Home for the Holidays

" When I speak of home, I speak of the place where - in default of a better - those I love are gathered together; and if that place were a gypsy's tent, or a barn, I should call it by the same good name notwithstanding." - Charles Dickens

In my last several years of travel I've become accustomed to answer some of the most typical questions that I run into with the same carefully chosen responses - for example "Where are you going next?" is generally followed by "Wherever I want". And, "Where do you live?" is easily answered... "Right here". Many people ask me "And when are you going home?", and without a second thought I say "I don't have a home". When I came across Dickens quote today in one of my grandmother's magazines, for the first time ever I thought a moment about my definition of 'home'. And if I were the glass-half-full type of person I would change my response to that question and say, "I have many homes."

However, to be frank, I probably won't change my answer because I like the reaction I get from the people who ask me these questions. Also because I've never really been the glass-half-full type of person. I'm also not really the glass-half-empty type either. I think I'm more of the type who looks at the glass and says 'No thanks, I'm not thirsty."

Whether I have no home or have many, I was very grateful to spend Thanksgiving yesterday with some of the people I love and am looking forward to spending Christmas with even more of them.

Many people have asked me why I haven't been keeping up on my blog and I always say, 'well I want to but...'. And the truth is I just don't make time for it. That's all. But I'm back in the states for the following month or so where computers are a little more accessible (and time much less accessible), but I'd like to finally make a little time to get everyone caught up on my travel stories and get down on (e-)paper a few of the details before they fade into the hodgepodge of great memories.

I believe my last post left us in the jungle of Palanque; a magical place full of hidden Mayan ruins, monkeys playing in the trees, secret waterfalls and late night fire dances with African drums. Also a common sight are a lot of really crazy looking bugs, that you normally only see on the Discovery Channel, that bite really, really hard. After Eliese and I waited sometime for the friends who were supposed to be coming to join us, and used that as an excuse to hang around a little longer we finally decided to hit the road with another group of travelers. We were six, and looking back now, must have been quite the sight to see. Three blonde gals, and three very obviously Mexican guys, none of which had money and all of us carrying our lives on our backs, set out hitchhiking to 'nowhere in particular'. The first kind soul to stop and offer all six of us a ride was a very large truck driver in a very large truck. And although he was headed in the opposite direction of where we had thought of going, it was twelve hours from where we were and without even the slightest bit of group consultation we all hopped in an said 'let's go!'.

Liote

´Liote´ is Titzol for ´good day´. Titzol is one of the languages spoken by the many Indigenous Mayan Indians who live in and around San Cristobal de Las Casas. It was love at first sight when we entered the city - and even after the robbery and the cold random rainshowers San Cristobal captured me and held me. We stayed there for one month and 15 days, it felt like home and for me that´s my cue to leave. I certainly dragged my feet in doing so however, and it took several days to quit both of my jobs, take pictures of all my favorite places, and for Eleise and I to say goodbye to all the amazing people we had become friends with.

In the end we escaped and took some of San Cristobal with us. Literally. Lucy, one of the mayans from San Cristobal and good friend of ours decided to come with us to the ruins and rainforests of Palanque. Lucy is wise beyond her 13 years and a talented artisan. After three collectivos (self-proclaimed taxi pick-up trucks) and a short taxi ride yesterday we went from the cool, fresh air of the mountains to the drenching heat and humidity of Palanque. We found a cabana for the three of us for a decent price and made friends with the local hippys last night. We plan on selling jewelry here and will stay at least a week exploring and waiting for several more friends to arrive this weekend from San Cristobal.

Hot Hot Heat

Mexico is hot. Really hot.

After leaving Barra de Navidad we drove to La Tikla, a well known surf spot. We arrived there in the evening and right when we parked we got a flat tire. When we replaced it, the spare was flat too... but fortunately not puctured and just needed air. We ended up paying about two dollars per night to camp under a palapa in front of a restaurant. It was great. The only catch was that there were no bathrooms, just a couple of outdoor toilets and a hose. Camped next to us were several people who are also driving the coast. Some going furthur, and all of them going a little slower than we are. We ended up staying in La Tikla for several days. We celebrated Eleise´s birthday with the La Tikla crew on the 28th. The days there were so hot it was hard to do anything but sit in a hammock in the shade and sleep or read.

