Wandering, but not lost

Chiapas was the most anticipated part of the trip. Chiapas is the most southern state of Mexico, by the Pacific coast and by the Guatemalan border. It is a very diverse state when it comes to physical geography, it includes sub-tropical rainforest, high mountains and plains, the coast. It was also one of the states where ancient Mayans reigned for centuries, leaving behing hundreds of temples In Chipapas the amplitude of the tempretatures were the highest of all trip, for example driving from city of San Cristobal de las Casas in the cool mountains town to Palenque region in a hot and humid jungle. 

It actually used to be a part of Guatemala until the 1840s as its people had stronger bonds and a sense of identity tied with Guatemala.

Chiapas is a paradise full of hidden gems and uncanny attractions that would thrill any adventure seeker - but not everybody dares to. Chiapas is unfortunately one of the poorest states of the country and even with its relatively low crime rate some inciidents may occur, specially to the tourists that roam around by themselves. Not necessairly life-threatening situations, but it is not uncommon to encounter a barricade of children on the road who won't let you pass unless you hand them money. There are some particular routes that are known for that, the most known one probably being the Palenque - San Christobal de las Casas. But if you are going with a tour all the tour buses from different companies stick together and have contacts with the police so there is really nothing to stress about. We decided to take tours anyway because we didn't have enough time to cover everything up by ourselves.

Chiapas is also famous for indigenous villages with... peculiar rituals, we didn't take part in any, but I think that Chula village is the most known and touristy. There is this small catholic church that combines christianity with indigenous beliefs and sacrifices chickens in the temple during the ceremony.

Oaxaca (also known as Oaxaca de Jimenez) is the capital city of the mexican state under the same name. The city is located in the south of Mexico on the altitude od 1500 meters above sea level as it lies in Sierra Madre mountain range. It also lies on the famous panamerican highway, the road that supposedly runs through the full length of both North America and South America.

Oaxaca is a particularly abundant state when it comes to modern mexican and indigenous cultures, this area belongs to the Zapotec people which is a group that dates back to precolumbic times.

Right now it is a very colourful and rich in culture, I would dare to form a statement Oaxaca is to Mexico what Andalusia is to Spain, many stereotypes that are associated with this country are concentrated in this particular area, but maybe not in a such a straightforward way. All the colourful streets with cobblestones and with flags spread all over them, mountains peaking through the buildings and streets, some precolumbic ruins nearby, Mezcal, artisian markets with textils and FOOD! Food is a massive thing in Oaxaca, as it is home to Tamales and Mole as well as many other dishes.

It is also full of streetart and murals, it is a place where younger generations are combining the traditional culture with fresh new ideas and technology, it is for example not unusual to get specialty coffee or to come across a hipster restaurant or a culture center that is led by young people. It was a place where we just... felt good and safe. It had a really great energy.

After leaving Ciudad de Mexico and spending a couple of days on intensive sightseeing we flew to Puerto Escondido for a quick beach getaway. 

Puerto Escondido is a town in the state of Oaxaca, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.It literally translates as The Hidden Port. Luckily, despite its relatively small size it has an airport and it is connected by numerous bus routes within the state. This is a very popular holiday destination among mexicans, surfers and backpackers who are looking for uncanny places that avoid mass tourism. We didn't spend much time in the city centre itself, our hostel was closer to Punta Zicatela which is the true surfing center by the beach. 

See, Punta Zicatela had this amazing vibe about it, and it is basically because it attracts a different type of tourist than Cancun or Playa Del Carmen. It was like a couple of buildings hidden in a rainforest, connected by dirt roads and a few paved ones, where hostels stood next to goat farms or local houses. All the venues had this backpacker-boho-hipster-hippie atmosphere of slow living and spiritual wellness, yoga, healthy eating and people were moving around on scoters that had special grips for surfboards.  No luxury suites, everything casual.

Speaking of surfing, this is a fantastic surfing spot that attracts thousands of surfers. We came to Mexico during the rainy season and it was by far mostly feelable here on the Pacific Coast, the entire first day it was raining and the waves were 3-6 meters high. We were later told that this was a peak seasons regarding  wave strength in this area. It didn't stop us from getting a surfing lesson on a smaller and safer bay, which we enjoyed tremendously!