{to the ends of the earth}: snippets of San Cristobal de las Casas

In the fall of 2006, I boarded a plane on a one way ticket to Mexico City. Destination: San Cristobal De Las Casas. 14 hours south, by way of bus, sort of near the border of Guatemala.

After 3 days in Mexico City with my friend, Abi, and her family, I hopped a bus for the loooong trip south. Over the mountains and thru the country.

For most of the trip, I was the only girl on the bus. I got lots of stares and just as many, "donde vas?" Where are you going? I guess it's not very common to see a white girl traveling alone in Mexico. I mostly minded my own business, listening to music, starring out the window. I couldn't go to sleep; afraid I might miss something. When I'm doing something totally new, I like to do it with eyes wide open.

After 6 or 7 hours, a group of young boys got on the bus. They were so full of energy. So happy, so excited for a new adventure it seemed. "Donde vas??" they asked. To which I replied, "San Cristobal. Where are you going?" I can't remember now where they were headed, but it was another city on the south to see if they could find work.

We talked into the wee hours of the morning. My high school Spanish and their pre-school English. It never ceases to amaze me though how sometimes it doesn't even matter that you don't speak the same language. You always find a way to communicate. So communicate we did. By singing. They were so eager to teach me popular Spanish songs and entertain me with ones they had memorized in English. "Cantas algo!" They exclaimed. Sing something. The only Spanish songs I knew were ones I had learned in language school and they were all about Jesus. So I sang and they laughed.

This morning I was just remembering what a sweet time that was. We were on a 14 hr bus ride in the middle of nowhere Mexico. It was dark outside and this particular section of the "highway" was no longer a highway. It had turned into dirt and pot holes.

At 2 o'clock in the morning, we finally rolled into San Cristobal de las Casas. I got off the bus along with 2 other guys. There was no one at the bus station, except the 2 men who worked there. They quickly let me know they were getting ready to close. After a few minutes of scrambling, I remembering thinking to myself.. "either I'm really brave or stupid!"

This was my first time in San Cristobal and there was no one at the bus station to pick me up. I had been in contact with some YWAM'ers in the city a few wks earlier, but wasn't sure if they even knew I was coming. My friend, Abi, back in Mexico City was supposed to call and let them know when I would be arriving. But unfortunately, sometimes "yes" means "no" in Mexico. So I wasn't confident that Abi had made the phone call. I didn't even have an address, so I couldn't hail a taxi.

Anyway, after about half an hour, 2 of the YWAM'ers finally arrive.... take me to the base.. where I crashed. Below are just a few pictures from that trip. Enjoy! Tomorrow I'll write about my adventures in Nepal.