowded, loud streets of Mexico City definitely brought the nostalgic tears to my eyes.
Yes, I was thinking about Kike and wondering if i maybe came back to Mexico too soon. I was worried about missing him and being reminded of him, but i got over that pretty quick.
I arrived in the late afternoon on Saturday and just hung out and chilled in my hostel. For Sunday, I had a mission. There was a HUGE book fair going on in the Zocalo {the main plaza} where I wanted to pick up a few books in Spanish and then a neighborhood market that only happens on Sundays called Lagunilla. I had gone to Lagunilla before with Kike and i had wanted more time to look around. They sell everything there like clothes, shoes, jewelry, antiques, crafts, but all with a Bohemian twist.
The coolest thing about going to this market though was that i had decided to walk there. Kike and I had walked there and I knew it was a straight shot from downtown, but you know, it's big, bad Mexico City, tourists don't just walk around. Well, I asked the guy working the front desk at the hostel if he thought it was safe to walk and he gave me an unequivocal, "no hay problema," and I headed off. What a great feeling it was. It was so easy and i feel like I own this little part of Mexico City now. Getting there was so simple and I spent a couple hours at the market buying stuff to make jewelry and some jewelry. It was so empowering!!
Then I headed back to downtown and had lunch at the family/run restaurant that Kike and I always ate at. It has good authentic Mexican food and it is in this big old house in the middle of downtown Mexico City. I had my regular Sopes con Pollo. The best part was that when I was paying the guy looks at me and asks, "Are you here all by yourself? Didn't you used to come in with a tall dark guy?" That made me kind of sad when I told him that yes i did, but not anymore, but it also made me feel good that he remembered me.
Anyway, that afternoon Allison and her friend came and immediately went to sleep after a long weekend of partying at their friend's wedding in Acapulco, so I went up to the rooftop bar and chatted it up with the bartenders.
Today we have decided to go to a town called San Miguel de Allende which was rated one of the top 20 places to retire in the world, so I have a feeling the crowd is going to be a little on the gray/haired side. We will only be there for a night and then we go to Guanajuato for the widely celebrated, world/renowned Cervantes festival of art and music.
So, I have now come to northern Mexico (Northern Mexico being as different from Southern Mexico as the West coast is from the East in the US) and I don´t think I will ever tire of this pinche country.
Last night we stayed in San Miguel de Allende which really was retiree city. Even though migration season for the snow-birds doesn`t start until mid-December, there were still quite a few walking the tranquil streets. We are all pretty impressed with he town even though the restaurants, stores and wine cellars all could have been plucked straight from California. We ate at a really nice restaurant and went to a couple bars. At night we met a nice Mexican dude who took us to a couple local locales and then went to bed.
We just arrived a couple hours ago to Guanjuato, the university/festival town and oh my god!!! We are all speechless wandering around the hilly, colonial streets. This is by far one of the most impressive cities I have seen. Our hotel is also this funky, ancient, awesomely tiled wonder that also doubles as the house for the owner Lupita. She couldn`t be friendlier. I do not understand why there aren`t more tour groups that come here. San Miguel de Allende is only 1 1/2 hours away and there hot springs all around. I could definitely design a 10 day tour around these two towns and Guadalajara or Mexico City depending on how people wanted to come. Any takers?
Well, I am madly in love again with this beautiful country...the Spanish, the food, the architecture. I am in love with being so intimate with this lifestyle. Allison and I are already scheming about renting a house for month in Guanajuato in the spring. I keep saying I want to go to South America, but there is just so much to see here.
We spent 3 awe-struck days in Guanajuato, seeing all the sights. We saw Diego Rivera´s childhood home and some of his works. We climbed up un moton de stairs to reach the statue "La Pipila" and get a tremendous panoramic view of the city. We people watched and met a few folks.
We spent a day focused around death, which is quite appropriate considering Dia de los Muertos is right around the corner.
The Mexican chavo we me in San Miguel de Allende told us that if you wanted to see the famous mummies of Guanajuato all you had to do was go to the plaza in San Miguel on any given morning and you´ll see them. The blue-haired snow-birds reading the morning paper. Hahahaha...funny joke. Little did we know that there really are famous mummies in Guanajuato and their in Guanajuato city.
