Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Class days always pass very slowly and generally there is nothing too terribly exciting to share. My afternoon session was passed in discussion with Santiago, who has been working with Garrett and I on our Maya. In fact, our discussion sidetracked into hieroglyphs, and so tomorrow we are going to spend an hour with Santiago teaching him about the basics of understanding glyphs. I am really excited about being able to share my knowledge and passion for reading the ancient texts.
As night approached I was left wondering about what terrors would arrive in my sleeping quarters. I always expect a gecko and so each night that passes without one only makes the following night more likely for the return of Barney. Tonight was marked by the appearance of several, rather large beetles, thus I have named it “The Night of the Beetles.” These unwelcome visitors were easily removed and I fell asleep quickly after beginning my fourth novel, and the last one that I brought with me for enjoyment. I will have to read it slowly, but I predict that I will finish in about a week.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
This morning breakfast included fresh banana bread instead of toast, which was a wonderful surprise to the palate. For several days I have been praying for something familiar on my plate – my prayers were answered. As soon lunch was brought before me my eyes grew wide with anticipation. What was the cause of my excitement? A sandwich. I know it was just a sandwich with french fries, but it was the most deliciously appetizing thing I have eaten since I arrived. It is not that I don’t appreciate the local cuisine, but my taste buds were dying for some old favorites. Of course, since lunch was an unusually significant spot in my day, dinner was not. The kitchen had prepared a special dish not usually served to visitors and I can easily predict why. I cannot even think of how to explain the flavors involved in this meal, or the consistency. I would compare it to a casserole or lasagna, but made with a leaf and scrambled eggs molded into a semi-green, semi-yellow mound with a tomato-like salsa on top. Sadly, they had also prepared a juice from this local plant, which was horribly green and horribly unpalatable.
My walk to the internet this afternoon took nearly half an hour in the worst heat of the day which left me sweating in a room with no air conditioning, writing home on a very slow computer where I was attacked by a silverfish-like bug. On my return to the Flycatcher, Leah, Catherine and I stopped at the ice cream parlor for a frozen treat. I selected a lime ice cream, which was really more like a sorbet on a popsicle stick. It was absolutely amazing and certainly occupied my thoughts about the blazing sun on my walk.
Garrett and I spent an hour talking to Santiago about hieroglyphs and translating the frame on a mirror in our classroom, which is really a suite, since so many of the guests want to know what it says. We also helped him to translate Santa Elena, or Noh Cacab into hieroglyphs. I am very excited about going to Nopat tomorrow to see what ruins look like without being cleared, excavated, and restored. Several students have decided to skip the trip since they have so many things going on here, though what exactly that means I am not sure. I cannot imagine missing an experience like this, especially since someone that grew up here is going to show us around and share stories about his experiences as a child exploring the ruins. This is one of those adventures that you just cannot replace and no excuse is worthy of missing.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
We decided to visit the ruins of Nopat after our discussion regarding aluxes a few days ago with Santiago. It is an unexcavated site less than five minutes away on the main road before veering off into the jungle for nearly twenty minutes. We met at the Chac Mol around two o’clock where we climbed into the back of a truck for the windy, bumpy excursion through the jungle. The ride along the main ride was absolutely exhilarating as I clung to the metal framework with the wind coiling through my hair. The weight of the humidity on my lungs was quickly replaced for the first time since my arrival in Santa Elena making it possible to breathe with ease. After a few minutes of invigorating air, the truck quickly veered off the main road, drove past a field, and slipped into the mouth of the jungle as if the gaping green jaws of the forest devoured our small rusty truck, never to be seen again. We drove along a narrow dirt path like the main artery of the jungle, ducking quickly as branches reached out into our path to grab at our arms, necks, and hair. Leaves descended into the truck bed and only once we stopped for Santiago to cut a large branch hanging sharply above our heads, foliage falling like a winter snow onto our shoulders and backs.
