Getting ready to end the Mexico Menaderings on Tuesday  and head back to Minnesota.  We will have been gone 45 days.  Staying in private homes through the airbnb website has been an interesting experience.  For the most part we have stayed with folks who left the USA to try another life in Mexico.  Some have only been in Mexico six years or so but others have been living here for a good portion of their lives.  They were all great in helping us plan our days.  You never know what you are going to get with an airbnb stay so be prepared and open minded.  Other than the unfortunate blockade experience on the bus ride to Chiapas we have not run into any difficult experiences.   We never felt in any kind of danger although we have certainly stayed out of areas with State Department warnings.  Mexico is rich in history, culture and art and we have enjoyed wandering through museums, archeological sites and churches.  We've enjoyed bus trips out to the countryside where you can still see horses plowing the fields. It's good to see folks protesting Monsanto here too.  I'll miss the abundant fruit choices here.  I won't miss the rough sidewalks.  We were lucky neither of us took a tumble.  I rarely took off my tennis shoes.  Mexican women love their high high heels.  I don't know how they do it.  I wish I had a couple more days at the beach.  I'll miss having somebody doing my laundry for me even though one place gave my tan shorts to someone else and it was days before I got them back.  People work really hard here and their days are long.  It's not good to see so many children working.  I'm glad to see alternative transportation services in Mexico City and it generally was less smoggy than I was expecting.  I'll be thankful though to get back to a place with water that I can drink right out of the tap.  Ok, going out for one more beer then it's time to pack!

Strolling through Chapultepec Park today.  It was free day in the park and we started out with the Contemporary Art Museum, then the Rufino Tamayo Museum.  Combine those and you might have something like the Walker in Minneapolis.  Then onto the zoo.  We skipped the Anthropology museum. I know, I know it's probably the best museum in the world of its kind but you can only do so  much.

We were back on the subway yesterday heading for downtown again.  The subway gets easier every time I use it.  Saturday morning was less crowded as I suppose folks were getting a later start to their day. The subway is 5 pesos one way.  That's less than 40 cents right now.  What a bargain.  Our destination was the Belles Artes.  A beautiful building and the location of many fine murals by Diego Rivera, Siqueiros and Tamayo.  Outside is the beautiful Parque Alameda and just beyond that is the smaller museum that houses the most famous of Rivera's murals depicting La Catrina and historical figures walking through the Parque Alameda on a fine Sunday afternoon.  The mural survived the earthquake in 1985 that killed thousands in the city and was later moved to its current location.  When we arrived at the museum there was a recital of pianist and vocalists going on so we could not get up very close to the mural. Apologies to the artists as I came in scrunching my water bottle and zip zip zipping my purse.

Sitting in the park yesterday in the Coyoacan neighborhood about 8 subway stops south ( ?) of our neighborhood.

This is a photo of me and two strangers. I know its weird but there is something I like about it anyway. We were at the Frida Kahlo Museum yesterday.  It was high on my list of things to do.  We didn't pay the extra 60 peso fee allowing rights to take photos inside. Took a few in the courtyard outside anyway.  Loved the inside of the house.  They left everything just as it was when she was living there.  Beautiful display of costumes and jewelry.  As I write this it is not even 8 am and someone is playing very loud dance music somewhere in the courtyard of the apartment complex where we are staying.  An updated version of the Bee Gees Inside and Out is playing.  Ahh, I can hear a few neighbors beginning to protest.  Music still going half an hour later.  The place where we have been staying was once called Little Peyton Place.  It was built in 1908 in a London style by an Irish architect.  The inside of our apartment has features that remind me of San Francisco.  This building has a long history.  Placido Domingo, Luis Buñuel, Octavio Paz and Frederico Garcia Lorca among others lived here in the past.  And now we have a famous DJ just outside the window. Get the party started.

Out amongst the teeming masses yesterday and today. I don't know what the population is now for Mexico City but there were a lot of people walking the pedestrian mall between the zocalo and the Bellas Artes yesterday. The double long red metro buses were packed to standing room only.  The green street cars looked the same.  Cars are everywhere.  Meanwhile down below, the subways are filled to capacity.  We rode the subway yesterday and today in rush hour.  Maybe it's always rush hour.  The subways are confusing at first but then you learn the lines by color, the stops by symbols and the directions by what's at the end of the line.  Just happy that I'm not taking that to work every day.

A few old white domes in Mexico City.