We went to the mummy museum next to the cometary on the outskirts of town. See, in 186-something the people of Guanajuato needed to make more space in their cemetery, so they logically decided to dig up some old corpses to make room for the new ones. The climate and unusual soil content in Guanajuato had strange effect on the cadavers. The had been naturally mummified and now are on display in the museum. There are about 20+ mummies in glass coffin-like cases--some clothed, others not, some with remnants of facial hair, some with hair in other parts, old women, babies. It was crazy. Then we peeked our heads into the cemetery and walked back to town.
After 3 days and the growing crowds of festival goers with approaching week-end, we decided to skip town and explore somewhere new. Based on time and funds we chose the "undiscovered jewel" that is Quéretaro.
One of the first things I noticed as we were walking around trying to find a place to stay was that the people and place seemed very affluent. We ate dinner in a crowded, hip, expensive Tapas restaurant/bar that had literally 200 tequila bottles on the walls. There were nice restaurants, coffee shops and expensive cars, but the weird things was that there were practically no tourists there. This little town seemed to be oozing with money, but I could not figure out where it was coming from.
We went out that night to dance club road where we danced to cheesy Latin pop. We were out pretty late and once again everyone was very finely dressed to the nine´s. Well, I found out that there is a lot of German investment in the town-plastics factories and mechanical engineering centers. It was very interesting. Queretaro would definitely be a stop on my ten-day tour.
After buying tequila at a liquor store, Graham, Allison and I headed back to DF to drop Graham off at the airport.
Without Graham the ladies were set free and we were headed to the beach.
I decided we should go to the best beach community I have seen in Mexico, Puerto Escondido. The only problem with Puerto is that you have to go through Oaxaca city to get there.
I love Oaxaca and wanted to show it to Allison, but what about the teacher´s riot? The army being called in to quell the un-rest? The rumors of dead tourists? I wanted to see what it was like for myself...and I took Allison along for the ride...
Esta Escrito en las Paredes
November 2, 2006
Poor, poor, poor Oaxaca.
Oh, the Oaxaca I knew from before with it´s bustling, beautiful, colonial streets. Oh the Oaxaca with smiling faces and throngs of tourists. Oh, Oaxaca.
I had called ahead before going and asked what the situation was like. My Oaxacan friends all assured me that it was safe to come, if not a little boring. They said there weren´t many tourists, but that any business there would be greatly appreciated. I asked around to other travelers who had been there and they had said everything was fine. Allison and I also wanted to go to a beach and I wanted to make sure Allison enjoyed herself, which meant going to the Oaxacan coast.
We dropped Graham off in Mexico City and headed to Oaxaca. Just driving into the outskirts of town, you could see the turmoil poor Oaxaca has been going through. The entire city, and I am not exaggerating, every inch of wall space was covered in graffiti.
"Fuera URO de Oaxaca!" "Viva APPO!" "Basta con la Violencia!"
Literally every inch of these colonial buildings covered in graffiti. So, the conflict had begun with a simple teachers strike demanding higher pay, however the governor of Oaxaca (Ulises Ruiz Ortiz) is a complete scumbag and basically did everything he could to make the teachers mad. In making the teachers mad he eventually pissed of all the Oaxacans, which turned a simple teacher´s strike into the desmadre it is today. And now the Mexican federal government is asking the governor to resign. It is the only way anything will be settled.
So, as far as a danger to foreigners there isn´t one. No one looked at us sideways. Most people were happy we were there spending our money because the town was DEAD. I know, I know that an American journalist just got killed, but he was a journalist and put himself right in the middle of harm´s way. A couple of days after we left Oaxaca, the federal government sent in the army to do God only knows what, but I have to hand it to Mexico in a way. The day before the government sent in the army, they stopped all bus service into Oaxaca and strongly urged all foreigners to leave the city.
Talking to the Oaxacans, you wouldn't even know anything was going on. All the restaurants, stores, museums are all still open with the workers just standing around waiting for customers. Beautiful, cosmopolitan Oaxaca is no more right now. This was the town of art exhibits, concerts, conferences, street performances, but now there is nothing. Just burned out cars blocking the streets and graffiti everywhere. It is going to cost millions of dollars just to clean up the graffiti.
