Las Nubes

Photo #1: Las Nubes, The Clouds

Photo #2: Orchids like Weeds
Photo #3: Wild Flowers Casting its Shadows on the Lakes of Montebello
Photo #4: Perched Blackbird

¨Las Nubes¨ is translated into English as ¨the clouds.¨ This past weekend I, along with one of my Spanish teachers, his girlfriend and 6 of their friends, went to see Las Nubes. Las Nubes are located in the southern part of Chiapas, close to the Mexican-Guatemalan border. They are preceded by a series of pristine lakes known as the ¨lakes of color¨ or the ¨Lakes of Montebello.¨ When the sun casts its light on the waters, various hues of green and blue are revealed. They say the plants and organisms that live at the bottom of the lakes create the vibrant blue and green hues. It is simply breathtaking. Lucky for us, we had a perfect sunny day to enjoy the lakes :)

From the lakes, we went further south towards Guatemala, descending in elevation, towards Las Nubes. The plants and trees became lusher, the air felt heavier, and the temperature dropped dramatically. Vibrant colors lined the highways. I find out later that these vibrant colors were orchids. In the jungle, orchids are common wildflowers that grow like weeds everywhere! It was indeed a pleasure to the senses and so awe-inspiring to see such delicate flowers thriving everywhere I turned!

Driving into Las Nubes, I immediately understood how it got its name as I saw clouds of mist emerging from the jungle forest. Las Nubes are a series of waterfalls that flow through the Lancondean River for about a mile. They have a similar color hue as the Lakes of Montebello. The varying blue and green color hues, the mist, the white rushing waters, the surrounding jungle, the sounds of exotic bird calls and orchids lining the jungle forest bed were absolutely breathtaking. All of this coupled with great company and talking Spanish 24/7, left me feeling incredibly grateful and in awe of this grand world :)