Eco Bici, bike rental in Mexico City like the Nice Ride green bikes in the Twin Cities or similar to other metropolitan areas like Paris.  Mexico City has designated bike lanes in high traffic areas.  I am nervous here just crossing the street with all the traffic.

Exploring the La Condesa neighborhood on our first day in Mexico City.  In the Parque de Mexico there were hundreds of dogs and their dog walkers.  Dogs of every breed.  After their walk they all go to their favorite spot in the park and lay down to rest in a nice big row on what looks like the same mat you might have used for nap time in kindergarten.  No barking allowed.  If you misbehave you are removed from the group and are tied to a tree until such time as you've learned your lesson.  In another section of the park we sat on a bench and tried to eat our takeout lunch of chicken and rice.  Several puppies got wind of our lunch and a cute golden retriever took the chicken wing right off my plate before I knew what was happening.  Bone and all, it was gone in seconds.  I think somebody needs to be tied to the tree.

Not quite to the top of the funicular for this photo.  Guanajuato is a spectacular looking city and is so different from the quaint cobblestones of San Miguel de Allende.  It really has a European feel to it.  In our short time there we peeked inside church doors, sat in the beautiful jardin, walked a bit in the underground tunnels now used for cars and buses and still had time to run down to the mummy museum.  After that we were dead tired.

Yesterday we were in the city of Guanajuato just for the day.  To see it properly you MUST take the funicular to the top for a view over the city. If you have time you could walk back down.  We did not have time because we only had about four hours to see everything.  We decided to do a day trip to this city instead of staying there after finding it difficult to locate an airbnb stay.  This is a challenging city to be on foot.  It is VERY hilly and while the town itself is nice and compact running the length of the ravine or valley it looks like everybody lives up an alley on the side of a hill.   I can only imagine what it must be like to live there.

Happy Mother's Day from Mexico.  They celebrate on the 10th of May here. It doesn't matter what day of the week it falls on.  As we walked down the hill into town I noticed a few women bringing clothes out to the sidewalks to sell.  Big day for a garage sale.  They must call it something else though. We headed to the mercado this morning. They were selling fruit baskets and flowers like hot cakes.  The butcher shops on the east side of town were all hopping especially the poultry shop where a dozen or so waited in line to give the butcher their order.  We've been in San Miguel for about ten days now and we like to get to know a city by just wandering around not looking at the guidebook excessively. Today we were asked if we knew how to get to the Fabrica Aurora by other tourists.  I guess we've been here long enough that we can give directions.  We're thinking about meandering off to some other town next week most likely to Guanajuato.  It will be a little higher in elevation and a little hillier.  I hope I'm ready for that.

Mural from the Allende Institute circa 1959.  That must have been a crazy year.  Pablo Picasso meets the Frankenstein monster.

Walked to the Allende Institute today after it stopped raining.  This was part of the mural in the entryway to the school where folks can take art classes.

It's pouring outside right now so we might be stuck inside most of the day.  Our host left umbrellas by the front door and there is a small family owned restaurant named Oswaldo's down the street so we won't starve. We've been there a few times and they wave to us when we walk by now.  The home we are staying in is up a hill so you don't want to walk into town more than once a day. Oswaldo's has a grill outside and they specialize in tortas, big fat sandwiches with everything on it.  The liquados are good too. The other day I was stung by a bee on my index finger as we were walking by Oswaldo's.  We were going to stop by to get take out anyway so we asked them what to do about a bee sting.  They immediately started chopping garlic and putting the juice on my finger.  I left with a garlic ice pack plus the sandwiches and beer.  Now I have to say the bee sting was particularly painful and by the time I got back up the hill it was somewhat better but when our host got out a paper towel with some vinegar and said use this that was what finally got rid of the sting. I'll have to remember that trick.  Yesterday we spent a good part of the day walking around town and taking a second look at some of the old churches. This photo is from the front of San Francisco church and the outside is particularly nice.  The statues on the inside are in good shape too. I guess at some point during the revolution many statues were damaged.  Yesterday was strangely quiet around town. There were few tourists. It was slightly overcast with a few sprinkles here and there.  We felt that we had the place to ourselves.

