Derek and Michael went on a tour of a finca today (a coffee farm). We traveled on some more windy roads with a few great companions, Jeff from the Bronx in New York, Bernardo from Austria, and the owner of the Finca, Esteban.

The tour was very informative and interesting, there were so many things we did not know about coffee! Yes, it tastes excellent as we were provided with many cups of delicous organically grown coffee.

The tour started with us meeting our comrades at the city center and then we were off! Esteban took us through the winding hills and countryside where we stopped at a burial ground and he explained about Dia de Muerta and the difference between Mayan burial and other burials here in Mexico.

Next, it was time for refreshments! We took a tour of El Presidente´s distillery for an alcohol here called Posh(liquor) and no, it wasn´t a posh drink by any means. It is pretty much moonshine or everclear, very strong and high in alcohol content. His distillery did not look very sanitized but we drank some anyway. For anyone who has brewed beer or created liquor of any kind, these picture will make you go WOW!! Apparently this is only made here in the state of Chiapas by the indiginous people (all references to indigenous people means people of Mayan descent). The man also happens to be President of his community, we imagine something like the mayor of a town, as his town is not very large.

The further we drove, the further we got into indigenous land where they hardly speak any spanish at all(5% total pop. speaks Spanish). They all speak their respective Mayan languages, and there are several different versions. The versions are Tseltal, Tsotsil and Topañol all of which Esteban can speak fluently.

We were quite the spectacle to them as they were to us. Everyone was dressed in traditional garb and their market was packed with people. We attempted to take video footage discreetly but we´ll see how it turns out. They do not like pictures taken of them is what we were told unless we have direct permission, otherwise it is disrespectful. We slowly drove our way through hundreds of Mayans and were finally on our way to the Finca.

We parked the car at a hut on the top of a mountain ridge and then began our descent to the Finca which was a couple of miles into a lush tropical looking forest. Here, Esteban gave us the rundown on all the coffee plants he grows. In all of Mexico(primarily the state of Chiapas) there are 12 different varieties of coffee; five of which he grows: Arabica, Morago, Montenuevo, Borbon and Catura (the tastiest being Morago and most expensive, Arabica).

We then got to play with his kids who were acting like monkeys in some trees near their home. Lunch was served by his wife who made us traditional hand mande corn tortillas on a fire pit inside a cooking hut, served with black beans and cheese quesadillas. On the side we were served coffee of course, and also polze (water mixed with ground up corn). Esteban explained to us that the Mayans diet is based on beans, corn and squash because that is all the body needs to survive. You could say its similar to most American diets,because 90% of our corn comes in the form of starch, high fructose syrup or corn beef. This by the way was much more authentic! They have the perfect habitat for all of these foods which provides them the sustainablity for life within the countryside of San Cristobal.