From Mexico to the Wonderful Chiapas (page 3 of 3)

Lovely story and what a journey....

Thanks! I’m really happy I chose and put together this itinerary where we alternated between cultural moments, nature, and relaxation. Meeting Oscar in Comitán was absolutely great! 😊

Really great, I love it and I think it's great to be able to take all these trips and share them

Thanks! I’ll now start digging deeper into the trip to Kyrgyzstan with my daughter, even though we already have a pretty solid idea of our ‘route’ and have almost all our bookings done. The highlights will definitely be a 4-day horseback trek and the World Nomad Games week. I’m also preparing for my return to Uzbekistan, following on from Kyrgyzstan, where I’ll be heading solo for 2 weeks. Since my wife and I have already visited the stunning Silk Road cities (see my travel journal *A Turquoise Dream*), this time it’ll be a trip to meet loads of artisans and explore old villages off the beaten track and away from the main Silk Road stops. I’ll still stop for a few days in Bukhara and Samarkand, though. More great travel journals to come! And for 2027... I’m starting to think about what I could suggest to my wife...

And yeah, it’s truly amazing to be able to travel. If you’ve got any questions, don’t hesitate!

Thanks so much for this travel journal. I really enjoyed this walk, the photos, and the vibe.

Thanks! Have a great weekend. If you have any questions or need more info, don’t hesitate.

Hi Philippe,

Thanks for this Mexican travel journal. It’s a gorgeous country—I only spent 18 days there back in 2013 myself.

What a sight that hot-air balloon flight was!

Comitán and its surroundings look fantastic 🙂 I’ll definitely keep it in mind!

Have a great Sunday, everyone

Hi Pascale, and thanks. Actually, the hot-air balloon flight over Teotihuacan was an amazing memory. And our stay in Comitan was really great, especially since we were lucky enough to be there for the San Caralampio festival. Have a nice Sunday.

Hi, this brings back memories. I spent 2 years working in San Cristóbal. If I asked you what kind of job, I don’t think you’d guess. Well, it was oil exploration for Pemex, back in 1990–91. So my work zone was in the triangle between San Cristóbal, Ocosingo, and Comitán. Office in San Cristóbal, with support in Ocosingo and Comitán—actually, rented houses for lodging, complete with a cook and an assistant. I had a house in downtown San Cristóbal with my wife and my 18-month-old son. A gorgeous stone-and-wood house with a huge fireplace. I’d bring back loads of wood in my pickup that my workers cut for me at their camp in the middle of nowhere. I’d also bring back farm chickens and suckling pigs. I explored all those little villages around San Cristóbal, especially in remote places where no tourist had ever set foot. From what you wrote, you must’ve been fascinated by Oscar, and that’s not a criticism, but I would’ve cut my time in Comitán to spend two more days in San Cristóbal. You missed all those very typical Indigenous villages around San Cristóbal. And driving up the entire Pacific coast with all those pretty ports. But for that, you need a car—I had my Dodge Ram 4x4. I could also tell you about my adventures on the U.S. border, Chihuahua, Monterrey... I’ve lived in Brazil since ’85, but I’ve kept working here and there: Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Guyana... Not to mention several countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. And now I’m retired on the island of Florianópolis. See ya!

Thanks for your reply. Indeed, we could have stayed longer in San Cristobal (especially that extra day in Palenque). Initially, I hadn’t planned to spend so much time in Comitan—it was the weather that forced us to change our plans. But I don’t regret it (too much) because we got to visit some great spots we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

A one-month trip is both long and short at the same time. Impossible to see everything. You always have to make choices to keep a reasonable pace. And there’s a big difference between a first trip to a country where you just see the must-see sights and actually living in a country.

Wishing you a life full of adventures! Enjoy your retirement on your island!

As for me, I’m diving into planning my next trip, which will be very different: three and a half weeks in Kyrgyzstan (hiking, horse trekking, and the World Nomad Games on the agenda) and just over two weeks in Uzbekistan, for the second time in this country. I’ll take the opportunity to step off the classic (and stunning) Silk Road city tour, explore mountain villages a bit more, and meet artisans in their workshops. See you around.