Wind And Waves

Here We Are!

Jeremy, in San Cristobal

Wesman in Canyon Sumidero

The short segment on NPR called “This I believe” is one of the little things in life that I LOVE! People from all walks of life write essays about some of their stronger thoughts on life.

So…..I was thrilled to see that today, an essay by Matt was featured!  He is the fellow that dances all over the world. Every time I see his video, I smile from deep within. Check it out!

His Essay: (I couldn’t agree more with what he says!) I believe globalization is forcing our brains to evolve…………. [Read more →]

The license plate…….belongs to a church bus!

Riding on the moto from San Cristobal to Palenque was even better than I imagined it to be (is that possible???) It was truly an experience I will always remember. THe land is beautiful. I mean stunningly beautiful. Green mountainsides, sweeping views of valleys far below, indigenous peoples in there colorful clothes everywhere. The air was Full of oxgen and smelled soo fresh. The road was wonderfully twisty and remained that way for 5 hours!! And Ryan was a great driver…it was easy for me to trust him, quickly. He obviously had a lot of experience on the moto……and! he drove nice and fast :-). For five hours, I was pretty sure I had died and gone to heaven.

My plan was……..go to Lake Montebellos which I have been hearing so much about and spend a quiet few days by myself in nature, in the fresh cool air, reflecting on the last leg of my journey and revisiting my values and goals and articulating a plan. BUT……all intentions were put to the wayside when I came upon a hostel that had BMW motos loaded for traveling out front. I wanted a ride SO bad that all my shyness’s {se fue}! Ryan was very calm and capable seeming and offered me a spot on the back of his moto like it was no big deal, he even had an extra helmet. HEll Yeah!! They were leaving early the next morning for Palenque…..not exactly where I wanted to go but my desire to ride a moto far out weighed my desire to see the lakes, not to mention, that I really wanted to see the ruins at Palenque, especially after my Mayan studies at the University.

Ryan was also traveling with his dog, Lady!  You can see her in her box.  She seemed to love travel by moto along with everyone who saw her. I was in a great position to watch everyone’s reaction to her.  People’s faces broke into a big smile when they saw Lady.

So….I’ve got a few days free. Yippee. The question is, what to do with the free time, there is SO much to see and I feel like I don’t want to miss any of it because who knows when I’ll be back.

First place………..San Cristobal, otra Vez. The pueblo in the moutains at 7000 feet, offers cooler days and down right cold nights. It feels soo good. I never thought I’d say that, I really don’t like the feeling of being cold and I’m happy that I’ve missed winter in the states. On the flip side…..to have to put on pants and a sweatshirt every once in awhile…… is soooo nice. San Cristobal is a great place to read a book and sip on hot coffee and people watch.

I hung out with a fellow from Italy who owned a bookstore. I think he was obsessive compulsive and every 10 min or so would rearrange his books. Can you imagine? Owning a bookstore and being obsessive compulsive? I think it would drive you mad….customers are always coming through moving things, this way and that. He may have been a little mad in fact. He had a wonderful loft space up above where he did all the administration for his bookstore and he could look down on his customers. The lighting was really good up there and each wall was covered by book shelves stocked full of books. It was a great space. In the picture below, a couple gentlemen enjoying breakfast at 7am.

So, I’m still In Chiapa De Corzo waiting for my brothers who have been having a wonderful time in Mexico City. I sure hope they don’t decide to stay there! So right now, I’m not teaching and I’m very much enjoying being able to leisurly walk around and have conversations with people and spend more time learning about the surrounding jungles and the indigenous communities sprinkled throughout the mountains. Yesterday early morning I went to the market as it was opening. Everyone was bustling preparing their stands. Fresh cilantro was being brought in by the barrel full and smelled so good. Also Yerba buena (mint). Yumm! Everyone seemed to be smiling

One of the first things I noticed when I got here was how loud everything is! Check out this video of the Propane truck This is the sound I wake up to every morning 🙂 Gas Truck

Here is my special place ~  I really enjoy the tranquility of the ex-convento in Chiapa De Corzo.  I’ve spent many a day, producing lesson plans there!

I had the opportunity to meet up with my friend Anja, in San Cristobal. She and I had met in Guadalajara and had a great time together. She is traveling on her bicycle from Alaska to……..?! who knows! What an adventure it has been for her. She has met tons of people and has lots of stories….but she’s kinda humble so you gotta pull it out of her. 🙂 Right now, she is assessing the situation ahead of her (Guatemala and beyond) she just got word of one of her bike acquaintances getting robbed…….scary stuff to be dealing with but unfortunately very real. This is something that really scares me (surprisingly) usually I don’t worry too much about these stories (If I did, I would stay in my house all day and not travel) but with my brothers (and now me) driving through Central America I look at it in a new light.  Check out her Blog about her adventure!

Anja, Ann and I had a good time hanging out. I have half a mind to get a bike and join on with her. For now, I’m finishing reports cards and packaging up my life here and awaiting my bros.

Omigosh! All the timing has worked out perfectly and I’m going to jump in the little red car “big red” with my brothers and head to Columbia.