slow down in san cristobal...

i will never tier of the vivid colours that embody mexico. the food, the houses, the clothes and even the flora and fauna. old meets new in this country. you can spend the day wondering through markets, seeing people selling crafts that date back hundreds of years, and in the same breath, see a toddler flaunting the latest iphone. vast contradictions, which seem to fit like a puzzle.

san critobal has been a great spot to stop and absorb the wonders of a small mexican town and it has been great to meet some locals (both mexican and expats) who are able to educate us on their way of life. everything here moves at the leisurely place, one is never hurried. take your time, take a breath. we learned early on in the piece that it is completely normal to sit and wait half an hour to order a meal or to get your bill. you are in mexico. chill.

one of the amazing things that happens when you travel is how you can go from having a quiet evening and revising the day to meeting some of the most interesting people you may ever met in your life, momentarily. not staying in hotels allows you to share a dining room or a common room with fellow travellers ,who can enrich your thoughts and views in a few conversations.

this past week we were fortunate enough to meet a software engineer come tequila specialist (who taught us the process of making tequila and how to drink it and savour it correctly), a dermatologist and nurse from the usa who are both here volunteering for an amazing cause (more below) and a bunch of other intellects, who are all in mexico for different reasons.

the cool thing was that all of these people have had the amazing opportunity to visit with (or in the nurses cases work with) don sergio castro, a local hero and one who many say should be considered a modern day saint. unfortunately for kurt and i, we were unable to visit sergio, however this article and clip should be able to sum up some of the amazing work he does for the community, without any support from the mexican government. all medical supplies are either donated or purchased from donated funds received from visitors to his museums. an amazing man indeed.

if you have the time, i urge you to follow this link and find out how you can assist.

with some new vocabulary in-toe, tomorrow will see us venture into guatemala, to a special spot called antigua… glad to be leaving behind the copious amounts of "los hippies" that have taken of this charming little spot. haste luego coopettes.