Isla Mujeres: Diving, Diving and More Diving

I went to Isla Mujeres because I figured it would be a nice middle ground: far enough away from Cancun to avoid drunken American louts but still sufficiently developed that it wouldn't get too boring being there for a couple of weeks.

Hard as it may be to believe, even places like this can get boring if there aren't enough people around. Photo credit: flickr.


I lived at a (quieter, cheaper) hostel and "worked" at another hostel. Made for a pretty rough commute.

After two days walking around and talking to all of the dive operators on the island, I set up a pretty sweet deal. I paid for the next level of dive certification (Rescue Diver) and was taken on as an intern. In return for helping out around the shop and trying to sell diving at the local hostel, I could go diving for free.

And so that's all I did. For five weeks. Seven days a week.

Report to the dive shop at 9am, go diving if there are customers. Get back to the shop around 2pm, clean equipment and then just sit around (or, if there are no customers, sit around starting at 9am). Report to the hostel around 5pm, try to sell diving for a few hours.

An important aspect of selling diving is developing a personal relationship with your potential customers.


That's me in the back. Doing nothing but diving and drinking is 'OK' with me. This was taken at the shipwreck, where the current is often so strong you have to descend the 25 meters hand-over-hand down the buoy line. At the shipwreck, we saw 2 meter wide spotted eagle rays, 50+ pound groupers and, once, a 2 meter long nurse shark, sleeping within the wreck itself.


Mostly, though, we went diving at a set of reefs just south of the island. It was shallow and clear with great coral..


..and lots of fish.


Fish everywhere.


And, also, fish. Lots of 'em.


Big fish, too, sometimes. That guy's probably 20 or 30 pounds and damn tasty.


Hiding under nooks and crannies..


..lobster! Too bad the main reef is protected by a national marine reserve.


Thankfully, there are other reefs outside the reserve. Ahm gunna eetchuu!


And then there are fish.


And.. right, well, you know.

It seems repetitive and almost silly, describing it now, but it really is fun every time. Even if you're seeing basically the same schools of fish every time, you also see something cool and special on almost every dive. Twice I stuck my head underneath an overhang and found myself face to face with a 4 or 5 foot long barracuda. They were hiding out, waiting for an unsuspecting reef fish to wander by, so I was in no real danger. But still. Great big teeth, right there, man.

A lot like this but with more of a "Boo!" factor. Photo credit: flickr.


Goddamn Andres (Divemaster, shop owner and Don Juan extraordinaire), always getting the sweet shots. We saw turtles probably every third dive.


I got a nice deal on my dive watch by buying it through the shop. It was still really expensive.

After five weeks, even a paradise like Isla Mujeres grows too familiar. There were progressively fewer customers, so I wasn't diving very frequently nor was I making any money (I'd renegotiated my original deal to include commissions on my sales). I had my training and my dive watch, it was time to move on. But surely there was a better way to leave Isla Mujeres than by public ferry.

Hrmmmmmm.... think, dammit.


Come on, there has to be an answer. How does one most stylishly leave an island?

San Cristobal, Palenque

San Cristobal de las Casas is a beautiful little town high in the mountains of Chiapas. The climate is cool, the indigenous culture is strong (San Cristobal was one of several cities briefly occupied by Zapatista separtists in 1994) and the narrow streets are pictaresque.

The local cathedral. My camera was broken at the time, so I'm forced to borrow shots from the internet. Photo credit: flickr.


There are a number of pedestrian thoroghfares, lined with shops and very pleasant for strolling. Photo credit: flickr.


The local markets abound with what seemed to be very nice crafts (compared to some of the schlock I've seen elsewhere). Cheap too. I was sorely tempted to pick up some gifts, but my backpack is too heavy as it is. Photo credit: flickr.


One of my few activities in San Cristobal was a visit to San Juan Chamula, a Maya pueblo outside of town. They won't let you take pictures, but inside that church in the background it is obvious that Catholicism is but a thin veneer atop deeply held indigenous beliefs. Images of saints are venerated with countless small candles and decorated with dozens of small mirrors. Medicine men diagnose and treat various physical and spiritual ailments by burning incense, praying and occasionally by sacrificing a live chicken. It's spooky. Photo credit: flickr.

My next stop was Palenque, a set of Maya ruins buried deep in the lowland jungles at the base of the Yucatan Peninsula. Palenque isn't the largest of sites but it's my favorite so far.

The back side of the royal palace, I believe. There were a couple of tunnels running under the complex. Not huge, and nothing really in them, but fun nonetheless in an Indiana Jones sorta way.


Standing on the flank of the main pyramid complex with the royal palace in the background.


I'm always up for taking peoples' picture.


One of the best parts of Palenque is the jungle clad hills rising in the background. The clouds swirl low and birds call and it's not hard to imagine the wonder felt by the first Spanish explorers to rediscover the site.


A "creatively" composed shot of one of the smaller temples.


It's hot and there's a lot of walking. You'd sweat through your shirt too.


Yet another "creatively" composed shot. I guess I owe James, my guest photographer, some slack. He was good enough to loan me his camera at times and laboriously email me every single one, full sized. But still. Why the angles?


