Palenque, Mexico

No, the picture hasn't been taken in a local zoo, but at Canyon del Sumidero...

Are you hungry?

San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas

I'm in San Cristobal de las Casas, a town settled at 2000 metres high in the middle of the Mexican state of Chiapas. It's cold and rainy. But it's cool. Almost indios only here, it doesn't seems possible to me thinking that just few days ago I was in United States. Crossing the border between US and Mexico is the most impressive, the most dramatic, the strongest ever, as everything change so quickly you really cannot believe there's only a short strip of land to divide such huge differences. Well, I arrived early morning with a night bus from Oaxaca and I've been to visit the mountain town of San Juan de Chamulo, where people believe in a mixture of Catholic religion and Maya traditions, with the result that inside the main church of the town believers go to heal their problems turning on candles, bringing offers or killing chickens as sacrifice to the Saints... What else to say? Charming.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Visiting Mexico at this time is not the safest thing to do as narco trafficants are fighting between themselves and against the army as well. News reported that last night there has been another slaughter with 13 people dead. Where? In the city of Guadalajara. Just read the previous post...
Steve McCurry? No, Matteo Lonelytraveller!

Teotihuacan, Mexico

Yeah, I was right: honeymoon with safety is over. I read from the news that the city of Morelia (exactly where I wished to go...) has been closed because of a huge fight between narcos and the army: what I understood from the papers is that the police caught the boss of "la famiglia" - a gang of narcos from the city - and for that reason the battle started, with shootings among population and 5 policemen dead. I also had my scary moment the first day in Mexico: after a stroll in the centre of Guadalajara (which is the 2nd biggest city in Mexico) I had to reach the bus station in the suburb, I've got the right bus, I've fallen asleep and I missed the right stop... Well, I understood was the wrong way only at the last stop which was in San Pedrito, a fuckin' dangerous suburb on the hills of Guadalajara, something like a favela, something where you don't wanna be at 20 to ten (exactly as the good Sebastian Bach was singing in one of his best hits "freaks come out at nine, and it's 20 to ten") Well, I asked info for a bus to the station and this guy started pushing me saying "I show you the way, follow me, follow me along that dark, empty, long alley...". No way, I got the first taxi available. Then he wanted to follow me as he was saying he was going to the bus station as weel, once arrived he asked me if I wanted his 'company' now or in the future: he was a bitchman.
Anyway, after a one night bus I arrived in Mexico City, just for a short visit to the beautiful Teotihuacan pyramids, and then I've been to the city centre to see the cathedral and the few interesting spots this massive city (15 millions people!) has to offer. Mexico is cool.

Guadalajara, Mexico

A breath of fresh air. Not just because was a sunny day with an electric blue sky; not because was warm enough to wear only a t-shirt; and even not because I had a dish with 6 tacos for 75 cents: but just because Mexico is cool! And that was the good news, the bad news is the fact that the curse of the first day is back... My plan was to reach the quite cozy town of Morelia (after the overdose of American big cities I wanna only visit towns now), I've bought the ticket, I've waited for the bus and when it was time to board they told me that nobody can go to Morelia, as the city is closed for "safety reasons" (aka, the narco gangs are shooting and people is dying like mosquitos...). Well, after one month and a half, the honeymoon with safety is definitely over.