Tropical Christmas

We wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays!!!

Part 1 of our Most Excellent Adventure- Welcome to the Jungle!!

Salutations everyone! We wanted to give a brief update on our activities. We are currently in Palenque at an internet cafe in the city. We got here on Friday with a tour that took us from San Cristobal to the cascading waterfalls of Agua Azul, it was beautiful and you could hike along the stream and see multiple cascades coming out of the jungle. The water is turquoise in color and appears to be super clean. As we stepped out of our tour van we could already sense the difference in climate. We have been used to cold mornings with crisp air and the need to wear jackets. Here with all the lush vegetation, hanging vines, and howler monkeys you need to rock sandals and a t-shirt all day long. Our clothes started to stick to us because of the humidity here, but it is well worth it. Even the air here has some sort of electric quality that draws you into intrigue.

After Agua Azul we were packed back into the tour van and headed to Misol Ha, which is a solo waterfall that must have a drop of over 75 feet into a pool of water. We were able to walk behind the waterfall and cling to a rock path to see the beautiful, backside of water!!! Then there was a cave with a waterfall inside of it, we splashed around using my handy dandy waterproof cellphone with a light (thanks dad!) and were able to see the hidden rock waterfall, it was all very Goonies.

So, our day was not over yet, we now loaded up together and were taken to the gates of the Palenque ruins. Once there we found a tour guide that gave tours in English. We split a 600 peso tour with an Englishman from Cheshire, and two couples from Israel. And we were off! We climbed stairs, went into dark tombs, noticed hieroglyphs, learned about Lord Pakal and the Red Queen. It was fascinating, but something even more fascinating was the argument that much of the history told here is untrue. Our guide seemed to make it his quest to disprove the commonly held theories of who the rulers were, how their family structures were set up, etc. He was quite the interesting man- he loved pointing out elements to the ruins that he has deciphered to reflect ancient cultures such as Chinese, Egyptian, Indian, and Middle Eastern. All in all it was a fun experience even if we weren't shown the information that is most commonly believed.

So, there we were. We had spent all day hiking, rock scrambling, caving, posing for pictures and now we just wanted to relax, but have I told you about El Panchan? You don't go to El Panchan to relax, you go to El Panchan for the experience! We paid for our private room and were shown to our quarters. It was down a small path through the jungle, we passed the main restaurant and small structures along the way tucked away in thick parts of the jungle. Our home for the last few days is a majestic mushroom shaped building. It is cylindrical and as you open the front door there is a spiral staircase with a round hole cut out of the floor of the second level. The bathroom is downstairs which consists of a toilet room, and a shower room. Upstairs has a bed, a desk, an area for clothes and the sink with a mirror. There are no shades in this place, the windows arent glass, they are all screens. The roof of our hut away from home is thatched paja giving our home a bowl-cut type hairdoo. It really reminds us of the McDonalds playgrounds from our childhood that had the hamburger jail. We have over a 180 degree panoramic view of the jungle from our second story bungalow. It definitely adds to the magic you can feel here.

I was lucky enough to have visited El Panchan last year with my dad, it was a great bonding experience and I just had to share it with Faith. We had dinner at their largest restaurant, Don Muchos, where from 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. they have live music. After 11:00 there is a fire dancing and drum show. El Panchan is a very unique place full of very unique individuals. People who could be classified as Hippies, sell their handmade jewelry and are some of the fire dancers. The makeup of the crowd here varies greatly from couples and solo people in their twenties sightseeing Latin America to lifetime hippies, to later in life adventurers. I might even be sitting across from anthropologists who I have read articles by, its amazing to say the least. We are making friends here and enjoying trying to understand how this place functions, because we still can't fully explain it and don't think we ever will be able to. You'll just have to enjoy the pictures and try and make your way down here sometime in your life. I promise you that if you ever do, it will change you.

We have arrived at a very special time too. Tonight at 1:30 a.m. ET there will be a full lunar eclipse that will continue until 5:00 a.m. ET. It is unusually important because tomorrow is also the Winter Solstice. These two occurrences on the same day hasn't happened in over 600 years. It is very exciting to be in a place that pays so much attention to these natural phenomenons throughout time. The Mayans followed the celestial processions of the stars and planets and for us to be able to experience such a significant celestial occurrence in a region where people were aware of universal mechanics without the aid of modern technology will be humbling.

December in Chiapas

It feels like we haven't written in a while. Maybe we have been too busy eating green mangoes sold street-side covered in lime, salt, and chili powder. Or possibly it could have been all the festivities running rampant through town this last week. Let's catch you up on the happenings.

Since we last wrote we hiked a local mountain named Huitepec. Huitepec comes from the Nahuatl language and means "land of the hummingbirds". Huitepec has two other peaks it shares the skyline with which the local Tzotziles have called Oxyoquet for generations. Oxyoquet is the name they give to the three stone fire pit they have customarily cooked over. Also when the sun sets it descends behind these three peaks and the sky ignites into beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows giving the metaphor a visible quality.

