To the sounds of a gentle torrent...

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I am really upset that my tan is fading fast here in Oaxaca. It has been no shortage of time spent outside but the rain keeps washing any sunshine away.

I´ll try to catch up a bit more on this blog. In effect it is really gong to be my diary for the trip, as my actual diary is filled with an odd assortment of un-diary like things, so please feel free to ignore any bits that are too touchy-feeling and (who am I kidding) adolescently angsty, the bits about which movie stars and singers I have a crush on and the boys at school I think are cute but a bit childish.

Merida ... where were we? We got ourselves a local café again--Café Pop--also with lovely elderly male waiters who pulled out our chairs and made jokes with us in Spanish. There was a great outdoor sculpture display on one of the streets--really cool. But the main thing that we did there was take a trip out to Celestun. I didn´t think that the flamingos would be around, but I had overheard a tou guide speaking about them and so we decided to go and have a squizz. It was a funny tour. We were on a mini-bus with a group of biological scientists who were in Merida for a conference but whose conference centre was so badly placed and so short of ammenities that they were spending all their time going on tours. We stopped at a ladies house so we could "see how the locals live"--oops, scepticism alert!! She had the most anemic turkeys I have ever seen in my life. We went on a boat ride out to where the flocks of flamingos were. I love flamingos. They are so pink, fabulously pink, bedroom pink. When they fly off they fly in the most beautiful, undulating, single file line. The whole day was worth the 30 minutes we spent watching then from afar. There were also frigates and, what are they called, the ones that sit with their wings spread and drying (they do it on Maribyrnong Creek too), can´t think, also brown pelicans that sit in the trees (a pelican actually looks quite odd in a tree). We finished up with a yummy seafood lunch and a swim in the Gulf of Mexico--another body of water for my collection.

We had decided to take the night bus to Palenque and so we had to spend the day in Merida waiting for the bus. What cultural activity could we engage in to spend that time? Well, we could get Charlie´s eyelashes curled and tinted. That is a very odd experience. Any of you done that before? They stick a piece of cord to the eyelid at the base of your lashes--tears were poaring out as she poked it onto my lids--then paint it with glue and stick your lashes up onto it. Luckily for me, I had Bernii sitting near by--well sitting is the wrong word, more like lying on the floor laughing--taking photos. The word drag-queen comes to mind--and rightfully so. But the picture in the poster, luscious, thick lashes, was an illusion as they are still the silly pathetic lashes that I was born with--now they just curl towards the ceiling. And after that, a french manicure for Bern and a pedicure for me. Lalarge and Valentina did nothing all day and are looking scruffier than ever--although after a few days and the enamel chipping, I think Bern and I look worse than our natural selves. (Which reminds me, please dont let me backpack with white clothing again--its looking decidedly grey!!)

So picture how grumpy on a scale of one to ten we may have been at the end of the following day: overnight bus, arrival at 0630am, store the bags at the bus station, book a 1430 bus from Palenque to San Cristobal de Casas, breakfast, walk to town to catch a collectivo (for those not familiar: mini bus that sits and waits until its full before heading to its destination which for us was to the ruins), explore Palenque--a Mayan ruin that is being reclaimed from the jungle, that sits on the start of the mountains overlooking a plain and so is a contant up and down climb, and allows you to climb the pyramid on steps that are about 10cms wide and 30 cms high, find the bus back to town, 5 hour bus trip to San Cristobel, find a hotel, find a restaurant, have dinner, have a shower.

San Cristobal is another cute town. Very artsy and for some reason very ex-pat. It´s at 2200 meters and so lovely and cool after the Yucatan Peninsular. We had a lazy time there, wandering round. I cant even really think what it was we did there. Visited the jade museum and the amber museum. Visited a funky paper making place.

We had planned to do a day bus to Oaxaca (12hours), but the universe--or the Mexican bus timetable--had other plans for us.

I may leave you to ponder what those plans may be, but let me give you a hint: they are not nearly as exciting as you can imagine they would be. It is just that it´s nearly closing time.

I´m off to my home away from home where the rain falls gently on the skylight and the americans are sooo sweet. I think a little part of me is starting to miss some aspects of home--I saw a sign that said "Lobhi" and it made me think of the little man with longing. Of course, if I had seen signs that were nearly the names of the rest of you I would have also felt the same longing, I promise! See you all too, too soon!!!

Love Charlie
oxooxooox

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