Ok everyone, there is so much that has happened in since my last email that I really don´t know where to begin. The experience in Guatemala was amazing, life affirming and other things I cannot adequately express in words. Truly, it restored a bit of my faith in humanity and will turn out to be the cornerstone of this journey(seems so long ago when it really has been only a couple of months). Have to give a big what-up to all the volunteers in Xela, I miss you all immensely and will remember each one of you for your kindness, warm spirits and well lets face it, many powerless nights with a little too much Quetzalteca (the local drink of choice for people who can´t squeeze two nickels together)… speaking of which, someone give me Frenchy´s email please.
OK, enough sentimental wanderings of the mind, I wrote in haste last time and forgot to mention a big part of my trip, In late august I headed up through Belize (15 bucks to exit… sigh since I was only passing through and didn't even get to do anything but sit on a bus for a day) to Mexico to meet Maria in Cancun (cheapest flight to Central America by far). When I got to Mexico I stayed in Tulum (Yucatan beach town not too touristy compared to others and full of damn cool people) for a few days. Jacob, if you get this could you please send me some emails that I forgot to get from the crew at the weary traveler, thanks. Ok I digress, the night before I went to pick Maria up in Cancun all of us at the hostel went to a really nice party at a beach restaurant club, we spent the night jumping into the ocean and then into the pools from the second floor where I splashed some people (only one got unreasonably upset) and ended up making friends with an Ex-pat from AZ named Matt who happens to run this place… www.amansala.com hearing of my financial situation and the impending arrival of my girlfriend he offered me a room there at whatever I could pay, needless to stay it was paradise for the next 2 days when Maria got there. Amazing snorkeling, beaches and people coming lighting incense and candles in our private cabin. Maria and I then traveled through the Yucatan up to Isla Holbox, where we had planned on swimming with whale sharks… the day we got there it was too late to go out and sometime between that time and the next morning the whale sharks had moved on from the island to return next year… crap timing (migratory animals should accommodate to tourists a little more don't you agree?) we spent 2 days there and went to Isla Mujeres for the remaining time of Maria´s visit. The island was really nice but a little touristy for our tastes there was however one advantage, topless beaches with people who you would actually want to see topless, I have never seen that before and would suggest any perverts reading this to make a B-line for the Yucatan. One other thing about the island, too many mopeds… the whole damn island was full of them and they make things quite dangerous when coupled with unmarked speed bumps on dead end roads. Ok, one more thing, sharks in little pens in the ocean where you pay to take photos swimming with them…while there (we were on a snorkeling tour and couldn't avoid it) I get hit on by the most gaudy and drunk older woman possibly from Texas (staying in Cancun)who said… more than once, how absolutely adorable I was then reassuring me that I was too young for her... all with Maria standing directly behind her, it was charming really and one of the many reasons your avg. American tourist has a pretty negative reputation around the Yucatan (not even counting Cancun).
Maria and I parted ways at the airport and I headed back to Tulum for a few days, spent a day wandering the caves very close to the ancient ruins on the Caribbean of which Tulum gets its name. I headed from Tulum back towards Guatemala but wanted to avoid the heavy Belize fees (as it already costs 20$ to leave Mexico) so I headed through Palenque first which is a jungle town in southern Mexico to the capital of Chiapas, San Cristobal De Las Casas. It was a really cool city that reminded me a lot of Xela. I met a lot of cool people at my hostel and we spent a few days seeing the surrounding area and the city. There is even a church north of San Cristobal where Mayan and Christian influences have mixed and took on a lovely part of good ole American corporations… soft drinks, pepsi and coke are used in ceremonies where belching is coveted and the shamans/priests are sponsored by one of the two companies… I shit you not, I wish I could have taken pictures but as it was a place of worship I didn't (not to mention the guy who took my money explicitly warned me against it). The church was really interesting, Catholic style church, large, floor covered in pine needles and tons of musical boxes with moving figures like you find during the holidays in American department stores(I think I saw one of those talking fish from the TV commercial but I cant be sure)… surreal doesn't begin to describe the scene after you add that backdrop to the parishioners with their burping and soft drinks etc.
After San Cristobal I headed back to Guatemala for the week of Independence. I missed the final soccer game and the big party at night because I got stuck in HueHuetenango and missed the back to Xela by less than a minute, I saw it as our bus pulled in from the border. When I got to Xela I met all the new people that arrived around my circles and reunited with the ones that were still around. I don't recall exactly how long it was till the floods came but it wasn't long after this, which I have already emailed about…
OK I was planning on covering the rest of Central America in this email but I already have taken up way too much of your time, I will email again with the next installment for those of you who have any sort of interest, for the rest of you sorry. Peace, James
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