From the Mountains to the Seas
Posted in Candy, Mexico by Malena on April 20th, 2008 11:05 am

Apologies for the lack of blog posts lately.  This is largely for two reasons:  I’ve been extremely busy traveling to try and make up some time for the last few weeks, and there just isn’t that much interesting candy that I’ve been able to find in Southern Mexico.  Ruins, waterfalls, tourist activities… there’s plenty of that!  But try asking for dulces typicos and people look at me like I’m crazy.

One of the hardest parts of traveling alone is dealing with loneliness.  Obviously, having a computer helps, and in theory so does meeting other travelers at hostels.  Unfortunately, it seems my guidebook has some serious deficiencies when it comes to hostels.  Time after time I’ve checked into a place described as “friendly” or “lively” or “crowded” only to discover that yet again I am the only person in an otherwise empty dorm room.  Usually, the party is a few blocks away at a crowded hostel the Lonely Planet guidebooks have enthusiastically recommended.  With the growing hegemony of LP over all other guidebooks for backpackers, being different brings some real negatives.

Small Church Seen While Horseback Riding
Small Church Seen While Horseback Riding
 In any case, I have managed to meet people through tours and activities - thankfully!  I’ve been horseback riding and mountain biking in the mountains near San Cristobal - rather unfortunately, as it turns out.  The mountain biking involved rather a lot of going uphill, which is not so much fun at altitude.  And the horseback riding consisted largely of painful cantering, but at least I’m mostly over my fear of horses after having fallen off one the last time I tried riding. 

San Cristobal
San Cristobal
 Besides the more activity-oriented tours, I’ve also tried to take in a bit of the still-strong Mayan culture in Southern Mexico.  The indigenous people living near San Cristobal still blend pagan rituals with the Catholic rites.  It is possible to view some of these rituals at the church at San Juan Chomula, where locals bring chickens as sacrifices and set up elaborate altars of brightly colored candles.  Interestingly, Coca Cola now has a strong place in the rituals as a holy drink:  the practioners bless the Coca Cola and solemnly drink it while chanting in the Mayan language, much as Catholic priests bless wine.  Apparently, there are many stories for why this came to be.  One of the most common is that a man was mysteriously cured of illness after drinking a sugary soft drink - mostly likely a glucose deficiency! 

Duraztos
Duraztos
 Of course, one reason that someone might be suffering from glucose deficiency is the serious lack of candies in the Chiapas region!  Sweets made of honey are native to the region and fairly common, as are the duraztos, or pineapple-filled pastries covered with a delicious frosting.  Also, an alcohol formed from sugarcane historically was used for religious purposes by the various Mayan tribes in the area. In spite of this, it was very challenging to find many dulcerias in the region.  Even in San Cristobal, the large market for artisans and dulces seemed largely to consist of candies made in other regions of the country. 

Palenque
Palenque
 In Palenque, a small town close to the famous Palenque ruins, the situation is even more dire.  Before visiting, I had assumed that palenquitas (a sweet honey bar of nuts and seeds) had some relationship with Palenque.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.  Fortunately, the ruins at Palenque are still well-worth visiting.  I also spent some time climbing behind waterfalls and wading through pools, so I was quite happy with my visit.  It’s a beautiful part of the country, with these towering Mayan ruins placed in a backdrop of jungle and mountains. 

From my current location of Chetumal I’ll be crossing the border to Belize.  I still have a few more entries on Mexico planned, and of course I’ll be exploring a more Caribbean culture in Belize!  I’ve really enjoyed Mexico but definitely feel that it’s time to move on.  Thanks to everyone for the comments and interest in this webpage! 

« Of Bubble Gum and Chili Powder
My Typical Day, Searching for Candy »

01
Quita
posting from United States
April 20th, 2008 3:00 pm

I so admire you, Malena, for your adventurous travels! Stay safe. And don’t feel too lonely, because we are all here, thinking of you, encouraging you on your fantastic journey!
Love - Quita

02
Mom
posting from United States
April 20th, 2008 7:06 pm

Malena
Aunt Jeanne got your candy and she has it at grandma’s to share!! Sponsorship certainly has it’s privileges. They’ll give you a critique after the taste tests.
Keep in touch and as Quita said we are all with you.
Miss you
Mom

03
Bruce Clarkson
posting from United States
April 21st, 2008 12:18 pm

Could it be that your pronounciation of “dulces typicos” might be lacking? Oh well. I’m glad to see that you are also doing some of the other things. …Or at least that you are taking pictures of them for us desk-bound want-to-be’s.

Have a good time at the beach in Belize.

(PS. Maybe, if no candy, they can find a few local grass hoppers for you)

04
Stacy
posting from Italy
April 22nd, 2008 4:22 am

I hear you about the loneliness! I suffered the same bit of trouble in Morocco, so much so that I left a week early. Now, I’m in Rome and much happier.

05
Aunt Jeanne
posting from United States
April 23rd, 2008 9:43 pm

Sorry to say Grandpa refused to try any of the sample candies you sent, but Grandma and Aunt Jan were willing guina pigs. Everyone agreed the chocolates were gritty, crunchy and very sugary, tasting somewhat more like cinnamon sugar than chocolate, no matter what variety they were labeled. I will probably grind the big chunks to make powdered flavoring for my coffee, if I don’t eat them first. Jan and I preferred the honey sesame squares, and we all enjoyed the vividly colored coconut Mexican flag…mmm. That same bright green food coloring had us fooled on the fruit roll-up, though, which looked liked dried seaweed rolled in sugar. It turned out to be apple flavor, we presume, and also quite tasty! One other treat we shared was the peanut candy patty. At least we thought it was a patty until we opened it and discovered a compact disc of peanut powder, which tasted distinctly like the inside of a homemade peanut butter egg (if you can imagine the sweet creamy filling in the form of dry powder). It, too, was very tasty, but challenging to eat without a spoon. I left a few other samples with Uncle Jon, and saved the Pulparindo (salado y enchilado dulce de tamarindo) to share with Aly. Hot spicy fruit pulp candy sounds too good to be true! Thanks for taking us along on your adventure, Malena. And by the way, this chocolate is beginning to grow on me!
Love, Aunt Jeanne

06
Malena
posting from Belize
April 25th, 2008 6:34 pm

Thanks for the comments everyone! It sounds like trying the candy was quite an adventure for everyone, I hope you liked it :D The chocolate does taste delicious ground up… I guess that’s how it got started and in Mexico they haven’t really moved past that style of making it.

It’s so different from American chocolate! I might be making a stop in Argentina now, where supposedly they have excellent candies, so I’m looking forward to that.

Stacy - I also left Mexico for Belize, and have found it much easier to meet other travelers here. Really, the choice of hostel is just so important.

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