north america → united mexican states → mexico city, distrito federal
just to get through what’s left in mexico…
my original plan was to go from taxco, the silver mining town to puebla. spend the day in puebla and catch a night bus going to oaxaca. spend an overnight in oaxaca, and get back on an 8-hour ride north to mexico city.
this is entirely possible if and only if the bus from taxco to puebla was not cancelled on my 4th day in mexico. i could have gone back to cuernavaca, and they have buses every hour leaving for puebla, but at that time, i just decided to go back to distrito federal, back in mexico city. i wish i had done the backtrack to cuernavaca. 
back at mexico city is not as disappointing at all as i had plenty of time roaming around the capital. ‘got back in auditorio station for the multitude of museums scattered around. i started with the anthropology museum, which is in chapultepec park. this is considered one of the most important museum in mexico as it holds significant archaelogical artifacts from pre-columbian (that is before discovery of the europeans) period. there is an original aztec stone of the sun. this symbol is one of the most popular aztec mark. it is a portrayal of the four catastrophies that destroyed the four universes prior to the universe that we know as today. on its surface are lots of hieroglypics that layouts how the aztec measured time, that this emblem is also popularly know as the aztec calendar.
more pics here
a lot of artifacts, unearthed historical findings, paintings and murals, smal scale reproduction of temples such as teotihuacan and tenochtitlan, and models of locality of various mexican tribes, it could take you more than 2 hours checking everything. a good thing in this museum is the presence of english translation of texts. costumes of natives are on display as well, and some are really weird like a man with a horse head somewhere below his torso. just imagine.
the exhibit layout is organized according to each period or location, and its better to start from the right side (upon entrance) going to left. it begins with an introduction to anthropology, which features the prehistoric man, and a copy of famous lucy, an australopithecus, ancestral to the genus homo. other sections includes the american settlement, sacred regions such as teotihuacan, the toltecs, aztecs, and rich indigenous people in oaxaca, and the mayas among others.
the museum is set on a huge space with exhibits lined around forming a square, in the middle is an artificial pond, and a square shelter supported only by a single mid pillar. resembling an umbrella, this structure is known as el paraguas, spanish for “the umbrella”.
a really nice morning history trip.
the lack of holga-pic post for the last few months is not because i abandoned lomography already! it’s because i didn’t find any shop that processes 120s in st paul, and even if i do, i bet digiprint’s price would still be cheaper…and so, i had 10 rolls processed recently, which of course, you can get to see in my multiply:
http://yossarian22.multiply.com/photos/album/78/Manila_-_Ang_Pagbabalik_ng_Holga_I
http://yossarian22.multiply.com/photos/album/80/Manila_-_Ang_Pagbabalik_ng_Holga_II
http://yossarian22.multiply.com/photos/album/81/Mga_Tao_Ang_Pagbabalik_ng_Holga_III
http://yossarian22.multiply.com/photos/album/82/St._Paul_MN_Ang_Pagbabalik_ng_Holga_IV
http://yossarian22.multiply.com/photos/album/83/BW_Bulb-_St.Paul_MN_Ang_Pagbabalik_ng_Holga_V
http://yossarian22.multiply.com/photos/album/84/More_of_St_Paul_MN_-_Ang_Pagbabalik_ng_Holga_VI
http://yossarian22.multiply.com/photos/album/85/More_St._Paul_MN_-_Ang_Pagbabalik_ng_Holga_VII
things have been unexpectedly busy, especially at work, and the fact that i’m still under the aura of trance, yet to adjust in GMT +8 timezone didn’t help much. i’m at home at the moment, and this first weekend is nothing but lazy ordinary rest day. i cleaned haggy (my toshiba) disk space, updated anti-virus engine, spyware, malware, uninstalled unused programs, etc.. in the aim of reclaiming few gigabytes. i’m so much out of space at the moment that aside from haggy’s 80gb (yes, that’s small. this machine is old, but running perfectly!), and 160gb portable hd, i’ve used a 16gb mp3 player, 4gb cf, 2 gb xd, and 1 gb microsd memory cards for additional memories! i’ve even dumped a few gb in my workstation at the office (hope my boss won’t read this…)
i realize i’ve left much to post here especially my remaining days in mexico, and last few days in st paul. i’ll try to update everything as speedy as possible. i’m feeling better each day, but still occasionally waking up in the middle of the night. i feel the need of a big eat at breakfast and tormentedly sleepy after lunch hours. i used to believe that jet lag is something overly emphasized, but believe me, it’s true..and crazy wicked. minneapolis-st paul time zone is almost opposite of manila’s time. it’s 13 hours back, so 1 in the afternoon in the philippines is midnight in st paul.
meanwhile, i’m glad of doing usual things, and getting back to my normal routine as 3 months ago, which honestly as i know myself, i’m not sure how long this will last. i admit i have an itchy feet and simply amazed by fortuitous changes so i hate to look too much ahead, albeit future plannings have been unavoidable recently. so, i’m happy to drive item again along the continually narrow traffic of southexpress way constructions, which if i remember correctly is going on its 3rd christmas this december. i’m happy to see familiar faces at the office. i’m happy to have eaten at yellow cab again. i’m happy to see my family, and sleep at the comfort of my own lofty bed. i’m happy to play my keyboard once again. i’m happy to glance at what’s on telly, and watch an episode of some random koreanovela. i’m delighted to eat mom’s cook, and bring lunchbox at the office that i brought one right on my first day back at work. i’m simply happy by the common things that i’m doing before, and it’s a nice feeling to find out that things haven’t changed much.
i’m going to see some highschool friends (mark and jp) in awhile, so i better end this post for now. ‘will be back later.
south-east asia → philippines → metro manila → taguig city
apart from the pasalubong, and chocolates people would expect from you when you just got back in the country, they expect you to be whiter, or at least a few shades lighter..and as for my case, it’s the opposite. perhaps basking under the sun in mexico for 8 days is enough to cook my melanin to golden brown. mind you, it’s not really hot in mexico. i guess the UV is much more intense.
at the moment, i’m in the office, at the fort in manila..earlier today, i was surprise to find my own new cubicle (they had a new seating arrangement) with my workstation on top of a neat desk. to add more, i was able to get in the network as simple as if it’s like i was just here yesterday and not 3 months ago. no need to make calls to have something activated, or email request for some technical issues. kudos to lawson!
never had the same “privilege” (if that’s suppose to be a privilege!) where i worked before that i always had to loiter around, and wait for my own space and workstation to get done.
north america → united states of america → minnesota → st. paul
while i realize that my mexico tales are not yet over, i’m going back to the philippines tomorrow morning. it’s 20 minutes past 9 pm already, and i’ve yet to finalized my luggage. st paul, minnesota over all provided a very good vibe for me. i’m not surprised that the state is considered as the most livable state in america. my last week here after having gone to mexico has been so fast. ‘went to office for the last 5 days. ‘had my last cycling and donated my bike last wednesday. ‘had our last pictorials in front of the landmark with snoopy characters, and ate for the first and last time in historical mickey’s diner, and white castle fastfood too (good food for a fastfood!).
there’s a vague sense in leaving north america. having been here for only 3 months yet seeing and experiencing a lot, united states is still a great country. perhaps conceded by the fact that i may not return to this side of the globe any sooner makes me feel a bit of melancholy. but people move, things change, and in part, i’m happy that soon i’ll be back in my own country, where the climate is hot and the traffic is heavy.
