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UNION JUAREZ |
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The small town of UNIÓN JUÁREZ , 43km from Tapachula and perched on
the flank of the Volcán Tacaná at a height of over 1100m, offers a
chance to escape the heat of the lowlands. Unión Juárez is almost on the
Guatemalan border and hikers can obtain permission here to cross on foot
at Talquián, 10km north. There are also some excellent day-hikes to
waterfalls and, with a guide, you can even reach the volcano's summit,
at 4092m the highest point in Chiapas. This is a two- to three-day trip,
with a cabin to sleep in at the top, though you'll need to bring a warm
sleeping bag at least.
Buses and combis for Unión Juárez leave at least every twenty minutes
from the Unión y Progreso terminal in Tapachula. As the road climbs up
the lush green valley of the Río Suchiate, which forms the border with
Guatemala, the bananas and cacao give way to coffee and you begin to
enjoy good views of two majestic volcanoes : Tacaná, at 4092m the
highest peak in Chiapas; and the 4220-metre peak of Tajumulco, the
highest mountain in Guatemala. At Cacahoatán , the halfway point, you
change to a combi run every ten minutes or so by Transportes Tacaná,
across the street from the Unión y Progreso station - the whole journey
takes around one hour twenty minutes and costs about US$1.50, finally
pulling in on one side of the plaza.
Unión Juárez itself has two hotels : the budget but comfortable Posada
Aljoad , half a block off the west side of the plaza (tel 9/647-2025;
US$15-25), which has neat rooms with private bathrooms around a
courtyard and a good inexpensive restaurant; and the good-value Hotel
Colonial Campestre , which you pass as you enter the town (tel
9/647-2000, fax 647-2015; US$40-60). Rooms and suites here are
comfortable and spacious, with solid wooden furniture, en-suite
bathrooms and TV. The owner, José Antonio Valera Saá, has written a
fascinating (and locally controversial) book Aroma de Café Amargo (
Aroma of Bitter Coffee ) in Spanish, part autobiography, part local
history, which he will be happy to discuss with you over coffee - it's
available from most hotels. His son is an excellent guide if you want to
tackle the track to the summit. The Campestre has a good restaurant , La
Suiza Chiapaneca , and on the north side of the attractive plaza, the
Carmelita and La Montaña are also good, inexpensive restaurants where
you can sit outside and enjoy views of Pico de Loro , a steep, rocky
outcrop looking indeed like a parrot's beak. Combis leave for Cacahoatán
and Tapachula from the east side of the plaza (every 15min until 8pm;
9pm from Cacahoatán).
The area around Unión Juárez is one of the best coffee -growing areas in
Chiapas and on the way up from Tapachula, a few kilometres before Unión
Juárez, the road passes the restored 1920s coffee-plantation house in
the small village of SANTO DOMINGO . The three-storey wooden house with
balconies all around and set in beautiful gardens with a pool, was the
home of Enrique Braun Hansen, whose German origins are reflected in the
building's architectural style - early North American meets Alpine
hotel, with predominately Art Nouveau interiors. Now part of a
successful community-tourism project, there's a good restaurant on the
ground floor and above is a museum of coffee (free). Across the road the
Hotel Santo Domingo (tel 9/629-9073, www.fonmicro.rtn.net.mx ; US$15-25)
is a really good-value place to stay , with spacious, private-bath rooms
and comfortable beds around a patio garden.
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