Touring Mexico with Zenler 2023 - Part 7 Producing Videos and San Christobal de las Casas

David Zenler Author

Jul 17, 2024 |

Follow a Zenler Educator on his journey around Mexico and learn technical difficulties with working on the road, next up San Christobal and Palenque..

Date Stamp: 29th January - Oaxaca to San Christobal

After an eventful final day in Oaxaca where we spent 5 hours chatting with a couple from Cambridge UK. Having been able to leave our baggage in the hotel all day, we were set to catch the 12 hour coach trip at 8:30 pm to San Christobal de las Casas. Dubious as to the space in the coach we were pleasantly surprised to find that there was ample room to stretch the stages on the journey and get some sleep as the coach trundled along all night!

Let's go back a second to the coach terminal. Now as I have already mentioned Mexico is not a forgiving location if you speak nada Spanish (impressed? Nada is Spanish for nothing!)

The digital announcement boards showed no sign of which platform to catch the bus from. Luckily there were only 4, and when they did announce it we were lucky to catch the words San Christobal de las Casas! Not sure if you know it but we have a programme on TV called "An Idiot Abroad", and we are clearly in this territory! But anyhow we caught it.

No problemo for getting to the hotel "Casa de Ghandi" in just 15 mins. Where we are conveniently placed 5 mins from the centre, in a highly recommended hotel, more about the Hotel and trips later but now on to the tech problems faced when Blogging or working for Zenler.

Tech Problems and Tips re working abroad

Zenler has a new feature coming out in the next few days "Multi-factor authentication" and I usually do the new feature announcements. Normally with my home setup its a breeze due to the powerful computer studio that I have set up and good recording equipment. One thing to bear in mind is that on the road you're not going to have the quality or performance of a home system when it comes to doing videos. BUT IT IS POSSIBLE to get a decent result, you might have to tweak the setup a little and watch the quality.

So generally, I would shoot on a green screen but it is not viable to carry a 7-foot green screen around and I do hate the cut-out that software does. So I opted to output myself in a shot within a circle, please note this was all done with Camtasia, this allows me to still be on brand and also give a pro look or at least more of one.

The next problem is background noise and camera positioning. Now luckily I did some base testing on background sound removal which is adequate. As for the camera position I have to put a table on a table to get the correct height!

The last thing was to record my mobile as an app and the authentication code generated had to be shown. So all I did was use an app to record the screen this way so that I could pair up the phone recording and laptop screen at the same time and record to two devices. This worked very well and I was able to add both videos to Camtasia.

See the full video on this new feature here: https://youtu.be/6dAjI1IWheU

Date Stamp: 30th January - San Cristobal de las Casas

Having arrived at San Cristobal at 9:00am we were extremely tired and hoping we would not have to wait for the room till 3pm. Luckily the staff at the amazing Hotel Ghandi had it ready by 10:30am, so we sat and enjoyed free coffee, cakes and a special wine spirit all complementary and on tap.

Our first impressions of the hotel are amazing and this did not change throughout our stay. This family-run business is exceptional and explains why it's always booked! The owner Mario and his family run the hotel and it is very quirky, full of Spanish influences, as Mario did all the work himself and there are authentic Mexican touches everywhere. I can say without question that this is the most caring place I have ever stayed, anywhere in the world, full stop.

After a quick power nap, we headed out to explore this beautiful town the town like most in Mexico is built around a one-way grid system. Meaning it's very easy to find your way about the centre there is a pedestrian street full of amazing shops, cafes and restaurants. All lead to a grand Church at the end of town with 76 steps leading to it, it has the most spectacular views from the top of the town.

Date Stamp: 31st January - San Christobal de Las Casas chilling first day

One thing we have noticed is mornings and afternoons are chilly then the sun heats everything up. I have been dragging my coat with me the entire journey and I am glad I did!

The town of San Christobal is an amazing place full of character and charm, during our time here it was one of the places we really felt sad leaving. If you get the chance visit this amazing place.­­­­

Date Stamp: 31st January - Two Hill Villages - San Juan Chamula and Zinacatan

Today we visited two local hill villages this half-day tour would prove to be very enlightening.

First, we visited Zinacatan a town with fabric-weaving roots and an amazing church with Mayan influences added right under the noses of the Spanish.

Next, we visited a handmade weaving market the time and skill used to create these elaborate rugs and carpets were mind-boggling. We bought a table runner for £50 which is nothing when you think it takes weeks to make each piece.  Price is dependent on colour and complexity but we could expect to pay three times this in town for a genuine piece from Zinacatan. In the same place, we tried local hand-ground coffee with cinnamon and some tacos with local cheese and beans.

Next San Juan Chamula a town made famous for its locals removing bad spirits by burping. They use Coca-Cola to aid this process, which incidentally is cheaper than water. This town is one of the biggest buyers of Coca-Cola by population in the world. We could not film or take pictures during the visit to the Church where the ceremonies take place but believe me it was unusual to see people drinking and burping Coca-Cola. A lot of people were very sick and the church was still using old Mayan healing methods with chickens etc, we found out that any Christening or Marriages take place in the Gardens outside the Church.

