Sunday, February 5  

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It all came flooding back.. the photography exhibition, the free wine, the joints and the stumble home.. and today was the day I would leave Oaxaca.

We cleaned up and said our goodbyes, it was an uncomfortable departure, coming from me, it was hard when all I could afford was bread. I left some Mezcal..

Vianey and I connected by now, we had gotten over our (still very real) worries.. she would tell me about it later and luckily things would sort themselves out.. now I've been in those shoes. But in the meantime all I had was her kiss, her hug, a bus, and a box of cardboard on the road with her name written on it as an omen goodbye. "Te quiero"..

   [ posted by Pablo @ 19:32 ] 0 Comments

I woke up on top of a torta and next to a pool of vomit..

It was a harsh reality that I didn't want to face. I took a bite out of the flat torta and went back to sleep, but sleep wouldn't clean my sleeping bag..

Vianey had to fill me in..

   [ posted by Pablo @ 19:29 ] 0 Comments

Vianey cooks while I sit at the kitchen table and worry about money. There's months to go in the city and I can barely feed myself. We're living off scrambled eggs and tortillas, with the occassional sandwich or candy. Vianey and I make out a lot, but a scare of epic proportions has me concerned. It's not a scare in fact. I can feel it. I know. More than her which is difficult to believe, but I'm not proven wrong and a tension is created, that, and the worry of money turns me into a man not much myself.

We spend the time smoking, drinking, chatting, fucking and drinking coffee. We walk around town, make bracelets.. but I don't want to talk. I hold her responsible.. and I know it's illogical and immature, but the feeling remains.. eventually I turn to her for money, she gets some wired over.. I feel like a Dean Moriarty, a womanizer who takes money from his woman to gamble and drink.. but for someone who isn't this, it's an experience. I play my role well hoiwever, tho very uncomfortable.

   [ posted by Pablo @ 19:25 ] 0 Comments

Penia wasn't surprised to see me again, or maybe he was, either way, it was expected.

"Three Days" I said..

Like the last time we knew it would be more. But I was resolute to be back to the city by the 28th. It would only be two weeks at the most. Achilles was happy to see me, as was Lobo. I love that guy, the gang was cool and Joe and I regularly sat out the back getting bitten by mosquitoes and smopking from his crusty pipe.

Vianey finally arrived, we were meant to meet at the bus stop at three.

There's two bus stops in Oaxaca, in opposite ends of the city, and three could be three a.m or three p.m.. It wasn't PM.. she'd just sent the mail.. she would be here tonight..

I spent the night running from one end to the other, waiting, wondering, hoping. A strange man followed me down a dark street on the bad end of town.. "hey boy, what are you doing.. come here".. trouble.

I turned around and played it casual "Hey bro, a bit late to be out, hows thing"

"yeah boy.. come closer.."

I knew I was in trouble, my spider sense was tingling, this was it. I was going to get raped and stabbed.. I knew it..

Suddenly a force came over me.. I held myself together and looked back at the man.. deep and strong.. right into his eyes.. and sent out a wave of invisible energy.. 'Dont mess with this' it said..
He looked at me... he knew whatever it was that he was feeling, he should stay away, "you have a good night boy" he worriedly muttered. and quickly left into the darkness.

Something had protected me at that point, whether my own will, an aura, a feeling, or just my body language of touch me and i'll bite your face off even if I die.. he was out of there.

Finally at five I found Vianey in the bus stop in the good end of town, the one with the seats, if only i'd known. She gives me a big hug, we kiss and I tell her about the night I've had waiting for her. The sky is simply beautiful, thick clouds, green, pink, orange and blue, its a sight to behold. We go back to my room in La Casa and make out.

   [ posted by Pablo @ 19:18 ] 0 Comments

15.9.06

I'm back in the Casa Rasta, was there any doubt i'd pass by here again? I couldn't get in contact with Vianey or Pati, my mums friend, to stay in Villahermosa. So I beat it to Coatzacoalcos & there got the next bus to Oaxaca, a 10-11 hour trip. I slept uncomfortable and cold sprawled out on the back seat.

I'm in Renes room now, he's moved out since his girlfriend got pregnant, listening to Hilltop Hoods and waiting for my clothes to be ready from the washers. It's the 15th, Mexican Independence day! So i'll be celebrating with the gang and drinking Mezcal. I hope Vianey passes through and stays for a while.. I got a room with a chair.

   [ posted by Pablo @ 19:13 ] 0 Comments

Matias had his moneybelt stolen, it was in his bag in our room, he noticed this morning at Palenque's bus station, someone went into the room because I didnt scramble the combination on the lock. I feel partly responsible. I offered him 700 pesosbut he wouldnt take it so I gave him a bracelet I'd made at 'El Duende' where we'd hung out drinking cubas and talking. I feel really bad for him, I hope he'll be ok.. Im sure he will.

I'm on a bus back to Villahermosa, on my way back to the city and passing through Veracruz to see Vianey. My clothes are rotting and I haven't had a shower for weeks.

   [ posted by Pablo @ 19:10 ] 0 Comments

So I finally made it to Tikal, my number one destination since the beginning of my trip, I ha lost hope I would ever reach it, had it not been for Igaels encouragement, Robertas help, and the coincidences with Omar and Sinuhe, I may have never made it.

