Once arriving in the mountain town we were shocked to find out it was absolutely bloody freezing! We headed straight to the hostel as we were both exhausted and hadn't slept on the bus due to the unnecessary air-con! Once here it was around 11ish and we snuggled under two big blankets and all the warm clothes we owned to try to get to sleep. In the morning it was still rather fresh, but with a nice hot shower, breakfast and map from the hostel we were ready to explore the city. By 10:30ish it had warmed up considerably and back in our vest tops we headed to the markets. Here we saw children carrying numerous dead chickens to sell, a cow's foot and other bizarre things! But amongst this there was also amazing fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices and lots more! We then went to the artisans' market that was opposite. This was similar to the market in Antigua but considerably smaller! I loved so much stuff again but limited myself to some warm socks and a gift!

After the market we headed into the centre of the town. It is a very pretty, traditional town and you get a sense it is a working Mexican town, not solely run by the tourism sector. There aren't many museums, etc but we enjoyed walking round the streets, looking at various stalls and the various squares. After heading back for lunch we headed out to do a little bit of second hand clothes store shopping to hunt down a cheap jumper to bear the night with! We then headed back to the market to get ingredients for dinner. That night we just cooked and chatted to the different people in the hostel. I also bought myself an amber necklace from a guy in our room. Apparently amber is pretty big here and got a good price so I couldn't really say no.

The next day we headed out early to go on a horse riding tour to a local village to see the rural life of San Juan de Chamula and also their church in which they have bizarre rituals. Cassie and I went with five others from our hostel. We met our guide and got a collectivo to their farm in the outskirts. Here we got our horses. After been told we could stroke all the horses except the white one as he bites, we all knew we didn't want that one so I instantly knew that would be the horse I would be riding. When it was just me and one other girl left and the white horse and a brown one it was obvious and of course I got the crazy, aggressive white one. After a little while walking the horses, which we could not control in the slightest they all began running and running. When we pulled the reins they veered up which was a worse option so we all just had to go with it. So we went galloping along at a stupid speed, especially mine due to his aggressive nature he wouldn't let any horse come up close behind , if anyone nearly caught up he would bolted off again. Once at the village, after about an hour or so, I was definitely relived to have survived that ride and was dreading the journey back! We headed into the village and instantly saw the massive differences between our culture and theirs. Everyone was in traditional clothing, walking their sheep to market or selling their goods from the farm or handmade clothes. We were warned not to take photographs as the locals hated it and often would come and smash your camera. When we arrived at the church where the rituals took place we entered and I felt I had walked into a cult ceremony. It was the weirdest place I have ever been. The church floor was covered almost entirely with pine needles and the walls surrounded with various different saints, represented by scary pot dolls in glass cabinets and other things. There were thousands of candles lit everywhere and in front of the various saints different groups of people of families were sat together. One member took the lead in the ritual and started to say a prayer, followed by taking a chicken out a box and shaking it over the candles. Then the chicken was sacrificed by breaking its neck and put back in the box. After this a local spirit was drank and chased down with some coca cola. This was then sprinkled on the candles and put out. After watching this through once we left the church as we felt our presence was slightly intrusive. We then went into the market and headed back to the horses. This way I got back on my noble white stead and after five minutes of him trying to bite all the other horses I demanded a switch and took the guides horse! We then walked/trotted back most the way with a bit of galloping but this was a constant battle all the way, not the most relaxing experience but well worth it!

That afternoon we wandered the streets again and investigated some of the museums but one had a high entrance fee and one was way off the map so that was pretty unsuccessful! We then just cooked some dinner and chilled at the hostel, feeling too cold to venture out!

The next morning we woke and got ready to go on our Sumidero Canyon tour. Here you get the typical view of Chapas, the state in which San Cristobel is in. After a short bus ride we all got on the boat and started our trip down the river. The views were stunning and soon we were in the middle of the Canyon. With various stops to look at the crocodiles and different features the tour was amazing. At some points the cliffs were 1km tall and another 100m deep under the water line. We saw some amazing waterfalls, especially the 'Christmas Tree' waterfall which was surprising name after its Christmas tree like appearance. Once at the end of the trip we came to a hydroelectric power station. Here the river was 250m deep, which was hard to imagine. The canyon has five power stations along it and supplies a lot of the electricity. They also explained on the tour that this was where over 100 indigenous people committed suicide by throwing themselves off the top of the canyon instead of been ruled by the Spanish when they were conquered. Despite that sober note it was really interesting and we got to explore the nearby village before heading back to the town. Once back we got all packed up, had dinner and headed off for our next night bus to the Pacific coast. Back to the beach, sea, sun and most importantly warmth! Next stop Puerto Escondido!