I have just returned from a fabulous 6 days in Chiapas.Since arriving in Mexico Chiapas was on my "to do" list, however the distance has always put me off. Last month ,I heard of a couple from Cancun who had given up on selling timeshare in Cancun and had bought a small hotel in San Cristobal.I was invited to join their first tour leaving from Cancun. The journey of 15 hours in a small minibus was, it has to be said, gruelling. However it was character buliding stuff and the people I shared the journey with will forever be friends. As my morale was hitting rock bottom the mountains rose before us and as we started to climb the winding roads, so did my mood. I always moan that I miss contours, that Cancun is too flat etc but I was not prepared for the effect the sight of the mountains would have on me. I cried and cried. Waterfalls tumbled down the hills.Small villlages hung onto the sides of the mountains.Children ran out from the bushes with bags of fruit to sell, the smell of the clean mountain air filled the van as we could finally turn off the A/C and let the fresh air in...............just fabulous. The mountain roads are steep and have dangerous curves but I was too busy enjoying the views to be worried. After 4 hours of being thrown around in the back of the bus we arrived in San Cristobal de las casas, a town much larger than I was expecting. The colonial hotel was perched in an elevated position with great views of the town down below. It is a small hotel with just 13 rooms, not a "Palace " resort with all singing all dancing all inclusive, but "REAL" and welcoming. The owners both speak superb english and made me , the only foreigner in the group, very welcome. Everyday I went out exploring the area.Its just so interesting, all of it. I could ramble on forever ,but I guess what I am trying to say is if you have not visited Chiapas and you are at all hesitant just DO IT !!!! I will definately return , as often as I can.In fact, if I could live there I would. Tracey x
Tracey, I took a road trip to Chiapas a few years ago and now I want to go back. But I was driving an SUV with just me and my woman, and a cooler of beer. We had some clothes too. A great trip. And San Cristobal was my favorite city. It is so beautiful and was actually freezing cold that October. Thanks for the memory.
Suv, Woman and Cooler of beer, helps make any trip enjoyable! Shame you had clothes, I could just picture the local farmers faces as a naked American is running around the mountains with a cooler of beer under one arm and his female companion under the other
Hotel Chiapas Tracey do you remember the name of the hotel you stayed at? Do you still have contact info for them? I expect we'll be heading that way soon ___________________ There are some nice views of Chiapas on this video though the music is a little annoying! &feature=related
Yes I stayed at Casa De Guadalupe - owned my a great woman from Cancun called Maru. I loved it there. Tracey
Went there a few years ago. I'd venture to say it's more gorgeous than Quintana Roo, just in a different way. Our bus ride was 18 hours... awful, but worth it.
Tracey, you know I love you but I could not do Chiapas without making all of the stops along the way that would pique my interest. My trip in 2004 was 12 days and that was not even enough. Too many cool things to do and places to visit. But a few days just to explore San Cristobal would make a wonderful trip. I hit a lot of places for short amounts of time. It is a killer drive and your butt must have been sore arriving at both ends of your trip. It would be great to go with old and or new friends. When I went to Peru we were on a tour bus the very first day and some guy across the aisle asked if I was from Cancun. Turns out he saw me at the B gates at the Cancun airport. It was probaby not "my" breasts he was remembering though. Our itineraries were different but our paths crossed for most of the trip and we hung out together all of those days and nights. I have never met a stranger. But you know how charming I can be. Jeje.
I would like to second what others have said about Chiapas. We are on a holiday there now. San Cristobol is indeed delightful, now our new favorite colonial city, and we have visited fourteen of them so far. At 7,000 feet elevation San Cristobol offers cool weather this time of year: we slept under comforters! For exotic cultures we didn't have to travel to Peru or Bolivia, we found it right here. The indigenous people of Chiapas more than fill the bill! An added measure of interest was provided by the followers of the Zapatista movement, seeking to preserve the old ways of life, and the natural resources upon which it depends. Their influence is seen in coffee shops selling fair trade coffee, art depicting the richness of the way of life, and the photos and art which attempts to convey their message. One of the best downtown restaurants was a vehicle for conveying their message of social justice, and we enjoyed supporting it. A visit to Chiapas is more than just a vacation....
