19 hrs, 7 different busses and 4 states later, we finally made it to palenque in the Chiapas state of Mexico. It was a long journey but we were actually incredibly lucky, making smooth connections almost the entire way. We arrived in palenque - the site of some famous Mayan ruins a little worse for wear, but pushed on, taking the opportunity to strech our legs as we 'did' the palenque ruins. Although i am the first to admit I am no ruin junkie, I was pretty impressed with the spectacular scenery of palenque - set amidst thick jungle and the mountains of Chiapas. We chose to stay in some basic Eco-lodging which was only a 20 min walk from the ruins, and literally in the jungle - such a great experience!! We also met up with one of Mayas friends from uni, Em, recruiting her for our onward travels to San christobal, and again crossed paths with Sydney roomie number three - Julia, on her Intrepid tour...made for a fun night at the jungle restaurant/bar!!
The following day we made for San Christobal de las casas - a small mountain town that had come highly recommended from many other travellers...we booked onto a tour that included some waterfalls on the way - they were ok but the highlight was definitely the people on our tour...we became friends w a really nice Italian guy, and an older guy from Alaska of all places - both of whom we bumped into again in San Christobal!!!
After a long and windy afternoon bus ride thru the Chiapas mountains (very pretty and interesting scenery), we got to San Christobal...where it was freezing!!!! It is quite high up in the mountains and hence is seriously chilly at night - and my summer cottons were all completely useless, despite my attempt to layer everything I owned!!
Sadly we were sucked in by a local trying to flog his hostel to us as soon as we stepped off the bus - promises of a free cab ride and hot showers were too good to resist!! Much to our dismay, the most important selling pt (hot water!!) didn't follow thru...and my request for more blankets on our beds (seriously it was so cold) were also met with a flat - 'we have none' in deadpan Spanish!!
Despite the lackluster welcome to San Christobal, we ended up really enjoying it...the town is old with cobblestone streets, and filled with cafes, bars, retaurants and local artisan shops...the day was actually quite warm once the sun got up, and we had a great time buying up on cheap leather goods in the local market! It is quite touristy, but there is still a large amount of the local indigenous people which was an interesting contrast to the rest of Mexico.
San christobal is also filled with good memories for all of us - since we found out that we all passed our final uni exams - and so officially graduated from our uni studies!! We had a lovely little celebration over a good bottle of Mexican red at a fun and cosy tapas bar - where we were also joined by our Alaskan and Italian friends! Perfecto!!
The cold hit again at night and we decided we would have to get out before we froze, so prepared to make our way to the nearest border crossing and into Guatemala!!
Stay tuned as we venture into Guatemala!!
LiZZie
Xxxx
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