Back in Torreon

We apoligize for not posting anything for awhile. The truth is, the end of our trip is turning out to be kind of anti-climactic, and there's just not that much to write about. We've been in Torreon for the last week, enjoying three football games a day and the Mexican hospitality. We needed to be here by the 10th for the wedding of two friends, Monica and Nolan. We left Flores, Guatemala, at 5:00 am, last Tuesday morning, and took a bus to the border with Mexico. We crossed the border, the Rio Usumacinta, with about 15 others in an outboard motorboat. After a 20 minute ride upstream we 'docked' (there was just a dirt road leading down to the river) on the Mexican side. We took a two-hour busride through the Chiapas countryside to Palenque, where we waited a few hours for the night bus to Mexico City, while trying to avoid the heat. We spent all day Wednesday in Mexico City checking out the main sights (like Azteca Stadium). By Thursday morning we were in Torreon. We are staying with Carlos and Erin, our roommates in Brandon for the last year and a half. After five months it's nice to just relax a little, and spend time with friends. The wedding was a lot of fun, and quite different from a North American wedding. The bride, Monica, lived in the same house as us for four months in Brandon, and we went to school (and I played soccer) with Nolan for the last three years. The ceremony didn't start till 9:00 pm. It was held at a Catholic church on the top of a hill overlooking the city, and was really nice. The reception started around 10:30, and was held outside. It lasted till 4:00 am. There was dancing, marriachis, and tequila, three Mexican staples. Before the throwing of the garter belt, all the guys had to hold hands and run around in what is called 'the snake of the sea.' It got going pretty fast, and Clay and I, who were almost at the back, came close to falling, which is, as we found out later, the purpose of this game. Neither of us caught the garter belt, but that didn't deter us from trying to meet a few senioritas. We got home at 5:00, and I woke up at 8:00 for the Holland-Serbia game. Sunday was a big day in Mexico, as Mexico was playing their first game of this year's World Cup. I'm a bit lost this year, because for the first time in my life Belgium isn't playing. Being here though, among die-hard fans, is at least some consolation, and I feel myself cheering for Mexico just a little bit. There were about 15 of Carlos' friends here. After it looked like Mexico might not win, they went crazy when Mexico scored their two go-ahead goals. We continued our sport-filled day by checking out a local baseball game. On Tuesday, we went to Cuatrocienegas, with Carlos, Erin, Becky, and Fernanda (whom some of you might know from Western.) Cuatrocienegas is a series of pools in the middle of the desert which are fed by an underwater aquifer. The water is crystal clear, and is home to several species of fish and other animals which are found in no other place in the world. In some places you can see the water coming out of the ground at the bottom of the pond. If you have any old copies of National Geographic lying around, you should read the article on Cuatrocienegas in the October, 1995 issue. We spent most of our time in the water trying to keep cool in the 43°C heat. If we stood still the fish would come and bite our feet, a great example of a symbiotic relationship because they managed to bite off the scabs we got from using flippers last week. It would be interesting to know if they survived that. We're back in Torreon. Both of us are making a last ditch effort to locate Etta Place. Which is why I have to go right now, cause I'm late. We might go to Mazatlan next week. After that we will be slowly making our way back home with a few stops in Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Minnesota. So we will see most of you soon. We'll keep you updated on how the last two weeks of our trip go. Pieter

Utila and Tikal

Time for a quick one, and it's Clayton here. Scuba diving was quite the rush. You must understand that I've had a general fear of water ever since I can remeber, and it has manifested itself in a phobia of sharks. I'll toot my own horn and say that I'm proud of myself for doing it. Definitely one thing I have learned, in part from this trip, is that you can pretty much do anything you set your mind to. It's an empowering feeling. Anyway, more about diving, once you become comfortable, it is an incredibly relaxing activity. Floating weightless, you marvel at the ability to breathe underwater, all the while observing every color and shape of sea creature imaginable, under you beside you and overhead. The best way I can think of to describe what we saw is to liken it to a Discovery channel program. Just one more thing on the list of recommendations. Today we saw the Mayan ruins of Tikal, in northern Guatemala. We had been told the site was on par with Machu Picchu, so I guess my expectations were set a little too high. That said, it is still a remarkable place. Only 20% excavated, much of it remains covered by the jungle. In comparison to the Inca ruins of the 15th century, Tikal dates back to somewhere around 800BC, which I thought was quite impressive. Apparently, within the last five years, they have discovered a new Mayan site that is four times the size of Tikal (Tikal was thought to have been the capital of the Mayan civilization). A five day hike from here, it made us wish we had more time. Always short on time so I will end here. Piet should have some pictures up. And we should mention that the last entry gave us a lot of problems. We ended up deleting the first two postings, which means we may have deleted any comments made, just in case you were wondering. See most of you soon!