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...

First Half of 2015

So half the year is about to end and here we are, still on the same page, still on the same boat, yet with wonderful memories of days gone by.

My 2014 yearender FB post

2014 ended with many accidental trippings on speculations about love. A prelude mayhaps to a whole new 2015. It started in December, on the day of my birthday when the Heavens directed me to a church I have always wanted to visit and yet couldn't find the time to do so. That fateful day, drifter received a special gift--- a rosary. It was a Wednesday and suddenly the priest called all birthday celebrants to come forward and receive some blessings.

I must have been close to my religious exit for this to happen. Being busy and suddenly not feeling like I were living a very fruitful life despite being quite productive as I volunteer left and right, my heart and mind knew not peace. This gift, a small rosary, now I keep in my bag as a reminder of this fateful day, a renewal of vows. Why it happened in church dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker still is a mystery to me. But maybe it's God's way of telling me to work and not just conceptualize. Do the actual thing, stop being on a standstill in fantasyland.

My 2014 birthday FB post

Coz time is running fast and we mere mortals cannot keep up. These days it's all about doing as much as we can in a short amount of time. We search for shortcuts, we attempt to do everything even if we can do without them I'm a bit guilty of those in the past but I know better now. The mountains have taught me that it's not how fast you ascend or descend, it's how you enjoy the trail, the wonderful views, the scent of the mountains (which is one of the most important reasons why I keep on going back because my olfactory senses are very much alive and partying when I'm close to nature), the company even, the rain, the cool earth, the occasional gashes and the frequent insect bites (yes, these too, my battle scars).

So here I am, still enjoying the freedom (or is it a curse?) of being single. Eagles' "Desperado" always ruins my mood, in a welcome way. "Your pain is walking through this world all alone". Some random romantic shit but what the hell, when I ponder on this, I wonder if I will be able to settle? Loving requires giving a part of yourself and taking something in return, connoting change. And therein lies my biggest fear. I've been alone for as long as I could remember. Alone because I have been viewed as different by the people around me. It almost destroyed me but I guess I love myself too much to ever let any external force force its way into my system. So no thanks, I'm perfectly happy with who I am. But oooops life can get lonely from there.

Or maybe the fates are talking a different kind of love. Love for humanity, love for nature, love for excellence... (Okaaaaay my excuses again to evade romantic possibilities.)

Credit: Dino Dimar of White Canvas Org

Except that the recent volunteer trip to the Mountain Province brought me close to a group of like-minded fellows. The project was Akyat, Aklat, Pasasalamat, joined by some of the survivors of the Florida bus accident last February 7, 2014. (They are a marvelous group. It's hard to see their struggles because of their very bright smiles and cheerful disposition. I'm lucky to have met them!) With peeps from Black Pencil Project and White Canvas Org, I discovered I can be my whole self with no pretensions. We understand each other in our quests for social justice, for the rejuvenation of Mother Nature, for heightened spirituality. It all started in Mindoro last May, right after the mapping project when the soul of this poor corporate slave/ hardcore volunteer was in dire need to reconnect with the Spirits of Nature. And then the Domino Effect. One thing leads to another.

And now I'm seeing the Wheel again. How far can I go without turning back? I've successfully completed the requirements for the mapping project, even going beyond the minimum requirements. Must be the passion. Because once you start it's hard to stop.

I have that person whom I met in Mindoro to thank for for making me go through this painful but wonderful situation. I can sense very strongly that it's my time to grow up and shed my childish self in preparation for a big role that I have only a bleak idea about. But like what his clairvoyant friend told me, "Don't worry. Yours is not sharp intelligence. Yours is nurturing, pure, not meant to attack but to protect." Of course he speaks in riddles I couldn't quite grasp it since I know myself to be unable to love. It reminded me of the kokology game two acquaintances played with me and the result was that I am a guardian. How can you protect if you don't know how to love? To which he replied, "Take courage. Take courage for your heart. Take courage to love." So much for being perceived as courageous by my friends. Ah well I always tell them I can withstand any physical pain but probably not emotional wounds. "Crying doesn't mean cowardice and weakness." He must have seen through the inner turmoil inside of me caused by my preoccupation with the slow fading of the Light.

And then echoes of a friend's words, "To love is to be vulnerable." to which I always quip, "To love is to be invulnerable. :P" And inside of me, "To love is to be both vulnerable and invulnerable."

Makes me think so hard. Don't know if the role suits me well but let's see.

Wheels again. Sigh.

