Mexico (Part 17)Photos of the streets of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
I thought the best way to give you an idea of the streets of San Cristobal de las Casas would be to post a few photos as per below:
If you liked these street scenes then check out my next blog with some shots of the buildings of San Cristóbal de las Casas.
If you want some great Mexican food holiday recipes I notice that Dave Cathey, The Oklahoman’s food editor has some great recipes on his web site. You can find it here: http://blog.newsok.com/fooddude/category/mexican-food/
BTW-If you want to check out some really neat stuff about what is happening on the redesigned Newsok.com then you need to check out Alan Herzberger’s update here
View my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com: Colombia: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/
Mexico: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/
Caribbean island of Barbuda: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/ San Juan with a 5 hour layover: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/ Fly around the U.S. for the day: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/
Mexico (Part 16)-Finishing Spanish classes at Instituto Jovel in Chiapas
The school was very modern and the classrooms very comfortable. It was in a great area with lots of great restaurants and shops nearby.
Here is Carol checking out the school library
When I travel to foreign destinations, I always like to have some real localized experiences. Helga, the director of the school, set up several side trips for Carol and me that I will discuss in subsequent blogs. Helga also offered us several trips that had we had more time we could have had some other great local experiences.
One of my classes was with Regnaldo who is one of the directors of the school. Regnaldo kept us on the edge of our seats explaining in graphic detail the battles the state of Chiapas had with the Zapatistas who tried to overthrow the government. Many people know of Chiapas because of the Zapatista movement.
One of the most riveting stories was the one of how his injured father had been forced out of his home by the Zapatistas into the cold night. He had been told he would return and find his house burned to the ground. Fortunately, when he returned, his home was intact except for some personal belongings.
To hear these stories from someone who had experienced them was incredible! Thanks Regnaldo!!
This is the banner that was hanging in a Zapatista co-op that we visited so we could find out what this Zapatista stuff is all about.
After a week at Instituto Jovel we felt our Spanish had definitely improved.
If you are interested in attending the school here is the web address:www.institutojovel.com. I highly recommend them.
If you want some great Mexican food holiday recipes I notice that Dave Cathey, The Oklahoman’s food editor has some great recipes on his web site. You can find it here: http://blog.newsok.com/fooddude/category/mexican-food/
BTW-If you want to check out some really neat stuff about what is happening on the redesigned Newsok.com then you need to check out Alan Herzberger’s update here
Next Posting-some interesting photos of the streets of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
View my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com: Colombia: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/
Mexico: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/
Caribbean island of Barbuda: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/ San Juan with a 5 hour layover: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/
Fly around the U.S. for the day: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/
Mexico (Part 15) Learning Spanish at Instituto Jovel in San Cristobal
While I have done a number of Spanish language immersion programs in Latin America, this was the first time that Carol and I had done a language immersion program together. Have to admit, I was a little apprehensive at first about us attending school together, but it worked out great! I even carried her backpack to school a couple of days. Just like highschool!!
I spent a great deal of time researching schools in San Cristobal and finally decided on Instituto Jovel. One of the owners, Helga Loebell was very responsive to my initial
e-mails and was very quick to answer all of my questions. It turned out to be a great choice for us.
We chose the 4 hour daily schedule. We attended school from 8 a.m. to 12 noon each day. It was an 8 block walk to school from Bela’s.
This is the street in front of the school
Below are some photos of the school building.
The school building is very modern
We both had outstanding teachers. We felt the quality of the education was extremely high. There were only about 10 students in the school, so most of our classes were one-on-one instruction, which made learning easier.
Next-Finishing our classes in San Cristóbal de las Casas-
BTW-If you want to check out some really neat stuff about what is happening on the redesigned Newsok.com then you need to check out Alan Herzberger’s update here
View my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com: Colombia: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/
Mexico: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/
Caribbean island of Barbuda: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/
San Juan with a 5 hour layover: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/
Fly around the U.S. for the day: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/
Mexico(Part 14), The food photos of San Cristobal de las Casas
I have often times found that people are very interested in the photos of the food that I eat in the various countries. With that in mind, I decided to group some photos of some of the food we ate in the various restaurants in San Cristobal de las Casas. You can roll the cursor on the photo for a very brief description. Here goes:
So there you have it. We found the food in San Cristobal de las Casas to be of excellent quality and quite reasonable.
