We started with a harmless trip to the Zocalo and a quiet introduction to Mexican food, then showed them the graveyard. The graveyard is the only place to be on a Sunday, with locals buying ice cream, snacks and mangos on sticks to take with them while they visit their ancestors. An arch over the entrance says something like “life is only temporary, welcome to the real world”, which is cheery. Many of the tombs are like huge brightly painted houses, with some relatives leaving gifts for the dead such as Coca Cola and alcohol, as well as the more traditional flowers.
We took a trip down the Sumidero Canyon, but failed to visit the Eco Park again (too windy – my prediction is that it will close down before the end of the year since getting there is a quest akin to the search for the Holy Grail). We tried to show Mum and Dad the real Mexico by getting a second class bus down to Tuxtla, but the driver failed to stop in the right place so the real Mexico included a slightly hairy walk down the edge of the motorway, stepping over the corpse of a (very) dead dog.
On the canyon we saw crocs, pelicans and a huge iguana, and we finished off our day of wildlife with a trip to Tuxtla Zoo. The Zoo only contains animals from the state, with the result that there are as many animals to see out of the cages as there are in them. A group of howler monkeys has taken up residence in the trees, while large rodent like animals hop around everywhere and deer feed in the ground. The puma (in a cage, thankfully) took an unhealthy interest in Daisy and kept jumping up in an attempt to reach her.
Mum and Dad also participated in St Cristobal life with a trip to Mariet and Enrique’s house for tacos al pastor (the best local takeaway option). Not normally on any tour itineraries, but they coped well with the usual chaos. Daisy tearfully said goodbye to Pablo and Itamar. We also had a final coffee time with Eneas, Mari and family, where they were particularly interested in Dad’s lack of hair (not many bald people here).
We also took the traditional pilgrimage to Chamula, the local indigenous town, to see how Mayan culture and Catholicism mix. Paul stayed at home to pack the bags so I did my first guided tour. The Chamulans are a fierce bunch who don’t like photos taken of their traditional practices. I only just managed to stop Dad taking a shot of some traditionally dressed town grandees. They do dress just like Morris Dancers so it is difficult to believe that they don’t put it on for the tourists.
We did our final shopping, said our last goodbyes, and prepared to leave St Cristobal for the jungle. The night before we left we finally got round to booking our transport for the first leg, to Ocosingo – which is how we ended up leaving town in a giant minibus big enough for at least twelve people. We know how to make an exit.
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The first stop on our Mexico tour is Palenque, the Mayan site deep in the jungle. We chose to do the five-hour journey in two legs, with a stop for lunch in Ocosingo – a cheese-making town that sees few tourists, despite some excellent Mayan ruins.
We were clearly the talk of the town in Ocosingo when we arrived in our bus with enough luggage for an army. Ocosingo is cowboy country, and all the caballeros were out on the terrace drinking strong coffee when we rolled into town. Having a baby with you opens every door in Mexico, however, so we were made thoroughly welcome.
We went to see the tianguis, the local indigenous market, where we were more stared at than the women in their colourful costumes. Ocosingo was the site of the bloodiest battles in the Zapatista uprising in 1994, but the town is mostly quiet, with any struggles between the indigenous people and local Spanish descendant landowners being limited to Zapatistas seizing ranches in the middle of the night.
Our bus from Ocosingo was a stomach-churning ride through the jungle, passing Zapatista controlled areas, waterfalls, and children selling mangos, sugarcane and drinks by the side of the road. The kids dozed through it while the rest of us kept our eyes grimly on the road. We were all glad to arrive at Palenque for a three-night stay.
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Palenque, although the site of some of the most impressive Mayan ruins in Mexico, is nothing to write home about as a town, which is why we decided to stay in the jungle. We also chose an uncharacteristically posh hotel thanks to a good discount. They seemed to be more used to tour groups than they were to kids, but soon adapted to Daisy’s desire to wander around with her dolly over breakfast while Clover ate more bread than they could possibly imagine.
Paul and I have been to Palenque many times, but Daisy’s presence enhanced the trip in all sorts of ways. I had never noticed how good ceremonial pyramids are for playing houses, for example. Her highlight of the trip was when we stopped for lunch at a restaurant where the proprietors had two little girls. We didn’t see her all lunchtime as she was too busy playing tea parties and eating chips out of the kitchen.
Even the poshest of hotels can’t be entirely sure of all of their guests. We were leaving for a restaurant by taxi one evening when we drove past an enormous snake on the path. It was so large (one and a half metres long) that we assumed it was a constrictor, but later found out it was one of the most venomous snakes in Chiapas (which is well known for snakes) with a reputation for unpredictability and irritability. The staff killed it while we were out but we were still a little nervous of the long grass.
On a nicer note, Mum and Dad also saw howler monkeys in the trees around the site (we were too busy with our howler baby, who was teething) as well as kingfishers and egrets. We swam in the river, which was pretty warm, as well as in the hotel pool.
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Our next stop was Mexico City, for a quick trip to the urban jungle. We flew from Villahermosa up to Mexico and then stayed in a B&B called Chillout Flat – a fantastic place just a few blocks from the absolute centre square. They’d never had children staying before but were very warm and welcoming. We had time for a quick trip to the Zocalo in the morning to see the Diego Rivera murals (fantastic) and the leaning cathedral. We also had time for an ice-cream (Daisy has the best ideas) before nearly missing our bus for the five-hour trip to Acapulco.
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