Through Mexico: Oaxaca – Yucatán
Mexico – Epic Journey 2016-18 Part XV
From Mexico City, after a short stop in the city of Oaxaca, we travel to the Pacific coast to Mazunte.
The small hippie village had become a home for us seven years ago. While selling our jewelry on the street leading to the beach, we met many other artists. That's why we associate many exciting stories and people's lives with this place.
As it often happens, the second time is not necessarily as great as the first. For example, we get to know a not-so-nice person, which clouds our stay in Mazunte a bit.
But we also meet a good old friend. Chino, who we met on our first trip to Mexico in 2011, has been living in Mazunte for a while, where he sells essential oils at the market, offers water massages in the sea, and is building an adobe eco-house in the forest, where he plans to live self-sufficiently in the future.
We are all seven years older but we are picking up seamlessly where we left off. Through Chino, we will have several special experiences. My following diary entry tells of one:
January 31, 2018 – Temazcal
We go to Giuseppe and his young family in San Agustinillo. Chino introduced them to us recently. Towards evening more and more people arrive on their small land, type yoga/hippie from different nations until finally about twenty people are gathered in the garden.
The fire has been burning for a while and heats up the lava stones properly.
In front of the Temazcal igloo, there is a small altar with a buffalo skull in front of it.
One by one we ask the spirits and relatives to enter and sit down in the tent, which is tiny for twenty people.
Giuseppe explains the procedure and emphasizes that humans must remember their close connection with nature.
There will be four "puertas" (doors), four sessions.
The first four large stones, which are hoisted into the center, are glowing red (they are called "abuelitas", grandmothers). Drums follow, then the cauldron with the "aguita", the little water.
All of them, the "abuelitas" and the "aguita" are welcomed: "Bienvenido!"
We sit shoulder to shoulder, sweaty skin to sweaty skin.
The first session begins, the door is closed. The first spoonful of water is poured on the stones, previously dabbed with copal.
Giuseppe, originally from Milan, lived with the Lakotas in the USA for six years and learned from them. "Ipini" is the name of their sweat lodge ritual.
He speaks, we listen. The first song is sung, in the Lakota language, I think. Very beautiful, old, and Indian.
I'm sweating, just thinking: Hot!
The drumbeats accelerate.
Another song follows, this time in Spanish.
"The earth is my body, the water is my blood, the wind is my breath, the fire is my spirit."
It's hot; everyone is sweating, everyone is singing, although few know the words. Each time Giuseppe pours another spoonful of water on the stones, the humid air heats up even more.
Eventually, the first "puerta" is over. I breathe a sigh of relief when the "door" is opened. But neither Giuseppe nor anyone else gets up.
It seems we just get a short breather, but remain seated in the tent. Staying all four sessions inside in the dark sweat lodge? I can't imagine it! I almost throw in the towel after the first one.
New stones are placed in the center, welcomed, dabbed with copal. The door closes, the second "puerta" begins.
Hot, hot, hot.
More drumming, more singing. Someone starts whooping, then others too. "Indian" cries pervade the darkness of the tent. I feel myself approaching delirium. How much longer?
Water on the stones. Hot steam. More sweat.
Then I understand that I have to let go, not think always about the steaming heat and the end of the ceremony, but accept.
The second "puerta" stops. Giuseppe hands over the scepter to his wife Meika, who leads the third session.
Hot, hot, hot, hot, dissolving, singing and drumming along, listening to others commiserate. Hot!
I come out of myself, whooping and screaming along. The heat is everywhere. My head is probably as red as the lava rocks.
Finally, I have already forgotten everything all around, the door opens again. I am not the only one who gets out. Head in the dust, request to leave the Temazcal, cool evening air.
My head is pounding, I feel dizzy and a little sick.
I take many deep breaths, try to collect myself.
I feel a little better as I crawl back into the tent into the tight circle.
The fourth and last session begins. Thanks to the short cool down, I can think a little clearer. I understand what this is all about. I remember the Ayahuasca ceremonies in Colombia, where we also reached our limits and beyond.
Letting go. Accepting. Without judging.
I reach a goal and remember important things in life: Exercising body and mind, using time in life to help others, being happy about things as they are, and not mourning anything.
Now I just have to always remember and put this knowledge into practice.
Before the temazcal ceremony ends, Meika spooned the rest of the "aguita" onto the "abuelitas" and once again it gets unbearably hot.
Stop thinking and feel! Not have, be!
"Paciencia," patience. Remember. My burden. My goal: to be patient.
The door opens for the last time. In a line, we stagger out into the cool air, where Giuseppe greets us with cold water and fruit. What a bittersweet experience. Thank you, Giuseppe and Meika. Thank you to all who shared this evening with us.
