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OCOSINGO |
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All things being equal (which they may not be), OCOSINGO makes a
good place to escape the tourist crowds of San Cristóbal or Palenque.
It's not as pretty as San Cristóbal, but it's certainly a great deal
more attractive than Palenque, its streets lined with single-storey,
red-tiled houses and the air thick with the scent of wood smoke. It's a
town that has stayed close to its country roots, with plenty of farmers
in from the ranches in their cowboy hats and pick-ups. It's also the
jumping-off point for the amazing Maya site of Toniná .
Buses all stop on or near the main road: walk down the hill and you can
hardly miss the zócalo. It's surrounded by elegant portales and a big
old country church, as well as an Ayuntamiento with a thoroughly
incongruous modern first floor, complete with tinted-glass office
windows. The best of the hotels are the Hotel Central (tel 9/673-0024;
US$15-25), under a modern section of the portales by the Restaurante La
Montura and the Margarita (tel 9/673-0280; US$15-25), down the side
street by the Restaurante Montura , which has some a/c rooms, and the
Agua Azul , 1 Ote Sur (head right at the church; tel 9/673-0302; US$10-15),
with comfortable rooms around a courtyard. The Hospedaje San José (tel
9/673-0002; US$10-15), off to the left at the bottom of the zócalo, is
the best of the budget places.
Several places to eat face the square - Los Arcos is the best - and the
Rahsa , the best restaurant in town, is on 3 Sur Ote, a side street
southwest of the plaza. The Cafetería El Candil , opposite the Hospedaje
San José , is a great budget restaurant, with neat tables on a garden
terrace, and the Hotel Agua Azul has a good comida corrida. The food
market , or tianguis , straight down Av Central from the zócalo, is
where indigenous women sell fruit and vegetables and locally produced
cheeses, including a round waxy variety and delicious cream cheese.
There's no reliable ATM in Ocosingo (the one at Banamex, on the plaza,
only works intermittently) but Serfin, at Av 1 Nte, one block off the
plaza, behind the Hotel Central changes travellers' cheques . Across
from here you'll find Ocosingo's two new, very inexpensive internet
cafés , Tu Espacio and Red Toniná . The town's travel agent , Viajes
Xanav, C Central Nte 40-C (tel 9/673-0094), can book domestic and
international flights.
Leaving Ocosingo by road is easy enough until mid-evening, with frequent
buses and combis to San Cristóbal and buses to Palenque. The last ATG
buses in either direction leave at 7.30pm - though they're de paso and
so are likely to be later.
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