Mayan Heartland: Zinacantan and San Juan Chamula

May 20

The state of Chiapas seems to be the center of Mayan culture in Mexico.  From San Cristobal de las Casas I took a one day tour to Zinacantan and San Juan Chamula.

The town of Zinacantan not particularly facinating, but it does have a few things that make it interesting.  The people of the town speak Tzotzil, one of the many Mayan dialects.  Also, each village in this area seems to dress in a particular color theme.  In this town everyone is dressed in shades of purple.  In other towns we saw people dressed in blues, reds, yellows, and browns.






The main industry here is textile weaving, still done by hand.  

Our guide, Charlie, also fancied himself to be a Mayan priest and offered to marry any couples (or non-couples) who were desirous of such a ceremony.   Charlie also explained to us why we saw so many Coca Cola bottles and drinks in this region.  Seems that the Mayans here consider burping a form of communicating with the gods.  Coke (or Fanta for that matter) helps facilitate this.  While the story sounded like a bit of BS at the time, we later saw a lot of evidence of this in the local churhes.  More on that later.

As part of the tour we also got a bit of a taste treat:  Fresh-made tortillas with cheese, avocado, and other un-identifiable ingredients.  Normally I would have been the first to dive right in, but since I was suffering from a bit of gastro-distress I felt that discretion was the better part of valor and abstained.  Better to stick to Maalox on that particular day!




From Zinacantan we went to San Juan Chamula.  This is one of the most traditional Mayan villages in the Chiapas, and they want to keep it that way.  While tourists are allowed in the town during the day, foreigners cannot stay overnight, or even past 6 pm.  They basically only allow tourism at all because they need the money.

We were there on a market day.  Like most towns, the best day to be there.

For the most part, the people dress in traditional dress.  Just to show that there are some commonalities throughout Latin America, the pig-tails with the ribbons in them on these women actually look exactly like a tapestry that we bought in Peru.

Our guide also introduced us to this woman. She is deaf and mute, obviously very poor, but was absolutely charming and very happy to spend some time with us.  The instrument in her hands is for cleaning wool before spinning it into yarn.

The officials in this town also dress in traditional dress.  The high officials are the ones in the back, with the multi-colored ribbons and staffs.  The group in front of them is their escorts / guards.

We were told not to take pictures, but since I have a very long lens on my camera I was able to get this from about a half a block away with nobody noticing.  Just couldn't resist !

The most interesting thing in town was the church.  While it appears from the outside to be a Catholic church, on the inside it is anything but.  Yes, there are some statues of saints, but the ceremonies arereally Mayan.  Everywhere you look there are shamans performing healing (either physical or spiritual) ceremonies.  There are candles everywhere.  There are also sacrifices of live chickens.  The shamans chant, brush the "patient" with herbs, and pass eggs over them to absorb the evil spirits.  In many ways it reminded me of the practice of Santeria in Cuba, a blend of Catholicism and voodoo.

We also saw many Coke bottles being consumed in the church (along with some local liquors), all the better to communicate with the deities.

Unfortunately it was absolutely forbidden -- and enforced -- to take pictures inside the church.  The gentlemen in tribal uniform seen here entering the church are tribal police, and they were adamant about enforcing the no-photo rule... as were most of the participants.  I had put my camera underneath my shirt so that they wouldn't think I was taking pictures, and someone even questioned if my camera would work through the cloth.  Wow, if I could take pictures through clothes I sure as hell wouldn't be wasting the technology by doing it in a church!

San Juan de las Casas... the Heart of Chiapas

May 18 - 21

My next stop was San Cristobal de las Casas, a town high in the mountains of Chiapas state.

The ride here from Palenque was interesting:  It was the first time in a long time that I have been COLD!  San Cristobal is located at about 7200 feet above sea level, and I really felt it.  Both in terms of difficulty breathing with any exertion and with the cold.



The town itself is another pretty colonial town, but its setting in the mountains makes it really beautiful, although cold (I did mention the cold, right?). 










Fortunately for me my room in the hostal had a wood burning fireplace.  Unfortunately, they only gave me enough room for about 12 minutes of warmth.

The hostal itself was one of the nicest I've stayed in. My room was large, with a sitting area and fireplace (with minimal fire). Fortunately I got very good at staying warm by sitting and staring at an empty fireplace. A bottle of mezcal was extremely helpful.