All in all, Oaxaca was actually pretty boring. There was an 11pm curfew (to prevent destruction rather than violence), so no one went out at night. Allison and I walked around town for half a day and then went to the ruins and then left. I bought some awesome crafts and chatted it up with a few people, but seeing wonderful, magical Oaxaca in that state was really sad. It is going to take a lot of money to get it back on it´s feet. Another sad repercussion of all this mess is that it is effecting other tourist attractions in the state, like some of the coastal towns because people hear "civil unrest in Oaxaca" and assume it is the entire state. Well, it isn't. Oaxaca city is not a very welcoming place right now, but the coast is fine.
After only a day and a half, we headed to Puerto Escondido to chill out at the beach for 6 days. God, how do I love the beach. Two mornings in a row, Allison and I got up and went on a 5-mile walk on the beach, only to wake up on the third so sore we could hardly walk. Walking on sand is not the easiest thing to do. We laid out, swam and ate deliciously fresh seafood at night. Puerto Escondido was pretty dead too because of it still being off-season, but also because of the Oaxaca situation. There were still quite a few surfers hanging around and at the end of the 6 days, needless to say, Allison and I did not want to leave.
Now we´re in Mexico City. Actually, I am in an Internet cafe and Allison is in the airport waiting to fly home. I will be heading to the airport myself in a couple hours. We have spent two days in Mexico City. We went to the big ruins all on our own using the Metro and buses. We saw the Diego murals and a few museums. The highlight though of being here is the fact that it is Day of the Dead. The zocalo (main plaza) of Mexico City is decorated to the nines with skeletons and alters representing all the barrios of the city. There is creative expression all around.
Last night we went on a kind of lame tour to a cemetery to see people celebration Day of the Dead. Our guides had no idea what they were doing and I were rude. They took 30 of us to the cemetery and were leading us around graves. They would choose graves where people were actually mourning the dead and talk to us about them!!! There was even on guy in the group with a video camera and a spotlight filming people in the cemetery. It was ridiculous. There were too many people and the whole tour was very unorganized. Don't take a tour with Mexibus.
Well, back to the States for me to work and save money for the next adventure.
Poor, poor, poor Oaxaca.
Oh, the Oaxaca I knew from before with it´s bustling, beautiful, colonial streets. Oh the Oaxaca with smiling faces and throngs of tourists. Oh, Oaxaca.
I had called ahead before going and asked what the situation was like. My Oaxacan friends all assured me that it was safe to come, if not a little boring. They said there weren´t many tourists, but that any business there would be greatly appreciated. I asked around to other travelers who had been there and they had said everything was fine. Allison and I also wanted to go to a beach and I wanted to make sure Allison enjoyed herself, which meant going to the Oaxacan coast.
We dropped Graham off in Mexico City and headed to Oaxaca. Just driving into the outskirts of town, you could see the turmoil poor Oaxaca has been going through. The entire city, and I am not exaggerating, every inch of wall space was covered in graffiti.
"Fuera URO de Oaxaca!" "Viva APPO!" "Basta con la Violencia!"
Literally every inch of these colonial buildings covered in graffiti. So, the conflict had begun with a simple teachers strike demanding higher pay, however the governor of Oaxaca (Ulises Ruiz Ortiz) is a complete scumbag and basically did everything he could to make the teachers mad. In making the teachers mad he eventually pissed of all the Oaxacans, which turned a simple teacher´s strike into the desmadre it is today. And now the Mexican federal government is asking the governor to resign. It is the only way anything will be settled.
So, as far as a danger to foreigners there isn´t one. No one looked at us sideways. Most people were happy we were there spending our money because the town was DEAD. I know, I know that an American journalist just got killed, but he was a journalist and put himself right in the middle of harm´s way. A couple of days after we left Oaxaca, the federal government sent in the army to do God only knows what, but I have to hand it to Mexico in a way. The day before the government sent in the army, they stopped all bus service into Oaxaca and strongly urged all foreigners to leave the city.
Talking to the Oaxacans, you wouldn't even know anything was going on. All the restaurants, stores, museums are all still open with the workers just standing around waiting for customers. Beautiful, cosmopolitan Oaxaca is no more right now. This was the town of art exhibits, concerts, conferences, street performances, but now there is nothing. Just burned out cars blocking the streets and graffiti everywhere. It is going to cost millions of dollars just to clean up the graffiti.