We've been staying in a variety of homes on our travel courtesy of airbnb.  It's been an adventure (and economical) because you stay at someone's home and well you get to know them too.  We've had some interesting conversations about Mexico and the world in general and why they came to live outside the USA. They tend to be well read and adventurous.  Those qualities are what made them take the leap to do something else in life.  We've stayed with folks from New York and California.  Right now we are in a home and to tell you the truth I'm not sure I want to leave.  Not all of the homes we've stayed in are in the same category but this one could be a spread in House Beautiful.  I feel very fortunate right now.  This morning our host showed us the way via bus to the Tuesday Market.  That's where you can find just about everything for a few pesos including shoes, clothing, food, electronics and kitchen stuff.  Today someone was selling clothing with tags from Tommy Bahamas, Lauren, and others.  They might have been seconds or used who knows but if I needed a little shopping therapy I could get it cheap.  Restaurants tend to be a little more pricey here than in San Cristobol but you spend what you want.  We've found that it works out really well to order one salad and one meal and split those.  It's always too much food anyway. After the market we stopped at a family run small restaurant that is up on the same hill as our current place and picked up a couple of to go sandwiches and beer so we can enjoy the view from our patio instead of another sit down meal.  Thunder in the distance.  The rainy season is right around the corner and I'm looking forward to that.  Oh, the rainy season just started.  Glad we've got those sandwiches!

We found our beer and a couple of fish tacos and some chicken taquitos and the world looks beautiful.  Heading back to the guesthouse for a well deserved siesta.

Walking back on the alley way del Chorro path to get back down.  There had better be a beer waiting for me down below.

The view from the top at La Mirador.  The walk was worth it but next time I'm taking the bus.  Somewhere up here (if we kept walking another mile) is a mall with a movie theater showing that new Liam Neeson movie in English.  Is that wrong to want to do that right now when we are in such a beautiful city?

Heading east and up the hill from el centro.  We didn't take a taxi or the 5 peso bus or the trolley tour.  I could have used a lift from the guy on the four wheeler about half way up.  

We are into our third day at a guesthouse in the Guadalupe neighborhood in San Miguel.  One thing you notice right away is that the neighborhood has quite a few street murals. The walls and buildings are better cared for and there is far less grafitti and tagging.  There are also no dogs on the loose like in Chiapas and that is a pleasant change.  There is a ban on leaving your dog on the roof to bark the night away. We have already tried two organic restauants here.  The first one, La Media Naranja had a great falafel salad and delicious fresh juices. The second restaurant, La Via Organica is also an organic store with the same kind of products you would see in the states.  The day we were there they had a Thanksgiving dinner special with all the fixings.  There is supposed to be an organic farmer's market somewhere on the other side of town and so we will wander over in that direction this morning.

The jewel at the center of town.  That's Antonio Banderas with the guitar on the left.  Johnny Depp is watching from the cafe on my right eating pork pibil.

We had to briefly live life without the internet and it was horrible, but we are back on line now.  Yesterday was a travel day and we beat all the other imaginary amazing race teams in getting to our destination of San Miguel de Allende.  Our taxi driver arrived at our Tuxtla hotel before I was ready but I threw my stuff together and piled wet hair on the top of my head.  Tripadvisor says there are two airports in Tuxtla.  There is only one and we got past that obsticle.  The airport is nearly an hour out in the cactus fields.  We did not have tickets but got those in spite of a fairly full flight.  Interjet.  What a great plane.  Roomy and nice comfortable seats.  Free tequila, bourbon, or beer and some little snacks.  Arrived Mexico City on time and walked (uncomplaining) to the far end of the terminal carrying very heavy pack in spite of my advancing years and just barely boarded the luxury bus for Queretaro.  Checked our luggage, received snacks from the stewardess, put feet up on leg rest and plugged in headset to my own personal entertainment system.  I fat fingered my selection of movies and ended up with White House Down in Spanish.  It's always good to choose an action movie when you are trying to translate because the dialogue and plot are at a third grade level.  Arriving in Queretaro you immediately notice that it seems to be a more affluent city with lots of businesses.  White homes everywhere in the hills.  From Queretaro back on a bus that quickly filled up with standing room only as they picked up and dropped folks off into the countryside.  Arrived at 8:30 or so to SMA and got on one final rickety local bus that had an old car license from Minnesota hanging by the driver. Knew that we were on the right bus.

At the airport waiting for the plane to arrive.  Through security where they confiscated my water.  What was I thinking?  Don't have to remove shoes here.  They gave my pack a thorough search and thought my colored pencils might be a problem and my vitamins smelled a little strong.  Those vitamins do stink!  Will be in Mexico City soon.