After a few days of doing nothing I was tired of, well, of doing nothing and decided to take a walk with Frank, one of the guys camped near us. We started walking up the beach in the heat of the afternoon on the lookout for a ¨secret spot¨to surf. Thinking I wouldn´t be walking long, I wore my flip-flops and no sunscreen. We walked a little ways and climbed a small cliff jutting into the ocean so we could get to the beach on the other side. Once there, we decided to go to the next small cliff. After successfully getting around that one we walked further to the next - and so on. After about 2 hours of walking we reached a huge rock cliff that we couldn´t see around and couldn´t see the top of. Since it didn´t look too perilous we started to climb. Halfway up the rocks started to loosen and the climbing got more difficult. By this time is was too late to go back the way we came because of the steepness of the cliff (it always seems to be easier climbing up than down). Anyhow, to make a really long story shorter - we made it to the top of the cliff where there was a thick forest of trees and underbrush and sticker bushes, hours later - after fighting our way up the mountain as the sun was setting we finally found the road. During our wandering through the woods I had jokingly told Frank I was going to call a taxi back to camp when we found the road. The first car that passed when we stuck out our thumbs was a taxi - and in the passenger seat was the woman who ran the camp we were staying at. We made it back to camp just in time to have dinner - with only a few blisters and a sunburn. Whew!

We finally packed up our things and said goodbye to La Tikla. After camping a few nights in overpriced and overheated towns on the coast we made it to Puerto Escondido. A surfers paradise, home of the Mexican Pipeline. There was a slight breeze there, making the daylight a litte more bearable. We stayed in a nice, cheap hostel right on the water and met some really great people.

Yesterday morning we left Puerto early with a stray we had picked up (a backpacker heading the same way as us) and drove all day to San Cristobal de las Casas in the highlands of the Chiapas. The last hour of the drive before arriving here is a steep climb into the mountains and the weather changes drastically. After a month of wearing shorts and sandals we were able to put on some jeans and a jacket. Since we arrived here late we found a cheap hotel, got some dinner and crashed in bed. We decided to wait until the next day to look for a better place to stay. This morning I woke up earlier than the others and got ready to go to church. As I left the hotel and opened the car to grab something on my way I realized that everything in the car was a disaster and most of our things were missing. Someone had broken into the car in the night. After a little more investigation we realized we had been robbed by nice robbers, if there is such a thing. They only broke one window, and it was a small triangle one behind the rear windows - easy and cheap to fix. They broke into the safe we had and took all our money and insurance information but left our passports and the title to the car. They took most of our camping gear, my purse and backpack and a bunch of other random stuff, but somehow missed my new camera. We spent a good 8 hours at the police station today - but in the end there isn´t much they can do. Since it´s Sunday today there wasn´t much more we could do either and we´re trying to figure things out...

Hola Amigos!

Hi friends!

Internet in this part of the world seems to be a hit or miss kind of thing - there are plenty of places advertising it but it rarely works, and half the time it´s just a computer in someone´s home. All in all it´s been a bit more difficult than I had hoped it would be to keep this updated.

My friend Eleise flew into San Jose Del Cabo on the 17th and Mirko and I picked her up at the airport. We stayed in Todos Santos for a few more days staying on random people´s floors, spent a night camping in La Paz on a patch of sand between the ocean and the freeway (not exactly a peaceful night). Some paper work, a lot of waiting, and several hundred dollars later we finally boarded the large Baja ferry in Pichilingue towards Mazatlan. The ferry was interesting and I found out I don´t have the sea legs I thought I would - all the tacos and beans combined with the rocking of the boat didn´t sit too well with my stomach and I slept for most of the 18 hour ride. It wasn't until we arrived in mainland Mexico that we were able to really start our journey south.

