Mexico Misadventures Part 2

When I finally arrived in Constitucion to reunite with my German friend, I was happy to be introduced to a local archaeologist there who is from Merida. I gave them a pack of chicharron and chocnut.

Since they haven't had lunch yet, I cooked for them. It was a simple meal of rice and mixed veggies in spicy salsa, pretty much like what I often cook at home. Later on, I would help them clean bone remains. I still cannot see myself learning how to identify bones but at least I learned there how to clean bones. Basically you mix 1 part water with 1 part 96% alcohol (which I initially mistook as sonething they drink LOL) and use a swab of cotton and a toothpick to eliminate the sediments covering the bones. It was a boring task but I had nothing better to do plus it's a good training for when I go back to school.

At 6PM we drove to the rolling pastures to catch the sunset. We were toured by a man who partly owns the land and were directed to where post holes are located. Awesome! The whole field is a potential archaeological site! We savored the breeze and waited until dark to gaze for some time at the stars. Beautiful!

At night we slept on hammocks, my second night to do so. It was comfortable. In fact I was thinking then of installing one at home.

The next day we went to the reserva de la biósfera Calakmul to see the pyramids and other ruins. There were 5 major pyramids which we climbed and minor ones. It was a tiring activity considering the heat.

Calakmul ruins

part of a pyramid in Calakmul

Now Calakmul is difficult to get to. I am just lucky that my friend knows how to drive. Problem is she underestimated it and refused to load gas. So we were stuck for some time there. Since I had to go to the bus terminal to be able to take the night bus back to the Federal District, I gambled my life again and asked a group of four burly men to take me to Xpujil since they were going to that direction, too.

each pyramid has varying number of steps and we climbed each and every one of them!

Isn´t it beautiful? A silent witness to a magnificent past

While in the car, I was surprised to find myself calm despite being with four male strangers. They were a fun bunch and the friendliest of them talked to me and made sure I was comfortable. I even fell asleep out of exhaustion. Upon arriving at Xpujil, they even dropped me right at ADO bus terminal. I was so embarrassed not to have anything with me to give them but they said it was okay and bid me good luck.

I have to note how awed I was at the sight of the sky so blue. It was just so beautiful. I never liked summer because of the heat but while on the road looking at the sky, I felt the urge to draw and paint but of course I didn't do that because I did not have any materials with me.

In Xpujil I had a hard time with the lady selling bus tickets there. She doesn't seem to care about bus passengers much and was not helpful when I was inquiring about routes and fares. Since I had 4 hours to go before bus departure, I looked for a place with free wifi and found it in a hotel. The lady attendant was nice and gave me the password. Then I went to church to attend mass.

While inside the church I became aware of how hot it was in the area. I realized I badly needed a bath and yet I didn't want to spend for a hotel room just to bathe. So after mass I approached a woman to ask if I could bathe at her home and she directed me to the doctor who gladly accepted me. She was delighted to hear I was from the Philippines because she studied in a school named República de Filipinas in the Federal District.

So I was able to take a bath and converse with the good doctor who told me a lot about food in Mexico. When I left her house, she told me never ever to tell anyone I was traveling alone and wished me good luck.

The world still has hope. I can continue praying for a world to be inhabited by conscious, sensitive, sensible, and kindhearted souls.

Museo de la Historia de Tabasco: Casa de los azulejos

After visiting La Venta and the Museum of Natural History in Villahermosa, I took the combi and asked to be dropped off in Plaza Armas but was dropped off the the historic center (centro histórico) which was bustling with commercial activity. It was a hot day and my camera and phone were running out of battery.

It is during these times when I truly appreciate having had to deposit my bag before going around the museum. A kindly lady saw the plastic bag I had with me and offered me a more decent medium-sized shopping bag, the kind promoted by environmentalist grocery stores. I asked to have my gadgets charged and they kindly let me while I went around the museum. It was also a relief to find that they have free wifi so I was able to contact my friend in Constitucion, Campeche. (You may want to read about my misadventures HERE.)

True to its name, I was bowled over when I entered to find the walls and floors all covered with azulejos. I first came to know about azulejos in my last trip to Laguna when my buddy pointed out the painted tiles inside a church there. The museum houses a few artifacts on the history of Tabasco, asserting that Mexico had its beginnings in this Mexican state attributed to the Olmecs and later on to the Mayas. 

While the collection of artifacts dating to preHispanic times pale heavily in comparison to what the Museum of Anthropology has in the Federal District, what is remarkble in this museum is the collection of preserved vintage objects like TV, radio, jukebox, horse carriage, sewing machine, and others.

The museum also has a banner of Tabasco's escudo which was heavily influenced by the Russian Bolsheviks and which shows pride of place for its fertile lands. Despite its few collection, a visit to this museum is worth it if one enjoys studying architectural styles and history. History buffs would be delighted to know that there is a short article here on the history of the television in Tabasco--- this alongside the role this state played during the revolution.

