To Alps

a nice warm up before the week planned in Ukraine!

thisIsTheNextCallFor: Mont Blanc

I have just finished packing my big bag. I think I put all I will need. I can't find my bloody torch, but that's fine, Oleg should have one.

Tomorrow wake up at 5, or 4.50, to be sure, but still I am here, picturing the trip, feeling the magic emotion of each beginning. This time is more than an adventure: this time is almost random. We have vague ideas of where to go, what to see, where to sleep. We don't care. We like freestyle.

Tents, sleeping bags, wonderful montains: Mont Blanc is right there, waiting for us. And there we go.

Which bag is whose? Any guesses?

Mexican Food!

Overall Mexican food is very good, and very spicy. I mean, if you are looking for spicy, you will get spicy. In general, being a very big country, there is quite a bit of everything, from fish (mariscos, if you are not allergic to it is great!) to meat (chicken, pork, cows, beef...). Our (European) bread is replaced by the tortillas, that they fill with a lot of stuff (and here you got your taco!). And another thing I find extremely delicious is the horchata, a refreshing beverage made with water and some concentrate of rice milk or coconuts. It is very delicious, nicely sweet and super thirst quenching. I loved it. Here few pics of what I got here and there! (and when I remember to shoot a pic before put everything in my mouth!).

 "should I try that? is not spicy right? yeah, I know, but here also water is spicy, Rodri!" 

 candies and colors in the Coyotepec night

they know how to party in Coyotepec 

Mezcal with insects... I have the proof that I ate those.. crunchy things, before drinking the Mezcal (which is a bit like the Tequila.. somehow). Check out the video..

              Did you say.. insects?

 Soup?

Many tasty different plates!

....and again...

.. and more...

and... dessert!

 Tacos with Gloria!!

Tequila.. drinking.. poor guy...

having breakfast with the future Manager of DuPont (choccolate and pepper is amazing!!)

Maya: a nice trip to Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Palenque.

The Maya were a very interesting and technologically advance population. In some way, they reminds me of the Greek, for their knowledge of math and astronomy, but also for their religion (kind of the same Gods everywhere in the world) and their general attitude to life. Politically organized in independent state-city, based on trading, religion and science. Architecturally they were as impressive as the Egyptians (and the Greeks, and the Romans..).

For example, one of the funniest thing of Chichen Itza (and the pyramid of Uxmal as well) is that when you clap your hands, the echo gives you back exactly the sound of the Quetzcoal bird. Exactly it. It is amazing and fascinating. An impressing place is the game field for the pelota game. As in the cartoon "The Road to El Dorado" the game field is exactly as it is in the movie: two rings and a huge field in between. The ball was touched only by elbows, arms, hips, thigh and leg: no feet or hands or head were allowed to touch the ball, which was supposed to enter in one of the two rings hung up in a quite high position. According to one historian it was the captain of the losing team to be sacrificed to the Gods; another historian believes it was the winner. In any case it was an honour to be sacrificed, and the violent death was the only way to reach straightly the heaven, otherwise there were 9 levels of "hell" (which was not really an hell.. at least no flames). Funny how similar is the idea of hell - underground - with levels, and heaven, in the sky. The style in Chichen Itza is not purely Mayan: there is a Toltec influence. Infact the pyramid is different than the one in Uxmal, and there are many references to human sacrifices and violent rituals, which are not present in Uxmal.

 El juego de la pelota in Chichen Itza, the biggest in the world!

 Chichen Itza Majestic Pyramid (and me in my standard position copy-pasted from the previous pic..!)

 Uxmal: the Pyramid of the Sourcerer

 Uxmal: the Observatory

 Uxmal: a fancy building, probably a temple.

Uxmal was a probably quite calm and devoted to religion, science and possibly trading. It is interesting, even in this part of the world, the close relationship between drugs and alcohol and ancient religious rituals (even if also modern religion has some echoes of this relationship): drug and alcohol were a mean to get in touch with the spirit, to learn and gain knowledge through hallucinatory experiences (Peyote, Mescaline), or simply to purify your body (through ingesting substances inducing vomit). Uxmal is the only city without a Cenote (the natural water supply that was used for religious but also practical uses), and therefore the main decoration -pretty much everywhere- is the face of the God Chaak, the God of the rain. The survival of the city depended on the rain, gathered in huge tanks hidden here and there. The presence of people trying to sell everything on the one side annoys me, since it kills a bit the magic effect of the ruins, on the other side it makes the city looked a bit alived again, gaining colors and other noise than the voice of the guides. With a bit of creativity you can picture them as ancient Mayan citizen living their trading life in the city, while the rich visitor goes from one temple to the next one...