The mainland was much different than any of us had imagined it to be and was a very pleasant change from the touristic desert of Baja. Our first night we spent at a campsite in Sayulita, a small town just north of Porto Vallerta. While still a tourist trap it isn´t a desert; there are beautiful mountains and hills covered in green, and there are citrus, mango and avocado trees everywhere. Since Sayulita was a little out of our budget we packed up early and headed south looking for "real" Mexico. We sped through Porto Vallerta and tried not to look at the hideous resorts, Walmart superstores and every fast food chain you´d find in the states, covering the coastline. Finally away from mini Vegas and getting close to sunset we pulled over in a tiny fishing village called Chamela (population including dogs and cows: 50). There we found our own private beach that a family let us camp on and use their outdoor shower for a hundred pesos. The landscape was beautiful and helped us forget about the small dinner of rice and beans and the fact that three of us are crammed in our tiny tent. (The larger tent we were supposed to have was left in Baja with Mirko´s friend Franco who decided at the last minute not to come with us.) We all wanted to adopt one of the family´s adorable puppies that didn´t want us to leave in the morning, but after one of them bit me with his sharp little teeth we decided it would be more trouble than it´s worth.

We headed south looking for a place to chill for a few days and came across Barra de Navidad. This is a popular Mexican tourist destination and is very charming. The people here are friendly and the whole town has a lot of character. It´s set on a small peninsula and there is plenty to do. The locals tell us we´re here during the low season and the only english speaking tourists we run into here are surfers. We've been here a couple days now and will probably head further south tomorrow or the next day. We made friends with a local who owns a bar here and he´s cooking shrimp and vegetables for us tonight - no more tacos!

We've learned a lot of things the hard way and every new town brings surprises and valuable lessons. Hot showers are a luxury and a thing of the past, we each keep taking turns with small bouts of a stomach flu but there is really nothing to complain about. Laying on the beach, eating ripe mangos, learning Spanish (slowly but surely), and meeting lots of interesting people is our daily itinerary... not too bad if you ask me!

In the beginning...

It's been less than a week since I left San Diego and though it took a couple of days to shake off the stress of preparing for this adventure, I've slipped easily into the traveller's schedule. Which is of course - no schedule at all.

Monday afternoon Mirko and I crossed the border into Mexico with our fingers crossed - a little anxious that we may not have the right documents, enough money, a reliable car, or enough luck on our side. So far we have been very fortunate. A few hours south of the states we found a cheap campsite for the first night. Worried about missing daylight to set up camp we forgot to stop and eat and since there was nothing nearby we had a hearty meal of tuna, canned corn, and cashews.

The next day we woke up with the sun and set off on a long, hot day of driving. Most of Baja is brown - brown trees, brown roads, brown mountains, and even brown skies. After seven hours of brown and frightening winding roads, the turquoise of the bay at Bahia de Los Angelos was shocking and beautiful. After arriving in town and asking a few locals for directions we found Mirko's friend Mauro. Being a seasoned traveller himself, Mauro and his family made us dinner and took us to a hostel that he is in the process of building to let us stay for the night. Even unfinished it was a gorgeous place to stay with a view of the bay and the whole town (and all 1,500 people who live there). It may have had a hole for a toilet and cold showers, but they were showers nonetheless and the best night's sleep I've had so far.

Making our way south again, through more brown nothing and across the border of north and south Baja we made it to Loreto at dusk and set up camp at an RV park. While setting up we were invited to a party across the street by Marc, a friendly Canadian celebrating his birthday. His friends and family welcomed us warmly (thanks Roch!) and we had a great time. There was cake, guitars, and some amazing home cooked Mexican food - made with cactus! An older Mexican gentleman at the party told me that we couldn´t miss the sunrise, so we went to bed early.

The sunrise was well worth the early morning wake up and it was exactly how the gentleman the night before had told me it would be - "the water is silver, the mountains are black, and the sun is gold". The perfect way to start a day. We didn't have to drive quite as long to reach our destination this time and arrived in Todos Santos in the early afternoon. Mirko has spent a good amount of time here in the last five years or so and knows many people in town. The scenery changed a little the further south we got - still a lot of cactus and dirt but there is green, blue, and many beautiful flowers here also. We are staying with Franco (a Mexican/Italian friend of Mirko's) who treated us to a nice dinner last night. This morning we slept in (until 8am!) then I joined Franco at his yoga class, after some tacos and a siesta in the hammock I finally found a computer with internet access (very slow internet access) by the bay windows where all I can see is the ocean and a few palm trees.

All in all it's been a good reminder that a simple life lived on pennies a day is sometimes the best kind of life.