Guatever

And now here I have been in Guatemala! No time to write as I have been exceedingly busy soaking in Guatemala´s lush landscape and rich culture! My time in the country began on the island of Flores. The island is quaint and set amidst a gorgeous lake where I watched a breathtaking sunset... The clouds, the sky and the water all painted pink by the sun. Awestruck, I decided I liked Guatemala already. In Flores, I made the trip to Tikal. Possibly my last ruins-based trip, I had saved the best for last. Not only is Tikal the largest excavated Maya ruins site in the Americas but it is also set amidst dense jungle similarly to Palenque. Upon arrival, I kicked off my (oversized and stolen) flip flops and ran amok up the pyramids, through the jungle, over the limestone and scampering over the temples. I felt intoxicated by jungle fever and it felt criminal to wear shoes. I wanted to walk barefoot as the Maya once did and where the Maya once did. And the jungles were ridden with the exotic. Howler monkeys, spider monkeys, tarantulas, humming birds, parakeets, woodpeckers and a dozen other varieties of brightly feathered beings. Truly beautiful.

And so after Flores, we made our way to Lanquin for a water wonderland called Semuc Champey. In Lanquin we stayed at a pretty sweet hostel, again set amidst much flora and also by a serene river. Lanquin is mid-nowhere and Semuc Champey even more so. Here we visited Semuc Champey twice. It is hard to describe Semuc Champey... Many people attempt to do it justice by describing it as the most beautiful place on earth. A combination of rivers, waterfalls, natural pools in the middle of hills and jungle and forestry, Semuc Champey is all crystalline turquoise water and limestone rock formations. Here is what we saw from the Mirador (Look-out point) which took about 20mins of uphill, strenuous hiking to reach...

The second day that we visited Semuc Champey was indeed a BIG DAY OUT. I thought I was going to die twice that day but in between, had a flavour of heaven. On the way there, Julio and I took a collectivo, a form of transportation popular in these ends and one that I am most accustomed to. Indeed, the first time we went to Semuc and took a collectivo, they managed to squeeze eighteen people into the back of the burning hot, black pick-up. Everyone seemed perfectly comfortable except for myself and Julio. SO on our second day we attempt the same route, but this time it is a standing collectivo which means people are standing on the back of the truck. It is completely packed so they sit us on top of the driver´s cabin, where the LUGGAGE usually goes! PUTA MADRE! With no proper railings, I was being flung about with every corner taken by the collectivo and the drivers here take no care in driving slowly down those sharply rocky dirt roads. For half an hour, I thought I was going to die. And couldn´t help express so. However, when we arrived my eyes pumping with adrenaline and my heart rate unpleasantly high I soon calmed as I was greeted once again by this (and this is only one of the pools):

We spent so much time our second time in Semuc soaking in the waters and energy that we found ourselves neglected. In fact, for our last hour or so there we had the ENTIRE PARK to ourselves! It was like a movie. I was in my own paradise and it felt incredible. However, this pleasure was not consequence free... Our indulgence in this wonderland came at the price of missing the collectivo home and having to walk NINE KILOMETRES along uphill, rocky, dirtroads in the DARK!!!!... And then it began to rain. Once again, I found myself having one of those experiences that are significantly better and funnier in retrospect.

Flores and Lanquin were awesome introductions to the country of Guatemala which thus far I can conclude has not seemed to be too different from Mexico. It is nice to be back in a Spanish speaking country after Caye Caulker. And now we are in Antigua! The colonial capital of Central America and so far as I can tell, pretty streets, cute cafes, marvellous ruins, lots of churches... and ridden with tourists as a result. Tomorrow we leave for Lago Atitlan however I intend to return to Antigua (if not Xela (Quetzaltenango)) for Spanish classes after a bout of spirituality at the Lake.

Paz x

Water

Water has the craziest impact upon me. (And no, I am not still harping on about my near-death experience.) The last week I have been travelling with my German warrior princess Sinah. We have been blessed to have had the opportunity to visit a couple of outrageously aesthetically pleasing places! The first being Tulum and the second, Laguna Bacalar.

