Bahia de Chachacual

The week on the bay proved not to dissapoint. We camped as far into the shade as the scorpions would permit and made our living room (hammocks) in a tree that stood over the ocean at high tide. Griffin fished and we feasted on ceviche (a few of our odd catches are shown in the pic) and all the fruits (pineapple, papaya, peaches, bananas, mangos, etc.) that this beautiful tropical climate produces.

A few visitors would come to the bay by boat and snorkel for a couple of hours around midday (corral reef directly off of coast) but usually leave us be for the rest of the time. There were also a couple of locals who made the long hike from Huatulco (3 hours) to collect crabs & ¨sea cockroaches¨, or escargot.

On our final day (today) our ride was supposed to arrive at noon but in the middle of cooking breakfast we were alarmed to see the little fishing boat pull up. Lalo jumped off and came running up to say we must pack up immediately and head back ASAP. Hurricane coming and he had been granted special permission to leave the marina and come retrieve us...

Rainy season is just beginning.

Bahias de Huatulco

For the past week or so we have skipped from one little town to the next (Mazunte to Barra de la Cruz). We had heard there was some great surf in Barra, which indeed was the case but almost too good. When we arrived there were aproximately 5 professional surfers (one considered second best in the world) complete with camera men and crew. The waves were a bit large for me (even though the professionals probably preferred them a bit larger) but Griffin gave them a good go while I played around in the whitewater with my board.

We are taking a pause from surfing and are going to a remote bay near Hualtulco to camp for a week. Just wanted to drop a quick line to let all know that we are fine. Until next week...

The Mexican Pipeline

Well, we arrived in Puerto Escondido on Saturday, had surf boards by Monday and have since been learning to surf, how to fix our boards, etc. The waves here are a bit large for beginners, which has made for some pretty intense & comical wipe-outs. Overall the surf is well and we are having a blast learning with only a few minor scrapes and bruises (oddly concentrated on my body and mysteriously lacking on Griffin´s).

Griff´s birthday was yesterday and we had a lovely day of surfing followed by an evening of drinking Mezcal (the Oaxacan tequila-- $3 for 2 quarts) with some other travellers and locals. Griffin of course got the worm (a birthday bonus!). Minor headaches this morning followed by some lovely waves... not a bad day in paradise.

Our loosely constructed plans are to head south and start looking for a little surf town to rent an apartment for a month or so... pero, vamos a ver.

The pic: some last minute waves before the sun sets on the Pacific

A note: ¨The Mexican Pipeline¨ comes from the fact that one-two days out of the year this place gets a break that is approximately three to four stories high. Apparently this year it is supposed to be on June 30th. All the pros come to ride it. The only way you can catch the wave is by being dropped off by a jet ski. If you miss a wave that size, one could easily die. Crazy.

Sneaky Mayans...

While in San Cristobal we were fortunate to meet one of the leading Mexican anthropologists who studies mayan symbolism. He explained the significance of practically every detail of this elaborate church, pointing out that the mayans who were contracted to build it not only sculpted the catholic symbols that were asked of them, but also snuck in a parallel Mayan symbol. For instance, Jesus is juxtaposed by Quetzalcoatl (the mayan diety that looks like a feathered snake). Here Quetzalcoatl is shown approximately in the center of the image with a conch above his head (in this photo he looks a bit like a mermaid). Apparently the royal family that funded the project never questioned the extra symbols.

San Cristobal de las Casas

A lovely colonial city tucked in the mountains, San Cristobal stays cool in the evenings and warms up during in the day. It never freezes, making it the ideal climate for fruit and consequently a fantastic food market (picture shows the rooster vendor). The mayan culture is rich here and the mayan language is spoken frequently in the market.

It has been a refreshing stop in between coasts, but tonight we catch a night bus to Puerto Escondido (pacific side)...

Beautiful Chiapas...

From little swimming holes to jungle waterfalls, Chiapas is an amazingly beautiful state. Below is a river where many of the Palenque locals go to escape the heat. The limestone bottoms, locals drinking beer, & water temperature are all comparable to the Texas hill country, only the tree canopy is a variety of jungle growth instead of cypress.

The waterfall was one we stumbled on off a trail in the jungle near the Palenque ruins. We lavishly bathed and worshiped our sanctuary from the heat until a possibly deadly snake almost fell on top of us from the waterfall... yikes! I did a funny jig to escape the writhing snake while Griffin shouted ¨wao, woa, wooooo¨or something to that extint. Had anyone been there to witness the event it might have appeared as if some gringos were reinacting a very poorly planned mayan ceremony.

We camped for few days in a place called Mayabell (outside of Palenque and very close to the ruins). Falling asleep in hammocks while listening to giant toads, howler monkeys, and watching lightning bugs the size of a hummingbirds zip through the jungle was truly an incredible experience.

Then & Now

A mayan carving in Palenque and grafiti art in San Cristobal...

Las Ruinas de Palenque

Palenque proper...

The domestication of the birds from the jungle is concerning (here a toucan).

the country-side of Palenque...

Cinco De Mayo

We got to Palenque (in the state of Chiapas) just in time for Cinco De Mayo, which I might add, we were excited to be in Mexico for this famous holiday. Oddly enough we realized that Cinco de Mayo is a holiday presently more celebrated in the U.S. than in Mexico. It is big in the town of Puebla where Mexico beat the French in 1862, but outside of that region, it is barely recognized. Somehow the 5th of May has become a rather large celebration in the US, where it has come to represent Mexican culture (foods, dancing, etc.).

Jeremy & Jessica´s Wedding...

The wedding was lovely. I´ll let the pictures tell...
(pending)

Griffs first scuba adventure...

After staying on Isla Holbox we got to meet up with mi madre y padrestro in Isla Mujeres. We had a great couple of days snorkeling, scuba diving, & just enjoying one anothers company.

Isla Mujeres...

Cruising Isla by golf cart...

The homemade diving board (2x6) at Holbox...

Pescado Fresco

The fishermen we would buy our fish from in Holbox & their following of birds...