From the windiest place in the world to Ballermala

Wind Power at La Ventosa

After weeks of hugging the Highway 200, which snakes along the Pacific Coast of Mexico, we finally headed inland, from Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, to San Cristobal de las Casas, high up in the mountainous state of Chiapas. We had read that it would be much cooler there and that the city sits amongst a pine forest, but it was still shocking to change our climate and our wardrobe so rapidly. To reach San Cristobal, you have to cut across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which is the narrowest part of Mexico, and also one of the windiest places in the world. This stretch of highway averages wind speeds of 19 miles per hour and at times, knocks semi trucks over as they drive. We drove on a claim day, as we were advised by a fellow traveler to check wind conditions and not to drive with high winds. Even though it was a more less low wind day, we still had to stop to make sure our surf boards and dog crate didn't blow off the top. As Jahsiah and Timmy tied things down tighter, I almost blew away and decided to get back in the car. Literally, I've never been anywhere in the world where the wind was such a terrifying force.

Real Madre, San Cristobal de las Casas at night

We survived La Ventosa and began our ascent in to the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, with elevations of more than 9,000 feet. The cool air was a welcome relief for our sun burned and heat-rashed bodies. The old, colonial architecture of San Cristobal was the first of it's kind that we had seen on our trip. With buildings more than 400 years old, it was nice to be in a place with such history. San Cristobal de las Casas became quite known in the 1990s due to the Zapatista uprising, during which time San Cristobal was seized by the revolutionary group. While the Zapatistas have not been in the mainstream media recently, their presence is still felt in the region of Chiapas and they marched on the city of San Cristobal again recently on December 21st, 2012, with more than 50,000 masked, silent protesters pouring into the street. The grassroots organization taking place in the region makes it possible to learn about the area and the history of the indigenous people, and of all the places we visited in Mexico, it was the only place where fresh fruit and vegetables are available from local, cooperative stores. Of all the places we saw in Mexico, San Cristobal is the only one I would like to revisit. We spent two days exploring the city on foot, but there was much that we did not see, and it is a great launching point for further exploration of the Zapatista movement and the activism taking place in the region.

After our last Mexican stop, we were ready for our next country, Guatemala. Driving south from San Cristobal, we came out of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas and entered into a low, hot valley, where Ciudad Cuauhtemoc on the Mexican side, meets La Mesilla on the Guatemalan side. This border crossing had been recommended by a few other travelers and from what I had researched, was to be a simple, no hassle crossing. It was. We still had to go through the protocol of getting the car fumigated, dogs paper's checked, our passports stamped and processed, with stops on both the Mexican side for exiting and the Guatemalan side for entering. It took about two hours all said and done, but was easy and everything went smoothly. We drove on for a few hours, not sure if we were going to make it all the way to Panajachel, in the Lago de Atitlan region, or need to stop before in either Huehuetenango or Queztaltenango. We ended up only getting as far as Huehuetenango, up in the Cuchumantes Mountain range.We had been shocked by the height of the mountains of Chiapas, but the Cuchumantes made those look like foothills. Jutting up out of nowhere, we left the hot, muggy valley of La Mesilla and began climbing, higher and higher towards the clouds. Some of the most dramatic landscapes any of us had every seen, we spent the next few hours in awe of where we were.

Scenes from our drive through the Cuchumantes Mountains

No Man's Land, truly untouched earth.

Our first night in Guatemala, in Huehue was pleasant and we were all feeling elated at how easy a time we were having in dangerous, scary, difficult Guatemala. Our hotel was a 125 year building that had the feel of nobility and we went to dinner at a nice restaurant, sitting upstairs, overlooking the plaza and the church lit up at night. The roads into Huehue had been nice and the tempurature was perfect. But, we were soon to learn our lesson, just when you think everything is fine.....

Day two, we awoke and stomachs were not feeling so hot. We had discussed plans in Huehue and decided to change our itinerary. Instead of heading south to Antigua, another colonial city that was sure to be clarwing with hippies just come from the Rainbow gathering in Southern Mexico, of whom we had been surrounded by in San Cristobal, we decided to head due east to Coban, not Copan, famous for it's ruins, but to the the less traveled region of the country, famous for it's caves and natural pools. With Jahsiah feeling a little shaky, we set out, with confirmed directions from our hotel staff and began our drive of only about 270km. Little did we know, the strecth of highway we were driving on was more or less unpaved and our 270km took us over 6 hours to cross. Some of the worst roads in the world, taking us into even higher mountains that than day before. At one point, we came to a mountain side, thousands of feet up, that had been completely destroyed by a rock slide. One young boy, maybe 12 years old, shoveled pebbles out of the road, attemping to smooth the path. He asked for water in the scorched environement and luckily we had some to give him. Further up the road, 4 grown men had a road block in place, which they would remove for 25Q, about $3.00, a toll for the removal of boulders and the "improvement" to the highway. We literally thought we had reached the end of the world and while I tried to remain opptimistic about our course, I began to worry that we were too deep in uncharted territory. Meanwhile, Timmy had become sick, and Jahsiah was worse than when he had woken up. Despite being high in the mountains, the temperature began to climb and all of us were beginning to crack. Just when we thought things were going so smoothly.

We decided to call it quits before ever reaching Coban and the famed caves of Semuc Champey, instead opting for a cheap, roadside hotel in San Cristobal, not to be confused with the famous Mexican city. This San Cristobal had no other travelers, no Rainbow gatherers, no Zapatista activists. We were the only non-Guatemalans in this town. We pulled in and within minutes Jahsiah and Timmy retired to their respective bathrooms as I went in search of water, saltine crackers, and medicine for the weary travelers. Holding it together long enough to get supplies, I made it back to the room just in time to have my turn with the porcelain princess. We rested and tried to sleep as best we could. Luckily, the price at the hotel was per person so we were able to get two rooms for the same price as all three of us in one, so at least we had a better toilet to sick person ratio. After a rough night and some local medicine, we awoke in a little better shape the next morning, but we had learned an important lesson, don't let your guard down in Guatemala. The roads can be merciless and so can the cuisine. But the people are incredibly friendly and helpful.

Due to our weakened states and fear of the less traveled highway, we decided to forgo our Semuc Champey plans and headed south for Rio Hondo, a little junction on the way out to Copan, the Maya Ruins just across the Honduran border. A short drive, on an a decently paved road, a nice room with air conditioning, and hotel grounds with three pools, water slides, and a high drive, it's no Semuc Champey, but tonight it is, to us, the most beautiful spot in Guatemala. From Bubble-Gut-emala to Ballermala, our world-wind tour is packed with everything. Let's see what tomorrow holds.