Las Pozas de Edward James

Soon after moving in with the Ramirez Fellowes family, Andres told me about this magical place in the jungle with an name I could never remember: Xilitla. He explained it was the adopted home of an eccentric British surrealist that was friends with Dalí as he showed me photos of this odd and incredible place. And then he showed me the music video Empire of the Sun filmed there and I was sold (Xilitla shows up at about 2:00).  I got a tip for a place to stay, the enchanting Casa Caracol, and I booked a room for Jamai and I.
We boarded our afternoon bus and started the 5 hour ride north. After a couple of hours, I suddenly remembered every one's suggestion to take Dramamine as we entered the windy, mountainous, Sierra Gorda roadway. When we finally arrived an older man ran up to us asking if we needed a ride to the Casa Caracol. We agreed to meet back in an hour after shaking off the nausea and getting some dinner. The man spoke a little English and told us about when he lived in Oklahoma City and worked back-to-back restaurant jobs for years. He turned down a rocky road with no lights and I thought his beat up truck was going to break down as we bounced over the stones and pot holes. He dropped us off in the dark and pointed down a hill where we wandered in the direction of a faint light. We carefully shuffled along until we finally the Casa Caracol. We were shown to our little room that looked so cozy and peaceful in the photos online. When we stepped inside, we were hit with a strong smell of must and a dampness that permeated the air, a result of Xilitla's subtropical climate. We each tried to hide our disappointment and went to the main building to watch movies. There we met the only other guests staying at the Casa Caracol, a group of four Russians who have been working as tour guides in Cancun for three years. They were extremely friendly and gave us one of their beers and offered to share their dinner as well. We watched Nosferatu projected onto the wall with ambient music playing instead of the movie's track. The main building was really interesting with a very jungley, hippy vibe. Geometric figures and books hung from the ceiling and there was little tent with a Buddha figure lit up by neon lights.

When I awoke in the morning, I explored the grounds and appreciated the beauty of the area. It is so lush and green, with plants dripping off one another. I spotted a neon green bee collecting pollen and tall trees with threatening spikes.

We ate enchiladas and drank rich, nutty coffee at the one little restaurant and headed towards Las Pozas de Edward James, just a couple minutes walking from the hotel.

The garden includes 80 acres of natural waterfalls and pools, and James' objective was to create a Garden of Eden.

For hours Jamai and I just climbed up staircases, across platforms, through walkways hidden from site by gigantic, leafy plants. We would catch glimpses of the waterfall from the tops of different structures and eventually found our way to the little pool of bright blue water. Jamai got in first and convinced me to join him. It was a Wednesday and most of the time, it felt like we were all alone. The structures were built between 1949-1984 and are covered in moss with pieces broken off in a few places. The whole area feels like an archaeological site of uncovered ruins, but instead of Mayan temples, they are surrealist staircases and cement orchids.

There are many areas that are cared for and easy to navigate, but a few paths lead off into the jungle and become faint dirt trails that pass between wild bushes and spider webs. Jamai and I followed the steep trail towards the Secret Garden where we found the shell of a building covered in vines. It was spooky yet romantic, perhaps because of the name and how far into the jungle it is hidden. We only stayed for a few brief moments, it was as long as either of us could last before letting our imaginations start to scare us.

Later in the evening, as we waited for a taxi to take us into the town of Xilitla, I spoke with a man selling coffee. He told me about how his entire family had worked for Edward James in some capacity and shared stories of his bizarre behavior, outlandish requests, generosity, and volcanic temperament. It seems like the locals are fond of their long-gone eccentric artist and that nearly every family in the town had worked for him at one time or another.

When we returned from town, we found the Russians building a fire. We sat with them for a long while, talking about languages, living abroad, and the perfect herb for potatoes that seems to only grow in Russia. As our eyes grew heavy, Jamai and I returned to our musty little room, checked for spiders, and fell asleep wondering about the bearded Englishman that turned the jungle into a work of art.