words, words, words

Seen a lot the past few days, and got to ride horses in the mountains. There was supposed to be a guide but he abandoned us and we were left to our own devices. I’m not an expert horseman, in fact, I’m rubbish. But I think I got the hang of it, even getting the horse to both turn and run. My highlight was steering it close enough to a garbage can that I could throw away an empty water bottle! Very exciting stuff. Sort of like a hairy motorcycle. There was also a big cave where the horses were, which was dark and wet, like the room in the hostel.
Got to visit a paper-making studio run by Mayan’s and went to the the Indigenous Medical Center which was very interesting. There is a lot to see here in San Cristobal, and I will come back to visit soon. But there are heaps of tourists and the hustling is a bit much to deal with sometimes. Tomorrow, Guatemala.

San Cristobal de Las Casas is cool, both in temperature and general disposition.
It is nice to get away from the coast for a little bit and go to Mayan country.
There is a lot to see here and at 4500 feet of elevation, it is nice to not sweat for a little while.
Today I went to Chamula, which is an indigenous village outside of San Cristobal and quite a shock.
The Templo there is an eye opener. A church, which has been reclaimed by the Mayan people is amazing.
There are pine needles on the floor and hundreds of candles, chanting and sacrificing of chickens.
Fascinating.
No photos are allowed, and I am kicking myself for not recording the chanting, I may have to go back.
I got there before the gringo tours started and it was eery and super cool.
Afterwards, hiked up into the mountains helped herd some sheep and got to see some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen.
Of course, all the people spoke Tzotzil as their primary language, which I’m picking up a few words of, and Spanish was mostly only helpful with the kids. I’ll try to write more about this as soon as I can.