Once upon a time in México (part III - this is the end my friend)

Day 13-21: San Cristobal de las Casas - Coyoacan, México city: True colours

San Cristobal de las Casas was truly something unique. I felt very comfortable while visiting the city. Although the mayan villages were something else that qenuine, they were still nice places to visit. We visited San Juan Chamula and did some pretty serious shopping there; beautiful handicrafts with very low prices. The locals at San Juan Chamula don´t appreciate if they are getting photographed, so it is wise to respect their will.

I found a beautiful blouse, a scarf and coolest shoes from San Juan Chamula and Chiapas. Did more shopping there than I did in D.F - Mexico City.

San Cristobal de las Casas was of course more than a shopping mecca for me. It was tasty food, mezcaleries and tequila, music, all in a great atmosphere. The people on the streets were oh-so-cool; tastes and styles mixing peacefully together; mexican, mayan, hippie, punk-rock, rasta, street musicians, back-packers, old, young, girl, boy, adult, kid, teenager, grandpa´s and ma´s, black, white, yellow - perfectly balanced. I was very inspired with the town of San Cristobal de las Casas. Note to self: Next time visiting San Cristobal de las Casas, bring a quality camera.

From Chiapas the trip continued towards the state of Veracruz. Another night on a bus. I did not sleep very well that night, it was cold and moist. In the morning I woke up with my other cheek wet. It had rained in the night and apparently there was a leak on the roof and it had hit me.

I have to be honest and say that Veracruz was disappointing. I don´t know what did I expect but I did not get very good vibrations from the city. Although I met some awesome people there again too! Veracruz most likely has a lot to offer but this time I was not up for it. Instead I continued my trip the next morning.

Decided to stop by Jalapa, or Xalapa, for its coffee mostly. As a serious coffee-junkie I needed to have a cup of Mexicans finest coffee. And it was said to come from a small village called Coatepec right by the city of Xalapa. Checked in to a youth hostel in Xalapa, nice, clean and very cheap too. Then rushed already to hop in a bus to catch Coatepec. And how did my day end up with?

Coatepec sure was worth visiting. After having a cup of Mexicans best quality coffee I walked to a central park of the village and sat down for a while. Some locals came to me wanting to see my tattoos more closely and when I asked what there was to see in Coatepec the pointed out the tourist info. Over there my eye caught only one interesting attraction I wanted to visit and that was a "mirador". I started walking towards the direction the people at the info had told me to. There were no signs on the way to the mirador so I had to stop every now and then to ask the people on the directions. Some of them knew the place and gave directions, some of them did not even know what I was talking about. Typical. But I did not give up.

On the way taking photos I bumped to a funeral home and decided to visit it. Had a nice chat with the family running the businesses and ended up facebook friends with their 10-year-old son who was very interested in different countries and cultures. Nowadays he is getting photos and news from a country called Finland on a regular basis :)

Finally I had found my way to the Mirador of Coatepec. It had been quite a walk up to the hill in a very warm afternoon. I was sweating and very thirsty. There were some people sitting and enjoying the day there and they were waving to me to come over. I was offered something to drink and before I realized I was invited to their company to have a picnic/late lunch at the terrace by the Mirador.

The nice people showed me the surroundings and a viewing tower with the nicest views to the village. The famous coffee was growing on the plantations and forests surrounding us.

Xalapa - Tecolutla

Tecolutla - Mexico city & Coyoacan