Comitán seems to be one of those places nobody goes. We were hitchhiking back to Guatemala from San Cristobal de las Casas, after a visa run - and got stuck in Comitán for the night. Turned out it was quite an enjoyable place.
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The city is about the same size as San Cristobal, lacks a bit on the old churches-side, but I found it way nicer. And people were on overall less touting and more welcoming than in the more touristed towns in the area.
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Parque central - here as anywhere in Central America - is great for people watching. And we got taken up to this viewpoint, el mirador, way above town by two house painters in a beetle - wonderful view.
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Well - the first night there we went hunting for helote en vaso, an amazing dish which they do not sell in Guatemala...and we found this little old lady on a corner of parque central, selling the most amazing helote en vaso. Helote en vaso basically means corn in cup, and consists of boiled corn pieces with mayo, lemon and chili in a cup. It's hot, it's cheap and it's unbelievably good (yes, I know this sounds somewhat insane). On the second day we took off to go, then someone told us to go see some nearby ruins, and so we did...then on our way onwards, Sarah says I'm hungry...do you think they have helote on the border? And we figured we hadn't seen any, and so we went back to our lady on the corner. On our third day, someone told us to go see these nice lakes nearby, so we did, and on our way onwards...story repeats itself =)
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| Sights: |
The nearby ruins of Tenam Puente were quite impressive for being a place we had never heard of before. To get three, head 10 kilometers south from Comitan, then take a right and go on for about another 3-4 kilometers...did it hitching, but there are plenty of buses on the main road, and a few buses (well, rebuilt pickups) on the small road up to the ruins. Anyone will be able to tell you the way.
Our third day in town, we headed out for Lagos de Montebello. Apparently somewhat famous, but again we'd never heard of them before, and so didn't quite grasp how far it was. Started out hitching about noon, got stuck in the middle of absolute nowhere for quite a while, were rescued by a guy driving Bimbo bread to Guatemala =) Finally got to the park entrance, and realized there were no more cars, so we walked and we walked and we walked...and were offered two cowboys horses for a kiss, was almost tempting at the time...and then finally got to these tiny, beautiful green lakes. Recommended!
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| Accommodations: |
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Not a lot of cheap accommodation in town, but we managed to find three places on the upside of parque central which charged less than 60 pesos for the three of us. Neither had names, but just ask around for the cheap place, or alternatively stroll the street behind the park.
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| Nightlife: |
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Got talking to a bunch of army kids, who wanted us so desperately to come to the disco with them - they weren't very interesting in the long run, so we didn't go. But there is a disco.
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Didn't see any. A couple of seedy cantinas downhill from parque central.
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| Restaurants: |
Plenty of them. The main park is surrounded by classy, somewhat pricey places - excellent for cheese fondue and hot chocolate. To get it cheaper, just move away a couple of streets and ther's an avail.
But really - absolutely no reason to eat anywhere but at that nice lady's corner. Well, that is if you can manage to stuff yourself so much after 8 pm when she shows up that you're full till the next evening.
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People were talking about this other lake which was supposed to be neat too, but it was the opposite direction of where we were supposed to go. They said it was green and beautiful and you could rent boats and little cabins, sounds like a local vacation spot.
The people were extremely friendly, and with a little wee bit of Spanish you should have a good time in town.
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Published on Wednesday June 23th, 2004
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Wed, Jun 23 2004 - 08:32 PM
 by downundergal
That's one of the things that I love about Mexico. Take a risk & get off the well trod tourist trail and you always discover something or meet someone that ends up being one your fondest memories.
Good report, that's the way I love to travel.
Kerrie |
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14 votes
