Trip Report

Welcoming in the year 2000 at the Bird House
Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

January 4, 2000

by Dale Barnard

Crew: Denise Prendergast and Dale Barnard

Denise and I had a great New Years in Mexico. We left December 29th early in the morning. First, we drove to Laredo to get Mexican car insurance. We purchased a 365-day flexible policy for $833 that allows us to use any number of days during the year on any number of trips for 70% less than the normal rate. It comes out to $2.30 per day for full coverage on the car and legal protection. We then drove along the Rio Grande on the US side to Roma. We crossed at this little border crossing in about an hour, much faster than we could have in Reynosa, our usual crossing point.

Once in Mexico, we drove to Reynosa and then south toward Victoria. We camped at Rio Corona, a favorite camping spot for cavers. We had the whole place to ourselves and got a good night's sleep.

In the morning, we drove through Victoria and Mante and then stopped at Cueva El Abra for a steep, sweaty hike up to the naturally air-conditioned sunlit cave. We then drove further south through Valles and arrived in Xilitla at the Bird House around 4pm with sunlight to spare.

We last visited the Bird House in March of 1999. In the 1940s, a European named Edward James architected the surreal garden that winds through the lush jungle. It was not intended for public use, but when Mr. James died, it was opened to the public for a small visitation fee. Now, we can wind up the spiral staircases into the trees and walk the countless pathways that meander in no particular direction through big elephant ears, banana leaves, flowers, and more green than Texas could ever hope for. Some trails lead to nowhere. Some appear to be solely decorative with interesting rock and cement work. Others lead to buildings painted in bright colors.

Two buildings found inside the garden were rented for a few days by some cavers and friends of cavers. They slept on the floors and on beds, shoulder-to-shoulder, with only loud snorers not welcome. One bathroom was shared among approximately 30 people. Those not sleeping in the crowded rooms slept in tents and vehicles outside of the garden.

Our group consisted of about 30 people, both cavers and non-cavers from Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. Denise and I knew only about 10 of them when we arrived. Over a period of four days, the cavers explored leads in the area, and many dropped Sótano de las Golondrinas, the famous 300+ meter pit near Aquismón. Denise and I had non-caving objectives in mind for this trip.

Shortly after we arrived on the 30th, we drove 15 minutes up the rocky road to the hill-top village of Xilitla. It was crowded with market-going people, and the atmosphere was festive. We found a nice restaurant and ate tasty enchiladas. The next morning, we walked to town in about 45 minutes with some friends. It was beautifully lush and green. Denise piped up occasionally with a comment about how in Louisiana, it is always this green. We saw lots of small houses, goats, chickens, and great vistas. We ate a great breakfast in the same restaurant as the evening before. Then, we shopped at the market for a few hours before walking back down to the Bird House.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the Bird House, showering, and helping to prepare food for the party. At about 8pm, the party began. The two organizers had lined dark pathways with candles in paper bags and decorated a platform area in the middle of the jungle garden, making it a beautiful place to bring in the year 2000. We drank rompope (creamy, eggnog-style liquor), champagne, and ate fruits, guacamole, salsa, and beans. We busted open a piñata, set off fireworks, and munched on bizarre Mexican candies.

Just before midnight, most of the party-goers exited the Bird House to stand around the fire and drum and set off fireworks. Denise and I were winding our way down the pathways to join them when we met Randy and Roberta. They suggested that we follow them up a spiral staircase to an arched walkway that rose 40-60 feet above the surrounding pathways. There were no handrails so the two- or three-foot wide cement pathway through the sky got the heart racing a little, especially after some alcohol consumption. Randy pounced up the archway standing up with no concerns, but the rest of us climbed up on our hands and knees. We soon found ourselves sitting above most of the trees with a full view of Xilitla across the valley. We sat quietly for the last 20 minutes of 1999, sipping champagne, listening to the driving rhythms of the drum circle, and enjoying the surreal atmosphere. Then, the fireworks began, and the crowd at the campfire far below us whooped and hollered as the year 2000 was welcomed in.

In the morning, Denise and I cleaned up the party platform a bit and then said goodbye to everyone. We drove back to Valles and then west for an hour to a village called Tamausopo. Near the village, a walking path leads down a steep hill to a clear pool of water fed by several waterfalls and springs. The water from the pristine limestone pool disappeared into a cavern and soon emerged again downstream. I jumped in the water and floated with the current into the cave. The sun peaked into the cave enough to light up lots of beautiful stalactites and flowstones. I swam through the cave for about 15 meters and emerged into the sunlit waters on the other side. There were about a dozen locals enjoyed the warm January sun with us. I hiked back to get Denise, and then we both floated through the cave. Denise fixed a picnic lunch, and then we hiked back up to the truck.

With more sunlight to burn, we drove back to Valles and then east across the Sierra de El Abra to a village called Tamuín near some Huastecan ruins. Since the sun had now set, we decided to price hotel rooms. After some negotiating, we stayed in a dumpy little motel for about $8 that sold rooms in six-hour increments to service local discotech visitors. A nicer hotel would have cost more than $20. The room was suspect so we laid our sleeping bags out on the bed to avoid the sheets, and we wore our sandals in the cold shower.

In the morning, we visited the ruins in a blanket of fog. We arrived an hour before the official opening time, but a worker told us to just park the truck outside of the gate and walk in to the ruins. We walked for about a kilometer before seeing a large pyramid-shaped structure that rose above ground-level. We hiked up some restored rock steps to find a plaza with more structures. The structures looked like a pyramid with the tops sliced off, creating a flat surface. There were some tombs and drawings on the rocks. A caretaker showed us around and told us all about his family for nothing more than a tip. As interesting as his family may have been, we finally had to excuse ourselves and head back to the truck. The ruins were small, but very interesting. They are only a tease compared to the large cities that the natives built during the same timeframe down in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas.

We drove back to Valles, then north to Mante, and then further north to Victoria. It took five or six hours so we arrived in Victoria about 3pm. We hunted around for a while to find where our friend Nico Castro lives. We had been to his house before, but did not remember much about finding it. Eventually, we stumbled on familiar streets only to find no one home. After talking to some neighbors, we got in touch with Nico via telephone, and he came home to greet us. We chatted for a while before going out for an evening snack at a taqueria. We slept on the floor in his house. Denise lay awake most of the night with a stomachache.

In the morning, we took Nico out to breakfast, shopped for an hour, and then hit the road for Austin. It was an uneventful border crossing, which surprised us since we half-expected to run into some residual holiday traffic. The drive took 11 hours, including a dinner stop. The six-day trip felt more like a nice two-week vacation. It may be the last chance I have to visit Mexico until May so it was hard to return to Texas. I can't imagine a nicer place to spend New Years. The party organizers, Kim Bowers and Jean Krejca, did a great job and everyone appreciates their efforts. Whether 1/1/2000 is the beginning of a new millennium or not, the Bird House was a surreal place to welcome in a significant new year.

I remember as a little kid dreaming about where my life would be in the year 2000. I couldn't imagine how it would feel to be 30 years old. Would I have kids? Would I be married? How would my life be? Now I know: No kids. Not married. Great.

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