A crucifixion, a trip to Palenque and a fiesta de quince años.
I was in the middle of some sort of cold when we drove to Tuxtla to pick up the Messersmiths (for those of you who don't know them, that is Tammi and Scott who are the parents and Josie and Sasha their children). Those of you who have taken the curvy drive between San Cristobal and Tuxtla will know that the elevation drops at a surprising rate when you go to Tuxtla. Now as I recently learned, when you have a cold that is an awful time to change elevation because your ears are already sort of plugged up. After a while in that manner, it sort of makes you feel like your head is about to pop open like a ripe nut (NOT A GOOD FEELING). On top of the discomfort you can't hear very well so you feel like you are deaf and yelling at everyone without meaning to!
The whole thing was worth the outcome though, which was getting to see the Messersmiths and have them stay with us for a while. Gradually as the trip went on, I became able to hear and my runny nose went away.
Having the Messersmiths here was really a lot of fun because we walked around the city and showed them all the best sites of the city. I was reminded why the city was so great as I walked the andadors that I don't walk as often any more, went to the artisan's market and sat in the zocalo. It's as if I got to see the best parts of the city through new eyes.
We went to the Good Friday reenactment of the crucifixion, which was interesting but very similar to the way I remembered it (and the same weird-shaped ponytailed guy was one of the Roman soldiers). One night in a kids' meeting at night in the room we shared (my bedroom) we decided to do an Easter surprise for the adults. We made a note saying that they shouldn't eat anything on Easter in the morning and only drink coffee if absolutely necessary so as to save their appetite for the breakfast we were going to make for them. On the day of, we woke up and made scones and menus offering different things for breakfast. Josie and I were the chefs and Oscar and Sasha the servers. The scones turned out really yummy and the breakfast was very successful; the day was warm and sunny and we set up the tables in the shade outside.
We had been dyeing eggs for the easter egg hunt for the last couple of days so then as the kids went upstairs to blow up balloons to pass the time, the adults hid the eggs. They were surprisingly hard to find!! There was one that was never uncovered which seems to be like an unintentional Easter tradition!
One day sometime before we left for Palenque Josie got pretty sick; she had really bad stomach cramps. We were unsure if she would be well enough to go to Palenque at the same time as us. After delays because of the mechanic that had our car, we left hours later than we were planning on fortunately we left at a good time for Josie so she came with us! We had a discussion about whether to leave then or the next day. We were thinking of postponing it because of a short-lived but powerful rain storm and the fact that it is not recomended to drive at night especially on that road. We ended up going anyway. The drive was a little rough with Josie and I changing seats with Scott and Tammi to sit in the middle because of my carsickness and her illness. We ended up surviving the 5 1/2 hour drive and had a super late dinner (I ate one of the hotel's wonderful hamburgers!!).
Our stay at the hotel Chan Kah was very enjoyable because of the delicious food and three wonderful pools. We heard and saw the amazing howler monkeys. They fascinate me in some way I can't explain with such a loud voice coming out of their small seemingly un-interesting bodies. Poor Josie had a rough first couple days there because her sickness got worse and she was vomiting and feeling bad. Around the last day, she mostly recovered and we all swam together and had fun drawing tattoos on each other. She was still sick when we went to the ruins so only Scott, Sasha, my dad, Oscar and I went. I had seen it two times already but I still had fun racing up the killer stairs (literally killer stairs--one trip and bye-bye! ) and my favorite part was seeing the recently opened "Red Queen's Tomb" which is the only place in which you get to walk straight inside the pyramid.
