OR A BIT OF ZEN KUNDALINI MUSIC AND A DOG, GO A LONG WAY TO HAPPINESS AND TRANQUILITY.
This time in Turkiye was very valuable despite the sale crashing and burning due to the eternally changing laws in the different regions there. Bureaucracy over there is on steroids and changes from day to day. However we are now going back to clear up problems so I decided to repost this. The garden will be jungle again but lets cross our fingers that all is not lost.
Some times old birds have to fight really hard, more like cockerels in a pit at a cock fight !
My neighbour who oversees my work
Since writing this, sadly it appears the sale will not go through after a long weary time of yes, no situation as laws and catastrophes have occurred and misunderstandings and recriminations. I will however never forget my magical time in my garden. I am heartbroken and desolate so am going on a road trip to try to calm myself. I’m still trying to fix this as eternally an optimist! I’ll keep you posted x I’ll also be adding photos and final hammock film
OR, LET’S GET ON WITH IT NOW SHALL WE ?! Already, Chinese lunar year is in, and thank god. We get to have a horsey vibe and I’m a Sagittarius so it’s right up my […]
OR, HOW THINGS KEEP GETTING WEIRDER AT NIGHT. EXCUSE MY RAMBLING ANECDOTES!
I really need to get a grip. At first I was worrying and whining on about not getting enough sleep then suddenly I’m plunging into the abyss with less and less help from medicine after doing my ritual changing of rooms when I have a bad streak sleep-wise.
Tequila and bed? No only in Mexico!
Let me explain. Since being a child I have slept poorly and it has always been something I fret about as soon as I hit the hay. It’s vile and only bad sleepers understand the hideous anxiety that goes with. For example I have always freaked out on Sunday nights due to the pre Monday school blues and well, hysteria. This has continued into adulthood and beyond. However, don’t believe it’s the only day of the week I can froth at the mouth, any day of the week will do, regarding as to whether I’ll be able to sleep at all.
The land of the battle.
I’ve done all the correct things they bang on about. The darkening of the room is vital and I’ve made blackout blinds so snug that it makes the room fell like it doesn’t exist even and that I might have gone blind. The not watching TV (or any blue screen two hours before estimated sleep time) I don’t have a TV anywhere in the house let alone the bedroom so I don’t make that mistake as I turn everything off two hours ahead. I turn off the Wi-Fi on my phone after around seven and just read books afterwards to not over excite myself. I try not to drink anything after six and then only herbal tea (not even cocoa it has caffeine in it!) I go under my infrared lamp for a session which is by the bed. I turn the lights out between nine and ten putting on my audiobook very quietly and on its slowest speed with someone whose voice doesn’t irritate me. I then shuffle about finally resting on my left side to sleep. Well that doesn’t necessarily work but at least I’m trying. If i need, I take a sedative on bad nights and at least half a Sleepeeze. This can temporarily sort it but it doesn’t mean that I won’t wake in the early hours for wees or just because, and then crippled by the worry of it not be able to ‘drop off’ again until the cock crows. Am I rambling?
or the drought seems over and a’ mushrooming we will go! After a long hopeless summer with no actual sun, chemical clouds poisoning us but no actual rain from the heavens and all wildlife suffering, […]
OR YOU’LL NEED TO TAKE OUT A SECOND MORGAGE FOR THIS SAD SHOW
I really don’t know why I bothered apart from the excitement of a new city found up the road from Calakmul and Xpujil called Valeriana. Literally I thought that people would be able to amble in and I vaguely remembered security being lax around most sites, but more importantly there being a few gates of access. Not just the one.
By the way I’ve thrown in some random vids because I was aware of the rather negative content he he.
Things seemed so groovy and casual back in the day in Mexicos Yucatan and now it’s turned into little America but with military presence everywhere. It’s tragic how history repeats itself and the Latin Mexicans are busy victimising the indigenous groups and destroying just a little more of their homeland and also smashing down huge swathes of virgin jungle. Ooh the new president Claudia Sheinbaum, she’s so cool and green, although she’s not though is she?
