We arrived in San Cristobal about 1:30 pm We hired a taxi to take us to the hostal Got a private room and went out to explore the town.
San Cristobal is a beautiful, Human scale town. The buildings are not tall, Everything is brightly painted in warm colors.
We did a big loop around the town Scoping out where everything was Then ended up at the mercado de artesanias
The craft here is gorgeous Weavings and embroideries are the specialty. The outlying villages of Zinacantan, Chamula, San Andres, the Margaritas and Amatenango All represented, and more. Each village has it's own unique style Each person their own design on their clothing.
More to come...
[slideshow id=3386706919797771061&w=426&h=320]
Amatenango We had decided to visit Chamula today Where the Catholic church Is adorned with the traditional saints Has no pews, but a floor filled with pine boughs Coca cola bottles and candles Where the local shamans Provide pagan mayan rituals Instead of the normal religious services.
However, once in the taxi We discovered that Amatenango, A small town with many artisans Of renowned indigenous pottery Which is about 45 minutes away Would be a better bet for today. The ride out is through rolling hills Pine trees surrounding open fields Dotted with family groups Washing laundry in the streams Women, dressed in the hairy skirts of Chamula Tending their black sheep.
Our taxi driver, Pedro, Is a friendly religious man With typical religious objects Hanging from the rear view mirror A scapula, A medallion of the virgin A statue of a saint.
Amatenango is a small town, Really, a small strip of buildings With artisans selling their clay work Renowned for their painted Jaguars, they also sell utilitarian pieces Bowls Candleholders Plates Chickens and roosters Some brightly painted Many in the old style The color of the clay With Black.
Although the market is small There are quite a few sellers. It all seems to be the same work However, it is all made by hand One at a time And you see differences In the work as you explore The various stalls
This is a typical Jaguar from the area They come in all stances, sizes and various colors
[slideshow id=3386706919798164136&w=426&h=320]
After Amatenango Zoe fell ill from something she ate I spent a day and a half Wandering all over San Cristobal Checking in every two hours To see if she was ok. I visited churches, markets and museums And on the last day, we both wandered Throughout the town Thinking that this is a place We will come back to
On our bus ride from Palenque to San Cristobal Our bus, along with all the other cars on the road Was stopped by the people of a local community Who demanded a toll to be paid. story to come....
We walked out to the road It was 6am - more than enough time To get into Palenque to catch our bus. The bus was late The bus station was not announcing The arriving and departing buses We had to keep asking at the counter The status of our ride.
This did allow for time to purchase Some of the juiciest, tastiest tamales I have ever eaten. They were a mix of masa, chicken, Poblano chilis and salsa mixed in Then steamed in banana leaves Incredibly moist and a perfect breakfast.
Most of the travellers were from Europe. German, French, Dutch, and a few English or Americans. Being that it is only about 190km (about 120 miles) to San Cristobal We couldn't figure out how it could possibly take Five hours to arrive in San Cristobal, But we were about to find out.
You climb up out of the jungle to a higher jungle Then to open rolling mountains Where coffee is grown.
There are hundreds of little communities Living in open areas like this Farming and ranching in these isolated highlands.
Out of nowhere you will see a roof With a large brick oven Women cooking, men gathering wood.
There are shops like this along the road Selling shirts, blouses, Children's clothing And every elaborately embroidered dresses.
It opens out on to vistas like this Over and over again Many layers of mountains Falling into each other
At this particular community There were two boys with a long string Holding it across the road Urging the bus to run right through it Which we did. The family in the photo Was watching And laughing
A little further on We see this concrete monument Which says: MUNICIPAL EN REBELDE ZAPATISTA 16 de Enero Chiapas Mexico. Zapatista territory.
Just beyond this sign Traffic occurs Covered trucks filled with young men Have blocked the road. There is a line up of cars Coming toward us. Behind us there is another line up of cars. An official looking man in blue jeans A black shirt and military style hat Walks toward the car in front of us.
At first we couldn't see what was going on But we saw cars going by one at a time, The other direction. Then one at a time the cars in front of us. As we came up to the number one position You could see that they had a board Which was filled with nails sticking out A man on either side with a rope attached to it. The military looking man came up to the bus Told the bus driver that he had to pay. The bus driver, with a straight face Serious demeanor and absolutely firm, Stated that he does not carry money with him On his bus route, that he has no cash.