We drove back earlier to arrive in time for Lorena's (not my best friend Lorena, but the one whose family we stayed with when we homestay visits) "fiesta de quince años." Upon arriving, we showered and dressed up fancy. I was wearing nylon black tights, a pretty black dress with thin straps and a orangish-redish sweater with a gold branch pin that I got for my birthday. As we arrived at the traditional mass, we realized just how cold it was (VERY). We had to keep standing up but every time we sat down, Josie and I put my mom's nice coat over our legs and Sasha shared her mom's shawl with me (which is surprisingly warm). We silently discussed with our eyes and expressions whether we should cross ourselves or not. I think we generally did not which was easier because I had a hard time remembering if it was left right or right left (spectacles, testicles, watch and wallet but which side is watch and which is wallet -- thanks a lot, Scott, for that memory device). If I observed correctly it was left-right.
After walking out of church behind Lorena in her puffy green-blue one strap dress, we all walked through the frigid air and into our cars. We followed Rogelio (one of the nicest band members who plays soccer with my dad) while he was in a taxi with his girlfriend and her sister. At one point they pulled over ahead of us when they were out of sight to make sure we were able to follow them.
We arrived at the place for the "fiesta de quince años" more bundled up and found that it was like a reception area for a wedding, the theme colors were green and gold so there were balloons and ribbons around the chair that coordinated with that. We all got to sit at a table together and only shared it with two other people we were originally un-aquainted with; they were really nice. Mostly all of the female family members went bustling around setting down food and all around working really hard. The waiters went around and took our drink orders. The parents got alcoholic drinks (they had a lot of those) and the kids got coke. Normally coke is an off-limits drink for night time because of the caffeine, but in this case, it was past nine and the party was only getting started. We sat around, observed, drank more coke and made comments to each other. The waiters were surprisingly efficient and over all I think I had some crazy number of cokes: 5-7 full glasses. I thought that that would make it hard for me to sleep after the party but that yummy chemical drink helped me stay awake through the whole thing.
Lorena came out with her "chambelanes" (teenage, boy dancers who dance with the quinceñera) and they did the a cool dance to "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera. Then they did a traditional dance like the last doll dance where she is given her last doll before becoming a woman. They did some traditional dances and then at 11:00 p.m., they finally served dinner: hamburgers for the kids and a plate with chicken, pasta and a salad I believe for the adults. We were really hoping to be served the cake because as the invitation said, "if you don't go to the mass, you don't get cake." I thought they were going to serve the cake at 12:00 am but was dismayed when it wasn't. We stayed longer and watched a whole 'nother set of dances after a costume change. The boys changed into halloween masks and costumes and did a dance around Lorena who wore a shore black one sleeved dress with black tights.
At 1:00 am, we just got way too tired so Tammi took the remaining kids home while my parents stayed to please Lorena's parents who always want us to stay longer! We found out later that at 2:20 am they served cake, and then they left 3:30 am after another set of dances!!
I was in the middle of some sort of cold when we drove to Tuxtla to pick up the Messersmiths (for those of you who don't know them, that is Tammi and Scott who are the parents and Josie and Sasha their children). Those of you who have taken the curvy drive between San Cristobal and Tuxtla will know that the elevation drops at a surprising rate when you go to Tuxtla. Now as I recently learned, when you have a cold that is an awful time to change elevation because your ears are already sort of plugged up. After a while in that manner, it sort of makes you feel like your head is about to pop open like a ripe nut (NOT A GOOD FEELING). On top of the discomfort you can't hear very well so you feel like you are deaf and yelling at everyone without meaning to!
The whole thing was worth the outcome though, which was getting to see the Messersmiths and have them stay with us for a while. Gradually as the trip went on, I became able to hear and my runny nose went away.
Having the Messersmiths here was really a lot of fun because we walked around the city and showed them all the best sites of the city. I was reminded why the city was so great as I walked the andadors that I don't walk as often any more, went to the artisan's market and sat in the zocalo. It's as if I got to see the best parts of the city through new eyes.
