Update

Just a quickie to say that I'm still in Isla, up to the usual shenanigans (I just like using that word). Resting up for the big New Year's Fiestas tomorrow. Wishing everyone were here to celebrate with us!!

Home Sweet Home

Just a quick note to say I've arrived in Isla and all is more than well. Lindsay and Gary were at the ferry dock to welcome me, despite the rain and crazy winds. I spent last night at Casa Baumer's (which is spectacular) and was welcomed and treated with a hospitality like no other. It feels great to be here and see so many familiar faces, especially at Christmas.
I'd like to wish everyone happy holidays- Feliz Navidad y Feliz Ano Nuevo!! Love and miss you all!!

Update

I am leaving Isla Holbox in the next couple of hours- destined for Isla Mujeres by this evening!!!

Paraiso

I´m walking on the powdery soft white sand with seashells crunching under my feet and the soothing sound of the rolling waves of the turquoise blue waters. There are pelicans soaring above, occasionally plunging into the shallow waters to catch a fish in their giant beaks. Among them are various other species of birds sunbathing perched on the boats, rocks and docks along the shores. I walk with such a huge smile already on my face that when I pass one of the few other people I encounter on my stroll, I can only nod hello, as I´m already grinning ear to ear. This is Isla Holbox.
And it is a far cry from the Weary Traveller. In my last post, I made a promise to myself not to end up back at the bedbug palace that is the Weary. I will spare the details of how I ended up there anyways, however I must say that it wasn´t quite the filthy hole I remembered it to be. Regardless, I didn´t take any chances and I slept fully covered with sweatpants, socks, and a hoodie despite the heat. I had a blast there, and met loads of people with very little effort as the common area of the hostel is really conducive to mingling.
After swimming in cenotes and spending a couple days getting a good solid base tan going on the spectacular beaches of Tulum, I had some serious decision-making to do. Which island did I want to go to? Head straight to Isla, which is always a sure bet, or try something new? I´d heard a bit about Cozumel, but it was sounding like a tourist-trap, cruise ship stop. There happened to be two guys at the hostel headed for Isla Holbox, and I decided at the last minute to invite myself along.
After one transfer at the bus station in Cancun, 5 hours of sitting on a 2nd class bus, and half an hour on the ferry, we arrived. We were immediately met by a man offering us a taxi (on Holbox this equals golf cart ride). We declined as the walk to hotel we were going to look at was 700 metres away. A few minutes later, the same man drove his cart up behind us and gave us an offer: ¨Come check out an apartment I have for the same price as you´ll get at the other hotel, and if you don´t like it, I´ll give you a ride back wherever you like.¨ Fair enough.
So we are staying in this guy Padrino´s father´s apartment atop the hotel that they own. We are paying $10 a piece per night and the place is pimp. I wake up in the morning, climb down from my loft, and look out the window at the ocean. Three of the four walls of the flat have large windows, which makes for a nice cross-breeze when you open them all up. There´s a small kitchen with all the necessary appliances, including the blender we plan to use for the party we will have when we makes some friends. It all seemed too good to be true, so we figured we had to find something wrong with the suite. Well, the light switch is located in an inconvenient place- I know, life´s tough!
My roomates are really a lot of fun and I´m so glad to have met them back at the hostel, otherwise I would probably not have come here. One guy is Dwayne, an Australian lawyer in his early forties, divorced with an eight year old son. The other is Wessel, a Dutch guy, mid-thirties, same family situation. They are both hilarious and it´s kind of nice to have different travelling companions than the usual mid-twenties backpacker who quit their job and is just drifting around for months (me).
I´ve heard from a few people that Isla Holbox is essentially what Isla Mujures was 15-20 years ago. There are very few cars here and the roads are made of sand, not paved. There aren´t many tourists, but there is construction going on everywhere and I can imagine this won´t last very long. There is very little to do here, which is what I love the most. Writing this blog is the most strenous thing I´ve done in a few days. And a quick heads up: the blogs will probably be minimal now until I get to Colombia as I am in full beach mode and couldn´t be bothered to write too much when the sun is shining and the ocean calling.

