The Road to San Cristobal
The journey from Villahermosa to San Cristobal was quite a trip. The scenery... spectacular. The drive through the mountains... arduous. A 7 1/2 hour drive with only a few rest stops, LA and Patrick took two hour shifts. The steep mountain roads required a lot of concentration on the part of the driver. Passing cars required the utmost in timing and a lot of luck as well. We had all kinds of weather on the way..... the guys drove through rain with slick roads, and fog.
Yes, We Have Bananas!
We saw huge banana plantations that stretched for miles. The San Miguel and the Martin plantations were two of the largest.
The banana plants were covered in plastic. We conjectured about why this was done. When I got home, I looked it up. They cover the whole banana fruit with plastic when it is about 2 months old. It makes the fruit get bigger and gives good protection from the birds and bats which like the banana fruit very much. The bag also acts to hold available heat (a miniature greenhouse of sorts) as well as trap the ethylene oxide released by the fruit, which accelerates ripening.
The Middle of Nowhere
We came upon a wreck in the middle of the road in a deserted stretch of the road. It is a wonder that we didn't see more wrecks on the twisted winding roads of the mountains. Help had already arrived and It didn't appear that anyone was hurt. So, we had to pull over down the road and contemplate what we had just seen. Certainly made us think about how dangerous driving the mountain roads can be.
Entrance to a Hacienda
Stopped to Admire a Butterfly
Spectacular Views
Mountain Streams
Watch Out for Falling Rocks!
We Passed through many Local Towns
We stopped in this little nearly deserted town right outside San Cristobal. Nancy and Patrick got an ice cream cone from a local ice cream vendor. The simple cathedral is the center of the community.
We arrived tired and hungry (but most important, safely!) in San Cristobal at 7:30 p.m.