Palenque
Ask anyone to name sites of Mayan ruins in Mexico and chances are that Palenque will get a mention - although maybe after Chichen Itza. Palenque was (in its heyday) a major power in the region - able to compete with the nearby cities of Tikal and Calakmul. Unfortunately, the city declined and by the time Cortes conquered Mexico, the city was already buried and forgotten. It was only in 1773 that anyone even realised that there was anything there. Nowadays it's a popular stop for tourists with a great deal of tourist infrastructure nearby ranging from hostels to swanky hotels. But regardless of personal circumstances, the ruins themselves are an incredible sight.
We arrived in Palenque from San Cristobal early in the afternoon - the hottest part of the day. Already we could tell that the humid, almost tropical setting of the far south of the country would be a different proposition altogether from the low temperatures we encountered in the highlands around Oaxaca and San Cristobal. We shared our bus ride with a Dutch couple from our Mayan village tour (who thankfully warned us about the winding roads between San Cristobal and Palenque so we were able to take some pills) and also wound up bumping into Ginger from the same tour at dinner - it's a small world after all!
We stayed in the jungle near the ruins in a 'cabana economica' - which cost us all of 140 pesos (about 14 USD or 7 UKP) per night. We were slightly worried by the ramshackle construction and completely un mosquito proof walls, windows and door, but we were won over by the fact that we could stay for two nights for the same price as most places would be for one night. The cabana did show its worthiness on the first night when we were awoken by a tremendous rainstorm (a throwback to 14 Clerk Street perhaps?) but miraculously we stayed dry. 7 quid well spent!
The ruins of Palenque were a mere 2km from our jungle-bound shack. We considered walking, but we had to venture back into town first because we were chronically short of cash and there are no cash machines in the jungle. Once we'd replenished our money supply we set off for the ancient city of Palenque.
The ruins are spectacular! Half hidden in tropical jungle, several of the structures seem to emerge from the foliage as if they were were coming out of the trees to be closer to the other cleared buildings. The site itself is incredible - there are a dozen or so major buildings around the cleared site with many other ruins and unexcavated buildings nearby. There's also a stream which the ancient Maya channeled away from their buildings so that it wouldn't affect the foundations. There was also an onsite museum which houses all of the treasures unearthed on the site. It details the progression of the art and culture from basic beginnings to more complex pieces unearthed from near the end of the civilisation.
So next stop Campeche on the way to Cancun to see mi hermano, Tambule!
We arrived in Palenque from San Cristobal early in the afternoon - the hottest part of the day. Already we could tell that the humid, almost tropical setting of the far south of the country would be a different proposition altogether from the low temperatures we encountered in the highlands around Oaxaca and San Cristobal. We shared our bus ride with a Dutch couple from our Mayan village tour (who thankfully warned us about the winding roads between San Cristobal and Palenque so we were able to take some pills) and also wound up bumping into Ginger from the same tour at dinner - it's a small world after all!
We stayed in the jungle near the ruins in a 'cabana economica' - which cost us all of 140 pesos (about 14 USD or 7 UKP) per night. We were slightly worried by the ramshackle construction and completely un mosquito proof walls, windows and door, but we were won over by the fact that we could stay for two nights for the same price as most places would be for one night. The cabana did show its worthiness on the first night when we were awoken by a tremendous rainstorm (a throwback to 14 Clerk Street perhaps?) but miraculously we stayed dry. 7 quid well spent!
The ruins of Palenque were a mere 2km from our jungle-bound shack. We considered walking, but we had to venture back into town first because we were chronically short of cash and there are no cash machines in the jungle. Once we'd replenished our money supply we set off for the ancient city of Palenque.
The ruins are spectacular! Half hidden in tropical jungle, several of the structures seem to emerge from the foliage as if they were were coming out of the trees to be closer to the other cleared buildings. The site itself is incredible - there are a dozen or so major buildings around the cleared site with many other ruins and unexcavated buildings nearby. There's also a stream which the ancient Maya channeled away from their buildings so that it wouldn't affect the foundations. There was also an onsite museum which houses all of the treasures unearthed on the site. It details the progression of the art and culture from basic beginnings to more complex pieces unearthed from near the end of the civilisation.
So next stop Campeche on the way to Cancun to see mi hermano, Tambule!
posted by Iff at
9:50 pm
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