Not So Weary

I`m currently in Merida, arrived here 2 nights ago. The place is a little dirty and dusty but has a pretty decent town square and lots of day trip possibilities. I`m getting into lazy mode for isla already though, so the best I could bring myself to do yesterday was walk to Parque Centenario and stroll through the free zoo there. I got quite a few stares all day, I being practically the only foreigner in the park, as well as the only adult there without a child. There must have been some suspicion that I was a child snatcher or something, and I`m sure the camera didn`t help, haha. Seriously it was a nice way to spend the day, animal and people watching. I`m off to Tulum today, but this year I will avoid the hostel The Weary Traveler, where last year I woke up with a lizard in my backpack and bugs crawling on the walls.

Black Hair and Colombia

Just thought I would give everyone a quick update of today;s accomplishments. Firstly I have dyed my hair. It was the most scary experience of the trip thus far, entrusting someone other than Buck with it, not to mention the language barrier issue. It;s dark, I;m not going to lie, but I like it and the sun will lighten it up in no time when it decides to come out. Secondly I have booked a flight from Cancun to Bogota, Colombia. I could not resist the price. $300US- an unbeatable price even thought the Canadian dollar is shit right now. And for all of you who are who;s hearts sank at the word Colombia, please fear not as I have encountered many people on my travels who have been there and have nothing but amazing things to say about the country. As much as I wanted to wing it and not make too many commitments in advance, I think I will find it to have been wise to book my fly out of isla before I get there (despite a past missed flight and failure to leave).
PS dad, don;t let Oma mistake Colombia for Africa, even though my hair is now black.

Campeche-leche

So I am currently in Campeche, the state as well as the city. I wish I could write about some thrilling things that I;ve done here, but unfortunately this is not the case. The city is really beautiful though, super clean and developed and orderly, almost unrealistically so. I;m staying in a really great hostal with a rooftop terrace and a perfect view of the town square, cathedral, and surrounding areas. Campeche is on the UNESCO world heritage list and has something like a couple thousand restored historical buildings, if you;re into that kind of thing. It;s also surrounded by baluartes, or ruins of old fortress walls. There are enough museums here for sure, but I;m just not much in the mood for those right now.
It reminds me a bit of Veracruz; it has a malecon, or walkway along the sea wall. There is also a restaurant called Parroquia, not to be confused with El Gran Parroquia of Veracruz. The latter being a famous cafe where I had my morning fix everyday with Mich in Veracruz. The coffee I had here last night was shit and I was upset.
I;m currently attempting to make some decisions about the next stage of my travels. I can;t decide whether I want to head to Merida, which some say is just a big, hot city or to head to the ocean- Tulum, Playa, isla, wherever. Another option is to head back to Veracruz for a couple weeks, but unfortunately this is in the opposite direction of isla. I also can;t decide what I want to do today- it;s the day of celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe and there should therefore be some interesting sights out in the streets. Last night there was a parade and more invisible fireworks (by this I mean there are super loud explosions but nothing to see in the sky). There is also a musical fountain just down the street, and a nativity scene on the corner (LindsVL I;m studying it carefully).
The other thing I need to start thinking about is booking a ticket to South America- there;s a cheap flight to Colombia January 19th. Ahhhhhhhh, decisions....

Ruined

Today I went and saw the Mayan ruins of Palenque. Because I have been staying in El Panchan, right outside the entrance to the park, I was able to walk in. I decided to take my time at these ruins, more because I had nothing else to do afterwards than out of interest. Normally I move through ruin sites quickly, taking pictures without even examining the structures or trying to imagine what the site would have looked like in it{s prime. Today I climbed all the structures and temples possible and entered those where it was permitted as. I sat atop the temple of the sun for quite some time, listening music and imagining how Palenque would have looked over a thousand years ago.
Palenque is surrounded by jungle and is largely unexcavated. The area with the most important structures and temples is out in the open and swarming with tourists but there are some more minor ruins half buried in the hot and humid jungle as well. I suppose it is similar to Tikal in a lot of ways, and I couldn{t say whether I prefer one over the other, they are both very impressive. I also took the time to walk through the museum and have a look at all the artifacts that have been found within the temples, something I also would normally skip. The museum includes a recreation of a tomb that was uncovered, which is pretty spectacular.
Because of the jungle location, the heat and humidity, there is also quite an odour that can be enjoyed here and there. Basically it smells like rotten eggs, and this odour also happens to be lingering outside my cabana. Other more pleasant jungle experiences are to be had though, including hearing the sounds of the wildlife, in particular the howler monkeys. Basically what they sound like when they get going is like a mechanical lion{s roar. I can hear it from my room, but thankfully they don{t seem to howl during the night. And for those curious about the mysterious creature in my roof, it hasn{t attacked me yet. Oh, and I don{t have fleas or bedbugs, so rest easy.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon with a tour group to the waterfalls of Agua Azul and Misol-Ha, which are both spectacular. The turquoise blue natural pools at Agua Azul reminded me of the limestone pools of Semuc Champey in Guatemala, but were even more impressive due to the massive waterfall at the top and the fact that the water was more swimable and not ice cold.

