Sam And Saundra's Year Long Adventure - Part 61

Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 61

Mexico 

3/3/09  - San Cristobal de Las Casas

Early in the morning – way too early – the bus comes to pick us up.  This is a luxury bus. Very nice.  I know we are going to stay in a hotel for the next few nights, but again I have managed to miss the details.  Sam and I pick some nice seats with leg-room galore and get our ‘overnight’ luggage stowed. This is traveling.  Sam did not once have to swerve and I did not have to yell ‘tope’.  We sat back and watched the sights on the road that lead from Villahermosa through Heroica Cardenas. We turn left and start climbing and take a ‘short cut’.  This is the first time the tour to Sand Cristohal de las Casas has started from Villahermosa instead of Pelenque, so this is a new road for the tour guide and driver.  It is not too bad – if you do not look out the windows and down. We take pictures and have fun.  Several hours after we start, we stop.  We all kind of look at each other, but Connie and Dave indicate all is well.  We are directed off the bus and told to go inside the building that is by a river and get our life jackets put on. We were going up the river on a boat trip.  Sometimes missing information is an adventure in itself.

Faces Of The Canyon

Faces Of The Canyon

Faces Of The Canyon

Sam and I wander into the building, go down to the first floor in the back and get our life jackets on.  All 21 of us, plus the boat captain and our tour guide, all fit in the big boat.  It is quite fast, which is a good thing as the current is very strong.  We are going upstream on the Grijalua River.  Why?  Well this part of the river goes through the Parque Nacional Canon Del Sumidero.  The canyon walls go from the top of the river way, way up in the sky.  Even in the middle of the river, you have to crane your head and strain your neck up, like watching fireworks, to see the summit on either side.  The guide indicates that way back long time (he was a little more specific), the Spaniards came to this area and chased the natives to this canyon.  They jumped.  This is a horrible bit of history. It was strange, because even before he told us this, I could make out faces in the unusual rock formations on the canyon walls.  Sam said I was nuts.  We passed huge numbers of vultures, a green heron (pictures) and just beautiful, rugged scenery.  We went up river to a shrine to Christ kept by the locals in a small cavern-like area at the side of one of the cliffs.  A red flower is kept at the heart area of the Christ that can be seen in the rock formation.  The only non-local boats that are allowed there now are government-tourista department approved, to attempt to retain the beauty and history of the area.  When we turned at the deepest part of the canyon (could it be deeper than the Grand???), I was again hit with the feeling of awe over all the faces I could see.  To me they were friendly faces and I got the feeling that they were looking down at us and were happy that we were there to visit and be in awe.  Silly me.  (When the pictures were downloaded, even Sam could see the faces.) On the way back downstream, we stopped at the resting sites of two mungus river gators.  Luckily, much too big for the alligator room at home. This is a great place to see. 

Faces Of The Canyon

Faces Of The Canyon

Faces Of The Canyon

Back on the bus we go.  We stop for lunch at Chiapa De Corzo. Then on to San Cristobal De Las Casas.  We drop down from the hills behind it, go though it and take a short cut into Tuxla Gutierrez.  I am surprised by the number of large cities in Mexico.  I am learning something every day.   We make it into San Cristobal, but have to be let out several blocks from the hotel, as large vehicles are not allowed near the central plaza.  Luckily we packed well and lug our stuff there.  We are assigned the first room, and get settled quite nicely.  We have time to do some sight seeing, so we go check out the main plaza and the cathedral.  Very old, very busy. We make a telephone call to our bank back home as we are having trouble with Visa approval.  Turns out that without losing either of our cards, someone was able to use our numbers to make $2000.00 of purchases on 4 different trips to Kmart stores in 2 separate towns in California. We thanked them for stopping the account and they will email the forms, so I can download, fill out, get notarized and fax to the bank to get this taken care of and not be held accountable for the fraud. We return to the hotel, have dinner and call it a night.  We sleep well.