See bottom of page for full howling experience!
Anyhoo, it would seem that the relationship with America will now be a sore topic so I doubt she will be giving any thought at all to other issues apart from building camps for the huge amount of deported Mexicans that are being deported. I suppose it will be ‘watch this space’ as to their policies with the States go from now on.
Calakmul. IN 2021 ALL CLOSED UP AFTER THEY LURE YOU IN.
The brief mention given in 21.
“This is another example of closed sections at famous pyramids. Another scam in times of ‘plague
OR,CHICANNA IN SPITTING DISTANCE OF BECAN, AND HORMIGUERO A RIGHT OLD TREK
The much lauded serpent portal but on the top of a high turret
HORMIGUERO A FORGOTTEN SITE IN MANY WAYS.
Three buildings very much like this
Whilst halfway through writing this I suddenly remembered that in fact my adventure started first thing in the morning with a booked cab that I had organised the day before to go to Horminguro dammit! You see what happens when you’re a bad, tired and grumpy old bird and don’t write your journal? I had totally forgotten poor old Hormiguero (Anthill) and possibly if you have a busy agenda so should you.
A few stacked Chaacs (rain gods) as well as many other motifs
I had in fact got very excited and planned this trip with a cabbie. I had heard it was a very unusual and nearly never visited set of ruins only partially excavated. What they mean to say is only the big interesting intact bits were bothered with and the place is a very shady quite sad place.
My impression was that the three misaligned very similar imposing structures, unimaginatively called South, Central and North Structures were almost like a bunch of bureaucratic beasts of the jungle. They are very sturdy and practical looking but they do surprisingly contain a lot of elaborately embellished doorways and panels. One also has the largest serpent doorway but that was up on high and the ground was slick with dew. I didn’t fancy a tumble so just took my images from below. If you were to come her I again would come for the atmosphere and maybe a walk in the jungle where there’s a lot of wildlife, I think you can even camp there which would be splendid!
I take it all back this was an amazing site
I just couldn’t shake my unfair immediate reaction to it being municipal and less Gormanghast and more Croydon, but then again I am very instantly judgemental about these things.
I have researched a bit but can’t get any straight answers except about what a lovely example of Chenes blah blah blah. I felt cheated although it was imposing in its own way but a bit boring and that was the reason I left early moaning to myself. On the way out I just had a nice chat to the two chaps who are its guardians but were very young and not a bit interested in its history or their ancestors work. This was annoying as I thought they might at least shed some light on its history. It was all rather sad and damp and dark and unloved.
OR, A BIT OF JUNGLE AND ATMOSPHERE AFTER THE NEWLY RUINED YUCATAN.
I’m not going to bang on today about the shit stuff that I experienced wandering around Mexico at the end of last year, oh I’m not a whiner, you know me better than that. Yesterday is yesterday, fair does.
Becán
While researching this I came across RománPiña Chan, a very famous archaeologist, a tragic afterthought in Mexican research history, specifically that of Becan where he had the accident on that ill fated day. I wanted to include him as he sounded a dear, meek man who suffered hugely for his passion. Bedbound for seventeen years after the spirits of Becan let him fall to his fate.
A unique quiet moment to enjoy the classical arched corridor
Below is his small obituary, as modest it would seem as he was, and although translated quirkily I feel fitting for the man who it seems also discovered the Olmec figures and contributed hugely to the field
✔ Posthumous tribute to the archaeologist in the National Museum of Anthropology
Piña Chan was a generous being and always needed know yourself loved and accepted, says Beatriz Barba
ത Locate the recent find in Becán, Campeche, as part of his legacy
JIMENEZ ARTURE
In 1984, Román Piña Chan fell from a pyramid from the archaeological zone of Becán, an accident that although not managed to remove him from the investigation, the reflection and teaching did limit their ability to move.
