Palenque : Perfection ....

Apologies for being so far behind on these logs, things are just moving so fast we barely have time to catch our breath sometimes. but mostly its a case of being on the road, at a ruin site, or at a hotel which doesn't have a net connection. we hope the Palenque and Tikal shots have been enough to wet the appetites so far.

Ok where did we leave off .... right, after our first trip into Merida and an afternoon tour to Uxmal and its pink limestone ruins, we headed back into town and decided to splurge on a huge steak each for dinner. the best meal i've had whilst on holiday so far ..... huge beef fillet, with a caramelised balsamic sauce, veg and Papas Fritas! you can guess at those :) awesome meal, expensive by Mexican fare, cheap to us. we would need it for the 13 hour bus leg to Palenque the next morning.

so once again, after a single night in the best accomodation in Mexico as well, we hoped on a bus to the Chiapas highlands and Palenque, central south east Mexico. Palenque isn't a native Maya word, its spanish unlike the other ruins, and names both the town and the ruins. the town itself is rural, the back water which is purely supported by the tourist dollars arriving and leaving each day. its a dusty, cramped but safe town, which is a step towards the "real feel" of rural Mexico. you don't see this place in the tourist guides from Cancun.

Arriving to our first 20min thunderstorm, (i expected more showers as this is technically the rainy / hot / wet season) we fled to our hotel and all was cool. reservations not noted but all was easily sorted. on researching i planned on staying in a section of town that was seperated from the main drag, enclosed in its own strip of jungle ..... yeh you heard me.

Next morning we were off to the ruins, taxi to and from was the quickest and easiest option. arriving on opening, the day greeted us with close to perfect weather, patchy clouds and sunrays, no rain. from the gates you approach the main plaza, and palace from jungle paths, moving up a small hill you can't see a thing until ... bang the first glimpse of the grand Temple of the Inscriptions hit you. the temple King Pakal built as his crypt and marker for his journey to the underworld. the temple representing a symbolic mountain, 9 levels high, for the symbolic 9 levels of the underworld (13 for the heavenly relms), to say this was breath taking was an understatement. this is what i came here for. to just try and sink into the moment, to be nowhere else.

The ruins are in pristine condition, the grounds themselves are well cared for and maintained, a mark to the great upkeep from the parks board. even today, some pyramids and structures are being restored with new limestone, whilst other excavations continue to uncover new works. this would also be the case in Tikal. from the images try to imagine little jungle surrounding, each temple covered in lime plaster, brightly coloured in red with ornimental flourishes of blues and yellows. simply amazing how well it stands up today. i can't help but think what advanced technology may have been present.

Moving from the entry, you begin to wind through jungle paths, waterfalls, ruin relics and scenes right out of an Indy movie. if i could give any tips it's to arrive early, beat the heat and the tourist bus's and wrap yourself in the mystery of the place. be in the now. the next morning we were off for a 6am start to the border of Guatemala, a river crossing by motor canoe, passport stamps and finally a long trek into our retreat in the jungles 5mins from Tikal.