San Cristobal de Las Casas

Paradise is sticky, so the 7,200 feet of elevation in the city of San Critobal de Las Casas' was a welcome break from the heat and humidity in the lower altitudes. The climate is pleasant and even chilly at night. This is the first and only time our Mexican hotel room has had a heater. It is like a Mexican holiday from Mexico.. in Mexico.

View from the drive up.

We stayed in the historic zone of this beautiful town. The brilliant colors of the buildings, cobblestone streets, and the beauty of the people made this a welcome stop for two weary travelers after spending several long days trying to escape the path of hurricane Patricia.

First up we support the local economy and have our boots shined at the same time! The poor young man shining my boots got more boot than he bargained for, however he was paid accordingly.

Still shining.

As we were having our boots shined we people watched the crowded main thoroughfare with vendors, touts and tourist. We spotted this mother sitting on the curb near us with her children. She is blind and singing for tips to support her children. It is both beautiful and heartbreaking to see.

We can't say San Cristobal is beautiful enough times. It has really made the photography part of our job easy.

The church in the center of town

Woman breast feeding her baby in the middle of the market.

Matthew heard this guy and wandered over to see what he was doing. Turns out he is selling an alternator and showing how it can power the loud speaker that he was using, charge a phone, power a small lightbulb (not seen here) and run a blender all at the same time. The people surrounding him are locals that probably live without electricity.

Add caption

Throughout the town there are locals selling their handmade goods and fresh produce.

Punch buggy WHITE!

Of course this is a fairly touristic area, with souvenirs and t shirts being sold all over, but it is still beautiful and fascinating to walk around in.

This statue is just trying to read his book.

That's Captain Jack Sparrow.

Selling toys and candy

Food cart

Haggling over the price of a plant. 

Sugar skull storm trooper t-shirt? Why not?

On certain days they have open air markets in front of the church in the center of town. This is where you can find handmade textiles and clothing crafted by the locals. Oh, and if you are a big fan of Amber jewelry this is the place for you. 

Get your grubs here!

San Cristobal is both surrounded and filled by things to do and would make a great vacation spot for just about every type of traveler.

Up next, Day of the Day in Merida!

Happy Thanksgiving from Guatemala!

One of our favorite holidays is Thanksgiving but it is  an American thing and we are currently in Guatemala. Lucky for us we spent our Thanksgiving at La Casa de Don David on the Peten Lake and enjoyed a traditional turkey dinner. The owner is American and his wife Guatemalan and she loves the tradition and provides Thanksgiving dinner every year for their guest.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Gobble Gobble

Of note, they still have black Friday because consumerism. 

Paradise is Sticky.

Mouthwatering seafood,  breathtaking ocean views, brown sugar sand between your toes.. this is paradise and it is oh so STICKY! We traveled along the southwest Pacific Coast coast of Mexico for a while from Ixtapa to Puerto Escondido and a few stops in between. 

Sunset dinner in Acapulco

We basically have the place to ourselves.

Perry!  How do they see to drive?

We do love the way google maps takes us down a main highway that is also a construction site. Apparently the bridge is under construction and the lake bed is low.

Did you know that cock fighting cocks loves Gatorade?  They are athletes after all.

The chickens are just food though.

Live chickens on the bottom and dead ones on the top, notice the feet sticking up.

A common site for us is the small town restaurants. The simplicity of the menu and preparation. You sit down, they tell you what they have which is usually one or two choices and they cook it fresh for you, and always there are warm hand made corn tortillas.  This restaurant had fish and shrimp soup... Warning, Mexico is for the culinary adventurous.

Eating this took some strategy but it was worth it. 

Here is a slice of the things we have become accustomed to seeing on a daily basis.

Ninos plating

Street food and markets

Lots and lots of Pharmacies, this one sells generics.

Country dwellers coming into the city for supplies.

The square in the center of town with the church and markets.

AHHHHHHH! Clowns, they love clowns here. Whyyyyyyy!!

Roadside monuments from the most basic and simple to the full on elaborate.

An entire family, 4 up on a tiny motorbike.

Road dogs who are apparently immune to traffic.

OXXO and Clamato, so much Clamato.

And the one thing we did not want to see?  TARANTULAS!  They live here too and this is the first one that we have seen that wasn't in a pet store or zoo.

Why did the tarantula cross the road? WHY?!?!

One of our favorite beach towns is Puerto Escondido which means "hidden port".  It is a laid back surfer town made up of surfers, backpackers and locals families. Our $40 (USD) room had an ocean view and was barefoot walking distance from restaurants and shops.  If you are not a fan of the crowded touristic places then this is the place to go.

Grey Wolf looks so tiny here.

The only time that Matthew is barefoot is to walk across the street to the beach.

Puerto Angel

We would love to sit on the beach with our toes in the sand and sip on margaritas but there is a hurricane of historic proportions heading our way so we are heading to the Yucatan peninsula.

During our escape from hurricane Patricia we rode through the Eurus Wind Farm which is the largest wind farm in Latin America.  So windy!

Yucatan bound!