I.I.IV.II – San Cristóbal de Las Casas: Day Two
SAN CRISTÓBAL DE LAS CASAS
I.I.IV.II – DAY TWO
17/08/22
Chiapas, also widely renowned for its jungle, is home to many natural wonders – one of which I’d be visiting soon enough. Once again, I went for the bougie day-tour instead of having to figure out the logistics on my own. Together with some ten other Mexicans, I found myself on yet another tour bus along with Rubert; our guide.
Having had planned my itinerary back when I was still in Malta, this was one of the highlights of Chiapas I was most excited to visit – the Sumidero Canyon. The chasm is a natural gorge formed around 36 million years ago at around the same time as the Grand Canyon. Its highest point is found at around one kilometre of altitude, with the thirteen-kilometre Grijalva River coursing through it.
As soon as we arrived and entered the national park, we could already see the entire thing right below our feet. A wall of overgrown grey rock covered in vegetation, the sheer drop leading directly down to the muddy brown river, all kinds of birds soaring up above. We then proceeded to do a brief hike through the jungle around the visitor centre before we headed down to the base of the canyon where a boat was waiting for us.
Into the canyon...
Getting to see the vista from above and then again from the river itself whilst on a boat was spectacular to say the least, the canyon swallowing us whole in between its winds and turns. Distracting us from the natural beauty surrounding us on every angle was the Chicoasén Dam; a huge rock wall built to store water in the artificial reservoir behind it all the while acting as a powerplant to generate hydroelectric energy.
As we made our way down the river, we had the the opportunity to observe all kinds of wildlife. From spider monkeys jumping from one branch to another to black vultures flying over us, from blue herons perching on the river bank to whistling ducks floating gracefully in the water, we were entertained throughout. Oh, and so, so many crocodiles! And these crocodiles? According to Rubert, these crocodiles are special. Turns out, they’re all vegetarian – eating just (intestinal) flora, palms (of monkeys) and apples (of someone’s eyes).
The deeper we went into the river, the denser the jungle got, with the shallow, green waters slowly giving way to a deeper, muddy-brown river. Small bays would be covered in vultures and crocs, with the occasional pelican, heron or egret gracing our eyes. Much can be said about the animals we saw, but an honourable mention also goes to some geological features in the area – like the Cave of Colours (aptly named after the multicoloured rocks making up its interior) and the Christmas Tree Waterfall (yup, look exactly like one!).
On the way back...
After the boat ride, we were dropped off at a small city called Chiapa de Corzo where we spent an hour going around the street markets and roaming around the central square. Then, it was time to head back.
You’d think coursing over the Grijalva River through the Sumidero Canyon would’ve been enough of an adventure for the day. Well, not quite. On our way back, we were stopped by some guys branding machetes and balaclavas. We’d be allowed to go on only if we paid the stipulated amount, or else – a measly twenty Mexican pesos which is equivalent to one US dollar.
I can’t say I was shocked or amused at this, mostly cause I slept through the whole ordeal and was told about this after we got back to San Cristóbal. What’s shocking though, is the fact that people would go through such things for one dollar. Once again, I was forced to come to terms with the reality of poverty, the dire circumstances some of these people live in and what they would resort to in order to make some money.