Sofia Somewhere

With the travel bug bite itching, I was much looking forward to my mid-year break to do some traveling. Our tourists visas were about to expire and we had to leave the country, so we looked to San Cristobal de las Casas for a quick and inexpensive trip. Magical San Cristobal de las Casas Located in the Chiapas region and relatively near to the Guatemalan border, it's a popular town to go to for a  visa run , which is exactly what Chris and I did. We made a short vacation out of it, and here I've written a few things to do, see, and eat while there. Ready to begin our 12-hour journey from Antigua to San Cristobal de las Casas 1. Explore the town Walk around the charming streets San Cristobal de las Casas,  or San Cristobal and even " San Cris" for short, is quite the small and charming colonial town. It gets quite cool in the mornings and evenings, but warms up during the day. Our hotel was located on the main pedestrian street and very near...

This past week, Chris and I did our first "visa run." Upon arrival in Guatemala, tourists are granted a 90-day visa that is valid for the C-4 countries of Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras. After these 90 days are up, you can renew your visa at the Immigration Office in the City for another 90 days. After the second set of 90 days are over, you then have to leave the C-4 area. Most tourists make a quick border crossing to Mexico in what is popularly called a "visa run." I don't know how long you technically have to be out of the country for; there doesn't seem to be a set law or rule that people refer to. Some say it has to be 72 hours, while others have said they've had luck crossing the border and coming back on the same day. Since we were on our mid-year school break, we decided to make a vacation out of it (and not take our chances) and visit San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico for a few days. It's possible to make the trip cheap...

As we go into April, the first quarter has finished, and we're about two weeks into the second. The past two and a half months have been non-stop busy with lessons to plan each week, quizzes to make, workbooks to check, activities to grade, and more. Nevertheless, I've been learning a lot, improving my skills, and enjoying the company and pleasure of teaching a great batch of kids. I'm teaching Third Grade, which is the biggest group in Primary with 18 students in my homeroom section and 20 in the other. I enjoy teaching this grade. These particular group of students have a good level of English, and I can hold conversations with them in English. Aside from that, they're at an age where they can understand my classes in English, they can work (fairly) independently, but still love to play games and receive hugs. I have some extra love for my homeroom section who have been very sweet to me, welcoming me as a new teacher, and always leaving me messages on the white...

Whenever Chis and I decide to eat out, I'm always torn. On the one hand, I love going back to our favorite restaurants or our tried-and-tested ones, but on the other hand, I also really love trying new restaurants. Over the last months we've tried some new ones, and revisited some olds one, and I've rounded up another list to add to our Antigua Eats  ( Part 1 of which is over here ). Before discovering Red Koi,  Kabuki  (6ta Avenida Norte, 14A)  was my go to Asian restaurant, albeit it was more just Japanese food. I satisfied my tempura cravings here, and a few months back tried some yakitori which was new on the menu, and liked those even better. The sushi is not the best here -- though it is still delicious -- but the other plates on their menu have made my stomach very happy. The ramen craze hit Manila several years back, but I was never a fan until I went to Japan . I don't crave it often, but every now and then, I do enjoy a good bowl of ramen . I wa...