Suddenly the engine creaked to a halt, we applied our last layer of bug spray, rolled down our shirtsleeves, donned our hats and walked off into the mist of the jungle. Throughout our journey the metal clang off machetes rang through the leaves. The chaos of leaves and earth was disorienting, but the silver hack of metal on wood served as an efficient homing beacon in the void. Soon our footing became unstable – brown, deadened leaves covered crumbling, ancient stones that rose sharply in a jumble like a jenga tower after it has collapsed. I climbed slowly, clinging to each stone above me, my knuckles already red and scratched from the branches scrapping along my skin as I clung to the bed of the truck. Minutes passed slowly, perhaps an eternity, and the trees cleared, my back straightened, and we stood on flat ground once more. The top of the pyramid peered majestically over the treetops for miles in every direction. Gray sky replaced blue sky and the clouds rolled in as the first raindrops fell, a strong breeze cooling the sweat on our face and arms. I stood between two parallel walls of stone, knowing that once this opening marked the summit of the main staircase. We descended quickly, clutching vines and tree trunks in our palms to sturdy our path. The solid ground below us brought an escape from the rains above, the abundant jade foliage like a thick cloak above us letting no drops pass to the ground below.
We hiked for many hours, first on flat ground, then on rigid, bumpy earth, the concealed rooftops of ancient Maya kings forming a new landscape of dirt, leaves, and trees sprouting from their roofs. Much of our time was spent picking our way along a precarious path across the vaulted roofs covered in trees and crumbling into oblivion. Many buildings only retained two or three walls, though one offered four with the original entrance no more than a small cavity as earth filled in and surrounded the lower half of the temple. I crawled in, ducking my head to avoid the low ceiling. When I emerged into the dark interior I placed my hand along the wall to sturdy my footing. I realized my mistake at once. A sticky residue coated my fingers, and even in the dark I could see the gray fibers of a very well, made thick spider web. Instinct quickly brought my hand to my pant leg and wiped viciously to remove the delicate textile.
Time seemed to stop as we trekked through the leaves; on many occasions I spotted the familiar Puuc X lying alone in the middle of a path, or half buried by other stones. A stela, split in half, showed the disintegrating form of a ruler. Sadly, all of this majesty will pass into nothingness. One temple brought us to a looters pit deep inside the cool darkness of the interior. Flashlights eerily illuminated our surroundings where a slab or rock along the ground had been removed. We crawled to the lowest spot, bent our backs and necks to peer into an underground tomb. The contents were missing, but my imagination filled in the emptiness with a lush setting of elite portable objects left for the underworld ancestors. It is unlikely that Nopat, which some believe to be as large and grand as Palenque, will ever receive funding to be excavated and restored. Most sites are maintained simply for the tourism industry. As long as Uxmal continues to bring in the business, Nopat will never receive attention. It is amazing that we have no idea what is there, no clue what we are walking on, and I want to know more than anything. Who will bring Nopat back to life? I am pretty sure that I want to be a part of that journey. Stephens and Catherwood visited many of the sites in the Puuc region, even Nopat. They drew the stone aluxes that have long been stolen from the site, but which Santiago remembers seeing as a child. He took us to the chultun that brought him his first encounter with the aluxes and how frightened he had been. My mind is filled with wonder about Nopat and the other sites that I will visit tomorrow, and I realize that while I am more than familiar with Catherwood’s drawings of the ancient ruins, I have never read their book, Incidents of Travel in the Yucatan. I’ll have to get a copy when I return to Chicago.
The ride back to Santa Elena seemed much shorter, perhaps because my mind was left exploring the ruins in detail wondering what lay beneath. Dinner passed quickly and soon we were dancing. Miguel has chosen three dances for us to learn and perform next Wednesday in full Maya regalia; secretly I think he has lost his mind. I can barely remember the steps for the first dance, let alone three. After returning to the room and showering, I was applying band-aids to my blistered feet when I discovered a strange looking scab on my heel. Though I have never had I tick, my mind told me at once what I did not want to believe. It was so tiny that the tweezers barely grasped it. It seemed to take forever, try after try after try. Peech, the Maya term for tick and the name I have chosen for this small intruder, must have been rather annoyed at this point with all of the prodding. Suddenly peech let go and started crawling, my tweezers quickly removing him from my skin. I am still shocked. Of course this prompted a very thorough search that produced another tick crawling across my back. At first I thought it was a freckle, but those are generally stationary, and this was of course moving. Now I am constantly checking freckles, moles, mosquito bites, and scabs – paranoia has definitely set in.
Class days always pass very slowly and generally there is nothing too terribly exciting to share. My afternoon session was passed in discussion with Santiago, who has been working with Garrett and I on our Maya. In fact, our discussion sidetracked into hieroglyphs, and so tomorrow we are going to spend an hour with Santiago teaching him about the basics of understanding glyphs. I am really excited about being able to share my knowledge and passion for reading the ancient texts.