Random Thought: People often ask me where I put my bike at night.  The answer is, anywhere I can that's not outside on the street at night.  I've had it in hotel lobbies, entryways, and hallways.  I've had to lift it up stairs and hidden it in closets.  Anywhere safe. 











In San Cristobal we put it in the courtyard of the hostal.  It makes a very interesting conversation piece.

Chiapas is one of the major areas for the indigenous Mayan people.  There are many different communities, and a multitude of Mayan languages.  Unlike the Aztecs or Incas, the Mayans never died out.  However, in Mexico they are among the poorest of the population and this has -- especially in Chiapas -- let to the occasional uprising.

Here are some random photos of the people of San Cristobal de las Casas:

Palenque... More ruined Mayans (or Mayan ruins... you choose)

May 17

After Merida I had a LONG day of riding to arrive at Palenque (about 8 hours).  The town of Palenque itself is nothing special.  My hotel had all the appeal of a run-down, perhaps abandoned, motel on Route 66.  But the purpose here was twofold:  To break up the trip to San Cristobal de las Casas, and to see what are supposed to be the second best Mayan ruins in Mexico.  Since I hadn't stopped at Chichen Itza to see the ruins there (because it was just too damned hot in the middle of the afternoon), Palenque seemed like a reasonable alternative.

As you can see, they are some impressive ruins in their own right:

While they might not quite measure up to Machu Pichu (Incan), Tikal (Mayan), or Teotihuacan (Aztec), Palenque is certainly worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood.

Random Thoughts:  How far do I travel in a day?

People often ask me how far I travel per day, or how many hours a day I travel.  The only answer I can give is: It really varies.  There are a lot of factors: Road conditions, weather, the type of road, and (mainly) my mood.  There are days when I'm on a nice, curvy, interesting road and I just want to keep going all day.  I might ride 6 or 8 hours and it's just not enough.  Other days I might be on a miserable road in  bad weather and I just want to quit, take a shower, and go to bed.  Then there are the days that I just have to get somewhere and there is nowhere to stop in between.  Then I might travel from sun-up to sun down (I ALWAYS try to be off the road before dark).

Keeping in mind that every few days I tend to stop someplace for a few days, I would say that a typical travel day will be a ride of 4 to six hours of actual seat-in-the-saddle time.  Then again, there is seldom a typical day.  And the seat-in-the-saddle can get awfully sore.  That's why there are maseusses!

Merida... Another Pretty Colonial City

May 12 – 15

From Tulum my next stop was Merida, which is the capital of Yucatan State and an old colonial city.  Those of you who followed my South America exploits know that I got a little tired of “another pretty colonial city”, but what the hell… it’s been a while. I had planned on spending another day in Tulum, but some people I met told me that Merida closes off part of the downtown on the weekends and there is lots of music and dancing going on, so I figured I would get there on Saturday and check it out.

The drive was fine in terms of roads, but this part of the country is HOT this time of year. The last part of the road is freeway, nowhere to stop, no shade, and 104 degrees.  By the time I got to Merida all I wanted was a swimming pool.  

The first night I stayed at the Nomadas Youth Hostel.  Yes, they even let in the “super-annuated” like me.  I like the hostels; many are very nice and you meet a lot of people.  This one had a nice pool, but no air conditioning.  After a sweat-soaked night I figured that one night was quite enough.

The next day I checked into the Trinidad Galerias Hotel.  The Lonely Planet guide said you would either love it or hate it.  It is, in a word, Funky.  Kind of a combination hotel, art gallery, and junk yard.  A strange eclectic mix of “stuff” in every corner.   

My favorite piece of decoration is the beer tree, although I have been singularly unsuccessful at harvesting it. Needless to say, I am more inclined towards the "love it" side of the spectrum.

As promised, there was a good mix of music, dancing, and good food in Merida.  Also some interesting faces. Here are some random pictures of the local scenery:

 

 

 

Merida was, at the beginning of the 20^th century, quite rich.  The main crop, often referred to as “green gold” (no, not the smokable kind), was the agave plant.  One type is used for producing tequila, but not here.  The type in Yucatan was used for its fibers in making sisal for making rope.  This worked out fine until after World War 1, when sisal was replaced by plastics and synthetics for rope making.

However, in the meantime there were some very rich people here, and there are some incredible mansions along the broad avenues.  Many are still private residences.

One mansion is now the Anthropology Museum.  The house itself is a great example of French style architecture that was popular here a hundred years ago (the house was finished in 1911).

The museum exhibits are also interesting, and tell a lot about the Mayan culture.