Thatch-Pickers

Well I arrived safely in Palenque and found myself an 8 dollar per night cabana in El Panchan, which is just outside the ruin gates. It seemed clean and reasonable when I checked in, but as I was relaxing and reading on the bed I noticed there seemed to be a few fruit-fly type creatures hopping around on the comforter. I choose to believe that this is what they are, because I have actually never seen bedbugs or fleas before, but I guess I will find out either tonight or in the morning. There was also some creature picking around in the thatch roof and I heard something munching on what sounded like a seed or nut just outside my door. I do not wish to investigate these noises any further and think a beer or two in combination with some ear plugs may assist me to sleep.

Viva Chiapas!

Having taken the night bus from the coast of Oaxaca into Chiapas, I think I may have missed out on some breath-taking scenary. Thankfully I was able to enjoy it today though, on the exhilarating journey from San Cris to Ox Chuc, a small pueblo here in Chiapas. I went in the SUV of my host´s friend, and it was a bit of a wild ride through the hills, occasionally slamming over the many speed bumps that are so common here in Mexico.
As I mentioned, the scenery made it all worth the while, as everything is so lush and green. We passed through many small towns and through never-ending farmland and corn fields. The rolling hills, as they say, were splendid. The countryside is plastered with tall pine trees and the air is so fresh and unpolluted. After being dumped off in Ox Chuc, we hopped onto a colectivo truck the rest of the way to Ocosingo, where Vladimir´s mother lives. From there, we drove a few minutes outside the town to the Mayan ruins of Tonina.
Although I´ve seen my fair share of ruins, especially those of the Mayan variety, Tonina is quite impressive. The ruins are built on a hill, and span a small area, although I´m told that they are in the process of being uncovered. Tonina is more engaging than other ruin sites because you are able to enter some of the buildings, for example the labyrinth, and you are also able to climb to the very top of the structure. About halfway up the hill is a rather small opening into the ruins, which if you have the guts to squeeze into, leads into a tomb. I, being brave, squeezed myself right in there and tunnelled through into the cool, damp space that at some point in history held the remains of Mayan loyalty. Too cool.
The surrounding area is what makes Tonina so captivating though; as I mentioned it is comprised of lush green hills and plots of farmland for as far as the eye can see. We sat a long while at the top of the ruins, gazing out at Chiapas, soaking up the warm sun. It really felt like the top of the world at the moment. I don´t think I would have left if not for the nawing hunger from not having eaten all day...

Ich can nicht mehr Deutsch Sprechen

So I have been hanging out with some german couchsurfers here in San Cris, and because my spanish seems to be advancing a bit, apparently my german is regressing. I can still understand it alright, but speaking it is a pathetic mixture of english, spanish, and scheisse-deutsch. Oh well. Went hiking with 4 germans today to a really cool spot outside the city on some little-known Indigenous farmland. Had a little picnic with some fruit, tortillas, this really crappy butter-cheese and some peanuts, hat viel Spass gemacht, ja? Haha. Bis mas tarde!

Praise the Sun!

