The Wild West

Bit of a gap form my last entry and in that time I have covered 3000km (very roughly, distances are not my strong point) across Mexico, from the white sands and all-inclusives of Playa del Carmen, through the steaming jungle heat of Palenque, the culture and beautiful historical buildings of Oaxaca and the cool airs and charming colonial towns of the Bajia region up in the Sierras of Mexico´s heartlands. My favourite places so far- hard to say! Apart from being robbed on the overnight bus from Merida to Palenque when it was goodbye credit cards and mobile phone, and the subsequent unavoidable brush with Mexican bureaucrats which proved tedious but ultimately fruitful, Mexico is swiftly moving to the top end of my league of LatAm countries!
The Maya sites of Chichen Itza and Palenque were both stunning, although Chichen Itza´s proximity to Cancun means after 10am it turns into a zoo full of huge groups of American tourists trailing after their guides, fortunately we got their early and had pretty mush finished as numbers started to swell. However my overall favourite Maya site has to be Palenque which is surrounded by hills and forest although the main area around the pyramids and temples is cleared to beautifully maintained lawns. The ruins sprawl up and down the hills on both sides of a small river which opens out under the trees into a serious of postcard perfect waterfalls and pools, one of which is named the Queen´s bath and is very inviting amidst the humidity of the jungle!

Playa del Carmen, where we intended to have some chilled out beach time and watch the footie (when there was still hope) turned out to be far more developped than expected, and accordingly more expensive. I can see it is an ideal place for affluent families who want nothing more than a beach and pool and a parade of shops in which to buy souvenirs for the folks back home, but the truth is you could be anywhere on any beach. Admittedly the incredible turquoise of the waters makes it a little more exotic than the Med but if it weren´t for the fact that some of the souvenir shops carry an extensive range of sombreros and cowboy boots as well as hammock chairs and tequilas you wouldn´t know you were in Mexico. Fortunately we found a pleasant and affordable hotel several streets back from the main strip, and much to my travel companions delight, a genuine German bar run by a couple of expats from the East serving formidable German dishes such as BBQ pork ribs, schnitzel, sauerkraut, a range of sausages (obviously) and once a week the piece de resistance- spit roasted pigs leg- his weighed in at about 1kg, thankfully my girls portion (the front leg) was somewhat smaller!!! So much for tacos!! However we got back on the righteous food path as soon as we left Playa del Carmen. Next time I go to the Mexican Caribbean I´ll be heading for Isla Mujeres which I believe really is unspoilt, although who knows how long that will last...

The beach and the Maya sites were followed by a few days in San Cristobal de las Casas- a lovely city! At just over 2000m the cool air was highly welcome after the humidity of the Yucatan and the lowlands. Its a beautiful, colonial town retaining much of its hispanic architecture as well as having a strong indigenous culture. The state, Chiapas, has its share of problems- rich in natural resources, nevertheless one third of homes in the state do not have running water and illiteracy and child mortality rates are among the highest in Mexico. Most Chiapans are poor as the wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small oligarchy. The indigenous people, of Maya descent who moved to the area over 1000 years ago, lost their lands to the Spaniards and today many live in a series of temporary settlements on the outskirts of San Cristobal without basic services and without employment. Their cause attracted glabal interest when in 1994 the Zapatist rebels took control of and sacked govenment offices before being thrown out by the Mexican Army. An underlying tension betwwen the indigenous people and the mestizo population continues. Sad but true you get kind of used to the presence of poverty after being in Latin America for a while, but the sight of small children, one girl could have been no more than 4 years old, wandering the streets alone trying to sell woven belts and bracelets was really heart wrencing. The dilemma is always whether to give something- doing so encourages the parents to continue exploiting their child's appeal, not doing so means she might not eat... In one town we visited there were actually signs in the streets asking tourists not to give to children begging but to encourage them to go to school...
Here we also took a boat ride up the stunning Sumidero canyon. Its sides rise at one point to 1km high and are protected as a parque de ecoturismo. The steep sides are mostly covered in vegetation but despute teh protected status at points the water is covered in a film of pollution and rubbish.

