Tag 406 - San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico 20.02.2021

Yes, we are still alive and haven't forgotten about you! So here's an update on how we're currently doing.

We have been in San Cristóbal de las Casas for 6 weeks now. It's a city in the mountains with about 160,000 inhabitants. Life here is very simple, and the culture is still heavily influenced by indigenous Mayans. You really feel like you've arrived in traditional Mexico - No comparison to the tourist hotspots Playa del Carmen and Tulum.

Occasionally, we meet other long-term travelers from all over the world here. Many artists have settled here and earn their living by selling jewelry on the street. In general, as a foreigner, you are confronted with Mexican poverty. Begging children, stray dogs, and homeless people. Nevertheless, the city has its own charm, and we have really fallen in love with this area.

The delicious coffee and cocoa grown here in the region are a special highlight.

Since we have been traveling and living with friends and acquaintances since July 2020, we have decided to take more time for ourselves again.

So for the past few weeks, we have been staying in a wonderful, quiet apartment with a view of the mountains outside the city.

We have primarily used this time to work on our self-employment. Bianca is currently trying to establish herself in the field of digital art (graphic and logo design), and Michi is working as a freelancer in the business development sector for a start-up.

Although work has been the main focus in recent weeks, we have still taken time to enjoy nature together.

Here in San Cristobal, we got to know Claudio, who is married to a French woman and has been living here for several years. Together with our friends Jascha & Isabel, who also spent a few weeks here, we took a 2-day trip with Claudio to the border with Guatemala in the Laguna de Montebello region. On the way there, we stopped at a great cenote that we had completely to ourselves, and Claudio showed us the spectacular Chiflón waterfalls. In the afternoon, we arrived at our hut right on the border with Guatemala. The only downside was that the four of us had contracted food poisoning the evening before, so we could only enjoy the day to a limited extent. Exhausted from the long drive, we all fell into our beds around 5 p.m. and slept until the next morning. Since we were all only marginally better the next morning, only Michi, together with Claudio, set off on foot to the border.

They managed to make it to Guatemala more or less legally via a footpath in the forest and could at least compensate the others with a photo from Guatemala. We then returned to San Cristobal on the same day and had to deal with the effects of food poisoning for a few more days.

Another trip took us to the Cañón del Sumidero National Park. During the boat tour through the breathtaking landscape (the rock walls rise 1,000 meters at the highest point), we encountered numerous crocodiles, monkeys, and birds. An experience that was definitely worth the sunburn we got on the water!

We will spend the rest of the month here in our apartment before heading to the state of San Luis Potosí, north of Mexico City, at the beginning of March. Oskar and Claudia, who lives there, are waiting for us. Together, we will go on a road trip and explore the desert and landscape of central Mexico!

So there are more adventures waiting for us!

Stay tuned and see you soon!

Bianca & Michael