 

Way less the presence of sellers and locals in Palenque: there is the Indiana Jones land, letting you climbing and losing yourself among the ruins! Palenque is quite amazing: you can freely climb around and explore almost everywhere (unfortunately the famous tomb of the Maya astronaut is not open to the public anymore: this tomb represents a man painted in a position as if he was driving a spaceship.. how easy is to imagine fascinating theories about aliens, pyramids and reptilians?). On the other side, the tomb of the red queen was open, and it was possible to slink inside: it's a famous queen whose name is due to the fact that the tomb is completely red inside, due to the presence of the cinnabar. But.. why do they put cinnabar? 

the tomb of the red Queen

Palenque: climbing in the ruins!

 Palenque: where everyone can feel like Indiana Jones!

6 things you did not know about Mexico city (special guest: Gonzalo, the best guide in town!)

Crossing the road in Mexico city: when instinct is a matter of survival! Things you should know to improve your chance to survive in a Mexican crosswalk:

A) the colors of the traffic lights are merely decorative. Green, yellow, red... doesn't really matter. Actually, the light could have also been blue or purple for what it matters: only, it wouldn't fit with the colors of the leaves in autumn;

B) when more than 5 people are crossing the same way you are supposed to, go with them: you will be enough to protect each other and have higher chance to reach the other side alive;

C) eye contact with car drivers is useless: they don't see you, and don't want to. You are a mere pedestrian piece of human with basically no rights to be on their way.

Gonzalo and me, at the top of the castle!

Birds here and there in the trees. Many of them. You don't see them, but you clearly hear them, way more than in Europe. Sometime also a squirrel just runs from one tree to the next. They are not scared at all: once one climbed on me looking for food. Literally on me. Overall the wood of Chapultepec  can be summarized in few words: singing birds, brave squirrels and cars.

Fun fact from the Anthropologic Museum : Indigenous people of Gran Nayak still veneherate Christ mainly as the creator of cattle, metal tools and money (new Gods for new ideas/words).

 

                                                                                                         Antropologic museum: scaaary stuff!






Calendar.. quite sure is Aztec!

stone snake heads, at the museum 

The main Cathedral of the city is a piece of art. Fun fact (thanks Gonzalo..!): the cathedral was supposed to be built in Perù, and the one now in Perù was supposed to be built in Mexico. Unfortunately, few centuries ago, they swapped the plans. Stuff that happens at the no-internet (and phone, and telegraph, and...) time. The other interesting thing is that.. the Cathedral is actually sinking, since it has been built over a swamp. Centimeter after centimeter, they are fighting to hold it at the right level. Maybe, it's just the previous Aztec temple which is trying to win its place back...

The cathedral and 4 particularly beautiful persons.

The castle looks more like a Palace, and thanks to the amazing Gonzalo (who guided me to the castle, telling me all the anecdotes in a super interesting way!). In it the carriage of the Austrian queen (Carlotta) who lived there, while Mexico was still under European influence, even though she was kind of obliged to live there.. she would have preferred European courts and lounges... When Mexico asked Austria to give back the majestic crown of Montezuma (the one at the Anthropologic museum is a replica), Austria asked back for the carriage. Of course, no one did anything else, yet. From the castle the view is amazing, and the inside of the room is kept as it was 2 centuries ago. Very European!

That should be the castle part of the castle. It's more a palace, but let's call it castle!

When I asked Gonzalo what he would change of Mexico, his replied hit me: he would change the feeling of the Mexicans about their past. It means, he would erase the idea that they were conquered by the Spanish, and that they were defeated: they were not. The Mexican are a melange of people, new people who should have a new language and a new identity more free from a difficult past. "We (the Mexican) blame and criticize the Spanish, but we do that in Spanish! We should do that in Mexican, however it could sound!" 

