Most awesome

Our next stop is San Cristobal. Originally we thought we'd stop there just to break up the trip to Puerto Escondido. But as soon as we arrived we liked the feel of the place. Quite a few of the places we've stayed at I've booked through a website www.expedia.com.au. I also booked the short flight we did from Mexico City to Villahermosa via this site. So far all the places I've booked have been very good. And the brilliant thing about the site is they let you cancel or change your bookings without losing anything - as long as you do it within 24 hours of your arrival. The places we haven't organized through this site have been through recommendations from mez's brother who travelled here recently with his partner. The site has reviews written by other peeps who use the site and these are really good to go by. One of the reviews about our San Cristobal hotel mentioned they were put in a room that opened up right onto a busy street, both pedestrians and one way traffic passing until late at night and then again early in the morning. They asked for a room at the back of the hotel but it was full. Otherwise, they spoke highly of the place.



The restaurant at our hotel in San Cristobal.

We are shown to a room right on the street. Hmmmm. I don't think Mez wants to make a fuss (she's the one who mostly deals with stuff like that as she has a fair knowledge of Spanish) so I get out my iPhone with translator app and ask very nicely if we could have a room at the back of the hotel. The receptionist smiles knowingly and promptly moves us. Our new room is a little haven, with a covered garden area just outside our door. And it is quiet. We love this place and quickly decide to book another night. We off load our bags and go out for a walk along the stone paved streets.
San Cristobal is known for Amber and hand woven textiles, oh and coffee! We see the honey glow emanating from the many jewelry stores we pass and it's not long before it lures us in. And Lordy, it is so cheap! Like everything. We make a mental note to put aside time for shopping. Now we are trying to find a place to eat. There are all sorts of cuisines. I haven't had a huge amount of Mexican food, given my 'complaints' i have been trying to stick to bland foods where possible. We have chosen Italian (not saying italian is bland - just the bulk of pasta seems a safe bet) and I select good old Lasagne and it's really good. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be a guarantee that I'll hold onto the food.



Wasn't going to try this place...

The next day we dedicate to markets and shopping. Mez has read in her Lonely Planet where the artisan markets are and other good places to check out around the town. Oh what fun and did we go through some money, spending on gifts for our special people and on ourselves. Those suitcases sure were bulging by the time we'd packed our treasures away.
The markets are fantastic. The traders are very persistent to make sales. In fact everywhere you go there is someone trying to sell you something. Even sitting having a meal in a restaurant people will approach you. And maybe they think we westerners all look the same, or that if they keep hounding us we will eventually buy something from them because they approach us many many times during the 3 days we're there. Eventually I do buy a little pottery sculpture from a very young boy, because he is just so adorable. He puts a little elephant out on the table and makes a trumpeting elephant noise, cause after all, I'm a dumb westerner and I probably don't know what an elephant is... But we had made up our mind to spend our money at the artisan markets, a co-op where the money was sure to go to the women that made the items, so mostly we held off from the street traders.


Some hairy lychee like produce, yummy.

Also in Mez's copy of the Lonely Planet, there is mention of a tour with an emphasis on cosmology and religion to some of the outlying Maya villages. Lonely Planet says look for someone twirling a colorful umbrella just before 9am in front of the kiosk in San Cristobal's main plaza. We know there's no need to set our alarms as the nearby cathedral's bells start peeling at 6.50am. I'll relate the story of that tour in it's own blog because it was just so awesomely special.



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