Tulum is all white sand, turquoise water and absolutely ZERO activity. After god knows how long of strenous partying, the two of us had serious downtime chillaxing by reading novels in hammocks for five days. Two nights were spent in cabanas set deep in the white sand and two in hammocks under the stars. Both sound more romantic and dreamy than they actually are. In actual fact, each morning both myself and Sinah would wake up with our faces caked in sand. It was so windy! And the cabanas were too hot and sweaty and the hammocks too cold and windy! My last night in Tulum in particular was a very difficult night´s sleep... Tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable, cursing the wind, sand blowing in my ears, a multitude of bugs buzzing all around me. It all came to a crux when I heard my head wail ¨I wanna be back home!¨ Right about then was the moment I told myself to positively STFU and took 30seconds to contextualise myself and the fact I was sleeping in a breezy hammock, between two palms, on a white beach on the Caribbean coast, in Mexico, to the sound of the waves crashing, underneath the infinity of stars in the sky. I quickly silenced my whiny thoughts and fell in to a deep, pleasant sleep...

We also went to visit the ruins of Tulum (more ruins!!!) which are impressive but mostly (to me) for their unbelievable location, right up high on a hill with spectacular views of the diamond-sapphire ocean! These Mayans were the clever/lucky bastards.

And after Tulum Sinah and I headed to Chetumal to get to Laguna Bacalar, easily the most stunning lake I have ever witnessed. Freshwater the same colour as the Carribean ocean and with a white sand floor, the lake is calming, serene and peaceful. We met some Mexicans who took us for a ride to visit a particular side of the lagoon where there are no people (and DEFINITELY no tourists) and we paid 25pesos each for a Kayak between two. Sinah and I paddled away over the expanse of the lake... and then found a paradise within a paradise in the form of the lagoon´s on cenote. A kind of sinkpool where we can see the rock formations clearly in the water and swam with fishes. My words do the experience no justice but today was one of my lasting memories of Mexico I can foresee already.

Laguna Bacalar

Feeling utterly content, instead of heading to Belize straight away I have decided to go back to the Palenque jungles. I am not ready to leave this marvel of a country that is Mexico!

Water calms me.

Love x

A Dream

I had a dream that I was on an island in the Caribbean ocean where the sand is white like powdered cocaine, the water is crystalline turquoise and shallow for miles and I´m with the best company I could possibly be in. This lasted maybe 6 days and then I woke up on a bus leaving the island and realised that it was actually all true. The island is called Isla Mujeres (Women Island), the location is just off the Caribbean coast of Mexico by Cancun and the company were my friends Julio, Sinah and Tyler (and a bunch of other awesome people I met.)

Sweaty, bustling Merida failed to impress much save for the pleasant free entertainment one evening in the Santa Lucia plaza there where they were having a Celebration of Maya. Here, Julio and myself were able to walk around the local, pristine University and check out the photography exhibition. After which we sat amongst the local people of Merida as a Mexican woman with a powerful voice sang traditional songs, backed up with her own band to the pleased crowd made up of both the old and young. It was really great and I wondered how often Mexican cities have this kind of free family entertainment on a weekday evening in comparison to cities of the UK.

So after only a couple of nights there we made our way to Cancun via a day trip to Chichen Itza, one of the most impressive of Maya ruin sites. This, having been my (fifth?) site of ancient ruins was still able to leave me in a state of awe - so long as I ignored the hundred tour groups littering my view. Julio and myself took great delight in observing the many iguanas and monitor lizards that had free reign over the pyramids and tried hard to imagine an ancient civilisation clambering up the high, solid structures and playing games in their ball court. It was a really fun day and I realised that maybe such wonders can be better when experiencing them with a friend. (Whereas usually I insist upon such adventures being a solely personal experience.)

We then landed in Cancun, a place which made my stomach physically sick. An absurdly long stretch of ostentatious resort upon resort lining the beach, each trying to outdo the other. American dollars being poured in to this part of the Yucatan, only to go straight back to the International hotel chains. After seeing how the rest of Mexico lives in my last 3 months, I felt utterly uncomfortable as did Julio. And I enjoyed declaring rather loudly how disgusted I was by the disparity of rich and poor in the country, fuelled by apathetic Westerners to the other patrons of my tour bus who were being consecutively dropped off at their respective Hiltons, Meridians and JW Marriots.

