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Published: July 31st 2005
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Well, thanks for the support all of you who commented on my blog. Glad to know the last one was such a hit, not sure that this one will compete, but at least you´ll know what´s going on with me.
I see that there has been a request to add photos, I will attempt to bring some up from snapfish, or maybe, if I can find an internet cafe with a usb port (sometimes supprisingly hard to find), then I will bring some up right off my camera. As it is I need to upload them before cuba, cuz I´m running out of space.
So, where to begin. I said goodbye to my family, they were so nice, they gave me a present! how sweet, I only stayed with them for two weeks. Chiapas was nice, somewhat of a Euro hippie haven (although nothing compared to a place I went in Palenque, but that comes later), and we just hung out a bunch. I searched for the perfect amber ring and finally found it, so I was pretty excited about that. As for the rest of you, well, I think you are getting silver, not amber, but we´ll see.
Palenque
I'm really sick...but its beautiful! On tuesday, we decided to go on a motor boat down this river thats was supposed to be in a beautfiful canyon. Well, the canyon was beautiful, but after we had been going for about 20 min, the river became a garbage dump! I´m not kidding, it must have been about a block long or more worth of garbage int he river. I mean, disgusting! and the motor boat had to slow way down so as not to spray garbage on us! I mean, we paid to get floated through garbage. And this is a major tourist thing in the area. Of course, we were given wrist bands that say "the money that you have paid goes toward the preservation of this area" or something like that, yeah right! Anway, I should really write in to the rough guide about that one.
So, that day was kind of a bust, I mean there were parts of the canyon that were pretty, but certainly not worth the 3 hours or so that we spent in transit, the view of garbage, nor the smell of gas the entire time. What can you do?
That night we had a crazy night in San Cristobal (a city in Chiapas). We went out and danced the night away. After my two weeks of salsa lessons I´m hardly an expert, but I managed not to knock anyone over or do any major damage so I consider that a successful night of dancing. I used to find partner dancing frustrating bc I had a really hard time following, and overallt hat didn´t seem that fun. But, now I´m into it because really its all about the girl and you just pretty much get spun all around. My partner was nice, but really wanted to come on my trip to the lakes the next day, so I had to set that straight pretty quickly.
On wed. we headed out for these beautiful lakes called Lagos de Montebello. We stayed in a really rustic cabin there, and we were able to walk to the lake and to these caves. Darn I just lost a whole bunch that I had written, so now you all are really going to get the scaled down version. Let's see, we explored these caves without a headlamp bc we forgot mine and I am the only one of the group who has anything like that-raincoat, light, knife, pants that aren't jeans, etc. So anyway, we go recon for a while and then I head back and the other gals meet these ex-missionary guys who are now working in different social service things. They were really nice and even offered to take the four of us, plus the five of them, pluys all the packs, in their suv to the ruins the next day. A nice offer, but not really feasible. They also offered us dinner of white bread sandwiches with american cheese, but we took a pass on that.
The next day I bid farewell to the girls and went off on my own for a few days. three buses and about 9 hours later I managed to make it to palenque. On my way I met this hippie american and her daughter who conviced me to go to this hippie haven right outside of the ruins. So rather than stay in the dump of a town, I shared a taxi with her and we jetted out to this place called El Ranchon. Well, when I got there, I realized this wasn't like a little town with streets and stuff, its just a bunch of little hotels that rent cabins or hammocks, and a couple of restaurants. There aren't any streets or anthing, its all just these big slabs of rock to step on. It was beautiful, but as I was arriving at night I couldn't see much. I tired to go to the place where the mom and daughter were staying but there was no more space there, so he said, go try Mono Blanco. Ok, where's that, oh, over there. Great, over there, what does that mean. So I wander around wtih my backpack on until some kid, maybe 8 or so comes up and asks me if I want a cabin. HOw much, 130 pesos, no, ok, how about 60. Now I'm a little curious that he's able to come down in price so much so quickly so I ask him, are you sure, he says yes. He takes me to the cabin, meanwhile Im running into banana trees, splashing through mud and gettitng eaten alive. The kid leaves me at my cabin saying, the bathroom is over that way, (what is with these people) and runs off. I attempt to go find the bathroom and after making three circles I finally find the kid again, with a friend who now tells me the price is 100 pesos. Well, I get annoyed and leave. So I pick up my backpack and roam around and around trying to find another reception, but I just keep falling off the concrete slabs into the mud, and all I see are happy people playing games and stuff in their cabins. So I am about to go back and beg for the room, when I intrude this lady's space at a private house and she shows me where to go. I end up getting a nice cabin for 80.
Some funny characters in this place. Well, there is the hippie lady who is learning EArth dancing there and apparently tried it out the night before in a bar in San Cristobal. I guess everyone thought she was crazy (shocking) and some of the same people happened to be here in hippie-land so she was kinda caught. Her daughter was pretty cool, showed me the tadpoles that she had caught and explained how she had left them with her friend for a few days, and he did not change the water or anything. She told me that she didn't think that was very responsible. Then there was the mushrooming Austrian who had all of his stuff stolen, and he hasn't been able to buy any shoes because they don't make his size. Then there was the yoga teacher who was subbing in Oakland Public schools but is now going on with new idea instead of returning for her credetial. What's the new idea, well...that's not quite formed yet. Ah, the list goes on.
Managed to make it to Palenque and see the Ruins, which were amazing! Unfortunately, on top of the sinus infection, my stomach decided that it didn't like anything I was putting in it, and began rejecting food. Haven't really been able to eat for the past few days. Palenque was cool except that I had to sit down about every 10 min, and run for the bathroom about every half hour. I had worked so hard to get there, and i was leaving the next day, that I just had to really appreciate it, and I did. I'll try to include a photo or two. That's it, came here on a 14 hour bus ride, thankfully, my stomach held up for the most part, and talked a bunch with a nice, but very chatty, Argentine. I get the feeling he could have talked the whole way, but thankfully my Dramamine started to kick in, and I was out like a light.
Whew, sorry this is long, and maybe boring. Hope all is well in your respective places. I'm not sure how much email access I'll have for the next 10 days, but I'll certainly update when I get back to Mexico City a week from Friday.
Wishing you all happy and heathly stomachs,
Dina
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Yve
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Hey Dina! Well, after enjoying this blog so much, and seeing the rave reviews you gave to your previous blogs, I'm all caught up now! It's hard to be on this side of the computer, at home! I did a similar trip down there a few summers ago, so it's great to hear stories about familiar places.. You make me laugh!! Glad you're having some great adventures. I've been spending a lot of quality time on my couch, but healing up really well from my knee surgery.. Look forward to getting together when you return! que te vaya bien! yve