#27 Chiapas

Our first of many experiences, in the southernmost state of Mexico, was releasing turtles into the Pacific Ocean. And what an experience that was! Not only did we get to camp for free at the Puerto Aristo hatchery, but we got to learn all about the life cycle of a turtle, hands-on.

It turns out that only one out of the hundred turtles that are sent forth into the sea gets to live for 100 years. And when they reach the age of between 20 and 50 the females start reproducing. And where do they lay their eggs? Well, believe it or not, back to the very place where they started out. Talk about having a good sense of direction! Our volunteer informed us that once the eggs are hatched it was extremely important to release these baby turtles within half a day, that is when their fascinating brains retain the information about their birthplace. So, without delay we were right onto it, watching them gravitate towards the salty waves of the ocean, tumbling over a couple of times, before being swept into their new underwater world.

Interesting fact: the males will never touch land again in their whole entire life.

Our turtle adventure didn’t end there. Richie was invited to patrol 30km of the beach on a quad bike at night, in the hope of finding fresh eggs that had been laid by the mummy turtles. However, It looked like his luck had run out; there were no new eggs to be found, and he got caught up in quite a thunderstorm on the way back. The night shift crew drove back with absolutely zero visibility, with Richie stating, “lt has never rained so hard on me in all my life!” Not that it was any drier for him in the day, mind you; this place was hot and humid!

Too hot and sticky for us! Constant dripping sweat and the very many sandflies had us unfortunately leaving the next morning, saying goodbye and thank you to the wonderful and hospitable crew at the hatchery.

And we made a  beeline to the Cañon del Sumidero in Tuxla, where it was slightly cooler.

One of the wonderful perks about our lifestyle is being able to sleep at the very many tourist hotspots of Mexico, often giving us first grabs on tickets for boat rides like the Cañon del Sumidero. This popular tour took us upstream along the Rio Grijalva through one of Mexico’s deepest canyons. Its walls which can reach 1000m high in some places are awe-dropping, and with many waterfalls, crocodiles, caves and excellent rock formations to explore, it is no wonder the state of Chiapas chose this gorge for the symbol of its flag. We squeezed in a lovely morning ride before the sun became too strong and set sail again to explore more of Chiapas’ wonders.

San Cristóbal de las Casas

Having sweated buckets just two days previously, we were in for quite a surprise when arriving in San Cristóbal. Sitting at an elevation of 2100m, this place got chilly at night. We couldn’t believe we were pulling out our woolly Mexican ponchos and gathering around an indoor fireplace! Yes, the cabañas here were all architecturally designed for winter temperatures. We didn’t stay in a cabaña, but we had found another wonderful campsite which attracts travellers and backpackers from all around the world…and what a small world we are travelling in! The Swiss/French family that we had met back in Teotihuacan had also stopped by. Zoe was ecstatic to reunite with her friends Naomi and Iloa and it sure was lovely to have some company when exploring the sights of this unique and alternative city.

San Cristóbal is the capital of the Chiapas rebel movement, who strive for independence, and this vibe still roams around the cobbled streets today. Anything goes here. Just walking along the central street alone, one can stop and listen to bongos and didgeridoos being played, be serenaded by a Romeo singing Acappella from his balcony, or purchase some home-grown marijuana from the very many street vendors. Talking of vendors, there are also many traditional artesenias to be sold. Due to the area’s relative isolation, the indigenous population has been left to carry on with their lives, investing their time in crafting rich and brightly colored clothing, toys and bracelets. And it is virtually impossible to walk through the center without buying some. These vendors are persistent, even if you are already sporting a hand-woven hairband and necklace, they will try and sell you another one!

Well, Zoe was happy, and amongst the huge variety of international cuisine on offer, we were glad to find some excellent bread! It was so good, we ordered another loaf the next day.