Isla Mujeres

Julio and I found a humble hostel to stay in in the centre of town and spent the evening drinking Don Simon above the rooftop terrace with a complete view of Cancun. Upon witnessing the myriad of McDonalds´golden arches arrogantly rising above the city, we resolved to leave Cancun the very next morning for Isla Mujeres where I knew my two good friends, Sinah and Tyler (the wonderful people I had met and who had subsequently looked after me after my accident) from Puerto Escondido.

Reunion with Sinah & Tyler!

So the next day (Saturday 24th April), Julio and I took something of a party boat across the Caribbean sea to Isla Mujeres. This was easily one of the most exciting boat journies of my life! Turquoise waters seen only in postcards and brochures, dolphins swimming with the boat, live music, windswept hair and above all, wonderful company. Landing in Isla, we were both taken aback by the simple beauty of the island.

And here we spent the next 6 days... Swimming in our own part of the ocean, walking along the beach, EATING GREAT FOOD, partying with Sinah (who had got a job in a bar there for the past month) and Tyler and also another couple whom we met from the states, Harlen and Aimee. Two absolute kindred spirits on vacation and with warm hearts and open minds. We all gelled together so smoothly and had a really great time together. Julio and I spent every day together and I feel blessed by his beautiful albeit short friendship. From Austin in Texas, he would not stop HARPING ON about how Austin is a sample of heaven. He also eats phenomenal amounts and is extremely passionate about his food; mealtimes with him were truly an artform. I had so much fun dancing with, eating with, swimming with, swearing at and teasing him, even if I never see him again I will (somehow?!) consider him a friend for life. Saying goodbye to Isla and Julio was very difficult and even now I am in Tulum, arguably Mexico´s best beach, I am still feeling quite tender for both. Isla Mujeres was one of my favourite dreams.

But now here Sinah and I are in Tulum! The same kind of beach as Isla but windier so more waves but also emptier! And sleeping in a cabana set deep in the sand. It is very beautiful and surreal and we are having a lovely, girly time together... Look forward to more days of fun with my German princess.

Peace n that

xxxx

The coolest place in the world

...is without a doubt El Panchan, Palenque. So for the past 6 days I have been living in the jungle in Palenque, Chiapas. It is absolutely insanely COOL. Here I went to see the Agua Azul waterfalls. Agua Azul is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Imgaine incredibly high, cascading waterfalls with turquoise see-through water and caramel, smooth rocks which the water is at once gliding and hurtling over. I had to keep pinching myself to believe it was real. It is like something only witnessed in an animated disney film. Butterflies in the jungle and birds swooping in and out of the water. It doesn´t look real. It was another Avatar moment. I visited twice to swim in the purifying, fresh waters. It`s awesome power terrified me as I was reminded of my frenemy the Pacific Ocean, however at the same time it was intimately calming and meditative.

Misol-Ha waterfall

I also went to see the Ancient Maya pyramids and temples, ruins also set rather surreally in the middle of the dense Palenque jungle. Large, impressive and exhausting to climb it was mind-blowing to wonder how an ancient civilisation lived there, let alone built it with no modern construction technologies of our own. Having seen several Maya ruin sites now, the most exciting thing about these ones in particular was the setting. Wild, lush, colourful, overpowering jungle. At once scary and beautiful.

Down the road from the Palenque ruins is an area called El Panchan, described by Lonely Planet as a "Legendary travellers` hangout" but it is so much more than this. Swarmed with hippie travellers and residents, the place is magical. I was staying in a wooden cabana deep in the jungle and awoke each morning faced with exotic, wild and gigantic jungle plants with huge, cartoon-like leaves that made me miniature. And at night, we would all be kept up by the extraordinary huffing and puffing of the jungle´s attention-seeking howler monkeys who would sit very close to our cabanas and ensure us a very disturbed sleep. In fact, the entire jungle pulsates with a raw spiritual energy and I couldn`t help but look at everything in close detail. Caterpillars, hibiscus flowers, tightly twisted tree trunks, an immaculately formed cocoon, marching ants carrying leaves to build their nest, shiny berries, dangerous thorns, large but unthreatening tarantulas. Each day, my eclectic group of friends that I met there and I trekked around the jungle on slow, attentative adventures and discovered and frolicked in waterfalls. I was always hesitant to climb them, panicked by the strength of water but with patience and very deliberate movements I was able to conquer and climb near the top where fresh, clean water would pour over the top of the edge and purify and cleanse me. And wherever you walk in El Panchan, people would be jamming, playing their live music together with friends and strangers and just chilling and enjoying the good life amidst their beautiful surroundings every day.