Date Stamp: 1st February - Sumidero Canyon and Chiapa de Corzo

The Canyon tour began with a two-hour drive out to the national reserve first visiting two vantage points which were pretty amazing but hindered by everyone trying to get their own unique photos of their experience. This in fact is a funny thing as people travel and want a unique experience, but then tend to gather together. Very strange but I guess it's human nature, sorry I digress by getting deep!

Next, we had a boat trip which meant a 30-minute drive, the only problem was we broke down! Never fear after only 45 minutes we got a replacement bus, and luckily I brought my emergency nuts, just in case we were stranded for a day or two, big kudos to Bear Grylls!

The boat trip was great but like most places was all in Spanish. It really did not matter as it was, as Alice would say, awesome! 

The pictures do not do it justice, we also saw Rough Necked Vultures, Egrets, White herons, Spider Monkeys and even a Crocodile!

We finished off at Chiapas a bit late so had a rushed dinner before heading back to San Cristobal

Date Stamp: 2nd February - Day Off

Big day tomorrow with a 3am start and 12-hour tour to the Mayan Temple plus two Waterfalls, so we are taking it very easy today and staying at San Cristobal. So what is San Cristobal and the area of Chiapas famous for? Well, this region produces the best Chocolate and Coffee in Mexico because of the high altitude and climate. It is lush and fertile they also sell Amber very very cheap indeed.

Date Stamp: 3rd February - Palenque Maya temples, Misolha 30-metre waterfall and Agua Azul Cascades

Very early start 4:00am pickup so up at 3:00am! It is 6 hours to the Mayan city of Palenque but we had two stops along the way one to waterfall cascades and the other to a 30ft waterfall.

First stop Agua Azul Cascades 4 hours in and after we stopped for a spot of breakfast and Coffee! These Cascades were awesome, the chalk base turned the water a milky blue colour and cascaded down through four main sections. Unfortunately, our luck did not hold out and it started raining. Although we had no rain jackets it was fine as we hopped from tree to tree making our way back to the minibus.

Next stop Misolha Waterfalls although still raining the waterfall was only a 50 yard dash to tree cover. Wow, these falls are 30 ft high and because of the rain, they had some extra punch. What is also amazing is you can walk behind them, pretty stunning. Check out the images they do not do it justice but should give you an idea.

For me, the main attraction however wonderful they are was always Palenque. I am fascinated by Mayan culture and for me to visit this city was a real pleasure. Palenque is a lot less touristy than the famous Chitzen Itza that we will be visiting in Cancun later in the trip.

So we managed to get plastic ponchos which was a plus. As soon as the minibus doors opened we had a ton of sellers presenting us with them. Where did they get them all from?

On entering the archaeological site it was instantly transparent that this was huge with only 2% uncovered and most being hidden in the jungle. So I get my facts right I'm dropping a Wiki excerpt in so you know a little more about Palenque. Check out the images as mentioned, an absolute pleasure to visit and thank you, Anna, from our group. As it was all in Spanish she translated for us.

"Palenque (Spanish pronunciation: [pa'leŋke]; Yucatec Maya: Bàakʼ [ɓaːkʼ]), also anciently known in the Itza Language as Lakamhaʼ ("Big Water or Big Waters"),^[1][2] was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that perished in the 8th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. 799 AD. After its decline, it was overgrown by the jungle of cedar, mahogany, and sapodilla trees,^[3] but has since been excavated and restored. It is located near the Usumacinta River in the Mexican state of Chiapas, about 130 km (81 mi) south of Ciudad del Carmen, 150 meters (490 ft) above sea level. It averages a humid 26°C (79°F) with roughly 2,160 millimetres (85 in) of rain a year.^[3]

Palenque is a medium-sized site, smaller than Tikal, Chichen Itza, or Copán, but it contains some of the finest architecture, sculpture, roof comb and bas-relief carvings that the Mayas produced. Much of the history of Palenque has been reconstructed from reading the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the many monuments; historians now have a long sequence of the ruling dynasty of Palenque in the 5th century and extensive knowledge of the city-state's rivalry with other states such as Calakmul and Toniná. The most famous ruler of Palenque was K'inich Janaab Pakal, or Pacal the Great, whose tomb has been found and excavated in the Temple of the Inscriptions. By 2005, the discovered area covered up to 2.5 km² (1sq mi), but it is estimated that less than 10% of the total area of the city is explored, leaving more than a thousand structures still covered by jungle. Palenque received 920,470 visitors in 2017.^[4]"

Page Link on Wiki

Date Stamp: 4th and 5th February - Day off

Having relaxing days and planning the next part of our journey to Cancun and the isle of Mujeres next, where we hit the east coast for the final leg of our tour of Mexico...

Oh and bought my Mum a lovely Amber necklace, well it was so cheap!

Stay tuned for the next instalment where we visit Isla Mujeres just 15 minutes from Cancun, it's sure to be a lot different...

Categories: : Zenler Digital Nomad/Stories