Mas de Mexico

I left San Cristobal de las Casas early the next morning for Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of the state of Chiapas, where I hoped to see my first quetzal.

Happy to be free of tourist shuttles, I found my way to a collectiva stop where shuttles (much like the ones they use for tourists, but filled instead with Mexicans and for a tenth of the price) leave when filled, for various destinations. I settled in with my new book, Aztec, a fictional history of the Aztecs - interesting, but at times disturbingly graphic.

The shuttle dropped me off on the side of the highway nearest to the "embarcaro" for boat trips through the Sumedero Canyon. Since I had arrived alone and the boats only left when full, I decided to have breakfast and asked for an order of juevos ranchos, which turned out to be one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had: two tortillas, topped with fried eggs, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, avocado and crumbled cheese (sorry, it was so good I had to share). After breakfast, the loading dock began to fill up with people and I purchased a ticket for the first boat.

Throughout the trip, I was constantly thinking of my father and how much he would have loved that boat ride. The canyon was spectacular, reaching over a thousand meters in some places, and the lush foliage on the banks teemed with local birds, pelicans, gulls, herons, and interestingly enough, tons of vultures. At various points throughout the trip, the driver would pull over to point out a basking crocodile or an interesting rock formation.

After the trip, I returned to the road where I caught a bus to Tuxtla and made my way to the bus station to purchase a ticket for Oaxaca for that evening. Having still not yet found a Lonely Planet or any other guide for that matter, I was travelling on notes taken from guides that I had borrowed from others and on the directions given to me by the various people I met on the street.

After finding the bus station, purchasing my ticket for a 7:30 p.m. bus that evening, I caught a cab to the zoo.

In Guatemala, you hear constantly of the quetzal. Not only is the quetzal their national bird, but it is also their national currency and holds a prominent place in much of their indigenous history. Unfortunately, the quetzal is also in danger of extinction and therefore is almost, if not entirely, impossible to find in Guatemala. Hence, I found myself in southern Mexico, making my way to the local zoo, simply because I had heard that they had the elusive quetzal.

Zoomat, the zoo itself, was quite impressive, having recently been redone in a way that allowed the animals to live in impressive enclosures replicating their natural habitats, without, of course, the freedom; although there were some animals that did seem to have the freedom to roam at will. I had asked my taxi driver to come back for me at 5:00 so I had three hours to relax and take my time enjoying the park. There were many parrots and other birds, including two species of toucan (see Kev, that was a toucan!), and lots of other animals that I was recognized, including a few that I did not. When I finally reached the spot where the quetzal was housed, I stopped to chat with him for a bit and tell him how far I’d come to see him. I made sure to get a few photos, but because I had to take them through the bars I’m not sure how well they’ll turn out.

After leaving the zoo, hot and sweaty, I headed back to the bus stop for my overnight ride to Oaxaca feeling sorry for the person who would have to share my row.


http://www.travellog.com/guatemala/quetzal.html
http://www.dimijianimages.com/More-page2/quetzal-full.htm
http://www.montereybay.com/creagrus/ETsumidero.html