While we have landed safely back on the ground of our colder homeland, Eric and I remained enthralled by our journey across Central, Eastern and Southern Mexico. Following our day of the dead festivities in the central area, and the diving excursions in the East, we ventured south to the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca for the last leg of our trip.
One of the day tours that we did take from San Cristobal was a river tour of the Sumidero Canyon. Though postcards hinted at the immensity of the surrounding cliffs we were about to see, we were not prepared for the sheer height (up to 1000 meters!) and the near vertical drop from the 100 meter wide river we rode through -- if you can believe it, we felt a strange kind of upside down vertigo from the bottom of these cliffs. Even compared to standing on the top of mountains, I never felt so much like a little spec of dust from an imposing element of nature as I did from the basin of this towering canyon. During this tour, as if the awesome views of the canyon were not enough, we also encountered along the river several sleeping crocodiles, resting birds (comorants and herons galore) and a couple of playful spider monkeys.
Just outside Oaxaca (10km away) is a small town called Tule, which is named after the Tule tree found in the town's square. This tree, which is claimed to be the largest biomass in the world (by our Lonely Planet guidebook), completely shadowed the church located next to it. With a diameter of 14 meters for it's trunk and an age of 2000-3000 years old, we could not help but be impressed!
THE WORST
THE STRANGE
Hasta Luego,
Part III -- Unearthing the mysteries of Ancient Ruins and Grand Canyons in Oaxaca & Chiapas, Mexico
Amigos Mios (My Friends),
PALENQUE RUINS
Once one of the quiestest though still easily accessible ruins of Mexico, Palenque Ruins has now become much busier with the increase in number of tour groups in the southern outreaches of the country. Placed within a jungle setting, the Palenque ruins are formidable and just as vast as the Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza ruins. You can easily spend several hours wandering the site. Eric noted disappointedly that several important sections that he had seen on his previous visit to these ruins seven years ago were not accessible this time around (you used to be able to climb inside to see the inside of the Mayan King's crypt, but condensation created by merely the breath of thousands of visitors daily has taken its toll on the ancient art illustrated on the walls surrounding the tomb). Several parts of the site deep within the surrounding jungle have not even been escavated yet (though there is still much to keep you preoccupied with).
SAN CRISTOBAL, CHIAPAS
San Cristobal is a backpacker's paradise with lots of great traditional, hip european and vegetarian restaurants, and a vast array of interesting places to keep you busy (Amber Museum, Jade Museum, Museum of Maya Medicine). San Cristobal is also the key jumping off point for any jungle trekking you may want to undertake -- you can easily arrange for a trip with one the multitude of jungle tours agencies here.
OAXACA CITY, OAXACA
Oaxaca City, on the other hand, is a little less wild. It's just perfect for those who enjoy contemporary art (aside from the capital, Mexico City, Oaxaca city is the place to get a sense of the country's artistic culture). Oaxaca is also grand for those gourmet lovers who enjoy chocolate -- Oaxaca, Mexico claims to be the birthplace of the product. Aztecs Kings and Priests would drink an extremely bitter chocolate pure (unsweetened cacao and hot water) to connect with their gods through visionary experiences (some say that the drink also used to be mixed with some very hot chillies). Colonial spaniards had one sip of the stuff and decided it wasn't to their liking -- so they threw in honey and milk and, as they say, the rest is history!
MEXICO CITY - NATIONAL ANTHROPOLOGY MUSEUM
Back to Mexico City, with one afternoon left before departing to head back home, I made my way to the world famous National Anthropology Museum -- the city's most visited attraction!! Though the museum really deserves a full day to see most of it, I covered some good ground in the few hours I had left to me before it closed. The museum illustrated old and new cultures of Mexico -- with the old on the main floor and the new laid out upstairs. Several of the engraved stone walls were even held for public display without glass encasing and most of the section introductions were translated in English. Several reconstructed pieces (like a 15 meter facade of a ruin that is much less accessible than the ones we visited) were also on display in outside areas within the museum. Should you have a chance to visit Mexico City, we definitely agree with the tour books that this should be a stop in your itinerary!
THE BEST, THE WORST, AND THE STRANGE FROM OUR ADVENTURES IN MEXICO !!
THE BEST
...AND NOW BACK ON THE HOME FRONT
With the snow blizzards already covering the doorsteps and blasting our windows, it's nice to be at home again -- We're looking forward to the snowball fights, skiing and sleighrides that bring Canadians together during this festive season and before it REALLY gets cold in January and February.
Natia & Eric
