Chiapas: Cold to Hot…
After over 13 hours sitting in a bus (first class mind you!) from Puerto Escondido I arrived in San Cristóbal de las Casas early in the morning on July 14th. My friend Ambien made the bus ride tolerable.
San Cristobal is a beautiful place. It is located in the central highlands (2,100 metres) in the state of Chiapas. Coming from coastal region of Oaxaca, the weather in San Cristobal is almost refreshing. I don’t sweat just by typing a blog. It’s actually cold.
San Cristobal is a nice walking city. Like any other Mexican town, the heart of the city lies in the center where the cathedral is located. There are many arts and crafts that are sold on the streets. Additionally, the state of Chiapas is known for its coffee. In the afternoon, I checked out the Museum of Coffee. I can almost taste the smell of coffee throughout the place. After I learned much of the states coffee production and its history, it is almost impossible not to have a cup of freshly brewed organic coffee at the museum cafe. At night, a film about the economics of maize was projected to the outside wall of the church. Or at least that is what I got from the film. There is something magical about this place. It is very different than the other places I have seen in this country.
The following day, I walked towards the main market where I took a colectivo to San Juan Chamula. The town is located 10 km from San Cristobal where indigenous Tzotzil Maya people still lives. Another traveler once told me about a church in Chamula where Maya religion are mixed with the catholic faith. The church is not huge, but let me tell you, it’s too interesting to pass on. Inside the church, there were people kneeling and hymning, and dried grass was scattered all over tiled floor. In addition, there must have been hundreds of candles lit up. For the curious, I witnessed a man sacrificing a live chicken while he hymns in Tzotil. With his bare hands, he broke the chicken’s neck and patiently waited for the chicken to die.
I have been hanging out with Adrianne and Mark since we left Oaxaca City. We’re supposed to meet up at the posada that I was staying since I got there a day before they did. Apparently, there were two posada´s with same name – one is new and one is old. They checked into the newer and more expensive one, and I was stuck in the older, cheaper, shack. I’m not kidding; the cabana that I slept in could fall apart in a magnitude -0.1 earthquake. I suppose you get what you pay for.
I left San Cristobal to go to Palenque. I always find it difficult to make decisions while traveling. Should I leave today or spend one more night? Should I take first class or the second class bus? And – where should I go next? Too many decisions! What I dislike the most is arriving in an unknown place at night without any reservations where I will be staying. I arrived in Palenque at 9:30PM. Originally, I wanted to stay outside town in El Pachan on the road to the ruins. Under the circumstances, I didn’t find the energy to read up and ask in my broken Spanish how to get to El Pachan from center late at night.
This morning, I went to visit the ruins in Palenque. Ancient Palenque stands at the precise point where the first hills rise out of the Gulf Coast plain. The ruin is covered by dense rainforest. Only about 10% of the ruin is excavated. I can’t even imagine visiting all 100% of the ancient city in this hot humid weather. 10% is big enough for me! What makes the visit more interesting is that from a distance, I can hear howler monkeys screaming their brains out at each other.
I just got back from the river in Natutun. Swam for couple hours. It’s nice to find a relief from this really hot day. Anyways, there’s not much in Palenque after the ruins and the river. At least for me. I supose I can go to the falls, but it is far. I am leaving the state of Chiapas and heading to Campeche tonight.
Tags: Chiapas, Mexico, Palenque, San Cristobal, Travel
rsanagustin
I am so jealous of you! Your trip sounds amazing…
i hate those damned howler monkeys…i heard them in the wee hours of the morning when i was in Belize…scared me to death!
sounds like your’re have a wonderful time..keep your blog up!! pics..i wanna see some pics!!
wheres the pics man? this is great late night reading!!
Aren’t there alligators in the rivers that you are swimming in?
13 hour bus ride?? dude, I don’t think I could handle that – and what really is the difference between a 1st class and 2nd class bus ride in Mexico? please enlighten me –
Nena – thanks. your country has been good to me!
teresa & matt – pics are coming soon.
deepa – no alligators, but there were bunch of fishes. pretty clean river
judy – 13 hrs isnt that bad. no ac or movies and not much room in 2nd class.