After some time in Tlaxcala, we finally start our journey towards Central America. From Puebla, we fly to Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas in southern Mexico. In Puebla, we can stay in one of Julius' uncle's guest rooms because our plane leaves at 10 o'clock in the morning.
When we arrive in Tuxtla, we are faced with a temperature shock. While we were sitting outside in Puebla in the evening with a jacket, it is over 30 degrees in Tuxtla. In Tuxtla, we can stay with Rolando and Lily through Couchsurfing. Since a taxi to the city is very expensive, I trust Julius' expertise in hitchhiking and actually the second car that passes us takes us to Tuxtla, which is 30 km away. From there, we take a taxi to our hosts.
Rolando and Lily are super sweet. They have their own restaurant, Chiquitita, where we can stop by later after our city tour.
And the next day, Lily takes us to different viewpoints of the Canon Sumideros.
During the boat tour later, we have the opportunity to see the Canon from a different perspective. We can also see some crocodiles. Unfortunately, the impression of the spectacular nature is clouded by the amount of garbage that accumulates in the bays. The wind from the boat regularly blows people's plastic waste into the river. Once again, I become aware of the extent of the enormous plastic consumption in Mexico. :(
After the boat ride, we continue directly to San Cristobal de las Cashs. For the first time, I feel a little insecure because we take longer with the minibuses than expected and thus only arrive in Sancris in the dark. We take a taxi and fortunately arrive safely at the hostel.
Since we are both very hungry, we go straight ahead. It's Friday evening and there is a colorful hustle and bustle, market and party in the old town. San Cristobal is home to many indigenous people who sell handicrafts on the street. We are particularly amazed by the many children who also sell things. The youngest are maybe only 3 years old. In the half hour that we have dinner in the taqueria, at least 5 children come by and want to sell us something. Instead of giving them money, we buy each of them a taco, which they gladly accept. In doing so, we strike up a conversation with the girl. Her name is Sofia and she is 5 years old. When we ask her, she tells us that her mother also works as a seller in the market. And when we ask her what her father is doing, she says that he is drunk.
