After nearly 5 months of traveling in México it is time for us to move on so we can explore Central America. Our experiences here have been amazing and México has rather surprisingly earned a special place in our hearts.

Before our arrival in México we really didn’t know what to expect — after all, the press is not exactly complimentary in its coverage of this part of the world. Like most people (perhaps), we knew of the shanty border towns and the luxurious beach resorts, but not much else. Fortunately these are the extreme caricatures and not the reality for the vast majority of México.

Here are some of the reasons that we fell in love with México:

The friendliness of the people. Everywhere the people that we have met have been so friendly and so welcoming to us. Here people and relationships are culturally very important and this was evident everywhere that we went. The Mexicans that we met wanted to make a genuine connection with us and they often succeeded in doing so.

The Mexican culture. Mexico has a rich cultural spectrum that runs both deep and wide. There are archeological structures here that date back as far as 1000 B.C. (3,000 years ago!) and there are many others still standing that were built in the span of time leading up to the arrival of Cortés. Add to these marvels the beauty of the Spanish colonial architecture and the multitude of indigenous cultures that still thrive here and México has one amazing cultural mélange.

The food. Ahh… where to begin? There is such an immense variety here, all made fresh, and incredibly delicious. Some of our favorites include the fish tacos, the shrimp in mojo de ajo (garlic) sauce, fresh salsas, mole sauces, tortillas, chilaquiles, rellenos, tamales, tortas, nieves (fruit ices), aguas frutas, coffee (especially Café de Olla — which is coffee that is flavored with chocolate and cinnamon), chocolate, mangos, papayas, limes, avocados, and more. Yum!

A thriving middle class. This is a pretty big deal to us. Of all of the countries that we’ve visited (over 50 or so) the happiest societies tended to be in those places that have a thriving middle class. Not only do the people tend to be happy, but most people also tend to be gainfully employed and the crime rates tend to be low. All in all it makes for nice places to be. In most of México, this has meant that there were many local families enjoying the nice restaurants, and visiting museums and pyramids as tourists. Many of the middle-class kids have really nice toys — bikes, remote-controlled cars, and even game tablets. Yes, there is still poverty here (as there is in the U.S. and other countries), but because of the size of the middle class here, we felt like we fit in a lot more and were not treated like just tourists.

Zero hassles. While other travelers might have a different experience, we encountered none of the hassles that often go along with traveling in other countries. The touts (people selling stuff on the streets) were not obnoxious and were respectful of us when we opted not to buy from them, the police were always professional and courteous to us, and we were not asked to pay a single bribe. While we took the same precautions against theft that we did in the U.S. and Canada, we did not have anything stolen here nor did we worry much about it. In addition, the paperwork to get in and out of México (which we did twice each in different locations) was very straightforward and quick to complete.

Reasonable prices. Compared to our recent experiences in Canada, the US, and even Belize, the prices in México are quite reasonable. Because of the lower prices, we have been able to afford to stay here longer and to have enjoyable experiences more often. For example, we ate out at restaurants quite frequently and sometimes at rather upscale kinds of places. The medical care here is very good and affordable — it cost us US$40 each to get our teeth cleaned here, for example. This lower cost of living is undoubtedly a factor in why so many Canadians and Americans choose to retire here.

Climate. Before entering México, I envisioned the climate here to be mostly like that in Southern Arizona — a dry, desert environment with searing heat in the summer and cool days in winter. What I didn’t appreciate is just how varied the climate is in México. While most of the coastal areas can be hot and humid, the vast majority of the country is at a relatively high elevation — either in the mountains or on a high plateau. This provides for a much more varied temperature range. It can get below freezing in the coldest months in some areas and be quite warm in other areas. Also, unlike in regions further north, the warmest months are not in June, July and August. Instead, here the warmest months are in March, April and the early part of May before the rainy season arrives. Even during those warm months, it can still be cool enough at night in the high elevation areas to warrant wearing a jacket and some long pants (and sometimes hats and gloves are needed too!)

Child friendly. Kids are welcome everywhere here — even in the nicest restaurants. There are so many activities on offer for kids, including numerous water parks and playgrounds. On weekends there are bouncy castles, trampolines, and even little electric cars available for kids to use in the town plazas. Having Quinn with us opened many doors than would’ve been otherwise. People were genuinely curious about the boy with blond hair and blue eyes and would often approach us to ask his name and how old he is. Teenage girls in particular were enamored with him, but even grown men couldn’t resist asking us about Quinn and gently patting him on the head. That might sound a little creepy out of context, but it was all done respectfully and in good humor.

Probably the biggest compliment that we could give to México is that we believe that we could actually live here. That designation does not come easily to us — while we have visited many wonderful places over the years, there are very, very few places where we believe that we would be comfortable and happy living for some period of time. After all, there can a world of difference between what makes a place great for a vacation versus a place to live contentedly for months or even years. For us, for the reasons above (and more) México meets our criteria and is truly a special country. We will be back! 🙂

We think Chiapas is our new favorite state in Mexico. We’ll let the pictures tell the story for this update.

