TR Chiapas

PlayadelSoul · 03-22-2007

Moved here, because I kept losing parts using edit.

First, a little background. I work for a company that has franchises all over Mexico. We teach English. In total, there are 105 schools throughout the Republic. My boss and his brother are officers in the company and own about 25 of the schools. They decided that we should have a mini convention built around a trip. All the directors of the schools were asked to vote, and we chose Chiapas.

Day 1.
The director from Cancun (my first boss in Mexico) and I met at the airport in Cancun and were greeted by a swarm of angry JetBlue customers and hung over spring breakers. There were some weather problems in the States and a lot of flights we delayed. Our direct flight to Tuxtla was delayed a couple of hours but, in comparison, we were lucky.

The flight was on Aeromar and was a twin prop. As there were only 8 people on the flight, they asked us to space ourselves to equally distribute weight.

The flight was pretty rough as we flew around some thunderstorms and had a lot of turbulence. Little did I know that this would be some good practice for riding a bus through the mountains of Chiapas.

We arrived in Tuxtla, around 5PM, to some heavy winds. Wierd, as it was the only day we saw this. We hopped in a van with the pilots and were off to the Camino Real, where we were supposed to be in a meeting.

I had already called ahead and explained the delay. When we arrived, the meeting was in a coffee break. After greeting everyone, we were presented with a sweet swag bag (including a suitcase, IPOD, hats, etc.). I felt like Lindsay Lohan at the People's Choice Awards.

After the meeting, we went to a touristy restaurant where we were treated to a traditional dance show and dinner. Food was not so good, but I didn't care. It was just good to be. Off to bed for 6AM wake up call.

DAY 2

We had breakfast and then got on the bus. Off to the Canon de Sumidero. We arrived and were given life jackets for a ride on the river.

Here is a photo from the front of the boat.

and some scenes from the ride.

At one point, we passed what looked to be Vulture Beach. It turned out that it exactly that. A protected area for this type of vulture.

We were moving at a pretty good clip, but did stop ocassionally for photo ops. This area reminded me a lot of the canyons in Utah, but with more vegetation. We did catch some spider monkeys living on the side of one of the canyon walls, crocodiles, and a bald eagle. Unfortunately, these pics did not come out too well. I need a bigger zoom. At the end of the canyon is a CFE hydo plant, which provides about 40% of Mexico's electricity and also provides it to Belize and Guatemala.

And, here I am. What a poser!!!

After the boar ride, we headed to San Juan de Chamula, an indigenous community of about 50,000 people. The town is actually broken into 3 separate communities that all have their own government and church. As we were about to get off the bus, our guide told us to expect to be bum rushed by lots of girls and women selling handicrafts. Turns out that in Chamula, the women do all the work.

We were told that they would be persistent, and they sure were. To the point of being really cute. They knew that we knew that they knew that it was all a game. We played it out to the minute before we got back on the bus, and then dropped a few thousand pesos into the local community. Made some new friends, to boot.

The highlight of the town is the center square, where the church is located. Here is a scene from the square.

and this is the church

This church was a Mayan Catholic church that did not celebrate Mass. There were no photos allowed inside, for reasons that will become apparent. Inside the church were glass display cases with wax models of discredited saints (hope I have that right). Thousands of candles were lit by the locals and they burned on the floor and tables in front of the saints. It was explained to us that when someone was sick, they people would enter the church with a chicken (male if sick person was male, and vice versa). Prayers are recited in Mayan and the disease was meant to be transferred to the chicken. Then, the chicken would have his neck snapped and be carried out of the church to be buried.

Before we went in, I thought this was all past tense. That soon changed when I heard the first rooster squalking. Snap! Oops! I didn't stay inside too long. It was eerily beautiful, but I was in PETA mode and didn't want to see anymore chickens.

We left Chamula for San Cristobal de las Casas at around 3. We were running behind, but still stopped for lunch. Overall, I was not impressed with the food in Chiapas, but I think that is because we were on a tour and eating at touristy joints. In any event, beans and bananas mixed together are not my favorite.

We arrived in SCdeLC at around dusk. What a beautiful city.

A couple of these photos were taken at 6:30AM, the next day.