Alright, so things are quite a bit different around here when the sun is out. I didn't sleep too bad with all my layers, but I did think about using the wooden table and chairs in my room as firewood a couople times throughout the night. I'm a survivor though, and I'll think I'll stick around here for awhile.
I'm not sure if I've already mentioned this, and I know I may have said it about Oaxaca City, but San Cristobal is very much like Antigua, Guatemala. It's set up in the mountains, which makes for some amazing miradors (but also accounts for the freezing cold and shortness of breath while hiking). The streets are all cobblestone with super narrow sidewalks (great when the cars are speeding around corners paying no attention to pedestrians). The city is filled with beautiful architecture, culture, museums, etc. But what is most interesting is the large population of indigenous people. There are loads of markets where the artesanias are sold for real cheap. There's tons that I'd like to buy, but I just don't want to carry it for the next 5 months.
The Maya and other indigenous cultures all have distinct clothing that they wear. It is all done by hand and is incredibly intricate. Of course the garments they wear up here all look really warm, and I think they must be made of really heavy wool. I see a lot of ponchos, and I almost want to buy one along with a toque, but the girl staying at my apartment says that where I'm going soon it's 40c most days (Merida).
This morning I walked around and got myself pretty well orientated (although somehow I was lost on the way home this evening. I hiked up a long and weaving staircase to a cathedral with a nice view of the town (this time unguided by the police, I guess it's pretty safe around here). Then, after grabbing a fantastic coffee (which Chiapas is known for) and a spinach and potato empanada from the bakery, I hopped a colectivo destined for San Juan Chamula. En route, I met 2 italian guys and a german girl going to Huitepec, which is a sort of cloud forest type thing about halfway to my orignal destination. I got out and did the one and a half hour hike with them, which was nothing too spectacular but the air was so nice and fresh and unpolluted.
Afterwards, I walked out onto the highway to catch another minibus to my original destination. I tried to flag a few done, but a bunch drove past me. Finally one stopped and basically was trying to warn me that there were no other tourists in the van, plus it was pretty well full. No bug deal, I just squeezed myself into the very bag, which is meant for luggage, and share the leg space with an elderly indigenous man in a cowboy hat. The 45 min or so ride costs only 9 pesos.

Chamula is an indigenous village which is most visited for it's cathedral. I need to read more about it because I don't entirely understand what was going on inside. I think that what's happened is probably a mixture between ancient indigenous beliefs and the Catholic religion. After paying the entrance fee or 20pesos, I entered the cathedral. Inside there was the smell almost like burning pine needles and a there was a smoky haze in the air. There were no pews or altars per say, but these cases lining both side walls and at the back. Inside the wood and glass cases were statues of various saints, many of which had mirrors hung around their necks (I'm not sure why). The worshippers were all indigenous, their garments making the whole scene so much more intriguing. All over the ground were sprigs of greenery, almost like from a pine tree.
There were people kneeling down and lighting all sorts of kinds of candles, in glass holders but also tall candles directly melted to the ground. Many of the worshippers were chanting and bowing, standing, kneeling, etc. It was really a beautiful sight. Kind of unfortunate was that it's prohibited to take photos inside the cathedral and also of the indigenous people in the village in general. Obviously this needs to be respected.
After arriving back in the city, I took myself to this cafe in the centro where they have a makeshift cinema and play 3 movies per day. I caught "The Sweet Hereafter", after which I got lost walking home. It's a damn good thing my spanish is adequate to take directions.

Icy Fingers

Why oh why did I leave the beach? The night bus was torturous- more like 14 hours than the anticipated 12 and the AC was pumping; I suppose to prepare the passengers for the climate in San Cristobal. I arrived to Vladimir´s (couchsurfing friend) place around noon, totally exhausted. He basically handed me the keys to his place, showed me how to light the gas tank to heat the water for my shower, and then left until wednesday. He had to go take care of his chickens outside the city at his mom´s place.
It´s raining and absolutely freezing. The other people staying at the apartment say that they could see their breath last night. And I dropped off all my clothes at the laundromat this afternoon... They say it should be ready by 730pm, but you never really know, especially with the rain because the usually hang it out to dry. Should be a comfy sleep. My friends from Slovenia who stayed at the apartment until this morning couldn´t figure out how to light the gas tank, and I don´t know how the fuck they showered. If the sun comes out tomorrow it should be just fine though.
Unfortunately the streets around this town are super dark and I haven´t oriented myself to the town yet, so I figure I´ll spend the evening clothed in everything I own under as many blanket as I can find, reading. Sounds exciting, no? I need to relax anyways, it´s a good excuse to do nothing. I´m sure I have everyone at home´s sympathy too, especially after all my posts about the beautiful scorching beaches I just left. Karma, eh?

