MEXICO

GO MAX, GO MEX..ICO

My first trip alone to the Basque Country, taught me that dreams must come true.
The Trans-Siberian gave me the awareness of being able to go anywhere..
My next destination could only be dreamed Messico.
And of course I don’t mean seaside luxury resorts.
Chiapas called me since about ten years.

Mexico for me has always been EZLN and Maya.
I went to find and to look this. But not only.

As I learned on previous trips, seeing more nations makes me feel free for a much longer time than I’ve been away from home. A month on the road seems as one year.

So I organized my trip to see Mexico and Cuba.

WHAT TO SEE IN MEXICO

I started my program marking the essential places:

MEXICO CITY

It would be unthinkable not to spend a few days in the metropolis of 20 million inhabitants, to see the Zocalo, the Aztec Stadium and the ancient city of Teotihuacan.

ANCIENT MAYA CITIES

I have always liked history and geography. In my travels I have visited some of those places, almost to find myself into a school books.
I saw a lot of photos about Palenque and Tulum and I had only to go.

EZLN – ZAPATISTA ARMY OF NATIONAL LIBERATION

In high school, the first approaches to politics and demonstrations began.
In those years I started dreaming Lacandona Jungle, wondering how to meet the EZLN.
Their balaclavas and their phrases fascinated me: “we are an army of dreamers and that’s why we are invincible” accompanied my studies and the rest of my life.

I crossed the ocean with the desire to meet them. And I did it in Chiapas, near San Cristóbal de Las Casas.

RIVIERA MAYA

I’m Sardinian, I don’t need to travel the world to see white beaches and crystal clear sea.
But Mexico has different seabed and animals, so I planned to spend a few days here.
The whale sharks live in the waters of Isla Holbox from May to September so it’s possible to swim with them and to see the spectacular bioluminescence of plankton, their favorite food.

TRANSPORT IN MEXICO

PLANE

The main airports to reach Mexico are Mexico City and Cancun.
There are many flights from Europe but usually the cheapest ones leave from Madrid. More rarely there are excellent prices also from Rome, Paris, London or Monaco.
I always prefer to avoid transit in the United States.
The airport of Tuxtla Gutierrez allows you to quickly reach the State of Chiapas, if you want to avoid the approximately 11-14 hours of bus that separate it from both Mexico City and Cancun.
Although Tuxtla Gutierrez is the capital, the symbol city of Chiapas (and old capital) is San Cristóbal de Las Casas.

BUS

I used the cheap night bus to move from Chiapas to the Yucatan.
The spacious and comfortable seats allow you to sleep without problems.
You only need to get ready for a night at polar temperatures, otherwise maximum air conditioning can ruin your journey.

COLECTIVOS

Very rarely I rent a car in my trips, I prefer to use public transport.
In Mexico I have known the colectivos: cars or minivans which travel tirelessly on the Mexican roads are the perfect vehicle for small-medium haul journeys.
Depending on the destination, they will leave when the vehicle is full or they will load people on the way.
One gesture will be enough and they will stop at the roadside.
The price changes depending on the distance but will always be cheap and convenient.

I have often read that in the less busy streets, especially in Chiapas, “improvised checkpoints” of local inhabitants can block the road with a rope and ask for money to restart the vehicle.
It honestly never happened to me.
But we always have to remember that Chiapas is the poorest State of Mexico and some situations are determined only by poverty.

MY TRAVEL

Usually it is better to book also the return trip.
I found a great price to get to Mexico Citywith quick stopovers in Rome and Paris.
At about 40 km from Mexico City there is the archaeological area of what was one of the largest cities in the world: Teotihuacan.

From Mexico City I reached Chiapas by plane to Tuxtla Gutierrez, reaching the pleasant city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
Here the journey would not have been the same if I had not lived these days with the Colectivo Lajkin.
They are italians who live in Mexico and explane local history and culture. Thanks to them I met indigenous peoples, the Zapatistas and some social cooperatives.
They know how to discovery enchanted places, among forests, waterfalls, cavities with thousands of parrots and obviously old Maya city.
Chiapas remain in my heart thanks to them.

I travelled with a night bus to Tulum, the scenic Mayan city which see the Caribben Sea.
The beach below is small and crowded, so it’s better to move to the long adjacent beach or, in my opinion better still, to Akumal, where you can see the turtles just a few meters from the beach.

In the Riviera Maya is however possible to find the beach that suits your needs, up to the chaotic and crazy Cancun.

Without forgetting to see at least one cenote, a collapsed karstic cave that, filled with water, looks like a lake in which to swim.

To see whale sharks I spent a few days in the quiet and peaceful Isla Holbox but unfortunately the rain and storm stopped all boats. . A good reason to come back.

From Cancun then took the plane to the island of the Revolution: Cuba.