To be honest we stayed in Tuxtla an extra day because our hotel room is quite comfortable.  Guidebooks seem to skip over Tuxtla and really the city has little to recommend staying more than a day or two.  It is sprawling low rise buildings.  The buildings in the center are old but not in a historical sense. We can see the Sumidero Canyon in the distance from our room.  It's too hot here this week but it's not always this hot.  The temp is still about a 100 outside.  In spite of that we walked to the anthropology and history museum.  The museum had some nice artifacts and we tried to learn a little more about the other cultures that were here before the Spanish arrived.  Sadly the museum is not air conditioned and we asked the security guard about that.  He said the system was thirty years old and broke down six years ago.  It had not been replaced because the government could not afford to do so.  The stone and ceramic artifacts probably don't mind the heat but it can't be good for the paintings and the textiles.

Arrived in Tuxtla via bus yesterday. Taxi dropped us off directly at our air conditioned hotel.  The temp was 100 degrees and we did not attempt to go outside again until early evening.  We passed the modern looking Cathedral and fair of some kind that was going on. We walked in the direction of the Marimba Park looking for dinner.  The only criteria was that the restaurant must be indoors with air.  That was harder to find than you would imagine.  Taco stands were in abundant supply but the heat coming off the grills and outdoor seating did not make us tempted.  Then there was Burger King with the security guard at the front door.  Deliciously air conditioned, we went in for a brief moment before talking ourselves out of it.  We finally found a diner with air although they could have cranked it up a notch or too.

It's time for us to be leaving San Critobol de las las Casas and head by bus to Tuxtla the capital of Chiapas.  The trip is short and there should be no chance of a blockade on that toll road. We've enjoyed the parades, the marimba bands and the food.  The climate is great with highs in the 70' s by day and the 50's by night.  I have to admit the elevation does me in here and I'm hoping the near sea level elevation of Tuxtla will do my brain some good.  We've done a lot of hanging out here, walking, and people watching.  We've noticed lots of Europeans here but few from the USA.  We hear Italian and French and German being spoken here.  As tourists we are constantly being asked by folks to buy something.  I have learned to not show interest when I am not going to buy and a quick shake of the head usually does the trick.  We've noticed the same couple of little grandmas all over town asking for money everyday.  We've been told the shoe shine boys tend to be homeless and get their shoeshine kits from an organization that also provides them with two meals a day but no bed. We've noticed a group of tall skinny hippy looking guys that make jewelry on the street.  Sometimes one of them carries his small daughter with him and tries to sell empty egg cartons to restaurants.  I wonder what their story is. We've noticed that the tourists from Mexico City like to wear their five inch high heels (the women anyways) and watching them go down the cobblestone streets is hilarious.  We've stayed both in the city center and out in the country at private guest houses.  Trading the traffic noise of town for the quiet of the country did not pan out as planned.  What we got was more dogs barking, chickens making a ruckus, fireworks and some noisy neighbors that liked to party until 3am.  San Cris has some excellent bakeries, coffee houses, and chocolate candy makers.  The chocolate banana croissant I had from a little shop right off the zocalo was probably the best I've ever had.

There has been a lot going on in San Cris in the weeks that we have been here.  Both before Easter and the week after are busy with events. Easter parades, music events, art shows.  There's been something going on everyday.  Yesterday in the zocalo there was a demonstration of techniques by both weavers and those doing fine embroidery work.  We spoke to the coordinator of the event and she said that it was to honor the 1,000 textile workers killed a year ago in a Bangladesh factory.   I can recognize the differences in the traditional dress of the women from the two villages that we visited.  I also have a copy of a book here in our guesthouse that describes the clothing and the history behind it of about twenty villages in the area. The traditional dress has greatly been influenced by outside forces as well as one village influencing another village.  In the 1990's women from a church in the USA brought sweaters to one group of villagers.  I don't know about changing religious beliefs but it had a long term effect on fashion and and also brought about a change in the kind of blouse that those woman began making to go with those sweaters.

Found a great place for late morning coffee today and went back for the comida del dia (lunch special) which started at 1pm.  For 85 pesos (that's about $6.50 US) we got a really nice artfully presented salad of layered artisan lettuce, mango, red onion, cucumber, and ripe tomatoes.  It came with fresh bread with black olive tapenade and chili salsa.  The main course was chicken breast sautéed with peppers and baby zucchini accompanied by a nicely flavored rice.  It was served with a really hearty rich glass of red wine.  How can they do that for that price?  Ok, I know how they do it...some folks aren't getting paid enough.  By the way I want that painting hanging on the back wall.

