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El Arcotete is a kind of cave above a rocky archway with a river flowing through the archway at the bottom. The river probably carved its way through the wall and let this archway appear. You reach the top via a kind of staircase on the side, where the beginning of the cave kind of functions as a natural bridge in the rock/stone. From the top you can then look down onto the river, which is pretty cool. And just like in underground caves, there are stalagmites and stalactites. The whole thing is really cool and something I've never seen before. The only problem: I'm not sure if you can get there by bus. Because nobody just drives there. At least no locals. We went with several people and a guide who had a car. However, I'm sure that there should be another way. If not, you will of course have to bargain to get a good price. Whether you should go or not is up to you, but I thought it was really cool. Therefore if you have time, why not?

Zinacantán is a small, really small, village that has a really beautiful church with a town sign in front of it. Apart from that, in Zinacantán you can see how these table mats or scarfs are woven. I was mainly there for the latter. I had noticed these scarfs, or as I found out in a conversation at some point, actually table mats - I really had to laugh when I heard what they were meant for and what I thought they were :D -. You have to imagine they really hang everywhere! Really everywhere. On all kinds of markets in all kinds of colours and with all kinds of patterns. And I think the most important thing is that they were and are portable. That means I could actually buy something that wasn't a bracelet, earrings or ankle bracelet. I quickly fell in love with these things. When I found out that they spend 15 to 16 hours on one of those scarfs/table mats until it's finished (at least that's what I remember), my jaw really dropped and I really wanted and needed to go to where they are being made. In other words, where you can watch people weaving these scarfs. When I arrived in Zinacantán, I was taken by a local to a woman who was sitting on the floor of a hut and weaving. These scarfs in all sorts of different colours were hanging all over the walls and it was one of the first times I felt bad that I really couldn't find a scarf that I liked. Neither could I bring one with me at that moment, so... Yeah. I had a look around, was offered a mezcal in a mini cup and got to watch the woman do her job for a bit. It was almost a bit meditative the way she worked so calmly and relaxed. I mean, I'm well aware that most of it was probably staged, but it was still an experience. I politely asked if I could take frontal photos of her at work - without her face on them, of course. I was actually allowed to, which surprised me a little. Of course, I was extra discreet and tried not to disturb her while she was working. Apart from that, she didn't speak much Spanish. I strongly suspect though that she simply spoke a dialect from Zinacantán and nothing else, or that she didn't say anything for some other reason. When I got back outside, I went to explore Zinacantán a little. I had to digest what I had just seen and also wanted to have a look around. I realised how poor most non-touristy places look to the naked eye and how little most tourists - including myself in some cases - probably ever get to see of the real Mexico outside of tourist villages and big cities. I also realised how incredibly small Zinacantán is and of course discovered the cathedral on my little tour. It towers beautifully and proudly in front of you with mountains in the background and a wonderful sign in the foreground. Well, there's not much else in Zinacantán. Oh and you can of course get back quite easily with a taxi colectivo. There are no buses going to Zinacantán or back to San Cris due to the low frequency of people. So I would answer whether you should go or not as follows: It's worth a half or full day trip if you want to see how these scarfs/table mats are woven. I wouldn't go just for the cathedral because it's just a sweet ad-on for when you're there anyway. The weavering and the whole experience itself is quite impressive, at least it was for me, but at the same time very special in terms of what you're interested in. So I would advise you to go, but! only if you still have time and curiosity 😊

The mammoth grottes near San Cristóbal are both cooler and less cool than you might expect. The uncool thing: the grottes aren't really like amazingly beautiful - to be honest. But!!!! The part that is labelled as a mammoth actually looks like a mammoth. And I've seen a lot of things in Mexico that were pretty much made up. So... Apart from that, the grotte or cave is really big. Like when you enter, it's quite a big grotte where you slowly go further in and walk along a kind of circular path that, among other things, leads you to the illuminated mammoth. It is of course smaller than it probably would have been in reality, but the outer contours are more or less correct. Like you can recognise it. Apart from that, the grotte isn't super cool. But it is okay cool. My personal highlight at the time was when we were exploring the cave and found a mushroom growing all by itself in the dark. It was really small and I had to get really close with my camera to take a proper photo. It may sound stupid, but finding an orange mushroom like that in the dark between stones in a grotte.... You just don't expect that :D Go or not? I would say optional. The trip is quite cool, but not a priority. So I'd go if you're still up for it and have time. And I don't know whether the mushroom is still there or not :D

