Palenque Ruins Pictures

here are the pictures from the ruins we went to in Palenque, Mexico. This is the location where the Mayan Calendar was created and so......

more pictures from Tulum

more from the beach and at the ruins in November in Tulum, Mexico south of Cancun by 3 hours....

Tikal Ruins

phew--- i just wrote about the farm and typing is $$$$$$$ in belize but... Tikal... oh man!!! Tikal ruins were spectacular, truly one of the most amazing experiences i have ever ever had. we arrived at sunrise and found out that you need to hike through thick thick magnificent and (preserved) jungle to get to some of the worlds most famous remnants of the mayans. along the way we saw DOZeNs of monkeys, wild parrots, wild toucans, and a tapir!!! so cool and oh man those structures peeking out over the tops of the jungle, absolutely mind blowing!!!

maybe next time i can get to the sailing trip we just returned from.


hey and happy holidays everyone!!!

WWOOFing in Palenque, Mexico

Pictures: Daniel and Alex's turn at attempting to split a coconut tree, purty flowers, the laundary machine (or lack there of), tarantula, Carmen cleaning tiles, wwoofers hanging at the community kitchen

two weeks ago we arrived on a magical slice of land in palenque, mexico--not too far from the ancient mayan ruins...

the farm is owned by manuel, a full blooded mexican born in the states but who wandered back to mexico in the early 70's and drew him to the town of palenque which was then only 3,000 people now 100,00. his land was once 25 acres of pasture land and now it is once again a thriving jungle, due to his reforestation with his own hands! he is even trying to get it protected by the government as a reserve, which would be great.

he and his wife anita (a social activist working to preserve indigenous culture) have built by hand, cement, and mostly recycled materials the few structures that stand there. a community cabin, an open air kitchen, a composting toilet, and their own 2 floored house.

manuel is the man with the plan-- a student of aikido and tai chi for 30 plus years not to mention art projects from a childrens theater to a dojo-- they have only been taking volunteers recently to help transform the farm into an educational center where foreigners can work side by side with locals... learning and teaching about sustainable ways of living and farming.

manuel is anti-money and pro-living and most of all manuel is a storyteller. whether its his own adventures or from the cast back of myths and legends he knows about the ancient mayan magic he has the gift of word and uses it as he sees fit. not hearing enough of them was the biggest drawback of having only a short time there.

the volunteers were a great group which when we arrived included 2 americans, 2 french canadians, 2 isrealis, 1 australian, and 1 german.... lots of philosophical talk to and later we even got free workshops on the mayan calendar from one volunteer--

our work included cleaning tiles, sorting junk as if treasure of: what can be re-used what might possible be re-used, what may never be re-used and what is simply a pile of biting ant infested crap! then thatch sorting--thatch for roofing, thatch for mulching, shoveling and sifting cement and breaking up a floor.....phEW

not too mention avoiding tarantulas the size of my hand and geckos and scorpion skeletons! all to the sound of cicadas and cats and dogs barking and cows mooing and of course howler monkeys sounding like dinosaurs!


it was aMaZing!!!!

San Cristobal De las Casas

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....

LaTesT FaVoriTe ImaGes

almost all of the cows around here each have a little white bird friend or two they are funny little things and i have no idea about the symbiotic relationship that could be possible causing this phenomenon

on a bus trip through the mountains i saw a 10ish year old girl playing guitar on a bench sitting with a 2 yr old boy and a real old gramma both singing along

we saw crocodiles in chiapas that live up to their claim as relatives of the dinos.. those guys are gnarly.

in palenque we saw a funeral which consisted first of a truck with a marimba band playing in the back then the truck with the casket and then around 70 family members filling the street as the slowly walked and mourned and cried

i am not yet sure of the deeper significance of the holiday for guadalupe but so far what it has meant to me is that on the bus trip from mexico to guatemala today we would see these trucks that are decorated with her picture and crammed full of youth and in front of the truck one kid is running with a torch.... hmmm... must find out more

the ceiba trees stick out of the guatamalen plains in such a way that gives no doubt to the place that they hold in mayan myth they are so straight and tall and stand out solitary towering above all the other vegetation they give the scenery a feel that seems like a mix between mexico and africa

the mayans believe that they are hollow and that you can be transported to the underworld through them......

red discovers a new breed of monkey....

Pictures: our cabana and the surrounding area at El Panchan

now the last few days have been our favorite place to stay. we have been in palenque which was a 12 hr shakey bus ride past bright and colorful houses, forests, and people riding these fantastic bicycles which have big metal carts in the front where you can put a chair for grandma to sit on while you ride around town.

and into southern central mexico. palenque is a small town based upon the tourism related to the Palenque ruins which are known as some of the most spectacular ruins of all. halfway between the town and the ruins is an area in the jungle called El Panchan where we are staying. its a group of cabañas of different sizes and shapes and all beautifully painted with suns and mountains and mayan type art.. they are spread out quite a bit and surrounded by a meandering stream complete with bullfrogs and fish. the path to our little abode goes past a pen where a boar is kept company by 8 cats and also there are birds of paradise flowers and some other ones that i dont know the name of but big and purple.

the air is heavy with humidity and filled with some pretty interesting calls of tropical birds as well. not so romantic are the gigantic spiders that come out at night... we love it here though because its so peaceful and the people are great and there is an open air restaurant that has local music and firedancing every night.

the ruins are an ancient city with remains of magnificent paintings, delicate carvings, sacred tombs, and towering temples now mossy mud covered piles of once neatly placed stones. all around you are the roars of dinosaurs too... what? no seriously, that is exactly what it sounds like but its actually howler monkeys.

speaking of monkeys... the other night when jared was working outside our cabaña on his latest environmental art piece (a little caballero) he heard what sounded like a lion tearing through the woods near him. the next time he heard it he looked up and across the stream he could see by moonlight a very big almost gorilla sized silver back monkey!! the next morning as i was coming out the cold shower behind our shack i was able to watch a family of smaller monkeys making their way across the very top of the canopy by our place--this place is so great!! we asked the woman who owns the cabanas what kind of monkey would have been huge and silver and she laughed and said she never saw one like that---nor had her husband that was working nearby either!

Tomorrow we head on to San Cristobal and then... we´ll see!