The Chiapas adventure has been AMAZING so far. It includes:
- the best Margaritas evA (in Palenque downtown)
- Waterfalls and blue lakes (Agua Azul, Agua Claras and Mixol Ha)
- BEST Mayan ruins (Palenque)
- the BEST organic barbecued chicken cooked by a local lady who has understood everything about life (Ocosingo)
- the WORST youth hostel, Posada da Gladys, 150 pesos per night including free mold and bed lice in the bedroom. (San Cristobal de las casas)
- Havainas incident: they could not handle the coldness and the wind at 2160m above sea level. New trainers for a tenner bought on the spot
Virgin atlantic socks turned out to be quite useful in wet circumstances.
- The Best Canyon: explored by river, where we found crocodiles (real ones) waiting for us. (El canon del Sumidero)

Still to come: south of Chiapas and Guatemala... Orale pues!

The first stop of my journey: Merida. 4h30 hours from Playa del Carmen, 286 pesos, pretty straight forward in a fridge-like-coach operated by ADO.
No big deal, spent the journey chatting to a random Mex woman, who was praying God to keep us same from the bandits...

Reached Merida and the temperature is still very vey hot and very very humid.

Things that I have learned:
- TAMAL -local crepe made of polenta base and a tiny chicken ghost
- AMACASUTRA - local acrobatial sex made in an amaca (hammock)
- MEXICAN HAT - I finally bought one and it really goes well with my glasses (130 pesos in Playa - bargain)
- CHIAPAS -apparently very very dangerous place where I might get raped (according to shop keeper in Playa del Carmen), stabbed to death for 2 pesos (according to ramdom lady on the bus), robbed of all my belongings (according to cowboy hat seller in Playa)... mmm ... sounds a very interesting place.

I'll also see if I can get into the Zapatista army and fight with them

Good luck to me

Tomorrow Uxmal, probably. Then Campeche. ANDALEEEEE

Last call to mummy just to say goodbye before getting kidnapped in the jungle..
Today I am setting off from Playa del Carmen to Merida. It takes about 5h10 so I need to make sure I have plenty of good music (i.e. Keane and Buble) and good reading books (Emergency First Response course book). Equals: oh my god!
I should be getting in Merida this evening around 7 pm, just in time to meet up with fellow traveller and find a place to stay (i.e. youth hostel with -possibly-no pest).
Plans for Merida: contemporary art museum for Stef (as I am so far away from my dear Tate.. ) and some basic sight seeing of the town.
Need water and cowboy hat. Actually I am not too sure about the cowboy hat. It's a bit chavvy. But I promised myself that if eventually I managed to come back to Playa I would buy one, so today is the day. I found a place where they sell Mexican cowboy hat (and not made in China) for 140 pesos (that's about 7 pounds..) will keep you informed on hat buying evolution.
The problem is I will need some boots as well afterwards. And maybe belt.
(women!)

Very very hard to leave this place will be.
It's because of my addictive personality.. I really really ennjoy living in Playa: I managed to find a place away from the US tourists, away from the noise and the drunkards, away from it all. My studio flat is surrounded by real Mexican houses-huts, by real Mexican people, by real Mexican cats and dogs and iguanas. It's wonderful. There's no noise or police sirens; no boozing in the streets, no 65 bus engine, no bass speakers shouting 'yo-yo-yo'.
Ok, you get the occasional kidnap, or robbery or whatever. But for the rest it's a Paradise. 5 minutes from the beach. The only flaw: moskitoes and cockroaches (below mentionned beasts).
It's so easy to get used to the Mexican way of life, and the scuba diving, and the eternal holiday of the blonde mind. I'm going to find it sooo hard to leave it behind me for a couple of weeks and go... travelling.
Spoilt b****!

