The Central America E-mails

For the eight months that we were gone (together) these six emails were essentially the only communication we had with folks back home. To them they were an invitation to share in our adventures, to forget life for a few minutes, and to be inspired to leave their comfort zones. For us they were a record of events and attitudes, a moment to reflect, and a reminder to connect with loved ones. It wasn't always easy to find the time or desire to sit in an internet cafe for a couple hours but our reward was the dozens of responses that we would receive, updating us on events in California. Upon returning to California I have had an overwhelmingly positive response to the letters themselves. I've also realized how many people did not receive them, leaving me with a blank slate when recounting tales. So here they are, illustrated and publicly posted to benefit all.

May 20, 2010 - Guatemala & El Salvador

Queridos amigos,

For the last month we've been on the move. However, in our typical style, we have not moved very far. Before leaving our apartment we did have a few adventures in and around Xela. An hour bus ride outside of town we hiked up Volcan Chicabal, then down into its caldera to the lake that has formed there. It is a Mayan sacred site which to us meant we could enjoy the tranquil, natural setting along with the sounds of explosives and trash on the ground. While eating our picnic on the shore the lake would one moment be obscured by fog and a couple later be clear, then fog, then clear. The hike was steep and by the time we reached the bottom we could barely walk up the final hill to the bus stop. You´d think carrying 50 pounds on our backs would put some muscle on the legs but in our defense we don´t carry those things much. At least we didn´t need the horses. Another afternoon with our friend Rob we shuttled to Fuentes Georginas, some very hot hot-springs nestled in a jungle valley and bustling with tourists. It wasn't until we were submerged in 100+ degree water that we realized we hadn´t taken baths in over half a year (we have showered). Other day-trips included market day in San Francisco el Alto waaaay up on a hill, frequent trips to our favorite bar to watch futbol, and one live futbol match of their pride and joy, Xelaju MC. Back in Xela we switched apartments to one with a balcony and a window in our room, until then we´d been living in what was essentially a cave devoid of all natural light. Emily kept up her work at the shelter and got really cheap yoga classes every morning before work ($12 for the whole month). By the time she got home from those things Tyler may or may not have been awake.

Our time in Xela ended on May 1 and we were faced with our common question, "where to next?" One immediate mission was to get another three month CA-4 visa. A few years ago they created the CA-4 which consists of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua which makes it easier to travel amongst those countries. Unfortunately they only give you three months to do it and we were already half-way through them. The closest border was Mexico so we hopped a chicken bus and five hot, wet, stinky, crowded, uncomfortable hours later we were across the border. It was lying in a sweltering hotel room during a thunder storm that Tyler made his decision. He´s been gone too long, yearns to be amongst his people, and just doesn´t fit in down here (culturally and physically). It was not an easy decision but after it had been made he felt a lot better. But it's not like he could hop a flight the next day so with a renewed passion we set off back into Guatemala.
Guatemala has a lot to see, and we had seen almost all of it, except the lake. Seven more chicken bus hours later we were at Lago Atitlan, basically an enormous volcano filled with water ringed with smaller volcanoes. When it blew thousands of years ago, forming the lake crater, chunks of it landed in Michigan and Peru. Craving company, we asked someone to take us to where all the young people were. At Yo Mama's Casa we found a great group of friends and ended up staying a week. We kayaked, walked to the beach, (almost) climbed a mountain, drank iced coffee, ate cheap meals and Tyler made his return plans. Eventually we moved to a private room in a hotel with our own bathroom for $1 more than staying in the dorms. We were staying with sisters from Petaluma whom we really enjoyed and now Emily is continuing her adventure with them. They have access to a condo on Roatan, an island in Honduras known as the cheapest place in the world to get scuba certified. Since Emily is already certified she will just have to take advantage of cheap outings to dive with the world's largest fish, whale sharks. After Tyler booked a flight we were in search of one more adventure before he left.
So it was off to country #4, El Salvador. What we'd heard about the smallest but most populated country in Central America was that it had nice surf, zero wilderness, and one of the highest murder rates in the world. What we discovered there shattered our expectations. Upon arrival in the capital, San Salvador (a city, like all Central American capitals, we hadn't heard a good thing about), we thought we'd somehow driven down the 101 into Los Angeles. The streets were clean, wide, and lined with trees. Huge modern shopping centers bearing American brand names and slogans in English lit the night. The Salvadoran people, being of mostly Spanish descent in contrast to Guatemalans who have mostly indigenous features, are tall, fair-skinned and downright gorgeous (NOTE: they're not attractive because they are tall and fair simply in addition to; there are plenty of tall, fair, ugly people around).
For our only full day in the city we bussed to the Zona Rosa to check out the modern art museum which consumed the entire afternoon. Afterward we found our way to the University of El Salvador which, even on a Saturday, was alive with academic activities.