We walked around the city for a bit, and I bought 2 kilos of coffee to last me a month or so. The city reminded me of other great Mexican cities that seem to handle the arrival of gringos while still keeping a nice Mexican feel to them (San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Oaxaca, etc.). I was about to chuck it all in and open a cafe, but decided against it when I saw the 100 other cafes that lined the streets.

Later, we went out to eat, but I was too tired to enjoy. Called it a night at around 11 for our early wake up call. Some others in the group probably regretted not doing the same, as day 3 is now referred to as "Dia de Vomito."

We woke up early and were given breakfast to go. As it was 6:30AM, the only place in town to get coffee was the Oxxo. Thankfully, they served a good Chiapas coffee and I was awake. We headed off to our next stop, Cascadas de Aguas Azules. During the trip, the bus driver was asked to pull over a few times. The Dramamine wasn't working for those who had gone to the disco the night before.

Here is a scene from one of our vomit stops.

About 3 hours later, we arrived at the river. What a beautiful experience this was.

We walked up to the top of the waterfall. A walk lined with little restaurants and craft shops. It was pretty hot, so by the time we got back to the bottom, it was time for a swim. We jumped off a 3 meter cliff into the water you can see behind me. Wow! It was cool, refreshing and, best of all, not salt water. I stayed in the water until they told me we had to leave.

Rissask · 03-22-2007

Quote:

I felt like Lindsay Lohan at the People's Choice Awards.

I am not sure whether to be impressed with you or disappointed in you that you know that name.

Quote:

As we were about to get off the bus, our guide told us to expect to be bum rushed by lots of girls and women selling handicrafts. Turns out that in Chamula, the women do all the work.

Sorry- this is different from everywhere else, how, exactly?

Hmm, that chicken thing is kind of strange...are you sure you didn't take a wrong turn somewhere and end up in Haiti?

I am sure the pictures are beautiful, similar to the mountains in Oaxaca, alas I cannot see them. Keep it coming, please, Mark.

Luv2Dance · 03-22-2007

Stunning pictures, PDS! Loved the waterfall!

Tommygurl · 03-22-2007

Great pics! What an adventure!

**sctx** · 03-22-2007

what about the mushroom fields???

Thor Henning · 03-22-2007

Great report and pics. Can't wait to go there in July.

PlayadelSoul · 03-22-2007

After drying off and getting back on the bus, we headed to another waterfall for lunch. Misol Ha was a 30 meter waterfall that was very beautiful, as well. Unfortunately, my camera decided to take a break for work. Here is a pic I pulled off the internet.

We ate a pretty basic lunch and then headed off to our hotel in Palenque. Again, we were running late, so we arrived after dark. After eating so late, I wasn't up for dinner, so I watched Chivas vs. America with some of the others, and then called it a night. At around 3AM, I was awoken by this strange sound. It seemed almost to be some sort of machinery, but as I opened the door to investigate, many of my co-workers were already outside. Management came and told us that it was a monkey snoring. Not much to do but go back to bed with the pillow over my head.

LAST DAY

We woke up and went to a working breakfast. We reviewed the results so far this year and brainstormed ideas to improve. Our boss said if we improved, he would take us to Cuba or on a cruise, next time. I love my job.

Off we went to Palenque.

I have been to my fair share of Mayan ruins, and they are all unique. This one was huge and had lots of real jungle surrounding it. It was bigger than most, and we walked a lot. I especially liked the area leading out of the park, in the back. Lots of little waterfalls and age old trees. To be honest, however, I was beat.

We left Palenque and were to head to Villahermosa to catch planes back to our cities of origin. Someone decided that we should eat, so we stopped for lunch at another touristy place and had some fish, Veracruz style.

Then, we were off. Unfortunately, our little lunch break cost us valuable time, and despite the best efforts of the bus driver, we arrived about 5 minutes too late for the first bactch of departees. Arrangements were made for stand by tickets, and we all waited. I had another 7 hours to go, before I would see my house, as I had to go through Mexico City to get to Cancun. Kind of a two steps backward, three steps forward type of trip. I arrived in Cancun at half past midnight and drove back to Playa.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. We were kept busy from dawn til midnight. I was more tired upon returning than I was before I left, but I would not have missed it for the world.

