Vamos a La Playa

Last Friday was the Day of the Virgin in Mexico. Thursday night was a big fiesta that drew cowboys in from the surrounding villages, and was remarkably similar to the Camden Show. Although apparently people bring guns here. We ate some churros and didn´t stay very late. Friday was an endless stream of parades and an ecstatic vibe throughout the town - the climax to twelve days of celebrations. Friday night was another round of farewell drinks and now I´ve got one less English-speaking friend here. Over the weekend I went with my housemates to the beach - Boca del Cielo ("mouth of the sky"). In theory it´s about five hours by bus. In reality it took us eight hours to get there, and at midnight we were dropped at an abandoned car park surrounded by dark restaurants/homes, where we made enough noise to wake someone up who could take us in his boat across to the island strip where the actual beach is. We bought two cartons of beer (dos equis, or "two X"), set up a table on the sand and drank under the full moon until four in the morning, maintaining a very smoky bonfire with dry palm fronds. It was a beautiful night, warm, with noone else on the beach, and enough moonlight to watch the waves. However, in the morning I was sick as a dog. We went to sit on the sand. The others went into the water. I went to follow, but as soon as I entered the movement of the ocean had me vomiting uncontrollably into the water around me, and then laughing uncontrollably at how tragic it was. So I sat and sweated in the sun with a t-shirt draped over my head. Boca del Cielo is a popular beach at other times of the year but there were only a few tourists scattered throughout while we were there. A beautiful location with some typically Mexican establishments: hammocks, pumping salsa music, and resident parrots... We had a fantastic seafood brunch (which I was thankfully able to keep down) and left for San Cristobal soon after midday. At Tonala we planned to catch a bus to Tuxtla but first we had to find an ATM and get some cash out. Every ATM in Tonala (and the surrounding towns) was out of order, and the bus company didn´t accept credits cards. So hours later, after a few taxis, colectivos, and attempts to hitch-hike... we arranged for a relative to buy tickets at the other end. And we finally rolled back into San Cristobal after midnight - twelve hours after leaving the beach. Everyone tired and shitty. All in all a fun weekend. Last week I bought a pirate copy of the Australian heroin movie Candy at the mercado publico (in a triple-set with two B-grade horror movies) and last night the household gathered around to watch it. I didn´t know what the Mexicans would make of it, but the verdict was triste pero bonita (sad but beautiful). I was glad... Meanwhile, Baz Luhrman´s Australia has been released locally and I´m dying to go and cringe through that one day soon. But it can´t be tomorrow night because WE ARE GOING TO LUCHA LIBRE!!! I´ve never been so excited about a sporting event.