The market in San Cristóbal, where not only the locals get their things, but where you can also find EVERYTHING you could ever need, is bustling, colourful, crowded, completely confusing and absolutely worth the experience. Just like any typical local Mexican market. They're all slightly different, of course, but mostly have the same principle. However, I'm not sure I've ever seen prices as cheap as in San Cristóbal. Maybe in a small village. Because honestly, you can get everything for a penny at a local market in Mexico. Just like all other local Mexican markets, this one is honestly confusing, but still has sections. So: fruit/vegetables, meat, fish, an area where you can eat at the market, clothes, shoes, flowers, household goods, electronic stuff, jewellery.... I've probably forgotten something, but that's how markets are organised. You walk through and each room, or each section, offers a category of things. Which category you walk into next - no idea. Only those who go there every day or more often and always know where to get what they want probably know. For the vegans, vegetarians and animal rights activists among you: you will see things there that you don't want to see and don't expect to see at a market. Mexico is simply a completely different world - just so you know. Back to the topic. I personally love markets. Everything is colourful and full of life, a thousand new impressions and there's something to see everywhere. And I'm still of the opinion that you have to have been to at least one Mexican market - if not several. Just for the experience. So you don't have to go of course, but I would highly recommend it. Nowhere else will you be closer to local life, get cheaper stuff and experience more genuine Mexican diversity than at a local Mexican market.

I didn't actually eat out that often in San Cristóbal because I mainly cooked myself or ate street food. However, there are two places that I liked so much that I would like to introduce them: La Maldita. This is a café with a really beautiful view of San Cristóbal. The artistic low fence around the café is decorated with lamps and small flower pots, which makes the ambience very cosy and almost a little romantic. Inside there is a bar and a TV - in case anyone wants to watch football or something similar - and outside there is a really nice view of San Cristóbal. In the evening, it might even be a bit more spectacular than during the day. But take a look at both. Apart from that, I had a skull as a pendant on my teabag back then, which really amused me and gave the place character. :D Enchanted place. No, it's not the name of the restaurant, but I still don't remember it's name. All I know is that it was one of the best things I've ever eaten in San Cristóbal. Really. Even though I had diarrhoea for two days afterwards. I believe it was the mango in my dessert smoothie - be careful with freshly squeezed fruit juices and especially mango! My travel buddy though had nothing. So hands off stuff that isn't super freshly squeezed 😉 Apart from that, the place is really beautiful. Mega romantic, with dimmed lights, candlesticks, little vases of flowers on the tables made of wood and being placed appropriately apart. Really great! It's like walking into another world. Go or not? If you can find it - it's super hidden, really small and you have to go through a few winding alleyways... at least the latter - definitely. 

