Back to Mexico....

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At san marcos, a surprise dinner was done for my departure, some good
friends where made and much learned including reiki level 1 and 2 -
reiki attunements where on a volcano above the lake with eagles circling
- pretty cool stuff and so so cheap here. Distance reiki? - now theres
a concept and a half! Some amazing people here doing so much for local
kids and the local environment, very inspiring.

When i left san marcos I went back into mexico (the border was crazy as
was the driver for the full 9 hours!) and onto san cristibol - a
beautiful mountainous city where all the musicians and creative ppl
come. So hot in the day and so freezing in the night. I was planning
to fly to the UK but 2 friends from san marcos emailed me and said they
where on there way here to meet one of there friends.

After a day and some perusassion I delayed my flight by a week and
headed into the chiapas mountains with them all. Chiapas is the poorest
part of mexico and our friend wanted to go to an amber mine. Chiapas
once atttempted to have a revolution and sees itself as seperate from
mexico - similar to barcelona. This was no tour and no tourists came
this way but my friend had to buy lots of amber for a friend in India,
$800 worth, and believe me that is a fortune in these parts.
Our 4 hour trip into the mountains cost £2.50 each.

As we approcahed the mine a whole school ran to the fence to view us.
10 of them climbed out of school and followed us up to the mine, they
where so much fun and so happy.
The mine had collapsed a week ago and after bribing the miners with
pepsi and fanta we where allowed in and to take photos and talk to them.
The mine had no electricity and no wood or any supports, my head brushed
the roof and lots of small rocks fell down, it was also very hot.
The last 6 hours no amber at all had been found and this mine is
practically the only place in the world to get red amber (i got 2 big
blocks for £8 each). Red amber is only 2% of what they mine here
(usually orange colour amber is found) so it is very rare. Needless to
say lots of kids where working here.

This whole town in the mountains is based purely on the amber mine,
locals run up to you with bits of amber and at the church there was only
women as all the men are pissed and waiting outside/around the church -
very odd and funny.

Back in San Cristobol we took in the ambience for a couple more days and
saw an amazing live concert - sort of tribal and proccussion and also
another live band that was very world music with a mexican tribal
undertone - really really good.

My friends went back to san marcos and we parted after a week of much
laughter and adventure.

Now i am preparing for a 16hour bus to cancun then a flight to Chicago,
Ireland then London - that will teach me to delay my flight!

This trip has come to an end, and so much has been gleened from it, some
great new friends made that will be seen again. Central America is
intense - it ia happy, sad, violent, corrupt, poverty, hot, cold
honest, low, high, unsafe ...everything! wow.

A new blog should be starting in the near future....


Mark :-)

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