The Great Trip

From Tikal we took a direct shuttle to Palenque, at the edge of the jungle, which ruins are very famous. We arrived in the evening, and what a surprise to struggle to find an hostel cheaper than 10bucks a night! A big difference when you're coming from max-$3-a-night in Guatemala... So we got a bit scared and moved soon to San Cristobal de las Casas, 2500m in the mountains, hundreds of churches and cathedrals (it's one of the bigest colonial town in Central America, with Leon in Nicaragua), with a nice sun but still a bit chill compared to our last week in the jungle.

San Cristobal

We stayed first at El Hogar del Viajero, where there was no internet or weekly prices like advertised. But we soon found Posada (Hotel) Mi Casa, for 800Mex.Pesos (=$50) a week, very chilled, with a huge terasse constantly in the sun! A real place to feel like home. We found the place early morning while we were heading to a workshop about Sacred Geometry, led by Belgian Peter, with whom we got along very well. The workshop was his first, and was quite funny: we did some sacred geometry patterns in 2D... and 3D!! I even managed to surpass the master by building a 3D double tetrahedron in one piece! We also watched an episode of Donald Duck, I can't believe we were all watching this when we where young, and now we rediscovered it on a new angle =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ZHsk0-eF0

Tom also met our Polish Micha while playing in the street: he's a super cool dude realising with his friend documentaries in order to open people's mind. One was about hitchhiking in South America, one was about the marimbas, a typical Mexican music instrument specific to Chiapas area, where San Cristobal is... And now he was working on the transmission of shamanic art and culture until today, and they asked Tom to do the original soundtrack for the documentary! And from mouth to ear, I am now translating his documentaries to French and English =)

Marimbas from Chiapas

Involved in the project is also Giaco, and Italian dude playing the percussion like a God! Knowing Tom was leaving back to Europe, he invited us all to come to his beautiful house at the edge of the town, next to the river. He told us that he realised everything we could see in the garden, the greenhouse, the plants, and even the pizza oven in the middle... Which we tried later, along with wine! Thank you Giaco for this amazing Italian night! I should say Franco-Italian since I did very tasty crepes for desert =) Tom was super sick for 4days before that, stuck to bed, without food (not even white rice!). On the 4th night was planned this meal at Giaco, and it was a total suicidal risk for Tom's stomach, but it did it! Giaco your food is not only delicious, but also healing =)

As our last weekend together, we headed to Agua Azul, between Palenque and San Cristobal. Beautiful place with numerous of amazing waterfalls, and many spots to swim in a crystal-clear water. The hotels where unafordable so we camped there 2 nights. It was nice to spend our last nights in a tent, reminding us of every adventures we went through together (I'm not gonna tell them again!)...

After a last walk together, we headed to the crossroad to get the bus, let 2 or 3 buses go before actually being ready to got, and finally tried our chance hitchhiking. Tom got a taxi direct to Palenque to go see the ruins, while I got a lift to Ocosingo at the back of a pick-up. It was grandiose! I'm usually sick in bus in mountain road, but in the open air at the back of my lift, I could enjoy the landscape more directly, and so did I! Then got a bus to San Cristobal, struggled a bit to find a place at night, and in the morning finally met with the landlord of the place where I'll stay until New Year. I'll even drop a psytrance party for the occasion, because the place is to big and full of good vibes not to do so =)

So tonight Tom is flying from Cancun to Madrid, it is officially the end of our trip together... for now! For my part, I'll be back in Feb/March, if the Caribbean don't swallow me before hahaha Wishing you all an amazing winter in Europe! I'm gonna carry on tanning in the sun of Mexicooooooooooo!

"And I'll see you all,
This coming fall,
In the big rock candy Europe!"

Thank you American continent for all the good times you offered us, for all the nice meetings, the experiences of wisdom and knowledge you provided us with. We will eternally be enriched by your gifts.
With Love, Maggie & Tom

JUNGLE TREK

One of Tom’s local friends, Kenneth, offered us a 5-days-trek in the jungle from a place called El Remate, near Flores, to the ruins of Tikal, the trek going through 3 other Mayan sites. Wonderful! But it was rainy season…

Armed with machetes, we walked the 1^st day under the sun the half of the 10km of dirt road leading to Yaxcha, led by our guide Filin (literally meaning cat-fish). A pick-up saved us from the 5 other km. We visited the site, surounded by monkeys, and camped under the leaves roofs made by the site for visitors.

The following day we walked on jungle paths to the 2^nd site, Nakum. As the 3^rd site was unpractical, we chilled in Nakum the 3^rd day, enjoying the Mayan ruins and the peace they bring, and spending 2 nights in the sites facilities, with the songs of the frogs and toads as a lullaby.

We walked the almost entire 4^th day under the rain, camped in the wild jungle, woke up in the middle of the night in a flooded tent, and waited til the morning trying our best to keep dry.

It was hilarious how much effort we put in it, when the first thing on the 5th day was to cross a river tight-high. I gave my last dry pair of socks to Kenneth that morning. Stupid. We walked the last day in the flooded jungle, like rebels during the guerrilla.

An unforgettable experience.