Art & colonial history

Mexico D.F., Oaxaca, St. Domingo de Zanatepec, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chetumal, Mexico

During our travels we have rested our weary bodies in countless hotel beds. Most hotels are pretty similar, nothing to write home about. However, a number of those that we frequented in Mexico had some special features. In our innocence we wondered why large mirrors were hung so low on the bedroom wall and why there was a roll of toilet paper on the nightstand. The special ‘nature’ TV channels were already a good clue, but late during our first night in Mexico city, the neighbors illustrated the intended purpose of this kind of hotels loud and clear. Ah well, the cleanliness of the room was impeccable and our bikes were safely parked.

All travel guidebooks warned us for the hectic traffic and high crime rates in Mexico city. However, after our experiences in Lahore and Delhi, we were not impressed; riding into the city was slow but easy and we never felt unsafe once. We spend an enjoyable day at the famous anthropological museum, admiring the artifacts from the different ancient Central-American civilizations. In contrast, the modern art and Tamayo museums did not strike us at all, mainly because their most famous works from Kahlo, Riviera and Picasso were not on display. In response, we hatched the plan to visit the murals by Riviera in the Palacio Gobierno, which surely must be on display permanently. But this is Mexico, and as it turned out, the palace was not open for public due to heightened security measures related to a teacher’s protest and the passing gay-pride.

A bit disappointed by the political capital, we headed towards the culinary capital of Oaxaca (OOWAAKAA). The Mayordomo’s hot chocolate fully lived up to its reputation, the pollo con mole (chicken aux chocolat) was excellent and even the fried grasshoppers were ….. interesting. The colonial centre had a nice atmosphere with pedestrian areas, relaxed coffee bars, handicraft markets and mainly Mexican tourists. After spending our pesos on the great food it was time to move further East.

A sky filled with bright yellow, dancing butterflies is a beautiful sight, but does not combine well with a speeding motorbike. After a long day of riding through the hilly forests, I noticed a roadside graffiti through my bright yellow stained visor saying “Warmshowers here”. Curiously we followed the signs leading up to Rodrigo’s driveway. He  and his two boys, Nathan and Matheo, were a bit surprised by the arrival of these two astronauts (according to the boys), but once the helmets were removed we were warm-heartedly invited into their house.  He and his wife Lupita had often catered for passing, two-wheeled travelers, in their words ‘to practice their ability to share their richness with others’. A philosophy we admire very much and will try to practice actively when we get back to the Netherlands. We had a great time frolicking with their boys and enjoyed Lupita’s food and Rodrigo’s stories a lot.

Two hunderd kilometers, thousand topes (speedbumps) and countless butterflies later, we parked our bikes in Posada El Gran Cipres in San Cristobal de las Casas, another kolonial town. This municipality, in the Central highlands of Mexico, had a strange mix of Jehova’s witnesses, Mexican neo-hippies, indigenous women selling handicrafts in the streets and some lost gringo’s. A nice spot for some planning, blogging and relaxing. From here, the Guatemalan border had become tantalizing close, still, the English heaven of Belize, a little further Northeast was also tempting. Where to wander next?