From San Cristobal we continued on to Oaxaca, a large and very vibrant city of some half million people with a similar pleasant climate. Oaxaca is a city full of culture and beautiful streets but at the time we were there it was also a city protesting fiercely against the government who had apparently suppressed a demonstration with some loss of life if women and children in the process. The huge Zocalo (main plaza) was therefore full not only of its usual stalls selling clothing, knock-off CDs, snacks and sundries but also banners and posters proclaiming the cause (which seemed unfortunately to overlap with material supporting the communist party and from every fixed tree or lampost ropes supporting tarpaulins were strung (no hindrance to the Mexicans but about garrotting level for me) under which crowds of people sat, chatting, reading papers and playing cards. Apparently the teachers were also protesting a lack of resources and fair pay. At nights the tarpaulins sheltered them as they slept under blankets, sleeping bags and the occasional tent. SOme of the roads leading to teh Zocalo had been blocaded with corrugated metal sheets, wood, old doors, cars and anything else which served the purpose so no traffic could pass. We didn't see any police in the area so it seems this protest was being allowed to run its course.
Apart from that the city was really lovely, full of art galleries, small squares where artesanias were sold and bars and cafes. Many tourists come here from all over Mexico as well as the US and the rest of the world but the city seemed to absorb them efortlessly. As with everywhere in Mexico there are loads of French tourists- more than I have found anywhere else on this trip. In a dark, roughly furnished bar I tried a mexcal, the local brew produced from the agave plant- I'm pretty sure the fumes alone stripped the inside of my nostrils and as for the damage to my throat and guts I hate to think- I think that is one aspect of Mexican culture I will henceforth be avoiding! Tequila with salt and lemon is my limit!!

