Buenos Dias amigos. Puerto Chiapas was our last Mexican port of call and it was, like yesterday's port, a quiet little place new to the cruise ship trail. The cruise terminal has little around it other than some village huts nearby and a massive stretch of untouched beach that sweeps the coast for as far as the eye can see. The terminal does, however, have extensive facilities presented in a charmingly understated way. Local bands, singers and dancers greeted us with music on the dock as we pulled ashore, played all day under a huge grass pyramid (palapa) while we were there, and farewelled us as we left the port in the evening. The local stalls sold beautiful crafts, clothing and jewellery at very reasonable costs and a second grass-roofed pyramid housed a restaurant/bar beside a pool and seemed to be doing a roaring trade as Latin beats set the scene.

We took a 30 minute bus ride into Tapachula, a city of about 200,000 people. It was a bustling city full of market streets selling chickens, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables and certain other wares of which we weren't quite sure what they were. The city is comprised of a diversity of ethnic groups, including Germans who settled in Chiapas during the coffee boom. We thoroughly enjoyed walking around the streets and also enjoyed viewing the countryside during the drive. Unfortunately we did not get to the nearby Mayan ruins of Izapa which was a bit disappointing as the ruins date back as far as 1500 BC. On December 21 this year it's buildings will be perfectly aligned with the sun and he rest of the Milky Way and the Mayan long count calendar ends.

On departing Mexico's most southerly state, Chiapas, we also said goodbye to the country that gave us chocolate and tequila. I must say I have really enjoyed visiting Mexico again and was pleasantly surprised by the difference in ports we visited as I had been expecting all very touristy places full of resorts such as depicted in movies and shows like "The Love Boat".

Mexico, with a population exceeding 109,000,000, is the world's largest Spanish-speaking nation. Si señora and señoritas, that's right and what a beautiful sounding language it is. How I wish I had paid better attention to my good friend, Tibyrie's Spanish lessons when we lived in Dominica.

Centuries before the Spanish landed, this part of the world supported ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs, the Mayans and the Polemics, races of advanced artistry and social organisation. The famous Spanish conquistador, Cortez, defeated the last Aztec emperor, Montezuma II, in 1521 and now the colonial past is present everywhere in grilled balconies, arcaded courtyards, town squares and Catholic churches and cathedrals. Adios Mexico and adios my friends at home. Tomorrow we visit Guatemala.