eheheheh

April's discovery plan:
07 APR 08 - Join Ale in Merida (YUCATAN, MEX)
08 APR 08 - Exploring Merida (contemporary artt museum)(YUCATAN, MEX)
09 APR 08 - Exploring Merida - Campeche - Flamingoes Tour (YUCATAN, MEX)
10 APR 08 - Uxmal (YUCATAN, MEX)
11 APR 08 - Palenque (CHIAPAS, MEX)
12 APR 08 - Palengue again (CHIAPAS, MEX)
13 APR 08 - Agua azul waterfalls (CHIAPAS, MEX)
14 APR 08 - Ocusingo (CHIAPAS, MEX)
15 APR 08 - Tonina (CHIAPAS, MEX)
16 APR 08 - San Cristobal de las Casas (CHIAPAS, MEX)
17 APR 08 - San Cristobal de las Casas (CHIAPAS, MEX)
18 APR 08 - Palenque (CHIAPAS, MEX)
19 APR 08 - Flores - Tikal (GUATEMALA)
20 APR 08 - Belize city (BELIZE)
21 APR 08 - Chetumal (YUCATAN, MEX)
22 APR 08 - Playa del Carmen (YUCATAN, MEX)

not bad, innit?

I never considered myself keeping a cockorach in my flat as a pet...
i know that somehow they are part of the evolution anc food chain.
I know that I should respect all living creatures as part of the universal and cosmic balance.
BUT. If the things decide to come into MY flat and invade MY space and poo on MY diving t-shirt, it's altogether a different story: it's the beginning of WAR.

The first one was found next to the bed, lying on his back (doing yoga or something ??!!) and was evicted from the house with a warning: never come back! To make my point clear, I sprayed it with some tanning oil before setting him free (he didn't like that!)

The second one was found ALIVE in my cupboard, pooing on my diving t-shirt. That was TOO much. The battle began. With a bucket and the toilet brush to corner him... then I grabbed Extra vergin olive oil and threw all over his brown body...!! As many of you know, cockroaches cannot breath anymore if covered in oil.. so I was pleased about the result: no nasty chemicals, no long suffering for the beast, and my nest pest-free for another few days.

And they lived happily ever after. Until a new beast decided to invade.

Very nice indeed!
A carribean island, populated with Mexicans and tourists, the ultimate Scuba dive Heaven.

Left in the morning, 8 am (120 pesos each way for the ferry) and came back 6pm..

Important facts of the day:
- 2 lovely dives in and out of massive and gorgeous coral reefs (no sharkies though) (I am always sooo unlucky)
- Mexican barbecued chicken eaten at 3 pm in a children playground with Mafia man, talking on why on earth the Argentinian disappeared forever...(??!!!??)
P.S. 1 FULL mexican Chicken costs in Cozumel about 70 pesos (less than 3 pounds!!!) and it came with: rice, 2 bags of spaghetti, jalapenos and onions.. yummy
- Heavy peeling on above-breast area, which is quite embarassing as violently pink now..
- Scuba diving gear transported far toooo long on my back all day (where is my tiny slave???) (why didn't I pack it??!!)
- More planning done for my immediate trip throuhg Yucatan, Guatemala and Belize.

Don't worry, about a thing... every little thing's gonna be alright!!

Once upon a time they invented scubadiving.. next it was the scuba instructors and then all sorts of adventures!

This time, my friend Stef met a really nice Sicilian -almost-diving instructor. He happened to be taking 1 year unpaid leave and be travelling through Mexico... what a coincidence!

How can she refuse to be his fellow traveller? Apparently next week they will be heading to Valladolid, Mexico, with some sort of mean of transport.

Long conversation on the beach occured. Subjects: meaning of life, English full breakfast in Marbella, buying a House, Dahab, cooking gnocchi, Lipari Island, fernando de Noronha, Garibaldi, Customer service and Mexican sexual masks.

Very interesting, more planning tomorrow. Schedule and that.
I know that Stef knows how to trust her guts. I mean, I know she knows he is ok and trustworty. You just need to look at the dive style: confident, relaxed, in control, clear. Master.

Cozumel next, finally.
Stef has been waiting 3 months to go to the bloody island: it's only small.
Ferry and back