Thanks to a couple of delays and some questionable Mexican logistics it took a frustrating 13 hours to travel 100 miles yesterday. All very dull.
However, we’re very happy to be here in sunny Chiapa de Corzo. Firstly as it’s a little cooler but also because we’re ready to see something other than sea, surf and beach bars.
As it’s name suggests, the town is in the region of Chiapas, one of the most impoverished in the nation but perhaps the most diverse in terms of cultural attractions.
We’ll get our culture fix tomorrow when we travel to San Cristobal but today it’s all about the Caňón del Sumidero, a spectacular gorge five minutes from our hotel.
Miss Marple goes white-water rafting.
The gorge has been around for several million years but in 1979 when the authorities built a dam to generate hydroelectric power 13 km downstream it went from being merely jaw-dropping to completely off the scale.
The gorge has been around for several million years but in 1979 when the authorities built a dam to generate hydroelectric power 13 km downstream it went from being merely jaw-dropping to completely off the scale.
Imagine blocking both ends of Yosemite Valley then filling the middle bit with several trillion gallons of water and you start to get a sense of how this place looks.
The canyon walls start off gently sloping into the water but the further our boat takes us the steeper they become until eventually it feels like they’re rising straight up with no gradient whatsoever.
At its most dramatic the gorge is more than 1000 metres high. That’s five times the height of the BT Tower, or for those bumpkins who’ve never been to London, nine times higher than the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Wildlife is everywhere.
Funky gibbon
Funny egret
Hundreds of cormorants happily bobbing about...
...until El Capitan steered the boat right into the middle of them
A couple of crocs. Big buggers they were - and a little too close for comfort.
Sadly there was one aspect to the trip that was less than perfect – the amount of plastic we saw floating on the water’s surface and clogging up the riverbanks.
Look closely and you'll see a large plastic bottle sitting between the crocodiles. Shocking and unforgivable. What the hell is wrong with people?
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