In Which Sarah and Megan Watch Footage of a Placenta Being Burried
Megan Discusses the Morning
We just made it back to our hostel, hustling, as a gigantic rainstorm rolled in from the hills. Sarah has a sixth sense about these things — I wanted to press on.
Today was filled with activity. We started off at Museo Na Bolom, the former home of a couple of anthropologists who worked extensively with the Lacadonians from the 1950s til today. Trusting in our guidebook one more time (even though it has so often led us astray) we arrived at 11 for a tour only to find that the tour only happened at 4:30 or if you had 4 or more people. So, we wandered aimlessly for half an hour trying to decipher the exhibits, cursing Lonely Planet, until we spotted a charming restaurant located within the hacienda walls. For less than 5 American dollars, we got fruit, orange juice, coffee, homemade bread, and the best huevos I´ve had in México. We even spotted a hummingbird.
Sarah Discusses the Afternoon
Sated and content, we wandered further north, past the municipal market, towards the Museum of Mayan Medicine, which, if I do say so myself, was totally awesome. It was run by an NGO whose mission is the preserve and promote Mayan medicinal practices. The museum is a series of six life-size dioramas of different healing practices, and your last stop is a video about how Mayan women give birth, on their knees embraced by the father of the child. I didn´t understand a word of the video, but there was a lot to see just looking at the footage: labor, newborns covered in blood and goo, and a placenta. Good times. Anyway, I´d recommend this museum to anyone who´s in San Cristobal de las Casas, definitely a must see.
While we were there we ran into our first true American travellers (I´m not counting the young man who we met upon our arrival to San Cristobal who is in Mexico to play for a pro-basketball team in Guadalajara. He lived the first six years of his life in Nigeria and I think he´s a liar… I don´t think there is a pro-basketball team in Guadalajara, plus he was kind of short, but what do I know?) So, now we know where the American travellers go… to the coolest, most socially-responsible spots. Once again, we´re number one.
We´ve set up a transport from our hostel to Huehuetenango on Saturday morning. There we will meet our college friend Zil who´ll spend the Guatemala portion of the trip with us. In the words of Max Hodes, here´s to Good Friends and Friendship.
-Megan and then Sarah
P.S. Click here for our latest pictures
Tags: American Identity, Central America, Chiapas, México, Mexico, North America, Photography, Times When Lonely Planet Has Led Us Astray, Travel
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OK, everybody. You are clearly not procrastinating as effectively as me. I am the first responder AGAIN.
I write to you all in confessional mode. I have just violated one of the few hard and fast LAWS of my relationship. I am NOT allowed to play with bleach. This law was carved into stone after I accidentally put bleach instead of detergent into a load of darks. But Katie is in New York embarking on her new career as a food journalist, and I am at home cleaning. Something needed to be utterly and completely sanitized (don’t ask why), and I heard the thin, blue call of the bleach from down in the basement: uuuuuuse meeeee! uuuuuuuuse meeeee! Before I knew it, I was gleefully dumping bleach into the sink — glug glug glug!!!! Ahhhhh . . . satisfaction. Now the mysteriously dirty object is being disinfected, I am curled up, happily transgressive, in front of the fire, tomorrow is Friday and I don’t have to teach . . . .
What does this have to do with Mayan women giving birth, you may ask? Not a lot. Nothing. And for that I apologize.
kisses
B
As effectively as I.
Bethany,
I give you permission to play with bleach to your heart´s content. (Kate, I´m sorry if I´m stepping on your toes). I, myself, have never played with bleach. Never. I am too scared. And knowing that others are not afraid of it´s immense power makes me feel safer, less afraid that if I ever were to use it, I would emerge unscathed. So thank you Bethany. Thank you.
-Sarah
Dear Sarah. I thank you for your permission. However — as I was writing that happy confession, my silverware (the mysterious object — my entire collection of 1932 Lady Hamilton Community Plate which I was cleaning because I had found the telltale sign of MOUSE PRESENCE in my cutlery drawer — gag gag) was silently being RUINED. Yes. Not only did I play with bleach in spite of the fact that that is the ONLY thing I’m not allowed to do (a la Sleeping Beauty and the spindle or whatever it is), but I DESTROYED a beautiful and painfully collected batch of silver plate.
OR SO I THOUGHT. I went in to let the bleach out, and all that silver was BLACK. And I’m talking sooty, dark, horrible gray-black. Hmm, thought I. I’ll just have to shine it up with silver polish. So I got out the polish and the cloth, and whistling along to the radio I carelessly rubbed a spoon. NOTHING. The stain did not budge. I rubbed harder. And harder. I started cursing and stopped whistling. Then I ran to the world wide web and was informed that I had ruined my silverware, that there was nothing to be done, that I was DAMNED. My life flashed before my eyes. Not only would I have to confess my sin re. the bleach, but I would have to somehow break the news that the silverware was no more. Rest in Piece.
So, after a half an hour of deepest self-loathing and fear, I went back to the sink. There it all was, sooty and horrible. I got out a scotch-brite. I started scrubbing, hard hard hard. TWO HOURS LATER the silverware was clean. My palms are lacerated from fork tines and knife edges. My arms are rubbery and weak. But the silverware is sparkly and clean.
So let that be a lesson to you, all ye whose girlfriends impose but one tiny rule, one itty bitty little condition upon your freedom! HEED HER! HEED, OH HEED HER!
Stumbling off to bed
B
Rest in Peace, Peace dammit
i laughed outloud when i read your max hodes quote. and it’s 9:00 in the morning here. i hope i didn’t wake anyone up.
sarah, i will be thinking of you today. india is due to come home, and she, josh, and i will be going to hampshire college tonight to hang out with ben and ian for hampshire halloween. it promises to be a raucous affair. i’ve also started to befriend their hampshire friends, so i feel like i have another crew out here in the pioneer valley. you will be sorely missed. i wish so very much that you could come and party with us. the late night dialing just isn’t enough.
The pics are beautiful… and so untarnished.
You two look all tanned and healthy. I’m jealous.
Here in NY, the weather has now turned seasonal (read cold) and we’re hunkering down for the upcoming holiday and birthday season (yours included).
Staying totally away from bleach here too.
Love,
Dad