Chamula is a sweet, beautiful and cute little village, with a large market in the centre of the main square, a church that touched me in its own special way and a really cute viewpoint. As I was mainly in Chamula for the church, I took a quick stroll around the market square, where, as always, there was all sorts of things to buy, and then quickly headed towards the church. At this point, I'll quote my diary entry from that day, because the church was something very special for me: "I enter the church. The first thing I notice are the grey/brown curtains, which are loosely stretched from the ceiling to the side as if cut in half and form a kind of roof-shaped arch in the church. They hang in such a way that you can see not just one, but several at once. The second thing I notice is the smoke and an accompanying incense-like odour, which is particularly thick at the back of the church. Then I notice the "sea" of candlelights along both walls and the people praying in front of it on the floor. I perceive the accordion accompanied by a buuum buuum bum bum bum, the people squatting on the floor and praying quietly and loudly, the smoke rising from the candles, the shaman/priest/ I have no idea, holding a chalice made of leather and wood in his hand from which smoke rises and moves it up and down over figures on the wall and the candles in front of it, consecrating it. The wall is framed by figurines in glass cases, all representing some important figure from the Bible, I assume. The floor is covered with a kind of long, hard, dry grass. I have no idea what it is exactly. What I realise immediately is that this church is not like all the others. It is special, unique, almost intimate. The atmosphere is incredibly personal, private, I have never seen people praying so seriously and absorbedly. It is so intimate that I feel like an intruder, like someone who should leave the church out of respect for people's faith and this special atmosphere. But I fight with myself and stay. Because this is the first church that instils respect in me, that makes me pause, that lets me soak up the atmosphere like a sponge, that brings tears to my eyes and that touches me. No church has ever managed that. Not one. That is precisely why this church is not like all the others. It is unique and different. It may be that the churches in en Pueblos Indígenas are all like this. But for me, this experience will remain unique and unforgettable. I slowly begin to walk into the church. There are no photos or videos taken allowed it said on a sign outside. At first I thought ‘Höh? Why?!’ Now I understand. It's a privilege to be allowed in here. To be able to experience this atmosphere. We are already the ones who disturb others in their privacy when they speak to God - whether I believe in it or not, you can see how serious it is. We are entering a place that is absolutely holy for these people. A place where they are not vendors from the street, neither mother, nor daughter, nor anyone else. Here they are talking to someone they trust completely, having conversations with themselves, so to speak, with their innermost desires. On my way to the altar, I see children, women and men praying in front of rows of candles on the floor. One man is praying almost out loud and looks so pleading that I don't dare to watch him. It's a too personal scene between him and the God he believes in. I continue through to the back and am soon standing in front of the altar. Music is playing next to me. When it stops, Coke is handed out to everyone in small candle-shaped shot glasses. A few of the older men are drinking what looks like alcohol, but it could also be holy water, as a woman sitting right in front of the altar is pouring it on the candles to the left and right, as if to consecrate them. The woman next to her has a chicken with her, which, after being quietly placed down, simply remains sitting next to her, almost like a dog. This church here is unlike anything I know. It touches me and I would never have thought it possible that a church could do something like this to me. I move a little further away, see another chicken, a woman breastfeeding her baby, countless people kneeling on the grass and praying, talking to the candles. Nobody is afraid that something might be set on fire. Everyone is calmly watching together for safety. One man quickly wipes a few blades of grass a little further away from the candle with his foot. Just in case. It's..... the atmosphere simply leaves me speechless, casts a spell over me and doesn't let go. I would have given anything to be allowed to take a video and photos here, but at the same time I can understand very well why this is not possible. The fact that I am allowed in here at all feels like a privilege and almost unpleasant. I walk very slowly towards the entrance of the church, trying to internalise everything, remember everything, soak it all up like a sponge. Because I'm sure of one thing: I won't be coming back. Not because I don't want to, but simply because, logically speaking, it probably won't happen. And also because the scenery is a bit overwhelming. It makes me feel like an intruder. I would like to sit there, but again I would find that disrespectful to the people who are actually sitting there and praying. The situation is too sensitive, too intimate, too direct, the people too vulnerable. I couldn't reconcile that with myself. And so I let the music group pass me outside and then climb the mini-steps myself back out into the open. The church leaves me thoughtful, with great respect for the vulnerability of this place and the people of this village and as sentimental as I never thought I could be after going to church.’ I wrote all this on the same day because this church really did something to me back then. It was one of the most impressive experiences of my entire trip. Naturally, I continued walking around for a while, emotional and moved. At some point, however, the camera came out again and I went on a discovery tour. The streets of Chamula depict the real, true Chiapas. Quite poor dwellings, as well as huts or houses with in some cases a car in the front garden. At the same time, I found the ‘posters’ on the walls (murals) with emergency numbers, pregnancy tips or tooth decay somewhat funny, as well as very indicative of how local life is in Chamula. Above all, however, I found it incredibly interesting and extremely impressive to see how different everything is compared to Europe. To get to the viewpoint, I had to climb up a small driveway. And you could actually see more from in between than from the very top - trees upon trees :D - but yeah. Mexico tbh. You never quite get what you expect, but that kinda anways usually puts a little smile on your face. At least if you're open to it 😉 Chamula yes or no? For me, Chamula is an absolute must day trip. The church, the little village and all the impressions you get and how much of Mexico you can see just by walking down a few streets... It's really worth the trip! 😊