Things to do:

1. Write about the current plight of the IP

2. Take responsibility for a fundraising campaign

3. Update this blog and write about my many adventures (BIG backlog since 2014 and net is down...)

4. Finish the two books I have been reading and use them as background for articles on protecting the environment and restoring the dignity of the minorities

5. Sweat. (coz I'm getting fat already.)

My subconscious must have sensed these events. Above is my FB post 5 days before my Mindoro trip which contributed to the gradual changing of my life.

"Be broken, then be fixed and be made whole again." (to quote myself!) The survivors did a great job. Will I?

From Multiply 070: Efren Penaflorida: Bayani

Madalas kong nababasa na ang mga Pilipino ay labis na nagbibigay halaga sa edukasyon. Hirap man ako maniwala (sa kadahilanang bibihira lamang ako makakita ng mga nagsisikap talagang mag-aaral lalo na ngayong nariyan ang iba't ibang dibersiyon na talaga namang nagiging hadlang sa pag-aaral) ay gugustuhin ko. Napansin ko lang kasi na karamihan sa mga magulang na Pilipino ay handang gawin ang lahat makapag-aral lang ang kanilang mga anak. Yun nga lang minsan ang mga anak ang hindi marunong mag-isip at bulakbol lang ang ginagawa.

Pero nitong mga huling linggo, nababasa ko ang tungkol sa isang tao na nagpabago ng buhay ng mga kabataan. SIya ay si Efren Penaflorida. Ayon sa mga dyaryo, sa halip na sumali siya sa mga "gang" ay pinili niyang magsilbi sa bayan sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay edukasyon sa mga kabataang walang kakayahang makapag-aral. Isa siya sa mga dapat na binibigyan ng fokus ng media, isang mas karapat-dapat na idolohin kaysa doon sa boksingero.

Ang nakakainis lang, kailangan pa talaga na ibang bansa ang unang magbigay parangal sa kanya bago ang sarili nating bayan. Siguro, kung hindi siya nanalo bilang CNN Hero of the Year 2009, hindi siya gagawing myembro ng Order of Lakandula, ang pinakamataas na karangalan na pwedeng ibigay sa mamamayang katangi-tanging naglingkod sa Pilipinas. Napakahipokrita talaga ng gobyerno. Sa tingin ko, napilitan lang din sila gawin iyon para lang sabihin ng ibang bansa na labis ang suporta ng gobyerno sa edukasyon. Pero ito'y isang malaking kasinungalinagn!

Kung tutuusin, ang pagiging "backward" ng Pilipinas ay dulot ng korupsyon. Dahil sa labis na fokus sa pansariling interes, ang mga opisyal ay nangungurakot. Nababawasan ang pera ng kaban ng bayan, at nababawasan din ang badyet para sa mga serbisyong panlipunan tulad na lamang ng pangkalusugan, edukasyon, pabahay, atbp. Sadya rin ang pagpapahirap sa mga tao. Ang pag"deny" sa mga tao ng matinong edukasyon ay nakahahadlang sa kritikal na pag-iisip. Kaakibat ng patuloy na pagbibigay importansya sa mga walang kwentang bagay ng media ang gobyerno na naglalayong gawing mangmang ang mga tao para mas madali silang mauto. At ngayon nga, mangmang ang masa.

Pero ganon-ganon na lang ba? Natutuwa ako kapag nakakarinig ako ng mga Pilipinong hindi lang binago ang sariling buhay, kundi ay nakapagpabago rin ng buhay ng kapwa niya Pilipino. Bibihira lang ang mga taong tulad ni Penaflorida, pero lubos na nakakataba ng puso na alam mong may natitira pa ring nagmamalasakit sa bayan.

Isa siyang inspirasyon. Bilang isang iskolar ng bayan, magiging tulad rin niya kaya ako? Matagal ko ng napagdesisyunan na pagkatapos ko ng kolehiyo ay mag-aaral ako sa ibang bansa at babalik dito sa Pilipinas pagkatapos ko makalikom ng sapat na eksperiensiya. Ang hamon ko sa sarili ay "matutupad ko ba ito?". Sa lahat ng iskolar ng bayan, matatapatan o mahihigitan niyo ba ang ginawa ni Penaflorida? Sana lang, kapag nakaasenso na tayo sa buhay ay hindi natin malilimutan ang ating kapwa Pilipino na lagmak sa kahirapan.

Edukasyon para sa lahat!!! Iyan ang dapat na ipaglaban natin.

Efren Penaflorida, isa kang bayani. Saludo ako sa iyo!!!

Nov 24, '09 12:04 PM
for everyone