We were enthralled by the art that seemed to cover every possible surface. As we explored the campus filled with trees of mangoes, bananas, avocados and cashews accompanied by the calls of tropical birds we attempted to document the political art—art that wouldn't survive 24 hours on any wall in the USA—art that captures the legacy of war, disappearances and exploitation in Latin America. We left that school, that revolutionary training ground, feeling like all our American university education did for us was get us high (on exceptionalism). To study in such an environment must surely be to honestly engage ideas—to acknowledge reality.

After getting schooled (and drunk with a bunch of heavy metal college guys) we thought we'd check out what El Salvador is world famous for, its beaches. Fifty kilometers of some of the world's best breaks attract a lot of surfers from all corners of the world. We teamed up with a couple from Australia and a UCSB alum for one day and night of swimming pools, hammocks and beer. After 24 hours at the beach and with less than 48 hours until Tyler's flight it was back to San Salvador for a date night at the cinema. We thoroughly enjoyed the new Robin Hood so we decided to stay and watch Iron Man 2 as well, all for less than the cost of one flick in the states.
Now, Tyler is en route or already home. Emily has returned to the lake to meet up with her island adventure gang. Our time together on this trip has been priceless, it has brought us closer to each other and revealed things that remain hidden amongst the comforts and customs of home. Emily is following her dream and Tyler is doing what he has to do. New and exciting solo missions await us both. To our fans and followers thank you for your feedback and encouragement. Updates should continue from Emily's POV and Tyler is going to get to work on some more in-depth stories for our and his blog. We love you and we love each other. Stay tuned. Besos y brazos, Tyler y Emily
PS - Check picasa for the recent photo update including the university murals.

PPS - Yes, it is weird to write in the third person but we didn't want to portray our trip in just one voice. FYI Tyler has done the bulk of the writing with Emily as his memory and editor, making sure to temper any cynical slant that may sour our attempt at uplifting, unbiased(ish) narrative.

April 12, 2010 - Belize & Guatemala

Everyone,

Sorry to keep you all waiting. We left you at Tikal, where we successfully camped one night amidst jungle sounds and tourist traps. For those who have never been to Tikal, it is huge and impressive. But just slightly more-so than other sites in the area yet much, much more expensive. Your $20US doesn´t even get you a map of the site (which is definitely necessary) or entry into the two museums; they don´t even use it to post ANY information anywhere. However we did spend a beautiful evening in the Grand Plaza and the following sunrise on Temple Four from which you can see the other temples looming over the canopy while tropical birds sound their wake-up calls. For what it is Tikal is a unique place in the world, but for what it could be it´s been seriously botched.
From Tikal we headed to Hidden Falls Farm in central Belize. It was not the farm we described in the last email but we were not disappointed in any way. Apparently the website is a little out-of-date and when you contact the people listed they just send you to Hidden Falls. There were no bees or wine but there was bamboo and plenty to do. For the month that we were allotted in Belize we lived in our tent, woke up at the crack of dawn and ate a lot of fresh food. Owned by 74 year-old, Oregonian with Belizean residency, still hard-working, hilarious and lovable Mike Scott, Hidden Falls Farm is 40 acres right on the Hummingbird Highway with a wonderfully diverse selection of plants. We counted thirty plants that we could use at any moment ranging from fruits like mangerines, bananas, sapodillas and mameys to vegetables such as eggplant, chayote, cocoa yam and wild spinach to medicines like neem. We never ran out of fresh produce to spice up our basic range-top menu of rice, beans and pasta. When we were lucky, Mike´s wife would bake us breads or muffins with fresh juice or smoothies for a snack.
A typical day on the farm went something like: 6AM wake up and eat, 7-10 work, 10 eat, 11-12 work, 12 eat, 1-3 work, 3 chill out in the waterfall/whatever we wanted. The work we did was as diverse as the foods we ate. Some days we´d be mostly in the garden planting, transplanting and weeding. Other days we would clear fields of banana, plantain and orange trees with machetes. Sometimes we´d have special assignments like building stairs or shelves. And other days we´d just carry stuff from one place to another. There was always room for creativity and personal choice so that there was always something that you would enjoy doing. Any work that can be done with a machete is fun work and there was always something that needed chopping.
Life outside of work hours on the farm was equally enjoyable thanks to the awesome people with whom we shared our time there. Curran was in charge and lived in the simple wooden cabin that served as our eating/chill space. Jon and Lacy, a couple from Kansas City, are great new friends and were a pleasure to work and live with. There were others who came and went during the month but our core team of five really bonded over shared projects, meals, and night-after-night of listening to the same five cds, drinking, smoking, and Quidler (Scrabble with cards). We also had plenty of time to make day-trips to the beach, town and local sights. The single most exciting thing to happen at the farm was Tyler´s 6AM accident which led to three (FREE!) stitches from the Cuban doctor who happened to be making his weekly rounds through the village that very morning. The cause of said accident was not daring, cool, or funny and is therefore not worth mentioning.