San Cris
After the sweltering heat of Mazunte and Puerto Escondido, we travel the 13 hours by night bus to San Cristóbal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas. The cooler mountain climate feels good although it means long pants, socks, and shoes, at least in the evenings.
In Clara's beautiful old town Airbnb we booked three nights, then extend for another four.
We still like San Cris after seven years that have passed since our last visit. It is a small town, not solely but very dependent on tourism. Tour offices line up with hotels and posadas, restaurants with bars. There are art boutiques and street artists on every corner.
The indigenous Mayan women, unfortunately, all sell the same sweaters and scarves. Others have nothing to sell at all, they beg.
In the meantime, our laptop screen has become increasingly useless, so we have to send it in for repair. Victor Hugo, who runs a small electronics store in the old town, tries his best. After days of fixing, in which constantly new problems appear, we have to give up the only seven months old computer. Traveling took a toll on it.
Now we are entirely without wifi compatibility; like at the beginning of our first trip in 2010.
We only miss it in the sense that we can't edit our photos, watch movies or play games anymore, which wasted too much time anyway.
Now we resort to Internet cafes, of which there are still plenty in these latitudes.
Palenque
After a week in the city, we are now looking forward to the jungle in Palenque. Here, very close to the ruins, we rent a bungalow in the middle of the rainforest, breathe the warm and humid air and listen to the howler monkeys and the many colorful birds.
The town of Palenque is even smaller than San Cristóbal and does not necessarily have much to offer in terms of sightseeing. We are especially attracted by the jungle that stretches into infinity around Palenque.
We take a bus to the Guatemalan border, where we want to visit the ruins of Yaxchilán. It is not so easy to reach. In a small village among the Lacandones, the indigenous people living here, we rent a small hut. From here we have to catch a boat that takes us on the Usumacinta River to the ruins.
Most tourists book a tour from Palenque. This was too expensive for us, so we wanted to try the trip on our own.
Now we are in front of the boat drivers who only want to give us a ride at a horrendous price. For us, this is usury. But because we want to see Yaxchilán, we have to give in.
Well, the money is soon forgotten, the ruins in the middle of nowhere are really worth the effort. We are traveling together with a tourist group, but we can move around the area in the rainforest on our own and explore the ruins à la Indiana Jones.
Monkeys and toucans are our constant companions.
One day later we drive back to Palenque. On the way back we stop at the Roberto Barrios waterfalls. What a natural wonder!
Over small and large waterfalls the water flows into sometimes turquoise, then again emerald green pools, in which it is dazzling to swim. The afternoon passes in no time.
Yucatán
Unsere Reise führt uns weiter nach Tulum, das in den letzten Jahren modern und teuer geworden ist. Viele Tauch-Shops, Modeläden und schicke Restaurants, das ist nichts für uns. Aber wir sind diesmal nur auf der Yucatán-Halbinsel, um Gina in Akumal und Serainas Schwester Tabea in Playa zu besuchen.
Gina is still an enthusiastic diving instructor and leads us to hidden water holes, called cenotes, in the forest behind her rented cottage. The whole peninsula is perforated with caves.
We dare the adventure and descend into a few caves where bats await us. Seraina doesn't mind at all, she is the water rat of the two of us and climbs into the cool water in the pitch dark cave. Only the levels of our flashlights bring some light into the gloom.
One hour north of Akumal is Playa del Carmen, a tourist stronghold on the Riviera Maya. Tabea is doing her six-month internship here in a five-star hotel. She lives in a shared apartment a bit on the outskirts of town, where we get to know her roommates.
One is an artist and painter who creates insane paintings, often with a psychedelic touch.
On the island of Holbox, also pure Touristlandia, we see several of his stunning creations on house walls. The island is so expensive that we can only just afford a campsite.
Many kite surfers and honeymoon couples are attracted to Holbox, although the island doesn't necessarily have much to offer. It used to be a popular place for hippies and " down-and-outs." But that was before it was made suitable for the masses.
What about us? We can check off another must-do" destination in Mexico.
Back at Tabea's place in Playa we spend a few relaxing days. In our heads, however, we are already planning the next leg of our epic journey. Soon we fly back to Palomino, to our little house in the Caribbean. We want to expand Bananatree a bit more. The first visitors liked our cabaña very much. In order to accommodate not only two people at a time, we would like to build another bedroom. Preferably on the upper floor. Water is also always an issue in Palomino. Would a cistern solve the problem?
We will find out when it's time again to build a house in Colombia - part 3!
Epic Journey 2016-18
Back to Part XIV:
Epic Journey 2016-18
Forward to Part XVI:
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