July 23rd 2010

Crossing the border into Guatemala is a breeze. The bus stops on the mexican side, here everyone must exit and register to get stamped "out" by the authorities. A crowd of merchants sell candy toys and wads of Quetzales - the currency of Guatemala. My passport is stamped out, I exchange my pesos and walk across the bridge into central america. A small offfice on the right accepts 10 Q's and again my passport is stamped "in" - 90 days valid throughout the region except Costa Rica. Back on the Tica bus I look out the window. I actually don't have a window, but a solid wall to my left, but by leaning forward I can sneak a peak from the person sitting in front. Most are asleep. I lisiten to "This American Life" todays episode entitled "Island time" At the Guatemala bus station I hop on a minibus which takes me to Antigua. I ask the driver about the sinkhole I read about reciently - a quiet American man in his 50's sits in the back. I'll spend one night here before heading to Tikal - next station.

July 22nd - 2010

I awake in the early morning - outside the landscape has transformed into a lush scenery of tropical plants, trees and green volcanoes against a patchy horizon. The bus pulls into the Mexican border town of Tapachula around noon. My connection to Guatemala doesn't leave till tomorrow morning so I check into a hotel across from the bus station. Legs are tired from all the sitting - I go for a walk around the block. Clearly the only gringo in sight. Tropical rain begins to fall in the late afternoon, flooding the side streets and blowing sewer covers. Most of the day in spent at a local internet cafe, planing the coming weeks. Have dinner at a local restaurant showing cartoons in Spanish. No one is paying any attention.

July 21st - 2010

Itzel has stayed in Mexico City and helped with translations and getting around. As most everything was taken care of yesterday, we have today to wander and see parts of the city I've yet to explore. We stop by the fedex office to ship the negatives before heading for the famous Angel de la Independencia and Museo Rufino Tamayo where the danish artist Joachim Koster currently is showing. We head to the bus station around 4:30 pm. Subway is packed - again I regret carrying too much - equipment especially. When is the implanted chip and memory card going to be available? I enjoy my last Mexican tortas pastor, say good buy to Itzel and sit back - 17 hrs to Tapachula. Outside its raining - rush hour traffic slows the pace.

July 19 - 20th 2010

Now back in Mexico city. My films have been dropped off at the lab - awaiting to be picked up tomorrow. Expectations are low as I fear results may be jeopardized by the high temperatures and the fact that so much was shot on intuition. In total I only got to take 8 shots. The real results will have to wait as I have no time to have them scanned before I leave for Guatemala on Wednesday. With the fried brain of mine I somehow accomplished to misplace two cables I'd borrowed from the kind photographer, Martin. Despite Mexico City being a metropolis of around 10 million people it has taken most of the day finding the replacements, so I can return the equipment as a whole. My bus for Tapachula leaves tomorrow afternoon.

July 16 - 18th 2010

The Niaca mine lies in the northern state - Chihauhau - a working mine extracting lead, zinc and silver. But the claim to fame is The Cave of Crystals (Cueva de los Cristales). A chamber deep within the mountain where most of the mining takes place. To reach the cave a van takes you into the mountain, through an opening just wide enough to fit - inside a web of tunnels leading to different parts of the inner workings, shoot off in all directions - instantly making any newcomer disoriented and slightly concerned about finding the exit. Its about a 25 minute drive through darkness. Limestone rock, dust and sporadic water splash as we carefully menouver through the tube. I sit in the rear of the van - we are five people in total including the official driving. Loud noises from pumps fill the space and disappear as we drive deeper. How long can this continue? We finally make a sharp right turn and there - at the end of our path as is, what appears to be a metal vault door. The temperature within the van has risen sharply since passing the last pump - but it is nothing compared to the wall of heat and humidity which hits as the engine is turned off and the car doors are opened. The vault door is of a certain magnitude as if keeping something very precious or very dangerous locked away. What awaits inside is a mix of both. The vault door is opened and yet another wave of humidity and heat spill out, clinging to the skin and running off like a fine mist. Walking from the entrance of this new tunnel to the mouth of the crystal cave is no more then 50 meters. Three steps up and you stand surrounded in a surreal world of giant crystals only know by superman or the light and magic of Hollywood. But this isn't the cave of kryptonite or a movie set - but one of the most spectacular geological and mineralogical discoveries ever made. Giant selenite mega crystals, as they are described, shoot from floor to ceiling reaching lengths up to 11 meters. An underground fantasiland - as foreign as visiting any planet I can imagine. But it comes with a price. Within the chamber temperatures reach 50 degrees and humidity is near 90% - this hellish enviroment only makes the experience that much more intense. We are told that we have ten minutes before we have to be out. This is about the maximum allowed time before the body overheats and it becomes too dangerous. I quickly set up my camera, but the humidity and heat makes the lens fog similar to being inside a sauna. If I place the camera close to the floor, the temperature is just low enough to keep the lens clear. With the limited time I must work fast and on intuition as this may be the last time I ever have a chance to visit such a place. The heat soon gets to me. I tell Itzel that I'm about to faint and only have time for one last picture. We make it out of the chamber - exhausted and soaked to the skin. I sit completely drained as we make our way through the intestine of Mt. Niaca, finally spilling into daylight and back to planet earth. What I actually shot is a mystery to me - as is the majority of the experience. Like waking from a very strange dream. We requested to return the following day, but were rejected. But despite only having ten minutes inside it has made the whole journey worth while. Itzel and I spend the following day touring the area around Chihuahua - watching Karate Kid in spanish, before checking into a strange motel and returning to Mexico City the next day. This is hopefully not the last time I see this place. Pics to be uploaded.

