Mexico
Trip Start
Oct 15, 2008
1
87
96
Trip End
Jul 15, 2009
Villahermosa,
Central Mexico and Gulf Coast,
Mexico
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The lakeside walk to Museo La Venta was nice & the museum/zoo was pretty good, all outdoors in jungle walkways with those racoon things running about freely - sad all the actual relics from the site are here & not in situ, where there are some pretty poor replicas!
Took a trip to Comalcalco ruins, only Mayan ruins built of brick & formerly covered with stucco, some of which had been carved or formed into figures, though very little remained. Still, pleasant setting.
Went on to Paraiso which I thought was on the coast but found it with an open sewer, I suppose they call a river, running through it - the mangrove roots floating on it had curled up & died & the stench was appallling - I guess the good beaches with clear water are out of town but having seen that, no way was I getting in any water nearby!
Back to Comalco and the most important reason for visiting, Hacienda La Luz, the chocolate finca. Pretty old building and setting, and really interesting tour, through cacoa trees, shaded by other useful spice trees,ie cinnamon, allspice, vanilla plus the jicara trees which produces the gourds from which to drink the chocolate. That was how the Mayans traditionally had it, sweetened and with canela, chillis and other spices. In the museum, which was actually still the working factory during the week we got to smell and sample, as well as seeing the whole process.