I am a big collector of crosses, and this was my favorite photo of my trip. It was taken at dusk in San Cristobal de las Casas. God bless the people of Chiapas. I hope they find a way to better their lives without losing the beauty that surrounds them.

cuffedlinks · 03-22-2007

I envy you your Chiapas coffee purchase.

I buy my Chiapas at a local coffee shop here that brings in several types of coffees from around the world.

Tesla 573 · 03-22-2007

Great report and pictures....thank you

StewartG · 03-22-2007

Great trip report Mark! I remember you telling me how excited you were about this trip. Looks like it was as good as you expected!

I will have to add this area to the "list of places to visit." I think I'd like to wait a bit until the kids are better swimmers so I can take them on the river.

Great company you work for! I just take my employees to Captain Tom's Oyster Bar. Sometimes. If they're lucky.

Barb&Meg · 03-22-2007

Wow! Great Pictures And Truly Beautiful Places. I Loved The One Of The Church Door. Thanks For Sharing.

Ginger · 03-23-2007

Great photos, Mark! Thanks for posting them. I especially liked the last cross photo...

very nice!

*sigh* I reeeellly want to drive through Mexico again.

spoonie2 · 03-23-2007

Mark,
Good to see the 'appy 'ammers top on tour. Need a new shirt? They'll probably be on offer soon when we get demoted

!!

Susan

PlayadelSoul · 03-23-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by spoonie2

Mark,
Good to see the 'appy 'ammers top on tour. Need a new shirt? They'll probably be on offer soon when we get demoted

!!

Susan

My two favorite teams in the English Premiership are Watford and West Ham. They also happen to the be the two who are sitting at the bottom of the table. I really like my Hammers shirt because it is from when Dr. Marrtens was the sponsor.

Now, if you can find a cheap Watford shirt, I would be happy to pay you for it.

Andiline · 03-23-2007

Thanks PdS for sharing your experiences and your beautiful pics! Chiapas is on my wish-list as well... jeez, that list is getting longer and longer...

But I like to read other peeps trip reports as this is a little bit like going three myself.

