Through a sweaty, Dramamine-induced stupor, Dani and I stood shocked at the derelict ‘private’ hostel room we had been so excited to reach after an nine-hour trip from the outskirts of Oaxaca to Mazunte which involved a bumpy ride in a tuktuk, a local city bus, a winding five-hour shuttle-colectivo and a forty-minute wait for a thirty-minute ride in the back of a pick-up truck. We had thought we were staying with a local character, Carlos Einstein, a self-proclaimed but friendly-looking shaman who had a hostel on a fairly remote beach in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. It turns out that shaman Einstein had abandoned his seaside hostel a few months earlier in favor of a place in town at the end of a lonely path.
Polaroid of the week: Mayan Ruins in the Jungle, Chiapas, Mexico
2010
09.02
09.02
Tucked deep in the jungle in Chiapas, southern Mexico, the Mayan ruins of Palenque are set in one of the most spectacular surroundings in Mexico. While walking in between the temples and through the dense humidity of this tropical environment, the sound of howler monkeys rings out from trees and you realize that you are in one of the most important pre-hispanic cities of Mesoamerica. Climb to the top of several temples and the Palace in the site’s center where stunning views extend beyond the site and into the jungle.
Polaroid of the Week: Sumidero Canyon, Mexico
2010
08.26
08.26
Sumidero Canyon is located directly between San Cristobal de las Casas and Tuxtla Gutierrez in the state of Chiapas. The Canyon was formed by the river Grijalva and is 35 kilometers long. Sumidero can be accessed in two ways: by taking a boat tour through the bottom or visiting one of the five viewpoints that overlook the canyon by car. We recommend the boat ride through the canyon which offers stunning views of the rock faces which are up to 1000 meters high.
In addition to the amazing canyon, you can see several waterfalls, caves and the wildlife is spectacular is well: Around 400 crocodiles live on the river banks and there are great numbers of pelicans and other birds.
Mexico City on a shoestring
2010
08.22
08.22
No trip to Mexico is complete without spending at least a few days in this dense, modern yet traditional, culturally-rich, forward thinking gateway to Latin America. However, although Mexico is relatively cheaper than the U.S. or Europe, prices especially in its bustling capital of Mexico City (or Mexico D.F. in Spanish) can be much higher than most of the country. Good planning can help you make the most out of a trip to Mexico City without breaking the bank – read on for our tips to travel Mexico City on a shoestring:
Polaroid of the Week: Valladolid, Yucatan
2010
08.19
08.19
Valladolid is a little town on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula where we decided to stop for a couple of days on our way to Playa del Carmen. Although Valladolid is with a population of 45,000 considerably big, it has more the feel of a sleepy Mexican village, with pastel colored colonial buildings and a tranquil town center. A lot of the women still wear the typical Mayan dresses and sell hand-made dresses and other crafts around the town square. Valladolid is mainly famous for a cenote (underwater sinkhole) in the town center and the nearby Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, however, it has luckily been spared by mass tourism (so far).