Mexico Misadventures Part 1

So the past few days saw me living on the road since Monday night when I took the night bus from Mexico DF TAPO to Villahermosa in the South. It was a 12-hour bus ride by ADO bus and I was tired from spending time climbing pyramids in Teotihuacan.

From thereon, I have had many misadventures. I had a hard time in Villahermosa because people were not so good at giving directions. I did find my way to La Venta, backpack with me and all. It weighed around 10kg but anyway all I thought of was that I survived Pulag twice and I could certainly survive backpacking for a few days in Mexico.

this friendly fellow has grown accustomed to human presence!

La Venta is a lovely place where one can see the famous Olmec sculptures, in particular the giant heads. There is an aviary and a small zoo, plus you get to see squirrel-like animals with long snouts and they seem to have grown accustomed to humans.

Just one of the many Olmec sculptures

After La Venta, I visited the Museum of Natural History which is just beside the park. It's actually for kids but I enjoyed the place. I hope we have something like that in the Philippines to get more kids to like the natural sciences.

the view from outside La Venta

This is my favorite in the Museum of Natural History

Taking the combi, a local public transport vehicle, I ended up in the historic town, the equivalent of Vigan. Here I visited the Casa de Azulejos which is an eclectic style mansion. The museum shows the history of Tabasco.

neoclassical Palacio de Gobierno in Plaza de Armas, Villahermosa

I traveled at night again to save time and accommodation. My target was to arrive in Escarcega on the morrow but bad luck seemed to be with me. When I bought a ticket to Constitucion, I never thought there were two towns of that name, one in Tabasco, one in Campeche. My target was Campeche, but at 10:30 PM I was dropped off at Constitucion, Tabasco, much to my horror upon my discovery. There were consecutive lightning flashes and anytime it might rain so I decided to walk despite the darkness. A car passed by but it probably did not see me waving.

So the hiker in me won and I walked all the way to town. Good thing I had flashlight with me. I was nervous of course because I had been hearing stories about crimes in Mexico but I had no choice. I felt it was more dangerous to stay near the highway. Plus I badly needed a bath to freshen up myself.

Imagine how I almost panicked when I realized I was still in Tabasco! This must be the result of my love affair with hot sauce!

The small town had many dogs which began their consecutive barking when I finally arrived. For a while I was looking around for a house that could accommodate me but people seemed to have slept already. Fortunately I saw a young man about to go home and I asked if I could temporarily stay in his house, explaining my situation to him. He woke up the entire family and they adopted me for a night. And I got my bath, too. It was my first time to sleep in a hammock, which is a BIG bonus.

The following day they offered me coffee and crackers for breakfast. The young man even walked with me to the highway. A car passed by and we got on. Jose made sure I hopped on the right bus going to Candelaria.

Then transfer to El Sur bus going to Escarcega. The conductor of that bus seemed to have taken a liking for me and seemed bent on seducing me. I told him I have a boyfriend back home but he still persisted though a bit politely, acknowledging my "commitnent". I was glad when we finally reached Escarcega. From there I took the combi to Constitucion where a friend was waiting (and who was very much worried for me when I told her about the misadventures the night before).

I cooked lunch for them! :)

But anyway, I arrived safely and cooked late lunch for her and for her friend. There were cucumbers, carrots, onions, and garlic so I cooked them all up together with salsa picante. Good thing it's exactly what I usually cook for my packed lunch. There were only two of them in the cabin, which was good because I can only socialize with very few people.

enjoying the sunset after an afternoon's work cleaning bone artifacts

Anyway, the reason why I would risk everything to get there was because my friend is an archaeologist who volunteered to excavate in a site there. She was telling me we'd visit archaeological sites together and we did. But that is another story of misadventures... We did get to Calakmul to see the pyramids.

To be continued...

Food Inventions Part 1

So I finally decided to chronicle my food inventions from hereon. People are often curious as to what I cook so I might as well share some of these. Just so happens that both involve mangoes.

panna cotta topped with mango slices

 Mango panna cotta was made with Nestlé Docello panna cotta mix. Okay I cheat a bit! Since I´m not one to follow cooking instructions, ratios are just approximated by yours truly. I got a liter of fresh milk to mix with the powder and have it boil. Let cool then top with mango slices then refrigerate.

fish fillet in spicy mango sauce

Fish fillet in spicy mango sauce has a funny anecdote to it. One night I was about to go to sleep when I suddenly remembered I haven´t prepared anything for the following day. So I got up, thawed the fish and cut it up, searched the fridge for "anything" and saw mangoes. I was reminded of the spicy mango vinaigrette I created last year with the lettuce I bought in Baguio. This time, what hit me was to cook something with mangoes for a change.

It's simple actually. Just prepare mango cubes. Sautée minced garlic in cooking oil, add fish and sear for some time then add the mango cubes. Add chili sauce as desired. The sweet and spicy tastes will leave one asking for more. YUM!