Andrea

03-22-2007	#1 (permalink)
PlayadelSoul Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: We'll know when we get there, We'll find mercy Posts: 8,965	TR Chiapas Moved here, because I kept losing parts using edit. First, a little background. I work for a company that has franchises all over Mexico. We teach English. In total, there are 105 schools throughout the Republic. My boss and his brother are officers in the company and own about 25 of the schools. They decided that we should have a mini convention built around a trip. All the directors of the schools were asked to vote, and we chose Chiapas. Day 1. The director from Cancun (my first boss in Mexico) and I met at the airport in Cancun and were greeted by a swarm of angry JetBlue customers and hung over spring breakers. There were some weather problems in the States and a lot of flights we delayed. Our direct flight to Tuxtla was delayed a couple of hours but, in comparison, we were lucky. The flight was on Aeromar and was a twin prop. As there were only 8 people on the flight, they asked us to space ourselves to equally distribute weight. The flight was pretty rough as we flew around some thunderstorms and had a lot of turbulence. Little did I know that this would be some good practice for riding a bus through the mountains of Chiapas. We arrived in Tuxtla, around 5PM, to some heavy winds. Wierd, as it was the only day we saw this. We hopped in a van with the pilots and were off to the Camino Real, where we were supposed to be in a meeting. I had already called ahead and explained the delay. When we arrived, the meeting was in a coffee break. After greeting everyone, we were presented with a sweet swag bag (including a suitcase, IPOD, hats, etc.). I felt like Lindsay Lohan at the People's Choice Awards. After the meeting, we went to a touristy restaurant where we were treated to a traditional dance show and dinner. Food was not so good, but I didn't care. It was just good to be. Off to bed for 6AM wake up call. DAY 2 We had breakfast and then got on the bus. Off to the Canon de Sumidero. We arrived and were given life jackets for a ride on the river. Here is a photo from the front of the boat. and some scenes from the ride. At one point, we passed what looked to be Vulture Beach. It turned out that it exactly that. A protected area for this type of vulture. We were moving at a pretty good clip, but did stop ocassionally for photo ops. This area reminded me a lot of the canyons in Utah, but with more vegetation. We did catch some spider monkeys living on the side of one of the canyon walls, crocodiles, and a bald eagle. Unfortunately, these pics did not come out too well. I need a bigger zoom. At the end of the canyon is a CFE hydo plant, which provides about 40% of Mexico's electricity and also provides it to Belize and Guatemala. And, here I am. What a poser!!! After the boar ride, we headed to San Juan de Chamula, an indigenous community of about 50,000 people. The town is actually broken into 3 separate communities that all have their own government and church. As we were about to get off the bus, our guide told us to expect to be bum rushed by lots of girls and women selling handicrafts. Turns out that in Chamula, the women do all the work. We were told that they would be persistent, and they sure were. To the point of being really cute. They knew that we knew that they knew that it was all a game. We played it out to the minute before we got back on the bus, and then dropped a few thousand pesos into the local community. Made some new friends, to boot. The highlight of the town is the center square, where the church is located. Here is a scene from the square. and this is the church This church was a Mayan Catholic church that did not celebrate Mass. There were no photos allowed inside, for reasons that will become apparent. Inside the church were glass display cases with wax models of discredited saints (hope I have that right). Thousands of candles were lit by the locals and they burned on the floor and tables in front of the saints. It was explained to us that when someone was sick, they people would enter the church with a chicken (male if sick person was male, and vice versa). Prayers are recited in Mayan and the disease was meant to be transferred to the chicken. Then, the chicken would have his neck snapped and be carried out of the church to be buried. Before we went in, I thought this was all past tense. That soon changed when I heard the first rooster squalking. Snap! Oops! I didn't stay inside too long. It was eerily beautiful, but I was in PETA mode and didn't want to see anymore chickens. We left Chamula for San Cristobal de las Casas at around 3. We were running behind, but still stopped for lunch. Overall, I was not impressed with the food in Chiapas, but I think that is because we were on a tour and eating at touristy joints. In any event, beans and bananas mixed together are not my favorite. We arrived in SCdeLC at around dusk. What a beautiful city. A couple of these photos were taken at 6:30AM, the next day. We walked around the city for a bit, and I bought 2 kilos of coffee to last me a month or so. The city reminded me of other great Mexican cities that seem to handle the arrival of gringos while still keeping a nice Mexican feel to them (San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Oaxaca, etc.). I was about to chuck it all in and open a cafe, but decided against it when I saw the 100 other cafes that lined the streets. Later, we went out to eat, but I was too tired to enjoy. Called it a night at around 11 for our early wake up call. Some others in the group probably regretted not doing the same, as day 3 is now referred to as "Dia de Vomito." We woke up early and were given breakfast to go. As it was 6:30AM, the only place in town to get coffee was the Oxxo. Thankfully, they served a good Chiapas coffee and I was awake. We headed off to our next stop, Cascadas de Aguas Azules. During the trip, the bus driver was asked to pull over a few times. The Dramamine wasn't working for those who had gone to the disco the night before. Here is a scene from one of our vomit stops. About 3 hours later, we arrived at the river. What a beautiful experience this was. We walked up to the top of the waterfall. A walk lined with little restaurants and craft shops. It was pretty hot, so by the time we got back to the bottom, it was time for a swim. We jumped off a 3 meter cliff into the water you can see behind me. Wow! It was cool, refreshing and, best of all, not salt water. I stayed in the water until they told me we had to leave. Last edited by TeeZet; 03-23-2007 at 04:06 PM. Reason: My widescreen wasn't wide enough... ;-)

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03-22-2007	#3 (permalink)
Luv2Dance añejo Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 12,432	Stunning pictures, PDS! Loved the waterfall!

03-22-2007	#4 (permalink)
Tommygurl crab killer Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: I am Canadian!! Posts: 14,291	Great pics! What an adventure!

03-22-2007	#5 (permalink)
sctx political anarchist Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Body in San Marcos Tx....Tankah in my mind Posts: 27,783	what about the mushroom fields???