All in all, Oaxaca was actually pretty boring. There was an 11pm curfew (to prevent destruction rather than violence), so no one went out at night. Allison and I walked around town for half a day and then went to the ruins and then left. I bought some awesome crafts and chatted it up with a few people, but seeing wonderful, magical Oaxaca in that state was really sad. It is going to take a lot of money to get it back on it´s feet. Another sad repercussion of all this mess is that it is effecting other tourist attractions in the state, like some of the coastal towns because people hear "civil unrest in Oaxaca" and assume it is the entire state. Well, it isn't. Oaxaca city is not a very welcoming place right now, but the coast is fine.
After only a day and a half, we headed to Puerto Escondido to chill out at the beach for 6 days. God, how do I love the beach. Two mornings in a row, Allison and I got up and went on a 5-mile walk on the beach, only to wake up on the third so sore we could hardly walk. Walking on sand is not the easiest thing to do. We laid out, swam and ate deliciously fresh seafood at night. Puerto Escondido was pretty dead too because of it still being off-season, but also because of the Oaxaca situation. There were still quite a few surfers hanging around and at the end of the 6 days, needless to say, Allison and I did not want to leave.
Now we´re in Mexico City. Actually, I am in an Internet cafe and Allison is in the airport waiting to fly home. I will be heading to the airport myself in a couple hours. We have spent two days in Mexico City. We went to the big ruins all on our own using the Metro and buses. We saw the Diego murals and a few museums. The highlight though of being here is the fact that it is Day of the Dead. The zocalo (main plaza) of Mexico City is decorated to the nines with skeletons and alters representing all the barrios of the city. There is creative expression all around.
Last night we went on a kind of lame tour to a cemetery to see people celebration Day of the Dead. Our guides had no idea what they were doing and I were rude. They took 30 of us to the cemetery and were leading us around graves. They would choose graves where people were actually mourning the dead and talk to us about them!!! There was even on guy in the group with a video camera and a spotlight filming people in the cemetery. It was ridiculous. There were too many people and the whole tour was very unorganized. Don't take a tour with Mexibus.
Well, back to the States for me to work and save money for the next adventure.
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Camionetas de Pollo
Monday, December 11, 2003
...Well, I have been living in Panajachel, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala for the past couple of months. I have been having a good time hanging out with Césarand becoming a part of this "tourist ghetto" community.
Yes, Panajachel is a tourist ghetto, which was defined by a Russian traveler I met as a place where over 50% of the businesses are geared towards tourists. Panajachel does fit this description, but it is an interesting paradox. As I think about tourist ghettos in the United States, I must say that tourism draws out the extroverts and the artists. Panajachel definitely has the best selection of artisan goods I have seen (and cheaper than the tourist trap known as Chichicastenango) and it is just amazing the artistic capabilities of the people who live here. Right down to the clothes they wear everyday, the whole town is filled with walking masterpieces.
And as for extroverts...when people are used to seeing tourists they are more willing to talk to you. I just recently visited a small mountain town of Momostenango to visit my gringo friends Scout and Eric before they head up to Mexico. It was a nice trip, although Momos is a bit high in altitude and I didn´t feel to well.
But, Eric told me something interesting.
There is myth circulating around the Guatemalan highlands that white people sometimes come to Guatemala to steal children. Now this may or may not be true, but recently there was an article in one of the local papers that said that about 15million children are trafficked through Guatemala for sexual and fiscal exploitation. So maybe the fear is justified, but the result is that when Eric and Scout are walking around Momos, they sometimes encounter Mayan women pulling their children close or children running away in what seems like fear. It is an interesting scenario, which makes me love Pana all the more because there is no fear of white people. Only that they might not spend their money.
My time here started with a little trip to the neighboring pueblo of Santa Catarina where there is a hot spring and it is also where some of my friends en la calle are from. César and I walked there in a bout an hour, but people usually come by pick-up in about 25 minutes.
At my request, my mom had sent a package of things to César and enclosed were some crayons and paper.
Throughout my time here I have befriended a little troupe of girls from Santa Catarina. They are girls who vend in the street because their parents need all the money they can get. Somehow, through a few experiences, I began showing these girls how to read and write the alphabet in Spanish. It is really interesting to watch these girls as they try to pin down the muscle coordination to be able to draw letters. They range from ages 8-12 and it is possible that they could count the number of times they held a writing utensil, but they can add fairly large numbers in their head. They don´t go to school and they barely speak Spanish because Kaqchikel is their first language. It is fascinating...