July 14 - 15th 2010

Mexico city. I've grown fonder, further and faster then I'd imagined. My lack of language seems to be the main barrier of getting fully in depth, but despite this I find many people understanding my signs, mimicks and baby speech.
The morning began by calling Martin Vargas, a local photographer, to ask for a lab to process film and a facility house where I could rent equipment that I need for the cave shoot on Saturday. To my surprise, Martin is the official photographer who works for the mining company that operates the Niaca cave. His advice was abundent and he offered to lend me the equipment that I was looking for. I was left silent for a moment as this offer seemed too good to be true. A tremendous help. We arranged to meet later that night.
I took the bus to where Itzel has her office. We met a few months ago and have keept in touch as she has helped coordinate and get access to the Giant Crystal Cave. This has been a huge endeavour as the cave has been off limits to the public the last couple of years. The sensitive environment within the cave means that it is slowly deteriorating and will likely be closed completely in the near future.
Our scheduled visit is set for Saturday. We will be traveling north on Friday and spend an extra day in case we get the opportunity to visit a second time.
All practical was taken care of yesterday - meeting with Itzel to plan and Martin to pickup equipment. This left a full day to explore the city. I decided to visit a notorious gallery/private collection - Coleccion Jumex. Little information is found on this space, but from everything I'd read it sounded like the one place to visit if you only have one day in M.C. One thing keept coming up though - it could be quite difficult to find as it was located in an old factory building. But this didn't seem too strange as many galleries I've seen in the past have been in industrial areas. But I was wrong. There is a clear distincion between industrial areas and the industrial areas of Mexico City.
The cab dropped me outside a factory. A fortress of a gate with Jumex written in blue on white background. This could certainly not be the entrance to any collection. It was the entrance to the largest juice producer in latin america. But the guard nodded "yes" when I repeated ¿La collection de Jumex?!... I gave him my pasport and a phone call was made. This misunderstanding would soon be cleared up. But, no - he returned my papers and allowed me to pass, saying that I should continue past the first two building, stay out of the way of trucks and other operating equipment - then I would come to another gate - there I should present my pass again.
I walked in, now on the grounds of the factory. A clear misunderstanding, having gone too far to turn around. I prayed the consequence would be mild.
Again at the second gate I was allowed to pass, being told that I should go through the second door on my right. I was now walking toward the juice warehouse. Pallet trucks came purring by.
Second door on the right: a large glass door without a knob. I rang a bell and it slid open with the sound of hydraulics - zzzzzzz. What came next was one of the biggest surprises I've had the past year. From wall to wall right in from of me hung a huge Gursky piece - perhaps the most famous contemporary photographer - and next to him Jeff Wall, Koons, Orozco...
Some of the most infuential artists in the world, all gathered in this hideaway warehouse on the grounds of a juice factory. Even the guy sitting at the entrance desk wore a Jumex jumpsuit like he just steped out of a processing plant.
As chances of anyone finding this location are slim, so was the audience. I spent hours there viewing the exhibition, "The traveling show", with only two other people present.
It was raining hard when I left - high and inspired.

July 12 - 13th, 2010

My days in El Paso have come to an end. I've said goodbye to new friends and West, who has been so kind to provide shelter for me and my goods.

The bike is packed and ready to be shipped to our mutual destination. Meanwhile I boarded the bus from the Greyhound terminal. Or so I was suppose to, but was delayed and the time for my connection i Juarez grew slim. The tv in the waiting hall shows morning talk shows and soaps. Crossing the boarder was a breeze - perhaps because the steam of tourists who went between El Paso and Juarez in the past, has dried up. Growing violence, due to the war on drugs has put Juarez in the top 5 of most dangourous cities in the world.

And so I missed my bus and sit stranded at the Juarez bus terminal, waiting to leave this city as so many others. Lucky for me, I'm heading south with a european pasport and not the opposite direction without papers.

Frequent busses destined for Mexico City ment that I only had to wait a few hours. Time passed quickly as I sat looking at the crowd and masked militaly men escorting a group of younger men carrying a large flat screen tv onto a bus. Others sweept the floor and to my surprise this place seemed much cleaner then where I had just sat in El Paso.

Likewise, the busses are exceptionally clean and comfortable. Reclining leather seats and tv screens makes it feel more like flying. But speed is the difference. 27 hrs later and the bus makes its final stop at the north terminal of Mexico City.

Fearing the freenzy found in cities like Tangier or Delhi I was relived to walk through the arrivals hall without hassel. A cab took me to a central hostel that I'd booked the prevous day. Prime location next to the sinking cathedral and other attractions.

I've contacted Itzel and made arrangements to meet tomorrow to discuss the shoot later in the week.

June 22nd - July 11th 2010

Peter has returned and I'm now preparing the final details before heading south, crossing into Mexico tomorrow.

The last few weeks have mainly been spent in New Mexico, with a few brief stops through Texas. I had a chance to scan some more negatives and feel confident that I have sufficient material from North America.

It's all very uncertain what I'll get from here-on as it will be the first time I visit the majority of countries I'll be passing though. But one thing which is certain is the giant crystal cave of northern Mexico, which I was granted access to last week, with the help of Itzel Alvarez.

We will be visiting it on the July 17th, and I look forward to posting views from the inside.

Regarding transportation: plans have changes slightly in order to make the deadline of reaching the tip of South America by November. This is crucial if I'm to catch a ride to Antarctica, as all ships depart from November to December. No arrangements have been finalized and I fear that this wont happen till I'm physically there. What this time frame means is that I'll have to skip lightly over certain countries. As I still intend to avoid flying, I've decided to take the bus to Peru and begin riding the bike from there. It will take approximately a month to reach Lima if all goes as planed (not likely).

Updates to follow - Mexico City on the 14th.

cont. June 22nd - July 11th