Pampering in San Cristobal

At 6:30 AM, we arrived in San Cristobal. It’s a bit (actually quite a bit) cooler here than in Oaxaca since the town is nestled up in the mountains. The town is small, so we walked over to our hostel, Posado Mexico, which is part of the international hostel chain called Hostelling International—very fitting! :) We were joined by a little entourage. Two Mexicans were headed the same way as us, so they showed us the way. Plus, a dog had fallen in love with us at the bus station and decided to follow us all the way. A double room costs 200 pesos, which includes breakfast and free internet. We found a mattress/couch in one of the common areas where we could catch a bit more sleep since check-in isn’t until 11. Luckily, we were able to get our room from 10 AM, so we dropped off our bags and headed down into the town. Now that the sun is up, it’s lovely and warm. From around 10 AM to 4 PM, the sun is out, and the warmth feels great. After that, it gets pretty chilly. We walked down to the local market, where many indigenous people come to sell their crafts—embroidered clothing, wooden figures, leather goods, and more. We bought a leather Maya calendar for 60 pesos. Not far from there was another market selling meat, vegetables, spices, and bread. The vendors at both places were mostly indigenous folks, tiny little people who came up to about our waist. Some of the women were carrying live chickens, their legs tied together, swinging them around so that others could see and hopefully buy them. Not everyone was brave enough to have their photo taken. We politely asked if we could take a picture. One indigenous woman said yes, while another threw a blanket over her head just as the picture was snapped! :) There are plenty of deals for menu del dia, so we only paid 40 pesos per person for lunch. We had vegetable soup with pasta and stuffed veggies/potatoes, along with orange juice. We really needed to massage our sore muscles, so we went to a sort of gym where we got an hour-long massage. They could only massage one of us at a time, so we had to wait for each other. We managed to haggle the price down from 450 pesos to 300 pesos each. It was a bit pricey, but oh so nice. By around 9 PM, we were getting hungry, so we headed to a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet, Mayambe. The restaurant was an open-air courtyard with a fire in the middle, providing a lovely warmth on the chilly evening. They offered a mix of Mexican, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Italian food. We chose a Vietnamese and an Indian dish. The total came to 208 pesos, including drinks—a beer and a cocktail.