Anyway, I brought some of the goods my mom sent me to the house of these girls in Santa Catarina. As a result, I received a little bag and a necklace, from the pile of goods they vend, as thank you gifts.
I have also started giving English classes twice a week to group of kids about 30 minutes outside of Panajachel. César randomly met a woman who has a group of kids she teaches music to while school´s out on vacation. When she found out I was willing to be free labor, she enlisted me as a teacher. This is also fun because there is a lot of giggling as girls try to sound out words in front of boys and vice versa. I can´t wait to see what happens when we start playing games...or if they get too embarrassed I´ll just have them try to teach me Kaqchikel and then we´ll see who´s laughing.
So, I have been taking a lot of chicken buses and I have to admit I think that the chicken buses are my favorite part of Guatemala. For refresh, chicken buses are old school buses that have become the public transportation of western Guatemala. And they are awesome. Each bus has it´s own name and it´s own unique design. You hardly ever see a plain old yellow bus. They are all colorfully painted, playing music and adorned with God and Jesus loving paraphernalia. And they pack these buses full of people mainly because no one has a car. I just love being with all those people...
Oh, a sad thing did happen today though. I was talking with some other girls who vend en la calle and they wanted to get their picture taken with Santa Claus. I asked them if they really believed in Santa Claus and this was the conversation that followed...
"No, I don´t believe in Santa Claus. Well, I don´t believe in the Guatemalan Santa Claus."
"Well, which Santa Claus do you believe in?"
"I believe in the Santa Claus from the United States."
"Why do you believe in that Santa Claus and not the Santa Claus from Guatemala?"
"Because the Santa Claus from the US gives presents and the one from Guatemala doesn´t."
"Why doesn´t the Santa from Guatemala give presents?"
"I don´t know. but, kids form the United States get presents on Christmas. We don´t."
The sad reality of poverty. César never got presents on Christmas either.
Other than that, I have just been hanging out and talking with people. I went to Chichi, a near-by trading town, learned how to make tamales with César´s sister, got my Nahuales from a sacerdote Maya, and I see live Andean music almost every night.
It is a pretty nice life and all the more interesting because it is always happening in Spanish.
Sometimes, without sub-titles.
...Well, I have been living in Panajachel, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala for the past couple of months. I have been having a good time hanging out with César
Yes, Panajachel is a tourist ghetto, which was defined by a Russian traveler I met as a place where over 50% of the businesses are geared towards tourists. Panajachel does fit this description, but it is an interesting paradox. As I think about tourist ghettos in the United States, I must say that tourism draws out the extroverts and the artists. Panajachel definitely has the best selection of artisan goods I have seen (and cheaper than the tourist trap known as Chichicastenango) and it is just amazing the artistic capabilities of the people who live here. Right down to the clothes they wear everyday, the whole town is filled with walking masterpieces.
And as for extroverts...when people are used to seeing tourists they are more willing to talk to you. I just recently visited a small mountain town of Momostenango to visit my gringo friends Scout and Eric before they head up to Mexico. It was a nice trip, although Momos is a bit high in altitude and I didn´t feel to well.
But, Eric told me something interesting.
There is myth circulating around the Guatemalan highlands that white people sometimes come to Guatemala to steal children. Now this may or may not be true, but recently there was an article in one of the local papers that said that about 15million children are trafficked through Guatemala for sexual and fiscal exploitation. So maybe the fear is justified, but the result is that when Eric and Scout are walking around Momos, they sometimes encounter Mayan women pulling their children close or children running away in what seems like fear. It is an interesting scenario, which makes me love Pana all the more because there is no fear of white people. Only that they might not spend their money.
My time here started with a little trip to the neighboring pueblo of Santa Catarina where there is a hot spring and it is also where some of my friends en la calle are from. César and I walked there in a bout an hour, but people usually come by pick-up in about 25 minutes.
At my request, my mom had sent a package of things to César and enclosed were some crayons and paper.
Throughout my time here I have befriended a little troupe of girls from Santa Catarina. They are girls who vend in the street because their parents need all the money they can get. Somehow, through a few experiences, I began showing these girls how to read and write the alphabet in Spanish. It is really interesting to watch these girls as they try to pin down the muscle coordination to be able to draw letters. They range from ages 8-12 and it is possible that they could count the number of times they held a writing utensil, but they can add fairly large numbers in their head. They don´t go to school and they barely speak Spanish because Kaqchikel is their first language. It is fascinating...
