Today we flew from Oaxaca (pronounced Wah-haka) to Tuxtla (pronounced Toost-La) ,via Mexico City, apparently all air flights are either to or from Mexico City so the easy concept of going from Oaxaca to Tuxtla is not that easy. All in all it was a very enjoyable flight and a great chance to see some of Mexico from the air. Absolutely stunning vistas of mountain ranges and volcanoes, some with snow capped peaks and the ancient ruins of Monte Alban just outside Oaxaca.
Once we arrived at Tuxtla we had a private car meet us to take us the 74 kms to the beautiful Spanish colonial town of San Cristobal. This drive took us through the beautiful highland valleys to an elevation of 1940 metres above sea level and you could feel the temperature dropping with each metre. Mexicans do not observe posted speed limits, it is either stop or flat out and the drive up the mountain left us both with a case of white knuckle fever.
Lauren was still suffering from her bout of Montezuma's revenge and has not been well all day. It could have been a lot worse if we did not fly, she could have faced a 12 hour overnight bus trip. Thankfully we have a few days in San Cristobal and we can catch up on some much needed rest..... Or so we thought!!!!
Sound asleep and enjoying the serenity.... fssssssssssttttttt, ka boom!!!!!!!!!
What the ... was that!!!!!!!
fssssssssssttttttt, ka boom!!!!!!!!! again and again and again and on it went.
It is still pitch black outside, but just before each ka boom we see a flash of light through the windows.. Are we under attack, are we in Beirut, surely not..
It is 5.30am and the noise is deafening, then the cathedral bells start tolling and they toll with each ka boom.
The Mexicans love parties(fiestas) just as much as they love noise and to combine both at once...well it just makes sense. We find out that the explosions are celebratory rockets that Mexicans are setting off to celebrate the lead up week to Dia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe) a religious festival that celebrates the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego in 1531. Throughout this week thousands of Mexicans are making pilgrimages to Churches of Guadalupe throughout the country and each one is accompanied by a street parade with bands, singing, clowns and Parachicos and the "Rocket Master". It does not matter what time of the day or night it is, the rockets go on and on and on and on.... so much for the few good days of rest. BTW the rockets are not mentioned in any travel guide.
We enjoyed a break from the Rockets and headed out on a tour through the Canon del Sumidero (The Sumidero Canyon) just north of Tuxtla. This two hour river cruise took us through an amazing canyon where some of the walls are over 800m high. The highlight was the hanging moss growing out from the wall of the canyon. It resembled a a giant Christmas tree. The canyon provides a habitat to a diverse range of birdlife including vultures and cormorants as well as the odd crocodile or two.
We also had the chance to visit a local family of weavers in a village just outside San Cristobal. The family consisted of two sisters, Maria and Lorenza, their mother and Maria's 9 year old daughter Elena. She was at school during our visit. This family provide a basic living for themselves through weaving all year round and growing flowers during the summer months, which they then sell to local businesses in San Cristobal and Tuxtla as well as have tourists come and spend time with them. I know they receive 80% of the price which is good for them. They live in a modest house with only the basic amenities and we were both somewhat surprised by this as we had been told they were a middle class family. I guess our version of middle class and their version of middle class are completely different.
Anyway they went out of their way to make us welcome and share a small part of their life with us for a few hours. They introduced us to their techniques of weaving, which started with combing out the wool to break down the fibres for spinning. This meant we had to pull the wool apart by hand then comb it out using 2 brushes that resembled dog brushes. BTW it is not as easy as you think.
After the wool is brushed out, it is carefully spun by hand using a top type device, neither of us could do this and the wool kept breaking.
Next we were shown how to weave the wool using a back strap loom. Earth Mother Lauren wants a loom for Christmas, she is thinking table top but I think this a much cheaper option. Through our guide we were able to share a few jokes mostly at my (Paul's expense) and the family was amazed at how comfortable and willing we were to have a go at things. I am pretty sure Lorenza is going to have to undo all our work and start again as I am sure we stuffed it up for her. No harm done I suppose.
Dress-up time, I don't how his happened or why, but somehow we ended being dressed in traditional wedding clothes. It looked a cross between a really bad fancy dress party or a Mexican interpretation of the Nativity scene. I am not really sure but I think Lauren and I got married again....
Time for a break and something to eat. We were taken into the kitchen, no $10,000 kitchen here with all the appliances. Just a fireplace, cutlery and a small pantry. Maria started pressing out and cooking corn tortillas for lunch and invited both of us to have a go. Lorenza was getting the black beans, ground pumpkin seeds and salsa ready. I guess we can't say no... actually it was really really nice. As we ate we spoke about their life, what they do for fun and how they celebrate Christmas. Surprisingly their lives are not much different from ours, they have the same fears and concerns, a love for family and a need to provide shelter, warmth and food for their families.
The more we travel the more I am amazed buy how those with so little are willing to share nearly all they have with complete strangers and make you feel so welcome in the process.
There are some life lessons here.
