What's Next? 51 Mexico 2012

On Sun, Mar 18, 2012 at 4:08 PM, Aaron Zacharias <pajarohermoso@yahoo.ca> wrote:

The day began sunny, clear skies and the sun soon became very hot.  I walked in a different direction that eventualy took me out of the city and through two different towns nearby nestled at the foot of a mountain.  On the way I passed a farm whith a huge wall surrounding it and a sign that advertised rabbit meat, zero colesterol.  With a very dear painting of Bugs Bunny.  I actually tried rabbit meat, once, before I turned back into a vegetarian.  I guess it was okay but even in my meat eating days I have always felt squeamish about trying new meat, something I have never felt about fruit or vegetables, or grain or cheese or nuts, so I must be naturally cut out to be a vegetarian. Cool breezes and clouds began to prevail as I walked along the main street connecting the two towns.  I wandered into the side streets of the second town, rather poor and shabby looking with brightly painted houses and lots of indigenous people present.  I also noticed a number of evangelical churches.  I stopped inside one and sat for a while while a woman who suggested a working class Hispanic Oprah preached  quite the sermon.  It was in a small space attended mostly by a few families.  Many of the girls and young women wore a peculiar head covering, a bright pink scarf with gold stars embroided and fastened in the back of the head.  I didn´t wish to stay long because I was afraid that once again someone whould ask me about my marital status and if I have children and really it´s none of their business and my worry is that l´ll be looked on with suspicion if I tell them.  These are simple people with very traditional and conservative values and I really don´t want to create any problems for myself while I´m here. I also saw a few untethered donkeys roaming and grazing at will.  I sometimes like to think that the donkey was God´s practice run at creating the horse, though I suppose they actually evolved but don´t ask me because I wasn´t there.  Also I saw a sheep roaming around on a side streat with her little lamb, and no I am not kidding ewe. I also stopped in a local restaurant for a cold drink, a very barren bare bones kind of place with plastic tables and chairs but a very friendly owner who also served me on the house small corn tortillas with a spicy red sauce.  Unfortunately I discovered shrimp at the bottom so I didn´t finish it but also thought it would be rude to make a fuss so I kept my mouth shut. I got lost on the way back but eventually made it back into San Cristobal anyway, and found my way back to the zocalo which was teeming with people and events.  There is a second square adjacent, full of trees and gardens with a gazebo in the middle.  The gazebo has been turned into a cafe and the upper level has people doing readings and story telling, so I went upstairs where a man was delivering a great reading about a creation myth.  Then I went downstairs and sat on the surrounding balcony outside where I got into an interesting discussion with the waiter about decaf coffee.  Apparently it is not available anywhere in Chiapas and at first he took offence because he thought I was asking for something like Nescafe in a region famous for its quality coffee beans.  So explained to him about the process of using water to extract caffiene from coffee beans before they are roasted and that when quality beans are used the coffee is excellent.  We chatted about other things as well, and he also seemed curious that I am single without kids and travelling alone and explained to me that in Mexico the families tend to be large and that he himself comes from a family of twelve.  So I ordered a regular cafe Americano which was excellent and some lunch and had to go inside because soon it was pouring and lots of other people crowded inside to wait out the rain.  A woman entertained us with some of her performance poetry and mostly I read and stayed dry. I must have been in there for nearly three hours before the rain finally stopped. While I was on the balcony several different indigenous children descended on me like locusts to buy their wares.  I did buy a wrist band and gave money for a few others for something to eat.

 Sun., Mar. 18, 2012 at 7:59 p.m.

After dinner in the hotel restaurant (some of the best vegetarian tacos Í´ve ever had and for under six bucks) I went for a walk to the two zocalos after the rain stopped again and there were native dancers decked out in feathers dancing in front of the cathedral and in the gazebo cafe on the open upper floor a jazz and marimba ensemble was playing.  They were pretty good.  Later I was up in my room when I heard a loud repeated bang, so I went downstairs to ask front desk and I was told it was fireworks but they didn´t know what it was about so I went outside to investigate.  Coming up the street adjacent to the hotel was a pick up truck bearing a statue of St. Joseph carrying the Child Jesus followed by a marching band and a crowd of around fifty people following.  This is an interesting town. In the zocalo while watching the native dancers I noticed some teenage girls trying to intimidate one of the many street dogs here.  They were trying to kick the poor thing.  I kind of glared at them and they kind of ignored me but left the dog alone after.  I held out my hand to him but of course he didn´t come towards me as I´m sure he gets mistreated a lot.