Other than that, Merida has been a place to catch up on business and on this blog, which was a good thing to do since the temperature in the afternoons has been over 100 degrees F.  Tomorrow, May 16, I’m off to the state of Chiapas.  I’m still in the very south part of Mexico and realize that I only have 5 more weeks in the country.  It sounds like a lot, but it’s amazing how much time I’m really capable of taking.

One final thought:  It's the only place that I've been that has an actual organization dedicated to me, my family and most of my friends: Neurotics Anonymous.  Anonymous, perhaps, but we know who we are, don't we?

Tulum and the Incredible Cenotes

May 9 - 12

Tulum is a small town on the Yucatan Peninsula, about an hour south of Playa del Carmen and two hours south of Cancun.  It's on what's known as the Mayan Riviera.  I chose the place because of the cenotes (more later) and because I had absolutely no desire for the large cities and mega hotels of Cancun or Playa del Carmen.

I was looking to stay in a cabaña on the beach.  Unfortunately the first one that I liked had no water-front property available so I ended up at a place called Zazil-Kin, a Mayan word that undoubtedly means "great bar but lousy, hot, cabanas with no view and no air".  One night was enough.  Fortunately, a great (it's all relative, right) room had opened up at Playa Condessa: a reasonably bare room but with it's own bathroom and a terrace right on the ocean.  Perfect.

The main reason I went to Tulum was the cenotes.  The entire Yucatan Peninsula is a honeycomb of underground caves and rivers.  Cenote is a Mayan word that means "sacred well", and they not only provided water but were considered places where Chaac, god of the rain, lived.  In fact, they are really places where the roofs of the cave system have collapsed allowing access to the underground rivers and caves. I had seen an article describing this as one of the 10 best places in the world to snorkel.  I, however, wanted a "deeper" experience, so looked for someone to take me scuba diving.

You really have to know what you're doing to dive in these caves.  I'm a very experienced diver, but have very limited cave experience. Fortunately, my guide was excellent.  And as it was just the two of us diving we had a great, uncrowded experience.  

"Burgee" is a 59 year old Brit who is a retired British navy diver.  He was really well equipped for caves and very careful.  We had backup systems to the backup systems and he was very strict about following the safety rules, which made me feel better (especially on the first dive).  

I probably shouldn't write this, but three people had died two weeks earlier in the caves.  However, evidently they violated just about every rule of cave diving:  They went off the guide-lines, they hadn't checked their equipment (the guide had a faulty pressure gauge), they didn't follow the "one-third in, one-third out, one-third for backup" air rule, etc.  It's tragic, but it really makes everyone else very aware of proper protocols and the importance of following the rules.  Anyway, I was glad I had a good guide and felt very safe.  But definitely not a dive for beginners! 

The first dive was to 140 feet in a cenote called "The Pit".  To get to the water you have to go down a steep staircase (with your tanks), but this is a great improvement... until last year you had to jump! The first 30 feet are fresh water, then there is a layer of very poor visibility where the fresh meets the salt water.  It's not opaque, but it's like looking through a mixture of oil and water.  Then at about 90 feet there is a layer of hydrogen sulfide from rotting vegetation that sinks to this level because of the specific gravity of the chemicals.  This is like swimming through milk.  The caves branch off all around.  Needless to say, we didn't go into the cave system (just caverns where you could still see at least some light).  At one point (about 95 feet) we went back through the chemical layer and it was completely disorienting.  I couldn't see the guide's light.  This is where the difference between an experienced and non-experienced diver comes in.  It was a little scary, but I just told myself "OK, just freeze for a minute.  Worst case situation is that you can follow your bubbles up in the general direction of the light".  Anyway, we found each other after less than a minute and we had a nice gradual dive as we ascended. 

 

The second dive was in a cenote callede Dos Ojos (Two Eyes), because there are two entrances.  It was shallow, with a maximum depth of 30 feet.  We dove through an extensive cave system that is well marked with ropes.  Throughout the system there are large rooms with stalactites and stalagmites.  It's all crystal clear water.  It is incredibly beautiful.  There is almost no life in the cenotes except for a few very small fish.  There is no plant life because there is no light.

All in all, it was quite an experience and well worth the effort!

Belize to Mexico, and the Planet of the Apes.

May 8-9

After flying back to Belize City I went to the Princess hotel to gather my bike and the gear that I had left in their storeroom.  The bike was fine, but unfortunately a bit of gear was missing.  A large raspberry to the manager, Mr. Tuna Akbulut, for making it clear that he wasn’t about to do anything.  However, there is a new medium of revenge out there: Trip Advisor.  There will be a few comments posted by yours truly.  Won’t get my stuff back, but I’ll feel better.

