one more day

As I spend my last day in my 28th year strolling the streets of San Cristobal de Las Casas, I can't help but think about what the next year will bring. With our arrival in Guatemala just days away, I'm both nervous and excited to start something new. Hopefully it will be everything we have wished for and maybe even more. And with any luck, next year on my birthday instead of feeling the 30 year gloom overhead, I'll be enjoying the day in a life that I could have never imagined would be mine.

For the time being right now though, my mind is on an important matter.....what to wear. Even though we don't have any big plans, a girl still has the right to feel extra pretty on her birthday!

If I were back at home, I'd probably make one of these colorful pieces part of my birthday celebration!

Both from Anthropologie, of course!

1,000 steps – 2 ways

On our way to Tuxtla we made a mid-morning stop at El Aguacero, an ecological reserve where you descend 1,000 steps (actually more I think) into a canyon. At the bottom there are a few waterfalls in which you can cool off in, but because the rainy season has not yet quite started, there isn’t much of a river to swim in.

more dangerous curves

Having not really slept so great at the Pemex the night before, I wasn’t so sure I was in the mood to do the hike, but of course Ben insisted. Going down wasn’t too bad, but what goes down must come up, and boy was it hot climbing back up. We both sweated right through our clothes – leaving far behind the coolness of the waterfall.

showering in the waterfall

look closely - do you see the iguana?

When in Rome Oaxaca....

When we finally conquered our last speedbump on our endless curvy drive, we had arrived in Oaxaca City. In another failed attempt to find a RV park using our outdated guidebook (this time the only thing left was “ARK” painted on a wall) we quite happily parked ourselves at Casa de La Tia Tere B&B just a few blocks from the Zocalo. While the beaches we spent the past month enjoying were fabulous, we were both ready for a change and Oxaca was a great place to get re-immersed into the real Mexican culture. Aside from Mexico City, we’ve never seen a main plaza so grand – we almost felt like we were back in Rome!

Iglesia de Santo Domingo

inside the church everything was gold

the sun was a little too bright for me!

We spent most of our days in Oaxaca taking in the sights (there a bunch of churches), strolling the markets while sipping on various fruit juices (watermelon being my personal favorite), tasting Mezcal (a cousin to tequila made from maguey) and even eating some grasshoppers in the market (only Ben was so brave)!

molé, molé, molé & dozens of flowers

feeling a little crazy after eating the grasshoppers!

One morning after getting Dewey his first oil change and tire rotation, we made a side trip to Monte Albán (meaning White Mountain), the ancient Zapotec capital situated on a hillside above the city. Dating back to 500 BC, Monte Albán was occupied in 5 phases, ending in 950 AD. The center of a highly organized, priest-dominated society, it was the head of the central valleys which was comprised of at least 200 other settlements and ceremonial centers.

Monte Albán from Krista on Vimeo.

During another side trip we visited a nearby pueblo, San Bartolo Coyotepec, know for unique black ceramics and another (Teotitlán del Valle) where traditional tapetes (rugs) are woven where we learned about the process of tinting the wool naturally and watched weavers at work. Only 5 families in the valley are known for their quality work and market the majority of their goods in the US, especially in the west. One weaver was working on a 10x15 ft. special order rug that when finished would take 6 months and cost over $3000! Having admired the work all week in the markets, we made away with a smaller more affordable tapete that is sure to help make our new Guatemalan apartment feel more like a home.

weaving in the works

Excuses, excuses!

Our sincerest apologies to all of our readers who wait on baited breath for another blog entry (at least we hope you're waiting!). We've been busy playing with these sweet girls the past few days and haven't gotten around to posting. We'll try to get you updated as soon as we can!

chicas bonitas, Lilian & Megan

Driving Mr. Dewey

Veering inland for the first time since arriving in mainland Mexico, we left Puerto Escondido around 9am Monday morning for Oxaca City. Somewhere around 8 hours and 1 million twists and turns later, we have arrived. Let me explain a bit more. Imagine the windiest (wind – not the breeze) mountain pass you’ve ever driven. Now, triple the amount of S curves, take away the shoulder and guide rails, thrown in a speedbump or 10 every quarter mile, add a bunch of goats to the road, and there you have it – the highway to Oxaca. Since I’m prone to getting car sick as a passenger, I was designated chief driver for this trip. Lucky me. It turns out that Dewey (our car - named because we're always asking someone "Do we...?") and I did just fine for the first few hours, while Ben played DJ for us. But after switching driver’s halfway through the day, the fun began.

we honestly saw this sign at least 200 times

somewhere along our drive "tope" turned into "reductor"
(both mean speedbump)

a mountain man enjoying the Sierra Madres

we had to hurry past a few monsters on the road....

