In the Jungle
From San Cristóbal de las Casas, we took a three-day tour to Laguna Miramar, in the middle of the Chiapas rainforest. It was an incredible experience, very tiring but awesome fun. Just to give you a small glimpse:
Two hours to Ocosingo by comfortable first-class bus, then seven hours on the back of an oversized pick-up truck to a village near the lake. The pick-up truck was completely overloaded with lots and lots of cargo and about 25 people in total. Half of them were sitting on the roof of the pick-up’s cage, ducking their heads whenever we passed a low power line or tree.
A seven kilometer hike to the lake from the village, along a completely muddy trail (it had rained in the morning…) reminding me acutely of García Márquez’ novels. It was humid as hell and once we got there I was covered in mud.
The lake itself a completely untouched, pristine retreat from humanity. It is big and clean with awesome clear water. We shared it only with a local fisherman as we were canoeing across with our guide to find the most beautiful spots.
Meeting locals — most of whom lived in the middle of the jungle all their lives. Some of the conversations were quite awesome, for example this one:
Local: So, where are you from?
Me: Germany.
Local: Oh, is that the United States already?
Me: Nooooo, that is even further. It is on another continent altogether, you have to cross the ocean to get there.
Local: (making big, unbelieving eyes) Really!? Even further than the US?
- And hearing lots of strange talk in the local indigenous tongue — tzeltal.
It was an awesome trip. Later, my butt hurt (from sitting too long on a wooden bench on a pick-up truck on the way there), my arm ached (from holding on standing for six hours on the way back) but I was glad to have done it as the trip is more than worth it…