Strictly speaking, the San Cristóbal viewpoint is not actually a viewpoint. It is a staircase that leads up a mountain to the church of San Cristobalito. In fact, the staircase itself, as well as the view of San Cristóbal from up there, is a thousand times better than the church - which you can't even get into, by the way. But from the beginning: I found the viewpoint of San Cristóbal by chance. I had seen from afar that you could go up the hill somewhere and thought to myself ‘Maybe the view is nice’, marked it on my app map and then at some point, when most of the points on my San Cris list were ticked off, I walked there. The whole thing is a bit out of town (meaning not directly in the centre). You therefore have to walk a short distance to get to the steps. The steps of the staircase aren't actually very high, so you can walk up pretty relaxed and admire all the graffiti along the way. There are some really nice ones here! In between, I always turned around to enjoy the view. Of course, there wasn't much to see at first. Over time, however, I got higher and higher and from a certain point onwards you have to turn around quite regularly so that the view dosen't vanish and gets obscured by the trees lining the path and growing on the mountain. In fact, at some point I found a place where the view was really great and you could just sit down and.... You know that feeling when you suddenly know you've arrived at your favourite place of the city you're in? I don't have that feeling in every place, but sometimes it just happens. I fall in love with a place within a millisecond and know that it is one of ‘my places’. I just have that sometimes. It happens without me really being able to do anything about it. But that's exactly how it was in San Cris. I saw the view, noticed the peaceful and quiet atmosphere and simply felt at home, in harmony with myself. As a result, I stayed there for a long time and returned frequently on my next visits :D And I found a locked bike at the top of the mountain, which really raised a bunch of questions in my head that are still unanswered until today :D Go or not? Definitely yes! The wall graffiti is really beautiful, the view is really nice and it's just wonderful there when it's sunny 😊

San Cristóbal is full of really cool places. You usually find the most famous ones all by yourself. But every now and then there are places that... you have to look for or find completely randomly. I will admit that I probably wouldn't have found the first place on my own if I hadn't been travelling with my travel buddy. Plus.... I genuinly can't tell you where exactly that place is. It's simply a house where an art gallery and rooftop garden existing kinda together. It's a very quiet and relaxed place where you can switch off and escape San Cris and the hustle and bustle of the streets - even if it's only for a short time. The view over the rooftops of San Cristóbal from up there is also really beautiful 😊 So just ask around in hostels - someone will know about it - and feel free to show him or her the pictures. The other cool place is a small lake that you pass if you walk down the road from the viewpoint in San Cristóbal (i.e. arrive at the top and then walk down the back of the viewpoint) and then walk back along the main road towards San Cristóbal. It just lies there peacefully and surprised me in a positive way. It gives the whole scenery a relaxed vibe and if you've already climbed the steps to the Viewpoint anyway, you can also just walk back the other way. And then you'll pass it anyway. Go or not? Of course both are places that you don't have to go to. But sometimes I also like to go to places that aren't necessarily touristy. Simply because it gives me the feeling of getting to know the different corners of a city or town that not everyone knows. And it gives me the opportunity to feel and sense a place better. And that's why I love wandering around and discovering random places, which I then like or maybe as well not.

I love the vibe of San Cristóbal! The small town is incredibly lively and full of artists, free spirits, tourists and locals - even though San Cristóbal isn't actually that big. The city at the same time is a tourist magnet as well as it manages to stay local and somehow... authentic. I don't know how San Cristóbal manages to do it, but the local charm simply captures you in no time. And that's exactly what you feel and notice when you stroll through the streets of San Cristóbal. It doesn't matter whether you're in the centre and snacks and drinks or jewellery and handmade items are being sold everywhere by the road, or whether you move a little further away from the centre and get to know a very quiet and calm side of San Cris. Nevertheless, you can always feel that there is life between the houses, in the alleyways and on the streets. And that makes San Cristóbal really special. Of course, you also realise that you are in Mexico and, on top of that, in one of the poorest states of Mexico. It's not noticeable in the majority of the places, but even here there are of course corners that are less beautiful, houses that are a little poorer or corners that are simply a little dirtier than others. All in all, however, San Cristóbal is incredibly authentic. And that is exactly what is reflected on and in the streets. As you can probably imagine, I would highly recommend that you simply go exploring and get lost in San Cris. I promise you will discover beautiful corners and see places that not every tourist gets to.