Killing Time

I´m writing from an internet shop outside the bus station in Pochutla, otherwise known as Mexico´s Suratthani, to which only Linds and Chantelle can relate. It´s essentially a place people only ever go out of necessity- if you run out of money on the beaches and need a bank machine, or if you are catching a bus out of the shithole. I arrived here with the Brits, who have long ago caught their bus towards Guatemala. We said our goodbyes over a couple of beers and a spliff on the curb just down the street. I´ve been here since 530pm, it´s now 830pm, and I still have 2 hours to wait. And then comes the 12 hours on the bus, that is if there are no delays, and there always are. I bought 2 Gravols in one of the 50 pharmacies I´ve walked past so far for 5 pesos a piece. Then I wandered around the town square and watched some junior high volleyball. I then proceeded to eat an avocado bun and drink some liquid yogurt on the same curb as I had the beers with my departed friends. I´m bored as hell.
I had the option of catching a ride in a Blazer with this crazy Mexican hippie I met last night. He was telling me all about this experience he had with 6 other people, walking through the desert of Northern Mexico eating Peyote. It sounded good last night, not so much this morning, but as I sit here it´s beginning to sound good again. It would have been really tight though with the 3 Quebecers who were also riding with him.
Mazunte was beautiful, and I think I´ve got a bit of a tan somewhere under the layer of red. Both Zipolite and Mazunte were real laid-back, chilled-out places with great vibes. It isn´t high season yet so it´s hard to find much of anything going on, but that´s part of the charm. What I desperately need is to do some laundry, but I´ve been putting it off in this heat, because everything just gets so sweaty and grimy and sandy right away anyways. My next destination, San Cristobal, sits at a higher altitude and is therefore much colder. I can´t put off my chores any longer once I´m there.
I´m off to stretch my legs before the Gravol-induced semi-slumber on the night bus to Chiapas.

Team Man-Kini

So I figure I´ll elaborate a bit more on what I´ve been up to. Cat, Char, Comron, and Tobias have formed a group which we call Team Man-kini. It you want to imagine our graphic symbol, think the swimsuit that Borat wears. We have begun choreographing a dance routine, which includes leap-frog, line dancing, travelling piroettes, and jump kicks, among other sweet moves. We have also been known to play the ukalele, harmonica, flutes, and we sing. It´s great fun. Tonight we may change our name temporarily to Team Man-stash and paint moustaches on ourselves.
I experienced one of the most amazing things today- we went on a four hour boat trip which cost all of 150M and I swam with a group of hundreds of manta rays. It was indescribable. At first a few of us jumped in the water and were told to swim out to where we saw a couple mantas jumping out of the water. I couldn´t see any anywhere for awhile, but then suddenly I looked down and there were literally hundreds swimming around. It was so startling and I got this really creepy feeling. It was a bit scary. But I got over it and spent awhile in there just watching them all until they disappeared again. Phenomenal! Prior to that we saw some soft turtle-porn and spotted some dolphins, as well as did some mediocre snorkelling. I also did some cliff diving, but the highlight was definitely the rays.
We are staying at this place run by this crazy stoner couple- the man from Alaska and the woman from Scotland. The place is really laid-back, with no frills. There´s 2 toilets- one for shitting and the other for peeing, both of which you have to flush using a bucket of water. The electricity is inconsistent and the water runs out because it only gets delivered twice a week, but it´s only 50M per night. And we have use of the blender- which we used to make some delicious rum and fruit smoothies last night. We were cursing them on the boat this morning.
Puerto Escondido was cool as well- the surf is great so it was fun to watch all the surfers out at sunset. I´m thinking about returning there tomorrow for a couple of nights. I´ll write more when I have the chance!

Roast Beef

In Zipolite right now, another beautiful beach on the Pacific. Spent 2 nights in Puerto Escondido, which was really cool as well, crazy waves and great to watch surfing. Still travelling with the Brits and the American, and 2 Canadians tagging along a bit too, but they`re on motorcycle and with a fancy truck and camper, which they`re bragging about just a bit too much, haha. It`s been scorching hot and I`m getting burned a bit more every day, despite loads or sunblock, especially the tops of my feet which look ridiculous. I`m now oficially roast beef, which is apparently what the Brits are known as to other darker nationalities.
Hope all are well freezing in Canada, I`m off to watch the sunset. Will post some facebook pics when I get a better internet connection.

Playa!!

Hey. In Puerto Escondido safe and well. Can´t write more now because I need to get on the beach-it´s calling me!

