Southern Mexico

Located an hour outside of San Cristóbal is another highly recommended natural Treasure. Sumidero Canyon with its sheer cliffs and deep river waters offers inspiring views and dramatic panoramas as you float down during your 2 hour boat ride. The area is inhabited by wild monkeys, iguanas and crocodiles. There is also a beautiful formation called Christmas Tree Falls that consists of unusual rock tiers covered in green moss and purple flowers. We heard that during the wet season, the water falling from above even looks like snow.

When it came time to leave San Cristóbal, I was not excited for what lay ahead of us. Up to this point, most of the bus trips had been only moderate in length. We were now heading to Oaxaca and had a grueling 12 hour ride through the South-eastern region of Mexico to contend with. Since we were always taking local transportation, we were never sure if it would be 1st or 2nd class. Unfortunately, this was a 2nd class bus which meant even more discomfort than anticipated.

Strange though, while most passengers slept I quietly watch out my window as the topography changed again and again. It was an amazing testament to the diversity of Mexico. As we approached the state of Oaxaca, the pleasant sub-tropical climate offered the serenity we needed after the long haul. The state of Oaxaca has peaks almost 10,000 feet (more than 3,000 meters) high, caverns among the deepest in the world, virgin beaches, hidden jungles, and luminous valleys where cultures who once lived in its midst now come together.

In Oaxaca, we stayed at the Paulina Youth Hostel. As far as hostels go, Paulina's was wonderful. We could even climb on the roof for a great view of the city. The hostel was completely full of travelers which again allowed us the chance to sit back and enjoy some good conversation.

Five miles west of Oaxaca lay the ruins of Monte Alban. This site is perched on a mountaintop high above the surrounding valleys. Because of its close proximity, we decided to rent bikes and take the trip up on our own, however we did not realize the short trip was straight up hill. It took us roughly 90 minutes to get there and 20 minutes to get back down. The ride down was extremely scary with all the buses and trucks going in both directions but it was nonetheless exhilarating.

We spent a few days in Oaxaca, but had one more city to visit before heading to Mexico City for New Year’s Eve. We were headed to Puebla which lies on the main route between Veracruz and Mexico City. Puebla was the principal city of colonial Mexico and as such, its appearance is the most European of all the colonial cities.

In Puebla we encountered the only glitch on the entire trip. The hotel GAP arranged lost our reservations. This forced our guide to scrambled to find last minute accommodations. Unfortunately the only hotel available was well below the standards GAP had maintained. This is not to say GAP placed us in luxury apartments but simply that we were always comfortable and more importantly, we were always pleased. In Puebla, we were placed in what appeared to be a jail cell. Still, the showers were warm and we were only there for the night.

The next morning we headed for our final destination, Mexico City. This expansive city of 20 million is located over a mile high and was built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the ancient Aztec capital. Reminders of past civilization pervade the city, particularly at the Templo Mayor Excavation and Anthropological Museum at Chapultepec Park. Make sure and take some time to visit these places to get a better understanding of the area.