I do what's called a "visa run" from Panajachel to somewhere in Mexico every 90 days to renew my tourist visa and be permitted to remain in Guatemala. There are ways around this type of trip but to be honest I kinda look forward to getting away. It's a nice weekend vacation, although traveling across Guatemala and Mexico can be intimidating, frustrating, dangerous, and exhausting. (Plus beautiful, exhilarating, and inspiring!)
Here are some pics from my last trip. Enjoy. 😊
OMG, what is on top of that chicken bus???
*ZOOMS* It's chickens! (And one turkey.) LOL
If I had to make up a motto for San Cris, it would be: Beautiful and Busy. There is always a lot going on and the town is just so super pretty. I love visiting there. (Except for the arduous 12-hour journey!)
My hotel. Great central location but hit-or-miss with the room quality.
Saturday morning I woke early and walked across town to do some shopping at Chedraui. Check out this video I took of a park along the way. It made me shake my head and smile.
(If the audio doesn't play, I'm sorry! YouTube says it's copyrighted. I'm disputing it, of course, because how could I control what music they play in a public park? EDIT -- The jerks at EMG Music, who own the rights to the Beatles, forced me to remove the song from the video, which meant basically muting it. It was "Come Together" and it was blasting super loud in the park, which is what made this video so unexpected.)
After shopping and returning my parcels to my room, I wandered around town looking for a shuttle to Chamula. Ended up at the HUGE crazy-busy market where I finally spotted my ride and happily toured off out of town for a few hours.
If you missed yesterday's post about Chamula...what the heck??? Geez, go back and read it right now. It's awesome! 😜
Near the market, reading all the minivans that go by, trying to find one to Chamula!
There are a LOT of colectivos in San Cris. Whew!
They were having a graffiti contest around the big cathedral. Early morning, it looked like this.
Later in the day, it looked like this!
More awesome graffiti.
Beautiful art!
What did I tell you about busy? I love that there are so many pedestrian-only roads. It's super fun!
San Cris at dusk, so pretty.
So I mentioned that I booked a shuttle with Magic Travel to go from Panajachel to San Cristóbal de las Casas (and back). Well, they kinda forget the "back" part!
On Sunday morning, I was out bright and early on the street corner waiting to be picked up to go home. Well, I waited in vain! No one showed.
I checked the business card that I had (with incredible foresight) tucked in my purse and decided to walk over to the shuttle agency's office in San Cris, which luckily wasn't too far. (In San Cris, shuttles are handled Tierra Maya, not Magic Travel.) But their office was closed! Hmm...
I went back to my hotel and asked to use their computer and internet. I got on Facebook and messaged Magic Travel back in Guate. They called me on my cell phone almost immediately and tried their very best to get me connected to a ride home, but alas, it was too late. I told them I would be okay to stay another night and get a shuttle in the morning.
NOTE: Magic Travel did all they could and were extremely helpful. It was NOT their fault, but the fault of Tierra Maya Travel in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Magic Travel actually gave me a refund for one way, Q250. I will continue to use their services as everyone at the office was so awesome and also very patient with my horrible Spanish.
So... what to do with an extra day in San Cristóbal de las Casas? Walk around and take pictures of random stuff! Yay!!
The sidewalks of San Cris make me feel like I'm in a video game -- step up, step down, dodge left, step up, dodge right, step down. RAMP! Plus the cobblestones are worn so smooth they are slippery. Be careful out there. 😨
A payphone? Total relic. I wonder if kids are confused by this.
Nice little river going thru town.
Doggie doorknocker. I need one of these!!
Shubberies.
Solem statue dude overseeing the city.
Abandoned well. AWESOME.
Yes, I peered down it. It was full of trash.
The building that was near the well.
I love the pale mystical sun rays in this pic. *Cue the choir of angels*
I find myself constantly marveling, "It's November." Pinch me!
Okay, so you're like, "Huh?" Number one: Cinnamon Frosted Flakes? YUMMY! Number two: the price tag on the shelf was digital. Very cool technology.
It seems in Mexico is a lot like Guatemala in that they love a good parade! I was outside my hotel on Sunday afternoon when this commotion passed me by. I absolutely LOVE the inflated inner-tube costumes! So clever.
View from the third-floor balcony of my hotel. The receptionist who led me up here said these were "traditional houses" and pointed out the peach tree and lime tree below.
This is called papel picado, literally "pecked paper". On the ceiling of the taqueria where I ate dinner.
Nighttime in San Cristóbal is a treat! (Sorry for blurriness.)
Who needs Walt Disney World when you can find Mickey and Minnie on the streets of San Cris!
If I could have found a bench to sit on (ouchies sore feet from walking), I would have stayed in the square for hours just watching the excitement. As it was, I took a brief video and a slow limp around the walkways and then headed back to my hotel for a sleep.
Monday morning, I was outside waiting for my shuttle at 6:40 am. Tired, cold, nervous. At 8:00 am, I called Magic Travel in Guatemala to tell them there was no shuttle. I was alternating between anger and slight panic. About 10 minutes later, a guy walks up the street with a paper in his hand. "Cristal?" Huge sigh of relief. "Si! Soy yo!" (Yes, that's me!)
We walked almost two blocks to get to where he had parked the van. Is this what had happened the morning before? He just couldn't find me? I didn't ask. I just settled into my seat and zoomed on home.
Early morning waiting for my shuttle. Again.
Suddenly... horse parade!! Outside the Mexican immigration office at the border where you get your passports stamped. (Mesilla)
A warning to travelers: one of the Guatemalan "officials" in the migration office at La Mesilla asked for a fee of Q25 from many passengers on my shuttle. They didn't know better, so the paid. The guy didn't ask me, probably because he noticed all the in and out visa stamps and figured I would know that there is no fee.
What to do? First of all, deny them. Tell them there is no free to enter Guatemala. "No hay tarifa para ingresar a Guatemala."
If they insist and they are holding your passport, ask them for a receipt. "Quiero un recibo." They won't be able to provide one and will most likely back down.
As always, thanks for reading and for your kind comments! See ya next time. 😊
It really is crazy how all these fees suddenly appear almost as instantly as they disappear. I have always considered it a tourist tax and just pay them because it's easier to go along, however, I've never stayed in one place long enough there to not pay the expected "gringo" tax on the lanchas, etc. It's the only really big negative when I consider making Guate my home.
Great adventure, Cristel!!! Love the pics, the statue dude cracked me up. I miss you!
ReplyDeleteIt really is crazy how all these fees suddenly appear almost as instantly as they disappear. I have always considered it a tourist tax and just pay them because it's easier to go along, however, I've never stayed in one place long enough there to not pay the expected "gringo" tax on the lanchas, etc. It's the only really big negative when I consider making Guate my home.
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