Rihanna can be wrong sometimes. Some lucky people do find love in not at all hopeless places. I have always found the southern states of Mexico fascinating. One of my favorites is Chiapas, located at the south border between Mexico and Guatemala. In 2014, one of my best friends was volunteering for an NGO in San Cristóbal de las Casas, a small colorful cozy town in Chiapas' mountains.
I decided to visit her for a weekend even though she had to work some days. To make the most out of my holiday, I first took a walk around the colorful streets or "andadores" where you can find stores, restaurants, cafes, and bars. I stopped at "Madre Tierra", a restaurant with a curious atmosphere because it still preserves pictures from the rebellion of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation from 1991. The restaurant clearly keeps showing its sympathy for the cause and even sells souvenirs of the rebels.
Later that day, my friend and I spent our first evening at a bar at the "Andador Eclesiástico". We sat at one of the tables outside, just talking about life, drinking a Clericot when I saw him: the most handsome man I had ever seen. Tall, dark blonde and with a beautiful smile, a foreigner. It was a moment like in a movie when it is love at first sight.
Back then, my friend was dating a local guy. I never liked him, but I am actually thankful that he met us that day. He wanted to be alone with my friend, and he was tired of me saying how the blonde guy was so handsome. Everyone at the bar started to dance; the Clericot made me go to the washroom, so I guess the local guy saw his golden ticket to send me away. As I was coming back from the bathroom, he touched the blonde guy on his back so that he turned and saw me. It was love at first sight from both parts.
See, that is the magic of traveling, of being free and open to unexpected experiences. I guess Forest Gump was right. Life IS a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get.
There was no first kiss between Dominik and me that day, instead of an excellent talk with a rush of happiness. The next day, I met Dominik for dinner, and I wanted to look nice, so I went to the market in front of the church to buy something special. While trying to find something nice for the evening, it started to rain, and I was trapped at the Santo Domingo Temple, an impressive baroque church built in 1551. After the rain, I spent some time at the market outside the church and found a lovely pair of golden earrings with obsidian stone that I bought for only 200 pesos (13 USD). They made the difference that evening.
I met Dominik at the same bar: he was wearing a red, blue plaid shirt which made him look even more handsome. That night, we were sitting together under the moonlight. We started to talk about everything and nothing, we both laughed like silly couples in love do. And then, there was just silence between us. I looked at him closely, and he held my hands in his. We did not know if we would see each other again, but we already knew that night would be forever special for both of us. He kissed me, slowly, gently. We both smiled. My heart fell warm and at ease.
The next day, after spending my morning walking around temples, markets, and "andadores", I noticed how life is incredible. You could spend your whole life in San Cris without even realizing how time goes by so quickly: spending an afternoon listening to local musicians on the corners, admiring the jewelry made by local artisans, or finding love in such a magical place.
My time in San Cris made my Monday back at work a lot happier. As I was turning on my computer, I was thinking about Bob Marley's quote: "Love the life you live, and live the life you love". Suddenly, a colleague of mine interrupted my thoughts to say: "you look nice today". "Thank you", I replied. Still, in my mind, I told him, "of course I do, I am in love".