Highlights of Mexico    (July 2006)
click for larger image	Mexico is new territory for us. Would it be all tequila, sombreros and spicy enchiladas?! We planned to find out...	Mexico Fast Facts: Best Thing: Waking in the dead of night, to the roar of demons Worst Thing: Finding the Guelaguetza festival cancelled and tourist threats daubed on city walls Big Surprise: In a remote jungle, waking to find our tent encircled by braying English public school kids on a "leadership challenge" Fun Fact: We arrived in Mexico City to find 1 million people protesting the Presidential election result, a cozy 1 block from our hotel. Welcome to Latin American politics!

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Back to the 'Pack Keeping a low profile in some kidnap-prone countries meant ditching our van. Walking across the border to Mexico began a year with our home strapped on our backs. Strangely there was no passport control meaning no tourist stamp - which we later needed to leave the country. What fun!

Blood-Drenched Pyramids The Aztec capital of Teotihuacan, home of the giant Pyramids of Sun and Moon. In one frenzied ceremony, the bloodthirsty Aztecs sacrificed 20,000 captives over a 5 day period! In the 1600s Spanish conquistadors captured King Montezuma, destroying the mighty Aztec empire with a tiny fighting force of 300 men. To this day, Montezuma's Revenge torments the tummies of travelers unused to the fiery local cuisine...

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Nacho Libre Masked luchadors of Lucho Libre (WWF wrestling with twist) are superstars of the barrios. Inspired, Magnus fancied his chances against "that little guy over there" but was locked in an excruciating submission grip within seconds.

Sombreros at Dawn The megalopolis of Mexico City hosts droves of sombrero-toting Mariachi bands. For a few pesos they can be hired to pump life into any party!

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Food that Grows on You Rare - and somewhat nasty - delicacies of Mexican cuisine: mould grown on old corn cobs (huitlacoche) and a forkful of 100 tiny fried grasshoppers. Firmly in the try-it-once category...

...and for dessert! Still, anything tastes great when washed down with a glass or two of tequila. Or even better, the intense cactus flavour of vintage Mezcal.

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Oh Mummy! Guanajuato, silver town and starting point of the Mexican Revolution. What struck us most, however, was the Mexican fascination with death. A bone-dry climate naturally mummifies bodies buried here. Where families cannot pay for up-keep, the city disinters bodies and puts them on display. No pictures of this macabre show but the place was packed with people having a nice family day out.

Man the Barricades! We raced south to see the famous indigenous dance festival, Guelaguetza, in Oaxaca. We arrived to a perfect storm of a hotly-disputed presidential race, strikes and simmering separatist revolt. Protestors occupied the city centre, barricades blocked the streets and the festival was cancelled. MUCH more interesting than tourist-oriented dance!	click for larger image
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And if proof were needed... We did catch a display of indigenous dance at nearby San Miguel de Allende. To deafeningly piped music, local kids half-heartedly went through the motions. We couldn't work out if the odd black bin-liners on the girls' heads was of cultural significance.

My Li'll Friend (the chile) Back to cooking school and a bunch of great southern Mexican recipes (including mole - a savoury chocolate sauce!). Surprisingly, the rose-petal ice-cream did NOT require any chile!

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Mayan Catholicism Cross pollination of Mayan and Christian beliefs have created an intriguing composite religion, where Jesus is the Mayan sun god and Catholic churches host ceremonies with chicken blood sacrifice.

Earth Mother Mayan culture is rooted in the cultivation and consumption of maize (corn). Women cook up corn tortillas for breakfast lunch and dinner, always sitting on the ground. This allows them to be closer to the Earth, their partner in fertility.

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Predatorland Misol-Ha, spectacular jungle waterfall but - more importantly - also location for Arnie's most acclaimed acting triumph, Predator.

Kung Fu Hustle Magnus retreats to the jungle to meditate and master a little-known Mexican water-based martial art - Wu Flun Dung.

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We surrender! The future officer corps of the British Army (a group of English toffs on a "leadership course") stormed our campsite at 5am, braying orders and destroying our illusion of isolation by entirely encircling our little tent. Impressed we were not.

Jungle Ruins of Palenque Close to the Guatemalan border lie the fantastic ruins of Palenque and the evil rabbit god!

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He's a Howler Seemingly innocuous, the howler monkey has a call like a beast from another world. We awoke in total darkness to a roar that we quickly identified as either a jaguar or some other ravenous man-eating monster. Turned out to be a monkey.

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