Vagabondette

While living in Mexico I became somewhat addicted to a local dish called chilaquiles.  Basically they’re a ‘leftovers’ dish made of cut up stale tortillas sauteed in a red or green sauce and then topped with onions, crema (like thin sour cream), crumbled cheese, avocado and chicken (or eggs).  There are many other variations on how to prepare them – probably almost as many variations as there are Mexican Mamas – but this is how I always had them.  They are, quite simply, amazing.

Needless to say, I was very excited to hear that they were on the menu for dinner at Earth Lodge.  Imagine my dismay to discover that Chilaquiles in Guatemala (or at least at Earth Lodge) are substantially different than Chilaquiles in Mexico.

In Guatemala, they prepare Chilaquiles with Chayote (pictured right), which is a green, fairly flavorless, squash-like vegetable.  They start the dish by skinning the Chayote, slicing it in half, and removing the core.  After that, they fill it with a thick (almost 1/3 inch) layer of a thick, salty cheese.  Finally, the dip the stuffed Chayote in batter and fry them until lightly brown.  The dish is finished with a light red sauce and, though fried and very cheesy, is not at all heavy or greasy.  The vegetable becomes firm though easily cut with just a fork and seems to take on the flavors of the other ingredients.

I still prefer the Mexican version of Chiliquiles, but this was better than I anticipated though likely not something I would order again.

Final product served with rice, salad and garlic bread:

It’s strange to think that this is my last night in Mexico for several months and maybe my last night ever in Merida.  This country, that I never intended to visit, has captured my heart.  The warmth of the people, the culture and the comfortable atmosphere has made me feel at home even though at times I’m sure I stuck out like a sore thumb.

I’ve spent the last couple days in Merida visiting my old haunts but mostly visiting with friends.  It’s been great to see everyone again even though Alex is gone and we didn’t get a chance to meet up.  I’m not sure if/when I’ll be back but I know that when I return I’ll have a home waiting here.

Tomorrow I leave for the US.  I’ll be traveling for approximately 24 hours straight and I’m not particularly looking forward to it.  My first stop is Palm Springs where I’ll spend a few days with Rob, the owner of the boat I might be sailing on early next year.  We want to spend some time getting to know each other before we set out just to make sure that we click in person.  it feels a bit like a job interview or a first date but it should be fun and I’ve never been to Palm Springs before so that will be nice.

For now I’m going to take once last walk down to the Zocalo to say goodbye to Merida.

I’m not sure what I expected from a visit to Palenque, but I didn’t get it.  I think I expected it to be much larger, to have more ruins and to be just generally more.  Rather than the wild, sprawling jungle ruins I anticipated what I found was a fairly small site that was manicured like a park.  I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed.

One thing that I liked was watching the families.  I went on a Sunday when entrance is free for Mexican citizens so the place was crawling with families having  picnics and climbing on the ruins.  I also enjoyed the walk through the woods to the waterfall.  It was cool and peaceful and I could have stayed in that one spot all day had it not been for the annoying teenagers who were camped out there.

I visited the ruins during a break in the trip from San Cristobal to Merida so I was just spending a day there.  Since the ruins were smaller than I anticipated I ended up with a lot of time to kill in town.  Palenque is a cute little town and, as you head away from the bus station, the streets become lined with cute little shops and restaurants.  It is clearly a tourist town but it has a nice atmosphere and I enjoyed my explorations.  I ended up camping out in a restaurant on the edge of the plaza at the end of the main road.  The bar was on the second floor and was open-air so it was nice to sit and enjoy the breeze, people watching in the plaza and the live music that started as the sun set.  It was good to relax before my last bus trip to Merida.

After spending about a week on the road I’ve decided to head back to San Cris for a bit.  It’ll give me not only a chance to get out of the heat but also to recover from whatever’s making me feel like crapola.  I should probably also visit a dentist – which is always fun.  I’ll stay there for a bit then head south to do the southern loop around Chiapas and then back up to Palenque.

After weeks upon weeks in cities I decided it was time to get off the beaten track a bit.  While at the party in Tuxtla I was told about the tiny coastal town of Puerto Arista and I decided it sounded like just the ticket.

Puerto Arista, is located on the Pacific coast and is ideal if you’re looking to just get away.  While I was there, I had the beach to myself during the day – aside from the occasional fisherman – and in the evenings would be joined by a few families who would come out and play in the waves during sunset.

Fresh seafood is the main cuisine in town and is served at a variety of similar looking palapa topped restaurants all facing the beach.  Slide your feet into the sand while downing a cold corona, some fresh shrimp and watching the sunset – it’s not a bad way to spend the evening.

However, if you’re looking for nightlife, this is not the place to be.  I was the only person in most of the restaurants I visited and I would rarely see others when walking to/from my hotel.  It picks up a bit on the weekends and during Mexican holidays but I imagine it’s pretty much always a sleepy little town.

If you need modern conveniences like TV, Internet, shopping, etc. it’s also probably not for you as there is a single place to access the internet and I didn’t see a TV.  There are also not really any markets, just stalls along the side of the road that sell incidentals.

