Oye!

Been to the bus stations to buy a ticket three times today.  When I finally found the bus I wanted, I had them reserve my spot.  I rushed back to the hostel with a few minutes to gather my things annnnndd I couldn't find the hostel owner.  He'd gone to buy bread.   Vive Mexico!

Bye bye bus attempt day 1.  Tomorrow, I'm scheduled for the bus.  We'll see if I make connections.  If so, my travel time will be somewhere around 18 hours with 14 hours of actual bus time.  Here I come Merida!

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The joys of traveling.  Good thing I have all I have is time!!

Zapatistas in Oventik

Yesterday I sat in a room with 6 people, all wearing black ski masks.  I was intimidated at first, but found out quickly how lovely these indigenous people are. We asked questions to learn more about the Zapatista communities that are sprinkled around San Cristobal de las Casas and the world.  We were allowed 30 minutes of talking time in their office before they thanked us for coming.

We were allowed to walk around the head quarters and check out all the murals.  Fascinating!!!

San Cristobal in photos from the last few days

 Mexicans know how to celebrate anything and everything.  It's what makes their culture so think and strong!  The parade yesterday was a surprise to us, yet not to every Mexican, they came from everywhere to see musicians, dancers, princesses and floats.

 Zanicantan.  Yes there's a man hanging from this church.  At first I thought it was Bush.  But we asked.  It's Judah.

 San Juan Chamula.  A bustling market.  An unforgetable church experience where I watched a woman kill a chicken IN A CHURCH for sacrificial purposes.  Also, they use Coca-Cola to throw about the candles, as a spiritual cleansing. 

Churches.  Churches.  And more churches.

Homemade Pizza from an Italian....twist my arm.  

My favorite day of the year!

"Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive"

Hope you're enjoying the day and finding a few laughs!!!

And now to calm anyone's fears.  I will not be selling a kidney.  Wouldn't ever sell one--donate one to a family member, yes.  Even when asked if I would rather 'work in corporate America or sell my kidney?' I replied with Corporate America.  So please, have more trust, I may not conform to social norms sometimes, but my is still head upon my shoulders.

April Fool's History......read up and prepare for next year.

Does one need two kidneys?

Travelers talk,we have plenty of time to swap stories.  Just recently I met a man, who upon traveling in Mexico, encountered a few doctors that offered him $75,000 USD for his kidney.  Clean hospital room, full recovery and cash on-hand once he was finished. So he did it without thinking.  And since, it has got me thinking.

$75,000 for an organ where I already have two.  That's enough travel money for  5+ years.  And it's a sanitary/hospitable environment where the doctors have been professionally trained.  Did lots of research the last few weeks.  Talking to past patients about their experiences and recoveries and life thereafter.  All seems good.

Verbally committed this morning after another phone interview, tho haven't signed anything yet.  Told them about my Salmonella thingy, so we've put off an ideal surgery date for 7 weeks, to be sure my body is in tip top shape for whats to come.  I'm a little scared but mostly excited.  It's opening up the world to me for the next 5 years.  And heck, I have two kidneys