Villahermosa

Queridos,

On Friday we flew into Villahermosa, the largest city in the southern state of Tabasco, Mexico.  We picked Villahermosa, sight unseen, as our jumping off point because it is just a couple hours by bus to the jungles of Palenque.  Imagine our startlement, two weeks before the trip, to find Villahermosa as front-page news across the US on account of it being suddenly six feet under water.  Two weeks of email consultations and international phone calls ensued, and in the end (unable to contact the cute little downtown hotel where we had reservations) we secured a spot at the Villahermosa Hyatt (hardly a typical choice for us) and decided to gamble on the slim tidbits of info Mom had tracked down indicating that the roads were passable, municipal electricity was mostly functional, and malaria was not rampant in the streets.

Notes from Villahermosa:

We found it post-Katrina-like: waterlines on cars, mountains of garbage piled alongside curbs.  But better: the only reported deaths so far are of animals (so our taxi drivers and hoteliers informed us), and we could see that the National Guard and local police were working in the streets.  In the airport we waited in the taxi line with several architects from other Mexican cities, who talked about helping with evaluation and reconstruction and planned to stay 6 months or more.  One of them, Mom was pleased to learn, was named Jorge Valderabanos: Jorge Valley-of-the-Radishes. 

Sanbourn´s the only place to eat.  Gave us (at the end of the meal) an unheard-of 50% discount ”on account of the flooding.” 

Hotel made our double into a triple by wedging a third single bed against the wall at the feet of the first 2.  Not at all clear how they wedged it into the room (past the desk) in the first place.   The glassed-in shower had a swinging door of plate glass: was like bathing in a terrarium.

LaVenta Park: zoo and archeological park closed on account of the flooding, but we could spy one of the famous Olmec heads through the fence.  LaVenta lagoon swarming with herons and egrets.  One flooded-looking pen still held a very large crocodile.

Municipal bus station, flooded, was efficiently transplanted to the parking lot of a Wal-Mart.  Ticketing took over the hearing-aid wing of the store with their computers and clipboards.  Waiting room was a row of tents furnished with plastic picnic chairs.  Totally smooth and impressive.