Tuxtla Gutierrez

I've spent the last two days in the capital of Chiapas, mostly just trying to get my bearings and such, being more of a tourist than a researcher.
I flew in from Mexico City in the evening and as we got closer, I witnessed the most incredible electrical storm some miles off. What a different perspective being in the air gives you.
It was probably one of the more uneventful, yet exciting flights in my experience. I am still a bit wide in the eyes about the fact that I have actually pulled this off. I have been wanting to come here for years. And here I am. And I got grants to be here, it's just fabulous....I hope I can hold up my end of the bargain.

The airport had a queue for taxis where you tell them where you're going and pay ahead, which is kind of cool. I made very small talk with my driver, we seized on the world cup which carried us a few miles. I experienced my first military blockade within 10 miles of the airport. I asked the taxi driver about it. He said they were looking for undocumented Guatemalans....

And here are some things I've considered in the last 24 hours
1) I am very thankful for my sleeping bag
2) I am very white, in fact I think I was the only white person in Tuxtla
3) My Spanish is not as terrible as I thought (and people are very kind), mostly the latter
4) I have a universal love for outdoor markets

5) I am an incurable map turner (but hey it works!)

I awoke in my room yesterday and looked outside, and took the only picture of the time spent in Tuxtla (I was too embarrassed to take photos...I felt like such a tourist), the view from my room. Not pictured was a woman hanging clothes to dry on the rooftop adjacent (after the sun went down, I noticed that she replaced the shirts and pants with underwear...waiting for cover of darkness?)

I bought some rambutan at the market, and considered some mango, but decided against it due to the bug situation in my room. I cleverly (I think) hung my kilo of fruit from the shower curtain hanger, where, the next day, it remained unmolested.

Tuxtla is a capital city and I think for tourists it's usually used as a jumping point to other places, like Chiapa de Corzo, San Cristobal, Palenque, so I didn't feel any special need to try to "see everything."

One thing I did look into was the Coffee Museum, I figure if I'm going to be studying coffee farmers it would be prudent. For the equivalent of 50 cents I gained entrance and received a personal tour. It was more about the current state of coffee than a history, we talked about current production, statistics, certification and producers. It was a very useful conversation for me, and most likely an exercise in extreme patience for my guide.

I also sat at a restaurant close to the central plaza and had lunch (and a beer) while watching the Germany/Spain game. It was quite fun.

Today I traveled by bus to San Cristobal, which I already find more enchanting than Tuxtla. I'm in residence for the week at a hostel close to the Zocalo, which is quite fabulous. More on that later. For the moment, I seem to have excellent access to wifi...