"Jeah-pas!" - Ryan Lochte, probably

Yeah yeah, that's a bit of a stretch pun-wise, but Lochte's fratty catchphrase excellently sums up my enthusiasm regarding our trip to the southern state of Chiapas last week. Yes, Katie and I spent approximately 1.5 total days in varied forms of transportation (culminating in a 13-hour overnight return trip by bus), and yes, we were unable to make it to Ocosingo or Palenque (two principle destinations we planned to visit) because of bloqueos on the highway, BUT we were still able to see some beautiful nature, explore some lovely towns, and get our Christmas shopping done!

We started out in the pueblo mágico Chiapa de Corzo, where we soaked up the sun and napped through relaxed during a two-hour boat ride through the Cañón del Sumidero:

Got some spicy peanuts in a cup for the boat ride, naturally 

Did you know a group of resting vultures is called a "committee"? Creepy.

I think we just reinvented the windswept look?!

We didn't find much else to do in this town, but while sitting outside at a café we did see several people be brought into the nearby jail in handcuffs, ¡qué emoción! We also ate some mystery-meat-filled gorditas (if you don't recognize the items on the menu, be wary of the cueritos unless you like eating pig skin...). After walking a couple dozen laps around the town square, we decided lounging (read: conking out) by the pool was the move. 

Just resting my eyes

Baffling (but cool?) fountain in the middle of the plaza

Merengues, yes plz

For the next few days we were based in the enchanting San Cristóbal de las Casas. I can definitely see why weird hippies travelers from all over the world decide to settle there; in our initial stroll Katie and I couldn't stop oohing and ahhing and squealing with glee as we turned down endless picturesque streets and discovered little shops and restaurants.

Fulbright mentor Amber showed us the best of San Cristóbal (e.g. Falafel Tuesdays)

Due to our ambitious itinerary, we had to put our SCDLC explorations on hold to get in touch with Mother Nature down in Comitán. 

Some fellow Fulbrighters had provided us with extensive instructions for finding a guided tour of the Lagos de Montebello in Tziscao, and everything fell into place suspiciously surprisingly well. First, we hunted down a combi headed for the frontera, and though we were concerned that we were the only passengers at first (you know, the whole "getting into a stranger's van" thing), the driver's wife, toddler, and several close friends soon loaded in for the outing. 

An elderly woman also climbed aboard, and upon seeing me and Katie's activewear-- *gringa alert*-- she asked if we were headed to see the lakes. She then proceeded to offer her son's services as tour guide, so we got off the combi with her and waited at a roadside restaurant while she hobbled off to find him. They soon returned in his mototaxi (think of an Indian tuktuk), and we were off! 

Our wonderful guide, 17-year-old Wilmer

Accurate representation of my asombro  

Another selfie, you're welcome

At the Lago Internacional we casually crossed into Guatemala. Does that count for my scratch-off world map or nah?

Our initial plan was to hit up Ocosingo and Palenque the next day, but no tours were operating because of the protestors stopping traffic on the way there. Although we were briefly disappointed, we both confessed that our inner foodies/shopaholics we were thrilled to have extra time in San Cristóbal. 

Freaking out because we got THAI FOOD

"Sangria" a photo set up by artistic director Katherine Applegate

One of 74859735 (más o menos) parades we saw in honor of la Virgen de Guadalupe 

A cuppa tea on the balconyyy

Many thanks to my personal paparazzo, Katie

While we did spend approximately 78% of our time in the mercado, we squeezed in a short excursion to the nearby town of San Juan Chamula. The church there is famous for its unique combination of catholicism and indigenous traditions. No photos were allowed inside the church, but we witnessed several spiritual rituals that involved candles, plants, and even a sacrificed chicken. It felt somewhat wrong to be observing these ceremonies, but the church invites tourism and even charges an entry fee, so we were among many other nosy onlookers.

Chamula

I was a bit worried about coming back to Atlixco and having a daunting ten days of downtime before my final trip of the semester, but luckily (?) I was summoned back to campus to finish out a couple of classes (aka make my students sing Christmas carols with me-- gotta love how nonsecular the holiday celebrations are here!). 

Speaking of Navidad, Atlixco is bursting with Christmas spirit. More to come on that, prontito.