Anyway, I brought some of the goods my mom sent me to the house of these girls in Santa Catarina. As a result, I received a little bag and a necklace, from the pile of goods they vend, as thank you gifts.
I have also started giving English classes twice a week to group of kids about 30 minutes outside of Panajachel. César randomly met a woman who has a group of kids she teaches music to while school´s out on vacation. When she found out I was willing to be free labor, she enlisted me as a teacher. This is also fun because there is a lot of giggling as girls try to sound out words in front of boys and vice versa. I can´t wait to see what happens when we start playing games...or if they get too embarrassed I´ll just have them try to teach me Kaqchikel and then we´ll see who´s laughing.
So, I have been taking a lot of chicken buses and I have to admit I think that the chicken buses are my favorite part of Guatemala. For refresh, chicken buses are old school buses that have become the public transportation of western Guatemala. And they are awesome. Each bus has it´s own name and it´s own unique design. You hardly ever see a plain old yellow bus. They are all colorfully painted, playing music and adorned with God and Jesus loving paraphernalia. And they pack these buses full of people mainly because no one has a car. I just love being with all those people...
Oh, a sad thing did happen today though. I was talking with some other girls who vend en la calle and they wanted to get their picture taken with Santa Claus. I asked them if they really believed in Santa Claus and this was the conversation that followed...
"No, I don´t believe in Santa Claus. Well, I don´t believe in the Guatemalan Santa Claus."
"Well, which Santa Claus do you believe in?"
"I believe in the Santa Claus from the United States."
"Why do you believe in that Santa Claus and not the Santa Claus from Guatemala?"
"Because the Santa Claus from the US gives presents and the one from Guatemala doesn´t."
"Why doesn´t the Santa from Guatemala give presents?"
"I don´t know. but, kids form the United States get presents on Christmas. We don´t."
The sad reality of poverty. César never got presents on Christmas either.
Other than that, I have just been hanging out and talking with people. I went to Chichi, a near-by trading town, learned how to make tamales with César´s sister, got my Nahuales from a sacerdote Maya, and I see live Andean music almost every night.
It is a pretty nice life and all the more interesting because it is always happening in Spanish.
Sometimes, without sub-titles.
Los Viajes Comienzan
**AUTHOR’S NOTE** Here begin the archives of my travels. All dates shown on the blogs are the original dates in which these pieces were sent out to family and friends as bulk e-mails. All titles of the blogs are obviously written in Spanish. I do not offer translations for the titles. You all can exercise your brains and find translations. May I suggest www.wordreference.com. During my time in Guatemala, I lived in Panajachel, Lago Atitlan, but I also traveled around for about 3 weeks. I saw Tikal, Livingston, Coban, as well as, northern Honduras and the ruins in Copan. Writings from these travels, however, have been lost. Thank you and enjoy.
Friday, September 26, 2003
Well, I am here and safe. I arrived in Guatemala this morning at 5am and taxied to Antigua. It took me awhile to find a hotel that was open that early, but finally I did. I have just been wandering around the cobblestone streets aimlessly, getting lost, getting Holas, but not buying anything, thank god.
Anyway, I was scared to come to Guatemala on my plane ride, but now that I am here...I think I am going to love it. I can’t wait to be able to speak Spanish. It’s cool because every time I stop on the street to consult my Lonely Planet somebody stops to ask me if i need help, whether it be tourist or local. Everyone seems to be really nice or in their own little world. I was a little worried that I would be getting harassed in that machismo way Latin men are so famous for, but it has not been bad. If I ignore them they don't bother me.
I plan to head up to the highlands to a place called Xela, but every local here tells me how cold it is up there. ¡Lucky for me I forgot my jacket! ¡And my camera! I know I will just have to buy a jacket and a camera, but it is hard to spend 100Q on a camera, but c'est la vie. I mean, es la vida. Xela is where I will take language classes and hopefully volunteer for a street school for street kids, working in the office or something.
Traveling is so fun, I must say. All the different sights, noises and smells (even if it is car exhaust). I do miss everyone and I am still trying to find my rhythm being a solo traveler and all. I am just laying low for now...
Friday, September 26, 2003
Well, I am here and safe. I arrived in Guatemala this morning at 5am and taxied to Antigua. It took me awhile to find a hotel that was open that early, but finally I did. I have just been wandering around the cobblestone streets aimlessly, getting lost, getting Holas, but not buying anything, thank god.