03-22-2007	#6 (permalink)
Thor Henning añejo Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Drammen, Norway Posts: 3,338	Great report and pics. Can't wait to go there in July.

03-22-2007	#7 (permalink)
PlayadelSoul Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: We'll know when we get there, We'll find mercy Posts: 8,965	After drying off and getting back on the bus, we headed to another waterfall for lunch. Misol Ha was a 30 meter waterfall that was very beautiful, as well. Unfortunately, my camera decided to take a break for work. Here is a pic I pulled off the internet. We ate a pretty basic lunch and then headed off to our hotel in Palenque. Again, we were running late, so we arrived after dark. After eating so late, I wasn't up for dinner, so I watched Chivas vs. America with some of the others, and then called it a night. At around 3AM, I was awoken by this strange sound. It seemed almost to be some sort of machinery, but as I opened the door to investigate, many of my co-workers were already outside. Management came and told us that it was a monkey snoring. Not much to do but go back to bed with the pillow over my head. LAST DAY We woke up and went to a working breakfast. We reviewed the results so far this year and brainstormed ideas to improve. Our boss said if we improved, he would take us to Cuba or on a cruise, next time. I love my job. Off we went to Palenque. I have been to my fair share of Mayan ruins, and they are all unique. This one was huge and had lots of real jungle surrounding it. It was bigger than most, and we walked a lot. I especially liked the area leading out of the park, in the back. Lots of little waterfalls and age old trees. To be honest, however, I was beat. We left Palenque and were to head to Villahermosa to catch planes back to our cities of origin. Someone decided that we should eat, so we stopped for lunch at another touristy place and had some fish, Veracruz style. Then, we were off. Unfortunately, our little lunch break cost us valuable time, and despite the best efforts of the bus driver, we arrived about 5 minutes too late for the first bactch of departees. Arrangements were made for stand by tickets, and we all waited. I had another 7 hours to go, before I would see my house, as I had to go through Mexico City to get to Cancun. Kind of a two steps backward, three steps forward type of trip. I arrived in Cancun at half past midnight and drove back to Playa. All in all, it was a wonderful trip. We were kept busy from dawn til midnight. I was more tired upon returning than I was before I left, but I would not have missed it for the world. I am a big collector of crosses, and this was my favorite photo of my trip. It was taken at dusk in San Cristobal de las Casas. God bless the people of Chiapas. I hope they find a way to better their lives without losing the beauty that surrounds them.

03-22-2007	#8 (permalink)
cuffedlinks añejo Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The City of Presidents Posts: 16,003	I envy you your Chiapas coffee purchase. I buy my Chiapas at a local coffee shop here that brings in several types of coffees from around the world.

03-22-2007	#9 (permalink)
Tesla 573 añejo Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: LA...Lower Ala Posts: 7,066	Great report and pictures....thank you

03-22-2007	#10 (permalink)
StewartG commie pinko Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: The Kremlin (when not at my dacha in Houston) Posts: 13,388	Great trip report Mark! I remember you telling me how excited you were about this trip. Looks like it was as good as you expected! I will have to add this area to the "list of places to visit." I think I'd like to wait a bit until the kids are better swimmers so I can take them on the river. Great company you work for! I just take my employees to Captain Tom's Oyster Bar. Sometimes. If they're lucky.

03-22-2007	#11 (permalink)
Barb&Meg reposado Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 1,000	Wow! Great Pictures And Truly Beautiful Places. I Loved The One Of The Church Door. Thanks For Sharing.

03-23-2007	#12 (permalink)
Ginger none Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 10,165	Great photos, Mark! Thanks for posting them. I especially liked the last cross photo... very nice! sigh I reeeellly want to drive through Mexico again.

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03-23-2007	#13 (permalink)
spoonie2 very sparkly Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 32	Mark, Good to see the 'appy 'ammers top on tour. Need a new shirt? They'll probably be on offer soon when we get demoted !! Susan

03-23-2007	#15 (permalink)
Andiline añejo Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Cologne, Germany Posts: 7,594	Thanks PdS for sharing your experiences and your beautiful pics! Chiapas is on my wish-list as well... jeez, that list is getting longer and longer... But I like to read other peeps trip reports as this is a little bit like going three myself. Andrea