Day 31 and 32 San Cristobal

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Day 31, Sunday 24 June 2007 - San Cristobal

Last nights bus journey would have to be the worst bus trip I´ve ever been on! LOL I would rather take a whole tour of overnight trains in China (even with Brian) than get on another overnight bus!!! It was one of the worst roads in history. Bumpy, winding, twisty, turny, up and down and just awful! Plus it was at night and you can´t see anything out the window to get your bearings and when you can, all you see if cliff next to you! Never again! Thank goodness its the only one!

Anyway! We arrived at our hotel in San Cristobal about 10am and went to breakfast. Today was a bit of a wipeout, as it rained fairly heavily in the afternoon. We still managed to do a bit of sightseeing though. This is a really pretty town, much nicer in my opinion than Oaxaca.

Day 32, Monday 25 June 2007 - San Cristobal

Today was a bit better weather wise, with there only being a bit of rain and wet in the morning. I went for a wander to the markets and even found the ´real´local markets, where all the food and local produce is that the locals buy from. Managed to see chicken carcasses being be-headed and some very strange and weird foods!

In the afternoon, we headed to a town nearby, where there is a rather strange and unusual church. The town is called Chumala and in it, is a church that looks completely normal on the outside. Thats where the normalcy ends though! Picture this (as you can´t take pics):

No pews, just tables running up the centre. On the floor are pine needles as a carpet. On the tables are literally thousands of candles in little jars. Lining the walls are statues behind glass of every saint and person from the bible you could think of. At the altar section, there is no altar, just a statue of John the Baptist. Jesus is off to the left (yes, the left). There is also a statue of a cross with John the Baptist on it, NOT Jesus. On the floors around the tables with candles and statues are groups of local people. They each have their own set of candles, tall, thin ones that they have set up directly on the floor. They also have chickens, coke bottles, fanta bottles and other drinks. The people on the floor are praying to John the Baptist, offering coke and fanta and other drinks as offerings. They are also going to sacrifice the chook to him. I seem them do this. they first pour the drinks around the candles and on the chook, then pull the chooks neck.

These people are Catholics. They believe in everything Catholic, but believe that they should be praying to JtB, before Jesus, as he was the one who acklowledged Jesus. In the 60s the Catholic church tried to have the church closed, but they fought and won. Hence why you can´t take pics - they think you are there to spy on them. I have no idea what the official word is on them from the catholic Church, but I´d imagine they aren´t too happy!

Its honestly a shame you can´t take pics, as this church is truly amazing.

Back to San Cristobal for some Amber shopping, as its the local gem around these parts.

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Photos

Church
One of the churches in San Cristobal

SC square with church
the other main church in San Cristobal

Street
one of the market/shops streets, with Toni

Comments

[Sarah]

Hrmmm
Wow that church sounds bizarre!