The hike was steep with wood steps placed into the damp fertile soil. The mountain is classified as a cloud forest environment and everything in our vicinity was slightly damp. We walked past green moss covered rocks and oak trees that supported orchids in their branches far above our heads. Like little bushes these epiphytes rely on the oak, which is why orchids and other similar plants are another addition to the harm caused by deforestation. We spent a few hours alone on this beautiful mountain and highly recommend it to anyone who would like to get a feel for the surrounding flora.
We have also been lucky enough to witness the preparation for one of Latin America's most important holidays. Two blocks from our apartment is the Temple of Guadalupe. Our faithful fans will remember us mentioning the importance of this church, but we will reiterate for anyone who might have forgotten. The story of Latin America's virgin queen begins with an indigenous man named Juan Diego who had a vision of a woman much like the Virgin Mary of Catholic belief, but this vision was of an indigenous woman who shared all the traits of the Virgin Mary. Juan Diego became the first indigenous person of the New World to become a saint. Guadalupe is now the iconic image for most Catholic believers and temples/churches erected in her honor are sites for pilgrimages. Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th, the believed day of the original sighting by Saint Juan Diego. Nearby communities prepare for their celebrations for months and fund raise in many ways- one we encountered was a group of small children holding up a rope on a main road in and out of town. They stop passing cars and hold out a collection plate with hopes to earn extra money to contribute to their festivities. We also were approached through our window at our last apartment in October. The week prior to December 12th vendors began assembling their shops in rows up and down the street on the way to the Guadalupe Temple. Candy, fruit, empanadas, taquitos, trinkets, and ice cream are some of the products offered. Carnival games such as target shooting, marble rolling, ring toss, peso toss and others add to the excitement. Carnival rides and large stages were built to entertain the families and guests. Almost every day for a week before December 12th fireworks could be heard all day and night, even at 5:00 a.m. Not just a few firecrackers either, we're talking about jumbo sized bottle rockets with about a 3 foot stick that helps guide the rocket into the air about 200 feet. We don't know how well the fund raising for this celebration has gone, but the amount of fireworks it seems they earned a pretty peso. Cloudless mid afternoons cracked and crashed as loud as thunderstorms for extended periods of time. It was alarming at first, but we kind of miss it now that it's over. People's devotion to Guadalupe was shown on a daily basis in the form of parades. Every day there seemed to be a different group showing reverence to Guadalupe, our favorite had to have been the "taxistas" which were all the taxi drivers with balloons tied to their cars, pictures of Guadalupe mounted on their hoods, honking all the way past our apartment to the Temple of Guadalupe.

There are also groups of individuals of all ages called Antorchas that travel from far away villages, even as far as the neighboring state of Oaxaca, on foot to the Temple of Guadalupe. Some of the travelers are barefoot and their clothing has been tattered from the journey. They carry with them a burning torch and call out sayings giving respect to Guadalupe. We witnessed a group of Antorchas entering the Temple of Guadalupe on their knees and proceeded to make their way to the altar in that fashion.

The beauty of this holiday is that is not restricted to unfettered reverence to their virgin queen, but it is a great time to meet with friends, listen to music, dance, and have fun. We rode carnival rides, played carnival games, watched live bands, street marimba players, and filled ourselves with empanadas, churros, and taquitos having a great time. We also noticed that all the children were dressed as miniature representatives for each region's indigenous culture. Little girls held their mother's hands as they strolled while wearing brightly colored floral patterns with colors of green, blue, and purple from Zinacantan. Little boys were dressed in other typical male garb of local groups and most even had a moustache painted on their face. It was a very lively time and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Since then we have still been involved with the local organizations working on projects involving permaculture. We have also been enjoying the city more and more. We are making good friends around town and Faith is always commenting on her new experience. For instance, the other night around midnight she said, "Shh! Can't you hear that? There's two roosters out there cock-a-doodle-doo-ing each other." Good times.

We are also preparing for our epic adventure that will take us from our base here in San Cristobal to the ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilan, Bonampak and into the Lacandon Jungle where we will be staying in the Lacanja village. We will then be crossing into Guatemala and Honduras, expect some great entries if we find internet cafes along the way.

Why build latrines?

While we've been here in Chiapas for the last sixty or so days it seems we have developed a hobby of latrine building. We are in the midst of a project we have created at Orquideas Moxviquil to build two types of latrines on their land. We've been asked by friends and family about our project and the reasons why we are doing it.

We came to San Cristobal to see what we can learn, do, and experience. We didn't want to limit ourselves to one or two things and have tried to get involved with as many worthwhile activities as we can. The main focus behind our interests and activities is to be able to develop skills and knowledge that can benefit ourselves and others to find a logical balance between nature and man.

