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January 3rd, 2005 - On Pause (Jungle Paradise)
Whoa. My cycle tour is on hold, as I've randomly stumbled upon a jungle
paradise, in a patch of jungle near Palenque...
I've been living on the third floor of this exotically painted (bright
blue and green) house in the middle of the jungle with two amazing hippie-ish
Mexican musicians. We call the house our 'castle' because we're the tallest
structure in our area, and we have the entire third floor and rooftop
terrace to ourselves. The third floor doesnt have any walls, either -
all open-air - and so the trees and birds and squirrels are right near
our beds. Sometimes at night I sleep on the roof, under the treetops and
the incredible stars.
David and Antonio,
the brothers, are from Monterrey, live near the desert (peyote-land) and
tell fascinating stories of peyote, shamans, and native Indians. They're
constantly making music out of everything and anything, even jamming with
the sounds of the birds and crickets.
As for live music... in addition to the guys' music, there's also a band
that practices and lives on the first floor of our house. And a restaurant
nearby has live music every night, all night: and because we're so high
up in the trees, we can hear the music perfectly...
We've even hooked up an ice-bucket for beers. There's a pool right outside our house - but no water - because even though it's at least 90 degrees and 100% humidity, the locals think its too cold for swimming.
During the day?
Coconut-oil massages, jungle walks, monkeys, rivers, parrots, waterfalls,
music, abandoned pyramids, Mayan ruins...
The other day we walked through the jungle and made all these natural
instruments (collecting rocks, putting them in leaves, tying it up, etc
for a rattle type instrument) and then I was treated to a private concert
with the instruments later that evening - these guys are very, very talented.
It's great having Mexican guides, too: after talking to locals, we found
a small jungle trail that led to a Mayan temple. We spent the day there:
just us, the jungle, the pyramid, and monkeys. Also, my Spanish is now
peppered with Mexican slang and abstract stoner phrases that don't make
any sense.
The reason why everyone comes to Palenque is for the ruins, which are some of the best in Mexico: they're set in the thick of the jungle, right at the foot of mountains. The ruins here are incredible ... its one of those rare places in the world that takes your breath away.
I will get back on my bike soon... but for now, I am enjoying this small bit of jungle paradise.
(every time i check the internet the number of deaths from the earthquake seems to have doubled... my heart goes out to my friends in phi phi, au nang and krabi, and to everyone else affected... )
January 4th, 2005 - A Declaration of War
Apparently, the Mexican parasites in my stomach have declared war upon
the Indian parasites who colonized my intestinal tract about two years
ago.
Nothing ever beats the Indian parasites, so I'm not worried (Bangladesh
parasites would present some heavy competition, though).
At the urging of a friend, I've named my Indian parasites 'Ganga' (the
Hindi name for the holiest river, the Ganges) because the parasites are
strong and forceful like the Ganges. Also, I have a feeling that Ganga's
original conquest of my stomach occurred after I swallowed too much of
the Ganges river in a disastrous rafting trip near Rishikesh two years
ago... now, however, my Ganga comforts me like a warm blanket as it fends
off challenger parasites from all around the world.
Today I leave paradise on a bus from Palenque to Villahermosa, where I (finally) start my four-day journey up the mountains to San Cristobal. Wish I'd brought more Rammstein.
Hope my muscles
haven't turned to Jello.