Alex in Chiapas!

I'm keeping this short until I hear from Alex, who is planning on writing up her take on her visit down here to Chiapas. I can tell you, though, that it was a memorable one for her.

I knew that having Al come down would, as a secondary effect to having wonderful company, remind me of things I've forgotten about. More than doing this, though, her visit confirmed a lot of the things that have been driving me crazy, like having to bargain a price for a taxi or anything in the market, and being stared at constantly.

Alex's favorite part of the trip was Palenque, partly because it was the "least Mexican" part of the trip. That's not to say the food and the people aren't good here (other 99% 0f the men), but life here can be chaotic, noisy, and a bit unpredictable. Palenque sees a lot of tourists, so it offers more peace and stability than Tuxtla.

Another interesting commentary from Alex: would life here have its appeal if it weren't so cheap? "Would be pay 15 dollars for these belts at home?" She asked. No, probably not, I thought. But, they're cute and they're about two dollars here... I think she might be onto something.

I feel a little guilty that Alex had to come in essentially my last month here, when I'm getting a little tired of the noise, relative disorganization, and the gross pigmen. On the one hand, she saw what life, as opposed to vacation, is like here; but I hope she didn't see so much that the trip lost its ability to be enjoyable!

My two highlights from Alex's journey south of the border were:

1. Swimming in a waterfall! Alex discovered one of my remaining fears: walking over a waterfall tidepool on a wet log.

2. Being chased by a mystery animal in the Olmec park. Alex has a lovely video of this, and when she can access her photos I hope to get a copy.