Sweet Central America

(San Andres, Peten, Guatemala)-
My travel in Mexico took a sudden but pleasant change of course after my loss in Palenque, Chiapas. My travel buddies, los Espanoles de Barcelona y las Americanas de Seattle, invited me to nearby Guatemala and I figured it was way better than hot, humid, miserable Palenque. We arrived in Flores, and spent the day at the Tikal ruins. I felt like a kid again as I gleefully watched monkeys swing from tree to tree and spent time taking in the amazing Mayan ruins in the middle of the jungle. I wish I had a photo to post but I don´t have my digital camera anymore...grrr. I´ll have to wait and develop my photos from the insta-cam given to me by a fellow traveler.
After Tikal, I leave Flores for nearby San Andres, in the Peten Peninsula.

Guatemalans living in thatched homes with live-in livestock have a beautiful lakefront view of the world. Guatemalans in San Andres have it all. People here are very warm and still follow the traditions of the Maya. During my homestay, I am placed with a Mayan family, the Chibli Chi´s - what an awesome last name! I have to admit that adapting to third world conditions is a little tough at first but eventually I get used to living differently. Hanging out in a hammock and watching my Guatemalan mom, Marcelina, tortear is more interesting than sleeping in a smelly hostel dorm.
During my short stay here I volunteered my time and efforts to an organization called Volunteer Peten, http://www.volunteerpeten.com/. Matt, the founder of VP, runs a school and reforrestation project for local Guatemalan high schoolers. It is a worthwhile cause that educates Mayans about the value of taking care of their natural resources.Education is not compulsory after junior high and most Guatemalans do not continue their studies beyond this point. Literacy and math skills among youth are seriously lacking and could certainly benefit from the help of any volunteer.

I don´t have much time to volunteer here but the time I do have I´ll use to spend time with local teens, whom I don´t have much experience with. Like youth everywhere, kids here are very interested in music especially reggaeton and Michael Jackson! I spend some time tutoring a teenaged Chapino who really loves to speak English. Later in the week I take a class in the old mayan tradition of making drinks and bread out of Ramon, or the very nutritious bread nut.
I would have liked to spend more time volunteering in San Andres but my time in Mexico is drawing to a close and I must get ready for my return to the US of A. One of the things that was fun to see was how the people of Guatemal let their livestock, pigs, chickens, and even baby lambs walk freely in the street. No one seems to be bothered by their presence! Guatemalans it seems, don´t worry too much.

A BUMP ALONG THE ROAD

PALENQUE,CHIAPAS-

The bus announcers' early morning shouts of "Zapata, Ocoto," rustle me awake at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m. I try to go back to sleep but the bus caller has a job to do. I have been in miserable, humid Palenque since Friday and my sweet spell of traveler's luck has been interrupted.

I'm high on the heels of a wonderful visit to San Cristobal de las Casas when I arrive in Palenque on a Thursday afternoon, but by the early hours of Friday morning my bliss would turn to complete shock.

I check into the Jungle Palace at El Panchan, a collection of roadside cabanas which sit on the road to the Palenque ruins. Mosquitos, toads and howler monkeys also share this lush, green space with weary human travelers. My cabana is very rustic but I appreciate the alone time. I organize my bags and make plans for an early morning tour of the famous waterfalls of Agua Azul and Misol-Ha. But by early Friday morning it becomes clear that I am the victim of a theft. My cell phone, which lay next to my head, has been stolen! My wallet which contained my atm card and no more than 50 pesos,and digital camera (with pictures of the Palanque ruins) are also gone. I am amazed that I can get past the material loss and I am left wondering how and where I will sleep that night. It is not suggested that I involve the police.

http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/NorthAmerica/Mexico/Chiapas/images/PalenquePalacio01.jpg