OR TRAVELLING TO A TOWN THAT’S LOST ITS IDENTITY AND HEART. POOR XPUHIL.
Me praying to the Mayan gods at Calakmul that no more damage would be done to their sacred land
Alert: Latest article about Tren Maya that proves what I say in the below account has turned out right! It’s white elephant era has begun surprisingly quickly! Don’t want to say I told you so but, I told you so he he!!! Apparently it’s being operated by the military? I don’t know about you but a military run tourist route never has left me with a warm and snuggly feeling in my belly as a traveller. Do read the article it’s accidently extremely funny. It also says
“Today, the Maya Train is not a tourist product that can be offered. There are no clear routes, there are no defined prices, not even the schedules are well established,” he commented noting that travel agencies have not yet had any contact regarding train promotion.
“If they had a developed product, they would be here at tourist events, explaining what time it leaves, how much it costs, in what languages it is available. But we don’t know anything, everything remains a mystery,”
In other words it’s a huge cock up!
Good old Trans Siberian Express an iconic train if ever there was one
Alert: Here I mostly ramble on about getting to the prime archaeological sites area and the place I used as a base, Xpujil or Xpuhil. The inner fury I felt upon having seen first hand, Tren Mayas long hard line of destruction and devastation of the area rather overtook my original intention of just writing about the sites that I went to. Mexico generally had been a shocker since my last visit and sadly you can clearly hear my disappointment in a place that just three years ago I had worshipped. If you don’t care then I will publish a post tomorrow about the actual sites I went to while there!
And so back to the post:
The Journey to Xpuhil
Me praying to the Mayan gods at Calakmul that no more damage would be done to their sacred land
Riding on the bus away from beastly Bacalar and started on my real road trip! Hooray I’m leaving and going to revisit Xpuhil to use as a base to visit surrounding archaeological sites that I missed last time. I celebrated on that bus to Chetumal after dragging my case miles from my little pension in the midday sun, and was ready to wait there for a couple of hours to get my connection. So in theory I should arrive at my cabin before it’s too late to feel safe, although it will be dark. Upon my joyous arrival (I had so hated Bacalar that any shit hole was now paradise!) I also found that I could buy an earlier ticket upon arrival the bus station, which was a huge relief, rather than the later one which would have involved me waiting five hours and much sighing and whining. However, I still had over an hour to kill and I was suddenly famished.
OR, MY FIRST WEEK BACK IN MEXICO AFTER OVER THREE YEARS.
Just think what’s ahead of you when you arrive!
Long trip from London, little did I know I’d be travelling for over twenty hours. Harsh work indeed!
THE FLIGHT AND JOURNEY.
The flight over was truly dreadful, long very cold and boring. BA sure has changed and taken a nosedive in many ways! That can count literally as they have a fleet of the now infamous Boing aircraft (bits didn’t fall off our plane I don’t think) , however the food, service and general vibe was awful, a kind of Easyjet with fangs. The crew had no manners and there is no leg space at all. I was lucky my lucky dip seating had given me an aisle seat. I would suggest taking your own food as theirs is inedible. They served pretend chicken for both meals that I wouldn’t feed my dog.
Looking through my huge archive of photos today in the reference library, I saw that I had neglected connecting all the animals I had rubbed shoulders with on my travels around the world. I feel I need to correct this seeing as animals are my favourite things.
ELEPHANT SANCTUARY THAILAND, CHIANG MAI.
Jokey baby elephant and guides
Let’s face it animals are part of every aspect of our lives The good, bad and ugly. They feature in religions past and present, they live with us, they entertain and fascinate us, and we eat them. I don’t want to get embroiled here on how much modern humans abuse them rather than revere them, that’s for another time. I just want to casually look over some of my encounters to remind us why we yearn to be on the move and experience the mundane and exotic.
In 1984, Román Piña Chan fell from a pyramid from the archaeological zone of Becán, an accident that although not managed to remove him from the investigation, the reflection and teaching did limit their ability to move.
Old Bird Travels Solo! 