  

At a very famous hotel in the center of the city: Gonzalo knows any corner (and if you look like you know what you are doing, you can go everywhere. For free).

At the museum: you can throw stones to the head of that guy. For real. I have a video. Was fun.

Mexico: The drug control and the army (and the police, and the federal police, and the state police, and the traffic police... and my forgotten immigration paper).

I was in the car with Licinio, enjoying the Yucatan landscapes, after a day spent at the Cenotes and Uxmal. We were heading back to Merida, when we got stopped at a checkpoint of the army. There were a few cars in a queue, and at each side of the street 2 agents in riot uniform with huge riot shield. We slowly proceeded in the queue, until a soldier approached us. Automatic rifle clearly in sight, steadily in his arms:

- license and car document - to Licinio, who promptly winded down and handed the documents to the officer. 

- Portuguese...  - continued the military - Living in Merida? Yes? All right. Then he glanced at me - He is not Mexican - he continued.

-He is Italian

- Relative? - raising an eyebrown

- Amigo

- Pull over - pointing at the other side of the street, without taking off his eyes from me.

He asked us to go out of the car, slowly. We did. We stayed at the side of the car, while the man very meticulously  checked every centimeters of the car. Once finished, 10 minutes later, he pointed at my rucksack:

- On that table. Open all the pockets. - firm, not so kind request. I didn't get the reason of such a bad temper.

He looked inside, pull out all my stuff and checked all the items. One by one. It's quite stressful to have the rucksack checked by a guy with a grim and very little reassuring grimace on his face, shouldering a machine gun. It took him 5 full minutes to check every item in the bag. Then, as if it was nothing and without even looking at us, he said:

- Gracias, adios. - already headed to the next car.

I forgot my immigration paper in Mexico city, during my trip in Yucatan and Palenque. Well, not really forgot: I just thought that in this way I would have not lost it somewhere. I didn't know it was not supposed to leave my passport. Therefore, every time they (army twice, police once) checked me, it took me half hour of spanish/italian/body language (not gazing too much into the eyes, surprise/apologizing face expression, innocent look at the passport) to explain that my paper was in Mexico city, where I have a friend hosting me, and yes, I am not illegally in the country trying to import the italian mafia model in your economy, I am a simple traveller. I have to say that, despite their not very kind temper (it was my fault overall, no complains) they never did nothing more than explaining me that I was supposed to have that paper with me. All the time. Next time, por favor, remember that, 'hoja de inmigración', in the passport. Yes, you can go, stupid tourist..  

With Licinio at Uxmal & Cenotes

He couldn't come picking me up at the airport in Merida. After a while waiting for no one, and having asked a couple of people "Mr. Licinio? No.. I am sorry..", he phoned me he would have reached me at the hotel. No problem: 200 pesos to the taxi guy and there I am. In less than 10 minutes from my arrival at the hotel, a very interesting character crosses the threshold of the hotel, lightened from the back by a very warm sun. He stands still in the very middle of the door, looks inside, gazing at the people at the reception, then he looks at me. Smile: a warm, nice, intense smile, enriched by a flourished beard who reminds me of a St. Claus, or some American actor playing his role.

- You must be Andrea! Here you are. Very good. - vigorous shake of hand.

That "very good" is going to be a mantra during the trip. Anything that pleases him, from a good meal to a nice joke, would be inevitably accompanied by a half whispered "very good". Few minutes to make sure everything is fine at the hotel, then we go for lunch. I'll be his guest. We are supposed to plan my few days in Merida and surroundings, but we actually end up talking about everything but that: from Neuroscience to his view about life and his job now as a retired man.

We will spend a whole day on Wednesday, just 2 days after. We will go to Uxmal first, then to the Cenotes, where no one will be there and I will be free to swim in a wonderful water! Discussing about his view, about his projects, South America economy and politics, and his life philosophy gave me a wonderful and super exciting day. A character that in one day has been able to give me a huge example of a man who does what he believes in, that behaves very coherently and charismatically, and is very clever (sorry Licinio, not clever, only very old and expert!). By the way, do you know how an Argentinean decides to suicide? He jumps from his ego! ..very good..

Cenotes: Mexican heaven of refreshing water in the middle of the jungle

Bon appetit!