With Valentines coming up I thought I would re-post this blog about how I came to fall in love with Chiapas…

Apologies for the absence of postings in the last few weeks. I took a little break from the computer to embark on a road-trip around Chiapas, Southern Mexico, this Christmas with my partner. 12 days, 3000 kilometers (1860 miles), 4 waterfalls, 3 Mesoamerican sites, 2 boat trips, 2 beaches, 2 zip-wires, 1 new tyre, 1 puncture, 1 stunned iguana and a million memories later I had fallen in love with the state. I really cannot recommend it enough. There is something for everyone! Chiapas, like Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico but just like Oaxaca, it is so rich in tradition, landscape, and history, that it enchants you and begs you to explore more. We went without a plan. The only thing we knew is that we wanted to be in Palenque on December 21. From there we let the road take us, through tropical forests, to pine forest, to coastal roads, colonial cities, dirt tracks and jungle. Over the next few weeks I will be detailing more of the trip and telling my tale of my love affair with Chiapas, but for now here are a few photos to tease the senses!

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Susannah Rigg is a freelance writer and Mexico specialist. Her work has been featured in Condé Nast Traveler, CNN Travel, BBC Travel, The Independent UK, Afar and The New Worlder among others. Check out her portfolio here. Contact Susannah by email, info [at] mexicoretold [dot] com and join her on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.