Each night in El Panchan, we would sit in one of the open-air restaurants there - usually Don Mucho´s - and listen to awesome live music. The bands played an eclectic mix, sometimes from Argentina, sometimes son Cuba and sometimes jungle music which involved the lead musician carefully selecting from one of about fifteen different small wind instruments and making various animal sounds. Here my friends and I would sit and listen to the original music and drink red wine as locals and travellers danced salsa together seamlessly. And everyone I met in El Panchan was so interesting! I met a beautiful, delicate flower from Finland by the name of Karolina. She is a gorgeous, petite, dreaded and very talented artesan who has spent the last seven years travelling, 3 and a half of those in Central America, getting by on limited money but selling her handicrafts. Karolina is intensely charming and sweet and has a certain vibe that drawns in the people she meets and makes us want to protect her. She is also four months pregnant, which at first suprised and probably disconcerted me somewhat but when I saw the incredibly conditions she was bringing her unborn child in to I had no question in my mind that travelling was the right thing for her and her `Elfa`. Everyday her fairy was surrounded by original live music, organic nature and animal sounds and fresh, clean water as she ensured she swam in a waterfall each day. I wish them the best.

A wonderful adventurer named Mercedes from Texas was the first girl I met in El Panchan actually and not only did she go out of her way to make me feel comfortable, she encouraged and supported me during my waterfall climbing ordeal to ensure I got over my trauma. Unbelievably sweet for someone I don`t even know. I also spent time with a delightful Finish/Portugese newly married couple, Vera and Rico, who were very sweet, funny and down-to-earth and had met in London. Being in their company was extremely pleasant and you could feel their love. Strangely I bumped in to a French friend too, Romain who I had met in Puerto Escondido and who had been there in Mazunte when I had my accident. That was amazing and he strongly expressed his relief to see me well and healthy and walking again. Funnily enough I met many other people who had heard about or eye-witnessed themselves my accident and they would swarm me with marvel and a million questions to try understand my experience. I met a fascinating and beautiful girl/jungle creature, originally from Switzerland but who had been living in Mexico for 2 years names Jess. To talk to, I thought she was nearly thirty. An old soul, she talked to me about my accident in a spiritually mature way and I was fixated. She also crawled and ran and smoothed her way through the jungle like it was second nature. A real-life Mowgli. I couldn´t believe it when she revealed to me she was only twenty-one but she admitted she feels like she has always felt she has lived on this planet for centuries. My closest friend in El Panchan was Julio, a Mexican-Venezuelan from Texas who has been doing various voluntary work in Guatemala but is now on a roots-discovering trip in Mexico, he has an acute appreciation for live latin music and would beam ear to ear all night every night (save for when his head was on the table as a result of too much tequila consumption) and we left El Panchan together to discover the Carribean coast.

I could not have had a more enjoyable time in El Panchan and I already think about going back one day. There was a newly started intentional community there called Maya Buda and one day, Karolina, Julio and myself dropped by to see what it was all about and we all got on so well with the residents that we visited a nearby waterfall together. I could easily see myself living there for a little while. It was very hard for us to leave but now here Julio and myself are, making a quick city break in sweaty, hustling Merida on our way to the Caribbean coast. It feels very inner city typical Mexico here but today we are visiting nearby natural cenotes, sink holes that are formed under caves.

