Since my last post we have covered some miles and transcended a few levels of culture and consciousness. After the arid heat of northern mexico, we climbed the heights of the Sierra Madres and descended down into the lush green valleys of estado de Guanajuato. We arrived in the city of Guanajuato just as the sun was setting. It gave the cities twisted, tight, colorful construction an even more magical glow. Almost immediatley trafic sucked us into one of the cities underground tunnels. Made of cobblestone and ancient brick, random lanterns hanging at intervals, it was a wonder we made it out alive. Perhaps one must understand the driving circumstances in Mexico to fully grasp the odities we have incountered. Everyday the little things like yeilding to farm animals, accepting burros as a fully valid form of transport, buses and taxis driven by el Diablo himself, become less shocking. But I am digging it none the less. I digress... Guajuato is a crazy city built in a steep valley. There are many churches, museums, monuments, universities. We spent two days here before heading to our next stay with a dude named Carlos in Celaya, about an hour south west. Carlos and his family took us in whole heartedly to their beautifull mexican mansion for the next three days. He showed us around San Miguel Adellande (gringo-veijo ville), gave us lots of food and the last shower I had in the past week. Then off again, following a ambiguos lead to some waterfalls and camping somewhere outside of a village in estado de San Luis Potosi. By the gracious hand of Dios we found the spot at night fall. Here we passed the next two days swimming in a beatufill clear blue river, as warm as bath water and as sweet as pie, and hiking in the misty jungle covered hills. And on again, headed east to estado de Veracruz, our destination losely based on ending up somewhere around some ancient ruins called El Tajin. We made it to the ruins by mid afternoon and circled the parking pasture a few times, wondering if we could camp. We stopped and asked two men on bicyles if they had any ideas, it turns out we picked the right people. They are Josh and Ignacio, they have rode their bikes from Austin south. We spent the night in the pasture, in our own self-made tent camp, amognst curious cows and random trash heaps. We made a little fire, and passed around a pot of sh%& ( a delicious dish constisting of what ever is on hand, cooked in a pot) and a six pack of Tecate while Josh played his Trumpet for us. The next day was Sunday, free day at the ruins, so we hit it up. I didn´t take any pictures here, I have been to some pretty amazing Mayan ruinas in Guatemala, and may be a little pretencious about the quality of these sights. Anyway, there were some pyramids, some carvings, some bones. We continued on to the coast, this time with our new friend Ignacio in the back seat, his bike on the roof. We found a wonderfull place to camp on the coast, turn right at the green shack, follow the dirt road to the gate, don´t let the burros out, set up anywhere along the miles and miles of uninhabited beach. This is how I always want to remember Veracruz. Small, small towns, full of curious, generous, friendly people, beautiful beaches, not a gringo in sight. If you are looking for genuine Mexico come here, but don´t tell anyone else.
If anyone has any questions about Mexican history this would be a good time to ask me. What I learned from all of this is that the story of Mexico is rich, and ancient and tragic. Which brings me to the Danza del Sol. This is a festival hosted by an ogranic farm for the native traditions of Mexico and the U.S. It is to honor the sun and give thanks for all that it gives us. Aurora and I were invited to help in the kitchen for the week, but were included and encouraged to partake in all of the wonderfull happenings as well. If you are familiar with the sundances of the native amercians then you can imagine what this was like. We felt really blessed to have been invited. We camped in the most beautifull canyon, surrounded by misty mountains, covered by blue sky.
We met wonderfull people in this place who will guide us and help us on our journey. I learned a lot about the deep tradition and culture that has been preserved and is practiced in Mexico . The longer I am here the more I realize how complex this place is. So after the festival we went down the road to a town called Malinalco and camped out with some friends for a few days. Here I celebrated my 25th year on this earth with a wonderfull day that included a picnic, swiming in a spring, and eating a whole trout. The celebrationfor both Aurora and my birthdays will continue today, in Mexico city, where we have invited everyone we know in the area to come with us on a boat ride in Xochimilco. (Xochimilco= long boats painted crazy colors, navigated through ancient canals by men with poles, filled with everything from mariachi bands to tamales and buckets of beer) pure spectacle. Our plans for the future are more openend than they have been in a long time. We still want to check out Chiapas in the south and Guatemala as well. I have faith that we will be guided in what ever direction we need to go.
