San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas: We've been lucky enough to travel a good bit in Mexico, so this really means something: San Cristobal de las Casas is one of the most wonderful towns in Mexico. It reminds us a bit of Oaxaca, with more character and fewer tourists. It's a place with a lot of history and passion; you can feel it everywhere you go. (And a place with a lot of political passion right now, too. Just a week before our trip, the guerrilla army EZLN announced that it had completed its reorganization and was going to "enter into a new phase of operations." The last time that the guerrillas were revolting, San Cristobal was the epicenter of the conflict. This time, they announced -- a few days later -- that their new phase didn't involve offensive violence, but we still got a little excited about the possibility.)

And it's just so beautiful. Many towns in Mexico have very colorful buildings. And others have very ornate ones. San Cristobal is blessed with colorful and ornate structures (check out the detail carved into the stone church, below right). And the mountain views down every street don't hurt. We passed a lovely day in San Cristobal -- wandering the streets, shopping for handicrafts, tasting pastries, eating phenomenal local barbecue, fighting off hammock salesmen, and people watching. My only complaint: the explosions all night. We heard them the next day too, so it must be a *San Cristobal thing*. Maybe they were cars backfiring or -- more likely -- fireworks. But in the middle of the night when Stephen was fast asleep, Kristen was absolutely convinced they were gunshots. It's amazing what a half-awake, sleep-deprived brain can turn into *reality*. Regardless, San Cristobal is worthy of many return visits.

Next page: Entering Guatemala!

Email Kristen: kristen@plumgreen.com
Email Stephen: stephen@plumgreen.com