the road to san cristobal is extremely windy as it goes up up up up into the mountains of chiapas to the little town which is at an elevation higher than denver they say, they say and i believe it because it was so cold there that we used those long johns that we brought and had looked at so disdainfully while sporting such easier to carry gear like swim suits.
the ride there was sooo beautiful and could easily be described as mystical, mistical as well because a heavy fog was hovering over the little farms and thatched roof huts and seeping in and out of the jungle forrested gorges.
because red and i arent really into the zoo mentality of the trips to indigenous villages i do most of my anthropological research with my forehead pressed up against the bus window which they dont even notice... watching the local native people descendents of the ancient mayans as they go about their daily business usually like a day out of time long ago carrying huge piles of wood on their heads with babies strapped to their back and the most beautiful brightly colored weaved clothing and these long ribbons braided in with their long silky hair. there are even some that wear these amazing skirts that are like fake bear fur looking material. and then there are the chickens and cows and kids and other folks as well as the occasional abbarote store with a couple of super super old arcade games out front.
san cristobal is a place with narrow cobblestone streets, multicolored buildings, and amazing decrepit churches from centuries ago where these indigenous and some expats and others are living or working selling there wares whether it be handmade stuffed animals or intricately designed mayan prints or organic coffee and vegetarian food. san cristobal is a place that is infamous for the movement of the zapatistas which in short is the name for the indigenous people whom have decided to fight back against the centuries of slavery and oppression and being denied a healthy existence all in all. its a complicated situation which i would never have time to fully understand unless i lived here, but there is a lot of pride and dignity in these people who are fighting to retain their culture and then there are a lot fo expats who support that and have created a counter culture meeting point in this place.
we saw a great mexican reggae band there at the cafe revoluccion and also went on a wild boat ride through crocodile infested waters close to the town through a canyon that had cliffs which were 3000 feet high on both sides. suhweet.
and then it was off to work on our first organic farm back in palenque....
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