If you want some great Mexican food holiday recipes I notice that Dave Cathey, The Oklahoman’s food editor has some great recipes on his web site. You can find it here: http://blog.newsok.com/fooddude/category/mexican-food/
Next-Instituto Jovel-Our Spanish language immersion program in San Cristóbal.
BTW-If you want to check out some really neat stuff about what is happening on the redesigned Newsok.com then you need to check out Alan Herzberger’s update here
View my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com:
Colombia: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/
Mexico: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/
Caribbean island of Barbuda: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/
San Juan with a 5 hour layover: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/
Fly around the U.S. for the day: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/
Mexico (Part 13) Bela’s B&B in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
Bela’s was a great place to enjoy our stay in San Cristóbal. She has 5 rooms she rents to the myriad of travelers that are either using San Cristóbal as a destination or simply a stopover while traveling the Mayan route through Mexico.
Bela is an extremely warm and friendly hostess, and an American if you need someone who speaks English. Included in the price is a great breakfast every morning where you get to meet the other guests from around the world that are staying with her. During our 6 days there, we met people from Spain, Chile, Panama, Canada, and France. Everyone took time to introduce themselves. I believe this part of travel is the best…….meeting other people who share their travel experiences. You become instant friends.
Bela has two great cooks that really know how to prepare fantastic meals. Take a look at this photo of the kitchen below. Can you imagine the delicious food that is prepared there?
The Kitchen where the great meals were prepared
We had the blue room at the top of the house (pictured below) that had a beautiful view of the city and the surrounding mountains.
The view from the window of our room
The rooms were extremely well decorated and spic and span clean.
Our Bedroom
Even though only breakfast was included in our price, Bela invited all of her guests for a special lunch one day. Her cook, Manuela, prepared absolutely the best chile rellenos I have ever eaten in the world. The 8 guests at the luncheon table all shared their own stories of their journeys through Mexico.
The dining room: breakfast is almost ready
A typical, very healthy breakfast at Bela’s
The cozy fire in the corner of the dining room
The sitting area in the other corner of the dining room at Bela’s
Bela (Left), chatting with Carol (right). The dog could care less about the conversation.
Bottom line: If you plan to visit San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico you need to consider Bela’s. It is a very reasonable place to stay. Here is the link to her web site for more information:
I have some interesting photos coming up in the next few posts giving you good idea of what the town looks like and the language school we attended
Next-The food photos of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
BTW-If you want to check out some really neat stuff about what is happening on the redesigned Newsok.com then you need to check out Alan Herzberger’s update here
View my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com:
Colombia:
http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/
Mexico:
http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/
Caribbean island of Barbuda: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/
San Juan with a 5 hour layover: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/
Fly around the U.S. for the day: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/
Mexico (Part 13) Bela’s B&B in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
Bela’s was a great place to enjoy our stay in San Cristóbal. She has 5 rooms she rents to the myriad of travelers that are either using San Cristóbal as a destination or simply a stopover while traveling the Mayan route through Mexico.
Bela is an extremely warm and friendly hostess, and an American if you need someone who speaks English. Included in the price is a great breakfast every morning where you get to meet the other guests from around the world that are staying with her. During our 6 days there, we met people from Spain, Chile, Panama, Canada, and France. Everyone took time to introduce themselves. I believe this part of travel is the best…….meeting other people who share their travel experiences. You become instant friends.
Bela has two great cooks that really know how to prepare fantastic meals. Take a look at this photo of the kitchen below. Can you imagine the delicious food that is prepared there?
The Kitchen where the great meals were prepared
We had the blue room at the top of the house (pictured below) that had a beautiful view of the city and the surrounding mountains.
The view from the window of our room
The rooms were extremely well decorated and spic and span clean.
