We started out driving south and east from Mexico City through Puebla and began our descent to the sea level. It is pretty hard to find highways in Mexico that aren't magically beautiful, but I have tried this time to limit the out-the-window shots, cause I don't believe in them - for ethical and moral reasons.

This at the top of the descent from the main central plateau of mexico, heading east and south toward Veracruz.

See that little bit of shine on the axel ? That's where the brake fluid all leaked out of a broken line - at the BOTTOM of probably the most treacherous and beautiful downward descent I have ever driven. I would have taken pictures of the magnificent scenery but I was too busy just hanging on for dear life. We were very lucky because in 15 miles or so more, we would have had no brakes at all. We sat by the road in Cordoba, not far from Veracruz for 2.5 hours but it was all ok... The only other problem was a break in the exhaust system the next day. Carmelita keeps on rolling. Note also the presence here of the infamous rear-differential, famous for it's slight ratcheting sound above 110 kph. She is just as happy as ever.

Undoubtedly she is still the best van ever bought for $1400 in New Jersey and driven to Guatemala and all over Mexico, now going on her 245,000'th mile.

Apparently this donkey was having some problems too, at least judging by the sounds he was making.

We stopped here and bought pineapple juice.

Our first real stop was in Tuxtla Gutirrez, the capital of Chiapas. It's too big to get in one picture, but very intense, with an aggressive, friendly population and loads of things to see and do. I understand the literary scene there is really strong (i have to look into that) but we did a lot of fun things in just a few days.

Ostensibly, the trip to Tuxtla Gutirrez was to link up with Pepe's family, many of whom he hadn't seen in years. Here is his mom with his long lost step-brother.

We sat at a cafe just across from the park where a band played and everyone was dancing.

Unfortunately they carried the Marimba out at about 10 o'clock.

Popcorn for sale.

Around the square at night.

And what trip to any Mexican city would be complete without a trip to the cemetary ?

Pepe's nephew, Josue.

It is tough to resist trying to get a picture of every one of these little places.

Another shot in the cemetary.

One last shot from the cemetary.

Pepe's reunited family near the pavilion and the historical tree.

The centerpiece of everything.

One of Mexico's ever present canine citizens.

At the cafe near the landing.

One gate to the ex-convent.

Cotton candy vendor.

I did happen to find the marimba storage room in the ex-convent at Chiapa de Corzo.

The river from the landing at Chiapa de Corzo, near Tuxtla.

Out from Tuxtla

Mountain village on the way to San Cristobal.

Me and Pepe's mom, in San Cristobal. Luckily we were all about equally annoyed with the goofy white people who come here and don Indian shawls and blankets... San Cristobal is an important and very old city, the first university in the Americas is there... but well, you know those people who weave colored strings into their hair and sit around tourist sites and just make you want to go back to the hotel... this is where it all began. Seriously tho, read a little bit about the city. It is quite remarkable.

Near the market in San Cristobal.

Along the main square in San Cristobal, birthplace of the dreaded hippy tourists and the paraphernalia found all over the world.

These kids insisted that I definitely had the dirtiest shoes in San Cristobal and eventually, after paying them each to just run along, I relented and let them clean my shoes. Someone has probably written about the very mixed feelings one gets from this kind of child labor, but more friendly happy faces I don't think I've ever met.

I wish I'd gotten better pictures of these horses, there were probably 200 of them, though honestly if they had sprouted wings and flown into the sky and performed Swan Lake, I would not have been more spellbound.

We stopped along the way to Comitan to see the famous falls at Chiflon.

There is Pepe saying hello from the base of the falls.

Again, stunning scenery from Chiflon to Comitan.

One of the first things we witnessed in Comitan was this racey Quince Anos celebration !! Check out the car !!

We passed the evening in that cafe.

The main church and a sculpture.

Comitan used to be a very important agricultural center. It is rustic and clean.

The landscape outside of Comitan could be anywhere... mile after mile.

Along the drive out of Comitan.

Our next stop was in Lagos de Montebello. Really far too many breathtaking scenes to ever photograph.

There are 59 lakes in the Lagos de Montebllo Region along the Guatemalan border. Each is a different color.

We took a ride on one of the little boats.

No color mods necessary here.

I shot a lot of really good hi-res images here, these are just a few. No color modifications either.

Always more tourists showing up... actually these are probably local people showing up for work or going home.

We met this guy outside one of the Artesian's shops on the shore of the lake where we would stay. He had a lot to say but it was mostly garbled.

Here is the view from the front of our cabin, one of Montebello's Lakes, visible through the pines.

This fellow thought nothing of sprouting up amongst pine trees, a strange and remarkable presence next to our cabin.