Anyway, I was scared to come to Guatemala on my plane ride, but now that I am here...I think I am going to love it. I can’t wait to be able to speak Spanish. It’s cool because every time I stop on the street to consult my Lonely Planet somebody stops to ask me if i need help, whether it be tourist or local. Everyone seems to be really nice or in their own little world. I was a little worried that I would be getting harassed in that machismo way Latin men are so famous for, but it has not been bad. If I ignore them they don't bother me.
I plan to head up to the highlands to a place called Xela, but every local here tells me how cold it is up there. ¡Lucky for me I forgot my jacket! ¡And my camera! I know I will just have to buy a jacket and a camera, but it is hard to spend 100Q on a camera, but c'est la vie. I mean, es la vida. Xela is where I will take language classes and hopefully volunteer for a street school for street kids, working in the office or something.
Traveling is so fun, I must say. All the different sights, noises and smells (even if it is car exhaust). I do miss everyone and I am still trying to find my rhythm being a solo traveler and all. I am just laying low for now...
Monday, December 4, 2006
El Comienzo
Que onda a todos!!! Bienvenidos!!!
Well, this is my first blog ever and I would like to explain it a little before we get well under way.
As my profile says, I have been traveling my whole life.
My first real travels started in March of 2000 when I discovered Asia thanks to my dad moving to Tokyo, Japan for six years.
In my first trip, I went to Thailand for about 2 1/2 months. This was my first experience as a back-packer. I had read the book The Beach (the book is amazing and, yes, the movie SUCKED) and it inspired me to be a "traveler" and not a tourist. Thailand was a great place to be introduced to the thrills of travel. The country is so easy to navigate. the people are friendly and the food is unbelievable. I stuck mainly to southern Thailand lying on beaches and discovering the hidden rock-climbing spots. At the end of my trip though, I decided to go further.
Going on advice from a friend, I also got the chance to visit beautiful, magical and wonderful Sumatra, Indonesia. Yes, this is the same Sumatra, Indonesia that was the epicenter of the earthquake that caused the tsunami in 2004. However, Sumatra is also famous for having 1 of only 2 orangutan rehabilitation centers in the world. Sumatra is the largest island in the Indonesian nation and absolutely captured my heart. The people there were some of the friendliest and relaxed I have met.
I went to a little town called Bukit Lewang where one goes to do jungle treks (with a guide) and pets wild orangutans--yes, wild orangutans. You see the orangutans from the center are released into the surrounding jungle where one goes on a jungle trek. The orangutans are used to people and gladly approach to pose for pictures, eat bananas or perform high-jinks. We then spent the night in the jungle and then rafted down the river back into town.
There is so much more to say about this particular Asian experience, but unfortunately, I was not as savvy with the writing for this trip nor for the other Asian experiences I had. Also, all my trips to that ornate continent were before the tsunami and I would love to know how it has changed. One day I will go back.
Well, all that Asian traveling set the stage for me to venture south of the border. I had been living in Washington state and found myself in a point in my life where I needed to do something different. It was a definite crossroads and I had to pick up and go. Seeing the growing need for Spanish-speakers in this country, I decided to go to Guatemala to learn Spanish. I did an immersion program and after three months had a good foundation. I was then led to Mexico where I spent 2+ years and will always return every year for the rest of my life.
I truly, truly fell madly in love, not only with a Mexican and Mexicans in general, but with the excitement of discovering, uncovering and knowing people in different places. The magnitude of the human experience is so simple and intricate, I can't think of anything else to do right now except be a traveler.
I fell in love not only with Mexican culture, the Spanish language and the warm sense of humor, but I experienced traveling as someone who could communicate.
One afternoon when I was in Sumatra, Indonesia, an artisan called me over into his shop and he said, "Come in, come in. No buy. Come in and make friendship."
I gladly obliged, but the language barrier made it difficult to "make" a deep connection.
In Latin America though, I make friendships just out of a sheer desire to practice Spanish. Traveling has taken on a whole new dimension for me.
So, the first few blogs will be condensed versions of my time in Guatemala and my early experiences in Mexico. Some of the archives were still shotty at that point as well. I have seen most of Guatemala, but this as well has been struck by tragedy. In 2005, Hurricane Stan hit Western Guatemala hard. from what I understand they are still suffering with roads being out and robbery at an all time high.
