The service bus to the town was very expensive at US$20.00/person so we decided to walk outside the visitors center's gate and waited for a local transport. A few minutes passed by and soon a minivan came by. I asked the driver in Spanish if he was heading to town central and how much was the fare. "Si, senora, dos para persona!"
With that, we hopped inside the crammed minivan. I offered the HAL pins to my seatmates and she thanked me after she kept them away in her purse. Soon we were talking in English. she said, "don't worry, I will show you where to get off."
It took us forty five minutes to get to town. The lady besides me pointed where we should cross the street and she assured us that we will find the plaza after criss- crossing our way inside the tiny alleyway in the public market
. Walking inside the market, we were greeted by very friendly vendors. They asked where are we from in their broken English. Time seems to turn backwards.
A few minutes from the market is the central plaza and local restaurants are just a stone's throw away. Bert and I went inside a local restaurant where there's a lot of people. We asked for the menu and we were amazed at the price. Breakfast specials consists of huevos rancheros with coffee and bread was less than US$3.00 a plate. I ordered a big mug of hot chocolate for which
Puerto Chiapas is famous for and a plate of quesadila. Bert ordered a steak and coffee. Our bill came to the equivalent of US$7.00 total.
At the plaza, it was splendid to see the locals coming and going. Several men lined-up ready to shine shoes. A few boys sat on the rotunda people watching. At the traffic light, the policeman directs traffic. Across the road, there was a vendor selling candies and newspapers. Another stand had a vendor selling roasted corns on husks reminding me of one of my childhood snacks. I tried to talk to a bystander asking him where the ship's service bus drop off was and I thought my Spanish was getting better.
When the bus came, the woman informed us that only those with tickets will be prioritized and they cannot allow us to get in the bus unless there are vacant seats, Fair enough, but we decided to get a cab and in no time, we were back at the port, even ahead of the service bus!
We took a chance and it paid off.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
