TUESDAY AT XILITLA AND LAS POZAS

Continental breakfast at Posada el Castillo and then to the long awaited Las Pozas sculpture gardens. We drove straight downhill, a very steep hill, turned left and entered an unpaved road for a mile or ao. We had seen photos and read about Edward James surreal sculptures in the jungle but nothing could compare to walking through and experiencing them in person. The art works themselves are tremendous in size and surreal in placement. This is a wonderfully fecund land. Everything grows and it grows big and beautiful - jungle beautiful. So when you come up a long staircase (with no handrails) and around a corner and see tall sculptural erections of all kinds, shapes, it is awesome. Who thought of this? Why? How where these concrete buildings with stairs leading to only the sky, built? Walk and walk, up and up on stone stairs and there are castles, dreamscapes of concrete and stone. Finally you reach an immense water fall which has been gently massaged by Edward to form lovely clear pools at the bottom. I can't describe how the vegetation has enhanced all of the works. It is truly amazing and I only wish we could be here in the spring when all of the thousands of orchids are in bloom not to mention the blooms of all of the other plants and trees. This is in the jungle but in the mountains.
We climbed up and down as much as our legs could go and then drove to a recommended little restaurant over a dirt road. The name is Cebolla. There we met Mr James cook. She started working for him at age 15, her husband who was Edward James driver and young Miguel their son. Miguel spoke perfect English and regaled us with stories of Edward James. Miguel and his family lived in the gardens when he was young. I asked
how the massive project was accomplished. He told me it took up to 150 workers every day for 20 years and of course, Edward died before it was finished. I don't suppose he ever would have been finished anyway. He certainly left a wonderful legacy for numerous families and actually the whole town.

We probably gave you the impression that we left Seattle for warmer climes didn't we? Well, that hasn't happened so far. We believe Seattle has had almost as warm temps as we have encountered thus far. BUT we have certainly scored on the excellent adventures! The trip has been a blast! We are loving it.

Later.......I have to tell you about the birds.