We departed early and started to climb the mountains again. The long drives are hard in the bus. It is very cramped for the guys in particular but for everyone except me of the short legs. It is really the only complaint anyone has. The aircon doesn’t work very well in the back either so you are very hot. The weather is in the mid 30s most of the time but our guide sat up there to give Rob, our tallest, a break up front. She soon realised it was not great. William the driver tried to fix it but it wasn’t a lot better.
We finally arrived at a huge town Tuxtla Gutierrez which seemed very modern with large new university and a huge cross on the top of the mountain looking over the city. This state of Chiapas borders Guatemala and we saw many refugee/migrants walking along the highway. The Guardia civil don’t stop them and seem reasonably welcoming. They only offer help of food and toilets/ showers though and the people are not returned to their country. They have to find work where they can to survive.
Our destination was the gorge on the Rio Grijalva
Sumidero Canyon in Chiapas, Mexico
What a spectacular experience. The gorge walls were 1000 metres high and the water over 100 metres deep. We saw crocodiles and monkeys and many birds- egrets, herons , cormorants and the brown pelican. It was a wonderful relief to be on the water. It is a great boost to the economy of the locals because it is so popular with all tourists, Mexicans and internationals(not many).
From the river we returned to the road to continue the drive to San Christabal de las Casas. It was a steady climb but I missed most of it because I fell deeply asleep and only woke when we arrived at about 8 pm. It was a shock when we alighted from the bus to discover it was relatively cold at low 20s Centigrade. This town is above the snow line and gets down to minus 5C in winter. It is very quaint with narrow streets, colourful buildings and a bustling vibe. There are a lot more indigenous Mexicans everywhere and they speak a different language here.
Many of the hawkers are young mothers and it wasn’t unusual to see a baby at the breast while she walks around selling her wares. Lots of kids selling goods too. Bet they know their math tables! They are not insistent but always trying to sell their wares.
fleetfootkath 
Hi Kath, I’ve been a bit slow getting to your latest travels. When I was in Mexico in 2007, I wasn’t roughing it as you seem to be doing some of the time. I am reminded that Graham Greene set his novel, The Power and the Glory, in the state of Chiapas, during one of Mexico’s anti-clerical bouts during the 30s. I do enjoy your diaries; please keep them coming. Monty
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I hope that this is the last of the marathon drives and that you’ll now have a little more time to explore. It sounds like many people are living hardscrabble lives but that they are accepting and for the most part content. Perhaps that’s why they fill their homes with such wonderfully bright colours. It’s hard to imagine the wealth of the USA just over the Rio Grande…..
enjoy stretching your legs, Nine xx
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Yes I think that is a good observation. They don’t have a lot but they are very connected with each other and seem happy overall. Seeing the hawkers with baby at breast while selling or little kids selling stuff is somewhat confronting. A lot like Asia . Many indigenous here and they are small people. They get a rough deal from the government and suffer racism but they are proud survivors. 60 languages here beside Spanish!
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