We went to the Good Friday reenactment of the crucifixion, which was interesting but very similar to the way I remembered it (and the same weird-shaped ponytailed guy was one of the Roman soldiers). One night in a kids' meeting at night in the room we shared (my bedroom) we decided to do an Easter surprise for the adults. We made a note saying that they shouldn't eat anything on Easter in the morning and only drink coffee if absolutely necessary so as to save their appetite for the breakfast we were going to make for them. On the day of, we woke up and made scones and menus offering different things for breakfast. Josie and I were the chefs and Oscar and Sasha the servers. The scones turned out really yummy and the breakfast was very successful; the day was warm and sunny and we set up the tables in the shade outside.
We had been dyeing eggs for the easter egg hunt for the last couple of days so then as the kids went upstairs to blow up balloons to pass the time, the adults hid the eggs. They were surprisingly hard to find!! There was one that was never uncovered which seems to be like an unintentional Easter tradition!
One day sometime before we left for Palenque Josie got pretty sick; she had really bad stomach cramps. We were unsure if she would be well enough to go to Palenque at the same time as us. After delays because of the mechanic that had our car, we left hours later than we were planning on fortunately we left at a good time for Josie so she came with us! We had a discussion about whether to leave then or the next day. We were thinking of postponing it because of a short-lived but powerful rain storm and the fact that it is not recomended to drive at night especially on that road. We ended up going anyway. The drive was a little rough with Josie and I changing seats with Scott and Tammi to sit in the middle because of my carsickness and her illness. We ended up surviving the 5 1/2 hour drive and had a super late dinner (I ate one of the hotel's wonderful hamburgers!!).
Our stay at the hotel Chan Kah was very enjoyable because of the delicious food and three wonderful pools. We heard and saw the amazing howler monkeys. They fascinate me in some way I can't explain with such a loud voice coming out of their small seemingly un-interesting bodies. Poor Josie had a rough first couple days there because her sickness got worse and she was vomiting and feeling bad. Around the last day, she mostly recovered and we all swam together and had fun drawing tattoos on each other. She was still sick when we went to the ruins so only Scott, Sasha, my dad, Oscar and I went. I had seen it two times already but I still had fun racing up the killer stairs (literally killer stairs--one trip and bye-bye! ) and my favorite part was seeing the recently opened "Red Queen's Tomb" which is the only place in which you get to walk straight inside the pyramid.
We drove back earlier to arrive in time for Lorena's (not my best friend Lorena, but the one whose family we stayed with when we homestay visits) "fiesta de quince años." Upon arriving, we showered and dressed up fancy. I was wearing nylon black tights, a pretty black dress with thin straps and a orangish-redish sweater with a gold branch pin that I got for my birthday. As we arrived at the traditional mass, we realized just how cold it was (VERY). We had to keep standing up but every time we sat down, Josie and I put my mom's nice coat over our legs and Sasha shared her mom's shawl with me (which is surprisingly warm). We silently discussed with our eyes and expressions whether we should cross ourselves or not. I think we generally did not which was easier because I had a hard time remembering if it was left right or right left (spectacles, testicles, watch and wallet but which side is watch and which is wallet -- thanks a lot, Scott, for that memory device). If I observed correctly it was left-right.
After walking out of church behind Lorena in her puffy green-blue one strap dress, we all walked through the frigid air and into our cars. We followed Rogelio (one of the nicest band members who plays soccer with my dad) while he was in a taxi with his girlfriend and her sister. At one point they pulled over ahead of us when they were out of sight to make sure we were able to follow them.
We arrived at the place for the "fiesta de quince años" more bundled up and found that it was like a reception area for a wedding, the theme colors were green and gold so there were balloons and ribbons around the chair that coordinated with that. We all got to sit at a table together and only shared it with two other people we were originally un-aquainted with; they were really nice. Mostly all of the female family members went bustling around setting down food and all around working really hard. The waiters went around and took our drink orders. The parents got alcoholic drinks (they had a lot of those) and the kids got coke. Normally coke is an off-limits drink for night time because of the caffeine, but in this case, it was past nine and the party was only getting started. We sat around, observed, drank more coke and made comments to each other. The waiters were surprisingly efficient and over all I think I had some crazy number of cokes: 5-7 full glasses. I thought that that would make it hard for me to sleep after the party but that yummy chemical drink helped me stay awake through the whole thing.
