Chiapas part 1

To those of you who are still keeping up with me, and don't know already, I am in fact back in the U.S. I got back about two weeks ago and still am not quite used to it. But before I delve into all my reflections and reverse cultureshock after living in Mexico for a year, let me recount my last few weeks there.

The last week of April, Zoe and I travelled to the southern state of Chiapas. It was absolutely one of the best trips I have ever taken in my life. I had wanted to take one last big trip somewhere in Mexico before I came home and it was down between Vera Cruz and Chiapas. After speaking to a few friends who had travelled around Mexico, Chiapas won out as the more interesting place to go. Apparently, Vera Cruz, though know for its Carnival, amazing seafood and incredible dance scene, was not that great of a place to go if you were looking for more different things to do as far as seeing ruins, architeture, and so on. So, I chose the tropical state of Chiapas and convinced my girlfriend to go with me.

We only had week due to a lack of funds and time (because of Zoe's work schedule) so we decided to fly down there. We flew in to Tuxtla Guitierrez (sp?). Zoe apparently had family down there so we stayed with them for a few days. Now, i don't know if it's even possible to describe how freakin hot it was down there. Stepping out of the airport was like stepping into steam room set on high. Just looking down the road you could literally see the haze it was so hot. Zoe's uncle and cousin picked us up from the airport. There is a question as to if she is reallyy related to these people but that didn't seem to matter while we were there. We stayed in their house in our own little room. To say that these people were religious would be an understatement, so of course the details of our relationship were kept very, very quiet. The family, however, was very hospitable towards us the whole time. I feel like I got the authentic Mexican family experience as they kept trying to get us to eat, ALL THE TIME. The uncle kept telling us he was going to fatten us up, he certainly tried. One night he took us to the local festival in town and tried to buy us something from every food stand around. I just wanted ONE churro and he bought me a whole bag of them. The ironic thing was that because it was soo hot, neither Zoe or I had much of an appetite the whole time we were there. It is so interesting what the heat does to you. Imagine it being so hot and sticky that you didn't, literally couldn't eat. And yet, here was the this man trying to get us to eat every five minutes. He was very nice about it though. One of the best things about Tuxtla, Zoe and I agreed, were the tomales. Every region you go to in Mexico has this special food that supposedly the specialty of that area. And in true Mexican fashion, one of the first things you do when you travel to a new place is to ask for the specialty of the area. And here, the tomales were fabulous. They weren't spicy and they usually came wrapped in large banana leaves. My favorite where the mole con pollo (mole with chicken).



We arrived early that first day, so Zoe's cousin took us to see the Canon de Sumidero. Absolutely amazing. My pictures of course don't capture the shear beauty of this place. It's huge canon with it's highest point being something like 9,000 meters high. We drove up the canon to see the outside this day. The next day we took a 2.5 hr. boat tour through the canon. I like the second day better. I had never experienced anything so beautiful in my life. In the boat you got to experience the magnificance of this place. I don't even know how to describe it and my pictures sure don't even begin to capture the awe this place inspired in me. But you can see for yourself. It definitely felt like we were in the amazon somewhere. With the heat I wanted to go swimming in the clear green water, but later when we came across some crocodiles, I changed my mind. Her "family" was very hospitable and insisted on paying for everything. Her cousin and her fiance not only paid for the boat tour but treated us to dinner afterwards. They would not let us pay for anything which was just too kind.

I'm sure Zoe would have a different story to tell about our stay with her family. I noticed that her demeanor changed quite a bit and she seemed almost overly pleased to please her family. The laid back, no bs Zoe I knew, quickly transformed into this chit chatter that somehow always knew the right thing to say at the right moment, how to move to sit down in the chair and exactly how to help clean off the table without offending our hosts. It was this intricate dance where one would politely argue over who would remove this glass from the table while both trying to grab it at the same time. She even discussed pajama ettiquet with me and I was told to where a bra at all times. I could feel her level of stress rise, although I wasn't totally aware of exactly why at the moment. All I knew is that we could not stay there for too long. Luckily we were only there for two days.

Our next stop was San Cristobal, a short 45 min bus ride from Tuxtla. This quaint, colonial town was very picturesque and substantially cooler because of its mountain location. Actually, it got to be so cool that at night, Zoe and I had to buy sweaters to keep warm while walking the streets. I think the charm of this little town stemmed from its proximity to indigenous villages . The short dark-skinned indigenous Mexicans could be found everywhere selling bracelets, jewelry, shirts, shoes, dolls, and just about anything else that could be made by hand and held some novelty value to visitors. Almost always women and girls out on the streets, one had to wonder where all the indigenous men were. On more than one occasion I had been told that mostly stayed at home, drank beer, and spent the money that women earned working in the street. My favorite thing about this place, besides the colonial architecture, was the outdoor market. We spent several hours there bargaining with the Indian women for shirts, jewelry, and for some reason I bought I hammock. I paid 170 pesos ($17) so I don't feel too bad buying it but it definitely was an impulse buy. I mean who wouldn't want a mexican hammock in their yard to remind them of the days sitting on a beach in Mexico.