cinco de mayo

Well, my friends, I have finally hit the literal road. Yesterday I took a taxi to Chels and Mathew's place and dropped off my big ol' backpacker's pack...for them to hold on to while I'm away! I'm so proud of myself that I managed to pack all my traveling stuff into a regular-size backpack (my 50 cent purchase at The Second Mile - how was it to know it would see a third, fourth, and even 500th mile?) and a huge fanny pack (this might adequately substitute for an early American bustle, if it was worn under a dress or more fashionably adorned. Too bad I didn't have access to it in elementary school when I almost got to play Abigail Adams but instead just played Lady with Bustle #4.)

Bustles aside, I have made it to San Cristobal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. This required an 11-hour overnight bus ride from Oaxaca. Upside: I had two whole seats to myself, both of which reclined, and Liz had the foresight to offer me Dramamine for the trip (thank you, Liz! What would I have done without you?) Downside: very cold on the bus, less than quality movie (sort of an Indiana Jones-type flick about a librarian who goes in search of 3 parts of a sacred spear), and the sightseeing turns out to be not so good in the middle of the night.

Once the Dramamine kicked in, though, I was not complaining. The trip went surprisingly fast, especially since we really only stopped twice (that I was aware of) before getting here, and arrive right around 8:00 a.m., when things were quiet, but sunny here in the city. I sure didn't have to worry at all about finding places to stay. As soon as I left the terminal, I was approached by 3 different people offering hostel accommodations. As it turned out, I ended up at one of those places - Planet Hostel - at which I seem to have the dormitory all to myself.

Today I walked - a lot. And, of course, I napped. A few of the highlights were early in the day - eating a big breakfast at Madre Tierra and befriending Mario the mesero (waiter), who I will be enjoying coffee with tomorrow. First day here, and already a chance to practice my Spanish more. Then I climbed up to San Cristobal church for a view of the city and stopped in to see Sol Maya language school. They also have an incredible view. And I went to the big municipal market, to Santo Domingo church, and down the pedestrian-only street, which is so super cute, colonial, and almost European-feeling. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to upload pictures yet, so I'll let Google provide some, if you want to get a feel for some of the sights.

Interestingly, I haven't seen any signs of Cinco de Mayo celebrations, and since I'm still working off limited sleep, I'm planning to spend the evening back here at the hostel with my bananas, avocadoes, and (of course) a package of chocolate Emperador cookies. Until next time, I leave you all to imagine me tomorrow getting on a bike (first time since January) at 8:15 for a BMX-style tour through the Chiapan countryside. I won't have pictures, 'cuz they're not allowed, so you'll just have to trust me on this one.