Ive been doing a lot since
I last wrote.I spent 2 weeks in Puerto
Escondido.Soaking up lots of sun and
relaxing on the beach.The coast is
incredibly hot, you have to walk around really slowly, and you are still really
sweaty whereever you walk.I lived on aguas
de sabor (refreshing waters that they flavor with fruit) and fruit popsicles made
with the real stuff! Yum - the best I've ever tasted!I went swimming when I could, but Puerto
Escondido is more of a surfer's destination than a swimmers' so sometimes the
waves were too big!!The hostel I stayed
at was really clean and great will lots of fun travelers to meet and hang out with.We would all go out together at the bars on
the beaches. There is something about being able to be barefoot in the sand at
a bar that feels really nice!I did a day
trip with some friend to Mazute y Zipolite, beaches about an hour south on the
coast.They were also gorgeous! They are
famous for being small hippie destinations.It was very peaceful and chill.Zipolite is also famous for being the one nude beach around.
After about 2 weeks I was feeling too
lazy from being a beach bum for too long and decided to head Chiapas, the
most southern state of Mexico before Guatemala.I
took an all night bus to San Cristobal
de las Casa.Chiapas is known for having a very large
indigenous population and also for being a place where the Zapatistas are!The colors of the textiles and art there was
just amazing - everything was so bright and beautiful.The scenery is beautiful as well in Chiapas. It's mountainous
and green with jungles, lakes and waterfalls.It's nice and warm in the sun but got very
cold at night!I stayed at a hostel that
was very social and had a bonfire every night for all the travelers, I met many
cool people from all over and did a few cool excursions.I went to Palenque, a ancient ruin site that is smack dab in
the middle of the jungle - the most beautiful surroundings of ruins I've seen.I went to Agua azul, some impressive
waterfalls!I went to Tuxtla, the
capital of Chiapas
and did their famous zoo and also the Cannon de Sumidero, a famous canon in
the river.I also went to a nearby indigenous
village and to some caves.
I had previously just about run out of money,
when I got a big fat tax return. So onward my travels go!! Next I spent a week
in Oaxaca
again.With my tax return I was able to
take some more classes with my amazing Spanish teacher
and some salsa dance lessons. Plus I got to hang out with my friends from Oaxaca. I stayed on the
couch of the same German friends as before, who now have a new adopted kitty
that we had fun with.My last night in Oaxaca I returned to
Candela, the best place in town to go Latin dance, with some girlfriends.It was a particularly sweaty night, but
probably the best I've had so far since my dancing has improved a lot, and I
spent the whole night rotating between three salsa instructors (lucky, happy and tired me!). It always makes
it much more enjoyable to be with good dancers especially since I am just
learning.
This last weekend me
and my friend Shiren headed into Mexico City to
hang out with a couple we had made friends with the previous weekend in Oaxaca. They were great,
took us around town and too a soccer game, which I've been wanting to do since I
got to Mexico.It was CRAZY to say the least.The fans get soo into it.Im just used to twins baseball games were it's
really calm.It was a the big university of Mexicostadium with their team, the Pumas, against some other university team.Everyone there wears sports gear and they
sing the ENTIRE TIME, seriously, never stopping.All the chants were to the beat of a drum, and
everyone jumping around and yelling. And this wasn't even an important
game!A pretty wild experience! Next I spent a couple days with my relatives
in Mexico City and left for Puebla Tuesday morning.I have been trying to make my huge backpack
smaller. I think I have a bit, but its still ridiculously heavy.I get quite a work out while wearing it.I took the underground
subway to get to the bus station in Mexico City, and almost couldn't get out the gate because of
my large backpack!
I spent a day in Puebla, Mexico.I was surprised at how lovely it was.The churches were some of the most impressive
I've seen yet!The food there...ooh my gosh!
And there were lots of beautiful parks with gorgeous greenery.Just stayed for one night, so I wandered around town all day and went to
a couple museums.The hostel was pretty
weird though because it was completely empty but me!! So I was pretty
lonely.I ate some regional specialties
for dinner then headed to a movie for the night.The next morning I headed to Jalap, Veracruz for a dog sitting gig!My friend Beth had seen an ad to stay in an
apartment and watch a dog for a lady that lives in Coatepec,
Veracruz, just next to Jalapa for three weeks. We were both
interested in seeing that part of Mexico but not for three weeks, so
we decided to split it, Beth and her boyfriend for the first ten days, me for
the second.On the bus ride I met a
super nice Mexican that was going to visit her parents that live in jalapa for the week.She invited me to eat and meet her family and
told me she will show me around jalap when I get a chance!
Coatepec is beautiful, it's very wet and rainy
and incredibly green! The dog I am staying with is a super cute cocker spaniel!
My apartment is small but lovely with a lofted bedroom and overlooks a lush
green valley!The dogs owner also owns an ecolodge which has a sauna and many hiking trails, so I'm sure I will be using
that a lot!