I'm just trying to blend into my environment at the new guesthouse.  No owner here, just the company of Goldie and the two basset hounds, Nicholas and Lola.  Nic likes to sit on the picnic table and bark at everything and anybody who will listen.  Lola prefers to roll around in the grass (sometimes in her own poop) and drink out of the rain barrel.  Goldie spends her time in deep contemplation in her doghouse.

A little fun street art walking in the Guadalupe neighborhood yesterday.  I' m not sure what the artist wanted to say here but I want to figure it out.  By the way I really hate it when people just tag their name on a building especially to property owners who can't afford to have it painted over quickly.  On the other hand I do love walking down the street and finding something like this.  Real street art is few and far between.

We took a walk yesterday about a half mile out of downtown to see the location of our next guesthouse stay.  We passed some beautiful rich looking farm fields and a combination of old homes and some new housing developments.  We will have cooking facilities so we stocked up on a few things at a small local market before we make a taxi excursion to the larger market outside of the center.  It will be nice to be out in the country for a change.  Walking to the market this morning I was cursed by a driver because I was indecisive in crossing the street.  "Chinga de tu Madre" he said.  No need to translate that.  Our current host would say that a better insult is to ask "were you educated by your Mother".  I don't know why insults need to involve someone's Mother.  Most of the streets are one way here.  There are no stop signs but there is an unspoken method of right of way and horn honking.  I just haven't figured that out completely yet.

New accommodations are somewhere up in those hills in the distance.  They said it's only a fifteen minute walk.  Walk it or taxi?

Coffee in the Zocolo this morning.  Lots of activity and people watching.  Protest rally and police on one end of the street and music, chalk art and art show on the other.

 We were at a breakfast buffet a few weeks back when my husband brought back a quesadilla loaded with what we would consider unusual ingredients.  Squash flowers (sounds innocent enough), chapulines (toasted grasshoppers with lime and chilis), and huitacoches (what we call corn smut in the USA).  I had been wanting to try the chapulines but had not done so when I had the chance in Puebla a year ago. They are an excellent source of cheap protein.  I found them to be a little tart and while I wouldn't buy a bag and snack on them like chips I would have no objection to throwing them into a quesadilla again.  What I didn't know about the huitacoche I found out about over breakfast this morning.  The smoky, earthy, mushroom taste in my quesadilla was the corn smut and it was delicious.  Looking at pictures of the thing right on the corn may look like bluish white carbuncles or brain matter and canned products from brands like Goya look even worse.  They are high in lysine, an essential amino acid and make corn a more nutritional product for us.  Chefs in the USA are introducing huitacoches in gourmet recipes and some organic farmers are finding that they can get more $ from a good crop of smut than the traditional corn crop.  We have a lot to learn about what is food and learning from other cultures is great way to eat a better diet.

There's mostly new cars in town but you still see plenty of old VW bugs and a few of the old vans.  My old VW bug might still be in service in California.  I hope so. I left it there in good condition thirty years ago.  After owing it for eleven years I sold it for $300 more than what was paid for it originally.  I wonder what it's worth now. The streets are all mostly one way in the centro historico.  Folks who need to park go to a ramp (estacionamiento) or they parallel park in the streets making them tighter yet.  Watch out for parking in restricted areas.  The local police will not only give you a ticket but they will unscrew your license plate and take it with them just to make sure you pay the fine.

Went to the Sumidero Canyon today.  The canyon is located just outside of Tuxtla off the road between San Cris and Tuxtla.  We drove with fellow travelers which made it easy for us not having to go by bus.  Coming down out of San Cris it felt like we were almost at sea level again.  The canyon walls rise up to 2,625 feet as your lancha (fast boat) speeds through the canyon.  It takes almost two hours.  Today there were so many boats that it made for one choppy ride bouncing us around in the boat like a carnival ride.  Wildlife including herons, vultures and crocodiles could be seen at the shore.  In spite of the beauty here it is one of the most polluted rivers in Mexico.  We could see trash accumulating in one grotto area.  Part of the price of admission goes to pay for cleanup.  We could see some trash boats hauling stuff out of the water.  Apparently solid waste from Tuxtla ends up here too.  Kids were swimming down river near the boat ramp.  Seems like a bad idea.  Hope they can figure out how to keep this area in the pristine condition that it deserves.