Also sharing the property were four dogs whom we had the nightly pleasure of inspecting for and removing ticks and botfly. It wasn´t until both of us were on the bus away from the farm and Belize, each thinking how lucky we were to not have had to deal with any blood-sucking parasites, that Tyler discovered the bump on his elbow... and then the bump on his back, each with the tiny airhole dot characteristic of a botfly larvae. Having seen two friends raise and remove their botflies without trouble Tyler decided to let them grow until they would be big enough to coax out by suffocating them with neosporin and remove with tweezers. That plan was expedited because of the excruciating pain that each fly would cause him a couple times a day. It felt like there was a tiny worm living under the skin taking bites of flesh a couple times and day and making room to grow, because that's exactly what was happening. Elbow fly, named Curran in honor of the first human-carried botfly we experienced, was successfully removed by Emily in front of a crowd of disgusted/impressed on-lookers. Back fly, named Jam after a second friend who´d experienced the pregnancy, was stubborn and we think it died during the operation as it never caused problems again and the lump is still being slowly dissolved by Tyler´s system.

From the farm our route was: Placencia and Punta Gorda, Belize; boat to Livingston, Guatemala; boat to Rio Dulce; Coban; Lanquin; Guatemala City; Antigua; to our current home Quetzaltenango (also known as Xela). After a month of the farm this was an incredibly fast-paced couple of weeks. We used the weekend in Livingston to get our party on and readjust to a non-farm schedule. Eventually we ended up in Lanquin to see the amazing natural wonder called Semuc Champey which are limestone pools of turquoise water suspended over a rushing underground river which falls into a cave before the pools and reemerges from another just past them. From Lanquin we had no idea where we were headed next. With our bags on our backs we headed to the nearest city and somehow decided to go to the capital, Guatemala City, despite it`s reputation as one of the world`s most dangerous places. Our experience there was a safe and festive. Our first day there was the national day of protest against the government and there was a parade with floats and demonstrations of masked people dancing to reggaeton music and making speeches against the establishment. As far as we could tell, we were the only foreigners in town which was a nice change away from the tourist track we`d been on. The next day was the start of Semana Santa (Holy Week leading up to Easter) and there were more processions and costumes, this time with a much more somber affect. We stayed the weekend to see our first soccer match and then headed to Tourist Town, Guatemala aka Antigua. The combination of Semana Santa and Spring Break in the USA meant that the town was full of celebrating tourists. Everything was much more expensive than anywhere else and it overall wasn´t really the experience we were looking for. While we were there though we did climb Volcan Pacaya for a close encounter with flowing lava.

