We had finally found a place in Mexico that wasn’t a colonial town! Staying just outside Palenque we were smack bang in the middle of the jungle and ready to go exploring.
Our room was comfy but damp. Being in the jungle meant that everything was damp – leave your clothes out long enough and they got wet, your towel never dried and the tile floor was so slippery you could ice-skate on it. But, there were people! After the people drought of Campeche we were stunned to see close to 100 people sitting in our jungle restaurant and dancing to salsa! Happy days!
We were here to explore the ruins of the old city of Palenque, rumoured to be the New York of the Mayan empire in Mexico.
Since we were staying just outside the national park, and not in town, we decided to walk in. Starting at the top of the hill and working our way through the old ruins was stunning. There was the main palace, where clearly the royals lived, dominating the entire city. There was also the Temple of Inscriptions, were one of the Kings was buried in a huge stone sarcophagus that was on display in the museum.
(Inside the temple of inscriptions)
We stopped into the museum to see some of the artifacts that had bee discovered and were on display.
(Mask of jade and malachite)
(The actual sarcophagus from the Temple of Inscriptions)
(Part of a table with Mayan inscriptions)
(Me, trying to be the third head)
We continued our jungle expedition by stopping in at some waterfalls on the way to San Cristobal. While they were pretty, they would be prettier in the dry season when the pools are actually blue.
(Innovative way to try and get across the water – pull yourself and your ‘craft’ by rope!)
(Jess demonstrating the workplace healthy and safely features of the waterfall – when the door is closed you can’t pass….unless you just open the door yourself…)