I am upset and feel quite vulnerable. I have no money on hand and the only lodging option available to me that night is the same unsecured cabana where the theft occurred. Steve, an older, and talkative American appears on the scene and takes me under his wing. We have to go into town because there are no land lines at El Panchan, in fact land lines are a luxury available to very few Mexicanos. Meanwhile, workers at the Jungle Palace "find" my wallet sans cash but complete with my now cancelled atm/credit cards.
Initially, I am happy to meet Steve and accept his invitation to stay at his makeshift jungle lodge. It feels okay to accept the "kindness" of this expat gringo, the quintessential 60's era pothead who has simply dropped out of American society for good. Much later it becomes clear that there is a very good reason for his living alone in the jungle and I realize that I have not made a good choice. The price of free lodging is much too high. It occurs to me that I must find a way to borrow money instead of staying one more night with a quirky old man with poor social skills who is so achingly lonely that he exhibits lagorrea, or diarrea of the mouth!!

In the end it is technology that will save me. I petition Federico,a dear friend, who sends an influx of money via an online transfer through Western Union. I also send a text message to my American friends Kelly and Hannah via Yahoo messenger. They just so happen to be in Palenque that day. They come to the roadside cabana and take me away from this awful, twisted situation. I am grateful and set free.

Is the welfare state a better solution?

 

I am without a doubt a spoiled american brat as compared to Mexico's poor. It's interesting but many times Americans think in terms of what they lack and this is especially true in California's current economic downturn.

At present I am traveling in Mexico and I simply don't want to be bothered with the presence of street vendors in Oaxaca, many of whom are children, who hawk everything from friendship bracelets to mint-flavored "chicle". You are approached at least 20 times by roving street vendors during the course of your meal or afternoon cafe. You cannot have your cake and eat it too, it seems.
I want to continue to be the tourist who observes the local people and their customs from a distance while sipping a cappucino at an outdoor cafe. There I said it, I don't want to be bothered. Simply put,I am used to hearing about the haves and have nots in this world; I AM NOT accustomed to having to think about what it means for those involved. I truly feel bad for the children who become street vendors at such a tender age. They invariably resort to pestering, sympathy seeking, and less often a direct request for a gift of pesos. On a recent visit to the Indian village of San Juan Chamula, a very enterprising young lady named Alicia offered us a gift with purchase. She offerd up a friendship bracelet and waited for my traveling troupe to walk by so that we could complete the transaction. It was a very effective sales ploy.

While this dynamic is annoying for me it makes me think about living in the US and how very easy it is to extricate oneself from witnessing the problems of the less forunate.

Americans who don't have enough money for basic necessities rely on California's welfare system. The welfare state is a more comfortable option for most Americans because it certainly is an inconvenience to be bothered while you are sipping your morning latte, isn't it?
Street vendors are a common fact of life in any third world country and as I understand it are eligible to receive government aid. It is most likely very difficult for people to live off their sales. What is amazing to me is not that you are sold to but the fact that you receive a sales pitch everywhere you go. It is amazing that you should have to listen to unwanted sales pitches as you dine, while walking in the street, while sitting on the local bus line, and while waiting for direct bus service to your next tourist destination. So, while I am annoyed at being sold to I do understand that people must make a living and this is what they must do.

Laundry -it´s better than what i do at home

A full-service laundry is undoubtedly one of the things I will miss most about Mexico. When I first arrived in Cuernavaca, Morelos I remember being told by my language teacher that there was a lovely senora who did your wash for only 12 pesos a kilo!! My response was one of self-righteous indignation at those Americanos who could subscrie to a laundry service that exploited poor little senoras. I imagined these angel servants to be slaved over igneous rock and diligently hand-washing each piece down by the river.
Much to my surprise I learned that doing your own laundry in most parts of Mexico means paying someone else to do it for you. Laundry service, by the way, includes washing, drying, and folding! There are no many do it yourself laundromats in Mexico. If you are one of the lucky (or in my opinion, unlucky)you can afford to have your own washing and drying machine at home. With that logic, I couldn´t argue and I stopped being self-righteous long enough to have the cute, little senora do my laundry for me. She even matched up my socks for me!