More ideas from the street.  I was thinking about our tour yesterday to Chamula and our English speaking guide.  I cringed when he claimed that the indigenous women have rights and to not judge their ways.  I hadn't planned on judging them but since he said not to then I think I will.  They have a cargo system where the men are in charge of everything in the village and can have more than one wife.  Women do not vote or choose a husband, but they do have the right to divorce.  Well I guess that's something.  But who am I to judge.

Walking through the neighborhoods on the way to the Na Bolom Museum.

The second village we toured today was Zinacantan.  The ladies in the village wear a highly embroidered shirt and cotton skirts.  At one home they showed us the kinds of weaving that are actually done in their village.  Some things in the markets come from Guatemala and even India or China.  We sampled some tortillas with ground pumpkin seed before going back to look at their church.  They were just beginning a ceremony inside.  As young boys laid down a carpet of rose petals statues of saints covered in cloth were taken from the church and paraded around the outside courtyard.  The statues were covered because the devil is on the loose at this time of Lent.

We took a tour today to two villages outside of San Cris.  The first village was Chamula.  Our tour guide spoke English and had connections to that village.  He warned us about the use of cameras inside the church or whenever we were watching ceremonies inside the home of a spiritual adviser.  The church in town is no longer a part of the Catholic Church having thrown the last priest out a hundreds years ago.  They do allow a priest to come out once a month for baptisms.  They have a mixture of Catholic traditions and native traditions.  While we were there a woman was performing a healing ceremony for a client that involved candles, incense and a chicken that did not leave the church in the same way as it entered.  It's all interesting and I am not there to judge.  We saw a man in the local jail who had been sentenced to one day in jail.  If he has another incident then some community service will be needed.  Third time and you are expelled from town permanently.  Our guide told us of a man who had recently raped a young woman.  He was tried and put to death in a very unpleasant manner involving a can of gasoline.  The crime rate is low.  Costumes are particular to this village.  Women wear wool skirts and men are often seen in a wool tunic.  Western culture creeps in too.  The town is relatively prosperous and there were plenty of cars and trucks.

Last few steps, almost there.  Are you kidding me...there's no potty up here!

Our destination this morning was to get to the top of that hill in the distance.  Not necessarily to see inside the little church at the top but rather for the exercise and the view.  We were fortified by another outstanding breakfast by our host.  Omelet, brown rice and vegetables, fried plantains.  This time another four guests had arrived and it was interesting to talk to other folks who came to San Cris for Easter week.  The hill can be gotten to by taxi on a road that comes up from behind and that would have been easier but not as fun.  Half way up little eleven year old Juan hit us up for some change for a school project.  He suggested a hundred pesos would be nice but he was happy to have the five that I gave him.  He asked us in English and wrote my name down in his book, where I was from, how old I was and how much I gave.

We are here during Easter week so you do expect things to be busier than usual.  Traffic is fierce.  The roads through the center of town were not made with cars in mind.  Horses, donkeys, and carts would have worked better a hundred years ago.  Today it would be nicer if it was limited to bikes and pedestrians and maybe some of those three wheeled motocarts we saw in Juchitan. The sidewalks are narrow.  There are three pedestrian only streets so that helps with walking.

We've been staying with a family in San Cristobol the last few days and will do so for a total of ten days.  Staying in a private home brings the cost of travel down considerably.  Our host's home is part of a cut up hacienda in the center of town.  It's not fancy but it feels comfortable enough.  She serves a vegetarian breakfast every morning that has been very good.  Everyday is different and has included spinach and mushroom burritos, roasted vegetables, warm cooked fruit, homemade beans, fresh tortillas, fried eggs, yogurt, and avocados.  She makes her own kombucha and a brew of pineapple rinds cooked with brown sugar and ginger.  The house is not heated and an extra blanket is needed for the night time temperatures in the fifties.  You don't drink the water out of the tap.  We pump our own water from a container in the kitchen and if we want to use the kitchen we clean up after ourselves.  We can walk to everything in town from this location.  Today was laundry day and we bagged up our stuff and took it to a lavenderia down the street.  Five pounds of laundry costs us about two bucks.  We pick it up tonight at seven.  I'm thinking about going to the dentist down the street to get my teeth cleaned.  About $25.  My dentist back in the Twin Cities won't like that.

