It was a long ride and again I was in the twisty roads of the mountains, but I made it into San Christobal de las Casas before things went dark. The town is high up in the mountains of the southern reaches of Mexico. The temperature is much colder up here than it is down on the coast, and even the locals were all wearing wooly coats and ponchoes.
I rode in along the main strip and into the old town. I parked the bike in the city square and then went for a walk to see if I could find cheap accommodation. It took a little while but I found a hostel with a dorm' for $5 per night and that was great. The only problem was going to be bike security but I felt it would be OK since they had a video monitor for the front door and I could park the bike in view of that.
So, I got moved in and then found a taco place to have some food - a good day :)
When I got back from eating there were a couple of locals checking out the bike (this happens a lot) and they suggested that we could actually get the bike inside if they all helped (this also happens quite a bit!).
So, a board was fetched for the steep steps, the luggage was removed, the bike was fired up and aligned for the board/door. Everybody had there positions and so I rode on up...
There was a bit of assisted balancing, and the board moved badly as the bike was about halfway in... And then there was a reving engine and a spinning rear wheel and some tire smoke and some grunting and heaving from the helpers, and ...We were in! :)
I parked the bike in the entry hall and then thanked and chatted with the helpers before we settled down to watch "Matrix" on the TV in the eating space - Yes, a good day :)
Next day (a Sunday), I wandered around the town and noted that it was very heavily tourist oriented but that I liked it anyway. The streets are all paved (so no dirt and dust) and the buildings are all quaintly antique and well kept. They don't have the uniform brown and white of the Patzquaro area and this helps since the locals choices in colour add a lot to the feel of the place. Another thing to note was the relative absence of dogs. This was also good since it meant no late night "bark fests" and very little dog "waste" (which would not just grind down into the dirt and dust as in a normal town since there was no dirt and dust). So, I was left wondering what to do with that good stout stick I had mentioned :) , but not to worry, I soon found it useful to wave at all the Internet cafes... Seriously there was one every three shops or so!
I spent the day wandering around and looking at all the toristy artizan stuff, but was pleased to be able to resist the urge to buy anything. The artisan stuff in this area is mostly textiles and some of it is very nice but I had no immediate need so was able to leave my wallet in peace. I did however find a good coffee place and had a really nice iced coffee with whipped cream :) - very decadent.
I decided that that was however enough for this town, and the next day I would head North (down the East side of the mountains to Palenqe to check out some mesoamerican ruins (you know, stone pyramids in the jungle etc...)
