Hoy fuimos a pueblos afuera de San Cristobal de las Casas: San Juan Chamula y Zinacantan. Se encuentran a pocos minutos de la ciudad, y fuimos por el autobus con Eddy. Empezamos a ver la vieja iglesia de San Juan Chamula, con su panteon. Señor Rosado nos explicaba las tradiciones de los indigenas, que quedaran (kept) sus difuntos afuera de la puerta de la casa, y/o (kept) la cabezas (I mean skulls) en dentro de la casa, cubiertas de (wax). Luego, las tradiciones han cambiados con la Conquista. Ya, los difuntos son (buried) en la tierra del panteon , o en una tomba (ossuary). Todos los primeros de Noviembre, es el Dia de Todos Santos, la familia van en el panteon, quedar la noches con su queridos difuntos. Llevan velas, flores, tequila y otras ofrendas para ellos. Tambien, ponen unas velas en la via entre el panteon y la casa, por que los difuntos no se pierdan.
Depues, caminabamos hasta la plaza central, y la iglesia nueva. Es un edificio muy bello, pintado en blanco, con arcos y accentos en colores vivos. En la plaza habian muchos vendedores, de frutas y verduras, gallinas y gallos, textiles, y otras cosas domesticas y turisticas. Fuimos en la iglesia con mucho respeto. Es la experiencia mas fuerte de mi visita en Mexico. El segundo que entre, me siento fuertamente afectada por la fe y sentia la presencia de divinidad. Es cierto que esas personas tienen muy fuertes creencias, y tienen un (tangible aura). Estaba al punto de llorar, y fue mucho mas que la fuma, la brisa de las velas, y el (altitude). Deje atras de la mayoria de nuestro grupo para procesar la experiencia un poquito antes de continuar. Joanna y Carlos me hablaron un ratito cada uno, de que estaba haciendo la gente. A Carlos, la iglesia le afecta tambien fuertamente, pero no pregunte si fue por que piensa que nosotros exploitamos a la gente, o el atmosfero...
Cuando me siento lista, camine lentamente, mirando los santos, y las familias y individuos que estaba alla.
Mas mañana... no tengo bastante tiempo para escribir todo...

Transcribing my journal entry or half entry by entry

7:23 am Atlantic time, Tuesday May 1st, 2007

Flying past Kennebunkport & its coast, on the right, soon to descend into Boston. Hard to believe I´ve made it this far - effort & time more than distance. I´m happy, excited, tired (back slumping to sleep, eyes need rubbing & ears need popping). Great people, great fun to be had. Chatting with Kerri - lots in comon with the semi-mature student status as well. Here we go - descent into Boston!
10:39 am Eastern
`I catch the rain down in Africa´
This solitary flight is a good transition from home to Mexico. Though I got caught up in the movie `Miss Potter´rather than a nap, or a more active contemplation. We are now approaching Atlanta, farther than I´ve ever been down the East coatst. It´s a little unreal - Mexico seems so long a go it happened to another person, and I can´t believe yet another person is rapidly approaching her destination. I hope I never focus on mundanities, but appreciate the splendour before me. It will be important to analyze my impressions & experiences, but not before having them. Aaah, descent.

Another days, another bunch of adventures... My Mother´s Day In Mexico...

[Finally got my blog working, thanks to a thought from Stephanie. I just needed a template for any of my information to display. Yahoo!]

Hello all, here is part of what happened today...

