San Cristobal de Las Casas is our favorite city we have seen so far. Chiapas is a beautiful state and the indigenous influence is visibly beautiful, despite the poverty. Kathy is on the Pepto Bismol diet now, so I let her sleep yesterday and got breakfast by myself. It was the first meal I was unable to finish. Bread, butter, fruit salad, and an omelette the size of a football. Again, the coffee was great.

I walked to the Zocalo, and read some more of Exodus before returning to wake up Kathy at 11. We walked up Victoria Guadalupe to another church that was on a hill overlooking San Cristobal. The view of the city was nice, but the view of houses on the hidden side of the hill was interesting as well. Tin roofed houses were packed together, but every inch of green was planted with corn.

We walked back down the hill and picked up some souvenirs at a Nuevo Zapata store. I bought a flask of Aguardiente (like posh) for 56 cents and drank it with Coke while Kathy and I wandered aimlessly. We must have discussed teaching for 2 hours on a park bench outside the Zocalo. We also reminisced about our beloved Mema Margaret, who passed away three nights ago. We talked about the good times with Mema and Curly, and did not shed a tear. The real cry will come I´m sure when we return and see our mother.

We had some coffee. I flipped through a Spanish GQ while Kathy read her book. Energized, we changed, and headed for La Revolucion, which is a hip bar on the main pedestrian thoroughfare. They had a happy hour special, and Kathy and I had three beers apiece. I broke down, and ordered a hamburguesa and fries. The bar was full of hippies, from Mexico and abroad. Kathy and I finished off the Aguardiente with Coke back in our room, and headed out for the nightlife we had heard so much about. The election is over (it´s tied or something) so lots of travellers were doing the same. We went to La Revolucion and enjoyed some folk music for awhile. Kathy drank less than me because she is sick.

We went to another place that was more like a club. A great reggae band played. Kathy sat, but I had a few Cuba Libres and enjoyed dancing by myself for approximately an hour. I must have looked like an ass, but I felt great! We got to bed around 12.

This morning we took a tour to see Sumidero Canyon. It was not a huge canyon, but we did see some interesting wildlife (monkeys, crocodiles, and pelicans). It was nice just to be on the water, helpful for my hangover. We stopped at another village on the way back, but it looked pretty much like Chamula. Kathy had a quesadilla that probabl y contained 2 pounds of cheese.

I was astonished at how many Mayans I saw carrying firewood alongside the highway. They came in and out of the woods where I assume their homes are. There are so many of them, but you don´t really see them unless you look. I bought a book today about indigenous peoples of Chiapas. I am fascinated, because we have nothing comparable in the States.

Back in San Cristobal, we purchased a few more souvenirs and gifts and had some coffee. Our bus for the beach leaves at 7:00. 13 hours! Looking forward to doing nothing on the beach for a few days.

John