Our visas were about to expire and once again things were getting a little tense for the future of ‘MeatAroundTheWorld’! With the pandemic very much still in the air, and borders further south still being closed, we were not sure whether going to Guatemala yet would be the right move. And there was the TIP (Temporary Import Permit). It is very common for travelers to nip over the border for three days and re-enter Mexico, but with the issues experienced when trying to obtain our TIP six months ago, well, we just didn’t want all that hassle again. So we tried for a visa extension. We know, we said we’d never do it but it turns out that they don’t give out extensions anyway! The official told us that there is however a way, we would simply have to pay a “fine” and they could issue us a new visa.

So, that is what we did. We paid our fine and then walked over to the TIP office to renew our permits. As expected that was not as easy. The checks were very thorough. We had to get permission again from the Aduana (customs) for having an overweight vehicle and this time, Richie was forced to scrape off the aluminum paint which had covered the VIN number of our camper. Why on earth the former owner had chosen to hide that number…we will never know! There is always a surprise waiting at every border.

But the elbow grease paid off. We were granted six more months and were free to put our key in the ignition, turn around and explore the famous cascades of El Chiflon.

These waterfalls were very beautiful and the park itself was extremely well organized, with perfectly paved footpaths for our one-hour ascend to the falls, a play park, and even an accessible river to jump into and cool off! We spent two nights camped out in their car park, making use of all these amenities and giving us time to cook some delicious homemade Cornish pasties for one of our YouTube ‘MeatAroundTheWorld’ shows. If you haven’t seen it yet, then click here.

Our next stop was the beautiful area of Lagos de Montebello. These lakes which are set amongst the pine forests certainly were pretty, and as with most attractions in Mexico, there is always a kayak to rent or a raft to float on – if only the weather played its part. Man, did we experience a lot of rainfall. Our grassy camping area turned into an official swamp and a quick dip into the waters didn’t seem that appealing anymore. But we shall not despair, because our friends the ‘Expedition.all.Bambinos’ joined us, and during our five-day stay, we bumped into two more French travelling families. Oui, oui, oui, I guess a few beers and some tacos were in order.

Our final week in Chiapas was spent driving along the Guatemalan border towards Palenque. This region is set in luscious, thick jungle, full of Mayan ruins, more breathtaking cascades and lots of howler monkeys.

We stepped into the role of Tarzan and Jane when trying to follow a “footpath” to the Mirador of the ‘Cascada del Paraiso Escondido’ only to find ourselves scrambling through trees, sliding down mudslides and balancing over natural river stepping stones. Now we see why the bored young lads who were working at the attraction tried to persuade us to accept their offer of having a guide. What an adventure! But doesn’t the view at the top always make it worthwhile? And of course our refreshing lychees or ‘rambutan’ as they call them here. That was one sticky walk!

The ancient Maya ruins of Palenque are one of Mexico’s top Mayan sites (along with Chichén Itzá and Uxmal) and were of course a must for our visit to Palenque. A relatively small settlement. We were able to walk around the towering palace and pyramid tomb, and view the abundance of reliefs and inscriptions that were on offer in just over an hour. They compare the style of these Maya ruins more to those sites of Guatemala than in Yucatán and the jungle-covered hills that surround the setting made our little morning visit very pleasant…but truth be told if we were only going to choose one set of ruins to explore in Chiapas then we would definitely recommend those at Yaxchilán.

Perhaps its isolated location which can only be reached by lancha (a narrow boat) was what left a lasting impression on us. Or was it the unrestored buildings and mounds that were once home to the city’s most famous kings; Escudo Jaguar and his son Pájaro Jaguar IV? The very fact we were all alone and could climb all over the moss-covered rubble and explore royal rooms of long ago? Or maybe it was the whole package. Yes, the boat ride was costly (1600 pesos/$80), but an early sunrise journey with dramatic howler monkeys cheering us on along the route and the pure untouched nature made this visit an unforgettable Chiapas experience!

Thanks for reading and we’ll ‘meat’ you guys around the world!