Mexico's Ugliest City

The drive from San Cristobal was fairly uneventful until it started to rain and we quickly discovered that the windshield wipers decided to malfunction. It was about this time that we realized that the straight super highway was becoming another winding mountain road.

We again saw some of the most amazing views, this time of mountain fiord's that would have been just amazing to explore but after a short side trip to the nearest town to look for a suitable hotel we were disappointed to find that there was none.

This has been one of the most frustrating aspects of travel in MX: the lack of tourist infrastructure away from the main tourist destinations. There has to be a huge business opportunity in MX of just putting small hotels is some of the most amazing scenic views in the world. Just as the Spanish government did in the 60's and 70's of building paradors in out of the way places.

Every time we go off to explore a new area we come across some amazing place we would like to spend more time in but usually there is no hotel or is of very low quality. The only hotels in most of these small towns are auto-hotels where you drive or walk in and rent a room by the hour for some special time with your favorite sweetheart of the moment. This only makes sense as most people in the small towns live with extended families in small house where private space is non-existent.

But back to the car windshield wipers... We found a Ford dealer in Coaztacoalcos who was able to look at the wipers and found that the wiper motor had shaken loose from the welds on its bracket that holds it to the firewall. He was able to weld the motor back on to the bracket and reinstall it and it works like new. Cost was a reasonable 100.00.

Coaztacoalcos is a refinery town on the Gulf that looks just like a refinery town anywhere. To be fair, it's probably not the ugliest city in Mexico. Certainly the nice folks who call it home would not think so, and I'm sure it has some great areas that we didn't see. We were only passing through, just stopping there to sleep. Luckily the best hotel in town would let Chloe into the room so she did not have to sleep in her crate in the car...whew!

p.s. Don't ask how Mexico's Ugliest City is pronounced....we've been referring to it as "Cuz-it-tikls".

Chloe's Notes: I don't care how say it, this ugly town was full of butt-ugly, downright mean dogs!

Tips for Driving in Mexico - Part 2

#6 - Some roads have a shoulder, but it is not for stopping. The shoulder is where you go to get out of the way when being passed.

#7 - If you are behind another vehicle and he flashes his left signal indicator, he is telling you to pass him. If you don't pass him now, he won't be as accommodating when you do want to pass him later. There is a slight chance that he wants to turn left, but it is unlikely.

#8 - If you come to a 'Y' in the road, take the right lane. The road you were on has now become two one-way streets. You did not miss the sign...there was no sign.

#9 - If anyone knows what the double flashing red and yellow lights mean (4 lights in total), please let me know.

#10 - This one I do know: The bull always has the right of way (as per the sign).

San Cristobal to the Gulf Coast

Holy Moley Guacamole

Everywhere we go, we've tried to seek out restaurants that the locals would frequent, instead of places filled with gringos. Most times we get reasonably priced, very tasty specialties of the region. In Oaxaca I tried Cactus Tacos (I couldn't bring myself to order Grasshoppers, apparently quite a delicacy of the region). The sauces of Oaxaca, called Moles ('moh-LAYs') are rich and spicy, and some of them are good on everything!

In Chiapas we've been enjoying guacamole, as fresh as it gets, served at some restaurants with taco chips, the way we get bread and butter before a meal in a restaurant in Canada. I never much cared for guacamole, but I've really come to enjoy it.

The other night we were enjoying a meal at a restaurant that claimed to serve the best regional food in the city. David asked the server what the main ingredients of his Pollo Mole (Chicken Mole), and we were surprised that the sauce's unique taste was due to the combination of chilies and chocolate. Chicken, chilies and chocolate!

As most towns and cities don't seem to have enough green space for our liking, we went to a park about 10km outside of town today. This park's claim to fame was a large cave which you can walk through. What the Lonely Planet guide didn't mention was that this cave is surrounded by a beautiful smelling pine forest park where you can barbeque and enjoy long walks.