Lorena came out with her "chambelanes" (teenage, boy dancers who dance with the quinceñera) and they did the a cool dance to "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera. Then they did a traditional dance like the last doll dance where she is given her last doll before becoming a woman. They did some traditional dances and then at 11:00 p.m., they finally served dinner: hamburgers for the kids and a plate with chicken, pasta and a salad I believe for the adults. We were really hoping to be served the cake because as the invitation said, "if you don't go to the mass, you don't get cake." I thought they were going to serve the cake at 12:00 am but was dismayed when it wasn't. We stayed longer and watched a whole 'nother set of dances after a costume change. The boys changed into halloween masks and costumes and did a dance around Lorena who wore a shore black one sleeved dress with black tights.
At 1:00 am, we just got way too tired so Tammi took the remaining kids home while my parents stayed to please Lorena's parents who always want us to stay longer! We found out later that at 2:20 am they served cake, and then they left 3:30 am after another set of dances!!
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| Favio in a Dora costume at the dance in the center |
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| From left to right: Maya the mime, Lore/Frankie Stein, Mafer/Draculaura, me/random dancer person and Ana the geisha doll |
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| The cowj-ster |
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| Oscar as he opens up his birthday present from me: an emergency food kit full of chocolates, popcorn and candy |
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| Papa Tom and JoJo on the Andador |
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| Ricardo (Ana's brother), Oscar and Claudio (Lore's cousin) looking too cool for the school play they are in! |
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| Sasha and I after a Palenque temple run race (all we did was race up the stairs, which is a GREAT workout). |
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| The toddlers dressed up in their spring costumes, from left to right: Marco, Santiago, Paola, Max, Naomi, Regina and Naomi's twin Sienna. |
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| Yep, I am a tree hugger (and a giant one at that!). |
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| The hotel restaurant that overlooks the 3 pools. |
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| The waterfalls of Agua Azul. |
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| Altar made in the street on Good Friday. |
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| They were happy to let us take pictures of them. |
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| And really, my dad couldn't resist! |
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| (Fake) Jesus on the cross. |
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| Waiting for the parade to come down the street. |
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| The party invitation for Lorena's birthday party. |
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| The kids' table at Entropia. |
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| Baby Oskie. |
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| Starting our hike in the forest. |
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| We call it the Indiana Jones bridge! Guess why! |
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| One of our many river crossings. |
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| The bridge to Terabithia. |
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| Watching our stick boats race by |
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| At the adorably little church in the nearby city |
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| The Judases in the town (they were blown up later) |
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| They were all based on what they think the sins of the world are |
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| The staff at the Easter breakfast with the yummy scones we made |
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| Tammi and Scott eating their breakfast in the back yard |
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| Opening our Easter bags |
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| They were hidden in hard to find places and were full of candy! |
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| The other two people that shared our table at the fiesta de 15 años, Daniela (Lorena's little sister) is the girl fast asleep under that woman's shawl. The little kids would sleep on her for a while and then hop up and go to play. |
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| The lights for dancing at the party |
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| The four of us on a scavenger hunt at Guadalupe church |
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| At the zocalo with the scavenger hunt clues in our hand |
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| What was left of our cotton candy that we shared across from the Cathedral. A kid tried to make us pay 20 pesos for this little thing |
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| Mr. Shadow mustache |
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| That was as close as it got to my face |
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| The shining star on a stick |
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| No we are not singing the national anthem |
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| Sasha on our trip to the ruins |
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| The first pyramid and on the second pillar on the left is.... |
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| This awesome skull |
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| GUERAS! |
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| This temple had a great view of the whole site |
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| Not to mention the jungle! |
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| Wow, that looks weird!!! |