We visited the giant Olmec heads this morning (salvaged from the original site that was under threat from petroleum development and swamp sinkage, and moved to a park in the heart of Villa Hermosa, Tabasco). The setting was rich jungle, and combined a walk-through of the Olmec sculpture, carvings and mosaic stone faces with a zoological park. There were big cats, like a jaguar and an ocelot, some crodiles or alligators (not sure which), turtles, monkeys, coatis (look a little like red racoons), and lots of birds. The last three could be found both inside and out of the cages. It was really amazing, sadly we had to rush through it all...
[This stranger´s page will have to sub for me, until I can get my own pictures uploaded from my camera and post them online.]
Next was a long bus ride from Villa Hermosa to Chiapa de Corzo in Chiapas. We went on a fantastic boat ride through el Cañon del Sumidero: a canyon cut deep into these Chiapan mountains over untold millenia by el Rio (River) Grijalva. At one point, the canyon walls loom one kilometer overhead. We saw alligators (or crocs, still not sure...), vultures and at least four other species of birds flying over head. The canyon walls were richly covered in many trees, bushes, lianas, and small succulents. A particularly striking section near the start/end of the tour has strongly horizontal striations in the rock, and long tall cactuses rising from the different levels. Others were more jungle like. There were many different rock formations, erosionary (new word?!) and built up; stalagtites and -mites, and this amazing space where the rocks are shaped like fan-shaped upside down petals, where in the rainy season, and even a little now, it looks like a Christmas tree. We ran across a shrine to La Virgen de Guadalupe, Mexico´s patron saint. A beautiful and gentle image always... remind me to tell you the story of her some day...
Saw a pair of owls in a cave/crack on the way back, tucked away, curiously staring at us as we were at them.
Then back on the bus, to complete the journey to San Cristobal de las Casas. It is a charming city, cobbled streets, high in the mountains, with cool (fresh?) air. The hotel is a gem. Reminds me both of the hotel in Creel, Chihuaha when I visited la Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) with Rotary Exchange all those years ago, and of chalet in the Swiss or German Alps... Spanish Alps if you will ;)
The trip up from the marshy (though only slightly in this, the dry season) farms of Tabasco, up into the highlands of Chiapas was quite dramatic. So many beautiful and complex sites. Gradually realizing the deep impact that human occupation having here, hard to forget sometimes that those curvaceous hills were once all forested, not tamed or desnuded...
All I have time for now... ¡hasta mañana!

*Edit: added a photo of me, Stephanie, and a HEAD*

DAY 1 - el martes, el primer dia de mayo

wake up 4ish am, gather stuff together and all of us go to the airport. Dad frustrated, as he thinks we won´t get there in time. He hands me a packet of a bunch of stuff, including the camera and its manual. I have to turn my little carryon (the blue Cendant slingpack that I´ve found inordinately useful) inside out, trying to fit all this new stuff in. He wants to give me a black backpack, small, but still more than I want. I love travelling light. I do regret not bringing the verb and grammar books of mine that he´d found, but I´m able to pick up a perhaps more useful book while here...

Fredericton airport

Boston airport

Atlanta airport

Cancun airport

bus and beach

bus and beer

Valladolid, hotel

DAY 2 - el miercoles, el dos de mayo

hotcakes at the hotel

cucaracha in the shower, scared Kerri, just like my first experience on exchange

walked around the square, shopped a bit, bought a couple of postcards, some stamps, toured the church (quite lovely, tried to respect it the best I could), wrote and mailed a postcard to Anthony, missing Mom´s full address, though wrote her something quick. Wonderful to see bochos again!

bus again, off to Chichen Itza

hot, and sunny, 30 sunblock, will it be enough?

Wacky Anne´s Mexican Adventure

iHace mucho calor, pero asi me gusta!

Enjoying the sun, the heat, the flavourful food, the colonial architecture and the splendid archaeological sites here in the Yucatan. Barely time to breathe, much less read up on the things I want to learn while here, or keep up with the journal entries that I have to write. And I want to write them... but this blog will have to substitute for many emails, and facebook postings, etc...
I want to talk to my husband and my baby boy more though... today my little guy is fourteen months old, and yesterday was the 13th anniversary of meeting Anthony... My little guy and I had never been apart for more than 8 hours (and that only when heavy studying was required) until now. This trip is 25 days long... I was so disappointed when I realized that it was just not feasible to bring my boys down for a week in the middle. Too much money, too complicated, too much to impose on my fellow students. I´ve been fine more or less until yesterday, and today for sure it is hitting me how much I miss my boys, my little one especially. There is park a block or two from here, ¨La Parque de la Maternidad¨, dedicated to motherhood. And I´ve been seeing the cutest babies, toddlers and little boys... today one not much younger than my little guy was sleeping on his father´s shoulder outside a clothing store... that face, so peaceful. I have my iPod with me, and there is a photo of G. in his dada´s arms, looking much the same. The pouty little lips, the innocent eyelids, the long lashes, so beautiful. Well, will have to try again tomorrow, just found Jane and Dad on Skype...
Love to all, and adventures for everyone!