Mezcal Sampling

Oaxaca is fantastic! Yesterday started a little poorly, leaving Veracruz and my friends there behind, I was lonely arriving here. The hostel was pretty empty when I checked in and I wasn't looking forward to my own company, but soon enough I started chatting with some great people- Julie and Dom from England. They let me tag along with them out drinking last night and we had a blast. Met up with an American and a Swiss- Comron and Tobias and went out to a couple of bars. One had a live band playing great music and the place was packed with people who were feelin' it. There was some interesting decor in the bar- a laundry rope strung over the bar full of hanging bras. Not to worry though, I still had mine on when I woke up this morning. After dancing and jumping around like mad for a few hours, we went on to a reggae bar but arrived as the band was playing it's last songs. I was somehow pulled into a group photo session of some random Mexicans, the details are vague.
Today Julie, Dom, and I wandered around town and checked out some cathedrals and markets then climbed up a hill out of town to check out the view from above. Oaxaca is very much like Antigua, Guatemala- the streets are all cobble-stone and crooked and the city is surrounded by mountains and hills. Many of the buildings are quite old and historic-looking, it's nice to just wander around and people-watch. I've had some really good food so far- Oaxaca cheese is soooooo tasty-salty and stringy. I found a place with tacos arabes, but they were nothing like the ones in Veracruz and I was disappointed. We sampled some free chocolate in a store today- mole negro y rojo, usually served over meat, which I don't particularly care for.
Speaking of sampling, there are loads of mezcal shops that hand out free samples here. My first taste was at 11 this morning, and I almost felt a little drunk all over again. Mezcal is in the tequila family and is made right here in Oaxaca, so this is supposed to be THE place to drink it. I got the fantastic idea to get a little free buzz going on this evening by sampling in the various shops-there are clear, gold, aged, and creme varieties which actually aren't half bad. But I think it would be far too much work to go around testing all night, haha.
We went to a food market for dinner and they sold delicious empanadas, 2 for $1.20- definitely the place to eat on a budget. There's street-meat galore here too. Dom and Comron ate pig's brain, and everyone tried the chili-crickets again. There's so much I still want to try...So far so good with my stomach too.
And that concludes my adventures in Oaxaca thus far.

Oaxaca

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I survived the 8 hour bus ride from Veracruz to Oaxaca, despite the zero visibilty fog and winding mountain roads...It seems really nice here, a bit chilly in the evening, but I'll survive. Will write again soon!

Update

I´m still in Veracruz for the last day... Have a bus ticket for Oaxaca tomorrow- 7 hours!

Changorama in Xalapa!!

Just spent the weekend in Xalapa, which is just over an hour northwest of Veracruz (if there´s no detour from a protest in the next town over, causing traffic to back up four hours...). It was the anniversary party for Mich´s friends´magazine. We spent the weekend celebrating, so I will leave out much of the details. There was a great band, also friends of Mich, called Sonido Changorama playing. I also discovered my new favourite food there and have eaten it 3 times now- tacos arabes (arabian). They use the pita-type flatbread instead of the tortilla, and you load it with a yogurt and oily-delicious sauce, hot sauce, lime juice, etc. Sooooo good. If anyone´s heard me rave about the kebabs- these are maybe even better. Well, that´s it for now....I´m starting to plan my next move and will write later with more details.

Update

Still in Veracruz hanging out with Mich. Write again soon when I have more news!

Update

Hey All! I am safely in Veracruz City, staying with Mich, things are awesome. Will probably be here until at least after the weekend, so no worries if you don´t hear much- just chillin´. The weather is hot and humid like isla, I´m loving it!

Wracked with Guilt

I´m feeling bad even before we get there, ever since I was told that 6 of them will be slaughtered. And it happens like this every Sunday. Everyone says: what did you expect? It´s a bullfight. But still it´s so horrible. My rationale is that it would happen whether I attended or not, and it is part of the culture I guess, so when in Rome...
The ¨corrida de toros¨ starts at 4pm in this huge stadium called the Monumental Plaza Mexico and costs only 55M for the nose bleed section, which is more than close enough for me, thanks. The place is one of the biggest bullrings in the world, but isn´t nearly full as I am told that this is the start of the season.
The first bull comes out followed by the matador, who tests it awhile using a pink cape. At this point a few other costumed men come out with the capes as well and take turns distracting the bull. The next stage is where men on horseback enter the ring with lances and taunt the bull some more. The horses wear protective gear and are blind folded so they don´t run away. In the first event, the bull knocks the horse over. It´s quite terrible to watch, but it eventually gets up and appears unharmed. The men on horses leave and in the next stage, the matador thrusts razor sharp barbed sticks into the bull´s back. I believe this is to further aggravate and tire the bull. The matador works the rest of the event with the cape, attracting the bull in a series of passes in order to show his skill. And finally the bull is killed by a sword between it´s shoulders. It is dragged out of the ring by the horses and the blood on the ground is covered over. This is repeated 6 times over the course of the afternoon.
The second bull comes out aggravated and we are told that sometimes this is done by sending electrical charges into it´s testicles. This is just plain torture and I can´t believe I agreed to watch. We stay for 5 killings and leave a bit early to avoid the crowds.
Prior to the bullfight, I went to the area of Coyoacan with the girls from Slovenia, Natja and Petra. We visited the Frida Kahlo museum and walked around a bit. I was a genius and brought my student card with me, so I´ve gained discounted admittance to a few place so far. Another highlight so far has been the fruit stands that sell what seems like a litre of fresh fruit for 15M (1.50). That is if you can get past the vendors handling the money and who knows what else before handling your food, which I´ve long ago grown accustomed to... More later!