I went with Leonardo, one of my favourites, an italian traveller with a soul like my own. We'd met the night previous at Los amigos hostel in flores. He made me feel comfortable, we went out for drinks to bitch about the rude Israelis, but we agreed that there were reasons to their behaviour. The next day we made it out after I finally washed my filthy, rotting, stinking bag of clothes, we bought some bread, ham, tomatoes and avocados and headed to Tikal.

On the bus we met Kerry, a pommy girl who didnt speak a word of Spanish. We were the only ones going into Tikal on this off tourist season that evening..

We were greeted by an empty jungle quickly filling with fog, mystic energies could be felt, this is no exageration, shivers would crawl up our spines as we played at discovereres exposing a new wonder to the world. The pyramids crept up on us amongst the dense jungle and howls of monkeys, fat slugs crawled on the ground and we were careful not to step on them. What a place, what a feeling, i'm breathless just writing about it. The thick fog rose and created a purple blue haze.. a still and ambient vibe surrounded us.. we climbed the tallest pyramids and sat in joy and awe, and took photos as we discussed ways to spend the night in the pyramid.. as the night came and the sounds of the jungle died down a guard spotted us and walked us out of the park despite our pleas. He told us of the small percentage of the city that has really been discovered, and about his encounter with a leopard. "the scariest moment in my life"

We slept outside, sharing a tent and talking about the world and our travels. Kerry showed us her many collected items, all priceless, all meaningless to the casual observer, but each with a wonderful story, if only to Kerry.

The next morning we headed back to Tikal, the morning was as magnificent as the afternoon, but as the park filled with tourists it turned from a lost city of mystic pride, into an amusement park to be captured and shown off to friends back at home. I felt mildly sick, but would probably be culpable of the same behaviour had I been in the tourist situation so I let it go..

We ended up sleeping in a hidden pyramid during the day, the warmth and vibe was nurturing, comforting, full of vibrant energy.. I chased a butterfly then went with Leonardo and Kerry to sleep. When I awoke I took my shoes off, and decided to go for a random walk..

My intuition led me to an assembly of three mayan descendants holding a ceremony in front of the great pyramid.. I felt that my being there, without shes, like them, was no coincidence. I looked for their permission and felt welcome, so joined in on the ceremony. They accepted and included me in their prayers, to the lake, the deer, the sun, the stone, the u.s, yes even them.. I was handed a cigar to smoke and throw into the fire as they burnt colourful candles and effigies.. I serenely watched and felt the energy of the fire, the smoke, take me away with it into the skies and away from this world. A ceremony of goodwill, a ceremony of abundance. I will forver be thankful at having been accepted and invited.. this was the peak of my journey. I had done what I'd come to do, all was fulfilled.

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Notes from diary :

From Tikal I stayed at El Remate, ran into Matias, Chilean dude I'd met while working at Freedom Bar,we stayed up drinking cuvas & talking about interesting things, with Pablo, the owner of the palce. He almost didnt let us stay because Kerry and Leonardo tried to get a cheaper price. "No, youre rich tourists pretending to be poor" "But we'll go to another place" "Go to another place, you can call home and get money" "Ok you win, we'll stay".

Kerry was a bit annoying but has a great soul, Leonardo fell asleep. I decided to hook up with Matias and head to Palenque the next day.

Slept in tent with Leo and Kerry and woken up at 5 by Matias, we hitched a ride in a wagon to Sta. Elena, then caught a motorbike/car to Flores so I could pick up my stuff from Los amigos, said farewell to the brazillians & back to Flores to the border. A hot cramped, bumpy ride we then had to cross the river to Mexico they wanted 250 Q!! Fuck that, we got a taxi for 100, the driver was cheery and helpful, took uss to a spot where we could cross for ten pesos, on the way we ran into Jens and Saskia, Matias knew them and they came along for the ride so we split the cost, at the mexican border we caught a bus to palenque. I found out I couldnt change my Quetzales!! luckily i found some brits headed to guate and swapped half, the other half I changed at Panchan, a resort in the palenque jungle where we stayed.

   [ posted by Pablo @ 18:48 ] 0 Comments

El Cuarto de Tula ..

En el Barrio la cachimba se ha formado la corredera, X2
Ahi vienen los bomberos, las campanas sus sirenas..

Hay Mama, que paso? X2

El cuarto de Tula agarro candela, se quedo dormida y no apago la vela.

A-, G, F, C

   [ posted by Pablo @ 18:43 ] 0 Comments

San Pedro -> Guatemala City w/Angelica -> Barrios w/ Emmanuel & Jenny, talked to man on bus, read play while he sung.. -> Got mugged by crackheads with icepicks -> Livingston, rastas, black africans, met Heidi, Collin, Hoff, Zara (Israel) -> Seven Altares -> Ixobal (yuck!) with Hoff and Zara, learnt Hebrew -> Flores, casa amigo, ran into Brazillians from San Pedro (performers and artisans) met Leonardo -> Tikal w/Leonardo & met Kerry on bus.

   [ posted by Pablo @ 18:39 ] 0 Comments

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