When we arrived back at the marina from our respite in the cool mountains we learned that the weather window to cross Bahia Tehuanapec had slammed shut. In the past four years sailing the central Pacific, we have become believers in weather forecasts for the Papagayos of Nicaragua and the Tehuanapeckers of Mexico!

When we picked up Debbie and Dennis on Feb 2, they were informed we would not be sailing for a least a week, as Gale force winds were predicted. i We drove right from the airport to the festival in Tuxtla Chica (pictures in gallery: MEXICO ADVENTURES (MX ADV 2016)
The next day, our friends needed to recover from the previous two days of air travel. And, we made some reservations to go to San Cristobal de las casas the next day. The four of us decided to keep the small rental car we had, and off we went the next day. Enrique, Marina Chiapis harbor master, gave us the best directions. We drove north out of Tapechula, across the high plain, called Isthsmus de Tehuanapec, that borders the ocean, and then east into the rugged mountains. It was amazing to experience the force of the wind coming over-land from the Carribean in this relatively narrow stretch of land. We were very glad to not be on the ocean where these powerful and steady winds could expand and grow enormous waves.

The scenery was spectacular as a good toll-road climbed a steady grade and bridged an enormous gorge which, along with a hydro-electric lake, is a major tourist and recreation site in Chiapas.
The journey was indeed longer than had been expected and we arrived in San Cristobal as early dusk from very low cloud cover was descending on the city, about five o'clock. When we found the car park for the reserved hotel and got out of the car, It Was COLD! We all had on our sandals and light clothes from the heat of the marina. Now, we were at over 7,000 ft. and drizzle from the clouds. Once we had some dinner and got settled in our rooms under heaps of covers- we could appreciate being transported to a different world.

Friday we got our bearings in town and made a tour of the textile museum, which interesting, ancient ceramics. The museum was a succinct anthropological history of the importance of Mayan textiles to the culture of the indigenous people from ancient times into today. From a matriarchal society, the women had told the culture of the origin of the people with woven and embroidered symbols. The clothing they wear today, is not a "style," but continues to signify who they are. As we had visited a Mayan weaving village three years ago, I was very interested to find so much information about the pieces I had purchased from 21st century weavers. In the next week as we traveled throughout Chiapas, it was very special to see how many of the women and girls wore traditional clothing everyday. Saying, "This is who I am!"

We did some other touristic things, like tasting chocolate drinks and hiking up the steps to the church on the hill. We visited with the owner of the restaurant, Belil, and decided to have dinner there. Ricardo and his wife Carmen had worked for human rights in the jungle for 25 years. Now, they bring fair-trade artisian products from jungle co-operatives, and good food and friendship to tourists in San Cristobal. Ricardo's English was very friendly and he gave us good tips on side trips to take if we had time.

Saturday, Dave and I went to the artisan to buy a special bedspread. Then on to the Saturday food market which was just down right amazing! We walked by many women and kids who had live chickens, tied by their feet, threaded on two fingers, sometimes both hands. Very busy, but orderly with walkways past the individuals, mostly with produce on the ground. One sight I enjoyed was teenage girls, traditional clothes, heads together over one cell phone. I cannot take photos in such a place, so in the gallery are photos of some post cards I bought. They are not so colorful as was the market.

Later in the day, Debbie and I went to a town where ceramics are the village product . Ricardo said there is a very large pot from village in the MOMA in New York. The work is burnished and low fired, as I understand, in open pit fires. Being Saturday, no one was working, but a little museum shop was open and we had a look around. The cool thing is, making pots has been going on here for nobody knows how long. I'm so glad to have seen the village, as during the next week's travel, I saw many, many pots...large and small and figures, and mostly old, like 100 years, and they all came from this place, Amatenango.