Sore feet

I don´t think my runners are going to make it home from this trip. After being in Mexico only 3 full days I could probably have walked from Winnipeg to Regina by now, but why would I want to go to Regina? I´ve conquered the city´s metro and I love it, even when it´s so crowded you get pushed on and off of the cars. It ´s so fast in comparison to how the traffic moves above ground on the streets.
Friday I walk the 8 or so blocks to the metro station and make my way to the centro historico where there is block upon block of beautiful architecture to see. I arrive at the Alameda central, a beautiful building that houses some museums which I somehow can´t bring myself inside to see. I walk a few blocks to the Catedral Metropolitana, built in 1576, and have a look around the exterior, which is quite amazing. I enter the cathedral and there is a handful of worshipers inside that I don´t want to disturb so I quickly admire the interior and then exit. Outside the cathedral there are ruins of an Aztec temple, a place which the Aztecs believed was the centre of the universe.
Also outside of the cathedral, I am drawn to the sound of drums. I see various stations set up of men dressed in elaborate head-dresses and loin cloths, perfoming some sort of ritual on people who are lined up. Apparently these are Aztec ¨doctors¨ or healers, as a local man describes to me. He tells me that they are performing this ritual with smoke and the burning of some plants in order to restore energy to the people lined up. Part of the ritual involves one of the two healers standing behind the person being energized and blowing into a large shell, making a deep sound.
The man who explains to me about the ritual also walks around with me for a short while, exlaining some things about the ruins and the cathedral and various surrounding museums. He is very friendly and I feel guilty thinking that maybe he wants some sort of tip for offering his time and knowledge, but he doesn´t ask for anything. He is simply being helpful and friendly, as most Mexicans are.
After we depart, a group of university students approaches me to help them with their homework. Their assignment is to create interview questions and have them answered by a foreigner. I quickly find myself being filmed via a cell phone, answering a few short questions. After my moment of fame, I walk away and am approached by another man who clearly has seen me helping the students. He wants a quick english lesson on how to say various things in regards to the jewelery he is selling. I help him but then of course he wants me to buy a $200 necklace, yeah right.
I wander around the rest of the day outside. Although there are many museums and indoor attractions, I can´t bring myself to go inside anywhere. The only exception is the torture museum that I pay 25M to visit, where there are various paintings and actual torture devices from around the world to see. Back outside, the weather is beautiful. Sunny and warm, not hot. And the people watching is great, although by the end of the day after walking in crowds for hours I start to feel claustrophobic.
I take the metro home again and am exhausted by the time I walk the six more blocks from the station and then climb the four flights of stairs. That night, I go with Adrian a few blocks away to a friend´s house. A few of us drink some beers in the dining room, while a few others conduct their choir practice in the living room, which is hilarious to hear. My spanish is coming along alright, but I need period translation to make sure I am following along.
Yesterday I decide to go see a complex of pyramids at the site of Teotihuacan, about an hour by bus north of the city. It´s nice to get out there and have a break from the bustling, polluted city.
The ruins are amazing, built between 250AD and 600AD. Most impressive is the temple of the sun, the world´s third largest pyramid, which it is also permitted to climb. I thank myself for not smoking that day, because it´s not an easy climb. The view from the top is worth every pant. At the ruins I also take a guided group tour in spanish and visit a great museum. In total I walk around for 4 hours or so. Thankfully I wore sunblock, but I´m still developing a nice farmer´s tan from wearing the wife beaters.
Last evening two more girls arrive to stay with Adrian. They are from Slovenia and are super nice. They pack it in early after a long day and I go with Adrian to meet his friends at a cafe and sing karaoke with the ¨Rhythm Killers¨, as they call themselves. We murder the song ¨the lion sleeps tonight¨, followed by some songs in spanish that I´ve never heard. And today is, of course, a new day.

