Independence Day Weekend

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Because Independence Day is an important day in Mexico Abraham, Monika & I decided to go to the main plaza in San Pedro. We agreed to go there because it was traditional but also safe. To me it seemed like a fair without rides. It had stands to play games and tons of stands with different food. We tasted our way through the fair; from Flautas to potato chips on a stick. At 11 o’clock the governor of San Pedro appeared on the balcony of the official offices. The yelled something in Spanish and the Mexican people shouted “Viva” and waved their flags – including myself. 😊

We didn’t go to a big Independence Day party because the following morning we planned to leave for Xilitla at 6.30. We could have just as well left two hours later because we either had to wait on somebody for a while or just wasted time by standing around forever. Finally, we managed to get out of Monterrey. I was not looking forward to this ride because I was squished between Lari and Micha, which both aren’t small people. About ten hours later we finally arrived in Xilitla. Xilitla is a very small traditional town in San Luis Potosi. In the evening we went for typical Mexican food and also drinks – beer and tequila.  Great fact about Mexico: 1 soda, 1 beer, dinner (meat, potatoes and broccoli) and 2 tequila shots about 150 pesos which equals about 10 franks. For a long time I wished to be a part of a group where someone plays the guitar so we could chil out, have a beer and sing a little. And this evening I finally got it. Thanks to Abraham who is a wonderful guitar player and singer.

The next morning we had to be ready at 4.30 to arrive on time for the wakening of the birds. It took us two hours and lots of bumps to get to that place. It turned out to be a cave which was about 500 meters deep where the birds sleep. So they can get out of the cave they have to go with the winds which takes them a pretty long time. It was really spectacular to see. Every now and then a green parrot snuck between the black birds. Our next stop was in a small town for breakfast (aka Tacos). After, we wanted to head for the actual trip – the waterfalls – but got held up by the police which were dressed in t-shirts. They believed that we were traveling with an illegal organization because the bus didn’t have a sticker of the company we signed up with. About 30 minutes later we were allowed to carry on with our trip. We arrived at a very nice turquoise river which looked very promising. We grabbed some beers and started paddling. The river flows through a pretty deep valley and is surrounded by beautiful nature. After a while we arrived at the Kodak moment stone which is a big stone with the lovely waterfall in the background. On the way back we were allowed to go swimming and enjoyed the coolness of the water. We also made a stop in a cave which was pretty cold to swim in but a lot of fun. Everybody challenged each other to jump into the water from a higher point in the cave. Back in the restaurant we were treated with some fish. In the hotel we all went for a power nap before we went for dinner and drinks. There isn’t really a nightlife in Xilitla but we rocked the bar. I even beat my Finish friend in fondo (jugging). This turned out to be a great compliment to me..Haha!

The next day we finally went to the “Las Pozas”. This is a place in the jungle where the famous English architect Edward James constructed his statues. The property is 40 hectares large and spread around the jungle. The ideas for these statues he got during his magic mushroom trips and had these built by Mexicans afterwards. There are some really crazy constructions to see. The most fantastic one is right at the beginning and a little dangerous and scary to walk over since it is very high and not secured. Some are built close to the water where visitors have the opportunity to go swimming. At five o’clock we had to leave because it really is dangerous to travel in Monterrey by night.

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