The man tells him that without money he cannot pass. "I have no money," says our driver "I only bring my lunch with me" This goes on for about ten minutes The military looking man, Who is anything but military becomes more insistant. The driver sticks to his story. At no time do we see weapons Other than the board full of nails A very effective tool to stop a car.
There is a general restlessnessof the passengers I spend the time listening and taking photographs Which Zoe can't believe I am doing But I do it anyway. None of it feels dangerous to me But in the end, even I begin to wonder If they might storm the bus. After all, The bus driver may have no money But the passengers, who are tourist Certainly do.
There came a point that I started to wonder If it would get more serious So I moved my passport and money In between the seat of the bus At the same time, the bus driver Struck a deal with the people.
12 pesos was given over It was all the change in the bus driver's pocket The board with nails Was pulled off to the side of the road We were allowed to pass. I put my passport and money Back in my purse.
Not five minutes later An ambulance with sirens blaring And a military van filled with soldiers Who were carrying machine guns Passed us.
We assumed That someone who had gone before us Made a call to the police, or military About what was going on. Of course, we can't be sure, But it makes a good ending to the story.
We just returned from Chiapas To Palenque, bus rides, local insurgents taking over the road... San Cristobal and some outlying areas -
Upon awakening, and after a good night's sleep, We got dressed and walked outside To find somewhere other than Don Muchos to eat.
There was a small juice/coffee/breakfast spot Where others were seated under a palapa. We sat down and about 10 minutes went by During which, we had not been acknowledged Nor had others who had arrived at the time we had So we caved in and went to Don Muchos.
I had pancakes With butter and sugar sprinkled on top And a double espresso After about five bites I peeled the top off the pancakes Eating only the top layer, The best part. Zoe looked at me incredulously And asked if I had just eaten The sugary top part without the pancake. For someone who bakes pastries for a living I was surprised she asked. For the life of me, I can't remember What she ate.
We found our way to the park entrance Paid 20 pesos for our bracelet And decided to walk, rather than take a combi. It was incredibly humid and moist We were dripping with sweat, Even though we were not exerting any effort. The path went through coconut trees, Husks all over the ground, Open like this, the juices and meat gone Trees and plants were in bloom One especially beautiful one Which we didn't get a photo of Had long branches, without leaves And was completely filled With pink flowers. We had seen these along all the roads From Villahermosa to Palenque. On the path into the park We discovered many more cabanas Hotels, hammock campgrounds And a small school Under a roof, with no walls, Which was in session. The children waved We waved back Wouldn't you have loved To go to school In such a setting?
The buildings in this area Are made of wood - something you don't see In other parts of Mexico Or they are concrete Open to the outside For natural air conditioning Like this one.
Upon arriving at the entrance to the ruins We purchased our entry tickets at the lower gate And walked in the back side Climbing up steep stairways That were built into the hillside Passing minor excavations along the way. Stopping for water at each landing You can see just how lush it is Imagining how hot and quiet and sweaty to walk this.
Although there were arrows leading the way There were no markers or signs Explaining what we were seeing. At the entrance we asked for a map The workers pointed to a large sign That had a map, behind glass Which of course, unless you have A photographic memory You won't remember a thing. But who needs to when you have all this?
The walk in was beautiful Mixed with Jungle plants, birds, flowers And periodic diggings, partially excavated With people laying around on them. At the top we entered into a large grassy area With large leafy shade trees And what would turn out to the the first Of many large and beautiful stone ruins.
Here is a gallery of photos of the ruins site [slideshow id=3386706919798155294&w=426&h=320] And here is a link to the Frugal Traveler/NYTimes article Which has good information about the site itself.
Later that afternoon We returned to our cabana for a shower, and short rest. We went in to Palenque town To see about getting bus tickets to San Cristobal
We were warned not to take a bus this same day Which we had thought about doing. Besides the ruins, There's not much else to do here. But we were told the roads are not safe at night. And we would have had to travel at night. So we opted for the 7am bus to San Cristobal Wandered around the town Which has a bustling commercial zone And ate lunch in a small comedor And returned to our cabana.
We had a nice little nap And took our books up to the local outdoor cafe To read, have a margarita and guacamole.
The drink menu Had one of those English translations Which I love See if you can find it:
The sounds of the jungle Are soothing mysterious and rich. We heard a piercing, howling sound I told Zoe it sounded like one of those circus trucks With a loud speaker on top Announcing the circus.
