Arrival in Mexico

Hello Everyone!

I finally got around to setting up the blog and hopefully can upload some pictures, but with the sluggish internet I might run out of patience (or pesos) before that happens. I arrived in Mexico on Saturday evening and spent my first, unfortunately, all-to-forgettable night in the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas. It´s a big, hot, humid city without much charm and my filthy and flea-infested hotel did little to help. But...what Tuxtla lacked in beauty, San Cristobal de Las Casas- where I´m spending the two weeks until Andy joins me- makes up for many times over. It´s a small, walkable, lovely town with cobblestone streets, building painted all sorts of vibrant colors and seemingly endless markets, churches, museums and restaurants to explore and enjoy. Even the weather and traffic mirror the energy and chaos of the town.

I´m spending my days here taking Spanish lessons in the morning, which are already making a big impact on my very rusty Spanish, and exploring the city by foot in the afternoon. Today I walked through the main market, about 5 minutes from my hostel, and felt like a giant among all the tiny indigenous women (most are hardly 4 feet tall) selling a beautiful array of vegetables, tortillas, dried beans and herbs- and live chickens that they slaughter and pluck while you wait.

Which brings me to another important point, the food. It´s delicious! I made a rule that I would not eat the same dish or at the same place twice- but these tamales chiapanecos at Tierradentro Cafe might make me break it.

Another interesting point, that restaurant, along with many of the cafes and shops in the area are run by Zapatista supporters and have Zapatista displays and propoganda lining the walls. (The Zapatistas are a pro-indigenous and anti-capitalist rebel group that rose up in 1994 after the passage of NAFTA and briefly held a few cities in Chiapas- including San Cris- but are now a political and largely peaceful movement.)

Finally, my hostel is wonderful. It´s beautiful with gardens and a fire pit, where everyone hangs out in the evenings to exchange stories and travel suggestions. The free internet, breakfast and laundry on-site only sweeten the deal. So far I´ve made friends from Wales, Germany, Canada, France and Spain. Here are a few pictures from the hostel.

Well, I´m off to enjoy the sunshine before the thunderstorms building on the horizon arrive. More to follow soon!

-C