As night approached I was left wondering about what terrors would arrive in my sleeping quarters. I always expect a gecko and so each night that passes without one only makes the following night more likely for the return of Barney. Tonight was marked by the appearance of several, rather large beetles, thus I have named it “The Night of the Beetles.” These unwelcome visitors were easily removed and I fell asleep quickly after beginning my fourth novel, and the last one that I brought with me for enjoyment. I will have to read it slowly, but I predict that I will finish in about a week.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
This morning breakfast included fresh banana bread instead of toast, which was a wonderful surprise to the palate. For several days I have been praying for something familiar on my plate – my prayers were answered. As soon lunch was brought before me my eyes grew wide with anticipation. What was the cause of my excitement? A sandwich. I know it was just a sandwich with french fries, but it was the most deliciously appetizing thing I have eaten since I arrived. It is not that I don’t appreciate the local cuisine, but my taste buds were dying for some old favorites. Of course, since lunch was an unusually significant spot in my day, dinner was not. The kitchen had prepared a special dish not usually served to visitors and I can easily predict why. I cannot even think of how to explain the flavors involved in this meal, or the consistency. I would compare it to a casserole or lasagna, but made with a leaf and scrambled eggs molded into a semi-green, semi-yellow mound with a tomato-like salsa on top. Sadly, they had also prepared a juice from this local plant, which was horribly green and horribly unpalatable.
My walk to the internet this afternoon took nearly half an hour in the worst heat of the day which left me sweating in a room with no air conditioning, writing home on a very slow computer where I was attacked by a silverfish-like bug. On my return to the Flycatcher, Leah, Catherine and I stopped at the ice cream parlor for a frozen treat. I selected a lime ice cream, which was really more like a sorbet on a popsicle stick. It was absolutely amazing and certainly occupied my thoughts about the blazing sun on my walk.
Garrett and I spent an hour talking to Santiago about hieroglyphs and translating the frame on a mirror in our classroom, which is really a suite, since so many of the guests want to know what it says. We also helped him to translate Santa Elena, or Noh Cacab into hieroglyphs. I am very excited about going to Nopat tomorrow to see what ruins look like without being cleared, excavated, and restored. Several students have decided to skip the trip since they have so many things going on here, though what exactly that means I am not sure. I cannot imagine missing an experience like this, especially since someone that grew up here is going to show us around and share stories about his experiences as a child exploring the ruins. This is one of those adventures that you just cannot replace and no excuse is worthy of missing.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
We decided to visit the ruins of Nopat after our discussion regarding aluxes a few days ago with Santiago. It is an unexcavated site less than five minutes away on the main road before veering off into the jungle for nearly twenty minutes. We met at the Chac Mol around two o’clock where we climbed into the back of a truck for the windy, bumpy excursion through the jungle. The ride along the main ride was absolutely exhilarating as I clung to the metal framework with the wind coiling through my hair. The weight of the humidity on my lungs was quickly replaced for the first time since my arrival in Santa Elena making it possible to breathe with ease. After a few minutes of invigorating air, the truck quickly veered off the main road, drove past a field, and slipped into the mouth of the jungle as if the gaping green jaws of the forest devoured our small rusty truck, never to be seen again. We drove along a narrow dirt path like the main artery of the jungle, ducking quickly as branches reached out into our path to grab at our arms, necks, and hair. Leaves descended into the truck bed and only once we stopped for Santiago to cut a large branch hanging sharply above our heads, foliage falling like a winter snow onto our shoulders and backs.
Suddenly the engine creaked to a halt, we applied our last layer of bug spray, rolled down our shirtsleeves, donned our hats and walked off into the mist of the jungle. Throughout our journey the metal clang off machetes rang through the leaves. The chaos of leaves and earth was disorienting, but the silver hack of metal on wood served as an efficient homing beacon in the void. Soon our footing became unstable – brown, deadened leaves covered crumbling, ancient stones that rose sharply in a jumble like a jenga tower after it has collapsed. I climbed slowly, clinging to each stone above me, my knuckles already red and scratched from the branches scrapping along my skin as I clung to the bed of the truck. Minutes passed slowly, perhaps an eternity, and the trees cleared, my back straightened, and we stood on flat ground once more. The top of the pyramid peered majestically over the treetops for miles in every direction. Gray sky replaced blue sky and the clouds rolled in as the first raindrops fell, a strong breeze cooling the sweat on our face and arms. I stood between two parallel walls of stone, knowing that once this opening marked the summit of the main staircase. We descended quickly, clutching vines and tree trunks in our palms to sturdy our path. The solid ground below us brought an escape from the rains above, the abundant jade foliage like a thick cloak above us letting no drops pass to the ground below.