We decided to stay in San Cristobal another night but moved up the street to a place that had been a monastery and school. There were many wonderful photographs from more than a hundred years ago. Also many wonderful pots from Amatenango. Photos I took of Posada Vieja are in the gallery: San Cristobal.
San Cristobal is a place to be and experience. There are many museums, we saw one. It is an old Spanish city, from1523. One of the first places the conquistadors claimed! I have the feeling there are many things one could learn there. For me, it was like looking through a key hole at conflicting cultures. AND, the Pope was arriving in a few days!PHOTOS: SAN CRISTOBAL, in album: MEXICAN ADVENTURES 2016

Dave looked every night at Buoy Weather, a website that predicts ocean wind and surf conditions. Saturday it predicted continuing gale force winds through the next Sunday. We decided to continue our land travel in Chiapas. Monday morning, Feb 8 we set off for a major Mayan site, Palenque. The journey was memorable on the two lane road, up and over numerous mountain passes, passing through cloud forest, with steep drop-offs on one side. The road was sometimes pretty good, some places road became pieces with much dust and always TOPES -usually in sets of three, humps in the road to slow traffic to buy stuff at the afore villages and mom and pop stores. There were a lot of them! Like, thousands, no kidding. Some few places we encountered children holding a rope stretched across the road to stop cars so they could cluster at the window to sell vegies or snacks. The first time alarmed us, but when the kids either giggled or whined when we said no, thanks, we enjoyed the distraction. The only problem came if you opened the window or bought one thing - then the kids got a bit cheeky!
Most vehicles on this road were pick-up trucks and transport trucks. A few tourist vans, local buses and vans running between villages. We didn't see other gringos in private cars. Palenque could be called 'remote.' Debbie had made an online reservation for a hotel near Palenque before we left San Cristobal and we were delighted to find they were expecting us when we arrived, as there had not been a confirmation. The place was an old style resort with thatched roof cabins. Best of all, we were greeted by a band of resident macaws, and they liked to hang out on the roofs next to us. After a long day of travel, we were glad to relax and there was an onsite restaurant. There had been rain storms the days before, and the normal, hot weather front had not yet returned.


Palenque is a world heritage site. It is unique when compared to some other Mayan sites in Chiapas and the Yucatan. It was not unearthered, that is discovered until the and the grand temples are clustered around a smaller plaza which gives a more human scale. It is also known that artisans and peasant farmers lived in the surrounding area. It was more of a small town than a sacred ceremonial and sacrifice site. As we were getting things arranged to take and leave in the car, a pleasant guide walked up and started chatting, in English. (How did he know?) He showed us the map of the site and offered to guide us for 2 hours or all day. His price was fair, about $60 for the four of us for the day, and we all felt like we had been with an engaging Mayan professor. He made the ruins come to life as he explained many details of construction in terms of their importance to the ancient Mayan culture. Even more interesting was learning howthe natural history of the site is still relevant and still be practiced or revived today. 'Nacho" (Ignacious) was quick to pick up on any questions we had, including conflicts within the current culture and the outside world. Our all day was 9-4, and Nacho shared his life in Tennessee for seven years and his return to Chiapas, in large part to educate his children in the Mayan culture. Thanks to Nacho, we felt emmersed in Mayan culture and for me,even culture shocked.

The Zapotistas made a surprise occupation of San Cristobal on New Year's day,1994, also the day the NAFTA treaty initiated. The unknown guerrilla movement was demanding human rights for indigenous Mexicans and knowingly protesting globalization. The situation was unique, in that the Zapatistas, promoted their revolution worldwide on the internet. Since the inception in 1994, I have been following the movement, interested and hoping that there might be a just and peaceful resolution, for once in history! I always wanted to see for myself, this Chiapas, the ancestors continued the culture of indigenous people living on the land, long before the inhabitation of North America. The Zapatista contrasted the natural wealth of the Chiapas state with the extreme poverty of the people who lived in their ancestral home. Our guide Nacho, talked of the mineral wealth of Chiapas, but the real wealth is WATER, he said. And so it is,and mind boggling. The legendary founder of the Zapatistas is "Marcos", and wouldn't you know, he was formerly a university professor! What could WATER have to do with indigenous rights and globalization?

