San Christobal de las Casas
This town is known as being a great backpackers hangout due to the indigenous villages around it and the proximity to a number of ancient and natural sights. I arrived very early in the morning and wondered around and had breakfast before deciding on a hostel. Straight away I met two Dutch guys who were heading in the opposite direction (from the beach inland) and thus were a wealth of information on the road ahead. I ended up tagging along for entire time I was in San Christobal and together we explored the town together and took a tour into the surrounding villages.
The town itself wasnt that impressive. The old buildings and churches were nice but had nothing on Guanajuato. What the town had was charm though. I am not sure if it was the horde of wandering Chamulans (natives from a nearby town) selling their artwork or dogs wandering the streets but it definitely had something. This charm seems to be well known though because the town is literally packed with bohemian backpackers revelling in their individuality in the midst of a thousand other like them. This really wasnt annoying or off-putting, just infinitely amusing.
The indigenous villages we visited were the height of the town for me though. We had an excellent guide called Alejandro who knew his shit and had an opinion on the treatment of indigenous people and their own culture. He took us through their farmlands, into a religious authorities house and into their amazing church. The Chamulan people believe that John the Baptist is actually the head honcho and thus they dont get on too well with priests. In fact there hasn't been a mass in Chamula for over 30 years and a priest only visits to perform periodical baptisms. The Chamulans also believe that burping cleanses the soul and thus consume copious quantities of coke (and heretical pepsi) as well as a sugar-cane derived alcoholic drink called posh. All in all I think the Chamulans are ahead of western society with their religious beliefs and one taste of posh had me converted, the methanol induced blindness be damned!
I took an early bus today to Palenque home of the eponymous ruins and am staying in a little place of hippy heaven called El Panchan in a little cabana set in the jungle. Tomorrow will be a busy day with a trip to the ruins and a pair of beautiful waterfalls called Misol-Ha and Agua Azul (blue water!) before getting on a night bus for Tulum, where I will spend 4 days on the beach.
The town itself wasnt that impressive. The old buildings and churches were nice but had nothing on Guanajuato. What the town had was charm though. I am not sure if it was the horde of wandering Chamulans (natives from a nearby town) selling their artwork or dogs wandering the streets but it definitely had something. This charm seems to be well known though because the town is literally packed with bohemian backpackers revelling in their individuality in the midst of a thousand other like them. This really wasnt annoying or off-putting, just infinitely amusing.
The indigenous villages we visited were the height of the town for me though. We had an excellent guide called Alejandro who knew his shit and had an opinion on the treatment of indigenous people and their own culture. He took us through their farmlands, into a religious authorities house and into their amazing church. The Chamulan people believe that John the Baptist is actually the head honcho and thus they dont get on too well with priests. In fact there hasn't been a mass in Chamula for over 30 years and a priest only visits to perform periodical baptisms. The Chamulans also believe that burping cleanses the soul and thus consume copious quantities of coke (and heretical pepsi) as well as a sugar-cane derived alcoholic drink called posh. All in all I think the Chamulans are ahead of western society with their religious beliefs and one taste of posh had me converted, the methanol induced blindness be damned!
I took an early bus today to Palenque home of the eponymous ruins and am staying in a little place of hippy heaven called El Panchan in a little cabana set in the jungle. Tomorrow will be a busy day with a trip to the ruins and a pair of beautiful waterfalls called Misol-Ha and Agua Azul (blue water!) before getting on a night bus for Tulum, where I will spend 4 days on the beach.
posted by denny at 1:16 PM
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