We hiked for many hours, first on flat ground, then on rigid, bumpy earth, the concealed rooftops of ancient Maya kings forming a new landscape of dirt, leaves, and trees sprouting from their roofs. Much of our time was spent picking our way along a precarious path across the vaulted roofs covered in trees and crumbling into oblivion. Many buildings only retained two or three walls, though one offered four with the original entrance no more than a small cavity as earth filled in and surrounded the lower half of the temple. I crawled in, ducking my head to avoid the low ceiling. When I emerged into the dark interior I placed my hand along the wall to sturdy my footing. I realized my mistake at once. A sticky residue coated my fingers, and even in the dark I could see the gray fibers of a very well, made thick spider web. Instinct quickly brought my hand to my pant leg and wiped viciously to remove the delicate textile.
Time seemed to stop as we trekked through the leaves; on many occasions I spotted the familiar Puuc X lying alone in the middle of a path, or half buried by other stones. A stela, split in half, showed the disintegrating form of a ruler. Sadly, all of this majesty will pass into nothingness. One temple brought us to a looters pit deep inside the cool darkness of the interior. Flashlights eerily illuminated our surroundings where a slab or rock along the ground had been removed. We crawled to the lowest spot, bent our backs and necks to peer into an underground tomb. The contents were missing, but my imagination filled in the emptiness with a lush setting of elite portable objects left for the underworld ancestors. It is unlikely that Nopat, which some believe to be as large and grand as Palenque, will ever receive funding to be excavated and restored. Most sites are maintained simply for the tourism industry. As long as Uxmal continues to bring in the business, Nopat will never receive attention. It is amazing that we have no idea what is there, no clue what we are walking on, and I want to know more than anything. Who will bring Nopat back to life? I am pretty sure that I want to be a part of that journey. Stephens and Catherwood visited many of the sites in the Puuc region, even Nopat. They drew the stone aluxes that have long been stolen from the site, but which Santiago remembers seeing as a child. He took us to the chultun that brought him his first encounter with the aluxes and how frightened he had been. My mind is filled with wonder about Nopat and the other sites that I will visit tomorrow, and I realize that while I am more than familiar with Catherwood’s drawings of the ancient ruins, I have never read their book, Incidents of Travel in the Yucatan. I’ll have to get a copy when I return to Chicago.
The ride back to Santa Elena seemed much shorter, perhaps because my mind was left exploring the ruins in detail wondering what lay beneath. Dinner passed quickly and soon we were dancing. Miguel has chosen three dances for us to learn and perform next Wednesday in full Maya regalia; secretly I think he has lost his mind. I can barely remember the steps for the first dance, let alone three. After returning to the room and showering, I was applying band-aids to my blistered feet when I discovered a strange looking scab on my heel. Though I have never had I tick, my mind told me at once what I did not want to believe. It was so tiny that the tweezers barely grasped it. It seemed to take forever, try after try after try. Peech, the Maya term for tick and the name I have chosen for this small intruder, must have been rather annoyed at this point with all of the prodding. Suddenly peech let go and started crawling, my tweezers quickly removing him from my skin. I am still shocked. Of course this prompted a very thorough search that produced another tick crawling across my back. At first I thought it was a freckle, but those are generally stationary, and this was of course moving. Now I am constantly checking freckles, moles, mosquito bites, and scabs – paranoia has definitely set in.
5 comments:
Hey!! What an adventure. I can't wait to see more pictures of Nopat. It was great to hear your voice yesterday and I look forward to seeing pics of you in your traditional garb dancing. :) I'm exhausted from work, but off tomorrow so I'll probably post another comment when my mind is fresh. Love ya!!