End of the day sunset out on the plaza after a great dinner.  We went to La Arrabiata, a small Italian restaurant mentioned on Tripadvisor.  It has three tables inside and a small kitchen.  We shared a pasta pomodora with basil and a salad.  I could see the cook clipping fresh basil from a plant in the kitchen.  The waitress sang along to old Dean Martin songs.  San Cristobol has so many great looking places to eat and the prices are extremely reasonable.  You can spend a little or a lot here. 

Words from the street....

Palm Sunday morning.  Local ladies are making decorative palm fronds to sell. The native dress here for women is a black skirt of what looks like shaggy felted wool and colorful tops.  Those with less economic status wear cotton. We found a great bakery and tried the banana and chocolate croissants then had two coffee americanos under the covered promenade.  Vendors passing by tried to sell us all types of things.  My backpack is packed so tightly I don't know how I could fit any more in it.

Evening walk around San Cristobol.  Getting acclimated to the 7,ooo ft elevation.

A blockade is a form of protest in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. They are used by both teachers and villagers to protest wages or living conditions or something else going on with the government.  They are non violent and the police do not interfere so as to keep them from being violent.  The state police watch from a distance. Essentially what happens is that the protesters block sections of the highway trapping truckers, buses, families in cars and everyone until they decide to end it.  That is what happened to us yesterday.  It started at 10:30 am only an hour and a half outside of Juchitan on our way to Tuxla the Capitol of Chiapas.  One moment we were watching Denzel Washington in Flight in our air conditioned first class bus and the next moment we were stuck on the bridge a quarter mile from the blockade.  I thought surely this can't last that long and we will be on our way.  Vendors from town came to sell us water and snacks.  Eventually we bought some hot chicken and rice from a woman passing by.  Periodically the bus driver started the engine to cool off the stuffy hot air back down to tolerable.  We walked and stood by the side of the road.  Some folks started hauling their luggage to parts unknown.  Some folks went to buy beer.  Eventually it became dark and we walked to a food stand to get more water and an egg sandwich when horns started honking so we ran back to the bus.  False alarm.  Didn't get that sandwhich.  We realized we were probably going to spend the night out there.  We stood in the cooler outside air for hours before trying to settle into our new reality.  We got our toothbrushes out and spit over the side of the bridge. Finally I saw the bus driver run to retrieve his white dress shirt and tie that he had stowed under the bus and jump back on the bus.  That was 12:30 am and when we started moving I thanked sweet Jesus for bringing us to the end of it.  We had another three and a half hours of driving and I hoped the driver could make it on such little sleep.  As we passed hundreds of truckers, buses, and cars on the other side of the blockade I realized just how many people were interrupted from their travels.  The most amazing thing I thought was how well behaved folks were especially small children.  I wished I could have enjoyed the circumstances more because the night with the mountains around us was quite beautiful.  We pulled into Tuxla at 4am and waited another hour to catch another bus to San Cristobol an hour away.  I saw the new bus driver stop at a statue of the Virgen de Guadelupe and cross himself. I wondered if he was asking for protection from blockades.

A few more pics of graffiti in Zipolite.

Before leaving Zipolite we took one last walk down the beach and then up a dirt alley into what is essentially downtown.  This must be what Playa del Carmen looked like 20 - 30 years ago with dirt streets.  Workers were putting in a new road and sidewalks and I found a whole new gallery of graffiti on those streets. Yeah!  More on that later.  Our taxi driver took it slow and easy back to the Pochutla bus station as promised.  Our destination was Juchitan today, five hours away.  We were late in leaving. I'm guessing it had to do with the parade that went through town.  Not the kind of parade with marching bands and beauty queen floats but one with folks of all ages carrying banners for tierra y libertad (land and liberty).  I could see them in a dusty field as the bus finally passed them.  Along the way our bus picked up school kids, an old man with a machete, families, and workers.  We passed dry river beds, tall cactus with yellow flowers on top, birds flying overhead and way too much  plastic garbage along the road.  And that makes me sad.

We are leaving Zipolite this morning.  Our hostess here at La Loma Linda called a taxi last night to pick us up this morning and take us back to the bus station at Pochutla. She has a group of drivers that will take the road at a slower pace or else they get no more business from her.  Sounds good.  From Pochutla it's back on the bus.  Today's destination is Juchitan and then on to San Cristobal the next day.  Our host here says that in a few days the beach will be overrun with Mexican families in campers on the beach.  Time to go!