I can't believe I wrote such a crummy post last night! I forgot the most interesting thing of all. While we were at the museum/park in Villahermosa, where there are some of these giant heads that were made by the Olmecs, I did not mention that there was a zoo with the historical stuff in the park. The zoo had coyotes, alligator, crocodiles (way smaller and mellower than the alligators), a black jaguar, a spotted jaguar, and a lot of deer. In addition, there was a margay - which is a beautiful spotted cat no bigger than a house cat. I want one! There was another small cat - I am drawing a blank on its name - that is brown, with a very small head and ears, again the size of a big house cat. It actually meowed at us! It was kind of fun to go to a zoo. You need to know that I was never able to enjoy going to a zoo as a child, because my mother was violently opposed to them. She referred to them as "concentration camps for animals." She believed bonzai gardening was "plant abuse" because it "stunted their roots." While I believe she had a good point regarding zoos, it is still nice to admire the animals without having the bad parts shoved in your face. Anyway, the best part was not the actual zoo animals, but the fact that there were a number of animals that were roaming freely around the park. One of the prime examples was the coatamundi, which looks like a cross between an anteater and a raccoon. And there were a ton of them. They were everywhere and they were not shy. I was sort of unnerved, as I am not crazy about small mammals. I would rather face one of the jaguars. These little guys were running all over the place, and when they opened their mouths, I could see a row of sharp little teeth. Still, I do like to see wild animals running wild.
Today we went to see the Mayan ruins at Palenque. It was amazing - acres and acres of ruins, in really good shape. Huge temples, palaces and much of it is intact. And we could tell that the entire area is full of these places - we were told only a tiny percentage of them have been uncovered, When we took a path through the jungle, we could see walls covered with trees and vines. This is the most jungly place I have ever been.
Because we are staying in the jungle itself at a place that does not have tons of amenities, we have seen mostly young people with backpacks. And most of them are from Europe or Australia. We have not run into many Americans. The young people are all hippies, with drapy clothing and dreadlocks, and they really do not give us the time of day. I said to Mike "Look, the hippies are making snap judgments about us." Then both of us laughed so hard we almost spit out our awesome coffee that was served at breakfast. It was true, though. There are few entities as condescending as hippies when they think they are dealing with establishment types. If they only knew! They did seem a bit friendlier before Mike cut his hair. When it was long, he looked like Jerry Garcia and that seemed to loosen them up a bit.
So far we are really enjoying our trip here in Chiapas. I counted up the states we have been in and here is the list: Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo. Not too shabby. The friendliest people are in Sinaloa - they actually hug and pet you without even knowing your name and it seems perfectly natural.
Right now Mike is taking a nap after we spent the day climbing around the ruins. I think we will be sore tomorrow. Although it is really hot and humid, there was a breeze blowing all day that made it feel pretty nice. And we heard (but did not see) howler monkeys. (I did see some in the zoo.) If I had not known what they were, I would have thought someone was being tortured. Those guys are LOUD! I am looking forward to seeing them in the wild - and have been told they are more and more prevalent the further south we get.
Tomorrow we plan to go back to the ruins and see the rest of them, and hike through the jungle some more. We will spend the night here, and then head back towards the boat and Huatulco, passing some more ruins and some waterfalls along the way. This part of Mexico is filled with lakes and rivers and streams with actual water running in them, a reallyexciting sight for someone who has spent many years living in essentially an irrigated desert. There are few things that thrill me like the sight of naturally running water. We brought a camera on this trip and have managed to hold onto it and take pictures, so illustrations will be forthcoming. Thank you for waiting patiently.
"Greatness is not where we stand, but in what direction we are moving . . . we must sail, sometimes with the wind, sometimes against it, but sail we must, and not drift or lie at anchor." Oliver Wendall HolmesGreatness is not where we stand, but in what direction we are moving....we must sail,
sometimes with the wind, sometimes against it, but sail we must, and not drift nor lie at anchor.
- Oliver Wendell HolmesGreatness is not where we stand, but in what direction we are moving....we must sail,
sometimes with the wind, sometimes against it, but sail we must, and not drift nor lie at anchor.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
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