Except, it kept going, getting louder, and not moving. We got up to explore And discovered it was the howler monkeys Which we had heard about, but had not seen. Here's a video of the sound Which is like lions roaring Coming from medium size monkeys At the top of the jungle canopy. Here's a video of the sound & A small view of one of the monkeys.
People were coming out of cabanas, Falling out of hammocks Searching the canopy for them. A local woman was saying They are large and dangerous A local man says 'follow me'
As it was getting dark, And we had eaten already, We signed out of the hotel So as not to have to waken the owners at 6am We crawled into bed. I woke up with my book on my face, I must have fallen asleep When Zoe jumped up screaming About a giant spider that ran into the bathroom. I tried to ask her about it But you know how it is when something scares you.
Normally I'm not afraid of spiders But it is the jungle The spider was very large Having nestled itself into the shower With it's long bending legs Attempting to crawl out over the tile lip.
I looked at Zoe and said Let's shut the door Put a towel at the bottom And not open it again. Of course I immediately think About going to pee outside Which doesn't sound very attractive Amongst all the night jungle sounds Which were so charming earlier So menacing now.
I forget about that & realize Our toothbrushes and toiletries Are on the bathroom sink. The dilemna! I decide to see if it is possible To do a long reach across the room To grab them. I think twice. Zoe says 'you're a better man than me' I"m not getting out of bed. The spider is doing his best To climb over the shower ledge.
I want to see him But my irrational fear takes over Fueled by Zoe's 'ooh! ooh!' And I don't move the shower curtain Seeing those legs was enough.
Somehow, I manage to grab the toiletries By doing a quick jump into the room A quick grab and a quick jump out. I slam the door Stuff the towel under it Making sure there isn't an opening Crawl in bed, wondering If there isn't another one lurking Under the bed.
In spite of it all We had a good night's sleep Without use of the bathroom Got up at 5:30am Walked to the road to catch the combi To the bus station.
We flew from Mexico City into Villahermosa Cruising over a lush, rich green wetlands To begin our visit to the Mayan ruins at Palenque.
Palenque town is a 1.5 hour drive from the airport. It was getting late in the afternoon So we splurged and took a taxi from the airport. Taxis in Villahermosa are nothing like the taxis in San Miguel Nice medium size comfortable cars With air conditioning.
I imagine this is for several reasons: 1. It is wet, hot and sticky 2. This is where oil business is done in Mexico The plane was filled with men in suits Wearing black pants and white business shirts, Carrying briefcases and boxes of pastries Which they shared with each other At the front of the plane. At any rate, we had a nice comfy ride to Palenque We arrived just about dark and cruised right by the town Right by the 'Super Che cuesta menos' supermarket I wonder what Che would have thought about this, A legacy of being honored in name, by a grocery store.... On into El Panchan, the jungle destination At the gate of the ruins. It was unclear exactly where we were supposed to go But we knew it wasn't inside the park And we had to ask directions of the military guards Who were at the base of the park grounds. As it turned out, we were there - But the sign for Margarita and Ed's Cabanas Was turned around backwards Which was just fine if you were going the wrong way. El Panchan is an interesting little enclave of cabanas Which range from concrete buildings To concrete walls with palapa roofs and screened walls To wood posts with screens and curtains Some of them hammock only beds. Margarita and Ed's Cabanas Are concrete buildings, some with palapa roofs And a main two story building where the family lives We stayed, downstairs, in back, following a meticulously Manicured path to our pink walled room. The air was filled with early evening sounds - Birds and millions of deafening cicadas You are definitely in the jungle here, It's wet, fetid and marked with stone and wood walkways Which meander throughout this little jungle travelers village. By the time we were settled in it was dark We were hungry so we went out to find something to eat. There are probably miles of little foot paths That lead to the various 'resorts' that are in this enclave All with low lighting, following bridges over small streams That eventually led us to Don Muchos, The largest restaruant in the area. The menu was the typical Mexican fare - Enchiladas verde, rojo, mole Tacos de pollo or rez (rolled fried taquitos) Ensaladas, sopa azteca And a full fare of italian pasta dishes. Apparently there is a large Italian influence in the south. The restaurant seemed to be filled with Europeans Especially French and German travellers Mixed with a large contingent of what Zoe calls 'Trustifarians' - young folks in dread locks, Wrap around skirts, cotton shirts and pants Living in the jungle on their parents trust funds. In my day, they would have been called hippies. It was like being dropped into a time warp Of something out of Casablanca, All the characters were there. The food was very average We ate and went to bed Knowing we would not want to stay More than a day here. Tomorrow - to the ruins.