A rainy night in Puebla was followed by our first brush with the mamoth capital city, Mexico as it is known, or DF (for Distrito Federal) as we had to change buses at one of its 4 terminals on the way from Puebla to Guanajuato. Huge, and that was only the outskirts. We'll have about a week here at the end so time to explore then.
Guanajuato is probably my favourite city in Mexico so far. Refreshingly its streets are completely irregularm winding their way sinuously up and down and around between one small plaza and the next. The town is wedged into a valley in the Sierra Madre so the usual hispanic grid system went out of the window here, however the town is choc full of beautiful colonial buildings, many of them churches. Smoe of the streets are extremely narrow, the most famous being the Callejon del Beso (Street of the Kiss), so called because it is so narrow (half a metre at one point) that the residents of the houses on opposite sides of the street could lean over from their balconies to exchange a kiss.
Guanajuato is a university town and has a tradition called the Callejonero, in which students dressed in costumes which looked rather Shakespearean to me, and playing musical instruments, lead a group of tourists around the maze like streets relating stories and myths about the town. Also on the steps of the theatre on the main square, crowds gather to watch street entertainers perform, often incorporating the passing cars which are forced to slow down by the traffic on the narrow one-way streets.
An interesting feature of the town is its network of tunnels which take some of the traffic and its fumes away from the nevertheles heaving streets. Originally constructed to take the river Guanajuato underground to prevent flooding, the tunnel network has been expanded and as the river now runs at an even deeper level, is used for traffic. You can also walk through them, they are a useful shortcut, avoiding the crowded, narrow pavements but its not advisable in rush hour unless you having breathing equipment! Here we cleverly managed to mispay our guidebook, leaving it in a taxi never to be seen again. We may have cursed it regularly but we felt a bit naked without it!! Mexico is not like Argentina or Peru, full if backpackers and proper hostels where you can swop info and borrow someone's guidebook; many of the tourists are Mexican, or people on 2 or 3 week holidays so for a trip like ours a guidebook is pretty useful, even if just for an idea of where its worth visiting and places to stay- walking round just seaching in the midday sun is not ideal! However after searching all the bookshops of Guanajuato we remained bookless:-(
We took a bus one day to nearby San Miguel de Allende, another lovely colonial town and world heritage site like Guanajuato. However San Miguel has become a sort of haven for expat US Americans and those just taking a 'vacation', which means that while it therefore has great amenities, it also has infalted prices and feeling that everything is geared up to cater for the tourists, not for real life. In contrast, Guanajuato, also very popular with tourists, seems to absorb them effortlessly and go on its way. In San iguel we continued the guidebook hunt but only found Foders and Frommers which are definitely not aimed at backpackers or budget travellers judging by the prices of the hotels in their 'economic' section!!!
The hilltop overlooking Guanajuato affords a fantastic view of the city. A monument has been built to El Pipila who was a hero of the Mexican wars of independence in 1810. There is a funicular for those who can't face the walk up (or down) but its nowhere near tough enough to require one!
Next stop Zacatecas, in the same mould as Guanajuato, a city in a valley, but on a grander scale with taller buildings and wider streets. Here we found a lovely and proper hostel, the Villa Colonial, fantastically run by a Mexican named Ernetso, complete with book exchange, sunny roof terrace with great views over the city, kitchen facilities and cheap beer for sale :-) And we also finally found a bookshop with a Lonely Planet Mexico- a Spanish version but the latest edition, so we snapped it up! A teleferico runs from one hillside to the top of the Cerro La Bufa where the views over the town and surrounding countryside are awesome.
We left the heartlands of Mexico as the area encompassing Guanajuato and Zacatecas is known, and continued ever-northwards to Durango, where the countryside is rolling and covered in low, heat-tolerant shrubby vegetation and cacti, the horizons seem endless and the skies immense. You may recognise the name if you are a fan of Westerns- some 120 have been filmed around the city, starring amongst others John Wayne, Paul Newman and Charles Bronson and more recently Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek (I forget the name of the film!). In the main square a stage had been erected and early evening each day hosted live acts- we saw traditional dancing (cowboy boots and hats included) one evening- apparently its part of the Durango festival running throughout July. Here I got to indulge my recent obsession with corn on the cob which is sold by street vendors from huge pots on a stick. You can have it smothered in mayonaise/margarine/cream and grated cheese, but more of a purist I've developped a taste for it with just salt and lime juice- delicious! Lime juice is a staple part of the diet in Mexico, squeezed fresh from tiny limes into everything from beer to taco fillings! Durango is the place to come if you want to buy a pair of cowboy boots. I am getting used to the sight of men wearing the typical cowboy hats, which they never seem to take off, even to eat, and the boots of leather, crocodile, ostriche and lizard skins, with matching belts and pretty commonplace too!
We visited the small village of Chupideros which is about 20 minutes from Durango by bus but feels like the middle of nowhere. It has an old movie set at the back of town which has been taken over by the residents who have set up their homes behind the facades. From their we got a lift in the back of a pick up 2km down the road to Villa del Oeste- this film set was built and used for numerous movies and more recently a couple of Mexican telenovelas (soap operas) but now has been converted into a small theme park with shows daily and a cast of inhabitants in typical wild west clothing.

And so finally we came to Chihuahua, where I am disappointed to report not a single sighting of a miniature dog (although several have been seen throughout the rest of the country). Here we're in the north of the Sierra Madre Occidental, the temperatures are rising as the city is only at about 1500m. The name Chihuahua means 'dry and sany area' in the indigenous nahuatl language which is a perfect description of the landscape- nothing to do with small dogs, which in fact are believed to have been brought here from Egypt or Asia by the Spaniards although this is far from certain. Tomorrow we'll be heading on to Creel which is a small town on the famous Chihuahua to Pacific railway. We'll pick up teh train there after a couple of days hopefully hiking and exploring the network of canyons formed millions of years ago when the area was subject to huge volcanic and tectonic movements. The system is apparenlty 4 times bigger than the grand canyon so I am looking forward to being awed!!

Okay just tried to put some piccies on but the CD drives in this internet cafe don't work- grrrrr. Sorry guys!

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