From several different people we heard that Xela was the perfect Guatemalan city to live in, a lively blend of travellers, Spanish schools, local culture, cheap food and outdoor activities. After a couple weeks of non-stop, bank-breaking travel we were looking to settle down somewhere, so here we are in Xela. We found an apartment building full of young people just one block from the central park and got a room for a month in an apartment with one roommate, living room,.kitchen, bathroom, internet, cable tv, all utilities, no deposit, and daily cleaning service for $75US each. That doesn´t even cover electricity in the states! We`re back to living how we like, cheaply. Emily is volunteering at a women´s shelter which houses women and children who are in hiding from abusive situations. She really likes passing her time there, mostly taking care of the children, facilitating activities with the women, and helping out the shelter´s one teacher. She´s also signed up with a yoga house a couple of blocks from our apartment and is really happy starting her days there. Tyler is sitting on his ass all day telling himself he´s going to write more. We both joined the Xela Ultimate group, with whom we play pick up games every Wednesday.
So that´s our life. For narrative pictures of Tikal, farm, stitches, botflies, and more check ourPicasa site. Also there´s stuff to read on our blog. We`re going to get back to eating 25 cent mangoes, we love and miss you all and have no idea what will happen next. Stay tuned, Tyler y Emily

PS - Reply with a quick update of happy news. When you´re gone so long (almost seven months now) bad news tends to build up and you don´t get to hear about the daily little wonderful things. Our hearts go out to all of our friends dealing with the passing of our dear friend Jackie.

February 16, 2010 - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

It seems like six weeks is our natural limit in one place. We arrived in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas on December 23 with no idea what our holidays would hold. In the whole city there was one person accepting CouchSurfers over Christmas and we all ended up there. In 24 hours we planned, prepared and pulled off a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner for any and all foreigners with nowhere to go. Our holiday family consisted of Mac (Texan who rents this really cool house and uses it like an informal hostel), two Basque girls, one mexicano, two Dutch folk, one Vietnamese Canadian, a girl from Oregon, some random stragglers that just came for dinner, and us. Over the freezing cold weeks of late December we huddled around the fireplace, cooked lots of food, and became a family. On New Year's Eve we feasted once again, drank posh (the locally-made corn cane liquor) and tequila, danced in the streets and bars, and welcomed the first sun of 2010.

After the holiday madness things calmed down significantly. Most of our family disbanded to home countries or further adventure and we decided to stay if we could find a job. We love the feel of this town, being able to walk everywhere, shopping in the market, meeting interesting travelers and exploring the surrounding communities. We checked all the language schools and looked into a few restaurant jobs and for the first few days things didn't look good. Then one of the school directors contacted us with our first payed work in Mexico. One of his best students needed private lessons and was on a strict schedule. Since we couldn't fairly decide which one of us would do it we teamed up and rented a room in Mac's house for a month. For three weeks we taught our 17 year-old heavy metal fanatic pupil Monday through Friday for more than two hours a day. This experience was incredibly positive for everyone involved. We gained valuable experience, references, and enough money to get us to our next stop. Our pupil improved his English greatly and we always had fun during class teaching him how to say "damnit" with the right inflection amd bonding over our rejection of religion (something he had rarely had opportunity for in his life).

Outside of work we had lots of time to relax, read, and pick up new hobbies. Emily has been making beautiful jewelry from hemp, beads and shells in hopes of one day finding a good place to sell. Tyler picked up a guitar for about 20 minutes and is hoping to find a cheap, small guitar to travel with while learning. We've both been playing a lot of backgammon, sometimes for several hours a day. This area is also the center of the 2012 phenomenon and we have had a lot of eye-opening experiences and conversations. We recommend people look into it for themselves.

Since we started this email we have acheieved our first border crossing; estamos en Guatemala. Our last day in San Cris was Super Bowl Sunday. We hosted a party and I won 50 pesos on the Saints, what a great game. We said our goodbyes and headed off to Palenque, an impressive ancient stone city. Camping near the park we met a lot of interesting people and were even joined by friends from San Cris. One day we hiked up a river bed in the pouring rain and climbed waterfalls, the rain kept away the bugs and it was comfortably warm. Another day we trekked through the jungle to enter the ruins covertly but were discovered and ejected before we could see them all. At night we were treated to our friends' tunes and the insane screams of howler monkeys which sound nothing like they do on TV. Eventually we decided it was time to leave Mexico behind and head to our next wwoof farm in Belize.

