Category: Road Trip Spring 2014

We finally made it to the Pacific today but not without a bit of excitement. We are staying at the resort area of Bahia de Huatulco. We were about halfway between Tuxtla Guitterez and here when we saw the cars and trucks ahead all stopped. Duke rolled down the window and asked Que Pasa – what’s happening. Someone told him that the garbage workers were protesting!

I’ve heard of these protests. They just stop traffic for who knows how long. We sat for about 45 minutes in the car in the sun wondering what would happen. While we were waiting with all the trucks and other cars A big inter city bus pulled up near us The passengers got off. A bunch of tuk tuk three wheel taxis appeared and ferried the passengers to the other side of the protest. The bus turned around and here came a bunch of people from the other side of the protest. They got on the bus and off it went. About 15 minutes later another bus pulled up and the same thing happened again. Obviously this is fairly routine! And a good deal for the tuk tuk drivers.

A late model VW had been waiting in front of us this whole time. Another car pulled up next to us and the driver started talking to the VW driver in front of us. It seemed obvious that he was explaining that he knew a way around the protest. The guy jumped back in his car, turned around and took off. The VW driver turned around and followed him and we decided to do the same. It was about a 2 and a half hour detour, some of it on dirt roads but our ‘guide’ seemed to know where he was going. Although there were a few wrong turns eventually we were on the interstate again

We had no more detours and eventually got to Bahia Huatulco where we are tonight. It is a beautiful resort community built from scratch about 30 years ago. Now that we are on the coast it is hot and humid. We had our first long anticipated fish dinner. Unfortunately the AC in our room only barely works. Tomorrow we are going to head to Puerto Escondido.

I wonder if all those truck drivers are still waiting at the protest!

It has been a busy day! When we woke up this morning in San Cristobal de las Casas the rain had stopped and there were even patches of sun. We walked toward the center of town and found coffee and breakfast. Then we headed towards where we had left the car nine days ago. After a bit we got a collectivo going in the right direction. When we recognized our corner we got out and retrieved the car from the place that kept it for us. It was great to be on the road again in our trusty own car!

We drove to our hotel, checked out and then walked to Na Bolum. It is a museum and research center that was the home of Swiss anthropologist Trudy Blom and her Danish Archaeologist husband. In the 50s and 60s they fought to protect the local people and environment and explore and survey ancient Mayan sites. The pictures and artifacts were fascinating.

On the way back to the car we stopped at a chocolate store and had yummy hot chocolate.

Then we were on the road retracing our steps toward home. Tuxtla Gutiérrez is just 50 miles west of San Cristobal de las Casas but it is 4600 feet lower. The temperature is warmer, and it feels more modern. In San Cristobal de las Casas there were lots of indigenous women in traditional dress in Tuxtla Gutiérrez we saw none.

We have been here before and did almost the same thing. We went to the marimba museum then watched the marimba music in the square. There were a lot of people mostly our age or older dancing. After about an hour we sat in a restaurant overlooking the square, had a great dinner and listened to the marimba players some more.

It was raining a bit as we walked back to our hotel but when it is warm it makes a big difference.

Tonight we are back in San Cristobal de Las Casas where we left our car. I just looked at the weather and it is 90 in Reno and 61 here in San Cristobal!

This morning in Antigua the van picked us up at 5:30. It was full but most of the people were going to Lake Atitlan. After they all got off there were just four of us. So it was a very comfortable ride. The weather has been cool here in the mountains but at our rest stop it was still dry and they had charcoal fires going in the restaurant. The hot coffee hit the spot.

They have had a lot of rain and the main road was washed out. We had to take a dirt road detour. The bus company was paying some of the villagers to add gravel to the road on the muddy hills. These Guatemalans are resourceful!!

When we got back on the highway the sun was shining through and it looked like a promising day. But it was raining when we got to the Mexican border and the rain just kept getting harder

We arrived in San Cristobal de las Casas at about 6 pm to torrential rains. We started walking to our hotel in the rain. Eventually we were soaked and still not sure where the hotel was so we got a cab. I need to either get a cover for my suitcase or get a new waterproof suitcase!! Pretty much everything is wet! At least we are in a dry hotel room 🙂

This morning we were actually able to see one of the three volcanoes that surrounds Antigua. We will have to come back here in the dry season to see the other two.

Elizabeth Bell owns and operates a local Antiguan tour company. Her father worked for Sunset magazine and they lived in Palo Alto California. She moved to Antigua with her family in 1976 when she was 14. She has lived here ever since, is now a Guatemalan citizen and is a local scholar of Antigua history. She leads walking tours of Antigua and we and four other people went on her tour this morning. It was fantastic! She talked about the government, city politics and mostly the history of Antigua and it’s buildings and how they have been preserved and restored.

We visited the city hall, the cathedral, the jade museum and the Santa Domingo museum. She told us all about the restoration and how Antigua has changed over the past 40 years. It was fascinating.

After the tour we explode the Santa Domingo museum some more. It is partly a hotel now and the cathedral ruin is an outdoor church that is used for weddings.

We also went to the chocolate museum and some of the Mayan jade stores where we did some shopping 🙂

We did some shopping at a traditional candy store too.

For dinner we went back to the Casa Escobar Steak House where we ate the first night. Again the steak was tender and tasty, the service was perfect, the wine was good and this time we topped off our meal with Cream Brûlée and coffee. Perfection!

I loved Antigua and could definitely come back again.

Currently we are in Antigua. It is the farthest place south and the farthest place east on our trip.

Yesterday we took a tour of a coffee farm. We watched ladies grafting robust variety roots to arabica seedlings, We watched them being planted, We picked a ripe red bean, and we learned all about how the coffee is processed. Afterwards we were given a cup of espresso to taste and we bought a pound of the five star coffee to take home. The picture of us on the patio is where they sun dry the coffee. We were the only ones on the tour. It was beautiful and fascinating.

The coffee farm is very close to town. They also offer early morning bird walks which I think would be fun. After the tour they dropped us off near the central square.

We booked a van ride for Saturday back to San Cristobal de las Casas in Mexico where we left our car. We had thought we might break the trip into two days but decided to do it on one big push. They pick us up at 5:30 am and say it will take 12 hours!

Yesterday afternoon we visited the ruins and museum of Las Capuchinas. It was started in 1736 by nuns from Madrid and badly damaged by an earthquake in 1773 and then abandoned.

We ate dinner last night overlooking a lovely garden courtyard. Afterwards on the dance floor they had masked costumed men doing a dance to marimba music.