The agua tours

Lounging in Mexico was great, but for two days in a row, we decided to book tours that ended up being a lot of fun. Booking the tours was super easy, as we obviously booked through our landlord/travel agent, Luis.

The first tour, on Wednesday, was maybe an hour mini-bus ride to see the Mexican national park, Sumidero Canyon. The great part about this adventure, was there were some amazing views, and all we had to do was sit our butts down on a boat. Immediately after getting into the boat, I knew I was going to enjoy this more than anything we have done yet. Even more so than climbing a volcano. Some people would argue that the volcano is a more worthwhile experience because you have to work for the best things in life. But I argue, I'M ON A BOAT!!!

So we get to the dock, begin collecting life-vests, and load up. As you can see, Laura and Meta are excited and ready to go. Laura and I get to sit in the front row, with Meta and Uri right behind.

So we began as the guide explained what we were about to see(in Spanish), and I zoned out. I am increasing my knowledge of the language every day, but sometimes it's just system overload. I did hear him mention cocodrilos, however!

Well, not more than 15 minutes into the ride, our guide turned the boat straight toward shore and brought us in for a closer look. As we realized there was a crocodile on shore, and continued to speed towards it, we wondered just how close we were going to get. Well, he brought us withing 20 feet or so, and although this croc acted unbothered initially, a minute later he entered the water towards us. A little creepy at first, but he turned away.

Here's a little closer look.

Throughout the tour, our guide made sure to slow down and turn the boat, for some picturesque moments. The second photo of the two of us is the backdrop of the symbol of Chiapas. Chiapas is the state in Mexico where this all takes place.

Not long after a few photos and the crocs, our guide begins heading in toward shore again. As everyone in the boat is looking around confused because all we see are trees, the guide points out an iguana on top of a log. I don't know how he saw the thing, because it was motionless.

Apparently, at this point, we were in iguana territory as the guide saw yet another. This one is a bright yellow color. He told us that the bright yellow iguanas are all males, while the females are more of a grayish/green color. Seems like the males have to pretty themselves for the females.

Just a bit later in the tour, our guide spotted a monkey. It was pretty far away, so my picture didn't turn out. But I'm sure we'll see some more in the future.

Along the ride, this was a particularly interesting spot. During the rainy season, this is a very active waterfall, but at the moment, all you see is the path where a waterfall might be. There was actually a trickle of water, but for the most part, it was dry.

The following picture shows what the guide called "The Christmas Tree".

From a distance, it certainly has the appearance of a tree, but up close, we see that it was formed from water seeping out through the rocks creating a series of ridges. It is green because of all the mosses and plants that have attached themselves to the face of the rock.

It was a very exciting trip to this point, but we have to turn back somewhere. The last stop was right outside an eco-tourism complex. The guide explained that, here, you could find jaguars, pumas, monkeys, and so much more. Thanks for making me jealous, guy. I want to see jungle cats.

Not all of the animals were exciting to see exactly. Here we have some turkey vultures. There were maybe 100 or so in the air and on the shore. Even though they are pretty creepy, our guide explained that they actually do a very good job of cleaning dead animals out of the river. At the same time, they certainly live up to their name. They don't necessarily distinguish between vultures and other prey. Sometimes a fellow vulture is the prey. They sure have quite the brotherhood.

All in all, a very fun and relaxing expedition!

On the way back to San Cristobal, we made a lunch stop at Chiapa del Corzo. The four of us found a nice wall to sit down on in this structure, and enjoyed the lunches we packed.

After lunch, I took a walk around the plaza with the camera, in hunt of good shots. But all around the plaza, all I got was the same thing. (I'll have an entire post dedicated to this trend)

Day 2 began with another mini-bus ride. We were on our way to see a waterfall, caves, and lakes. As we approached the waterfall, Chiflon, I saw a white speck on the side of a mountain. We got closer, and I realized, that was the waterfall. You could see it from quite a distance.

To get to the top of the main waterfall, it was a 20 minute hike or so, but there were plenty of smaller falls that offered some excellent photo ops.

It was a bit of an extra hike to get to the very top, but here we are in front of the top falls.

Facing away from the falls, the nearby town is in the background.

Here is a view from the top, straight down.

Another stop of the day, was Las Grutas cave. There was a very nice, paved walking path through the cave that allowed a nice leisurely walk to view plenty of stalagmites and stalagtites.

After exiting the cave, we saw what looked like a giant slide. However, there was no one around using it, and no one monitering it's use. So, at first we ignored it, because we couldn't figure it out. Well, my curiosity got the best of me, and I found flattened plastic Coke bottles on the ground at the bottom. Hmmm. Of course, I had to give it a go, and Meta came along with me. It was super fun! I just wish I would have tried it earlier, because on our way down, the bus driver was loading up. No second run. Oh well.

Our final stop of the day was to Lagunas de Montebello, where there was a series of 56 lakes that were very vibrant blues and greens. We only saw the first four in the park, as it would take a whole day to see them all.

The tour bus made a stop at the fourth lake for a very late lunch. We had packed some lunches, but there were a few shelters where locals had plenty of food for sale. They were all lined up next to each other, and if you stepped anywhere near them, they began reciting all of the foods they had available. Nevermind that another woman 5 feet away was trying to do the same. Each woman just talked over the other in hopes that you would end up buying from their own stand. It's completely about grabbing your attention, because they all had the same exact foods anyway.

It was good to finally get some food in our systems, but not everyone was in agreement on that one. This one Spaniard, asked the bus driver if we could skip the stop to eat, and instead see more lakes. Really, dude? They're just lakes. They all look pretty much the same. Looks a lot like Wisconsin if you ask me. Haven't you ever been to Wisconsin? Silly question.