I will continue to post older blogs every week until my next big trip which is planned for the end of March. I will once again return to Mexico, but then go further south to South America. I would love to learn Portuguese in Salvador, Brazil, see Machu Picchu and venture into Colombia. My real dream is to buy a pick-up truck and drive all around, but I am not sure if I have the guts.
So, until the new adventures begin, you will have to catch up with the old. I am currently living in the Southwest with my mom, substitute teaching and saving money to travel, travel, travel. My passport expires in 2008 and why not make good use of it?
Thank you for reading.
Well, this is my first blog ever and I would like to explain it a little before we get well under way.
As my profile says, I have been traveling my whole life.
My first real travels started in March of 2000 when I discovered Asia thanks to my dad moving to Tokyo, Japan for six years.
In my first trip, I went to Thailand for about 2 1/2 months. This was my first experience as a back-packer. I had read the book The Beach (the book is amazing and, yes, the movie SUCKED) and it inspired me to be a "traveler" and not a tourist. Thailand was a great place to be introduced to the thrills of travel. The country is so easy to navigate. the people are friendly and the food is unbelievable. I stuck mainly to southern Thailand lying on beaches and discovering the hidden rock-climbing spots. At the end of my trip though, I decided to go further.
Going on advice from a friend, I also got the chance to visit beautiful, magical and wonderful Sumatra, Indonesia. Yes, this is the same Sumatra, Indonesia that was the epicenter of the earthquake that caused the tsunami in 2004. However, Sumatra is also famous for having 1 of only 2 orangutan rehabilitation centers in the world. Sumatra is the largest island in the Indonesian nation and absolutely captured my heart. The people there were some of the friendliest and relaxed I have met.
I went to a little town called Bukit Lewang where one goes to do jungle treks (with a guide) and pets wild orangutans--yes, wild orangutans. You see the orangutans from the center are released into the surrounding jungle where one goes on a jungle trek. The orangutans are used to people and gladly approach to pose for pictures, eat bananas or perform high-jinks. We then spent the night in the jungle and then rafted down the river back into town.
There is so much more to say about this particular Asian experience, but unfortunately, I was not as savvy with the writing for this trip nor for the other Asian experiences I had. Also, all my trips to that ornate continent were before the tsunami and I would love to know how it has changed. One day I will go back.
Well, all that Asian traveling set the stage for me to venture south of the border. I had been living in Washington state and found myself in a point in my life where I needed to do something different. It was a definite crossroads and I had to pick up and go. Seeing the growing need for Spanish-speakers in this country, I decided to go to Guatemala to learn Spanish. I did an immersion program and after three months had a good foundation. I was then led to Mexico where I spent 2+ years and will always return every year for the rest of my life.
I truly, truly fell madly in love, not only with a Mexican and Mexicans in general, but with the excitement of discovering, uncovering and knowing people in different places. The magnitude of the human experience is so simple and intricate, I can't think of anything else to do right now except be a traveler.
I fell in love not only with Mexican culture, the Spanish language and the warm sense of humor, but I experienced traveling as someone who could communicate.
One afternoon when I was in Sumatra, Indonesia, an artisan called me over into his shop and he said, "Come in, come in. No buy. Come in and make friendship."
I gladly obliged, but the language barrier made it difficult to "make" a deep connection.
In Latin America though, I make friendships just out of a sheer desire to practice Spanish. Traveling has taken on a whole new dimension for me.
So, the first few blogs will be condensed versions of my time in Guatemala and my early experiences in Mexico. Some of the archives were still shotty at that point as well. I have seen most of Guatemala, but this as well has been struck by tragedy. In 2005, Hurricane Stan hit Western Guatemala hard. from what I understand they are still suffering with roads being out and robbery at an all time high.
I will continue to post older blogs every week until my next big trip which is planned for the end of March. I will once again return to Mexico, but then go further south to South America. I would love to learn Portuguese in Salvador, Brazil, see Machu Picchu and venture into Colombia. My real dream is to buy a pick-up truck and drive all around, but I am not sure if I have the guts.
So, until the new adventures begin, you will have to catch up with the old. I am currently living in the Southwest with my mom, substitute teaching and saving money to travel, travel, travel. My passport expires in 2008 and why not make good use of it?
Thank you for reading.
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