We loved experiencing ex-pat French life in the city of Vannes, thanks to Pat & Katie.
Rugby Crazy Vannes & A Broken Arm
It surprised us to find a big rugby culture in France. We often lost Pat to a fan who had stoped him to have a chat about the game.
Sunday Family Lunch in Lyon
Guillaume gave us the ultimate gift while we stayed with him and Geeta in Lyon: sharing his family with us.
Zona Arqueológica Palenque (Palenque Ruins)
We visited the ruins twice, once using the tour which took us from San Cristobal De Las Casas to Palenque and then I forced everyone out of bed early the next morning to view it before all the tour buses arrived.
Canon Del Sumidero
Highlights
At each stop I reached down and put my hand in the cool river, until we reached the crocodile stop. Kenzo said “Mum don’t put your hand in the water.”
It was so hot I took my jacket off and left it on the empty seat at the back of the boat. At one point it blew away and Ajay caught it. Later I used my jacket to keep the sun off Lui, and shield him from the breeze, as he slept. It was about twenty minutes later that Ajay said Oh no, we lost mum’s jacket. I hadn’t heard him because of the noise of the engine. Carmelo smirked because he had passed me the jacket but said nothing to his dad 🙂
Watching eagles soar above, cranes and herons perch on the waterside, ducks floating on the water and other birds flying low beside us as the boat vvvvvd along.
The height of the cliffs were magnificent.
Getting underneath the waterfall and seeing all the pretty foliage and flowers.
Lowlights
There were bays along the trip where a lot of rubbish had accumulated in the water. It gets quite disturbing. The locals try to clean it up regularly but it washes down from villages further up the long river.
Having to carry your jacket because it’s cold in the mountains and then super hot when you come down to sea level where the canyon is.
The Canyon
The walls of this canyon at it’s highest point is 1000 metres and has the Grijalva River running through it. On a morbid note, in the 1534 when the Spaniards invaded this area many locals preferred suicide from Tepetchia rock rather than be enslaved by the Spanish.
We took a two hour boat ride through it that began by a bridge and ended by the hydro dam Manuel Moreno Torres. It has been designated an internationally recognised wetland site for the protection of it’s birds and other wildlife.
The Chiapas flag features the canyon at it’s highest point.
The Birds and Reptiles
We didn’t see the monkeys or jaguars that live in the jungle surrounding this canyon but we did see iguanas and crocodiles. There were plenty of pelicans, herons, ducks and plenty of other birds that made the canyon more enchanting.
The Flora and Fauna
The canyon has a humid climate that supports lots of orchids, bromeliads, ferns, mangroves and more. There’s also a famous Christmas Tree which is a waterfall that has created mossy ledges that extend out like the branches of a Christmas Tree.
