I have always kept a record of my travels. It used to be with a pen and paper and 35 mm film. Now it’s all digital. On Flashback Fridays I reflect back on some of my past travels and travel mishaps before I started this blog.
The next few Flashback Fridays focus on Mexico, Guatemala, and other Mayan sites that I visited during my study abroad/independent study on Mayan Art and Architecture.
I have been avoiding Chiapas since I decided to stay in Campeche. [Yes, I do realize that Palenque is in Chiapas,] I have been avoiding it due to the Zapatistas that seems to thrive in the area. Maybe I was overreacting; maybe not, but the Zapatistas scare me. Chiapas is a poor state, and their grass-roots attempts at reform generally appeal to poorer people. Who knows? They may want to kidnap an American as part of their protest of NAFTA. I’m attempting to not appear American. I have my People in Espanol magazine, my Luis Miguel, Cristian Castro, and Thalia CDs. I am more than willing to pass for the Spaniard that everyone seems to think I am.
Somewhere between Tuxtla Gutierrez and San Cristobal the bus was stopped. Scary dudes with big guns boarded the bus. Two people were ‘escorted’ off. I say they were kidnapped, but what do I know. Maybe they wanted to go with the men in black suits with the big guns. The bus left. They were not on it. Why? Who knows, but that’s exactly what I am afraid of… Scary men with big guns taking me off the bus to who knows where.
See, I am in Zapatista territory…. I am probably going to die here… At least I am not in possession of any of the ‘forbidden’ items: Armas [oh the irony], seeds [for planting drugs or I don’t know maybe corn], or alcoholic beverages. And I am not planning to sell wood illegally or destroy nature. Maybe they will leave me alone after all. Hopefully San Cristobal will be a pleasant city to pass a few days in.