San Cristobal, a few of my favorite things

It is (was) the weekend, and I will be a tourist until Monday. I have laid in bed listening to the rain and reading, I have gone out for beers and live music with a small group of other single travelers (from Austria, Australia, the UK and Switzerland) and I have walked the city. I have also gotten drenched in sudden downpours, even with my rain jacket, so my room has acquired a musty smell from the clothes hanging there attempting to dry.

Mexico (in general) never fails to surprise me.

On Saturday morning I woke to pouring rain and thunder, so I stayed in bed, munched on rambutan while reading, waiting the storm out. Marimba music echoed up the open floor plan of the hostel. When I emerged for the day I was baffled to find a full Marimba troop taking up the entire foyer of the building (I was even more surprised to see them there, still playing, when I returned almost eight hours later).

One of my favorite things about Mexico is the layout of the streets (not the city design or the barrios for that matter, I am forever getting turned around), but the aesthetic layout, whereby the entire street-on both sides-is wall like with many doors. For the most part (or maybe just for me) you cannot possibly guess what is behind the doors (there are very few signs) until they are opened. It could be a shop or a home. The doors could open up on a small landing leading to a open air garden foyer or a small space that barely holds a snack counter and a drinks fridge.

Every day it seems I walk around the corner and something incredible pops out of nowhere. The Temple of Guadalupe, for instance, which peeked out as I rounded a corner. Completely distracted, I made my way to those steps.

At the bottom of the steps there was an impromptu soccer game being played, at the top there were some teenagers sitting listening to 'Slim Shady' on a cell phone.

The top offered a nice view of the city.