During our last morning at the Maya Bell in Palenque we got to check out some frogs in action. Check out all the tadpoles. Don’t they think they have enough?

From Palenque we drove to Frontera Corozol, the town nearest the Maya ruin of Yaxchilán. A swim in the river helped with the heat and humidity, at least temporarily.

We got to see more howler monkeys at our campsite there, but it was really hot and the sandflies came out at dusk forcing us into the hot van. We passed a frozen bottle of water back and forth to try to cool our skin down.

The next morning we took a boat 40 minutes down river to see the ruins.

Yaxchilán is smaller than Palenque, but it’s setting on the river makes it very nice.

We even got to see a crocodile from the boat on the way back!

Next stop Bonampak, where it was still hot and humid, so more swimming was in order (no crocs here!). A heavy rain in the evening helped to cool things off a bit. We decided we didn’t want to go see the ruin there, so we departed in the morning for the long drive toward the highlands, and hopefully cooler weather.

Witt and Quinn used some rope and our colander to make a fishing net. We even caught one! Don’t worry, we released him so he could re-join his family.

After a long drive the next day we made it to Las Nubes, another series of waterfalls on the Río Santo Domingo. We didn’t gain enough elevation to cool off but at least the swimming was good!

We hiked to a viewpoint where the river passes through a tunnel.

The next day’s drive to the Lagos de Montebello. We climbed about 4000 feet, and when we arrived at the campsite it was cool and breezy. Heaven!

We got a great campsite right on the shore of the lake.

We enjoyed a great camp at Sima de las Cotarras. We were the only ones there and we had a campfire and a fantastic, cool, quiet night’s sleep. The next morning we headed for Aguacero, which involved 742 stairs down into the Sumidero River canyon. We bathed in a waterfall plunging into the canyon from the rim high above and Quinn had a great time playing in the water. There were several other local families picnicking there as well.

We enjoyed our first campfire since the Baja Peninsula

After lunch at the restaurant on the rim, we hit the road planning to stop in Tuxtla for the night before heading to San Cristobal the next morning. The motel/campsite advertised in our guidebook was closed, so we decided to push on. The drive to San Cristobal involved climbing 5000 feet in about 30 miles. I think we can safely say that our power problems are solved!

As we arrived in town we were greeted by cool weather, a welcome change from the heat of the lowlands. We found our campsite and settled in for the night next to a Canadian family that we had met in Oaxaca.

We spent 3 days in San Cristobal, visiting a couple of museums and enjoying the mountains, the cool climate, and good food. We spent a lot of time trying to decide whether to visit the Yucatan Peninsula, as was our plan. May is the hottest month throughout most of Mexico, and we’re not sure we want to spent a couple of extra weeks in the hot and humid lowlands. However, when we talk to people who have been we’re reminded of amazing beaches, cenotes, and great Mayan ruins. Decisions, decisions.

San Cristobal is set at 7000 feet and we enjoyed the cool climate.

The town is home to lots of nice colonial architecture and great pedestrian malls.

Q gets another haircut.

Mango Lady! Mango Lady!

Mmmm Mango

We left San Cristobal on Tuesday heading toward Palenque. We stopped first at Tonina, our first jungle ruins. We camped that night at a small hotel / campground run by a local family. We had a great time and met some French expats from Mexico City. Quinn got to play with their kids as well as the host family’s son.

The ruins at Tonina were uncrowded and very impressive.

This being Easter week, a somewhat important Catholic holiday, there are lots of people on holiday (here it is called Semanta Santa). We stopped at two waterfalls on our way to Palenque, and although they were very beautiful, the crowds kept us from staying long.

The falls were beautiful…

… But the transportation was a little sketchy.

We arrived at the Maya Bell campground near Palenque that afternoon. Now that we had descended from the highlands to near sea level in the jungle we expected to find heat and humidity in abundance. We were pleasantly surprised to find it nice and cool. We learned that a heavy rain the previous night had cooled things off, but it wouldn’t last.

The next day we hired a guide and toured the amazing ruins of Palenque. The site covers a large area, but only 10% of the site has been excavated, leaving thousands of structures still covered by jungle. Part of our tour included a walk through the jungle and we could see the walls of un-excavated buildings in the jungle. With more time to explore you could almost feel like Indiana Jones here.

One of the excavated temples at the site.

That afternoon the heat and humidity returned in full force and we spent the afternoon in swimming pool of the campground. Quinn found a friend to play with, and they had a great time together. Their family has been travelling for 12 years, and includes two boys ages 5 and 7, a 10 year old girl and a dog. The 7 year old suffers from cerebral palsy. The next day, the family, including Spirit the dog, set off on bikes to visit Bonampak, a 2 day ride away. It’s absolutely amazing what some people are able to accomplish.

We got to see some beautiful birds and howler monkeys right in the campground.

We already feel like we’re going to melt into the jungle, so we decided to skip the Yucatan Peninsula. We’re planning to traverse the Carraterra Frontera, a 300km section of highway that runs south, then back to the west along the Guatemal border. We hope to see another set of ruins, then climb back into the highlands where hopefully we will enjoy cool weather once again!