Candles and Visions

Do not read this if you are fearful of dark prophecies. You have been warned.

One late afternoon last month, I was invited to a post-outreach dinner by the organizer and his childhood friend. At 5:40 they were chatting with and/or texting me it would be at 6PM. Not wanting to be the cause of delay (God knows how moods change when one's hungry!), I prepped up in just a few minutes and asked my mom who was also leaving to do some shopping to drop me off at the church.

Mass had started when I arrived. I stayed there and just informed them I'd be attending mass. Wise decision because I would learn later on that the organizer's car was affected by the color coding scheme and so he will only be able to travel past 7PM.

I don't know why I stayed. I had turned on my mobile data connection to chat with a fellow volunteer who lives nearby and he advised me not to be a martyr, get my ass off where I was seated and go home. I was complaining to him then about how boys are jerks because they always make girls wait. Okay. Scratch that. They always make THIS girl wait. Soon enough memories of boys asking me out and they'd be the ones to be late filled me with contempt for the opposite sex. They know how preoccupied I am with a lot of stuffs and they couldn't even respect my time.

Then again something pulled me to an area in the church: the candles. 

In one of my travels for cultural heritage, a fellow volunteer told me that when it's your first time to visit a church and you make a wish, that wish will come true. That gave me hope, for all my naiveté and all too trusting nature, I visited as many churches as I could to wish for the Light to be healed.

Another volunteer told me that it's always nice to light up candles where the flame has gone out, for the prayers of those who originally lighted them to be sent to the Heavens. So that time, while waiting, I watched the candles glow and flicker as the final electric lights were being turned off until it was dark save for the light from these candles.

As the winds picked up and were putting out flames, I contemplated about what would happen to the world if the lights are gone? Then a vision, of flames going out, "like an army falling one by one by one" (to quote Linkin Park). 

Yesterday I learned of a scary vision. And I immediately thought of the images that flashed before me while I stared at the candles that time.

And then there was the number 24... (but I cannot go on further. This is the biggest clue in the puzzle.)

Mt. Binacayan, Rodriguez, Rizal 06202015

A week after joining outreach activities in the Mountain Province (separate blog post coming soon but for teaser please click HERE), I said yes to an invitation to climb up twin mountains in Rodriguez, Rizal. It's been a long time since my mountain buddy and I climbed mountains together because we're so busy with our respective lives these days. It's nice though that we get to chat every once in a while to update each other on a project we were planning to launch pretty soon.

Meeting place was in KFC near Gateway at 4AM. I was some 10 minutes late because I got lost a bit, being not accustomed to walking around at that time of the day. We chatted a lot and I was introduced to a couple who were just beginning to join the club of mountaineers. All three of them are architects and I'm the odd one out but well I'm an archaeologist so we still have something in common: ARCH. LOL

Our guide for the day: Jason is quite adept at taking photos :)

THE seat

 We left at 5AM boarding an FX to Eastwood where we then took a tricycle all the way to the registration office. I wasn't able to get much sleep because there was no traffic.

We had to walk on an inclined paved road first before getting to earthy grounds. It was as always a pleasure to breathe the fresh mountain air. I still can't get enough of it. It's this addiction that keeps me going back to the mountains, plus the nice views from the top, and the chance to sweat out body toxins out of my body.

mountain buddies

 It was a gloomy day but the air was dry so in just a few minutes of hiking we were already drenched in sweat. The trail reminds me of Mt. Daraitan because of the high steps which posed a challenge to me. We also entered a small cave. And then the rockies which were reminiscent of those in Norzagaray. But the view is impressive nevertheless as we were treated to lush greens. Healthy mountains are always a pretty sight, an assurance that they will be also enjoyed by future generations. It helps also that the local government is exerting efforts to ensure that these are well-protected.

rockfalls on the way down

 I was able to nap for some time under a big cool rock near the peak. There were a lot of noisy people who took a lot of time taking photos and selfies so I took the chance to rest. Having had few sleep lately has been taking a toll on my health.

On the way down, we were a bit challenged because of the loose soil. When we got to the area where rocks had fallen, it was even more of a challenge. My buddy got a deep wound on his knee! But because we wanted to have cool drinks already we decided to descend down straight.

we passed by these hidden treasures and I couldn't resist taking photos... (I just LOVE mushrooms!!!)

We rested for a while in a makeshift kubo where the owner sells cold softdrinks. Buddy had been going on for hours about Mountain Dew so everyone followed suit including me. I don't even like softdrinks but it was hot and they seemed to be enjoying the cold drink so I indulged eventually.

newly planted seedlings protected by bamboo covers

Once back in the barangay, we stopped by the local eatery and I had half an order of rice and pinakbet. They only have pork dishes so I'm sticking to my veggies.

half rice and pinakbet (because I am on a budget)