How do tacos pastor with pineapple Or gringas de pastor sound? Here's a little jaunt to our favorite taco stand
[caption id="attachment_724" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Taco stand on calle Insurgente"][/caption]
There are four fast moving guys in chefs hats And a couple of helpers They have been on Calle Insurgente Since I started coming here 13 years ago.
We walked out our door in Santa Julia Headed down into town on Quebrada Descending the stairway on to Canal Which is downright spooky at night
Then headed up into town We wanted a view of the Parroquia at night. For all the complaining That I heard the gringos in town do As they repainted and repaired the facade - I have to say, that I think they did a fabulous job Of making it magically beautiful at night when it's all lit up, I enjoy it every time I see it
[caption id="attachment_715" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Parroquia San Miguel de Allende"][/caption]
After a long sit on the wall, enjoying the view We decided not to put ourselves in the photo And wandered down to Ten Ten Pie For a Margarita With sugar on the rim My favorite.
It was a crystal clear warm night Lots of people were about We took our time walking and enjoying That you can be outside, in February without a jacket on. Eventually we made it to Insurgentes Where we could sit on the street With the cars, buses, musicians and all To eat these fabulous tasty tacos.
Last year, this taco stand got a new roof cover Then a new stand, with a double shelf That holds the salsas, onions and hot peppers On one side they cook the pork pastor Then there's a row of grills filled with Roasting onions, beef, chorizo, longanisa Tortillas softening on top of it all The sound of chopping Against the music in the background As the night goes on, people are three deep waiting And the helpers become waiters.
Zoe ordered tacos pastor with pineapple Two small double tortillas stacked with pork Salsa, chiles, onions, cilantro and greens Juicy and the tortillas steamed over the meat as they cooked John's boys always rave about the gringas pastor So I decided to try those for a change As the young folks say 'OMG' are these fantastic A flour tortilla is grilled with the juices of the meat The filling is grilled apart on the grill Pork pastor, fired on the fire then sliced and grilled Queso panela - a stringy but soft cheese is grilled alongside it Then combined with grilled onions, salsa and lime on the side Served on a plastic plate covered with a plastic bag It doesn't get any better than this. It's crispy, chewy, stringy and wants to drip down your arms And you'll want to eat more than one. To top it off, all four tacos only cost about 40 pesos
After the market, Of which you can really only handle about 3 hours of, I took her over the overpass And into the new Luciernaga mall Which was not here The last time she lived here
[caption id="attachment_640" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Crossing over to the Luciernaga"][/caption]
We had a small shopping spree in Liverpool Looking for tank tops of which we found two And stood around Trying to figure out Just how any Mexican family Could afford to purchase clothing there.
Afterwards We stopped at the Italian coffee company For iced coffee. They couldn't seem to get it That we didn't want a slushy, sweet Frappuchino And we finally had to order two double espressos Then went back and ordered a tall glass of ice To pour them over - go figure. But it worked, and we sat out In the round theatre area And discovered in front of us, this sign:
I forgot to mention That we had stopped into the game center That resides outside of Liverpool To play a few hands of skeeball Which we are both really good at We won lots of points on a card That we will save for baby Andreas When he comes to visit. So when we sat down, And saw the bet and win sign. We first thought it was another game center But quickly realized that San Miguel Has a casino! In the shopping mall! Makes perfect Mexican sense to me... Mom goes shopping, dad goes gambling Or something on that order.
We finished off our iced coffees And quickly got over our reservations To walk in there at one in the afternoon.
First you buy a swipeable casino card We put $100 pesos each on our cards Then you put it into the machine Which has loads of buttons And no instructions!
My card didn't work So I called the attendant Who turned it the right direction And voila, worked just fine Except, we could not figure out For the life of us Exactly which machine to play
Do you believe all of this is right here in San Miguel?
Well, to make a long story short, I won $38 Pesos Which I cashed right in! Almost 40% on my money, yeah! And Zoe.... bet and lost
[caption id="attachment_643" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Bet And Lost!"][/caption]
I have to say That we felt really ridiculous Even walking in Then even more ridiculous Trying to figure out how to play And even more so When the woman kept explaining How to do it -but in a dialect That seemed foreign even to me Who can speak the language.
[/caption]
[/caption]
[/caption]
[/caption]
[/caption]
[/caption]
[/caption]
[/caption]
[/caption]
[/caption]
[/caption]