Update

Greetings! Still alive and having a blast. Write soon...

The Journey: Winnipeg to Mexico City

I find it incredible just how small the world really is. I´m reminded of this on the bus down from Winnipeg to Minneapolis. Behind me sits a woman from Vancouver who is following Bob Dylan´s tour by bus, catching as many shows as possible. Her mission is to create cards featuring her sketches of Bob Dylan performing and to sell them to raise money for an organizations of grandmothers in Africa.
Following a brief exchange abot ourselves, she alerts me to the man sitting in front of me, explaining that he and I have something in common- we are both destined for South America, eventually. While stretching our legs outside at the next stop, I find out that this man grew up partly in Bolivia working with, get this, disadvantaged Mennonite children. Originally from Altona, he travels frequently to Bolivia to volunteer in schools, clinics, as a translator, etc. When I tell him that I had difficulty finding volunteer work from home, he hands me his card and tells me I am welcome in Bolivia.
He then shares a story about why he is travelling by bus from Alberta to Florida- he is planning to get on a cruise down there that will carry him to Chile. He is avoiding flying. I listen in horror as he tells me of his last flight from the US to Bolivia where one of the planes engines failed and everyone almost plunged to their death. Great. I thought the greyhound was going to be my greatest worry.
I then hear that a couple on their honeymoon are on the same route as I- they are on the bus until Minnepolis, catching a flight to Mexico City the following day. They don´t care to take the metro with me though, so I go it alone. Once in the airpot I find a nice bench and lay down. I catch less than 5 hours of restless sleep and am wide awake at 3 pm. The two flights are rather uneventful, aside from having no luggage when I arrive.
In the cab on the way to Adrian´s, my host from couchsurfing, I am reminded of cab rides through Bangkok. The city is huge and the traffic flows in a similar manner. I feel a rush of excitement- I love everything about it. I arrive at the apartment shortly after and am welcomed immediately. My first meal that afternoon is amazing sushi at this small place two doors down from the apartment. My next meal is a phenomenal home cooked turkey dish with a delicious salad. I meet another couchsurfer, Erika, who was invited for dinner as well as Adrian´s best friends, Sergio and Claudia. It´s a great night and I feel at home already.
The next day, I catch a bus around the corner and arrive at Bosque Chapultepec, an enormous park in the middle of the concrete jungle. It would take days to see everything there, so I choose the zoo and the castle. The zoo is the best I have ever visited- admission is free aside from the special exhibits. There are hundreds of monkeys, where I spend most of my time. The other highlight is the aviary where you enter into their massive cage and stand just feet away from the birds, with nothing between you.
After the zoo I walk up to the castle and check out an amazing view of the city. I cruise through the castle and check out all the rooms clad in art and pieces from the royalty era. It is set up like a museum. On my way out of the park I get instructions on the use of the metro. It can´t be too difficult, it seems. But it´s so crowded once I get down there, I have to be careful not th get knocked over. I get out at the wrong station and am lost. Thankfully people here are super helpful, and soon I´m on a bus, the bus driver assuring me he will tell me when to get off. After what seems like too long, I hop onto the stop as the driver barely stops and head into a restaurant to ask for directions. I´m only a few minutes from home and find it easily. My luggage comes shortly thereafter.
After a nice dinner in the trendy La Condesa neighborhood, I get picked up by one of Adrian´s couchsurfing friends, Nate. We go to a bar for the weekly couchsurfing meeting a have a few beers. I meet a ton of awesome people. Afterwards we pick up Nate´s girlfriend and drive around forever in the maze the is MXC to drive her friend home. It´s a nice tour anyways. After a few more beers at a bar with super loud music, I get dropped off again at home and sleep as though I´m in my own bed. Here I am this morning, running late as I write.

Without Luggage, Again

I have arrived safely in Mexico City, but again without the luggage. It feels so great to be back in Mexico- I love this country! My host, Adrian, is excellent so far and I already feel at home. I will write more later, including details of my journey down here.

Final Preparations...

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."- Mark Twain

With only a few hours remaining until I begin my next adventure, I am encouraged by these words. Just a quick note to thank all my family and friends for being supportive and loving. Of those of you worried about me, please remember that I'm living a dream, and if I make it to Minneapolis on the Greyhound safely, then I've won half the battle!

Love you all and hope you enjoy the blog!

T-20 days

Test-Test 1-2-3...