We got up with the sun and the roosters to start our drive for the day. We sure did love Casamar and Puerto Escondido and were sad to see it in the rear view.
Today we were headed to San Cristóbal de las Casas, one of the oldest mountain towns in Mexico. We had a climb in store, we were at sea level and San Cristóbal sits at 8000ft or around 2400m. What a drive it was! Driving through clouds is something we only get to experience every so often in Colorado but this drive was half done in the clouds!
Driving into this ancient city was so cool. It is an old Spanish Colony that has kept its charm and original buildings. The streets are narrow cobblestone and there is just enough room for 2 cars.
Of course as we were trying to find our hotel in the city center it started to downpour. This was some rain, The streets were turning into rivers and it was getting hard to see. Our map said the hotel was just up on the right and I found a parking space kinda close to it. Shannon jumped out and went to check in. Bosco and I sat in the Jeep and waited for Shannon to come back. She came back about 15 minutes later saying the hotel was up the street on the left hand side and they had a parking lot a couple blocks further down the street. We found the lot and unpacked. Luckily it had stopped raining and we were able to walk the 2.5 blocks on the narrow slippery rock sidewalk to the hotel.
This was a pretty new modern boutique hotel right where all the action is. We settled in and they brought Bosco his very own dog bed and blanket. How spoiled is this dog?
We decided that we needed to eat and it was determined that we were going to see if this soup restaurant called El Caldero would let Bosco come in. Up until now we have been hanging in all of these relaxed beach towns that let Bosco go wherever he wanted. San Cristóbal is pretty inland and very much a city. Of course they said no and we ordered 2 soups and some chips and guac to go.
Shannon got Sopa de Camerones & I got Sopa de Mariscos. We walked the 5 minutes back to the hotel and dug in… wait, these shrimp have head, and eyes still on them. I was so proud of Shannon, she jumped into action, and started peeling very hot shrimp of their heads and shells into the hotel sink. There were shrimp and crabs that needed to be worked on in my soup as well. She had a pile of shells when she was done and we discarded them into the bag we carried the food in.
The soups were so fantastic! (sorry, no pics. we were so hungry!) Now we see why all of the reviews of this place were amazing. We both basically inhaled all of the food including the great chips and guac.
With our bellies full we decided to explore. We walked the short distance to the town square where there were people everywhere. It was very cool to see the square bustling with action. Lots of couples and lots of families as well. This is such a great town.
