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.
