Olmec has spoken

A few weeks ago, Erika (the Kindergarten teacher) and I spent a weekend in Villahermosa, in the state of Tabasco. Contrary to what you (and I) might have thought, Tabasco sauce is made in Louisiana, and I didn't see much evidence that would suggest it started in Tabasco... although hot sauces in Mexico certainly take the cake.
Anyhow, we arrived around 9pm and were told by men at a souvenirs kiosk to be careful walking around. A good start to the trip. Despite this, we opted to walk to the downtown "Zona Luz" (not Zona Luz Roja... *forced laughter*) and find a hotel. We checked out budget and high-end options before deciding on Hotel Miraflores, due to the combination of a promotion and air conditioning. It was without question the nicest hotel I have stayed in in Mexico (stay tuned for an episode of indoor camping at Puerto Arista).
We only spent a day and a half in Villahermosa, but I quite enjoyed the city. We visited the Yumka Safari Park, where you can walk through the rainforest (e.g. what would normally be there) and then an African safari (or what would normally NOT be in Southern Mexico). The birds are freely hanging out, much to Erika's chagrin (she's a little fearful of the avian friends), but the snakes are caged (yessssssssss). That looks like hissing; completely unintentional. Interpret it as Napoleon Dynamite-esque.
After hitting the safari park in the morning/early afternoon, we checked out the Olmec trail, within the Parque-Museo La Venta. Before we made it to the statues, we passed the monkeys and almost had to tackle a kid who thought it was a good idea to throw a plastic cup into the monkey area. Actually, his parents should be tackled for not teaching him not to do that, and for not freaking out when he did it! I wanted to throw a plastic cup at the kid and see how he would like it... and make him imagine mistaking it for food... Tirade over.
Since I was a youth during the golden age of Legends of the Hidden Temple, checking out the Olmec heads was without a doubt a highlight of, and a driving force behind, my trip to Villahermosa. There was no temple, but there were plenty of uneven paths and Olmec heads. Purple Parrots forever!
Our last stop on Saturday involved the Villahermosa Mall, Tabasco 2000. Erika is a MAC addict, and MAC is the only makeup I enjoy, and this mall has the only MAC outside of Mexico City, so it was a logical part of the agenda. We made friends with one of the clerks/artists, which made me long for the MAC in Cannes and the girls we befriended there. Nostalgia done.
Sunday morning we had a leisurely breakfast, I bought shoes I don't need (hey, at least I can admit it), and we found out the bus at 11:15 didn't really exist. Luckily in Mexico there are usually three different means of transportation, so we took a colectivo taxi home. The man sitting in the middle was sleeping and kept falling into me, which was not appreciated, but hey, if there's no bus, you do what you have to do.

Post-script: that animal in the photo (not me! the orange lizard-like dude!) is called a garoto, and he was just chilling out in the wild rainforest part of the zoo, where what naturally would be there just ... is there.