A bus took us to the border, a boat took us across and a lovely Czech couple lent stupid us some money so we could catch a bus on the other side. The next five hours were spent in a 15-person van with 31 people and some chickens. Then, expecting it to be one of the only ATMs around I hopped out before our destination to get some cash to pay back our benefactors. Unfortunately, the ATM was hungry and gobbled up my card without dispensing any cash. I´ll spare you the rageful details but we were unable to repay our friends and lost one night (I got the card back in the morning).

Halfway through Guatemala's northern section are the ruins of Tikal towards which we are currently awaiting a bus. We spent last night with a wonderful Guatemalan family on the shore of a lake who gave us a place to camp, shared valuable information, and cooked us a wild chicken soup. Everyone we've met since we've been here have been very welcoming and open. We feel like we had just started to think in Mexican terms and now we have to start all over, no more pesos now it's Quetzales. But we should only be here for two more days before we're in Belize. Tonight we will camp at Tikal and catch sunset and sunrise at the largest archeological site in the western hemisphere.

So, we're a few days shy of five months down here and going strong. Our next stop is a group of farms in Belize that need some help with a gardening project. That's all we know except that they also keep bees, grow fruit and make their own wine! There will apparently be a lot for us to learn. Check it out at belizebamboo.com. We're extremely excited to get back to work and stop spending so much damned money. We've posted new pics of San Cris on Picasa http://picasaweb.google.es/TyleryEmily. Also, we're thiiiis close to getting the blog up and running, more on that soon. We hope everybody is surviving this crazy winter, there's lots of talk of how strange it's been. Con amor y abrazos a todos, Tyler y Emily

