The Sound of Travel

2013, Mexico: the noisy and colorful Country where even Death is celebrated with an explosion of confetti and music.
While backpacking, me and Fabio – my boyfriend, by every possible cheap means of transport – moto-rickshaw, second class buses, by foot, and so on – we ended up in the Montebello Lagoons, State of Chiapas.
The Montebello Lagoons are one of the most breathtaking panoramas ever seen in my life: an uncountable number of lakes in any shade of blue or green, lush and pure forests, crossed by paths sometimes white, sometimes red.
We spent the day doing trekking from one lake to the other, completely enchanted by the crystal clear brightness of the waters.
After a refreshing bath in the last visited lake, we were approaching to the stop of the combi – the collective taxi, to get back to our hostel, when we heard music.
It is important to visualize the context: me, Fabio, a dusty road at a fork, two chickens quite fat, corn cobs drying at the sun, three or four small hovels, and that's all.
We looked to each other: “Where the hell is it coming from?”, “Let's follow it!”.
We were expecting some kind of town festival, even though we couldn't see a town anywhere, but when, hypnotized by rhythm, we entered the courtyard of a private house, the common thought was a simple and worried: “Uh-oh...”.
It was a matter of a second: the mariachi were playing, we were exactly in the very wrong place, and a man, wearing a cowboy hat and carrying a plastic blue basket, saw us, and started walking against us with a very threatening expression.
Some kids around were staring at us, the music was more and more looming, the time stopped, and the fear and the terrible heat were drying our mouths. The man was just one step from us, and...
“Hola! Do you want some beer?”
In one second we woke up from the trance status in which we had sank into.
It was Juanita's sweet sixteen's party! And his father, Manolo, was inviting us to party with them! And, sure, for dinner too!
When, many hours later, we run after the last combi of the day, thinking about the mariachi playing, the micheladas – beer with lemon juice and chili pepper – we had drunk, the green princess style dress of Juanita and the enthusiasm of Manolo, we looked to each other and asked ourselves: “But.. was it real?”.
We immediately searched in the camera the picture – in a perfect family photo style – we had taken with Manolo and his wife, Juanita and her sister..
What a relief.
It was there.