June 30, 2011

San Cristóbal de las Casas and Palenque

After our week in Oaxaca we took a bus down to the town of San Cristobal de las Casas.  We were here mainly because it was a convenient stopover on the way east towards the Yucatan.  It turned out to be a very charming place with great walking streets, restaurants, and old churches.  The town was definitely a bit touristy, but it was still enjoyable so we booked in for 3 days at a local hostel.  The hostel recommended a number of local tours of which we signed up for two.

The first tour was a trip to the Sumidero Canyon. We took a van ride out to the river and then hoped onto a boat for a 2 hour ride up and down the river through the national park and between the giant canyon walls.  It was an impressive sight, and well worth the trip.

The next day we booked our trip out of town via a day trip to Palenque, which is yet another old set of ruins.  On the way there we stopped at a few small waterfalls, which were nice but somewhat dwarfed and slightly unimpressive in our minds after visiting places like Iguazu.  When we arrived at Palenque, we had the opportunity to explore the site.  It was really hot and humid so we did our best to see it all without collapsing with heat exhaustion.  The ruins were impressive and we were able to climb up and go in some of the old buildings to explore. 

After our tour of Palenque (and a six hour wait in the town of Palenque) we took an over-night bus to our next destination – the city of Merida. We plan on staying here for a week or so before moving on to other parts of the Yucatan.


San Cristobal de las Casas

Canon del Sumidero

Palenque Tour

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