Chloe enjoyed the long walk in the forest but dogs are not allowed in the cave. The cave was quite a walk in itself as it is over 3.5 km long. You can walk through the cave by yourself or can have a young local kid guide you through with a small flashlight which he shines on the stalagmight formations and tells you a story about them and the shapes they form. The kid we had could not have been more than 8 or 10 with the driest sense of humor you could ever imagine. He spoke with a false deep voice and told the funniest little stories about the rock formations. At the end of the tour (I was the only non-Mexican in the group) he asked for a tip. I gave him a 10 peso coin and I guess the Mexicans in the group were not as generous as he complained and said that everyone in the group should give him 10 pesos each. It was funny to hear the Mexicans call the kid a 'little cabrone' to his face.

We had lunch at the park, tortillas stuffed with the filling of your choice. I had a veggie tortilla, and David had meat. They were quite delicious.

Later we went on a search for great live music. We were at the Gato Gordo (Fat Cat) bar/restaurant where we knew there would be live music. I couldn't eat dinner there, the lunch was still with me. Roberto, the band's front man introduced his special guest, a woman from Sudbury named Darlene. She resembled my son Tim's friend, Martina. Could that woman sing! It was as if she had a black woman inside of her, trying to get out. She wailed the blues like there's no tomorrow.

By the time we left the Gato, my stomach wasn't feeling very well. And by the time we got back to the hotel, it was my gut that was wailing the blues. It got worse, and today I had no choice but to minimize any further gastrointestinal assaults by avoiding alcohol, and any rich, spicy food.

David's New Hat

Doesn't he look like a native? (Notice the strings that will hold this one in place!)

Maria

One of the most amazing things about the indigenous population here is their incredible sense of self-sufficiency. The men work the fields and build their homes while the women raise the children and sell their crafts that they make day in and day out. They are a proud, beautiful people, intent on preserving their way of life.

Our first night in San Cristobal, we ate a small dinner at an Argentinian restaurant. We sat outside, not realizing how cold it would get once the sun went down. Several young women and children approached us to buy hand made macrame belts, bracelets, little toys, etc.

It got dark and chilly, so we zipped up our sweaters. A tiny woman wearing the traditional clothing approached us to buy her wares. She was pleasant and engaging, and put a crocheted hat on David while showing me some embroidered purses. At first we politely refused, but she was undeterred and had such a sweet demeanor that we continued talking to her, all the while she made David wear the hat and displayed the pretty purses. Well, in the end we bought the hat and the purse (how could we not - the woman wasn't even wearing shoes!).

A few days later we were at the same spot in town, enjoying a glass of wine with Paul, whom we had met in San Agustinillo, and had bumped into him in this town. Along came the tiny woman with the long black braids. She put a hat on Paul, and kindly insisted he wear it while talking to us. This time we learned more about her, while Paul and I took the opportunity to practice our Spanish. She has two grown daughters, one young daughter and grandchildren. She was originally from Chamula, but left more than 25 years ago, when she converted to Christianity. We found it curious that she had not been back to Chamula in all these years, as it's only 10 km away. Later we read in the guide book that if you leave the Tzotzil religion, you are expulled from the town.

She told us about the festival happening this weekend in Chamula, and urged us to be careful ("Cuidalo!" she emphatically advised) of the fireworks which sometimes fall down on the crowd. In the end, Paul bought the hat.

Last night we were on our way to find some live music, and we saw her on the street. It was then that I realized how tiny she really was - the previous times we met her was while we were sitting. We were happy to see each other, and talked for a while on the street. She showed us some pretty embroidered table ware, and we would have bought it but she didn't have change. We told her we would see her tomorrow. She explained that we would not, as she goes to church on Sundays, so we said we would see her after we found some dinner and had change.

The streets were deserted, as most people were in Chamula for the festival. So I guess Maria decided to follow the sure sale. We saw her in the restaurant and invited her to join us. She sat and immediately resumed working on a macrame belt she had handy, and I was amazed to discover that she makes all the crafts she sells.

She then pulled the smallest bible I have ever seen out of a pocket, and began to read a few selections to us, explaining that there is only one God, Jehovah, and he is over everyone. When the server brought her glass of juice, she said a long prayer, during which we heard her mention us, asking to keep the nice couple safe in their travels. It was very moving. I momentarily regretted choosing that restaurant; on a nearby wall there was a crass print of a bare-bummed cowgirl riding the earth right above a self-portrait of Freda.

I also regret not trying harder to learn more Spanish before this trip. As Paul explained, to be able to converse with people here is not only convenient, but opens up a whole world of understanding how the people live and how they see the world.