Despues...

Hola from Chiapas! I´m now in San Cristobol de las Casas, a colonial city in Chiapas, the southernmost state in Mexico. I´m here visiting my friend and am using his computer, so I can write things like ¡Excellente! and ¿Is that water potable or is that paramecium I see? I don´t have time for a complete post I just want to give you some highlights, my few but intrepid regular readers.

- I initially kinda lost my suitcase because I didn´t get it checked through customs in the Mexico City airport like I was supposed to. I actually went through immigration twice looking for customs but couldn´t find it. So my bag didn´t arrive in Tuxtla Gutierrez with me and I had to go back to the airport later to get it. Mexicana said they would call me but didn´t and none of their numbers worked, of course not, why would they. So my friend and I just ended up going to the airport where, my goodness, it had luckily arrived on the last flight and had been stowed away in a storage closet. I think if we hadn´t just gone, I would be now wearing a whole new Mexican wardrobe right now.
- We took a boat tour of the Cañon de Sumidera on the river that runs through it to a huge dam that produces half of Mexico´s energy. The canyon was full of animals like monkey, birds, and crocodiles, but the highlight was a gorgeous waterfall of mist and huge water droplets falling over rock precipices that resemble a Christmas tree. It was one of the most beautiful things I´ve ever seen, and I´ll post my pics with the post once I can, but I´m not sure the photo does it justice.
- We had some trips to see the villages of Zinacatan and San Juan Chamula. Both towns are inhabited mostly with indigenous people with their elaborately embroidered clothing and hordes of begging children trying to secure sales of bracelets or belts. In San Juan Chamula we went into a church where the locals practice an eerie combination of traditional practices with Catholicism. They lite candles on the ceramic floor surrounded by pine needles and sprayed soda or alcohol from their mouths. The ceremony was then completed with the killing of a chicken. Very interesting, but felt wrong to be intruding as tourist and there was a definite energy about the outsiders buying tickets to view a spectacle...
- I´m staying at the house of my friend´s friend. He lives in a gorgeous house set up in the hill with a view of San Cristobol de las Casas and its surrounding mountains. He also has 11 very exuberant dogs, which makes eating and entering a huge exercise. Wow, whippets are some hyper-ass dogs.
- Took a 6-hour bus ride to Palenque to see Mayan ruins and see two famous waterfalls. The ruins were cool and the waterfalls amazing. We got to swim in one until the rain drove us out. Ah, but the big adventure proved to be the bus ride there where my friend and I both ended up getting major road sickness on the windy roads, last minute tamales, and an unwise choice of morning mexcal. I was feeling a bit piqued from the road but the smell of my friend´s vomit totally put me over the edge. Honestly, it is one the funniest things that could happen and as gross as it was I can´t help smiling or exploding with laughter when I think about my friend´s first hamster-cheeked vomit face.

My Spanish still sucks as ever and I may have to solo a trip to the Pacific coast. Ah! I hope I´m ready for a little adventure. Though, please, no more gastronomic ones.