From Belize City I headed north towards Mexico.  But I had to make a stop first at the Planet of the Apes… actually the Bermudian Landing Community Baboon Sanctuary.  Now, I know there are no baboons in the Americas, so I just had to see what this was about.  Actually, it’s a sanctuary for black howler monkeys that was started by the landowners in the area to preserve the howler’s habitat.  They’ve done a good job of setting aside what would otherwise be farmland (and I have to give them credit; these are subsistence farmers) so that the monkeys would have a protected area.

My guide, Robert, took me for a nature walk where we not only saw the howlers, but got up close and personal.  The little guy to the left is a juvenile about a year old.  The old man of the tribe is the one below.

If you've never heard howler monkeys you should know that they really deserve their name.  None of this "chirp chirp" sound that other monkeys make.  A group of howlers sound just like a pack of lions, and if you hear them growling at dawn or dusk you'll really worry that you are about to be attacked and undoubtedly eaten alive.  

Fortunately you're probably safe... unless you're a banana.

You can hear the sound by clicking on this link, then click "play sound" in upper left corner

After that I headed towards the Mexican border at Chetumal.  The ride was uneventful until I stopped to ask for directions in Corozal (Belize).  I hit a patch of sand going about 2 mph and the bike fell over, breaking the cut-off switch.  Now, this isn’t a problem in turning off the bike (you can always turn the key), but without the switch the bike won’t run.  This can be problematic, to say the least.  Fortunately I have a wiring diagram in the repair manual that I carry and was able to take enough apart to hot wire the bike.  See… my mis-spent teenage years weren’t wasted!  It also pointed out another example of why I have a Kawasaki instead of a BMW:  In the Beemer the switch is probably integrated with a computer or something like that that requires a tech team with $50k of diagnostic equipment to get it running.  With the Kawi any delinquent with a switchblade and a piece of wire can get the thing going.  Sometimes that is just plain useful.

I got to the Mexican border at 5:45 pm and had no problems with immigration, but it seems that customs closed at 5!  Only in Mexico!  They told me to go into town and come back in the morning, so off I went.  Actually, it turned out fine since it gave me a chance to try to fix the cut-off switch (unsuccessfully) and to find a new rear tire (successfully).  Then back to the border, do the paperwork, and off to my next stop, Tulum in the state of Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Belize: Birthdays and Blue Holes

May 1 - 8

Happy Birthday to Me!  OK, I’ll sing it to myself.  Karen was supposed to fly in today, but her flight was cancelled.  No reason given by TACA... as is typical.

But all was not lost.  When I got to the condo we had rented at Sunset Beach I ran into a group of people staying upstairs, who immediately said “Oh, you must be Steve, the guy on the motorcycle whose birthday it is today”.  Word travels fast on a small island!  So they took me out to dinner and many drinks to celebrate.  

It was one of the most spontaneous 39^th birthday parties I have had. Karen arrived the next day for a week of diving and relaxing.  

The condo itself was very nice.  Our friends Bill and Melanie (in Panama) had lived in this building and recommended it.  It was a bit more upscale than I am used to on a motorcycle trip, but I managed to adapt!

The town of San Pedro is small and very touristy, but it does have a lot of good restaurants and bars.  The main form of transportation on the island is golf cart.  It made me feel like I was living in a retirement community (which in many ways it is).  But it's still a fun place.

 The diving was pretty good, although we’re extremely spoiled from our years in southeast Asia.  But the Blue Hole was still fascinating.  This is a geological formation that is basically a hole in the middle of a coral reef that goes down to about the center of the earth.  We, however, only went down about 140 feet.  On either side of the hole it opens up into caverns full of stalactites and stalagmites.  Also a couple of sharks.  Fortunately one of the guys diving with us had a camera to record the event.

One day we went to explore the Mayan ruins that are being excavated on the island.  The excavation site is shared with iguanas, boa constrictors, poisonous trees (called che chem in Mayan), and many mosquitos.

The ruins are about 600 years old.  They think the site was a kind of trading post.  One thing of interest was that they used conch shells extensively as a building material, and there are piles of literally hundreds of thousands of shells. 

Karen also managed to find a Mayan jawbone. 

By the 8th our time on Ambergris was up.  Karen headed back to Panama and I'm off to Mexico.