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Published: June 15th 2015
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On tuesday we depart for Guatemala, aiming for the crossing at Ciudad Cuauhtémoc for a hopefully quick and quiet passage across the border from Mexico. It will mark the end of approximately three and a half months here, much of that in Oaxaca and Chiapas; before arriving we thought we would spend approximately six weeks in the entire country so it's been much longer than expexcted. And with good reason! Here are some things that I have really enjoyed about our time in Mexico.
De la Semillas a la Nubes, Todo de la Natura From the desert sands of Sonora to the mountain forests of Chiapas, the landscape of Mexico is widely varied but always beautiful. Arriving into Tecate then hopping on a coach to Mexicali offered my first glimpse of actual desert, something we got more of when riding with Armando to his house in Puerto Peñasco. It was vast, brimming with sand, covered in sun, and surprisingly green. Armando explained that this was because the region has experienced an unusual amount of rain over the past year. I don't know what exactly that amount was but I suspect any amount of rain is unusual in
a desert consiered the hottest in Mexico. Unusual weather patterns have also been mentioned during our stay at the other end of the country, Chiapas, where it is traditionally cool and rainy but the past few years have seen increasingly hotter temperatures. Tuxtla Gutiérrez, in particular, is blistering. On our return to Oaxaca from our first trip to San Cristóbal we got dropped off in the middle of the city and needed to make our way to the edge for our next hitchiking spot. We were drenched within minutes. Fully-laden rucksacks strapped to our backs didn't help but the density of heat in the city was ridiculous and forced us into taking shelter in a delicious, conveniently located, air-conditioned vegetarian restaurant; little did we know it would compare little to the horrifying humidity of Chahuites just the next day. It was all worth it though. From the sparkling, undulant Sea of Cortez filled with more unique species than any other body of water in the world to the rain-driven slopes of Oaxaca, the diversity and rawness of
tierra madre here has been lovely.
Las Culturas del Sur Influence from the USA radiates from the border, down
the skull and spine of Mexico, and begins to taper off at Mexico City. As a capital city - and one containing nearly nine million people at that - it encapsulates its own unique urban culture. Once we hit Oaxaca, though, the presence of local and indigenous cultures really begins to emerge. From the staunchly political market in the zocalo of Ciudad de Oaxaca to the indigenous, autonomous pueblos of Chiapas the commonality of non-Europeanised customs inject an interesting and welcome air into the world. The people are kind and friendly, if sometimes a little shy, and even the street sellers are likeable and - in the case of the indigenous women in the centre of San Cristóbal - often sweet. A marked difference from the hawkers of India or the sterility of much of the USA/UK.
Perros de la Calle I have always been a "cat person" because as far as the age old battle between canines and felines go. I prefer their aloofness and independence. Dogs tend toward being too needy and boisterous. I am not a fan of human children for similar reasons. Yet the street dogs of Mexico have completely changed my
opinion of them. They are independent and have a skepticism of people that I very much enjoy in cats and all animals, cantering a wide berth around pedestrians, pissing without care on motorbikes, and generally leading a life semi-independent of the humans in the human world they are surrounded by. This also applies to the perros del campo, Negro and Bunchow, who I liked very much. I realise now my lack of interest was not in dogs but their socialisation.
La Conciencia Politica de los Gentes One thing Mexicans are not is politically apathetic. Every city we have visited has had strong political currents running through it and, in particular, a lot of action from grassroots and activist groups. Part of this may be that qe arrived in the run up to national by-elections, held June 6th, but it is evident that politics with both a small and capital 'p' is an incredibly important facet of many people's lives here. There are the famous movements such as the Zapatistas and the Ayotzinapa "¡Los Queremos Vivos!" campaign, whose strength I feel reflects a great strength in the people here, to the obvious presence of strong unions throughout
workplaces, and down to local DIY projects such as Chanti Ollin in Ciudad de Mexico and KZA Libertad in San Cristóbal de las Casas or the political graffiti adorning every street wall in the country. Whilst there is more to life than politics, the effect of Politics on life is immeasurable. Seeing people engaged with it on such a massive scale is very inspiring.
Cosas No Solo en Mexico Pero Nosotros Experimentado en Mexico Had we not come to this country we would bever have been able to visit Oventic or meet and stay with Anisha in San Sebastian Rio Hondo. We would never have met all our lovely couchsurfing hosts and their friends. We finally got successful with hitchiking in Mexico. Our determination to learn Spanish was seeded in this country and I probably would have gone to my grave with English and un petit peu of French had we not come here. Now I will die knowing un poquito de Español too. There has been some incredible food here too: molé and elotes stand out. Finally, it has been whilst in Mexico that a way into the future of our lives has begun coming
into focus and that, if anything, is perhaps the most important thing to take away from our three and a half months here. I am thankful for having been on this bridge of land for all the people/animals I have met and things I have experienced. Maybe they would have elsewhere, at another time, but they happened here and now.
Tomorrow we leave for a new country and continent (politically speaking), going through what will hopefully be a quiet border crossing at Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, then rushing like storm clouds across five countries in order to reach Columbia in time for the beginning of August. There we will be joined by a very special guest for a too brief two weeks. Adios México, tú esterás siempre en mi corazón.
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