You must have slept like an ancient Mayan after the day you spent hiking for hours through the jungle to see Nopat and then danced after dinner. What an exhausting day that must have been but obviously exhilarating. I can tell by your detailed descriptions that if possibly you would go back today with the necessary tools and begin excavating yourself. Santiago sounds like a fascinating individual but I can't recall who he is. I went back through the blogs quickly to see where you noted who he was but I could not find it and gave up. Betty has posted her blog also. They have left Norway and are on their way to Russia. I have to chuckle at the differences in your experiences. They are enjoying somewhat cold weather and brisk rides in boats on calm fiords while you spend your days sweating constantly, trekking through jungles and climbing ancient ruins. You both have classes. I loved the picture from Nopat. We have two geckos on the wall in our cabana metal ones of course. We will name one Barney in your honor and let you pick a name for the other. The fact that you are starting to name all these critters is an indication you are becoming attached. Watch that! We are counting down the days till We see you. I hope to talk to you brfore we come because I had a question about your schedule, which is an older one and your arrival and free days in Valladolid. Love you and miss you. Mom and Dad
x-jeder,
Seems like your journey has truly been an amazing one so far. I have enjoyed reading your blog, and I find myself up late again tonight, reading and admiring the pics. Your nature shots are breath-taking and the images of the ruins are great. It is also cool that you remember to have someone take a picture of you w/ the amazing scenery. I hope you took more pictures of the cenote b/c that really caught my eye. The tadpoles and lillies (sp?) were exciting. Now....onto Barney and Peech, I agree, not so exciting but it seems like you are adjusting well. Even your mom said you are naming them, so at least you are becoming someone connected. Hopefully no more Peechs or visits from Barney (or maybe just one more visit from Barney-- he sounds kind of cute;) This is going to sound REALLY dumb to you probably, but are you wearing tennis shoes when you go to explore the ruins, etc? With all that climbing...I'm assuming you are, so here is my crazy tip....Apply anti-perspirant to the bottom arches and soles of your feet and even the tops. Believe me, it will prevent sweating somewhat and minimize perspiration-- this should really reduce the irritation to those mosquito bites. The little lacerations from the mosquito bites to not like to be covered in sweat. I know it sounds dumb to put a little deodorant on your feet, but it should really help and possibly provide some relief to the problem!!! And of course, extra hydracortizone cream over night. Sounds like your time in Santa Elena has been great, despite some of the living conditions- but it's all a part of the experience. Now more about this dance-- you do realize that I am totally going to make you give me a special performance the next time I see you- no excuses!! You have to find someone take a picture of you dancing in the traditional garb. I can't wait to hear about your time w/ the host family. It's great you bought those children's books from the store. Hopefully, the family you stay w/ will have young children and you could share the story books as well as your own stories (in yucatec maya of course!) ok well it's pretty late and I'm getting tired so I will comment further later. On Tues, July 1st I start my first rotation here as a PhD student-- been waiting for this for a long time.....pretty excited, of course bit anxious, but mostly excited....it's kind of like venturing into the unknown, like you said. i talked w/ Megan on the phone today (Sunday) for about an hour and half. Had a great convo- I hope we will do the same while she is in Mali (that way we can catch up one on one and you can tell me in more detail about the trip.) she misses you a lot (but I'm sure you already knew that;) anyway, I miss you too and of course am always concerned about everyone's health so keep an eye on all the bites. sweet dreams! (tell Barney I said g'night too, if he's there haha:) j/k
Hey! It's me again. I'm off to work today from 10:30 to 6:00. Same again tomorrow. I always have to check your blog every morning, just to look at the pictures again. I always choose one to tile across the back of my desktop. Hope your last few days since we spoke have been enjoyable and I can't wait to read about the other ruins you have visited. Miss you. Last night I was putting some paperwork away and before I knew it I was going through the folders and cleaning the whole thing out. Then my phone rang and thank goodness someone called me because it was 10:30. I'd been working on paperwork for almost three hours!!! I couldn't believe it. Well, at least you know you are coming home to the cleanest apartment ever. When I'm bored I just start cleaning. Love ya!!
Exploring Nopat and the hike sounds exciting! Visiting it after walking deep into the forest without having swarms of tourists around is certainly a lucky experience. It must be easy to imagine it teeming with people working on construction in the hot sun or preparing for a burial ceremony.
Hope you have somewhat adjusted to the food and critters - If you happen to see Barney again, send him my regards and please don't squish him. I'm about to head out on a 10 day trip tomorrow. I look forward to the next installment!
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