World Trip 2011

San Cristobal de las Casas is a great town that is up in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico at around 2000m, surrounded by jungle and beautiful vistas. The town is renowned for its involvement in the revolutionary Zapatista movement that is still active today. It’s a strange feeling really. I feel for the indigenous people who have been living under harsh political conditions for many decades, yet, these are the people that we have to avoid being stopped and robbed by on the roads. Having said that, everyone we met there was friendly. The streets are mostly cobblestone with vibrant coloured buildings and narrow sidewalks indicative of an old town. It certainly feels like there is a lot of history there. The markets are packed with Mayan arts and crafts, being sold by the indigenous women and their young families. They approach you relentlessly. If you even give them half a look, they come straight over and show you what they have to sell. There were some really nice coloured fabrics, masks and all kinds of stuff to buy at reasonable prices. There are a variety of travellers staying in the old colonial buildings, and there are more churches than you can count, if that is what you are into.  We stayed at the HI hostel here appreciating some cooler weather, nice scenic surroundings, and more expensive beers than we have been used to so far.  It is a good town with a trendy traveller’s scene.