Day 70: San Cristobal de las Casas

These days I travel only with Andrea, and occasionally with friends we meet along the way. There exists an understanding between us that comes from time and common interests. Sometimes that interest is simply to relax and wander, occasionally it involves taking care of each other through health, language, and relaxation, but it always involves going wherever the wind may take us. Our history simply aids us in communicating efficiently and reading each others minds when necessary.

Since arriving on Friday in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, we have been staying at a place called the Peace House, basically a place for international volunteers. However, since we arrived it has only been us, and Zachary and Evan, two Indiana boys we met back in D.F. The space is nice as it gives us opportunity for relaxation and comfort. The only annoyance is a kitten who never seems to stop meowing and likes to poop everywhere.

Yesterday (Saturday), the evening was spent enjoying a dinner party with fellow travelers, filling up on guacamole while cooking spaghetti and beets, and sipping wine over conversations with old, fairly new, and very new friends. From Seattle, Frisco, Chi town, Germany, Mexico, and Michigan, we found commonalities in a dimly lit room with a fireplace in the corner, a table perfect for 8, and warmth from the stove.

Today (Sunday), I temporarily filled my craving for nature. 4km from the Zocalo is the Huitepec Ecological Reserve, filled with evergreen oaks that twist at the base and climb up to an elevation of 2700m into a cloud forest. After taking a combi (refurbished cheap van) to the entrance of the reserve, we made the climb, stopping occasionally at questions on wood stands, like, "these trees are different than the ones before, do you notice the difference?". The elevation made it occasionally difficult to breath and left me feeling light headed and glowing. The strange colorful cupped leaves covered the trails, reminding me of Michigan fall. I imagined myself, once again, walking through Kalamazoo trails, breathing deeply, taking it all in. And I realized that although I long for home, I know it is not yet time.

I have learned much, about the culture, about myself, about what is next for me. But there is a level of peace, of balance, of patience, of love that I feel is lacking. Although I know I can find this on my return, I feel that I need to challenge myself to reach further, to become these things in the presence of traveling, in the absence of familiarity and comfort. I find myself slipping from focus. With a plane ticket in hand I think too much of what is to come, but it is the here and now, the present in which I live, in which focus must reside.