Leaving you in love and peace,
Anetta xxx

Mexico´s rootz

San Juan Chamula market day

SO yesterday I went to visit two Indigenous villages outside San Cristobal; San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan. It was one of my most interesting days in Mexico yet. As I arrived in San Juan Chamula the first thing I noticed were the vans of Coca-Cola parked near the entrance. Very indigenous, I thought suspiciously. And then walking around, I saw lots of Indigenous people (Indigenas they are respectfully called here) sitting around all drinking Coca-Cola or some other big brand fizzy drink. I later discovered that these people drink the carbonated sodas so as to BURP better so they can burp out any evil spirits and purify themselves! They apparently used to use a local-made fizzy drink made from maize (a cornerstone of their lives, they even believe people are made from it) but with the introduction of Coca-cola which was cheaper, easier and tastier, they switched. I felt somewhat disturbed by this but it was later explained to me that the people of Chamula´s existence as an autonomous community is dependent on the fact that they are able to coopt modernity in to their traditional ways of life, without sacrificing their beliefs. This is why they allow tourists in to their self-governed municipality, to make money from them.

Both San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan are made up of the Indigenous Tzotzil people, who descend directly from the ancient Maya people. The Chamulan people in particularly were very interesting to me. Their way of life is exemplary in many ways. The community is run as a big family organism with all the work shared amongst the people who work as a cooperative. Family comes first. And next is their religion. They can easily be considered Catholics as they have what appears to be crucifixs adorning the town, they pray in a church and they have Christian saints. However whilst they may call themselves Catholics, their concept of Christianity is somewhat skewed. Their crucifix with its rounded ends represent past, present and future. And whilst Christianity and modern day religions are focused on the past, What God Did, What Jesus Said etc, Mayan religion and indeed the religion of these Indigenous is focused on the present and future. Agriculture and family. They have several gods, not just one. And instead of preaching, the religious leaders simply make offerings for the future of the towns. Conceptually these people´s religion is very different from Catholicism. They could not see the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit as the Holy Trinity or God. If they saw a group of trees and you told them it was a forest they would not understand, they would call it trees. Because there is no forest without the trees. When the Spaniards invaded and attempted to convert these Mayan people, to me, all it seems that they were able to do was infiltrate the language of the Mayan religion so it coopts Biblical names. They pray to the Sun, not to Jesus and yet they call the sun Jesus! They believe the dead ALL go to the underworld and yet the Catholics took Underworld to mean Hell (as distinct from Heaven) and so they call the Mayan underworld ´Hell´ and now it seems the Mayans have the same Christian concepts of death. And they pray in the church because it is simply a communal area where they can worship. The Material life is not important to the Mayans, how things look or what things are called. These are superficial labels and appearances. They understand that life is deeper than this and it is what you think and know and do.

Making tortillas

The church in San Juan Chamula was incredible. Instead of pews, they had pine needles carpeting the floor to provide padding for the kneeling people. The Chamulan people were there praying on their knees in their familial groups, lighting hundreds of candles (their offering to the Gods), chanting in their archaic Tzotzil prayer language and drinking Coke/ Fanta/ Sprite and burping out their sins. Truly surreal! The church too, is a harsh mix of Catholic relics and saints combined with vivid colourful Mexican decor and a potent smell of burning incense. I also saw a couple of men wearing the traditional thick, furry, black wool poncho (distinct only of the San Juan Chamulan people) tidying up the mess of left over coke bottle caps and candle wax. I assumed they were the church´s cleaners however was soon corrected and told they are the highest religious leaders in the town, chosen for their family, religious and work commitments and value. I was very surprised by this and could not imagine a Christian, Jewish or Muslim religious leader cleaning up after his worshipping people.

The San Juan Chamulan people are also astute in their business and (to a lesser degree their political) acumen. As I wondered out of the church I was approached by two different women attempting to sell me handicrafts, a norm here in Chiapàs state. After I purchased a few cheap bracelets from one she then asked for another 5 pesos for a tortilla. The second woman asked me for the same price if I wished to take a photo of her daughter. They know how susceptible us embarrassing Westerners are to an opportunity to take a photo of some of the ¨culture¨ we are experiencing. And covering the roof of the local Community political building were egg shells and other bits of rubbish. Apparently San Juan Chamula had had an election on Sunday and 40,000 of the 50,000 inhabitants had turned out at the incredibly large market square to elect their latest leader. This is done by parading the candidates on the balcony of the building and letting the people applaud for their choice. However when they are not so keen on a particular candidate they throw things, eggs being the item of choice apparently.

