After deciding that we wanted to meet up with Sam on the Caribbean coast, we began what turned into a 30 hour epic journey across southern Mexico from Barra de la Cruz to Playa Del Carmen. The journey went something like this:
- At 6pm on 5 January we took a 1 hour taxi from Barra de la Cruz to Huatulco.
- We had booked a 9pm overnight bus from Huatulco to San Cristobel and a connecting overnight bus from San Cristobel to Playa del Carmen at 4pm the next afternoon. This plan saved on 2 nights accommodation and gave us a whole day to check out San Cristobel.
- We arrived at the bus station in Huatulco at 7pm with plenty of time to have dinner and check out the town before our bus left at 9pm.
- We grabbed a bite to eat at a local restaurant and some tasty desserts (flan and rice pudding) from a street vendor and headed back to the bus station at 8.30pm.
- 9pm came and went and our bus did not arrive. No buses arrived. No one working at the bus station seemed concerned or had any information about the apparent delay.
- By 11pm people were starting to question the whereabouts of the buses.
- A fellow Spanish-speaking tourist eventually explained to us that villagers had blockaded the road and that no buses could get through to Huatulco. The bus station workers said that the buses should get through soon.
- At about 1am buses started arriving, including a bus headed for San Cristobel. We were momentarily relieved – BUT – as it turned out, the “San Cristobel” bus was actually the bus due at 11pm – it was full and we did not have a seat on it. “Never mind”, said the bus driver, “The 9pm bus is just behind us”. “Cool”, we thought. 2am came. Still no bus. “Sorry”, said the bus station man, “The 9pm bus turned back to it’s origin earlier this evening when it saw the blockade. It might come tomorrow”. “Hmmm”, we thought, “Good information to know 5 hours ago!!!” The bus trip to San Cristobel takes 9 hours, and seeing as we had to catch an ongoing bus at 4pm the next afternoon (and were meeting Sam and had accommodation booked for the night after that), it left us a bit stuck.
- Some people wanted to split a cab with us to San Cristobel then and there, but something about it being 2am, the road to SC being notoriously dark and dangerous, Mexican drivers being notoriously crazy and the driver saying “I don’t need sleep – I have red bull!”, caused alarm bells to ring in our minds.
- We decided to hire a car or get a cab after a few hours sleep instead.
- We found a little hotel near the bus stop, woke up the owners, and slept from 3am to 6am. When we woke up, it became apparent to us that no hire car places would be open for at least a few hours. Instead we inquired about a cab to San Cristobel. 3500 pesos. Ouch. But no choice. We began our 8 hour taxi ride.
- We arrived in San Christobel at 2pm, with 2 hours to spare until our overnight bus left. Grabbed some food and had a quick look around.
- Then onto the bus at 4pm.
- At about 6pm, the bus stopped. We were driving through the state of Chiapas, and the road we were on was too dangerous to drive on at night without:
- A bus convoy; and
- Federal police guard.
- Therefore, we needed to wait in random town for a few hours until more buses and the police arrived.
- From 6pm to about 9pm, we hung out with a fun group of Aussies travelling through Central America. We ate tacos and chugged beer with some punk kids from the internet café.
- At 9pm, 4 buses (including ours) and the police started along the dangerous road. I tipped by seat back as far as it would go (so as to avoid a bullet in my head should one happen to be flying past), took a sleeping pill, and slept like a baby. I woke up a couple of hours from Playa del Carmen!
Hilarious experience.
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| Grey feeling happy in our 8 hour cab |
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| The religious icon will protect us :) |
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