North America,  Mexico,  Travel

San Cristóbal de las Casas (1)

July 17, 2022 /

Leaving Guatemala in the morning, Flores took a minibus from Guatemala to Mexico, and sat for a day. Next to the car sat a Guatemalan aunt. She went to see her daughter in Cozumel, Mexico. After a few chats, she sued me that her daughter had breast cancer and was going to start chemotherapy. She took care of her daughter for a few months. She has to take this car to Palenque and then a night bus to Cozumel, which won't arrive until tomorrow morning. She said it used to be possible to transit through Belize and save at least half the time, but now there are no cars leaving the country. Her daughter is 39 years old and has two daughters. She had been to New York for half a year before. I asked her if she was still working. I thought she would be in tourism or some small business like most of the locals on the island of Flores, but she said she was retired, she had been a police officer for 28 years, Worked in many different cities in Guatemala. I met a female detective yesterday, and today I met a former policewoman, so cool. Auntie said that being a police officer is very hard, especially a female police officer. Because machismo is still common in Latin American culture, as a female police officer, you have to work harder to be respected by others. But it is much better now, and the number of female police officers is much higher than many years ago. The aunt said that she had been injured on duty before and had dealt with gangs, but now she is too old to work.

The driver of the minibus is also very dedicated and speaks good English. He has lived in the United States for more than ten years. When passing by and seeing something new, I slowed down and called us to see it. On the road, I saw a small truck full of female goats, and the hawker is now selling fresh goat milk. Passing by a farm, even miraculously saw hippos, camels and turkeys. Along the way also encountered several cattle herding.

When we arrived at the Guatemala-Mexico border, we experienced the longest and most troublesome crossing. First, I went into a hut to ask about the new crown and check the vaccine certificate. I went to another cabin and filled out the entry form. It was the first time I heard that I would have to pay more than 600 pesos ($30 faster) when crossing Mexico by land for more than seven days. I used to enter by air or land, but it was less than seven days. I didn’t know about it. Son. With the exception of Ecuador for $12 and Honduras for $3, most of the other countries on this trip do not have to pay for entry. After paying the money, stamping the stamp, and going through the security check to check whether there are animals, plants and certain foods in the luggage. The sandwich I bought at the gas station an hour ago had ham and cheese and was told I couldn't bring it into the country and had to eat it right away. So far, land entry from other countries has not yet encountered security checks. After crossing the border, you have to change to a minibus to continue onwards. It seems that the various institutional regulations are stricter in Central America.

At the Palenque coach station, I said goodbye to the police auntie and wished her daughter a speedy recovery. At the station, I asked the time of the bus to San Cristóbal de las Casas tomorrow morning, only to know that it would take 10 hours to take the bus. Obviously, it only takes more than 5 hours to drive on the map. I don’t know why the bus takes so long to detour. The British couple who came to Palenque in the same car were in exactly the same situation as me. They had already booked a hotel, but they didn't want to take the bus all day tomorrow, so we both decided to take the night train after 9 o'clock tonight. The hotel money is anyway. I can't go back, so I just go to take a shower, rest for four or five hours, and then go on the road.

Time zone is very magical. Is it divided by longitude? The longitude of Panama time appears to be Eastern Time in the United States, but it is actually Central Time, and the longitude of Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala to the west is the Central Time of the United States, but it is actually Mountain Time. Further west to Mexico, but back to the time of Panama, the same as the central United States. So dizzy, why is this! ?

I took an overnight bus from Palenque to San Cristóbal de las Casas. The air conditioner on the bus was extremely low, only 20 degrees, and it was freezing to death. I made a big circle along the way, passing through two big cities and making two stops. When I stopped, I asked the driver to open the luggage door and take two long sleeves and put them on before I warmed up. At two or three o'clock in the middle of the night, the police stopped to check everyone's passport or ID. Arrived at San Cristóbal de las Casas at seven o'clock this morning. At an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, it is finally cool, and there is no need to be disturbed by mosquitoes, and the temperature is particularly comfortable.

I put my luggage at the hotel, rested for a while, and then went on a walking tour of the city recommended by the hotel owner. The tour guide is from Mexico City, but has lived here for 18 years. He has been volunteering in the local indigenous community. As an educator and tour guide, he promotes and supports the development of the local industry and economy. We went to a few local coffee shops to taste coffee, introduced us to herbal street stalls, went to bistros for pox wine, and bought us snacks and fruit at the local market. When he introduced it, he could feel that he was full of pride in the cultural history here. He told us about the 1994 uprising against the government organized by the Zapatista indigenous people in Chiapas region, and also recommended us to watch some documentaries on YouTube to learn about this history. Although the city walking tour is free, everyone will tip at the end. 30% of every tip he gets will be donated to these local industries. On several occasions along the way, he strongly opposed people going to large chain coffee shops such as Starbucks, and he hoped that tourists and locals would support small local businesses. It is also extremely opposed to people drinking Coke, because it takes a lot of water to make Coke, but people in many parts of the world lack even drinking water.

During the city tour, you can see large-scale murals on the streets and alleys at any time. Many of them are painted by an artist, and it is obvious that his style can be seen. It is said that the artist was either dreaming or eating mushrooms and was inspired to create these peculiar murals with special meanings. The big brother of the tour guide is also a mushroom lover. He also told us about the special Temazcal ritual of the local Mayan aborigines, which is similar to a sauna to cleanse and detoxify the body and mind. His personal experience is very evil. Either way, we will respect his beliefs and culture.

You May Also Like

Guadalajara (3)

April 5, 2021

chicago week four

March 26, 2023

The second week of San Cristóbal

September 10, 2022

1,754 Comments

Leave a Reply to Lon Christman Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

en_USEnglish
Powered by TranslatePress
en_USEnglish zh_CN简体中文