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Chiapas
Leaving the Yucatan region, our bus climbed up the Mexican Highlands to
the Chiapas Region where we spent a couple of days at San Cristobel de
la Casas. Once again, the 2 star accommodation was clean and comfortable,
continuing to surpass all expectations. The hotel owners were also very
friendly, even forgiving me when I mistakenly asked for a fried egg instead
of my room key one night - at least I'd tried! In the town square, just
outside the octagonal restaurant, look for a Mexican lady with a golf umbrella.
Her name is Mercedes and if you're there by 9am, you can join her tour
of local Mayan villages. This is an excellent way of learning about the
Mayan peoples current way of life, culture and religious beliefs. Lasting
nearly 6 hours, Mercedes will take you to several local villages where,
if you're lucky, a local church fiesta may be taking place.
The
unique mixing of Catholic churches and historical Mayan beliefs is extremely
interesting and also quite humbling. On this journey with Mercedes, you
also get the added advantage of spending the day with a real life Whoopi
Goldberg, straight out of "Sister Act". If this isn't to your liking, other
day tours are also available, including jungle treks and a river journey
that introduces you to some of the local bird life. The only downside to
San Cristobel is the number of children begging on the streets. Despite
the Mexican government's earnest attempts, a large number of parents simply
won't send their children to school. A combination of financial pressures
and distrust of the "system" appears to be the cause of this unfortunate
situation.
Don't hesitate to try the octagonal restaurant for breakfast - their
honey would have to be the best in the world and once again the fresh fruit
tastes even better than it looks, something any visitor to California couldn't
say.
Copyright: Martin Dabb 1997. All rights reserved.
jmdabb@bigpond.com
there's a few recommended links here, but the above adverts may be more relevant for you.