DIVERSION EXCURSION: SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, CHIAPAS, MEXICO (DECEMBER 21 THROUGH JANUARY 6)

PART ONE – GETTING THERE.

My friend Lynn O. and I managed some advanced planning of the trip to include booking and paying for a B&B on line for our arrival. We booked for two nights only with the intent of staying longer if the location and accommodations were satisfactory. If not to our liking, we would just search the streets for another locale. Having been to San Cristobal on three previous occasions, I knew there were lots of places one could stay.

We purchased our bus tickets for the 14 hour trip well in advance and got the seats we desired. I even used my INAPAM card and got 50% off the round trip fare! What a deal!! The Mexican Government will issue senior citizens a card that allows for a 50% discount on bus fares in addition to other various discounts from participating local merchants. (Ahhh, the benefits of old age!) It reminded me of being at a restaurant in Florida and getting s senior's discount on an early bird special!

The bus was scheduled to leave on Dec 21 at 6:20 PM. On the morning of the 21st, I had a light breakfast at my favorite restaurant and packed four ham and cheese sandwiches for our journey. I did not eat anything else before getting on the bus, and was not feeling too well by late afternoon. To make a long story short, it was downhill from there. I had lots of aches and pains, headache, flushing feeling, and lower abdominal cramping. I had no other gastrointestinal symptoms, so it wasn’t the food I ate. I chalked it off to the excitement of the trip.

With each passing street sign and mile marker, I began to feel worse. I couldn’t eat or drink anything and my head was just pounding and my stomach was roaring. I felt just horrible, but there was no turning around. My travel companion, Lynn, was fine and gave me plenty of encouragement and sympathy. It helped, but definitely not a cure.

At a scheduled stop in Escarcega, Lynn reached in the overhead for her travel bag only to discover that someone had stolen her wallet, all her money, passport, credit cards, tickets, luggage checks, and medications. We desperately searched hoping it all had fallen out of the bag or she had misplaced it. Not the case. It was gone. Needless to say, Lynn was devastated and I was, too. We continued on to our next scheduled stop, Palenque, and Lynn decided she had to get off the bus and return to Merida. She couldn’t continue without identification, money, or most importantly, her medications.

I lent her sufficient funds to purchase a ticket from Palenque to Merida and buy some replacement medications from the local pharmacy, and enough to get some food and drink if she needed. The specific medication she needed is not available in Mexico but thankfully, she had a supply of it at the house in Merida. I gave her the sandwiches and drinks I had packed and I continued on to San Cristobal and she returned to Merida. I was hoping she would later join me in San Cristobal, but she just wasn’t up for the trip again. Who could blame her after all that?

I continued to feel worse and worse and arrived in San Cristobal quite under the weather. I was worried about Lynn, slightly anxious about being alone, wondering about the B&B we booked, and just basically how all this would work its way out. It was a trying time to say the least.

I had two check-in bags and a small carry on. When I got to San Cristobal, I had to claim my check-in bags. What a complete hassle. The baggage claim checks were stolen out of Lynn’s bag, along with the return tickets! I eventually convinced the baggage handler that I was who I presented to be and gave him plenty of identification. He rather reluctantly gave me my bags. Of course, I had to wait until everyone else had claimed their bags. Continuing to feel worse and extremely weak, I searched for a porter. There were none to be had! They don’t use them at bus stations. You just schlep your bags as best you can.

I struggled with the luggage and managed to get it out of the station and to the cab stand. By now, I must have looked like death warmed over because the cabbie took pity on me and loaded my bags in the cab for me. I told him where I needed to go, and he gave me a blank look. He never heard of the place we had booked. I had to shuffle through my papers and came up with the address. He finally delivered me to my destination and I was relieved to be at the B&B!

This story is to be continued, believe me! Stay tuned for Part II – The booked B&B.