Queenstown, New Zealand

When we were closing in on Queenstown, we decided to go straight into town for dinner and drinks before heading to our apartment in Arrowtown. We drove around and finally found a parking spot up the hill about a 10 minute walk. Street parking was free, so there were no complaints.

We went to Fergburger that night because we had been told of their delicious burgers. We waited in a long line which actually moved rather quickly. There is limited seating in the restaurant, but we were lucky and snagged a table. Once the burgers arrived (two regular Fergburgers, two with cheese), we ate up quickly. Overall, my assessment is that for the money, it's a good deal. It's hard to find any meal under $20 NZD, let alone one that is filling. Was it a great burger matching the fame it has? Not for me it wasn't. For Americans, I would compare it to In 'N Out Burger or Five Guys. The results don't match the hype but it's tasty nonetheless. The place only seats about 40 people so if you don't get a seat, you'll have to take your meal to go.

We also grabbed drinks at Pub on Wharf and stayed to listen to the band playing that night. Drinks were more affordable than I expected, but still not cheap. A large, local beer cost $10 NZD; a mixed drink (with well or rail spirits) was $8.50 NZD. After enjoying some drinks and some live music, we headed to the grocery store for supplies and then it was off to our apartment.

The next day we returned to Queenstown and wandered the town and along the lake. The lake is exceptionally scenic and the pathway around it really gives you a chance to take in its beauty and enjoy nature without putting in a lot of effort.

Lake Wakatipu

Later that day, we grabbed drinks and snacks at 1876 Bar & Restaurant. During happy hours, they offer $5 NZD beers and $4 NZD glasses of wine. For dinner, we headed to The Cow. It's a dark, cozy restaurants that smells of garlic and happiness. It was a perfect choice for us on a day that was turning rainy and cold. We shared garlic bread (which totally lived up to its hype), a small salad, one pasta, and one pizza. This easily fed four people and without drinks, our bill came to around $70 NZD.

We also visited a handful of the wineries in the area. If you have a car, there are a few along Route 6A between Queenstown and Arrowtown that are worth a visit. If not, there are a few tasting rooms in Queenstown and Arrowtown.

San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

San Cristobal is a lovely colonial town that also feels like an acutal town. While there are more tourists (English speakers are more prevalent here), and there is some of the bothersome focus on selling things to tourists, there is something about the town that also feels normal; locals just going about their day.

Ominous clouds over San Cristobal

We spent a lot of time wandering around the regular, everyday market (food, housewares, etc.) not to be confused with the craft market (ceramics, textiles, souvenirs, etc.). It is a never ending maze of stalls.

We also ate lunch in the market most days we were there; taco and caldos (soups and meat dishes that sometimes include rice and beans, but always include corn tortillas) were the main choices. Once again (see blog entry Chiapa de Corzo), speaking Spanish is a must. But the food was good, plentiful, and cheap. The average meal we had in the market was around $25 MXN. I am not sure what the custom is on tipping at these food stalls but we tipped a small amount, maybe $5 MXN each time. Knowing how much we were saving, we felt that we could afford to be generous.

Carne asada tacos con cebolla

We chose not to visit the nearby Mayan villages after reading on other blogs that the locals in those villages were not always interested in people coming to stare at them. So instead, we went out to a park called Archotete and it was well worth it. 

We took a taxi most of the way to the park which cost about $60 MXN. We had read online that the taxi would be closer to $30 MXN but since there were two of us, maybe the cost was per person. We walked the rest of the way, about a mile down a gravel road through a small town.

Me crossing a shaky bridge in Archotete park.

The entrance fee for the park was $10 MXN per person. We were two of four people visiting the park that day so we had the trails to ourselves. We paid an extra $10 MXN to go into a cave and we made friends with the local stray dog. After a few hours of hiking, we decided to take a taxi back from the park instead of walking down to the main road which cost $80 MXN.

The grotto in Archotete park

We named this dog Omar.

There are a lot of beautiful churches to visit in town and some great bars and restaurants to relax in. One of the cheapest bars we encountered was on Real Guadalupe called La Vina de Bacco. It's a wine and tapas bar with their cheapest glass of wine starting at $18 MXN. They also serve beer and mixed drinks. There also seems to be a lot of live music venues around town.