I got my bags packed on a roll heading out there and I'm ready to go looking real good

in my passport photo.

Amateur Traveler episode 782. Today the Amateur Traveler talks about Mayan Ruins and Pueblos

Madikos, waterfalls and canyons, shamans and sonotes as we go to the Mexican state of Chiappas.

Welcome to the amateur traveler. I'm your host Chris Christensen. Let's talk about Chiappas.

I'd like to welcome to the show Shelly from Travel MexicoSolo.com and

Shelly has come to talk to us about the Mexican state of Chiapas.

Shelly, welcome to the show.

Thank you Chris. I'm so excited to be talking to you.

And this is not a state that I think everyone knows.

So can we put it on a map before we get too far along?

Yes, and I always have to do this running a Mexico blog. I always forget that people

geographically have to like place themselves in Mexico. So Chiappas is in southern Mexico and it's also on the eastern side of

southern Mexico but usually people will just call the region southern Mexico.

It's next to the state of Wahaca, if anyone can place that on a map in their head. So that Wahaca's to the west. And then to the east is the Yucatan Peninsula, which is where you'll find Cancun, Tilum, Pliadol Carmen, a lot of the big name tourist destinations. So Chappas is in between Wahaca and the Ukatan Peninsula in what is technically

southern Mexico.

Well, it also shares a border with Guatemala.

Yeah, it does.

A lot of people actually, especially like backpackers, I've found they do that route a lot.

So Chappas will be a last stop for a lot of people as they continue into Central America. Excellent.

And what's your connection with Chia-

I spent a month in Chia-

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