The area of Palenque and the Lacandon jungle, all along the Mexican border with Guatemala is the home of the Zapatista movement . I knew we were in the area, and slowly, over the week spent in the mountains and jungle of Chiapas, I realized, I was exactly there! I love that! Instead of agonizing over how to get 'there', we just went to escape the heat of the coast.

I asked Nacho for some guidance in visiting the Lacandon jungle, since our route back to Tapachula (Chiapas marina) was taking us right through it. There are no guide books for this region, but I had heard about eco lodges. Nacho drew us a map and gave us detailed directions. First we would go to Bonampak, a ruins that was unearthed so recently, that the murals which are on the wall of rooms shielded from the environment and sun, retain deep color. And then travel a short distance on gravel and dirt roads to an ecolodge and restaurant. He told us his friends there, Vicente and Enrique. "Just ask for them, everyone knows, they will take care of you!"
The next day, we left Palenque, thinking the road would be pretty good. We soon ran into a long line of cars behind a big truck, chugging up the hill. At least it was shady jungle roadsides. We broke free after a half hour of gridlock and sped along, UNTIL....the first TOPE. We four cast bets about how many Topes (humps in the road) in the next hour. I said, none, optimistically! Another 36, another 200, more than 200. Oh, the last won. I'm only going to relate what happened the next day at breakfast. There are photos in the gallery of Bonampak (remote and amazing) and the lovely cabins and riverside lodge of Vicente.
Nacho had told us that his friend Enrique had the best food, we were instructed to go there for dinner. But, we chose to eat at Vicente's place because we were all too tired to hike the 50 steps up the road to Enrique's in the evening. Dave and I decided we needed to go to Enrique's place for breakfast. Debbie and Dennis joined us. The dining room was empty, as there were voices behind a wall, I called out, 'hola, buenas dias". We were greeted from behind the wall, which was the kitchen. A friendly man with big black hair and wearing a white gown, came out to greet us. Yes, we'll make you breakfast. He didn't speak English, but took our order perfectly. He was in and out from the kitchen, checking on us, and we learned that he was Enrique, father of Nacho's friend Enrique. The ecolodge is run by Enrique the son, and his dad explained that he was still asleep, of course. There were interesting maps of Chiapas and the Lacandon jungle, and news articles and photos and paintings on the walls. I saw that there was an article with the Swiss photographer and anthropologist, who worked in this area in the 50's along with her husband, an archaeologist who worked at Palenque. She, Trudy Duby, fought to protect the scattered Lacandon people and their jungle environment. Together, they created a home and museum in San Cristobal called Na Bolom, devoted to archeology and the indigenous people of Chiapas.
When I asked Enrique, the father, to tell me about this, he showed me himself, a little boy, in the front of one of the photos, and also his father. We exchanged ages, so I know that Enrique is ten years younger than me. It was apparent that Enrique and his family were in a pivitol juncture of preservation of the Lacandon culture. He understood that I appreciated the significance of the photo that showed history being made , in this very spot, circa de 1960. We were there for about one hour. I look forward to returning, learning and appreciating even more! An added attraction is that this area is great birding territory! If I had tried to plan this trip, it would never have happened. It was serendipitous!
NEW BIRDS Seen in LACANDON: Wood Thrush, White -whiskered Puff Bird, Green Honeycreeper, Buff-throated Saltator, Audubon Oriole
Marina Chiapas: Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Osprey (Not new, but we were glad to see them)

Lagos de Montebello:
We had to get going, as it appeared from Buoy Weather, that we might be able to sail the Tehuanapec in a few days. So we headed for this beautiful region of Lakes. But when we got there, in the afternoon, we discovered ourselves at a high altitude. It was COLD, and the only cabins available were not acceptable & cold! It was decided to drive on to Comitan and Debbie made an online reservation at a hotel. We had a heck of a time finding it, but we did. Pizza at Italian restaurant around the corner. Friday we drove back to Marina Chiapis, three hour trip, we thought, took at least five. Again, those TOPES, and many, lovely little towns and villages, up and down mountains. But we were done. On to Sailing...
Photos from this trip are in sub albums: Mexican Adventures 2016