Southern Exposure

Saturday, December 13

We made an effort to get an early start in order to maximize our time in Chiapas. As we had our morning coffee and pastries, the wind gusted strongly through town. We had hoped the wind would have died down by the morning, and the ride through the wind farm was on our minds.

The wind was still strong, but it had indeed lessened from the previous evening. I’d guess it was about a third weaker. It was more manageable, with the added bonus of adding some miles to our tire life as we rode straight down the desert highway with the bike leaned over its left side. After 30 miles or so, we escaped the main areas of the wind and the riding was back to normal.

After reaching San Pedro Tepanatapec, we began our climb back up from the coast. We could see the Pacific past the lagoons, and said our temporary goodbyes. The roads were similar to the day prior, filled with pleasing mountain curves. We had arrived in Chiapas.

We crossed the mountain pass and descended into a high valley. Judging from the number of cultivated fields, this appeared to be fertile farmland. We stopped on a gentle rise to take pictures, have some water and a light lunch of crackers, apples, and bananas. The landscape felt very different from the dry valleys of Chiapas, and the air had a rich smell.

We continued on to Tuxtla Gutierrez, which we did our best to avoid. It’s the capital of Chiapas, and it’s a large, sprawling city. I don’t feel like we missed much. What I did almost miss was the free road to Chiapas, and Inna caught me at the last minute and we avoided getting onto the expensive toll road.

I feel sorry for anyone who paid for the toll road. The free road climbed steeply out of the Tuxtla city valley. We were soon over a thousand feet above the city, and as usual, were prevented by the nature of the road from stopping for pictures. Someone needs to tell Mexican highway engineers to put in vista points.

As we crossed into the back side of the mountain, it felt as if we had entered another world. The tops of the mountain were round, green hills and the road twisted in endless esses along the side of the hills. We were soon riding through the small indigenous villages in Chiapas and the bright clothes of the people were mesmerizing. We were entering a country within a country.

We began our descent into San Cristobal, and it was a larger town than either of us expected. However, the historic center was wonderfully laid out in typical Spanish grid style, with narrow stone streets spreading out from the central zócalo. We found a hotel that was able to safely harbor our bikes in the courtyard of a sister hotel.

We strolled down the main plaza, and like the other towns we have visited, it was lively. San Cristobal had no shortage of tourists who mostly seemed to be European. I don’t recall hearing english spoken on the street. We found our way to a recommended dinner place. We were eager for a proper salad, and with all of the euros and backpacker types in town, this restaurant specialized in organic, vegetarian cuisine. It was a much needed break from the heavily carnivorous Mexican cuisine. We walked off our dinner by visiting the church, markets and shops near the main plaza, and retired early – the days of the best riding seem to be the most exhausting. Unfortunately it was a terrible night. The temperature drops quickly at this altitude, and the room had meager blankets. The freezing room was topped off with a in hotel staff party that went to 6 am.