Our Bedroom
Even though only breakfast was included in our price, Bela invited all of her guests for a special lunch one day. Her cook, Manuela, prepared absolutely the best chile rellenos I have ever eaten in the world. The 8 guests at the luncheon table all shared their own stories of their journeys through Mexico.
The dining room: breakfast is almost ready
A typical, very healthy breakfast at Bela’s
The cozy fire in the corner of the dining room
The sitting area in the other corner of the dining room at Bela’s
Bela (Left), chatting with Carol (right). The dog could care less about the conversation.
Bottom line: If you plan to visit San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico you need to consider Bela’s. It is a very reasonable place to stay. Here is the link to her web site for more information:
I have some interesting photos coming up in the next few posts giving you good idea of what the town looks like and the language school we attended
Next-The food photos of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
BTW-If you want to check out some really neat stuff about what is happening on the redesigned Newsok.com then you need to check out Alan Herzberger’s update here
View my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com:
Colombia:
http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/
Mexico:
http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/
Caribbean island of Barbuda: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/
San Juan with a 5 hour layover: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/
Fly around the U.S. for the day: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/
Mexico (Part 12) Taking the bus from Palenque to San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
At 2 p.m. we left on a 5 hour bus trip from Palenque to San Cristóbal.
Our bus
We had been told that it was such a winding road that we might need Dramamine if we had a propensity for motion sickness. We opted out of the Dramamine and found the journey to be very pleasant. It was one of the most beautiful drives on which I have ever been.. The countryside was stunning with very, very, green hills and many picturesque views.
The countryside as seen from the bus
After 2 ½ hours we stopped in the town of Ocosingo for a 30 minute rest stop.
From behind the gate in the bus yard of Ocosingo
Inside the bus station courtyard they were making various hot dishes for sale. Also there was a little tiny convenience store where you could buy drinks and snacks.
The backpackers are filling their backpacks with snacks
Off the road from Ocosingo are some other Mayan ruins in the town of Toniná. They are supposed to be well worth the drive, but it would have to be another time for us.
Time to leave Ocosingo
Finally about 8 p.m. that night (Sunday) about an hour behind schedule we pulled into San Cristóbal de las Casas. We had reservations at Bela’s B&B for the next 6 nights. I had researched it thoroughly on the internet and had found it had great reviews. Bela had sent me directions to her place, so we just simply grabbed a taxi. As he wove through the town we were immediately attracted to it and knew we had made a great choice.
On my next blog I will give a complete overview of Bela’s
BTW-If you want to check out some really neat stuff about what is happening on the redesigned Newsok.com then you need to check out Alan Herzberger’s update here
View my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com: Colombia: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/ Mexico: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/ Caribbean island of Barbuda: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/ San Juan with a 5 hour layover: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/
Fly around the U.S. for the day: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/
Mexico (Part 11) Palenque, Mayan Ruins Museum
The next morning after breakfast it was back on the highway flagging down a “colectivo” to head back to the ruins. This time it was to the museum at the entrance to the park. The museum was great. It was very well done.
Musuem grounds, Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico
Checking out one of the artifacts in the musuem
Inside the Mayan Musuem in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico
We spent the morning at the musuem then caught a “colectivo” back to hotel, checked out, said goodbye to the hotel staff and took a taxi to the bus station in town.
Checking out of the Chan-Kah Resort Village
The bus station is open air, small, hot, and crowded with locals and backpackers.
Passengers in the bus station waiting to buy tickets
From inside the bus station in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico
We had arrived early, so had extra time. I walked down the street, found a little store, and bought us some water and cookies to tide us over on bus.
Carol waiting to board the bus for San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico
At 2 p.m. we left on the 5 hour bus trip from Palenque to San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Next-the winding road to San Cristóbal de las Casas
BTW-If you want to check out some really neat stuff about what is happening on the redesigned Newsok.com then you need to check out Alan Herzberger’s update here
View my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com:
Colombia:
http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/
Mexico:
http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/
Caribbean island of Barbuda: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/
San Juan with a 5 hour layover: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/
Fly around the U.S. for the day: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/
