San Cristobal is a lovely town. It’s not that small but it at it’s core, it feels kind of like a ski town, but not so touristy. Certainly there are tourists, but being in Chiapas, it’s not really on the path for many casual travelers, at least not from my perspective. There are a lot of visitors and a lot of people who have seemingly stayed there following a prior visit. It’s a bit of a hippy town, vegetarian restaurants, gringos in yoga gear and such, but it’s more of a locals place.
Known as a hub for anti-government/pro-indigenous rights, there is naturally a punk and art undercurrent that flows through the blood of the city. Despite this, it feels immensely safe. However, you can hear it the way people talk (especially in the free walking tour — where it’s said directly to you), the art people create (often violent and rebellious), and even in the architecture. As far as I learned from the walking tour, many local religious symbology was hidden within the construction and design of local cathedrals, which there are many of, because well…this is Mexico.
To talk of my experience here is much different than the other places I’ve gone. It was much more family style and felt like a homestay despite living in a dorm. My hostel, Frida Kerida, is one of the best I’ve encountered. Not because of a great building or particular amenities but because of the hospitality from Mauricio, the owner/operator. If you are friendly, you will become a part of his crew and get to experience things not normally accessible to passersby, especially at a large hostel.
For instance, one night we attended a birthday party for an old guest of the hostel who is now living and working there with his French girlfriend. Mauricio led me, Lucas (previously mentioned Aussie) and Roman (German we met at this hostel) further out of the city center and we made our way to a house in the hills for a night of bbq, music, and chellas (Spanish slang for beers). It’s hard to translate this to words, but it maintained the vibe that I seek out for all events but can rarely find. The house is a small one bedroom with high ceilings, a large backyard, with a great view overlooking San Cristobal. The brick, tile, and flooring sets a nice ambience and pairs well with the decor inside.
The night itself started with a few hours of grilling chicken, ribs, sausages, and carne asada while talking and sipping beers as the sun gradually set and the cold rolled in. As night settled, we moved indoors. Having figured out that many of were musical or at least just liked music and singing, we started a little jam sesh. Equipped with guitar, ukulele, hand drums, and pan flutes we half assed our way through songs and jams with tipsy laughter and joyful singing. One of the guys there was incredible at guitar and seemed to know a thousand songs, most of which were in Spanish and many about the mistreatment of locals. Nevertheless, it was a fun time and everyone felt the camaraderie in the air and the sharing of cultures through the common language of music.
This communal vibe would continue throughout my stay in San Cristobal, through movie nights, shared breakfasts, and group hangs with people from the hostel. In addition, there would be a few day trips that I explored as well.
Sumidero Canyon
Geologically, this is a very exciting place. Not that I know much about anything about the rock formations or how they were created. That doesn’t mean it’s not easy to take in and wonder at the large canyon as you boat through the river splitting it. There is tons of wildlife, mainly birds, sitting and flying about. Plants grow up the steep cliffs and trees at the bottom create a well lined river. However, there is a lot of trash, and the area where you enter the tour and where they drop you off after is painfully touristy. All together though, it is an enjoyable time to appreciate some of the natural beauty of Mexico.
Rancho Nuevo Caves
Honestly, not something I’d recommend. The ride getting out there isn’t too bad, simply catch a collectivo. However, it’s a campground/almost wannabe amusement park. Pro it seems like a pretty local spot. Bad news, you pay for entry and every thing you want to do. Which could be a perk since many of the activities there aren’t really worth doing. The reason we went was for the caves. If you’ve seen a cave before then this isn’t special. There are some cool rock formations and you can go a ways in BUT there are no activities. I love exploring caves, especially when there is water, but more so when there are things in the cave that make it exciting. This felt more like a waiting line for a disney ride. Call me spoiled or whatever, but it’s not really worth it. Glad to see that there is a place that locals can go and camp or explore though. I think that a risk of tourism is that everything gets geared to outsiders, so keeping things directed towards the local populace is a positive.
By and large, the culture in San Cristobal is laid back and artsy. There are modern and trendy cafes and bars with all kinds of ideologies expressed. One of my personal favorites, and my last example, is a board game and comic store that I went to with two of the people from my hostel. We played King of Tokyo, a good and pretty easy game where you basically play as monsters trying to destroy Tokyo and your competition. Anyways, we have that culture in the states and well established in Seattle. Seeing it was a nice reminder that people everywhere want to enjoy people company and play games, regardless of other differences.
