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Tuesday: Dia de los Muertos
First off, it’s hot as pizza cheese down here. I think I burned the roof of my mouth just walking back to my room. Also, surprisingly, the food in this city is one star at best; predominately no star. That aside it has been a fantastic yet eerie trip.
YesterdayI met Manuel, my new friend and boat captain, at the boat launches. He got me to hop on his motor scooter and we proceeded to his brother’s house on the edge of town. There he explained to me that he had to go back to work at the boat launch and I was in the capable hands of Omar, “Mi hermano”. Omar started strapping on hiking boots and cleaning his machete.
Here’s what I got myself into:
I thought we were going to see a witch. Well, yes we were. But he was going to escort me up a mountain to a cave. There in “La Cueva” I would get to meet and watch a serious freakin’ witch, making potions (possibly with eye of newt) and Omar would help ask questions. The machete? That was for protection, not for hacking through the jungle which is all around us. Remaining calm I said to myself, “Oh, that’s cool.” Then Manuel returned, also with a machete.
We were not at Omar’s just for the “pre-battle” preparation. Come to find out, Omar’s uncle is a high priest in this little occult circle and only he could get us permission to go to “La Cueva”. I said to myself but a bit slower, “Oh…uh, that’s cool.”
A little round dude comes out of Omar’s house inviting us in. We go back to a small, barely a walk-in closet, size room. All I see are black painted walls, a variety of Satanic paintings, snakes, candles and a general atmosphere that would depress the interior decorator for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Oh great; this is Omar’s uncle and we’re in his Temple-o-death.
I have Omar’s uncle’s name on tape but I don’t remember it at the moment. Maybe it’s because I was too busy praying a silent, whimpering prayer for God’s 9 foot thick shield of lead between me and the high priest of Satan. He proceeded to pontificate.
Two hours of conversation ensued in the all black sweat box of which I recorded most of. He showed me a bit of black magic with a dead snake and did the little“I hold my hand above yours and tell me what you feel” trick. He was drunk on power. Dark, evil, “I can spoil your milk with my voice” power.
Besides all that he was a pretty nice guy.
Uncle evil then announced that it was too dangerous for all of them to escort me to La Cueva. I was pretty spooked at this point and concurred with their decision. However, I couldn’t help but look disappointed. Yeah, right.
Manuel and I motor scootered back to my place; machete concealed. As for me, I needed an immediate tequila, just for its cleansing properties. It seemed to work and I took a nap, or possibly fell into a trance.
So November 1st is “All Saints Day” here in Mexico as well. I took the taxi to El Pantion and watched the activities in the graveyard. The MASSIVE graveyard in Catemaco is enclosed within an 8 foot cement wall and there is no walkway between the graves. It was fairly busy with everyone repairing, painting and generally straightening up family graves. Ok. Not all that exciting but it was busier than normal. Evening came and I taxied back to El Panteon with my little night vision Sony Handicam.
PARTY
It was a traffic jam at the entrance to the graveyard. Taxis were stacked 20 – 30 back from the entrance and the two block walk was a festival of breads, flowers, carnitas, foosball (?), potions, trinkets and “crosses-to-go”. Inside the graveyard was pretty dark except for the huddled masses around candles and smoldering incense bowls. One drunk slurred to me in Spanish, “Hey carbon! Is that a camera?” I can’t believe it but I actually took the time to explain myself. To no avail, he vomited in mid-sentence then yelled “Noche de losBrujos!”
Party on Garth.
Today has been much calmer. I took the bus to San Andreas Tuxla so I could exchange Dollars for Pesos. Seems like they would have thought to put a bank in this town but it didn’t cross their mind, I guess. I got into the office and temple of another brujo but he declined the use of my camera so I declined the interview. Compared to yesterday today has been a vacation. So I’ve gone to the OXXO (Mexican Stop-n-Go), got a six-pack, restocked on Hornitos and settled in for the day. Tomorrow I think I’ll venture out to find Playa Econdida and generally get lost. Heck, I may swim nekkid.
