Mexico - San Cristóbal de las Casas

San Cristóbal has been touted to me by many travelers as the best city in Mexico. And many people end up staying here longer than they originally planned. Naturally, I was curious. Furthermore, I was supposed to meet Rapha here, who has started a volunteer job in the meantime. And Belén, whom I had already met in Peru and Ecuador, is also here for a longer period of time. San Cristóbal is a melting pot for artists and creatives from all over the world. That's what makes the city so interesting. Every day there are workshops, shows and concerts. The numerous bars and restaurants also create a great atmosphere, good drinks and delicious food. And all of this is also pretty cheap.

Due to its location in the mountains, it is pleasantly cool at night and comfortably warm during the day. The city itself is also beautiful with its colonial houses, narrow streets, pedestrian zones and the surrounding hills, which constantly threaten with a thunderstorm. That's why I ended up staying here for over a week. The tourist program was limited to a few trips to more or less distant waterfalls and ruins. Most of the time, I simply enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city with friends.

Chamula

After Rapha showed me a bit around the city and bombarded me with information, the next day we set off on our first excursion - to Chamula. This village is only half an hour away from San Cristóbal, but it's a completely different world. Everything revolves around the church here. That wouldn't be anything new in Catholic Mexico. But here it's not about Christian customs, but about a completely different religion. You can visit the church, but photos are not allowed. In general, you are not allowed to take photos of the people here, as they believe that you would steal their soul. So you will have to live with my explanations. 😉 The church is similarly surreal. There is a constant coming and going, there are no pews, pine branches are scattered all over the floor, as are countless candles. It smells good, but the mixture still seems extremely dangerous to me. And then everyone finds their place, usually for the whole family, to conduct their own ceremony. This includes various vows and offerings. Everyone mutters something for half an hour and sacrifices things like beer, eggs, cola, pox or even whole chickens. That's the main attraction for tourists. First, the chicken is waved in front of the people standing around for a while with best wishes, before it is either packed back into the bag or its neck is twisted. Live and in color. As a country child, this doesn't shock me anymore, but city dwellers are naturally impressed. Everything bad has accumulated in the chicken and the person is accordingly cleansed. But it is still eaten afterwards. Somehow it goes well together. And a chicken is too valuable to just throw it away. On the way out, you can buy self-made rockets and firecrackers, which are then ignited directly in front of the church. Compared to that, Polish firecrackers are a joke! And so it goes on like this all day long. Pox (pronounced: Posch) is the usual version of homemade schnapps here. Of course homemade and something special, but it tastes just like the other high percentage spirits from other countries and regions. With these impressions, we return to San Cristóbal.

Palenque and Lagos Montebello

Soon after, the mega-long tour to Palenque awaits me. After much consideration, I decided to take a tour after all. It's much cheaper and faster than trying to do it on your own. But of course, you have to deal with the usual disadvantages of a tour. Departure is at 4 a.m. Great, the last seat in the back row of the minivan is still available. It's only a 5-hour drive anyway. First stop at 7 a.m. for breakfast. All tour buses arrive there at the same time. There is a line for the buffet and a line for the toilet. You have to make a decision. After all, you only have 30 minutes. I brought my own breakfast and watch the spectacle from a distance.

Next stop is 'Agua Azul'. Again, the same spectacle. All buses arrive at the same time, so that everything is crowded during the one-hour visiting time and then absolute silence prevails again. A short swim, a few snapshots and a small snack, and then we continue on the winding and bumpy road.

We are on our way to the waterfalls of Misol Ha. A paradise for all instachics who have their instaboyfriend with them, but also for all other selfie lovers. Basically, it's just a mediocre lake and a medium-sized waterfall.

Then the wild ride continues and around 3 p.m. we finally reach the ruins of Palenque, the actual destination of the tour. We have exactly 2 hours to visit the site. That's enough. It's incredibly hot and humid, climbing stairs is really a challenge. But the site is beautiful! Located in the middle of the jungle, most of it is overgrown, only the most important temples are exposed. It is one of the most important Mayan ruins in the country. So the long journey was actually worth it, you don't see something like this every day. Finally, I find a shady spot and enjoy the atmosphere of this special place before the exhausting journey back begins. We arrive back in San Cristóbal at 11 p.m. And as always, I tell myself 'Never again such a tour!'

Two days later, the next tour is already coming up...

Because the 'Lagos de Montebello' on the border with Guatemala are difficult to reach without a tour. This time, the program is not quite as tight, but the procedure is similar to Palenque. We leave at 8 a.m. and we're back at 8 p.m. The journey is much more pleasant, but not much shorter. First stop is the 'El Chiflon' waterfalls. A nice walk along some waterfalls to the largest one called 'Velo de la Novia'. There, you also get a fresh breeze on the viewing platform and then have to dodge the selfie sticks. But I have to satisfy my followers. 😉

After a little snack, we get back on the bus. Once we finally arrive at the lake, we have to have the 'mandatory lunch'. At the first lake, the next tourist trap awaits. We are supposed to take the boat to the island a hundred meters away, which has nothing to offer. The locals, of course, were crazy about it and made us wait for over an hour. So we only had time for a few snapshots of the other lakes before we started the return journey. So this tour was only partially worth it as well. But at least I was back in time for a delicious homemade dinner at Rapha's and her roommate's place. Thanks again for that!

I spend the remaining days relaxing in San Cristóbal. To conclude, Belén organized a Peña with a workshop. This is a traditional Argentinean evening with lots of music and dance. There's also a delicious stew and a few Mezcals. Belén presents the best photos of her trip. It's a nice last evening before we all say goodbye in different directions the next day. At 8 a.m., the shuttle picks me up and takes me to Guatemala. I leave Mexico with a bit of melancholy, but I'll be back soon.