December 22, 2009 - Oaxaca, Mexico

Queridos amigos, familia y mas,

Last time we checked in we were in search of paradi$e. Things didn´t go exactly as expected (as if they ever do) but everything worked out beyond our wildest expectation. Instead of a bustling tourist beach packed with walking wallets what we found was la playa mas tranquila. After running our errands in Mexico City, meeting some really cool party people in La Condesa (the hip part of town), spending a weekend in Oaxaca City, and stopping for a night in San Jose del Pacifico (more on that later) we were there: Mazunte. The beach was small (maybe 500 meters) and sparsely populated. The water was WARM and clear enough to see fish in the waves from our room. There were beaches to the east and there were beaches to the west but we knew we`d found our home. We spent that first day inquiring about potential rooms and there were many good ones. We were about to call it a day without making a decision when I noticed we`d skipped a large section of the beach. Cruising to the far side where there are mostly just restaurant huts we saw, rising from the sand like a dilapidated mirage or something out of Swiss Family Robinson, Hostal Carlos Einstein.
Cesar, the hunky manager, showed us around some really crappy rooms until we asked what was behind door number ten. They were saving the best for last and as soon as we stepped foot inside our new room we were home. We agreed on a monthly rate and brought our bags. We had a bed w/ bugnet, bathroom, table w/ chairs, hammock, and a wall w/ a door that locked. Perfect. Where there would otherwise be walls we had a panorama view of the entire length of the beach, with three large coconut palms providing just the right amount of shade and privacy. Before you assume too much, this was no luxury suite. The above mentioned amenities were housed in walls of nasty stucko, under a roof of rotting palm thatch, and animals could come and go as they pleased. Perfect.
The next month passed like a dream. That might have had something to do with the fact that we stayed in bed a lot. But hey, when your bed is outside in the breeze with waves crashing and palms swishing, whadaya gonna do? Lazy is relative to the amount of stuff one must do. We must eat and breath and... well, the kitchen was right downstairs. Only on special occassions would we go out for a two dollar tlayuda but for the most part we cooked for ourselves three times a day and enjoyed every minute of discovering how many different things one can do with tomatos, onions, chilies, and garlic. While horizontal we read daily (and finished seven books between us) and listened to podcasts to stay up with the affairs of the states (things ain't lookin' so good for ya'll, huh?). So much for making money.
Occassionally, however, we would venture out to explore what Mazunte had to offer. Which was not a lot in terms of infrastructure (one paved road), services (just internet and laundry), or shopping (trinkets and beach wear) but who needs that stuff anyway. What it did have was nature and people from all over (ok mostly Europe). Our favorite hike was out to Punta Cometa which took you passed the cemetary, through the mystical forest of really spiky plants, down the sliding sand hill of death, and finally to the point where you could watch the sun set over the ocean as the fishermen called it a day. On the weekends we'd go watch the youth soccer matches on the big dirt field and treat ourselves to some coconut ice cream. When we ran out of food or money, we'd just hop on the truck to Pochutla to refuel. We had it all.
Thanksgiving presented us with a challenge. First, find food that somewhat resembles what our families would be eating back home. Second, find some Americans who give a damn to enjoy it with us. On the food, we found potatoes and green beans. We saw some turkeys running around in a field but were unable to acquire one; we settled for beef. On the companionship, we found Canadians. They had already celebrated their Day of Thanks (or whatever they call it) a month earlier but were nice enough to share our special night and contribute a yummy salad. Emily got to video Skype with her entire family for free for an hour. Tyler got to talk to some of his family for seven minutes on a sketchy satelite phone for $10.
One special adventure we had was an overnight trip up the mountain, back to San Jose del Pacifico. We had met two cool folks from Oakland, Lupita and Jack, that had just bought a VW bug and had heard of this town. With a little encouragement from us we were off the next day. This town is well-known for its close connection with the magic of mushrooms. Pictures of Maria Sabina and wooden carvings of caps and stems fill every restaurant and hotel. We spent the evening wandering the woods above town watching the sunset over the sea of clouds. As the temperature dropped into the 40s for the first time on our trip we were reminded that it is winter here too. Lots of warm atole and chocolate was all we needed to remedy that and the next day we headed back to the beach.
At last, Brad, a good friend from college, and his girlfriend Shana, answered our call for someone to come share our winter wonderland. In the week that we had together we did more than we probably had the entire previous three weeks. Here are some highlights:
1. Three-hour boat morning boat tour which included catching sea turtles (and releasing them after we took photos), swimming amongst the largest pod of dolphins I've ever seen (hundreds, possibly thousands), and snorkeling (not nearly as exciting as the first two).
2. Drinking lots of local mezcal (maybe not the best idea).
3. Pretending to be fishermen
4. Frolicking naked on the beach
5. Finding our way to Agua Blanca, a strip of restaurants on pristine beach with good waves, free camping and only solar power.
6. Partying one night in Puerto Escondido (actually they did all the partying because Tyler was struck by a fever that made his head pound with every pulse that is just now going away, don't think it was Dengue)
Thanks so much to you two for coming down here and making ours a Happy Holidays. Things couldn't have gone better (except for the fever), we're really glad you got to do that trip together. Now, we are in Pochutla awaiting our night bus to San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas where we plan on spending Christmas y mas. We are really missing our families right about now and we hope that the holidays bring everyone closer to the people they love and the people they'd like to love. We just put a ton of pictures of the whole trip (and Burning Man!) on Picasa (link below) so anyone can see them. May they bring you closer to us. We love and miss you all, keep rockin' and for god's sake call your congressman about something. Merry Christmas a todos! Peace and Love, Tyler y Emily

November 11, 2009 - Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico

Everyone,

It has been more than a month and we haven´t moved out of spitting distance from the capital. Our first real stop was at a house in the mountains above the town of Tepoztlan. We have been there for a month a half living in our tent inside a tipi out in the yard, which worked fine until the wind starting howling through the night making outdoor sleep impossible (in which case we were able to sleep inside the house). There have also been a couple really wild lightning storms (one with flashes more than once per second!!!) Our daily routine has consisted of waking up slowly, drinking coffee, working a little, eating breakfast, relaxing, working a little more, eating, relaxing, eating again, and then watching a movie or something before bed (roughing it, we know). The work we did was a good mix of gardening, landscaping, and light construction. In the time that we were there the property went from overgrown useless lot to beautiful, food producing paradise (slight exaggeration). Specifically we built two new garden beds, built a cold frame for tomatoes, weed whacked a lot, harvested barely-edible fruit, moved rock from one place to another, built and lined trails, and dug a hole six and half feet deep.

