Cuernavaca

I'm writing this at 7am, Mexican time, while Clover sits on the sofa trying to ingest a large plastic crocodile. Daisy and Pabs are still asleep.

We're in Cuernavaca, just outside Mexico City, at the Girl Guide World Centre Our Cabana. Paul's got some work to do here, including a fundraising workshop to run tomorrow (he's the Fundraising Manager of the Girl Guides World Bureau). I shouldn't imagine that it's a usual tourist stop, but it's rather wonderful. They've given us a fantastic apartment, which has a bath and a packet of Tetley Tea, which are two things we aren't going to see for a while, and Daisy is enjoying running around the site, which is safe apart from an unfenced swimming pool (very cold) and has lemon and orange trees which she is very excited about.















The flight here (just mistyped fight, which is rather appropriate) actually went ok considering. We nearly missed it, typically, while faffing around in Giraffe having a meal and buying slightly naff UK themed gifts (London eggcups anyone) in the Glorious Britain shop. Daisy decided she wanted a beer because she was a big girl, but couldn't be persuaded to ask the air hostesses for her 'big girl beer' once on the flight, because she was a little shy.













Twelve hours on a plane with two children is a long, long time. We're grateful to Auntie Bel for her presents for Daisy. The modelling clay passed a good half an hour (and thankfully was not confiscated at security), as did the mini painting set.By the time we left there were stickers all over the seatbelt, and plasticine all over the tv set. Sorry BA.














The hostesses were kind, and Daisy ate more snacks than you can possibly imagine, and some of her children's meal. Clover discovered her inner flirt and eschewed sleeping in favour of shouting loudly (she's also just discovered how to shout BAH BAH BAH) and then smiling and cooing at complete strangers. She slept for a total of two hours and Daisy for a total of four. Not enough, really.

Tiger Trunki came into his own at the airport, as we wheeled Daisy around to the amusement of other passengers. Daisy staged a good strategic tantrum at immigration when she wanted to enter the country by running past all the security without Mummy and Daddy - that got us rushed through, but it was still an hour before we got out and through to Hotel Aeropuerto, the local untrendy hotel.















Here we discovered the delights of four in a bed (that sounds a lot more exciting than it actually was). Clover, it emerges likes to sleep, in a starfish shape, and jetlag meant a 3am unscheduled story and playtime while we tried in vain to explain why it was still dark outside.

But actually, both girls did very well, and also survived the bus trip to Cuernavaca. Daisy still insists we are not in Mexico, however. Every time we try to convince her she flatly denies it. We are worried that she sees Mexico as some wondrous mythical land and this will not end up matching her expectations. More prosaically we have some toys with us 'for Mexico' and have not undone them yet. Maybe that is all it will take.

So here we are for two nights (last night went ok) with our Tetley tea, our flirting children, and enough luggage for a small army. It won't be this warm (around 28C) in San Cristobal, but we are enjoying it while we can. I've attached some pictures so you can see what we did...

Return to St Cristobal

OK, it's been a while. Since we left St Cristobal we've gained an extra family member. The gorgeous Clover is nearly six months old, and since I'm writing this on the eve of our first trip back, we've waited ages to take her out for the first time.

Packing for two kids, even for just seven weeks, is proving a challenge. Thank goodness Daisy gets her own luggage allowance now she is two, as well as her own hand luggage, in the shape of a ride on tiger. We're really looking forward to seeing how she handles the journey, and the Spanish.

Right now, she is telling everyone she meets that she is going to Mexico, but we wonder how she is going to cope without her beloved kitchen toy, her playroom, her friends and her lovely childminder...Only time will tell. I can't really see past the twelve hour flight at the moment, but we will see.

Goodbye San Cristobal

El Chiflon y Tenam Puente

We visited two sites near the city of Comitan - the prehispanic ruins of Tenam Puente and the waterfall at El Chiflon.




El Chiflon is down in what is called the Central Depression - driving down there we saw a roadside saying 'Danger - Unpopulated Zone' with an image of a cactus and a cow skull!


It's a truly impressive waterfall - though we nearly gave up on the walk up there in about 40 Celcius with Daisy bouncing along in the sling.



Further down we found a spot to go in the water - it was very cold and Daisy cried for a few minutes, then she realised she could touch her feet on the muddy bottom and stand and try and grab leaves floating by - she had a great time!

La Era

We travelled one Sunday to the ejido community of 'La Era', a part of the municipality of Huiztan. Our friends Manuel & Augustina and their children are originally from there - they had to leave when they rejected the local pagan-Catholic religion for a more Biblical Christianity.


We visited Augustina's aunt's house first - just four walls of wood, corrugated iron roof and earth floor - there they cook, eat and sleep. It probably isn't much changed from indigenous homes 400 years ago!


When Pablo visited La Era in 2000 they ran him out of the village accusing him of being a foreign missionary. It's only this year that the community has allowed the small number of Christian families there to build a church building.


We visited the afternoon service - we were told it should last an hour, this time it stretched to just over three! The singing and sermon were in Tzotzil with occasional words of Spanish. Pablo had to stand up and say a few words, in Spanish. Shortly afterwards the service finished and we made good our escape.


A few days later we were back at Manuel's house - where they'd come to 16 years ago when they fled La Era.


It's Luis's 19th birthday - but no cans of beer, cigarette butts or police called at midnight here. Instead the church youth group have been invited (not by Luis we guess) to the house for church games, a quick inspirational word and then tamales and coca cola for everyone. Luis mostly hides behind Daisy!

Final day in Oaxaca City

Our last day together we spent back in Oaxaca City.

We tried to starve ourselves in anticipation of our 7-course taster meal at Casa Crespo.

So, to start, it's cactus, with blue maize flour, fried pig-skin ball and hibiscus sauce - it's a good start..

Then we're onto ceviche with tomato foam and pineapple reduction (Daisy's favourite by far)!


Then randomly a man appeared to fill up the fountain with his, er, big hose...


But there was no rest for us, onto red snapper with pine nuts and avocado base (which even Ian ate, even though he's not keen on avocado)...


And on we go - avocado and prawns mousse with a red sauce and a green one, they were very nice, but I'd had too much wine by then to remember what type of sauce they were, but they were very nice....


Wow - then came the beef steak (arrachera) with, wait for it, coffee topping and banana sauce - it was sublime!


We were the only people at Casa Crespo that evening - wonderful to have the place to ourselves.


Course Six - well not so filling, Jamaica with mint tea - to clear the mouth apparently.


And to finish, wonderful Oaxacan chocolate mousse with 'fake air'. A fine way to end a marvellous trip.