If you’re looking for a spot for swimming, PA is not the place.  While the water is warm and clean and shallow, there is a wicked rip tide that can make standing, much less swimming, treacherous.

Getting there:  You can take a first or 2nd class bus and then you grab a shared taxi (mine held 6 adults and 2 kids) for 15 MXN to the coast.  They’ll drop you either in the center of “town” or for an extra 10 MXN will drop you at your hotel.

After finally having a good night sleep, Lisa and I were ready to go explore.  Katinka had heard about horse back trips to the neighboring village of San Juan de Chamula which is best known for it’s church which is sprinkeled with pine needles and the congregation drinks Pepsi and sacrifices chickens to keep the gods happy. After a bit of comparison shopping we found an outfit that would take us on a 4-5 hour excursion for 100 MXN (@ $8) each.

We met our guide at a restaurant on Real Guadalupe and we followed here to the collectivo which dropped us off at the farm.  They got the horses saddled up and, after all doing a shot of some local liquor (really bad!) we headed out into the hills surrounding San Cris.

The ride was beautiful, through forest and flatlands, passing through farms and small villages.  It was an interesting way to get a closer look at how some of the natives live.  One of the more interesting sites was when we passed the local laundrymat.  All of the local women were out with the kids washing the clothes and eachother in the stream.  It was definitely a world apart from how I’m used to living.

After about 2 hours of riding (on wooden saddles) we finally reached Chamula where we were given an hour to explore.  We visited the tourist office to buy our tickets (20 MXN) and then headed to the Church.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it.  The inside of the church is fairly plain, but the walls are lined with statues of different saints and there are hundreds of candles all over the place that people had lit during their prayers.

Because we were there just a few days before Semana Santa (Easter) they were working on preparing the idols that they carry through the city during the parade.  It was interesting to look around, but I think that it was not what we would normally have seen during a visit.  A friend visited 2 weeks later and during his trip he was able to watch a sacrifice being performed for a boy that was sick.

I don’t have any pictures from the inside of the church because taking pictures is strictly forbidden and the locals have been known to damage your camera (or your person) if you get caught.

After exploring the church for a bit, we wandered the local market and relaxed with an ice cream before heading back to the horses for the ride home.

The ride home was harder than the ride out because by this time I was beyond sore.  I haven’t ridden in years and trotting with a wooden saddle just isn’t comfortable.  I didn’t know it then, but I wouldn’t end up walking right again for about 4 days.

Back at the farm we said goodbye to our horses, played with some puppies, and played voyeur to the wonders of nature (some turkeys were mating) before grabbing the collectivo back to town.

It was worth it though and I’d recommend the horse trek as a different way to see some of the countryside and one of the local attractions.

A small city located on the Gulf of Mexico, Campeche looks like someone dumped a large bucket of rainbow sherbet over the town. In the central area, each building is painted a different color ranging from purple to yellow with everything in between. It makes for a very beautiful view as you wander the narrow, winding streets.

We stayed only one night so didn’t get to explore too much but I’d like to come back at some point when it’s cooler and see a bit more of the town. The main square, as with most, is surrounded by shops/restaurants on three sides and a church on the other. There is a stage in the middle of the main square where live music is performed and on the night we were there, a lot of people had gathered to listen and sample some of the cakes from the street vendors. With the lit up church and the light-draped trees, the main square is beautiful at night.

Just a few feet from the main square are some remains of the old fortress walls (they encircle much of the central area and in some spots you can walk along the top to get a better view of the city) and a series of fountains which were lit up in the evening and displaying different colors and water formations.

I didn’t get much sleep that night (see my review of the Monkey Hostel to find out why), so for the first time in a long time I sat up and watched the sun rise and the city come to life. I’d forgotten how peaceful a sunrise can be and enjoyed watching the color spread in the sky behind the cathedral. To further take advantage of the quiet (and cool) morning I decided to get my wandering in early and proceeded to get lost among the windy, pastel colored streets.

The buildings in the central area are beautiful. They each have something that makes them unique. Whether it’s the color, or the shape of the roofline, or the carvings over the doors and windows, or the texture of the walls, they each have something to show that it’s different from its neighbors.

There seems to be a lot of rehabilitation going on in the city which is nice to see. I came across one whole section of street which was several blocks long which was pretty much all under construction. I couldn’t tell if it was both external and internal but it was nice to see things being repaired. It fits with what I was told about the government paying to repaint the city with its unique colors each year.

After 9 weeks in Merida I’m finally moving on. I learned a lot from my time there and, in the final three weeks, met some really amazing people. I improved my Spanish, learned a ton about Mexican history, I learned how to make tamales, I met people from over a dozen different countries, I had dinner with someone I’d not seen in 17 years and I saw beautiful things.

I’ll miss it and I have a feeling I’ll be back, but it was time to change. I’ve set out southwest with some friends and will probably be settling in San Cristobal de las Casas next. I’m looking forward to a break from the heat and humidity and to exploring the beauty that Chiapas is known for. But first, Campeche, home of my friend Rafael.