Also worth specific mention is how well we´ve been eating. Isaac and Gissela, the couple that hosted us, are ardent organic shoppers, which is difficult to do in Mexico. In the several weeks we were there we never ate the same thing twice for dinner; we´re talking crazy variety, often the product of on the spot stoner ingenuity. They also started an organic market in town in which we able to participate and purchase all kinds of wonderful, local treats.

We make frequent trips down into town on the bus to use internet, buy food, and stretch our legs. Tepoztlan is a really low-key, alternative town with a vibrant market and a pyramid way above on the mountain. We hiked up to the pyramid with Erin and Josh who just so happened to be coming here before we ever knew we´d be here (see photos on both of our Facebooks). Seeing friends was a really special treat and made us realize actually how much we miss our friends and families. On one particularly beautiful day Issac, Gissela and we took an all day hike over a few mountains to another little town and then rode the bus home. We also went to a really cool all-night house party and made our own at-home Halloween fiesta complete with jack-o-lantern zuchini. However, we are still waiting to find a situation where we can make lots of new friends and have some consistent fun.

Living at the house was cool and all but we didn´t have a lot of escape from our housemates who could get a little trying at times. Imagine living with the biggest stoner you know with a tenth grade education who thinks he´s a guru and has seen every conspiracy theory documentary ever made. Now imagine that you have to sit through two hours of conspiracy lecture daily on the very subject that you spent years of your life studying at a university. There were definitely times when we wanted to just stand up and leave rather than deal with the mind numbing nonsense but that was the worst of it. He´s actually totally correct in most that he preaches but he has a special gift for making truth sound like lunacy. In the grand scheme that really didn´t bring us down and most of our days were spent either being productive or cuddling with the EIGHT amazing, hilarious, adorable kitties.

So, tomorrow we set out in search of our ideal winter. First back to Mexico City to pick up some essentials and then off to Oaxaca. We have heard nothing but great things and every Mexican says it´s the best state in the country. November and December are high season for tourism down on the beach and we plan on taking advantage of that to make some money. We´ve been given some good ideas on stuff to bring and ways to make money off the thousands of people that can´t find enough places to spend. Hopefully we´ll find a nice place to stay for a couple months and make some new friends. While ya´ll are bundling up for the holidays, we´ll be tanning on one of the cheapest beaches in the world. Anyone looking for a place to spend the holidays? We´ll be somewhere between Puerto Escondido and Mizunte. Also, we just posted photos to Facebook, one album on Emily´s account and a few on Tyler´s. We´ll try to get the blog up and running when we've got a more comfortable, affordable internet situation. We've gotten so comfortable here it was almost hard to leave but now our bags are packed and we´ve remembered that this is only the beginning. Vamos a la playa, Tyler y Emily

September 21, 2009 - Mexico City

Hello everyone!

We arrived in Mexico City yesterday and were picked up by a lovely family that we met through CouchSurfing.com. We love it here and are planning to stay with them for the next few days. Not only did they pick us up from the airport, then they drove us around the city for a couple hours. After that we returned to their house where we ate huge bowls of pozole with Fanta. We enjoyed some conversation en espanol about travelling and Mexico. Emily´s spanish is coming back and Tyler´s brain hurts from the immersion. Here we have a queen bed to sleep in and a secure house to leave our things while we are off exploring the city, which we are about to do for the first time. We woke up for a homemade breakfast of tamales and atole (a delicious, hot, thick, fruity, milk drink). Now we are off on our own for a while on the Metro which will take us wherever we want to go for 2 pesos (like 15 cents).
This is the first of many exciting tales to come, please forward this email to anyone you think may be interested or who we may have missed in our address collection (special note to those at Franklin School because I lost everyone´s emails so maybe Billy and Casie could help me out there). If you recieve this email forwarded please reply to us so we can add you to our list. Also reply with your mailing address if you want postcards or if you want to be taken off the list. Our next email will have more information about our blogs which we still haven´t figured out exactly how we are going to use. This address is our joint email account which we will use to send out these group emails however we also each have personal emails; they are: jtylerwalker@gmail and emilyterrill707@gmail. You can use those to contact us individually or to find our blogs through our google profiles. So far, so good, Tyler y Emily