and slow down for livestock several times

Let’s just say first off that we have been really fortunate on our drive. We haven’t had to undergo any major searches, been lost too badly or even been pulled over yet (knock on wood). So when we hit a road block (not sure why?) about 50 km outside of Oxaca we didn’t get too upset. Instead we turned ourselves around, got out the map and stopped to ask the police (who were sitting on the side of the highway) for directions. A super nice officer actually drew us a map of where we needed to go and we were on our way….or at least we thought. A few minutes later when we saw flashing lights behind us we thought our luck had changed, but no – it was just the police wanting to show us the way. Image that? Our own personal police escort driving us the wrong way down 1-way streets in some little unknown Mexican town. Sure it took us an extra hour or 2, but at least we didn’t get lost!

our hand drawn map

and personal escort service

Finding the RV park in Oxaca was another story. Turns out the one and only has been converted into a new hi-rise building. Guess we’ll be sleeping in a hotel again!

(On a side note, I discovered these wristbands that are supposed to help with motion sickness at REI before we left. Honestly, they have really helped me – much more than the elastic bands that you can find in drug stores.)

Surfers + Hippies = Puerto Escondido

Becoming more and more popular with vacationers who don’t want anything to do with the crowded, commercialized resort towns, Puerto Escondido (Hidden Port) is best know for it’s astounding waves and relaxed atmosphere. Wanna-be’s for the most part, PE is full of foreign surf dudes and bohemian-esque babes. Of course there are tons of legitimate surfers there too, but they aren’t the ones flaunting their stuff all over town. Instead, they’re out in the water, making us all jealous of their skills.

Playa Zicatela

Upon rolling into town we hunted down the one and only RV park to find it filled with Semana Santa leftovers and not another single RV. But when in a pinch, our good friend Lonely Planet is always happy to help us out. We found our way to Beach Hotel Ines on Playa Zicatela, where we checked into a room with outdoor kitchen and hammock perfect for relaxing – just want we needed after busy Acapulco.

Finding ourselves overwhelmed by the heat, we didn’t really do much in PE. Because of the Semana Santa crowds we have been previously unsuccessful trying to surf and ended up out of luck here too. Oh well – we’ll just save the surfing for our return trip through Mexico. Ben did do some serious boogie boarding though, and he was happy enough with that.

showing off his rash burn!

Unfortunately because of some funky odors (trash & sewage) we really wouldn’t recommend Hotel Ines, but if they can get these things under control, it is otherwise a decent budget place to stay. Puerto Escondido on the other hand is definitely on our A list when it comes to Mexican beach destinations!

Once, Twice, but probably not Thrice

Back in 2006 I visited Acapulco with my girlfriends Nettie & Kelsey after studying Spanish in Cuernavaca, Mexico and since Ben and I are working our way down the coast, naturally we made a stop there too. A glitzy Hollywood getaway back in the 50’s, Acapulco just may have the most natural beauty of any of Mexico’s resort destinations. The perfectly curved, white sand, blue water bay is lined with hi-rise hotels that when lit up at night look like the Las Vegas strip. Having seen it’s better days, Acapulco really isn’t very popular with Americans anymore, but is definitely worth a visit if you happen to be nearby.

Acapulco Bay

During my last trip here we went on a snorkel trip with this random guy hocking things on the beach. It turns out he wasn’t so random and he in-fact is infamous on Hornitos Beach in Acapulco. King Coco is what they call him and you can pick him out by his huge hat (that has King Coco written on the front) and his mouthful of silver teeth. The snorkel trip turned out to be really fun and only $20. Ben and I just happen to be staying at the Crown Plaza, just a few hotels down from the place I stayed in a few years back, and while we were walking down the beach you’ll never guess who we came across – King Coco himself. It seems that his prices have gone up with inflation, but he’s still out there pimping massages, hair braids, dive/snorkel trips and anything else one might need to make their trip memorable (if you catch my drift). Well since I am a return customer and all, the King was willing to cut me a deal (2006 prices in this 2009 market) so we decided to spend our 1 and only full day in Acapulco with an old “friend”.

Ben looking a bit bored on the snorkel trip

Turns out though old Coco has become a thief over the years. Our “snorkel” trip ended up being full of beginning scuba divers – and when I say beginning, I mean people who paid to “scuba” but still needed to learn how to swim. So we bobbed around in the water a bit, seeing only a handful of fish and then caught a water taxi back to the marina where I promptly hunted down Coco and gave him a tongue lashing – in Spanish (that is the part I’m most proud of)!

Beware of this jerk on the beach - he's in disguise here without his usual hat!

The other most noteworthy part of Acapulco is watching the clavadistas (cliff divers) at La Quebrada. About 10 speedo-clad young guys (the eldest is maybe 20 years old) free climb a cliff that is about 75 feet high and dive into the crashing waves below. It’s been a regular occurrence since 1934 and is breathtaking each time you see it. They must think that all the gear we wear to climb in the US is idiotic!

Sunset at La Quebrada

this is where they dive from!


La Quebrada Acapulco from Krista on Vimeo.