Blogs from Chiapas, Mexico, North America

We left Antigua on Thursday morning and headed for our final destination in Guatemala, San Pedro which sits on Lake Atitlan. This was not the greatest destination for me as I spent the entire time feeling rather ropey and unable to eat much let alone drink. Blooming livid, the drinks were dirt cheap and you got a free shot with everything bought in happy hour which was actually happy 8 hours as it went on from 4pm-12pm. Not sure the Guatemalans have quite got the hang of this happy hour business, they seem to run them all day. Bargain for us though or in this case Will and Oli who like top lads took full advantage! I on the other hand struggled through a couple of beers before feeling like I had a small person punching ... read more

Hello all, I'm just writing a small travel blog to keep family and anyone else who may be interested updated on my travels around the world over the next 6 months. I'm afraid the route I'm currently taking through Mexico means that my first few weeks have been fairly preoccupied with ruins, so this may not be the most interesting read, but anyway I shall start at the beginning... After some very quick and efficient flights on Saturday the 3rd of March (excluding some slightly terrifying emergency sirens and an airport lockdown in Detroit) I arrived in Cancun a little bleary eyed about 8 in the evening local time. I shared a cab with a very friendly and forward American lady, who has offered me use of her time share in Cancun whenever I want it ... read more

"Your lost friends are not dead, but gone before, advanced a stage or two upon that road which you must travel in the steps they trod" Aristophanes I like starting each blog with a travel quote (the internet is a wonderful thing innit?!) and this one is chosen very much for a special man, Malcolm Taylor – a dear family friend and neighbour who sadly passed away last week.He has known me since I was a foetus, and always read and commented on my recent adventure. This update is dedicated to him. I am currently nursing a filthy cold (possible a wee touch of flu as I ache like an over stretched gymnast)and have spent far too much of the past few days feeling sorry for myself and berating my laziness in writing up the past ... read more

We have been in Mexico for seven months. As I look back, I can remember crossing the border in Nogales. We were nervous, not sure if we wanted to do this big adventure, barely knowing the language. Now that we’re going to cross in to Guatemala, we’re nervous and barely know the language. The only difference is we can’t imagine NOT doing this big adventure. When I think back on all the stuff I’ve done, it seems rather surreal. I can not only drive you around the tunnels of Guanajuato, I can find shortcuts in the tunnels to get around the traffic. I have climbed a mountain (okay, maybe a big hill) to take part, albeit vicariously, in a religious experience. We watched men, hanging from their feet, spin to the ground in Mexico City. We’ve ... read more

Finding a place to live was a bit of a challenge. I had to do a lot of knocking on doors and asking around. The few that I did initially find were not suitable. After some pounding of the pavement, as it were I found the house we now reside in. It is not perfect but nothing is here. I take the good with the bad. The house is in the historic center on Calle Benito Juarez just behind the Mercado de Dulces y Artesanias and the Cathedral San Francisco. Location Location Location. The rent is a bit pricy considering where we are. That said I do have five bedrooms and six baths. Getting services such as telephone, cable and internet was a bit of a challenge. Telmex says 10 days but that really means about ... read more

Day 28:Very cold this morning about 47F. Made coffee and went up to my rooftop terrace. The impressive mountains were veiled in fog, it is very cold and humid this morning. Still I managed to put on some warm clothes a comfortable pair of walking shoes and walked to the Mercado. As I walked through, I could not help but notice how clean and well organized the vendor stalls were. The colors, smells and lanscape really are an attack on all your senses. The stalls have a variety of animal carcasses on display varying from pigs, cows and others that I did not recognize. Everything you can imagine is sold here. I purchased salt dried fish from the interior Mercado. The mountains of fish are packed 8 feet high in some stalls. They sell tiny smelts, ... read more

There are many options for a traveler here in San Cristobal. The pricy hotels are certainly an option if you want to lay out the cash. I went to one of the local hostels to look at options. a private room with a private bath for 450 pesos per night. Other options they offered ranged from 98 peso per nigh per person in a shared dormroom accomodation. I reccomend that you come stay a a hostel or hotel for one night then look for less expensive lodgings. I have seen furninshed private rooms with all the amenities right here in centro for much less. For the frugal traveler there are options. I finally decided to choose a higher end hotel and stayed for one night. The cost was paid 650 pesos with a cold cereal breakfast ... read more

Wednesday the 11thwe took another trip to Comitan to visit Tenam Puente, a Mayan ruin. Again, I was blown away by how great the tourist information signs in Comitan were. We drove to Tenam Puente, pulling in to the empty parking lot. In fact, I believe the cashier woke up from his morning nap, got out of his hammock, and then ran inside to take our money. Tenam Puente was an ancient Mayan ruin that was abandoned around 1200 AD. Not only was the parking lot empty, we had the whole site to ourselves. The site itself was amazing; from the three ball courts to the Acropolis, which has fantastic views of Comitan. While the ruins of Tenam Puente were very impressive, climbing to the top was a bit challenging. They were definitely not made for ... read more