We were woken this morning by firecrackers and church bells, at 5:45. We slowly got round to getting up and showering and exploring breakfast possibilities, not much open so we had a couple of very nice pastries and not so very nice coffees.
We left the hotel at 9:00 for a boat trip along the Sumidero Canyon. San Cristobal de las Casas is high in the hills, as we drove down to the river we’re above the clouds in the valleys below. All along the road we passed pilgrims walking up to San Cristobal with their local virgins, some barefoot or just in socks.
It’s a lot hotter at 90m above sea level but we’re warned to keep our jackets on because the boats are fast and breezy. Life jackets on and we’re ready to go. The boats are fast but slow down whenever there’s an interesting site or wildlife.
The canyon is up to 1,000m high, the water up to 250m deep, the Grijalva River twists and turns, often feeling like we’re heading straight for a rock wall – fast. Wildlife is abundant, vultures and white herons, kingfishers and cormorants, an eagle and a pair of iguanas. In the trees above the river a monkey family feeds.
After 35km we reach the the end of the journey, the Chicoasén Dam. The dam was completed in 1980 and supplies hydro-electricity to Mexico, Guatamala and El Salvador.
On the way back Florence said we’re unlikely to see a crocodile and within seconds we slowed down to look at one, it’s about 15 feet long, absolutely still on the water’s edge.
The river has a problem with pollution from the upstream settlements and logging operations, 5,000 tons of rubbish is removed every year, it tends to build up in the canyon because of the shape of the river and the dam. To illustrate this the next crocodile we see is surrounded by plastic bottles and rubbish, a sad site.
We stopped at Chiapa de Corzo for an hour on the way back, not sure why, it doesnt have much to recommend it. It’s full of pilgrims making their way up to San Cristobal. We walked round the market and the church in 10 minutes – then what? Round the back of the church, we found an old building that looked interesting, we signed the guest book and went in. The old colonades and cloisters glowed in the sun. There was also an exhibition by a local artist, tempting to say what I think of it in the visitors book but I decide not to.
We returned to San Cristobal around 3pm and wandered the colourful streets for a while. We tried a tamale, mashed corn baked in a leaf, ours has cheese and vegetables too, it’s very tasty. We fortified ourselves with a strong coffee before climbing up to the Templo del Cerrito de San Cristobal. There’s a panoramic view of the town from the top.
We walked back to the pedestrian street where our hotel is for a glass of Mexican Malbec at the a very nice La Viña de Bacco wine bar. Inevitably, while we’re there another procession passes with a virgin at the front and a brass band. This one also has some enthusiatic dancers in what look like Mayan costumes. A little girl opposite us has her fingers in her ears to keep out the noise.
Our last stop is another tamale and some lentil soup, another procession passes while we eat, finishing the day as we began with Firecrakers and Church Bells.