A Rapid Journey through America and Mexico

This blog is going to be a bit narrative, so I apologise in advance for the lack depth of thought but trying to describe 3 weeks of non stop travel get a bit like that.

Usurprisingly my intended week in San Francisco quickly became 2, then almost 3 thanks to a major disaster with Delta airlines who I will unashamedly say are the worst airline in the world and NOBODY should EVER have the misfortune to fly with them. I just hope their legal team are as useless as they are or I'll be facing a lawsuit for slander. . .

San Francisco is amazing. Its the first place I've been for a really long time that I could imagine living long term, with some kind of routine. Anything goes, everything is available, and on every corner there is an eclectic mix of people, just being, being themselves, being who they want to be, being. . . alive and enjoying life.Its a city full of liberal, intelligent forward thinking people, and I think my friends there, and all the people I met demonstrate that perfectly. It's also foodie heaven. There are so many places to eat, catering to whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it. The surrounding area is made for outdoor living, with diving, hiking, surfing and kite boarding all within easy distance of the city, and the California coastline is some of the most spectacular I've seen. But the best thing about San Francisco was the people I was with. Julie and Kai, friends I met in Borneo almost 2 years ago, really proved to me that true friendships can be picked up any time any place, and be continued like you saw each other yesterday and they were so good to me, my experience in SF would have been entirely different without them. And Rob, well what can I say, I have no idea what he thought when I moved myself into his apartment, took over his closet, ate his food, stole his music, kicked his ass at surfing AND rock climbing and generally harassed him with my Scottish chit chat, most of which Im fairly sure he didn't understand. But despite all this he certainly looked after me well, showed me some good times both in and out of the city and became a true friend, who I hope to see again soon. It was also great to see some other faces from the past couple of years, namely Sam and Kase, albeit briefly, and to experience people and places I had heard so much about

So, from San Francisco I flew to Mexico City and was truly back in the world of backpacking. It definitely was a little scary, being alone for the first time in a while was strange, arriving in MC at 11pm with no Spanish, no luggage and , worst of all, as any backpacker will know, no lonely planet, was almost enough to put me on a plane straight back to San Francisco, but I soon figured out and gesticulated my way to a hostel in Mexico City. It took a few days to adjust. Being in your own head 24 7 gets a bit tiresome, especially when you' re trying to adjust to a whole new ball game, and take in the experiences that have gone before and anticipate those that lie ahead.

Mexico City was overwhelming as it really is massive, but it was interesting and I strolled around for a few days, checked out the main sights ate many quesidillas as they were the only thing I understood on the menu, and then jumped on a bus and headed south to the mayan ruins of Palenque.

Palenque was pretty cool. Its a massive ancient Mayan town, dating back to 250 BC, and walking around in the jungle, alone for much of the time, stooping under big jungle vines, and climbing over tree trunks to get to some of the more hidden sights was seriously good fun. I emerged from the jungle some hours later, sweaty muddy and a bit dazed, and didn't feel like staying overnight so I got on another bus to the Spanish colonial town of San Cristobel de las Casas. Spent a few days here, chilling, actually more like freezing out, as it was pretty cold here at night, not just normal cold but the kind of cold that seeps into your bones and doesn't leave no matter how many layers you put on. Its an interesting little town though, with some good day trips, a couple of great arthouse cinemas and an interesting feel to it, thanks to the Spanish architecture but largely Mayan population. This town, for those of you who are at all interested, was taken over by the Zapatista revolutionaries in 1994, who were protesting for rights and autonomy for the Mayan people, its still very evident that this happened recently as you wander round the small cobbled streets and browse the bustling Mayan markets that are around town.

Mexico was inetresting but I didn't love it. Its almost a transitioning country from developing country to developed and I found it to be a bit less intense than some places I have been. Also I was keen to get to Guatemala and get some Spanish lessons. And as soon as I arrived at the border to the general chaos of Guatemala, which fits perfectly with my chaotic mind I knew I was onto a good thing.