We have since realized a major problem that has an easy solution. Waste management is an issue not discussed often and it's this lack of discussion that perpetuates the problem. When it comes to animal excrement, such as cow or chicken manure, there is value placed to the waste produced by these animals - to be used in agriculture. With proper care, which is minimal, this waste becomes something that produces.

Humans have handled their own excrement in very interesting and peculiar ways over time. At one point in time the western world believed dumping their feces and urine out onto their sidewalks would keep the flies out of their kitchens. This was obviously a mistake, and led to much illness. For centuries countries in Asia have collected the excrement produced by humans to be used in agriculture. This practice is still being done and goes by the name of "night soil". The main issue is that the pure and fresh feces is applied directly to the plants and can result in contamination.

What is being realized is that we, being animals, much like the chickens and cows produce manure and with the proper care the use of this material can become beneficial and not be seen as merely waste. Our planet is mostly water, but most of that water is salted. We have developed a system to rid ourselves of a valuable resource while flushing it down drains in water that is suitable for drinking. This water is then sent to be filtered and processed - usually treated with chemicals like chlorine. Not only human waste is placed in sewer systems, but medical waste and street drains add to the mixture. This creates hazardous material that must be removed and typically ends up in a land fill. We poop in our drinking water, mix it with hazardous material, then bury it - some landfills are lined to keep from contaminating the surrounding area, but many are not. So, this brings us to what we can do.

Composting is the allowing of microorganisms to break down organic material. These microorganisms are present in nature and don't need any coercing or purchasing. The only requirement is to have the proper environment to allow for them to flourish. This can be achieved by simply applying the proper balance of dry and wet material to a free standing pile where you can add organic material- fruits, vegetables, meats, coffee grounds, eggshells, dead pets, and even human excrement. Given enough time (a year is sufficient) the material produced is a nutrient rich soil that can be used for growing any sort of plant life. This is where the latrines come in.

Human excrement, when shed of it's taboo, can be a valuable resource to anyone who is concerned with how we can ensure that there will be a livelihood available for our children and our children's children. Latrines in the past have been similar to outhouses, a hole in the ground that eventually fills up, then it is covered over. This pollutes and wastes the manure that can be used. With technological advancement combined with cost-effectiveness composting latrines have been developed.

We are in the process of building two different types of composting latrines. The first is called a "tree bog" where a structure is built a meter above the ground, the area below is fenced in with chicken wire and hay. Urine and feces, along with the toilet paper, are deposited and collected below the structure. After every use a layer of sawdust is applied which soaks up moisture and prevents odor. Plants such as willows, and other plants with large appetites, are planted around the base. The sawdust allows for the composting process to take place, and the plants consume the waste directly with their root systems. This type of latrine requires no water, no pipes, no holes, and the waste never has to be dealt with. The surrounding plants should consume all the material deposited and typically never needs to be emptied.

The second type of composting latrine has a similar platform a meter high where the toilet is placed. Below the platform is two rectangular chambers. The toilet is placed over the first chamber where the fecal waste along with the toilet paper are deposited. The urine is caught in a separate area, there are ergonomic toilets with a partition, down into a tube that is either collected, or placed under the top layer of the surrounding dirt. Urine when diluted is also high in nutrients and can be used in agriculture. Sawdust is placed over each deposit and once the chamber fills it is sealed off and allowed to "rest" for a year to allow the composting process. During this time the second chamber is opened to be filled, essentially by the time the second chamber fills the first will be fully composted and can be removed for use in the garden. After a year the material that is removed doesn't even resemble human feces and is odorless. This type of latrine requires no water, no holes, and no pipes. There is maintenance required, but the resulting product is worth the minimal labor invested.

The purpose for these latrines at Orquideas Moxviquil is not only to function, but also to educate. These will be working demonstrations of alternative forms of waste management that can be useful to those who don't currently have plumbing, have inadequate waste management systems, or to anyone interested in reducing their impact on the planet's resources. We plan to have booklets, pamphlets, and brochures about these latrines to provide more information about them for anyone who is interested in possibly building these for themselves.

Combined with permaculture construction techniques, utilizing what's available, these latrines can be constructed for under $200 US. They are completely sanitary, odorless, don't attract flies, prevent animal life from intruding, and save a lot of water all while not creating waste to be buried and providing food for your plants which can turn back into food for you. Everything in nature runs in cycles and this way the cycle isn't being broken. We plan to bring this information with us home and put it to good use. It doesn't take a lot to make these or to find more information about it. YouTube has "how-to" videos about these and many other great things you can build within the same vein. The information is out there, you just have to look for it, educate yourself.

Remember, "We don't inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children" -Native American Proverb

Humanure Handbook- a guide to composting human waste.

Download it free at: http://humanurehandbook.com/contents.html