Travels of the Bay family and the Yoda Van

We ended up in Huehue and it was quite a bit different than we were expecting.  It was a very raw, real Guatemalan city, with not too much to see and enjoy.  Maybe it was just our anticipation about returning to Mexico, but we high-tailed it out of Huehue the next morning and headed straight to San Cristobal de las Casas in Mexico. 

Our first stop in San Cristobal was the campsite.  We picked up a book on our way down to Central America that one could refer to as a bible.  The title of this book is “Mexican Camping,” it is written by a couple whose last name is Church and all the vagabonders follow it religiously when camping in Mexico.  Now that we have our traveling sea legs, we’ve decided to mostly camp in Mexico.  We’ve gotten used to the temperatures, our money is running out, and we have no more excuse to spend big bucks on expensive Mexican hotel rooms. 

San Cristobal is a funky little city high up in the mountains.  The houses in the center of town were painted in bright colors, there is a lively market and lots of there is a lot of Mayan influence.  Our campsite was a short 15 minute walk in a quiet neighborhood outside of the center of town.  What was great about this campsite is that we also met 4 other groups of other travelers who were on similar trips as we were.  One was a group of French-Canadians that gave us great tips about other campsites on the Yucatan.  Another was a Basque couple who have been traveling off and on for years.  We swapped music and movies and they gave us great tips about the Palenque area.  There was a Swiss guy who imported his car and has been traveling through Canada, the US and Mexico (so far) and another couple who were driving a 1985 Westy.  One night when I was returning to the van after brushing my teeth, I looked down on the campsite and realized we are all a bunch of weirdoes sleeping in our cars, but we are all the same type of weirdoes and have a lot to talk about and really enjoyed each other’s company.  It has been really good to connect with other travelers traveling the same way we are.

One of the most unusual acquaintances we made was a guy who has been traveling off and on for over 20 years.  He sustains his travels by working as a clown and a balloon twister in the places he visits.  He even spent 3 years living in a Tibetan monetary.  One day when we left him he was lying on the grass in the sun waiting to figure out where he was headed to next.  “I’m just going to lay here until it comes to me where I should go next. “  Originally he was thinking it would be Guatemala, but two days later he was still there and it turned out his destination did come to him – he was headed to the coast in Oaxaca.  I wish I had had more time to talk to him.

The only problem with San Cristobal was that it was cold.  During the night the temperatures were in the low 40’s.  4 nights of super cold weather caught up with us and we were ready to head out.  We started a mini-caravan with the Swiss guy toward Palenque.  We stopped off at some neat Mayan ruins half way between San Cristobal and Palenque.  The ruins were neat and nearly unrestricted on where we were allowed to climb and we all made it to the top.  It was especially fun for William to be able to climb and climb and climb. 

Now we are in the jungle near Palenque.  The drive here was totally green and amazing.  The temperatures are more like we are used, we’ve thawed out from the near-freezing temperatures and we are looking forward to exploring the area – more Mayan ruins and lots of swimming holes and waterfalls. 

We are back in Guatemala and it was such a great feeling to be back in the Guatemalan highlands.  This area of the country is so spectacular.  Most of the places we have been lately have been dusty, brown and brittle due to the lack of rain (it is the dry season now).  Somehow this area has remained greener than any other place.  Over 50% of the population of Guatemala is indigenous and you are constantly confronted with the Mayan tradition and colorful clothing, weaving and textiles.  I think it is by far one of the most interesting areas of Central America. 

After leaving Guatemala City we stopped in Chichicastenango.  There is a renowned textile market that takes place every Thursday and Sunday in this town.  We got there on Wednesday evening and watched the town transform itself into a bustling lively market.  Matthias isn’t so into these markets, but I sure am.  He let me out in the morning (with an empty wallet) to scope out the goods.  I came back with a list of a few things that I wanted to by and he came back out with me and did the haggling.  I’m terrible at it, and Matthias was able to talk all of the vendors down to a price he was sort of ok with. 

The next stop was Quetzaltenango – more commonly known as Xela.  We spent two weeks in Xela in October taking language classes.  We met up with Matthias’ old teacher and did some shopping.  Up in the highlands it is really cold – like highs in the low 70’s and lows in the 40’s.  For the last several months we’ve been in areas where the temperatures are always in the 90’s (and sometimes higher).  Honestly, it is too cold for me, and I’m looking forward to getting back into warmer climate.  However, Xela is such a great town and we’ve really been glad to have a second chance to explore it some more.  We’ve found a nice hostel (next to Neuroticos Anonimicos – Neurotics Anonymous en español) with parking, wireless internet, and the cutest group of 3 little Mayan kids that William and Julian have been playing with.  Xela is working out for all of us.  We have been able to take care of some errands and today we went back to some hot springs near here, set high up in the mountains in the cloud forest.  The drive up there is jaw-dropping and I think it was just what I needed to get over the cold I got since being in this frigid weather.    

Next we are off to Huehuetenango.  Huehue (pronounced way-way) is close to the Mexican border and we plan on spending two nights there.  It is rumored to be one of the most scenic stretches of the Guatemalan highlands.  We’ll take a small day trip on a chicken bus and after that we’re off to Mexico again.