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 2)-flight to Villahermosa-A stranger offers us a ride
Mexico-Chiapas, Tabasco & the Mayan Ruins of Palenque-cont’d
Part 2
There were no seats together on the plane to Villahermosa so I ended up in a different row than Carol. I was in the middle seat between 2 great people: Carlos, a financial analyst for a big construction company in Mexico City and Bruno, a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company who lived in Villahermosa. I bonded with both of them instantly with my limited Spanish and their limited English. For 1.5 hours we conversed like we were old friends.
Our problem was we only had 1 hour to make it in a taxi from the Villahermosa airport to the downtown area to catch a 7:30 p.m. bus to Palenque and that was cutting it close. Plus, I had made my bus reservations on-line in the states and was unfamiliar with the process of checking in at the bus station and claiming my reservation.
Both Bruno and Carlos offered to drive us to the bus station upon landing. Bruno’s wife was already going to be at the airport waiting on him so he insisted we ride with him. Upon landing, Carol was waiting for me inside the airport since she had already gotten off the plane. I introduced my new friend Bruno to Carol, and told her we were riding with him to the bus station. She gave me that “what in the world have you gotten us into now” look. After all, Bruno was a complete stranger and we were taking him up on his offer of a ride? Of course, Bruno also needed to explain to his wife that he had just met me on the plane and they would be taking us to the bus station. It’s part of that great Mexican hospitality. Ya gotta love these different opportunities to meet people when you travel!
Next-an unexpected delay on the highway –
See 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/
Got a few hours to burn in San Juan, Puerto Rico? Here’s something to do.
Got a few hours to kill in the San Juan, Puerto Rico airport? Here’s what to do:
Over the years, I have flown through the San Juan, Puerto Rico airport a number of times. Frequently I have had 3-5 hours between my connecting flights. If you find yourself in this situation I would like to make a couple of suggestions.
First of all, go outside of security. If you try to stay in the gate area you will either drive yourself crazy or have the opportunity to eat some of the worst airport food in the world!
In the main lobby of the airport there are at least a few interesting shops to visit. There is also a fair selection of fast food restaurants. If you are a gambler, there is a casino right across from the American Airlines ticket counter inside the airport lobby.
If you walk outside the airport there are two more restaurants in the parking garage(no kidding!) right across the street . One is a Buffalo Wild Wings and the other is a Wendy’s.
However, my favorite thing to do is to go downstairs to the baggage claim area, grab a taxi and head to the Metropol Café in the Isla Verde area. It is a $12–10 minute taxi ride to this great Cuban restaurant. If you have a Guayabera shirt, put it on! Here is the front of the restaurant:
Metropol Cafe in San Juan, Puerto Rico
If you have never eaten Cuban food then this is your big chance. Bring an appetite and pig out!
After you have eaten plenty of food with lots of garlic and onions, you will want to walk it off. Go outside, turn left, walk two blocks to the famed Hotel El San Juan. If you don’t want to do the Metropol gig first then just go straight to the Hotel El San Juan from the airport. The hotel has a beautiful lobby, interesting lobby bar, and a good size casino. For the shoppers, they have some really nice shops in the hotel where you can spend what little vacation money you may have.
The beautiful lobby of the Hotel El San Juan
If you didn’t eat at the Metropol then treat yourself to a meal at poolside at the hotel.
Pool area of the Hotel El San Juan in Puerto Rico
Make sure you leave yourself enough time to get back the airport and re-clear security.
If you don’t want to do any of the above between flights, then just stay in the gate area, drive yourself crazy and eat some of the worst airport food in the world. Bon Appetit!
Steve
You like to fly?-Try this for something different!!
If you like to fly–I mean REALLY like to fly then this may be something of interest to you.
A couple of years ago I asked my wife, Carol, what she would like to do for her birthday that was fast approaching. She said “I don’t know, but make it something different, surprise me”!
So, being the ardent traveler I am, I bought 2 round trip tickets for $150 each to fly us around the U.S. for the entire day to celebrate her birthday.We left OKC at 6:30 a.m. and flew to Chicago (ORD) where we had her birthday breakfast.
Here’s Carol having her birthday breakfast in the Admiral’s Club at Chicago, O’Hare
From ORD we flew to Tampa (TPA) and had brunch. From TPA we flew to Miami (MIA). In the Miami airport outside of security, but still in the airport, there is a hotel. On the 7th floor of the hotel is a restaurant with panoramic views of the runway. It was there where we had her birthday dinner while watching the big jumbo jets land from around the world.
The view from the Miami Airport hotel restaurant that overlooks the runways
Carol getting ready to order birthday dinner at the Miami Airport hotel Restaurant
Here’s dinner. Chicken Fettuccine on the left, in the middle is what’s left of conch fritters. I had the salmon salad–great!
After dinner, we boarded a plane for the flight back to Chicago for a late night snack and then back to OKC where we landed around midnight. 5 flight segments in total. It was 18 hours of being together on her birthday.
On each leg, e.g. OKC-ORD, I gave her a different birthday present with the city codes marked on the outside of the package. Did the same for ORD-TPA, TPA-MIA, MIA-ORD, ORD-OKC legs. They were small gifts like a Borders gift card, small box of Godivas, etc, etc, you get the idea. 5 presents in all.
Naturally, all the meals were in the airports because of the connection time needed to do that many flights.The fun part of the trip was telling the story to the people we met along the way in airports and on the flights. They really enjoyed hearing about a most unusual birthday present.
For Carol, it was certainly a most unusual present. She couldn’t wait to get back and tell all her friends what an crazy birthday she had!
Steve–
See 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/
