SAN CRISTOBAL – DAY THREE

Chiapas Day three

We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast at a restaurant on the waterfront. After a bit of discussion with our friends, we decided to hire a taxi to take us to San Cristobal de la cases instead of taking the local bus and then a taxi to the hotel.

San Cristobal is 2200 meters above sea level. Travelling from Chiapa de Corzo, we could feel the cold, as we got closer to San Cristobal. My mind could not fathom that we were just a half hour from 33-degree weather. I definitely was not prepared for the cold.

Our taxi driver had never been in San Cristobal and finding our hotel was proving to be a challenge with all the one-way streets. I know it is hard to believe, but yes, he did ask for directions several times. Eventually we found the hotel and I think he was pleased with our tip. The streets are so narrow that traffic had to wait until we unloaded our luggage and paid our driver. Amazingly, there were no honking horns or any show of impatience.

Our hotel, Axkan Hotel is a new renovated hotel only blocks away from the Zocola or square and in the heart of the historic centre.  The staff were very helpful and helped make us feel at home.  The restaurant served traditional Mexican food – delicious.

San Cristobal felt very much like a cosmopolitan city but it has still maintained its Spanish colonial layout with narrow cobblestone streets, roofs covered in red clay tile and wrought iron balconies with flowers. You can see the architecture varies from Baroque to Neoclassical and Moorish painted in various colors.

Not only are the streets narrow but the sidewalks are really meant for 1 person only and they are at least a foot high and would drip down for every driveway – and there were a lot –  so walking was like taking step aerobics.

We walked around town to get the feel of the place, found a good place to eat and then off to bed to rest for our adventures the next day. Did I mention it was cold?

City Hall

some local art work