Finally, I wanted to take a million photos of the strange, colourful people and their customs as I encountered yesterday in San Juan Chamula but also in Zinacantan where the men traditionally wear hot pink tunics, not unlike those seen adorning the tacky/wealthy in London´s clubs in the West End. However they believe that if you take photos of them, you are stealing some of their spirit. Which, I have to say there is potentially much truth in. After all the best memories are remembered. And for too many tourists, photos are simply proof and validation of their trips. And why should someone be allowed to feel more of a cultured individual by taking a photo of someone else who IS a more cultured individual? Besides that, it is incredibly disrespectful to treat these people as spectacles...

My couchsurfer host, Julio Olvera

So that was my day, much food for mine thought. Exploring Malaysia´s Orang Asli next on my agenda? Potentially. Today I had my last Spanish classes as tomorrow I am off to Palenque for more Maya ruins but more incredible than any I´ve seen before as these are deep set in the ferociously lush Mexican jungle! But for now I shall leave you with the Three principles (LIES) of Mexicans (men, that is):

1. I will pay you back tomorrow, I promise!
2. This is the last drink!
3. I only want to put the ¨end¨ in, that´s all!

These were taught to me by the gallant gentlemen Julio and Marco of San Cristobal. Chido!

xxx

I effing love Mexico

My bed

And I have known this all along but Zipolite just hammered this home for me! After making peace with Mazunte I continued on with my travels and went to the next Oaxacan beach, Zipolite. Zipolite is quite sceney and known for its hippies, raves and nudity. I always thought I was a fairly liberal person but seeing numerous wangs of varied description dangling all over a beach, for me, is quite undesirable. Shocked by the sight at first, I felt a little bit sick. However after some time you become quite immune to the goolies littering the beach and particularly because the majority of naked bodies strolling about belonged to the 50+, I began to think GOOD ON THEM! Indeed on my last day, I joined the masses albeit on a secluded part of the beach, free from other people and I must declare that it felt so... natural. Perhaps we should all be naked all the time?

My bathroom

My last day in Zipolite, despite experiencing a gigantic cockroach scurrying over my feet in the shower (a complaint to which the hostel owner responded affectionately ¨aaah a cucuracha! hahahahaha!¨ as if I should have felt delighted), was one of my favourite days in Mexico yet. That evening I chilled on the beach with a 29yr old Mexican artesan and a 19yr old Mexican truck driver. We sat near to a beachside bar that was playing Cuban music and both Mexicans instinctively rose and began dancing so naturally and rhythmically to the music as though they were made to dance. The artesan, Victor, then pulled me up to dance with him and naturally, I failed to emulate the simple yet perfect rhythm of his dancing feet. I was so clumsy and awkward it was excrutiating! And I always thought I was an excellent dancer...

My view

But this is something that I have noted time and time again! People do not exaggerate in the slightest when they talk of Latin blood and how the salsa rhythm is intrinsically a part of what it means to be Mexican. I am overwhelmingly jealous about this and always have to resort to my knees-up-slow-walking-dubstep dance or indeed one of my more ridiculous routines. My favourite part about this is the wild abandon with which Mexicans dance! There is no awkwardness, feelings of shame, pretentiousness, self-consciousness etc. It is simply a case of, this music is great - I´m going to move to it! I couldn´t imagine being with a British artesan and truck driver and having the same experience.

Mexican drummers

Similarly, I love how in touch with spirituality and the universe Mexicans seem to me. Well at least the majority of those whom I have encountered. In the same evening, my company were both discussing the constellations of the stars and the infinity of the universe from both their own and ancient Mayan perspectives. My night was iced with walking along the beach and kicking at the sand to reveal glowing plankton (I think this is what it is called in English? My friends called it ´planton´ in spanish) in the sand. There were so many! Just glittering all over the beach. I felt like I was walking in the starry sky...

I love Mexico
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

New me