Travel | Heather Fuqua Photography Blog

I’ve had a lot of really great adventures lately. But this one to the Laguna Miramar was definitely a little taste of paradise.

Swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Laguna Miramar.

I wanted to experience something unique in my adventure to Chiapas so I found the most remote lake in Mexico, the Laguna Miramar. The lake has beautiful crystal clear waters, caves, islands, and it’s surrounded by amazing vegetation. You have to hike an hour and a half through the jungle to get to it. It’s definitely amazing. But it really wasn’t the lake that left the biggest impression on me, it was the journey to the lake that really shaped me. If you don’t want to feel like a tourist, the first thing to do is travel like the locals. So I asked around Ocosingo until I found the only pick up truck that runs to Emiliano Zapata. Fifteen of us piled into the back along with huge bags of oranges and others bags and boxes. The truck bumped and bounced along. A drunk man fell asleep and sprawled out. An elderly lady tried desperately not to fall off the large pile of everyone’s bags as it shifted with all the turns. We wound through beautiful mountain valleys everything as green as can be. As we passed villages the children would stop to look at us. A storm brooded on the horizon and I watched the lighting dancing in the clouds for hours. They told me the trip normally takes six hours, but it took us about ten because the truck broke down twice. I didn’t really mind it so much. The other passengers were fun to talk to and I found the most comfortable seat in the truck—on top! I felt so free with the sky stretched out before me and nothing separating me from the beautiful landscape. It’s definitely not an easy trek, but for the adventurous it will give you an experience you won’t soon forget.

How to get there:
From Ocosingo ask around at the Tianguis Campesino for the trucks for Emiliano Zapata, the closest village to the lake. They normally leave at 9am, 10:30am, noon and 2pm.
Once you are at Emiliano Zapata ask for the Presidente or the Oficina de Turismo, the President or the Tourism Office. They rent cabins, hammocks, mosquito nets, and kayaks. You will have to hire a guide to take you to the lake (about 100 Mexican pesos/day). You can stay in the cabins in Emiliano Zapata or you can camp down by the lake. But shop for groceries in Ocosingo, the few little stores that Emiliano are very scarcely stocked. There’s a fee to enter the lake and/or stay overnight (about 40 pesos).

It's not an easy journey, but it's a good adventure.

I spent five weeks living in Puerto Cortes, Honduras in December and January. It was a wonderful time of speaking spanish, learning from the people, and being creative. One of my favorite activities was painting with the children. There’s always lots of children around in any Honduran home. So I brought watercolors with me and let the kids be creative. They loved it. Normally they spend their time watching television or doing chores, so painting was something extra special.

On my last day there there was a death in the neighborhood. It was a very interesting cultural experience for me. It was all very public. Everyone was invited over to their house. The dead baby was set in the middle of the room and everyone came to look at her. Then the whole neighborhood was bused to the cemetery for the burial. Honduras is a beautiful country and I hope to go back.