Tuxtla - Our Last Day

Upon returning to Cahuare embarcardero from our cruise through Sumidero Canyon we drove the nine miles to Tuxtla Gurtierrez stopping first at the Museo Regional de Chiapas. This museum is noted for it's collection of Tonina reliefs that are pictured below along with ceramics, carved bone and teeth and statuary. We had seen the disc reliefs before at the Tonina Museum and wondered
which museum had the replicas.

We took advantage of the plaza benches at the museum for a relaxing respite under another tree with the pink blooms before going to
the Crown Plaza Hotel. The statue in the collage was in the lobby of the hotel. When the keys were passed out we were left standing, evidently a slip up in the reservations had occurred and Babu and Bibi were not included on the room list. After several minutes wait Steve gave us the keys to his room and the hotel, even though full, found a bed for him some where.

Farewell dinner was held at a dinner club featuring folkloric dances to the music of the marimba and served regional cuisine. The meal was served modified family style with many choices on one serving plate passed around the table. Group picture upper left and the other end of the table middle right.

The performance consisted of several ethnic dances and on conclusion the performers invited patrons to have their pictures taken with them. A high school marching band contest had been held earlier in the day and some band members were present that night in their white uniforms. Dave had his picture taken with the ladies lower middle. Other pictures of our group show we had a good time.

As we boarded the bus for our trip back to the hotel Babu and Bibi bid everyone a farewell as our departure was scheduled for 6:00 AM the next morning. The rest of the group were going on to a Mexico City extension.

We had breakfast at the hotel in the morning of February 26 and were met in the lobby by Ricardo and Axel who took us to the air port. Steve met us as we departed to say goodbye and we were off for the long trip home.

The last collage is a few pictures taken from the airplane as we left Tuxtla Gutierrez for Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, Boise and home, arriving about 10 PM.

Center picture is of the Volcano El Chichon (3721Ft) taken soon after we were air born out of Tuxtla. This volcano came to life in 1982 after more than a century of inactivity. Besides killing 187 people it created havoc over a wide area of Mexico. It pumped more dust and debris into the stratosphere than any other volcano since 1912. The neck was situated straight up and although it only produced one fourth to one sixth the debris of Mt St Helen the dust cloud went up eighteen miles covering one quarter of the earth surface with in a few weeks.

And so we close the remembrances of wonderful trip !