The Sophisticated San Cristobal

As Sara has written, our casita is not the most luxurious.  In our daily visits to the market we are not rubbing shoulders with the upper crust.  Our visits to Chamula and Zinacantan in combis, with the other passengers speaking tzotzil, are not the way most tourists get to those towns.  Cooking our meals at home is not how most visitors here eat.  But, there is another way.

I would be doing San Cristobal a great injustice if I did not share some of the sophistication of this beautiful city.  San Cristobal has a strong connection to the wider world and there is a significant ex-pat community here.  There are also local families with roots going back to Spanish Colonial times that have made great cultural contributions to the city.

Walking through the streets in the center of town, you can never tell what might be behind the unassuming, centuries-old adobe walls.  When Sara thought she might take a Spanish class, our landlord suggested we go to Instituto Jovel.  When we arrived at the address we walked through the door into a beautiful patio completely hidden from the street.

While not taking the Spanish lessons, we did sign up for an afternoon cooking class, just Sara and me.  When Irma, the wonderful cooking teacher, took us to the classroom on another old building on a different street, we were amazed at the beautifully-remodeled facilities inside.  The German woman who owns and runs the language school had purchased the home and was remodeling it into three rental units and the cooking school.  Sara said if we come back to San Cristobal, this is where we will stay.  An interesting side note is that this had been the home of Marcey Jacobson, the American photographer  who move to San Cristobal in the 1950's and died there at the age of 97 in 2009.  Her photographic works were published by the University of California.

Our cooking class was in the kitchen of one of the rental units.  Below is the cooking-school kitchen soon to be completed.

This morning, we visited the Casa de la Ciudad.  It is city-owned venue for seminars and conferences, and has gallery display space as well.  The building itself was originally a private home; in 1915 it was converted by its owner into a normal school.  The interior has been restored, and is stunning.  There currently is a display of modern fantasy art from around the world, along with a permanent collection of some of Marcey Jacobson's work.  This weekend, also, there is a conference of social scientists from universities throughout the country.  Hardly what comes to mind when most Americans think of Mexico.

As I have gone on photographic expeditions around town, I have noticed many attractive hotels.  Again, street appearance is often deceiving.  Yesterday I think I found the place that even the most demanding guest would fine acceptable.  We may try to go to dinner in their restaurant on our last night here.

In addition to fine hotels, there are many fine restaurants offering cuisines from around the world.  We have eaten at two Italian restaurants, both of which are owned and run by immigrants from Italy.  I have been told that the Argentine restaurants are very good, also.  In keeping with the eco-ethic of the State of Chiapas, there are several organic and vegan restaurants in town.

And, for those who do not want to bargain in the crafts market, there are some very fine shops.  Of course, the prices are significantly higher and, in some cases, so is the quality.

So, you see, there is much more to San Cristobal de las Casas than might initially meet the eye, and more than one way to enjoy it.

Our Month Through Sara's Eyes

Our month in San Cristobal is coming to an end and Gary has been after me to write down my feelings about living in Mexico. I have been keeping a daily journal of our comings and goings, which I have enjoyed doing.
It is a bit difficult to condense almost thirty days in to a few paragraphs. But I will try my best.

It was a bit of a culture shock for me when we first arrived in San Cristobal. Not speaking the language was a challenge.  I had taken some classes at PCC this past fall, but the few phrases I knew were not enough to make myself understood, or to understand what was being said to me. And they talk way too fast! I was glad that Gary was here to do the communicating for us. It was a bit lonely for me at times.Well, I just will have to take some more Spanish classes when I get home.

I also had trouble with the altitude here. At 7000 feet my body has had difficulty adjusting to it. The first week we were here I had a headache, nausea and was short of breath. The first two symptoms have gone away, but I still feel a bit out of breath when walking up hills. I saw a man jogging the other morning and wondered how he could do that? My goal to take a brisk long walk each day had to be altered somewhat.
Long slow walks have been my excercise while we have been here.

I have grown to love this beautiful city. It was more that we thought it would be. We had never been to this part of Mexico, and after having lived here would like to come back. It is a lovely colonial city with many old buildings, gardens, plazas and lots of friendly people. Everyone we have met has been so kind and helpful. I love when perfect strangers say hello to you as you walk by. And everywhere you see families out together, parents and children enjoying being with one another.

Our little adobe house is old and a bit rustic. It looks great in pictures, but lacked some of the amenities of home. The tiny kitchen has a gas stove lit with matches and a small fridge and freezer. Kitchen items were sparse, but we made do. I bought a piece of vinyl tablecloth fabric to cover the kitchen table so we would have more space for preparing our food. The fireplace came in handy most nights to heat the house, no central heating here. Adobe construction is perfect for the hot climate of most of Mexico; but, it makes for a cool and somewhat damp environment here. We hang our bath towels outside in the morning to dry in the sun.

I will miss the sounds I hear each day from our garden and the street outside our gate. The truck that delivers our big water bottles plays the song "Rain drops keep falling on my head", the gas trucks with the cylinders of propane gas, drag a heavy chain behind to ground any static electricity that might spark and cause an explosion. There are people selling things from door to door. We bought garlic from an old man who came into town from his ranchito. The neighbor's dog is let out in the mornings and evenings; the bark reminds me of our dog Tieka. We can hear the school band practicing in the afternoons, drums and trumpets. Children playing on the school grounds.Various birds singing in the trees in our garden. Roosters crowing at dawn. and the tolling of the church bells; always the tolling of church bells.

I love the bright colors that surround us each day. The tile roofs and colorful houses. Gardens with flowers and trees in bloom.The beautiful clothes that the indigenous people wear, even the little girls dressed in miniature like their mothers. Darling brown skinned babies smiling out from the shawls on their mother's backs. The men dressed in more conventional clothes. The markets full of produce and vendors selling at their stalls.The man with a box on his head full of cups of fresh squeezed juices. The craft market full of colorful treasures. A sensory overload!

There are the poor in this city, and we are approached by many women and children with things for us to buy. Gary is firm about saying No and walking away. I have a softer heart.  More than once I was tempted to buy some little thing from a small child, but  wasn't carrying any change at the time. When we were on our trip to the jungle last week, I did buy some fried bananas from a little Mayan girl. I had some US dollar bills in my wallet and gave her one of them. She wanted some pesos, but the dollar would have to do. I hope someone was able to give her twelve pesos for it.  Of course, we did not eat the chips.

It has been a wonderful time for Gary and me to be together. He loves Mexico and its people.  What better way to celebrate his retirement than to spend a month here in San Cristobal.