The main temples are on the left and the royal palace in the center while jungle recedes to the horizon.


Old graffiti on the interior arches of the royal palace. One clearly reads "1873" while many more are too faded to decipher.


I took this one, of the Temple of the Inscriptions rising above the ruins of the royal palace. This courtyard was probably used for war councils, an 8th century version of the Whitehouse's situation room.


Somebody decided he wanted an observatory. That person being the 'Ajaw,' he got his damn observatory.


There was a waterfall and pools along the walk back to the museum. It was very difficult to resist the urge to go swimming.


One of the finer examples of Palenque's artwork. Open up that picture in a new tab and examine it full sized. The level of detail and fineness of the carving is absolutely stunning.


This is a disappointing picture of an absolutely stunning relief. It's Palenque's art, far and away, that makes it my favorite site so far.


A relief decorating the side of the Ajaw's throne pedestal, showing him in conversation with his advisors. Photo credit: flickr.


Ajaw Pakal's sarcophagus. It's all but impossible to get a good shot of the cover, but allow me to assure you: the carvings are both wonderfully detailed and terribly foreign.


Ah, here we go. According to wikipedia, the imagery represents "Pakal... descending into Xibalba, the Maya underworld. Around the edges of the lid are glyphs representing the Sun, the Moon, Venus, and various constellations, locating this event in the nighttime sky. Below him is the Maya water god, who guards the underworld. Beneath Pakal are the 'unfolded' jaws of a dragon or serpent, which Pakal is escaping from, ascending towards the world tree." Well, there ya go.


A lower view of the same sarcophagus. For a sense of scale, note that I am standing on the right.


On the walk back to our accomodations, James (my guest photographer) decided he wanted some coconuts. They were quite tasty.

Kind thanks go to fellow traveler James Shannon for the use of his camera.

Ciudad de Oaxaca: Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua

I didn't do all that much in Ciudad de Oaxaca. Tried to find a camera shop that could repair my camera. Failed. Thought about going to various gardens and museums. Didn't. Intended to try the local specialties: chocolate with chile powder (a drink) and deep fried ants (a tasty snack!). Forgot.

It's much prettier green. I saw nuthin' but brown. Photo credit: flickr.

I did manage to drag myself up to Monte Alban, the local ruins. It's like a smaller version of Teotihuacán but on top of a mountain, so with better views. I didn't have all that great of a time and left after an hour and a half or so. Looking at that picture I wonder if maybe I was just in a pissy mood because of the heat and walk. It was at least 85 degrees and painfully sunny and, because I'm cheap, I decided to walk 3km straight uphill from the bus terminus rather than pay for a taxi. Oh well.

It's more than a little bit freaky (Photo credit: flickr).

Semana Santa, the week long celebration of Easter, ended while I was in Ciudad de Oaxaca. It was observed by the Procesion de Silencio, in which dozens of young men dress like Christ and recreate his walk to Golgotha bearing mock crucifixes. For some reason they are accompanied by a bunch of other guys in purple KKK outfits. And this somehow celebrates.. Mary's suffering? Sure, boss, whatever you say.

The celebrations weren't limited to the Procesion de Silencio. There were random fireworks at all hours of the night, parades and bands. My absolute favorite parade wound it's way right by the hostel, lead and trailed by bands while someone set off massive fireworks. It was the ever closer explosions, loud enough to make you jump out of your chair, that led me out into the street to see what the hell was going on. What I saw was absolutely hilarious.

A palanquin with a good sized statue of the Risen Christ, borne on the shoulders of the faithful. Nothing particularly unusual about that. But this was an oddly well lit Risen Christ, given the late hour. And what's that noise? Ah, yes, of course, a mobile diesel generator. To power J.C.'s klieg lights, of course. Obviously, it is critical that our Lord and Savior be highly visible to his adorers, day or night.

Silly parades aside, the clear highlight of Ciudad de Oaxaca was Hierve el Agua, a set of springs about 70km outside of town. The water is over saturated with calcium carbonate, so has created a series of limestone formations as it trickles over the cliffs.

At the top are a series of pools, very popular with local families.


But what's a pool without a view?


We got there early enough to score some pretty choice real estate.


After a couple of hours we decided to check out the other formation.


Looking back on our original perch.


It was a good place to stop for a comtemplative snack.


Quick! Nobody look at the camera!


After our snack, Iza and Aga (more on them in a bit) decreed that we should hike down below the cliffs. Some of us were reluctant to do so due to the heat and our inappropriately flippy floppy footwear.


Iza and Aga were right.


The cliffs were even more impressive from below.


Really, just, wow.


We hiked all the way down below both sets of cliffs, eventually clambering back up almost exactly where we'd started.


Iza, Alanna, Aga and I, triumphant after our hike. This whole thing, Hierve el Agua, checking out the second formation, hiking all the way down and around, all Iza and Aga's ideas. Clearly, the Polish girls are to be followed without question. If they say jump..


..right, well, you know.


Seriously, look where it takes you.

Unless otherwise noted, all photos courtesy of The Polish Girls.