We only understand Spanish :O :D (Day 157 of the World Trip)

08.02.2020

The day started at LAX with boarding for our next flight. Yay!

After we all boarded, the power suddenly went out, which made me directly positive :p :D :D Of course, we still took off and even though we flew most of the time in a dark room, it was quite nice because then you could doze off again :D

At 6:08 am, we landed in Mexico City. The boarding for our connecting flight was at 7:00 am and the actual departure time was 7:48 am (no idea why the numbers are odd :D)

So Jonas and I did something that we usually observe with shaking our heads: we unbuckled before it was allowed :O The plane searched for the perfect parking position for a few minutes, and when it started, I cheekily rushed to the front towards the exit^^

I mentally prepared Spanish vocabulary that could explain my situation, but unfortunately I was missing too many words to form a complete sentence :D :D

So I just pushed ahead and was probably seen as impolite, but I didn't care. I didn't want to miss our connecting flight!! :p

After disembarking, I literally ran along the airport and briefly left Jonas behind, but he quickly caught up with me ;-)

To our horror, there was a long line at passport control. I was sure that we would never make it and was already thinking about how we would then get to Tuxtla. The airline would definitely not reimburse us. Although the first flight was delayed. However, in theory, we had enough time for the transfer with 60 minutes...

Fortunately, it took less time than expected. Around 7:10 am, we received our stamp and now had to pick up our luggage. It was already waiting for us next to the baggage carousel, but we couldn't orientate ourselves quickly enough to know where we had to drop it off again for the onward flight...

So I approached one of the airport staff, and even though he would rather have spoken Spanish, we managed to get through the hall with a mix of mainly English and a bit of Spanish. He then guided us through and another colleague helped us drop off our luggage.

Now it was up to us to reach the gate on time :O :D

So we ran back and forth over freshly polished, super smooth tiles. There were not many display boards here :p

Finally, we went through the security check as fast as possible, and a few minutes later, at 7:25 am, we reached our gate! :O Wow! We had already been called and were quickly taken downstairs, where a bus took us to the plane together with other latecomers.

There was no time for an ATM, drinks or breakfast, but oh well. So now we were sitting in the plane called "Kevin", which was supposed to take us to Tuxtla in the south of Mexico, in the state of Chiapas <3

The flight lasted only about 1.5 hours, but especially at the beginning, the sky was cloudless and we were very excited about the view! It may be dry and sometimes barren. On the other hand, there are many hills and even mountains, and there is also agriculture and the occasional small forest or area with bushes.

In any case, we were excited that there was at least a visual change of scenery^^

Our destination was the city of Tuxtla in Chiapas. Most tourists go to the Yucatan Peninsula, but we wanted to see Chiapas first. However, it became clear directly on the plane that English was no longer an option, and this was confirmed upon landing :D :D

Actually, we had read that there is a bus that goes from Tuxtla Airport to the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, where we have our accommodation. But when we arrived, we needed cash first, and there was neither a currency exchange nor an ATM :O

But a few promoters were walking around, offering a rental car or a taxi. We asked one of these promoters for an ATM and threw all our Spanish vocabulary into the fire :p "Money," "machine," "credit card"...

But without success :D

Instead, she directed us to one of the taxi providers where you can pay for the ride in advance with a credit card. The whole thing cost a proud 40 € but we didn't have a choice anyway^^ Due to the shortened stay in Mexico City, we didn't have anything in hand :D

It should be mentioned, however, that it is also 75 km or an hour's drive, which somehow justifies the price ;-)

Since our driver was so cheerful/friendly, I tried to start a conversation and struggled with my word snippets :D :D But it worked a bit too!!! I didn't understand everything, but there was some exchange <3

The scenery during the car ride was also really great again. I'm looking forward to being able to take pictures of it over the next few days :)

And there it was, San Cristobal in sight <3

The city is situated on a hill and partially built into the hillside. The size of the city looks huge, but as soon as you are in the city center, you can see the former village with its narrow streets, colorful facades, and small shops. We were instantly delighted :)

Our hostel is located on a particularly quiet (residential) street, and when we rang the bell around 11:00 am, no one answered :D :D Neighbors and passers-by looked at us curiously, but we didn't dare to ask if we were in the right place^^

Since the official check-in is only from 2 pm, we took all our luggage to the city center, where we finally found an ATM, which, by the way, is called cajero, as we found out :p

Finally equipped with money, we sat down in a small café with local cuisine. The staff completely didn't care that our Spanish was very limited :D We asked for "sin carne" (without meat), and he started a monologue about the selection, using too many words we didn't know to really follow him. Oh no! :D

With a little back and forth, I then ordered an omelette with mushrooms and rice, and Jonas had a kind of flatbread with mushrooms and cheese on top. We both also got small corn tortillas and shared a jug of mango juice - which was really a lot^^

Since our table was a table for four, a Mexican couple was also added to the table. This is common in many countries, and I think it's pretty cool, to be honest :) From time to time, vendors came by with bracelets or snacks, and after the other couple's wife took some strawberries, she offered us some to taste and broke the ice that way.

First, we tried it briefly in Spanish, but then she continued in English. Yay! :p She is from Mexico City but works as a translator and has also lived in Seattle for three months, so her English is pretty perfect. So we chatted away for a while, and when we finally paid, we wanted to give the hostel a second chance^^

We walked the 15 minutes back there, and this time we were let in :) Our host Sergio welcomed us very friendly and of course started speaking fluent Spanish initially :D :D When Jonas told him that we only speak little Spanish, Sergio switched to English, and communication worked perfectly ;-)

The hostel has several rooms and two shared bathrooms, as well as a shared kitchen where we are allowed to cook. The bathrooms are not that great (one cannot be locked, and the second one has no toilet seat), but everything else seems great - especially our room is super cute and even has a window facing the street <33 We have only booked two nights for now but can already imagine staying here longer. Let's see how the first night goes^^ ;-)

After checking in, Jonas, who was completely exhausted, lay down, and I wrote a blog until I also needed a nap :D :D The journey was long, and the new time zone is a completely different one. So it's okay to be tired, but we will "fight" until it's really evening so that we can sleep in the new zone at the right time^^

We just went shopping quickly. Most shops, especially those with fruits and vegetables, are open between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm. However, we were too late at 5:30 pm, but there was a Panderia (bakery) where we bought bread, four rolls, and a new jam for a total of 2.50 €!!! If we could buy things locally at such a cheap price, that would be pretty awesome :D

Tomorrow we'll see what we're going to do. Maybe explore the city "properly," but after the travel stress, we'll take it easy for now ;-)