Ola! Mexico Part 1

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Ola! Mexico Part 1

Somehow felt like this was the day our trip really began, California being a good entree for what lay ahead. Travelling cheap also means some personal sacrifice, up at 4.15 to go to Mexico via the local (trolley)train to the border town of San Ysidro, from there just walked across the border to Tijuana ( border control more interested in Mexicans going in to the US, not us going out)then taxi to airport. A long way to our first destination, about 5 hours flying time and 4 hours at Mexico City airport, Aeromexico were just fine. Finally arrived in Chiapas de Corzo, which is a small town near to Tuxtla Gutierrez, and the first (Chiapas state) city founded by the Spanish in 1528. Collapsed into our concrete base bed for a long sleep, surprisingly comfortable!

10 March

Woke up to very warm sunny day, Hotel Ceiba is great, small hacienda style with amazing tropical greenery and very lush gardens/ courtyard with pool. Chiapas de C is a beautiful old town based around a historic square, there are very few English speakers there and it is not touristy. We took the boat trip on the Sumidero Canyon which cost around $15 NZD each, a 2 hour speedboat ride through a spectacular gorge with walls up to 1000m high. Saw crocodiles and vultures along the way. After a rest and a swim, we returned to the square early evening, as it was Sunday there were masses of people sitting round the church, all with bunches of flowers. Enjoyed the regional style cooking here, I loved the mole sauce which is black and has chocolate in it, but Blu found that a bit odd!

11 March

Hot again. Tried black beans for the first time with our breakfast, Blu slowly adjusting to black coloured food! The main feature of the large square in C de C is a 16th Century fountain in the shape of a Spanish crown, along with a huge tree planted back then, is now a monument to the suffering of the indigenous under the Spanish. Headed off to San Christobal de las Casas by bus at midday, only just over an hour's drive away, regional buses are good, even have movies on board! We climbed up and up into the mountains, SC is over 2000m above sea level, making it very cool at night. Made a faux pas when we got off the bus, walked about seven blocks the wrong way with our packs! Posada Ganesha was cheap at $27 NZD a night, very basic but nice garden area and handy to the centre of town. S C is a lovely old city with a fine elegant town square and Cathedral in the next square over. At night the place really comes alive with a traditional Mexican marimba band playing in the elevated rotunda. Visited a couple of churches including the beautiful Santo Domingo. As in Chiapas, the Mayan people walk around selling their handcrafts, which are very colourful, usinghand embroidered or woven fabric. Women from the local village of Zinacantan all dress in beautiful hand embroidered jackets, quite distinctive. They are all tiny as, and height maybe 4 foot on average?

12 March

We took a tour to the villages of San Juan Chamula and San Lorenzo Zinacantan, our guide Morisio, alias Maurice, was excellent, a small group with 4 couples, Dutch, French Canadian, Danish and us - a great day out and we learnt so much about the indigenous Mayan people.The two villages are different Tzotzil groups and have quite different customs, with Chamulans a closed society after 6pm at night. Chamulan women marry as young as 12 -13 and have a husband chosen for them, most have at least 5 children, and men can have 4 wives. They grow produce and flowers, we visited a local home where they make and sell beautiful woven cloth and garments, tried the local version of raki, watched great grandma make tortillas by hand very tasty! The Mayan church at Chamula was amazing, with all the floor covered in pine needles and local families sitting in groups praying with masses of candles lit in front of each group and flowerseverywhere on the altars. The statues of the saintsare dressed in Mayan clothes and most hold mirrors to ward off evil. No photos allowed! The more candles lit by a family,the bigger the problem,one family had a chicken ready to sacrifice in the church! Chris, our waiter at dinner tonight was very helpful, he taught us some new Spanish words, and gave us his email so he could practice English. The food here in Mexico is fantastic, all very fresh and tasty, also the people are very friendly and helpful. We have been having fun communicating but it is getting better ! Also a very cheap country to travel around , e.g. beer for $1 at the supermarket, a 2 hour bus trip as low as $4. -Adios for now!

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Photos

Our lodgings - Chiapas de Corzo
Blu amongst the greenery at Hotel Ceiba

Chiapas de Corzo - main square
15th century fountain

Chiapas
our hotel Ceiba

Mexican Food is delicious!
and a very large Margherita, not bad!