Mansion De Los Angeles Hotel San Cristobel San Cristobal de las Casas

... Fu** alles And**e gibt es Mast**card...

Ca. 25 Minuten Fussmarsch entf**nt von Acteal liegt MayaVinic, eine Kaffeekoop**ative, in d** die Bau**n d** Region ihren Kaffee ablief**n, d** dann dort gemeinsam v**kauft wird. Groesstenteils wird dort organisch** Kaffee h**gestellt. Ein kg Kaffee v**kauft sich momentan fu** 25Pesos (ca. 1,20CHF od** 80Cent). Das ist dann d** FairTrade Kaffee, den man in Europa kaufen kann. Man muss dazu ab** sagen, dass die H**stellung von ...

... an armed uprising in the poor southern state of Chiapas, in response to the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Represented in the media by enigmatic spokesperson Subcomandante Marcos, the Zapatistas take their name from Emiliano Zapata, a hero of the Mexican Revolution. They fight for political autonomy and indigenous rights, against the neo-liberal globalisation that drives the exploitation and repression of the Mayan people. Having ...

... Palenque were also closed to visitors. There really was no more point in remaining in Mexico any longer. We'll come back to Chiapas after Guatemala, Belize and the Yucatan.

It took all of 20 minutes to walk from one end of San Cristobal to another. The Zocalo is in the very center of the town and not a few minutes up was the Templo de la Caridad/Templo de Santo Domingo plaza which was filled with handcraft, textile and clothing sellers. Further North on ...

We arrived in the early hours welcomed by a crisp breeze in the morning air. A taxi took us to our hostel which was a pleasant 3 minute drive down the tiny cobblestone streets of San Cristobal. Churches were plentiful, as were little family run supermarkets and restaurants. This was a big change of scenery, yet a very nice change at that. We dropped our gear at the hostel, were allocated beds and set off straight to the abundant ...

... where they grow lots of geraniums and other flowers which are used along with the pine in the religious ceremonies. On Friday, we decided to take the 6 a.m. bus to Palenque. Looking ahead, I took a half a Gravol which I was thankful that I did. After 6 hours (240 km) of zig zagging along mountainous roads and a few stops, we finally reached this wonderful place. We thought that we had seen the best of the Mayan ruins but we were in for a ...

... paintings of saints on the walls, the presence of numerous esoteric religious articles, the prayers of young and old, the consumption of posh and omnipresent Coca-Cola in the church, the old ladies with a firm grip on a squawking chicken in one hand and a knife in the other and yes, the ‘mayordomos” – the religious leaders, all contributed to the surrealistic scene which became the highlight of our trip.

It should be noted that while several “ ...

... we ventured outside our hostal we found an enchanting town with narrow streets paved with smooth cobblestones, elevated smooth sidewalks and colorful attached one-story buildings whose only exposure to the street was a door, a shuttered window or a storefront. The town was surrounded by intensely green mountains indicating that rain is not foreign to this highlands region.

The overall impression is one of awe as the deep colors of San Cristobal de Las Casas have ...

... restaurants, museums and winding streets. What we haven't mentioned so far is in the two weeks we've been in Mexico we've been ill on and off - struck by Montezuma's curse as Simon would have it - so we're really really hoping to feel well enough to explore San Cristobal this week and see if we can find somewhere to spend Christmas day - thought there's nothing like a nice Christmas meal at home, and some mince pies and port (though I doubt you'll be feeling too sorry for us!!).

Braved the overnight bus from Campeche last night for a 13-hour ride up to San Cristobal de las Casas. I only went to the loo once in all that time. Managed to get a few hours' sleep despite the chilly aircon and snoring Mexican men but still knackered today. It's pretty cold up here in the highlands too; I'm wearing all my clothes at once.

... grooves to abuse of movement. salon mundial by day was a hideaway. by night: the place to be seen. by day: cozy and gracious. by night: the spaces filled with impatient vagrants. by day: home. by night: away. as each evening is born and then dies at sunrise, so too do the swarms of flies. the revellers and the curious, the players and the sweethearts, the part timers and the life timers, the neat and tidy squares and the rock city funk, jive bunnies and freaks, high honeys ...