Oaxaca and Puebla, history goes through the stomach

Our time in Mexico is almost over, but before catching our flight in Mexico DF we had two more stops planned - in beautiful cities of Oaxaca and Puebla.

Puerto Escondido

After all those scary stories about the dangers of Guatemala it was a relief to cross the border and return to Mexico. In particular we loved coming back to San Cristobal, with its streets full of life and a great atmosphere. On a Sunday afternoon it looks like everyone wants to enjoy the good weather at a bar's terrace or simply walking along the main streets. We were very happy to spend some time in town with Noel's family again. Plus we got a chance to see San Cristobal on a sunny day, and not under a constant rain as it happened last time.

Land of volcanoes

We had no particular plans for San Pedro La Laguna, we just wanted to see lake Atitlan and maybe relax for a couple of days. And when our minivan arrived above the lake and started descending, it looked a perfect place for that.

Back to Guatemala

Summing it up, we left Utila with most (or all) of our credit cards not working, a limited amount of cash and a gloomy mood after the sequence of misfortunes. Part of me wanted to just get out of Honduras, but the stop in Copan was actually pretty nice.

Epic fail Honduras

It was such a great idea. After our diving nirvana in the cenotes we decided to dive at least one more time on our trip. It would be a sin not to, being so close to the world's second largest coral reef! Belize seemed too expensive for our budget, so we opted for Honduras and one of its Bay Islands - Utila. A warning - this is a loooong story.

To the land of Quetzal

Tour agencies in Palenque offer transport packages to get you to Guatemala, for at least 30 euros per person. We thought it was pretty steep and decided to do it on our own.

Around San Cristobal

In spite of the frequent and heavy rains we could visit a couple of places around San Cristobal. The first visit was to the neighbouring town of San Juan Chamula, where people still live in a very traditional way. Men and women wear traditional garments in their daily life and live according to local rules and values. The peak of the local strangeness is by far the church.

Of food and hurricanes

We had our share of horror bus rides in Asia, but it was on the road from Palenque to San Cristóbal that I got truly scared for the first time on our trip. The scenery of green mountains was gorgeous and the bus was as good as new but it was the road and the speed that even made me put on a safety belt! I don't think I ever wore a seat belt on a bus before, but the million curves and steep precipices right next to the road made us hold on to it real tight. Despite all the expectations we did survive the ride and arrived to San Cristóbal in one, though very shaken, piece.